Knife light, sword Qi, spear glow, countless Dao techniques flooding, in an instant, submerged Zhuang Gaoxian.

Yet in the very next instant, he shattered them with a single punch!

All the powers were gathered together, exploding into huge fireworks.

Zhuang Gaoxian fully displayed the might of a contemporary True Person. With his left hand holding Han Xu’s black long sword, amidst the scattered flowing lights, he coldly looked at this gathering of people.

Every face was familiar.

It could be said that all the strong individuals in the entire Yong country court system who could be mobilized at this time had been drawn here.

No strong individuals from the Mo family joined. This was probably because if any Mo family strong individuals appeared in this situation, it would give Jade Capital Mountain a reason to intervene.

“Han Xu, you really are timid as a mouse, a ruler who values his own body and the country lightly, eh?!” Zhuang Gaoxian slightly lifted his chin, fully displaying the winner’s arrogance: “When did you send the letter? You called so many loyal ministers and good generals out of the country to meet you, aren’t you worried about the country being unstable and the situation turbulent!”

Han Xu slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and retreated slowly under the crowding of the Yong country people: “You won! This time, the Tai Xu Alliance, I withdraw!”

Zhuang Gaoxian stood suspended in the air with his hands behind his back, calmly looking at such a large group of people, pondering in his heart the possibility of killing Han Xu.

Although there were many cultivators of the Divine Arrival realm in front of him, only Bei Gong Yu could be called troublesome, and Qi Mao Xian was slightly thorny. The rest of the Divine Arrival cultivators were all clay chickens and pottery dogs, merely for consumption.

But this location was very close to Yong country.

Han Xu, after all, was a contemporary True Person. With the cooperation of so many people, the chance of escape was already very high.

He had already beaten Han Xu to this state; it would be impossible for him to recover without consuming massive resources. Was it necessary to consume more power to pursue the very difficult-to-grasp possibility of killing Han Xu?

After the Tai Xu Alliance, he needed to stand out and state his position. After the Tai Xu Alliance, he still needed to kill Jiang Wang without fail, and he still needed to leave power to guard against accidents… More importantly, if he couldn’t kill Han Xu, merely killing these Yong country nobles would weaken the power of the Yong country emperor’s party, which would only lead to the Mo Gate’s deeper control over Yong country. This was not a good thing for Zhuang country.

His strategic pursuit was to control Yong country and open a new round of cooperation with the Mo family, rather than helping the Mo family control Yong country and then confronting the Mo family-controlled Yong country. The sequence was very important.

His thoughts turned a thousand times in a flash. Zhuang Gaoxian raised his hand and pointed at Bei Gong Yu, startling the old man into retreating repeatedly and guarding himself closely. He couldn’t help but laugh: “Bei Gong Yu! How many years have you been in Yong country? You’ve experienced several generations of emperors. Can it be that you still haven’t seen through the Han clan’s incompetence and baseness? The enlightened ruler Han Zhou absolutely had no descendants, and the Han Yin lineage is all mediocre!

“In my view, the emperor should let you do it.

“In terms of merit, seniority, and foundation, in what way is the Bei Gong family not as good as the Han family?

“Now Han Xu is already at the end of his strength. If you raise your arm and call, you can immediately replace him. This should make Yong country go from dark to bright! I am willing to ally with you, for Zhuang and Yong to join hands and reorganize the order of the western border. Is this not the good wish of the people of both countries? If you cannot grasp this great opportunity, perhaps there will be no more in this life!”

Bei Gong Yu consecutively cast Dao methods, cautiously arranging his defenses, and then said to Zhuang Gaoxian: “Your Majesty Zhuang is so concerned about this old man, truly a good person. This old man knows his virtue is thin and is not worthy of the position of the Zhuang country lord, but if you insist on abdicating, I will shamelessly do it. And afterward, I must promote Yong and Zhuang forever good, so as not to disappoint His Majesty Zhuang!”

Zhuang Gaoxian didn’t care whether they had other intentions, nor did he care how Bei Gong Yu stated it. He planted a seed of ambition and then stopped, regardless of whether it sprouted.

Turning again to look at the Yong Heavenly Son: “Han Xu ah Han Xu, I’m not saying you, but you really need to put more effort into cultivation! Don’t indulge in power techniques all day and only know intrigue! Is great power just power? You are so weak now, how can you break free from the Mo family’s control?”

The Yong country people all guarded their divine senses, protecting Han Xu’s retreat.

Han Xu’s face had no too much expression, just staring intently at Zhuang Gaoxian: “Mo family learning is the national learning of Great Yong. The Mo family and Yong country are complementary and mutually reinforcing. Rather, you, Zhuang Gaoxian, the Jing country’s world drives the knife, and the Dao belongs to all as weapons. Use it then sharpen it, don’t use it then frustrate it. The decline of a flourishing country is precisely the lesson from the past. You serve a tiger with your body; eventually, you will be flesh exhausted and bones bare. Have you thought about the future of Zhuang country?”

“No need to worry!” Zhuang Gaoxian lightly brushed his large sleeve: “I have been in a high position for twenty years, striking Yong, defeating Mo, deterring Cheng… In your Han family father and son’s hands, I expanded the territory. In the status of the Dao-belonging countries, I have also risen all the way. I have gained deeper recognition from Jade Capital Mountain and have been repeatedly granted Dao books. How the future of Zhuang country will be is clear at a glance. The grand blueprint of brocade will eventually be successful. And you, Han Xu, have been on the throne for a hundred years, mediocre. For what? Qian Jin Hua can trade anything; have you thought about how much you can be priced at?”

“Yong country and the Mo family have sincere cooperation and mutual trust; it is not something you can provoke. The conception of the future between me and the Mo family giants, the enthusiasm for the ideal, is something that a selfish person like you cannot imagine.” Han Xu suppressed his injury and said slowly: “Retreat ten thousand steps and say, as long as it is beneficial to Yong country, beneficial to the people of Yong country, I am willing to be priced! And you? To what extent are you willing to go for your country?”

“High-sounding words, who can’t say them? Just look at what you did!” Zhuang Gaoxian laughed heartily: “I inherited my ancestors’ industry and uphold the ambition of ten thousand chariots. Since I obtained the great position, I have risen early and retired late, governed well and loved the people. I have already pushed Zhuang country to unprecedented heights and will continue to move forward. For the great cause of Great Zhuang, what do I regret!”

“What you don’t regret are all others. What you regret are all for yourself.” Han Xu shook his head: “Zhuang Gaoxian, don’t deceive yourself.”

“Alright, go back and lick your wounds, you defeated dog!” Zhuang Gaoxian brushed his sleeve, and a wild wind rolled angrily. Cang Yun Nine Strikes, a violent Dao technique power, forced the crowd of Yong country people back again and again. Then he said coldly: “I am going to participate in the Tai Xu Alliance; I will not accompany you here to fight a mouth battle!”

Han Xu’s face was ugly to the extreme, but he made no response.

Losing the opportunity to participate in the Tai Xu Alliance was a fact; he had nothing to argue about.

Zhuang Gaoxian walked two steps and suddenly turned back: “Right. There is a question I have wanted to ask you for a long time, but I always didn’t find a suitable opportunity. Perhaps you have an answer now—”

He looked at Han Xu: “What exactly is the difference between being the Mo family’s grandson and being Han Yin’s son?!”

Having said that, he didn’t wait for Han Xu to answer. He then laughed heartily and swaggered away.

He was trampling on Han Xu’s imperial dignity!

He was insulting Han Xu’s honor as the country lord!

Today, no matter how Han Xu responded, in front of these Yong country dukes, marquises, and earls, the Yong Heavenly Son’s face was lost. A lord is humiliated, but his ministers do not die. Between the Yong country monarch and ministers, cracks were bound to appear.

In the subsequent all-out war, today’s cracks would be torn open by him, becoming terrifying breaches.

The significance and influence of this battle were far-reaching!

It wasn’t just two contemporary True Persons fighting once and verifying each other’s strength.

Behind them lay the entire situation of the western border, the great change in the confrontation between Zhuang and Yong.

And Han Xu did not make a sound.

He just watched hatefully, watching Zhuang Gaoxian’s figure潇洒 go far.

Until Zhuang Gaoxian’s figure could no longer be seen and his aura could no longer be captured.

In the suppressed silence, Han Xu deeply breathed a sigh. That embarrassing expression mixed with hate and shame was also exhaled with this turbid breath.

How perfect this battle was!

He and Zhuang Gaoxian both got the results they wanted.

As for whether the results were really as people wished… Just wait and see!

England Duke Bei Gong Yu silently untied his outer clothes and put them on for the Yong Heavenly Son, covering his honorable body.

Zhuang Gaoxian’s wanton humiliation could not be completely without influence.

These nobles and ministers in the field had just received the news in advance and had come outside the country to welcome the Heavenly Son. They did not know why the Heavenly Son, on the way to participate in the Tai Xu Alliance, had drawn swords and fought privately with that Zhuang Gaoxian. And had also lost miserably, losing the alliance qualification…

Everyone sullenly retreated towards Yong soil. The youngest Martial Merit Marquis Xue Ming Yi suddenly spoke at this time: “Your Majesty, forgive this minister for his crime!”

“Whatever you have to say, just say it straight!” Han Xu simply landed on the ground and walked slowly.

A group of people all landed.

The Yong country monarch and ministers then walked in the wilderness outside Yong country, using their steps as carriages.

Xue Ming Yi said: “Since it is outside the border and there are no outsiders, this minister will express his thoughts directly. From this minister’s perspective, what that Zhuang Gaoxian said was not entirely without reason. We have the support of the Mo family and have been able to develop national power and prosper all industries together. But if this continues, the Mo family’s tail will be too big to fall off. Whose Yong country is Yong country exactly? The smell of copper, the True Monarch; everything can be traded. This minister cannot bear… Heavenly Son, make a price!”

The dukes and marquises were all silent.

Although Han Xu was seriously injured and his breath was unstable, his steps still had dignity. He walked for a while, then said: “Xue Ming Yi, I suddenly thought, you and the former Qi country Wu An Marquis, your titles only differ by one character.”

Xue Ming Yi thought that the Heavenly Son was borrowing the name of this world prodigy to knock himself, was stunned for a moment, and sighed: “I am far inferior to him.”

“No, it’s not that you are inferior to him.” Han Xu said: “You, Xue Ming Yi, learned martial arts at seven, became famous in one county at thirteen, rampant in one prefecture at fifteen, famous in the country at seventeen, fought and killed giants in your weak crown year, proved yourself on the battlefield at thirty, and became my Great Yong’s youngest state marquis! How are you not a favored son of heaven, how can you not compete to leap over the dragon gate?”

He sighed: “It is Yong country that has let you down; it is the previous Yong country that did not give you the opportunity. It made you miss the good time!”

Xue Ming Yi hung his head, trying to conceal the unrest in his voice: “The ways of the world are only in self-seeking. This minister’s talent is insufficient; I have never blamed the country.”

Han Xu waved his hand: “If the sky is only six feet high, how can a seven-foot man stand straight? If the strong wind blows fiercely, how can fine trees raise their heads?”

“Although a son does not speak of his father, but I, as the Heavenly Son of Yong country, will speak frankly—My father, Han Yin, held the position without merit; this is Yong country’s chronic disease!

“He obtained the country unrighteously, hence he was suspicious of gods and ghosts and unwilling to delegate power.

“He was deterred by the defeat of the Ming Emperor and dared not advance in his lifetime, yet he was unwilling to retreat! He sucked the blood of the country’s power to nurture Cave True, causing the vast Great Yong to decline in power and luck, and no longer nurture a second True Person. No one can achieve success on the official path.”

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and later said hatefully: “Could it be that I, the first-rank England Duke, have no potential for Cave True? Could it be that I, the prime minister who resisted the Red Horse Guard in the north, have no possibility of Cave True? Even I! I am confident that I am not inferior to others, so why wait until today for Cave True?”

Xue Ming Yi’s tiger eyes already contained tears.

Bei Gong Yu’s short beard trembled slightly.

And Han Xu continued to walk forward.

This Yong country Heavenly Son, who was pulling the mad waves, this Yong country Heavenly Son, who had just been defeated and humiliated by Zhuang Gaoxian, walked weakly towards the direction of Yong country.

He looked into the distance, his eyes filled with recollection: “Yong country does not lack brave men.”

He said thus: “Lan River was once dyed red, and under Lock Dragon Pass, corpses piled up like mountains. The prime minister guarded Jing An, and the young men in the mansion all resisted the north… But it is just the sun setting in the west mountain!

“Country power declines day by day; no matter how much effort you and I put in, it is all useless. How many loyal and patriotic men, how many red hearts that love the country, year after year, finally become drifting leaves following the waves.

“I experienced the powerful period of Yong country.

“I saw an ambitious overlord, waving troops north, desiring to combine the northwest five countries into an alliance, even the extreme west land, to contend with Jing country.

“I saw young people with dreams in their hearts, galloping on the land of Yong country, riding horses and waving whips.

“When I was the crown prince, I no longer saw hope for the country. I ascended the monarch position and was a puppet for a hundred years, watching with open eyes the decline of the country’s power. My heart ached thoroughly, and I could not sleep at night!

“At that time, I just thought…”

His tone held expectation: “It would be good if Yong country continued to be strong.”

He said with gratification, sorrow, and sincerity: “The sky of Yong country is infinitely vast; the people of Yong country continue to compete, and all can strive at the dragon gate… That would be good.”

He refused the support and walked at the front of the group, leading this group of empire high levels home. And finally said—

“Great Yong has been governed for a long time; it does not need to have the surname Han.”

The long river was ten thousand miles of flat waves. A suit of green shirt strolled on the long river.

The human body reflected in the river surface was like a small boat. He then steered this lonely boat, all the way forward.

He walked unhurriedly.

The more scorching his heart and lungs, the more unbearable his killing intent, the more he told himself—don’t be anxious.

This opportunity was very hard to come by; it certainly… certainly could not be missed.

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the three nine one seven year of the Dao calendar, he forever lost his hometown. Carrying his younger sister, he fled for his life, far away, drifting until now.

Today was the second day of the second month of the three nine two three year of the Dao calendar.

Five years and two months had passed, nearly one thousand nine hundred days, about twenty-three thousand hours.

Every moment within these hours, he measured with suffering. Every minute within these moments, he filled with cultivation.

How could he dare to slack off!

In these years, he had not had a peaceful night’s sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, old faces appeared.

In the age of life when he should be most high-spirited, he bore responsibility on his shoulders and carried a heavy burden. Jiang Mengxiong said he “doesn’t look like a youth,” and his friends all felt he “suffered great enmity deeply.”

He couldn’t let go, he was dull, he was clumsy, he dared not be loved and love people.

He finally wanted to give himself an account.

He wanted to give the youth of that time an account.

He wanted to give an account for those who could no longer speak, who could no longer stand out.

Although this so-called account… was already too late for a long time!

The clear waves of the long river once reflected his shadow, just like he had come this way, leaving marks step by step.

At a certain moment, he flattened his palm—

*Pa da!*

A drop of true blood fell down, smashing on his palm, like a drop of raindrop, just like that, it was stirred broken.

His palm heart was thoroughly red.

*Pa da pa da pa da pa da.*

Subsequently, it rained down. Pouring rain like a waterfall, on the calm long river, it smashed out quickly scattered water patterns point by point. But new water patterns appeared again.

Raindrops fell on Jiang Wang’s long hair, fell on his green shirt.

He closed his palm, stayed on the water surface, quietly feeling everything.

Within this drop of true blood in his palm heart was all the information about another True Person, captured during a life-and-death battle between contemporary True Persons.

His intelligence collection on Zhuang Gaoxian had already continued for many years.

He thought this was the last time.