Even without cheats, we must survive the apocalypse

Huang Yanyao put the golden scroll of decree in her hand into the magic ring and turned to look at Murong Xue.

"It's a token that allows me to move freely in the imperial court, so that some ignorant young masters from noble families won't come up to chat with me."

Murong Xue watched the golden scroll in her hand quickly change its appearance and turn into a golden token. She just smiled and casually put it in her arms.

What she got was the "Emperor's Treasure Token", which was of no use except that it allowed her to travel freely within the Xianhuang Dynasty without being stopped by anyone. This kind of reward was actually not very important, but she didn't care, and Huang Li knew that she didn't care.

Huang Li knew Murong Xue's identity, at least he knew that she was the direct disciple of the Lord of Shura Palace. With such an identity and backing, the Xianhuang Empire really could not offer anything as a reward. As the direct disciple of the Lord of Shura Palace, she would definitely not lack any resources.

Then... Lu Mu unfolded his golden scroll.

There is not a single word on it.

But after he started, Huang Li's voice rang in his mind: "Nephew Lu, please come to the barren mountain ten miles away from Tianque City to have a chat."

Chapter 136: Huang Li and Lu Mu

Lu Mu took the gold scroll silently.

After the four of them got off the Fengluan Terrace, Huang Yanyao and Gu Yunxi naturally had government affairs to take care of, and she would most likely decide to give Gu Yunxi's reward to Huang Yanyao. After all, she was willing to take on a nominal position as the so-called "Marquis of Life" and satisfy her desire to be an official, but to be in charge of government affairs was a bit beyond her scope.

Moreover, the "protagonist" would not be bound by this reward. Coincidentally, since the Immortal Phoenix Emperor told her that she could take any of the eight cities, it also meant that Huang Yanyao could manage eight more cities...

Of course, these words were left to the two sisters to speak on their own, and Lu Mu no longer intervened.

After bidding farewell to Murong Xue, Lu Mu set off immediately. Huang Li walked out from behind Yunsong.

……

The midday sun was still warm. Lu Mu's figure quickly crossed the avenue under the sunlight, walked into the forest, and finally came to the top of the only solitary mountain within ten miles of Tianque City.

It is a very desolate place here, with sparse bluestone forests and overgrown weeds. Apart from the occasional sound of birds and insects, it is completely silent. There is only a huge stone platform with a cloud pine growing next to it. Its crown is like a mushroom, lush and green, blocking the sunlight from the top, leaving a cool and quiet place.

Lu Mu stood on the edge of the stone platform, looking up at the towering cloud pines, but there was no sign of Huang Li around.

The golden scroll asked him to come here for a chat, so he came.

"Nephew Lu."

Huang Li walked out from behind Yunsong, wearing a dark black phoenix robe. He stood there, and the spiritual energy of the surrounding heaven and earth was affected by him and surged in rapidly, as if it had merged into one with the entire heaven and earth. The oppressive force was revealed invisibly.

This is not some incarnation of Taoism, but Huang Li’s true body!

Lu Mu immediately bowed and saluted: "Hello, Uncle Li."

"Haha, you came quickly."

When Huang Li met him, he did not show any majesty, nor did he need to act like an emperor in front of him. Huang Li knew the impression he had left in Lu Mu's heart, and he did not intend to change it.

With a flick of his sleeves, an invisible force cut the huge stone platform under the pine trees into a round table and two stone benches.

Spiritual energy surged in and formed a chessboard on the stone table.

“I wonder how much of your chess skills are left, nephew Lu. Let Uncle Li take a look.”

Huang Li and Lu Mu took their seats one after another, and a black piece condensed in Huang Li's hand.

"Since Uncle Li is in such a good mood, I will certainly accompany him."

Lu Mu smiled, and the white piece fell first.

"Haha, okay." Huang Li smiled faintly, and then placed a piece.

The two of them remained silent and focused on the game. Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, half an incense stick of time had gone by.

The sound of chess pieces falling on the board was particularly crisp. Between the two of them, there was only this sound, except for the silence. When half of the pieces had been placed on the board, Huang Li spoke indifferently: "What do you think of my daughter, nephew Lu?"

"Naturally, he is very good, intelligent, thoughtful, and has a majestic demeanor..."

Lu Mu paused after placing the chess piece, and then he spoke nothing but nice words. He was always generous with his praise for pretty women. Huang Li suddenly smiled, and put down a chess piece, looking at her levelly, "Nephew Lu, you have so many nice words, but that's not what I want to hear."

Lu Mu pursed his lips and smiled gently and elegantly, "Could it be that Uncle Li can't see that she has the potential to become an emperor?"

He knew what Huang Li wanted to hear. She just wanted to know why Lu Mu chose her... In these troubled times, it was natural that there were turbulent times within the Xianhuang Empire. At this time, Lu Mu's appearance next to Huang Yanyao would only send a signal to others.

He, Lu Mu, supports Huang Yanyao to ascend the throne.

Lu Mu himself had planned to do the same, but Huang Yanyao could do it without his support, so what was wrong with him adding to her success?

Huang Li curled his lips slightly and looked at him sharply, as if to judge whether his words were true or false. But after seeing Lu Mu's calm eyes, he smiled and shook his head, sighing softly, "The posture of being an emperor... If those old ministers in Tianhuang City heard what you said, they would definitely be so angry that they would jump up."

"Who told them not to stand on Yanyao's side?"

Lu Mu snorted coldly and placed another white piece on the board.

Huang Yanyao has no foundation and is the weakest, so weak that even a small figure like King Nanling dares to provoke her. Although Hong Zhan's end is obvious to all, if it were any other prince or princess, Hong Zhan would not dare to be so presumptuous.

There is no one in the court.

"You sound so intimate. If you stay here for another year or two, I'm afraid my little daughter will be pregnant."

Huang Li raised his eyes and glanced at Lu Mu, his gaze fell on the chessboard, and a bit of worry appeared between his brows, "Do you know why I don't agree with you being here?"

Lu Mu stopped moving his hands, and he slowly raised his eyes to look at Huang Li.

"If she falls in love with you, you will have an opportunity to control the Immortal Phoenix Dynasty in the future."

Huang Li smiled softly, "If I don't stop it, other forces... the eight ancient families, the seven sects of the general world, will come like a swarm of bees, treat my children as puppets chosen at will, and then push them to the forefront and watch them kill each other."

"Until a winner emerges."

Huang Li didn't look at him, but just placed the pieces on the chessboard slower and slower.

"The Izumo Dynasty is now in a state of collapse, with constant external attacks and internal turmoil. Nephew Lu, do you know the reason?"

"Uncle Li, why don't you just tell me your opinion directly? I'm not that smart. To be frank, I'm just a seeker of truth. The Central Region has been in chaos for so long. I don't understand all the twists and turns."

Lu Mu said this, looking at Huang Li with deep eyes.

"As far as I know, the old emperor of the Izumo Dynasty actually died a year ago. Although his aura still exists, it is just a secret method left by the Izumo royal family, which is exactly for the current situation."

"Right now, the Izumo Empire has been attacked by the joint forces of seventeen dynasties for a long time. Within the Empire, several large clans and aristocratic families each have the dream of becoming emperor... Guess which forces support them?"

After Huang Li dropped a black piece, he did not stop, but picked up another black piece and dropped it lightly.

Lu Mu was silent.

His implication was obvious. The current chaos in the Izumo Empire was largely due to the influence of those outside forces.

There aren't many people who have the resources and strength to get involved, but no matter which one they are, they are all well-known and have a strong background.

What Lu Mu is doing now is actually nothing more than this.

If he supports Huang Yanyao, other princes and princesses will go to the Murong clan, the Su clan, or other ancient clans and major sects in the world to support them. Now, Huang Li can still suppress them. If he waits until he is old and his lifespan is about to end, how can he suppress them?

The Xianhuang Dynasty will also end up like the Izumo Dynasty.

Chapter 137: The due farewell (September 22, Emperor Yan gave me a reward and owed me 9 chapters)

Lu Mu got off to a very bad start.

"Those people are still restrained now because they think Emperor Izumo is still alive... When this news can no longer be concealed, the empire will fall apart."

Huang Li sighed softly and stopped making moves.

This game of chess was not a serious matter after all, and as his thoughts fluctuated, the chessboard also dissipated.

"I will leave tomorrow, so Uncle Li doesn't need to worry. I am only helping her to show my gratitude. As for the rest, I don't want anything else."

Lu Mu knew that he could no longer stay in the Xianhuang Empire.

At least we can't stay in southern Xinjiang.

It didn't matter if he left, because the only one who could sit on the throne in the end was Huang Yanyao, it would be the same whether he helped or not.

"do you like her?"

Huang Li stood up and looked at Tianque City from afar. The outline of the city was still clear, but it was only ten miles away and the solitary mountain was high, so it was still quite clear.

"It would be a lie to say I didn't like it."

There is no reason to hide this kind of thing.

"If she gets engaged to you, she will definitely not have a place in the battle for the crown prince. But with the Lu clan as her husband's family, her life will not be bad in the future. I will leave this matter to you, nephew, to consider."

Letting Huang Yanyao and Lu Mu get married was just an arranged marriage, but after that, she could no longer compete for the throne. With the support of her husband's family, no princes or princesses could compete with her if she fought alone.

"Then forget about this engagement. If she knew, she would definitely object."

Lu Mu thought about the expression that might appear on Huang Yanyao's face, and to be honest, it felt a little scary.

She already had ambitions. Huang Wumeng had been instilling in her the idea of ​​becoming an empress and holding power every day. But as a wife who had never had a man in her life, it was obvious that Huang Yanyao would absolutely refuse.

"You are the only one who says she has the potential to be emperor. If you really have confidence in her, let her fight for it."

Huang Li turned to look at him, his eyes flashing with a faint light.

"Then she will definitely win."

"Haha, if that day really comes, you can be happy. In the future, you will have a Fairy Phoenix Empress by your side... But you must be nice to her. I owe her a lot. This child has had a hard life since she was a child. After she came back, no one treated her well. You must not let her down again."

Huang Li gave earnest instructions.

Although it was an instruction, Lu Mu could always feel a chill creeping up his back, as if Huang Li had a pair of sharp eyes staring at him to death.

"I won't let her down." Lu Mu said firmly.

"That's good!" Huang Li showed a satisfied smile. He patted Lu Mu's shoulder and said, "Before you leave, I have something else to tell you."

"Uncle, please tell me."

"Murong Zun... is still alive."

Lu Mu's brows twitched slightly.

Murong Zun is still alive. This is actually not a secret in Lu Mu's heart, because according to the plot, Murong Zun is in the later period. When the protagonist brings Murong Xue and a large group of people to the Murong clan to force the palace, that guy is killed by Murong Xue on the battlefield.

In the end, he went to the clan ancestral hall and smashed Murong Zun's ancient soul-dividing lamp, which killed that guy completely.

Lu Mu was sure that Murong Zun's natural body and most of his soul were dead, but as the young master of a wealthy family, even if his body was destroyed and his soul was damaged, it would not be a problem for him to continue living.

But if that happens, your cultivation level will definitely be greatly reduced, and you won't be able to go far on the path of cultivation.

So, no matter whether he lives or dies, he is of no significance and no threat anyway.

But...why did Huang Li have to tell him?

"My nephew doesn't quite understand what you mean."

"Do you really think I don't know that it was you who killed him in the Hidden World Valley? The girl that Yan Yao was very close to must have helped you. I thought about it carefully. If you owed me any favor, it was probably this."

"With your strength, fighting alone may not be enough to kill him, so you have to ask for help. Ordinary people will not help you because they are afraid of the reputation of the Murong family, but that Miss Gu Yunxi...she is a bit fearless. If you think about it carefully, it seems that she really dares to do this."

Huang Li smiled, his eyes seemed to see through everything.

What happened in the Hidden Abyss Valley was indeed mysterious, but there were many people speculating. It was seen that Lu Mu had also entered the valley, and the grudge between the two was no secret. There had been rumors outside that Lu Mu had killed Murong Zun, and the rumor had spread quite widely.

Of course, no one took these words seriously. Even if they did, what difference would that make? Because the Murong clan has not yet attacked the Lu clan because of this. No matter how they guess, they can't figure it out.

Moreover, asking about the ancient clan without permission is like asking for death.

Lu Mu suddenly felt a little embarrassed. A trace of embarrassment appeared on his face and he touched his nose awkwardly.

"Uncle Li sees things clearly."

Huang Li waved his hand, "It's just a reasonable guess. Judging from your expression, I know I'm right."

"Now that Uncle Li told me...I will pay more attention."

Lu Mu nodded, deep thought flashing across his eyes.

……

Tianque City, the palace of government affairs.

Huang Yanyao and Gu Yunxi had been talking for a long time, and both of them looked a little tired, but everything that needed to be finalized had been finalized.

Gu Yunxi assigned the eight cities that she was entitled to as the Marquis of Zhui Ming to Huang Yanyao's management. In fact, the cities became Huang Yanyao's. As for the locations, they were all chosen around Huang Yanyao's territory to help her expand her sphere of influence.

Now, Huang Yanyao has the emperor's decree in her hand. All the territories left by Hong Zhan belong to her, and it is impossible for others to seize them at the right time.