When a person is in a high-ranking position, their words carry the law.

Chapter 274 A Lie That Isn't a Lie
He drew his sword three times and finally unleashed a strike, only to have it blocked by a single finger.

Yagyu Sōjirō was immediately deflated and lost all his vigor.

Bai Ze flicked his fingers, causing the katana to spin. He held the sword in his hand, about to say something, when suddenly his brow twitched.

"Word of Power: The Crystal Brahma City".

A dense wall of primordial energy instantly appeared on the left side, even crystallizing, and a blazing burst of energy struck it, unleashing a dazzling shockwave.

"I take back my previous assessment; you're still a bit cautious."

Bai Ze stood behind the crystallized energy barrier and said calmly.

I used to think that Yagyu Sojiro thought he was an easy target, but now it seems that although he is confident in his strength, he is not blindly self-assured.

While testing Bai Ze, he had already secretly informed others in some way.

As for the person who arrived...
Accompanied by intense wind pressure, a golden figure descended from the sky.

The gilded armor emanated intense energy fluctuations. The helmet disintegrated and reassembled, retracting backward to reveal dazzling golden hair and matching pupils. His face, sculpted like marble, had sharp, distinct features and was exceptionally handsome.

Rhine Nyos, the youngest son of the god among men.

"From receiving Sojiro's message to arriving here, less than a minute had passed."

This "Child of God" spoke fluent Dongxia language, even with an archaic touch, "I didn't expect that Soujiro would be defeated in just one minute. To be able to take away Soujiro's weapon in a minute, I wonder who you are?"

"Just an unknown nobody."

Bai Ze chuckled and said, "I never expected that the son of the god of the mortal realm would speak such fluent Dongxia language."

Rhine slowly landed in front of Yagyu Sojiro, his face showing no hostility, and even exuding a gentle and refined air. He said, "Learn from the barbarians to control the barbarians. This is my favorite saying."

"Don't let my Western Union background fool you; I may actually know more about Eastern Xia culture than the average Eastern Xia person."

Not only does he speak fluent Dongxia language, but judging from his tone, he is also an expert on Dongxia.

That's the sentence...

You are the ones who are truly "barbarians" – you claim to learn from the barbarians' superior techniques to subdue them.

Bai Ze fell silent for a moment after hearing this, barely managing to suppress the urge to retort.

"hehe."

He let out a cryptic laugh and said, "It seems that Lord Rhine has no intention of making a move."

“Of course,” Rhine said confidently. “You’ve already held back, haven’t you? In my opinion, your strength is no less than that rising genius of the Eastern Xia Federation, and may even be greater. If you were truly hostile, a minute would have been enough for you to kill Sojiro and leave.”

"Looks like a sensible person."

Bai Ze chuckled and casually tossed the katana, letting the blade spin before finally embedding itself in front of Rhine.

"In that case, I'll give you two pieces of information. First, the three people who were killed must have come with intelligence about Bai Ze entering the Yingzhou Secret Realm."

"Second, Ursus is currently scouting towards Jade Mountain, and they may move there next."

Upon hearing the first piece of news, the other party showed no change in expression, but after hearing the second piece of news, while Rhine was still able to remain calm, Yagyu Sojiro's gaze wavered.

Furthermore, under Bai Ze's "Xuanji Guanxiang", Yagyu Sōjirō's qi became restless.

Based on the knowledge he had been cramming on and psychology during this period, it should be that his anxious emotions drove his internal energy.

The higher a martial artist's level, the more closely their essence, energy, and spirit are integrated.

A martial arts master's intention is the movement of qi, and it is even possible to make qi precede intention.

This is the mark of the strong, but it can also easily become their weakness.

If one uses internal energy, it might be possible to deduce their psychological fluctuations.

That's how Mu Yaoguang initially discerned Bai Ze's emotions.

Yagyu Sojiro certainly couldn't yet achieve the state where intention equals energy, but his spirit was indeed quite closely integrated with his true energy, allowing Bai Ze to perceive a trace of his anxiety.

However, Rhine's gilded battle suit also had the function of blocking energy, making it difficult for Bai Ze to detect his energy fluctuations.

"Does Your Excellency intend for us to clash with Ursus?" Rhine asked calmly.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ze smiled again and said, "Whether or not we clash with Ursus is not a matter of whether I want to or not, but rather whether you need me to. Now that the message has been delivered, I'll take my leave."

As soon as he finished speaking, the mysterious man in the black robe stepped back, as if entering a vortex. His black robe spun rapidly, and his figure grew smaller and smaller until he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

After he disappeared, beams of light shot out from Rhine's battle suit, scanning all directions but finding no trace of him.

After confirming that the other party had left, the gentle expression on Rhine's face gradually disappeared.

He then went over and pulled the samurai sword stuck in the ground, ran his hand over it, and the arm armor on his hand emitted light to scan.

Unfortunately, there were no fingerprints on the katana.

Although the other party did not wear gloves, they did not leave any fingerprints or palm prints, giving them no chance to be tracked.

“This should be a Dongxia person,” Rhine said slowly. “After I said ‘learn from the barbarians to control the barbarians,’ he was silent for a moment, which means he knows that the ‘barbarians’ in this sentence refers to the barbarians outside of Dongxia. People who do not have a deep understanding of Dongxia culture will not understand this meaning.”

"The message that came before said that the team from Yujing Martial Arts University was defeated and the former chief Yun Shu escaped the secret realm in a sorry state. The person who defeated Yun Shu should be him."

The brief exchange was tinged with probing, and through her conversation with Bai Ze, Rhine gained a considerable amount of information.

Unfortunately, this information is not of any use for the time being.

For Rhine, the most crucial thing right now is the movement of Ursus.

Even knowing that Bai Ze might have ulterior motives, Rhine couldn't help but pay attention to Ursus's movements.

"Did Ursus send men to intercept our messenger? Are they planning to join forces with Dongxia?" Yagyu Sojiro speculated.

Clearly, Yagyu Sojiro had a strange misunderstanding.

Or rather, he fell into Bai Ze's linguistic trap.

Bai Ze was basically not lying, and the information he provided could all be verified.

For example, the murderer who killed these three people can be identified through the traces left in the surrounding area.

The Gunsword Knight's gun is very special, not only because of the special bullets, but also because of the special gun itself.

The loud bang when the firearms are fired is not from the explosion of gunpowder, but from the sound of special armor-piercing rounds breaking the sound barrier. Their firearms generate kinetic energy through the user's own strength, not from gunpowder.

With Western Union's technology, they could easily find this anomaly and confirm that Bai Ze was telling the truth.

However, the truth may not necessarily mislead others.

With the "Destruction Dragon of Dongxia" entering the Yingzhou Secret Realm, Ursus and Yingguo will definitely send people to inform the people inside.

In this situation, the intelligence itself is of little value, as it will be known to all parties.

However, if the messenger from Japan is killed, then the information that everyone else knew will be unknown to one side.

This creates room for creative ideas.

Yagyu Sojiro instinctively interpreted the Ursus people's actions as sinister. They had obtained intelligence and then deliberately killed the Japanese messenger, clearly intending to cover it up.

Perhaps the Ursus people have already cooperated with Bai Ze and are planning to launch a major attack on Yingguo.

A slight information gap is not very useful in itself, but with a little guidance, it is enough to make both sides wary.

Like dominoes, even a light touch on one can create a huge chain reaction.

That's what Yagyu Sojiro thought, and Rhein obviously had similar concerns.

Even though they knew the mysterious man in black robes was likely trying to sow discord, they still had no choice but to accept his challenge.

Because there's no need for any instigation between Yingguo... or rather, between the Western Alliance and Ursus behind Yingguo; the two sides are inherently on opposing sides.

"It was exposed too early. 'Adding unnecessary complications' is one of my least favorite idioms."

Rhine took a deep breath and said, "Let's go."

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Meanwhile, Bai Ze was on his way to the next film set.

His instigation on both sides has already stirred up both the Japanese and Ursus factions.

However, this alone is not enough to make the two sides take direct action.

We need a trigger point to ignite both sides.

Therefore, Bai Ze is currently heading to Qingyu Mountain.

'Now, Rhine should consider the possibility of a partnership between Bai Ze and the Ursus people.'

Bai Ze's figure flashed through the woods, his black robe disintegrating and reforming to reveal his true form.

Like Ursus, the Eastern Xia Federation will not allow the Western Alliance to have another divine enemy, even if it is only a possibility.

This provides a basis for cooperation between the two parties.

As he pondered, Bai Ze gradually approached the jade-like mountain. His speed slowly decreased, and finally, like a gentle breeze, he floated closer.

The "Mirror Flower Water Moon" technique alters all kinds of information, including breath, energy, smell, sight, and hearing.

"Roar--"

A tiger as tall as an adult walked by, with a tiger's body and an ox's tail, exuding a fierce aura. Its swishing tail was like steel shears, making a whooshing sound.

There is no trace of vegetation on Qingyu Mountain, but the mountain contains extremely rich primordial energy. Some people even suspect that it is a mountain formed from condensed primordial energy.

This mountain itself is a treasure trove of natural resources.

However, this also means that Qingyu Mountain is home to the most exotic beasts in the Yingzhou Secret Realm.

The mountain, over 3,000 meters high, has a complex internal structure and is said to harbor countless ferocious beasts. At its summit, there is a huge pool inhabited by many dragons and snakes.

Even if no seven-star level beasts appear in the Yingzhou Secret Realm, it will still deter many martial artists from entering.

Animals are much stronger than humans. A single warrior might be able to win in a fight by using his skills and resourcefulness, but if they gather in a group, they will become a bone that can break teeth.

However, this did not seem to be a major obstacle for Bai Ze.

Just as the strange beast with the body of a tiger and the tail of an ox was about to pass by, Bai Ze suddenly lifted himself up and landed on the tiger's back.

The sudden weight caused the tiger's fur to stand on end, and it was about to enter the spiny-backed dragon mode unique to felines, but then it suddenly stopped.

"Quiet."

"obey."

After two commands were given, the tiger-like beast transformed into Hakimi and stood obediently.

"Go into the mountains and find the strongest beast you know of," Bai Ze continued, issuing the order.

While there are no realm divisions for mythical beasts, they are still classified into star levels based on their strength.

In terms of strength, this beast is among the best in the four-star category and should hold a certain position in Qingyu Mountain.

Use it to find even stronger beasts, and keep searching until you find the lair of the Yamata no Orochi.

Compared to Ursus and the Western Alliance, Bai Ze has a much greater advantage in Qingyu Mountain.

Upon hearing the command that words could be followed by law, the tiger beneath him let out a low growl, accelerated, and galloped toward Qingyu Mountain.

Tiger follows the wind; this strange beast seems to have a special affinity with the wind element. Running swiftly, it soon arrived at the foot of the green mountain.

They did see some strange beasts along the way, but none of them dared to approach them due to the fierce wind from the tiger.

This tiger can roam freely in the forest, which means it has a dominant position in the area. Ordinary beasts dare not touch its whiskers.

The ferocious tiger, familiar with the area, found a small path and ran up it. After running about two hundred meters, it disappeared into a cave.

The cave was a maze of interconnected passages, with a bluish glow illuminating the darkness, and the jade-like walls faintly reflecting the shadow of a fierce tiger.

The concentration of vital energy in the surrounding area increased to a new level, almost forming a visible mist.

Even within the realm of mountains and seas, this concentration should be considered a treasure.

Upon reaching this point, the tiger subconsciously slowed its pace, its slightly hunched back revealing a sense of tension and vigilance.

Bai Ze's ears twitched slightly as he heard the sound of water droplets, and as the tiger continued to advance, the surrounding moisture gradually became denser.

"cracking--"

A clear, bird-like cry reached Bai Ze's ears, causing his gaze to flicker.

Upon hearing the voice, the tiger's fur stood on end again, but it continued forward at Bai Ze's command.

After turning a corner, the sound became clearer, and suddenly the view opened up, revealing a sizable pool of water in Bai Ze's eyes.

On the surface of the pool, a huge tiger's head is raised, but beneath the tiger's head is a body like a snake, covered with scales that look like fish scales rather than snake scales.

"Tiger dragon."

Bai Ze slowly revealed the name of this strange beast.

The reason why the Mountain and Sea Realm is named "Mountain and Sea Realm" is because many of the strange beasts in it are similar to the beasts recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

The strange beast before us is also recorded in the Luo Shu's database. It is a tiger-dragon, with a tiger's head, a fish's body, and a snake's tail. Its cry sounds like that of a mandarin duck, and it belongs to the jiao (dragon) category.

The largest group of beasts on Qingyu Mountain is the Jiaolong (a type of dragon), so finding this Tiger-Jiaolong means you've come to the right place.

A huge tiger head rose from the pool, staring menacingly at the tiger, its wide-open mouth emitting a fishy smell.

It seemed to be hungry.

So it followed its instincts and pounced on the prey.

"Five-colored divine light".

Five-colored beams of light also rose at the same time.

(End of this chapter)