Chapter 361: Chapter 296: Tripartite Balance of Power
If one said Jiang Dao looked somewhat disheveled and his complexion was unsightly because Zheng Xueyue had detonated her Qi-Blood, then the elder from the First Dynasty had those looks because of the words spoken by Zheng Xueyue.
Great Demon!
These two words instilled some fear in his heart.
Initially, he had come to assist, but had not expected to hear such matters.
The words of the ancestor, he had not forgotten; because nothing had transpired over the past few years, he had almost let it slip from his mind, but now, it was brought up again.
“A coincidence?”
The elder wasn’t certain, but he hoped it was.
Jiang Dao heard what he said.
“What coincidence? You look troubled.”
As the Ming Dynasty had expanded over time, Jiang Dao’s power had become increasingly formidable. Even though Zheng Xueyue had put him in a difficult position, he had noticed the elder’s abnormality.
The elder from the First Dynasty hesitated for a moment but still spoke of the Great Demon narrative.
He could not keep silent!
Even though they hailed from the First Dynasty, power was power, and he did not dare to defy it.
“Great Demon, you say?”
Jiang Dao did not blame the newcomer for not revealing everything at first since it was the order of the ancestor. After all, he wouldn’t have spoken carelessly either.
Of course, Jiang Dao did not pay too much attention to the matter of the Great Demon.
“Great Demon, once the Cang Dynasty is swallowed, my power will rise again, and then, whether it be the Qian Dynasty, the Taiping Sect, or this so-called Great Demon, none will be a threat!”
The elder did not argue.
But his heart remained concerned.
The ancestor’s prophecy about the Great Demon and Zheng Xueyue’s demeanor before she died were of great concern to him.
But he did not have the gall to contradict Jiang Dao because, as Jiang Dao had said, once the Cang Dynasty was annexed, his power would soar, and it was not a good time to try to dissuade him.
His responsibility was to protect himself and ensure the safety of his own lineage.
Both men had their own thoughts, but no matter what Zheng Xueyue’s words entailed, one thing was unchangeable—that with the death of Zheng Xueyue, the Cang Dynasty had truly perished!
In the year 545 of the Great Zhou calendar, in July, the Cang Dynasty fell, and the Ming Dynasty occupied its territories, gaining another massive increase in strength.
Not even two Mechanical Giant Beasts capable of contending with top-tier Great Grandmasters could stop the advance of the Ming Dynasty.
The world was shocked!
At the same time, two forces became vigilant.
The Taiping Sect and the Qian Dynasty.
“The Cang Dynasty has fallen!”
Huangtian sighed. He had managed to delay things for a while, but ultimately he couldn’t hold on.
The might of the Ming Dynasty had undoubtedly inflated.
“Sect Hierarch, we need to make preparations. The Ming Dynasty’s next move will either be against us or the Qian Dynasty. If we’re not prepared, we might suffer a great loss!”
“Have all branches of the Taiping Army ready, and report to me immediately if there’s any sign of trouble.”
Huangtian ultimately made this decision.
As everyone suspected, their defense in the Taiping Church was strong, but if a battle was taken elsewhere, their strength might still be slightly less than that of a dynasty.
Although they seemed to be developing well, in reality, they were stuck in a predicament.
Unable to wage a proactive war, but perpetual defense would only allow the other two forces to grow stronger, which is tantamount to a slow death.
“Sect Hierarch, is there something troubling you?”
Huangtian looked up and saw the newcomer, to whom he gave a smile.
“Jian’an, have a seat!”
The visitor was Liu Jian’an, who had joined the Taiping Sect about half a year ago. At that time, many in the Taiping Army had opposed it, for Liu Jian’an and his companions were strong but had obscure origins.
However, Liu Jian’an and his group were acquainted with Huangtian, so, naturally, there were no obstacles to their joining the Taiping Sect.
Huangtian’s announcement that they were his fellow sect brothers and sisters had quashed all objections.
The high ranks of the Taiping Sect were well aware that the Sect Hierarch had a mysterious and powerful teacher.
In the face of Liu Jian’an, Huangtian did not hold back and shared the predicament of the Taiping Sect candidly.
After listening, Liu Jian’an also realized it was indeed a problem.
“Before we came, Uncle Wang had given us some trump cards, but they can only take on top-tier Great Grandmasters. Any higher than that becomes difficult…”
As he spoke, Liu Jian’an produced a Jade Talisman.
It was the protective trump card given by Wang Sheng to Liu Jian’an and his comrades.
A Jade Talisman with a portion of his power sealed within!
“Talisman creation” was a skill Wang Sheng had stumbled upon. Initially, it could only compare to Martial Artists of the Fifth or Sixth Grade, but over the years, coupled with the increase in Wang Sheng’s strength, the Jade Talismans he made could now rival the destructive force of a top-tier Great Grandmaster.
Each person who had joined the Taiping Sect received two, one for offense and one for defense.
The one brought out by Liu Jian’an was an offensive Jade Talisman. Once activated, it could undoubtedly slay a top-tier Great Grandmaster.
Although it only offered a single chance to strike, that was sufficient.
After hearing what Liu Jian’an had to say, Huangtian fell silent for a moment before speaking, “This must be what your teacher gave you for self-protection, right? Actually, there was no need to take it out.”
Liu Jian’an laughed, replying, “I’m no longer a child. I understand some things. Although I don’t know why Uncle Wang sent us to the Taiping Sect, I can be sure that one of the purposes is definitely to help the Taiping Sect grow. This item might have been prepared precisely for such an occasion.”
Liu Jian’an was nearly thirty years old and had undergone extensive trials, gaining clarity on many matters.
“If you need to use it, you can tell me at any time, or I can give it to you now.”
He wanted to help Wang Sheng.
Huangtian was silent for a while, then he too broke into a smile, seeming somewhat relieved, and he said, “If it were something stronger, I might take it, but for a top Great Grandmaster, you should keep it yourself, there’s no need…”
“Ha ha, you’re really honest!”
The two of them started chatting.
It was mostly about the development of the Taiping Sect, but just as Huangtian said, the Taiping Sect was currently in a predicament; unless the Ming Dynasty or the Qi Dynasty perished, it would be very difficult.
In the end, the two of them couldn’t come up with a concrete plan, and Liu Jian’an stood to take his leave.
But before he left, he said something.
“Actually, you don’t have to worry too much. Uncle Wang told us before coming here that as long as the Taiping Sect stays true to its heart, it will not perish.”
After saying that, he directly left, leaving Huangtian alone.
“Master, you guessed it, didn’t you!”
Huangtian indeed was worried that if the Master simply wanted to use the Taiping Sect, it was one thing, but he feared such use could lead to its downfall.
If it were the beginning, he wouldn’t have felt much, but now with tens of millions of followers, he had to be responsible for them.
If the Taiping Sect were to collapse now, the impact would be extraordinarily large.
Clearly, the Master had anticipated this, which is why he had said those words to Liu Jian’an.
Had he shown no concern, perhaps Liu Jian’an might never have said those words, but there were things he couldn’t help worrying about.
Deep inside, he knew that with the Master’s strength, it wouldn’t be difficult to foster another Taiping Sect, but the trouble it would cause the common people was no small matter.
However, after talking it out, there wasn’t much left to say, and thinking of his needless worries, he felt somewhat guilty inside.
The Taiping Sect was on high alert for defense, while the situation in the Qi Dynasty was entirely different.
They knew that if they didn’t speed up following the downfall of the Cang Dynasty, they would be the next Cang Dynasty.
Fortunately, the Wu Dynasty was also at the end of its strength and couldn’t hold out any longer.
In the year 545 of the Great Zhou calendar, in September, more than a month after the fall of the Cang Dynasty, the Qi King killed Wu Qingfeng, the Wu King, and the Wu Dynasty fell.
In this era, the four great families had originally hoped to divide the world amongst themselves, but in the end, only one family remained.
At this moment, Mo Yang looked at the Incense Fire Pearl he had recently acquired, thinking of Wang Sheng’s words.
“Best to store it away for now!”
He gained many secrets when he extinguished the Sun Family, knowing that this object could instantly turn someone into a top Great Grandmaster.
Had it been before, he might have directly given it to a trusted person.
But since his last exchange with Wang Sheng,
He decided to hold onto it for now, not to be used lightly.
…
The downfalls of the Cang and Wu Dynasties followed one after another.
The situation in the world underwent a tremendous change once more, with the Ming Dynasty and the Qi Dynasty each occupying nearly half of the Great Zhou’s territory, potentially establishing a dynasty once they wiped out the other.
The territories of the two dynasties were immediately contiguous.
Even though the war had only recently ended, both dynasties deployed their troops on the border, ready for battle, though they hadn’t actually come to blows yet.
But, no one had forgotten about the Taiping Sect sandwiched between the two forces.
With their territories expanding, almost no one believed that the Taiping Sect could defeat both forces.
Everyone was guessing when the Taiping Sect’s strongest defense would be broken.
The opportunity came quickly.
The Ming Dynasty attacked the Taiping Sect in the central five states!
Everyone thought the Taiping Sect couldn’t hold on, and even the Qi Dynasty planned to provide assistance since the loss of a neighbor could spell disaster for themselves.
But the Taiping Sect once again shocked everyone by holding their ground!
The Ming Dynasty retreated!
“Good, very good!” Jiang Dao hadn’t expected, after significantly increasing his strength, that he still couldn’t break through the Taiping Sect, “But I felt it, they’ve reached their limit. Next time, they won’t have any way to resist!”
Despite his failure, Jiang Dao gained a lot of information.
This time, the Taiping Sect’s defense was at its limit, and with a little more strength on his part, he could definitely break through.
At his level, there was only one way to increase his strength.
“Qi Dynasty… and, it’s time to reclaim some things. After cultivating them for thousands of years, they will give me a substantial power boost…”
As the Ming Dynasty’s attack on the Taiping Sect failed, the storm temporarily subsided.
Of course, this was only the superficial situation, everyone knew that a battle between the Qi Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty was inevitable.
That would truly determine the fate of the world.
Perhaps the next dynasty would be born soon.
But they also hadn’t forgotten about the Taiping Sect, which had withstood the force of the Ming Dynasty head-on.
The current situation was a three-force world.
The Taiping Sect, the Ming Dynasty, the Qi Dynasty!
A three-legged standstill, with no one able to do anything to the other!
It was under these circumstances that the Ming Dynasty secretly dispatched a large number of strongmen, beginning to search for something…
(Tomorrow morning at five I need to head out on a delivery, so this is all for today! Additionally, the third volume, formally concludes!)