Chapter 2407: Striving for the Present

“Now, at this time, what do you have to say?” Ying Jianghong, clad in armor and appearing divinely mighty, asked with his hands behind his back.

His Dao body had just offered allegiance to Jing Heavenly Emperor in the central great hall not long ago.

His Dharma body always guarded Guan River Platform, watching over the last remaining powerhouses of the long river dragon palace—

The great manager of the Yellow River, Fu Yunqin.

Tragically, apart from a few ancient water race monsters whose whereabouts were unknown and who had disappeared without a trace for a long time, Fu Yunqin seemed to be the last remaining absolute peak of the water race.

At least, he was the only one still active and known to the public.

Saying "active" also meant he only showed his face during every Yellow River flood season, playing a role almost identical to the Six Friends of Jing Tian once did.

Fu Yunqin did not speak.

He was hanging on a blood-stained ancient torture rack, stretched out like the character '大' (dà), but the upper horizontal stroke was bent downwards.

That was his head, hanging down powerlessly.

Once, when he was young, he also wanted to hold his head high and his chest out. Later, he discovered that phrases like "hero in youth" and "full of spirit" were merely human words, irrelevant to the water race.

His head had not been lifted for many years.

Even though he was considered a top genius.

At this moment, on his head, hung long, dry grass-like spreading hair.

Grass and wood hang down, a lifetime of regrets.

Vitality seemed to be quietly dissipating within this pile of dry grass.

Ying Jianghong said inexplicably, "We discussed with the sea race about exchanging you for the safe return of my Dou E army soldiers. They did not agree to exchange you."

Fu Yunqin did not speak.

He knew this kind of transaction was impossible, but he did not refute it either.

In this world, he no longer felt that speaking was meaningful.

Ying Jianghong also stopped speaking; he waited quietly.

Waited for everyone to gather.

Guan River Platform, lofty and eternal.

Turbulent white rapids, crossing various towns.

The Six Direction Pillars, which once stood firm, had already hidden from sight with the end of the Yellow River assembly and the departure of the overlord country's Heavenly Emperor.

Thus, this martial field, once surrounded by the Six Direction Pillars and the stage for supreme competition, was now wide open on all six sides.

Above the viewing platforms on the six sides were free-floating clouds and the boundless sky.

This Under Heaven Platform truly allowed the entire world to appreciate it.

The great manager of the Yellow River, Fu Yunqin, had been hanging on the torture rack at the exact center of the Under Heaven Platform for several months.

An absolute peak who had entered the Dao realm, an existence at the limit of present-day extraordinary beings, would, of course, not simply be killed like this. But he was undoubtedly undergoing humiliation in this manner.

Today.

The soldiers of the Dou E army's maze world had all returned. Keeping such a water race absolute peak was no longer of great use. Keeping him alive was a burden, and if he accidentally escaped to the vast sea, it would be even more troublesome.

The Southern Heavenly Master, Ying Jianghong, came here again.

With his true body and Dharma body, he displayed his strongest posture.

After the great court assembly of Jing country, which was marked by "nothing happened," as the most powerful pillar of the imperial party, his appearance on Guan River Platform in such a posture was, of course, to carry out the will of the Jing country Heavenly Emperor.

And a Fu Yunqin who had never resisted and indeed had lost the power to resist, thus allowing himself to be slaughtered, did not need him to personally execute, much less did he need to set up such a solemn array to await.

So, today at Guan River Platform, it was naturally another important matter—

After the failure of the Jing Sea plan and the death of the long river dragon lord, the internal account given by Jing Heavenly Emperor to Jing country was complete. As Jing country, they still needed to give an account to various sides of the present world.

"Giving an account" is a complex study.

If the account is not handled well, it is simply honestly cutting meat and bleeding. A single mistake, if exposed, can lead to compensating ten or even a hundred times the loss.

But if the account is handled well... taking responsibility for the long river can completely redefine the governance order on both banks of the long river.

Dividing a new long river order, how can it not be establishing the majesty of the central empire?

Ying Jianghong came precisely with this political intention!

—The Bo Wang Marquis of Great Qi, who had never attended any meetings, analyzed it precisely like this with Jiang Zhenjun.

Yes, the youngest absolute peak powerhouse since history began was also invited to attend.

Of course, it was not just him alone; the entire Tai Xu Pavilion was invited.

As its prestige in the present world grew daily, and as a strict and absolutely neutral organization according to the Tai Xu iron rules, after the "Tai Xu Profound Chapter" was fully spread, the prestige of Tai Xu Pavilion among the common people of the world was like the sun at its zenith.

But Ying Jianghong inviting Tai Xu Pavilion was actually a manifestation of a special right—relative to Li country and Wei country.

This matter is complex to explain.

In the past, Jing Wen Emperor allied with various lords at Guan River Platform by issuing a Heavenly Emperor's edict, and the monarchs from various sides came to court.

Today is different from the past, and it definitely cannot be called an "edict."

It was simply that the Southern Heavenly Master Ying Jianghong, representing Jing country, hosted a "governance of the river great assembly" and invited various forces to take their seats and attend. The theme of the great assembly was to discuss the governance of the long river by the human race in the post-dragon lord era.

The six great overlord countries would definitely all gather.

And Wei country's national power has risen very quickly in recent years. Also, because it is near the long river, it has long participated in river governance. In a great assembly named "governance of the river," not inviting a strong country that has long participated in river governance is somewhat unreasonable. In actual strategic practice, it would also be difficult to implement orders smoothly.

Wei country's participation in the river governance great assembly made its strength even stronger. Even Li country, which already had influence over the world situation, could not fail to come. Li country itself was also always seeking breakthroughs in its discourse rights, desperately performing in the demon world and Yu Abyss.

Every present-world-scale alliance had always excluded the six great overlord countries.

Whether to open or not open was one thing, but once opened, there was no reason not to let Li country join.

All six great overlord countries had people within Tai Xu Pavilion, while Li and Wei did not. Therefore, Tai Xu Pavilion's presence on the scene, while seemingly supervising impartially, actually embodied the transcendent status of the six great overlord countries, which had not yet been challenged.

The present world is truly interconnected, with various forces intricately interwoven.

Ying Jianghong, who hosted this great assembly, had a deep understanding of this.

Originally, slaughtering the water race and disposing of the long river was such a clear matter, but the era when Jing country could decide the world's tide with a single sentence was already in the past. Now, everything must be discussed.

With more people, even a simple matter becomes complex.

As the main host, he had to consider all aspects. Introducing Li and Wei to participate in the great assembly was also a way to introduce troublemakers and avoid the other five overlord countries from joining hands to tear at the meat.

"The Heavenly Emperors of the five countries meet at Tian Jing," is a historical event that every emperor after Jing Qin Emperor wanted to repeatedly recite, and the people of Jing country had a particularly deep impression of it.

There were also two sects attending the great assembly—

San Xing Palace and Long Men Academy.

Long Men Academy was invited for the same reason as Wei country, also due to its historical responsibility towards the long river.

And San Xing Palace was invited because its palace lord, Wu Bingyi, represented "mountains and rivers, and the earth is square." This matter should have involved him anyway, especially since this great assembly needed a convincing sense of impartiality—there was no simpler method than inviting a great legalist master to attend.

However, Wu Bingyi had to attend while also constantly paying attention to the movements of the Xian Lin ruins, which was somewhat difficult.

Furthermore, Song country was not invited, but Song country's prime minister, Tu Weiqian, also came to represent Song country.

After all, Song country was also on the edge of the long river and actually had contributed to river governance, although not significantly.

Song country's special position lay precisely here—it had some contribution to river governance, and it also had that certain level of strength. It was also a great country supported by Shu Mountain!

So, it was difficult to squeeze in, but it could still squeeze into the assembly.

Other countries, no matter how hard they tried, couldn't squeeze in. To squeeze in, they also needed certain strength as support.

The name "governance of the river great assembly" was not at all overbearing, but the level of the great assembly was truly not low.

Another manifestation of the great assembly's high level was that all nine members of Tai Xu Pavilion, rarely seen together, all gathered and participated in this great assembly!

One must know that these members were either lazy, aloof, self-closed, or busy cultivating. Moreover, they were all accustomed to freedom; even Tai Xu Pavilion's internal meetings were difficult to gather them for. And yet, they were all gathered here.

It could only be said that the Under Heaven Platform itself had a special meaning; everyone knew the importance of this occasion. Even if they didn't know it themselves, they would be reminded.

Thus, people could see such a rare scene on the viewing platforms where important figures from all sides were seated—

The representatives attending from various forces, each proper and serious, majestic and noble, sat in the front row, seriously looking at the Under Heaven Platform, waiting for the great assembly to formally begin.

And the various members of Tai Xu Pavilion all sat far, far away in the last row, side by side, as if afraid of startling someone, appearing quite honest and dutiful.

But looking closely, they were all cultivating with their eyes closed.

Each of them either had jade light on their faces or had qi like steaming dragons and tigers.

Oh, not entirely so. At least Ju Kui was not cultivating, but holding a pen and a thick, heavy book, writing slowly there, not knowing what he was writing. His brows were tightly furrowed, and each stroke was very regular.

Beside him, Zhong Xuan was also reading a history book, but as he read, he finally couldn't continue. He asked, "Old Ju, how is the assessment illusion design coming along?"

Ju Kui seemed not to hear.

Zhong Xuan was quiet for a while, then elbowed Ju Kui and whispered, "They are all cultivating, and I'm like this. Isn't it a bit unprogressive? Isn't it too out of place?"

Ju Kui glanced at him faintly, "Your age just doesn't fit in."

Zhong Xuan looked at him in surprise, "You're still eight years older than me!"

"But I won't consider whether I fit in or not—" Ju Kui said expressionlessly, "Don't bother."

Zhong Xuan thought for a moment, finally put down the book, and also closed his eyes to cultivate.

These young people are too hardworking!

Those who are stronger than you, younger than you, are also more hardworking than you.

How can older people live like this?

"Tsk! Why do you say you can all enter the pavilion!" Tu Hu, the great priest representing Mu country, arrived late and just passed by a crowd of Tai Xu Pavilion members, walking towards the front row. He pretended to speak softly, but his voice was very loud, "These people are all so talented and so diligent!"

Feeling that many people in the front row turned back and their gazes were all drawn over, Cang Ming silently got up and sat far away by himself.

"Cough." Tu Hu did not feel embarrassed at all and looked at Jiang Wang again, "Long time no see, Jiang Zhenjun! A character like Jiang Zhenjun actually also cultivates personally?"

Jiang Wang exited his cultivation state and quickly got up to greet him, "Priest, I was just wandering outside my body and didn't notice you coming. I apologize for the rudeness—please don't make fun of me!"

Tu Hu smiled and patted his shoulder, "I was very happy that you proved the Dao."

Then, with a sweep of his large sleeve, he walked directly to the front row.

In Jiang Wang's heart, Tu Hu had always been an image of deep wisdom, every word and action very cautious and profound. Today, it was rare for him to joke like this...

It seemed he was really very happy.

Had Mu country recently had any big breakthroughs?

"Jiang Zhenjun—"

Song country's prime minister, Tu Weiqian, from his position in the front row, ran over in small steps, and said softly and respectfully, "I've always wondered when I would have the opportunity to pay my respects."

He cautiously looked to the side, originally intending to greet everyone in a circle, but saw that the other members had their eyes closed, and Ju Kui was also writing very focusedly, so he knew better than to disturb them.

Jiang Wang suppressed his thoughts about the grassland situation, smiled, and got up to return the greeting, "Prime Minister Tu, you are too polite. Life is vast; we will naturally meet—aren't we meeting now?"

Everyone said Song country squeezed its way into the assembly.

But not squeezing really wouldn't work.

With the opening up of Martial Dao, Wu Xun's ascent to the top, Wei Xuanche's successful gamble, Wei country soaring into the sky, and the Wei Wu soldiers greatly killing in You Ming world...

How could Song country, which had always been somewhat separated from Wei country in tactics, position itself?

Once a new order for both banks of the long river was determined, and Song country had absolutely no say in it, there really would be no need to compete. The Song country monarch would simply kowtow and call Wei Xuanche his second brother after meeting him.

The big brother, of course, would still be Chu country.

"Meeting today is truly an old man's blessing. My country's Chen Si Wu often speaks of you and admires you greatly—" Tu Weiqian appeared to be over fifty, thin and aloof. This was one of his rare earnest moments, although he wasn't very talented at being earnest. But he had a sense of propriety and stopped there, "I won't disturb your cultivation."

"I also often think of Brother Chen's style!" Jiang Wang cupped his hands, "Prime Minister Tu, please do as you wish."

From afar, he saw Ruan Qu who had turned back. They had already greeted earlier, and this time he also cupped his hands again as a gesture.

This time, the person representing Qi country was no longer Jiang Mengxiong, who would bombard with fists if there was any disagreement, but the supervisor of the Nan Xia Qin Tian Jian.

It was said he had only recently arrived, but it was more like hiding his light after the Cang Hai war.

Everyone knew that Jing country needed to do something, and under the current circumstances, there weren't many entry points.

Now was the time for significant internal digestion. Qi country obviously did not plan to interfere with Jing country's plans, and even didn't want to appear strong.

Just like Ruan Qu today, he seemed to embrace everyone like a spring breeze.

Every time Jiang Wang saw Ruan Qu, he felt somewhat uncomfortable and couldn't help but think of Chong Xuan Pang's minor schemes, feeling a sense of guilt for having offended a senior.

Conversely, Chong Xuan Pang himself held no grudge and was extremely intimate with Ruan Qu every time he saw him. The last time, he even personally went to Ruan residence to send gifts to celebrate Ruan Zhou's breakthrough of the heaven-man barrier and achievement of Shen Lin, saying some nonsense like "Lin Zi first."

Ruan Qu may not have known what Jiang Wang was thinking and transmitted his voice, "Why did you bring the practice of standing guard at Zi Ji Dian into Tai Xu Pavilion?"

Jiang Wang looked at the people around him who were cultivating diligently and smiled bitterly, "I don't know either. They are all crazy now, practicing without sleep or rest. The more I advise them to rest, the more energetic they become."

Ruan Qu laughed heartily.

Feeling Jiang member's gaze, Qin Zhi Zhen opened his eyes.

He paused, then opened his mouth, "Jiang member, you are still young. There are many things in life that are more important than cultivating. Don't just sit here. Go and greet the seniors and make good connections."

How long had he thought about these words?

Jiang Wang smiled, "Okay, thank you for your care, Qin member. I'll go after I finish deducing this Dao law."

Saying so, he closed his eyes.

Qin Zhi Zhen also quickly closed his eyes.

Just before the great assembly began, Gong Xi Yan representing Jing country and Wei Qingpeng representing Li country entered together.

Both were generals who led troops to fight. One had a soft appearance, like a gentle young master, while the other was bald and heavily armored, tall and fierce. Standing together, the contrast was particularly stark.

This made even Ying Jianghong narrow his eyes.

He allowed Li country to participate in this great assembly, of course not to see Li country and Jing country holding hands!

But at this time, he himself would not show anything. He patiently waited for everyone to be seated, then said on the platform, "Since ancient times, governing the river has been governing the world. When the long river is stable, the world is peaceful. When the long river is chaotic, the world is chaotic. Heaven does not decree death, years do not give hunger. Governing the river and governing the world are solely for the people. Now, the heavens are turbulent, and floods are surging. I and the various lords meet at the Under Heaven Platform—to discuss the world together!"

"Wait a moment." Wei Qingpeng sat below the platform, like an iron tower. When he spoke, his voice was like a big bell, startling people.

Seeing the crowd all turn their eyes towards him, he still seemed somewhat shy, touching his bald head and grinning, "This is my first time attending such a great assembly, and I don't quite understand the process. Before the great assembly formally begins, shouldn't we chat a bit... about why we came?"

Thank you to book friend "Hide in pillow under ghost" for becoming the alliance leader of this book. This is for the 806th alliance of Red Heart Patrol Heaven!