North Butcher King, True Self Domain, and the Substitute Straw Puppet!

In March of the second year of the Yuan Hunting Era, Zhao Xing arrived in Abundance Capital and visited the imperial palace.

Since Emperor Jing's death, he visited the palace more often. In just two years of the Yuan Hunting Era, he had already visited over a hundred times.

He would often go for a stroll, chat with Ji Che, and sometimes even talk all night long.

"The Western Extremity Countries have always regarded our dynasty as a superior celestial empire. Elder brother, when you go there, you must Great Zhou the might of the Zhou dynasty!" Zhao Xing laughed and said, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king!"

"Fifth Brother, rest assured, on this trip to the Western Extreme Province, I will make those vassal states understand this principle." Wu Emperor, hearing this, was overjoyed. "Good, well said! Guards!"

Ji Che summoned a Right Historian: "Record what my elder brother just said and circulate it to all the officials."

The Right Historian, pen-knife in hand, his pupils darting about, and his ears emitting bursts of white light, overheard the conversation between Zhao Xing and Ji Che and recorded it word for word. Seeing that the Right Historian had finished writing, Ji Che dismissed him and spoke his mind, "Elder brother, that place in Western Extreme Province was specially left by Father Emperor for me to establish my prestige."

"This is the first time I have sent a high-ranking official on a diplomatic mission since I became king."

"If I can't even resolve a small vassal conflict in the Western Extreme Province, I'll be ridiculed." "I'm afraid those peace-loving officials will use this to attack us in the future."

"I will be careful and will never let Great Zhou get caught up in a major war at this time."

♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

When Zhao Xing first heard the transfer order, he understood that Ji Che's decision to send him to take charge of Western Extreme Province was not based on sentimentality. It's important to clarify two concepts here: Western Extreme Province is divided into geographical area and administrative region.

The territory of the Western Extreme Province is far larger than the administrative region of the Great Zhou.

The territory of Western Extreme Province controlled by the Great Zhou was only one-thirtieth of the entire Western Extreme Province (hereinafter referred to as Western Extremity Continent for ease of understanding).

The administrative region of the Great Zhou, "Western Extreme Province," covers only one-thirtieth of the Western Extremity Continent, but this one-thirtieth accounts for more than sixty percent of the Western Extremity Continent's rich and fertile lands. The rest are either not bordering the Great Zhou's territory, are vassal states, or are barren lands with extremely harsh environments.

The Agricultural Supervisorate once calculated that even if the Grand Minister of Agriculture were sent to alter celestial phenomena and regulate the Earth Vein, and the Ministry of Works were mobilized to cooperate, it would still take more than four hundred years. This was all under the premise of focusing on farming and development.

The costs of stationing troops, civil and military officials, and relocating civilians after the occupation were not calculated... From a financial point of view, even if 100,000 yuan was spent, it was not certain that one yuan would be recovered.

It wasn't that the Great Zhou couldn't conquer it, but that the cost was too high, which is why it gave many 'vassal states' room to survive.

The further west you go in the Western Extremity Continent, the more barren the land becomes. Beyond the Celestial Frost Mountain Range, what lies beyond is no longer called the Western Extremity Continent, but rather the Western Extremity Ice Continent or the Western Extremity Glacier. This is because there is no land there at all; it is all ice.

Knowing this, even the most Earthly Advantage Faction, who had the advantage of geographical advantage, did not want to fight the barbarians there.

However, the Great Zhou did not want to fight, but the barbarians wanted to move east. Who wouldn't want to live in a land where spring is warm and flowers are in bloom?

Some of these tribes, with the support of Grand Ancestor, established kingdoms and became vassal states like the Morse Country. Through the education of Wen Emperor, they gradually became assimilated into the Great Zhou Dynasty, forming a defensive line in the Western Extreme Province of the Great Zhou. Under these circumstances, expanding territory in the Western Extreme Province or triggering a major war would be extremely costly.

When the military officers from different factions arrived, they acted impulsively and started fighting.

Ji Che sent Zhao Xing, the Agriculture Minister, who naturally knew how to settle this score.

In short, the goal is to demonstrate the might of the Great Celestial Cycle Zhou Dynasty while preventing the Western Extreme Province from becoming bogged down in war; at the very least, a large-scale war is unacceptable. If a major war breaks out, Ji Che's appointment of key officials will be considered a failure, drawing criticism from many, including Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing and Ji Che talked for many days. The younger brother was very imposing, but he rarely mentioned "fighting," and never mentioned war at all. How could he not know what Wu Emperor was thinking?

"I will only mobilize the forces of the vassal states to fight the barbarians, and I will absolutely not deploy the army of the Western Extreme Province unless absolutely necessary," Zhao Xing said. Isn't he just following Wang Xuance?

Seeing that Zhao Xing had deeply understood his spirit, Ji Che clapped his hands and laughed, "I have absolute confidence in my elder brother's departure."

"You can mobilize the seven great Grotto-Heaven, the two blessed lands, and the powerful warriors of each army, and act as you see fit. I have prepared an imperial edict for you. If you feel it is necessary, you can take over all military and political power in Kaizhou Prefecture of Western Extreme Province!" Old Master Zhao was deeply moved by Ji Che's words.

The rebellion of the Liang King occurred only a little over a hundred years ago!

What's more, Zhao Xing wasn't even his biological brother. Working under Wu Emperor was simply fantastic.

However, as exhilarating as it was, Zhao Xing pondered for a moment and then felt something was amiss, "The chaos in the Western Extreme Province is nothing more than a minor ailment, why is it being made such a grand spectacle?"

Ji Che said, "This is exactly what I'm about to say. According to the latest battle reports collected from various parts of the Western Extreme Province this year, as well as the deductions and reviews by our Fate Officials, the imperial court has discovered that the strength of the West Si Country on the Western Extremity Continent has expanded rapidly!" "Since last year, Ji Si and others have repeatedly deduced the situation by combining military intelligence reports, and have come to an astonishing conclusion: the West Si Country has openly and secretly controlled 80% of the small countries and tribes on the Western Extremity Ice Continent."

Zhao Xing frowned upon hearing this. In his previous life, he had indeed heard of this West Si Country, which had risen rapidly after the Wu Emperor Dynasty and become the hegemon of the West. But now Wu Emperor had only just ascended the throne, so how could it already be showing signs of rising?

With this question in mind, Zhao Xing set off from Abundance Capital in early April, accompanied by four adjutants: Mi Fu, Chen Shijie, Hu Yang, and Zhang Tianxing, as well as the foreign troops led by Prince Jinke. The Divine Abode Warship Military Hall.

The Divine Abode Warship was a gift from Wu Emperor; it was a rare and precious artifact.

Even if it's a low-grade treasure, it's still an extraordinary warship, having been crafted by the Divine Abode Guards, one of the three Imperial Guards. Although Zhao Xing didn't specifically request to bring anyone, it would still require quite a few people to operate this military marvel.

Wu Emperor assigned him five hundred Divine Abode Guards. The Divine Lodging, the Luan Yi Guards, Golden Guard were the emperor's three imperial guards, which had not been deployed even during Emperor Jing Jing's campaigns against the barbarians. Now, however, Zhao Xing was given command of five hundred men.

"Great Governance Era the Sith Clan Kingdom in the first year of the Great Era, its national strength has increased by leaps and bounds, which is quite unusual." Zhao Xing was flipping through all the intelligence about the West Si Country.

He personally reviewed all the Fate Officials deductions and Military Realm intelligence.

"Li Boqian comprehended the Yuan Seal in the Western Extremity Glacier. Now the Sith Clan has risen again, established a nation, and continues to grow stronger. Could it be that there really is a super-powerful dungeon in the West Pole Sea?" "Since the first year of the Great Governance Era era, their strength has increased by leaps and bounds. So the time when the Sith Clan truly gained some kind of enhancement was probably even earlier."

Zhao Xing traced back to the Jingxin Calendar Jingxin Calendar and also retrieved old intelligence from that period to examine it.

"The Qitian Hall also appeared during the Jingxin Calendar period. At least the Flower Fairy can confirm that she participated in worldly affairs during the Jingxin Calendar period. Could it be that there is a connection between Li Boqian's enlightenment at the glacier, the establishment and dominance of the Sith Clan, and the emergence of the Qitian Hall?" "All of this is no coincidence. There is a great secret in the Western Extremity Ice Continent!" A hint of thought flashed in Zhao Xing's eyes.

"It's not impossible that there were super-version dungeons in the Profound Yellow World in the past, but the players didn't discover them."

"If that's the case, I'll have to consider making some preparations in advance." Zhao Xing thought of the young Cloud-Soaring Vine seedlings in the Pure Yuan Space. "If we discover something extraordinary, we'll have no choice but to raise my elder brother."...

Tianyong Province is located in the eastern part of Zhongzhou, while Western Extreme Province is in the western part of Zhongzhou. The two are extremely far apart, spanning twelve continents. The journey is so long that without a super-long-distance teleportation system like the Li Fire Divine Altar, it would be impossible to maintain such a vast empire. Even with advance preparation and taking the shortest route...

Zhao Xing, along with Prince Jinke, Ice Chart King, King Kro King, and others, spent over three months before finally reaching the Western Extreme Province Western Extreme Province. Once there, they relied solely on flight, as the Western Extreme Province was no longer within the teleportation range of the Li Fire Divine Altar. Even the Dao of the Li Fire True Lord could not reach this extremely cold continent.

As we headed west, it got colder and colder.

Upon arriving in western Western Extreme Province, passing through various counties, snow began to fall intermittently. "We set off in April, traveled for over three months, and it's only mid-August now." "Yet, Western Extreme Province is already more than halfway into winter."

"The winter Solar Terms Decree begins to come into play, and all techniques, martial arts, and spells related to cold and ice and snow have seen a slight increase in power."

"Conversely, fire-based techniques, martial arts, and spells have all been weakened somewhat." Zhang Tianxing stood on the boat, gazing at the Heavy Snow world outside. "It's so cold."

"I've heard that the people of Xizhou have abundant hair and are generally short. The people of Binglu even have gills growing behind their ears. It's true that different Heavenly Timing shape different people," Hu Yang remarked. "The data says that Western Extreme Province is the most fertile land in the Western Continent, but it seems that's relative," Chen Shijie said, looking down at the land below. "The Earth Vein are weak, the soil is barren, and it can't compare to the other states at all."

"Even with 30% of my Plant Soldier, I can't unleash their full combat power here. The further west we go, the worse the situation becomes." Mi Dai closed his eyes to meditate, Observe Heaven within. "Only 30%?" Hu Yang and Zhang Tianxing looked at Mi Fu in surprise.

None of them had ever been to the Western Extreme Province, and they all expressed different feelings. Mi Fu's feelings, however, caught the attention of the other three.

Hu Yang and Zhang Tianxing even thought that Mi Fu was exaggerating.

However, Mi Fu wasn't exaggerating. The environment in the Star Ruins Minor World was extremely harsh. Having served as an official in such a place for a long time, Mi Fu's troops had all transformed and adapted to the extreme environment. Mi Dai didn't want to explain to Zhang Tianxing and Hu Yang, because both of them came from Noble Families families.

For the past three months, he had only had a casual acquaintance with these two men.

He got along well with Chen Shijie: "Shijie, you are skilled in the three methods of the Earth Palace, Earth Split, and Earth Treasury. If you can use Earth Split to draw Yang Qi upward, then use Earth Palace Art to prevent Earth Qi from sinking, Earth Treasury Return to Origin preserve the power of the Earth Vein, my Plant Soldier will be able to unleash their full strength." Chen Shijie shook his head and said, "I don't know if it will work after going down there. I heard that some areas don't even have land, they're all ice."

Hu Yang laughed and said, "We have to make it work! We're about to enter the war zone, we can't let Lord Zhao take action." Zhang Tianxing wholeheartedly agreed, "That's right."

The four of them chatted outside.

Inside the cabin, Zhao Xing chatted with Prince Jinke, King Ice Chart King Kro King, and others about the situation in the West Si Country. In his previous life Zhao Xing had rarely visited the Western Extreme Province, mainly because it was too poor there.

There's practically no profit to be made.

The Western Extreme Province, controlled by the Great Zhou, is not much smaller than Pinghai Province, yet it only has two blessed lands and seven Grotto-Heaven. The rest of the Western Continent is even less significant.

Transportation is also extremely inconvenient.

Doing quests and running dungeons in a place like this is time-consuming and laborious, and doesn't offer much reward, so there's not much motivation to do it.

"Prince, which experts in the West Si Country are worth noting?" Zhao Xing asked. Although he knew quite a bit of information, Prince Jinke was, after all, a local, and perhaps he could spot something unusual. Prince Jinke replied, "The strongest one is the King of West Si Country, ' Deus,' who calls himself ' Sith Grand Master,' but he has never made a move."

Zhao Xing asked doubtfully, "Oh? He didn't take action, or is it because everyone who saw him take action died?"

"Perhaps, as the Duke said, everyone who witnessed his power is dead," Prince Jinke said in a deep voice. "He is hailed as the strongest, mainly because Deus has fifty Venerables under his command. "Half of those Venerables were trained by Deus."

"Because they are different from the other venerable ones, they will call Deus the Great Holy Teacher." Zhao Xing listened quietly.

According to intelligence reports, all fifty Venerables of the West Si Country possess combat strength at the peak or perfect level of the first rank.

Fifty people at the Fate Palace Realm are nothing special in the Great Zhou, but in the Western Continent, fifty peak or perfect Life Palace cultivators are quite a lot. The Fate Palace Realm, as the name suggests, is about constructing Life Palace.

Reaching the peak and perfection levels signifies that one's Life Palace is nearing perfection, and every gesture aligns with the Heavenly Dao. At this stage, one can at least create a low-level rule domain. Even if no one has ever witnessed Deus's actions, the fact that he has cultivated twenty-five Venerables is enough to make him the strongest being on the Western Extremity Ice Continent.

"Ice Chart King, Kro King, you have been fighting against the West Si Country since the Great Governance Era era. Tell me about your experiences," Zhao Xing said, looking at the other two powerful figures. Ice Chart King was already at the Fate Palace Realm, and he had experience fighting against Venerables.

"I fought seven times with Venerable Ulik of the West Si Country," Ice Chart King recalled.

"The earliest time was in the 20th year of the Jingxin Calendar. At that time, Deus had not yet established a country, but was just the great lord of the Sith Clan, and Ulik was the lord under him."

"At the time, I was in charge of mining Polar Ice at ' Wei Mountain ' in the Western Extremity Glacier.' Wei Mountain isn't a real mountain, but rather a continuous iceberg region. There were many precious materials there, such as Wei Mountain Ice Stone, extremely cold ice, Cold Marrow, Jade Pearl, and so on."

"Ulik and I first clashed because of the collection of these treasures."

"Back then, I was Third Grade, and he was only Fourth Grade. When he saw me, he could only run away. I knocked him into the sea eye, thinking he was surely dead, so I didn't pay any more attention to him..." Ice Chart King recalled, "Unexpectedly, he didn't die. When we met again fifteen years later, he had broken through to the early stage of the Third Grade, while I was at the peak of the Third Grade rank at that time."

"We met again in the ' Wei Mountain ' area. In our second encounter, he escaped from my grasp."

"In the second year, the Sith Clan declared the establishment of a nation, but at that time no one paid much attention. After all, although the Sith Clan were a large tribe, they were still no match for our Morse Country, and our territory did not border each other." "It was not until the fiftieth year of the Great Governance Era, when the West Si Country established by Deus constantly waged war, that our territory was finally threatened."

"Fifty years is not a short time. I had almost forgotten about Ulik, but then I ran into him again during their expansion..."

Ice Chart King looked somewhat dazed: "I didn't recognize him at the time. It was only when he brought it up that I connected him with the former minor lord." "That time, we fought again. I was at the late stage of the Second Rank, and he had reached the early stage of the Second Rank."

"In the end, I only gained a slight advantage."

Zhao Xing didn't find anything wrong with this; it was just a typical story of a genius from another race growing up. "From the fourth encounter onwards, I couldn't gain any advantage at all."

"The fifth time we clashed was in the seventy-fifth year of Eternal Governance Era. By then, he had completely surpassed me and become a first-grade expert, while I was still stuck at the Second Rank perfection level." Zhao Xing checked the time. It was about five years later when Prince Jin Ke of the Morse Country, along with his five generals, came to the Great Zhou for the first time to ask for help.

In their sixth encounter, Ice Chart King learned a great deal of advanced experience from the Great Zhou, but still couldn't defeat Ulik. However, he successfully broke through to the First-Rank Realm. The seventh time was when Prince Jinke's younger brother died, and Prince Jinke lost an arm.

Of the many powerful figures under Jin Ke's command, only Ice Chart King, Kro King, and Suo Suo survived.

"In just 135 years since its founding, it has already overwhelmed the Morse Country," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "Venerable Ulik? Never heard of him... And there are fifty others like him?" As he listened, Zhao Xing suddenly asked, "Do you know Deus's age? And what are the ages of the fifty Venerables under him?"

"Age?" Prince Jinke pondered. "No one knows Deus's exact age. He's very mysterious, but he should be over five hundred years old."

"As for the Venerables under his command, we don't know much about the others. We only know that the twenty-five Venerables under Deus are all very young. We hadn't heard of them much before, and they only emerged in the last hundred years or so." Ice Chart King, "I can sense Ulik's life fluctuations. He is probably around two hundred and fifty years old."

Zhao Xing frowned.

Ulik, around 250 years old, has already reached the peak of the first rank? This kind of talent is already quite exaggerated.

Zhao Xing was born in the 274th year of the Renovation Era Calendar. The Renovation Era Calendar lasted for 278 years, the Jingxin Calendar 37 years, and the Great Governance Era Eternal Governance Era for a total of 158 years. In the second year of the Yuan Hunting Era, he was already 201 years old. Liu Tianning was 105 years older than him, and was already 306 years old.

Liu Tianning was also over two hundred years old when he broke through to the first rank. Both of them were self-taught.

Of course, age alone cannot fully explain talent.

Both Liu Tianning and Zhao Xing had long ago comprehended the rules of the realm and were proficient in multiple techniques, while also cultivating the Pure Origin Soil Realm... At the time, Liu Tianning was also working to resolve the drawbacks of the Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet, and Zhao Xing was cultivating the Mountain Strengthening Heavenly Luck Realm. However, from the intelligence and the Ice Chart King's description, it's clear that Ulik possesses first-rate talent!

"Assuming they are all the same age, then there are dozens more with talent like Ulik's, or even greater?"

"This Sith Grand Master Deus the Sith has actually cultivated so many powerful individuals; the nation's fortune is simply too strong," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"Based on what I saw in my previous life, the West Si Country later became the overlord of the Western Extremity. It is understandable that so many powerful figures were born at the beginning of its founding, thanks to divine favor. Now that signs of Vitality Tide are beginning to appear in the small world again, perhaps this Sith Grand Master has discovered a small world."

But after thinking it over, Zhao Xing still felt there was something wrong with this.

It's not that geniuses can't emerge from other places, but the fact that so many geniuses have emerged in such a concentrated period of just over a hundred years, and that each of them has reached such a high level, is truly exaggerated.

"If the Sith Clan began to receive some kind of enhancement at the end of the Jingxin Calendar, it shouldn't be the Vitality Tide, because the Heaven Realm probably hadn't even started to show any Yuanqi anomalies yet." "The Qitian Hall was already among the first to benefit, so there's no reason for the Sith Clan to have become stronger earlier." Many speculations arose in Zhao Xing's mind.

"The spiritual energy within my seven Spirit Lake, when liquefied, is extremely precious. If I wanted, I could mass-produce powerful beings. It's just that I need to consider 'manual Spiritual Energy Revival,' which is why I'm hoarding this spiritual liquid." "This Great Lord of the Sith Clan must have also obtained a similar opportunity."

Zhao Xing is now certain that the Sith Clan's High Lord Deus has obtained some great opportunity, which allowed him to create several powerful individuals in a short period of time. As for whether this opportunity is related to the ancient Divine Temple that Li Boqian once saw, that remains to be determined.

"It would be best to capture Ulik and interrogate him."

"If we can confirm that the benefits are significant, we can mobilize a large army to press on the border and let the powerful warriors of the Great Zhou come to launch a devastating attack." The reason we don't conquer the Western Extremity Continent is because there are no benefits to it.

If a great gain is assured, the Great Zhou is like a hungry wolf yearning for ascension! With a plan in mind, Zhao Xing immediately said:

"Prince, Ulik was the commander-in-chief who led the attack on the Morse Country, harmed your brother, slaughtered the people of Morse Country, and seized Morse Country's territory... His crimes are heinous!" "He must be eliminated!"

"I have been ordered to come here to avenge you."

"Rest assured, no one can stop the King's Way army of the Great Zhou, the righteous force... Ulik is doomed!"

The promise of a grand scheme immediately excited Prince Jinke and Ice Chart King, who rose to their feet and kowtowed to Zhao Xing. After calming Prince Jinke and the others down, Zhao Xing left the cabin and summoned Chen Shijie, Mi Fu, Hu Yang, and Zhang Tianxing a meeting. "I plan to capture Venerable Ulik of the West Si Country alive. I suspect they have... they have even greater ambitions."

Chen Shijie, who was familiar with Zhao Xing, always felt that his words were strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

Zhao Xing said, "Hu Yang, Zhang Tianxing, you two immediately take my seal and board the flying boat to return to the seven great Grotto-Heaven and two great blessed lands of the Western Extreme Province. Inform the garrison commanders and have them prepare for battle. My requirement is that as soon as my order arrives, they must be able to immediately intervene in the battlefield of the Western Continent's vassal states and wage a war of annihilation!"

Hu Yang Zhang Tianxing a surprised glance, but since it was Zhao Xing who said it, there was no reason to question it. "Yes, sir!"

The two immediately took Zhao Xing's seal and set sail back.

Only Hu Yang and Zhang Tianxing handle this matter with the utmost care, as they both clearly possessed the air of powerful figures from the capital. Neither Mi Dai nor Chen Shijie possessed that kind of aura.

After the two left, Mi Fu couldn't help but ask, "What's going on? Didn't you say you were going to use barbarian troops to fight barbarians? Are you already preparing to intervene? Isn't this kind of war preparation mobilization a bit inappropriate?" If it were a different superior, he definitely wouldn't have been able to stand Mi Fu.

Old Chen is still here, and you're questioning him as soon as the order is given? That's really disrespectful.

However, Old Master Zhao knew Mi Dai's character; this was a man who could contradict Wu Emperor and drastically cut the Wu Emperor spending. This wording was already considered mild. Zhao Xing laughed, "The vassal states aren't stupid. We have to set an example first. If we don't even make a show of it, how can others believe us?"

Mi Dai nodded, indicating that she understood Zhao Xing's actions.

He was only worried about the burden that war would place on his own people. As for the vassal states, they were all barbarians and were not within the scope of Old Master Mi's patriotism and love for his people.

Chen Shijie was thinking about the specific plan, "The Ulik you want to capture alive is the commander who led the conquest of the Morse Country. According to the intelligence, his strength is at the peak of the Fate Palace Realm." "It will not be easy to capture him alive. With the Morse Country's troops, it will probably be difficult to do so, and it may not even be able to force Ulik to lead the army personally."

"If we want to surround and kill him, we must first assemble a strong army from a vassal state to lure him out."

Chen Shijie took two steps in front of the sand table and pointed to the map: "Besides the Morse Country, the three countries of Beitu, Sake, and Ande all border the territory of the Sith Clan. It will be easy to transfer troops from these four countries to form an alliance." "After the alliance is formed, we can attack the defense line east of the Vesuvian Glacier. Ulik, who is currently fighting the ' Galan Clan ' in the south, will personally lead his army to deal with us."

"We chose the battlefield, which increases the success rate of the encirclement."

"This person has no choice but to come, because the Galan Clan are just a tribe. But if the four-nation alliance is defeated, the Sith Clan can occupy a large area of land in the east, making the southeast of Wei Mountain no longer a significant threat." "Such an allure, I think Ulik will definitely be willing to give it a try."

Zhao Xing praised, "Not bad, as expected of you."

He had initially worried that Chen Shijie, having served Pingyuan Decree for over a hundred years, might have lost his fighting skills. But now it seems that young Chen's military prowess has not diminished at all.

In just a short while, a general plan was given.

Chen Shijie discussed the matter with Zhao Xing at a leisurely pace, and soon Mi Dai also joined the discussion.

Zhao Xing discovered that Chen Shijie's thoughts were very similar to his own, and in some aspects even more detailed. Clearly, Chen Shijie had done his homework over the past few months. Chen Shijie did this for two reasons: firstly, it was his personality, and secondly, he felt that his promotion was purely due to Zhao Xing's influence.

Mi Dai is powerful and skilled in three different schools of thought. Hu Yang and Zhang Tianxing are not only powerful but also come from prominent families. What does Chen Shijie have? He feels that he is inferior to the other three adjutants in every aspect, so he can only work hard.

The three of them discussed it for a long time.

After the Divine Abode Warship arrived in the territory of the Morse Country, it activated its stealth mode.

Zhao Xing created clones to secretly meet with the kings of the four kingdoms of Morse Country, Beitu, Sake, and Ande.

The plan, which began in late August, is progressing smoothly in the three countries of Moss, Sake, and Ande.

They were originally a vassal state of the Great Zhou Great Zhou, admiring its culture and having been educated by Emperors Wen Emperor and Emperor Jing. Upon the arrival of Zhao Xing, the special envoy from the superior state, they were filled with confidence and quickly agreed to send troops. However, problems arose upon reaching the North Butcher Country.

The North Butcher Country warmly received Zhao Xing, and they chatted for six days. The North Butcher King remained hospitable throughout, but when the North Butcher King of sending troops came up, he hesitated and changed the subject. By the sixth day, the North Butcher King had even stopped seeing Zhao Xing altogether.

Even the envoy's attitude became somewhat cold.

"It seems this North Butcher King already harbors rebellious intentions. Humph, barbarians are indeed untrustworthy!" Mi Fu, who had been given the runaround once again after going to see the envoy, was somewhat angry. "If you ask me, this North Butcher King has definitely already surrendered to the West Si Country." "Not necessarily," Chen Shijie said. "His enthusiasm a few days ago didn't seem feigned. His sudden change of attitude probably means that the West Si Country's envoy has also arrived."

Zhao Xing said, "The North Butcher Country has not yet directly faced the threat of the West Si Country, and has never truly been attacked by the Sith Clan, so it may not be able to make a decision so quickly." "The North Butcher King is a strong man; he is stronger than the kings of the other three kingdoms. We should still try to win him over if we can."

Let's wait for Zhang Ning's news.

Zhang Ning was an envoy stationed in the North Butcher Country North Butcher Country. He had lived there for over a hundred years and was sent there at the beginning of the Great Governance Era. As soon as he finished speaking, a tall, burly man in armor, carrying a sharp sword, hurriedly entered.

"Duke Junyi, my lords, I have received news that North Butcher King secretly met with the envoy from the West Si Country and has suddenly strengthened the city's defenses. I fear he intends to defect to the West Si Country!" Before the official orders are issued, I will escort Duke Junyi and the other two out of the city!

In another Post House in the North Butcher Royal City.

A Sith Clan with fish gills behind their ears and three horizontal lines on their forehead, seemingly glowing with blue light, was resting inside the building. Several other Sith Clan were also waiting for something nearby.

Suddenly, a figure hurriedly walked in.

"Envoy Wu Yuan, I have received news that the North Butcher King has been persuaded by the Great Zhou's special envoy and has suddenly strengthened the city's defenses, determined to attack our country!" "This place has become dangerous; please leave immediately, Envoy Wu Yuan!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan's pupils contracted.

The North Butcher Royal City was built against the mountain, with the imperial palace situated on the highest peak.

Inside a palace at this moment, a figure stood quietly on a high platform, looking down at the Post House below the mountain.

He was none other than the King of the North Butcher Country, a renowned first-rank powerhouse on the Western Extremity Continent. Throughout the nearly century-long expansion of the Sith Clan, the North Butcher Country had never been invaded, precisely because of the North Butcher King's formidable reputation.

"Father."

A blond, blue-eyed youth approached from behind the North Butcher King.

"Yi, how did it go?"

The eldest prince, Yi, is the eldest son of the North Butcher King and First-Rank Life Palace cultivator. "Father, the news has already been leaked to the envoys of both the Great Zhou and the Sith."

After a pause, the eldest prince asked, puzzled, "Father, whose side are we on? Why did you spread such false information to them?" "Yi, what do you think?"

The eldest prince, Yi, pondered, "Compared to the giant Great Zhou, the Sith Clan are short but wiry. Their threat is imminent, especially the mysterious and powerful Grand Master Deus." "Great Zhou is a giant, but its majesty extends far beyond the Central Plains. Since the end of the previous emperor's reign, its gaze has rarely turned to the Western Extremity Continent."

"If I had to choose, I think I would choose to ally with the Sith Clan." "Why?" North Butcher King asked his son calmly.

"Dark Clouds is a first-rank official, but that so-called Lord Yi is only a Second Rank official." The eldest prince pondered, "The Morse Country has been asking for help for many years, but the Great Zhou has never sent anyone. When they do, they are only officials of low rank. They only want to use the power of the vassal states to resolve the disputes."

The official named Zhao Xing claimed to be the new emperor's brother, but he didn't even have the surname Ji; it was clearly just a deceptive title.

"Over the past century, the Great Zhou's control over its vassal states has weakened. Whatever the reason, it proves that the Great Zhou's rule over these regions is declining." "Therefore, I believe we should fight on the side of the Sith Clan."

"The North Butcher Clan fights only for themselves," the North Butcher King said calmly. "Whoever has the strongest power in the Western Extremity Continent, we will help them. Just watch and see whose resolve is greater."

Inside the Post House, Zhao Xing, having received the news, shook his head and said, "We can't leave." "My lord, if we don't leave now, it will be too late," Zhang Ning said in a deep voice.

"Zhang Ning, have you found out where the Sith envoy is staying?" Zhao Xing asked. "I know," Zhang Ning nodded. "Does Your Excellency intend to..."

"Not bad." A hint of killing intent flashed in Zhao Xing's eyes. "With the Sith's envoy killed, the North Butcher King will have no way out."

For nearly two hundred years, the Great Zhou had not displayed its power in the Western Extreme Province. Zhao Xing was well aware of the North Butcher King's predicament and anxieties. He would help whoever was stronger!

If Zhao Xing leaves, the North Butcher King will definitely join forces with the Sith Clan.

"How could a powerful figure like the North Butcher King lack such self-control, allowing others to find out about the palace affairs? If I leave, it proves that the Great Zhou Dynasty has no resolve and will not invest the resources to do this."

"Now that you know the location of the Sith Clan Embassy, it must have been the North Butcher King who deliberately let us know." "Zhang Ning, do you dare to follow me and charge there, to display the might of our dynasty?"

Zhang Ning laughed, "Lord Zhao, I came fully armored and sword-wielding, prepared to die." "Very well, lead the way!"

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Xing, Zhang Ning, Mi Fu, and Chen Shijie quickly left the embassy and stealthily made their way along the wide royal avenue toward the Sith Clan embassy. When the four arrived at the Sith Clan Post House, they found it already empty.

"Hmm? No?" Zhang Ning's expression changed slightly. "I've personally confirmed that they're staying at this Post House." "Could they have gone out, or left?" Mi Fu said.

"The items are still here, but the people aren't. They couldn't have left." Chen Shijie glanced around. "There are still many Sith Clan ceremonial items here. They couldn't have left these behind." "Then there's only one possibility," Zhao Xing laughed. "The Sith Clan envoy also had the same idea as us and went to kill us."

"Let's go back!"

This time, Zhao Xing no longer hid or concealed himself, but walked openly and honestly.

Having just left the Post House, they hadn't gone far when they encountered a group of eight. The leader had three blue horizontal stripes on his forehead and wore black armor. The others all wore robes and Grade A the Three-Pattern Divine Seal unique to the Sith Clan.

"Swish, swish, swish~"

The two groups locked eyes, instantly recognizing each other. "Kill!"

"Kill!"

Neither side hesitated for a moment and immediately began to fight.

Wu Yuan's figure twisted, and the next moment he appeared in the sky, throwing a punch into the air. "Bang!"

Debris filled the air, and Zhao Xing's body vanished.

However, even more "Zhao Xing" figures appeared from all directions. Wu Yuan frowned.

He was at the late stage of the Fate Palace Realm, while his opponent was only at the Second Rank perfection level. He had clearly locked onto his target, yet it turned out to be a fake body? Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh~

Wu Yuan's figure moved with extreme speed, soaring rapidly into the sky, instantly creating hundreds of afterimages in the air.

Each phantom appeared behind Zhao Xing, its fist carrying three eerie, intersecting rays of light, as if three cracks had appeared in space. A punch was thrown.

"Boom!"

Hundreds of Zhao Xing vanished.

However, a similar number of Zhao Xing appeared further up.

"Another fake body?"

Wu Yuan was even more surprised.

Unable to distinguish them the first time, he chose to completely destroy the opponent's fake bodies the second time.

But why are there more and more of them fighting?

Zhao Xing's true form jumped out from one of his clones.

Quietly looking down.

Since he began practicing the "Soldier Envoy Divine Art," his "Divine Wood Leap" has undergone a qualitative change.

No living plant is needed to jump.

His true form can leap out from any of his clones.

"Die! Darkness Absolute God Prison!"

Wu Yuan's ferocity was overwhelming, and the black light expanded, plunging the entire world into darkness.

The Darkness Absolute God Prison is not only a "darkness" of the five senses, but even the Essence Soul Leaving the Body from the body and perceive fate is plunged into "darkness".

Of course, Wu Yuan couldn't even hack the enemy's Yuan Soul vision, let alone hack the Fate Perception of those in the Fate Palace Realm or Heavenly Luck Realm.

But its domain is also at the third level. Faced with such overwhelming power, this official of the Great Zhou should have died.

But... no!

Zhao Xing still exists.

He looked down at Wu Yuan from high above.

In a distant palace, high in the Gao Shan.

The North Butcher King looked somewhat surprised.

Wu Yuan's strength was within his expectations.

However, Zhao Xing exceeded his expectations. He could see that Zhao Xing was extraordinary, but he did not expect him to be this extraordinary.

"How can they jump around within Wu Yuan's domain of rules? What kind of technique is that?"

The North Butcher King considered himself a man of the world.

He had never seen anything like this before.

It is impossible for a person to be without a true self. Although the North Butcher King could not tell which one was the true self, he was certain that Zhao Xing's true self was among them.

Even though Zhao Xing clearly doesn't have a domain, he can still jump within Wu Yuan's domain of rules.

He genuinely couldn't understand it.

In the sky, Zhao Xing reappeared, looking down at the astonished Wu Yuan.

He doesn't lack a domain; he has already used it!

"After comprehending the Celestial Timing Domain in the 92nd year of Eternal Governance Era, he comprehended the True Self Straw Puppet Domain at the end of the first year of Yuan Hunting Era, thus achieving ' Rule Leap '."

"Based on the Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet clones, the scope of the True Self Straw Puppet Domain is entirely determined by the number of clones."

Based on the True Self Straw Puppet, leaps within the Inner Five Elements Heavens, creating True Self Domain that has never existed before!

This was because Zhao Xing had come up with it based on the "Substitute Straw Puppet" from his previous life's Spiritual Energy Era, combined with the Yin Yang True Self Scripture, the Soldier Envoy Divine Art, and the Five Elements spiritual energy.

"Having comprehended this True Self Domain, and achieved the Rule Leap between the inner world, it can truly be called a life-saving divine skill. However, it is not yet a true ' Substitute Straw Puppet,' because straw men cannot jump between each other." Through jumping between the inner world, even Wu Yuan comprehended the domain of rules.

However, the realm of the True Self Faction is a self-contained world, minimally affected by the oppression of the rules of the external world. Even within the opponent's domain of rules, Zhao Xing can still complete the leap.

Even a true top-tier expert would find it difficult to capture Zhao Xing's true form.

The Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet is already difficult to master, but to comprehend the realm of True Self's true self, and to have abundant spiritual energy and the Soldier Envoy Divine Art as a reference, the difficulty is simply unimaginable. However, once comprehended, it means being a version ahead of the True Self's divine skills! This was also an important reason why Zhao Xing prioritized comprehending the Soldier Envoy Divine Art back then.

"The movement techniques, moves, and even the domain used by Wu Yuan give me a strange feeling."

"His technique clearly hasn't reached its ultimate level, yet he's already comprehended a third-tier dark domain?" Zhao Xing thought to himself. "The intelligence says he's Ulik's brother; it seems killing him might yield some useful information."

"Why don't you try my field too!"

Having lured Wu Yuan into the air three times, Zhao Xing had already prepared his Ultimate Cloud Art. When Wu Yuan tried to make his fourth move, he found that Zhao Xing had completely vanished.

He found himself in a cloud-covered space. "What?! What kind of magic is this?!"

Dark Clouds sensed something was wrong. He tried to rush out, but found that the surrounding clouds suddenly began to move. "Buzz~"

The cloud space spun rapidly, and ten Solar Yang appeared in the sky. The Layered Cloud Realm began to rotate its spells.