Movement of the Powers

In the ambush at Mayi, the new emperor repeatedly killed Daojun and the Yang Soul incarnation of Zhu Jiuyin, showcasing his swift, accurate, and ruthless swordsmanship.

In this confrontation, Zhang Xuezhou was only involved in piloting the Imperial Shuttle, far less prominent than the new emperor.

However, when Daojun retaliated, he treated him no differently than the new emperor, and did not let him off just because he had not made a move.

These cultivators may seem insignificant, but the difference between having one more or one less of them makes a world of difference.

Zhang Xuezhou was like this, and so was Kong Ning.

Without Zhang Xuezhou piloting the Sky Shuttle, the new emperor wouldn't even have the right to draw his sword.

Without Kong Ning, the Xieluosi River Holy Land would inevitably face a shortage of talent, causing significant delays in information transmission.

While it may seem that the Xieluosi River Holy Land still has the Demon Feiyu, Feiyu needs to carry Zhu Jiuyin on his journeys, and the other bird demons are far inferior in terms of flying speed, execution ability, and combat ability.

Such deficiencies are not obvious in normal times, but they are magnified infinitely in war, enough to determine the outcome of a battle.

It's not surprising that Zhang Xuezhou was willing to put effort into working on Kong Ning.

Fighting alone is nowhere near as easy as leveraging the power of the Great Han Dynasty as his backer, Zhang Xuezhou can continuously assist the new emperor and will inevitably be able to utilize the power of the Great Han Dynasty.

For example, before Zhang Xuezhou could even make a move against Lao Tong, Lao Tong had already been locked up in jail.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't need to ask for help from the imperial court; as long as he remained within its core, he was bound to achieve his goals.

Zhang Xuezhou only wanted to see the Great Han Dynasty survive, not be suppressed and defeated.

"Demon King Kong is in poor condition. How many miles has he flown?"

Rong Tianding stewed at least ten catties of meat in the earthenware jar. Before the two of them even touched the meat with their chopsticks, Kong Ning had already drunk all the meat and soup, not caring at all that the meat tasted bad when mixed together.

After spitting out the last chicken thigh bone from his mouth and emptying the pottery jar, Kong Ning sheepishly raised his head.

"I don't know how many miles I flew," Kong Ning said, tossing his black hair. "I flew from the north to the west, and then from the west to the east. When my body was almost numb, I saw you!"

"Are you flying across continents?" Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed. "My cousin and I have never flown such a long distance before!"

"Yes, yes, we'll just fly around here. You're flying in all directions, so it must be very, very far away, right?"

Rong Tianding could tell from Zhang Xuezhou's voice that he was trying to gather information.

This content may seem insignificant, but Zhang Xuezhou was able to discern where Kong Ning had gone and, based on that, possibly guess what Kong Ning was planning to do.

He enthusiastically echoed Kong Ning's sentiments, forcefully reviving the topic that Kong Ning wanted to end, which also caused Kong Ning to sigh.

"I went to Xiniu Hezhou to find my father; it is indeed very far away," Kong Ning said.

"How did the Demon King Kong fly to the south? To get back to the Sacred Land, we need to make a big detour. If we fly over the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, the biting cold winds in the high sky won't be easy to pass through," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"I... I don't want to go back to the Sacred Land!"

Kong Ning thought for a moment, then shook his head.

A flicker of fear crossed her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.

"Why don't you want to go back to the Sacred Land?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise. "If you don't go back to the Sacred Land, where will you go?"

"I want to live in Chang'an City," Kong Ning said through gritted teeth in a low voice, "I'll never go back to that place!"

"Has something serious happened?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

Don't ask...

"My brother and I have connections in Chang'an City. If you want to live here, we might be able to help you sort out your identity!"

Kong Ning was just about to say that Zhang Xuezhou was asking too many questions when Kong Ning Zhang Xuezhou interrupted her, leaving her stunned for two seconds before she lowered her head.

"It's alright to tell you," Kong Ning said in a low voice, "My father said that the Western Sect and Kunlun are targeting Your Majesty. They have their eyes on Your Majesty's physical body, and Your Majesty's Sacred Land will inevitably be destroyed in the future. If I don't leave soon, I will also be captured by the Western Sect and used as their mount!"

"Are the Western Sect and Kunlun targeting Your Excellency?"

Zhang Xuezhou was somewhat taken aback, feeling that the Great Han Dynasty had encountered a great stroke of luck.

He had just been fighting with the lords of Sacred Land like the Venerable One, and now other forces were causing trouble for him.

This is vastly different from Zhang Xuezhou's expectation that the forces of the Three Realms would be under the unified management of Kunlun.

Donghua's trip to the Western Sect likely resulted in a private agreement, and the two sides will most likely cooperate in their actions.

As for whether there was any scheming involved, that was beyond Zhang Xuezhou's ability to guess based on the limited information he had.

Regardless, Kunlun and the Western Sect pose a real threat.

Before Zhang Xuezhou could persuade Kong Ning, Kong Ning was already seeking protection from Chang'an City.

"Does His Excellency know about this?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"His Majesty has been wary of the Western Sect all these years. Whether he knows it or not makes little difference, after all, he has already done his best to guard against it," Kong Ning said, shaking his head.

"That's true!"

Zhang Xuezhou casually agreed.

The threat from the Western Sect is one thing, but when combined with Kunlun, it becomes entirely different.

In the past, emperors would have been mindful of old friendships and would never have targeted Zhu Jiuyin, who came from Kunlun. But what feelings could Donghua and Zhu Jiuyin have? When someone is determined to achieve their goal, they will show no emotion whatsoever.

Zhang Xuezhou felt a pang of unease, but he knew very well that if he went to the Xieluosi River Holy Land to inform them of the conspiracy, he would be met with no polite welcome whatsoever. If he could kill him with a single slap, Zhu Jiuyin would do the same without hesitation.

In the eyes of these very old cultivators, his few meetings and collaborations were nothing, just an insignificant ripple in the vastness of their long lives.

After repeatedly using tricks to seduce Kong Ning, the demon king finally revealed all the information.

The information is simple, yet extremely important.

"I know Donghua's background. He should still be Donghua's primary target to eliminate. He abandoned me to target Zhu Jiuyin and went to Mount Ling to meet with the two sect leaders. Lao Tong even mentioned the spiritual tempering of heaven and earth on Mount Ling. Could it be that he wants to use the Eight Treasures Merit Pool and that spring water to achieve an effect similar to the Throne of Immortality, or even to rejuvenate like me?"

Donghua's most important task should be to adjust to the Emperor's body and seek longevity in his physical form.

Only by stabilizing itself can Donghua free up its resources to do other things.

Zhang Xuezhou kept thinking and deducing Donghua's behavior, as well as his own possible involvement.

Whether it's taking advantage of the chaos to assassinate Donghua, seizing the benefits Donghua desires, or simply causing destruction, what Donghua wants to do is exactly what Zhang Xuezhou wants to stop. Only when the other party is suffering can Zhang Xuezhou prosper.

Zhang Xuezhou had all sorts of ideas in his mind.

The changes thousands of miles away left many cultivators only able to sigh in despair, and even if they knew there was a chance to profit, they found it difficult to participate, except for those like them who were skilled in flying.

If he could find out a rough time, Zhang Xuezhou felt he would either lie in ambush near the Xieluosi River Holy Land or head directly to the Western Sect.

"Li Shaojun can go and keep watch!"

Sitting in Maoling, one cannot know what is happening, but having someone watching over one is a different story.

Zhang Xuezhou wasn't deliberately ordering Li Shaojun around; rather, the 'white' that the Western Sect had locked up involved Li Shaojun's life, and the other party had a need to go to the Western Sect.

Li Shaojun is a cultivator who is extremely similar to Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou. Not only are their habits similar, but they also have a strong ability to integrate into the local area. They can live a comfortable life even if they go to Xiniu Hezhou.

Li Shaojun's flying skills were far inferior to Zhang Xuezhou's, but Li Shaojun could still command Venerable Lei.

Since Venerable Lei could transmit information across East and West, Zhang Xuezhou felt that it wouldn't be a big problem for him to rush over and cause trouble once he received the information.