Chapter 952: The State Preceptor Takes the Field
The emperor usually did not express either his joy or his anger. However, the urgent letter that he had earlier received drove him to voice his rage in front of his officials. One could see how serious the matter was from this fact.
“The court’s morning will adjourn here today. This is the end of the session.”
The emperor did not say a single word. He was not in the mood to attend court anymore. He stood up and left. It was useless for him to talk in court about a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm stopping the empire from advancing southwards. The officials were intelligent and full of ideas. They might be more talented than most, able to handle matters of the nation. However, there was no way the emperor could discuss with them the issue of how to deal with a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm. After all, when one’s cultivation level reached the Primordial Soul Realm, one was a deity among humans. No matter how high the positions of his officials were, and no matter how much political power they had, they would not be able to help with this.
The officials looked at each other. No one knew what had happened.
…
“State Preceptor, a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm should not be meddling with the fights between nations. However, this person does not seem to be from the Peng Lai Immortal Realm. He has not followed the rules at all. What should we do about this?”
Inside the palace, the emperor of Fengyu said this with a frown, looking troubled. Sitting opposite him was an old man with a head full of white hair and a healthy complexion. The man sat there with a casual demeanor. On the other hand, the emperor of Fengyu treated the old man cautiously and with great respect.
The old man was the state preceptor of Fengyu. There were not many who knew his name and others usually called him State Preceptor Fang or Immortal Teacher Fang. Why Immortal Teacher? Only those who had become immortal and were proficient at being an immortal could be called an immortal teacher.
The old man sitting in front of the emperor was an immortal cultivator in the Primordial Soul Realm. He was a well-renowned man even throughout the Donghe Prefecture. Fengyu had managed to rise and become so strong in such a short amount of time because he had become its State Preceptor.
“For a young man to have cultivated to the Primordial Soul Realm, he must either have a way of making himself look young by cultivating in techniques that help him retain a youthful appearance or be extremely talented and have great potential. The former would be easier to deal with. With me around, he might not be able to cause large waves. However, if it is the latter, then this might be a problem.”
State Preceptor Fang stroked his snow-white beard and spoke lightly.
“State Preceptor. I understand what you mean. However, we are about to take over Xiping and boost the strength of Fengyu. How can I bear to just watch this opportunity slip away? Furthermore, in the letter, it states that the young man might not be from the Peng Lai Immortal Realm. He must have entered Peng Lai Immortal Realm by chance. Even if he has some background of note, it could not influence anything here.”
The emperor of Fengyu said this somewhat resentfully. The man was probably a foreigner. Would the people of Peng Lai Immortal Realm be afraid of the powers backing a foreigner?
“Your Majesty, you are talking sense. I have an idea already. Since this person is so arrogant, as the state preceptor of Fengyu, I will go and meet him. However, I would like to ask for two treasures from Your Majesty for my journey. With those two treasures in hand, it will be easy to kill this person.”
State Preceptor Fang said this lightly, with a smile. His eyes shone especially brightly when he mentioned the two treasures.
“State Preceptor, do you mean you want to use the national weapons?” The emperor grew grave. The national weapons were heirloom treasures of Fengyu. They were the basis of the country’s internal power, and could not be used casually.
“Your Majesty, even though it’s been more than a hundred years since I entered the Primordial Soul Realm, I do not have much talent. I remain in the early stages of that realm. Without the national weapons in my hands, my abilities will be limited, even if I am stronger than that young man. I might not be a threat to him. After all, he is just one person, while we are a large country. If he were to fight us, we would be at a disadvantage.”
State Preceptor Fang sighed softly. One could not offend a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm rashly. Once one had done so, one had to either kill him to avoid bringing trouble upon oneself in the future, or scare him to stop him from seeking revenge.
“All right. since he dares to look down on Fengyu, then I will show him what it means to respect the dignity of a country. State Preceptor, take the national weapons with you. If possible, you have to kill that man.”
The eyes of Fengyu’s emperor flashed with murderous intent. The emperor had a strong, violent impulse against those who dared to stop him from making the nation stronger.
…
In the grand palace of Xiping where the emperor lived, a man who looked like a scout was kneeling on the ground. He reported to the Xiping emperor a piece of big news that they had just received.
“What! A powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm helped our country to drive off Fengyu’s army?”
The Xiping emperor was shocked. He had never imagined that something like this would happen. Then, he asked delightedly, “Is this true?”
“Your Majesty, I was shocked, too, after I heard about it, and I doubted its veracity. However, given all the news that has been sent to us, this is probably true. The vanguard army of Fengyu has indeed retreated. They should be 500 miles out by now. Furthermore, many people in Xu Village saw the powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm. Many of them have corroborated it. An analytic overview suggests that this news is 80% true.”
The scout in black answered respectfully. He had not once suspected that this was a plot of Fengyu to deliberately mislead Xiping. There would be no need to do so. Fengyu had already attacked the lands of Xiping. They were ferocious and would have been able to take over the entire country in one fell swoop.
There was no need to waste time plotting against them at this point. If they did, it would just give Xiping time to breathe.
The Xiping emperor was aware of this, as well.
Xiping had lost several times in this war against Fengyu. Many of their defensive lines had collapsed, and their borders had fallen. The Fengyu army was going to win once they entered their lands. They could not stop the ravaging of the Fengyu Army.
As the emperor of Xiping, this man had been extremely worried. He could not eat or sleep well. He was worried, frightened, and panicked. He saw himself becoming the emperor of a fallen nation. However, he never expected such a favorable change in circumstances at the most crucial moment.
“Your Majesty, what should we do about this?” the scout in black asked.
“This is a good opportunity to repair our defense. Send out orders to take this chance to consolidate the strength of our army and arrange the front line of defense. At the same time, send out experts to watch what the Fengyu is doing day and night, as well as what those seniors in the Primordial Soul Realm are doing…”
The Xiping emperor gave out a series of orders. He may not have been a man of great talent and bold vision, but he was not stupid. He knew what to do at a time like this.
…
At night, the Xiping emperor welcomed a guest in his secret chambers. It was an old man. The Xiping emperor was very respectful toward him. If anyone else were here, they would be able to identify the old man as one of the few Primordial Soul Realm powerhouses in Donghe Prefecture.
Xiping Country had managed to build up their nation because they had the support of a cultivation sect. There were powerhouses in the Primordial Soul Realm in this sect who oversaw it. This old man was the grand elder of that sect. In the war between Fengyu and Xiping, both countries had stipulated that cultivators in the Primordial Soul Realm were not to participate. As such, even though Xiping Country had the sect’s support, it was useless at this point.
“Since this is the case, then I will take a look at the front lines. That young man blocked Fengyu, and, given the Fengyu emperor’s nature, he will not let this go so easily. He will most likely send out experts to deal with that young man. Even though I cannot take action because of the stipulations, it should be fine if I just take a look,” the old man said lightly.