Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 185 The Unknown Holy War

Meng Yi was incredulous and asked, "Brother, how can you join the Xiandao Academy?"

Wuzhan ignored Meng Yi and continued, "But let me make it clear in advance that I only obey your Majesty's orders. You must not hide important matters in the court from me."

Xu Shi smiled slightly and said, "I invited you to join the Xiandao Academy because I wanted to cooperate with you and serve your majesty. How could I hide it!"

When Meng Yi and others heard this, they vaguely guessed Wuzhan's intention and secretly admired Wuzhan's decision.

Ying Zheng stood up and said, "Although Wuzhan has entered the Immortal Dao Academy, his official position and title will not change for the time being. We will make a decision after we return to the court. I am tired, so please return to the palace and rest!"

Xu Shi said: "The Immortal Palace has arranged a temporary palace for your Majesty. It won't be too late for your Majesty to return to the palace after you have rested up for a while!"

Ying Zheng said: "I have been trapped for a night. The city is empty. Delaying will cause trouble. I can rest in the car. I can't rest easy if those evildoers are not eliminated. I will leave this matter to the Xiandao Academy. We will dig three feet deep to eradicate them!"

……

Fearing an ambush, Daoxuan, Jiang Yuan and others escorted Ying Zheng back to Xianyang City. After the exhausted team left, only a few people including Xu Shi and Wuzhan were left at the foot of Mount Li.

Qingyang never expected that Mayor Xu would invite Wuzhan to join the Xiandao Academy, let alone that Wuzhan would agree. After this incident, Wuzhan's position has become unshakable. It is difficult to get rid of Wuzhan. A person with no cultivation at all, just moved his mouth, and easily took back the five-colored stone. Even his enemies had to secretly admire him, and even fear him.

Wuzhan asked, "I wonder what the Imperial Master's intention is in keeping me here?"

Xu Shi smiled and said, "Since you have joined the Xiandao Academy, you should go in and take a walk to familiarize yourself with it."

Wuzhan bowed and said, "That's exactly what I meant. Please lead the way, Imperial Master!"

Wuzhan asked as he walked, "It is said that the Imperial Master mobilized 700,000 corvées to build the Immortal Palace, but why has no one been seen since yesterday? Is this rumor false?"

"The number of people is a bit exaggerated, there are only 500,000. Your Majesty wants to come here, how can you let them come and go as they please? They are all in the Fairy Palace now, and you will see them after you go in."

"If it's a big square, there must be more than one area with traps, right?"

"To be honest, there are mechanisms set up underneath the entire square, but they are still under construction and have not been completed yet."

"How many magical weapons does the Imperial Master want to refine for Your Majesty?"

"Two hundred thousand!"

Wuzhan said, "Two hundred thousand. If we succeed in refining it, we will be an invincible army in the whole world. But I don't know where we can collect so many souls. Do we have to kill two hundred thousand people again?" He knew that the souls in the terracotta warriors were all taken from living people by Xu Shi using cruel means.

Xu Shi smiled slightly and said, "If you were to exchange the lives of 200,000 people for your immortality, what would you choose?"

"Two hundred thousand lives can only be exchanged for an invincible army, but my life cannot be exchanged for it."

"You mean what if?"

"If it can't be changed back, it can't be changed back. There is no if!"

"Your Excellency doesn't seem like someone who covets power and wealth. Why do you want to serve as an official in the court? It's not just to take back the Five Colored Stone, right?"

Wuzhan asked calmly, "How does the Imperial Master know that I am not greedy for power and wealth?"

"If you were greedy for power and wealth, you should not have refused Your Majesty and retreated at this moment."

"The Imperial Master is wrong. Power and nobility are in your Majesty's heart, not in name. Even though I am just a small soldier, my words carry as much weight as the Imperial Court Judge. The Imperial Master should know this better than me."

Xu Shi smiled and said, "I really admire your wisdom. You are so young, but you can see everything clearly. It's a pity that you are sick. Otherwise, the whole world would be in your hands."

"The State Master is making fun of me. How can the world be manipulated in the palm of one's hand? Is that what the State Master thinks?"

"Your Excellency is really careful with your words and actions, and you never let anything slip. It is I who made a mistake. Haha, I wonder if Your Excellency can tell me the truth. Who taught you the method to break the formation?"

"My master doesn't know the formation. Taoist Qingyang knows it best. How could anyone teach me this? Maybe the national master doesn't believe it. I will never forget what I have seen."

"How could I not believe it? If I didn't believe it, why would I invite you to join the Xiandao Academy and plan great things together?"

Wuzhan said: "The Imperial Master cordially invited me, so I must have another purpose!"

Xu Shi was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "I wonder if you know about the Battle of Changping forty years ago?"

Wuzhan slowed down his pace and said calmly, "How could I not know about such a controversial battle? The State of Zhao declined because of it, and this laid a solid foundation for our Great Qin to unify China. But I think there must be some hidden story behind it. I would like to hear the details."

"Everyone thinks that Zhao Kuo is only good at talking about war on paper and doesn't know how to use it, but they don't know that the outcome of this battle was destined before it was even fought. From ancient times to the present, several strange battles were not controlled by the lower world. This was the case with the battle between Xuanyuan and Chiyou, and the Battle of Muye where King Wu of Zhou attacked Emperor Xin. Whoever the Heavenly Court wants to kill will die. They call this a holy war!"

Wuzhan was secretly shocked when he heard this, and asked in a deep voice: "National Master, what you mean is that there were gods descending to the mortal world to help our Great Qin in that battle?"

"That's only half right. They did go down to the lower world, but they didn't go to help us. They just went there for themselves." "What good does this do them?"

Xu Shi smiled and said, "The benefit is the 200,000 evil spirits. After they absorb those wronged souls, not only can their lifespans be prolonged, but their magic power will also be greatly enhanced, allowing them to survive the disaster."

Wuzhan asked doubtfully, “Master Qingyang has been there before, so he should know that those wronged souls don’t seem to have been absorbed.”

"Indeed, he was not taken away. There are rules in the Heavenly Palace that forbid people from the Heavenly Palace to go down to the mortal world privately to interfere in the wars of various countries, just like crops that have not yet grown are not allowed to be harvested in advance. However, there were too many people involved in that battle. Several immortals could not resist the temptation and went down to the mortal world privately, hiding their identities. They made an oath with Bai Qi and set up an illusion array to trap Zhao Kuo's 400,000 troops. Zhao Kuo led his troops to break out several times but failed, and was shot by several arrows and died. As food and water were cut off, the remaining 200,000 had to surrender. Bai Qi fulfilled his oath and tricked the 200,000 surrendered soldiers into a cave arranged by the immortals in advance. He was about to refine the wronged souls, but suddenly a group of mysterious people came out and killed all the immortals who had hidden their identities. At that time, the group of mysterious people held four magic stones in their hands, intending to suppress the resentful souls that had already left their bodies. I don't know what accident happened. Maybe the wronged souls that had left their bodies were too large and fierce. The mysterious people finally failed and closed the cave. I'm sure your master has told you about what happened later!"

Wuzhan was silent for a long time after hearing this. For a person without a future, he thought a lot and sighed a lot. After regaining his composure, he asked, "How could the State Master know so much? Who was the State Master with at that time?"

"I can only tell you that I am not one of them. As for how I know this, I don't need to tell you, sir."

"The mysterious man who escaped must have been killed by the Imperial Master, right?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because when the Imperial Master handed the Five-Colored Stone to me, he used the word 'retrieve'."

"Haha, my lord, you are indeed very smart. No wonder Qingyang advised me to get rid of you!" After hearing this, Qingyang's face looked ugly, but he remained silent. In fact, everyone knew it.

"Then why don't you get rid of me?"

"I like to work with smart people. It would be a pity to kill them."

Wuzhan smiled slightly and said, "When the Imperial Master returned the five-colored stone to me, you couldn't bear to do it, right?"

Xu Shi said: "You can also say that for people like you, when you want to kill them, it's often too late."

Wuzhan asked, "The Imperial Master wanted to use the five-colored stone to collect those wronged souls and inject them into the bodies of the terracotta warriors, but the Imperial Master could not refine the five-colored stone. Seeing that I could easily control the five-colored stone, he invited me to join him and let me complete this task."

"That's exactly what I mean. I wonder if you would agree?"

Wuzhan looked up at the magnificent relief white jade palace gate that was more than ten feet high and said with a smile: "Since I have already entered the Immortal Dao Academy, of course I will not refuse."

Xu Shi said, "Your Excellency is really straightforward. We will definitely succeed if we cooperate with you. Please follow me into the palace!" He turned to Miao Xin and Jin Xingzi who were following behind him and said, "Do you two want to go and rest?"

"Rest, rest, if I don't rest now, my legs will be crippled!" Jin Xingzi shouted, but Miao Xin did not want to leave even though he was seriously injured, so he did not say anything.

Wuzhan said: "With the Imperial Master here, Miss Miao doesn't have to worry, just go with them to heal your wounds!"

After the two were taken away by Qingyang, Xu Shi smiled and said, "I didn't expect that you could subdue a monster with divine fire to be your apprentice. It seems that you must have extraordinary abilities."

Wuzhan said: "Thank you, Master, for not exposing him. He doesn't have any extraordinary abilities, but he just won't leave me."

Walking into the wide corridor, you can see the huge artificially excavated cave ceiling hanging hundreds of feet high above. It is inlaid with luminous jewels, forming a sky full of stars, dazzling and boundless. Even without lights, the palace complex below is like a magical night, which is refreshing.

A hundred-meter-long jade arch bridge leads to the entrance of the palace. On both sides are lakes with a thin mist that reflects the sparkling waves. Pavilions and towers float on the lakes. Corals form islands, and exotic flowers and plants compete for beauty and fragrance. Waterfalls cascade on both sides of the lake, as if they were descended from the sky, and the sound of chimes and gongs echoes each other, which is pleasant to the ears.

The jade-like buildings are of different levels, with carved railings and jade bricks, painted buildings and flying eaves, which are magnificent and even more gorgeous and magnificent than the imperial palace.

Mayor Xu smiled and led everyone across the jade-paved arch bridge and into the towering hall.

The hall is spacious and majestic, with palace lanterns hanging high and candles made of fish paste that never go out. The walls are inlaid with exquisite patterns made of jade, agate, crystal pearls, and are colorful. The ground is a picture of rivers and mountains polished from jade, and it is shiny. Dozens of golden pillars stand in an orderly manner, with dragons and phoenixes flying, which are lifelike. The dragon throne in the hall is meticulously carved, with its fangs and claws bared, showing its domineering power.

Xu Shi said: "All the jewels collected from various countries are placed in this fairy palace. This is only the main hall of the fairy palace. The harem is still under construction. The more precious treasures are placed in your majesty's bedroom."

Wuzhan asked, "How does it compare to the palace in heaven?"

Xu Shi smiled and said, "One is flashy but not practical, and the other is extravagant but not flashy."

"Since it is so flashy and impractical, why did the Imperial Master create it?"

"It's just to please His Majesty and the officials. Besides, this is all I can do. Since neither you nor I are interested in these, I will take you to see interesting things!"

Xu Shi took Wuzhan out of the main hall, walked through several corridors, and entered a peculiar side hall. There were four hanging rooms in the hall, which were connected to the gear mechanism with chains. After Wuzhan walked up, Xu Shi pressed the mechanism, and the chain squeaked, carrying the two of them slowly down.

Wuzhan heard the noisy and boiling sound coming from below and asked, "The five hundred thousand corvées are working down there, right?"

"Exactly!"

Soon, Wuzhan saw them through the window. The scene was the same as that seen at the Great Wall and the mining area, with people as skinny as sticks but still struggling, digging, transporting, smelting and building, but here it was more densely populated and there was no sunlight.

Even though he was lonely and cold-hearted, and had seen battlefields where countries were destroyed, families were ruined, and rivers of blood flowed, he now regretted a little, regretting breaking that murderous formation, but so what? The law was immutable, and the fate of the majority was in the hands of a few people. Without a benevolent monarch, the people were worse than pigs and dogs. The Heaven was ruthless, and the creatures in the lower world were like grass. He was not a savior, and had no such responsibility. How could his fragile body change anything?

(End of this chapter)