Chapter 491

Several hundred li away, Zhou Chu held a crystal mirror, gazing through it at the activity here.

When he saw Wu Kuang being blown to smithereens by the Myriad Dragon Palace, Zhou Chu's body trembled, he instinctively opened his mouth, almost dislocating his jaw from the effort.

"This, this, this, the Duke of Yuzhou… is that the Great Black Heaven King? Is that the Black Heaven Cauldron?" Zhou Chu stared wide-eyed, incredulously watching in the mirror's light that fist-sized, utterly obedient black little cauldron floating beside Wu Tie.

According to Great Jin military law, a commander who slays an enemy commander on the battlefield keeps the enemy commander's private property as his own.

In other words, all the elixirs, treasures, weapons, and armor on the enemy commander's person—everything—belong to the commander who killed him!

This law exists solely to encourage Great Jin commanders to bravely slay the enemy!

For so many years, the Three Kingdoms have fought countless battles on the Three Kingdoms battlefield, wars big and small have erupted without number, and even princes‑level high officials have fallen on the battlefield.

Yet none of the fallen princes had a status comparable to Wu Kuang's.

Nor did any fallen prince carry a national divine artifact on his person!

The Black Heaven Cauldron is one of the three state artifacts openly displayed by the Great Martial God State, representing a third of that dynasty's foundation!

Right before Zhou Chu's eyes, right under his eyelids, Huo Xiong, who had just been ennobled Duke of Yuzhou for his peerless merit, snatched the Black Heaven Cauldron away?

Zhou Chu and the few attendants beside him exchanged glances, only feeling their hearts pounding heavily.

Several men clad in tight-fitting garments, with not a trace of skin exposed, appeared soundlessly beside Zhou Chu; the tall man leading them gave a light cough: "Lord Zhou Chu… take a look, this is the Black Heaven Cauldron…"

Zhou Chu snorted coldly, put away the crystal treasure mirror in his hand, clasped his hands behind his back, and sternly rebuked: "Mind your status; although you are attendants of His Majesty, your status is something that cannot be seen—you… do not even exist in the household registers of Great Jin."

"What do you think you are? Dare to spy on a first-rank duke of the court? Who gave you the gall? His Majesty?" Zhou Chu rebuked: "The Duke of Yuzhou is a title bestowed by His Majesty; where do you get the dog's courage to say such things?"

He gave a cold snort, lowered his voice, and with a mysterious look said: "Besides, we are all attendants of His Majesty; to be frank, I too am quite envious… but can you withstand a single strike of the Black Heaven Cauldron? Hey, if you've got the guts, go give it a try."

The several abruptly appearing "attendants" remained silent.

They lightly shook their heads, and just as they had appeared abruptly, they vanished soundlessly into the air.

Zhou Chu's words truly awakened them.

"Huo Xiong" is now a first-rank duke of the Divine State of Great Jin, ennobled by Sima Xian; his status and rank are who knows how much higher than theirs. Unless there is an imperial edict from Sima Xian, would they dare to move a single hair of "Huo Xiong"?

Even if they had the audacity of a dog to dare to strike at "Huo Xiong"…

To be frank, they have not done little of such things in the past.

But, the Black Heaven Cauldron… they truly cannot withstand it.

Zhou Chu softly cursed: "Go do what you're supposed to do… His Majesty sent you here to keep watch on the remnants of the Eastern Palace; no matter where they go later, you must not lose sight of them. Otherwise, when His Majesty gets angry, you can imagine what fate awaits you."

He sighed, shook his head, gazing at the distant huge temporary palace, and said with regret: "But, Your Majesty, unless a great elder of the Divine Realm comes here, how could one possibly recover so many secret treasures and heavy weapons from the Eastern Palace?"

Yet Zhou Chu also knows full well that a great elder of the Divine Realm would not easily be mobilized.

The intricacies here are really too many, too many, too many… so many that Zhou Chu dares not speak of them, nor even dare to think.

In the void, the vast Wanlong Palace covering a thousand li transformed into a dragon-shaped light shadow, which with a soft "hiss" entered Bai He's left hand, turning on her snow-white, tender arm into a bronze-colored divine dragon tattoo, coiling from wrist to shoulder.

The Yellow Dragon lay perched on Bai He's shoulder, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Black Heaven Cauldron floating beside Wu Tie.

"Kid, you sure like to take advantage!" the Yellow Dragon suddenly snorted coldly: "Black Heaven Cauldron, hand it over?"

The Yellow Dragon blinked furiously, its belly full of wicked schemes constantly bubbling up.

Wu Tie laughed brightly, ignoring the lazy Yellow Dragon, and looked at Bai He, smiling: "Your Highness, it's time to fulfill your promise. Without my aid, you would find it hard to repel Wu Kuang, let alone defeat him."

Wu Tie spoke at length: "The whereabouts of the Eastern Palace's temporary headquarters have already been exposed to the eyes of both Great Wu and Great Jin; if we delay, Your Highness knows what the consequences will be. Thus, saying that I have saved the entire Eastern Palace is no exaggeration."

Bai He looked at Wu Tie with a clear, cold gaze, her face showing no change in expression.

Wu Tie did not dare to be negligent; he carefully watched Bai He as the Black Heaven Cauldron silently expanded to about two zhang in height, fully capable of serving as a shield to block him entirely from behind.

"Your Highness's disposition and methods, I admire… I do not wish to be your enemy, hehe… don't push me." Wu Tie chuckled: "My cultivation may be insufficient, but my luck is not bad; I have received the ancient legacy—whether the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill or the Five Elements Divine Light, they are all peerless divine abilities… If I were to cause trouble for Your Highness, wouldn't you also get a headache?"

Wu Tie chuckled, his body swayed, and instantly he took on the appearance of Su He.

Bai He and the Yellow Dragon both stared in surprise; the Yellow Dragon opened its mouth and spat out a pearl the size of a soybean, shedding a brilliant luster that shone upon Wu Tie.

In the candlelight, "Su He" remained exactly as Su He, with no flaw detectable.

Wu Tie laughed, then turned into Tie Chi, into the purple-robed elder from the hall just now, into those Eastern Palace attendants whose appearance he remembered. No matter how many different divine secret arts the Yellow Dragon displayed, or how many treasures it produced to shine upon Wu Tie, it could find no discrepancy.

"This kid is too troublesome." the Yellow Dragon muttered to itself.

Behind, layer upon layer of fish-scale-like white clouds quietly approached, within which faint silhouettes of people could be seen flickering.

Bai He lightly exhaled, waved her sleeve, and a mass of cyan-gold rosy light flew out, instantly entering Wu Tie's sleeve. She then threw eleven more streams of rosy light at Wu Tie; finally she grasped at the air, and the thirty-six Four Spirit warships shrank down to thumb size, likewise tossed to Wu Tie.

The exchange between Wu Tie and Bai He continued for a while.

As streams of flowing light continually poured into Wu Tie's hands, the fish-scale-like white clouds behind kept drawing nearer.

Suddenly Bai He gave a soft shout; from her left palm burst forth massive dragon-shaped light shadows, accompanied by earth-shaking dragon roars, blasting into the sky-full of white clouds. Then came continual howls of anguish; figures clad in tight soft armor were sprayed with blood, battered, and blown out from the clouds.

"Sima Xian's lackeys, begone!" Bai He roared angrily.

Afterwards she reached down with her small hand; the enormous temporary palace trembled slightly, then suddenly rose into the air, swiftly turning into a mass of light that flew like wind and lightning toward the deep mountains of the southeast.

Bai He's clear, cold voice echoed in the air: "Go tell Sima Xian that what he wants is in Huo Xiong's hands… From now on, do not come to bother us again, or else… do not force me to truly turn against him."

The vast white clouds in the sky vanished suddenly, and faint wisps of clear wind pursued the fleeing palace.

Several figures abruptly appeared before Wu Tie, and an urgent voice shouted: "Duke of Yuzhou, what did you give the Eastern Palace remnants?"

Wu Tie glanced at the several figures that had suddenly popped out, then suddenly burst into a "haha" laugh, and with a "bang" exploded into myriad points of firelight, like fireflies shooting straight up into the sky, flying straight in all directions.

Several of Sima Xian's personal lackeys fell into panic; they did not realize that Wu Tie's true form was within that point of firelight, nor where he had fled. They ran about like headless flies for a while, finally only able to stop, cursing, and firmly etch today's events into their hearts.

Wu Tie sped toward the direction of Daze City.

While flying swiftly, he took out the Myriad Miles Heavenly Mechanism Mirror and repeatedly activated it with the most urgent sigils.

Mr. Li's figure appeared in the Myriad Miles Heavenly Mechanism Mirror; he softly called out: "Lord Yuzhou, congratulations, congratulations, congratulations on your promotion… hm, any urgent matter?"

Wu Tie spoke urgently: "Mr. Li, I made a deal with the Eastern Palace's current master, His Highness Bai He; I helped her slay the Great Wu Divine State's Great Black Heaven King Wu Kuang and seize their state treasure, the Black Heaven Cauldron… as payment, I retrieved from Bai He's hands the imperial seal lost by Great Jin six thousand years ago."

"What?" Mr. Li exploded, his eyes wide open as he shouted in both shock and joy.

"I have reclaimed the imperial seal lost by Great Jin six thousand years ago, slain Wu Kuang, taken the Black Heaven Cauldron… moreover, I have also taken half of the Eastern Palace's secret stores from Bai He's hands." Wu Tie said calmly: "Please, Mr. Li, report to the noble one how these things should be handled."

He shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Bai He has a condition: that Great Jin cease constantly thinking of hunting down the Eastern Palace's retainers; I do not know whether the noble one can manage this."

Besides, I want to keep twelve pieces of the Heavenly Stars Armor and thirty-six Four Spirit Warships that I obtained from Bai Ying. Wu Tie said bashfully: "After all, my foundation is insufficient; in the future I will assume the post of Eastern Garden Colonel. Without some hidden trump card, how can I establish myself in Anyang City?"

As for the other things, I can hand them all over, but there are some obstacles… Please, Mr. Li, report this to the esteemed person and ask the esteemed person to help carefully plan a bit… Our achievements must not be taken by others.

Wu Tie said in a deep voice: "Especially, the merit I have earned this time should be greater than that of slaying Wu Duyao by a few points; this merit must not be taken by others."

Mr. Li almost squeezed his whole face into the Myriad Miles Heavenly Secrets Mirror, saying word by word: "At the fastest speed, bring all your aides and subordinates, rush back to Anyang City!"

"I assure you, your merit is your merit…… no one can take it away!" Mr. Li shouted sternly: "Bring back the State Seal, and everything will be enough. Bring back the State Seal, and everything will be enough!"

Mr. Li pointed fiercely at Wu Tie, his face twisted into a smile: "Indeed, I didn't misjudge you…… good, good, good, Huo Xiong, you are fortunate and blessed…… my lord will surely employ you, surely employ you greatly!"

Mr. Li gritted his teeth, stared fiercely at Wu Tie, and said: "Remember, spare no expense, allow no leaks, bring the State Seal back to Anyang City. Anyone who dares to block the way, just kill them…… I will immediately report to my lord, mobilize experts to secretly guard…… you, don't be afraid of anything, you don't need to fear anything; on your journey to bring back the State Seal, I grant you discretionary authority."

After catching his breath, Mr. Li murmured: "Originally, you should have taken the State Seal and rushed back alone…… but that would be too conspicuous, too noticeable…… no, no, it's better for you to return with the main force."

"Hmm, also, who is present with you? Tell me their identities; they must be silenced."

After a hurried Q&A, Mr. Li finally figured out everything.

The Myriad Miles Heavenly Secrets Mirror suddenly went dark.

Wu Tie let out a deep breath and murmured: "Discretionary authority? Which esteemed person is this? I originally thought it was a certain ruling prince…… or perhaps a certain prince with real power?"

"But looking at it now, it doesn't seem that simple."

"Discretionary authority? Could it possibly be Sima Xian?"

"But according to Pei Feng and Huang Lang, the present Divine Emperor, who several thousand years ago got lucky like stepping on dog feces, inherited the position of the deceased crown prince, eventually ascended the throne, and has continually been suppressed by the Left and Right Ministers working together."

"And his nature, tsk…… he has personally beaten officials in the great hall countless times, even once brandishing a knife and chasing after censorial officials who offered advice around the Nine Heavens Palace…… could such an emperor be the person behind Mr. Li?"

"Ah, if that's the case, then it's truly…… wonderful. Although it's not the thickest thigh of the Great Jin Divine State, it is absolutely a legitimate and proper thick thigh, and in the Great Jin Divine State's court, it ranks at least among the top ten thick thighs."

Wu Tie, muttering nonsense all the way, flew back with all his might to Great Marsh City.

Without the slightest hesitation, Wu Tie directly refined the thirty-six Four Spirit Warships, roughly grasped their cores, then let large numbers of elite Five Elements Spirits garrison the warships, quickly bringing the Four Spirit Warships to full strength.

The Four Spirit Warships correspond to the power of the four celestial spirits—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise—which exactly match the innate five-element power of the Five Elements Spirits.

After the Five Elements Spirits garrisoned the Four Spirit Warships, the power they could exert far surpassed that of the Eastern Palace's warriors.

As long as each Five Elements Spirit stands on a Four Spirit Warship, its aura naturally resonates with the warship, and its combat power can increase at least tenfold.

These Four Spirit Warships are practically tailor-made for the Five Elements Spirits—nothing could be more fitting.

Thereafter, Wu Tie and Pei Feng each day sat on the prow of the Four Spirit Warship, drinking liquor, eating roasted meat, and watching Huang Lang and the other officials busy to the point of kicking their heels.

All the Black Phoenix Army soldiers, all the brave troops of Great Marsh Prefecture, all the Five Elements Spirits tribes, all their friends and relatives, all their families…… even the many ore materials that the Black Phoenix Army has accumulated over the years in the mines……

All people and things were busy packing into the requisitioned civilian transport ships, preparing to follow Wu Tie to Jade Prefecture for leisure and enjoyment.

Time is pressing, the task is heavy, Huang Lang and the others have plenty to do.

After several days of busyness, the first reinforcement corps from the heartland of Great Jin, the newly organized vanguard corps of the Martial-Exterminating Army, twelve thousand large warships steadily passed through the spatial gate and finally reached Great Marsh Prefecture.

Zhao Xiu, Sima You, and others who had fled to Maple Prefecture a few days earlier also brought their private troops in droves, following the vanguard corps of the Martial-Exterminating Army, and returned proudly to Great Marsh City.

Wu Tie originally did not want to meet these people, to avoid trouble.

But not long after Zhao Xiu and the others returned, Sima You led a large entourage to come calling.