Such an outstandingly talented expert could never have died from some illness.
That method of death was far too absurd.
Wang Chong was silent, knowing that Li Xuantu had already understood.
No matter what dimension it was in, the death of the Champion Marquis had always been a great pity. In truth, the matter of his death had always been greatly debated, and few people believed he had actually fallen ill. A Great General who was formidable in battle had to have a much healthier constitution than the ordinary person, and as a general that led from the front, Huo Qubing was a stalwart horseman. How could such a person die from such a simple cause?
“Regardless of what’s written in the histories, the truth seems very different from what is commonly understood,” Wang Chong said after some thought.
There was no reason for someone to disguise himself as Huo Qubing in the middle of the Celestial Palace. It was more likely that this was the real Huo Qubing.
“The annals said that Huo Qubing was ill in the capital at the age of twenty-three, but it now appears that this was far from the case. It’s clear that not long after Emperor Wu welcomed the green bird, he secretly had Flying Cavalry Great General Huo Qubing organize a team to seek out the green bird, the Queen Mother of the West, and the so-called Celestial Domain.
“This matter was kept top-secret. Emperor Wu didn’t want too many people to know, so no one spoke a word about it.”
Li Xuantu’s eyes were pensive as he slowly spoke.
“The Celestial Domain was clearly a huge draw for Emperor Wu, so Huo Qubing was probably just a vanguard to open the way for Emperor Wu. He probably did not imagine that Huo Qubing would head off into the Heaven-Reaching Path and never return.” Wang Chong took the reins from Li Xuantu and continued, the two of them slowly uncovering the true situation from that time.
“The Celestial Domain was a trap, so Emperor Wu waited for Huo Qubing in vain.”
Li Xuantu frowned as he said, “But this is the problem. If Huo Qubing’s real body is here, the Huo Qubing that was buried had to be an empty coffin. Emperor Wu was overcome with grief because he had to have confirmed that Huo Qubing was dead. The Grand Scribe of the Han Dynasty would not have made a mistake on this point. But how had Emperor Wu confirmed that Huo Qubing had been slain? ‘Missing’ is very different from ‘dead’!”
Wang Chong said nothing as he exchanged a glance with Li Xuantu. He had also thought of this point, and the historical records had been very clear on Emperor Wu’s grief.
Huo Qubing’s disappearance should have only left Emperor Wu anxious, perhaps even had him send people to seek him out. But grief meant something entirely different.
If he weren’t sure that Huo Qubing was dead, he would not have expressed this emotion.
Wang Chong was at least sure about one thing: Emperor Wu’s expression of grief had been sincere.
“This is truly a riddle, but the relationship between Emperor Wu and Huo Qubing is almost a fairytale, and Emperor Wu trusted Huo Qubing far more than any other person. I guess that there was some secretive method of communication between them that allowed Emperor Wu to conclude that Huo Qubing was dead.”
After a few moments of thought, Wang Chong glanced at the smiling figure of the Champion Marquis and continued.
“And don’t you think he died a little too carefreely? If he was a person who still had regrets and desires, he shouldn’t have died with such a relaxed expression.”
As a legend from nearly one thousand years ago and an astounding military genius, even now, this young Champion Marquis had a bearing and strength that inspired admiration.
“But there are some things I still don’t understand. If Emperor Wu wanted to seek the Immortals to consult them on the Dao, seeking out the green bird and the Queen Mother, why did he not come personally instead of sending Huo Qubing as his vanguard? Why is it that not long after the green bird’s descent, he turned around and began to search for the Queen Mother of the West and the Celestial Domain?
“Most importantly, even someone of Huo Qubing’s impressive cultivation could not leave the Celestial Palace. This means that while they thought they were acting in secret, Heaven had already seen through everything. They did not discover the Celestial Domain because their luck was good, but because Heaven let them.
“But what was Heaven’s goal? What did Emperor Wu and Huo Qubing have that he wanted? Why did he even make up the Queen Mother of the West and the green bird to go and interact with Emperor Wu?” Li Xuantu sternly said.
As someone who had once vied for the throne against the Sage Emperor and even managed to pressure him, Li Xuantu had an extremely sharp mind.
But even he was rather baffled. There were far too many things that couldn’t be explained here.
Wang Chong remained quiet as his mind churned.
Heaven had always been proud, taking himself as the Celestial Emperor that ruled over the nine heavens. He naturally had no regard for mortal sovereigns and generals, but that didn’t mean they had nothing he wanted.
Wang Chong happened to know of several items that Heaven dearly wanted.
At this time, Wang Chong had an idea, but he left it unspoken.
“The Queen Mother of the West and the Celestial Domain might have been fake, but it seems that the story of the green bird was true.”
Wang Chong quickly turned to that giant green peacock-phoenix hybrid next to Huo Qubing.
“True. Who could have imagined that this myth would be true?”
Li Xuantu emotionally sighed.
The first thing they had noticed upon their arrival was not the domineering figure of the Flying Cavalry Great General, but this mountainous bird.
This huge bird was none other than the green bird that Emperor Wu of Han had welcomed all those many years ago.
Just by looking at this giant bird, they could understand why the ambitious and wise Emperor Wu would fall for Heaven’s story about the Kunlun paradise.
For people who had never seen this giant bird, it clearly did not seem like some mortal creature. Only in the legendary ‘Celestial Domain’ could it truly exist.
“Master, I find this giant bird very familiar…” Little Nightmare said from within the Foundation Dimension.
After a few moments of thought, Li Xuantu said, “You’re speaking of the Arabian Behemoth Army?”
Li Xuantu had heard of this famed army. After the war between the Great Tang and Arabia, news of this special army had spread throughout the Central Plains.
“Mm.”
Wang Chong nodded. It was clear that all three of them were on the same train of thought.
“This creature couldn’t have arisen naturally, but Heaven is completely capable of creating this sort of creature. In fact, even Essence Supreme could create one.”
It was far from just one person in the Celestial God Organization that could create Behemoths. The Arabian Behemoth Army was the work of the Arab High Priest, and he had been a member of the Celestial God Organization. And besides Essence Supreme, Luo Supreme had also possessed the ability, having created those giant wolves.
Li Xuantu sighed. “Haaa, in the end, it was all a trap. The only blessing is that this green bird that Heaven created probably wasn’t meant for Huo Qubing, but Emperor Wu of Han. But in the end, it seems like Emperor Wu didn’t take the bait.”
After Huo Qubing’s death, Emperor Wu lived on for many years, possessing one of the longest lives amongst the sovereigns of the Central Plains. It was evident that Heaven had not reached his initial goal in that aspect.
Heaven’s avatar had most likely not been strong enough to subdue Emperor Wu.
Not saying any more, Wang Chong walked past Huo Qubing and the green bird.
They soon passed through the second barrier and entered the third sealed region of the Celestial Palace.
Buzz!
The moment they stepped in, they felt an immense pressure weigh on their shoulders. In front of them, they could
sense a somber and vicious killing intent crisscrossing through the air. Wang Chong and Li Xuantu exchanged a grave glance.
“This place seems more like a battlefield than a Celestial Palace. The killing intent is intense,” Li Xuantu sternly said. He began to circulate the Stellar Energy in his dantian, transferring energy to his palms, and his body slightly tensed as he readied for battle.
Li Xuantu sensed that this region was very different from the other two!
“Be careful! An extremely bitter battle took place here, one between apex experts!” Wang Chong said as his sharp gaze inspected the area.
A battle had also taken place in the previous region. Under Heaven’s control, the Han experts under Huo Qubing’s command had killed each other and died tragic deaths. But in that region, Wang Chong had not sensed such vicious killing intent.
This killing intent suffused the air, making one feel like swords and sabers were rubbing across one’s skin, and goosebumps appeared over their skin.
Wang Chong focused, appearing outwardly relaxed while inwardly tense.
The two of them quickly saw a golden-armored figure in a heap on the ground.
This person had clearly suffered grievous wounds. His tough armor had been blasted into numerous fragments that peppered the ground around him, and his sword had also been broken into several pieces. The hilt was gripped in his hand while the tip and blade were ten-some meters away.
But most striking of all was the giant hole in his body. This hole started at his chest and ended out his back. Through this hole, one could see his carbonized organs and the shattered white jade paving stones.
Beneath him, the tough ground was covered in cracks.
Wang Chong and Li Xuantu stopped, but this time, they did not bend down to inspect the area.
Chapter 2351 - The Meng Clan of the Great Qin!
Chapter 2351: The Meng Clan of the Great Qin!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Li Xuantu stared at the corpse on the ground and said, “It’s rather strange. It doesn’t seem like some outsider who wandered into the Celestial Palace!”
Wang Chong carefully examined the corpse on the ground, particularly the face. “It truly is rather strange. His armor doesn’t appear to originate from any dynasty of the Central Plains, and his expression is far too calm. There’s no pain or anger. That’s not a normal reaction at all.”
The battlefield was where people died the most, and Wang Chong had taken part in several major wars, with hundreds of thousands to millions of deaths.
Wang Chong had seen far too much death on the battlefield, and many people would die feeling immense pain, like those Han generals they had encountered in the previous region.
But this corpse was far too calm. His face held no joy or sorrow. It was like all the injuries had happened to someone else.
And those eyes were too unfocused, even empty.
This wasn’t what a normal person should look like. Wang Chong would be more willing to call him a puppet.
As Wang Chong’s eyes passed over the corpse’s ribs, he suddenly snapped his fingers. A moment later, a special token that had been pressed beneath his body flew into the air.
Ding!
Wang Chong reached out, sucking the metal token into his hand.
‘Celestial Guard’!
These two words, written in ancient script, had been carved into the token.
The two of them fell silent at this token.
“It’s one of Heaven’s people.”
This was actually the first time they had seen one of Heaven’s subordinates after entering the Celestial Palace.
“These are probably puppets of the Celestial Palace. Their will has been completely stripped away, and they feel no pain regardless of the injuries they sustain,” Wang Chong sternly said.
Looking at those slack eyes, Wang Chong recalled the Celestial Army that he had seen in the memories of the Arab High Priest. The two of them were rather similar, but there were also differences, like in the armor. Thus, Wang Chong had not immediately recognized them for what they were.
Moreover, the Celestial Palace was Heaven’s personal ritual tool, and not even the members of the Celestial God Organization were allowed within. To serve as a substitute for them, Heaven had created these guardian puppets that could feel no pain.
They continued deeper, encountering more and more Celestial Guards. Their bodies were scattered about the edge of the third region, all of them having suffered immense damage.
“Whoever came in here was incredibly powerful. With one punch, they were able to punch right through these Celestial Guards, blasting apart their armor. This is truly some shocking strength. What sort of person ended up wandering into this place?” Li Xuantu said.
This place was Heaven’s base, and the majority of the people who came in had been lured by Heaven to walk into his trap. This was the first time they had seen someone who could turn from a ‘guest’ into a ‘master’, killing Heaven’s Celestial Guard without restraint.
The fact that this group was able to resist Heaven’s mental control and even slaughter the Celestial Guards was proof of their strength.
This was clearly an extremely formidable group of people.
Let alone Li Xuantu, even Wang Chong felt very curious. What sort of person could have torn through the Celestial Guards like this?
Their curiosity didn’t last for long. A few moments later, the two of them saw the terrifying foe of these Celestial Guards.
In the square, another corpse was collapsed in front of several Celestial Guards.
This man had a slender yet powerful body. He wore black armor that was completely different from the armor of the Celestial Guards, and his weapon was a long and heavy black sword.
The sword’s edge was chipped and cracked after slaying numerous foes. And if one looked carefully, one could see that dried blood thickly covered the blade.
The man had a vicious face that was seething with killing intent. Even in death, he maintained a fighting posture. Even for a Great General like Wang Chong, it left an extremely deep impression.
There was no doubt that this tiger of a general was not merely strong. He was one of those who truly had no fear of death.
But what drew Wang Chong’s attention the most was the two long black feathers extending from the helmet.
“This is a Qin Guard!”
Wang Chong slightly creased his brow, his expression turning grave.
“Not just any Qin Guard, but someone who served the Imperial Palace, a top-class Kingsguard,” Li Xuantu said as he examined the corpse.
The helmet bearing two black feathers was a special kind of helmet that none of the dynasties after the Qin had used. Moreover, Tang armor was bright and dazzling, and had been designed to have breastplate mirrors, but this Qin Guard was not wearing this sort of armor.
In addition, according to the existing historical records, the Qin Dynasty identified with the color black, and black armor was extremely common in the Qin Dynasty.
The two of them had not imagined that they would find a Qin Dynasty soldier here.
The Kingsguard were not sent out for no reason. The two instantly had all sorts of theories, but they kept them to themselves. They would soon get to the bottom of this riddle.
As they ventured deeper, they soon arrived at the main battlefield.
Though they had mentally prepared themselves, when they saw it with their own eyes, they were still left reeling in shock.
The first thing Wang Chong saw on this vast battlefield was a giant war banner. On this banner was the word ‘Qin’ ().
Around this banner, Wang Chong saw the bodies of many Qin Guards, and around them were thousands of Celestial Guards. Besides these Celestial Guards, Wang Chong also saw men in black who had transformed into Lu Wus. These people had lost all rationality and had crazily charged at the Qin Guards.
But most astonishingly, the outnumbered Qin Guards had h
ad the advantage.
While Heaven was using these people to attack them, the Qin Guards had remained in formation. Despite being attacked from all sides, the Qin Guards had maintained their discipline.
Only upon seeing this army would one understand what a real Qin Guard was. These were the heavy soldiers that had overcome the other states, a true army of tigers and wolves.
Wang Chong felt no fear from this army, and it seemed like not even death could vanquish them.
Not only were they fearless, they exhibited a ferocity that made them even more frightening than the Celestial Guards and men in black.
At this moment, Wang Chong and Li Xuantu understood why such savage killing intent pervaded this region.
Their fighting intent and killing intent lingered even though they had died so long ago.
“Why would the Great Qin’s renowned army appear here? It doesn’t make sense!”
Li Xuantu stared at this sight in shock.
The Han Dynasty was surprising enough, but Li Xuantu had never imagined that even Qin Guards from more than one thousand years ago would appear here.
It made no sense for this army to be here.
Wang Chong was also pondering this question. After all, there was the story of Emperor Wu meeting the green bird in the Han Dynasty, so he could accept Huo Qubing appearing here. But the state of Qin… Wang Chong couldn’t think of anything that connected Heaven to the Qin Empire.
After all, not even the ancient texts had written anything linking the Qin Dynasty to Heaven and the Celestial Domain.
But Wang Chong quickly got ahold of himself.
“We’ll quickly find out the truth, regardless of what it is!”
Wang Chong strode forward.
Looking past this terrifying battlefield, Wang Chong saw something else.
Cautiously walking past the bodies of the Qin Guards and Celestial Guards, on the edge of the battlefield, Wang Chong spotted several imposing figures, their expression grim as they stood in a row, seemingly guarding something.
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