Chapter 127: 167, 168

That night, while the commoners of the Imperial Capital were still immersed in the illusion that "the Six Towns have been subdued, and the world may soon return to peace," the Heavenly Son Ji Qin, after a day of hysteria, chose to put on his ceremonial robes with bloodshot eyes and secretly summoned the Prince of Zhao to the Gugong at the Hour of the Bo.

He was to welcome once more that Prince of Zhao who had brought his might into the Imperial Capital.

And so, the Prince of Zhao went.

He brought his confidants, the core team he had led out from the Northern Border, and with Grand Tutor Qin—who was no longer in the shadows—leading the way, he headed straight toward the Gugong; there were some things he had to face.

The Heavenly Son wanted a king-to-king confrontation with him; how could he, Zhao Hua, dare not accept?

By tomorrow, either the world would be renewed, or he, Zhao Hua, would be a corpse in the wilderness. This was the final step, and also the most sacred one.

Anyone who takes this step can achieve the highest accomplishment possible in this brief life.

Thus, one would have no regrets in life.

Therefore, he was impatient.

Hooves thundered, saddles jolted, and the cavalry, holding torches, passed through one Gugong gate after another.

The gate guards dared not stop them; the gates of the Gugong opened one by one, illuminating the heavy iron-clad cavalry that moved into the distance, looking all the more grim under the blazing red torchlight.

The aura of slaughter was visible from miles away; though not in formation, these cavalrymen were undoubtedly true Shura on the battlefield, true butchers.

The deep palace did have an Imperial Guard.

The Imperial Guard was born from the former Four Symbols Guard.

The Four Symbols Guard had been the personal guards of the founding Emperor of the Great Shang; now, they could only be called the Imperial Guard.

However, the current Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard had also become Zhao Hua's man, in exchange for the three hundred years of added lifespan from "stepping into the Pseudo-Xuan."

That was why Zhao Hua dared to come.

He had nothing to fear.

And in this most special of moments, Zhao Hua's thoughts drifted away.

He once had a younger brother.

His father loved his brother, always giving the best to him, teaching him literature, and spending vast sums to have him study military strategy under famous masters; as for him, he only hung around with ruffians on the streets and bandits in the counties.

His father often liked to tell him: "In the future, you must assist your brother. When your brother becomes a general, you will be the Guard Captain by his side."

He asked: "Why?"

Zhao Laoyezi said something he could never forget.

"Swallows and sparrows are different from swans.

Your brother is a swan; what are you? However, you are not entirely useless.

You are skilled in martial arts and adept at maneuvering, walking in the gray areas, but these are all low-class trades. Your future is at most to inherit the family martial arts school, and my only expectation for you is... do not bring disaster upon us with your little tricks.

But your brother is different; that is the righteous path."

At that moment, Zhao Hua knew that "General" and "Martial Artist" were people from two different worlds.

Generals are noble; Martial Artists are base.

If his brother had treated him better, perhaps he would not have had so many grievances.

But his brother seemed to know of their father's assessment and would occasionally bring those words up to mock him, in front of friends, in front of the martial arts school disciples, and even in front of brothel courtesans, critiquing him with a condescending attitude... yet Zhao Hua always wore a smile, appearing harmless.

Until that day, when his vast information network detected that earth-shattering changes might be starting outside the city, so... he used a lie about "a new courtesan at the brothel, the spring flowers are in full bloom, perhaps we should go for a spring outing" to lure his own brother out of the city.

And then, sure enough... the evil Ghosts outside the city did not disappoint him.

That young Master Zhao in his fine silk robes died, and the brothel courtesans who had mocked him alongside the young master also died.

They died miserably.

No one knew that it was his casual remark that had sent his own brother into the abyss.

Afterward, he acknowledged an older brother.

Already accustomed to walking in the gray areas, in order to win his older brother's trust, he naturally began to handle troubles for him.

Things that were inconvenient for his older brother to do, he, Zhao Hua, did them all.

And his older brother returned the favor, teaching him martial arts and even helping him break through; Zhao Hua did not say it aloud, but in his heart, he was grateful... because this older brother was truly a stunning, peerless monster.

Following his older brother, he only worried about one thing: being left behind.

But what happened after?

His older brother not only did not abandon him, but even led him into White Camel Manor, making him a son-in-law of White Camel Manor, stepping into the upper-class world he had never imagined, and then taught him how to train and command troops.

He... came into contact with the "military strategy" he had never thought he could reach.

Moreover, he vaguely felt that his older brother's "military strategy" was like that of a god of war—unpredictable, leaving no trace, formless and shapeless, winning every battle.

Under his older brother's patient guidance, his own ability to "command troops" grew stronger and stronger, until finally... he led the Tiger Leopard Cavalry to sweep away the Ghost servants in the eighteen counties of Hanping Prefecture.

He was incomparably excited, and incomparably passionate.

He was willing to serve his older brother, acting as his vanguard.

However, his older brother had no ambition.

His older brother, having no ambition, was not on guard against him at all, giving all the troops to him.

Whether it was the Tiger Leopard Cavalry or the Mountain Shield Infantry, he gave them all to him.

With such trust, with an older brother who viewed him as a younger brother in such a way, how could he ever forget?

Now, he no longer needed to prove to his father "who is the swan and who is the swallow"; he just wanted to bring all of this to an end, to settle this chaotic world, and then... if his older brother wanted to be Emperor, he would let him be Emperor.

Otherwise, he would use all his strength to protect the peace his older brother desired.

If peace needed to be forged with bloody hands, then... let his hands turn red.

He wanted to give his older brother a world without Ghost Tides and without war.

"Your Highness, we have arrived."

Someone beside him reminded him.

Zhao Hua came back to his senses; he raised his head and looked at the palace hall.

The stairs are like a mountain path, the roof ridges reflecting the azure sky.

The galaxy flows, the lonely moon shines long.

Zhao Hua dismounts.

A group of people behind him follow suit and dismount.

Then, they walk toward that pale, narrow path illuminated by the moonlight.

Spring Breeze Pavilion is in the west of the city.

If a spring breeze rises, this pavilion is the last to be bathed in it; yet, when the spring breeze blows upon this pavilion, it means that every corner of the Imperial Capital has already been enveloped in spring.

There are many poems on both sides of the pavilion, considered the idle works of literati and refined scholars.

Although poetry is "useless," it helps in comprehending techniques, practicing military strategy, and even gaining insight into the trends of heaven and earth.

Song Cheng possesses the youth named He Zheng, currently in the pavilion, looking at the poems written by those literati and refined scholars.

"Do not say the spring day is late, the scenery turns new in an instant. The east wind is easily recognized, but how many pounds of purple and red will come?"

He smiles.

This poem is quite fitting for the occasion.

Spring in the west of the city always arrives later than elsewhere, so when spring can be felt in the west of the city, the scenery changes as if in an instant.

Ordinary people can also recognize the east wind, but how many can be like the poet, wanting to dine on flowers and drink dew, wanting to slice up flowers like beef or pork by the pound to go with wine?

Yet, from this, one can also see the poet's leisure.

Song Cheng is a bit weary; he also wishes to live such a leisurely life with his wife and children, and does not want his wives to be so busy anymore.

Perhaps he has indeed owed his wife and daughter quite a lot. He scans the surroundings casually, seeing no data of any kind.

Song Cheng falls into deep thought.

The other party had arranged to meet him at the hour of the Rat.

He came early at the hour of the Dog, first searching the surroundings, and finding no traps, he then felt at ease coming to the pavilion, releasing his perception, resting to await the weary, waiting quietly—and now it is already the hour of the Boar.

Logically speaking, the other party choosing to meet him should be to discuss something; after all, both sides could be considered "first-time acquaintances."

Fighting to the death upon a "first meeting" really does not fit his understanding.

War is nothing more than the uneven distribution of benefits; Song Cheng has some guesses about the psychology of the person who wants to meet him, but normally, the other party should want to discuss with him, understand each other's goals, and see if there is a possibility of cooperation, rather than directly attacking him.

If there is a possibility of cooperation, then they should work together; this is what conforms to the principle of maximizing benefits.

However, there are exceptions.

The exception is that the other party's faction has already banded together and cannot tolerate anomalies or outsiders.

Song Cheng thinks for a while in Spring Breeze Pavilion and perceives again: the offerings to the "True Martial Emperor" in the University Scholar's mansion have not ceased, and with one thought, he can still go to the University Scholar's mansion.

Logically, he does not need to go at this time.

But Song Cheng is suspicious by nature, so he decides to go and take a look.

His form shifts, his consciousness follows his visualization to a distance, and then he possesses the young girl named Qin Rong.

His possession is of great benefit to the hosts themselves; it is like Ling'er, who was possessed by "Su Ningyu," having already become a little monster. But the stronger the Soul, the stronger the control, and the more one can avoid this "contagion"—this is why the "maid possessed by the sister-in-law had no changes."

But for He Zheng and Qin Rong, who serve the True Martial Emperor day and night, Song Cheng is still willing to give them some benefits, so he deliberately relaxes his control; thus, the two will surely surpass ordinary people in their cultivation process in the future.

Entering Qin Rong's body, Song Cheng rises quickly, and just as he walks out of the Ancestral Hall, he hears the sound of horse hooves outside.

A fast horse stops in front of the University Scholar's mansion, and someone rushes in, reporting to the University Scholar in a low, soft voice: "The Grand Tutor ordered us to report quickly, saying that at the hour of the Dog, the Heavenly Son's secret envoy suddenly arrived, inviting the Prince of Zhao into the Gugong, and the Prince of Zhao went."

After speaking, this secret messenger withdraws.

The University Scholar rushes toward the Ancestral Hall.

Very few people know what happened in the Gugong, and those death soldiers of Grand Tutor Qin have all been given gag orders, so only a very few people know about the "Spring Breeze Pavilion appointment at the hour of the Rat."

For top-level figures like the University Scholar, they can easily deduce that the "Spring Breeze Pavilion appointment at the hour of the Rat" is a meeting between those "behind-the-scenes immortals."

In their hearts, these "behind-the-scenes immortals" are existences higher and more aloof than the "great clans."

Therefore, before the meeting of the "behind-the-scenes immortals" ends, there should not be any changes in the Imperial Capital.

But now, the Heavenly Son suddenly dispatched a secret envoy at the hour of the Dog to invite the Prince of Zhao into the Gugong—is there a change? Why? He does not understand.

But he knows he must immediately, right now, notify his master.

However, is he still in time? His master went to Spring Breeze Pavilion early on.

His master is not omniscient and omnipotent; only occasionally through the visualization in the Ancestral Hall can he vaguely know some things. Even if he goes to the Ancestral Hall now, it may not be in time.

But no matter what, he must hurry and do it.

As he runs, the University Scholar sees Qin Rong at the entrance of the Neizhai.

He is just about to scold her, but sees Qin Rong's eyes are as deep as an abyss, that aura... "Master." The University Scholar breathes a sigh of relief.

"He Tu, I already know."

The young girl's voice is cold.

Because the current situation means that he was very likely stood up for the "Spring Breeze Pavilion appointment." Since it is not a peace talk, it can only be the other outcome.

"Go and mobilize the troops, prepare to stabilize order."

After Song Cheng finishes giving this instruction, he leaves Qin Rong's body directly, and that Soul flickers in mid-air, heading toward the distant Gugong.

In the Gugong.

At this moment, it is in chaos.

After the Prince of Zhao calculates in his heart, he feels that the general trend is in his grasp and everything in the Gugong is under his control, so he orders Tie Zhenyi and the others to stay at the entrance of the main hall, while he himself takes Ouyang Sha, who is "both his father-in-law and a sworn brother," into the main hall.

The doors of the main hall close, and an attendant inside shouts, "Why do you not pay homage to His Majesty?"

Once this secret signal is given, the secret doors on the side of the hall open suddenly, and a group of death soldiers in simple clothes, from who knows where, rush in holding blades and weapons.

Even a rotting ship has three pounds of nails; no matter how dilapidated the Great Shang Dynasty is, and even if the armored soldiers on the Grand Tutor's side can no longer be relied upon, Ji Qin still has desperate men who are truly and thoroughly loyal to the Emperor.

As a group of Martial Artists pours in, neither the Prince of Zhao nor Ouyang Sha shows any fear.

Not to mention that once the commotion here starts, the attendants outside will quickly flood in, even in the current situation, the two of them are enough to handle it.

The two exchanged a glance, Ouyang Sha waved his hands, his palms turning green, and between a dance and a flick, two phantom images of venomous pythons flew out, and a wild wind raged in the hall.

Ouyang Sha was like someone wielding two giant whips, and in a single encounter, he blasted the death warriors charging at the front into pieces, while those behind, even if they hadn't endured this force, began to turn green in the face and bleed from the corners of their mouths.

Zhao Hua fixed his gaze on the Heavenly Son not far away and said sternly: "There are assassins, protect the Emperor!!"

After saying this, he went straight toward the Heavenly Son.

Since the dagger had been revealed at the end of the map, then capture the bandits by capturing their king first; after seizing the Heavenly Son, he would just make him abdicate and yield the throne.

He was like a lion wrapped in blood and baleful aura, his originally refined temperament becoming violent; Zhao Hua's figure moved, his arms stretching like an ape's, reaching toward Ji Qin.

As for the Heavenly Son, he had chosen him, and he knew clearly what realm he was in; he was just a piece of trash in the Force Realm.

It was laughable that this piece of trash actually had the courage and backbone to truly dare to kill him in the dead of night.

No sooner said than done, before Zhao Hua's hand could land, the crown worn by the Heavenly Son had already been blown away by the fierce wind.

The Heavenly Son seemed to be frightened, reaching out to draw his sword like a drowning man grasping at a straw.

Clang! The sword left its sheath and, as if swung wildly, stabbed toward the pouncing Zhao Hua.

How could Zhao Hua fear this sword? He had already entered the Form Realm, and having received guidance from his big brother, his whole body's Jin Power was already rounded and transparent; with a flick of his Jin Power, he could deflect this sword.

However, suddenly his pupils constricted, and surprise and astonishment slowly spread.

Time seemed to have pressed the slow-motion button.

That sword, that plain and unremarkable sword, in his eyes abruptly transformed into a pitch-black, cold finger, pointing outside the sword, like the finger of a god or Buddha, pointing straight at his heart.

Silent and soundless, suspected to be an illusion.

But the feeling of death was so real.

If this sword were to pierce home, then history books would record: "Prince Zhao entered the palace, the Heavenly Son laid an ambush, and in the chaos, Prince Zhao attempted to capture the Heavenly Son first, but was killed by the Heavenly Son who suddenly drew his sword," and those who read history would surely wonder, "The powerful Prince Zhao, the weak Heavenly Son, how was Prince Zhao suddenly killed when the overall situation was completely under his control?"

However, at this moment, Prince Zhao met a pair of cold and indifferent eyes.

Those were eyes that did not belong to the Heavenly Son.

He suddenly understood.

The corners of his lips curled up naturally, filled with self-mockery.

Kingly ambitions and hegemony were, in the end, just a Dream of flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water.

Yet, in this life, he, Zhao Hua, had shone brilliantly, only... he was sorry to his big brother.

He had taken his big brother's troops, but had not been able to carve out a world for his big brother.

In a flash of lightning, Prince Zhao's two fingers snapped together like a blade, the blade moving with agility, like a moth flying into a flame as he pointed toward the incoming sword; this technique—White Snake Blade—was also the blade technique his big brother had taught him.

Ding!!! Bang!!

The sword met the fingertips, shattering and exploding, spreading a circle of fine metallic ripples in mid-air.

Ouyang Sha was startled and hurriedly channeled his entire body's Jin Power to block.

And many nearby death warriors were directly pierced by these broken sword fragments into their bodies and skulls, dying instantly.

The candle flames in the hall, which had been as bright as day, were also extinguished in an instant by the fierce wind.

Outside Zhao Hua's fingers, there was another layer of dark golden phantom, a shadow condensed from the dust in the air.

And Zhao Hua's eyes had also changed, becoming deep and bottomless.

Song Cheng possessed him.

He looked at the strength data of the Heavenly Son opposite him.

It was a complex set of data: 15 (830 (1900)) ~ 20 (1660 (3800)).

Song Cheng quickly completed the analysis.

15~20 was the Heavenly Son's strength.

And 830 (1900) ~ 1660 (3800) was the data of the person possessing him.

This person possessing him was undoubtedly with the Arhat he had killed in the North Land.

But this data was much stronger than the Arhat's; it could be said that if the Arhat at his peak was "Mysterious Grade Jiappin", then this one had very likely reached "Mysterious Grade Jiappin" before.

Compared to the "so-called Holy Heaven Buddha" who had walked beside Zhao Hua earlier, this one was more like it.

However, Song Cheng no longer intended to ask.

The other party knew his power yet deliberately broke the appointment, intending to secretly kill Zhao Hua.

And he had indeed killed the Arhat in the North Land; whether the other party knew it was him who killed him... he was not sure, nor could he judge.

But the grudge had already been accumulated.

The opportunity to build trust had already been missed.

Then, it was time to let the other party know who he was.

Lest the other party retaliate against the wrong target.

After all, in this kind of war, he did not have absolute certainty either.

The existence of a high-grade Xuan Realm expert was too slippery, and it was very easy to run away, so he... was naturally the Xuanwu Emperor, who had nothing to do with Song Cheng of the Su Family!

The Xuanwu Emperor was ruthless and wiped out his enemies completely; what did that have to do with Song Cheng of the Su Family, who lived in a corner of the North Land and had no ambition?

A giant black tortoise crawled out from Zhao Hua's body, growing as it met the wind, instantly reaching several dozen zhang; with a slight push of force, Zhao Hua flew out gently and was caught by Ouyang Sha not far away.

And the black tortoise gathered its breath and began its Manifestation.

Bang bang bang!!

The glazed tiles of the Huangcheng fell off one after another; the roof beams and pillars were also sucked up and crushed; as if an earth dragon were turning over beneath the stone ground, it flew up inch by inch, and the shattered giant stones danced wildly like a fierce wind of butterflies or swirling withered leaves, finally condensing completely onto the black tortoise, turning into the outline of that giant black tortoise.

The black tortoise took form, and dozens of palaces in the Gugong collapsed directly.

Under the moonlight, the black tortoise raised its head and roared.

And near the black tortoise, one after another, images of Manifestation quickly rose up.

There were two giant monks, one flood dragon, and one fairy. However, these four manifestations were each only a little over ten zhang tall, to the point that they looked like four little dwarves surrounding the mysterious turtle.

Song Cheng narrowed his eyes and scanned them.

The four individuals' data appeared one by one.

Giant Monk 1: 700 (1280) ~ 1400 (2560)

Giant Monk 2: 830 (1900) ~ 1660 (3800)

Flood Dragon: 750 (1330) ~ 1500 (2660)

Fairy: 740 (1300) ~ 1480 (2600)

Song Cheng recognized that the data for Giant Monk 1 was exactly the data of Yin Mingzong from before; there was no doubt that this person behind the scenes who called himself "Saint Heaven Buddha" was not a Buddha in his true identity.

And Giant Monk 2 should be the real one.

Both of these two were also cultivating the Sun Phase Buddha Sutra.

It was difficult to converse with Souls, and Song Cheng did not want to converse with these four anymore either.

He only wanted to kill them quickly now.

"Turtle Eats Moon."

This was a combat technique of the Xuanwu Moon-Swallowing Art; once unleashed, it would gulp down moonlight, thereby achieving the state where the Soul would not be destroyed or injured, swallowing and gathering it in one mouthful, with the moonlight covering and wrapping him, making him shine brilliantly.

He took a step forward, and the massive mysterious turtle body crushed directly toward the strongest giant monk.

To capture the bandits, first capture the king; if he killed the strongest one instantly, how could the rest have any morale left? Before crushing them, Song Cheng silently activated the "Dual Phase Method."

For a moment, his body, which was mixed with moonlight and palace ruins, began to emit a strange dark gold color.

This was the manifestation of the power after Huxia, Circular Light, Pure Land, and Double Ghost Chongxian were compressed together.

This kind of mixed power was full of complexity; unless someone could pull it apart one by one, or study it carefully for a long time, it would be impossible to discover the mixed components within. As he moved, the two giant monks, the flood dragon, and the fairy all moved as well.

A method of Soul slaughter.

Three types of energy—Circular Light, dragon wind, and virtual sword—attacked Song Cheng from three directions.

Yet the giant monk who was being targeted by Song Cheng was not flustered, with Circular Light covering his whole body, presenting a somewhat dignified appearance of a Buddha-to-be. However, Song Cheng did not care about the energy attacking from those three directions at all, only focusing intently on crushing toward that giant monk's Circular Light.

The Dual Phase mysterious turtle containing complex power touched the giant monk's Circular Light.

The Circular Light was like being pulled by countless forces, shattering directly.

And Song Cheng's mysterious turtle body, after being attacked by that triple force, sank in, showing obvious wounds.

However, Song Cheng ignored it and continued to crush, the turtle feet lashing out, stepping toward the giant monk beneath his feet.

The giant monk shed his manifested shell, his Soul flew up, and he used his speed to escape the turtle foot's stomp.

But the mysterious turtle's head suddenly lunged with lightning speed, the dark golden skull crashing into that giant monk's Soul.

Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom! The mysterious turtle's body was battered and riddled with holes by the other three's attacks; although the wounds were not deep, it was bumpy like a battlefield that had been carpet-bombed.

The giant monk looked at the mysterious turtle, a trace of astonishment finally appearing in his heart, yet a few hints of amusement also surfaced.

The Soul is the most fragile; attacks are inevitably stronger than defense, so how could anyone just let others attack them like this?

Thinking of this, he quickly condensed Circular Light in mid-air again, wanting to block the impact of the dark golden turtle head.

Just at this moment, the turtle head suddenly opened its mouth, and with one gulp, it swallowed the giant monk's Soul directly.

Immediately following, it raised its head and roared, as if howling at the moon.

But the moonlight that flowed like a river across the sky suddenly surged, pouring into that big mouth like a whirlpool. Following the surge, all the wounds on its body surface healed in an instant.

And the dark gloom around the giant monk who had fallen into the turtle's belly was rapidly developing cracks; before long, the cracks grew larger. Boom! When the gloom dissipated, the Soul inside was also stretched out like a noodle.

In an instant, it was pulled apart. A strange elephant Soul mask fell from mid-air and dropped into the ruins.

The giant monk, dead!

(End of this chapter)