Chapter 2079: Qingyang's Last Writings

A letter lay among the lotus platforms.

"Also, the former State Preceptor of Qingyang who took the golden-feathered demon bird to Shanjin has just returned to the Qing Palace, and there is another item to be presented to the Emperor."

Another relic of Qingyang is a small wax pellet.

Did these two relics arrive together by coincidence or by heavenly will?

The Demon Emperor paused for a long while before speaking:

"Since she entrusted you with the letter, it shows she trusts you. Then read it aloud for me."

"Yes." Nie Xiaolou carefully took the letter and saw that it was sealed with wax.

Actually, he did not quite understand either: the former State Preceptor of Qingyang had been dead for a long time, and the Dragon God War on the Shanjin Plains had already ended, so why was the red lotus only now unfolding?

He could only speculate that the blooming of the red lotus might have another trigger, and its binding was not tied to Qingyang's life or death.

The Demon Emperor did not lower his head, but he watched every move of his, and at this moment he said:

"Open, read."

"Yes." Nie Xiaolou opened the letter, glanced at it twice, then began to read softly:

"May the Emperor enjoy ten thousand years of peace! If you see this letter, then know it is Qingyang's final writing."

As soon as this line was spoken, the Demon Emperor closed his eyes, and his sharp claws carved four deep grooves into the giant pillar.

Creak—grating stone sounds echoed in the Chonghua Hall, and Nie Xiaolou immediately stopped.

But the Demon Emperor's voice was astonishingly calm: "Continue."

Only then did Nie Xiaolou resume reading.

This handwritten letter was composed by Qingyang on the eve of his final action, when He Xiong's great army had gathered and the situation was already set; Qingyang knew he could no longer hold out alone on the Shanjin Plains, so he decided to stake everything on one desperate gamble.

If he failed again this time, the Shanjin Plains would inevitably fall under He Xiong's control, and the divine spirits and the Bekka forces would all be expelled.

In the letter, Qingyang detailed his dealings with He Xiong from beginning to end, from the Yao State conflict to the Shanjin maneuvers, leaving nothing out.

How He Xiong used his merchant identity to layout Shanjin, how he brought chaos to Yao State, how he impersonated the Dragon God, how he expanded his army, how he launched the war... and how many times he and Qingyang had pushed against each other back and forth—all were written clearly.

Not to mention the Demon Emperor, Nie Xiaolou, as he read on, was secretly startled.

The greatest reason for Shanjin's tremendous change today is the defeat in the Battle of the Inverted Sea, which nearly exhausted the power of the divine spirits and the Bekka in Shanjin, allowing He Xiong to seize this vacuum and strike hard, achieving success in one move.

Yet the exact truth of the Battle of the Inverted Sea remains unknown even to the divine spirits to this day. How much He Xiong contributed to Miao Zhantian's fall in battle, no one can say clearly.

By the time the Dragon God swept across the Shanjin Plains, Qingyang was like a clever wife unable to cook without rice.

But as He Xiong's greatest rival in the Dragon God War, she also gained something, and thus wrote it in her final letter, advising the Demon Emperor to take note:

Although He Xiong was the culprit who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace back then, and Lingshan also came forward to take responsibility, his relationship with Mu State seemed ordinary.

First, after the Illusion True Person established the Phantom Sect and left the Inverted Sea, he did not return to Lingshan but instead remained in He Xiong's service;

Second, Mu State's original layout in the Shanjin Plains was not successful, yet it had planted several nails, such as the Free and Easy Sect and Peng State in western Shanjin, the Quiet Bright Heart Pavilion in central Shanjin, Liao Mountain in the Zhongnan region, and over a dozen great demons; however, the Dragon God War treated them all the same, swallowing these sects and forces whole, without mercy.

Therefore, after the Dragon God War began, Mu State imposed many sanctions on the Yangshan Islands, in fact no less than Bekka's. This shows Mu State was quite furious with He Xiong's actions.

Furthermore, if He Xiong were to unify Shanjin and establish a new state, Mu State would certainly be on high alert. After all, Shanjin's territory is vast and borders Mu State closely; no one wishes to have a powerful neighbor nearby.

And Qingyang had already ascertained that the place where the "Black Flood Dragon Mark" resides cannot absorb nightmare qi even by the Heavenly Net Star, let alone the immortals' Spirit Gathering Array being unable to draw in spiritual qi!

Lingshan would certainly not like this change.

Qingyang also examined and compared the enemy and our sides in terms of strength, will, training level, and other aspects. She believed that for He Xiong to defeat Yao State and Bai Tan on the battlefield, he actually did not need four months of special training, nor did he need four or five hundred thousand troops.

Yet He Xiong persisted in doing so, unwilling to spare the enormous heavy cost.

After thinking it over, Qingyang could only conclude one possibility:

He Xiong's goal was not merely Yao State!

This man's strategy was deep and broad, with great foresight; others thought defeating Yao State and annexing Shanjin was enough to earn his full effort. But in Qingyang's view, he was building up his army and preparing for war for a more distant future.

This person would not be satisfied merely with founding a new state.

Defeating Yao State and unifying Shanjin were merely the beginning of his grand ambition and hegemony.

He needed stronger military force and braver warriors to safeguard this hard-won achievement, to have the confidence to face the two most terrifying powers in this world!

From this perspective, he not only took Bekka as a hypothetical enemy, but also kept a wary eye on Mu State.

Thus, the gap between He Xiong and Mu State was large, so-called "Dragon God" and Lingshan were not of one mind, and Qingyang suggested Bekka could take more action from this angle.

Upon hearing this, the Demon Emperor sighed.

He Xiong had just taken control of the Shanjin Plains when he clashed with Mu State. Mu State seized the Yangshan Islands by force, but was preempted by Chiyan.

The Demon Emperor's wise eyes were like torches; at a glance he saw that "Luqing Lin attacking Yangshan" was merely a pretext, and the mastermind behind it was naturally Mu State; while Chiyan, whether early or late, happened to appear just before Mu State's attack and seized the Yangshan Islands, expending hardly any troops—this must certainly be He Xiong's pawn!

When Fushan Lie came to report, the Demon Emperor appeared very pleased.

Because, He was indeed very pleased.

His ministers all believed that, regardless of He Xiong's reason for letting the Yangshan Islands pass, this time the clam and snipe struggle benefited Bekka, who drove a nail deep into Mu State's rear; otherwise, if the Yangshan Islands were taken by Mu State, Bekka's eastern sea route would to some extent be at its mercy.

But in the Demon Emperor's view, the ownership of these islands had even greater political significance.

Between Mu State and He Xiong, there had long been mutual vigilance and calculation. As long as Chiyan held the Yangshan Islands for one day, He Xiong would remember that Mu State had once gripped him tightly during the most difficult moment of the Dragon God War; and Mu State would not forget that He Xiong had once dealt it a superlative backstab and counterattack, slapping it hard across the face.

This thorn was lodged in the bond between Mu State and Cangyan, and when pulled out, it became a wound.

When Qingyang wrote the letter, none of this had yet occurred.

All that can be said is, her judgment was precise, and she indeed had foresight.

Since the outcome of the Dragon God War was already decided, and Bekka was temporarily unable to act, Qingyang strongly advised that Bekka might as well establish good relations with He Xiong's Shanjin forces and express friendliness.

"Let He Xiong and Mu State contend first."

Bekka's impartial suppression would likely backfire, instead binding these two forces together;

Conversely, if Bekka ceased pressuring He Xiong, even intentionally courting him, then the conflict between Mu State and He Xiong would likely intensify and surface.

After all, their relationship had been bad from the very beginning.