People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

It wasn't just the heavenly lightning that disrupted the heavenly order; this time, he suddenly saw many colorful streams of light and fragmented pieces in the chaotic heavenly secrets, which were fiercely injected into his soul.

"The one who destroyed Qin... was Cao..."

"puff……"

Donghuang Taiyi suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his injuries, which had just healed, relapsed, and his breath immediately became weak.

Upon seeing Donghuang Taiyi's reaction, the Moon Goddess hurriedly withdrew her divination hand seals, still shaken.

But immediately, the Moon Goddess's heart skipped a beat, and as she looked at the dejected cult leader, a murderous intent suddenly rose within her.

Should we take action...?

Before the Moon Goddess could make a decision, Yan Fei leaped onto the high building.

"Master."

Donghuang Taiyi suddenly waved his hand, stopping Yanfei from coming over.

"It's nothing. You two will take charge of the Yin-Yang School on my behalf. I need to go into seclusion to recuperate."

The Moon Goddess suppressed her urge to seize the opportunity to kill Donghuang Taiyi.

With my senior sister here, I need to stay calm.

……

"The Nine Heavens Mysterious Temple transforms into divine thunder, its majestic heavenly power drawn forth by the sword."

Cao Ze chanted incantations in the silver cage, slowly absorbing the scattered heavenly lightning power into his body. He also continuously circulated and refined the yang lightning power, extracting a trace of the yin five lightning origin, and harmonizing it with the yin five lightning in his body.

Because he had already stepped into the realm of a half-step Grandmaster and had his body tempered by heavenly lightning, he was spared several months of time to solidify his foundation, which was an unexpected bonus.

Moreover, compared to the last time in Handan, there were almost no major incidents this time.

The silver cage, tempered by heavenly lightning, not only did not deform or break, but instead shone even brighter with silver light.

The Gongshu family's mechanical skills were indeed ingenious.

A sudden rainstorm does not last all day.

Just as Cao Ze was seizing the opportunity to strengthen the Yang Five Thunder within his body, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing a sky full of stars.

A light drizzle continued to fall from the sky, its rays, illuminated by the lights inside the house, creating a damp, hazy glow in the courtyard.

"That's really scary..."

Inside the quiet room, Yan Lingji patted her enormous chest, "Really, you've already broken through, why are you still drawing lightning into your body..."

Jingni stepped into the courtyard, which was still flooded, and onto the roof. Looking around, she saw a dozen or so unidentified figures lurking around, eager to approach. The weakest among them were top-tier martial arts masters, and there were also powerful figures whose backgrounds she couldn't discern.

The sudden thunderbolt that just struck the earth has alarmed many people.

Jing Ni remained silent, her sharp sword intent soaring into the sky, causing many with ulterior motives to consider retreating.

"This girl's sword intent is extraordinary, Wuming, what do you think?"

Upon hearing Gongsun Long's words, Wuming calmly replied, "Her sword intent possesses the characteristic of primordial unity, subtly aligning with the yin and yang of Taoism. However, it is not yet perfect and remains somewhat immature."

Gongsun Long said, "Goodness, you've really hidden yourself well."

"This is incredible! It seems you'll break through to the Grandmaster level before I do. Truly..."

Gongsun Long shook his head. "I can't deny that I'm getting old."

If he were in his prime, he might have been able to compete with Wuming, but now...

The nameless man offered a rare word of comfort to Gongsun Long: “Senior, there’s no need to belittle yourself.”

"As Mr. Cao Ze said, 'Though old, one should be vigorous and never lose one's ambition; though poor, one should be steadfast and never lose one's lofty aspirations.'"

Gongsun Long snorted lightly, "He even said something to this old man like 'An old steed in its stall still aspires to gallop a thousand miles, and a hero in his twilight years still cherishes lofty ambitions,' and something like 'This old man, in a moment of youthful exuberance, leads a yellow dog on the left and holds a falcon on the right...' He really doesn't treat this old man like an elder, and insists on comparing himself to you young people. Isn't this just making things difficult for him?"

"Huh? Don't you think so, Nameless..."

Gongsun Long turned his head and found that Wuming was gone. He cursed and said, "You have no respect for the elderly at all. Young man, you should know better!"

Thanks to Jing Ni's warning, a potential conflict vanished without a trace, and Xianyang City returned to true peace after the torrential rain.

Changping Jun Mansion.

“Brother, Jing Ni, who is next to Cao Ze, is indeed a master swordsman, and her strength is no less than mine.”

A young man who bore a striking resemblance to Changping Jun had a calm expression.

"Heroes emerge in great numbers throughout the world; they should not be underestimated..."

Chang Wenjun stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the starry, clear night sky, and said, "We can begin making arrangements now."

"Soon we will return to the State of Chu, that is our home."

Chang Wenjun's expression was somewhat complicated.

He was born and raised in this place, and his understanding of the State of Chu came from his great-aunt and elder brother.

"Wherever my brother goes, I will go."

Changping Jun turned around and patted Changwen Jun on the shoulder, saying sincerely, "It is my elder brother who has wronged you."

"When we arrive in the State of Chu, I will help you become a great general and fulfill your childhood dream."

With his brother's abilities, he could have become a general in Qin long ago. However, fearing that he would be harmed by Lü Buwei, he chose to keep a low profile, devote himself to swordsmanship, and protect him and his family.

Dreams... Changwen Jun was slightly dazed, as if they were out of reach.

……

The next day, the weather cleared up.

The damp, earthy smell lingered in the streets and alleys of Xianyang.

A woman dressed in purple with a slender figure arrived at Cao Ze's residence.

Congratulations!

Zi Nu smiled warmly, offering her heartfelt congratulations.

Cao Ze laughed and said, "They say good fortune never comes in pairs. Judging from your smiling face, something good must have happened."

Zi Nu nodded and said, "That's right. I sent a letter to the king, and we received a reply yesterday."

"Your Majesty contacted Prince Dan of Yan and asked him to persuade Fan Yuqi. The Prince of Yan agreed. At that time, Fan Yuqi will cooperate with you, appear and speak out, saying that Lü Buwei ordered him to intercept and kill the King of Qin in Liyang."

Cao Ze laughed heartily, "Brother Han has indeed thought things through thoroughly."

He never expected that he could make use of Fan Yuqi, who had fled to the Yan state. With Xuan Jian and Fan Yuqi jointly identifying Lü Buwei, no matter how glorious Lü Buwei was in life, he would have to leave the stage in disgrace.

However, this matter needs to be carefully considered.

This conclusion was reached after Lü Buwei's death, thus mitigating the impact of the controversy surrounding Lü Buwei's killing by Wei Zhuang.

Before killing Lü Buwei, let's stir up trouble first.

Zi Nu smiled gently, "Why don't you come to Xinzheng to meet the King and have a good chat?"

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "That won't work now. Brother Han will lock me in a cage."

"Won't you even see Princess Honglian?"

Zi Nu said seductively, "She misses you very much and even asked me to ask you when you will finish lecturing in Qin."

"The world is a complex and intricate game, who can truly understand the ways of the world, like a game of chess..."

Cao Ze sighed, "Once you're in the martial world, you're not in control of your own destiny..."

Zi Nu snorted lightly, "Who was it that said, 'If one cannot control one's own heart, how can one control one's own body'?"

Cao Ze felt a little embarrassed, as if a bullet fired many years ago had hit him in the present.

Zi Nu said softly, "Come back, we all miss you."

Her voice was soft and gentle, stirring the heartstrings.

Cao Ze remained silent for a long time before asking, "Zi Nu, what do you think the world is like now?"

Zi Nu's eyes sparkled. "Go ahead," she said.

"chaos."

Cao Ze said, "The whole world is in chaos. Nations are frequently at war, forming alliances one day and opposing alliances the next. Powerful nations are waging war, while weak nations are struggling to survive."

"If war were like yesterday's torrential rain, falling in an instant and disappearing overnight, then all would be well. But since the Zhou dynasty lost its rule, for hundreds of years, war has been like a continuous drizzle, never ceasing."

Zi Nu looked at Cao Ze's earnest expression, hesitated for a moment, and then her heart fluttered.

"Then why did you choose Qin? Was Zhao not strong enough, or was Han too weak?"

Cao Ze said, "To be honest, in my opinion, none of the seven kingdoms are anything special."

“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to come to Qin.”

Zi Nu lowered her gaze, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Her voice was low and soft, like water flowing silently beneath rocks, like a deer darting through the forest, possessing a tranquility that one would not want to disturb.

"This turmoil that has lasted for hundreds of years has come to an end. I will help whoever has the ability to end it."

Cao Ze's voice carried an almost inhuman indifference.

It seemed that only at this moment did Zi Nu truly recognize the man before her.

He didn't want to become stronger like Wei Zhuang.

It was not like Han Fei, who was single-mindedly focused on reforming the state and restoring its former glory.

What kind of person is he?

Zi Nu left, somewhat lost in thought.

Peel back his hypocritical veil, strip away his lecherous exterior, open his heart, and you'll find not emperors and generals, not figures who will be remembered in history, but rather a somewhat lonely... child.

She realized she knew nothing about Cao Ze, and felt inexplicably upset.

When Ya Fei saw Zi Nu return looking distraught, she raised her delicate eyebrows slightly.

"What happened? Did that kid get struck by lightning and die?"

Zi Nuzhen shook her head slightly: "No, he's fine. I've said everything I needed to say and everything I needed to let him know."