On top of Southern Suppression City’s city gate tower:
Prince Shenwu stood upright with his hands behind his back as he watched a flying ship disappear into the distance.
“Gu Hai left?” Prince Shenwu asked indifferently.
“Yes, Supreme Commander. Gu Hai brought away Ensnaring Performance and the two-hundred-odd officials he brought from Nine-Five Island.” Sima Changkong nodded.
“The Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty’s blessings? Huangfu Chaoge bequeathed his nation to Gu Hai? Haha! Gu Hai has good connections!” Prince Shenwu revealed a complicated smile.
“Huangfu Chaoge pursued Long Xiaoyue his entire life. Long Wanqing was Gu Hai’s wife. As the saying goes, when you love a house, you even love the crows on it. However, the Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty? That is not going to be easy to collect,” Sima Changkong said with a frown.
[TL Note: “When you love a house, you even love the crows on it” is a Chinese idiom that means that when you love someone, you love everything connected to that person, even the negatives.]
“Perhaps it is good that Gu Hai hit a snag,” Prince Shenwu said with a faint smile.
“Princess Wanyu kicked up a fuss and insisted on following Gu Hai. However, His Holy Eminence had issued a decree regarding her. No one dares to let her go too far, so Princess Wanyu is still here, causing a commotion. However, I heard that she is preparing to go to the capital and argue this with His Holy Eminence,” Sima Changkong said with a bitter smile.
No one could do anything to Long Wanyu, no matter how much of a commotion she caused.
Prince Shenwu nodded and said, “It was quite dangerous earlier. However, while there were some scares, there was no actual injury. Had anything happened to Long Wanyu, it would not be easy to give an account to His Holy Eminence.”
“That’s right. Supreme Commander, were you paying attention when Princess Wanyu and Gu Hai entered Mister Dongfang’s lifespan ritual array back then?” Sima Changkong wondered aloud.
Prince Shenwu nodded. Then, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at an area of bone mountains in the distance.
“That region of bone mountains is incredibly strange. How did it form?” Sima Changkong felt curious.
Prince Shenwu looked in the direction Gu Hai had taken. “This Gu Hai is no ordinary person. He has many secrets.”
“Oh?”
“He destroyed the century lifespan immortality peach tree. As for the region of bone mountains, I have no idea how he did it. However, Mister Dongfang did not die,” Prince Shenwu said.
“Oh?”
“More accurately, the Mister Dongfang that Gu Hai met was only a human-shaped puppet clone that Mister Dongfang made. How could a Golden Core Realm cultivator like Gu Hai destroy Mister Dongfang so easily? Ha!” Prince Shenwu showed a complicated expression as he looked at the distant bone mountains.
Sima Changkong nodded while frowning.
“Right now, we need to deal with Lu Yang’s rebellion with the fastest speed possible. Our work has only just begun,” Prince Shenwu said seriously.
“Yes!” Sima Changkong nodded.
As Prince Shenwu was about to turn his head back, his gaze lingered on the bone mountains. He narrowed his eyes and turned away only after that.
——
Ten days later, Silver Moon Mountain Manor, Silver Moon City:
After recuperating for a good part of the year, Silver Moon City’s citizens felt much less disdain for Manor Lord Yun Mo. The Silver Moon Mountain Manor’s guqins occupied the best spots in This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion. As a result, they had the most sales. Silver Moon Mountain Manor’s brand slowly recovered its past reputation.
In Silver Moon Mountain Manor:
Yun Mo personally received Mu Chenfeng with a few of his trusted aides.
A coffin lay behind Mu Chenfeng.
A few of the Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples frowned as they looked at the coffin. Some felt displeasure, but they did not say anything.
“Division Master Mu, what are you doing?” Yun Mo asked, feeling puzzled.
“Manor Lord Yun, the hall master sent me to deliver this to you. He hopes that it will be useful in improving your zither forging skills,” Mu Chenfeng replied politely.
“Oh?” Yun Mo appeared slightly confused.
A group of Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples went forward to open the coffin.
Creak!
The coffin lid opened.
“Ah?! A shattered corpse?”
“Ah?! What do you mean by this?”
The expressions of the Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples changed dramatically, now showing horror.
The Silver Moon Mountain Manor was a faction of zither luthiers, dealing with exquisite artistry. Was sending a coffin containing a shattered corpse meant to humiliate the Silver Moon Mountain Manor?
The Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples glared at Mu Chenfeng with rage.
Mu Chenfeng remained expressionless as he looked at Yun Mo.
Yun Mo also frowned slightly when he heard the outcries. However, when he approached to take a careful look, his eyes suddenly lit up with some excitement.
“This…this is…,” Yun Mo exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
Seeing Yun Mo’s pleasant surprise, the Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples exposed their confusion. What is good about seeing a shattered corpse? Why is Manor Lord showing such an expression?
“Manor Lord Yun, Hall Master said that this thing is broken, but he hopes that it will help Manor Lord Yun and that one day, Manor Lord Yun can bring it back to life or even forge more zithers like the one in the coffin.” Mu Chenfeng smiled.
“The zither in the coffin?” All the Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples appeared confused.
“Many thanks to Hall Master Gu!” Yun Mo said happily.
“It’s great that Manor Lord Yun likes it. This humble one shall take his leave, then!” Mu Chenfeng smiled.
“Sending off Division Master Mu!” Yun Mo immediately said politely.
A group of people sent off Mu Chenfeng before returning.
“Manor Lord, what is this shattered corpse in the coffin?”
“Manor Lord, the zither in the coffin he mentioned earlier…could it be…?”
Everyone looked at Yun Mo in anticipation.
“The heaven-grade zither Army Breaker!” Yun Mo smiled.
“A heaven-grade zither?!” the Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples immediately cried out excitedly.
A heaven-grade zither was the highest accomplishment of a zither luthier. The Silver Moon Mountain Manor used to have heaven-grade zithers but lacked the strength to keep them. Now, Gu Hai sent one. Although it was broken, it was still very useful to a zither luthier.
“Alright. Everyone, go back and rest; relax your mind. We will try fixing this heaven-grade zither three days later!” Yun Mo smiled.
“Yes!” everyone said excitedly.
——
Nine-Five Island, Thousand Islands Sea:
At this moment, three people stood before the Han Royal Dynasty’s palace. One of them wore black robes with the insignia of a sun embroidered on the chest. The second was a white-robed woman with an elegant figure. The third was a brawny man with stubble all over his face.
“Cui Tie, are you sure this is where that Gu Hai stays?” the black-robed man asked.
“Yes, Great Light Sovereign Deity. This subordinate investigated it. This is the place, Nine-Five Island,” the brawny Cui Tie said respectfully.
The white-robed woman took a deep breath before saying, “Great Light Sovereign Deity, this Gu Hai does not seem like how you described. Or rather, he seems even more outstanding than you described.”
“Humph! He was just lucky!” the Great Light Sovereign Deity said indifferently.
——
At the same time, in an underwater palace in the sea region to the north of Nine-Five Island:
The black tortoise race’s elder Miao Chen suddenly raised his eyebrows, his eyes widening with shock.
Whoosh!
Miao Chen instantly rushed out of the sea. Then, his figure flashed as he headed for the Han Royal Dynasty’s imperial palace.
——
“Oh! Someone is coming,” the Great Light Sovereign Deity said, feeling some misgivings.
Whoosh!
Miao Chen instantly closed the distance.
“Cui Tie?” Miao Chen glared.
“Elder Miao, it has been a long time!” Cui Tie smiled faintly.
“Cui Tie, you have the cheek to return? Humph! Had it not been for you, my black tortoise race would not be scattered all over the place. What are you doing, coming back?” Miao Chen glared.
Cui Tie said indifferently, “Elder Miao, while you are a black tortoise race elder, I am a black tortoise race elder as well. When our prime fell and my black tortoise race’s deity perished, how many other races targeted us when the black tortoise race huddled together? What is wrong with me scattering everyone all over the place?”
“My black tortoise race suffered a lot of casualties because of you!” Miao Chen said hatefully.
“Haha! Suffered a lot of casualties? If not for me, who knows whether the black tortoise race would still be around or not. Now, I have found a refuge for the black tortoise race. How about Elder Miao lead your tribe over and return with me?” Cui Tie smiled.
“Refuge?” Miao Chen narrowed his eyes at Cui Tie.
“The Solar Divine Palace. What do you think?” Cui Tie smiled.
Miao Chen’s pupils contracted. Then, he sneered. “Ha! When the prime was around, we never submitted to anyone, not even the Solar Divine Palace. Now, you went to the Solar Divine Palace and became that person’s dog?”
“You bastard! Miao Chen, I worked very hard so that the black tortoise race could continue existing. I do not want to see you all get destroyed, so I came to persuade you. Don’t be so ignorant!” Cui Tie said with a glare.
“There’s no need. We can’t accept your kind intentions. Along with the tribe I lead, I have already agreed to an alliance with the Han Royal Dynasty, becoming the Han Royal Dynasty’s national beast. I believe that my black tortoise race does not need to bow to anyone to stand proudly!” Miao Chen said coldly.
“How ambitious!” the black-robed Great Light Sovereign Deity said indifferently.
Miao Chen narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Great Light Sovereign Deity. “You are the Great Light Sovereign Deity?”
“Elder Miao, how have you been?” The Great Light Sovereign Deity smiled.
“Great Light Sovereign Deity, what are you doing on Nine-Five Island?” Miao Chen glared.
“We are looking for Gu Hai, not you. There’s no need to worry. However, I did not expect that Gu Hai already started a Han Royal Dynasty in the short time since we parted. To think that a small island could have so much blessings?” The Great Light Sovereign Deity looked at the churning blessings in the sky, feeling puzzled.
“Great Light Sovereign Deity, that Gu Hai must just be lucky. Previously, he was just an Innate Realm cultivator. What could he do in a short one or two years? Elder Miao? Ha! I do not understand. You are already a Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator, and you are messing around with an Innate Realm brat? An alliance? Hahahahahaha! Your standards are dropping as time goes by, right?!” Cui Tie sneered.
“There’s no need for you to care about my business. Ha! Cui Tie, so what if you look down on the Han Nation? It matters not. Some day, the Han Nation will be like the Heavenly Go Pavilion back then, looking down on the entire world. That time will be when my black tortoise race flourishes again!” Miao Chen said coldly.
“The heights of the Heavenly Go Pavilion? What a joke! With that Gu Hai? With this Nine-Five Island? Nine-Five Island gathering this much blessings is already its limit. The Han Royal Dynasty? What a laughable royal dynasty! I foresee that even until its end, this will be the most blessings it will ever have!” Cui Tie said with disdain.
“Are you that sure?” Miao Chen said coldly.
At this moment, Cui Tie desperately wanted to prove himself before Miao Chen and reject Miao Chen’s claim. Naturally, he stuck to his words. “I am sure. How many people are there in the Thousand Islands Sea? If these blessings can grow any further, I’ll address you as grandfather!”
Rumble…!
No sooner had Cui Tie spoken than the sky rumbled. Then, surging blessings rushed towards the sky above the Han Royal Dynasty’s imperial palace from the southwest, where the Divine Continent was. When the surging blessings arrived, they immediately joined the Han Nation’s blessings.
As rumbling rang out, the blessings churned endlessly.
In the blink of an eye, the Han Royal Dynasty’s blessings tripled.
Cui Tie: “…”
