Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 109 Dingxuan Prefecture

The Meteor Ship traveled through the vast and desolate seas, covering countless miles. Apart from the Evil Emperor and the Illusion Queen, no one knew where they were now.

Di Yi didn't pay attention to this issue. He spent his days practicing sword techniques with the Nine Nether Sword Saint and his nights studying the Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings, tempering his physical body, and digesting what he had learned during the day.

In the blink of an eye, the Meteor Ship had been flying over the desolate seas for three months.

On this day, the flying boat turned south and finally flew over land again, entering the wilderness.

On the deck, Emperor Yi unleashed the fifth level of Sword Two, Yin Yang Wuji, to clash with the Nine Nether Sword Saint. He was no longer helpless; on the contrary, he was able to withstand dozens of attacks without being defeated.

At the top of the Meteor Boat, the Illusionary Queen and the Evil Emperor stood side by side, with the Nine-Headed Qilin standing quietly to one side.

"Having traveled from the Eastern Regions into the Wilderness and flown around most of the Kunlun Realm, we have finally escaped the surveillance of the Heavenly Chess Game." The Evil Emperor was in high spirits, with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"Emperor Wen's spiritual power is no less than mine. With him in charge of the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform, monitoring the five regions and four seas of Kunlun Realm, the only way to get rid of him is through this clumsy method. Fortunately, the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform in the hands of the court is only a replica. If it were truly a divine artifact, even I would have no way to conceal the secrets of heaven," the Illusionary Queen said calmly.

The Heaven and Earth Chess Platform is one of the Four Treasures of Confucianism and Taoism, and is listed among the Ten Divine Artifacts in the legends of the Kunlun Realm.

Confucianism and Taoism have four founders who established the Taoist teachings, passed down the Four Books of Confucianism, and four instruments for achieving enlightenment, which are known as the Four Treasures of Confucianism and Taoism.

The First Patriarch of Confucianism entered the Dao through the zither and established his teachings with benevolence. He was the founder of the Dao and refined the Five-Tone Zither by correcting the five tones with the six musical scales.

The Second Confucian Ancestor entered the Dao through chess, prioritizing righteousness. His spiritual cultivation reached its peak, earning him the title of Ancestor. He was the most accomplished and highest-ranking of the Four Confucian Ancestors. He drew upon the stars and myriad principles of the universe to forge the [Heaven and Earth Chess Platform].

The third Confucian patriarch entered the Dao through calligraphy, disciplined himself with moral character, cultivated both martial arts and spiritual power, pioneered the martial path of Confucian and Daoist cultivators, nurtured a righteous spirit, remained upright and unyielding, and forged the Confucian and Daoist "Monument of Righteousness" with the righteous spirit in his heart.

The Fourth Confucian Ancestor attained enlightenment through painting, spreading virtue throughout the world. His spiritual power and martial arts skills were both remarkable. He integrated the essence of the previous three Confucian Ancestors' teachings and was the last Confucian Ancestor. His most treasured artifact, the Hunyuan Brush, is also listed as one of the Four Treasures of Confucianism and Taoism.

The Four Books and Four Treasures are the most precious inheritances and treasures of Confucianism and Taoism, with the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform being the highest in rank, ranking among the Ten Divine Artifacts.

After the establishment of the First Central Empire, Empress Chi Yao retrieved a replica of the Heaven and Earth Chessboard from the four schools of Confucianism and Taoism to monitor the world and keep track of the whereabouts of all the powerful beings in the Holy Realm.

The Evil Emperor and the Illusionary Empress are both Great Saints, and are the focus of the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform's surveillance. Naturally, they will have to put in a lot of effort to get rid of the surveillance.

“In one more day, we will be able to enter the Central Region of Nine Provinces. At that time, we will split up and act separately,” said the Illusion Queen.

"Let's proceed as planned," the Evil Emperor nodded.

As the two were talking, a powerful sword intent rose up from the deck below. Di Yi was enveloped in pure white sword energy, his body standing straight as a sword.

Around him, streaks of sword-shaped holy energy soared, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth.

After sparring with the Nine Nether Sword Saint for three months, he finally took the last step and comprehended the state of harmony between man and nature in swordsmanship.

……

The Central Region of Nine Provinces is the most prosperous of the five regions, gathering most of the ancient families, clans, and religions of the entire Kunlun Realm...

The experts in one state are enough to rival the heroes of the other four regions.

Compared to the four regions of the southeast, northwest, and southwest, the imperial court's rule over the central region was deeply entrenched. Disciples of the four schools of Confucianism and Taoism entered the court as officials, serving as governors and prefects. They were assisted by the Heavenly Kings and Domain Kings of the Ministry of War, along with the Taiji Dao and the Martial Market Bank. Only a few ancient forces, such as the Moon Worshiping Demon Sect and the Blood God Sect, could maintain their independence and were not completely controlled by the imperial court.

Dingxuan Prefecture is located in the northernmost part of the Central Region. Within its borders are Wushen Mountain, the sacred site of the Wushi Money Exchange, and Langhuan Heaven.

Eight hundred years ago, Dingxuan Prefecture was one of the three prefectures under the Holy Ming Central Empire, and was governed by Hongya, the eldest disciple of the Ming Emperor.

After Emperor Ming disappeared, the Xue Dynasty led a large army to attack Dingxuan Prefecture. They fought a battle with Hongya at the foot of Yinzang Mountain and killed him. They then captured Dingxuan Prefecture and within seven days slaughtered the three million soldiers and 170,000 officials of the Holy Ming Central Empire.

After Empress Chi Yao established the First Central Empire, Xue Wangchao was enfeoffed as the King of Dingxuan, and his fief was located in Dingxuan Prefecture.

The Xue family, like the Chen family of the Eastern Region Holy King's Mansion, is a founding family with the right to inherit the title of Heavenly King without fail, sharing the fate of the nation.

Since the rise of the Chaos Army Lord, King Dingxuan has relinquished some of the military power of the Ministry of War. Over the past few hundred years, the Ministry of War has been filled with talented individuals, with figures such as the Fighting Heavenly King, the Killing King, and the Soaring Heavenly King rising to prominence one after another. Although Xue Chaowang still holds the title of Minister of War, he rarely appears in the central imperial city anymore, instead staying in Dingxuan Prefecture to devote himself to the Holy Path.

After entering the Central Region, the group dispersed, with the Illusion Queen and the Evil Emperor departing one after the other.

Outside Dingxuan Prefecture, Di Yi appeared at the city gate along with the Nine-Headed Qilin and the Nine Nether Sword Saint.

As the capital of a prefecture, Dingxuan City is magnificent, stretching for tens of thousands of miles, and its inhabitants number in the hundreds of millions. The city walls are hundreds of feet high, covered with the marks of time, standing there for countless years.

The city gate was 36 zhang high and 54 zhang wide, bustling with activity. Among the people coming and going were martial arts legends of the Heavenly Realm and martial arts cultivators of the Fish-Dragon Realm, and occasionally even half-saints could be seen.

The Nine-Headed Qilin changed into a wealthy merchant's attire, adorned with jewels, resembling a tycoon, while the Nine Nether Sword Saint looked like an old servant.

"In the Central Region of the Nine Provinces, the imperial court's influence is too great. The black market here is hampered at every turn, suppressed by the Taiji Dao, the Martial Market Bank, and the Moon Worshiping Demonic Sect. The Central Region is full of powerful figures, yet its black market is the weakest among the five regions. The Xue family has always acted domineeringly, and the black market in Dingxuan Prefecture is also considered inferior in the Central Region of the Nine Provinces. Currently, it doesn't even have a single Qi Refining expert." The Nine-Headed Qilin's voice was deep.

As soon as he finished speaking, a fat, middle-aged man with big ears and jewels walked out from the bustling crowd outside the city gate. He jogged forward, gave a slightly obsequious smile, and bowed to the nine-headed unicorn: "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Grand Steward. Dingxuan Prefecture City is not like the Eastern Region. The black market is here, and it still depends on the imperial court and the Xue family for survival."

The obese middle-aged man was the head of the black market in Dingxuan Prefecture. Although the Nine-Headed Qilin commented that his cultivation was not up to par, the fact that he could manage the black market of a prefecture meant that his cultivation was certainly not ordinary and could not be compared with ordinary saints.

"Let's go, I want to go into the city and see just how domineering the Xue family is." The nine-headed Qilin snorted coldly and strode towards the city gate.

The city of Dingxuan was bustling with activity, and the streets were very wide, several dozen feet long, paved with bluestone. The shops along the street sold not ordinary people's goods, but various resources needed by martial artists.

In ordinary cities, one needs to go to the martial arts market to buy the resources needed for martial arts cultivation, but Dingxuan City is like a huge martial arts market, and almost everyone in the city has martial arts cultivation.

Emperor Yi couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of the Nine Provinces of the Central Region, even the capital of just one province is as prosperous as the Holy City of the Eastern Region. How magnificent must the Central Imperial City be?"

The head of the black market in Dingxuan Prefecture was named Xu Sanjin. Unlike the other black market saints that Di Yi usually encountered, this wealthy-looking saint was very polite to him.

"Haha, the capital cities of the Nine Provinces in the Central Region have existed since the Middle Ages, for over 100,000 years. In comparison, the Central Imperial City was rebuilt by the Ministry of Works under the order of Empress Chi Yao. Although it is vast in area, in terms of its foundation, it may not be comparable to the capital cities of the Nine Provinces."

“If you are interested in the city, young man, I can have my disciple show you around. She is a famous beauty in Dingxuan Prefecture, and is known as one of the ‘Ten Beauties of Dingxuan Prefecture’.”

Although Di Yi was the young master of the First-Class Hall of the Eastern Region Black Market, he was still somewhat flattered by the Saint's words.

"Manager, you're too kind. I'm just here with you two seniors to broaden my horizons."

"Hey, young brother, you're too kind. Why call me 'Big Manager'? You're the young master of the First-Class Hall in the Eastern Region's Black Market, with a status equivalent to the Saints. I've heard about your reaching the Supreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm in the Central Region as well. If you think highly of me, Xu Sanjin, just call me 'Brother'." Xu Sanjin said, feigning anger.

Di Yi smiled helplessly, unsure how much of what he said was true or false, but he figured it was mostly because of the Nine-Headed Qilin.

"Since the head manager has said so, if Di Yi refuses again, he would be ungrateful. I greet Brother Xu."

"Haha, Brother Di Yi, you're too kind. It's rare for you to come to Dingxuan Prefecture, so I must do my best to be a good host." Xu Sanjin laughed, and then tried to pull him to meet the female disciple who was one of the "Ten Beauties of Dingxuan Prefecture".

Emperor Yi looked helplessly at the nine-headed Qilin.

The nine-headed Qilin laughed and said, "You can't interfere with what we're doing. Since you're here in Dingxuan Prefecture, you should experience the local customs and culture."

Emperor Yi smiled bitterly, but in his heart he made a guess. The Illusionary Empress, the Evil Emperor, and the Nine-Headed Qilin were all big figures in the evil sects of the Kunlun Realm. For them to go to such lengths and travel a long way through the wilderness to quietly arrive in the Central Region, what they were doing must be extraordinary.

Dingxuan Prefecture is the territory of the Xue family, so Di Yi couldn't help but associate the purpose of this trip with the ruler of Dingxuan Prefecture, King Xue Wang.

"Did Master and the Evil Emperor come to the Central Region for the Xue Dynasty? Could it be to avenge Eighth Senior Sister?"

"With Master's cultivation level, if he wanted to avenge Eighth Senior Sister, he should have done it five hundred years ago. Is it because he fears Empress Chi Yao, or Emperor Wen?"

Di Yi pondered, but couldn't quite make sense of it for a moment.

Five hundred years ago, if the Empress Huan wanted to kill the Xue Dynasty, Chi Yao might not have been able to stop her. But five hundred years later, the fact that Empress Chi Yao is invincible in Kunlun has become a consensus among the people.

Five hundred years ago, she chose not to take action, but now she is taking action. Does this mean that Empress Huan is confident in dealing with Emperor Wen, Empress Chi Yao, and the great saints of the court at the same time?

Previously, the Illusion Queen did not come to Dingxuan Prefecture, but went towards the central imperial city. The Evil Emperor did come to Dingxuan Prefecture, but after entering Dingxuan Prefecture, he left alone and disappeared without a trace.

Instead, the Nine-Headed Qilin and the Nine Nether Sword Saint brought him to Dingxuan Prefecture City in a grand manner.

If the Xue Dynasty was truly to be killed, it should have been the Empress and the Evil Emperor who worked together, stormed into the Dingxuan Prince's Mansion, and killed them before Empress Chi Yao and Emperor Wen could react.

There are likely some untold secrets behind this.

(End of this chapter)