"Cough cough..."
Pushing open the door to Conference Room One, the atmosphere inside instantly froze, followed by awkwardness. Even Wang Hao, the host, couldn't help but cough to try and ease the tension.
He had imagined many scenarios for the meeting before he came, but he never expected it to be like this.
The bigwigs of various forces and the peerless experts in the martial arts world were now looking at and touching the Red Copper walls of the conference room like country bumpkins. One of them even drew his sword and started scraping, seemingly trying to scrape off a piece of Red Copper to take away.
Many bigwigs were surprised by Wang Hao's sudden arrival. They had been informed that Wang Hao would arrive in a while, but according to past practice, "a while" would take at least an Tokiomi or two, which could be considered a way of intimidating him.
But to their surprise, the other party arrived shortly after they were brought in, and did so so quietly that even Zhang Sanfeng, the strongest among them, did not notice.
This was quite awkward.
After realizing what had happened, everyone quickly moved to their seats and picked up the teacups in front of them to hide their embarrassment. Even Zhang Sanfeng resumed his dignified and otherworldly demeanor.
Old Zhu, who followed Wang Hao in, was overjoyed. He knew that these peerless experts were mostly from the same era as him, and it was inevitable that they had clashed before.
But now these old rivals are behaving like country bumpkins, making him feel embarrassed.
You may have the numbers, but I have a Laozi who is countless times more outstanding than you, enough to crush you all into dust.
"I won't waste any more words. Tell me your purpose!"
Wang Hao didn't dwell on this, and went to the head seat to ask the question directly.
Although he's good at bluffing, when it comes to scheming, plotting, and bickering, he's no match for these old guys who've lived for over a hundred years. It would be more like Old Zhu would be the one to do the witty banter.
No one expected Wang Hao to be so decisive and direct. They looked at each other, and finally turned their attention to Zhang Sanfeng was the most powerful and senior person present.
You're the boss, you go first!
Sensing the gazes of the crowd, Zhang Sanfeng cursed inwardly, but ultimately had no choice but to steel himself and look at Wang Hao.
"Young friend Zhu..."
"Cough cough..."
As soon as Zhang Sanfeng opened his mouth, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was sitting next to Wang Hao, coughed and gave him a disapproving look.
Zhang Sanfeng, who was also an old friend of Old Zhu, immediately realized that Zhu Yanzu's identity was not ordinary and could not be addressed casually.
"Your Majesty, this old Daoist priest would like to hear your views on the future of my Central Plains homeland, the Central Plains."
Since Wang Hao was so straightforward, he decided to cut to the chase and directly state their purpose.
However, he wasn't a fool, so he didn't directly ask Old Zhu Household if they were planning to run away; instead, he phrased it more subtly.
All eyes turned to Wang Hao, awaiting his response.
Despite their suspicions, they still wanted to confirm it.
Silence, utter silence.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Wang Hao finally spoke.
"I cannot disclose the specifics, but I can guarantee that I will never abandon the foundation of Central Plains ancestral homeland in the Central Plains until the very last moment."
These words caused everyone's faces to turn deathly pale, even Comrade Old Zhu's expression was quite unpleasant.
These words alone reveal just how dire the situation is; this is truly a big problem.
"Please, Your Majesty, lead us through this difficult time!"
Forcing himself to suppress his chaotic thoughts, Zhang Sanfeng stood up and bowed sincerely, and the others also stood up and bowed in return.
There was nothing they could do; they simply had no ability to resist the powerful overseas martial arts world.
Even though his cultivation has improved considerably recently due to the many inheritances he has received from overseas martial arts circles, he is still far inferior to those monsters who roam the overseas martial arts world.
Now they can only turn to this Imperial Lord, Zhu Yanzu, hoping that he will have some conscience and lead them through this calamity. Even if they cannot survive in the end, at least they can escape on his giant ship.
After another moment of silence, Wang Hao solemnly said, "To tell you the truth, the situation in our ancestral land of the Central Plains is very bad, and we can hardly get any help from the outside world. If we want to survive the calamity to come, we can only rely on ourselves."
In addition to the strength of individuals, it is also necessary to unite all forces.
Your martial arts factions can discuss and form an alliance among yourselves. It would be best to elect a martial arts alliance leader to unify and lead them. Our imperial court will also discuss and formulate a plan as soon as possible and set up relevant departments to liaise with you.
I will not interfere too much in your affairs, but I hope you can cooperate with my reforms as much as possible to enhance the overall strength of the Central Plains.
I am referring to the plan to Tenka Fubu. Only by raising the strength of all people in the world can the Human Dao Fortune become stronger, and the Human Dao Fortune are the only guarantee that we can overcome this difficulty.
I don't want any obstacles to arise at that time!
This is my will; as for the specific details, you can discuss them with my ancestor Great Emperor Hongwu.
After saying that, Wang Hao shifted the blame to Comrade Old Zhu.
It's fine for him to fool people, but dealing with these old fogies would be too difficult. That's where Comrade Old Zhu needs to step in. I believe he can get a result that satisfies him.
In any case, he had already explained his plan to this old ancestor, and the other party was capable of handling these matters, so there was no need for him to worry about it.
"Your Majesty, please wait!"
Just as Wang Hao was about to get up and leave, the Confucian School patriarch, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.
The many powerful figures who were pondering Wang Hao's words turned their gazes upon hearing this, wanting to see what tricks these eight old Confucian School scholars were up to.
Confucian School!
Wang Hao, who had just stood up, frowned slightly, but he could roughly guess what the Confucian School wanted to do.
After all, he had previously exerted considerable pressure on Confucian School using those pseudonyms, which should have been enough to force them to compromise.
"Your Majesty, may we find another place to talk?"
The elderly man who led the Confucian School school stepped forward and indicated that he wanted to speak with the group privately.
"Hmph! It's not like it's anything shady, let's talk right here!"
With a cold snort, Zhu Yuanzhang rejected the request of those eight old Confucian School scholars.
He was quite uneasy about these eight old guys. After all, they had previously sent people to ambush and kill Zhu Yanzu. More importantly, the Confucian School seemed to have an unclear relationship with the rumored Net Trap organization. Who knew if they might suddenly launch an attack?
"That's right! Why not just say it face to face? Do you Confucian School gentlemen have some shady business to attend to?"
An old man with a Yin and Yang tone, clearly harboring a considerable grudge against Confucian School.
Although the others didn't say anything, they conveyed the same meaning.
They are not on the same page as Confucian School, and Confucian School has been dominant in the Central Plains for far too long; it's time for a change of leadership.
"Speak!"
Wang Hao finally sat down again and made his final statement.
He naturally wouldn't give the Confucian School a chance to be alone, not because he was worried about the other party turning against him, but because he wanted to take the opportunity to fool the others as well.
The eight Confucian School patriarchs exchanged glances, then gritted their teeth, removed the six ancient swords from their bodies, and presented them to Wang Hao, saying in a deep voice, "We are willing to make a deal with Your Majesty using our inherited divine swords."
The moment these words were spoken, the entire conference room fell silent, even Zhu Yuanzhang was startled.
Although he knew beforehand that the Confucian School genuinely wanted to compromise and make a deal with them, he never expected them to be so generous.
You should know that this ancient sword is the greatest foundation of Confucian School, and in some ways it is even more important than the eight patriarchs.
But now those eight old Confucian School scholars are willing to put these six ancient swords up for trade.
Once he came to his senses, Zhu Yuanzhang's first reaction was that it was a trap!
After the initial shock, the others shared the same thought, and their gazes towards the eight Confucian School patriarchs became very strange.
Who gave you this idea?!
Wang Hao's expression was incredibly cold and fierce. His extremely powerful Sword Force erupted, making the air in the entire large conference room number one seem to become viscous. Even the eight Confucian School patriarchs in front of him trembled slightly and almost knelt down in a disheveled state.
The many powerful figures affected behind them also gasped for breath, looking at Wang Hao in horror.
Under the pressure of this Sword Force, they almost lost control of their bodies. Even Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Sanfeng, who were the most powerful, could only barely resist, and their strength was suppressed by more than half. They were also shocked.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was sitting right next to him, felt it most acutely, experiencing a profound terror of facing death.
Of course, this is not the true Sword Force, but a secret technique he created long ago, which can temporarily transform True Spirit Sword Intent into Sword Force.
Compared to true masters who have grasped the essence of Sword Force, such as the first generation of Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai, whose Sword Force can be maintained almost indefinitely with minimal wear and tear.
Wang Hao's method is rather useless. Not only is his body immobilized while using it, but it also has a time limit. At most, his True Spirit Sword Intent will reach its limit after a quarter of an hour.
So this thing is only good for showing off at best; as for anything more advanced, we'll have to wait until we actually develop Sword Force.
After maintaining this Sword Force pressure for a quarter of an hour, almost causing the eight Confucian School patriarchs to give out, Wang Hao withdrew his Sword Force.
"Huff huff..."
Sword Force subsided, the eight Confucian School patriarchs nearly collapsed to their knees, their bodies panting heavily as if they had been pulled from the water, their faces deathly pale.
"Even if you don't say it, I can guess that it must be people from the Little Sage Manor who have been in contact with you!"
Sitting down again, Wang Hao looked at the eight disheveled Confucian School patriarchs with amusement, but his words caused everyone's expression to change.
They have nothing to fear from Confucian School alone, but things are different when you add the Little Sage Manor from overseas martial arts circles.
The eight Confucian School patriarchs neither acknowledged nor denied it, which can be considered a tacit acceptance.
Although Jing Tianming, the successor of the Little Sage Manor, asked them to keep this matter a secret, they didn't reveal it themselves. Instead, the other party guessed it, so it's none of their business.
However, based on their reactions just now, they were basically certain that the successor of the Little Sage Manor was right. This inherited ancient sword was a huge trap; otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted this way to a gift that had been handed to him.
This also strengthened their resolve to give away the six ancient swords passed down through generations. Who would want such a rip-off? They certainly didn't want them anymore.
Of course, they also need to take the opportunity to trade for some benefits and extract their final value.
"Very well, these six ancient swords are indeed of some use to me. Tell me your thoughts, and I will agree to anything that is not excessive!"
Wang Hao responded by toying with an ancient sword.
Now that the main act is over, it's time for the wrap-up.
The Confucian School patriarch, barely able to stand upright, respectfully said, "We wish to request Your Majesty, during the Heaven-worshiping ceremony, to traverse the River of Space and Time and obtain the Literary Qi Nourishing Method from our ancestor Confucius, and to request that our ancestor forge a Fortune Supreme Treasure."
Upon hearing this, everyone, including Zhu Yuanzhang, was shocked and completely dumbfounded.
They had just accepted the rumors of the Shattering the Void, how come they've suddenly found themselves in a River of Space and Time, communicating with Master Kong from two thousand years ago?
Is this something a human being could do?
Compared to this, even the resurrection of someone who has been dead for a long time is not as exaggerated.
"Heh! It seems Little Sage Manor has received quite a bit of inheritance, even knowing such secrets. However..."
With a light laugh, Wang Hao shook his head slightly and said, "You're being greedy. If it weren't for these Karmic Cause and Effect, these six ancient swords would be worth your request, but now..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but he figured those eight old Confucian School scholars would understand.
"We are willing to do everything in our power to assist Your Majesty in reforming the world!"
The Confucian School patriarch seemed to have anticipated this, revealing his second bargaining chip and emphasizing the words "all out."
The current situation for Confucian School is not good. If they don't make plans soon, the Confucian School tradition may be cut off in their generation.
As long as the tradition can be passed down, those interests can be given up.
They do have that much guts!
Silence fell over the huge council hall once again. Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhang Sanfeng, and the others also remained silent, because they had no say in such matters. However, they kept it in mind and became even more concerned about the Fortune Supreme Treasure.
The Confucian School's intervention this time provided them with a way out. They had long coveted the Fortune Supreme Treasure in the overseas martial arts world, but had always been hampered by a lack of ability.
But while they may not have the ability to create Fortune Supreme Treasure, others do!
Thinking of this, everyone turned their gaze to Wang Hao, their eyes burning with desire. They looked like a bunch of perverts, making Wang Hao almost want to run away.
That gaze was far too intense and ambiguous; most people simply couldn't resist it.