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

After all, Zhang Yuan could make the decision; going to Zhang Xiaoshan was just asking for trouble.

"Sheng'er, take Zhi'er upstairs."

Lü Zhi has already achieved initial success in practicing the Northern Darkness Divine Skill in Ghost Street.

The domineering nature of this martial art meant that Manager Feng would visit Ghost Street every three days to instruct Lü Zhi on controlling and refining her own true qi, as well as some of the Taoist essence of the Northern Darkness Divine Art.

When one goes astray in cultivation, besides being impatient for quick results, it is often because one does not understand the true meaning and cannot glimpse the Great Dao.

Therefore, since Lü Zhi had just begun her training, she would certainly not understand these profound principles of martial arts.

In particular, Lü Zhi absorbed hundreds of years' worth of internal energy during her first cultivation session, which is addictive.

If left unchecked, he may eventually go mad and, driven by an inflated ego, turn against the Zhang family.

With the guidance she received during this period, Lü Zhi had now condensed her internal energy to a level within a hundred years, and her cultivation had completely reached the ranks of top masters in the martial arts world.

However, compared to masters who cultivate top-tier divine skills such as the Longevity Technique and the Nine Yin Manual, they would find it difficult to withstand three moves.

The true qi transformed by the Northern Darkness Divine Art is ultimately absorbed from others, not from oneself.

"Gentlemen, you are all rare guests. Have you come today for matters concerning Mount Mang?"

The incident at Mangshan had just ended, and everyone looked at Zhang Xiaoshan as if nothing had happened, completely unaware of the enormous calamity that would soon be unleashed across the Nine Provinces.

However, they also knew that Zhang Xiaoshan was using the entire Kyushu region as a chessboard to plan his strategy for the world.

In the ensuing political climate, none of them could escape its influence; they were destined to be affected.

"The matter at Mangshan is settled. Wang Li has come here only out of curiosity about the mechanical Qilin that the Zhang family has displayed. I wonder if the Zhang family can mass-produce it and deliver it to the army?"

Mechanical Qilin?

The incredibly powerful mechanical beast that the Zhang family displayed this time, with its steel-like armor and imposing, furious appearance, was arguably no less powerful than the Mo family's mechanical Azure Dragon.

Even Wang Shichong, Zhang Han, and others couldn't help but look at Zhang Xiaoshan, feeling that this thing was somewhat difficult.

However, if this thing can be mass-produced, then the remnants of the Mohist school are not worth mentioning.

Moreover, with this thing to suppress the martial arts world, which force would dare to cause trouble?

"If that's the case, General Wang might be disappointed."

The mechanical Qilin is made of a special material; it was forged from a bronze door that Zhang discovered in the ancient Loulan tribe and then used to create this extraordinary weapon.

Even the Zhang family only has this one statue.

Because of the special nature of its material, this mechanical Qilin can be controlled by the Dragon Ball and unleash incredible power, which is why the mechanical Qilin can unleash a torrent of flames.

As for ordinary mechanical Qilin, they are similar to ordinary mechanical White Tiger.

It is three zhang wide and two zhang high, and made of wood. It is a mechanical white tiger modeled after the Mo family's White Tiger, so it has not been improved in any aspect.

After all, the mechanical arts of the Mohist school, refined and perfected over a thousand years, had long since reached a point where they could not be modified any further.

Upon hearing this, Wang Li immediately showed a look of disappointment.

However, he never expected Zhang Xiaoshan to give it to him so easily.

Wang Li was also fully aware of the origins of the bronze door.

The empire obtained the Demon God of War, the Zhang family obtained the Chi You Demon Sword and handed it over to the ancient Miao people, and what the Zhang family left behind was this bronze door.

Considering the sheer size of the mechanical Qilin, they had essentially exhausted the materials for the bronze door.

Only the magical power of the Dragon Balls could bring to life the scene of "Fire Scales Blazing Atop the Southern Mountain".

"Thank you so much for clearing up my doubts, sir!"

"It's a minor matter. Given the special nature of the mechanical Qilin, it's normal for the Empire to pay attention."

Compared to the Empire's War God, the Mechanical Kirin lacks the War God's demonic nature, and therefore may not be as intimidating. However, it can be used as long as one wields the Dragon Ball.

Zhang Xiaoshan explained the special nature of the mechanical Qilin, and then looked at the others.

After the Dragon Emperor's death, Zhang Han's Shadow Guard was undoubtedly alienated.

If Zhang Han hadn't also been a capable general of the empire, and hadn't never appeared at Shaqiu, he probably wouldn't have escaped the clutches of the Luo Net.

Needless to say, Guo Jing was one of the constables of the Imperial Divine Marquis's Mansion, similar to the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Such a momentous event as the change of empires was long beyond their authority.

"Brother Guo, it's been a long time. What brings you here today?"

It wasn't that they had no connection, but given Guo Jing's identity, his arrival must have been for some purpose.

Chapter 836 The Answer Guo Jing Wanted

"Young Master Zhang, how have you been? I've come here simply to ask you a question."

"Brother Guo, as the number one hero on the list of heroes and one of the five heroes personally selected by Zhang, is qualified to get an answer from Zhang here."

The great chivalrous person serves the country and the people!

Guo Jing, ranked first on the list of chivalrous heroes, is actually a divine constable of the imperial court, as if a speck of ink had been stained on a spotless white sheet of Xuan paper.

But it is precisely because of this that Guo Jing is qualified to be ranked first on the list of chivalrous heroes.

At this moment, Wang Shichong and the others looked at Guo Jing with envy.

This may seem like just an answer, but they know how weighty Zhang Xiaoshan's promise is, an opportunity that many people would envy.

"Young Master Zhang, you're too kind. Guo Jing just wants to know why you suddenly want to stir up trouble in the martial world."

Whether it's the five transcendent powers or those ambitious overlords, has the young master ever considered that these conflicts in the martial world would lead to rivers of blood?

Hearing Guo Jing's question, Zhang Xiaoshan showed no surprise. Instead, he looked at Guo Jing and slowly said:

"I admire Brother Guo's compassion and empathy."

But Brother Guo should understand that the lines between right and wrong are not always clear-cut. Zhang understood this from a very young age—

Prosperity, people suffer; death, people suffer!

Or perhaps it's better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos, because no matter what turmoil there is, it is always the common people who suffer in the end.

The empire is like the skyscraper beneath our feet, and the pillar supporting this skyscraper is the Dragon Emperor, who is hailed as the greatest emperor of all time.

With the passing of the Dragon Emperor, the pillar has collapsed, and if the future empire falls into chaos, war and conquest will be inevitable.

The answer that Brother Guo wanted was that these overlords were like the various fulcrums of a woven net.

"If unrest were to occur in the future empire, they could quickly establish a vast network covering the entire Nine Provinces. I cannot guarantee that they are all benevolent, but I can absolutely swiftly suppress any so-called unrest and reduce it to a situation of warlordism."

Hiss...

"The collapse of the empire?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jing immediately felt that he should not have asked.

If someone else had said those words, Guo Jing might have dismissed them with disdain, but who is Zhang Xiaoshan?

Basically, he has keen insight, and given the current situation of the empire, anyone can see that eunuchs are in power and the court is in grave danger.

Zhang Xiaoshan's strategy was based on the certainty that the empire would not last long.

In this way, each of these regional overlords has at least ten thousand followers. They may not be as well-trained as the imperial guards, but they are all experts capable of taking on ten men at once.

Once the empire collapses, these overlords will have an advantage over the gentry and bureaucrats, and can quickly divide the empire and stabilize the situation.

Instead of suddenly falling into a deadly situation where bloodshed ensues.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan still wields considerable influence in the martial arts world, and these powerful figures all give him face.

Anyone who doesn't give them face will basically be dealt with by the Flying Guillotine or the Twelve Zodiac Killers.

Therefore, unless these overlords are completely out of their minds, they all know that Zhang Xiaoshan is the true leader of the martial arts world.

Whether the Nine Provinces will be in chaos or not at that time, the Zhang family will have the final say.

For a moment, everyone was stunned by Zhang Xiaoshan's plan.

Even Wang Shichong, Wang Li, and Zhang Han chose to automatically filter out this passage and forgot about it.

Zhang Xiaoshan has the confidence to say this.

If word gets out, the Zhang family might be fine, but they will definitely be in trouble.

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, young master!"

Guo Jing felt that the answer was too vague, even too absurd.

But these seemingly absurd answers might actually be the final answer, and based on his years of experience, they should be only half the answer.

He didn't dare ask about the remaining half.

"Moreover, since Zhang dared to set up such a large scheme, he must have had the confidence to do so."

Master Zhang and I are both teacher and friend. Miao Jiang owes me a favor, as does the Evil Emperor of the Demon Sect. The only person I have never met is the Holy Monk of the Great Snow Mountain.

But with the high-level experts dwindling, it is precisely the time to bide our time and conceal our abilities.

If they dare to take advantage of the situation and wreak havoc in the Central Plains, Zhang wouldn't hesitate to annihilate the last hope of the plateau. Others might be unable to subdue the plateau, but Zhang could easily slaughter the entire plateau if he wanted to.

Altitude sickness sounds terrifying, but Zhang Xiaoshan was very clear about the effects of these adverse reactions to the environment.

Once these obstacles are overcome, coupled with the unique crossbow formations of the Central Plains, those plateau armies will be utterly helpless against the armored Central Plains forces.

Moreover, once the Zhang family makes a move, they won't even need the Imperial Army; all they need is Bloodthorn to launch a surprise attack on the Highland Holy Land.

With the monks of the Great Snow Mountain personally handling the matter, these Tibetan princes would surely submit one after another.

There are advantages to gathering them together. Once the Zhang family deals with them, they only need to deal with the biggest one, and the others will be insignificant and submit out of fear.

"···"

At this moment, Guo Jing and Zhang Han were also shocked by Zhang Xiaoshan's domineering aura, and they also understood the source of Zhang Xiaoshan's confidence. No wonder he dared to do this.

Of the other four transcendent powers, at least three are allies.

Moreover, the power wielded by the Zhang family is far beyond what those overlords can contend with, not to mention that the Golden-Faced Buddha of Ghost Street is also an ally of the Zhang family.

You should know that there are three major factions on Ghost Street. If it weren't for the Empire backing them up, Luo Wang wouldn't be able to maintain its reputation at all.

But only two companies completely suppressed those ambitious overlords, preventing them from making any rash moves.

"Brother Guo, I have already given you the answer. What about Commander Zhang Han?"

"Please forgive my rudeness, young master. Zhang Han is just here to join in the fun with Constable Guo."

Zhang Han's purpose in coming here was to find out about the death of the Dragon Emperor.

As Zhang Xiaoshan said before, the Dragon Emperor was the pillar of the empire, and many people have already seen the consequences of the sudden collapse of the pillar.

As the commander of the Shadow Guard, Zhang Han was considered a close advisor to the Dragon Emperor and was most eager to know the real answer.

But now that Zhang Xiaoshan is so 'unscrupulous,' he doesn't dare ask that question anymore.

Once you ask, the consequences will be far more severe than those of Guo Jing's question.

"I am actually aware of the issue of Zhang Han's command."

All Zhang could say was that it was fate.

The concept of the Way of Heaven is ethereal and vague, but the evolution of certain events often bears the shadow of the Way of Heaven, which is also the foundation of fortune tellers and feng shui masters.

As for the other issue concerning Zhang Han's command, I think it must be related to the snow clearing.

"Nothing can be hidden from you, young master."

Zhang Han understood Zhang Xiaoshan's implied meaning, and although he was unwilling, he knew to stop while he was ahead.

As for 'after the snow clears', Zhang Han couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion and gave a wry smile.

He did have such thoughts, but after witnessing the expertise of the Zhang family, he abandoned them.

After all, the Zhang family has many experts, including two female sword attendants who are top-notch swordsmen. Once a divine weapon like Xue Ji enters the Zhang family, there is no chance that she will be expelled.

This was Zhang Sheng's spoils of war.

Chapter 837 The Taoist Sword - Snow Clearing

"Xueji is a Taoist divine weapon, and I have no intention of keeping it."