Chapter 151 The End

Zheng Fan's words rang with conviction.

It seemed he had never spoken to Tian Wujing like this before. Previously, he had always been cautious and careful, occasionally revealing a little bit of true emotion.

But regardless,

the words,

had been spoken.

After finishing,

the Marquis felt a sense of emptiness and loss,

but ultimately,

he felt relieved.

The barbarian saber,

was stuck in the ground before him.

The Marquis looked at Tian Wujing directly.

Tian Wujing remained standing there, also looking at Zheng Fan.

The two,

not far apart,

just stared at each other.

The Sword Saint held Long Yuan, adopting a posture of watching a play.

There weren't many plays in the world that were worthy of his attention, but this one before him was indeed a rare sight, with rare people, rare words; it would be a shame not to watch it properly.

Si Niang silently stood behind her lord, occasionally keeping a vigilant watch for anyone approaching.

As for whether Zheng Fan's threatening words would become reality,

well,

her lord's likes and dislikes were the highest standard for this group of demon kings.

For the demon kings themselves, there was actually no psychological pressure, nor any question of whether they were willing or unwilling. It was like playing with building blocks; after finally stacking them up, they would eventually be knocked down, enjoying only the process.

Focusing too much on the result, being constrained by the result, being held hostage by the result, this did not conform to the demon kings' aesthetic.

Everyone in the group, in fact, had that carefree attitude of clapping their hands, straightening their backs, and shaking their heads while looking at the vast expanse before them.

But,

undeniably,

the two men stood there, staring at each other.

Initially, the Marquis planting his barbarian saber into the ground and speaking with a roar, with determination, did indeed raise his momentum.

However,

after a long period of eye contact,

even bystanders could easily see that the momentum of both sides began to rise and fall again.

After his lord's initial surge,

he was slowly being overwhelmed by Tian Wujing again.

Huff...

Si Niang sighed inwardly.

The current lord, although growing rapidly, was still not comparable to the King of Jingnan.

However, the demon kings did not like their lord being a copy of the King of Jingnan; that life would be meaningless and without hope.

The role the lord played was as a binder, not simply as another great demon king.

The Marquis himself also noticed this phenomenon.

Even though he kept his face tense,

even though his eyes remained stern,

even though his will remained firm,

but the old Tian just stood there, looking at you, and your momentum would uncontrollably drop, drop, drop...

If it were other matters,

if it were other disputes,

Zheng Fan might have already softened and stuck to him: "Brother, I was just talking nonsense with a pig-brain, don't take it to heart!"

But,

on this matter,

the Marquis knew he could not back down.

His dream was not the main factor, but rather the accounts he had heard from other soldiers after arriving in Yingdu.

Yes,

Zheng Fan knew why Tian Wujing had to enter Yingdu; he wanted to crush the pride of the Chu people. For a country, there was no greater blow than destroying that country's capital.

But Tian Wujing clearly had better choices, better methods.

Because although Tian Wujing's personal strength was very strong, he was not the kind of person who liked to show off his personal courage. Although he had twice nearly single-handedly scared off the enemy army, that was because the enemy generals were wary of the Jingnan army that might be following behind him, but in reality was not.

Taking the head of a general from among thousands of troops, or pulling out the enemy general for a one-on-one duel, old Tian had no interest in such tricks.

But this time entering Yingdu, he did so.

To say it coldly,

once Yingdu was captured,

directly ordering a chief military officer to lead five thousand iron cavalry into the city to burn down the imperial city, even if those five thousand iron cavalry were all buried here, it would be worth it.

Were five thousand cavalry more important than a King of Jingnan?

This sounded very "not all men are created equal," but it was the truth.

Even that shameless old Yao Zizhan dared to claim that if he entered Yan, the Yan Emperor would be willing to exchange ten thousand iron cavalry for him,

let alone the Southern Marquis of Yan?

So,

this was because he had really seen the battle situation develop in his favor,

seen the Regent of Chu preparing to start anew,

seen that the war had entered its final stages,

and even seen much more, Tian Wujing began to deliberately look for a "way out" for himself. The "way out" here was a grave.

Perhaps the Fire Phoenix was not strong enough, or perhaps old Tian felt that this grave was not satisfactory enough.

In short, he failed to die.

The Blind Man had said that only a real bloodbath, an epic battle, could be worthy of the fall of the Great Yan Southern Marquis.

Ideally, it would be one of turning the tide,

one of fighting to the last soldier.

With a distant sunset view,

and a mountain of corpses beneath his feet,

covered in thick blood,

leaning on his broken Kunwu saber,

and finally, with a breeze gently blowing his hair.

This scene,

would be worthy of the Great Yan Southern Marquis's final resting place.

The Blind Man had even drawn a picture for this, in the style of ink wash painting, and it was truly very vivid.

Of course, designing a resting place for the King of Jingnan early on also showed what the Blind Man's true thoughts were.

Aesthetics were fake; the key was that the Blind Man wanted to breathe freely.

The Sword Saint was a strong man, and he was more sensitive to Qi. At this time, he spoke:

"I say, actually, a home with a wife and children and a warm bed is really good. You've been busy for half your life, and I've been busy for a little less than half my life. This life, actually..."

Tian Wujing looked at the Sword Saint,

just like that, looking.

"..." the Sword Saint.

Invisibly,

even though no words were spoken,

it was a piercing jab to the heart.

You were busy with this and that, and you messed up the Three Jins and the Capital area!

As for me,

I attacked Qian, swallowed Jin, and invaded Chu, capturing Yingdu.

How can you compare yourself to me?

Can we be mentioned in the same breath?

Where's your face?

"Tian Wujing, actually, I'm not as refined as you think. Do you believe I'll poke a few holes in you while you're weak?"

Since being with the Marquis, the Sword Saint had "enlightened" himself a few times every now and then, and in some ways, he was actually much more well-rounded than before.

Once a person gets down to earth,

his words and actions will inevitably carry some earthy flavor.

He was obviously eating melons on the sidelines, but he was inexplicably looked down upon, and he had even actively sought the scorn himself!

Tian Wujing stopped paying attention to the Sword Saint,

and instead looked at Zheng Fan again,

saying:

"You want me to live like the Left Guli King on your side?"

The last time he went to see his son, it was at night. Shatuo Queshi appeared to stop him, and Tian Wujing forcibly interrupted and separated them.

There were many more third-rank martial artists in the world than third-rank swordsmen, but they were by no means as common as roadside cabbage.

And looking at the style of his clothing and some of the habitual moves inherited from his lifetime, a true expert could easily recognize Shatuo Queshi's identity.

The dignified Left Guli King of the barbarians, who was also a prominent figure, in the end, could only lie in a coffin, saying it was to extend his life, but it was nothing more than another form of lingering.

Shatuo Queshi might not have had a choice,

but if he could have chosen,

a generation of barbarian heroes would probably have preferred to die in a blaze of glory.

Because when he came to call at the Zhenbei Marquis Manor, he was actually thinking of seeking death, but in the end, he was neither alive nor dead;

how bitter?

how sad?

"Your Highness, I said, you don't have to lie in a coffin; it's good enough to accompany Tiantian as he grows up."

Tian Wujing shook his head,

"I taught you that the greatest taboo in deploying troops is the hesitation and repeated changes of mind of the commander. The road was chosen by me. The road I chose never left any room for maneuver."

Tian Wujing put his hands behind his back,

saying:

"Either kill me now, or rebel now, and wait until I recover before coming to kill you.

In this life, everything I have done, every road I have taken, has been my own choice. No one has ever dared to interfere with me, let alone arrange things for me."

Tian Wujing didn't say anything like, "If you dare to rebel, I'll kill myself."

Such threats were too boring; old Tian couldn't do it.

In fact, he wasn't threatening at all; he was just stating a fact.

Others might not be clear, but Zheng Fan was.

In old Tian's eyes,

the Ji family,

the imperial family,

were actually not that important.

He was not afraid of his brother-in-law, even if that brother-in-law was recognized as a man of great talent and ambition.

Annihilating his entire family was his choice;

Du Juan's death, turning his hair white overnight, was also his own choice.

It was he who endured everything for the sake of that black dragon banner, rather than being forced to do so. Since that belief had already been put into practice, he would not allow himself to change it.

It was he who had Zheng Fan depose the Third Prince.

Knowing that Zheng Fan was not a "loyal subject of Great Yan," he still kept making things convenient for Zheng Fan, sending him troops, sending him territory, sending him all kinds of benefits;

the Zhenbei Marquis Manor's Princess was knocked unconscious by Zheng Fan, and he knew it, but didn't save her;

Zheng Fan stirred up trouble in Yingdu under his Tian Wujing's banner, and then went to Litian City, and he knew it too, and then acquiesced.

He had no fear of imperial power,

he was not a lackey under imperial power,

even the Emperor of Yan didn't dare to use him as a lackey.

Zheng Fan was now threatening him,

but he,

would not accept this kind of threat.

If it really came to it,

they would fight to the death.

Since a person was alive in this world, he was unwilling to drift with the tide before he died.

This was Tian Wujing; this was the biggest difference between the King of Jingnan of Great Yan and the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint, no matter how you put it, was still a person who had come from the martial world. Perhaps he was covered by the light of Long Yuan, but in essence, he still carried a side of the habits of the martial world in his bones;

but the King of Jingnan,

from a very, very young age,

in his heart,

he had already had plans for the future of Great Yan.

People of the martial world, from childhood, looked at knives and swords, looking at the fence of Widow Wang's house at the end of the village;

but Tian Wujing,

from childhood, looked at the map, gazing at the splendor of Yingdu and the Upper Capital of Qian Chu.

Manipulating human nature,

if it were used on others, it would inevitably be very effective;

but for the King of Jingnan, it was useless,

because,

he had no humanity.

Zheng Fan's face began to show a fierce expression.

He reached out and pulled out the barbarian saber from the ground.

Previously, his momentum had completely subsided, but at this moment, his stubborn temper was completely aroused.

"Alright, you just wait and see how I turn the Great Yan that you value upside down, see how I send all the territories you worked so hard to open up back out.

I am, after all, your student,

I have to have a bit of your temper, otherwise, wouldn't I be disgracing your reputation?"

The master annihilated his entire family to expand the territory for Great Yan;

the apprentice betrayed his master to join the enemy of Great Yan;

well,

this master and apprentice,

were a perfect match.

The King of Jingnan's lips revealed a smile.

It was difficult to explain the relationship between him and Zheng Fan.

Brothers?

People in the military liked to call each other brothers.

Today, fighting together was being brothers, tomorrow, drinking together was also being brothers, and maybe even introducing your wife's younger sister to you to become brothers-in-law together.

Brothers with no blood relation.

But it seemed to be more than just that.

If there were other people who dared to say anything disloyal to Yan in front of him, saying anything unfavorable to Great Yan, the King of Jingnan, even if his body was crippled, would still smash the knife in his hand over with his last breath.

But watching Zheng Fan say so many rebellious words,

in his heart,

there was no anger at all.

As an older brother,

how could he really be angry with his rebellious younger brother.

What's more,

what this younger brother was doing now was actually for his own good.

But just as Zheng Fan had said before, Tian Wujing understood Zheng Fan very well.

This kind of understanding might not be the relationship between Zheng Fan and the seven demon kings, because it was too wonderful, too mysterious, and not a problem that could be understood just by wanting to understand it.

Putting aside other things, what Tian Wujing understood was Zheng Fan as a person.

Things that others seemed to cherish for a lifetime, he could throw away, smash, and destroy for a moment of pleasure!

He would not regret it, because he had been deliberately maintaining this kind of freedom to do whatever he wanted at any time.

However,

the Sword Saint moved at this time.

"You can have the Sword Saint directly restrain me, or knock me unconscious."

"..." the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint, who was just about to move, suddenly froze, his body swaying.

Back when he lost to the King of Jingnan,

the Sword Saint had complained to Zheng Fan that Tian Wujing was using the mindset of fighting a war to scheme against the martial arts competition; it was really too much!

But this kind of anticipating the enemy was really unsolvable.

Forcibly bringing the King of Jingnan back to Xuehai Pass,

next,

there would naturally be a set of response procedures.

First, while Tian Wujing was weak, they would try to seal him and prevent him from recovering his strength.

Then, Tian Wujing was even more invisible than the wild man king of the past. The wild man king's base had long collapsed, but once the Yan army that had followed the Jingnan King's banner knew that their king was being held captive by the Earl of Pingye, they would inevitably kill them like crazy.

After "imprisoning" him well,

they would then place Tiantian in a place where Tian Wujing could see him, let the child play, and let the child get close to him.

Use the child to soften him and influence him.

The routines,

were fixed,

easy to arrange,

and easy to design...

But, what was the ultimate goal?

Tian Wujing took a step forward,

saying:

"This is what you want to see?"

Let me,

live,

rather than die.

Zheng Fan closed his eyes. His previous sentence, "Please, Your Highness, go to your death,"

was, in the end, a whim. Before that, he had not made any long-term plans for it.

Because he had never thought that the King of Jingnan would be someone he could manipulate at will.

But the problem was,

this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,

a good opportunity to force Tian Wujing to submit.

"I hope you can retire to the mountains and forests, and live with Tiantian. I hope you can live without being so tired," Zheng Fan said. "I know, and you know, and many people know, that you are now walking a path of no return."

"Zheng Fan, do you know what a path of no return is?"

Zheng Fan was silent.

"A path of no return does not mean that there are no other paths behind and to the sides, but rather that, in addition to continuing to move forward, taking other paths is a greater torment."

Tian Wujing took a few more steps forward, stood in front of Zheng Fan, raised his hand, and placed it on Zheng Fan's shoulder.

His body was trembling slightly, not out of fear, but because he was too exhausted.

Being punched away by him was only one thing. In fact, looking at the tragic state of Yingdu, with its raging fires, Tian Wujing had come out alive, but the price he paid was definitely not just "seriously injured."

Zheng Fan suppressed his breathing, and his eyes began to turn red.

It was a kind of stagnation, a deep stagnation that triggered anger.

"You've grown up."

Tian Wujing nodded,

and continued:

"I told you long ago that this world is not short of petty, despicable people; what it lacks are people who can stand up and stand tall.

In the past, you liked to calculate small accounts too much. Small accounts are not that you can't calculate, but if you can't calculate big accounts, no matter how many small accounts you calculate, it's useless.

Let my fate be as it may, okay?

This life,

this lifetime,

however you try to sort it out, it can't be sorted out clearly, and it can't be washed clean;

just like this,

let it be like this,

this is the result of my own actions, and I can't blame anyone else.

Besides,

I'm not going to die today. The Fire Phoenix failed to kill me; this is what I expected."

Speaking of this,

the King of Jingnan paused,

and said:

"The boundary of the second rank is not to enter it yourself, but to lead it out, just like this fire. Just light it with a stick. If you want a spark, why do you need to walk into this sea of fire yourself?"

"..." the Sword Saint.

These words were clearly not for Zheng Fan.

The Marquis was only at which level, now there was no need to consider the second rank at all.

"You..."

The Sword Saint smiled helplessly,

nodded again,

and took a step back,

saying:

"Sorry for the children of Xuehai Pass, Zheng Fan, I'm not getting involved in this matter."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally,

whether he wanted to or not,

the words were spoken directly,

and he listened to them.

For a true peak third rank, this sentence was worth a thousand gold!

Because this couldn't be tested. Last time the Sword Saint opened the second rank before Xuehai Pass, he nearly died.

And Tian Wujing,

walked out of the sea of fire, which proved that he had tested it, and had even tested it long ago.

Moreover,

others' words might not be fully believed,

but Tian Wujing,

the Sword Saint knew,

the dignified King of Jingnan would not play these tricks on him.

What to do?

Nothing.

A teacher of one word;

moreover, this was a peak-level pointer, and you had to recognize this favor no matter what.

The Sword Saint's announcement of not participating meant that the Marquis's plan had completely failed, because without the Sword Saint watching the King of Jingnan, who could watch him?

The King of Jingnan was not Gou Moli,

Gou Moli's personal combat power was rubbish,

but once the King of Jingnan recovered, he would be much more terrifying than Shatuo Queshi was in the past.

He wanted to save him, not kill him;

he wanted to help him, not harm him;

if he really used iron chains to pierce his body and feed him poison every day to prevent his cultivation from recovering,

what kind of thing would that be?

Did he have deep hatred with Tian Wujing?

Tian Wujing looked at Zheng Fan, the smile on his face had not gone down since the beginning,

reached out,

and patted Zheng Fan on the shoulder,

saying:

"I miss the kind of stuffed buns in your military camp; they're very fragrant."

Zheng Fan took a deep breath, tilting his head.

"Whether you rebel against Yan or not is up to you. What I like is only this black dragon banner;

but your momentum just now was good; living freely, living clearly, living without restraint, this is what you should be like.

How about this,

next time if there is an opportunity,

I will ask you to discuss it with me,

to discuss the most suitable way for me to die,

to die,

to your satisfaction,

how about it?"

Si Niang, who was behind, felt a little bitter in her heart when she heard these words.

She was a woman who had long seen through the affairs of the world,

but only,

at this time,

she was a little surprised by the relationship between the two men in front of her.

Not that kind,

but a high degree of spiritual harmony,

he understood his suffering, and he was willing to fulfill his freedom.

Teacher, friend, and fellow traveler;

just then,

Si Niang turned her head,

and behind her, someone was coming, and it was a group of people.

The Sword Saint also sighed, because he knew there was no choice.

The sea of fire in Yingdu was very large, and finding people was very difficult.

But a team of Jingnan soldiers still went straight to this place, and the leader was actually the King of Jingnan's Pixiu. This Pixiu was burned black all over, and could be described as extremely miserable, but this guy was thick-skinned after all. It was clear that he could be sprinkled with cumin and served directly at the table, but he still had a surge of momentum.

After discovering Tian Wujing, the Pixiu immediately rushed to Tian Wujing.

And the surrounding soldiers immediately gathered around.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

"Your Highness, you're okay!"

"Your Highness is mighty!"

No one would point a knife at the Earl of Pingye, because no one would believe that the Earl of Pingye would be detrimental to the King of Jingnan.

When these soldiers arrived, Zheng Fan knew that he had no chance.

The King of Jingnan's power was not only his terrifying personal strength, but also the strong army behind him that was loyal to him.

If he were just a martial artist, in fact, he wouldn't be so scary.

Zheng Fan raised his head, and the blood in his eyes slowly faded.

He was not worried that Tian Wujing would settle accounts with him later,

nor was he worried that Tian Wujing would punish him,

and even less was he worried that Tian Wujing would alienate himself in the future, changing his past support and regard for him.

If Tian Wujing wanted to do this,

in the past,

he would have said it directly, stating his attitude.

The Marquis often acted in order to "live."

In the early days, there were too many people he needed to face with the identity of an "actor," and along the way, it began to become less and less.

Even when facing those princes in the capital, when he was not in the mood, he didn't bother to greet them.

The purpose of people's efforts lies in the fact that you can face the world's affairs and people more calmly.

Old Tian disdained acting,

he had always lived very authentically.

After annihilating his entire family, he had never explained a word;

after Du Juan's death, two eunuchs who announced the decree crashed to death at the gate of the Marquis's mansion, and he didn't say a word.

Just like before,

when Zheng Fan asked him to choose,

he also directly chose to reject this arrangement.

After today,

the fire in Yingdu will continue to burn for many days;

if Great Yan fails to unify the world, the future historians' argument will be that under the torch of the Yan barbarians, the cultural treasures of Great Chu were destroyed;

and if Great Yan can unify the world, and does not die in the second generation, and lasts a little longer, this fire will only be an insignificant interlude.

And the relationship between the two,

will return to its original position.

Maybe,

Xiao Liuzi would also be very envious of this kind of "tacit understanding" and "relationship,"

because Xiao Liuzi knew,

that if he rebelled against his old man and failed,

his dad,

that is, the Emperor of Yan,

would definitely not say anything like "everything is as before, you are still my good son."

Well,

there was a high probability that he would say extremely angrily:

"You can't even rebel; are you worthy of being my son?"

Then,

Xiao Liuzi would follow in the footsteps of his Third Brother.

Similarly,

Si Niang just sighed silently in her heart, but didn't show any tension.

The Sword Saint licked his lips and didn't think that there would be any "upheaval" next.

In fact,

it was indeed so,

even,

Tian Wujing took the initiative to say:

"Did you think I was deliberately delaying time?"

Delaying time,

waiting for his Pixiu to find his scent and bring the soldiers over?

And once the Jingnan soldiers came over,

Zheng Fan wouldn't be able to rebel even if he wanted to.

The Earl of Pingye played a great role in this war, but his own troops were not enough.

In the end,

if you want to rebel,

it's not difficult,

either wait until you go back,

or take Tian Wujing away before and then take advantage of the Jingnan King's death to quickly gather a wave of military power, contact your brother-in-law in private, and decisively send him off.

But now, there was no point in considering that.

There was no need to even think about it.

Now, the Regent, whose traveling carriage was located on Six Gong Mountain, did not know that in the short moment just now, he had almost possessed a possibility of turning the tables right now.

Zheng Fan didn't speak.

Tian Wujing reached out and gently patted the Pixiu's head. The circle of fur around the Pixiu's neck had long been burned black and curled up.

It opened its mouth,

and spat out a black broken saber.

Broken saber did not mean a broken saber, but a style of saber.

As for whether it was intentional during the forging, it was hard to say, but it did not affect its use.

How could the divine weapons of the Shadow lineage be ordinary or defective products?

Tian Wujing pointed to the broken saber that had fallen on the ground:

"This is Wuya. I was afraid that I might not be able to get out and that it would be lost in the fire, so I had it brought out first."

The Marquis bent down and picked up Wuya.

The moment he picked it up, he knew that this was a real divine weapon, better than his barbarian saber by more than one level.

But because of what had happened before,

he didn't have much joy or excitement in his heart.

"The battle is not over yet," the King of Jingnan said.

Zheng Fan looked at Tian Wujing.

"I am seriously injured, and you have come, which is just right. You can lead this army for now. You were right before; this battle must be brought to an end. It's almost over here."

Zheng Fan didn't kneel, didn't call out "This subordinate obeys!" with the same apprehension and slight excitement as before!

He just nodded calmly.

The King of Jingnan looked at Zheng Fan,

saying:

"Tell me, how should we bring it to an end?"

Zheng Fan sighed,

smiled,

raised Wuya, pointed to the sea of fire around him,

saying:

"My brother-in-law has long given up his capital; he doesn't really want to fight either."

The King of Jingnan nodded slightly: "Yes."

"Since both sides don't want to fight, let's find a way to step down."

"Continue."

"His traveling carriage is not here. He should have left in advance with his favorite civil and military officials, but he won't be too far away.

I will lead this Jingnan iron cavalry,

catch up with his traveling carriage,

wherever he moves,

I will attack,

chasing him, hitting him,

and as we fight,

there will be a way to step down,

and we can negotiate peace."

Tian Wujing looked at the Pixiu.

The already very tired Pixiu had no choice but to lower its head and spit out the Jingnan King's token again.

In the Jingnan army, they did not recognize His Majesty's tiger tally, only the Jingnan King's token.

The King of Jingnan pointed to the token on the ground,

saying:

"Take it."

This signified that the nearly 80,000 Jingnan iron cavalry that he had brought this time would be commanded by Zheng Fan for the next battle.

The Marquis carried Wuya on his shoulder,

turned around,

waved his hand,

saying:

"Don't need that thing."

"Arrogant."

"You spoiled him."