In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 438 King of Zhen, Zhu Qiyang

The white jade bead between his fingers continued to spin, slowly and steadily, as if even the sound of the wind in the hall followed his rhythm.

The mask concealed his expression, but his condescending arrogance overflowed from his words without any attempt to hide it.

"I never make 'safe' deals, because I've known since I was a child that safety can only preserve the status quo, and in the end, preserving the status quo is nothing more than prolonging one's life."

At this point, Zhu Houzhao suddenly changed the subject, the casualness in his tone fading away to reveal the hidden sharpness and ambition beneath, like a glint of cold light as a knife is drawn from its sheath:
"If you can guess my next plan, you can also guess what the situation will be if it succeeds."

"The Azure Dragon Society is the blade, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is the eyes, Shaolin and Wudang are sealed off, and the martial arts world is unified and brought under the control of the imperial court. The martial arts of the Great Wei will no longer fight individually, but will be used for the country."

"Once we cut off the path of the Great Yuan martial arts, we will force their experts at the Celestial Realm to come out. If they do not come out, the country will surely decline; if they do come out, we will decide the fate of the world in one battle."

Zhu Houzhao's voice was not loud at this point, but it carried an undeniable power:

"At that time, the land of Kyushu will no longer be divided into three kingdoms."

He flipped his palm over, and the two white jade beads rolled between his fingers, like two chess pieces he casually played with.

"The Great Wei will only become the dominant power."

"Even, to unify the nine provinces."

"Risk and opportunity always coexist. Young Master Gu is a martial artist, a person of the Jianghu, and he is afraid of danger. Therefore, the Jianghu is your home and your world. But for me, I am not afraid of danger, so I can hold the entire world in my hands."

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Houzhao's sharpness, which had just been displayed, returned to his previous languid state.

"Moreover, regardless of whether the information you gave me is true or not, even if it is true, it only proves one thing: Bai Xiaosheng wants to use me."

"But Young Master Gu thinks that I am also using Bai Xiaosheng, aren't I?"

He raised his hand, and the jade beads clasped together in his palm, making a soft sound, like a chess piece being dropped.

"You said he wanted to use the mutual destruction of the Great Wei and the Great Yuan so that the Great Sui could reap the benefits."

"can."

Zhu Houzhao said calmly, "As long as I am willing, anyone in the world can use my power."

"The premise for leveraging power is that the power is in my hands. If I want to give it to him, he can use it; if I don't want to give it to him, I can cut it off as soon as he reaches out."

This statement was made calmly, as if it were stating an ordinary fact.

Gu Shaoan's gaze darkened slightly: "Aren't you afraid of him turning against you?"

Zhu Houzhao seemed to have anticipated this statement. He lowered his gaze slightly behind the mask, and his voice carried an air of unquestionable authority.

"Backlash?"

"Since I knew he was a Sui dynasty person, why did I let him get to this point? What do you think I relied on? Luck? Or was it because I was too soft-hearted?"

He paused, then his tone suddenly became colder and more direct:

"What I rely on is that I can withstand all his actions."

"He dares to jump out and intercept my celestial being? That means he has the manpower and the confidence to do so."

“That would be even better, because once he makes a move, the connections and the people behind him will naturally come to light.”

"When something surfaces, it is no longer a threat, but prey."

As Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, his tone returned to its usual relaxed and casual manner.

"It seems that Young Master Gu's deal is not going to go through."

As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao lightly tapped the armrest with his fingertips, his voice clearly carrying a hint of mockery.

Looking at Zhu Houzhao, who was now incredibly confident, Gu Shaoan's eyes narrowed involuntarily.

If Gu Shaoan previously thought that Zhu Houzhao might have become somewhat arrogant after entering the Celestial Realm, then...

Now, looking at Zhu Houzhao's bright and piercing eyes, Gu Shaoan vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

The current Zhu Houzhao feels very similar to the Zhu Houzhao whose mind was affected last time, but there are also some differences.

Even though Zhu Houzhao's mind was affected last time, he only showed suspicion and his words were almost always a test.

At this time, Zhu Houzhao gave people the feeling of almost arrogant self-confidence.

A few breaths later, Gu Shaoan slightly lifted the toes of his right foot that was on the ground, and then lowered it.

The moment his toes touched the ground again, a wisp of translucent, chilling sword energy appeared out of thin air a foot in front of Zhu Houzhao and shot towards his right shoulder.

The sword energy appeared so abruptly that neither Cao Zhengchun behind Zhu Houzhao nor the woman with her face veiled by snow-white gauze had time to react.

Just as the sword energy tore through the air and was less than three feet away from Zhu Houzhao, a cold snort suddenly came from Zhu Houzhao's mouth.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of powerful internal energy blocked the wisp of sword energy.

As Gu Shaoan sensed the aura of vital energy within Zhu Houzhao's body, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Then, looking calmly at the person opposite him, he said, "You are not Zhu Houzhao."

Gu Shaoan knew perfectly well how Zhu Houzhao had advanced to the Celestial Realm.

Because he knew this, Gu Shaoan could conclude that with the Absorption Technique and his bottomless inner strength, once Zhu Houzhao entered the Celestial Realm, his strength would definitely surpass that of Tu Baichuan.

Even so, given that he was caught completely off guard, Zhu Houzhao couldn't have easily used his internal energy to block that wisp of sword energy. Moreover, the internal energy aura within the person opposite him was entirely different from that of Zhu Houzhao's "Absorption Technique."

Upon hearing this, both Cao Zhengchun and the woman with the snow-white veil on her face changed their expressions, and their gazes fell on Zhu Houzhao.

Hehe~

The laughter came from behind the mask, carrying an indescribable playfulness and contempt, as if Gu Shaoan's sword aura just now was not a test, but a funny trick.

Zhu Houzhao slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Gu Shaoan, as if he were re-examining an object.

"You really are just like that kid said, bold and meticulous."

The languidness in his voice was gone, replaced by a cold, authoritative tone that suggested someone who had long held a superior position and whose word was law. Even the shifts in his tone carried a seasoned air.

“These days, my identity has changed.”

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Cao Zhengchun and the woman with her face veiled behind him. His smile deepened, but grew colder.
"Even those two good-for-nothings didn't notice."

"I never expected that an outsider like you would see through it."

As he finished speaking, he raised his right hand and gently hooked his knuckles.

The mask covering his face looked as if he had casually peeled off a layer of skin, removed it without a care, and tossed it onto the table beside him.

"despair."

The mask fell to the table with a soft sound, yet it was like a muffled bell tolling in a grand hall.

The light slanted in from the palace door, illuminating his true face.

It was a face that was even thinner and more angular than Zhu Houzhao's, with slightly higher brow bones, deeper eye sockets, and eyes as dark as the cold water at the bottom of a well.

In particular, the contours of his face, cheekbones, and jawline are almost identical to those of Zhu Houzhao.

If Zhu Houzhao's appearance still retained some youthful spirit and sharp edge, then the person before him had honed that sharpness into cold iron beneath the blade—not dazzling, but even more deadly.

A mere 50% resemblance is enough to fool the eye.

Especially the bone structure of that face, it's almost as if it were made from the same mold.

Even though he looked to be over forty years old, the bronze mask concealed his face, making it difficult to identify him as a man, as only his mouth was visible.

The woman, her face veiled by snow, paused almost imperceptibly in her breathing, her eyes trembled violently, as if she had remembered something from the past, and she involuntarily took a half-inch back.

The moment Cao Zhengchun saw this face clearly, he was struck dumb.

The next instant, he suddenly knelt down, his forehead slamming heavily against the palace bricks. His voice was high-pitched and trembling, yet filled with absolute fear and awe:

"This servant greets the King of the Town."

Upon hearing the title "King of Zhen," Gu Shaoan knew perfectly well who the other person was.

It was Zhu Houzhao's great-grandfather, the strongest Celestial Realm expert in the current royal family, the King of Zhen, Zhu Qiyang.

Zhu Qiyang remained unmoved by Cao Zhengchun's bow, merely giving a faint "hmm".

His gaze returned to Gu Shaoan, a slight, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.

"Since you can hear the difference in the aura of the Qi, you should also understand that Zhu Houzhao's Heavenly Realm is just a new shell, built up by piling it up."

"But my strength was honed in blood, in swords, and in the mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the imperial court."

Do you think I'm afraid of Bai Xiaosheng?

He gently raised his palm, and the qi in his palm silently condensed. The air in the hall seemed to be compressed by an invisible force, and even the candlelight dimmed slightly.

To be honest, Gu Shaoan really didn't expect things to turn out this way today.

They thought it was Zhu Houzhao who came, but it turned out to be Zhu Qiyang.

But after learning the other person's identity, Gu Shaoan understood why the other person gave him a completely different feeling than Zhu Houzhao.

After understanding the situation, Gu Shaoan calmly said, "I am foolish and do not understand the purpose of the Prince of Zhen's actions today."

When asked by Gu Shaoan, Zhu Qiyang replied casually, "I didn't have any particular purpose. I just felt like it, so I came out for a walk and took the opportunity to see the once-in-a-century prodigy of my great Wei Kingdom."

Gu Shaoan spoke up: "Now that the King of Zhen has seen it, is there anything else?"

Zhu Qiyang leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "Being able to investigate Bai Xiaosheng's identity and plans, and even being able to tell him on your own initiative, just for that alone, I have a pretty good impression of you. Tell me! What do you want?"

In response to Zhu Qiyang's question, Gu Shaoan said, "After the Azure Dragon Society re-emerged, it needs to make an example of someone. The Heavenly Dragon Gate has some history with me, so I hope that the Azure Dragon Society's blade will not be pointed at the Heavenly Dragon Gate."

Zhu Qiyang said nonchalantly, "The Heavenly Dragon Sect is a first-rate power that exists in name only, so it's not a big deal."

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Qiyang changed the subject: "As long as the Tianlong Sect obediently listens, the imperial court will naturally not lower itself to make things difficult for a mere Tianlong Sect."

Gu Shaoan nodded and said, "In that case, thank you very much, King Zhen."

Zhu Qiyang suddenly chuckled.

"Don't thank me yet. Your matter is settled. Now, let's talk about something else."

(End of this chapter)