Chapter 643: This Is What This Old Man Is Worried About

"What is to be done?"

All the experts in the Tribute Hall had been slaughtered, meaning 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 all experts who had been 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.

"Everyone be quiet! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket!" A roar immediately plunged the noisy crowd into silence.

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

These experts could be unruly, and they could even refuse to give Chen Xing face, but they didn't want to test the consequences of not giving Shen Yu face.

"Lord Shen, this old man is thick-skinned enough to ask for your help; I beg Lord Shen to lend a hand!" As he spoke, Chen Xing bowed 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 eighty- or hundred-year-old man bowing to him?

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

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

"Lord, you must not!"

"Lord, please think twice!"

After Chen Xing said these words, the people around them immediately widened their eyes and then scrambled to stop him.

"Such a big reaction?" Seeing 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, the strongest expert of the Imperial Court, and the trump card the Imperial Court uses to deter the world."

The reason the Imperial Court currently appeared strong and capable of deterring the world was because it had 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's 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, he had successfully stabilized it over the years, and its power was even greater than before.

Yet, to the outside world, the Imperial Court also had a trump card for deterrence, 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 surprises, everything here was likely 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 everywhere, 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 when the Imperial Court was on the brink of collapse and could fall at any moment, he refused to betray or surrender until his death."

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

Mentioning the past, Chen Xing couldn't 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 its strength was far inferior to the Jianghu."

"Therefore, the late Emperor made a decision: 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 significantly in a short period."

"In that battle, the Imperial Court was in peril. 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, and when everyone was thinking of changing their allegiance 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 stop the rebel army."

"After his strength increased, Han Zhang personally went to various places and, at the cost of being heavily 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 the past again. He was just a fledgling scholar back then, and seeing these things made his blood boil.

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

It was just that a hundred years had passed in a flash. He was still the same person he was back then, but some people were no longer the way they used to be.

"In the end, Mu Zishan, who had disappeared for a time, reappeared and settled everything with a single word, making 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, the Imperial Court managed to survive that period despite much instability in various places!"

"In that case, Han Zhang should have made a great contribution!"

"Yes, he indeed made a great contribution, far beyond what this old man could achieve!" 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 had ultimately become someone else.

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 do not know that this trump card has long been sick—sick very severely—and needs the blood of the Miao Family to nourish it and keep it alive!"

"This is the true reason why Mou Qing stands tall and unfallen. Mou Qing cannot die; if he dies, Han Zhang will surely go mad!"

"If the Imperial Court's trump card goes rogue, 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, according to what I know, Han Zhang once went to the Pinglou. What exactly was traded is unknown, but ever since then, I have started to worry—worry about what Han Zhang might do in order to survive."

"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; he even felt that Chen Xing was 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 ignite the flames of 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 does not know that Han Zhang holds the Broken Sword gifted by Mu Zishan back then. This matter is extremely secretive; 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, causing a disconnection in the Imperial Court's experts, 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're going to leave, just leave; you even took the Broken Sword. You really are a piece of work.

"The reason the Forbidden Land has been slow to be opened by others 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 techniques 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!"