Chapter 1022 Lord, Demon King

"Courting death."

As soon as these two words were uttered,

Liang Cheng, the blind man, A Ming, Xue San, Fan Li, Si Niang… everyone put away their usual laziness or cynicism, and their gazes began to turn serious.

Even the red stone on the table swayed twice at this moment, then immediately stood still.

A familiar yet foreign atmosphere began to permeate this cabin.

Familiar, because that’s how it should be. A long time ago, whenever something needed doing, it required a large group of people together.

At that time, everyone was still weak. Whether it was the first pot of gold or the first step, everyone had to go all out to fight for it, just to have a tiny chance to succeed.

Foreign, because it had been a really, really long time since they had encountered this specific situation;

They no longer needed to take action themselves. Often, with a wave of their hand, many, many people would take care of things for them;

Sometimes taking action felt like seeking amusement out of boredom; it wasn’t serious, let alone solemn.

Therefore, at this moment, there was a hint of reminiscence.

No discussion,

No research,

No weighing of trade-offs,

Because it was already decided.

More than ten years of wind and frost seemed to have covered this land in another color;

But once the torrents of the mountains poured down,

The most primitive was always the most authentic.

Zheng Fan slowly stood up,

Everyone knew he was very angry right now, because this had touched his true bottom line, but on his face, there weren't many emotional fluctuations.

The Lord who had just awakened in Tiger Head City back then had to give himself enough psychological hints in advance to avoid losing face in front of the devils, and had to deliberately hold back;

But now,

There was no need to deliberately disguise or embellish,

Hiding his emotions, being steady, especially at this time, had become a matter of course for him.

"Since they’ve taken the initiative to come knocking,

Then we,

Will send them all… on their way."

The next moment,

All the devils knelt down on one knee,

And said in unison:

"Your subordinates obey!"

…

The people inside and outside Yingdu believed that their emperor was recuperating in the palace, or wasting the last of his years as emperor;

And the Yan army soldiers believed that their prince was still calmly staying on the ship, heading towards Shangyang County along the waterway.

But the Emperor of Chu was no longer in Yingdu;

And the Prince of Great Yan, although still on the ship, would soon be leaving.

…

"I used to think you were stupid, these days, I changed my opinion of you, but now, I think you're stupid again."

Zheng Lin stood in front of his father, his eyes slightly lowered.

He looked more like his mother in appearance, but in expression, he resembled his father.

Zheng Fan had changed out of his python robe and was not wearing armor, but a set of black casual clothes;

Si Niang stood behind him, re-styling his hair.

Zheng Lin dared to say such a thing to his father when his mother was present, which showed his current anger.

But this time, Si Niang wasn't in a hurry to use family law.

"You're still young," Zheng Fan said. "Taking you would be of little use."

Zheng Lin pointed to the mark between his eyebrows and shouted:

"As long as my seal is completely unlocked, I won't be a burden!"

"In case the worst happens,

This vast family fortune must be inherited by someone, and the throne must continue to be occupied by someone."

"You can't bear to part with it?" Zheng Lin asked.

Zheng Fan nodded: "It is, after all, a family property accumulated through hard work; how could I not care?"

"So, you can abandon everything and go enjoy yourself, while I can only stay here and inherit your family fortune?"

"Saying I don't care would be a lie, but saying I deliberately didn't take you along, leaving you to inherit the family fortune, doesn't quite cover it either."

"What do you mean?"

"The letters from home, you've read them too, and you know your sister's situation. The other side didn't completely block the road, for fear that I simply wouldn't go in. Because they know that with normal means in a head-on confrontation, they have no chance and no possibility of winning me, so they can only use this despicable method to force a prince with a million troops under his command to make a choice that only wandering heroes would make.

After this trip,

There are only two outcomes.

One, we come back.

Two, we don't come back.

If we come back, everyone will be happy, and we’ll sing and dance as before.

If we don't come back,

You,

Son,

You have to avenge me, your mother, your godfathers, and your sister; avenge all of us."

Zheng Fan looked at his son,

Took out a dagger from beside him, and threw it in front of his son,

Saying:

"This time, not taking you is not to keep you safe; in fact, what your father hates most is this kind of drama.

After all,

Who can resist the completeness of a family?

But the problem is,

I'm not willing,

Not unwilling to be without an heir,

But unwilling that if I lose, my enemies can continue to jump around.

We must leave someone behind, some means of recourse, some opportunity,

To completely,

Finish them off.

Son,

You just continue to sit on the boat; after going deep into Chu territory, the team will change course.

If your father and I don't come back,

You inherit my throne.

You blind godfather has definitely taught you a lot over the years about what to do and how to do it.

We have such a big foundation,

Enough for you to use."

"But who am I supposed to take revenge on, and who can I find to avenge?" Zheng Lin asked.

"Up to you."

"Up to me? Aren't you afraid that I…"

"If I'm gone, let the floods rage; son, as long as you're happy.

This dagger means that once you’ve had your fun, avenged me, and feel bored and want to cut your throat, just use this."

Zheng Lin bit his lip and said nothing.

"Do you understand?"

Zheng Lin nodded.

Then, he took two steps back, knelt down very seriously, and kowtowed three times to Zheng Fan and his mother.

"Don't do this, your father's not used to it," Zheng Fan said with a smile.

"The first kowtow is on behalf of my sister.

The second kowtow is as a son, for you. No matter what kind of person you are, you haven't failed as a father, whether in the past or now, you deserve it."

Rarely seeing his son so "serious,"

Zheng Fan also subconsciously straightened his sitting posture,

And actively asked:

"What about the third kowtow?"

"Don't know."

"Don't know?"

"Yeah, so I gave you an extra one, so you owe me one. When you come back with Mom and the godfathers, you can kowtow back to me."

"You little brat."

Zheng Fan kicked him,

Zheng Lin was kicked and rolled twice on the ground,

After getting up, he patted his clothes,

And finally glanced at Zheng Fan and Si Niang,

Saying:

"Zheng, you either don't give birth to me, but since you are, couldn't you have given birth to me ten years earlier?

That way, I could have handled things like today alone, and you'd have saved yourself some trouble."

Zheng Fan's gaze fell on the red stone in front of him.

Ah,

It wasn't shaking.

See,

It was feeling guilty.

Zheng Lin left, leaving the cabin.

"Our son is not bad," Zheng Fan said, holding the hand of the woman behind him. "Not a waste to have raised him."

Si Niang smiled and said, "If it had been him who was afflicted instead of Da Niu, that would have been great."

Zheng Fan pondered for a while, seemingly making a comparison,

And said:

"That’s true."

…

The sky was gradually darkening,

The fleet was still moving, and the escorting soldiers on both sides were also moving.

Zheng Fan walked to the deck, stretched, and took a deep breath in advance.

"Why didn't you come to me this time?"

A familiar voice came from behind Zheng Fan, followed by that familiar white figure.

"I've been waiting for you in my cabin, but this time, you didn't come."

Over the years,

The Sword Saint had become accustomed to this person coming to his home to ask him every time he went out;

At first, it was a reward for each task, always going around in circles.

Later, he gradually stopped bargaining and saved it up.

And then, he became too lazy to bother calculating.

"Old Yu."

"Don't tell me, you don't need me to come along this time?" The Sword Saint seemed to sense something.

And for this reason, the dignified Sword Saint of Jin was starting to feel a little… angry.

"Old Yu, their requirement is that we are not allowed to bring troops."

"But you weren't planning to bring troops."

"But who told you to be famous, Old Yu?

Look,

A prince who might have taken drugs to reach Tier 3 and is usually protected by a large army,

Bringing a few Tier 4 guards,

To their appointed place,

Shouldn’t be too excessive, right?

They should be able to accept it.

But you, Old Yu, are not in this category.

Although we call those guys in the sect rats, that group of rats has always had a keen sense of smell. No matter how well we hide, they will be able to detect it when we get there.

So this time,

You can rest, Old Yu."

"They are many, I don't think they would mind one more," the Sword Saint said.

"Who can guarantee that?" Zheng Fan shrugged. "What if they see that you, Yu Huaping, have also come with me, and in a fit of anger, they directly tear up the ticket?"

The Sword Saint chewed on the term "tear up the ticket" and quickly understood it.

"But I feel that this is not your real reason; you are perfunctorily placating me, and trying to fob me off."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Yes, I am."

"Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, you still go to them. Since you are going, why not bring a sharp blade?"

"Hehehe… hehehehe…"

Zheng Fan laughed,

Laughed for a long time,

The Sword Saint didn't interrupt him, waiting until he… finished laughing.

"They think they are fierce tigers sitting in the mountains,

Unfortunately,

What they are waiting for,

Is not a sheep being sent into the tiger's mouth,

But a Jiao dragon that can swallow them whole in one bite."

"Where is the dragon?"

"The dragon evolved from the Jiao dragon."

Zheng Fan turned around, facing the Sword Saint,

And said:

"Old Yu, believe me, I will save my daughter, your apprentice."

"If she is not saved, my sword will spend the rest of my life killing rats, no matter what kind of beautiful clothes they wear."

"That's right."

At this time,

Si Niang, Liang Cheng, the blind man, Fan Li, Xue San, and A Ming all silently stood around.

Zheng Fan twisted his neck,

While adjusting the position of the Woya belt hanging around his waist,

Then,

He hesitated, hesitated, clearly hesitating.

According to past habits,

At this time, whether it was the Lord or the Prince, he had to say something inspiring and stylish to push the atmosphere to its peak.

But this time,

Zheng Fan thought for a long time,

But couldn't think of a sentence that satisfied him.

However,

That didn't matter,

He slapped the scabbard with his hand, making a solemn sound,

Zheng Fan looked in the direction of the Great Marsh,

Saying:

"Let’s go,

Let’s go fuck their mother's Gobi desert!"

………

Great Marsh;

Dongming Village.

The Great Marsh is a very large area; in fact, the truly dangerous places in the eyes of ordinary people, only account for less than one-tenth of the Great Marsh.

Dongming Village is here, because the area produces Great Marsh Fragrant Tongue, a tea that the Regent of Great Yan loves most.

But now, this village had long been emptied.

On a high platform in the center of the village, the Chu Emperor was still locked in chains.

Around him, five black-robed figures sat cross-legged, helping him strengthen the formation, to ensure that the girl in the Prince's mansion in Fengxin City, extremely far away, would continue to enjoy the "blessings."

The Chu Emperor opened his eyes, and screams could be heard from time to time around him.

In fact, the Chu Emperor and the spirit of the Fire Phoenix were enduring the same pain, but obviously, the emperor could endure it better.

The old man with the wine pot walked up from below, jumped up, came to the platform, squatted down in front of the Chu Emperor,

And said:

"I've always been curious about one thing."

The Chu Emperor glanced at him and said, "Speak."

"Your Majesty agreed to cooperate in using this method to force the Regent to attend the meeting, what exactly was the purpose?"

"I, don't understand what you're talking about."

"Is it that Your Majesty has really lost to the end, like a drowning man desperately wanting to grab anything he can, or…"

"Or what?"

"Or do you feel that you and the Great Chu are hopeless, and simply want to use the power of people like us to truly bestow blessings upon your niece?"

"What's the point of asking me this now?"

"That's right, you're right, it really doesn't make sense. I know that Your Majesty actually looks down on us a bit; this is fine, because sometimes, we ourselves look down on ourselves.

But Your Majesty, you are, after all, the Emperor of Chu, so you must keep your word. What do they say? An emperor's words are not to be taken lightly."

"Are you teaching me how to do things?"

"No, no." The old man with the wine pot showed an embarrassed expression.

They were actually not very afraid of human emperors, but what made them very helpless was that the Prince protected himself and his family very well.

Either defeat him head-on on the battlefield… which was obviously impossible.

And the loopholes around him were really gone. It was hard to say about the future, but now they could only say that the storm had not subsided. In the future, when Great Yan had truly secured the world… even if this Regent died, what would be the point?

Only at this juncture, if Zheng Fan died and problems arose within Yan, would they have a little bit of opportunity to take advantage of.

Therefore, they had no choice.

At this time,

A young man's voice came from behind,

"What His Majesty said is true, there really is no difference."

A young man in a yellow robe appeared on the high platform at some point.

When the old man with the wine pot saw him, he lowered his head slightly, truly showing respect.

The young man sat down beside the Chu Emperor, because this was a formation, and even the spirit of the Fire Phoenix was constantly being roasted within it, but the man was fine;

Because his skin was emitting a faint golden luster, protecting him.

"If the Regent doesn't want to come, then he has a thousand reasons not to come; he could… not come.

What's even more ridiculous is that,

This method, if used on others, no, there wouldn't even be a need to use it.

The more you understand this Regent, the more interesting you find him. It's just a pity that I'm afraid I won't have the opportunity to become a close friend and confidant with him in this life.

Just a daughter,

And even if it were the eldest son, look at those princes and generals, who would take their family wealth and recklessly fill it in?

Only he would make this choice.

He is a very pure person,

It's a pity,

That such a pure person cannot serve my Great Xia."

"Xia?" A mocking smile appeared on the corner of the Chu Emperor's mouth.

"You can continue to disdain, just as the old man with the wine said earlier, we actually look down on ourselves, but we are really forced to do this.

A dream,

Waking up too early,

Not only is the dream not finished, but even the dreamscape has completely changed.

Your Majesty,

Whether you truly want your niece to be stuffed to death doesn't matter.

You can stop when you think it's time to stop, and just give her a great opportunity.

But that Regent,

Will not gamble,

Will not gamble on whether you will stop in time; he only knows that his daughter's life is currently being manipulated by her uncle and a group of outsiders.

So,

Old man with the wine pot, don't worry too much.

If he wants to come, then he will come;

If he doesn't want to come, then he won't come.

Anyway,

We are just lying here, desperately looking up at the sky and begging for food, what other hope can we have other than that?"

"You are right," the old man with the wine pot nodded.

The yellow-robed man clapped his hands helplessly,

And said:

"Perhaps even the reason that is pushing him to come, is not mainly to save his daughter.

But anger,

Anger that there are such a group of mice that cannot be seen in the gutter,

Who actually dared to stretch their claws to the side of the family he values.

This,

How can it be tolerated?

Right now,

He may be rushing over, just to settle accounts with us, and taking advantage of the fact that we rats are all gathered together, it's just easier, isn't it?

We are still here worrying about whether he is willing to take the bait,

He is more worried that we won't wait and will prematurely scatter."

The old man with the wine pot asked doubtfully, "Wouldn't that be impossible?"

"Why can't it be?" The yellow-robed man asked in return.

"If he brings troops, we'll run away in advance. If he doesn't bring troops, what waves can he make? Even if he brings a few experts with him…"

The old man with the wine pot turned around,

Looking at the surroundings of the village,

Here, there are many people dressed in black robes.

Although Qi Refiners account for half of them,

There are also many other martial artists and swordsmen.

Tier 3 experts are only the entry-level here.

There are also many who are peeping into the Tier 2 realm; although there are many taboos, as long as they are willing to go all out, they are still terrifying.

The yellow-robed man reached out, snatched the wine pot from the old man with the wine pot, pulled out the stopper, took a big gulp,

Wiped his mouth,

And said:

"I am certain that many people have had similar ideas to you, and then, step by step, he destroyed countries and was ennobled as a king, and those who had similar ideas to you, had long been trampled under his feet, becoming piles of dry bones paving the way."

The Chu Emperor opened his mouth and said:

"Since you are so pessimistic, why did you still come here?"

The yellow-robed man scratched his face hard,

And said:

"I have already said, a beautiful dream has turned into a nightmare. In fact, I am the one who really has no choice.

Your Majesty,

Do you know,

The more I feel that this place is solid, and that he will dare to come and kill him, the more uneasy I feel in my heart.

This mentality may be similar to that of you and Chu in the past, and Zhao Mu Gou and the Qian Kingdom before that.

The longer it drags on, the more hopeless it becomes.

It is better,

To simply seek a quick death."

At this time,

From the four sides of the village, each group of Qi Refiners began to forcefully prop up a corner of the formation.

A terrifying aura began to gather,

From the sky,

It was as if a罩zi was being forcibly dug out, slowly descending towards this village and the surrounding area below.

The Chu Emperor looked at the scene in front of him and said, "The Four Directions Grand Formation?"

"Your Majesty has good eyes." The yellow-robed man pointed to the sky and introduced, "We have collected the Qi Luck of Jin, Chu, Qian, and ancient Xia, and gathered this Four Directions Grand Formation.

Those from the outside who enter the formation,

Their realm will be suppressed, like fish trapped in a tight net, unable to escape."

Since the Chu Emperor was able to subdue the spirit of the Fire Phoenix, he obviously had research on this aspect to begin with. Moreover, the Xiong clan had long been associated with witches, and the witches in the court were officials, which was much earlier than Li Xundao of the Qian Kingdom.

The old man with the wine pot opened his mouth and said:

"Without mentioning whether the Regent will come or not, if he really comes, as long as he enters this Grand Formation, he will not be able to get out; next, it is up to us to close the net."

"Heh, my Great Chu's national fortune is already in decline, the Qian Kingdom's national fortune has already collapsed, the Jin Kingdom's national fortune has long been silent, and the ancient Xia's Qi Luck is only a faint trace.

In today's Zhu Xia,

Only Yan's Qi Luck is the strongest!

He is the Regent of Yan, in terms of law, second only to the emperor, and even enough to be on par with the emperor.

As long as he stands inside,

Affected by the Grand Formation, Yan's national fortune will inevitably be added to his body.

With this lame Four Fortunes, the Grand Formation you have set up, I'm afraid will be destroyed cleanly in an instant."

The yellow-robed man nodded and said:

"Your Majesty is wise.

Back then, Zang Fuzi beheaded the dragon vein,

I'm afraid it only confirmed one thing,

And that is that national fortune is merely a humble maidservant above national power.

If national power is thriving, national fortune will inevitably follow closely behind, unbreakable and indestructible.

Hmm,

This Four Directions Grand Formation is indeed a bit weak; after all, the four of them combined are not enough to fill the teeth of that Pixiu.

But he, the Regent,

Has not yet claimed the title of Emperor, has he?

He has not replaced the Emperor, nor has he established his own family,

Therefore,

The Qi Luck of Yan is still in the hands of the Yan Emperor.

Your Majesty,

What do you say,

If that Yan Emperor,

Does not lend it?"

…

Yanjing,

Imperial palace.

Ji Chengjue, who had just returned to the capital of Great Yan from Qian, was sitting in a chair wearing a dragon robe.

The weather was about to enter winter, and Yan, located in the north of Zhu Xia, entered winter even earlier.

There was no charcoal brazier in the hall,

And the cold was already a bit piercing.

That white-clothed plump woman was still kneeling below, but she was wearing shackles.

However,

At this moment,

A series of muffled footsteps came from outside.

Standing in front of the Emperor,

Were Wei Zhonghe and that red-robed "little" eunuch. Above the hall, there were also a group of strong individuals from the Secret Intelligence Division and red-robed eunuchs from the palace.

This place was where the Grand Tutor of the palace used to live, so it was always quiet and secluded, without outsiders.

The muffled footsteps grew closer and closer.

Finally,

A black Pixiu with flames burning on its body and a huge frame, slowly walked in from the towering gate.

Accompanying Great Yan's conquests and unification, which was almost complete, Great Yan's national power and national fortune also gradually climbed.

This old Pixiu spirit, which was dilapidated and rotten in the past, had not only recovered its shape, its wounds had healed, and the aura around it had already possessed the prestige of a divine beast overlooking the four directions.

It slowly walked to the Emperor,

Slowly raised its head,

Its huge and majestic eyes looked forward,

And its voice,

Echoed in the hall:

"As long as you do nothing,

The Ji clan,

Will completely secure this world!"

Hearing these "words,"

The Emperor, sitting in the chair wearing the dragon robe,

Leaned back slightly,

A meaningful smile appeared on his face,

For a long time,

He whispered:

"Heh…"