Upon inheriting the throne, the King of Xuan Yuan enfeoffed the wondrous woman as his Queen. For centuries thereafter, the King tirelessly devoted himself to developing the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's national strength. Under his leadership, the dynasty reached the pinnacle of its power in ten thousand years.
However, one day, eight figures clad in black robes emerged from beyond the seas, each possessing immeasurable power. They rampaged from what is now Qing Zhou all the way to the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's royal palace. That night, Tian Yue Island was drenched in blood, marking the darkest day in ten thousand years.
These eight black-robed figures not only forced the Xuan Yuan King, Mang, to flee his palace but also caused the palace to sink. They drained the primal energy within thousands of miles centered on the palace, severed the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's dragon脉 (dragon veins), and executed all the prominent local powers of the Xuan Yuan Dynasty at the time.
On that fateful night, Tian Yue Island was reduced to scorched earth, its vital energy depleted, and its heroes slaughtered. Only now has Tian Yue Island begun to regain its vitality.
These eight black-robed figures had traveled across oceans to annihilate the Xuan Yuan Dynasty, all for the sake of that wondrous woman whom Mang had brought from overseas.
The downfall of an entire dynasty, all because of one woman. The Xuan Yuan King, Mang, was willing to sacrifice his vast empire for the chance to stay with his Queen.
Having escaped, Mang knew his time was short. He sealed the dynasty's ten-thousand-year accumulated treasures within the Prison of Spirits and carried the legendary method of dynastic advancement into his tomb.
The Loulan Kingdom's lineage was inextricably linked to the families of those eight black-robed figures. As for the specifics, Yang Hao, with the information he currently possessed, could not discern the full truth.
Yang Hao looked at this unfortunate tale and found it utterly cliché: a ruler, not for his vast empire, but solely for the love of a beauty. What an outdated story.
"Your Majesty, Princess Han Yue of Loulan requests an audience outside the hall!"
Wei Zhongxian's voice carried in.
"Announce her!"
It had only been a day since the secret of the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's hidden treasury was revealed, and yet Princess Han Yue of Loulan had traveled tirelessly from distant Loulan to Chang'an. Judging by her speed, without the escort of a top-tier Gui Yuan expert, she would not have been able to arrive within a day.
Yang Hao glanced at Wei Chi Gong, who stood guard by his side with a cultivation at the fifth level of the Shen Fu realm, and at Yao Li, concealed in the void with his two levels of Shen Fu. A faint smile touched Yang Hao's lips. What was a top-tier Gui Yuan expert to him now? He had Shen Fu realm protectors.
"Your Majesty, Princess Han Yue of Loulan is at the first level of the Shen Fu realm. There is another, whose primal energy is profound and not inferior to my own!"
Wei Chi Gong frowned, speaking in a deep voice.
"Hmm!"
This Princess Han Yue of Loulan was actually a Shen Fu realm expert. No wonder Yao Li had not detected her primal energy cultivation last time; she was a Shen Fu realm expert. It made sense.
But, as a princess of Loulan possessing Shen Fu realm cultivation, why had she sought a promise from him? Previously, the strongest in the Great Han was only Yao Li at the ninth level of Gui Yuan. What was Han Yue's intention in asking for his promise?
*Thump thump thump~~*
A hunched old woman followed Princess Han Yue of Loulan, slowly approaching the hall.
*Buzz~~*
What?
Waves of surprise rippled through Han Yue's heart. In just a few days, the Great Han had gained a Shen Fu realm expert!
One...
Two...
The old woman softly said, "Princess, be wary of that dark-faced man. His strength is not inferior to mine!"
"Understood!"
Han Yue looked up and saw a dark-faced man, nine feet tall, standing by Yang Hao's side.
"Not inferior to you! The fifth level of Shen Fu?"
Han Yue's heart grew tense. The last time she visited the Great Han, their strongest was only Yao Li at the peak of Gui Yuan. Now, after just a few days, Yao Li had broken through to the Shen Fu realm, his strength and cultivation far surpassing hers. Moreover, a fifth-level Shen Fu expert had suddenly appeared. What power lay behind this Great Han?
"Loulan's Han Yue pays respects to the King of Han!"
The two arrived before the hall and bowed to Yang Hao.
"May I ask who is behind the Princess?"
Yang Hao's expression was calm as he spoke softly. The fifth level of Shen Fu, his strength was comparable to Wei Chi Gong's. If Loulan was like this, what about the Chu Kingdom, and the ancient beings within the Prison of Spirits!
"King of Han, this is our Loulan's Grand Tutor, Elder Mei. She accompanies me to the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's hidden treasury. King of Han, I am here to forge an alliance with your esteemed country to jointly resist the Chu Kingdom and the Prison of Spirits!"
"King of Han, while the King of Chu appears to have revealed the information, the ancient beings of the Prison of Spirits are behind him. He is highly confident he can control the tomb of the Xuan Yuan King!"
"Furthermore, should my Loulan ally with your country, my kingdom is willing to assist yours in obtaining the method of dynastic advancement!"
"Oh?"
Yang Hao listened, his brow furrowed. What was Loulan's game? Entering the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's hidden treasury, but not for the method of dynastic advancement.
"Then, pray tell, what is Loulan's purpose in entering the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's hidden treasury?"
"For the corpse of the Xuan Yuan King, Mang!"
Princess Han Yue of Loulan said slowly, "With the King of Han's abilities, you have likely uncovered most of the reasons for the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's collapse. My Loulan harbors a certain enmity towards the Xuan Yuan Dynasty, and we have waited for ten thousand years. Now that the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's hidden treasury is open, my Loulan is determined to obtain the corpse of the Xuan Yuan King!"
"The corpse! This Xuan Yuan Dynasty has been in ruins for ten thousand years, and the Xuan Yuan King has been deceased for ten thousand years. Such deep hatred that it has not dissipated in ten millennia?"
Is this girl sick? The person has been dead for ten thousand years, and she still wants to desecrate the corpse? What a dark obsession, Yang Hao thought to himself.
"Heh heh, that is none of the King of Han's concern!"
"King of Han, I come here today with utmost sincerity. Why don't we cooperate?"
Princess Han Yue of Loulan gazed directly at Yang Hao.
"Good!"
Since Loulan had such peculiar desires and was not after the method of dynastic advancement, why not agree?
"In that case, we shall meet at the Prison of Spirits tomorrow!"
Princess Han Yue of Loulan finished speaking, turned, and left the hall with the old woman.
Yang Hao watched their retreating figures. Loulan dispatched two Shen Fu realm experts at once. It seemed he had to accelerate the war with the Goryeo Kingdom. He wondered if he could time it right to summon another ancient hero of the Shen Fu realm on the day the Xuan Yuan Dynasty's hidden treasury opened.
"Wei Zhongxian, order General Meng Tian's army to clear Goryeo within a day!"
His dragon's might emerged, filled with domineering authority!
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In the royal palace of the Goryeo Kingdom.
Yuan Tiangang stood suspended in the void above the Goryeo royal palace, his Heavenly Eye open, scanning the dragon脉 (dragon veins) and the yellow aura beneath the ground.
The Goryeo Kingdom was currently at its peak of prosperity. The King of Goryeo himself was robust and full of vitality. The yellow aura beneath the earth was more pure than that of the Liao Kingdom.
It was unlike the dispersed yellow aura of the Lang Ya Kingdom, which had been refined through countless lightning strikes, showing faint signs of transforming into a dragon.
The Goryeo Kingdom, however, was different. Its dragon脉 (dragon veins) were stable, its primal energy abundant. The yellow aura gathered above the dragon脉 (dragon veins) was as long as two thousand zhang, with the head faintly displaying the aura of a dragon.