"Fire!"

"Boom...!"

"Boom boom boom...!!!"

Another series of shells were fired, with a thousand shells precisely hitting Xuzhou City.

Numerous houses were blasted to ruins, countless rebel bodies were torn apart, and the mighty walls of Xuzhou City were tottering under the barrage of shells.

Finally.

After more than ten rounds of bombardment, the walls of Xuzhou City were finally blasted down.

Numerous rebels fell like dumplings from the breaches all over the wall, and from the Imperial Court's army camp, the chaos among the rebels and citizens in Xuzhou City was clearly visible.

"Charge the entire army!!!"

With a command, one hundred thousand vanguards of the Imperial Court quickly charged into Xuzhou City.

"Kill!"

"Honor and glory are at hand!"

"Soldiers! Follow me in the charge!"

"Kill!"

Dozens of deputy generals, guerrillas, and captains roared in unison, leading their soldiers fiercely into Xuzhou City.

"Slash!"

"Kill!"

"Slash slash!"

In the chaotic battlefield, soldiers and rebels constantly clashed, falling quickly only to be trampled into paste by those who followed.

Everywhere one looked around Xuzhou City, there were Imperial Court soldiers and rebels fighting with abandon.

And after the vanguard, Xu Mujun entered Xuzhou City, surrounded by several attendants.

"Convey the general's orders!"

"Anyone holding a sharp weapon, kill!"

"Anyone glaring angrily, kill!"

"Anyone shouting curses, kill!"

"Anyone fiercely loyal to the rebels, kill!"

"Anyone harboring hostility towards the Imperial Court's army, regardless of being old, women, or children, kill them all!"

With each order, countless Imperial Court troops fought fiercely with abandon.

Screams, the sound of sharp weapons slicing through flesh, cries of battle, explosions, and burning flames echoed throughout Xuzhou City.

"General!"

A subordinate said, "Xuzhou City is extremely dangerous. Please sit at the central command and leave the rest to us!"

"Alright."

Xu Mujun said calmly, "There must be cultivators hiding in Xuzhou City. Be extremely cautious, and as soon as you discover any cultivators, send a smoke signal immediately. I will handle it personally. Understand?"

"Yes!"

Except for the reserve and personal guard, the rest of the army almost emptied the nest, gradually clearing Xuzhou City.

Xu Mujun, meanwhile, led a large group of personal guards to station on the still intact section of the wall, carefully scrutinizing the entire Xuzhou City.

"Strange... where are the cultivators?"

After almost half a day, the chaotic cries in Xuzhou City had significantly decreased, yet Xu Mujun was still full of doubt.

"Logically, when Xuzhou City was breached, it should have been the best time for those cultivators to strike secretly, why haven't they appeared by now?"

"Could they have escaped?"

"Hahaha... Xu Mujun, no need to wait, there isn't a whiff of cultivator's presence in Xuzhou City!"

At this moment, Xiong Gang, with bronzed skin and a burly frame, strode over.

"I just used a secret technique to investigate, and there's not a trace of cultivator presence in the entire Xuzhou City!"

Xu Mujun questioned with curiosity, "Brother Xiong, as far as this general knows, cultivators have some cultivation methods to conceal their own aura, are you sure you didn't miss anything?"

"Impossible!"

Xiong Gang stated, "We of the Ten Thousand Beasts Borderless Sect, do not search for cultivators based on their spiritual qi fluctuations, but trace their breathing, personal aura, and the scent on their bodies."

"There's not a hint of spiritual qi presence in the entire Xuzhou City."

"Looks like they're playing the tortoise, hahaha..."

Xu Mujun furrowed his brow, "Would cultivators run away under the attack of mortals?"

"Why not?"

Xiong Gang replied coldly, "Cultivators seek longevity and are most cautious about their lives, especially those old undying ones, they're even stricter in preserving their lives!"

"Once faced with life-threatening danger, they will surely flee."

"The last time a cultivator attacked and was easily repelled by both you and me, it surely rang a warning bell to the cultivators inside Xuzhou City; otherwise, they wouldn't have escaped so swiftly!"

"Have they escaped?"

Xu Mujun was filled with doubts, but he still said, "Order the Dragon Scale Army to swiftly occupy Prince Chen's Mansion, and search for any suspicious persons."

"Understood!"

The Dragon Scale Army obeyed, and over a hundred fully armed elite cavalry quickly charged into the city, heading towards Prince Chen's Mansion.

Deep into the night, the fighting continued.

With the combined assault of numerous soldiers, Prince Chen's Mansion was finally breached.

And Xu Mujun received the news from Prince Chen's Mansion instantaneously.

"What did you say... over three hundred people in Prince Chen's Mansion were all killed!?"

"Yes, General!"

The subordinate replied respectfully, "Everyone in Prince Chen's Mansion, including King Chen Zheng Zongkai and the Princess Consort, has been killed!"

"And Zheng Yuanfa?"

They had already discovered that the core of Prince Chen's rebellion was the heir, Zheng Yuanfa.

This man became a cultivator, imprisoned King Chen, and subsequently led the army in rebellion.

"Not found!"

The subordinate responded, "However, General, we discovered something."

"Bring it here!"

Soon, the Dragon Scale Army carried several corpses up, placing them side by side on the ground.

"General, please take a look, there are four corpses here belonging to King Chen Zheng Zongkai, officials of the mansion, rebel soldiers, and refugees from the city."

Xu Mujun examined closely and quickly widened his eyes.

"White Lotus Sect!"

On each of their foreheads was a lotus brand, deeply etched to the bone.

These were marks of the core disciples of the White Lotus Sect.

Meaning... the rebellion caused by Prince Chen's heir was entirely the doing of the White Lotus Sect.

Or... everyone in Prince Chen's Mansion, from King Chen down to the servants, had been surreptitiously replaced by the White Lotus Sect!

"White Lotus Sect, White Lotus Sect..."

"White Lotus Sect!"

Beside him, Xiong Gang also spoke, "That's the White Lotus Brand, the signature trick of the White Lotus Sect leader, Old Ghost Bai, I didn't expect he was still alive!"

"Brother Xiong, do you know people from the White Lotus Sect, especially their Sect Leader?"

"Of course."

Xiong Gang replied, "Old Ghost Bai was already a Qi Cultivation Great Perfection cultivator thirty years ago and was seeking a chance to breakthrough to Foundation Establishment."

"Unfortunately, after all these years, there's never been any intel."

"I thought he had passed away, but it turns out he infiltrated Prince Chen's Mansion."

"However, calculating by time, he must be at least 180 years old, how can he live that long?"

"Perhaps some secret technique for extending lifespan?"

"Old Ghost Bai, Old Ghost Bai..."

Xu Mujun murmured, gazing at chaotic Xuzhou City and the bodies on the ground, his mind racing.

"White Lotus Sect... is skilled in rebellions and uprisings. In the three-hundred-year history of Great Yu, there have been over twenty White Lotus Sect rebellions, averaging one every ten years."

"Apart from rebellion, the White Lotus Sect also excels at... assassinating the Emperor!"

Xu Mujun's eyes suddenly lit up, gritting his teeth, "Damn it! The White Lotus Sect left Xuzhou City for us, and they've gone to assassinate Your Majesty!"

"Oh?"

Xiong Gang nodded in agreement, "This is indeed something Old Ghost Bai would do, after all, he's a cultivator, killing a mortal would be effortless..."

Before Xiong Gang could finish, Xu Mujun turned and left.

"Brother Xu, where are you going?"

"Back to the capital!"

"Urgency for eight hundred miles!!!"