In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

But now this 'escaped one' is right before his eyes, beyond the control of any destiny. Even facing this 'escaped one,' he is powerless.

"but···"

Getting the Zhang family to intervene is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

The Zhang family, ostensibly businessmen, did not engage in speculative trading and clearly did not wish to get involved in this chaotic situation, nor did they want to meddle in the affairs of the martial arts world.

It's easy to exploit the Zhang family's weaknesses because the Zhang family is too large to be all-encompassing.

However, if someone's methods backfire, even the Grand Marshal would be wary.

Six years ago, Zhang Xiaoshan already possessed strength that was almost enough to rival him.

He recently went into seclusion to break through a bottleneck, and it seems he has entered a new realm; even he isn't entirely confident...

Moreover, this young master Zhang is extremely lucky, possessing numerous treasures, including dragon balls, divine weapons, and exotic beasts—he has it all.

Following the actions of the Bad People, even Emperor Wu received the news.

The Bad Guys are not completely hidden. Among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals, there are many well-known masters who are famous in the martial arts world.

Upon receiving the news, they all converged on the Hidden Soldier Valley.

"Bad guy!"

The Bad Guys are the Bad Guys of the Li Tang dynasty.

After Emperor Wu came to power, he established his own Plum Blossom Guard, replacing the Bad People.

However, Emperor Wu knew that the Bad Guys were Grandmaster-level figures, so the disbandment of the Bad Guys back then was actually just a way of waiting for a wise ruler to appear in the Tang Dynasty.

She had been searching for the whereabouts of the Bad Commander, but to no avail.

The fact that the Bad Guys have suddenly shown signs of wanting to act is clearly not a good sign.

We face powerful enemies abroad and internal troubles.

One wrong step and you're plunged into an abyss.

"The Bad Commander has clearly been unable to hold back any longer with this move."

Wan'er!

"His Majesty!"

Looking at Shangguan Wan'er, a hint of kindness appeared on his face.

Because Shangguan Wan'er grew up in the palace and the Plum Blossom Guard had already been established at that time, Emperor Wu was not worried about Shangguan Wan'er's identity.

Even though she came from a family of historians, Shangguan Wan'er was still quite young and naive when she entered the palace.

"The Bad Guys have already made their move. Go and investigate their intentions!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The Bad Guys gathered, and by following the clues, Emperor Wu's fear of them surpassed that of any other aristocratic family.

"No need, I'm already here!"

boom!

Suddenly, the palace gates swung open, and a figure in black robes and a bamboo hat slowly walked into view of Shangguan Wan'er and Emperor Wu.

"Your humble servant, the Commander of the Unruly Army, greets Empress Wu."

"Be bold!"

Just as Shangguan Wan'er was about to scold and berate him, Emperor Wu waved his hand, stopping her from getting angry.

Because Emperor Wu was well aware of the formidable nature of the Bad People, and moreover, the reason she completely disbanded the Bad People back then was because they refused to acknowledge her imperial throne, which was why Emperor Wu had no choice but to disband them.

　2.0 After all, the Bad Guys' influence, which had been infiltrated for hundreds of years, was like the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Ming Dynasty, passed down from generation to generation.

The Eastern Depot and Hulong Manor may be superior to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but they can never replace it.

"What brings you here, Commander Bu?"

"Your Majesty, I have discerned the secrets of Heaven and now know who the chosen one is to end this chaotic era. I have come to inform you!"

"Who?"

Even the Martial Emperor instantly became sharp-tongued, his gaze fixed intently on the Bad Commander.

"Qin Shi Huang Zheng!"

Hiss...

Since Qin Shi Huang was the chosen one, he had no advantage and no chance to suppress Wu Tang.

Because Qin Shi Huang was a true dragon, not a hidden dragon.

"Sure?"

"The momentum of the Northwest Greedy Wolf and Broken Army stars has been established, and the unusual movement of the Purple Star has already proven this!"

Emperor Wu believed in the judgment of the Bad Guys Commander, and with the information from the Bad Guys, it seemed that the matter was already settled.

Destiny?

The lower one's status, the less they believe in it, because they all want to defy fate and change their destiny.

Those in high positions know more, and therefore understand that this thing is not truly ethereal, but rather an arrangement from the unseen realm.

"However, there is someone who can break this deadlock, and they are currently in the capital!"

Chapter 521 Preemptive Strike: The Zhang Family's Donation

"What a rare guest!"

In another courtyard.

Zhang Xiaoshan, who was instructing the women on swordsmanship, suddenly looked up at a hundred feet away, his eyes showing surprise.

Then, with a swift movement, he headed towards the riverbank.

At his level, a hundred feet away is not a long distance; he can reach it in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, Xuan Nu also noticed the two grandmasters in the distance. A hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes, but she didn't say anything more.

Although the two Grandmasters were terrifying, Zhang Xiaoshan's abilities were undoubtedly even more terrifying.

Moreover, with two grandmasters coming to her door, she must stay here to prevent them from being lured away.

"What rare guests! I never expected that His Majesty and Senior would visit at the same time!"

Three people stood on the Luo River, gliding on the water.

Such terrifying methods would leave anyone who witnessed them utterly horrified.

Moreover, this is also a standard for testing strength. Zhang Xiaoshan and the Bad Commander were able to walk on flat ground without any waves under their feet.

The Empress, on the other hand, relied on her Dao Heart Demon Seed at the Great Completion Realm to stand on water with unparalleled spiritual power, making her far inferior to the two.

Let alone a few days, they might not even be able to endure it for half an hour.

Even the Grand Marshal was horrified when he saw Zhang Xiaoshan's cultivation level, which was no less than his own.

"Congratulations, young master, on your breakthrough!"

"You flatter me, senior. I have only achieved some success."

Zhang Xiaoshan suddenly tapped his foot, and an icy chill instantly swept across the river.

To the Empress's horror, the water surface within a radius of twenty or thirty feet suddenly froze, becoming the three people's foothold.

Undoubtedly, Zhang Xiaoshan was giving him a lot of face.

The Empress was, after all, the ruler of the Wu Tang Empire, not a ruthless and vicious martial arts practitioner.

"Pure Yin True Qi!"

"Pure Yang, pure Yin... it seems you have grasped the secrets of creation and transformation."

Who is the Bad Marshal?

Naturally, it is clear that to condense these two mysterious true energies, one must have cultivated one's own true energies to the level of extreme yin and extreme cold, and extreme yang and extreme purity.

Moreover, it's not just any ordinary level; it requires a perfect harmony between the two.

"The Pure Yang Limitless Skill and Nine Yin Divine Skill created by Zhang are divided into twelve levels:"

Tenth level: Pure Yang/Pure Yin Grandmaster; Eleventh level: Condensed Primordial Spirit; Great Completion: Primordial Spirit Astral Projection; This time, Zhang was fortunate enough to break through to the twelfth level during his seclusion, reaching the realm of Shattering the Void!

The Bad Commander nodded without the slightest doubt.

Given Zhang Xiaoshan's extraordinary talent, it would be strange if he didn't create and improve upon his own cultivation method.

When he last met Zhang Xiaoshan at the Gates of Hell, he sensed that Zhang Xiaoshan posed a considerable threat to him, far exceeding that of ordinary grandmasters.

I heard he's broken through to a higher realm again after his seclusion; reaching an even higher level shouldn't be a problem.

After all, Zhang Xiaoshan is the 'one who has escaped', so we can't use common sense to speculate about him.

If Zhang Xiaoshan hadn't grown up, he would have been completely at Zhang Xiaoshan's mercy. Moreover, with the methods of the Bad Commander, even those who fled would never escape his grasp.

Now things are different; the Zhang family has the power to destroy everyone involved.

Emperor Wu, needless to say, was utterly horrified.

Her realm was that of a Grandmaster of the Tenth Level of Pure Yang and Pure Yin.

She was at the eleventh level of the Primordial Spirit realm, and the Primordial Spirit was a higher level of spiritual power. She knew this best about cultivating the Dao Heart Demon Seed.

Moreover, this is the peak realm of the Dao Heart Demon Seed. Even after cultivating the Dao Heart Demon Seed for decades, she has only just touched the threshold. She doesn't know how long it will take to break through and condense her primordial spirit, and she may even never have hope for it in her lifetime.

The realm of 12th level of shattering the void is a legendary realm, the highest level for thousands of years.

"Young Master Zhang is exceptionally talented, I admire him greatly, congratulations on achieving the realm of the celestial being."

After calming down, the Empress also bowed respectfully.

The Celestial Realm is already equivalent to a terrestrial immortal, so even if Zhang Xiaoshan wanted to shatter the void, it shouldn't be a problem.

Emperor Wu was well aware that he could not afford to offend such a transcendent being.

"Your Majesty is too kind. I see that Your Majesty is about to break through to the Nascent Soul realm. I have nothing good to give you, so I will present you with this eleventh level cultivation method."

Zhang Xiaoshan suddenly pressed his fingers together and wrote a profound and mysterious mental cultivation method on the ice.

Although it was something that would be destroyed in a short time, it was an absolute treasure to both Emperor Wu and the Bad Commander.

Even the notorious leader couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

What a fine young man from the Zhang family!

The young man was mature beyond his years; with just a single mental cultivation technique, he neutralized all their previous offensives.

You must know that the Zhang family has a foothold in the capital, and they are, after all, citizens of the Wu Tang Dynasty.

In ancient times, corvée labor was unavoidable. Even if the Zhang family could pay money to avoid trouble, they still made huge contributions to the Wu Tang Empire every year.

But a ruler is a ruler, a minister is a minister, and a commoner is a commoner!

Therefore, if they were to appeal to the greater good, they might be able to force the Zhang family to submit. The mere fact that Wu Tang took the Zhang family in would be a great favor.

But now...

One mental cultivation method completely smoothed out all these causes and effects.

After all, how precious is the cultivation method that can condense the primordial spirit and even allow the primordial spirit to leave the body?

Whether he was the leader of the Bad Guys or the Martial Emperor, he knew it all too well.

Conversely, Emperor Wu also owed Zhang Xiaoshan a favor.

Even if the Bad Commander doesn't acknowledge Emperor Wu's status, the very act of addressing him as "your subject" signifies his divine mandate.

"Thank you very much, Young Master Zhang!"

Emperor Wu memorized the mental technique and was extremely amazed.

This is a pure Taoist mental cultivation method. Compared to the extreme mental cultivation method of planting demons in the Taoist heart, it is not only safer, but also the condensed primordial spirit will not have any drawbacks.

For example, when Zhang Xiaoshan and Princess Taiping cultivated together, Zhang Xiaoshan was able to discover the Queen Mother of the West's 'divine power', while Princess Taiping always thought it was the result of dual cultivation. This is the huge difference between the two primordial spirits.

However, another reason is that Princess Taiping had just been promoted to Grandmaster and was not familiar with the primordial spirit.