Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 195 Strategic Maneuvering (Part 2)

Xu Palace Main Hall

A palace attendant announced, "Your Majesty, the garrison commander Baili Yu requests an audience."

The copper lamp wick crackled and sparks flew, causing Lü Shang's figure to sway against the palace wall.

He didn't turn around, but simply replied, "Shut up."

The palace doors creaked open, and Baili Yu, dressed in a black court robe, strode in, the jade belt and pendants on his body making a soft tinkling sound in the silence.

"Your Majesty, the Divine Blade has been forged!" Baili Yu bowed, his hand on his sword, his voice trembling slightly.

"Divine Striker,"

Lü Shang immediately turned around, the candlelight reflecting a glint of light in his eyes.

The so-called Divine Edge is a weapon forged by Li Tan using the Nine Li weapon-forging techniques and his painstaking efforts.

The reason why Lü Shang valued Li Tan so much was because he could forge the Divine Sword.

"It's done so quickly?"

Lü Shang strode down the steps and stood before Baili Yu, asking, "Where is the Divine Blade?"

"Your Majesty, the Divine Blade is here!"

Baili Yu knelt on one knee and raised the long box in his arms above his head with both hands.

Clang!
Lu Shang took the long box. The moment the sandalwood box lid was opened, a beam of green light shot out from the box, reaching the ceiling of the hall, dimming the candlelight in the entire hall.

The box was chillingly cold. Lu Shang examined it closely and could see a sword lying quietly inside.

The sword was undecorated and was made in the standard style of the Xu Kingdom. As Lü Shang looked at the cold sunlight reflected off the sword's spine, he gently stroked the blade with his fingers. The chill penetrated to his bones, and the entire sword emitted a clear and melodious sword sound.

"A fine sword,"

Looking at the sword in the box, Lü Shang sighed softly, exerted force in his palm, and the sword was drawn with a clang. The sound of a dragon's roar resounded throughout the hall, and the bronze bells on the eaves of the palace were also shaken by the sound of the sword.

This is no ordinary weapon; the sword has gained sentience, and its sharpness far surpasses that of ordinary weapons.

"How many days would it take to forge a single sword of this quality?"

He stood holding his sword, the sword intent emanating from it causing the curtains in the hall to flutter wildly.

"Your Majesty,"

Baili Yu said in a deep voice, "This Divine Blade was hastily forged by Master Li by expending his own life essence. Although it does not diminish the benefits of the Divine Blade, it is difficult to mass-produce. If it were forged step by step, it would take at least three months to complete a single sword."

"Three months,"

Lu Shang tightened his grip on the sword slightly, and the cold light reflected from the blade flickered in his eyes.

He then raised his sword, its azure light slicing through the stagnant air of the hall. The sword's edge swept across the void, filling the entire hall with sword intent.

He lifted a corner of the curtain with the tip of his sword, the black silk ribbons shredded by the sword's energy, and asked, "How is Li Tan now?"

The divine sword, which originally required three months to forge, was completed in just three days. Lü Shang knew without a doubt that Li Tan must have paid a heavy price for it. Baili Yu said in a low voice, "Master Li exhausted two-tenths of his energy to forge this sword. He is currently recuperating in the armory. Before I left, I saw that his temples were already frosted with gray."

“Li Tan,”

Lü Shang turned around, sheathed the divine sword, and with a clang, the candlelight in the hall suddenly rekindled.

"Go to the treasury and fetch three bottles of Jade Dew and ten Blood Ganoderma lucidum. Tell him to take care of his health."

"Also, tell Li Tan that haste makes waste, and he should not waste his life essence to forge the Divine Blade again."

"Yes," Baili Yu replied, then slowly straightened up and left the main hall.

After Baili Yu left, the palace doors slowly closed. Lü Shang stood in the palace, looking down at the divine sword in his hand, as if a slight tremor came from his palm.

He held his sword in his hand and said softly, "Forging a divine blade in three months is already quite impressive."

Normally, except for crude weapons, it takes more than a month to complete a forging process. However, Li Tan's Divine Blade is far sharper than ordinary weapons, and even a true immortal would treasure it. The fact that such a divine blade could be completed in three months greatly astonished Lü Shang.

The only pity is that only Li Tan in the entire Xu Kingdom can forge divine blades. Even if Li Tan works day and night, he can only forge four divine blades a year. With such a production capacity, it is really unrealistic to equip the Xu Kingdom's soldiers on a large scale and enhance the Xu Kingdom's combat power.

Even the second-best weapons require considerable effort to forge successfully. The weapons of the Great Wilderness Warriors, though ordinary, are forged using techniques from the Taiyi Divine Path, giving them an inherent mystical quality once completed.

This is also why Lü Shang never considered using the weapon-forging and smelting methods of the Yanfu world in the Great Wilderness to forge military equipment for the Xu Kingdom. The Great Wilderness of Mountains and Seas is based on the Taiyi Divine Dao system, while the Yanfu world is based on the Taishang Immortal Dao system; the two systems are fundamentally different.

Lu Shang is now able to manage both systems, thus achieving the unity of immortals and gods. This is not because he is exceptionally talented, but simply because there is a 'Lu Shang' in both the Great Wilderness and the Underworld.

------

Southern Yan, Yandu
As dawn broke, a purple haze enveloped the palace city of Yandu.

The square in front of the ancestral temple had been swept clean and spotless, and the bluestone slabs were covered with mugwort soaked in fragrant dew. Thirty-six bare-chested, tattooed shamans, holding ox-tail staffs, danced around the three-zhang-tall bronze sacrificial cauldron while chanting incantations.

The shamanic chants mingled with the sounds of bells and chimes, transforming into a heavy sonic wave that pressed down on the heavens.

Dressed in imperial robes, and surrounded by a retinue of nobles, Ji Shi, the Duke of Nan Yan, slowly walked towards the stone platform in front of the main hall of the ancestral temple. His face was solemn as he looked at the compass chariot covered with nine layers of brocade in the center of the platform.

"We respectfully invite the compass chariot to offer sacrifices to the Supreme Heaven!"

After the ritual, Ji Shi gave the order, and twelve burly armored soldiers stepped forward and together lifted the brocade. In an instant, a deep blue light emanated from the carriage, dispelling the surrounding morning mist.

"Sinan,"

Upon closer inspection, the compass chariot was extremely ancient in design, its entire body gleaming with a cold, hard metallic sheen. The chariot was about two zhang tall, with four wheels shaped like millstones, the rims of which were carved with dragons and snakes.

A three-foot-tall bronze figure stood in front of the cart shaft. The figure had a topknot and wore a wide-sleeved robe. Its right hand was raised, and in its palm was a bronze plate that shimmered with five-colored light. In the center of the plate was a magnetic needle as thin as a hair, with its tip always pointing south.

What's even more startling are the patterns wrapped around the vehicle. They are not the usual Taotie or Kui dragon, but countless twisted and intertwined clouds and thunder patterns. Upon closer inspection, it seems that countless tiny talismans are flowing and dying within them, and the sound of wind and thunder can be faintly heard.

“This is the compass chariot created by Feng Hou,” Ji Shi said, holding her breath and gently touching the chariot shaft. It was icy cold to the touch, but she could clearly feel an overwhelming power lurking within the chariot.

Although Ji Shi was the king, this was the first time he had come into such close contact with this national treasure. He could see that, with the singing and dancing of the shamans, the magnetic needle on the bronze compass began to rotate slowly, and where the needle tip pointed, the void rippled.

Ji Liang, standing to the side, said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this chariot is not of this world. Unless it is driven by a deity, it will consume the fortune of our Southern Yan Kingdom. It can be said that every time this chariot moves, it will damage the fortune of our Southern Yan Kingdom. I hope Your Majesty will think twice before acting."

(End of this chapter)