Gu Hai had appointed Duke Tianshan to manage the Han Royal Dynasty. Naturally, Chen Tianshan’s words had great prestige. Furthermore, all the civil and military officials, even the citizens, were extremely supportive and protective of Gu Hai. The citizens slowly came to accept Duke Tianshan’s declaration. Only a few nursed disbelief and suspicions. However, Duke Tianshan’s army quickly suppressed them.
Duke Tianshan pacified Borderless Heavenly Capital, then immediately sent his declaration to the various cities, pacifying the citizens there. Although there were commotions in the other cities, these quickly died down. After all, all the city lords were people that Gu Hai trusted the most. They had previously entered the Asura Path Secret Realm with Gu Hai, and all of them had reached the Heavenly Palace Realm.
After Chen Tianshan calmed the various places down, he invited Dongfang Bubai, Ximen Chuixue, Dugu Qiubai, and Zhang Sanfeng over to his residence.
“I will have to trouble the four of you in the future,” Chen Tianshan said as he bowed to the four.
The four looked at Chen Tianshan in silence. Eventually, Dongfang Bubai said, “As long as you are not staging a coup and just managing the nation for Emperor Gu, we will naturally do our best.”
“Many thanks, everyone. The Han Royal Dynasty cannot fall into chaos. I firmly believe that His Majesty will return,” Chen Tianshan said gravely.
“Don’t worry. If anyone dares to cause trouble in the nation during this time, I will be the first to destroy him!” Dugu Qiubai nodded.
“Heaven helps the worthy. I believe Emperor Gu is not a person with a short life,” Zhang Sanfeng nodded.
Ximen Chuixue nodded without saying anything.
Great Sigh Palace Hall, former Yuan Imperial Dynasty territory:
Although Chen Tianshan did his best to pacify the people and suppress the news, word still reached Mo Yike’s and Gao Xianzhi’s ears.
When the two heard what the zither puppet said, their expressions changed.
“The blessings disappeared? No! His Majesty is definitely fine!” Gao Xianzhi appeared anxious.
Mo Yike narrowed his eyes. “We need to clarify the situation. What happened to His Majesty?”
“Lord Mo, we should go back to Borderless Heavenly Capital first. We can wait until later to take over the Yuan Imperial Dynasty’s territory,” Gao Xianzhi exhorted anxiously.
An official suddenly rushed into the hall. “I have a report!”
“Huh?” The two looked at that official.
“Duke Tianshan sent a message from Borderless Heavenly Capital!” that official said respectfully.
“Read it out!” Mo Yike said.
“Sending to Yuan Annexing Supreme Commander Mo Yike and Yuan Annexing Deputy Supreme Commander Gao Xianzhi. The battle of the Qian Nation’s rebellion against Heaven is over, and the world already knows the results: Long Zhanguo lost, and the Qian Heavenly Dynasty crumbled. His Majesty has not returned from that. Although Borderless Heavenly Capital’s blessings have vanished, there is not enough to determine what happened to His Majesty. You two are important officials of the Han Nation, and His Majesty trusts you greatly. I hope that you will prevent chaos from arising among the soldiers and maintain their morale. Manage the military for His Majesty and pacify them, keep their morale up, and maintain the stability of the Han Royal Dynasty. Furthermore, I hope that you will remember your initial intentions. His Majesty assigned missions to all of us; the sovereign’s commands take priority. Any doubt or emotions can be dealt with after the Han Nation is stable. Tianshan remains at Borderless Heavenly Capital and respectfully awaits your report of success,” that official read out.
The message showed Chen Tianshan’s style. When Mo Yike and Gao Xianshi heard it, they frowned.
The two had guessed that something had happened. However, Chen Tianshan had made his directive clear. What could they do if they returned? The sovereign had issued them orders. Were they going to defy the emperor when something only just happened and the results were uncertain?
After some silence, Gao Xianzhi looked at Mo Yike.
“We still have not taken over half of the former Yuan Imperial Dynasty’s territory. Gao Xianzhi, we will have to work harder and move faster to take over all the Yuan Nation’s cities quickly and return as soon as possible,” Mo Yike said with clenched fists.
“Yes!” Gao Xianzhi nodded.
Lu Ya City:
Lu Ya City continued flying towards Borderless Heavenly Capital. When Meng Tai received the news, his expression changed dramatically.
“How could it be like this? How could it be like this? Nothing must happen to His Majesty!” Meng Tai felt incredibly anxious.
Meng Tai had already had a taste of authority. As long as the Han Royal Dynasty was around, he held overwhelming authority as the Embroidered Uniform Guard envoy commander. He feared losing his current authority and worried even more for Gu Hai’s safety.
The blessings are gone? Did something happen to His Majesty?
Meng Tai did not dare to be certain. His face sank.
“Milord, could His Majesty have…” an Embroidered Uniform Guard asked worriedly.
“Shut up! His Majesty is blessed with good fortune. How could anything happen to him? Just do your job! If this official sees anyone spouting baseless rumors, I will cut off their tongue to feed the dogs!” Meng Tai shouted while glaring.
“Yes!” that Embroidered Uniform Guard replied.
Gu Hai and Zang Yulian traveled in that spatial tunnel for a long time, moving increasingly faster. After three days and three nights, Zang Yulian’s eyes lit up as she said excitedly, “Look! There’s a bright light ahead!”
Zang Yulian had been extremely worried over the past three days, as the tunnel behind them vanished while they traveled forward. Did that mean that they could only advance but not go back? When would this tunnel end?
Finally, a bright light appeared in front.
“We’ve arrived!” Gu Hai’s eyes lit up, anticipation flashing in his eyes.
Whoosh!
The two charged out of the tunnel. The moment they did, the entrance to the tunnel vanished.
“Ah!” Zang Yulian’s expression changed.
Boom!
The two crashed into a wall.
Outside, a mountain scorched by the blazing sun shook.
Gu Hai and Zang Yulian climbed out of human-shaped holes in the wall.
This place seemed to be underground and was pitch-black.
Click!
A sound rang out, and the surroundings immediately turned bright.
“This is?” Zang Yulian exclaimed.
She had not seen any energy fluctuations.
“This is an electric lamp,” Gu Hai explained.
Zang Yulian and Gu Hai stopped moving.
As Gu Hai looked around, he wondered, Where is this?
Gu Hai was very familiar with this place. He had transmigrated to Nine-Five Island from this place when he was thirty years old. It was the black Go stone that had brought him to the Divine Continent, and the black Go stone brought him back to where he had started.
“I’ve returned? Hah! I’ve returned?” Gu Hai’s eyes reddened.
Zang Yulian looked around.
There were many shelves in the surroundings filled with paintings, texts, Buddha sculptures, swords, sabers, and seal stamps. There was also a bookshelf crowded with countless Go game records. The area around the Go game records was messy. There was a leather sofa at the side and a tea set on the small side table.
“Where is this place?” Zang Yulian asked, feeling confused.
“This is my treasure trove. Hah! Well, the treasure trove I had in the past. These are legacies from my ancestors, which I collected from various nations,” Gu Hai said with a reminiscing smile.
Gu Hai touched some of the imperial seals on the shelves, then some of the texts and pictures.
After that, Gu Hai waved his hand and collected the many items in the bunker into his storage bracelet.
Gu Hai emptied out the place in the blink of an eye.
“These items? They don’t have any energy fluctuations, right?” Zang Yulian said in confusion.
“Indeed. There are no energy fluctuations. However, they contain culture and history. They are the things that my nation’s ancestors left for their descendants. However, others had snatched them away. I was just trying to think of ways to bring them home. Unfortunately, I could not make it in time previously.” Gu Hai shook his head.
“Huh?” Zang Yulian could not understand what Gu Hai said.
“Also, it is not that my treasures do not have any energy fluctuations, but that this world does not have Spiritual Energy,” Gu Hai explained with a deep breath.
It was just like his dream. When he returned previously in a dream, there was no Spiritual Energy. It looked like that had not been a dream. Earth truly did not have any Spiritual Energy.
“How could it be?” Zang Yulian’s expression changed.
“Without Spiritual Energy, you will need to conserve the Veritable Energy and Veritable Essence in your body. No, you can’t even expose them. Do not expose them,” Gu Hai said sternly.
“What do you mean?” Zang Yulian asked in confusion.
“Withdraw your aura, as there might be people who do not want us to have Spiritual Energy in our bodies,” Gu Hai said.
“Ah?” Zang Yulian appeared confused.
“The place you want to come to, even in your dreams, might not be a good place. Alright. We should go out. Come, visit my home,” Gu Hai invited.
As Gu Hai spoke, he extended his hand to open the doors to this bunker.
When the doors opened, a strong wind immediately blew sand in.
Whoosh!
The wind and sand also brought heat as they blew on Zang Yulian’s face, immediately causing her to frown slightly in discomfort.
The two stepped out of the bunker.
“This is a cave? You forged it into a secret room? However, there is nothing around here; it is completely barren. This is just a rocky mountain?” Zang Yulian said, puzzled.
“It is hidden only because it is in such a location. Let’s go.” Gu Hai smiled.
Gu Hai leaped with Zang Yulian and immediately arrived at a distant road.
The blazing sun hung high in the sky. There were no clouds for five thousand kilometers around; hence the heat. However, this heat was nothing to them. It was just that the surroundings seemed desolate.
“Your secret room is truly far from civilization,” Zang Yulian said with a frown.
“Hah! You have no idea how precious my treasures are.” Gu Hai smiled self-mockingly.
Rumble…!
Suddenly, dust and sand flew up into the air on the road as an off-road vehicle drove over.
“Oh? Is that my car? Do the spacetimes of our two worlds not correspond to each other? I was in the Divine Continent for nearly fifty years, yet my car is not scrapped yet?” Gu Hai felt confused.
That car drove over quickly. Then, it suddenly braked when it was near, coming to an abrupt stop.
“What is that metal box? It can actually move on its own? There is no Spiritual Energy!” Zang Yulian said in shock.
“That is a car. Oh? It’s Tom!” Gu Hai’s eyes lit up.
The car’s door opened, and a muscular man stepped out. This man had yellow hair and green eyes, a long warrior’s saber slung on his back, and a handgun hanging at his waist. This person goggled at Gu Hai and Zang Yulian.
“Tom? What a strange name!” Zang Yulian exclaimed.
“He is a mercenary, my bodyguard in the past. I paid him ten years of salary in advance,” Gu Hai said with a smile.
Zang Yulian could not understand many things that Gu Hai said. However, she still sized up the man before her.
“The lowest level of hired muscle? The way he walks is weak, and his eyes are listless. He does not seem very capable. This is your bodyguard? You hired such a person?” Zang Yulian exclaimed.
“Naturally, he is nothing to you. However, he was the strongest mercenary I could find back then. His saber can even cut bullets. His nickname is the Hell Bladesman,” Gu Hai explained.
“Hell? Bladesman?” Zang Yulian found this strange.
“Oh? Boss, you-you-you are still alive? I heard a loud sound coming from here earlier, so I came over to take a look. Boss, how are you still alive?” Tom suddenly yelled in shock.
Tom stared at Gu Hai in surprise. Gu Hai is wearing an extremely bizarre outfit like an ancient Chinese costume. Oh? There’s a woman beside him. Could it be that they just… Oh! This woman is quite a looker. I want her!
When Tom saw Zang Yulian’s beautiful face and perfect figure, lust flashed in his eyes. Everyone viewed beauty differently, as there had never been anyone with such overwhelming beauty like Zang Yulian. As he approached step by step, he eyed Zang Yulian with greed before looking at Gu Hai.
“Boss, you are still alive? You vanished for five years! We’ve been searching for you for a long time!” Tom smiled as he stepped forward.
“Five years? Not fifty?” Gu Hai frowned slightly.
Just as Gu Hai frowned, a cold glint flashed in Tom’s eyes.
Shing!
Tom drew his saber at the fastest speed possible, swinging it at Gu Hai’s head.
With a ferocious expression, Tom brought out his full strength instantly. No one had ever survived this saber strike before; all of them fell to hell. This included a mercenary boss that he killed recently.
As the saber swung, Gu Hai did not change his expression at all. Even though the saber moved swiftly, it seemed like slow motion to Gu Hai, inching towards him.
Gu Hai extended his right hand and gently pinched with his index finger and thumb.
Ding!
Buzz!
Gu Hai caught the blade between his fingertips. The saber came to a sudden stop before his face.
Crack!
Tom had used a lot of force. When the saber stopped, his bones broke.
Gasp!
Tom wanted to scream in pain. He held back with great willpower. However, seeing Gu Hai catch his saber casually with the index finger and thumb nearly had his eyeballs popping out.
The woman at the side even said in disdain and confusion, “This is the Hell Bladesman you spoke of?”
