Capítulo 836: Chapter 836: Universal Sorrow
"Don't make that face. It's really nothing. You're just going back to your parental home for a while. As men, we have to strive and build our careers again. You're visiting your families, and when we achieve success, we will come to bring you back. Because this is our true home!" Zhong Shan said as lightly as possible.
"Hmm!" The women still couldn't hide their reluctance.
Actually, Zhong Shan had anticipated this scene before the world opened up. He had mentally prepared the women, but now that it was reality, it was still hard for them to accept.
"You must come back!" Tian Ling'er said with reluctance.
"Do you remember the Dali Heavenly Dynasty? I will come to bring you back with the same grand style as last time!" Zhong Shan said confidently.
"Hmm!" Tian Ling'er immediately smiled.
"Give this to Nie Fancheng. It contains my words for him. Remember, hand it to him personally. Do not let anyone else handle it, only him!" Zhong Shan took out a jade slip and solemnly handed it to Tian Ling'er.
"Hmm!" Tian Ling'er carefully took it, nodding earnestly.
Looking at the four empresses, Zhong Shan solemnly continued, "Finally, remember one last thing. No matter what unfavorable news you hear about me, do not believe it unless you see me in person. Even if you see me in person, remember the secret code I gave you. Only if the code matches, will it be truly me. Remember this well!"
The women nodded repeatedly.
"Haomei Li, what I promised you earlier, I will definitely fulfill. Don't worry!" Zhong Shan said to Haomei Li, who was looking on with envy.
"Hmm!"
"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
At that moment, a loud explosion roared, causing the grand Lingxiao Heavenly Court to shake slightly. In the distance, a massive sword light enveloped the area, with countless dust clouds covering it, making it impossible to see inside.
"Whoosh!"
From the smoke and dust emerged a team of figures, led by Wang Jian in red armor, with nine subordinates breaking through the mist. Wang Jian held a grayish orb in his hand.
Wang Jian emerged, followed by the people from the Taiyi and Taiji Heavenly Courts, all looking disheveled. Their eyes showed astonishment, clearly having encountered something incredible while intercepting Wang Jian.
Wang Jian and his men landed at Lingxiao Heavenly Court, unscathed except for some scratches on their armor from the battle. The people from the Taiyi and Taiji Heavenly Courts looked even more disheveled.
Everyone stared in amazement at Wang Jian.
Ten against twenty, and they managed to kill the Chaos Divine Beast in such a short time?
"Great King of Dazhen, the Chaos Divine Beast has been slain. This is the Chaos Pearl formed after its death!" Wang Jian handed the gray orb to Zhong Shan.
Inside the gray orb, a faint red light flickered, drawing everyone's gaze.
Zhong Shan held the orb, examining it.
"The Chaos Divine Beast, dying and transforming into a pearl, will absorb the world's energy and breed a new divine beast? So it hasn't truly died. As long as the Chaos Pearl exists, it isn't truly dead?" Zhong Shan said gravely.
"Zhong Shan, hand over the Chaos Pearl, and I will petition the Great King of Taiyi to not pursue Dazhen anymore!" the previous general immediately called out.
"Hand over the Chaos Pearl, and I will petition the Great King of Taiji to not pursue Dazhen anymore!"
"Hand over the Chaos Pearl, and I will petition the Lantern Master to not pursue Dazhen anymore!"
… Numerous immortals stared at Zhong Shan and the Chaos Pearl, clearly desiring it but unable to seize it openly.
At this moment, a delicate balance of tension filled the air. The Chaos Pearl was right there, within arm's reach, yet completely unattainable.
Zhong Shan scanned the faces of those eagerly eyeing the Chaos Pearl, his expression turning stern.
"Whoever offends Dazhen, even if far away, shall be exterminated without mercy!" Zhong Shan declared, his voice filled with a chilling murderous intent.
The major forces felt a jolt in their hearts, as if the words were directed at them specifically, yet not quite.
As he spoke, Zhong Shan clenched his right hand tightly, using all his strength to crush the Chaos Pearl, symbolizing his resolve. You can ignore Dazhen now, but from today onward, anyone who dares to harm Dazhen will face a fight to the death.
The veins in Zhong Shan's hand bulged as he applied pressure, yet the Chaos Pearl showed no signs of breaking.
This scene was observed by all. The person from the Shitian Holy Land shook his head. The Central Master revealed a faint sneer.
"Zhong Shan, save your effort. The Chaos Divine Beast may have perished, but the Chaos Pearl, akin to a great celestial artifact, is beyond your strength to break. Hand over the Chaos Pearl!" someone from the Taiyi Heavenly Court said in a deep voice.
"Hmph!" Zhong Shan snorted coldly.
Can't break it?
In his palm, unseen by others, a faint white light glowed, and a subtle mist enveloped Zhong Shan's hand.
"Crack!"
A powerful force caused a crack to appear in the Chaos Pearl.
"Snap!"
The Chaos Pearl shattered into powder. A mere Second Heaven of the Celestial Stage had crushed it?
The Chaos Divine Beast was completely dead?
Everyone was stunned.
Allies of Zhong Shan furrowed their brows slightly. The three-eyed man behind the Jade Emperor looked regretful.
Opposite them, members of the six major forces of Fengzhong Domain frowned. Zhong Shan's earlier words echoed in their minds.
Whoever offends Dazhen, even if far away, shall be exterminated without mercy!
The independent cultivators looked at each other in disbelief. They finally realized how absurd it was to wade into these troubled waters, as many of them knew they couldn't crush the Chaos Pearl with a single palm strike.
Zhong Shan let the powder from his hand scatter into the wind, making it disappear completely.
Silence reigned once more. People's thoughts shifted continuously, and the six major forces of Fengzhong Domain were uncertain about their next move.
Zhong Shan glanced at the crowd, then at the ministers and officials of Dazhen. He took a deep breath.
"People of Dazhen!" Zhong Shan suddenly called out.
His voice was not loud, but through the heavenly fortune, it reached the ears of everyone in Dazhen.
Across the land of Dazhen, many people were still celebrating. Upon hearing Zhong Shan's voice, everyone suddenly stopped what they were doing.
They all listened attentively to the sacred decree of their king.
"Today marks the opening of the heavens, a day of universal celebration. I have led you all out of the Small Thousand World, out of the dream, and into the reality of the world. This is a day worth celebrating, but at this happiest moment, I have made a decision!"
Everyone looked at Zhong Shan, unsure of what he was up to.
"I have decided that from today onward, Dazhen will become a vassal of the Taichu Holy Court! We shall be known as the 'Taichu Holy Court Vassal State of Dazhen'." Zhong Shan announced loudly.
"Whoosh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
The entire world was in an uproar!
"What's going on? The Holy King wants to become a vassal to Taichu?"
"Why does Dazhen have to become a vassal to Taichu?"
"Our Holy King is so ambitious and capable, why would he submit to Taichu Holy Court?"
"Why?"
… The world was in turmoil, and the citizens of Dazhen couldn't believe it. Just a moment ago, they were celebrating the establishment of the first dynasty since the heavens and earth opened, and now, they were suddenly to become someone else's vassal? They too were a Holy Court; why should they become a vassal to another Holy Court? Why should they submit?
The people didn't believe it, they couldn't believe it! Just moments ago, they were celebrating universally, and now, they were plunged into sorrow. Everyone refused to accept this absurd reality.
But this voice couldn't deceive them; a proclamation could be faked, but this was the voice of their Holy King, a voice the people of Dazhen had long recognized. Why was this happening?
Profound sadness spread throughout Dazhen. People dropped their celebratory wine cups and walked out of the taverns, heading to the various city lord's mansions to seek confirmation.
Why would the great Dazhen, the first and greatest dynasty, become a vassal? Why?
The world was filled with immense sorrow!
In the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, officials were shedding tears. At this moment, many showed expressions of grief; the world was in sorrow!
Meanwhile, the assembled immortals looked at Zhong Shan in surprise. This Zhong Shan changed his stance so quickly? Just now he was incredibly strong and invincible, why did he suddenly concede?
Zhong Shan took a few steps forward, directly facing the Taichu Holy King in the south.
"Dazhen Holy Court, Zhong Shan, pays respects to the Taichu Holy King!" Zhong Shan bowed halfway.
If they were of equal status, he would have said 'greeted,' but now he said 'paid respects,' clearly willing to adopt the manner of a vassal.
Other forces widened their eyes, staring at Zhong Shan.
The immortals behind the Taichu Holy King showed satisfied smiles, with Sima Zongheng looking particularly smug.
The Taichu Holy King's entourage slowly descended from the sky.
"Dazhen Holy Court wishes to become a vassal to the Taichu Holy Court. I humbly request the Taichu Holy King's approval!" Zhong Shan said again.
Many officials couldn't bear to continue watching!
"Granted!" The Taichu Holy King replied solemnly.
"Whoosh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
It was as if a great wind swept through, and in an instant, much of the fortune of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court vanished, almost half, disappearing in an instant.
It flowed into the Taichu Holy Court!
"The Taichu Holy King once said that if Dazhen became a vassal, he would ensure Dazhen's safety?" Zhong Shan asked seriously, looking at the Taichu Holy King.
The Taichu Holy King, through his silver mask, gazed deeply at Zhong Shan.
Then he turned to look at the other forces.
"Taiyi Holy Court, Taiji Holy Court, Snake Empress Dojo, and Burning Lamp Dojo, you may withdraw now. Report to your Holy Kings or Masters that Dazhen is now a vassal of Taichu. Any attack on Dazhen will be considered an act of provocation against Taichu Holy Court!" The Taichu Holy King announced to everyone.
The leaders of the four forces exchanged glances, their expressions shifting. It was clear that destroying the Taichu Holy Court today was no longer possible.
The Snake Empress Dojo people took a deep look at Zhong Shan and were the first to speak: "Farewell!"
"Farewell!" The other three forces followed suit, retreating one after another.
Clearly, if the Taichu Holy Court had not intervened, this would have been a standoff between Fengzhong Domain and external forces. But with the Taichu Holy Court's involvement, the nature of the situation changed completely. The four major forces all retreated.
The twenty-one independent cultivators exchanged glances, feeling as if they had been played like monkeys. Feeling a sense of desolation, they disappeared quickly.
The Taichu Holy King looked at the Master of Zixiao.
"Master of Zixiao, do you have any further business?" the Taichu Holy King asked.
Of the six major forces in Fengzhong Domain, only two leaders had come: the Taichu Holy King and the Master of Zixiao. The Taichu Holy King was now forcing the Master of Zixiao to take a stance.
"I have no further business. Congratulations to you!" the Master of Zixiao said with a smile.
"Thank you!" the Taichu Holy King nodded.
"Then I will take my leave as well!" With a faint smile, the Master of Zixiao took a deep look at Zhong Shan and vanished.
In an instant, the hostile forces had all left, and Zhong Shan had taken the path of becoming a vassal.
Zhong Shan looked at his allied forces, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you, everyone."
Zhong Shan knew that without these allied forces, this vassalage could not have gone so smoothly.
"In that case, we shall take our leave!" The Central Master said coldly with a sneer.
With a wave of his sleeve, the Central Master took Gan Baobao away, followed by his subordinates.
On the way, the Central Master looked at Gan Baobao with a slight frown.
"Your man is now so humiliated. Aren't you the least bit saddened?" the Central Master asked in a deep voice.
"A great man can bend and stretch. Why should I be saddened?"
"Bend and stretch? He is a Holy Court Lord, a Holy King, yet he now bows as a vassal to another of equal status. Does it not affect you at all?" the Central Master asked with a frown.
"Vassal? Now Dazhen is a vassal to Taichu. It won't be long before Taichu becomes a vassal to Dazhen!" Gan Baobao said confidently.
"Hahaha, what a joke! Do you think a Holy Court Lord is that simple? It won't be long before Taichu is a vassal to Dazhen? You must be dreaming!" The Central Master laughed coldly.
"Believe what you want!" Gan Baobao retorted coldly.
The Central Master didn't get angry. Instead, he looked at Gan Baobao with growing admiration.
"What do you want?" Gan Baobao asked with a frown.
"I am you, and you are me. I won't do anything to you. You are the only one among all my incarnations who is different from me. You are special!" The Central Master's face showed affection.
"Hmph!"
After the Central Master left, the other forces also left with their respective goals. Clearly, with the strong enemies gone, they didn't want to stay any longer. If not for ensuring their people left willingly, they would have left long ago. Who wanted to get involved in such a mess?
Emperor Xuan Sha followed a group from the Shitian Holy Land, flying away from the Lingxiao Heavenly Court.
"From now on, call me Elder," said one of them.
"Hmm!" Emperor Xuan Sha nodded.
"Aren't you worried about Zhong Shan?" the Elder asked.
"No need!"
"Oh? Why not?"
"Zhong Shan is an extremely outstanding person. I saw that long ago in the Small Thousand World. Surrender? He won't yield to anyone. It's just that with the opening of the heavens, the mess left by the ancient powers has forced Zhong Shan to a breaking point. He just needs some peace. Once he catches his breath, he can turn the entire world upside down!" Emperor Xuan Sha said confidently.
Gan Baobao left, Gu Qianyou left, Bei Qingsi left, Tian Ling'er left, Zhong Tian left, Hao Meili left, and Emperor Xuan Sha left!
Zhong Shan watched this scene with some melancholy. In an instant, because of his decision, everyone had left.
Of course, Zhong Shan also knew this was the best temporary outcome. At least by leaving, they wouldn't be harmed, whereas staying would be extremely dangerous because the path Zhong Shan was about to take was truly perilous.
For now, only Wang Jian and his group remained.
After sending off most of the people, Zhong Shan looked again at the Taichu Holy King, the masked Holy King whose face couldn't be seen.
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