Northern lands, front-line military camp.
Huyan Ji’s expression was grim as he strode into the tent at the rear of the military camp.
As soon as he entered the tent, he smelled an enticing tea aroma.
Tang Zhong’s lean figure was brewing tea in the tent, his movements slow and extremely meticulous.
Every action carried an inexplicable charm, making one unconsciously focus their attention on him, unwilling to interrupt.
Seeing this, the grimness on Huyan Ji’s face gradually dissipated.
He waited quietly by the side.
It wasn’t until an incense stick’s time had passed, and the tea began to boil, that this calming charm suddenly vanished.
“What’s wrong, Junior Brother?”
Tang Zhong slowly poured two cups of tea, flicked his finger, and a cup of clear tea landed in Huyan Ji’s hand.
“There was a message from Eastern Continent just now, from that kid Lin Sheng.”
Huyan Ji said in a deep voice.
“That old fellow Bi Haitian is truly getting more and more audacious. We turned a blind eye to his past petty tricks, but I didn’t expect him to dare target the Imperial Family this time. Senior Brother, please take a look.”
As he spoke, he handed the message in his hand to the other party.
Hearing this, Tang Zhong’s expression remained unchanged. He did not look at the letter in his hand but picked up his teacup and took a slow sip, savoring it carefully.
This made Huyan Ji a little anxious.
His Senior Brother always acted this way, unhurried in everything. This temperament could be said to be completely opposite to his own.
After a while, Tang Zhong finally put down his teacup, and without even raising an eyelid, he said indifferently,
“Junior Brother, your nature is like a raging fire. Such a temperament is not a good thing. Before your Heart-Nature can reach Major Achievement, you will absolutely be unable to cross that threshold.”
At this point, without waiting for the other party to reply, he smiled and said,
“Is the Sea King Sect eyeing that girl Lingyu?”
“How did you know, Senior Brother?”
Hearing this, Huyan Ji’s face showed a look of astonishment, and he asked in confusion.
He had completely not expected his Senior Brother to already know.
“I had already anticipated it. The Sea King Sect’s strength is not weak, and Bi Haitian’s ambition has always been considerable. There are countless Sea King Sect Dark Stars in the military and the Imperial Family. They must have learned about Lingyu’s impending marriage and couldn’t sit still.”
Tang Zhong said indifferently.
“I just didn’t expect Bi Haitian to be even more impatient than I thought.”
“That’s right, that fellow Bi Haitian directly dispatched two Grandmasters, intending to act first and report later. It was just an unfortunate coincidence that that kid Lin Sheng stumbled upon them and killed Hai He of the Sea King Sect, as well as their Young Lord.”
Huyan Ji said in a deep voice, but then he asked, somewhat puzzled,
“Senior Brother, since you had already guessed, why didn’t you warn the Imperial Family?”
“Both Bi Haitian and Xu Changping are in Jushi City. There are only two One Realm Grandmasters in Eastern Continent, do you think they can do anything to that kid?”
Tang Zhong replied unhurriedly.
“Uh…”
Hearing this, Huyan Ji’s words faltered.
What Senior Brother said seemed to make some sense.
“Oh, by the way, Senior Brother, that kid Lin Sheng has already agreed to the marriage with Lingyu, and Jing Emperor has also expressed acceptance. It seems this matter is really going to happen.”
Thinking of the news he had recently received from the Imperial City, he spoke again.
“I already know about this matter. If this succeeds, it will provide a safeguard for Southern Qi’s future.”
Hearing this, Huyan Ji frowned.
“Senior Brother, you seem to regard that kid Lin very highly. Could it be that you think this child can also reach your height!?”
For an Imperial Dynasty like Southern Qi, only the existence of a Supreme Grandmaster level was most crucial.
Although Three Realms Grandmasters were strong, they were still far from comparable to Supreme Grandmasters.
Only upon reaching this Realm would one have the confidence to suppress a nation.
“What if one is a Supreme Grandmaster? They are still fish in a hidden current. If they cannot break through the barrier, they will still end up as a handful of yellow earth.”
Tang Zhong sighed softly, a hint of desolation appearing on his calm and refined face, but it quickly returned to its usual serene tranquility.
“This child is an anomaly I have seen in my life. Sui Yuesheng failed, and Zhao Hongzhang and I are also trapped. That fellow Green Robe is free and ruthless, taking a dangerous path, but the chance of success is still slim. However, this child might have a chance.”
Hearing his Senior Brother’s calm words, Huyan Ji’s heart trembled.
As the Junior Brother of this Southern Qi Military God Supreme Grandmaster, he naturally understood the meaning behind these words.
He had not expected his Senior Brother to give this child such a high evaluation.
It took him a long while to calm down, and he finally understood why his Senior Brother wanted to facilitate the marriage between the Imperial Family and Lin Sheng.
“How are the red crystal stones coming along? It won’t be long before Northern Yan launches a general offensive. That fellow Zhao Hongzhang won’t give up easily. He has already gone mad in his pursuit of that step.”
Tang Zhong’s voice pulled Huyan Ji’s thoughts back.
He straightened his face and said solemnly,
“We have already mobilized maximum efforts to mine and purify the Crimson Crystal Mine. The red crystal stones from Dark Star should also be delivered in a few days, which will be enough to cover the consumption of red crystal stones during this period.”
At this point, a hint of concern appeared on his face as he said,
“Senior Brother, your injuries now…”
“It’s fine, I’m not dead yet.”
Tang Zhong replied with a smile.
“Senior Brother, you are seriously injured, and that Zhao Hongzhang is clearly not much better. Why does he keep challenging you to battles, disregarding his injuries?”
Huyan Ji frowned tightly, asking in some confusion.
Having followed Tang Zhong for many years, he knew very well that his Senior Brother’s injuries were severe, arguably the most serious in all these years.
Over the past few decades or even a century, Northern Yan and Southern Qi had occasionally clashed. As far as he knew, the King of Northern Yan had privately challenged his Senior Brother over fifty years ago.
The battle lasted for three days, and the result was only minor injuries. But now, he could feel that his Senior Brother’s Origin Qi was greatly depleted.
Tang Zhong showed no surprise at Huyan Ji’s question. He continued to brew tea and said with a smile,
“Zhao Hongzhang is extremely ambitious and exceptionally talented. Fifty years ago, he was not my match. Even before the war between the two nations, I had a seventy percent chance of defeating him. But now, at most, it’s a fifty-fifty chance.”
“What!!”
Huyan Ji’s eyes widened, his face filled with shock. As if he had guessed something, his pupils contracted violently, and he exclaimed,
“Could it be that Zhao Hongzhang is about to cross that step!?”
However, Tang Zhong shook his head slightly, directly denying it.
“No, he is still among the Supreme Grandmasters. It’s just that there’s something peculiar about him, which I suspect is not unrelated to that strange remnant of a phantom beast.”
Tang Zhong’s eyes flickered as he slowly said,
“That remnant is mysterious and unpredictable. Whether it’s a blessing or a curse is yet unknown.”
He paused here, then looked at the solemn and tense Huyan Ji and comforted him,
“But rest assured, Junior Brother, as long as I don’t die, Southern Qi will be fine.”
Hearing this, Huyan Ji relaxed a little, but his face still showed some worry.
“Senior Brother, why don’t I bring all the Grandmasters of the Pill Dao in our Southern Qi to treat your injuries?”
“No need. My injuries are beyond the help of even Grandmasters of the Pill Dao. I need to recover on my own.”
Tang Zhong shook his head, then changed the subject.
“Is Bi Haitian making any unusual moves?”
“He hasn’t been doing anything. He’s just been staying at his post in Jushi City. However, he must have sensed something. As far as I know, that fellow has prepared a lot of red crystal stones, and they are currently on their way.”
Huyan Ji shook his head and said.
“That fellow certainly plays his cards well. Now that the Sea King Sect has crossed the line this time, he wants to use this to show his attitude.”
“But we can’t let them off so easily. In my opinion, we should take this opportunity to give them a good beating and make them behave. How about…”
Huyan Ji’s words carried a hint of anger. He had never had a good impression of the cunning Bi Haitian, and he was even more disgusted by his attempts at petty tricks at this critical moment. Now that he had caught him red-handed, he naturally wanted to give the other party a severe lesson.
“As for a beating, let’s skip that. Let’s just kill him directly.”
However, Tang Zhong’s light words left him stunned.
Huyan Ji thought he had misheard.
“Senior Brother, what did you just say?”
“Bi Haitian is a suspicious person. His failure in this operation will inevitably lead to disloyalty. Keeping him alive will likely become a future disaster. Since that is the case, it’s better to just kill him directly.”
Tang Zhong said with a calm expression.
As if he was talking about a trivial matter.
Only then did Huyan Ji realize that his Senior Brother was not joking at all; he was clearly serious.
He hesitated, saying with some reluctance,
“Senior Brother, the Sea King Sect’s strength is not weak, and Bi Haitian is a master of the Three Realms Grandmaster. At this critical moment of war, he is also a considerable fighting force. Isn’t it a bit too much to kill him directly?”
He had thought of making the Sea King Sect bleed heavily this time, but he had never considered killing Bi Haitian, the Sect Master of the Sea King Sect.
With Bi Haitian dead, the Sea King Sect, which had dominated Eastern Continent for many years, would naturally not escape decline, or even the severing of its Legacy.
Especially at this time, it might even cause dissatisfaction among other forces. After all, it wasn’t long ago that the vast Tianluo Sect was annihilated, and now it was the Sea King Sect’s turn. Once might be excusable, but for it to immediately be the Sea King Sect’s turn again, it was truly hard not to make people suspect that the military had ulterior motives.
“Junior Brother, you are wrong. The more critical the moment, the less you can be indecisive.”
Tang Zhong shook his head in denial, put down the teapot in his hand, stood up, and walked out of the large tent.
Seeing this, Huyan Ji quickly followed him.
An incense stick’s time later, Jushi City, Sea King Sect station.
“How is it? Has Northern Yan been arranged?”
In the dim great hall, there were only Bi Haitian and Xu Changping.
Looking at Xu Changping, who had just returned, Bi Haitian spoke indifferently.
“Northern Yan has been settled. We can meet in three days.”
Xu Changping replied in a low voice.
“Good.”
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Bi Haitian’s face, but no matter how one looked at it, the smile seemed somewhat sinister.
He had already sentenced everyone in Southern Qi to death in his heart.
No matter what, he would deal with all these people cleanly.
As for Southern Qi, humph, the failure of this operation meant that his years of planning had gone to waste.
There was no point in staying any longer. Instead, Northern Yan might not be a bad choice.
Especially at this crucial moment, the chips in his hand were unprecedentedly heavy.
Thinking of this, the smile on his face became even more sinister.
This made Xu Changping, who was beside him, feel a slight tremor in his heart.
Since the mission failed, he had clearly felt that the Sect Master, who usually had everything under control, seemed to have changed somewhat.
This change sent an inexplicable chill down his spine.
Not paying attention to Xu Changping’s unusual state, Bi Haitian had already made up his mind. After meeting with Northern Yan, he would head to Eastern Continent and completely annihilate all the Dark Star members, and not just in Eastern Continent.
As for the red crystal stones transported by Dark Star this time, he would also take care of them, just in time to serve as a token of allegiance to Northern Yan.
“Alright, you may go down first. Remember to tell your subordinates to behave themselves these next few days.”
“I understand, Sect Master.”
Hearing this, Xu Changping immediately nodded, then intended to turn and leave.
Just then, Bi Haitian’s low shout suddenly boomed in his ear.
“Who goes there!?”
As his voice fell, a surge of azure energy instantly rushed towards the hall door like a tide.
However, before the energy could approach the hall door, it seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall, unable to advance even an inch.
Then the hall door slowly opened, and Huyan Ji’s tall figure stepped in.
“General Huyan, visiting late at night, what is the purpose?”
Seeing the newcomer, Bi Haitian’s eyes narrowed, and he slowly spoke.
But as soon as his voice fell, he saw a refined middle-aged man, looking like a scholar, slowly emerge from behind Huyan Ji’s tall figure.
The moment they saw the refined man, both Bi Haitian and Xu Changping’s pupils constricted.
“Your Excellency Military God…”
Bi Haitian’s expression changed several times, and he forced a smile onto his face, just as he was about to say something.
He saw the refined man extend a long finger and point it at him.
In an instant, Bi Haitian’s expression drastically changed. A colossal sea serpent phantom emerged behind him, and his entire body rapidly transformed.
Thick scales grew wildly all over his body, his pupils turned an unusual color, and the formidable aura of a Three Realms Grandmaster fully unleashed.
However, in the next moment, it seemed to be engulfed by a vast and abyssal invisible force.
Bi Haitian was like a lone boat in a storm, constantly swaying, precarious, as if it could capsize and be destroyed at any moment.
“Tang Zhong, why are you doing this… Don’t you fear that the major forces will be disheartened by such an act?”
His face flushed red, his hands crossed in front of him, and the three-headed sea serpent phantom behind him enveloped his body, barely resisting the terrifying force.
Unfortunately, Tang Zhong did not answer. Instead, Xu Changping, who was in the great hall, let out a scream.
In the next instant, his body disintegrated at a visible speed until it completely vanished.
Seeing this, Bi Haitian felt a chill in his heart. He immediately gritted his teeth, and the two side heads of the three-headed sea serpent phantom behind him shattered into azure fragments, merging into the central snake head.
The giant snake’s remaining head rapidly expanded, and the Qi emanating from Bi Haitian’s body also quickly surged, finally allowing him to barely break free from the restraint of the force.
However, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he saw a white fox, several zhang in size, appear in the great hall. With one step, it was already close.
“No… give me another chance!!”
A warning bell rang loudly in Bi Haitian’s heart, and he quickly pleaded for mercy.
But it was too late. The white fox bit down.
The sea serpent phantom instantly shattered, its momentum unchecked. The white fox swallowed Bi Haitian in one gulp, and the great hall then returned to tranquility.
The white fox elegantly licked its fur, then quietly transformed into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared into Tang Zhong’s body.