The results of the vote were in.
A hush fell over the hall.
Marquis Xia leaned back in his chair, staring up at the grand hall's ceiling as if lost in thought.
Down below, the expressions on many faces shifted repeatedly as message after message was transmitted outward.
The Great Xia Prefecture had lost!
The Great Xia Prefecture—or rather, the pro-war faction—had lost!
...
In the Great Ming Prefecture, on Yuexin Island.
Zhu Tiandao was playing chess with Niu Baidao. Upon receiving a voice transmission, he murmured, "Fifteen to thirteen. Fifteen votes favored soul-searching only Feng Qi."
Niu Baidao paused, clutching his chess piece as he looked at him. After a long moment, he asked in a low voice, "How did the Great Ming Prefecture vote?"
The pro-war faction had lost?
Had the Great Xia Prefecture's final struggle been crushed under this final straw?
Placing a stone onto the board, Zhu Tiandao replied softly, "I left the choice to Su Yu."
"..."
Niu Baidao gave a dry chuckle. "Really? Su Yu is in seclusion, isn't he?"
"Oh!" Zhu Tiandao nodded indifferently. "Then let him stay in seclusion a while longer."
Niu Baidao did not know whether to laugh or cry. Knowing it was nearly impossible to fool this man, he did not dwell on it, instead asking gravely, "Prefect, I must ask: does the Great Ming Prefecture stand for war, or for peace?"
"What do you think?" Zhu Tiandao countered.
Niu Baidao pondered for a long time before replying, "We aren't prepared, but the gods and demons aren't prepared either. Even the Immortal race hasn't made up its mind yet. Right now, both sides hesitate to throw stones for fear of breaking their own porcelain; both sides harbor fears. A century from now, when humanity is fully prepared, the gods, demons, Immortals, and fiends will be prepared as well. By then, having a few more Invincibles won't necessarily give you any advantage."
"So you believe we should fight—start the war right now?" Zhu Tiandao asked with a faint smile. "Is that what you mean?"
"No, I am not advocating an immediate, all-out war," Niu Baidao said, shaking his head. "However, we must immediately prepare for a large-scale localized war! We must build up armaments. We cannot afford to give an inch right now; we must fight to the end, instill dread in the gods and demons, and maintain general peace through the deterrent of slaughter."
Niu Baidao continued, "The gods and demons are only probing our strength. When they demanded that we hand over Su Yu and the others, they were merely testing humanity's resolve, perhaps even maliciously sowing discord among our Invincibles. You must know this as well, Prefect."
Zhu Tiandao nodded slightly. "I do. But... a century of peace could yield several new Invincibles, and perhaps allow certain figures to rise in secret. A hundred years is not short. It's only natural that some would want to accept."
Niu Baidao nodded and smiled. "It is. Setting that aside, Prefect, I still must ask: what is the Great Ming Prefecture's stance?"
"What is King Daming's stance?"
Zhu Tiandao fell silent for a moment before speaking. "You are an old friend of my father, so there is no need to hide anything from you. The Great Ming Prefecture originally took a neutral stance, as you know. As for now... I still need to wait and consider."
"Wait for what?"
"Hope!"
"Hope?" Niu Baidao hesitated. "Who is supposed to bring you hope?"
Zhu Tiandao smiled. "You don't think it's Su Yu, do you? That boy isn't quite there yet. The hope I want lies in Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan... and perhaps Chen Yong."
Zhu Tiandao sighed softly. "The fifth head failed. Whether his disciples offer any hope, I do not know, yet... I still yearn for them to bring us hope. As for the ones those other fellows have been cultivating in secret..."
Pausing, Zhu Tiandao shook his head and sighed again. "They are very strong. In fact, I've met a few who have already reached the Sun Moon Realm. But they gave me the impression of being far too conventional. Considerably stronger than typical single divine character masters, stronger than most multiple divine character masters... yet conventional. They failed to give me that feeling—that sweeping aura of supreme dominance, that conviction that they are destined for the Invincible Realm!"
He shook his head in disappointment. "Whether it was Ye Batian, Liu Wenyan, or even Xia Yunqi and the others who failed, they all gave me hope. A sense that Ye Batian would succeed, and even if he didn't, he would turn heaven and earth upside down! But those figures I met didn't give me that feeling. They possess pride, strength, and talent, but... they lack that spark."
"What spark?" Niu Baidao chuckled. "Do you need them to be completely overbearing and arrogant?"
"No!" Zhu Tiandao chuckled helplessly. "It's hard to put into words. Compared to the Invincibles I've seen, they just lack something, so I am not very optimistic about them."
Niu Baidao understood. "So you still hope to see more promise, is that it?"
"Yes," Zhu Tiandao said with a smile. "Otherwise, the Zhu family leans toward neutrality, and we can only drift with the tide."
Niu Baidao hesitated briefly, then asked, "What about Su Yu?"
"Him?" Zhu Tiandao pondered. "If he can attain Sun Moon combat power within three years, my Zhu family will go all out to help him attain the Dao! Three years... an all-out war shouldn't break out in three years. If he can achieve Sun Moon combat power by then, I will throw everything into supporting him!"
"That standard is too high!" Niu Baidao shook his head. "He is still young, only nineteen. In three years, he'll only be twenty-two. Demanding so much of him—does your conscience not trouble you?"
"Nonsense. The old Zhu family would be staking our lives. If he doesn't give me immense hope, how could I drag the Zhu family and the Great Ming Prefecture into the mud?"
Having said that, Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Enough of this. For now, things aren't too bad. I didn't ask that kid Su Yu how he voted, but the Xia family... in all likelihood, they voted to search Feng Qi themselves."
Zhu Tiandao smiled. "The situation isn't terrible. Even a draw is acceptable. It shows that most Invincibles are still willing to fight, including those in the neutral camp. Some just want to see more hope; it doesn't mean they're afraid of battle. As long as the Xia family can give everyone a glimpse of hope... they can still win over the majority. What's truly dangerous is when all anyone sees is despair."
Niu Baidao said nothing more, turning his gaze north toward the distance.
Toward the Great Xia Prefecture.
*Give everyone a glimmer of hope!*
At present, many wavered, unable to commit, simply because hope was too scarce. Adversity was harsh, yet many of the truly strong rose from adversity. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction in the Great Xia Prefecture had survived all these years precisely because people hoped to see some light.
Even Liu Wenyan, who had inherited the fifth head's legacy, was still alive. Most still hoped he would survive and succeed; even if he met the same fate as the fifth head, they still yearned to see the slightest possibility.
...
In the Great Xia Prefecture.
Inside the grand hall, King Miecan chuckled. "Then we soul-search Feng Qi. Does anyone have any objections?"
Silence answered him.
Without another word, King Miecan flickered and reappeared before Feng Qi. Turning to King Dahan and King Dasong, he smiled. "Shall we look together? We don't want to soul-search him once, only to do it again later. A few rounds of that, and he'll be ruined, which wouldn't look good for anyone."
King Dahan and King Dasong exchanged a look, then instantly manifested before him as well.
The three looked down at Feng Qi.
By now, Feng Qi appeared far calmer. Facing the three Invincibles, he said, "My lords, Feng Qi wishes to ask one thing: if the soul-search proves my innocence and Brother Chen's innocence, but reveals someone else's guilt, what then?"
At those words, King Miecan said with a meaningful smile, "Someone else? Do you mean the ambush against you in the Star Astral Mansion back then?"
"Precisely!"
King Miecan pondered briefly. "Hong Tan said earlier that appearance and aura don't necessarily prove anything..."
Feng Qi said grimly, "I know. But if a culprit is uncovered, shouldn't their soul be searched as well? Because they would be a suspect! If their soul is searched and confirms the deed, it would naturally be true! Just as now: if my memories implicate Chen Yong in the murders, and you capture him, would you soul-search him to verify it?"
"We would!" King Miecan smiled. "Certainly. If a witness saw it, it requires verification. That verification merely gives you suspects a chance to defend yourselves."
"Then by your words, my lord, if my memories show someone who attacked me all those years ago, and that person is present here today, their soul will be searched, correct?"
King Miecan nodded. "Indeed!"
Feng Qi smiled, glancing toward Zhou Mingren's side. One of the figures standing there was Qian Jun, whom Feng Qi had called out earlier.
Just then, Zhou Mingren said calmly, "My lords, if memory serves me right, memory searches can only probe shallow, recent recollections. Deep memories are nearly impossible to unearth, aren't they?"
At this, Qian Jun kept his face impassive, though he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
King Miecan beamed. "True. In the case of King Dahan and the others, digging up memories from the past three months counts as good luck! But... I am different. I am the King of Time. Little Zhou, let me teach you something: under my temporal backtracking, never mind nineteen years ago, I can reconstruct events from a hundred and ninety years ago. Wouldn't that be fun?"
King Dahan chuckled helplessly. "Miecan, why boast before juniors? No matter how limited we are, we aren't confined to three months; three years is well within our reach. Backtracking thirty years would already be good fortune for you."
King Miecan laughed heartily. "You're no fun at all, insisting on speaking the blunt truth before juniors. No matter. Feng Qi's trip to the Star Astral Mansion was less than twenty years ago. I'll give it a try in a moment, though it comes at no small cost. Ah, what a nuisance!"
Hearing this, several people shifted uncomfortably.
A soul-search!
Everyone had insisted on searching Feng Qi's soul because, even for an Invincible, one could not simply backtrack through memories from decades ago at will; typically, it was limited to recent months or years.
No one had heard of reaching back several decades!
Beside Zhou Mingren, Qian Jun's face grew troubled.
King Miecan said nothing more, reaching out to press a hand onto Feng Qi's head.
At that moment, Su Yu and the others felt a distinct shift!
King Miecan and Feng Qi seemed to vanish!
No, their bodies remained, yet they seemed to slip from this space entirely, stepping into a different time and space.
Divine light flared in the eyes of King Dahan and King Dasong as they peered forward. Su Yu and the onlookers likewise channeled golden light into their eyes, but saw nothing beyond an impenetrable mist.
...
In that moment, Feng Qi felt dazed.
It was as though time were flowing backward!
King Miecan grasped him, guiding them both into the past. Feng Qi saw brief flashes of his days under detention in the Great Xia Prefecture, slipping by until the moment he had awakened outside the Great Wu Prefecture.
At that point, the temporal tunnel seemed to fluctuate, trembling so faintly it was nearly imperceptible. King Miecan raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing.
They pushed further back!
Soon, darkness enveloped them—memories of Feng Qi lying unconscious. Occasionally his eyes had opened, but the images flickered past without showing any recognizable faces, though there were several glimpses of dead bodies.
Pushing further back, King Miecan saw Chen Yong.
"Help me take care of Jiajia!"
With only those words, Chen Yong's likeness faded.
King Miecan frowned again as the temporal corridor trembled once more. Divine light flickered faintly in his eyes. *Chen Yong... what boldness, what skill!*
Suppressing the slight tremor, he continued leading Feng Qi backward.
Striding forth, chasing moon and stars, they journeyed deeper into the past.
Many images flashed by in the blink of an eye.
Soon came the battle of Starfall Mountain. King Miecan looked closely, his gaze shifting slightly. The moment Zhu Tiandao appeared, the temporal passage trembled again. Divine light flared in King Miecan's eyes as he swiftly suppressed the disturbance.
Without lingering, he plunged deeper into memory.
Next came the dormant years.
Matters of the Six-Winged Divine Cult, Chen Yong's arrangements, Feng Qi's cultivation...
Those ten-plus years were relatively tranquil.
Time flew past!
One year, two years, three years... In the blink of an eye, they reached more than a decade prior. By now, King Miecan's expression shifted slightly under the immense strain.
He saw it!
He saw Chen Yong emerging from the All-Heavens Battlefield, dragging a critically wounded, dying Feng Qi.
Many had wondered how Chen Yong had managed to bring someone out without leaving any record.
Now, he knew!
King Miecan knew, and King Dahan and King Dasong knew as well.
On the outskirts of the All-Heavens Battlefield base, Chen Yong had drained the dying Feng Qi's essence blood, extracted it, shattered his physical body, encased his sea of will inside an Annihilation Beast skull, and tucked it into his own sea of will.
Chen Yong had never brought a person across the border!
He had brought only essence blood and a sea of will!
Essence blood... no one would inspect that.
No wonder!
No wonder earlier images had shown Feng Qi emerging from a blood pool upon his return. His physical body had been reconstructed later; it was not his original shell.
Nearly twenty years ago!
King Miecan and the other two looked on with strange expressions. What audacity Chen Yong possessed, and what terrifying talent, to extract a person's essence blood, preserve their sea of will, and smuggle them back into the Human Realm nearly twenty years ago.
Feng Qi himself seemed to be learning for the first time that his body had been remade, having been unconscious at the time.
His earlier memories were pitch-black, save for the scene of stepping out of the blood pool.
Watching Chen Yong smash, shatter, and incinerate his physical body like garbage in the memory, Feng Qi wore a shockingly complex expression. The event had likely registered in his memories, but severe injury had clouded his recollection; the essence blood, however, had recorded everything.
King Miecan ignored this and continued backward.
Resistance mounted heavily.
With a soft grunt, King Miecan pressed forward. Soon, the Star Astral Mansion came into view. From all directions, waves of oppressive aura bore down—proof that Invincibles had been present back then.
Those Invincible pressures seemed to cross the ages to obstruct King Miecan!
King Miecan snorted coldly. How could lingering pressures from the past impede him?
With another snort, the surrounding pressure shattered.
Suddenly, a cold voice echoed from the depths of memory: "Wang Hu, you bastard!"
"Dragon Silkworm?"
King Miecan paused briefly, then cursed, "Screw your ancestors! I'm King Miecan now! Just wait a few days—I'll hunt you down and slaughter you!"
Miecan was not his true name, of course.
Wang Hu!
Well, King Miecan had long refused to acknowledge the name Wang Hu. He was King Miecan now, at least until he washed away his shame by killing the Dragon Silkworm King.
With a boom, the pressure shattered.
At that exact moment, in the Dragon Silkworm Realm, the Dragon Silkworm King frowned slightly and looked toward the sky. Had Wang Hu lost his mind?
Where had he tracked his past incarnation? Unable to fight his real self, had he jumped into someone else's memories to strike at him?
Had things truly reached this point?
Unable to kill him in the present, he had resorted to killing him in the past? How utterly tedious!
The Dragon Silkworm King shook his head and paid it no further mind. That idiot was truly a nuisance.
After fighting for so many years, the Dragon Silkworm King was helpless against him; even after retreating to the Dragon Silkworm Realm, the madman had barged in multiple times. Fortunately, the Dragon Silkworm King was stronger within his own realm and managed to suppress him slightly.
...
King Miecan ignored all of this and continued onward.
Ahead lay a boundless ocean.
Vast and endless!
In the center of the sea stood a gateway—a colossal portal, closed shut, leading into the unknown. That was the Star Astral Mansion.
Just as King Miecan prepared to lead Feng Qi into the Star Astral Mansion, a terrifying wave of power suddenly erupted from the portal. With a roar, King Miecan's image in the memory was sent flying!
"Fuck!" King Miecan cursed under his breath.
"Help me!"
King Dahan and King Dasong struck simultaneously, attempting to suppress the gateway. Yet their attacks could not pierce through such vast stretches of time, striking only empty air!
In the next instant, a massive portal bore down upon King Miecan. With a thunderous boom, the residual memory shattered!
...
Inside the hall.
The mist enveloping King Miecan dissipated, and Feng Qi fell unconscious.
King Miecan's expression turned grim for an instant before he transmitted, "Fuck, I couldn't even explore the past within the Star Astral Mansion's memories. That damned place is getting more sinister by the day!"
King Dahan and King Dasong were equally shaken. King Dasong transmitted, "If even you cannot probe its past, unable even to search memories of it, then the Star Astral Mansion truly might be the ancient Human Sovereign's imperial lodge."
"Who knows!"
Helpless, King Miecan quickly regained his composure. His gaze shifted sharply toward Qian Jun in the crowd, his eyes cold as he spoke in an eerie voice, "Feng Qi's memories have been examined. He was in a state of continuous unconsciousness and knows nothing of the murders. One thing, however, is certain: before he lost consciousness, he was with Chen Yong!"
Pausing, King Miecan said coolly, "There is insufficient evidence to prove Chen Yong committed the murders, but Chen Yong remains a suspect. Issue a proclamation across the Human Realm summoning Chen Yong back to the Great Xia Prefecture to account for his recent whereabouts, including where he went and what he did after Feng Qi lost consciousness..."
Zhou Pochong frowned and said quietly, "My lord, merely a proclamation, leaving it to him to return on his own?"
King Miecan replied indifferently, "What else? I did not see it, nor did King Dahan and the others. Yet Chen Yong is indeed a suspect. Summoning him to explain himself is appropriate. Would you have us issue an order for his execution? If so, you will bear the consequences!"
Zhou Pochong fell silent.
Consequences?
Without evidence, hunting Chen Yong down would bring unpredictable repercussions.
King Dahan and King Dasong glanced at King Miecan. King Dahan transmitted directly, "His memories may have been tampered with. The temporal passage trembled slightly—did you feel it?"
"Mm."
King Miecan seemed unconcerned, transmitting back, "That's enough. Do you really want to force the Xia family to turn hostile right now? If we're going to smooth things over, let's keep smoothing them over. If we truly found proof that Chen Yong killed them, we naturally couldn't spare him. But now... even if we suspect something is amiss, it's useless."
King Dasong chimed in, "Then how do we account for this to King Daqin and the others? There must be an explanation, or else... who will answer for the unrest in the army's morale?"
"Don't worry. Once this concludes, the three of us will search the entire Human Realm solely for those two Sun Moon figures from the Six-Winged Divine Cult, forcing the All-Races Cult to abandon their pawns. Those two will be discarded soon enough. Slaying them will give you something to report."
With three Invincibles conducting round-the-clock searches across the Human Realm, the All-Races Cult would face immense pressure, and might well surrender those two Sun Moon experts to placate them.
Otherwise, an ongoing large-scale search risked exposing far more people.
King Dasong sighed helplessly. "I hope King Daqin and the others accept it. Otherwise... I won't be able to show my face."
"That is your concern. I was only tasked with examining the memories, and indeed nothing was found. That fellow Chen Yong... must have altered some of them."
King Dahan nodded slightly, transmitting, "Quite bold. That fellow... might have conducted experiments on humans. Regardless, Chen Yong still must be caught, though it won't require our direct involvement."
The three Invincibles reached a swift consensus.
At that moment, King Miecan looked toward Qian Jun not far away and said coolly, "I also saw a few things in Feng Qi's memories. Some recollections cannot be taken as absolute truth, for what is seen may not be real, but... as I said earlier, what needs investigating must still be investigated!"
Right then, a sigh echoed out. Under the eyes of King Miecan and the others, Zhou Mingren suddenly shattered Qian Jun's head with a single palm strike!
The entire hall went dead silent!
The three Invincibles watched in silence, neither speaking nor intervening.
Zhou Mingren sighed softly. "He deserved to die. In truth, I discovered it years ago, but I was loath to abandon Qian Jun. I am guilty of harboring him. Now that Qian Jun has paid with his life, I ask the lords to punish me for the crime of harboring a criminal!"
"Heh!"
A cold laugh rang out from Hong Tan, who sneered repeatedly. "Old Zhou, taking the blame again? Last time you were stripped of your vice academy head post. This time... you murdered an intermediate researcher without cause. You have no authority to execute anyone!"
Events had taken an unexpected turn.
Feng Qi was unharmed, and Chen Yong was merely summoned to return and explain himself. In the end, it was Qian Jun who died—slain by Zhou Mingren's own hand!
Naturally, the onlookers understood the subtext.
How could three Invincibles lack the chance to intervene? Yet none had moved, clearly condoning Zhou Mingren's act of silencing him.
Looking increasingly aged, Zhou Mingren sighed. "It was an act of temporary fury. I ask the lords to hand down my punishment!"
"Temporary fury? You've known about it for decades, and only now flew into a rage?"
Hong Tan continued to mock him. Zhou Mingren replied calmly, "He just sent me a voice transmission begging for rescue. Seeing his lack of remorse, I naturally grew heated. Elder Hong, does that explanation satisfy you?"
"Heh!"
Hong Tan scoffed. King Miecan gave Zhou Mingren a profound look before saying indifferently, "Director Zhou, you have no authority to pass judgment or execute. Qian Jun's guilt had yet to be formally established before you killed him..."
Pausing, King Miecan added coolly, "Murder is murder; even if Qian Jun was guilty, you had no right to kill him at will. You have reached the Sun Moon Realm and are no nobody. Qian Jun deserved death, but you committed an offense as well. For the combined crimes of harboring and murder, go to the Vanguard Camp and keep Liu Wenyan company. Return only after you slay a Sun Moon!"
"Understood!"
Zhou Mingren wore a calm expression. The Vanguard Camp, then.
A temporary departure from this place!
The Great Xia Prefecture was about to fall into chaos!
Killing someone right before Invincibles was something he had prepared for. Slaying a guilty party constituted a crime, but not a fatal one; sending him to the Vanguard Camp was likely the harshest possible penalty.
Sure enough, King Miecan had handled it precisely that way.
King Miecan shot him a half-smile. Nearby, Yuan Qingdong and his faction wore grim expressions. Zhou Mingren was being exiled to the Vanguard Camp!
Today's proceedings had been intended as a public trial of Feng Qi to corner Chen Yong. In the end, Zhou Mingren was banished to the Vanguard Camp, and Qian Jun was dead by Zhou Mingren's own hand.
Had they won or lost today?
Zhou Pochong spoke up again: "My lords, Chen Yong is under grave suspicion. Even if nothing was found in Feng Qi's memories, isn't this treatment of Chen Yong far too lenient?"
King Miecan considered this, then nodded. "Indeed, it is somewhat lenient! It is June now. We give him six months—until the end of the year—to come forward and account for everything. Otherwise, a warrant for his execution will be issued in half a year for the assassination of military commanders. How does that sound?"
King Miecan smiled. "His whereabouts are unknown, and spreading messages and traveling take time. Six months is not too long. If he still fails to appear in six months, it proves his guilty conscience. By then... anyone who sees him may kill him on sight!"
With him putting it so plainly, Zhou Pochong said nothing more.
Six months!
If Chen Yong did not return in six months, today's charges would be fully established against him!
"Then what of Feng Qi..."
"Feng Qi?"
King Miecan glanced at the still-unconscious Feng Qi, remarking indifferently, "Feng Qi spouted nonsense, rashly confessing to slaying military commanders without knowing the facts, thereby shaking military morale and destabilizing the Human Realm. Though he committed no substantial crime, he was still at fault! In light of his meritorious service infiltrating the Six-Winged Divine Cult, his punishment is commuted to three years of house arrest. He may not leave the Great Xia Prefecture for three years!"
Zhang Ying felt stifled and spoke up: "My lord, merely house arrest?"
King Miecan said flatly, "Is house arrest not enough? I have no desire to meddle in the affairs of you Civilization Masters! Since King Dahan and King Dasong have remained silent, this is my ruling. If you find it inappropriate, let them decide!"
A military expert said furiously, "My lord, did our comrades die for nothing?"
At this, King Dasong spoke: "They did not die for nothing! We will continue investigating. Furthermore, starting today, Miecan and I will scour the entire Human Realm for those two Sun Moon figures from the Six-Winged Divine Cult, while also searching for Chen Yong. All three are suspects! Once all three are apprehended, the true culprit will surely be brought to light!"
With three Invincibles personally stepping forward to investigate, the military had nothing left to say.
King Dasong smiled. "Rest assured, this matter will not be dropped; there will be an accounting! If the true culprit is Chen Yong, he will surely die! We will not shield him simply because he is an academy elder!"
...
The outcome was decided.
Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief. This was far better than expected; he had assumed his martial uncle was doomed today.
Now, at least, they had bought six months.
Of course, Chen Yong had committed the killings and would not return. In six months, he would have to bear the guilt regardless, but gaining half a year was the best possible result.
A six-month difference was significant.
Hong Tan also breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Half a year!
At least half a year of time had been secured!
Otherwise, had Chen Yong been condemned today, his disciple would have been in dire straits.
That boy had prepared contingencies of his own.
Yet... could they truly deceive an Invincible?
Hong Tan glanced sideways at King Miecan. Had this Invincible ruled this way merely to smooth things over, or had he shown bias? After all, he was an Invincible from the War God Hall; perhaps he had ties to King Daxia?
He knew little of the Invincibles' internal relations.
Still, King Miecan had clearly aimed to play peacemaker today, penalizing both sides: Chen Yong would be condemned in six months, and Qian Jun had been conveniently disposed of—slain by Zhou Mingren himself, of course.
Hong Tan said nothing further. Speaking now would serve no purpose; half a year was already a decent outcome.
Up on the platform, Marquis Xia also appeared to breathe easier, chuckling as he said, "Thank you, my lords, for your trouble. We have arrived at a good outcome at last. If Chen Yong fails to return in six months, the Great Xia Prefecture will no longer argue on his behalf. At that point, feel free to execute or punish him as you see fit!"
He then added with feigned regret, "I never imagined such things occurred in the Star Astral Mansion back then. Director Zhou acted too impulsively. Qian Jun was in the wrong, but Director Zhou shouldn't have been so hasty. Director Zhou, take care when you go to the All-Heavens Battlefield; the Great Xia Prefecture will arrange personnel to help you complete your mission."
Zhou Mingren bowed his head. "Thank you, Marquis!"
"No need to be polite. Ah, the Great Xia Prefecture is somewhat chaotic lately, which stems from my own shortcomings in governance. I ought to reflect upon myself as well!"
Marquis Xia reproached himself briefly, then smiled. "Still, it's nothing serious. Everything in the Great Xia Prefecture will improve shortly! The Multiple Divine Characters College will officially open soon, the Myriad Races Academy will expand, and our prefecture's finances remain solid with flourishing commerce. I believe the Great Xia Prefecture will return to its former peak before long."
King Miecan suddenly interjected, "How far has your research into that disassembly art progressed?"
That single question eclipsed everything else!
All eyes turned toward Hong Tan!
Hong Tan fell silent for a moment before speaking. "At the Tengkong Realm, one can already assemble divine character battle techniques, though it remains imperfect and requires a bit more time..."
At those words, even King Dahan's expression shifted slightly. He asked in a deep voice, "Can you provide a copy of the materials to the Quest Realm?"
"We will compensate you. The Quest Realm is willing to pay a price, primarily to prevent the records from being lost. We can promise never to disclose it publicly!"
Hong Tan kept his head lowered, answering in a deep voice, "No. It remains incomplete. We will not publicize an unperfected technique!"
"Hong Tan..."
King Dahan's brow furrowed as he stared intently at him. "You must understand... this is very dangerous!"
Possessing the records entirely alone was perilous in the extreme!
Hong Tan kept his head bowed. "I know. But... this is the hope for my Multiple Divine Characters Faction's resurgence. I still hope to refine it further, lest certain people disrupt my progress..."
The hall grew deathly quiet. Hong Tan had all but declared that he did not trust the Quest Realm in the slightest, fearing they would sabotage him.
He intended to conduct the research himself!
It was already effective at the Tengkong Realm!
King Dahan asked gravely, "Once you achieve final results, will you make them public?"
"I might select a few individuals to test it first..." Hong Tan murmured. "Though that is not yet decided. I need to make further refinements."
King Dahan said no more. King Dasong sighed. "Then be careful. As for the Great Xia Prefecture... watch over things as best you can. Furthermore... ah!"
He did not know what else to say.
Technological progress was a positive development, yet unveiling the disassembly art now was not necessarily wise.
It could spell doom for Hong Tan's faction!
Yet the higher the profile of this lineage, the more attention they drew, and the more importance the myriad races would place upon them. Perhaps... that was not entirely a bad thing. Back then, passing the fifth head's divine character to Liu Wenyan had carried similar implications.
Hong Tan said calmly, "Thank you, my lords, for the reminder. I will be careful! Using the disassembly art at the Tengkong Realm merely produces a few more Tengkong Realm Civilization Masters of our lineage. Only at the Shanhai and Sun Moon Realms will it become a truly divine art!"
The Invincibles fell silent, saying nothing more.
With that, the public trial concluded.
Yet its repercussions were immense. The crucial factor lay in those votes: the pro-war faction had fallen behind, reflecting the will of the Human Realm—at this moment, humanity was unwilling to wage war!
Once today's news spread, even the myriad races would know that humanity was reluctant to fight now!
Among the crowd present, who could say whether members of the All-Races Cult lurked among them?
...
At that moment, inside the Xiuxin Pavilion, Wan Tiansheng let out a breath. *Fortunately, that kid hasn't reached the Lingyun Realm.*
He had realized that peeking into the future was not entirely useless.
At least he knew that so long as Su Yu did not reach the Lingyun Realm, an all-out war likely wouldn't erupt. The kid was a weathervane.
"I knew a major war wouldn't break out this time... Thank goodness, thank goodness!"
Wiping away nonexistent sweat, he felt everything remained under control. *As I thought, spending a century of my life couldn't possibly show me events merely months away. Su Yu is stuck at the ninth tier of the Tengkong Realm!*
*There might still be several years left!*
Chapter 346