After some pleasantries, the Empress, burdened with worries, did not linger further. She instructed Qin Fenghuo to continue guarding Langya and left ten Morning Glow cultivators to fend off any retaliations from the Arhats of the Buddhist Kingdom.
As for the Buddha, both Dongfang Liuli and Meng Qingzhou agreed that even if someone were to defecate on his head, he would still give a thumbs-up for smooth digestion. There was no need to worry about him.
Meng Qingzhou snapped his fingers, and a ripple of time and space spread out, covering the million-strong army, the Empress, Jiang Canghai, and the Moon Clan. In an instant, they vanished from the borders of Langya and reappeared at the gates of the Imperial Capital.
Jiang Canghai was utterly astonished, his eyes wide open as he stammered, “This… this… a thousand miles away, transporting a million troops in an instant?!”
Although his realm was not high, as the Prime Minister for many years and having participated in the Buddhist Kingdom war for half a year, he had some insight. This terrifying ability was definitely beyond the Morning Glow Realm.
Even Dongfang Liuli couldn’t help but take notice.
She was now in the late Morning Glow Realm, having broken through with the luck of the Wilderness, and her combat power was already extraordinary, comparable to Meng Qingzhou during the Great Alliance War. Yet, even she couldn’t comprehend this ability.
“Your Majesty, have you broken through to the Sky-Reaching Realm?” Lan Xinsu asked quietly.
Meng Qingzhou shook his head and smiled, “No, I’m still half a step away from Sky-Reaching.”
Yes, I, Meng Qin, never lie. My realm is half a step away from Sky-Reaching, but I can break through at any time.
The path to Sky-Reaching is long and arduous; it requires gradual progress.
“Half a step away from Sky-Reaching… The three pseudo Sky-Reaching cultivators killed half a month ago didn’t have such power. When the Sword Saint attains Sky-Reaching, no one will be able to match him,” Lan Qiunan quickly flattered.
Meng Qingzhou smiled but did not respond.
As the citizens and officials in the city reacted, they came out to welcome the triumphant soldiers, creating a joyous atmosphere. Ordinary people offered fruits and vegetables, lining the streets to greet them.
Wealthy merchants and magnates spent their own money to buy and roast tons of spirit beast meat and countless spirit fruits for the returning soldiers.
Dongfang Liuli even picked up a little girl who admired her, smiling warmly and gently, without any imperial airs. The ministers, seeing this, were accustomed to it, and no pedantic scholar came out to shout about it being improper.
“Sword Saint, what do you think of the Great Jin Dynasty’s current state?” Meng Qingzhou asked Lan Xinsu, falling a few steps behind.
Lan Xinsu blushed slightly and distanced herself a bit, coughing a few times before saying, “It has great cohesion. The Great Jin is indeed a massive dynasty vying for supremacy.”
“That’s not quite right. It should be that the people have hope, and the nation has strength. Your Moon Clan has survived since the era of the first Human Emperor. Do you feel that it vaguely resembles the flourishing age of the Human Emperor?” Meng Qingzhou smiled.
Lan Xinsu pondered slightly and shook her head, “I don’t know. I’m only three hundred years old and have never seen the flourishing age of the Human Emperor, but I’ve heard the elders in my clan mention it occasionally. It does feel somewhat similar.”
Meng Qingzhou’s lips curled up as he continued, “In that case, why not have the entire Moon Clan migrate and join our Great Jin Dynasty? You know, the Buddha has transformed the Buddhist Kingdom’s territory, replacing the vast desert and the Buddhist Kingdom’s Heavenly Dao. Even if you slaughter all the Zen cultivators and destroy all the Buddhas, as long as you live in the Buddhist Kingdom’s territory, you’re in his grasp, facing the risk of annihilation at any time.”
“The Wilderness War will last for many years. Are you really willing to leave your clan in the Buddha’s clutches?”
“Joining our Great Jin Dynasty would make us one family. When the time is right, we’ll help you reclaim the Buddhist Kingdom’s territory, which would be helping our own family. What do you think?”
Hearing this, Lan Xinsu did not immediately respond but fell into deep thought.
The Moon Clan’s Saintess appeared adorable and naive, but she was actually very shrewd. As the young leader of the last generation of her clan, she bore the expectations of the entire clan. If she were truly a naive girl, she would have long led her clan into an abyss.
Lan Xinsu reluctantly said, “Joining the Great Jin… is equivalent to submission. I don’t think the elders in my clan would agree. I still want to cooperate with the Great Jin…”
“Cooperate?”
Meng Qingzhou’s tone turned cold, “Saintess, I thought you were smart. Why don’t you understand my implication?”
“I’ve said before that the Moon Clan’s role for the Great Jin is dispensable. I alone can fight a hundred Morning Glow cultivators. The Buddha can overturn the heavens with a single rage, and the Sky State hides many Sky-Reaching cultivators, secretly manipulating the Buddha. There might be even stronger forces. What benefit does the Great Jin get from cooperating with you? Just a few more parasites clinging to our dynasty.”
“I’ve made it very clear. If the Moon Clan doesn’t join us, even if we defeat the Buddha and conquer the vast desert, it has nothing to do with you. If we win, the Buddhist Kingdom will become our new territory.”
“Or are you naively thinking that after we win, we’ll hand over the vast land to you?”
“Saintess, you can’t be that naive.”
Lan Xinsu’s face stiffened slightly, speechless and a bit embarrassed.
To be honest, she did think that way.
After all, the Buddha’s territory was very barren and had no development value. If the Great Jin defeated the Buddhist Kingdom, it would be equivalent to unifying the Wilderness. The vast, useless desert would be of no use to the Great Jin. It would be better to maintain a good relationship now and wait for the Great Jin to win and return the land to them.
But now, Meng Qingzhou’s words shattered her illusion.
“You must understand, we are in a turbulent time. The Great Jin is a massive dynasty, not a one-man show for me, Meng Qin. I consider everything from the perspective of national interest.”
“Your Moon Clan offers us no benefits. Why should the Great Jin make endless sacrifices for you?”
Lan Xinsu hesitated and nodded.
She initially thought the Great Jin had limited resources and cooperation was a viable path. But along the way, she witnessed the Great Jin’s strength, even the Buddha suffered repeated losses.
The Moon Clan’s path to cooperation was naturally gone. Now, she faced only two choices: continue to survive without relying on anyone, but likely be crushed by both sides to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation, or…
“I need to go back and discuss with the clan leader.” Lan Xinsu’s eyes gradually firmed as she gave her best attempt at a response.
“That’s good. There’s no time to lose. Let’s set off now.” Meng Qingzhou smiled.
Lan Xinsu was stunned, “But the Buddha is watching us closely. He…”
“Don’t worry. The old bald donkey now hopes the Great Jin gets stronger. Otherwise, who will buy him time? He won’t stop you. He might even help you by throwing the secret realm out of the Buddhist Kingdom, haha…”
Halfway through his words, a message suddenly arrived.
It was Jiang Canghai receiving a transmission from Qin Fenghuo:
“There’s some strange news…”
“The secret realm where the Moon Clan hides has suddenly appeared at the borders of Langya…”
Even Jiang Canghai, with his wisdom, was a bit dumbfounded by this news.
What the hell is the Buddha up to?
Meng Qingzhou’s smile froze.
Lan Xinsu had several big question marks floating above her head.
What the hell, the old bald donkey really didn’t hide anything and just threw the secret realm out.
“It seems there’s no need to discuss. The elders will surely agree.” Lan Xinsu, shocked, couldn’t help but sigh.
The Space-Time Sword Saint and the Buddha had only met three times, yet they seemed like old friends, knowing each other inside out.
Lan Xinsu thought she was smart enough until she met these two. Only then did she realize that the game between the chess players was beyond her comprehension.
“Old fox.”
Meng Qingzhou shook his head.
The Buddha definitely didn’t eavesdrop or spy. He was confident in that. Such a coincidence meant the old bald donkey guessed Meng Qingzhou’s next move.
However.
The Buddha probably guessed that Meng Qingzhou was desperate, trying to gather any available strength to bolster the Great Jin, building high walls and adding bricks.
In reality.
Meng Qingzhou’s plan was to, in the next month and a half, spare no expense to crazily increase the Great Jin’s national power and make the system explode with gold coins!
Leave a Reply