Lord of the Earth

"Please allow me to keep this person's name a secret for now!"

A rare, subtle expression appeared on Bai Qi's usually cold and stern face. He bowed to Xia Tian, ​​his voice extremely solemn:
"Although I am willing to recommend him, this man is rather arrogant and may not easily agree to serve in my Qianxia. In my opinion, unless Your Majesty personally invites him, I'm afraid..."

Upon hearing this, the officials in the hall exchanged bewildered glances.

Who exactly is this person who could elicit such a high evaluation from the notoriously cold-blooded god of war, and who even required His Majesty to personally invite him?
The ministers couldn't help but develop a strong interest in this person who Bai Qi valued so highly.

Upon hearing this, Xia Tian's eyes flashed with a sharp light. There were indeed not many people who could be personally invited by him, the "ruler of the dynasty".

"Oh?"

"The number of people who can make Lord Bai say 'perhaps not as good as' is probably extremely small in the entire Eternal Land. I really want to see for myself."

……

"That outstanding person is actually within the territory of my Qianxia?"

Half a day later, Xia Tian arrived at a small town called "Luofeng Town" on the edge of Qianxia via the "Chidao".

“That’s right, that person is currently within the territory of my Qianxia.”

Accompanying Xia Tian was Li Ru, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He was dressed in a black robe, but his sharp eyes still constantly scanned the surroundings, maintaining a high level of vigilance.

"But... he's not in good condition. According to the Imperial Guards, he's been drinking all day lately and seems to have... become disheartened."

As the two ventured deeper into the alley, a simple wine shop came into view.

The four faded characters of "Forget-Worry Tavern" swayed weakly in the wind, and inside came drunken shouts and the clatter of bowls and plates.

"A hidden dragon is hiding in such a place? It seems your intelligence work is still not good enough, you only found out after Lord Bai reminded you?"

Xia Tian's tone was calm, yet carried a subtle hint of accusation.

"I have failed in my duty!"

Li Ru bowed and said.

"Stay here and guard this place; I'll go in alone!"

After that, Xia Tian said nothing more and stepped into the wine shop.

The shop was dimly lit, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the torn window paper, casting dappled shadows on the dusty floor. The air was thick with the sour smell of cheap spirit rice wine, mixed with the musty odor of wood.

"Is there any more wine? Why is there no more wine...?"

A drunken voice came from deep within the tavern, tinged with dejection and impatience.

Following the sound, one could see a man dressed in tattered clothes slumped over a wooden table in the corner, with several empty wine jars scattered around him. His hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in stubble; he looked utterly destitute.

But what is noteworthy is that beside him lies a seemingly ordinary bronze sword that faintly exudes a cold light. The scabbard is engraved with intricate cloud patterns, as if a thousand troops are arrayed within it!

This person is the peerless genius that Bai Qi mentioned, whose "ability to command troops may be even better than mine."

The Earth's will is now hidden, and the "Eye of Insight" is unusable, but Xia Tian is more willing to treat people of this caliber with sincerity.

He walked slowly to the man's side, sat down gently, and gestured to the bartender to bring another jar of fine wine.

"Excellent wine! And who are you, sir?"

The swordsman in plain clothes smelled the aroma of wine, suddenly raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes, but he quickly returned to his drunken haze.

"summer."

Xia Tian said calmly, pushing the wine jar in front of him.

The swordsman in plain clothes trembled slightly, but quickly opened the mud seal as if nothing had happened, tilted his head back and took a big gulp: "The Lord of Qianxia? Ha, I never thought I would meet such an honored guest in this dilapidated wine shop."

His tone carried a hint of self-deprecation.

"This wine shop is indeed rather dilapidated... and this wine... well, it's just the lowest grade of spirit rice wine, which probably doesn't suit your status, does it?"

Xia Tian asked deliberately, but her gaze never left the other person's eyes.

"Oh, your identity?"

The swordsman in plain clothes sneered, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes. "I am just a commoner, and this is the kind of wine I drink... Back when I was begging for food outside a certain city, I couldn't even afford this kind of wine." He raised the wine bowl, examining the murky liquid in the dim light. "At least for now, I can still get drunk."

Summer said no more, and with a flash of light in her hand, a simple and antique-looking wine pot appeared.

The wine pot is dark gold in color, and the body is engraved with a lifelike landscape painting. Upon closer inspection, the mountains and rivers in the painting seem to be flowing slowly, emitting a faint spiritual energy.

"I possess a wine brewed by Du Kang, the wine sage of China. I would like to invite Your Excellency to sample it..."

"'Mountain and River Sacrifice'? Is it the legendary divine wine made by the Sage of Wine himself, using spiritual springs from the mountain peaks and seabeds of various places in the Qianxia region?"

The swordsman in plain clothes had a slight glint in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it, his tone still carrying a hint of dejection.

"No, the brewer of this wine should now be called 'the god of wine'..."

Xia Tian said calmly, "Senior Du Kang has already broken through to the Divine Realm, and has even constructed a 'Divine Kingdom of Fine Wine' using numerous laws of wine!"

"The Kingdom of Fine Wine, that's something to really long for!"

A hint of longing appeared on the swordsman's face, but he quickly shook his head.

"But this wine doesn't look very good. It's not even as fragrant as the 'Star River Brew' I drank before, which was also brewed by the Sage of Wine..."

Xia Tian smiled slightly and simply gestured for him to proceed.

The swordsman in plain clothes took a deep breath and finally poured the wine from the pot into the bowl.

Surprisingly, the wine looked quite ordinary, with a clear color and a subtle aroma, far from the legendary divine wine.

However, when he raised the wine bowl to his lips and took a small sip, he was struck dumb and froze on the spot!

The wine is cool and refreshing at first sip, but the next moment, an indescribable, powerful aura bursts forth!

His consciousness seemed to be swept into a vast world, and what lay before him was no longer a dilapidated wine shop, but a magnificent and boundless landscape!
He saw it! He saw the majestic "Human City" piercing the clouds, shining with golden light in the sunlight; he saw the Great Wall of Humanity, like the spine of a giant dragon, stretching across the northern border, exuding an ancient and majestic aura; he saw the "Great Buddha of Shu" guarding the shore of the East China Sea, with waves crashing against the shore and towering waves!
He saw squads of Qianxia soldiers clad in black armor patrolling the border, countless people working in the fields and trading in the city, students reciting classics in the Imperial Academy, and artisans forging divine weapons in the workshops...

It was an indescribable experience, as if the entire land, people, civilization, and fortune of the Qianxia dynasty were condensed into this bowl of wine!
"Because some wines, even if they look ordinary, still possess a magnificent inner world..."

Summer said meaningfully, her voice seemingly coming from a very far place.

"Just like you?"

The swordsman in plain clothes paused, slowly setting down his wine bowl. The drunkenness in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a sharp, eagle-like gaze. "Oh, since His Majesty has come in person, he should know my current predicament."

His voice was filled with suppressed pain, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "My country is destroyed, my family is ruined, my foundation is destroyed, what else can I do but drown my sorrows in alcohol?"

He couldn't help but recall that unbearable past—the foundation he had painstakingly built over many years in the Land of Eternity, the brothers who had followed him in his campaigns, the people who trusted and followed him… all of it was reduced to nothing in that brutal war.

What pained him most was that, as the commander-in-chief, he could only watch helplessly as everything unfolded, powerless to do anything...

"So, you've chosen to live a life of debauchery here? Just because of one failure?"

Summer spoke in a flat tone, as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

The swordsman in plain clothes suddenly looked up, a flash of anger in his eyes: "Does Your Majesty know how much effort I have put in? Do you know how many brothers I lost in that battle?"

"know."

Xia Tian's tone remained calm, seemingly unmoved by the destruction of this human kingdom. "Qianxia's 'Ark of Crossing the World' has traversed the heavens and witnessed countless tragedies!"

He stood up, looking down at the swordsman in plain clothes, his gaze piercing: "Bai Qi said that your ability to command troops might even surpass his, that you were qualified to be the Deputy Military Commander... but now it seems he misjudged you. A person who becomes discouraged by a single defeat is not worthy of being compared to the current Deputy Military Commanders of Qianxia..."

These words were like a sharp sword, piercing the most vulnerable part of the swordsman's heart.

His face instantly turned ashen, his fists clenched involuntarily, his knuckles turning white from the force: "What do you know?"

The swordsman in plain clothes spoke with rage, his eyes burning like raging flames: "Do you know what it feels like to watch the empire you built crumble before your eyes? Do you know what it feels like to see your closest loved ones die in front of you? Do you know what it feels like to see billions of humans being humiliated by alien races, and for me, as their commander, to be forced to flee for my life...?"

Those horrific scenes flashed before his eyes again—soldiers fighting valiantly, comrades falling in agony, and people groaning under the iron hooves of foreign invaders…all of this haunted him like a nightmare…

"I know."

Xia Tian's voice deepened, carrying a weighty weight of experience, "But I know even more that the person in my memory would never be such a self-destructive person."

Summer's gaze was sharp, as if he could see through people's hearts: "After all, how could someone who can even endure 'humiliation' lose confidence just because of one failure? In my opinion, he should get up where he fell, instead of hiding here drinking like a coward."

The word "coward" struck like a thunderbolt, causing the swordsman in plain clothes to stand up abruptly, his body suddenly exuding an astonishing aura.

At this moment, the once-renowned military genius seemed to have returned—despite his tattered clothes, his domineering aura was so overwhelming that no one dared to look him in the eye.

"Is Your Majesty trying to provoke me?"

The swordsman in plain clothes narrowed his eyes, his voice as cold as a knife, his whole being like a drawn sword, its sharpness fully revealed.

"So what if I am?" Xia Tian met his gaze without flinching, his imperial majesty radiating naturally. "I'm just asking you, do you still dare to wield military power again? Do you still dare to compete with Bai Qi and Wu Qi?"

The atmosphere between the two was tense, as if the air itself had frozen.

The other customers in the liquor store sensed this terrifying aura and hurriedly left. Even the bartender hid behind the counter, not daring to make a sound.

After a long while, the swordsman in plain clothes suddenly laughed—a laugh that carried arrogance and a sense of having seen through everything.

He slowly sat back down, as if he had been reborn: although his clothes were still tattered, the air of dejection had been swept away.

"Your Majesty has excellent skills."

He poured himself a bowl of wine, his demeanor returning to calm, even tinged with a hint of sarcasm.

"First, he used this 'Mountain and River Sacrifice' to let me experience the grandeur of the Qianxia era, then he used provocation to break down my defenses. This kind of manipulation is truly remarkable... It reminds me of an old friend!"

He picked up the wine bowl, but did not drink it immediately. Instead, he gazed at the swirling liquid inside and said softly.

"In this eternal land, there are now at least ten human dynasties... Although I have failed, I believe that as long as I am willing to lead an army again, I can rise again anywhere..."

His tone regained its former confidence.

"Qian Xia, what's so special about you that I'd like to stay?"

Xia Tian knew that this was the other party testing his sincerity and Qian Xia's capabilities, so he spoke:
"First, there is a place in Qianxia called 'The Realm of Illusion,' which you must have heard of... Entering it can make up for deficiencies in one's mental state. Your cultivation has now declined, and this item can repair your Dao injuries..."

The swordsman in plain clothes' eyes flickered slightly, clearly quite tempted by the offer—no one knew the pain of losing cultivation level better than him.

"Secondly, Qianxia possesses the 'Spiritual Realm,' which can project the image of the lost back into existence; furthermore, Qianxia also has the 'Underworld,' which, once fully completed, will be sufficient to guide the reincarnation of true spirits... allowing you to reunite with your old friends..."

Upon hearing Xia Tian's words, the swordsman in plain clothes froze.

Even he couldn't help but tremble slightly: "Is this... really true?"

"You have no joke."

Summer solemnly promises.

The swordsman in plain clothes remained silent for a long time, still considering his words—which was understandable, since someone had once made the same promise to him.

Ultimately, however, they could not escape the fate of "when the fox and rabbit die, the hunting dog is cooked."

"Most importantly, there is still one vacant position as a legion commander among the six newly established legions in Qianxia. If you wish to serve as an official in Qianxia, ​​you can be directly appointed as a legion commander; moreover... as long as you have sufficient military merits, you can also serve as the 'Deputy Director of Military Affairs,' a position above that of a regular legion commander!"

Taking advantage of the summer's momentum, they threw out their most important bargaining chip.

Upon hearing this, the swordsman in plain clothes pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp: "Does Your Majesty know that my opponent is an extremely powerful true god? Is Your Majesty not afraid?"

"Oh, a true god?"

Xia Tian chuckled softly, her tone carrying an undeniable confidence.

"My Qianxia's opponents now involve about ten True Gods. My Qianxia has established ten Legion Commanders, each of whom will have to deal with a True God and the billions of beings behind him in the future."

"I wonder if you are afraid of the true god and dare not take on the position of 'legion commander'?"

These words, spoken casually, caused the swordsman in plain clothes to narrow his eyes.

To make enemies of the Ten True Gods?
What courage!

He re-examined the summer before him and for the first time truly felt the ambition of this Lord of Summer... A true god had already caused him to be utterly defeated!
"Buzz!"

Just as the swordsman in plain clothes was hesitating.

An indescribable, immense fluctuation suddenly spread throughout the entire Eternal Land!
In the depths of the sky, the once clear firmament seemed to have been thrown into a lake with huge rocks, creating layers of visible ripples of laws.

Countless mysterious golden runes flickered and recombine in the void, and the concentration of spiritual energy in heaven and earth soared instantly. Many cultivators who were stuck at the bottleneck even felt their barriers loosening!
"That's... the laws of heaven and earth being unlocked on a large scale again?"

Summer's gaze sharpened, instantly fixed on the source of the anomaly in the sky. (End of Chapter)