As soon as Huo Wuliang saw Lao Ai kill the one hundred and eight black-clad monks around him, he screamed and fled. As the monarch of a dynasty, he was not stupid. Since Wu Qi could force Lao Ai to kill someone, Wu Qi must be even scarier than Lao Ai. If he did not seize the opportunity to escape, he would certainly be killed.
But, how could he escape so easily? Just as he had turned into a flaming cloud and sped tens of miles away, a whistle of strong wind rang in his ear, and he saw a great golden ape fly past him. The last thing Huo Wuliang saw was a huge staff; then, his eyes turned dark, and he could no longer take part in any of the struggles in the world.
Yuan Qing had caught up with Huo Wuliang and smashed half of his body into pulp. Gold Horn reacted the fastest. At the moment the emperor died, he had flown over, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed the body whole. He smacked his mouth in satisfaction and sneezed, spitting out Huo Wuliang’s clothes, shoes, and the likes.
Wu Qi looked at Lao Ai with a smile and pointed to a towering mountain in the distance. Dejected, he trailed after them as the crowd began to fly toward it. The mountain seemed very near, but in fact, it was more than ten thousand miles away, for it was extremely high and huge.
When they reached the edge of the mountain, Lao Ai saw thousands of huge flying ships scattered densely at the foothills, with countless soldiers sitting cross-legged on the decks, absorbing Pangu Sacred Energy to restore their strength. He swept the ships with his divine sense, but it slipped past them as if they were marbles smeared with oil. In his mind eye, the place was empty, and yet he saw millions of soldiers with his naked eyes.
He gave Wu Qi a look of horror. “Oh, now both Dong Hai and the six states have generals and counselors specializing in the art of formation,” Wu Qi said casually. “They’ve set up some small formations here that can repel divine senses. By the way, we’ve been stationed here for three days.”
Lao Ai sighed, his face ashy. The mountain was actually very eye-catching. Both Huo Wuliang and he had glanced this way several times over the past few days with their divine senses. But, they had never discovered the presence of Dong Hai Army; otherwise, they would not have been defeated today.
He was thoroughly convinced of his defeat when he saw Guigu’zi, Su Qin, and Zhang Yi. Lao Ai was not a schemer at all. Although he could play some tricks, he could never be a match for these famous strategists. With the simplest trick of luring the enemy deep, these men had wiped out the entire Great Li’s million-strong army with fire. The defeat was so simple and straightforward that even Lao Ai thought it was just a dream.
“I deserved to be defeated!” Lao Ai murmured in a low voice.
Wu Qi grinned. Ahead of them, a thirty miles long flying ship shaped like a golden dragon slowly took to the air. Columns of soldiers rode forth to welcome them on a variety of mounts such as tigers and leopards. Wu Qi led Lao Ai onto the ship’s deck and into the main hall in the middle.
In the spacious hall, the emperors and courtiers of the six states were seated on the right and left. Yan Dan gave a sneer at the sight of Lao Ai’s crestfallen entrance while Ying Zheng stared at him gloomily, his right hand going to the hilt of his sword. Wu Qi had divided the virtues for killing Torch Dragon among the core members of the six states, so they had all stepped into the realm of Primordial now.
Even though they were only Primordials of Virtues, and their attainments were not nearly as profound as the experts who relied on their own understanding to enter the realm of Primordial, their magic power was unmistakably at the level of a genuine Primordial expert. Lao Ai, on the other hand, only had the cultivation base of an early-stage Gold Immortal. Ying Zheng could easily crush him to death with just one finger.
Sensing Ying Zheng’s hostile gaze, Lao Ai shrewdly leaned over to Wu Qi. But, Wu Qi did not want to be a shield, so he shoved the man out and said, “Prince Changxin, if you’re useful, you can live. If you’re useless, haha…how many enemies do you see here?”
Ying Zheng grinned grimly as he straightened his back and fixed his eyes on Lao Ai with the hilt of his sword in his hand. In those years, Lao Ai had offended too many people in Great Qin, and now, these people were Ying Zheng’s confidants. Men such as Li Si were smiling viciously at him, ready to teach him a good lesson.
This was where Lao Ai had failed in his life. In those days, he had hooked up with Ying Zheng’s birth mother by relying on his exceptional manhood, and then acted absurdly in Great Qin’s imperial court by relying on the empress dowager’s power, offending numerous courtiers. Today, under Wu Qi’s deliberate training, the cultivation bases of these people were many times stronger than his. In the face of these formidable foes, he was like a rabbit who had fallen into the tiger’s lair, shivering and unable to lift his head.
Wu Qi seated himself on the throne at the far end of the hall, then clapped his hands and said, “My lords, I think you all know this guy. I bring you the imperial advisor of Great Li Dynasty, Lao Ai, who had ordered the million-strong army into the city, causing them all to be burned to death!”
The emperors and courtiers of the six states laughed. A man like Lao Ai was despised among the heroes of the six states, especially since he had just lost a battle and caused the death of a million people. It was the perfect opportunity for them to ridicule him.
Lao Ai’s face shifted between blue and pale. He laughed dryly and bowed to Yan Dan. “Your Majesty!”
Yan Dan rolled his eyes, then pointed at Princess Zhang Le, who was seated next to Wu Qi, and said, “The present emperor of Great Yan is Zi Xuan. Hah, I’ve already abdicated. Now, I’m just a common people!”
Numerous people in the hall rolled their eyes. ‘You, Yan Dan, are just a common people? Bullsh*t!’
Lao Ai’s face was so thick that he immediately bowed to Princess Zhang Le and cried out, “This subject, Lao Ai, pays his respects to Your Majesty!”
Princess Zhang Le snorted coldly. She exchanged a few glances with Wu Qi and immediately understood what he wanted. “Save your courtesy,” she said lightly. “We are in the time of trouble, so I will be blunt with you. Tell us all you know about Haven and Buddhist League’s plans. If your information satisfies everyone here, you’ll be greatly rewarded. But if it doesn’t…”
Wu Qi opened his Primal Dharma Eyes and gave Lao Ai a glance. “No wonder…” he suddenly clapped his hands and said. “Apparently, all the curses, including the Black Celestial Forbidden Curse, in your body have been lifted. No wonder you haven’t been in touch with us for so long. It seems that you are bent on being the Buddhist League’s lapdog, eh?”
There was a chorus of sneer and derision from all the people in the hall. For someone as treacherous as Lao Ai, no one really wanted to be associated with him. Instead, when there was a chance to add insult to injury, everyone would gladly rub some more salt to his wound without the slightest hesitation.
Lao Ai was furious with all the sarcasm. “What’s wrong with me submitting to the Buddhist League?” he roared angrily, “I now have the cultivation base of an eighteenth-tier Bodhisattva. If I had to cultivate by myself, do you think I could have had my current attainment and magic power? A wise bird chooses the tree it will nest on, and a wise vassal the lord he will serve. I…”
He could not go on, because almost everyone in the hall unleashed their auras.
The unique terrible pressure of Primordial experts unleashed by the core members of the six states, such as the emperors, princes, imperial advisors, and chief military commanders, made Lao Ai almost faint. As for the other counselors, their auras of peak Gold Immortals weighed down on him like mountains, making his blood almost stop flowing. He stared in horror at the crowd, his mouth wide open.
Wu Qi chuckled. “Well, I agree that a wise bird chooses the tree it will nest on, but it seems to me that our King Changxin has chosen himself a rotten tree. It has been so many years, and yet you have only the cultivation base of an eighteenth-tier Bodhisattva. It seems that the Buddhist League has not been treating you well.”
Shaking his head, Wu Qi said with a smile, “Now, please be brief and tell us everything you know.”
Lao Ai looked at Wu Qi with a mournful face and muttered, “How is this possible? Although you are a Supreme Oracle and can manipulate time, many of the Buddhas in Buddhist League can do that too. But, how could you have made them rise so quickly without sufficient natural energy?”
Looking at Lao Ai in surprise, Wu Qi nodded and said, “You know a lot, it seems, but perhaps you’ve forgotten one thing. The natural energy in You Xiong Plain is endless. With the ability to manipulate time and a little effort, raising one’s cultivation base to a higher level within a short span of time is not a big deal in Great Yu. Heaven and Buddhist League would not have posed any threat at all if it were not for Great Yu’s adherence to the ways of nature, and its infrequent practice of making the rice shoots grow by pulling them up.”
Lao Ai slumped to the ground. He was completely defeated, and so he told them everything he knew. What he saw and heard today had dealt him a terrible blow, almost destroying his mind.
All this while, he thought that it was a brilliant move to join the Buddhist League and leave the six states behind. He had always thought that he had obtained the cultivation base of an eighteenth-tier Bodhisattva because he had chosen the right side, and had risen above all those from the six states. To him, his old acquaintances and rivals were merely ants he could crush with a finger.
But, what he saw today had destroyed his pride. Not only had Wu Qi reached the level he could only look up to, but even the people of the six states, whom he thought were mere ants, had surpassed him. He had a bitter taste in his mouth. Back then, when the six states first came together, he was a top expert among the others. But today, he could not even withstand their auras.
He told everything he knew, without hiding anything.
Wu Qi and the others looked at Lao Ai with smiles; several civil officials were recording every word he said. When he had spat out everything he knew, the crowd laughed and praised him, but his face was extremely unsightly.
Lao Ai’s status in Buddhist League was not high, but because of his extraordinary talent, he was very famous in the branch of Delightful Zen, and had made friends with a lot of core Bodhisattvas. Through these relationships, he had learned many secrets in the Buddhist League. Now, as he was forced to reveal the secrets by Wu Qi, he could no longer return to the Buddhist League. He would face the risk of death once the news was leaked.
Lao Ai’s safety was not the concern of Wu Qi and the others. They communicated quickly with divine senses and made a decision.
Wu Qi smiled and nodded to Lao Ai. “Prince Changxin, we have an opportunity here for you to render meritorious service, and you must not miss it!”
Lao Ai almost jumped in anger after hearing what Wu Qi said next.
As soon as Huo Wuliang saw Lao Ai kill the one hundred and eight black-clad monks around him, he screamed and fled. As the monarch of a dynasty, he was not stupid. Since Wu Qi could force Lao Ai to kill someone, Wu Qi must be even scarier than Lao Ai. If he did not seize the opportunity to escape, he would certainly be killed.
But, how could he escape so easily? Just as he had turned into a flaming cloud and sped tens of miles away, a whistle of strong wind rang in his ear, and he saw a great golden ape fly past him. The last thing Huo Wuliang saw was a huge staff; then, his eyes turned dark, and he could no longer take part in any of the struggles in the world.
Yuan Qing had caught up with Huo Wuliang and smashed half of his body into pulp. Gold Horn reacted the fastest. At the moment the emperor died, he had flown over, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed the body whole. He smacked his mouth in satisfaction and sneezed, spitting out Huo Wuliang’s clothes, shoes, and the likes.
Wu Qi looked at Lao Ai with a smile and pointed to a towering mountain in the distance. Dejected, he trailed after them as the crowd began to fly toward it. The mountain seemed very near, but in fact, it was more than ten thousand miles away, for it was extremely high and huge.
When they reached the edge of the mountain, Lao Ai saw thousands of huge flying ships scattered densely at the foothills, with countless soldiers sitting cross-legged on the decks, absorbing Pangu Sacred Energy to restore their strength. He swept the ships with his divine sense, but it slipped past them as if they were marbles smeared with oil. In his mind eye, the place was empty, and yet he saw millions of soldiers with his naked eyes.
He gave Wu Qi a look of horror. “Oh, now both Dong Hai and the six states have generals and counselors specializing in the art of formation,” Wu Qi said casually. “They’ve set up some small formations here that can repel divine senses. By the way, we’ve been stationed here for three days.”
Lao Ai sighed, his face ashy. The mountain was actually very eye-catching. Both Huo Wuliang and he had glanced this way several times over the past few days with their divine senses. But, they had never discovered the presence of Dong Hai Army; otherwise, they would not have been defeated today.
He was thoroughly convinced of his defeat when he saw Guigu’zi, Su Qin, and Zhang Yi. Lao Ai was not a schemer at all. Although he could play some tricks, he could never be a match for these famous strategists. With the simplest trick of luring the enemy deep, these men had wiped out the entire Great Li’s million-strong army with fire. The defeat was so simple and straightforward that even Lao Ai thought it was just a dream.
“I deserved to be defeated!” Lao Ai murmured in a low voice.
Wu Qi grinned. Ahead of them, a thirty miles long flying ship shaped like a golden dragon slowly took to the air. Columns of soldiers rode forth to welcome them on a variety of mounts such as tigers and leopards. Wu Qi led Lao Ai onto the ship’s deck and into the main hall in the middle.
In the spacious hall, the emperors and courtiers of the six states were seated on the right and left. Yan Dan gave a sneer at the sight of Lao Ai’s crestfallen entrance while Ying Zheng stared at him gloomily, his right hand going to the hilt of his sword. Wu Qi had divided the virtues for killing Torch Dragon among the core members of the six states, so they had all stepped into the realm of Primordial now.
Even though they were only Primordials of Virtues, and their attainments were not nearly as profound as the experts who relied on their own understanding to enter the realm of Primordial, their magic power was unmistakably at the level of a genuine Primordial expert. Lao Ai, on the other hand, only had the cultivation base of an early-stage Gold Immortal. Ying Zheng could easily crush him to death with just one finger.
Sensing Ying Zheng’s hostile gaze, Lao Ai shrewdly leaned over to Wu Qi. But, Wu Qi did not want to be a shield, so he shoved the man out and said, “Prince Changxin, if you’re useful, you can live. If you’re useless, haha…how many enemies do you see here?”
Ying Zheng grinned grimly as he straightened his back and fixed his eyes on Lao Ai with the hilt of his sword in his hand. In those years, Lao Ai had offended too many people in Great Qin, and now, these people were Ying Zheng’s confidants. Men such as Li Si were smiling viciously at him, ready to teach him a good lesson.
This was where Lao Ai had failed in his life. In those days, he had hooked up with Ying Zheng’s birth mother by relying on his exceptional manhood, and then acted absurdly in Great Qin’s imperial court by relying on the empress dowager’s power, offending numerous courtiers. Today, under Wu Qi’s deliberate training, the cultivation bases of these people were many times stronger than his. In the face of these formidable foes, he was like a rabbit who had fallen into the tiger’s lair, shivering and unable to lift his head.
Wu Qi seated himself on the throne at the far end of the hall, then clapped his hands and said, “My lords, I think you all know this guy. I bring you the imperial advisor of Great Li Dynasty, Lao Ai, who had ordered the million-strong army into the city, causing them all to be burned to death!”
The emperors and courtiers of the six states laughed. A man like Lao Ai was despised among the heroes of the six states, especially since he had just lost a battle and caused the death of a million people. It was the perfect opportunity for them to ridicule him.
Lao Ai’s face shifted between blue and pale. He laughed dryly and bowed to Yan Dan. “Your Majesty!”
Yan Dan rolled his eyes, then pointed at Princess Zhang Le, who was seated next to Wu Qi, and said, “The present emperor of Great Yan is Zi Xuan. Hah, I’ve already abdicated. Now, I’m just a common people!”
Numerous people in the hall rolled their eyes. ‘You, Yan Dan, are just a common people? Bullsh*t!’
Lao Ai’s face was so thick that he immediately bowed to Princess Zhang Le and cried out, “This subject, Lao Ai, pays his respects to Your Majesty!”
Princess Zhang Le snorted coldly. She exchanged a few glances with Wu Qi and immediately understood what he wanted. “Save your courtesy,” she said lightly. “We are in the time of trouble, so I will be blunt with you. Tell us all you know about Haven and Buddhist League’s plans. If your information satisfies everyone here, you’ll be greatly rewarded. But if it doesn’t…”
Wu Qi opened his Primal Dharma Eyes and gave Lao Ai a glance. “No wonder…” he suddenly clapped his hands and said. “Apparently, all the curses, including the Black Celestial Forbidden Curse, in your body have been lifted. No wonder you haven’t been in touch with us for so long. It seems that you are bent on being the Buddhist League’s lapdog, eh?”
There was a chorus of sneer and derision from all the people in the hall. For someone as treacherous as Lao Ai, no one really wanted to be associated with him. Instead, when there was a chance to add insult to injury, everyone would gladly rub some more salt to his wound without the slightest hesitation.
Lao Ai was furious with all the sarcasm. “What’s wrong with me submitting to the Buddhist League?” he roared angrily, “I now have the cultivation base of an eighteenth-tier Bodhisattva. If I had to cultivate by myself, do you think I could have had my current attainment and magic power? A wise bird chooses the tree it will nest on, and a wise vassal the lord he will serve. I…”
He could not go on, because almost everyone in the hall unleashed their auras.
The unique terrible pressure of Primordial experts unleashed by the core members of the six states, such as the emperors, princes, imperial advisors, and chief military commanders, made Lao Ai almost faint. As for the other counselors, their auras of peak Gold Immortals weighed down on him like mountains, making his blood almost stop flowing. He stared in horror at the crowd, his mouth wide open.
Wu Qi chuckled. “Well, I agree that a wise bird chooses the tree it will nest on, but it seems to me that our King Changxin has chosen himself a rotten tree. It has been so many years, and yet you have only the cultivation base of an eighteenth-tier Bodhisattva. It seems that the Buddhist League has not been treating you well.”
Shaking his head, Wu Qi said with a smile, “Now, please be brief and tell us everything you know.”
Lao Ai looked at Wu Qi with a mournful face and muttered, “How is this possible? Although you are a Supreme Oracle and can manipulate time, many of the Buddhas in Buddhist League can do that too. But, how could you have made them rise so quickly without sufficient natural energy?”
Looking at Lao Ai in surprise, Wu Qi nodded and said, “You know a lot, it seems, but perhaps you’ve forgotten one thing. The natural energy in You Xiong Plain is endless. With the ability to manipulate time and a little effort, raising one’s cultivation base to a higher level within a short span of time is not a big deal in Great Yu. Heaven and Buddhist League would not have posed any threat at all if it were not for Great Yu’s adherence to the ways of nature, and its infrequent practice of making the rice shoots grow by pulling them up.”
Lao Ai slumped to the ground. He was completely defeated, and so he told them everything he knew. What he saw and heard today had dealt him a terrible blow, almost destroying his mind.
All this while, he thought that it was a brilliant move to join the Buddhist League and leave the six states behind. He had always thought that he had obtained the cultivation base of an eighteenth-tier Bodhisattva because he had chosen the right side, and had risen above all those from the six states. To him, his old acquaintances and rivals were merely ants he could crush with a finger.
But, what he saw today had destroyed his pride. Not only had Wu Qi reached the level he could only look up to, but even the people of the six states, whom he thought were mere ants, had surpassed him. He had a bitter taste in his mouth. Back then, when the six states first came together, he was a top expert among the others. But today, he could not even withstand their auras.
He told everything he knew, without hiding anything.
Wu Qi and the others looked at Lao Ai with smiles; several civil officials were recording every word he said. When he had spat out everything he knew, the crowd laughed and praised him, but his face was extremely unsightly.
Lao Ai’s status in Buddhist League was not high, but because of his extraordinary talent, he was very famous in the branch of Delightful Zen, and had made friends with a lot of core Bodhisattvas. Through these relationships, he had learned many secrets in the Buddhist League. Now, as he was forced to reveal the secrets by Wu Qi, he could no longer return to the Buddhist League. He would face the risk of death once the news was leaked.
Lao Ai’s safety was not the concern of Wu Qi and the others. They communicated quickly with divine senses and made a decision.
Wu Qi smiled and nodded to Lao Ai. “Prince Changxin, we have an opportunity here for you to render meritorious service, and you must not miss it!”
Lao Ai almost jumped in anger after hearing what Wu Qi said next.
