CHAPTER 354: CHAPTER 324: CENTURY-LONG SCHEME!_2

The old and weathered laughter rose. An old man wearing a Bamboo Hat stepped out at a leisurely pace. His garments danced lightly with the wind, as though woven from ethereal mist. They lacked substance yet possessed an extraordinary presence that defied all logic.

The elderly man’s gaze was as profound as the starry sea, his eyes twinkling with a mysterious light, as if hiding billions of years of history and the secrets of countless parallel worlds.

When you gazed into those eyes, it was as if you fell into an endless vortex of time, where each blink might reveal a different scene.

Majestic mountain ranges, vast starry rivers, bustling markets, desolate ruins... Each image was a world unto itself; every fleeting change, a traversal through time and space.

His face was etched with the traces of time, the wrinkles like an ancient map, narrating endless tales.

Yet when you tried to fix his image in your memory, you found his visage would blur and disappear in an instant, replaced by a multitude of faces: innocent children, valiant warriors, wise philosophers, weathered travelers.

Watching the old man who seemed to have stepped right out of history, Xing’e slowly said, "This monk has never abandoned Buddha. The Buddha I cultivated in past days is the Buddha I cultivate today.

Buddha resides in the heart, not in temples.

The Buddha of Ling Mountain Temple is Buddha, and the Buddha in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains is also Buddha.

Don’t you think so, Commissioner of Nan Yue?"

Commissioner of Nan Yue?

Hearing Xing’e call out the old man’s title, the gazes of the six Kings behind him suddenly sharpened.

Commissioner of Nan Yue—Li Huangliang!

Among the Twelve Directives Enforcers of Great Xuan, if one were to talk about strength, he would only be considered mid to lower tier. But in terms of seniority, this man was definitely the eldest of the Twelve Directives Enforcers.

It was rumored that he entered service at the founding of Great Xuan, a true founding elder.

His Nanyue Province, though not as impregnable as Xiangchu Province, was exceedingly prosperous, even wealthier than Great Xuan’s directly administered Jiangnan Province.

All of this bore testament to the old Military Governor’s governance skills.

Moreover, for a living fossil who had lived for so many years, who could be certain that he hadn’t concealed various unknown trump cards over his long years?

Therefore, among the Twelve Directives Enforcers of Great Xuan, aside from Zhu Shanhe, Li Huangliang was certainly the last person anyone wished to provoke.

Yet now, he had suddenly appeared in Dianchuan.

Smiling amiably at Xing’e, Li Huangliang said in a gentle tone, like a kindly neighborly grandpa, "Ha-ha-ha, the young monk is eloquent. I, this old man, cannot out-talk you. But since you were practicing Buddhism in the mountains, how come you are now stirring up strife on the territory of Great Xuan and have brought such a motley crew?"

Though his tone was gentle, and he resembled a kindly neighborly grandpa, no one present was a child. The words of this Commissioner of Nan Yue already carried a hint of reproach.

"We each serve our own lords."

Saying this, Xing’e turned his head to look in another direction, his gaze faintly revealing an unusual solemnity. "Your Excellency," he said, "surely you don’t intend to hide until this battle is over?"

At Xing’e’s words, everyone present was momentarily stunned.

There was someone else?

Wasn’t it just two Military Governors?

"HAHAHA! The young monk sure is stingy. This king has come all the way here and is quite fatigued. I was merely resting on the side; how could you accuse me of ’hiding’?"

In a hearty laughter that shook the heavens and the earth, an infinite golden light burst forth all around.

Under the dazzling golden light, a man wearing a scarlet python robe walked forth with deliberate steps.

On his robe, golden pythons writhed and coiled, lifelike. Each line radiated endless nobility and authority, as if the pythons themselves were living myths symbolizing the supreme kingly way.

The man’s face had sharp features, his deep-set eyes like ancient black holes containing limitless secrets and overwhelming power, capable of captivating and swallowing all who looked upon them.

Determination and decisiveness were etched between his brows. Every wrinkle recorded his wisdom and experience, as if every storm he had witnessed had calmed into a tranquil lake within his eyes.

He walked slowly, step by step. His every move exuded an imperial bearing that resonated through the air like a great bell, as if each action were pressing the heavens and the earth beneath his feet.

The instant this man appeared, a forceful urge surged within the hearts of all beings present to immediately kneel and bow in submission.

If the bold and forthright aura of Gao Tianxiong induced fear and trembling with its tyrannical power, then the surging presence of this man commanded willing submission and worship, the true mark of a king!

Upon seeing this man, the faces of the six Kings twisted in extreme discomfiture, even more so than when they had encountered the resurrected Gao Tianxiong.

For this man was the leader among the Twelve Directives Enforcers of Great Xuan!

Xiang Chu Jiedushi—Zhu Shanhe!

As the three Military Governors stood shoulder to shoulder, without doing anything, their heaven-supporting, earth-shattering presence alone was enough to make countless Demonic Evil Cultivators’ courage fail, scaring some to death on the spot.

"For the three of you to appear together like this, it must be the result of a prearranged plan," Xing’e said, gazing at the three Military Governors before him, his expression still composed and unruffled. "It seems that ever since I entered the province, every move I’ve made has likely been under your watchful eyes."

The appearance of Zhu Shanhe and Li Huangliang was indeed unexpected, clearly part of an intricately devised scheme from the start.

However, the arrival of these two individuals, though sudden, was not enough to reverse the overall situation.

For, even with these three Military Governors, the numbers on each side were still fifteen to ten!

Moreover, he held Mr. Li’s three Swords and the Black Decree. Should a fight truly break out, it was not certain who would lose or win.

"Of course. To lure you all here, this king went to great lengths, even reluctantly activating my most precious hidden operative. Old Gao, once this matter is concluded, you owe me one."

Zhu Shanhe made a slight gesture with his hand, and a cloud that had been swirling from afar settled beside him in an instant.

As the mist dispersed, a golden monkey appeared. It was radiant and bright-eyed, scratching its ears and cheeks, and notably had three pairs of tufted ears.

"Liu Er?"

Upon seeing the monkey riding the clouds, Xing’e’s face finally darkened.

"Hehehe, Demon Buddha, please forgive me," Liu Er said, scratching at his wrist and tilting his head with a mischievous laugh. "Although this little monkey is a Demon, I am also my foster father’s child. Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been difficult to reconcile. Don’t blame me, will you?"

"Besides, this little monkey has never deceived you. The news of Gao Jiezhen’s death was absolutely true, no deception involved."

As soon as Liu Er spoke these words, the crowd burst into an uproar of whispers and puzzled glances. They looked at the seemingly unbothered Gao Tianxiong, feeling utterly perplexed.

What does this mean?

If the news of Gao Tianxiong’s death was true, then who was the man before them?

Just as everyone was about to be thrown into utter confusion by the fog of doubts clouding their minds, Xing’e looked at the three Military Governors, and a belated sense of realization slowly dawned in his eyes.

"It seems the rumors from back then were true."

"You risked severe injury to charge into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, not for revenge at all."

"It was for that scroll of the ’Nine Deaths Immortal Heavenly Skill’."

"Having planned for over a century ago, your game of chess has indeed been played on a grand scale."

Seeing Xing’e realize this, Gao Tianxiong spoke indifferently, his tiger-like eyes showing a hint of detachment, "It’s mutual, that’s all."

"You lot, to extinguish my, Gao Tianxiong’s, bloodline, did not hesitate to use the bloodlines of nine Ancient Demons as sacrifices to curse my son, scheming to leave me without an heir and Dianchuan Province leaderless. This resolve of yours is indeed admirable."

"Unfortunately, fate cannot be defied. My son was born to be the ruler of Dianchuan. At his birth, phoenixes sang in harmony, and he was blessed with Phoenix feather ash, allowing him to die and be reborn once. Despite all your painstaking efforts, you still fell short at the last critical moment."

"So after that, you turned their plot to your advantage, concealed your son’s existence, and faked your own death to hide, all for today, is that it?" Xing’e asked.

Gao Tianxiong looked straight at Xing’e, whose gaze held some confusion. He slowly raised his hand; his palm was translucent like jade, shedding countless specks of light, clearly not made of flesh and blood.

"Wrong!" Gao Tianxiong stated.

"Liu Er also told you just now, he didn’t deceive you."

"This Military Governor... did indeed die."

"So today, I will use your lives to help me cultivate the Nine Deaths Immortal Heavenly Skill!"

"To die and be reborn!"