With a single arrow, Luo Xingchen shot through the distant Chen Zihao, then cradled the unconscious Chen Xiaoqian in his arms. Stroking her serene face, his eyes were filled with tenderness and sorrow.
At this mont, Zhong Shan had already left the hall with Liu Wushuang.
"Holy King, leaving Luo Xingchen here, will it...?" Liu Wushuang showed a trace of concern.
"Make arrangents. From now on, Luo Xing Mansion will be his residence," Zhong Shan said.
"Uh?" Liu Wushuang was montarily surprised but quickly understood Zhong Shan's aning. Luo Xingchen was now part of Great Dazhen?
"Understood!" Liu Wushuang promptly responded.
Unbeknownst to many, Great Dazhen's strength had expanded once again. Not only had they gained Luo Xingchen, a peerless powerhouse, but the greatest harvest was the recent imperial examination. The Reincarnation Domain had attracted a large number of talents.
With proper training, these talents could be deployed to various regions, preparing for the next phase of expansion.
Five years later, in the court of Changjing.
"Report to the Holy King, in the southern Reincarnation Domain, Wuxiang Holy Court's Tianzi Mansion has suddenly seed blessed by the heavens, destroying four great dynasties within five years!" Xiao Wang reported.
"Without any reason, how could Wuxiang Holy Court suddenly be 'blessed by the heavens'?" Zhong Shan asked, puzzled.
"According to scouts, a genius nad 'Wang Jingwen' has erged. His military strategies are divine, and his grasp of situations is extraordinarily precise. The campaign against the four great dynasties was executed flawlessly, leaving in awe," Xiao Wang sighed.
"Wang Jingwen?" Zhong Shan frowned.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I have gathered extensive information about Wang Jingwen. Despite still being a mortal, he has beco the top scholar of Wuxiang Holy Court!"
"Oh?"
"Wang Jingwen first appeared in a small southern town of the Reincarnation Domain one hundred eighty years ago, where he participated in a local exam and took first place. He then advanced to a major exam in an immortal city, winning the championship again. The city lord recomnded him to take the imperial exam in Wuxiang Domain. This prodigious talent outshone eight renowned scholars, claiming the title of top scholar! Seven years ago, he arrived in the Reincarnation Domain. In just five years, he orchestrated a grand sche that conquered the four great dynasties troubling Tianzi Mansion," Xiao Wang reported solemnly.
"Holy King, it seems we have a formidable rival in the south!" Xiao Wang said calmly.
Zhong Shan tapped the armrest of his dragon throne, seemingly lost in thought.
The court remained silent, awaiting the Holy King's decision.
"Enough."
With a final tap, Zhong Shan's finger stopped on the armrest. He looked at Xiao Wang, "Wang Jingwen is not to be worried about. Our target is to unify the northern Reincarnation Domain."
"Yes!" Xiao Wang responded imdiately.
Internally, Xiao Wang was curious. Why was Wang Jingwen not a concern? How would the Holy King deal with such a genius opponent? Unable to grasp Zhong Shan's thoughts, Xiao Wang had no choice but to obey.
Since Zhong Shan had declared it, the ministers naturally followed his lead.
"How are the front lines?" Zhong Shan asked again.
Xiao Wang stepped back into the line, and Yi Yan stepped forward.
"Report to the Holy King, of the eight great dynasties on the front lines, three have already been destroyed by others. One dynasty even exterminated another and presented their king's head to us as a token of submission. The remaining three dynasties are also on the verge of collapse. I believe this is the critical mont. Our army can seize the opportunity to conquer the eight great dynasties! Thus, Great Dazhen will occupy one-fifth of the northern Reincarnation Domain!" Yi Yan reported solemnly.
"Approved!" Zhong Shan nodded.
With that single word, the entire landscape of the Reincarnation Domain shifted dramatically. The army of Great Dazhen, fierce as wolves and tigers, charged towards the forr eight great dynasties.
Great Dazhen possessed the elite troops of a small thousand-world, and their generals were top-tier talents. After the imperial examinations, even more talents from the Reincarnation Domain were incorporated into their ranks.
The national beast, the wolf tribe, and the four great mythical beast clans—dragon, tiger, phoenix, and tortoise—were all under Great Dazhen's powerful influence, both in strange and righteous ways.
Crushing opposition effortlessly, the once-stalled Great Dazhen surged forward again, unstoppable.
In just six short years, Great Dazhen conquered the eight great dynasties, firmly establishing its position in the Reincarnation Domain. Now, Great Dazhen controlled one-fifth of the northern Reincarnation Domain, equating to one-tenth of the entire domain.
Good news arrived at the court daily, filling the officials with vigor, and Zhong Shan himself wore a satisfied smile.
In a grand palace in the northern Reincarnation Domain.
The hall was surrounded by nurous thrones.
There were sixteen dragon thrones and twelve other ornate seats.
A total of twenty-eight seats, each occupied by a person of imposing presence.
On the foremost throne sat an emperor in a purple robe.
"All of you here today are rulers of dynasties or leaders of holy lands. It is my great honor that you have co," said the emperor in the purple robe.
"Qingming Holy Emperor, since you've invited us, let's get straight to the point," said one of the holy land leaders.
The others nodded in agreent.
"Very well, let's get to the point. I think everyone here understands why I've called you. It's because of Great Dazhen," Qingming Holy Emperor said.
At the ntion of Great Dazhen, almost everyone frowned slightly.
"Great Dazhen has destroyed four holy lands, eight great dynasties, and even the Ti and Space Dojo! We all know this. Initially, none of us paid much attention to this holy court. But now we can see how powerful it has beco. In just over thirty years since its founding, look at the imnse achievents Great Dazhen has made," Qingming Holy Emperor said solemnly.
The crowd fell silent.
"Originally, this was a matter for our imperial dynasties, but Great Dazhen's ambitions are truly vast. They don't even spare rits, so I had no choice but to invite the leaders of the holy lands as well," Qingming Holy Emperor said.
"But what can we do?" one of the holy land leaders frowned.
"It's not about what we can do, but about the progress of Great Dazhen. Recently, they have been resting and recuperating. But once they regain their strength, will they remain dormant? You've all seen Great Dazhen's aggression. The longer we wait, the more dangerous it becos for us!" Qingming Holy Emperor said.
The powerful figures all frowned, clearly troubled.
"To establish an imperial dynasty or create a holy land, one must be exceptionally proud and ambitious. Who among us is willing to bow down and beco a vassal? Great Dazhen has too many talents and too much ambition. In the future, do you want to die in battle or submit?" Qingming Holy Emperor asked.
"Die in battle? Submit? Hmph!" one of the holy land leaders snorted coldly.
"This world is just like that: either we are the prey, or others are. Waiting passively for disaster to strike is not our style," Qingming Holy Emperor said.
"Qingming Holy Emperor, what exactly do you propose? Speak plainly!" another emperor demanded.
Qingming Holy Emperor glanced at everyone and said, "To wrest the world from Great Dazhen!"
To wrest the world from Great Dazhen? The expressions of the powerful figures changed. Although many had considered this, hearing it aloud was still a trendous shock.
The room fell silent.
"Great Dazhen is not an easy target," one emperor shook his head.
Others nodded in agreent, reluctant to be the ones to provoke Great Dazhen. The previous eight dynasties that challenged Great Dazhen faced complete annihilation. Would they risk it now?
"Heh!" Qingming Holy Emperor let out a cold laugh.
"Hasn't anyone noticed? Everyone here shares a border with Great Dazhen. It's only a matter of ti before we face disaster. How long do you plan to delay?" Qingming Holy Emperor said.
"You want us to wager our empires and holy lands, to gamble alongside you?" one emperor frowned.
All eyes turned to Qingming Holy Emperor.
Establishing their kingdoms had not been easy. To risk everything on a whim? They were not that eager.
With a slight smile, Qingming Holy Emperor shook his head, "This is a grand gamble, and even I don't wish to take such a risk. That's not what I'm suggesting."
"Oh?"
"What I propose is to eliminate Zhong Shan first, and then take on Great Dazhen!" Qingming Holy Emperor said.
"Eliminate Zhong Shan? How? The number one expert in the Reincarnation Domain, Luo Xingchen, was killed by Zhong Shan. Who could stand against him?" one holy land leader shook his head.
"The Ti and Space Dojo? That was its fate, not Zhong Shan's doing. Zhong Shan has only been in the small thousand-world for over thirty years. Before the creation of the heavens and earth, he was likely just a mortal. Even if his current strength is formidable, how strong can he really be?" Qingming Holy Emperor analyzed.
"What about Luo Xingchen? Even soone as powerful as Luo Xingchen was defeated by Zhong Shan!"
"Do you really believe that?" Qingming Holy Emperor sneered.
"Huh?" Everyone was montarily stunned.
Why wouldn't they believe it? It was known throughout the world!
"Have you not heard 'Even divine abilities cannot overco fate'? Luo Xingchen possessed powerful ti-based divine abilities, but ti itself is not invincible. His defeat, in my estimation, was not due to Zhong Shan being stronger, but rather Zhong Shan having a specific ability to counter Luo Xingchen!" Qingming Holy Emperor explained.
"Oh?"
"This is the only explanation that makes sense. Otherwise, how could soone who has only been cultivating for thirty years surpass Luo Xingchen? If that were the case, we might as well stop cultivating and wait for Zhong Shan to slaughter us!" Qingming Holy Emperor said.
The hall fell into silence once more. Indeed, Luo Xingchen's defeat was perplexing, and Zhong Shan's capabilities were shrouded in mystery. Only this explanation made sense.
"Speak, what do you propose?" one holy land leader asked, while the others looked on.
Qingming Holy Emperor looked around at everyone and said firmly, "We must use all our resources to assassinate Zhong Shan! With careful planning and preparation, with the elent of surprise, and with the elite forces of our sixteen dynasties and twelve holy lands, can we not succeed in assassinating a solitary Zhong Shan?"
Assassination? So had already guessed, but others were still shocked to hear it.
"Gather fifty celestial experts from our sixteen dynasties and twelve holy lands. It shouldn't be difficult. A forceful ambush by fifty celestial experts—I'm sure that even if Luo Xingchen were alive, he wouldn't survive!" Qingming Holy Emperor said gravely.
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