Chapter 35

A trace of curiosity and surprise toward Qin Huang Ying Zheng arose unbidden in his heart.

At the same time, he looked forward to how things would unfold next.

Great Ming, the Forbidden City.

He drew his gaze back from the Heavenly Dao Golden List.

Zhu Houzhao's face showed a good deal of regret as he let out a sigh.

Yes.

He and Wu Zetian had chosen the same course of action.

To stand by and watch, as a melon-eating bystander!

Of course.

Deep down, he actually wanted to have a hand in it even more.

Yet the last shred of reason told him—

Once he stuck his hand in, he would very likely draw the gaze of Great Qin.

When that time came.

Even if Great Qin itself made no move.

It would only need to back Zhu Wushi.

And that alone would cause no small impact on Great Ming.

He was naturally unwilling to see such a scene.

Therefore.

No matter how unwilling he felt inside.

In the end, he could only helplessly accept reality.

Seeing this scene.

Wei Jinzhong, who knew his thoughts well, could not help but offer some words of comfort.

"Why does Your Majesty not set his sights a little further ahead?"

"The most pressing matter now is to grip Great Ming firmly in hand!"

"As for Laozi's Dao De Jing of five thousand words—even if it's only a trace of Dao resonance—does Your Majesty truly think that Bei Mingzi could comprehend it so easily?"

Just three short sentences.

Yet Zhu Houzhao listened and felt as though a sudden light had dawned on him.

His mood consequently lifted greatly.

"Well spoken, truly reasonable. It seems this time it was I who got stuck in a dead end."

"Old Wei, old Wei, you truly are my most trusted minister!"

Hearing this, Wei Jinzhong bowed again and again.

"Your Majesty flatters me. With Your Majesty's own wisdom, were it not for concern clouding your judgment, where would the need arise for an old minister to show off his paltry skills?"

"You, you." Zhu Houzhao laughed helplessly and shook his head.

Great Song, the Imperial Palace.

Gazing at the National Preceptor Huang Shang, who had arrived late, and the Sunflower Ancestor waiting at his side.

Zhao Ji went straight to the point and spoke his mind.

"I wish to send people to Great Qin to seize Laozi's Dao De Jing of five thousand words. What do the two of you think?"

"Your Majesty must absolutely not!"

Before the words had even finished falling.

Huang Shang and the Sunflower Ancestor both spoke out at once.

"Oh? Why?"

Seeing the two of them voice their opposition without even thinking, Zhao Ji's tone could not help but turn somewhat displeased.

"From the contents of the Heavenly Dao Golden List, Your Majesty should also be aware."

"That Daoist Heavenly Sect's Bei Mingzi is a master of the Heavenly Being Realm."

"Even if this old minister and the National Preceptor joined forces, we would only be suppressed."

"Does Your Majesty think sending others would change anything?"

"Furthermore, what if Bei Mingzi offers it to Qin Huang?"

"With Great Qin's strength, trying to obtain this item from Qin Huang's hands would be no different from ascending to the heavens."

"Unless every great imperial dynasty brought out their hidden foundations, this would be complete nonsense!"

The Sunflower Ancestor gave a bitter laugh and analyzed in a shrill voice.

Huang Shang at his side nodded his head in agreement.

026—The Magnanimity of the Emperor of All Ages; Zhang Sanfeng, His Heart and Mind Uneasy! (Begging for flowers, begging for tips)

"If that's the case, then there is no other way at all?"

"For instance, cooperation among the seven great imperial dynasties?"

Hearing the analysis.

Zhao Ji, his face still somewhat unwilling, asked.

"This minister still urges Your Majesty to give up this notion."

"The other imperial dynasties probably don't have many who would dare to act."

"Rather than failing to eat the fox meat and only ending up with a stink on oneself."

"It would be better to simply choose to give up."

"But Your Majesty need not be too impatient."

"What manner of figure is Lord Laozi, the Ancestor of the Dao? His Dao resonance is hardly so easy to comprehend!"

"In this minister's view, across the entire Nine Provinces continent today, the only one who might be able to comprehend it is probably that forbidden existence!"

Seeing that Zhao Ji still could not let it go,

Huang Shang could only advise him with painstaking patience.

With his discerning eye,

he naturally could see

that whether it was Qin Huang Ying Zheng or the Daoist Heaven Sect's Bei Mingzi,

neither of them could so easily comprehend the Dao resonance left behind by Lord Laozi, the Ancestor of the Dao.

To use an imperfect analogy—

this would be like asking a Innate martial artist to comprehend the mysteries of the Earthly Immortal Realm.

Without having reached that step, how could one comprehend it?

By the same token,

even if Bei Mingzi's talent were greater still, he could not possibly have comprehended it so quickly.

Only the Qinglong Society's Grand Longshou, Ximen Wudi—

that forbidden existence, currently the strongest and most mysterious figure in all the Nine Provinces—

might possibly be able to comprehend it.

"I understand. You may all withdraw."

Zhao Ji nodded with a face full of helplessness.

His entire being seemed somewhat listless.

Still, he had thought it through.

Even if he obtained it, what then?

Could he, with strength that had not even reached Grandmaster, possibly comprehend it?

Most importantly,

he would also, for no good reason, offend a colossal power like Great Qin.

No matter how he thought about it, the losses outweighed the gains!

Unless he had the confidence to comprehend it.