blogombal Page 219
Page 219
[Replacing the son of a deceased general]
Later, she met Chi Xue, the young master of the 'Hellfire Hell', and they fell in love.
[He was taught the sect's ultimate martial arts techniques, "Crimson Fire Divine Skill" and "Divine Seizure of the Seven Voids"]
[Exceptionally gifted, he broke through to the early stage of mythology within ten years.]
Because of his astonishing cultivation level, General Zhaowu dispatched Matsumoto Oka to welcome him back to the country.
[Heaven's Commentary: Outwardly humble but inwardly treacherous; seemingly affectionate but actually cold-hearted]
[Heavenly Gift: Divine Seizure]
The Heavenly Ranking slowly retracted, and the people of the Nine Provinces were once again engulfed in heated discussions.
Chapter 164 Ice Emperor
The Great Tang Dynasty, Daming Palace.
"Even the Ice Emperor, who had reached the peak of the Celestial Realm, was no match for a single move from Emperor Shitian."
"Such a powerful and domineering Indra was actually taken in as a servant by Ximen Yu."
"Ximen Yu, truly I am still alive in this world..."
Sword Shadow and Startling Beauty
When Ximen Yu reappeared, the brilliance of that sword strike, though already witnessed, still caused Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty to murmur in a daze.
"His Majesty……"
Shangguan Wan'er rubbed her forehead, feeling that her mistress had become increasingly lax lately.
Wu Zetian suddenly came to her senses, a hint of confusion still lingering in her eyes.
"Previously, I ordered all parties to besiege Yihua Palace and seize the Mingyu Gong. Now, because of Ximen Yu's sword, all those forces have retreated."
"No matter what we do, no one dares to challenge the might of the Yihua Palace."
Shangguan Wan'er sighed inwardly. The scapegoat she had painstakingly found had been terrified by a single sword strike. Looking at the Empress's recent strange behavior, she could only lament in her heart: This job is truly difficult!
Wu Zetian waved her hand lazily, "The Mingyu Gong is nothing more than a way to preserve youth. With my aptitude, making it onto the Heavenly Hundred Flowers List is as easy as taking candy from a baby. What use is it to me?"
Shangguan Wan'er was speechless. She was already used to the Empress's capriciousness.
"Should we make contact with Ao Jue of Baijian Villa and Lian Chengzhi of Dongying?"
She carefully considered her options: Ao Jue was wanted by Yunzhou and ranked among the Six Demons. If she could win him over, she could also acquire the sword-making skills of Baijian Villa. As for Lian Chengzhi, although he came from Japan, he had a secret relationship with Wutian Lianyu—both of them had considerable potential.
"A defiant decision is worth a try."
Wu Zetian lightly tapped the imperial desk with her fingers. "Liancheng Zhi... Heaven's judgment is 'outwardly respectful but inwardly cunning, feigning warmth but truly cold.' He is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Subduing such a person would be a waste of energy. It would be better to be proud and open-minded."
"I understand."
Shangguan Wan'er bowed her head and obeyed. Yunzhou's western region borders the northern border of the Tang Dynasty, and this action was perfectly timed and geographically advantageous.
The battle report from Western Xia finally reached the imperial court.
When Temujin received an urgent report, he learned that his beloved son Tolui had died in battle and that only about 10,000 of his 100,000 elite troops remained.
Even more shockingly, these survivors were utterly devastated after witnessing Ximen Yu unleash a sword strike from beyond the heavens.
Most of the soldiers were plagued by inner demons, and some even lost their minds.
This means that almost the entire 100,000-strong Kheshig army was wiped out.
Including Tolui, almost all of them were lost.
Only Yelü Chucai escaped death because he was close to Qiao Feng.
Seeing that the situation was settled, Qiao Feng returned to Qinglong Peak with Li Qinglu and Fang Ritu.
Yelü Chucai was not stopped and was allowed to return to the Yuan Dynasty.
When the Heavenly Ranking appeared, Temujin remained distracted and paid no attention.
Only after the list disappeared did Yelü Chu muster the courage to speak:
"Great Khan, the most urgent task is to boost morale."
After being called repeatedly, Temujin finally came to his senses and looked up to see Yelü Chucai.
In an instant, the scene of Tolui's tragic death and the annihilation of his 100,000 soldiers reappeared.
"My dear minister Yelü..."
Temujin scrutinized Yelü Chucai with a sinister gaze and asked in a deep voice:
"Is there anything noteworthy regarding this year's Heavenly Ranking?"
Yelü Chucai knew perfectly well that he was the only one out of a hundred thousand troops to escape unscathed.
Although he was not outwardly blamed, he had in fact aroused the suspicion of the Great Khan.
After all, everyone else perished, so why was I, with my mediocre cultivation, unharmed?
Faced with Temujin's scrutinizing gaze, Yelü Chucai smiled bitterly to himself.
As a descendant of the northern barbarians, only the Great Yuan Dynasty within the Nine Provinces could allow him to realize his ambitions.
Although the Qing Dynasty could provide refuge there, it had become a vassal of the Green Dragon Society and was far less powerful than the Yuan Dynasty.
Even if he faced suspicion, he had no other choice.
"Great Khan, the most important thing to pay attention to is the Ice Emperor on the third day of the third lunar month."
Yelü Chucai suppressed his unease and pointed to the sky.
"Just a mere sect leader. Even with the cultivation of an unparalleled mythical realm, what's so special about him?"
The records of the Ice Emperor are indeed amazing.
But for Temujin, the Azure Dragon Society was full of experts:
The Seven Dragon Heads, the Four Seasons Messengers, the Twelve Month Hall Masters, and the Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Branch Altar Masters.
There are also powerful figures such as Di Shitian and Chuan Ying, whose positions are not listed.
The Azure Dragon Society indeed has many experts!
Adding another Ice Emperor would only be icing on the cake.
"Great Khan..."
Yelü Chucai did not remind Temujin for the sake of the Ice Emperor.
"The key lies in his reward."
"The Dragon's Roar Cave Key?"
Temujin glanced at the Ice Emperor's reward, still somewhat puzzled.
What's so special about this thing?
"Great Khan! The Heavenly Ranking has reached the top thirty, and each reward is extraordinary."
"The Dragon's Roar Cave Key must be the key to opening the Dragon's Roar Cave."
"The Heavenly Dao Golden List does not directly bestow the treasures within, but rather provides the key, which shows that the Dragon Roar Cave is by no means simple!"
Yelü Chucai quickly explained.
"That makes sense. Do you know where Dragon's Roar Cave is?"
Despite his reservations about Yelü Chucai, his analysis this time was indeed reasonable.
"I have consulted the ancient texts and found records related to 'Dragon's Roar' in many places across the Nine Provinces."
"Based on legends and intelligence, I deduce that the Dragon's Roar Cave may be located here."
Yelü Chucai unfolded the map and pointed to a spot.
"The Western Regions of Yunzhou?"
Temujin and his ministers were all taken aback.
The three people on the list are almost all from Yunzhou.
The "Losing Heart Crossing" is located in the western region of Yunzhou.
The key to the Ice Emperor's Dragon's Roar Cave is also in the Western Regions.
Could it be that a trip to the Western Regions is inevitable?
“In that case, Guru Padmasambhava, please accompany the three monks, the Dragon and the Elephant, to the Western Regions with Prime Minister Yelü.”
"The primary task is to uncover the truth about the Dragon's Roar Cave."
"Secondly, it would be best if we could win over Ao Jue."
Since Lin Shiyin and the Unwavering Devotion Pill have been taken away by Cang Qu.
Their covert plans against the Ming Dynasty also failed one after another.
Padmasambhava and the three monks, including the dragon and elephant, had already returned to the Yuan Dynasty court.
"I will obey the Khan's command."
Padmasambhava was quite interested in Aojue and the Dragon's Roar Cave, and immediately agreed.
Da Qin, Xianyang Palace.
"Have the whereabouts of Zhao Gao, Zhang Han, and the Dragon's Roar Cave been ascertained?"
The Azure Dragon Society is the greatest enemy, and Ying Zheng must control the rewards they obtain.
"It has been confirmed."
The Qin Dynasty possessed profound cultural heritage, far surpassing the Tang and Yuan Dynasties, and even knew the secrets of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon.
Although Longyin Cave is far away in Yunzhou, there are still scattered records of it in the intelligence of the Great Qin.
Upon receiving the news, Zhang Han immediately exclaimed excitedly:
"Longyin Cave is said to be located in the western region of Yunzhou."
Ancient books record that a divine dragon dwells inside this cave.
"That divine dragon seems to have existed since the beginning of chaos, and it possesses great supernatural powers."
"It is said that all those who enter the Dragon's Roar Cave will become heroes or powerful figures renowned throughout the world."
"Hmm? Is that how you put it—"
"The Dragon's Roar Cave is quite similar to the Temple of War?"
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng immediately thought of the Temple of War.
Indeed, a black dragon lurks within the Temple of War.
Anyone who enters and comes out alive will surely become the ruler of a region.
"In this light, Dragon's Roar Cave must be considered one of the blessed lands."
After deliberation, the ministers reached this conclusion.
"The Azure Dragon Club is located on Azure Dragon Peak, which is suspected to be one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves."
"Some time ago, Xiaoyaozi and Li Taibai forcibly seized the War God Temple again."
"The Azure Dragon Society now possesses two grotto-heavens!"
"The speed at which its strength is growing may exceed expectations."
Ying Zheng gritted his teeth and muttered, a surge of jealousy welling up in his eyes.
Although the Qin Dynasty was one of the three great dynasties, it only had one grotto-heaven.
The Azure Dragon Society actually has two locations!
If Ying Zheng knew that the Azure Dragon Society not only controlled the Azure Dragon Peak and the Temple of War,
Furthermore, they have already taken control of the Water Moon Cave and the Lingyun Cave—
He occupies four of the thirty-six grotto-heavens.