Chapter 684: The Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 684: Chapter 684: The Rivers and Mountains

In the South Sea, at the Xuanwu Palace:

Outside a massive palace, the young master of the Xuanwu Clan waited.

"Boom~~~!"

The grand doors suddenly opened, and Guishou emerged with a long sigh.

"Supreme, have you recovered from your injuries?" the young master of the Xuanwu Clan, Guise, asked.

"Yes, Guise, thank you for your concern during this time," Guishou said with a slight smile.

The two walked to another comfortable hall.

"Supreme, what exactly happened? How did you get injured? It seems Lu Guitian is dead, and Wuhuan as well?" Guise asked, frowning.

"They're dead, sigh..." Guishou sighed deeply.

He then recounted the entire situation from beginning to end. The young master Guise listened intently.

"Zhong Shan? The Zhong Shan from the Dazhi Empire?" Guise asked, frowning.

"Yes, it's him. I must go to the Longevity Realm and report this to Raven Daojun. I wonder if his injuries have healed," Guishou said, frowning.

"Report to Raven Daojun? Do we Xuanwu Clan really need to depend on the Longevity Realm?" A flash of resistance appeared in Guise's eyes.

"Sigh, you don't understand the power of the Longevity Realm. With this chaotic era upon us, look at the Dali Heavenly Dynasty. Such a powerful dynasty collapsed overnight. The chaos will engulf the entire world, and our Xuanwu Clan cannot escape it. If we don't secure a path now, we'll follow in Nie Fancheng's footsteps sooner or later," Guishou sighed.

"But can the Longevity Realm truly treat us sincerely? Every time there's a battle, they send you out. If there's a war, won't they send the entire Xuanwu Clan? Are they really looking after us, or are they using us as cannon fodder?" A flash of unwillingness appeared in Guise's eyes.

"It won't be like that. If I have to put in some effort, so be it. It's all for the Xuanwu Clan!" Guishou shook his head.

"But..."

"No buts. Since we've already allied with the Longevity Realm, we can't think of anything else!" Guishou said firmly.

"Understood."

"Has anyone visited the Xuanwu Palace recently?" Guishou suddenly looked at Guise.

"Uh, yes," Guise nodded, a hint of concealment in his eyes.

However, Guise knew that it was impossible to hide anything from the Supreme. After all, the Xuanwu Clan still had some loyal followers of Guishou.

"Oh?"

"The Dazhi Empire's Shuijing came to seek an alliance," Guise said.

"Shuijing? Zhong Shan? He came to seek an alliance?" Guishou's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"Yes."

"Hahahaha, he seeks an alliance? Just him?"

"Supreme, the wolf clan is the national beast of the Dazhi Empire."

"So what if it's the wolf clan? In this chaotic world, an empire is bound to turn to dust!" Guishou shook his head.

"But allying with the Dazhi Empire would give us a higher status than with the Longevity Realm, Supreme..."

"What about the Taishui Heavenly Dynasty?"

"Commander, Wang Chen," Shui Wuhen said, looking at Zhong Shan.

"Wang Chen?" Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed.

Wang Chen, also known as the renegade Zhong Shijiu, leading the northern expedition?

"Yes, Wang Chen commands the army, and they are sweeping through the north with overwhelming force!" Shui Wuhen reported.

Zhong Shan fell silent for a moment, and the others waited for his response.

After some thought, Zhong Shan asked, "And what about Daqin?"

"Daqin is led by Wu'ang Gong Bai Qi. This man exudes an intense killing intent, and everything about him is peculiar," Shui Wuhen said.

"Oh?"

"Bai Qi's vehicle is a chariot, a bronze chariot pulled by thirteen bronze horses."

"Bronze horses?" Zhong Shan queried.

"Yes, bronze horses. They seem like living creatures but also appear to be cast from bronze. It's very strange. The chariot is incredibly sturdy and has not sustained any damage along the way. It's as if the chariot and horses are Bai Qi's magical treasures, making them impossible to decipher," Shui Wuhen explained.

"What about the battle results?" Zhong Shan asked after a moment of silence.

"The war has just begun, but after the first battle, he captured a million prisoners and buried them alive on the spot," Shui Wuhen said, swallowing hard, his eyes reflecting disbelief.

"Burying a million prisoners alive?" Zhong Shan's lips curled into a peculiar smile.

It was indeed Bai Qi's style! The god of slaughter, killing a million after the first battle. There would be many more battles and countless lives claimed by Bai Qi.

Sighing lightly, Zhong Shan looked at Shui Wuhen, "Continue to monitor."

"Yes!"

"Your Majesty, we have just received the latest news. Another event has occurred in Daqin," Shui Wuhen said with a frown.

"Oh?"

"In a grand mansion in Daqin, the Lü residence, the city of Xianyang was under lockdown that day. Inside, Xu Fu uttered 'Soul, return to me,' followed by an immense burst of golden light shooting into the sky. Countless gold bars, gold ingots, and gold bricks flew up and then scattered in all directions. The sky was filled with gold, an endless shower of gold covered the heavens. On that day, the holy city of Xianyang was enveloped in golden objects, a scene of immense grandeur. Simultaneously, a vast aura emanated from the Lü residence, causing countless civilians to suffocate and kneel in fear, much like what happened at Bai Qi's residence," Shui Wuhen said with confusion.

"A word worth a thousand gold, Lü Buwei?" Zhong Shan's eyes widened in astonishment.

"A word worth a thousand gold? Lü Buwei?" Yi Yan asked, puzzled, looking at Zhong Shan.

On one hand, Yi Yan was curious about who Lü Buwei was, and on the other, he marveled at how much His Majesty seemed to know about Daqin. How could he identify a person so quickly?

"Lü Buwei, the greatest merchant in the world, the overlord of commerce!"

Zhong Shan's heart was filled with gravity. Who was Lü Buwei? In Earth's history, there may have been countless great merchants, such as Shen Wansan, Tao Zhugong, Hu Xueyan, and others who were as wealthy as nations. Even though their wealth was envied by emperors, none could compare to Lü Buwei in terms of commercial prowess.

Lü Buwei was the foremost merchant in history. While others traded goods, Lü Buwei traded kings.

In history, only he had the audacity to invest in kings. While other merchants dealt in rare commodities, Lü Buwei had princes and heirs like Ying Yiren, Ying Zheng, and Ziyang Dan as his assets.

When these heirs ascended to the throne, he became the biggest winner. Merchants had a low social status, but Lü Buwei, through his merchant identity, achieved a position second only to the emperor in Daqin.

Perhaps Lü Buwei's reputation was later tarnished, but his "a word worth a thousand gold" and his "Lü's Spring and Autumn" could never be erased or replaced.