Chapter 122 The Truth of the Empire
Shaozhou government office.
Shrouded in fog.
This fog was very strange.
It cannot be seen outside the government office.
Zhang Hongtian narrowed his eyes slightly in the face of the fog, and the expressions of the two people beside him also became solemn.
These two people.
Not ordinary people.
One is the "Governor-General of Huguang" Pang Guoming.
One of them is Wu Heng, the commander-in-chief of the five patrol battalions of the Nine-Gate Infantry.
The former was a high-ranking official in the Huguang region. The Daxia army was heading straight for Huguang, so Pang Guoming, as the governor, naturally had to participate in suppressing the rebellion.
The latter, as the Governor of the Nine Gates, was a first-rank military officer stationed in Beijing and one of the highest-ranking military officers in Dajing. He was deeply trusted by the emperor and was the main military officer responsible for assisting Zhang Hongtian.
"Master Zhang, look at this..."
"It should be some kind of formation that can confuse the mind and perception and trap people." Zhang Hongtian said calmly: "I am familiar with the theory of Xuanmen Bagua. As long as I can identify the eight directions, it will not be difficult to find a way to break it."
A voice came from the fog.
"As expected of you, Grand Scholar Zhang. Since I discovered this formation, no one has been able to figure out its mystery."
Yu Xiao did not pretend.
Straight out of the fog.
His eyes fell on Zhang Hongtian.
Zhang Hongtian, 75 years old, is a legendary figure.
The Zhang family is a prominent local aristocratic family, with three Jinshi among their ancestors and fathers.
Zhang Hongtian was a very intelligent boy. He was accepted as a disciple by a famous scholar at the age of six. He was familiar with the Five Classics at the age of ten. He passed the examination to become a scholar at the age of thirteen, a juren at the age of sixteen, and the top scholar at the age of twenty-two, becoming famous all over the world.
He entered the officialdom as a Hanlin editor for more than 50 years and rose rapidly all the way from prefect to governor. He successively served as Minister of Rites and Minister of War, and Governor-General of Guangdong, Guangxi, Liangjiang, and Zhili. He also served as Minister of Military Affairs and Minister of Beiyang.
He is the most trusted minister of Emperor Qian, and one of the few people in Dajing who understands the world situation and the Western world.
On behalf of Dajing, he had visited European countries, Russia, and even crossed the ocean to the United States.
He visited London for half a month alone, was received with great ceremony by the Queen of England, and has great fame and influence in the West.
The West praised it as.
One of the four most famous prime ministers in the world.
Zhang Hongtian not only made brilliant achievements in the fields of politics and diplomacy, but also made great accomplishments in the military.
In his middle age, he led troops to expand the Western Regions and made great contributions to the development of the territory. In his old age, he still made remarkable military achievements in stabilizing the border and suppressing uprisings.
The most important minister of Dajing.
The pillar of the empire.
Deserved.
Yu Xiao activated the fog array, not to confuse the few people, but just to cover the government office and buy some time.
The Misty Bagua Formation is a good formation, but the more people it affects, the weaker the effect will be.
There are at least three or two hundred people inside and outside the entire government office, and with the presence of Zhang Hongtian, it is not easy to trap everyone for a long time.
What's more.
There are tens of thousands of troops stationed in the city.
Once the defenders distributed on all sides find anything unusual in the government office, they will definitely rush to support as soon as possible.
When thousands of people.
Charge from all directions simultaneously.
In addition, there were several hundred people trapped in the formation.
Even with Yu Xiao's late stage Qi Refining cultivation, he couldn't maintain it. The main purpose of his setting up an array to block the government office was to delay time.
Fortunately, I broke through my cultivation level before taking action.
Otherwise Zhang Hongtian would have been prepared.
I really can't take him down!
“It’s Yu Xiao!”
Pang Guoming and Wu Heng were both very shocked after recognizing Yu Xiao.
"I guessed that Daxia might find a master to sneak into the army to carry out assassination, just like killing Nathaniel on Taiping Mountain, but I didn't expect you to be this master."
Zhang Hongtian looked regretful: "At such a young age, he has such skills. He is truly a hero in his youth. It's a pity that he is on the wrong side!"
"Haha, if this came from anyone else, it would be fine, but when it comes from Grand Scholar Zhang, it's hard not to laugh."
"Why?"
"Master Zhang is well-versed in history and has seen the world. Can't he see that Dajing is rotten and has run its course?"
Zhang Hongtian nodded and admitted: "The accumulated problems of Dajing over the past three hundred years are difficult to reverse. At this moment, it is indeed like a dead tree withered and decayed."
Yu Xiao: "If that's the case, why do you go against the will of heaven and insist on decaying with the rotten Jing Dynasty?"
"I eat the salary of the emperor and I shall be loyal to him. I am a loyal minister and I shall do my best until I die!
Zhang Hongtian said calmly: "Besides, Your Majesty already has a method for revival. As long as Your Majesty is given a little more time, he will be able to change fate and bring spring back to the dead trees of Dajing, ushering in a second prosperous era!"
ZTE?
The dog emperor has ruined the country like this, and he still wants to revive it? But Zhang Hongtian firmly believes this.
This person has quite a lot of talent.
But he is a foolishly loyal person.
"Master Zhang, why don't we capture this man first and interrogate him thoroughly!"
Governor of Huguang Pang Guoming could no longer sit still.
Zhang Hongtian nodded.
Pang Guoming immediately ordered: "Come on together, whoever can capture it will be rewarded handsomely!"
Dozens of guards were about to take action when a green light pierced through five of them.
"what?"
"Get out of the way!"
"..."
Qingmang turned a corner.
Blood mist splashed.
Three or four more people were pierced.
Others are not alarmed and hide away.
All of them have excellent skills. After all, those who are qualified to stand here must have the strength of at least the peak of the fourth rank, or even the third rank!
If Yu Xiao is at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining.
If they knew their methods in advance.
So it would take some effort to kill a top three rank expert in this open area.
but.
Yu Xiao is in the late stage of Qi Refining.
The Qingmang Sword has been used for more than ten years.
At this moment, the sword was used with full force, and its speed was beyond common people's imagination. Add to that the fact that the court masters were totally unprepared, and the result was predictable.
About a minute.
The sword light pierced through the bodies of more than fifty people.
About one person can be killed every second.
Without moving an inch, Yu Xiao swept through all the palace masters with just a Qingmang sword, annihilating all the top guards!
"what?!"
Governor of Huguang Pang Guoming and the Nine Gates Admiral were all shocked by the scene before them!
Although they guessed that Yu Xiao had the means, they did not expect that he could slaughter Dajing's most elite palace guards so easily!
Such strength and means far exceeded expectations.
Zhang Hongtian, however, looked normal.
Didn't seem surprised.
In martial arts, Lian Gang is equivalent to the late stage of Qi training, and vice versa, these palace guards are masters and strong men to ordinary people.
But there is not a single grandmaster.
In front of a Martial Saint-level powerhouse.
Nature is no different from a chicken or a dog!
"Your cultivation is as profound as that of a martial saint, and you can be called the greatest Qi practitioner in the past three or two thousand years."
Zhang Hongtian gave a very high evaluation and continued: "With your strength and means, no wonder you can kill Rui Liancheng and even Nathaniel... But it's a pity that you can't kill me with just this means!"
Yu Xiao's performance was shocking.
But it is still within its expected range.
As the most important minister of Dajing, he seems to be quite confident.
Yu Xiao is not in a hurry.
Took a tonic pill.
Recall the Qingmang Sword back to your side.
At this time, one could clearly feel that the blood on the ground was evaporating at an extremely fast speed, and finally all gathered on the altar.
The small black tripod continued to absorb the blood and energy of the masters, and the aura emitted from it seemed to be significantly strengthened.
Zhang Hongtian continued, "But I am still willing to give you a chance. After all, it would be a pity to kill a rare talent like you who only appears once in a thousand years."
"Grand Scholar Zhang is too arrogant."
"No, Daxia will not be able to overthrow Your Majesty, and Dajing Dynasty is not doomed yet."
Zhang Hongtian said: "In ten years at the shortest and twenty years at the longest, Dajing will surely sweep across all the powers and usher in the second golden age.
If you stop now, I will train you as my successor, and with your talent, you will surely make a difference in the second great era of Dajing."
"What a bullshit second golden age!"
Yu Xiao laughed and said, "In recent years, the heavy taxes have become increasingly heavy, and the loss of sovereignty and humiliation of the country has become more frequent, leading to constant uprisings and public resentment. Is this the sign of rejuvenation that the Grand Secretary mentioned?"
Zhang Hongtian sighed: "To achieve great things, there must be a price. Transformation is bound to be painful. As long as the ultimate goal can be achieved, then the sacrifices and losses are worth it."
Yu Xiao shook his head: "Master Zhang has studied all his life but has forgotten his original intention. He is no better than the old peasants I have seen in the countryside. This is why I want to overthrow Dajing, because this court is rotten to the core."
The three views are not in harmony.
Unable to communicate.
Zhang Hongtian served as an official for more than fifty years, and all his life's work was in Dajing. Naturally, he was loyal to the court and Emperor Qian, and was willing to be the empire's paperhanger.
No need to talk nonsense.
Just kill and that's it.
It is possible that he talks so much just to delay time.
"go with!"
Yu Xiao waved his hand.
The green light attacked again and hit Zhang Hongtian directly.
"Grand Secretary, be careful!" The Governor-General of Huguang and the Admiral of Nine Gates took action.
A familiar dark aura.
It gushed out from both of their bodies.
This power is basically the same as the one Rui Liancheng had at the beginning, but the strength of Pang Guoming and Wu Heng is obviously not inferior to Rui Liancheng.
They are two black blood grand masters!
The moment Pang Guoming and Wu Heng burst out with power at the same time, they immediately condensed their blood and energy in their hands.
Among them, Wu Heng crossed his hands to protect his chest, standing in front of Zhang Hongtian and withstanding the attack from the Qingmang sword.
Even with the cultivation level in the late stage of Qi Refining, a strike from an ordinary magic weapon can only penetrate the blood and qi of a marrow refining grandmaster, but it is not enough to cause serious or fatal damage in a short period of time.
Pang Guoming took the opportunity to take action.
A punch hit the Qingmang sword.
The dark blood power of the grandmaster exploded, instantly sending the Qingmang Sword flying dozens of meters away.
Wu Heng ignored his arm injury.
"kill him!"
The eight black-armored guards who had been guarding near the formation flag and had not moved from beginning to end, at this moment, simultaneously burst out with bloody energy like wolf smoke.
"what?"
Yu Xiao was surprised to find that the dark blood energy of the eight black-armored guards had each reached the strength of a grandmaster.
It’s fine that Pang Guoming and Wu Heng have dark blood energy comparable to that of a marrow refining grand master.
After all, one is the Governor-General of Huguang, whose status is similar to Rui Liancheng, and the other is the Nine-Gates Admiral who is responsible for guarding the capital.
Now there are only eight guards.
Do you have the strength of a grandmaster?
How outrageous!
Although he is not as strong as the other two, his strength is above that of a flesh-refining master and has reached the level of a senior bone-refining master!
It can be said!
Just relying on these eight unknown people.
It can almost overthrow the entire martial arts world.
The strength of the Dajing court is far beyond most people's imagination, and far higher than Yu Xiao's prediction!
Pang Guoming and Wu Heng worked together to deflect the flying sword, and it was the best moment for the eight people to take action.
"kill!"
Eight dark shadows came whizzing by.
They simultaneously swung the horse-slaying swords in their hands and slashed at Yu Xiao from all directions, using murderous, brutal and violent sword techniques.
The Qingmang sword circled in the air.
But there was no time to fly back to fend off the attack.
Pang Guoming and Wu Heng joined forces again and blocked the Qingmang Sword once again.
At this moment, the big knife fell, and eight strong men who were comparable to bone refining masters launched a full-strength attack at the same time. Even the top grandmaster would end up being cut into pieces and killed without a complete body!
"He's dead!"
Pang Guoming and Wu Heng both thought so.
when!
next moment.
The big knife, which was powerful enough to break stones and shatter rocks easily, stopped on Yu Xiao's body.
Not to mention cutting Yu Xiao into pieces, not even the clothes on his body were cut!
"what happened?"
Everyone was stunned!
If you look closely at this moment you will find it.
The eight big swords did not actually hit Yu Xiao, but stopped an inch or two outside of Yu Xiao, blocked by a layer of invisible energy.
at the same time.
A burning sensation swept across the area.
Yu Xiao seemed to have turned into a blazing furnace, his incomparably powerful blood and energy continuously evaporating into even stronger internal energy.
"roll!"
Yu Xiao shouted.
The whole body bursts with energy.
Eight fine steel swords were broken into pieces.
"The blood is like a furnace, refining the blood into Qi... He is the Martial Saint!"
Pang Guoming and Wu Heng were horrified. Yu Xiao took the opportunity to recall the Qingmang Sword, and while the eight black-armored guards were injured by the aura and could not stand steadily, he directly launched the giant sword technique.
"cut!"
The Qingmang Sword grew tenfold in size in the wind!
Yu Xiao formed a sword gesture with his left hand and used his hand to draw the giant sword. With a 360-degree sweep, the green sword light instantly pierced through the bodies of the eight guards.
There is no suspense!
The Qingmang Sword could cut through iron like mud, and with the added power of the Giant Sword Technique, even a master-level physique of bone refining would not be able to withstand this blow.
Eight powerful black-armored guards were turned into dozens of pieces of body and limbs on the spot.
【Merit +2500! 】
【Merit +2500! 】
【Merit +2500! 】
【…】
What surprised Yu Xiao was.
Killed these eight unknown people.
Merit soared directly to 2 points!
The merits created by any one of them are actually greater than those of the world-famous Nathaniel!
really!
This kind of special target with dark blood is the real evil cultivator, and the merits they can bring far exceed half of the criminals who have committed crimes.
The power of the giant swordsmanship is still there!
You can also chop out another sword!
Yu Xiao naturally would not waste it. He immediately burst into blood and energy and leaped up, urging the giant sword to chop at Pang Guoming and Wu Heng in front of him.
"not good!"
The two had already witnessed the power of the giant sword technique, so how could they dare to resist it head-on? However, Yu Xiao approached with the speed of a martial saint.
fast!
too fast!
There's no way to avoid it.
You can only resist with gritted teeth!
They desperately urged the dark blood in their bodies to strengthen their flesh, in an attempt to resist the mighty and powerful sword that was like the mighty power of heaven.
next moment.
He flew backwards with blood spurting out of his mouth.
The sword did not cut the body open, but the sword energy had penetrated the blood and caused all the internal organs to be torn apart.
When he fell in front of Zhang Hongtian.
They have become two bloody men.
Pang Guoming said in horror: "Master Zhang...save me!"
Zhang Hongtian glanced at the corpses on the ground, then looked at the two people dying in front of him, and his expression gradually became solemn.
"His blood and energy have reached the level of a martial saint, and he has the cultivation level of a martial saint. Even for me, it's not easy to deal with him!"
Zhang Hongtian suddenly reached out and grabbed it.
The strong wind swept up Pang Guoming and Wu Heng, who were dying on the ground.
"You two adults are already beyond help, so please lend me a helping hand!"
The blood vessels in Zhang Hongtian's arms bulged, and a suction force emanated from his palms, sucking in the dark blood that had not yet dissipated from the two people's bodies.
in a blink.
Governor-General of Huguang, and Admiral of Jiumen.
The two high-ranking officials of the Dajing court turned into mummies in their hands.
After Zhang Hongtian sucked the blood and energy of the two top powerhouses, his form also changed.
That thin body suddenly grew to two meters, his long hair became whiter than snow, his skin became darker than charcoal, his eyes became bloodshot, and his breath was like that of a demon.
"What monster?"
Yu Xiao frowned slightly when he saw Zhang Hongtian, whose appearance and temperament had changed drastically.
This guy is really not simple!
Even under normal circumstances, the dark blood energy is equivalent to the level of Martial Saint.
And he is the Martial Saint of Lian Gang.
There are also differences in strength and weakness.
The immortal cultivation world divides the realms of martial artists into: outer Gang, inner Gang, and transformed Gang.
Yu Xiao's blood and energy flow in and out of the refining energy.
He is the outer martial saint.
Zhang Hongtian is different. The concentration of his dark blood energy is also at the level of an outer martial saint. In terms of blood energy strength alone, it is even higher than Yu Xiao's.
At least it’s at the peak of outer power.
This strength is even slightly stronger than Nathaniel.
now.
Absorbed the dark blood of the two powerful men.
Zhang Hongtian's blood energy further broke through, and his strength increased dramatically in a short period of time, and he might have temporarily reached the level of inner energy.
The difference between outer Gang and inner Gang is.
External Gang warriors can only form Gang Qi outside their bodies, while internal Gang warriors can also form Gang Qi inside their bodies.
The latter has stronger defense!
It can deflect almost all spells of the same level and various means of attack.
If a cultivator at the seventh or eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage does not have a strong enough escape technique to consume his energy, or a top-level offensive spell or magic weapon to break through his defense, it will be very dangerous if an inner power warrior gets close to him.
The power of giant swordsmanship is great.
But with the current magic power, only if it is cultivated to perfection can it break the defense of the inner power warrior with one blow!
Zhang Hongtian said in a deep voice: "You are indeed very strong, but even among the Martial Saints, there are strong and weak ones. You can't hurt me at all right now."
"is it?"
Yu Xiao began to mobilize his blood, energy and magic power. The two forces were working at the same time and being consumed quickly through the physical cultivation technique.
A powerful breath.
Blooming from Yu Xiao.
The aura was so powerful that it formed a huge pressure, causing cracks to appear under the feet and the air flow seemed to solidify.
"what happened?"
When Zhang Hongtian felt this breath.
He only felt that he was not facing a person, but a tall mountain and a ferocious and huge beast.
not good!
Get started first!
Zhang Hongtian, a giant with white hair and black skin, burst out with the speed of a bullet firing from a gun and punched Yu Xiao in front of him hard.
A punch was thrown out in an instant.
The vigorous blood is burning and blooming.
The terrifying power it unleashes can directly crush even a tank.
boom!
Didn't hide.
The left hand took the punch.
The floor beneath his feet and behind him exploded, and the cracks spread for more than ten meters.
"Nothing more than that!"
"Now it's my turn!"
Yu Xiao's energy sank into his dantian, and his blood, energy and magic power exploded, causing the air to solidify.
"Zhenyue!"
The magic power and blood released by this punch instantly turned into a giant fist!
This fist was even bigger than Zhang Hongtian's body. The power contained in it was like a thousand horses galloping, which instantly sent him flying forty or fifty meters away.
It first smashed the rockery in the courtyard, then continued to knock down rows of courtyard walls, and finally crashed into a house.
Zhang Hongtian is still alive.
But his tendons and veins were broken and he was too weak to fight again.
Yu Xiao came up to him and said, "It seems that the winner between me and Grand Secretary Zhang has been decided!"
Zhang Hongtian couldn't believe it: "How could you have such a strong power..."
Judging from this man's blood and energy, even if he has the attainments of a Martial Saint, he is only at the initial stage of becoming a Martial Saint. There is no way he could have blocked that punch!
indeed.
If it's just a martial saint.
Yu Xiao couldn't withstand the attack just now.
It is even more impossible to kill him instantly with one punch.
But Yu Xiao is not a martial artist who practices the Refining Qi Technique, but a Qi Refining practitioner who has achieved great success in body training!
His physique and attack power are not inferior to those of a Huagang warrior. When he bursts out with all his strength, even a Huagang warrior saint will have to temporarily avoid him!
Why is it that even though it is so difficult and resource-consuming to practice body cultivation, there are still cultivators who choose it?
The fighting power is really too strong!
A Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator who has achieved great success in body refinement can completely defeat an ordinary Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator with his abnormal physique!
This is the difference!
Zhang Hongtian's face was full of despair!
he knows.
Today is the day I die.
But compared to his own life, he cares more about the fate of the Dajing Dynasty.
why.
Between the world.
How could such a monster be born?
Could it be that... the fate of the Great Jing Dynasty has really come to an end? !
Yu Xiao said: "Although the Grand Secretary did not reveal the old emperor's plan, under the current situation, it is not difficult for me to guess a little."
"what?"
Yu Xiao said: "I guess Emperor Qian has two purposes for provoking a war at the cost of national strength.
First, he must have mastered some evil sacrificial magic that could allow him to sacrifice tens or even hundreds of millions of lives in exchange for ultimate military power.
Second, while using the Western powers and the uprisings that arose one after another in various places to provoke wars, they severely damaged or even purged the aristocratic landlords in one fell swoop, thus breaking the accumulated problems of three hundred years and completing the reconstruction of the country. "
Zhang Hongtian's expression changed.
Although Yu Xiao has not yet seen through all of Emperor Qian's plans, he has already grasped the most important part of them.
Not bad!
Emperor Qian is unjust.
But by no means stupid and incompetent.
The old emperor did master an evil practice. As long as enough soldiers and civilians were sacrificed, he would have the hope of reaching a level above that of a martial saint.
He can even use it to create a super army of hundreds of people, all of whom are masters!
A Martial Saint has the powerful influence to control a region and intimidate all forces.
How much stronger is a Martial Saint? This is the ultimate realm that no one has ever reached since ancient times!
If Emperor Qian can reach the pinnacle of ancient and modern times, he will also have an army comparable to that of a master, plus nine governors-general including Zhang Hongtian.
By force alone.
Enough to rebuild the country!
Let the Western powers be terrified and dare not offend lightly!
Decades of turmoil.
It caused huge losses to Dajing.
But whenever an uprising broke out in a place, the first to be liquidated and attacked were the local prominent families, wealthy businessmen or landlords.
Isn't it a kind of scraping the bone to cure the poison?
It is a way to resolve three hundred years of accumulated problems!
Once Emperor Qian completes his layout, drives out foreign powers and stabilizes the situation internally, it will be enough to realize the revival of the country and extend the fortune of Dajing for another hundred years!
however.
at this time.
Yu Xiao continued:
"Haha, Emperor Qian wanted to change his fate, but he didn't realize that he was taking the wrong route and would end up going in the opposite direction.
This move will not only fail to revive the Jingting, but will also bring this land to ruin!"
Zhang Hongtian obviously didn't believe it.
But Yu Xiao was obviously not being mysterious.
There is no need for this under the current circumstances.
"Impossible... As long as there is absolute force to suppress the world, no Western power will dare to offend!"
Yu Xiao sighed and continued:
"This world is undergoing a major change that has not happened in thousands of years. The development and progress of the future will far exceed your imagination!
“Individuals in this world have their limits, and precisely because of these limits, it is meaningless for an individual to be extremely powerful.
Even if Emperor Qian can really achieve the ultimate state in this world, he is nothing more than an insignificant ant in front of the trend of the times!"
These words.
This is obviously not an exaggeration.
The upper limit of the Dajing world is the great perfection of Qi training. Not to mention how difficult it is to achieve, it is almost impossible to realize.
So what if Emperor Dajing Qian had acquired a strength comparable to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining?
Now it seems.
This power is indeed very strong.
Although it is not possible to sweep across the world, it is not a problem for him to be invincible in a country, which is enough to form a strong enough deterrent to the great powers.
But at what cost?
The whole country is in tatters.
Dajing's development in all aspects lags far behind the West, and it will be difficult to catch up within one or two generations.
however.
LIFE LIMITED.
How many years can Emperor Qian live?
The times are constantly evolving!
The next fifty years will be a period of the most rapid development in military and technology in human history.
Various chemical weapons, supersonic bombers, precision-guided missiles, and even weapons of mass destruction including mushroom bombs... will come out one after another.
Not to mention the mere Qi refining.
Even if it is the foundation-building true cultivation.
It can't withstand a high-yield nuclear explosion!
Even if Emperor Qian possesses ultimate personal martial power, he will still die of old age.
What's the point of leaving behind a powerful Grandmaster team?
The fate of the empire is simply irreversible.
If Emperor Qian insists on extending Da Jing's life for a hundred years and allowing the empire's corrupt rule to continue for a century, it will completely cut off the hope of this land!
so.
Those who deserve to die must die quickly.
The dynasty that should end will end.
Yu Xiao used a hypnotic spell on Zhang Hongtian and forced him to extract some important information.
This information is extremely valuable to Yu Xiao and the Daxia Association, and also allows Yu Xiao to have a clearer understanding of Emperor Qian and his background and abilities.
Soon after.
Zhang Hongtian died.
At the moment of his death.
A powerful force of merit emerged.
【Merit +16000! 】
This should be counted as the sum of Zhang Hongtian, Pang Guoming and Wu Heng. Even with such a huge number, it is far beyond imagination!
(PS: Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation ticket!)
(End of this chapter)
