Chapter 220: 213 Pillar of State

Deep in Kungang, at the summit of Da Xue Shan. In a valley, hundreds of armored soldiers in black sat in silence, arranged in neat formation. This was an elite force, waiting for the order to mobilize on the eve of battle.

Behind them, in the deepest part of the valley, lay a dense expanse of buildings. The perimeter was dominated by military camps, but as one moved deeper, there were grand mansions with carved railings and jade masonry. In the center stood the tallest main hall; though it did not occupy much space, its form resembled a palace. If any Confucian scholar who understood the rites were to take one look at this place, they would surely cry out, "Rebellious and against the Dao!"

Here, deep in the great mountains of Kungang, there was actually a king's city—small as a sparrow, yet complete with every organ!

At the very front of the valley stood a high platform. The platform was hemispherical; it was actually a giant turtle shell. The patterns on the shell resembled the Eight Trigrams, a natural array that required no carving. Dozens of people in black robes sat around it, each with eyes closed and spirits focused, their expressions solemn.

In the very center, a man wearing primitive dark-gold armor sat on a folding military stool. His eyes were slightly closed, and one hand pressed against the patterns on the turtle shell beneath him. Compared to the solemnity and tension of the others, he appeared more relaxed, even carrying a faint, elusive smile.

Suddenly, footsteps came from behind.

A young nobleman in white robes ascended the high platform. At first glance, his attire seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, one could see his clothes were perfectly tailored and exquisite, just like the man himself—every detail from head to toe was impeccable, and not a single strand of hair could be faulted.

Behind that nobleman was a faint, ethereal female shadow; it was a Spirit Image. The nobleman was a Spirit Official.

The armored man did not need to turn his head to guess who it was:

"Your Highness, do not be anxious. That Kun Sword has not yet exhausted its strength."

The nobleman nodded and smiled: "Indeed. That Kun Sword is worthy of being in the top ten of the ancient Sword Manuals, a sword legendary for having surpassed the Immortal Sword. Even after losing the restraint of a Sword Guest and falling into our trap, squandering its Sword Essence so wantonly, it has actually held out for so long."

The armored man said: "No matter. At most an hour, at least half an hour, and it will be exhausted. When that time comes, the Xuan Water Order will operate the Lingjing Transposition Divine Magic together, swapping us to the location of the Xuan Wu Xu Xiang. The great army will charge out in unison, seize the Kun Sword, and wipe out the rebel Long Yuan and the puppet king in one fell swoop."

The nobleman laughed: "Exactly so. It is laughable that the Long Yuan rebels are still rummaging through their tiny plot of land, thinking that the spies we sent out hid our trump card right under their noses. They nearly turned Jianzhou upside down, and later, after catching the tail of the Kun Yu Sword Sect and suppressing the diversionary array we set up, they thought they had the situation under control. Little did they know that since the descent of the divine beast's phantom, it has already been a guaranteed victory. Lingjing Transposition—East, West, South, and North can be swapped in an instant. We only need to gather our momentum thousands of miles away; they are merely suspicious and paranoid, throwing themselves into chaos."

The armored man nodded and said: "True. This expedition relies first on Your Highness's leadership, second on the Prime Minister's brilliant plan, and third on the Spirit Officials and their men risking their lives. With the Great Wei marching out, how could we not achieve a total victory? When the time comes, we shall slaughter the entire Long Yuan clan to punish their original crime of treason, then execute the puppet dynasty and the puppet king to offer a sacrifice for our Great Wei's cause of restoration!"

The nobleman clapped his hands and laughed: "Magnificent, Upper Pillar of State! You are truly the pillar that holds up the sky for the nation! When the time comes for the thousands of troops to charge, we will still rely on the Pillar of State to make the move. After all, only the Pillar of State can master the Kun Sword!"

Immediately after, he sighed: "It is just hard on the Upper Pillar of State. We are merely sharpening our weapons and feeding our horses, while the Upper Pillar of State has sacrificed too much for the country."

The Upper Pillar of State was startled, then burst into loud laughter, saying: "Your Highness, why say such things? Every time I think about being able to master the Kun Sword soon, my blood boils and I am so excited I tremble all over! As for the previous sword, discarding it is just discarding it. If the old does not go, the new does not come. If I hadn't discarded the old sword, how could I have traveled light and mastered that ancient sword of infinite power?"

The nobleman sighed silently. For a Sword Hero near the pinnacle, could discarding a sword really be that simple? The Upper Pillar of State was staking everything on one throw; he would either succeed or perish. At this moment, he certainly could not speak discouraging words, so he smiled: "Exactly. The Four Seasons and Eight Directions—when the Grand Ancestor established the Twelve Pillar States, the Kun Sword naturally had its place. As the Northern Upper Pillar of State, you were always meant to wield the Kun Sword."

The Upper Pillar of State said: "Indeed. The twelve ancient swords of the Four Seasons and Eight Directions—if they could all return to our dynasty, why worry about the great cause not succeeding? It is just that we subjects are incompetent; for so many years, only one Upper Pillar of State has mastered an ancient sword. I only hope I am the second."

The nobleman said: "The mandate of heaven turns; the ancient swords of the eight directions were always meant to be wielded by our Ling Wei. Today is just the first step; we will surely win the first battle. After this matter is finished, Kungang will belong entirely to Wei soil. That puppet Snow Mountain King will surely be desperate and send all his minions to cause trouble in Kungang. I will have to trouble the Upper Pillar of State to sit here and suppress him, drowning him in the snowmelt of Kungang."

The Upper Pillar of State said: "Your Highness is too kind. I am merely staying at the base camp to beat a dog that has fallen into the water; how can that be called hard work? It is Your Highness who will soon head north to Yunzhou—that is the true hardship."

At this moment, the residual power of the Kun Sword remained, and the two could not move for a while. Not wanting to be overly tense, they chatted casually instead. The Upper Pillar of State said: "That puppet Marquis in Yunzhou has power even greater than the puppet Snow Mountain King. In the puppet dynasty, he counts as a major Warlord, yet he has a close relationship with the puppet dynasty's State Preceptor, making him difficult to shake. He has countless lackeys under his command and has managed Yunzhou like an iron barrel. We cannot even send the forces of one Pillar of State there; we must rely on Your Highness to maneuver."

The nobleman laughed: "No matter. While the Gaoyuan Marquis may be guarding strictly, I never intended to confront him head-on. I am merely digging a few ant holes in that so-called impregnable Northern Great Wall. Once our army marches north and occupies Yan Prefecture and Ling Prefecture, completing the encirclement, do I need to fear that this puppet Marquis will fly into the sky? I also want to see the new person over there; I hear they are very interesting..."

The Upper Pillar of State said: "I have also heard that they intend to cultivate a new Pillar of State locally in Yunzhou... who is that?"

His expression changed abruptly, and he stood up suddenly.

The nobleman could not observe the situation and asked urgently: "What?"

The Upper Pillar of State sat back down, his hand pressing once more onto the patterns on the turtle shell. Clearly using a special method to observe the situation, he gritted his teeth and cursed: "Where did this little bastard come from... daring to ruin my great plan?!"

Tang Zhao drove the Six Dragons to charge into the sky, his Qi burning like embers, leaving a trail like a stream of light, resembling a brilliant rosy cloud.

The sentient beings suffering under the Sword Art and Sword Technique could not help but look up, staring in a daze at that radiance.

What is that?

Is it a person?!

Who is it?!

What are they trying to do?!

Perhaps some did not recognize Tang Zhao, but that figure charging into the sky was deeply imprinted in their minds. If there was a future, they would firmly remember Tang Zhao's name.

Beichen looked up, staring at Tang Zhao's figure. His heart was not without shock, but more than that, he shook his head and sighed.

With so many people, most of whom were Talisman Sword Masters, did no one notice that the Qi and Art Tools were not suppressed by the Immortal Sword?

Surely not; some had noticed. But why did no one fight desperately to seize the sword like they did at the beginning on the sea?

They didn't dare!

Even if they were Sword Heroes or Sword Guests, their entire ability and full confidence could only come from the sword in their hands. Once the sword was suppressed, they were like an old man who had lost his crutch, losing the ability and desire to move forward.

And Art Tools?

What are Art Tools? Facing an Immortal Sword, an Art Tool is not even as good as a stick of firewood. Approaching an Immortal Sword with an Art Tool is like poking a tiger in the nostril with a straw.

Only a young person with hot blood would have this kind of reckless courage.

Yet, among the hundreds of young people on the island, there was only this one reckless youth.

Beichen felt that besides recklessness, this young man must have had other courage to support him.

The courage is commendable, but useless.

A person can use wax wings to charge toward the sun, but they will never reach the sun. Once they get close, the wax melts, and the person falls.

"Ah, damn it. What a shitty road!"

Tang Zhao cursed.

At this moment, he was in mid-air, using all his strength to sprint. The closer he got to the Kun Sword, the more difficult every step became.

A heavy, muddy feeling enveloped Tang Zhao, making him feel as if he were struggling in a whirlpool of quicksand. From all directions, there was invisible soil, almost burying him. The wheels turned more and more slowly, emitting a harsh screeching sound; the carriage, along with him, was sinking into an invisible mud pit.

Sword Intent—Thick Earth.

The Kun Sword did not have only one kind of Sword Intent. The expansion of the island just now came from gentle stretching, but what was enveloping this place now was another kind of Sword Intent: Thick Earth.

The closer one got, the more intense the intent of Thick Earth became, as if one were advancing through underground soil, making even breathing difficult. Tang Zhao thought of that day in the Maze City, where there was also such invisible seawater pressing down, but the seawater of that day was truly a minor witch compared to the Thick Earth of today.

With a Kun Sword like this, no one can get close!

Since I cannot get past, I will have the sword come over.

He reached out and just lifted a wooden bead.

Rune Formula—Forced Demand!

This was an indispensable treasure for him in battle, and it had been unfailing against opponents of his own level.

Only, what was before him was a sword that surpassed the Immortal Sword, so this inevitably became a mere petty trick. If the sword were truly attracted by such a trick, it would be somewhat laughable. But if he did not use such a laughable little trick, what else could he use?

Might as well treat a dead horse as if it were alive.

Forcing a release for a brief moment, Tang Zhao stood at the controls under immense pressure, yet the sword remained motionless.

This was also normal. However, Tang Zhao had no way back; he could only increase the dosage and try again.

When he recorded the Bu De sword, it was merely a sword of the Art Realm, and only Sword Art could be used. Therefore, he could only use the most brutal method—

Force, force, force!

Using the method of connecting Thunder Symbols to pile up force, and finally clearing it all away with the Termination Talisman, he activated dozens of Termination Talismans at once, drawing all attention to his own hands.

Ten thousand rays of light, centered on one person alone. In heaven and on earth, only I exist, no other!

At this moment, apart from those who had been observing Tang Zhao all along, those hiding in the woods, lying on the ground, and rolling in the ditches could not help but look up, looking toward the nearly invisible figure above, their minds blank for a moment, devoid of any thoughts, simply staring blankly at him.

And Tang Zhao's gaze was fixed only on the sword.

He only hoped that if the divine sword had consciousness, it would also look at him.

In a certain instant, time seemed to solidify.

In the next instant, the sword suddenly moved.

The sword suspended in the air suddenly changed direction and flew toward Tang Zhao.

Its single change of direction was like changing the heavens and the earth, driving the stars and chasing the moon; it shocked the entirety of Jianzhou Island.

It also shocked the forces watching Jianzhou from a thousand miles away.

Tang Zhao did not know whom he had shocked; he only felt incomparably suppressed. That thick earth Sword Intent did not weaken with the sword's change of path; instead, it became even more profound and massive, rushing toward him with the sword. He heard a sizzling sound in his ears—it was the sound of his beloved vehicle about to fall apart.

"It's come to this, what are you still waiting for?" Tang Zhao took a deep breath:

"Sword Manual, page nine—open for me!"

"Bastard, this little mongrel is trying to turn the world upside down! How dare you touch my things? Deploy the Profound Water Order immediately and follow this general to teleport over!"

On the turtle-backed disc, there was nothing but the roaring voice of that East Pillar of State in his Golden Helmet and golden armor.

That young nobleman said in a focused voice: "Pillar of State, do not be anxious; I will go with you."

Although the East Pillar of State was in a desperate hurry, he still hurriedly turned to hold him back and said in a focused voice: "Your Highness, do not be anxious. Although there is a sudden change, we must not lose our composure. There is no time to mobilize the main army now; I will act as the vanguard, taking a small number of elites to teleport over first to seize that Kun Sword. Your Highness shall remain behind to oversee, leading the thousand-strong army to follow up, and we will surely achieve this great merit!"