Chapter 677: A Stick of Purple Incense

The palm of Zhou Shanhe seemed to cover the heavens, descending with a grand and overwhelming momentum, and then, under countless shocked gazes, it collided with the White Tiger phantom that Qin Zhenjiang had wrapped in the aura of ten thousand troops.

Boom!

In that instant, the heavens themselves seemed to collapse. A terrifying energy storm transformed into a hurricane sweeping across, and the entire sky above Daxia City echoed with a piercing roar.

This massive city began to tremble violently at this moment, drawing countless panicked gazes toward the royal palace.

Beneath the palm of Zhou Shanhe, mountains and rivers took shape in swathes. Those mountains and rivers seemed almost tangible, and one after another they smashed down upon the White Tiger phantom. As the mountains and rivers fell, the White Tiger phantom was repeatedly beaten back, and the aura of ten thousand troops wrapped around it rapidly weakened.

The White Tiger phantom roared with all its might, spewing forth an extremely fierce aura of weapons and warfare, tearing apart layer upon layer of mountains and rivers.

But those mountains and rivers seemed endless; no matter how the weapon aura ran rampant, in the end it still pressed forward.

Finally, the Regent's face expressionless, he pressed down his palm and simultaneously extended a single finger, pressing it down across the void.

Among the continuous mountains and rivers, an especially towering, sky-pillar-like mountain peak suddenly emerged. That mountain peak was dark and heavy, as if forged from refined iron. The moment it appeared, the surrounding mountains and rivers all retreated, and then the dark mountain peak descended squarely upon the massive White Tiger's body.

Roar!

A note of agony burst forth from the White Tiger's howl.

It struggled with all its might, the ten thousand troops surging with it, yet that dark mountain peak seemed indestructible. Even as the torrent of ten thousand troops crashed against it, the mountain peak remained immovable, instead brutally crushing the ten thousand troops. Finally, accompanied by a wail of grief, the White Tiger phantom shattered in the void above.

When the White Tiger phantom shattered, Qin Zhenjiang's burly frame also jolted. A pallid hue rose on his face, his figure was forced back two steps, and the majestic, flood-like resonant power around his body began to churn violently.

Clearly, in this peak clash with the Regent, Qin Zhenjiang had ultimately fallen into the inferior position.

However, this outcome was not really all that unexpected. After all, the Regent was a Fifth-Rank Marquis who also cultivated a Divine-Grade Marquis Art; no matter how you looked at it, he was superior to Qin Zhenjiang. There was no reason he would fall into the inferior position in such an exchange.

The two sides clashed, only a single move, both going all out.

With the Regent gaining the upper hand, the members of his faction were immediately greatly emboldened, their momentum growing sharper. Conversely, the members of the Eldest Princess's faction all wore increasingly solemn expressions.

"General Qin, you are the pillar of our Great Xia; the borderlands still need you to maintain stability. No matter who becomes the King of Great Xia, your position will be as solid as a rock. So why must you involve yourself in this struggle?" Although the Regent had won, he still had not given up on trying to recruit Qin Zhenjiang.

His words already hinted to Qin Zhenjiang that even if he ascended to the throne today, he would absolutely not touch Qin Zhenjiang's position.

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhenjiang merely smiled faintly and said, "Does the Regent think I care much about this position?"

The Regent shook his head and said sincerely, "It is only that this King feels Great Xia needs you."

It had to be said, this Regent truly possessed considerable personal charisma. In his speech, he was courteous and respectful toward the worthy, which was very pleasing to hear. But unfortunately, Qin Zhenjiang himself was also the kind of strong-willed person who, once he made a decision, would never be shaken by any words. So the Regent's charm naturally had no effect on him.

"I ask the Regent to prioritize the peace of Great Xia," Qin Zhenjiang said.

Seeing this, the Regent knew he could not shake Qin Zhenjiang's heart, so he stopped wasting words with him. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the top forces of Great Xia in the stands and said slowly, "Is there anyone here willing to support this King?"

Neither the people from the Sacred Mystic Star Academy nor the Golden Dragon Vault spoke up—of course, they were not the Regent's targets either.

Zhu Zhu Qinghuo, the Prefecture Lord of Extreme Flame Prefecture, was the first to rise, smiling lightly as he said, "In recent years, under the Regent's governance, Great Xia's national strength has flourished. So as for the Regent's abilities, I am convinced. If the Regent can lead Great Xia in the future, I believe Great Xia will thrive and become the foremost dynasty-empire on the Eastern Region's Outer Shenzhou."

This was a direct declaration of stance.

Many factions stirred with commotion. Among the current Five Great Prefectures, with Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan's disappearance, Extreme Flame Prefecture was undoubtedly the strongest of them. And Zhu Zhu Qinghuo himself had stepped into the Fourth-Rank Marquis realm, placing him among the top tier of Great Xia's titled Marquis-level powerhouses.

So his speaking out undoubtedly caused an enormous shock.

On the Eldest Princess's side, many people's expressions turned ugly.

Si Qing, the Prefecture Lord of House House Jinque, also rose, a smile surfacing on his face as he said, "My House House Jinque also believes the Regent is the better candidate for King of Great Xia."

In the past, Si Qing might not have intended to involve himself in this kind of faction-aligning struggle. But after the House Luolan Prefecture Prefecture Sacrifice, he now had no choice but to throw in with the Regent's faction, because he genuinely worried about the future return of Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan. If he could enter the Regent's command, then even if these two returned in the future, he would have the power to resist them. After all, the Regent also regarded these two as a thorn in his eye, a splinter in his flesh.

Si Qing's speaking out caused the stir in the stands to grow even louder.

Of the Five Great Prefectures, two already supported the Regent; such momentum was already considerable.

Some gazes turned toward House Luolan Prefecture's side. Likewise, the Regent himself looked toward Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge, smiling as he said, "Prefect Lord Li Luo, there are indeed some misunderstandings between myself and House Luolan Prefecture, but these are not irreconcilable. If you are willing to prioritize the greater good, once Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan return in the future, this King is willing to apologize personally, turning hostility into friendship."

Li Luo sneered inwardly. Once my father and mother actually return, you probably won't even have the chance to apologize.

"The matter of the Wang Ting changing hands concerns the very foundation of Great Xia. I do not think changing it arbitrarily is a good thing; it would only cause unnecessary turmoil in Great Xia." Li Luo spoke calmly, paying no heed to the Regent's overwhelming pressure. After all, both sides had already torn off all pretense, so naturally he had no need to spare the man any face.

Hearing Li Luo's words, the Regent's expression did not change, but his eyes grew a shade darker. Although he had anticipated this, being refused to his face by a junior still drew a flash of fury in his heart.

At the same time, Du Ze Yan, the Prefecture Lord of Du Ze Prefecture, lowered his eyes slightly and said, "My Du Ze Prefecture will not involve itself in these matters. This is a struggle within the Palace family and has nothing to do with us."

This was an attempt to keep Du Ze Prefecture out of it, helping neither side.

At this point, aside from Lanling Prefecture, which had not appeared, all Five Great Prefectures of Great Xia had essentially declared their respective stances.

Beyond the Five Great Prefectures, some of Great Xia's top families—families with deep foundations whose strength was in no way inferior to the Five Great Prefectures—had always been cautious about self-preservation. Apart from a few families that had long-standing ties with the Regent declaring their stance, the rest all maintained neutrality.

But this was not actually good news for the Eldest Princess's faction. After all, the so-called neutrality was essentially an implicit acknowledgment of the Regent's qualification to vie for the throne.

At present, the strength of both sides was undoubtedly still tilted in the Regent's favor.

"Luan Yu, everything I do is for the future of Great Xia, not for personal desire. The importance of the Nation-Protecting Grand Array is clearer to you than to me. Right now, both you and Gong Gong Jingyao have lost the qualification to inherit it. Since that is so, you should step back, lest Great Xia lose this protective force." The Regent looked down at the Eldest Princess from above, attempting to make her give up.

On the Eldest Princess's fair, autumn-moon-like face, there was not the slightest ripple. She paid no heed to the Regent's laughable words at all. Instead, her phoenix eyes swept the four directions as she said, "Gong Yuan, do you think you've already won?"

The Regent's eyes were cold.

The Eldest Princess said calmly, "Have you forgotten that, in this Great Xia, there is still one person's opinion you have not asked?"

The Regent's eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "You mean Dean Pang Pang Qianyuan? He has been guarding the Dark Cave for many years; I fear he has no time to bother with such trivial matters."

The Eldest Princess said calmly, "When my father passed away, I was by his side. He told me that Dean Pang Pang Qianyuan had once given him a promise in a personal capacity—that at the coronation ceremony, he would support Gong Gong Jingyao."

At these words, the surroundings immediately erupted in shock.

Everyone wore expressions of astonishment. That strongest expert of Great Xia had actually given the late King such a promise?!

The Regent's hand tightened forcefully within his sleeve, a cold, sinister glint flashing through his eyes. Then he said indifferently, "Luan Yu, stop talking nonsense. This is a matter of our Palace family; with Dean Pang's status, he will not intervene."

The Eldest Princess flipped her jade hand, and a short purple incense stick appeared between two fingers. She ignited it with resonant power, and immediately wisps of green smoke rose.

Seeing this, the Regent's pupils contracted and he said coldly, "Luan Yu, what are you doing?!"

"This is an item Dean Pang gave my father. He said that when this incense is lit, he will appear on his own. To prevent civil strife in Great Xia, I can only invite the old gentleman here." The Eldest Princess said.

Everyone's hearts jolted. Could the Eldest Princess actually summon that Dean Pang, who had not appeared in Great Xia for many years, to show himself?!

The Regent stared coldly at the lit purple incense, his face shifting for a moment before finally settling into calm. He said nothing more, though a cold sneer rose in his heart.

Gong Luan Yu was still too young in the end; she had no idea what Dean Pang was currently facing.

For Pang Pang Qianyuan to break free was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

Very well. Once this purple incense burns out, it should be the moment Gong Lanyu's confidence is utterly shattered, and at that point, no one will be able to stop Gong Yuan's advance.