The Last Sentinel

Hua Xiaobai steadied himself, staring intently at Old Liu, who was enveloped in Xuanjin Qi Sea, and said in a deep voice, "Old Liu, who exactly are you? You're not the King of Hanzhong we know at all. What is your true identity?"

Old Liu remained kneeling on one knee, his Xuanjin Qi Sea still churning and boiling. His voice grew deeper, like the tolling of an ancient bell, slowly echoing across the cauldron platform: "I am who I am, I am Liu Ye! And I am Liu Ye!"

"Liu Ye?" Hua Xiaobai murmured to himself. He had never heard of this name before, but when it came from Old Liu's mouth, it carried an indescribable sense of weight, as if the name itself carried a magnificent history.

Hua Jun took a deep breath and asked again, "How...how do you know these methods for suppressing the Xuzhou Cauldron? What kind of technique are you using now?"

"This is the art of dragon control." Old Liu's voice still trembled, broken and intermittent, as if each word required immense effort. "Qin Shi Huang's 'Ascension to the Dragon Diagram' not only carries the dynastic legacy of the Qin Dynasty, but also Qin Shi Huang's art of dragon control. And this art, the instant I saw it, I immediately grasped its meaning. I don't understand why I could understand that 'Ascension to the Dragon Diagram,' but I know very well that it is a contractual art between humans and dragons, a dragon control art!"

Eighty-Brother paused, his face full of doubt, and couldn't help but ask, "Why can you understand that 'Ascension to the Dragon' painting while we can't? Among the seven of us, Hua Jun is the most knowledgeable, yet even he can't decipher the text on the 'Ascension to the Dragon' painting. How could you, someone who never even reads a book, suddenly understand it?"

Old Liu slowly raised his head. Within his Xuanjin Qi Sea, his face appeared and disappeared, his eyes filled with a hint of relief and a hint of helplessness. He slowly recited: "All the scheming and plotting is no match for a stroke of fate; all the planning and schemes are no match for a casual slap of fate. As the saying goes, everything is predestined, and nothing is up to us. When fortune smiles, all efforts are at work; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless. Nothing is up to us to calculate; life is all arranged by fate. People come and go like autumn geese, and events leave no trace like spring dreams."

Old Liu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a penetrating power that silenced everyone present.

Upon hearing this, everyone was even more bewildered. Old Liu, when did you become so cultured?!

These are the kinds of things a hoodlum like you would say. These are the kinds of riddles that only an old-timer like the Jiajing Emperor would utter!

Why, why does Old Liu have a Jiajing-like air about him!

This tastes wrong!

Xu Chu scratched his head, turned to look at Brother Eighty, and asked blankly, "President, what do you mean? What is Old Liu talking about? I don't understand a word he said!"

Eighty Brother smiled, looking at Old Liu with a complicated expression, and explained to Xu Chu, "He means that all of this is predestined. The Dragon Ascension Chart, the Dragon Taming Technique, and the Suppression of the Xuzhou Cauldron—these were all arranged by fate long ago. They cannot be obtained through our planning and scheming. And he is the one chosen by fate."

Dian Wei frowned, his face full of disbelief: "Is this Old Liu's fate? It's that amazing? We've been playing Three Kingdoms online games for so many years, and we've seen countless masters, but we've never heard of fate being arranged like this before?"

Hua Xiaobai's expression turned serious, a hint of realization flashing in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "This reminds me of a very unorthodox cultivation technique. There's a saying that's been passed down among the people: 'First, fate; second, luck; third, feng shui; fourth, accumulating merit; fifth, studying; sixth, name; seventh, appearance; eighth, respecting gods; ninth, associating with noble people; tenth, health preservation!' This cultivation technique doesn't emphasize techniques or talent, only fate and fortune. It's called the 'Art of Destiny,' and complementing the Art of Destiny is the Art of Emperors! Old Liu, he's probably practicing the Art of Emperors!"

Brother Eighty nodded, deeply agreeing, and said, "Among the seven of us, each has our own unique skills. A-Yu is a concept-level cheat, able to trigger all sorts of heaven-defying effects at will, his combat power is simply heaven-defying; A-Fei is a master of beast taming, able to communicate with all kinds of divine beasts in the game, and the strength of his summoned beasts far surpasses that of ordinary people; the Tiger Warriors Xu Chu and Dian Wei are at the maximum level, with formidable combat power, and are the strongest tanks in our team; and I have a 'woman-killer' constitution, always able to obtain extra opportunities and rewards when I encounter female NPCs in the game; Hua Jun is the epitome of a strategist, with unparalleled wisdom and strategic planning, every team battle is won thanks to your command."

"Only you, Old Liu, have remained unassuming from beginning to end. When playing games, you either slack off or steal equipment. Your combat power is mediocre and your talent is average. We all thought you were just a filler in the team, an ordinary person with no real skills."

Brother Eighty paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Old Liu, his tone full of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and regret). "Looking back now, it wasn't that you lacked ability, but rather that you hid it too well! Your early experiences as a hoodlum taught you how to conceal your talents. Your low profile after achieving success was also to cover up the secret of your awakened bloodline. Such forbearance and composure—no wonder you received the favor of fate. Such performance can only mean two things: either you're a good-for-nothing, or you're a master who's been hiding his true strength! Now it seems you're clearly the latter, and among all of us, the one who's been hiding his true strength the most!"

Old Liu's voice came through intermittently, tinged with urgency: "Everyone, I don't have time to explain here. The aura of the sword energy dragon is growing increasingly violent, and the seal on the Xuzhou Cauldron is about to break. Any later, and the entire cauldron platform will be destroyed by the sword energy dragon. At that time, not only will we perish here, but this entire game world will also be affected!"

"The sword-wielding dragon needs me, the revival of the Han Dynasty needs me."

Old Liu's voice suddenly became firm, and the Xuanjin Qi Sea around his body churned more violently, the golden light became more dazzling, and the sense of mission that had been hidden for many years completely erupted at this moment.

He thought of his ancestors: Liu Bang started as a village head in Sishui and founded the Han Dynasty; Liu Bei wove mats and sold shoes, wandering from place to place but still keeping the Han Dynasty in his heart; Liu Xiu worked as a farmer and endured hardship, eventually achieving the restoration of the Han Dynasty under Emperor Guangwu.

Now that he has awakened his bloodline and wields the art of dragon control, this life trajectory, so similar to that of his ancestor, fills him with a strong sense of responsibility.

"I will rebuild the Han Dynasty! To continue the glory of my ancestors and revive its former strength! To live up to the trust placed in me by my ancestors, and to live up to the destiny of this land!"

"Ancestors help me! The prophecy of the golden sword!"

With Old Liu's final trembling roar, the invisible and colorless aura around him suddenly surged. The originally thick Xuanjin aura instantly transformed into a golden-black mist. Within that mist, boundless dynastic karma swept in all directions like a raging torrent.

The karmic force of that dynasty was too terrifying for the others present to withstand. They felt a tremendous force surging from all directions, and their bodies were uncontrollably pushed backward. In the blink of an eye, they were pushed tens of thousands of meters away and could only watch the scene in the center of the cauldron from afar.