After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 307 Alliance
"Have you heard any news about the Eighth Prince these days?"

Upon hearing Li Zhi's question, Shen Qiming glanced at him discreetly, a hint of hesitation immediately appearing on his face.

Li Zhi glanced over coldly and said:
"Just tell me what it is. Is it something even more shocking than the news you brought me last time?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qiming took a deep breath and lowered his head, saying:

"The Eighth Prince returned to the capital a few days ago."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi's figure, under the dim yellow light of the cell, paused almost imperceptibly, but he quickly returned to normal.

Then, with his gaze fixed on the letter in his hand, he asked expressionlessly:

"Did he make any noise after he returned?"

Seeing that Li Zhi seemed to have no problem, Shen Qiming's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately replied:

"As soon as the Eighth Prince returned to the capital, he went to the Second Prince's residence, and then..."

As he spoke, Shen Qiming paused, and Li Zhi glanced at him, only to hear him continue:

"The eighth prince killed the second prince and a martial arts expert from the manor, and then went to the Huo manor, severely injuring the entire Dugu family..."

"He killed Li Que?"

Li Zhi suddenly interrupted Shen Qiming, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. At the same time, a cold sweat involuntarily broke out on his back.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qiming nodded slightly and said:

"This matter has spread throughout the capital. The Imperial Palace has dispatched the Six Doors and the Secret Intelligence Bureau to conduct a joint investigation into the case, but... there have been no results so far."

However, Li Zhi did not care about the investigations conducted by the Six Doors and the Hidden Intelligence Bureau.

He knew very well that with Li Musheng's current status and reputation, as well as his powerful martial arts skills that enabled him to destroy Luoshen Peak, the Six Doors and the Hidden Spy Bureau would have no way to deal with him.

Naturally, it would be impossible to actually investigate Li Musheng or bring him to justice.

"After he returned to the capital and killed Li Que, did he do anything else? Did he take action against the other princes? Or did he intend to thoroughly investigate the case of the real and fake princes?"

Li Zhi stared intently at Shen Qiming and asked.

What he was most concerned about was whether Li Musheng would make a move against him.

Sensing Li Zhi's sharp gaze, Shen Qiming immediately tensed up and, without daring to omit anything, recounted all he knew about Li Musheng.

"After the Eighth Prince returned to the Tianjin Guard headquarters from the Huo residence, he never left the residence again. Many officials and powerful figures in the city wanted to pay him a visit, but he did not meet with anyone and seemed to have no interest in these matters."

Shen Qiming spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on Li Zhi before him.

In his master, he seemed to see again the scene of that day when he brought news of Li Musheng's destruction of Luoshen Peak.

Outrageous!
That was something he had never seen in Li Zhi, the seventh prince, before.

Previously, Li Zhi gave him the impression that everything was planned and executed with complete mastery, and that even in the most critical situations, he could remain calm and composed even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him.

Even when the truth about the real and fake princes was revealed, His Majesty was furious and threw him into the imperial prison.

The other party remained calm and composed throughout, showing no sign of panic or fear.

Only after hearing news of the Eighth Prince on these two occasions did he realize that his master was actually afraid.

At this moment, after listening to Shen Qiming's words, Li Zhi finally withdrew his gaze.

However, he suddenly fell silent, as if he was pondering something carefully in secret.
"Are you sure he didn't do anything? Did he issue any orders within the Tianjing Guard involving me?"

Suddenly, Li Zhi looked at Shen Qiming again and asked, but Shen Qiming shook his head and said:
"As far as I know, the Eighth Prince did not take any action against Your Highness. It seems that he only asked the Tianjin Guard to find some ethereal things like Qilin blood."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi stared at Shen Qiming for a while, then looked away, lowered his head to look at the letter in his hand, and finally stopped asking about Li Musheng.

After a moment, once he finished reading the contents of the letter in his hand, Li Zhi's previous gloom vanished, and his aura suddenly changed.

"As expected, what I anticipated is finally happening."

Li Zhi reached out and grasped the letter, which instantly turned to ashes.

Shen Qiming, standing outside the cell, looked up and saw that Li Zhi seemed like a completely different person in just a short moment. A look of doubt flashed across his face, and he cupped his hands and asked:

"Your Highness, is there some good news?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi's expression gradually calmed down. He then closed his eyes and continued his cultivation, saying:
"It doesn't hurt to tell you."

"The Hidden Killing Pavilion is about to make a move against that person, and it will be one of the Hidden Killing Pavilion's Killing Saints who will take action. In fact, the Pavilion Master of the Hidden Killing Pavilion may also show up and make a move."

Shen Qiming naturally knew who Li Zhi was referring to, and his expression immediately changed.

He naturally knew something about the Hidden Kill Order, but he was unaware of the secrecy surrounding the actions of the Killing Saint and the Hidden Kill Pavilion Master.

"If it were the Assassin Saint of the Hidden Killing Pavilion who made the move, would the Eighth Prince have any chance of thwarting their assassination attempt?"

Shen Qiming spoke with a thoughtful expression. With his knowledge, he really couldn't be sure whether Li Musheng, who led the Tianjin Guard to destroy Luoshen Peak, was stronger, or whether the infamous Hidden Killing Pavilion, a generation of killing saints, was more powerful.
However, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and quickly looked at Li Zhi, his face full of surprise and doubt:

"Your Highness, I have heard a rumor circulating in the martial arts world of Dali recently. It is said that the Eighth Prince went to Yuming Mountain on his way back from Luoshen Peak and ambushed and assassinated the Martial Saint there."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi opened his eyes again, his gaze falling on Shen Qiming:
"He actually killed the Martial Saint through a sneak attack?"

Shen Qiming nodded and said:

"The rumor originated from Yuming Mountain, so it should be true."

Li Zhi did not speak, but simply shook his head and said:

"I don't know how strong the martial arts of the Martial Saint of Yuming Mountain are. If this is true, it proves that his martial arts cultivation may be comparable to that of a Martial Saint."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qiming frowned and said:
"But I've heard rumors in the martial arts world that the Eighth Prince's martial arts prowess is comparable to that of a Martial God, and he may very well become the fourth Martial God in the world..."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi shook his head and said:
"The name of the Martial Saint of the martial arts world first spread from the Tianji Pavilion. It is undeniable that the Martial Saint's martial arts strength is among the top in the martial arts world, but I remember that the Martial Saint Mu Tianxing never seemed to have fought against the four major sects."

"As for who is stronger between him, the leader of Luoshen Peak, and the Taiyin Xuan Master, there is actually no consensus in the martial arts world."

As he spoke, Li Zhi withdrew his gaze, his expression enigmatic, and said:
"Therefore, whether Li Musheng's martial arts cultivation is above that of a Martial Saint is still inconclusive."

Shen Qiming nodded slightly, then couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Does Your Highness believe that the Eighth Prince can withstand the attacks of the Hidden Killing Pavilion's Killing Saint and its leader this time?"

Li Zhi was silent for a moment, then sighed softly and said:
"In fact, regardless of whether he can withstand the attack of the Hidden Killing Pavilion, the Hidden Killing Pavilion will ultimately not really take his life."

"Why is that? Could it be because of the Eighth Prince's status as the Prince of Dali?"

Shen Qiming asked with a puzzled look. Li Zhi nodded, then shook his head and said, "Of course, there is a reason related to his identity, but more importantly, you need to understand what kind of person Li Musheng really is."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qiming was slightly taken aback, but then suddenly realized:

"That eighth prince is a martial arts genius unlike any other in history."

"However, if the Eighth Prince fails to withstand three assassination attempts, will the Hidden Assassins Pavilion still appoint him as the next Pavilion Master because they value his talent?"

Li Zhi glanced at Shen Qiming, his eyes narrowing slightly, and said:

"Whether the Hidden Killing Pavilion will let him take over as Pavilion Master or not, I don't care. What I care about is time, and what I need most right now is time."

At this point, a hint of regret flashed in Li Zhi's eyes.

In recent years, he has devoted much of his energy to court affairs and building his own power, but he has neglected his martial arts training.

Even so, he still managed to reach the level of a Grandmaster of Martial Arts at the young age of twenty, thanks to his exceptional talent in martial arts.

Such a cultivation speed is outstanding even in the entire martial arts world.

However, compared to Li Musheng, he was far inferior.

These days, Li Zhi, who is in the dungeon, sometimes even thinks about what it would be like if he and Li Musheng switched identities.

If he were to spend over a decade in a martial arts school in that remote town called Shun'an, without any distractions and focusing solely on rigorous training, would he also achieve the terrifying martial arts prowess that the other party possesses today?

Although Li Zhi was confident in his martial arts talent, he still had no answer to this matter, or rather, he was unwilling to think about the answer.

"I need time now. If I have enough time, I will one day reach the same level of martial arts as him."

Li Zhi muttered to himself, and in his current state, what he hoped for most was that Li Musheng would not kill him.

As long as the other party doesn't kill him, he will always have a chance and never give up.

The appearance of Li Musheng also made him realize that in this chaotic world where five countries are vying for supremacy and the martial arts world is in turmoil, absolute military strength is not enough; one must also carefully cultivate one's own power and study how to form cliques and pursue personal gain.

The peace and stability that Dali had enjoyed for many years made him forget that the era he lived in was actually one where peace was achieved through force, and that only force could conquer the four kingdoms and unify the world.

To become an emperor, wisdom alone is not enough; one must become a great emperor like the Tianqi Emperor, a ruler of all time!
……

Meanwhile, shortly after news spread from Yuming Mountain that Li Musheng was the murderer of the Martial Saint, another major piece of news shook the entire martial arts world of Dali.

The alliance of the Taiyin Yuanzong, the Tianxia Alliance, and the Dayan Sword Sect, which was announced to the world of martial arts, has finally been officially released, just as predicted by many martial arts practitioners.

Moreover, what is even more thought-provoking is that the three sects chose Yundu City as the location for their alliance meeting.

Moreover, the first alliance decree issued by the Three Sects Alliance was to declare to the martial arts world that, from this day forward, all sects in the martial arts world are welcome to join the Three Sects Alliance.

The three sects seem to be trying to create a "Martial Arts Alliance" that brings together the martial arts sects of the Great Li Kingdom.

This martial arts alliance includes all the sects in the Great Li Jianghu. In fact, the three major sects themselves have made huge sacrifices, providing various martial arts techniques, pills, gold and silver as rewards to the sects that join the martial arts alliance.

It's clear that they've simply copied the tactics used by the Tianxia Alliance and applied them to the Wulin Alliance.

There are even rumors circulating in the martial arts world that the three major sects uttered a slogan at their alliance meeting, roughly meaning that they would rather give away their accumulated wealth of hundreds or thousands of years to fellow martial artists than give even a fraction of it to the henchmen of the Great Li Dynasty.

……

The capital of the Great Li Dynasty, the headquarters of the Tianjin Guard.

After confirming the news of the three-sect alliance, Yu Jin immediately informed Li Musheng.

Although Li Musheng had said not to bother him unless it was something important.

But this matter is undoubtedly extremely important, so he certainly doesn't mean to bother His Highness.

"interesting."

After hearing the news, Li Musheng stroked his chin.

The three major sects of the martial arts world clearly intend to rally the "landlords" of the martial arts world to unite and overthrow the feudal Dali Dynasty.

Unfortunately, they are not the proletariat.

If he were to call upon the proletariat to overthrow imperial feudalism, he might just impulsively let them succeed.

"It's no use coming to me about this. You need to go to Lord Fu and that Emperor Yuanwu who is in seclusion."

Li Musheng waved his hand, completely ignoring the matter.

This left Li Yuanling, Shen Anran, and Yu Jin, who were standing nearby, looking at each other in bewilderment.

They were all quite worried after hearing the news of the alliance of the three sects.

After all, this matter not only poses a great threat to the current Dali Dynasty, but also truly plunges the Dali Dynasty into a difficult situation of internal and external troubles.

"What the heck, my sworn brother, you really aren't going to help?"

Li Yuanling looked at Li Musheng with a surprised expression, and used a new word she had learned from Li Musheng to express her shock.

Li Musheng glanced at the other person, raised an eyebrow, and said:

"What does this have to do with me? But you, my sworn sister, where have you been these past few days? Have you even bothered to look for my divine beast, the Fire Qilin?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanling raised her eyebrows and waved her hand, saying:
"Don't worry, I've already had my best friend take care of finding the Fire Kirin for you. Now you just have to wait for news."

Li Musheng nodded; the other party seemed reliable enough.

However, at this moment, Li Yuanling suddenly rested her arms on the stone table in the pavilion, propped her chin up, and said:
"However, I've recently encountered a troubling matter."

Seeing this, Shen Anran's eyes flickered slightly, and she immediately said considerately:

"If Your Highness is feeling troubled, you can talk to someone about it. If you have any questions, you can also consult with someone."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanling glanced at Shen Anran, pondered for a moment, then sighed and said:
"I met someone a while ago and helped them solve a small problem. Later, we chatted for a while and found we got along quite well."

Shen Anran's expression shifted, and she asked:

"Is the other party a young master?"

Li Yuanling nodded, and then said:

"But for some reason, that person has been pestering me for the past few days. He even came to my residence and insisted on taking me to poetry gatherings and outings."

"They even sent people to guard the gate of my residence. As soon as I step out, they find me immediately. I'm really getting annoyed with them!"

(End of this chapter)