Rewrite the myth and become the Taoist!

Chapter 327 No King Under Heaven! The First Emperor, Unprecedented in History!
[Whoosh—!]

[The assassin was killed the instant Fei Yan Thirteen drew her sword.]

Tai Shi Bo stopped writing and looked at Xiang Ji.

[The leaders of the Martial Arts Hall and Xiang Ji toured the world for several months, but the "Heaven-Mending Soil" gathered by the "Xia Zhou Cauldron" was scarce, indicating that the people of Xia Zhou did not recognize Xiang Ji, this young human emperor.]

[It is not that one who claims to be the Human Emperor, or who is bestowed the title of Human Emperor, is the true Human Emperor. Rather, it is the person recognized by 90% of the clan that is the rightful Human Emperor.]

[For three thousand years, eight hundred vassal states have fought each other, during which time betrayal, intrigue, and treachery have been rampant... Now, the people of the world belong to various states and are hostile to one another.]

Today I am a citizen of Jin, tomorrow a citizen of Yuan, and another day a citizen of Tang.

People around the world have lost the beliefs of their ancestors; they only know—the winner takes all!

Although Xiang Ji has achieved the feat of defying the Mandate of Heaven and gained the recognition of the Yan Ancestor and the Great Xia Emperor, gaining the recognition of the entire world is extremely difficult. This is not a challenging time for "expanding the era."

The leaders of the Martial Arts Hall remained silent.

[Xiang Ji has three paths to becoming the Human Emperor: first, to educate and enlighten the world; second, to unify the world; and third, to lead heroes to create a new world and become the Human Emperor himself.]

[Educating the world is the most difficult task; people's hearts cannot be changed overnight, and what we lack most now is time.]

They only temporarily repelled the Nine Infant Dynasty; they did not dispel the mist.

[Xia Zhou's Heaven cannot be broken. Once the mist arrives, apart from the Spirit Realm, 70% of the population will be swallowed by the mist. The Spirit Realm alone cannot support the entire population of Xia Zhou.]

Yin Tianyi's eyes narrowed: "In that case, we will initiate a war, destroy the eight hundred vassal states, unify the world, and establish a brand new nation."

Tai Shibo shook his head: "You're overthinking it. Brothers are separated by a ten-mile mountain; after thirty years apart, they're like strangers. Besides, the Great Xia's feudal system has been in place for tens of thousands of years."

"Throughout the ages, the cultures of the eight hundred vassal states have become deeply ingrained in people's hearts. There are always those who cherish the old language and script, and sing the songs of their homeland... Let us not forget that the Jin state destroyed the Yuan state, and its descendants, through generations of valiant effort, successfully restored their nation."

Unifying the world requires the Qing Kingdom to wage a massive war, overthrowing everything and starting anew to establish a new nation. During this process, the dominant powers will not be willing to submit, and bloodshed is imminent.

If an assassin shouts "Slay the tyrant!" in the street today, it will come true.

[Xiang Ji, who was the first to conquer eight hundred vassal states and become emperor, was that unprecedented tyrant.]

Xiang Ji understood what Tai Shibo meant.

[Those who seek to become emperor by force, seizing power from the world, will also bear the resentment of the people. Becoming the number one will inevitably lead to bitter consequences!]

The only correct path for a human emperor is to emulate the ancient sages who sailed on a great ship, crossed the vast ocean, swept away foreign tribes, opened up new worlds, and established a nation under the heavens.

However, the leaders of the Martial Arts Hall and Xiang Ji could not stand idly by and watch the sky over Xia Prefecture be eroded by the thick fog.

The leaders of the Martial Arts Hall looked at Xiang Ji, awaiting his choice. With the strength of the Qing Kingdom, coupled with the supreme divine weapon, the Mountain and River Seal, the invincible weapon, and the Great Xia Human Emperor's War Weapon Technique...

[Enough to summon heroes from all over the world to cross the vast ocean and create a new world.]

They believed that Xiang Ji possessed all the qualities to become a "Human Emperor," and that he could establish an eternal kingdom even greater than "Xia Zhou Tian."

By choosing this path of light, Xiang Ji no longer needs to bear the infamous reputation of being an unprecedented tyrant in human history.

The leaders of the Martial Arts Hall and Xiang Ji arrived at the gap in the sky.

In the distance, a thick fog surged and churned like a living thing, inch by inch encroaching on the borders of Xiazhou. Wherever it passed, vegetation withered, and the landscape lost its color.

The eyes of all the leaders in the Martial Arts Hall turned sharply to Xiang Ji—the young emperor on whom they placed their high hopes.

Everyone knew perfectly well what the right choice was; any normal person would know how to make it. Xiang Ji had been a hostage in the State of Jin and had witnessed the wickedness of people in his youth.

The people of the world would never understand a tyrant who unified the world solely to "repair the heavens."

The Xia Zhou Cauldron was dim and lifeless. Xiang Ji raised his eyes, gazing at the horizon swallowed by the thick fog, his silence as profound as an abyss.

The wind swept by, ruffling his robes.

He doesn't need the world's understanding.

He didn't care about his reputation in later generations.

Although Xiang Ji's childhood was tragic, he did not take his father Xiang Wenlong's so-called national hatred to heart. At first, he only wanted to farm and practice martial arts to cure his lung disease and seek a peaceful life. After some planning, he withdrew from the struggle for the Yuan King and established the Qing Kingdom in a remote place.

[Afterwards, he could cultivate immortality with the Queen, remaining in the Qing Kingdom to observe the ages and the beauty of the land. Who wants to be an emperor working every day? A carefree life as an immortal is the ultimate pursuit for humankind!]

However, Xiang Ji was truly a failure as a person; he wasn't a truly good person, nor was he thoroughly bad...

"What a bunch of unruly people! Kill them all!"

[Xiang Ji decided that after unifying Xia Prefecture, he would retire to seek immortality.]

[Xiazhou has eight hundred vassal states, each with at least one Great Spirit Realm and several cities. After three thousand years of war, the hegemonic state has formed a siege-like force, and now only seventy-two vassal states remain.]

For the first time, the leaders of the Martial Arts Hall expressed their dissatisfaction with why the Great Xia Emperor had conquered such a vast territory.

Xiang Ji looked at the True Martial Soldiers who were fighting alongside him and told them about the secrets of the "Great Fog of Returning to Emptiness" in the Martial Arts Hall, hoping they would help the Qing Kingdom unify Xiazhou.

The True Martial Lords remained silent. Had they led their troops to invade their own homeland? To slaughter their own relatives and friends? Their soldiers retreated voluntarily, and Xiang Ji did not stop them, only warning them that when they met on the battlefield again, he would show no mercy.

Having witnessed the divine might of the "Azure King" firsthand, the True Martial Lord dared not challenge him and withdrew one by one, leaving only the leaders of the Martial Arts Hall to guard the Heavenly Vault Pass.

"Send troops and unify the world!"

Xiang Ji returned to the Qing Kingdom and held high the Seal of Mountains and Rivers.

The Qing Kingdom dispatched 800 troops, led by Xiang Ji himself, with Zhao Yun as commander, to attack the hegemonic state of Jin.

[Emperor's Decree.]

[Any vassal state in the world that dares to call itself a king will be punished by Xiang Ji, the emperor!]

[I hope everyone will act accordingly.]

This decree caused an uproar throughout the land.

The decree of Emperor Xiang Ji stipulated that there could only be one king in the world, and that king was Qing Wang.

Although Qing Kingdom is a vast country, it is making enemies of the entire world. No matter how strong Zhao Yun is, he cannot be in two places at once. Even if Emperor Xiang Ji has such ambitions, he should not be so domineering.

The world believed that this young emperor had gone mad.

"That brat Xiang Ji, with only eight hundred men, wants to destroy a country? Hahaha!"

The King of Jin's corpulent body trembled violently with his maniacal laughter. His golden goblet clattered onto the table, splashing amber wine that soaked the gauze robe of the beautiful concubine beside him.

The candlelight in the hall flickered wildly from his booming laughter, and the civil and military officials roared with laughter, some even laughing so hard they couldn't catch their breath and had to lean against the pillars to straighten up.

[The Jin state's renowned general was the first military leader, with 300,000 soldiers ready for battle. They only needed to defend their cities and keep the formidable Zhao Yun at bay to rest easy. But how could they defend the Qing state's territory?]

[The King of Jin acknowledges that Zhao Yun's eight hundred soldiers from the Qing Kingdom are invincible, but the Source Blood Warriors require Spirit Seeds!]

[Qingguo can't afford to waste time!]

The reason why the Yuan and Jin states ceded land to the Qing state was to contain the divine being Zhao Yun.

[Qing is a small country; Zhao Yun alone cannot hold it up, so he is not a threat.]

Seven days later, the Prince of Jin was still holding banquets and indulging in pleasure.

"Report—!"

The guards stumbled and crawled into the hall, their faces ashen: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Qing Kingdom... the Kingdom..."

"King Xiang Ji, single-handedly, charged through an army of 100,000, slaying all who stood in his way, beheading the Qin general, advancing relentlessly, capturing nineteen cities in seven days, and marching all the way to the capital..." The guard finished reciting the battle report in one breath.

The hall fell completely silent.

"Say that again?" The Prince of Jin's voice suddenly rose to a shrill tone. "How many troops?!"

"Xiang Ji, alone."

Before the words were even finished, the entire palace suddenly shook violently. Outside, screams erupted in waves, mingled with the neighing of warhorses and the crashing of collapsing city walls. The chaotic clanging of the Imperial Guards' armor drew closer, only to instantly turn into screams.

【boom!!!】

The palace gates suddenly shattered, splinters of wood flying everywhere, and Xiang Ji, his black armor stained with blood, charged through the flames.

【"you???"】

The King of Jin's mouth remained agape for a long time, his thick lips trembling incessantly.

Aside from alien demon gods, no one in human history possessed the single-handed power to destroy armies like Xiang Ji.

The Prince of Jin's Adam's apple bobbed violently as he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Have you eaten?"

The young emperor raised his hand to wipe the blood from his cheek: "So, you all... were waiting for me to eat?"

"Yes, yes, why don't we sit down and have something to eat?" The Prince of Jin hurriedly pushed away the concubine in his arms.

Xiang Ji calmly said, "I have said that only one king is allowed in the world. As a vassal king of the Great Xia, why do you not obey the decree of the Human Emperor in the Martial Arts Hall?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Of course, yes!" King Jin laughed as he looked at Xiang Ji raising the blood-dripping halberd. "It's all those treacherous officials who bewitched me..."

"Are you a king too?"

Xiang Ji also smiled, a cold glint flashing in his halberd. Even as the Prince of Jin's head flew off, his fawning expression remained, as the spurting blood stained the palace pillars crimson.

"From this day forward, I do not wish to hear the name 'Prince of Jin' again."

The young emperor turned around, his voice neither loud nor soft, yet it made everyone hold their breath instantly.

"We obey the Emperor's decree."

[The entire court of Jin, filled with civil and military officials, knelt down in unison, their foreheads pounding against the floor tiles with a resounding thud.]

[The one who single-handedly destroyed a nation, the tyrannical king—Xiang Ji, the Overlord!]

When news of the Jin state spread, the other six hegemonic states of Xia Prefecture were alarmed, finally realizing that Emperor Xiang Ji did not desire the empty title of ruler of all vassal states, but rather aimed to annihilate them all.

Xiang Ji dispatched envoys from the Martial Arts Hall to various states, declaring, "The Emperor decrees: Anyone who fails to surrender upon seeing the flag will have their entire family executed!"

"Absurd! For the past 100,000 years, humanity has been governed by feudal lords. What is Xiang Ji?! Even if he is the Human Emperor, he cannot act so domineeringly just because of the Martial Arts Hall!! We refuse to accept this tyrant. Let's see what he can do!"

The rulers of all the countries were indignant.

However, Emperor Xiang Ji was unreasonable and executed the seven kings who had made the fuss once again.

This act of making an example of someone thoroughly enraged the people of the world, but they were helpless against Xiang Ji, the Overlord. No one dared to be the first to act. The True Martial Lord had retired to the mountains since the Battle of the Heavens, and Xiang Ji was truly invincible.

[Of all the military leaders, none could rival him.]

But a turning point soon appeared.

"A giant snake!?"

[The leader of the Martial Arts Hall could only see "white scales" slowly moving in the misty void; his body alone was comparable to the entire heaven and earth of a province, making him another demon god worthy of being recorded in the history of the human race.]

They repelled several powerful alien demons here, but they were no match for this kind of demon god.

[Immediately notify Emperor Xiang Ji.]

"Why is there still the aura of the Heavenly Emperor?"

The white serpent of the Pantheon, high above the void sea, peered at Xia Zhou Tian, ​​which was its own size, sensing the faint aura emanating from it, its eyes filled with apprehension.

It was born specifically to devour "worlds," and is only one step away from becoming a "God of Destiny." It is not afraid of the Human Emperor, but even a God-King risks death at the level of a Void Sea Heavenly Emperor.

【"trap?"】

The white serpent stared at the leaders of the Martial Arts Hall. It couldn't gauge the state of Xia Zhou Tian and feared that if it ventured deeper, it would be suppressed by the human race's destiny, and if it encountered the Human Emperor and the Heavenly Emperor again, it would be doomed.

[The wisps of thought transformed into a small white snake, which, while the Martial Arts Hall was engaged in battle with other powerful alien demons, seized the opportunity to burrow into Xia Zhou Tian.]

[It carries within it the myriad laws of the Void Sea.]

At this time, people from various countries discovered that they could practice the arts of other races, and extraordinary people and individuals emerged frequently in the mountains and wilderness, practicing Taoist arts, flying swords, witchcraft, and sorcery...

Countless streaks of light ripped through the night sky. Sword cultivators soared across the royal city on flying swords, Gu masters unleashed centipedes over ten feet long from their sleeves, and sorcerers summoned a rain of fire.

[No need to consume "spiritual seeds"; everyone can cultivate.]

"Destiny is in my hands!"

A middle-aged warrior dreamt of a "white serpent" and, carrying three volumes of celestial books, traveled the world, uniting various nations to fight against the overlord of the Green Kingdom.

【at the same time.】

"Dethrone the Emperor! Slay the Tyrant!"

The six hegemonic states and the vassal states raised a slogan, and heroes from all over the land responded.

[In an instant, the whole world turned against us.]

[According to the statistics of the six hegemonic states, a total of 108 vassal lords have launched an attack on Xiang Ji, the overlord of the Qing Kingdom. Among these lords is an extraordinary figure who has laid out a "Ten-Sided Ambush Formation" comparable to that of the Great Xia Emperor, thus uniting the scattered forces of the 108 vassal lords.]

[The nations made an agreement: "Whoever first defeats the Qing Kingdom will become a feudal lord!"]

Xiang Ji was not surprised. This situation of being "the enemy of the world" was something he had secretly orchestrated through the Martial Arts Hall, all for the purpose of pacifying the world in one battle and crushing the main force of the eight hundred vassal states with absolute power.

This is the smallest sacrifice he can make!

【boom--!】

[Suddenly, a blood-red light shot into the sky outside the city, and the ambush formation on all sides was complete. Seventy-two altars lit up at the earth's leyline nodes, twisting the fortune of the million-strong allied army into a single force. A strange being, riding a Bagua compass, swept across the clouds, and the talismans he scattered transformed into golden-armored celestial soldiers.]

The righteous army, determined to punish the tyrannical, proclaims that they have received divine mandate and divine assistance!

"Dethrone the Emperor! Slay the Tyrant!"

The thunderous sabers of a million righteous soldiers shook the earth, and the shouts of tens of millions were the will of the people.

The down-on-his-luck warrior who once roared "A true man should be like this!" in the street, and the burly man who declared "He can be replaced," now rise up, clad in the armor of a feudal lord, their swords replaced by jade-inlaid shards.

With everyone drinking and cheering, the nations of the world united, and with the help of a divinely appointed leader, Xiang Ji, the Hegemon-King, is destined to be defeated!

"For three thousand years, feudal lords have ruled, and war has raged on. Today, I will end it all..."

In the Qing Kingdom's camp, the firelight reflected Xiang Ji's calm eyes. He donned his armor, mounted his horse, and his fingers clenched tightly, causing his halberd to tremble like a dragon's roar. The beast beneath him raised its head and let out a deafening howl.

【"remember--"】

"The Human Emperor Xiang Ji decisively defeated the 108 warlords at Muye, thus unifying the land."

"There is no king under heaven."

【boom! 】

[As soon as he finished speaking, the young emperor spurred his horse forward, his cloak trailing behind him like a blood-red rainbow. With a sweep of his halberd, the first rank of heavily armored shield-bearers was cleaved in two, shields and all, limbs and fragments of armor flying everywhere.]

【"This is……"】

[The silver spear in Zhao Yun's hand suddenly trembled violently, and his pupils contracted sharply—in that instant, Xiang Ji's silhouette overlapped with that of "Huang Tian."]

Behind him, the Imperial Historian of the Martial Arts Hall, pen in hand, suddenly gleamed with a sharp light in his cloudy eyes.

"There can only be one king under heaven—the First Emperor!"

……

(End of this chapter)