The night sky was adorned with countless stars, and the bright moonlight poured over the earth. It was midnight.
Due to the immense resources obtained from seizing the foundation of the World Sect Alliance, Dongfang Liuli issued a decree: to show compassion for the soldiers, she did not hesitate to activate the Grand Flight Array.
The massive array, carrying over a hundred thousand soldiers of Great Jin and hundreds of thousands of prisoners, flew tens of meters above the ground, consuming astronomical amounts of spirit stones every moment.
As for why they didn’t use the teleportation array for direct transfer, the ordinary soldiers, unaware of the inside story, were too tired to think. Some thoughtful ministers, however, revealed meaningful smiles and glanced at the imperial palace hidden in the clouds.
Some loyal ministers and righteous men felt secretly stifled.
The Empress and the Space-Time Sword Saint openly consorting, without hiding from anyone, even if Sword Saint Meng Qin had great merits, it was still unacceptable to disregard moral and ethical laws!
One must know, the Great Jin Dynasty has an Empress’ Husband!
Empress’ Husband Meng Qingzhou is still alive!! He’s not dead!
In front of the entire army, pulling Sword Saint Meng Qin to the imperial palace and then shutting the door, anyone with a bit of sense would know what they were doing.
“The Empress’ Husband is too pitiful, being treated as a puppet by Her Majesty is one thing, but since becoming the Empress’ Husband, not only has he never touched Her Majesty, but he has also been imprisoned in the harem, and now… he has to suffer the humiliation of being cuckolded!”
“And we… we dare not speak out, after all, the current Great Jin Dynasty cannot do without the Sword Saint…”
“In my opinion, Her Majesty probably has her own difficulties, having to humble herself and offer her body to win over Meng Qin.”
“No, no, no, it must be the Sword Saint forcing her, otherwise, with Her Majesty’s extreme aversion to men, how could she do such a thing! Think about it, what does the Sword Saint lack? Treasures, divine powers, or fame and status? He lacks nothing! Only Her Majesty’s unparalleled beauty, who in the Wilderness and Sky State can surpass her?”
“That’s right, it seems Her Majesty had no choice but to satisfy Meng Qin’s perverse desires, deliberately indulging in the imperial palace… Her Majesty is suffering, the Empress’ Husband is suffering…”
“Bear with it, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world, letting the Sword Saint work without any benefits, do you really think he’s a Sage!”
A group of ministers sat together, drinking small cups of wine, their worries rising to the surface. Before long, they were drunk, their rationality keeping them from shouting, communicating secretly instead.
As they vented their frustrations, each one slapped their thighs, their faces red and necks thick, expressing their literary spirit.
It felt as if Sword Saint Meng Qin was not only humiliating Empress Qin Liuli.
But also trampling on every citizen of Great Jin, making them feel as if they were being cuckolded.
Only a few villagers from Present Village silently watched them. Although they couldn’t hear the secret conversations, just by their indignant expressions and occasional glances at the imperial palace in the sky, they could guess most of it.
Seeing this, the villagers of Present Village exchanged glances, all smiling faintly, finding it somewhat amusing, feeling a sense of clarity amidst the world’s drunkenness.
“These fools, let them keep imagining. When the truth comes out, this table of people will probably never drink together again.”
“Hahaha, don’t say that, I’m actually looking forward to that day.”
Several villagers from Present Village couldn’t stop laughing.
Suddenly.
One of them felt a pang of emotion, raised a cup of wine, and poured it onto the ground under the bright moon, saying:
“It’s a pity that Fan Chen, Yang Shande, and Wu Shangpin will never see that day.”
“This cup of wine is for you, hoping we can be comrades and classmates in the next life.”
In the battle with the World Sect Alliance, although the gains were substantial, enough to sustain Great Jin for the final battle against the Western Buddhist Kingdom.
But the villagers of Present Village lost nearly a third of their members in that battle.
That once bustling village was going to gradually become desolate.
Thinking of this, they fell silent, perhaps after the decisive battle with the Western Buddhist Kingdom, Present Village would be completely gone in name and reality.
“Hopefully, we still have a chance to return to that village. Honestly, after being an official for so many years, seeing the world’s splendor and the myriad flavors of the mortal world, only Present Village can give me true happiness.”
“The place where I find peace is my home! I’ve been a soldier for half my life, always alone, in my heart, Present Village is my second home. Even if not for Great Jin, to protect Present Village, even if I’m destined to die, I’ll tear a piece of flesh from the Buddha!”
“Well said! Cheers! The battle with the Buddhist Kingdom is inevitable, for Great Jin, for Present Village! Fight to the death without retreat!”
“Cheers!”
…
…
On the top floor of a pavilion on the back of a Mountain Carrier beast.
Qin Fenghuo leaned against the railing, holding a jug of strong liquor, tilted his head back, and poured half a bottle into his mouth, half of it spilling and soaking his clothes, the rest trickling down his throat. He let out a low roar, wiped his mouth, and said:
“Refreshing!”
The Sunlight Lord, who was lying nearby enjoying the moon, heard this and silently lifted his drooping eyelids, his dog face showing disdain, rolling his eyes.
“Lord, don’t laugh at me, I still have to fulfill my duty of protection, I can’t really drink, even if it’s just ordinary strong liquor, there’s still a risk.” Qin Fenghuo scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.
In front of the Sunlight Lord, except for a certain blind person, everyone else would be respectful, like juniors.
The Sunlight Lord snorted, continuing to look at him with disdain.
“Don’t look at me like that, I’m feeling troubled, but I don’t dare to really get drunk.” Qin Fenghuo said in a low voice:
“It’s said that Old Jiang led an army of a million to raid the Western Buddhist Kingdom, killing two Arhats, and was then besieged by a Bodhisattva and countless Zen cultivators in an oasis.”
“Knowing Old Jiang’s character, if he dared to send troops, he must have some confidence. From what I know of him, his final plan probably involves sacrificing his life.”
Hearing this, the Sunlight Lord’s disdainful expression faded, replaced by a serious look, revealing a murderous intent.
The meaning was simple: attack and kill those bald monks, isn’t that enough?
Qin Fenghuo smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying:
“It’s not that simple. Do you think the Western Buddhist Kingdom is only besieging without killing? The remaining sixteen Arhats, three Golden Bodhisattvas, and even the Buddha himself, have not made a move.”
“They are fishing, forcing Her Majesty to personally lead a rescue. By then, the Western Buddhist Kingdom will surely take thunderous measures to destroy the Great Jin Dynasty in one fell swoop.”
The Western Buddhist Kingdom’s foundation is too deep. To some extent, if they wished, they could have unified the Wilderness years ago.
However, the Buddha who leads the Buddhist Kingdom seems to have some concerns, insisting on breaking through to the Sky-Reaching Realm before daring to start the unification war.
“Could it be that there is another force in the Wilderness that makes the Western Buddhist Kingdom fearful, so the Buddha must break through to the Sky-Reaching Realm…” Qin Fenghuo’s eyes were deep, muttering to himself.
No matter how you look at it, the Buddhist Kingdom besieging Prime Minister Jiang Canghai is a deadly move.
Either abandon Jiang Canghai, along with a million elite soldiers, burying them in the Buddhist Kingdom’s desert, which would severely weaken the Great Jin Dynasty. When the Buddha breaks through to the Sky-Reaching Realm and emerges, destroying Great Jin would be easy.
Or send troops to rescue, being in a foreign land, the Buddhist Kingdom holding the home advantage, making the attack several times more difficult.
“A dead end, no solution.”
Finally, Qin Fenghuo uttered four words, without any joy of victory, his eyes filled with despair.
Leave a Reply