The First Marquis of Daxuan

The army of Void Beasts retreated like a tide, leaving behind only corpses scattered everywhere.

田苍辰等人再也坚持不住，一个个仰面倒地，嘴里还忍不住发出大笑之声。

直到苏牧和李天尊从天而降，他们也没有一点力气爬起来迎接。

Li Tianzun looked around, and only then could he not help but ask a question.

"how did you do it?"

Are you sure I did it?

Su Mu did not answer directly, but looked in the direction of the Void Realm.

The seven-colored beam of light was still there, and even from a great distance, one could still feel its intense heat.

"Who else but you?"

Li Tianzun said, "Besides you, who else could do this?"

"You think highly of me."

Su Mu shook his head and said, "This really has nothing to do with me."

Li Tianzun looked incredulous, and before he could ask anything else, Su Mu interrupted him.

"We don't have much time left."

Su Mu said in a deep voice, "It won't be long before they come back."

This time, it will be almost impossible to get them to leave.

“还会卷土重来？”

Li Tianzun's expression suddenly turned serious.

Su Mu had previously said that things would turn around in half a day, and sure enough, they did.

Now, no matter what Su Mu says, even if it's something impossible, Li Tianzun feels that it's possible.

"This time, it's truly a fight to the death."

Su Mu said with a solemn expression.

"Can't we just use the same old tricks again? It seems like Wu Ma Tianzun and the others are afraid of something?"

Li Tianzun said in a deep voice.

"It's impossible."

Su Mu shook his head and said, "The only thing we can do now is to prepare to defend ourselves before they come back."

"this--"

Li Tianzun frowned.

"No matter what happens, I, Wu Zong, swear to follow Lord Yang to the death."

Tian Cangchen got up from the ground and shouted loudly with the strength he had just regained.

"That's all."

Li Tianzun glanced at Tian Cangchen and cursed inwardly.

Your Martial Sect only has a handful of cats and kittens left, what are you yelling about?

“你说吧，我们能做点什么？”

Li Tianzun spoke slowly.

After this battle, he was completely convinced of Su Mu's abilities.

Although the Yang Realm appears to be weaker than the Xu Realm on the surface, Li Tianzun believes that under Su Mu's leadership, the Yang Realm will surely achieve final victory.

"I can only try my best."

Su Mu said slowly.

…………

Ruins.

The divine palace of Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts.

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, sat high on the throne.

Below it, a person stood tall and proud, with an arrogant expression.

"Du Rongcheng, how dare you!"

墟兽共主朱同天冷冷地说道，“你非但没有完成你我之间的交易，现在还敢如此大张旗鼓地跑到本座面前来威胁本座，你真当本座不敢杀你？”

"Of course you wouldn't dare kill me."

Du Rongcheng laughed and said, "Believe it or not, if you dare to kill me, the next moment a thunderous force will descend from the sky and raze your Void Realm to the ground!"
"At that time, all the Void Beasts of your Void Realm will be buried with me!"

"You think I will believe it?"

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said coldly, "You are just a mere Heavenly Fate Realm cultivator. Even if you die, the Great Qian Dynasty won't care."

"The Great Qian Dynasty might not take it seriously, but my father and my grandfather will."

My entire Du family will take this seriously.

Du Rongcheng said, "I see you have some knowledge, and you must know the status of my Du family in the Great Qian Dynasty."

If you really didn't care as much as you say, you wouldn't have listened to me and chosen to retreat just now.

"Humph!"

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, snorted coldly.

If it weren't for its fear of the power of the Great Qian Dynasty, why would it have chosen to withdraw its troops at this time?
With the knife already at the throat of the Yang Realm, retreating now would not only give the Yang Realm a chance to breathe, but also cause the Xu Realm to lose face.

But Du Rongcheng's grand arrival in the Ruins Realm, threatening it with the life and death of the Ruins Realm, left it no choice but to retreat.

It was well aware that it did not yet have the strength to wage a full-scale war against the Great Qian Dynasty before unifying the Saha world.

"Du Rongcheng, tell me, what are you doing here?"

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said coldly, "I already told you last time that if you bring me the head of the Thousand-Faced Buddha, I will talk to you about submitting to the Great Qian Dynasty."

现在人头没带来，你来做什么？
"Do you really think that by putting on this show, I will lead the Void Realm to submit to the Great Qian Dynasty?"

“Zhu Tongtian, my visit this time is different from the last one.”

Du Rongcheng said slowly, "I came last time to persuade you to surrender, but this time it's different. This time I'm here in a different capacity."

"You have quite a few identities!"

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, sneered.

"There's no way around it. With great power comes great responsibility. Since I'm so capable, I have to shoulder more responsibility."

Du Rongcheng sighed.

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You're really getting cocky now that I'm calling you fat?"
You're just a lowly Celestial Realm cultivator. If it weren't for your good father and good grandfather, you'd be nothing.

Under normal circumstances, someone like you doesn't even have the right to talk to me!

“Zhu Tongtian, as you can see, I’m here in a different capacity this time. I’m here as a formal delegation from the Great Qian Dynasty.”

Du Rongcheng casually pointed to the slowly dissipating seven-colored pillar of light.

"Stop talking nonsense. Tell me, is it because Su Mu has submitted to your Great Qian Dynasty that you are protecting him?"

"Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said coldly."

Last time, Du Rongcheng secretly descended upon the Saha World all by himself. Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, was well-informed and knew that Du Rongcheng was nothing to fear.

After all, if the Great Qian Dynasty truly valued this, it shouldn't have only sent a lowly Heavenly Fate Realm expert.

The strength of the Great Qian Dynasty is far beyond what their Saha World can compare to. Under the rule of the Great Qian Dynasty, there are at least a dozen worlds with territories similar to the Saha World.

A dynasty of this scale has countless powerful figures under its command, and even those at the Heavenly Venerable Realm may not be the most outstanding.

Putting aside other matters, sending out a few Celestial Venerables is something they can do with ease.

But the Great Qian Dynasty just happened to send Du Rongcheng, a spoiled brat.

This shows that the Great Qian Dynasty did not take the Saha world seriously.

As a result, Zhu Tongtian, the leader of the Void Beasts, dared to approach Du Rongcheng, hoping to use him as a tool to kill someone.

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, never expected that Du Rongcheng would approach him a second time with a completely different approach.

Judging from this, the Great Qian Dynasty has really sent an envoy here?

If that bastard Su Mu really submits to the Great Qian Dynasty, then things will get complicated.

With the strength of the Great Qian Dynasty, Su Mu and his Yang Realm could easily contend with the Void Realm by sending out a few reinforcements.

At that time, it will be almost impossible for it to unify the Saha world again.

"What do you say?"

Du Rongcheng smiled mysteriously and said, "Since you've already guessed the truth, why ask?"
However, this matter should be kept secret for now. After all, Su Mu is different from you; he doesn't have such high prestige in the mortal realm.

If this matter were exposed now, there's a chance someone in the mortal realm might rebel, and that would be all your responsibility.

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, had fire spitting from his eyes.

What does "my responsibility" mean?

What does this have to do with me?
"Zhu Tongtian, as you can see, I persuaded Lord Yang, Su Mu, to submit, so I am now highly regarded, and my status is completely different from before."

If you are willing to submit to me, I can make you even more promises.

Putting everything else aside, if you submit to me, I'll let you manage this Saha World. You only need to pay tribute to my Great Qian Dynasty regularly. This Saha World will essentially still be your territory. What do you say?

Du Rongcheng said.

"Du Rongcheng, don't tell me you put on such a big show just to say this to me."

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, sneered, "You want me to submit to the Great Qian Dynasty? Fine, let your father come and talk to me. You're not qualified!"

"I'm here—"

杜荣成气得火冒三丈。

He appeared furious, but secretly admired him.

Just as Su Mu had predicted, Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, was not so easily fooled.

"Alright, it's not that you can't talk to my father, but he's currently in seclusion refining a heavenly weapon and doesn't have time to see you for the time being."

Du Rongcheng said, "Once my father comes out of seclusion, I will naturally have him come and have a good talk with you."

I hope you won't chicken out then.

"Hmph, now that you've said your piece, take your men and get out of here."

"Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said coldly."

"Who told you I'm done talking?"

Du Rongcheng said.

"What else do you want to say? Are you trying to tell me that Su Mu is under your protection? That the Void Realm is forbidden from attacking the Yang Realm?"

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said coldly, "Let me tell you, it's impossible!"

I just told them to withdraw their troops, which was a gesture of respect to your Great Qian Dynasty.

Don't push your luck.

I will continue my attack on the mortal realm until your father comes to see me.

你如果想护住苏牧，那就让你爹早日来见我！”

“你自己愿意找死我也不拦着。”

Du Rongcheng pursed his lips and said, "That's not what I wanted to talk about."

I've already done more than enough by helping him this time. From now on, you can fight however you want, even to the death.

"If it's not about that, then what else do you want to say?"

"The Lord of the Void Beasts, Zhu Tongtian, said impatiently."

“Although you refuse to submit to me, my Great Qian delegation has come, and we cannot leave empty-handed.”

Du Rongcheng said, "My delegation is going to collect some unique items from your Void Realm to bring back to the Great Qian Dynasty. I think you won't have any objections, right?" Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, narrowed his eyes slightly.

Collect local specialties from the Ruins?

That sounds reasonable.

But if the Great Qian delegation is allowed to roam freely in the Ruins Realm, who knows what they might do?

It's obvious that they're gathering intelligence on the Void Realm so that if they don't submit to the Great Qian Dynasty in the future, they can use the intelligence they've gathered to attack the Void Realm.

Does Zhu Tongtian really think he's a fool, resorting to such a crude and direct strategy?

"If you want some specialties from the Ruins Realm, I can give you a batch."

"Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said coldly."

"This is a bit inappropriate. You haven't even submitted to our Great Qian Dynasty yet, and you're already offering tribute—"

Du Rongcheng hesitated for a moment.

"Paying tribute? You're dreaming."

墟兽共主朱同天冷笑道，“两国交战，不斩来使。

Even if Su Mu sends an envoy from the Yang Realm, I will still receive them and present them with gifts as appropriate.

In my heart, your Great Qian Dynasty is no different from the mortal realm.

"You have come from afar as guests. I am giving you some gifts, but this has nothing to do with tribute."

"If that's what you mean, then I won't hold back."

Du Rongcheng said, "I have a list here. Have the Void Beasts below prepare it for me."
This saves me the trouble.

As he spoke, Du Rongcheng actually handed Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, a list filled with all sorts of rare and precious materials.

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, showed a look of astonishment.

That bastard—

When I say that I am a guest from afar, that is just a polite way of putting it. Does he really think of me as an honored guest?

以为这是他娘的点菜呢，还要起来了。

Do you know what a gift is?
A gift is something I give you, and you accept it; if I don't give it, you can't accept it!

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, narrowed his eyes slightly.

它瞥了一眼大殿外的那些人。

Those people were all brought by Du Rongcheng, and their cultivation levels ranged from the Heavenly Venerable Realm to the Heavenly Fate Realm.

That's right.

The Great Qian delegation brought by Du Rongcheng this time actually includes a Celestial Venerable!
Those people wore specially made masks, and their auras were indistinct and unclear.

Judging from the changes in the strength of this delegation alone, Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, knew that Du Rongcheng must have made a great contribution, otherwise he would not have received such treatment.

The last time I saw him, he was all alone, but this time the Great Qian Dynasty has sent him so many helpers.

What does this mean?
This shows that Du Rongcheng has truly made great contributions in this world!

Otherwise, the Great Qian Dynasty wouldn't have suddenly sent so many powerful figures to help him.

What major function led to such a significant change in Du Rongcheng's status?
That can only mean, as Du Rongcheng said, that he successfully persuaded Su Mu to surrender.

It was precisely because it believed Du Rongcheng's words that it had previously ordered the Void Beast army to withdraw.

The withdrawal was because they didn't want to directly break ties with Du Rongcheng.

But now Du Rongcheng is getting a little too cocky.

"boom!"

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, trembled slightly.

A burst of flame instantly reduced the list to ashes.

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said coldly with a gloomy expression, "Du Rongcheng, the Great Qian delegation is a guest from afar. Out of courtesy, I will give the delegation some rewards."

As for what rewards will be given, that's none of your business to dictate.

"Zhu Tongtian, you're putting me in a difficult position."

Du Rongcheng sighed, "These things are not what I want, they are what my father wants."

If I can't bring it back, and he gets angry, he might come and get it himself.

As you know, my father is the foremost weapon-making master of our Great Qian Dynasty. He needs these materials to prepare a birthday gift for His Majesty on his 100th birthday.

He'd already boasted that he'd forge an unparalleled heavenly weapon for His Majesty, and all he needed now were these materials.

He'd do anything for these materials.

墟兽共主朱同天眉头微微一皱。

Of course it knew who Du Rongcheng's father was.

Not only did it know, it had also dealt with Du Bao, the Minister of Works of the Great Qian Dynasty, and knew that he was an extremely difficult fellow.

In terms of individual strength, Du Bao may not be stronger than it, but Du Bao has the backing of the Great Qian Dynasty and has a lot of trump cards up his sleeve. If they really faced off, even it would not be able to guarantee a victory.

This is also one of the reasons why it is unwilling to provoke the Great Qian Dynasty now.

Du Bao was merely the Minister of Works in the Great Qian Dynasty. There were at least a dozen people like him in the Great Qian Dynasty, and there were certainly others stronger than him.

Du Bao is already difficult to deal with, let alone the others.

Zhu Tongtian now only wants to unify the Saha world as soon as possible and does not want to cause any further trouble.

如果现在招惹了大乾王朝，他们一旦插手阳界和墟界的战争，到时候不知道会发生多少意外呢。

Zhu Tongtian stared at Du Rongcheng, his eyes flashing with malice.

It desperately wanted to kill Du Rongcheng and his group.

Even if this Great Qian delegation has a Heavenly Venerable expert, on its territory, if it wants the other party to die, the other party will only have one way out: death.

The problem is that while it's easy to destroy this Daqian delegation, dealing with the Daqian Dynasty's retaliation is difficult.

Previously, Zhu Tongtian believed that with the world barrier in place, the Great Qian Dynasty's influence would not easily extend into the Saha world.

但现在，不知道大乾王朝用了什么手段，竟然派了一支使团过来。

Since they can send an envoy, they can certainly send a large army.

For the sake of its grand ambition to unify the Saha world, it must endure.

We absolutely cannot give the Great Qian Dynasty an excuse, and we absolutely cannot allow the Great Qian Dynasty to interfere in its war with the Yang Realm.

The insults we suffer now will be settled with the Great Qian Dynasty slowly after it unifies the Saha world!
"As I said, I will not let your Great Qian delegation leave empty-handed."

朱同天缓缓地说道。

"I will have someone prepare what you want. Once you have it, get out of here immediately and don't let me see you again, or don't blame me for disrespecting the Great Qian Dynasty!"

Zhu Tongtian said coldly, a deep killing intent flashing in the depths of his eyes.

This loss will also be attributed to the mortal realm.

It has already shown the Great Qian Dynasty enough respect. Next, it will personally lead the expedition to destroy the Yang Realm as quickly as possible and will absolutely not give the Great Qian Dynasty another chance to interfere!
…………

Rumble!
A steel city descended from the sky, landing precisely between the territory guarded by the Martial Sect and the Ruins Realm, transforming into an indestructible pass.

饶是武宗和苍穹宗的弟子，见到这一幕也是满脸惊骇。

They were quite worldly-wise, but they had never witnessed such a shocking scene before.

Who would have thought that Su Mu would actually use weapon-forging techniques to create such a city right in front of them?

"Using weapon-making techniques to build a city, I really can't believe you came up with that idea."

Li Tianzun also said with a sigh, "If this city is truly a divine city, then it is indeed impregnable."

Why didn't you use this method sooner?

"If there had been a city like this before, fewer Martial Sect disciples would have died."

"Li Tianzun, do you know that if you speak like that, people in my hometown will think you're possessed by an evil cultivator and kill you on the spot?"

Su Mu glanced at him and said irritably.

"Your hometown? Your hometown is now part of the Cangqiong Sect's territory. I've never heard of such a custom."

Besides, there aren't many people in the world who can kill me.

Li Tianzun said he didn't understand what Su Mu meant by those words at all.

"It's just ordinary steel."

Su Mu was too lazy to explain to him what moral blackmail meant, and said directly, "Although I used weapon-forging techniques to melt them down and make them stronger than ordinary steel, no matter how strong they are, they can't compare to divine weapons."

I can build a city comparable to a divine weapon, but neither the materials nor the time required are things that can be done in a short time.

Time is of the essence, and this is all I can do for now.

It can withstand attacks from martial artists below the Heavenly Profound Realm, but it cannot withstand attacks from those at the Heavenly Fate Realm.

"enough."

Tian Cangchen said, "We're not just for show. With this steel city sharing the burden for us, if we still can't hold it, then we're incompetent."

One day after the Void Realm withdrew its troops, reinforcements from the Yang Realm arrived.

A full army of 100,000, led by Dongfang Liuyun and others from the Great Xuan Dynasty, is now stationed within this steel city.

Not only that, Luo Anning also came with this army; she is now the top array master in the Yang Realm.

Upon arriving here, she immediately began setting up a defensive formation.

Previously, the Azure Sky Sect relied on its protective formation to withstand the onslaught of the Void Beast army.

Now, the territory guarded by Wu Zong also has its own defensive array.

With the defensive array and the steel city, the defense here is now far superior to what the previous Martial Sect could achieve.

Even if the Void Beast army returns with renewed force, Tian Cangchen is confident in holding his ground.

"It's not that simple."

Li Tianzun said, "This time they have attacked with the full force of the Void Realm. We can defend this place, but we may not be able to defend other places."

As long as one place is lost, the army of Void Beasts can continuously invade the Yang Realm.

为什么以前我不赞同与墟界开战？
Because once war breaks out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The boundary line between the Ruins Realm and the Yang Realm stretches for millions of miles, with dozens of places where the spatial barrier is weak.

Where a passage had already been formed, the Yang Realm originally built nine passes, but they were all destroyed by the Thousand-Faced Buddha.

If there is an insurmountable mountain separating the Yang Realm and the Ruins Realm, this mountain now has nine gaps, and the gaps will continue to increase.

Once a breach is breached, the army of the Ruins Realm will break into the Yang Realm through that breach.

This was a battle where the odds were stacked against each other; even someone as powerful as Li Tianzun could not see any hope of victory.

"Alas, the number of Void Beasts is enormous, and they are currently fighting for survival. In terms of strength and fighting spirit, we are no match for the Void Realm. How can we fight this battle?"

Li Tianzun sighed and said helplessly.

Why boost the morale of others and diminish our own?

Su Mu remained calm and slowly said, "Whether we fight or not is not up to us."

就算我们想不打，墟界会答应吗？

If we don't fight, the Void Realm will descend into chaos on its own.

We are in the same boat; if we don't fight, annihilation awaits us.

既然如此，放手一战，是我们双方唯一的选择。

I do think we are not without hope.

"What hope?"

Li Tianzun and the others asked curiously. (End of this chapter)