Chapter 355: Chapter 208: Great Zhou Is Doomed
「Wind Kingdom Capital.」
"He certainly is fast."
Ying Jiuxin clasped her hands behind her back, gazed at the clear sky, and chuckled. "To storm the Changsheng Clan’s Ancestral Land so quickly, kill Changsheng Zhenlu, and then relentlessly hunt down the other clan members... This Gu King is truly ruthless!"
"...I heard Gu Zheng comes from a small place." Nearby, Ying Jiucang leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance as he added, "To have worked his way up from a small county town to where he is today, he must be ruthless and decisive. The people of the Changsheng Clan aren’t right in the head. For his own sake, and for his family’s, it’s understandable that Gu Zheng would be so merciless."
"What I’m more curious about is whether Gu Zheng occupied the Ancestral Land after storming it," Ying Jiuyue said in a low voice, his eyes narrowed.
"Hmm?"
Ying Jiucang turned slightly to look at Ying Jiuyue. "Seventh Brother, what do you mean?"
"You still don’t get it?" Ying Jiuyue shot a glance at Ying Jiucang and said in a low voice, "If Gu Zheng hasn’t occupied the Changsheng Clan’s Ancestral Land, then isn’t this our opportunity?"
"You... You want to snatch something right out of Gu Zheng’s hands?" Ying Jiucang’s eyes widened, and he turned to look at Ying Jiuxin.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Ying Jiuxin continued to gaze at the sky, her expression serene. "Gu Zheng has slaughtered the Changsheng Clan. The few who remain are as good as dead. The Ancestral Land they left behind now belongs to Gu Zheng."
"...That’s right."
Ying Jiucang turned and glared at Ying Jiuyue. "Seventh Brother, are you trying to get us all killed?"
"I never said we should make an enemy of Gu Zheng." Ying Jiuyue held up his hands. "A single person can’t maintain a Spirit Realm on their own. Besides, the Changsheng Clan’s Ancestral Land is on the border of the Wind Kingdom; it’s highly unlikely Gu Zheng will have any use for it. We can approach him, talk about a collaboration. If nothing else, the ’Pupa Pool’ within the Ancestral Land is reason enough for us to work together."
"That seems..." Upon hearing this, Ying Jiucang looked at Ying Jiuxin. "That does seem to make sense."
"You can give it a try."
Ying Jiuxin’s expression didn’t change. "Cooperation would be ideal. But if you can’t cooperate, don’t do anything foolish."
"Don’t worry. I’m eighty percent confident we can reach an agreement!" Ying Jiuyue said with a confident smile.
...
「The Meng Family.」
"Is it true? Gu... Gu King is hunting down the members of the Changsheng Clan all across the land?"
Mongol Return to the Capital’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Were the Changsheng Clan’s two King’s Bodies really that weak?"
"Hmph. It’s not that Changsheng Zhentai and Changsheng Zhenlu were weak, but that Gu Zheng is too strong," Meng Ao said grimly. "Three Domains, plus a weapon comparable to a Divine Weapon... With Changsheng Zhentai and Changsheng Zhenlu facing him one after the other, of course they were no match."
"That’s just incredible," Meng Yu said, clapping her hands. "The people of the Changsheng Clan are all unhinged. Everyone hated and feared them, but few dared to truly cross them. But look at Gu King—he just marched right into their Ancestral Land and wiped out their entire clan!"
"Indeed," Mongol Return to the Capital sighed in admiration.
He felt this more keenly than anyone.
There hadn’t been a huge gap between them originally, but in less than a month, the distance between them had become as vast as that between heaven and earth.
Now, he wouldn’t even dare call him Gu to his face, but Gu King.
Perhaps Gu Zheng himself wouldn’t care, but showing respect for the King’s Body realm was a tradition passed down through the ages.
Acclaimed as a King!
This wasn’t the title of a Prince, but the realm of a King’s Body.
It would have been a lie for Mongol Return to the Capital to say he wasn’t envious.
...
「The Royal Capital of Xin Country.」
"That’s the situation. The last time I saw that... that Gu King, he was still in the third stage of the Heroic Body."
Boshan Guanzhi explained to the others from his seat.
"To advance from the Heroic Body to the King’s Body in less than a month... It seems Gu Zheng’s gains in those two fourth-tier Domains were anything but ordinary."
Boshan Dongqi remarked with a sigh.
"However great his gains, they have nothing to do with us," Boshan Dongming said gravely. "Second Brother, you’re the Sovereign. Don’t do anything foolish."
"...I was just making an observation," Boshan Dongqi said with a laugh. "Our ’Power King’ bloodline follows the path of Divine Power. Though Gu Zheng awakened three Domains upon reaching the King’s Body realm, none of them was an Earth Domain."
"Even if one of them had been an Earth Domain, it would still be none of our business."
Boshan Dongming said in a low voice, "The fact that Gu Zheng is hunting down the remnants of the Changsheng Clan means their Ancestral Land is almost certainly empty. The key is to find an opportunity to negotiate a collaboration with Gu Zheng and get access to it!"
"...You have a point." Boshan Dongqi’s eyes lit up. "The Changsheng Clan always acted despicably. Now look, someone’s taken their Ancestral Land! Serves them right!"
"To destroy a Noble Family, all by himself..."
Boshan Guanzhi murmured, his voice trailing off as his eyes filled with undisguised envy.
’How fucking satisfying!’
...
「The Sang Family.」
"Qian Ying, you’ve done well."
After listening to Sang Qianying’s report on Gu Zheng, Patriarch Sang nodded with a smile. "A genius like him only appears once in a thousand years. Staying on his good side is the best course of action. He is essentially a Noble Family unto himself. He could found a new one with ease."
"Well, to found a Noble Family, you have to get married, don’t you?" Sang Qianfan analyzed, his eyes glinting. "A one-man Noble Family isn’t really a Noble Family at all. And from what I know, Gu Zheng isn’t married yet."
"Are you suggesting we find a woman from our clan to marry Gu Zheng?" Sang Qianying shot him a look.
"Exactly!"
Sang Qianfan admitted readily. "And if we do, you’re the most suitable candidate!"
"...Get lost!"
...
「Li Country, the Royal Capital.」
"Interesting. How very interesting."
Dressed in a Royal Robe, Hua Qianyan exuded a powerful, noble, and stately aura. With her hands clasped behind her back, she strode through the palace with the bearing of a man.
’He’s actually hunting down the members of the Changsheng Clan? Does this mean all the others have been eliminated?’
’Changsheng Zhentai and Changsheng Zhenlu, two King’s Bodies, weren’t his match either? They died at his hands?’
’This Gu Zheng... he’s really something else!’
Hua Qianyan muttered to herself, a bright glint in her eyes.
Among the Eight Great Vassal States, the Li Country was the only one where a woman could inherit the throne.
