Chapter 65: Zhao Zilai's Decision

Faced with the sword technique unleashed by Wu Jingtian, the berserk Fuxin shattered the first wave of sword Qi with a single punch. Regarding the restriction imposed by the Suppressing All Directions technique, Fuxin let out a furious roar toward the sky, instantly breaking the sword pressure. Yet at that very moment, a terrifying aura of sword Qi rose from the ground, piercing straight through Fuxin's formidable physique in the blink of an eye.

After that single sword strike passed, Wu Jingtian looked calmly at Fuxin and said, "The Great Sword Art is exceedingly formidable. Just for the Earth-Shattering Form, I spent two full years cultivating it to initial mastery. Being able to test my sword against you today truly lives up to the painstaking effort I have poured into the Great Sword Art over the past two years."

Having endured the Earth-Shattering Form of the Great Sword Art, Fuxin instantly snapped out of his berserk state. Feeling the severe damage inflicted upon his divine soul, he said with bitter resentment, "You... your sword strike actually inflicted such heavy damage upon my divine soul! Damn it!"

Wu Jingtian had not fully comprehended this sword strike, the Earth-Shattering Form; displaying it now was only enough to damage his opponent's divine soul. Hearing Fuxin's words, Wu Jingtian continued, "The Earth-Shattering Form—this move is something I have only partially grasped. If I had already mastered this technique completely, you would likely have been reduced to ashes by now. Fuxin, you have lost."

Never had Fuxin imagined that he would be defeated by a peer from the Kun Kingdom in today's grand competition. Filled with intense reluctance, he wanted to continue fighting; even if it meant death, he refused to admit defeat.

Just as Fuxin was about to strike again, Feiyu's voice echoed, "In this match, we concede."

With Feiyu having spoken, Fuxin dared not disobey and could only retreat with utmost unwillingness. Following Feiyu's words, the manager of the Beast-Trapping Palace quickly stepped onto the combat arena and announced cheerfully, "The winner of the first extra match of the grand competition is Wu Jingtian, a direct-line genius from the Eight Great Clans of Imperial Kun City! Honored guests, let us congratulate Wu Jingtian on his victory with enthusiastic applause."

Throughout this battle, Fuxin had neither been slain nor knocked down to the ground by Wu Jingtian. It was only after the manager of the Beast-Trapping Palace stepped onto the arena to declare Wu Jingtian the winner of the first match that the spectators in the stands belatedly burst into cheers.

Because of Fuxin's defeat, Feiyu turned her gaze toward Ying Mei'er inside the Demon Clan's battle pavilion and said in a deep voice, "Young Lady Mei'er, you and I both know the importance of this grand competition. Even without the incident at the Giant Elephant Mountain Range, we cannot afford to suffer defeat at the hands of a junior from the Kun Kingdom. Otherwise, how shall we... establish a foothold in the Demon Realm in the days to come?"

Having been targeted by Feiyu in this manner continuously, anyone unaware of the situation would likely have mistaken Ying Mei'er for a human traitor. Unhappy, Ying Mei'er retorted, "Feiyu, mind your own business. When I, Ying Mei'er, make a move, I will never give my opponent any opening."

Naturally, unless she happened to be outmatched—this thought remained unsaid, yet Wu Shu's figure flashed involuntarily across Ying Mei'er's mind.

Just as the first match of the grand competition concluded, a man dressed in black standing on the fourth-floor viewing platform could not stop praising Wu Jingtian's performance. "The Wu family has truly produced an extraordinary junior. At such a tender age, not only has his physical refinement reached the peak of the True Body Realm, but his earth-element cultivation has also attained the mid-stage of the Origin Pole Realm. Among the younger generation of our Kun Kingdom, I doubt there is anyone capable of rivaling him in terms of sheer strength."

Wu Jingtian's performance today far exceeded his previous displays. At the very least, during the ranking battles held among the direct descendants of the Eight Great Clans for this grand competition, Wu Jingtian had not revealed such prowess.

Before the man in black had even finished speaking and before anyone nearby could respond, a voice transmitted directly into his ear, "Little Zilai, stop rejoicing blindly over there."

Little Zilai?

Having held supreme authority for many years, the only people who dared address him thus were the Empress Dowager residing within the palace and his deceased father; he had never heard anyone else address him in such a manner. A trace of hidden anger welled up within Zhao Zilai's heart, yet when he noticed that none of the surrounding attendants had detected anything unusual, a chill ran down his spine.

To be able to transmit sound directly to him without a single powerhouse among his entourage noticing—what manner of formidable entity was this?

The voice spoke once more, "Stop dazing. Your clan's ancestral patriarch wishes to see you. Quickly inform those around you, and I shall transport you directly to the patriarch's presence."

Zhao Zilai was quite familiar with the affairs of the Beast-Trapping Palace, for there was indeed a legendary, grey-haired patriarch who remained in perennial seclusion within its depths. Upon learning that it was the ancestral patriarch himself who desired an audience, Zhao Zilai looked toward his entourage and said in a solemn voice, "Guard this place well. I shall be right back."

Before the others could react, a restrictive formation materialized, and Zhao Zilai vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he was already standing on the third underground level of the Beast-Trapping Palace, before the former Palace Master, Zhao Shentong. Catching sight of the former Palace Master alongside a giant turtle, Zhao Zilai stepped forward and bowed respectfully, "Unfilial descendant Zhao Zilai pays respects to the two ancestral patriarchs."

Hearing himself addressed thus by Zhao Zilai, the giant turtle beside the former Palace Master grew displeased. Extending its head out of its shell, the ancient turtle grumbled in annoyance, "How do you speak? My grandson hasn't even reached adulthood yet! How did I suddenly become an ancestral patriarch? For our longevity turtle clan, being several tens of thousands of years old merely means we have just entered middle age, nothing more."

Faced with the giant turtle's retort, Zhao Zilai was utterly speechless. As a human, even this ancestral patriarch before him possessed longevity turtle bloodline heritage, and despite remaining in perennial seclusion, he was currently only a little over eleven thousand years old. When it came to lifespan, how could humanity possibly compare to the longevity turtles?

The former Palace Master beside them let out a helpless sigh. Seeing this, the giant turtle assumed an air of aged authority and said, "Zilai, summoning you here today is primarily to ask you about a few matters."

Without waiting for Zhao Zilai to reply, the giant turtle continued, "You are well aware of the Martial Ancestor. Although the Martial Ancestor has awakened, his strength is no longer a fraction of what it was in his prime. With the current tense situation in Dongsu City, the Martial Ancestor is undoubtedly unable to intervene. Regarding how to handle this matter, what are your thoughts?"

Hearing this question, Zhao Zilai's mind raced. For thousands of years, the ancestral patriarchs had never summoned anyone; to summon him alone today meant they must have already learned of the impending invasion by the forces of the Yao Kingdom along the border.

After careful consideration, Zhao Zilai replied, "Patriarch, according to the Martial Ancestor's arrangements, regardless of victory or defeat in this grand competition, the Kun Kingdom will not suffer catastrophic losses. Presently, the matter that troubles me most is not the Yao Kingdom massing troops at the border. According to the Fire Cat Beast King, the Heavenly Demon Clan appears to have laid out plans within Dongsu City for thousands of years. Their true objective remains completely unknown, and going to war with the Heavenly Demon Clan is precisely what worries me the most."

Zhao Zilai was well aware of how formidable the Heavenly Demon Clan was, given that they now dared to leave the Demon Realm and had spent millennia operating secretly within Dongsu City, only letting slip the faintest traces in recent years.

Nodding in moderate satisfaction, the giant turtle continued, "If the flames of war were to ignite across the entire Kun Kingdom, how do you intend to respond?"

If the flames of war were to ignite across the entire Kun Kingdom, the destruction of the nation would likely not be far off. Yet, in Zhao Zilai's view, although the Kun Kingdom was not overwhelmingly powerful at present, without the intervention of the Heavenly Demon Clan, the Yao Kingdom alone could do nothing to them.

However, since this question had been posed by the giant turtle beside the patriarch, Zhao Zilai pondered for a moment before answering, "Withdraw the entire nation to defend Dongsu City."

Although the answer provided by Zhao Zilai satisfied the patriarch Zhao Shentong, Zhao Zilai's hesitation indicated that if a true crisis were to strike, he might well make alternative choices.

"Having stayed in Imperial Kun City for too long, the descendants of the Zhao family have perhaps forgotten where their true roots lie," sounded the hoarse voice of Zhao Shentong, who had remained silent until now. "Zilai, take your men and suppress the forces of the Yao Kingdom. As for Dongsu City, I shall look after it."

Zhao Shentong's words left Zhao Zilai completely bewildered. He could not comprehend why, even after abdicating and choosing to enter a state of suspended animation, Zhao Shentong still insisted on guarding Dongsu City.

Little did he know that Zhao Shentong was born here, raised here, and had derived his strength from this very land. Were it not for the emergence of the three ancestors of the Wu family, how could Imperial Kun City have ever achieved its past glory that shook all directions? Before Zhao Zilai could even offer a formal farewell, the giant turtle activated the formation, instantly sending him back to the fourth floor of the Beast-Trapping Palace.

After Zhao Zilai departed, Zhao Shentong sighed and remarked, "The rebellious behavior of the branch bloodline is not something born overnight; even Zilai has grown accustomed to giving orders and lording over others."

The old turtle disagreed somewhat and retorted, "Shentong, it's not that I criticize you, but as the ruler of a nation, if one does not experience the feeling of being above all others, what is the point of being a ruler? In my view, Zilai's shortcoming is his failure to comprehend the true significance of a nation possessing an absolute powerhouse on the Thick Earth Continent."

"Take the Martial Ancestor back then, for instance: with a casual strike and a single swing of his hammer, what so-called ancestors of this or that faction were nothing more than trash! Such awe-inspiring feats—who could possibly refuse to submit?"

What the old turtle said was not entirely unreasonable. Too lazy to argue with it, Zhao Shentong closed his eyes and remained silent, as if indifferent to how the winds and clouds of the world might change.

Upon returning to the Beast-Trapping Palace and recalling the ancestral patriarch's instructions, Zhao Zilai declared in a deep voice, "Men, this Emperor shall personally lead an expedition against the Yao Kingdom! Convey my command to General Liu Zongjun to assemble the troops; I shall arrive shortly."

Hearing this decree, the military commanders and powerhouses accompanying Zhao Zilai could not conceal their bewilderment. Although the Yao Kingdom had amassed one hundred thousand troops at the border, General Liu Zongjun, a fierce pillar of the court, had already led troops to counter them. Why would their sovereign suddenly decide to personally lead an expedition against the Yao Kingdom?

Interstate negotiations, especially between smaller nations, inevitably meant that if one side showed weakness, the other would press relentlessly forward. The Yao Kingdom's assembly of one hundred thousand troops at the border was a blatant act of provocation. Without a forceful retaliatory response, it would be difficult to compel them to withdraw.

Since the ancestral patriarch had spoken and Dongsu City would be guarded by the patriarch himself, what else did Zhao Zilai have to hesitate about? He would first deal a fierce counterblow to the Yao Kingdom. If it truly came down to a life-and-death battle between the two nations, he believed that the three great empires of the Eastern Continent would certainly step in to mediate, for a war between the Kun Kingdom and the Yao Kingdom would inevitably engulf the surrounding neighboring realms.