Chapter 306: I Have Money!

"What is to be done about this?"

All the experts in the Tribute Hall had been slaughtered, which meant the Imperial Court's overall strength had plummeted to its lowest point in decades; no one's expression was particularly good.

Those who could arrive here so quickly were the experts originally stationed in the palace to protect the Imperial Household; they could be said to share in the glory and disgrace of the Imperial Court.

At this moment, their hearts were filled with panic; with the other experts of the Tribute Hall gone, they didn't know if the Imperial Court could still deter the people of the world.

"Quiet, all of you! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket!" A roar directly plunged the previously noisy crowd into silence.

Even these experts had to show some respect for the prestige of a Three-Dynasty Elder. Of course, the most important thing was that they recognized Shen Yu standing next to Chen Xing.

They, as experts, could be unruly and even refuse to give Chen Xing face, but they did not want to test the consequences of not giving Shen Yu face.

"Lord Shen, this old man is shamelessly asking for your help; I beg Lord Shen to lend a hand!" As he spoke, Chen Xing bowed and cupped his hands to Shen Yu, though Shen Yu stopped him in time.

Just kidding—not to mention Chen Xing's status, his age alone was enough; what would it look like to have an old man of a hundred or eighty years old bowing to him?

"Lord Chen, speak your mind. What do you need me to do?"

"Slay Han Zhang. In the entire Imperial Court, you are likely the only one with the strength to do so. For the sake of the world's safety, I beg Lord Shen to find him as soon as possible and kill him!"

"My Lord, you must not!"

"My Lord, please think twice!"

When Chen Xing said these words, the people around them immediately widened their eyes and then proceeded to object one after another.

"Such a big reaction?" Looking at the anxious expressions of those around him, Shen Yu couldn't help but feel a bit more curious. "Lord Chen, may I ask who this Han Zhang is...?"

"Han Zhang is the number one expert of the Tribute Hall, as well as the Imperial Court's strongest expert and the trump card used to deter the world."

The reason the Imperial Court currently appeared strong and well-equipped, capable of deterring the world, was because it possessed two trump cards.

The entire Great Array surrounding the Capital was the foundation of the Imperial Court's invincibility; as long as the Great Array was not broken, the Imperial Court could ensure the Capital would not be lost.

Although the original master of the Great Array had been killed by Shen Yu and the array's power had been slightly depleted, over these years, he had successfully stabilized the array, and its power was even greater than before.

Yet, to the outside world, the Imperial Court also had a trump card to deter the world, which was none other than the Tribute Hall's number one expert, Han Zhang. It is a pity that this number one expert ultimately went astray.

If there were no accidents, everything here should have been the work of Han Zhang.

"Over a hundred years ago, there was turmoil in the Imperial Court. Lord Shen should have heard of it; that was a time when heroes rose in succession and ambitious men appeared one after another, nearly causing the Imperial Court to collapse."

"This man, Han Zhang, was the personal Huwe of the late Emperor and a rare genius expert."

"In the battle a hundred years ago, he was loyal and devoted; even when surrounded, he fought to the death without retreating. Even though the Imperial Court was already in jeopardy and could have fallen at any moment, he refused to betray or surrender until his death."

"In the end, to protect the late Emperor, he suffered seventeen blade wounds, and by his own strength, he fought his way out of the encirclement. Afterward, his strength improved further, and he stepped into the ranks of the world's top experts."

Mentioning the past, Chen Xing could not help but look radiant. The Imperial Court was weak back then, but so many heroes emerged at that time, and Han Zhang was one of them.

"Although the late Emperor was only the Crown Prince back then, he already possessed great ambition. The Imperial Court's experts were disconnected, and their strength was far inferior to the Jianghu."

"Therefore, the late Emperor made a decision back then: he gave the Imperial Household's most precious Secret Medicine to Han Zhang and taught him the Imperial Supreme Art, allowing his strength to increase greatly in a short time."

"During that battle, the Imperial Court was in jeopardy. Major clans withdrew their forces to protect themselves, and those loyal to the Imperial Court withered away one after another. The final line of defense for the entire Imperial Court turned out to be a group of playboys."

"When the Imperial Court was defeated again and again, nearly collapsing, when everyone was thinking of changing sides and acting like cowards, those playboys in the Capital who were originally considered useless stood up instead."

"They disregarded their lives, as if they didn't care about death, and used their own lives to forcibly hold back the rebel army."

"And after Han Zhang's strength increased, he personally went to various places and, at the cost of being severely wounded himself, slaughtered most of the rebel experts, which laid the foundation for a great victory."

Speaking of this, Chen Xing seemed to see that scene from back then again. He was just a fledgling scholar at the time, and seeing this could not help but make his blood boil.

It was precisely these things that made him determined to become such a person, to protect the world and protect the common people.

However, a hundred years have passed in a flash. He is still the same person he was back then, but some people are no longer what they used to be.

"In the end, Mu Zishan, who had disappeared for a period of time, reappeared, and with a single word, he made the world dare not move."

"Afterward, even though Mu Zishan rushed to the Forbidden Land to suppress the Spiritual Qi Surge, because Han Zhang was stationed in the Tribute Hall to deter the world, although there was much instability in various parts of the Imperial Court, they finally managed to survive that period!"

"In that case, Han Zhang should have great merit!"

"Yes, he indeed has great merit; this old man is far from being able to compare!" Speaking of this, Chen Xing sighed deeply.

The Han Zhang of those years was truly a hero, but heroes grow old, and human hearts are easily changed.

This hero who once protected the world ultimately became another person.

Glancing at the ruins of the Tribute Hall, Chen Xing said expressionlessly, "But human hearts are easily changed, especially in the face of Life and Death; human hearts seem incredibly fragile."

"Does Lord Shen know why I want to protect Changguan Hou, Mou Qing? Because Changguan Hou, Mou Qing, is a medicine—a medicine that can cure people!"

"The world only knows that Han Zhang is the Imperial Court's trump card, but they don't know that this trump card has long been sick—sick very badly—and needs the blood of the Miao Family to nourish his life!"

"This is the real reason why Mou Qing stands tall; Mou Qing cannot die. If he dies, Han Zhang will definitely go into chaos!"

"If the Imperial Court's trump card goes into chaos, its destructive power is enough to shake the Imperial Court and even make the world unstable. If one is not careful, the flames of war will surely be rekindled."

"Moreover, as far as this old man knows, Han Zhang once went to the Pinglou; what exactly was traded is unknown, but ever since then, this old man has begun to worry—worry about what Han Zhang might do to seek survival."

"Is Lord Chen afraid that he will rebel?" Looking at the Tribute Hall that had been razed to the ground, Shen Yu shook his head. "Looking at it this way, he has indeed rebelled!"

Shen Yu did not care about the impact of Han Zhang's rebellion, and even felt that Chen Xing seemed to be making a mountain out of a molehill.

Admittedly, this trump card of the Imperial Court might indeed be very strong. But Shen Yu was confident; couldn't he and the Mountain and River Map crush a single Han Zhang?

As for the situation in the world, if he were to speak up, he didn't believe any faction would dare to start a war; if they didn't believe it, he could let them try.

Seeming to understand Shen Yu's thoughts, Chen Xing immediately poured a bucket of cold water on him.

"Lord Shen may not know, but Han Zhang holds the Broken Sword gifted by Mu Zishan back then. This matter is extremely secretive, and very few people know about it."

"Hidden within this sword is Mu Zishan's power, which can help the Imperial Court deter the world at critical moments."

"Back then, Mu Zishan slaughtered the Imperial Court's experts, leading to a disconnection of experts in the Imperial Court, which eventually triggered rebellions by ambitious men everywhere. Mu Zishan felt guilty, so he gifted a Broken Sword to the Imperial Court."

"Now this Broken Sword is in Han Zhang's hands. Later, Mu Zishan went to suppress the Forbidden Land, and because it happened suddenly, he never took back this Broken Sword."

"This old man is not afraid that Han Zhang will rebel against the Imperial Court, but that Han Zhang will use this to open the Forbidden Land."

Speaking of this, Chen Xing was truly anxious. This Han Zhang, if you want to leave, just leave; taking the Broken Sword with you—you really are a piece of work.

"The reason the Forbidden Land cannot be easily opened is that its location is constantly changing, making it very difficult to lock onto."

"The power in this sword is of the same lineage as Mu Zishan. There are millions of secret methods in the world; if Mu Zishan is not prepared, one could even use this to lock onto Mu Zishan's location!"

"When the time comes, it can be easily set up to reopen the Forbidden Land; that is what this old man is worried about!"