Undying Life

Chapter 684: Chapter 684: The Rivers and Mountains

In the South Sea, at the Xuanwu Palace:

Outside a massive palace, the young master of the Xuanwu Clan waited.

"Boom~~~!"

The grand doors suddenly opened, and Guishou emerged with a long sigh.

"Supreme, have you recovered from your injuries?" the young master of the Xuanwu Clan, Guise, asked.

"Yes, Guise, thank you for your concern during this time," Guishou said with a slight smile.

The two walked to another comfortable hall.

"Supreme, what exactly happened? How did you get injured? It seems Lu Guitian is dead, and Wuhuan as well?" Guise asked, frowning.

"They're dead, sigh..." Guishou sighed deeply.

He then recounted the entire situation from beginning to end. The young master Guise listened intently.

"Zhong Shan? The Zhong Shan from the Dazhi Empire?" Guise asked, frowning.

"Yes, it's him. I must go to the Longevity Realm and report this to Raven Daojun. I wonder if his injuries have healed," Guishou said, frowning.

"Report to Raven Daojun? Do we Xuanwu Clan really need to depend on the Longevity Realm?" A flash of resistance appeared in Guise's eyes.

"Sigh, you don't understand the power of the Longevity Realm. With this chaotic era upon us, look at the Dali Heavenly Dynasty. Such a powerful dynasty collapsed overnight. The chaos will engulf the entire world, and our Xuanwu Clan cannot escape it. If we don't secure a path now, we'll follow in Nie Fancheng's footsteps sooner or later," Guishou sighed.

"But can the Longevity Realm truly treat us sincerely? Every time there's a battle, they send you out. If there's a war, won't they send the entire Xuanwu Clan? Are they really looking after us, or are they using us as cannon fodder?" A flash of unwillingness appeared in Guise's eyes.

"It won't be like that. If I have to put in some effort, so be it. It's all for the Xuanwu Clan!" Guishou shook his head.

"But..."

"No buts. Since we've already allied with the Longevity Realm, we can't think of anything else!" Guishou said firmly.

"Understood."

"Has anyone visited the Xuanwu Palace recently?" Guishou suddenly looked at Guise.

"Uh, yes," Guise nodded, a hint of concealment in his eyes.

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However, Guise knew that it was impossible to hide anything from the Supreme. After all, the Xuanwu Clan still had some loyal followers of Guishou.

"Oh?"

"The Dazhi Empire's Shuijing came to seek an alliance," Guise said.

"Shuijing? Zhong Shan? He came to seek an alliance?" Guishou's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"Yes."

"Hahahaha, he seeks an alliance? Just him?"

"Supreme, the wolf clan is the national beast of the Dazhi Empire."

"So what if it's the wolf clan? In this chaotic world, an empire is bound to turn to dust!" Guishou shook his head.

"But allying with the Dazhi Empire would give us a higher status than with the Longevity Realm, Supreme..."

"Enough. Don't even think about allying with the Dazhi Empire. The Xuanwu Clan must not be ruined in my hands. Has Zhong Shan been here? How many people?" Guishou looked at Guise.

Guise looked at Guishou, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. He then lowered his head, a trace of concealment flashing in his eyes, "Only Shuijing came."

"Hmm! That's good. The world is in chaos right now. Stay in the palace and do not go out. I'm heading to the Longevity Realm!" Guishou nodded.

"Yes!"

Guishou exited the grand hall and flew off into the distance. Watching Guishou's departing figure, Guise's eyes narrowed with determination—

Dazhi Empire, Lingxiao Heavenly Court

In a training hall, Zhong Shan slowly unfurled a scroll.

This scroll was given to Zhong Shan by Wu Jiutian before she left, a gift from Nie Fancheng during his lifetime.

Instinctively, Zhong Shan felt this was an extremely important item. The northern war and the Phoenix Clan order were not enough to make Zhong Shan personally go, but this item, now in his hands, was different.

As he slowly opened the scroll, the first thing that caught Zhong Shan's eye was a row of golden, majestic characters. This was Nie Fancheng's handwriting, personally inscribed:

Map of Rivers and Mountains!

These five characters, "Map of Rivers and Mountains," conveyed the importance of this scroll!

Nie Fancheng's strongest treasure? The Map of Rivers and Mountains?

The second line was an introduction:

The Map of Rivers and Mountains is a sage's treasure in the Great Thousand World. Unfortunately, the sage perished, and the map shattered into pieces scattered across the world. One fragment entered this Small Thousand World and became the strongest treasure of successive rulers. Only this fragment has been passed down through the ages. The complete map is vast beyond measure. Even with one fragment, its power is less than one-billionth of the original. However, I have found the method the sage used to refine it. I once tried to reforge a new Map of Rivers and Mountains, but the requirements were too stringent to match the original fragment.

The refinement of the Map of Rivers and Mountains requires heart, spirit, intention, thought, and method!

I bequeath this fragment of the Map of Rivers and Mountains to you. Though it cannot match the original's power, it is still a supreme treasure! May it dissolve the karma between us!

Following this was the method for refining the Map of Rivers and Mountains.

Reading this information, Zhong Shan took a deep breath, his eyes filled with gravity.

The Map of Rivers and Mountains? A sage's treasure from the Great Thousand World? A sage's fall? The map shattered?

When he was on Earth, Zhong Shan had heard of the Map of Rivers and Mountains in mythology. Was that the complete map or just another fragment?

A sage's treasure, even a fragment, was far superior to any immortal artifact!

Moreover, Nie Fancheng mentioned that he had tried to reforge the map, but the requirements were too demanding?

At that moment, Zhong Shan understood that the self-destructed Map of Rivers and Mountains Nie Fancheng had was likely a replica, not the original fragment. Such a supreme treasure—who could bear to part with it?

Looking at the refining method below, Zhong Shan furrowed his brows in deep thought. Indeed, the refinement was demanding, but within his capabilities. However, the requirements were extremely high, especially the 'Map Zhang,' which was the most difficult to choose. Even if refined with the finest materials, it would be fragile!

While Zhong Shan was extremely tempted by the Map of Rivers and Mountains' refining method, he had to set it aside for the time being.

He carefully put away the Map of Rivers and Mountains and slowly walked out of the hall.

He arrived once more at Tianyuan Pavilion, where the world's information was gathered again.

"Shui Wuhen, how is the information gathering on the northern battlefield?" Zhong Shan asked, looking at Shui Wuhen.

"The three great heavenly dynasties have all sent troops north. The Dayong Heavenly Dynasty is led by Grand Marshal Huan Tulong, wielding a pair of copper maces and sweeping through everything in his path!"

"What about the Taishui Heavenly Dynasty?"

"Commander, Wang Chen," Shui Wuhen said, looking at Zhong Shan.

"Wang Chen?" Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed.

Wang Chen, also known as the renegade Zhong Shijiu, leading the northern expedition?

"Yes, Wang Chen commands the army, and they are sweeping through the north with overwhelming force!" Shui Wuhen reported.

Zhong Shan fell silent for a moment, and the others waited for his response.

After some thought, Zhong Shan asked, "And what about Daqin?"

"Daqin is led by Wu'ang Gong Bai Qi. This man exudes an intense killing intent, and everything about him is peculiar," Shui Wuhen said.

"Oh?"

"Bai Qi's vehicle is a chariot, a bronze chariot pulled by thirteen bronze horses."

"Bronze horses?" Zhong Shan queried.

"Yes, bronze horses. They seem like living creatures but also appear to be cast from bronze. It's very strange. The chariot is incredibly sturdy and has not sustained any damage along the way. It's as if the chariot and horses are Bai Qi's magical treasures, making them impossible to decipher," Shui Wuhen explained.

"What about the battle results?" Zhong Shan asked after a moment of silence.

"The war has just begun, but after the first battle, he captured a million prisoners and buried them alive on the spot," Shui Wuhen said, swallowing hard, his eyes reflecting disbelief.

"Burying a million prisoners alive?" Zhong Shan's lips curled into a peculiar smile.

It was indeed Bai Qi's style! The god of slaughter, killing a million after the first battle. There would be many more battles and countless lives claimed by Bai Qi.

Sighing lightly, Zhong Shan looked at Shui Wuhen, "Continue to monitor."

"Yes!"

"Your Majesty, we have just received the latest news. Another event has occurred in Daqin," Shui Wuhen said with a frown.

"Oh?"

"In a grand mansion in Daqin, the Lü residence, the city of Xianyang was under lockdown that day. Inside, Xu Fu uttered 'Soul, return to me,' followed by an immense burst of golden light shooting into the sky. Countless gold bars, gold ingots, and gold bricks flew up and then scattered in all directions. The sky was filled with gold, an endless shower of gold covered the heavens. On that day, the holy city of Xianyang was enveloped in golden objects, a scene of immense grandeur. Simultaneously, a vast aura emanated from the Lü residence, causing countless civilians to suffocate and kneel in fear, much like what happened at Bai Qi's residence," Shui Wuhen said with confusion.

"A word worth a thousand gold, Lü Buwei?" Zhong Shan's eyes widened in astonishment.

"A word worth a thousand gold? Lü Buwei?" Yi Yan asked, puzzled, looking at Zhong Shan.

On one hand, Yi Yan was curious about who Lü Buwei was, and on the other, he marveled at how much His Majesty seemed to know about Daqin. How could he identify a person so quickly?

"Lü Buwei, the greatest merchant in the world, the overlord of commerce!"

Zhong Shan's heart was filled with gravity. Who was Lü Buwei? In Earth's history, there may have been countless great merchants, such as Shen Wansan, Tao Zhugong, Hu Xueyan, and others who were as wealthy as nations. Even though their wealth was envied by emperors, none could compare to Lü Buwei in terms of commercial prowess.

Lü Buwei was the foremost merchant in history. While others traded goods, Lü Buwei traded kings.

In history, only he had the audacity to invest in kings. While other merchants dealt in rare commodities, Lü Buwei had princes and heirs like Ying Yiren, Ying Zheng, and Ziyang Dan as his assets.

When these heirs ascended to the throne, he became the biggest winner. Merchants had a low social status, but Lü Buwei, through his merchant identity, achieved a position second only to the emperor in Daqin.

Perhaps Lü Buwei's reputation was later tarnished, but his "a word worth a thousand gold" and his "Lü's Spring and Autumn" could never be erased or replaced.