Above the Wujiang River, a giant ship was anchored in the water, and dozens of White Lotus Sect followers looked around in horror at the sudden appearance of numerous figures.

All of them had pale faces, disheveled hair, and white robes, looking particularly bizarre.

The souls of the people from Antong County, in their attempt to seize the vitality of the living, launched an attack. The White Lotus Sect followers were skilled in martial arts and not easy to deal with, leading to a fierce battle breaking out on the deck.

The souls of the Antong County residents had been nurtured by the old locust tree for a long time, their power not to be underestimated. Each grab and hold made considerable noise.

One White Lotus Sect follower was caught off guard and grabbed by the neck; his throat bones crackled audibly.

"Ugh!" As the figure drew close to the White Lotus Sect follower’s face and inhaled forcefully, wisps of white mist floated out from the follower’s seven orifices, all absorbed by the figure’s mouth.

The White Lotus Sect follower, having his vitality drained, became increasingly lethargic, his energy gradually waning.

Suddenly, a scorching aura fell from the sky, instantly obliterating many figures before they could react.

"You should have died long ago, anyway by dawn you will no longer exist in this world, let me send you off." Qin Yuesheng exploded with Primordial Qi, the pure power of Primordial Yang radiated instantly, shattering any ghosts touched by it, dissipating them in the air.

"Holy Envoy!"

Seeing Qin Yuesheng’s appearance, the White Lotus followers present immediately found their backbone, regaining their spirit and continued to fight against the figures.

Qin Yuesheng removed the restraint from his throat, immediately letting out a loud roar. Under the sound waves of the Soul-Shattering Roar, the ghostly figures vanished one after another. Within moments, a third of them were killed by Qin Yuesheng, and the rest, realizing they were no match, quickly turned to flee, no longer intending to risk their lives to complete the task assigned by the old locust tree.

Once all the figures left, the White Lotus Sect followers couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. If Qin Yuesheng hadn’t arrived in time, they might not have escaped harm tonight.

"Sail the ship eastward along the tributaries of the Wujiang River." Qin Yuesheng ordered before walking into the cabin.

The situation in Antong County had been thoroughly investigated, and Qin Yuesheng only needed to write down the cause of death of the six Seven Star officials and the situation with the old locust tree and send it to Chang’an for a report.

However, with the world in chaos, Qin Yuesheng wasn’t sure if Chang’an had the time to deal with these local peculiarities.

...

Yangzhou Prefecture.

Yuwen Sanzui’s four companions sat in the inn’s main hall having a meal. They had stayed in Yangzhou Prefecture for a few days to find the person bearing the dragon fate, but who would have expected Liu Xian, the Yangzhou Prefecture prefect, to suddenly stage a rebellion.

On the day Liu Xian rebelled, he directly sealed off the entire city, allowing entry but not exit, trapping Yuwen Sanzui and his party inside the city.

As a subject of the Great Tang, Yuwen Sanzui naturally couldn’t turn a blind eye to the rebellion, as the saying goes: catch the ringleader first to capture the bandits. Since Liu Xian rebelled, killing him would leave the rebel troops leaderless, ensuring their defeat without a fight.

However, while the idea was good, reality often falls short of expectations.

Yuwen Sanzui infiltrated the prefecture mansion that night to assassinate Liu Xian, only to find three masters of the Sixth Layer of the Internal Power Realm secretly protecting him. Yuwen Sanzui not only failed but was also seriously injured, forcing him to return to the inn and remain indoors to recuperate.

"My lord is injured, and we have to wait to leave Yangzhou Prefecture. If Liu Xian doesn’t open Yangzhou Prefecture, we can’t leave," the one-eyed young man Wu Fan whispered, holding a bowl of noodles.

Sitting beside him, He Rui and Huang Tianhu remained silent. Yangzhou Prefecture was filled with Liu Xian’s private soldiers and spies; walls have ears, and one wrong word could cause trouble.

Moreover, since Yuwen Sanzui attempted the night assault on Liu Xian, the searches in Yangzhou Prefecture had become more intense with each passing day. Anyone acting suspiciously or displaying suspicious expressions on the street risked being caught and detained by some group that appeared out of nowhere.

In such circumstances, Yuwen Sanzui and his companions had been staying in the inn, not daring to venture out for many days.

Even if they had remarkable skills, Liu Xian also had many experts on his side, and engaging in a full-blown fight wouldn’t be in their favor.

"Mr. Wang, if there’s no person bearing the fate in Yangzhou Prefecture, once Lord Yuwen recovers from his injuries, we must consider how to leave Yangzhou Prefecture," Huang Tianhu said to Wang Chengfeng.

"I am truly ashamed," Wang Chengfeng replied apologetically.

His eyes had been injured by Qin Yuesheng’s Life Star that day and hadn’t fully recovered, significantly reducing the efficiency of finding people. Currently, his eyes were still bloodshot, looking exhausted.

Rumble!

At this moment, a rumbling sound was heard outside the inn. Hundreds of people were running in unison on the street. Wang Chengfeng and others immediately turned their heads to look out the door, seeing a troop of armored soldiers marching past the inn entrance. The murderous aura from the soldiers was enough to make ordinary people tremble and lose control of their limbs.

Huang Tianhu showed a hint of surprise in his eyes: "What a well-trained troop, Liu Xian is indeed resourceful to train his soldiers to such an extent."

"If given a few more years to develop, it’s hard to say whether he could overthrow the imperial court. If not for his rebellion being prematurely exposed, he might have truly become a great enemy of the Great Tang in the future," He Rui responded in a low voice.

They were all subordinates of Yuwen Sanzui and had spent time in military camps in Chang’an following him, so they understood the situation of the Great Tang’s army, inevitably comparing it with the troop passing by.

This army was like a dragon winding through the streets. In the middle of the procession, eight tall and strong Great Han men steadily carried two palanquins forward. It was clear at a glance that the people sitting inside were of great importance, either Liu Xian himself or someone close to him, as no one else would merit such an elaborate display.

Wang Chengfeng scrutinized them for a while, and suddenly, his eyes began to sting, causing tears to trickle down his cheeks.

"Huh?" Wang Chengfeng’s tone suddenly was filled with surprise, and his expression froze.

This immediately caught the attention of Huang Tianhu, who, seated nearby, was experienced and keen in observation. He promptly asked in a low voice, "Mr. Wang, is something the matter? Is there anything wrong?"

Wang Chengfeng was initially shocked, then incredulous, and finally overjoyed, saying, "Good news, it’s good news indeed."

Although He Rui was the only woman among the four, she was also the most impatient, hastily urging with curiosity, "What good news? Mr. Wang, please tell us quickly."

Wang Chengfeng inherited the ancestral art of ’Viewing the Mountains and Rivers of the Nine Provinces,’ with three layers of vision. Given his proficiency, he could already open the first layer of vision at all times. Thus, when he saw the two luxurious palanquins, he noticed that from the second palanquin, a single-clawed golden dragon surprisingly flew up and down, circling near the palanquin incessantly.

Such a phenomenon, to a seer, had only one conclusion: it was the essence of dragon energy, possessed by the one destined to rule!

Dragon energy may be abundant or scant, and possessing some dragon energy does not necessarily mean one can become an emperor.

Only when the dragon energy on you is enough to form the image of a nine-clawed golden dragon, can you have the destiny of ’The Son of Heaven Ruling the Nine Provinces.’ This is the so-called ’Emperor’s Fate’ spoken of by Daoists and fortune-tellers among the populace.

Anyone can have the ’Emperor’s Fate,’ whether a beggar or a thug, as long as the dragon energy gathered upon him is sufficient.

The chosen one could plunder the dragon energy from vanquishing another chosen one to enhance himself.

As someone who fights more and wins more, once all the dragon energy in the world converges upon him, he can establish a nation and become emperor unimpeded.

History tells us that in tumultuous times, various powerful lords waged wars across the Central Plains, yet ultimately, one would rise like a bright moon amidst the shining stars, finally unifying the world, and this is the reason.

The lords who make their name in such chaotic times are generally the chosen ones, and being defeated or defeating others will affect the dragon energy upon them.

"Good news, good news, the person we came to find in Jiangnan is in the second palanquin." Wang Chengfeng reached into his teacup, moistened his fingers, and wrote a few small words on the table.

’The Chosen One’

"Hm!" "Ah!" "Oh!"

The eyes of Huang Tianhu and the others gleamed simultaneously, widening with joy.

As the saying goes, just when you exhaust all means in your search, fortune comes effortlessly. Their journey yielded nothing, yet the target delivered itself as they lingered within Yangzhou Prefecture.

"Quick, report it to Lord Yuwen. Let him decide upon this matter," Huang Tianhu glanced at Wu Fan and He Rui.

These two immediately sprang to their feet and rushed up to the second floor of the inn.

Inside the second palanquin, a young man in patched clothes endlessly touched every part of the palanquin with curiosity—the windows, the seats, the curtains—which all caught his fancy and were fondled by him.

The young man wiped away the snot streaming from his nose. Intending to flick it away, he hesitated upon seeing the palanquin’s luxurious interior, fearing he’d be unable to compensate for any stains even by selling his entire family. After some thought, he resorted to wiping the snot on his own pants.

His name was Guo Daniu, ranked second in his family, born into an impoverished rural household.

When Guo Daniu was born, his mother experienced a difficult labor, despite the frantic help of two midwives, the baby wasn’t born for a long time. Though mother and child were finally safe, the prolonged labor made Guo Daniu quite dim-witted, lagging far behind his peers in learning abilities; he didn’t walk until three, nor speak until five. Despite his robust build, he was perceived as silly and dull by others, suffering bullying from other village children throughout his childhood.

However, a strange incident occurred to Guo Daniu recently.

On a cloudless, rainless night, Guo Daniu fell asleep early in his family’s thatched hut. Later, something seemingly struck him, leading to some sort of change.

From that day forth, Guo Daniu felt his mind becoming more agile, his luck turning favorable as well. While farming, he unearthed a pot filled with copper coins; while collecting wood in the mountains, he happened upon two warring tigers that both died, thereby presenting him an advantage.

Fishing in the river, he caught a grass carp containing a gold bracelet in its belly; selling his family’s homegrown vegetables in the city, he encountered a shopkeeper of a restaurant urgently requiring ingredients, who bought all his produce at thrice the price.

In short, from that day, Guo Daniu’s life turned extraordinarily smooth, seeming as if assisted by divine intervention.

This turn of events made Guo Daniu feel somewhat anxious, yet it markedly improved his family’s situation. Under such circumstances, one day, a person claiming to be from Yangzhou Prefecture visited his home.

This individual showed remarkable skills, able to freeze water at will and shattering rocks with a soaked cloth—acts that astounded Guo Daniu’s family, leaving them in awe. Eventually, at this person’s suggestion, Guo Daniu was brought to Yangzhou Prefecture to learn skills.

However, Guo Daniu was unaware that this person was a seer under Liu Xian’s command, who stumbled upon Guo Daniu’s village and inadvertently recognized the presence of the image of the single-clawed golden dragon upon him.

Hence, he realized that Guo Daniu was indeed a rare chosen one.