Chapter 1522: Outside Redemption City

A while has passed since bidding farewell to Jiang Wang.Zhu Weiwu stood rooted to the spot, having not moved at all.Huang Jinmo, too, stood not far off, hands behind her back, gazing out at the wilderness.The sky was like mist, the withered grass merged with the smoke.Solely in terms of a farewell, they had stood long enough.The person they were seeing off had long since vanished from sight.But in terms of waiting... time itself is the measure of waiting.In this tumultuous region, Huang Jinmo was the absolute sovereign. Yet few people had truly seen her with their own eyes.There were various legends about her, but not many could truly understand her story.The Prisoner's Tower was the core structure of the Unredeemable City.She was that "person" within the Prisoner's Tower.She was so noble, yet so lonely.At this moment, she stood there, graceful and cold, as if she had stood for many years.Zhu Weiwu finally spoke, "Why did you follow me out?"Huang Jinmo did not look at him, merely stating coldly, "The Unredeemable City is not a place you can come and go from as you please."Zhu Weiwu sighed, "The Unredeemable City is safe and stable. You have no need to venture into danger with me. Furthermore... you have more important matters."Huang Jinmo turned her head, her phoenix eyes sharp and distant, her voice cold as a deep abyss, "This Sovereign thought you, Zhu Weiwu, truly cared for nothing.""Who said that?" Zhu Weiwu deliberately chuckled, "I care quite a bit for my Junior Brother Jiang.""You seem to think you are a humorous person." Huang Jinmo's gaze was like frozen ice, freezing even the faint tenderness within, "Is Zhu Weiwu truly so unaware of himself?"Zhu Weiwu was silent for a long while, finally sighing again, "Humans are not plants or stones; how can they be without feelings? How could I possibly care for nothing?"Huang Jinmo's voice still lacked warmth, but she had at least shifted her gaze, which could cut a man, "It matters not. Zhuang Gaoxian appears resolute and acts decisively, yet in reality, he is a man of great forbearance. Every time he has risen in anger to launch an army, it has, in hindsight, been after careful consideration."She said, in a lonely and cold tone, "The fact that he could hide within the deep palace for so many years, enduring the constant provocations from the State of Yong, means it is only reasonable that he should endure this Sovereign's arrogance today.""Ah, are these truly your thoughts, Huang Jinmo?" As the words suddenly fell, an old man with a head of black hair appeared.His power needed no words to express.His fame had long been widely sung throughout the Western Regions.At this moment, he stood suspended in the air, his eyes deep, his voice filled with surprise, "Do you truly believe that you, Huang Jinmo, have the right to be arrogant before the State of Zhuang? Do you truly think that the Unredeemable City has survived until today because of your strength?"In the previous step, he was nowhere to be seen.In this step, he appeared before Huang Jinmo.One step brought a faraway land to the very doorstep.The Prime Minister of the State of Zhuang, Du Ruhui!"Hehehe."Simultaneously, a soft laugh drifted down.A middle-aged man with a placid face, like a wealthy gentry, also stepped into the air, appearing in this place.His gaze fell with extreme casualness, "Truly worthy of being called a defiant and arrogant usurper who dares to claim the title of Sovereign. This solitary one finds this self-importance quite admirable."His tone was flat, his posture casual, but as he stood here, everything had already changed!This area originally belonged to the Unredeemable City, and it had only one master, the Sovereign of Sin. But at this moment, everything was submitting to this man.Not just the wild grass, not just the thorns, and not just the vitality of heaven and earth.This very heaven and earth, the world had changed!The person who would appear here at this moment with Du Ruhui, who would refer to himself as "this solitary one," could only be the Lord of the State of Zhuang, Zhuang Gaoxian.The one who had orchestrated the rise of the State of Zhuang, who had won the war against the State of Yong... Within the entire region of the three states, and even the entire central Western Regions, a pair of ruler and minister, arguably the most influential, had arrived simultaneously!They stood suspended in the air, like the sun and moon rising together, dazzling and resplendent.Yet the two individuals standing on the ground, in this vast wilderness, appearing somewhat solitary, not one of them lowered their heads.Huang Jinmo even completely disregarded the words of this pair of ruler and minister, ignoring their authority, and only looked at Zhu Weiwu, a gentle smile now gracing her phoenix eyes, "You see, you still wanted to escort your Junior Brother Jiang away by yourself, looking for an opportunity to kill Du Ruhui in a solo fight. Are you dumbfounded now?"Golden flames ignited in Zhu Weiwu's hand. From within the flames, he slowly drew out his not-so-remarkable-looking Burning Staff, shaking his head with a bitter smile, "I truly did not expect that under the current circumstances, Zhuang Gaoxian, being the ruler of a state, would still dare to leave his territory and make a move."Anyone who paid attention to the situation in the Western Regions knew of the undercurrents lurking beneath the seemingly calm surface.Following the new policies of the State of Yong, its national strength had fully recovered. The Yong Monarch, Han Xu, urgently needed some achievements to prove the effectiveness of his new policies, to demonstrate the necessity of his reforms, and to further persuade the stubborn and conservative forces within the country.And looking around the State of Yong's borders. The westward campaign against Jiao had ended without conclusion. Heading north was tantamount to seeking death. The state to the east had a special status and could not be easily provoked. It seemed that the only path left was to go south. This predicament of having no outward expansion was also the reason why the State of Yong had repeatedly stirred up border disputes with the State of Zhuang in years past.The war between Zhuang and Yong at the end of Dao Calendar Year 3918 was a source of glory and merit for the State of Zhuang. For the State of Yong, it was an indelible humiliation.The achievement of counter-attacking the State of Zhuang and reclaiming the old territories would undoubtedly immediately win Han Xu the support of his people and elevate his historical position in the State of Yong far beyond that of his father – he desperately needed to prove this.In fact, with the support of the Ink School, Han Xu had been able to endure until now, patiently promoting the new policies, consolidating the domestic situation, stabilizing relations with neighboring states, and smoothly handling the exchange of interests with the Ink School... This was already a terrifying level of composure.He had smoothed over everything with astonishing political skill.Now, the court of the State of Yong was stable, and its national strength had greatly increased.This state, which had seemingly decayed, was once again brimming with vitality.The pact under the city walls of Yingge City back then was at risk of being broken at any time.Zhuang Gaoxian daring to leave the territory of Zhuang at this time, coming to a place like the Unredeemable City, a no-man's-land, was undeniably audacious! If this intelligence were known to the State of Yong, and they mobilized their forces to surround and kill him here, the State of Zhuang could essentially declare its demise.But this level of danger for Zhuang Gaoxian also made one realize the determination behind his actions.Jiang Wang, or Zhu Weiwu, or perhaps the two of them together... had actually instilled such an obsession in Zhuang Gaoxian, who had already attained the realm of a True Person in this era and established the great undertaking of revitalizing the State of Zhuang!Zhu Weiwu slightly raised his head, with his inherent pride, looking at the pair of ruler and minister in the air, and continued, "Guess how long it will take for the news that the Emperor and Prime Minister of the State of Zhuang are both outside, without the support of the national power and with no other forces protecting them... to remain secret?"This was a very interesting question.But Zhuang Gaoxian did not answer directly.He merely looked down at Zhu Weiwu, "This solitary one has always admired confident people, wouldn't you agree, Minister Zhu?"This ruler of the revived State of Zhuang, the king who aimed to establish an everlasting foundation, looked down at the minister he had once most admired, "Why don't you guess how long you can hold out?"A silent majesty was already spreading."Who are you looking at?!" Huang Jinmo took a step into the air, her gaze level with Zhuang Gaoxian's, also cutting off the pressure he was exerting on Zhu Weiwu.She had once told Mei Yue that if Zhuang Gaoxian personally came for him, she would hand him over without hesitation.But at this moment, there was not an ounce of yielding in her eyes, "Who do you think your opponent is?"Zhuang Gaoxian looked at her with an extremely indifferent gaze, "It is one thing to presume to call yourself Sovereign within this small plot of land, but relying on that vague connection with the State of Chu, you dare to be so presumptuous before this solitary one?"Huang Jinmo smiled.The smile, highlighted by her black flowing robe, was like a black rose blossoming in the air."Strutting back and forth within this small pond of several thousand miles, you might actually think you are an unparalleled hero! This Sovereign rarely leaves the Prisoner's Tower, and has treated Du Ruhui with good words, which has made you dare to be arrogant!""You thought, when Han Yin was alive, why didn't he come to the Unredeemable City?""You thought, why has the State of Yong always harbored no ambition towards this place?""You don't know. It's because the State of Zhuang was too weak before. And you are too ignorant!"Her hands, adorned with black nail polish, gently circled, each now holding a pair of Phoenix Wing Blades.She looked at Zhuang Gaoxian with a lonely coldness, "Looking at the entire world, this Sovereign is likely the only Divine Ascension who can kill a True Person. Zhuang Gaoxian, do you wish to try?"What arrogant words!What realm is Manifestation?In ancient times, Divine Ascension was called Immortality, but later, as the 518 years of life ended, it was proven to be a false Immortality.And the realm of Manifestation is the realm where one has seen through the reality of the world, where one has seen "True Immortality"!Looking at the entire world, and even searching throughout history, no Divine Ascension has ever dared to claim they could kill a True Person.Even in the present day, there might be debate about the strongest Divine Ascension in the world, but the strongest Divine Ascension in the Eastern Regions was undoubtedly the former Butcher, Chongxuan Chuliang.But even Chongxuan Chuliang, wielding the blade that cuts life span, had no record of fighting and killing a True Person at the Divine Ascension level!Among the widely known battle records, Chongxuan Chuliang, throughout his life at the Divine Ascension realm, fought against Manifestation realm individuals five times, each time more dangerous than the last, and the final time he was in a near-death state, needing a full year to recover! Even with such a record, it had already made him the undisputed number one Divine Ascension in the Eastern Regions.Fighting and killing a True Person at the Divine Ascension realm? Chongxuan Chuliang would not dare to utter such arrogant words!What reliance did Huang Jinmo have to dare say such a thing?What did Huang Jinmo depend on to have such confidence?Was it truly just the arrogance of someone who sits in a well and looks at the sky?Or... had Huang Weizhen left something behind back then?Huang Jinmo's background gives rise to too many conjectures. The shadow of that legendary figure hidden behind her inevitably causes further speculation and unease!But what kind of person was Zhuang Gaoxian? How could he be scared away by a few words?He merely looked at Huang Jinmo with indifference, "Then, this solitary one is truly very curious."This battle outside the Unredeemable City was likely destined not to be witnessed by too many people.However, for everyone involved, it had a profound impact.On the other side of the battlefield, Du Ruhui had completely blocked out the conversation between Zhuang Gaoxian and Huang Jinmo. Of course, he had not the slightest worry about the current monarch of the State of Zhuang.He merely looked down at Zhu Weiwu with a look of regret, "You still care about the imperial court, which is a comforting thing for this old man."He continued Zhu Weiwu's words, "But it matters not. General Huangfu is strong enough. And..."He raised his right hand, pointed it at Zhu Weiwu, and the corner of his mouth curved up with great confidence, "It should be enough time for this old man to rush back.""I do indeed still care about you all. But I wonder, Prime Minister..." Zhu Weiwu gripped his long spear, leapt up without hesitation, a cold glint like a falling star, golden flames blooming like lotuses, "Can you withstand it?!"No one could have predicted that the Unredeemable City, which was known for establishing order in chaos and being consistently neutral and stable, would experience such major events one after another.Zhang Xun's great battle with Zhu Weiwu, Xiao Shu's failed attempt at Divine Ascension and death...And in the wilderness outside the Unredeemable City, the life-and-death battle was divided into two fronts.On one side was a spectacular battle involving three Divine Ascensions and one Manifestation. On the other, it revolved around the leader of the Yellow River who had been struck by a bludgeon, spitting blood and flying backward.At this moment, he did not know that Zhu Weiwu was fighting for him, and that this had also entangled Huang Jinmo.He had simply suffered tremendous emotional and physical trauma. In his powerless backward flight, a thousand thoughts raced through his mind in an instant.Jiang Wang would not be surprised by any opponent.No matter who he faced, he had the courage to confront them.He always dared to fight, and always pursued victory.But Du Yehu's bludgeon had struck him into a state of daze and despair!Amidst the exploded grave earth and shattered white bones, Du Yehu charged forward, wrapped in an extremely fierce bloody military aura.Behind him, in the void, the military aura faintly condensed into a vicious tiger, roaring towards the sky!He walked the path of the ancient military strategists, a path of nine deaths and one life, directly using blood and qi to charge his meridians, refining an extremely fierce military aura.Then, after countless life-and-death experiences on the battlefield, he combined the bloodlust of killing with the extremely fierce military aura to form this fierce tiger aura!He chased after him with such madness.His eyes looked at Jiang Wang's eyes.Second Brother looked at Third Brother.The commander of the Xuanjia Army of Jiujiang in the State of Zhuang, looked at Qingyang Zi of the State of Qi.Jiang Wang felt a great danger, which made him deeply understand – if he didn't fight back with all his might, he might truly die!He woke up in an instant.He broke free from that unbelievable pain and emotion, emerging as a battle-ready self!In a single thought, the world became vastly different.Jiang Wang in his battle stance, Du Yehu had witnessed it...Therefore, even though he had already severely injured Jiang Wang, even though he had already pursued halfway – at this moment, he retreated instead!He retreated with a movement even more intense than his forward charge, holding his bludgeon horizontally in front of him, taking a complete defensive posture.And within Jiang Wang's chest and abdomen, one by one, bright white light sources lit up.The light of the Five Divine Abilities, the Heavenly Mansion Physique!This powerful state instantly supported his heavily injured body and infused him with immense power.As he retreated, he stirred the flowing wind, and the flowing wind seemed to be stirred by him as well.In this somewhat unreal strength, he looked at Du Yehu –"Du Laohu, don't you have anything to say to me?"