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

"Although the Empress of Yin has never seen the Evil Emperor's relic, there should be specific records within the Holy Sect. We can just make a fake one and switch it out with the real one."

It sounds simple, but Zhu Yuyan knows that doing it is not so simple.

The Evil Emperor's Relic is a collection of the essence of successive Evil Emperors, so it's not easy to create a convincing replica in a short time.

However, considering the Zhang family behind the 'Queen Mother of the West', this doesn't seem to be a problem for them.

"Or perhaps we can temporarily hand the items over to the Net, and then the Evil King can intercept and kill the people from the Net!"

After all, Zhao Gao of the Luo Wang organization wouldn't personally intervene; with the Evil King's strength, he could easily be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole's cunning.

"Shi Zhixuan? Your Highness, are you sure this isn't a case of throwing good money after bad, with no chance of return!"

The Queen Mother of the West looked at the 'Queen Mother of the West' with a mocking gaze, but the 'Queen Mother of the West' continued to chuckle:

"When has the Zhang family ever done anything without being certain? I can offer something that will make the Evil King compromise."

The relics of the Evil Emperor are extremely yin and evil, and are not suitable for the Evil King.

On the contrary, the legendary relics of the Living Buddha are of the purest and most authentic nature, making them the most suitable treasure for the evil king.

After all, the Evil King had once been a disciple of Buddhism, thus embodying both the Buddhist and demonic paths.

The Buddhist empowerment within the Living Buddha's relics can greatly increase the probability of the Evil King's advancement to Grandmaster. As for the demonic nature of the Evil Emperor's relics, I believe neither the Empress nor the Evil King fully understands its terrifying implications!

Relics of a Living Buddha?

Only then did Empress Yin remember that the Zhang family had another treasure—the Living Buddha's relic!

If the Evil Emperor's Relic is the essence of the Holy Sect's Evil Emperor, then the Living Buddha's Relic is the embodiment of the Living Buddha's enlightenment of Buddhism.

One is the condensation of true essence, the other is the illumination of Buddhist teachings!

Undoubtedly, what the evil king with a split personality needs most now is the relic of a living Buddha.

As for the demonic nature of the Evil Emperor's Relic, although it can still help the Evil King, it will undoubtedly lead to extremes and be influenced by the demonic nature.

"Shi Zhixuan would certainly not refuse this condition."

But what does my Holy Gate need to give in return? I don't believe Your Highness would be so hypocritical.

"My purpose in wanting the Demonic Sect should be quite clear."

"At that time, I will single-handedly suppress the Saint Buddha Stone Pavilion and the senior who has advanced to Demon Lord. Then, becoming the Evil Emperor, the head of the Holy Gate, should be no problem."

"Such arrogance! In that case, let's make this gentleman's agreement!"

This is an opportunity for the Holy Sect to flourish. When Shi Zhixuan is promoted to Saint Buddha, and the Empress Yin becomes Demon Lord, along with an Evil Emperor, what force, apart from the Zhang family and the Golden-Faced Buddha, can rival their Holy Sect?

Therefore, the Empress Dowager still acknowledged this gentleman's agreement.

Moreover, the Zhang family is behind the 'Queen Mother of the West', so under this general trend, the Queen Mother of the Underworld is not someone who doesn't know when to back down.

If you gain something, you naturally have to give something in return.

Moreover, this opportune moment to greatly promote the Holy Sect would be extremely beneficial for Empress Zhu Yuyan as well.

Chapter 592 The Shock Brought by Top-Tier Seafood in Xianyang

Go upstream along the Wei River and enter Guanzhong.

It took the Zhang family another month to reach their destination!

The three-month period was just right.

Zhang Xiaoshan wasn't being arrogant; without steam power, the journey upstream would have taken at least half a year, and arriving just in time was already the greatest effort he could muster.

After all, Qin Huangzheng had been paying close attention to the supplies brought by the Zhang family, but they were the main characters in this grand feast.

"Zhao Gao greets Young Master Zhang!"

At the Xianyang dock, Zhao Gao, having received the news, was already waiting.

The grand banquet is about to begin, and the ingredients for the Great Harmony Banquet are of utmost importance, allowing no room for carelessness.

Therefore, Qin Huangzheng did not say anything because Zhang Xiaoshan personally escorted him.

After all, if something goes wrong, it won't just be a matter of time before it's shipped from East China Sea again.

If it weren't for the sheer quantity and the fact that they were frozen, they would have been sent by express courier long ago.

"Lord Zhao, you have been waiting for a long time."

"There are still three days left. Thank you for your hard work, young master."

Zhang Xiaoshan looked at Zhao Gao with a smile. He knew Zhao Gao's mindset at this moment, and without any hesitation, he ordered his men to start unloading the goods.

These are all ice blocks in a transformed state, and wearing leather clothing insulates them from the cold.

One carriage after another was loaded, but even though Zhao Gao had prepared hundreds of carriages, he couldn't even unload one-fifth of them, so he had to requisition carriages from Xianyang City again.

"These can be stored in a freezer for a month or two."

If used, a top-tier expert only needs to use their innate true qi to dispel the nine yin cold qi on it, and it will naturally thaw.

"Thank you for your advice, sir!"

He naturally knew that what was above was Xuanbing, a technique that only a peerless grandmaster could unleash.

After all, seafood is all about freshness, and sea transport allows for water changes in the morning and evening to keep it fresh.

Once on land, they can basically only be kept fresh by freezing.

Ordinary ice cannot be transported directly here; only experts with this kind of profound yin and cold energy can keep it as fresh as possible.

Even during the hottest days of summer, the streets of Xianyang were still cool.

After all, with carriages laden with Xuanbing (a type of ice-based beverage) passing by, it was impossible not to feel cool. They also witnessed the enormous quantity of seafood within the palace.

"Zhang family!"

Inside both restaurants, many elegantly dressed people had their eyes gleaming.

They naturally knew that the main event was the Great Harmony Feast, and seafood made up at least a third of the meal, since many kinds of seafood were rare and top-quality delicacies.

Moreover, most of the seafood served at the Great Harmony Banquet was seafood they had never seen before.

The difference between the Great Harmony Banquet of the World and the Great Harmony Banquet of the Nine Provinces is that one draws inspiration from the Nine Provinces, while the other draws inspiration from the whole world!

"Lord Wei Zhuang, the Zhang family has prepared quite a few good things this time."

There were at least three octopuses weighing tens of thousands of kilograms each, with tentacles at least five zhang (approximately 10 meters) long; hundreds of fish nearly two zhang (approximately 6 meters) long, and more than a dozen over three zhang (approximately 10 meters) long; and also large, red, and exceptionally ferocious-looking prawns…

I wonder what secrets lie hidden in that unfathomable ocean, and how the Zhang family managed to conquer that incredibly dangerous sea.

"This may be the Zhang family's biggest secret."

Wei Zhuang watched the convoy below, which continued to bring frozen seafood into Xianyang Palace. As a successor of the Guigu School of Diplomacy, how could he not be curious?

However, the Zhang family was too mysterious, and their defenses were completely flawless.

Even though the Jade Kirin could transform into countless forms, he knew that once it entered the core of the Zhang family, it would surely die.

After all, no matter how miraculous the transformation technique of the Jade Kirin is, it is ultimately only superficial. And how could the Zhang family, whose members have undergone layers of screening, not have mastered other special methods to distinguish their identities?

Besides, they were isolated and helpless at sea.

Even if Bai Feng couldn't find any evidence against the Zhang family, there would be no possibility of him supporting Mo Yu Qilin.

···

"It's the Zhang family again!"

At least the Quicksand organization was exonerated, having wiped out hundreds of thousands of cavalry in the northern frontier. Qin Shi Huang directly canceled the arrest warrant for Quicksand.

After all, the Later Zhou Empire bore indirect responsibility for its conquest of the Ming Dynasty and the deployment of heavy troops at nine passes.

But the Mohists were different; they remained a key target of the empire's wanted list.

Originally, the Mo family came to cause trouble, but seeing the Zhang family's supplies and thinking of the legendary Great Banquet of the Nine Provinces, they were filled with resentment.

If the Empire and the Zhang family join forces, the problem of Jue Shi will be extremely difficult to solve.

"Alright, big iron hammer."

The Zhang family are businessmen who believe in the principle of harmony. As long as we don't provoke them, they won't attack us.

The Empire's cooperation with the Zhang family this time is merely a commercial collaboration and will not pose any threat to us.

But we must never make enemies of the Zhang family, otherwise we might not even be able to save the Mechanized City.

"Zhang Jia'er dares!"

Although Big Hammer's face was ferocious, he was actually quite wary of the Zhang family.

In the Nine Provinces today, who doesn't know that besides the Mohists and the Gongshu family, the Zhang family's mechanical skills are no less impressive than those two?

Legend has it that Ghost Street is associated with the Dongming Sect's flowing forging technique, bearings that can greatly reduce resistance, and the black technology of the Zhang Family Restaurant... while the pinnacle of the Zhang Family's mechanical arts is the iron-clad war chariot and the watercraft!

This time, coming against the current, the journey to the Zhang family, which would normally take six months, was completed in just three months.

Moreover, looking at these goods, one can imagine how enormous the power must be!

Therefore, their fortified city, which they considered an insurmountable barrier, might not be able to withstand the Zhang family's ruthless tactics.

Moreover, anyone who offends the Zhang family's power can retreat unscathed; they all suffer heavy losses.

"The Snow Maiden is right. The Zhang family is terrifying; it's not something our family can handle."

After all, since it doesn't involve the interests of the Mohists, there's no need to create such a powerful enemy for them. On the contrary, there are still many possibilities for cooperation between the Mohists and the Zhang family.

The Mohist philosophy of universal love and non-aggression did not conflict with the Zhang family's ideas of benevolence and righteousness; on the contrary, they were of the same mind.

If we cooperate with the Zhang family and combine our respective mechanical techniques, we can reach a completely new level.

"Cooperate with the Zhang family?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised that the leader of the Mohist school had such ambitions.

However, since the Zhang family is cooperating with the Empire, how could they possibly cooperate with them?

Only the Snow Maiden seemed lost in thought. The Zhang family she had encountered was known for its inclusiveness and meritocracy.

Cooperation between the Mohists and the Zhang family is not impossible; in fact, the Zhang family would not even circumvent the Empire.

After all, if the Zhang family randomly picks one of the Ghost Street forces to contact them, and the empire holds them accountable, what does that have to do with the Zhang family?

····

"What a big fish! What a big crab!"

Xianyang Palace Ice Storage.

On the side of the Inner History Office where the records of the seafood being stored were kept, Princes Fusu and Huhai watched with awe and curiosity as the seafood was continuously sent into the icehouse.

They are no strangers to seafood.

"A courier gallops through the dust, bringing smiles to the imperial concubine's face." As princes of the Southern Empire, preserving seafood was far easier for them than lychees.

Therefore, they don't lack simple seafood.

But this is the first time I've seen such enormous seafood, even rarer than the Eight Treasures of the Sea.

A giant tuna two meters long, a king crab the size of a washbasin, a three-foot-long ornate lobster...

A steady stream of seafood arrived, requiring one hundred, two hundred, three hundred carriages, a total of five hundred carriages, followed by several dozen more carriages to complete the journey.

"The entire icehouse is full!"

This icehouse was specially made for the entire city of Xianyang, and its capacity is extremely large.

During the hottest days of summer, ice stored up during the winter would be taken out to cool people down, as a special perk for civil and military officials.

"The fact that the Zhang family could transport such heavy goods from Dongguan to Xianyang in just three months is the most terrifying thing!"

Fusu frowned, noticing something different.

Keep in mind that this is going against the current; even an ordinary ten-foot-long boat would take half a year to reach this point, let alone with such heavy cargo. The Zhang family is indeed more formidable than he imagined.

"Brother, I've heard that the Zhang family's giant tuna is the best in the world."

These are mostly enormous tuna, each over two zhang long; one of them would surely satisfy most of our meal today.

"If Eighteenth Brother likes it, then take one!"

It's just a piece of seafood; Fusu still has that much power over it.