Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

For Yan Congke and Duan Hong, following Meng Zhao was inevitable.

As for whether Meng Zhao committed murder and arson or rebelled, it's impossible to separate the two, and besides, they don't want to separate them either.

After all, he has lived three lives. In his previous life, he was also ambitious and wanted to dominate the land and become the supreme ruler.

Although Meng Zhao did not have the family background of his previous life, nor the help of the Heavenly Mirror, he rose to prominence quickly and his foundation was not weak.

He led Duan Hong and Yan Congke on a stroll along the edge of Tianxuan Pool, subtly revealing some of his plans.

Within Hebei Province, Meng Zhao, leveraging some favors he had received from Hong Minghui, had already built a very secretive network of relationships.

From wealthy and powerful families and martial arts sects to ordinary people, everyone has his people.

Five years is not five months. With a combination of kindness and severity, Meng Zhao was able to accomplish almost anything he set out to do.

Therefore, at first glance, Meng Zhao was just a local tyrant with a little bit of power, and he was still holed up in the countryside.

In reality, Meng Zhao had already extended his network of relationships to the vast Hebei Province by using key pieces one by one. At the same time, he treated the entire world as a chessboard, making moves on some pieces and others not, but all of them were a kind of foundation.

In the vast land of China, his starting point was high, but the difficulty was also high. The waters inside were too deep, full of hidden talents and powerful figures. No one knew when a person with connections to ancient emperors and supreme beings would suddenly appear.

In the Tianyuan Kingdom, however, there are no such concerns or influences. In the Dharma-ending Age, the upper limit is not high, and this crocodile can swim and cause trouble at will in the water.

In other words, everything was fine when Meng Zhao was hiding, but when he wanted to unleash his potential, it was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Of course, seizing power is not an easy task, nor can it be accomplished with martial arts skills alone.

During this period, Meng Zhao needs to continuously improve his various wisdom and abilities, and perhaps also needs a little bit of luck.

As for whether it will actually succeed, Meng Zhao was not entirely certain.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, the result may not be that important. At least when it comes to conquering the world, the process is more important.

Duan Hong and Yan Congke were both surprised and delighted by the information Meng Zhao revealed.

They weren't stupid; even though it was a dead end, they insisted on following Meng Zhao inside.

This approach—combining capability, planning, and avoiding reckless actions—is the most suitable.

Even if one cannot seize the throne, retreating to a corner of the world is still a good thing.

The three of them discussed the matter with great interest as they walked out of the Tianxuan Pool area.

Once they were far away from the area, Duan Hong finally spoke.

"Brother Li, this dragon in the mountains is a supreme treasure. I've heard you say that the imperial court and the Star Palace have both considered slaying the dragon. Now that you know that this dragon in the mountains is an auspicious beast and is quite friendly and affectionate towards you, shouldn't you make some preparations?"

Treasures are captivating, let alone a supreme treasure like a dragon from the mountains.

Even the celestial horse that Yan Congke had personally witnessed, which resembled a mythical creature, was far inferior to this dragon.

Yan Congke nodded repeatedly.
"This dragon is not only a treasure trove, but also possesses extraordinary combat power, and even holds a legitimate claim to righteousness."

If we can have this dragon's assistance in the future, our great undertaking will be promising, and we'll achieve twice the results with half the effort. But if the dragon malfunctions, our efforts will be greatly diminished.

In truth, Duan Hong and Yan Congke's entire understanding of the dragon stemmed from that fleeting impression: snow-white, beautiful, majestic, and peaceful. This impression greatly diminished their eagerness and desire to slay the dragon. However, not everyone reacted this way; Meng Zhao was a prime example.

If that dragon had shown any inclination to attack Meng Zhao back then, a great battle to slay the dragon would surely have broken out deep within Xiaohan Mountain today.

Therefore, the dragon in the mountain is actually quite dangerous, not from Meng Zhao, but from other people.

Meng Zhao smiled.

"You two can rest assured. Over the years, I have planted many people at the foot of Xiaohan Mountain. If anyone tries to harm the dragon in this mountain, they will not escape my notice."

He was well aware of the pros and cons, especially regarding the Star Palace, because of the traitor Zhou Zhihan, who had repeatedly thwarted his plans or taken the credit, creating considerable enmity.

The Star Palace was also the first force to harbor the ambition to slay the dragon in the mountains, so the two sides may clash sooner or later.

However, Meng Zhao was not afraid.

His current martial arts skills, if not the best in the world, are at least in the top ten, and that's a conservative estimate.

With such strength and combat power, and not fighting alone but with a group of experts assisting him, what is there to fear even if the Star Palace comes to cause trouble?

What he feared most was that Xinggong would not be righteous and would not attack him directly, but would instead target those close to him. This was his concern and worry.

However, precisely because of this, he had already left chess pieces in the Star Palace, chess pieces that even Zhou Zhihan was unaware of.

Any slight disturbance would likely not escape his notice.

Since their attempt to slay the dragon failed, Meng Zhao and his two companions devoted all their energy to starting a rebellion.

The time, effort, and expertise required for this are far greater than what was required for slaying dragons before.

There is a huge need for talent.

Talented individuals capable of training troops, leading troops into battle, fierce generals who can hold off an enemy at any time, skilled in governing local affairs and improving people's livelihoods, wise and insightful strategists who can offer guidance and advice, various craftsmen, medical officers...

In short, Meng Zhao's idea was to first set up a makeshift organization in Kaiyan County, but in the future, this makeshift organization could be used as a foundation and framework to continuously fill in the flesh and blood, and eventually establish a new dynasty.

This is certainly a huge undertaking.

Once you've got the person, you still need to verify their abilities. Even if they are capable, you still need to give them room to develop and utilize their talents.

In the following three years, with Kaiyan County as the center, six or seven surrounding counties became Meng Zhao's testing grounds.

They trained troops, forged armor and weapons, and transformed them into bandits to attack everywhere, weakening the foundation of the government's rule. At the same time, they made every effort to strengthen the strength of the experts under Mengzhou's command, selecting talents from among them, training them, and giving them important positions.

The government also vaguely sensed something was wrong and sent people out to search and investigate.

Unfortunately, Meng Zhao's methods were both skillful and ruthless. Many of the government's experts died, and they could only vaguely discern that there was a hidden force stirring up trouble in the vicinity of Kaiyan County.

As for the specific origins of this force, the government officials were unable to investigate further.

Even if they manage to find something, they are usually silenced very quickly.

For a time, the entire Hebei Province was filled with a sense of unease, and Kaiyan County became the epicenter of the storm. (End of Chapter)