I'm a magnetic field madman

What else could Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling possibly say?

If it weren't for Bai Wujie, they wouldn't even have their current power and status, so why should Bai Wujie take such good care of them?

Even if he acknowledges this master, he's still not their nanny...

Xu Ziling bit his lip, his face turning slightly pale, while Kou Zhong remained in a dazed and disoriented state.

Although they already knew what kind of person Bai Wujie was, his words still sent a chill down their spines.

Having clearly defined their tasks, the three of them looked at each other and burst into hearty laughter. However, when this laughter reached Ning Daoqi's ears, it made the old Taoist priest, who was barely clinging to life, turn as pale as paper.

He originally thought that Yang Guang and Kou Zhong were terrifying enough.

Now, he realized that he was too naive. There was no "good" direction in the world. Those who had the ability to divide and conquer the world were just a bunch of crazy lunatics!

It is said that the warlords of the Spring and Autumn Period divided the world with just a few words... But these three guys treated the people of this world like pigs and dogs with just a few words. Such madness is rare in history!

"In that case, you can go about your business. We'll see you in three months."

Bai Wujie glanced at Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong, then turned and left westward without looking back, using his Boundless Travel Technique.

Li Shimin waited for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then suddenly wielded the Tiger Soul Blade and slashed at Kou Zhong, who had been struggling to stay awake!

Li Shimin's gaze was fierce and cold, because he was not as mad and willful as Yang Guang and Bai Wujie; there was still room for the desire for power in his heart!

He might not necessarily want to take the Central Plains, but in any case, he would not let go of Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, these two destabilizing factors!

That's why Li Shimin's first move was a fierce killing blow!

"Seven Limits of Devouring Heaven and Earth - Devouring the Sea!"

47. 'The world's hearts turn to him'

The Tiger Soul in Li Shimin's hand tore through the fierce yellow light, and the combination of the resentment of the war tiger residing within it and the hatred of the strange demon with the Heavenly Lock was far better than the Heavenly Crystal!

This is because this divine weapon is inherently an extremely ferocious weapon that devours its master...

Therefore, killing people to maintain the power of the Heavenly Lock and its ability to allow the holder to absorb the essence of flesh and blood can be said to complement each other.

Admittedly, Li Shimin, who did not rise to prominence and slaughter as many as Yang Guang to support his imperial army, was not as powerful as Yang Guang.

Conversely, Li Shimin, who did not create any monsters like the Tianjing Sword Slave, had a relatively concentrated power.

Moreover, although he did not commit mass killings, he still secretly slaughtered and absorbed the forces of Liang Shidu and others under his control.

This strike from the divine weapon pressed infinitely against the boundary of the shattered void... yet it became extremely terrifying because of the earth-shattering sword technique belonging to Chi You within it!

The blade Li Shimin unleashed was surging with power, its momentum turbulent and rapid, its force vast and boundless, like a tsunami tearing the sky and earth apart, engulfing and devouring everything!

Such a terrifying sea-swallowing blade was like a raging, howling ocean! How could Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong possibly withstand such a terrifying killing move?

"Forty-eight thousand bolts of power - Whale-Slaying Overlord Fist!!"

"Forty-two thousand bolts of power - Heavenly Martial Giant Shark Fist!!"

Both of them unleashed the full power they could muster to defend against the terrifying, sea-devouring blade...

However, both the killer whale and the great white shark were gradually submerged under the seemingly endless force of the surging waves!

Both Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling had countless wounds on their bodies, with numerous cuts tearing open their flesh and blood.

They gritted their teeth, trying to endure it, but this knife seemed to have no end—

No, they couldn't hold on any longer!

The mighty killer whale and the great white shark, invincible across the ocean, will be buried before this endless sea. They will be forever lost to the seabed, swallowed by the waves!

"Caw!" Kou Zhong screamed and spat out a mouthful of blood, his pale face looking even more listless... But compared to the physical injuries, the psychological trauma was undoubtedly more terrifying!

His invincible spirit has been shattered, and now he has encountered an opponent who is almost invincible, just like his master. Kou Zhong... is so humiliated that he wants to die!

Was he about to shout for help?

Was he about to wag his tail and beg for mercy? Was he going to become a dog, trampled on by everyone, just like he had been when he struggled to survive in Yangzhou?

But just as the two brothers were struggling to hold on, Li Shimin's sword strike was suddenly blocked by a blazing inferno.

Right beside Li Shimin, Tianjing transformed into a dazzling fire wind, howling as it hurtled towards the Devouring Sea Blade!

"Heavenly Crystal Sword Technique - Fire Phoenix Spreads Across the Plains!!"

Countless crimson flames transformed into a gigantic divine phoenix, crashing against the sea-devouring blade's momentum.

In that instant, the invisible seawater evaporated, forcefully stopping Li Shimin's sword strike!

"Uncle, what are you doing?"

Li Shimin stood tall, sword in hand, looking coldly at Yang Guang, who was holding the Heavenly Crystal with a playful expression...

"Don't be in such a hurry, nephew, don't be anxious," Yang Guang said with a smile, twirling the Heavenly Crystal Sword.

“I like these two lads very much. Although their master has abandoned them, I cannot stand by and watch you kill them. Besides, my dear cousin, didn’t you already say that this Central Plains belongs to me from this day forward?”

Li Shimin remained silent, seemingly weighing the gains and losses of fighting Yang Guang at this moment.

But soon, he put away the tiger amulet and bowed to Yang Guang...

“Since Uncle is willing, Shimin has no choice but to comply. This Central Plains is now Uncle’s hunting ground.”

After saying this, Li Shimin transformed into a war tiger and roared as he marched towards the Turks.

He needed to hurry, as Tiger Soul needed flesh and blood sacrifices to maintain the power of the Heavenly Lock and strengthen his own power.

Three months from now, they will gather together to break down the shattered immortal gate and make this world completely "free".

Li Shimin believed that if his power was insufficient, Yang Guang and Bai Wujie would definitely kill him, this unworthy partner, first.

However, for Li Shimin, the combined number of the steppe barbarians from the Eastern and Western Turks was probably not enough to satisfy his hunger.

Since that's the case, after defeating the Turks, let's head west. In this barbaric era, perhaps only the Eastern Roman Empire has any significant inhabitants.

Li Shimin departed on the ominous Tiger Soul Star, while Yang Guang looked at the panting Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong and laughed mockingly...

"I like you two lads, but to be honest, I definitely won't show you any mercy."

"Get out of here! Daxing is my hometown. I haven't been back in ages, and I'm going to have a good 'catch-up' with my fellow villagers."

Xu Ziling's face turned ashen, but he still helped his brother up and hurriedly left the place.

And without a doubt, their actions proclaimed their defeat in this war!

Yang Guang looked at Daxing City, the place where he grew up. He did not rush to start a massacre, but returned to the royal palace of Daxing, now the Daming Palace.

Admittedly, there were no more nobles and powerful families left for Yang Guang to manipulate. These people, who could have provided Yang Guang with amusement for a long time, had now become food for Li Shimin.

This is a regrettable thing!

As Yang Guang sighed, he sat down on the dragon throne in the Hanyuan Hall. Sitting on the throne again, overlooking the world, Yang Guang felt nothing.

In fact, Yang Guang must have had such thoughts in his heart as well.

What if he had picked up the Heavenly Crystal and instead of choosing the path of destruction, used this divinely bestowed power to rebuild the land and recreate the universe?

But he quickly put that idea out of his mind.

Whether this would succeed or not is another matter, but Yang Guang knew that he didn't want to experience the frustration he had felt before a second time!

This brand new life, perhaps entirely dependent on the word "killing," is so monotonous, but it's still a thousand times better than the joy of being an emperor!

Moreover, even if he didn't kill, even if he tried to rebuild a better country, could Yang Guang have done it? He asked himself honestly, and he knew he simply couldn't!

History always cycles, and powerful clans and aristocratic families can never be completely eradicated.

They simply changed from one name to another, from one group of people to another.

No one could provide an answer, at least not Yang Guang. Since the outcome was the same no matter what, why didn't he choose a way that made him happy?

Yang Guang was somewhat exhausted, perhaps because the killings of the past few days had made him feel bored... or perhaps because there were almost no targets left to take revenge on, which made him feel extremely bored.

He stroked the dragon throne, his hand on the cold brass, his vacant gaze gradually sharpening, and at the same time, his voice resounded throughout Chang'an…

"I'll give you three days," Yang Guang said lazily.

"I need three days to get a good night's sleep. During these three days, my army will not invade you. And when I wake up—"

"You will all die."

……

The fourteenth year of the Daye era, the second year of the Tianguo era...

The once-powerful Li clan of Taiyuan was destroyed, and the Tang Dynasty, which had been established for less than a year, collapsed. From then on, the game of vying for control of the Central Plains was completely reduced to only two players.

Now, there is the Heavenly Demon Yang Guang, who occupies Chang'an and controls most of Hebei and Guanzhong, and the Heavenly Kingdom, which controls Jiangnan and the other half of Guanzhong.

The remaining scattered resistance forces all vanished without a trace.

In terms of sheer power, Yang Guang was hardly a player who could contend for control of the Central Plains.

He's like someone who's come here specifically to cause trouble in this board coloring game; he's not here to play the game, but to mess with the other players.

Therefore, in reality, the only legitimate force in the Central Plains today is the Heavenly Kingdom, led by Xu Ziling and the Heavenly King Kou Zhong.

With the rebuilt Luoyang as its core, it controlled most of the Central Plains and maintained peace and relative harmony in Luoyang and the Jianghuai area... But apart from that, this Heavenly Kingdom could hardly be called a "dynasty".

Because this dynasty lacked the presence of aristocratic families, powerful clans, and nobles. It only had Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong at the very top, along with a few talented individuals who helped manage this vast organization.

How could such an organization be considered a dynasty in the eyes of those aristocratic families who advocated the Zhou rites, nitpicked over words and insisted on elaborate rituals?

Even the Turkic Khaganate was more like a country than they were!

But even if they had a thousand farts to say, they couldn't utter them now. Because these were aristocratic families and elegant clans, who had already been "extinct" in the Central Plains.

It's quite ironic that these aristocratic families, who had lived well for over a thousand years in the original history...

In less than a year, they almost completely disappeared from the Central Plains.

If anyone is to blame, it's that the world simply can't tolerate them.

They once thought that overthrowing Yang Guang would bring a more obedient emperor, allowing their aristocratic families to return to the elegant era of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and enabling the gentry to enjoy a carefree life of riding horses in the mountains and putting away their weapons.

Perhaps that was indeed the case from the beginning, but all of this came to an end the moment Yang Guang burned Luoyang.

Driven by vengeance, Yang Guang vowed to slaughter the entire world. Noble families and even ordinary people trembled under the blades of his demonic army.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, who seized control of the Wagang Army, showed no tolerance for the powerful clans and aristocratic families. Their treatment of these families was even more excessive than during the Five Barbarian Invasions.

Either surrender all your possessions and become a commoner in heaven, or leave no one alive—men, women, young, or old! Regardless of how you are judged after death, because whether you are a paragon of virtue or wealth…

Any powerful clans or aristocratic families that annexed land would be ruthlessly destroyed by them!

Throughout the history of the Central Plains, it is probably impossible to find a king who regarded these ancient noble families as so lowly.

And naturally, the Heavenly Kingdom was abandoned by the aristocratic families. But they were no match for the Heavenly Kingdom; those who tried to resist all met a gruesome end!

They couldn't incite a rebellion among the common people. Those lowly people who should be grateful for their meager food actually sided with them because of the petty favors of the two thieves? Damn it, what are they going to do now?

Thus, the remaining aristocratic families had only one place to go, so they went to Chang'an, where they began to sing the praises of the Li family's merits, promote the Li family's bloodline, and even went so far as to claim that the Li family's ancestor was Laozi Li Er!

They believed that with their talents and the power of their families, the Li clan could surely sweep across the land, rebuild civilization, and allow them to return to their former good life.

But Chang'an was still captured in a single day.

Their boastful articles couldn't help them, their supposedly brilliant military strategies were a joke, and the valiant soldiers they had assembled were utterly useless.

Yang Guang, along with Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, marched straight to Chang'an, breaching the last bastion of their powerful clans. Worst of all, the ultimate victor was none other than Yang Guang himself.

If good and bad are determined by comparison, then Kou Zhong, who only took their money and lives, might seem like a great philanthropist compared to Yang Guang.

Yang Guang gave them three days to leave Chang'an, but after leaving Chang'an, where else could they go besides Luoyang?

And so, in this chaotic and bewildering way, the world fell into the hands of two small-time hoodlums who, just a few months ago, were nothing more than petty thugs in Yangzhou.

48. War God Hall of Jingyan Palace

By immersing one's spirit in the He Shi Bi jade, as Li Shimin said, the spirit embodied in it began to be amplified in a specific direction.

This piqued Bai Wujie's interest again, because he didn't see any remarkable technology or science on the stone, so it could only be explained by the material.

A mineral material that can amplify mental and spiritual power? If such a thing exists, it would certainly pique Bai Wujie's interest!

However, that's a story for another time. Not long after immersing himself in the He Shi Bi with his spirit, Bai Wujie "senses" something that is darting around underground.

That was truly incredible; a clearly existing space was "moving" underground at an unbelievable angle.