Chapter 2531: Chapter 113: Fish and Bait, Hooks for Each Other (Part 4)
The father and son of You Nation, Zhao Cang, utilized every factor they could in the absence of sufficient strength.
He would certainly take that as a lesson.
He had never anticipated the bottom line of Zhuang Gaoxian and Du Ruhui, because he knew this pair of wise monarch and virtuous minister could do anything.
But no matter how wise Zhuang Gaoxian was, how virtuous Du Ruhui was, what kind of reputation they had, and how much they were adored. None of it would affect his intent to kill.
All their reputation, status, power, background, and interests could not serve as an amulet for these two.
In this matter, he had no broader perspective, nor any other considerations.
Ultimately, all hatred boils down to life and death.
Just like his reply to Ku Jue in the past — "Kill to extinction, and if I die, so be it."
Zhongxuan Sheng understood well the difficulty of this matter. If it were merely an enemy in the Truth-Seeking Realm, they would not be hard to deal with. It was nothing more than pestering his uncle to slash a bit more. But Zhuang Gaoxian, as the lord of a nation, was listed in the Daoist Countries system, backed by the strongest existing entity, the Central Empire.
Mugu was in a sorry state and suffered heavy losses when they invaded Sheng.
How could Jinguo allow others to lay a finger on Zhuang Country?
Just like this time, when Qi Country barely left an opening for their State Marquis to vent, Jinguo immediately blocked it.
Their attitude couldn’t be more firm.
And Zhuang Gaoxian and Du Ruhui are both cunning and scheming, peeling off their outer shells is really not easy. Just look at Zhuang Country’s response this time, dispelling and striking back, wonderfully unparalleled, with not a hint of flaw.
"This matter needs to be discussed long-term..." Zhongxuan Sheng sighed.
Jiang Wang naturally understood and merely frowned, saying, "Speaking of which, why didn’t Yong Country seize this opportunity? Zhuang Ting has been entangled with Bone Tao since the time of Zhuang Chenggan, how could Yong Country not notice? Isn’t this the right time to strike at Zhuang Gaoxian, his monarch and minister?"
Zhongxuan Sheng said, "Yes, it is indeed a good opportunity. But it’s an opportunity deliberately left by Zhuang Country. Sometimes, one should not only see the opportunity but also the situation. Yong Country has now obtained the support of the Mo Family, which is the first attempt of Mo Family to participate in state systems, and Jinguo is already worried about having no excuse to suppress them."
"Now Jinguo is maintaining the Daoist Countries beneath them and has locked down our Qi Country from taking action against Zhuang Country. Once Yong Country gets involved, it will surely face relentless strikes from Jinguo. That is exactly what the monarch and minister of Zhuang Country would be happy to see. How could a big power struggle allow Yong Country to speak?"
"As for Zhuang Chenggan being entangled with Bone Tao... It’s been many years since his death, merely idle talk, how much can it harm Zhuang Country? I believe Zhuang Gaoxian and Du Ruhui have certainly prepared ways to prove themselves. Mentioning the history of battling with Bone Tao is just waiting for someone to take the bait..."
He glanced at Jiang Wang: "Han Xu is a very wise king, he absolutely wouldn’t bite the bait so easily."
Jiang Wang understood this subtle advice: "So you stopped me from going to Yanyun Mountain because you think it’s also bait?"
Yanyun Mountain is between Dan Country and Song Country.
No one expected that the Church of Lifeless had built an underground palace there.
Just yesterday, in that underground palace, more than ten Deity-Arrived experts, along with over two hundred Transcendent cultivators, were slaughtered by Zhang Linchuan. The scene was horrific.
This event shook the southwestern two regions.
The news also reached Jiang Wang’s ears.
Zhongxuan Sheng said, "People plot against a tiger, and the tiger also plots against people. Against Zhang Linchuan, we now hold the absolute advantage, the Church of Lifeless can no longer rise. A son worth a thousand gold does not sit under the eaves, you are already a State Marquis of the Great Qi Country, there’s no need to take risks personally."
Zhang Linchuan’s sect has already been destroyed, while Jiang Wang’s career in Qi Country still holds more possibilities. Zhongxuan Sheng was right, time was on Jiang Wang’s side.
But they both knew, Zhang Linchuan’s special fate-related Divine Skills still had the possibility of attaching to others, so simply waiting it out did not actually make the future that clear.
They also knew... although there were many hunting down the Church of Lifeless in the world, most did so for the bounty. When danger and rewards were no longer so disproportionate, besides Jiang Wang, who else harbored the determination to slay Zhang Linchuan?
Who, besides Jiang Wang who single-handedly destroyed the Church of Lifeless, could provoke the greatest killing intent from the now hidden and dodging Zhang Linchuan?
If Jiang Wang continued hiding in Linzi, using the bounty to drive people, ordering the world to hunt down the Church of Lifeless, the battle at Yanyun Mountain might just be Zhang Linchuan’s last move.
And he could neither constantly have a True Man accompany him, nor have some Absolute Summit expert watching him. Firstly, no one had that kind of free time, and secondly, if there was no hope of killing him, Zhang Linchuan would definitely not show up.
Jiang Wang on this journey is both fish and bait. Once he leaves Qi Country, he and Zhang Linchuan are effectively fishing each other.
These things Jiang Wang obviously understood, too.
But he quietly looked at Zhongxuan Sheng for a while and merely said, "You stay in the capital, gather information from all sides, coordinate the encirclement. If there’s anything, contact through the Taixu Illusion Realm."
He placed his hand on the longsword, turned around, and walked far across the stone bridge.
"This world is too big, I don’t know when I’ll find him again if I miss this chance. I never want to... give him another chance."
"If this is bait prepared by Zhang Linchuan for me, then let’s see how sharp the hook is, how strong the rod is, after he’s fallen from the True God level, and... whether he has determination like mine!"
