After Zhang Boqian landed, several tendrils of stray primal force still floated around him, like blood in the deep sea attracting sharks. The formations within the hall stirred again, a cloud of azure radiance spontaneously emerging to pounce on the primal force. He waved his hand, drawing an arc that swept both the stray primal force and the azure light into his sleeve. His body trembled violently once more, forcibly absorbing the blow.
The Emperor Hao and the King of Linjiang were slightly startled but knew Zhang Boqian must have a reason for enduring the hall’s formation. They immediately increased their suppression and looked forward.
When the two saw the figure on the throne, they were drenched in sweat.
At the place where the King of Everlasting Life sat, a point of dawn origin shone brightly. However, with their keen eyes, they could tell that it was a rootless entity, a mere dead object. The King’s body had its eyes and mouth closed, and there was no sign of breathing.
The King of Everlasting Life had managed to deceive them even in death!
Just as the rumors said, he could not exert his full strength. With the entire Lesser Palace suppressed by the imperial domain, and relying only on the primal force formation in the main hall, facing the combined might of the Emperor, the King of Linjiang, and Zhang Boqian, the King of Everlasting Life had no chance of victory. The battle would likely end in this hall, with no sound escaping to the outside world.
But with the King of Everlasting Life’s body dead, the deliberately condensed dawn origin, though fading, was still a king-level origin. If struck by Zhang Boqian, it would be like two kings clashing at full force. Without mentioning the confined space and the enemy’s primal force formation, the shockwave from a king-level primal force explosion would severely injure all three. At the very least, the overlapping domains of the Emperor and the King of Linjiang would not be able to contain the aftershock within the Lesser Palace.
In the past month, the capital had not been peaceful. Local disturbances could be explained by rebel forces and dark race assassinations, but a primal force explosion in the Lesser Palace could not be covered up.
However, the danger had passed, and this was the best possible outcome.
The Emperor Hao, after a sigh of relief, could no longer hold back. Ignoring his dignity, he collapsed to the ground, slowly recuperating. He had carried the heaviest burden, maintaining the imperial domain to suppress the Lesser Palace, never allowing himself to relax. Though the dust had settled, he still needed to persist until the Lesser Palace’s control center was completely shut down.
The King of Linjiang did not help him, standing guard instead while also recuperating. His consumption was not much less than the Emperor’s, and he had controlled the three overlapped domains, engaging the Lesser Palace’s formation.
Top-tier powerhouses rarely ganged up, primarily because area attacks and domain conflicts did not discriminate between friend and foe. In open spaces, surrounding attacks were more difficult, but in the confined Lesser Palace, one had to be extremely cautious to avoid friendly fire. The Emperor and the King of Linjiang, though from the same lineage, had to be very careful to stack their domains, and Zhang Boqian’s presence was like an ancient divine weapon, sharp and indiscriminate, wounding friend and foe alike.
To be fair, the Emperor was forced to act prematurely due to Zhang Boqian’s unexpected interference. But without Zhang Boqian, given the Lesser Palace’s setup, even if they had won, the cost would have been the turmoil of the capital.
Zhang Boqian now stood on the other side of the hall, hands behind his back, his face calm, revealing no emotion, nor the severity of the backlash he had just endured.
The hall was silent, the body on the throne exuding an aura of decay. Even the bright dawn origin could not dispel the gloom.
A window near the door, somehow not fully closed, opened a crack, allowing a ray of sunlight to pierce through, casting a beam of light across the dark tiles.
The King of Linjiang suddenly broke the silence, asking, “What do you think of what he said earlier?”
The King of Everlasting Life had spoken harshly, trying to plant seeds of doubt in their minds. The emperor, the unaligned king, and the border-garrisoned feudal lord were inherently not of the same path. What did the King of Linjiang mean?
The Emperor Hao did not question him, instead pondering for a moment before answering, “Each man has his own path.”
After speaking, the uncle and nephew both looked at Zhang Boqian.
“My path is my heart; what does the external world matter to me?” Zhang Boqian turned and left with determined strides.
The great doors of the hall burst open, and blinding sunlight filled the entire view.
The King of Linjiang looked at the sunlit exterior, then back at the shadowy throne, a new era descending upon the old one.
He suddenly asked the Emperor, “Have you thought about how Marquis Lin will view you when he knows everything?”
The Emperor Hao remained unwavering, “My teacher is alive and well, and my ancestors’ wishes have been fulfilled. What do I have to fear?”
The King of Linjiang smiled with a complex expression, “Teacher? Sigh, Marquis Lin has the spirit of a statesman and the grace of a celestial, but his heart is empty, and thus, devoid of sentiment.” His voice lowered to a whisper at the last sentence, and the Emperor Hao, uncertain if he heard correctly, looked at him but did not speak.
The King of Linjiang paused, then said, “Very well, as long as he is here, I will remain at the border. Your Majesty, let me remind you, I will not enter the capital, but I cannot control whether my people come or not.”
The Emperor Hao replied, “Uncle, do not worry. The empire’s resurgence is well underway, and it is natural for the aristocratic families to rise. What issue is there with a strengthened royal family?”
With the King of Everlasting Life gone, the internal power dynamics of the imperial family, and the royal territories, would see a chain reaction. The shifts in noble lineages and power transitions were common, and the imperial family, the largest faction, was no exception. The aftershocks of this event would last for a long time.
The King of Linjiang nodded to the Emperor Hao, “I am leaving. Do not tell him I was here.” Without waiting for a reply, he walked leisurely into the sunlight, disappearing from sight.
The events in the “Lesser Palace” remained unknown to the outside world.
That night, the imperial family issued a notice: the King of Everlasting Life had died of old age and was buried with state honors. The news shocked the empire’s subjects but caused no great panic.
In recent years, the empire’s resurgence had been widely talked about, with a noticeable increase in the proportion of people who could cultivate dawn origin. Young people were far surpassing their elders in cultivation speed, and many strong figures at major bottlenecks had broken through. The empire had recently added another prime-aged king, and such a generational transition was natural.
The entire upper echelon of the empire sensed that something was changing. However, the imperial family did not interfere in the affairs of noble lineages, and the noble lineages could not intervene in the imperial household. Besides those involved, everyone else instinctively distanced themselves from the storm’s center.
Soon, the Unending Palace issued a series of edicts, revealing the tip of a vast iceberg.
The cabinet was reorganized, abolishing the four auxiliary ministers, ending the previous administration’s system. All departmental powers were transferred to the cabinet, and a new Grand Chancellor was appointed to oversee all officials. The long-discussed redivision of the empire’s military regions was finalized, with ten grand marshals still in place.
Then came the personnel changes.
Marshal Lin Xixiang was relieved of his post, promoted to Grand Chancellor, and elevated from National Duke to National Duke, with the title of “Imperial Tutor,” and the Northern Army was made entirely his private force.
The regions formerly under Zhang Boqian’s command—Fuhuang, Jishui, and Juxu—were now overseen by Marshal Wu Yazi, the Earl of Fuling, with Vice-Marshal Wei Po Tian, the son of Duke Bowang, as his deputy. Wu Yazi was a rare marshal of scholarly lineage, the brother-in-law of Wei Bainen, the cousin of the House of Wei in the Far East. This marked the return of the House of Wei to the position of marshal after a long absence.
The western territories, formerly under Lin Xixiang’s command, were now led by Grand Marshal Zhao Gongcheng, making the House of Zhao in Yan Yun unrivaled in the west, rivaling the House of Zhang in power. The Hexi Corridor, formerly under Lin Xixiang’s command, was divided into three, each merging with adjacent regions.
And so on, the list went on.
These personnel appointments clearly signaled that the long-submerged turmoil within the empire had finally ended, and the current imperial family had no intention of reducing the power of the feudal lords. The House of Wei in the Far East might be the first top-tier noble lineage to rise, soon followed by others.
The court and the outside world accepted this change with a quiet and respectful demeanor.
Meanwhile, the floating land was engulfed in flames of war.
From a high vantage point, three armies of the empire, like three sharp blades, cut deeply into the dark race’s formations, advancing resolutely. The central and eastern offensives were particularly sharp, far surpassing the western front.
These two armies penetrated deep into the floating land, surrounded by the dark race’s forces. They were like tigers running through a forest, with the dark races as wolves, waiting for the tigers to weaken.
The western army, however, moved solidly and steadily, like a giant millstone, grinding down the enemy. In comparison, it was the most robust.
In the eastern part of the floating land, the terrain was complex and rugged, naturally hard to attack. On the ground, imperial troops rushed forward, with countless trucks carrying soldiers moving slowly. Abandoned trucks littered the roadside. In the air, several floating ships cruised at low altitude, maintaining formation with the ground forces.
On the central ship, Princess Haimi was clad in armor, her face mostly covered by a helmet, save for her radiant eyes and flowing hair cascading from her helmet, reminding all of her stunning beauty.
Occasionally, high-speed dark race ships would emerge from the clouds, attempting to ambush the advancing force. Each time, the low-flying floating ships would use precise, chilling volleys to drive them away. Most dark race ships would retreat, but a few, greedy for a fight, would be pursued and shot down by the empire’s high-speed ships.
After securing control of outer space, the dark race ships could only occasionally harass. Even so, their losses were not small.
Suddenly, the forward formation slowed, gunfire erupting. Leading armored vehicles were hit and set ablaze. The frontline soldiers quickly leaped from their vehicles, spreading out to either side, returning fire.
The floating ships came to a halt.
A major general, half-covered in blood, rushed into the command room, kneeling on one knee, “Your Highness, we have encountered an ambush ahead.”
Haimi observed silently for a moment before asking, “What happened?”
The major general replied, “The dark races have set up defensive positions ahead, and they are well-concealed. We suspect they used powerful beings with domain abilities to hide perfectly.”
“Can we break through?”
The major general hesitated slightly, “Their defenses are very well-constructed, clearly having been prepared for some time…”
“How many men do you need to break through?”
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