Becoming evil makes you ten times stronger, but becoming a demon gives you hundredfold strength

Everyone was looking at Meng Yu.

"My lord, it was my mistake..."

In that moment, Mister Huo was shaking with excitement. He had once chastised Meng Yu as an idiot and weak, but upon witnessing Meng Yu's sword strike, he suddenly realized that no matter what, Meng Yu's ambition had now been fulfilled!

This was not just a ruler; this was a saint!

In contrast to the criticisms of Meng Yu for being too kind, soft-hearted, and foolish, the Divine Martial King was disparaged for valuing noble families and bloodlines too much, being too generous to soldiers, and too harsh on commoners.

But from another perspective, the Great Wu Dynasty had been internally crumbling for three hundred years, and the noble families held immense power. Was there anything wrong with the Divine Martial King's polite but distanced relationships with them?

The Divine Martial King had made the right choice!

However, this time, when the Divine Martial King led his army to swiftly quell the rebellion of the Jiangnan Xiang Fragrant Sect, the slaughter did not cease. Instead, it turned directly towards the notable nobility, under the pretext that they colluded with the Fragrance Cult. As a result, the noble heads of Jiangnan rolled, and they lamented in a bloodcurdling sorrow.

Those noble families were trying everything they could, flattering the Divine Martial King while simultaneously setting traps for him. For instance, the street ballads outside were all praising Meng Yu's benevolence, and there were various leaks about the Divine Martial King's army, in hopes that Meng Yu would take action.

And now, with the lord being so formidable, the Divine Martial King was actually paving the way for the king!

"I would like to invite Mister Huo to once again become my Chief Strategist, if that's acceptable?"

Dismissing one person and promoting another was like the Imperial Court appointing or dismissing a Prime Minister; sometimes it revealed Meng Yu's stance.

"Long live the lord!"

Mister Huo immediately knelt down, and the crowd around him followed suit, not getting up from their bows.

...

"Do not call me 'long live'; I am but a commoner, born into poverty, sigh..."

The words of Meng Yu, ah no, King Meng Tian, spread rapidly throughout the territory.

Meng Yu earnestly told his subordinates not to chant things like 'long live the lord'; he really had no intention of being an emperor or rising further, this time, it was the Divine Martial King who had gone too far!

Alright, so Meng Yu was that sincere, a complete performance, so... his subordinates, looking at one another, eventually turned Meng Yu's title into King Meng Tian. They, however, quickly sought the advice of their teachers on whether to mimic the cry of a fox or to stuff notes into the belly of a fish.

Meng Yu did not refuse the name King Meng Tian; it sounded much better than Cao Meng De, and everyone said, "King Meng Tian, you are unrivaled in the world, the title of Fiery Young Master really doesn't suit you," and so on.

Banners were raised one after another, troops marched forward with chests puffed out. The once panic-stricken and dejected territory suddenly burst forth with boundless strength. People who had previously hidden or vanished emerged with the most enthusiastic attitudes, offering their wealth, food, and bringing their families to enlist in the army.

Of course, those who had stood by Meng Yu early on were now filled with immense excitement and joy. The strategically placed Memory Stones recorded everything that happened, and everyone present or not realized at that moment that they had hit the jackpot!

During those days, Meng Yu's subordinates did their utmost to boost morale, telling stories of how the Great Wu Dynasty's founding heroes were nothing but butchers, scholars, minor officials, and the like. They assured everyone that if they followed the lord and the rebellion succeeded, they would have everything.

Before, it was all just a promise; now... a huge pie had fallen from the sky!

...

The endless army marched towards the city ahead, the most important checkpoint on Meng Yu's land, Iron Chain Pass.

After Meng Yu had killed numerous people in the provincial capital, he took over the Zhou Royal Mansion and a lot of people's land; he even moved Qingfeng Gate from the mountainous area to a small plain.

Later, when the Imperial Court titled Meng Yu a marquis, his strategists strongly urged him to take control of the city because only then would Meng Yu have a complete defense system.

But Meng Yu refused, claiming he had no intention of rebelling, and that wanting that place was purely inviting criticism. He even prohibited the development of underground forces in Iron Chain Pass.

He harbored goodwill, but the commander of Iron Chain Pass did not.

The Imperial Court had sent him to this place with a clear purpose. On the surface, he was cordial with Meng Yu, but privately, he was on high alert, especially when the Divine Martial King was preparing to lead his troops down another path. He had immediately confiscated the properties of merchants close to Meng Yu and thrown them in prison, many of whom died there without cause.

"Greetings to King Meng Tian!"

When Meng Yu's army arrived at Iron Chain Pass, there were already people waiting there.

Fifteen days earlier, Su Qingqing had planted peach blossoms, taking root, while Meng Yu's swordsmanship was like that of a ghost or god.

The Divine Martial King's spies, terrified, sent out the news and reported it to the Imperial Court and the Divine Martial King.

In this world, the spell of the Memory Stone was expensive, but the Divine Martial King's spies had it. Prior to that day, they were tasked to gather all personal information about Su Qingqing by any means necessary. Hence, before Su Qingqing's public demonstration of planting peach blossoms taking root, four squads were already prepared in different locations.

This was out of caution to avoid capture by Meng Yu's men.

Fortunately, Meng Yu's territory had already been infiltrated by the Imperial Court like a sieve before the arrival of the Divine Martial King, and three of the squads were safely in place. Then, everyone witnessed the most terrifying scene of their lives!

One squad defected on the spot, surrendering directly to Meng Yu. Luckily, the remaining three Memory Stones and related intelligence were teleported out and then ended up in the hands of the Imperial Court.

The copy has been made, and a copy each has been sent to the Son of Heaven, the big shots at the Imperial Court, and the Divine Martial King. The intermediaries, seeing the fall of Great Xia as an opportunity to make more money, directly sold the Memory Stone to different forces!

At this time, the situation was tumultuous and decisive for the future course of the world. Many believed that the Divine Martial King could revive the Great Wu, but how to place their bets was of the utmost importance. Therefore, no matter the cost, various forces acquired the intelligence from the Memory Stone as quickly as they could.

Then, everyone who saw it was at a loss for words.

Could this be a fake?

How could it be?

Is Meng Yu joking?

After all, even though this video segment, divided into three angles, showed no sign of being tampered with, no matter how one looked at it, it just seemed impossible!

This isn't a hero capable of facing a thousand enemies alone, nor ten thousand; this is like a deity descending to earth!

"Brother Shen, how have you been?"

Waiting at Iron Chain Pass was a young man with a genuine and sincere smile, along with several high-ranking officials from the Imperial Court.

The Crown Prince of the Divine Martial King is Xu Yiming, the one considered a good imperial grandson and Meng Yu's sworn brother from the previous year.

When someone is in a tight spot, you ask him to play the fool and he won't complain. A year and a half ago, on the eve of the Fragrance Cult's uprising, the Imperial Court sent a first-ranked official, Su Qingqing, along with the Divine Martial King's Crown Prince to meet Meng Yu.

The Crown Prince was very eloquent and sincere, swearing by heaven and earth that as long as the Great Wu existed, Meng Yu would always be wealthy and honored. He admired Meng Yu's compassion for all people, deliberately befriended him, treated him like a fool, and even offered to station himself in Meng Yu's territory, with his younger sister available for Meng Yu's choosing…

Well, Meng Yu refused to form a marital alliance, but it was okay to provide food and supplies on credit. This allowed him to gain a lot of face in front of his father and the emperor and embarrass Xu Yiming, who multiple times awkwardly asked Meng Yu for a loan.

However, when the time came for the Divine Martial King to march north, and Meng Yu wanted to contact him in the capital, he heard these words instead.

"The Crown Prince has been reprimanded by the Son of Heaven for his poor judgment in people!"

"The Crown Prince is kind-hearted, why must you harbor such nefarious ambitions?"

"The Crown Prince did his best."

Yes, the Crown Prince presented himself well, warmly welcoming Meng Yu's envoy, eagerly running back and forth, a picture of earnest effort, then letting others play the villain to highlight the Crown Prince's noble character. However, Meng Yu had already been tipped off that during the secret Imperial Court meeting, the Crown Prince was firmly in favor of killing him!

He even said that Meng Yu was a good man without thoughts of rebellion, but because of his reputation-seeking behavior combined with his exceptional martial skills at a young age, he had to die, and his entire lineage had to be exterminated. As for any loss of the Imperial Court's prestige, it did not matter; at most, few years later he could be exonerated posthumously, and the Crown Prince would then mourn at Meng Yu's grave.

"Brother Meng, it's all a misunderstanding, I…"

He had been here for several days, but Meng Yu's people didn't let him through. Approaching Meng Yu's side with an impeccable attitude, the next moment a dozen Fire Crows soared into the air, turning them to ashes.

Meng Yu gestured for his men to stop, and he dismounted from his warhorse, calmly walking towards Iron Chain Pass.

The walls of Iron Chain Pass stood at twenty meters high with a thickness of three Zhang, with countless soldiers on top looking down in terror as though they were ants.

"This truly is an impressive city wall..."

Meng Yu gazed at the city wall before him, observing the highly alert individuals above, then lowered his eyes. Suddenly, many people remembered how, three hundred years ago, the founder of the Great Wu Dynasty, the Five Peaks Swordsman, captured the world!

Below the Titan's Severance Blade, he broke through barriers and shattered walls!

Could Meng Yu be planning to use the Fire Crows to reduce the entire city wall to ashes?

Today, not only had envoys from the Imperial Court arrived, but people from all different powers, whether from the distant corners of the earth or those who lived in seclusion, had arrived in Meng Yu's territory within the past fifteen days. Each of them, lining up in turn, was eager to meet King Meng Tian, and each was competing to show their loyalty to him.

Then, King Meng Tian's response was to meet them below Iron Chain Pass.

Beneath Iron Chain Pass at this moment, many understood what Meng Yu intended to do. The city wall before them was his target; he wanted to set the city ablaze!

Meng Yu blinked his eyes, blinked again, and then walked towards the left.

That way, he proceeded along the moat.

The strong bows and crossbows on the city wall dared not fire a single shot, even though he had just burned the Divine Martial King's Crown Prince alive. No one dared make a move.

That day, the garrison at Iron Chain Pass witnessed a column of fire that soared to the heavens, connecting earth to sky, like a mighty dragon!

He continued at a steady pace until he reached the end of the city wall, the left corner.

He glanced at the city wall crowded with approaching masters, presumably afraid that he would scale the wall and begin a massacre. He looked at the city wall again, still twenty meters high, but this time the thickness reached several kilometers.

After all, at the other end of the wall corner was another wall extending directly across from Meng Yu, horizontal in direction.

Like a massive, unbreakable dragon lying across his path.