Chapter 2411: Blazing

"I would not dare to say such a thing!"

Jiang Wang, standing on the stage, for the first time openly refuted Gongyang Hongyan. "The Jingguo Empire is vast and its undertakings are great. The Governor-General is skilled in both civil and military matters. Jiang is only a young person not yet thirty years old, with little strength, a weak body, and meager virtue. A single gust of wind can blow me over. How would I dare to talk wildly about the great matters of the world?"

He bowed to Gongyang Hongyan. "I only expressed some feelings from my heart and some doubts that arise naturally. I absolutely did not mean to evaluate anyone or make conclusions about anyone, much less doubt those of virtue in the world. Governor-General, please, please do not misunderstand! And do not substitute your misunderstandings for mine!"

"Jiang Zhenjun doesn't mean that, but I hear that meaning…" Gongyang Hongyan smiled slightly and didn't really continue to press him. "Perhaps I am thinking too much!"

Below the stage, Xu Wangjian looked at the young person on the stage who seemed like he would be blown over by a single gust of wind and offered him generous support. "Jiang Zhenjun, why must you speak in such a roundabout way? In the age of horizontal dominance, there are many who dare to be angry but not speak, and the dark age has long arrived! It is precisely in need of young people like you, who are loyal, upright, and straightforward, to stand out, uphold the public conscience, and speak frankly! There is no need to fear the threats of certain people, no need to fear certain countries. If you have any ideas, feel free to speak them today. There is still justice in this world, and I, the Marquis, will support you!"

Jiang Wang glanced at this Zhen Marquis, who was not afraid of major matters. He then turned slightly and made a 'please' gesture. "Why doesn't Zhen Marquis go up and speak himself? I see you are eager to try, with a thousand words in your heart, and your emotions are hard to contain!"

Xu Wangjian laughed. "This Marquis hasn't seen as clearly as this young person. Just now, if you hadn't pointed out the key, this Marquis would never have thought that the rebellion of the Long River Dragon Monarch also had an inside story…"

He shifted his gaze and looked towards Ying Jianghong. "Fortunately, Jiang Zhenjun reminded me, and this Marquis suddenly remembered. Before the Jinghai Plan began, the Jingguo Heavenly Son once held a banquet for the Dragon Monarch in Tiandu City. Were there perhaps things we don't know about within that?"

He had already gone up!

Looking around at the world today, the most intuitive challenges come from the Qin Kingdom.

In the past hundred years, the only two countries that have won hegemonic wars and achieved undisputed victories are Jing and Qin.

Ying Jianghong glanced indifferently at Xu Wangjian. "My emperor held a banquet for the Dragon Monarch. This is precisely the ritual of the Central Heavenly Son representing the human race, a normal banquet, saying that the human race and the water race will be good forever. It was the Dragon Monarch who betrayed me. What kind of inside story do you need? This banquet was not held just yesterday; it has been held before. My dynasty's Taizu, Wen Emperor, all once specially set up banquets. Is Qin Zhen Marquis speaking with a guilty conscience using this as a pretext?"

No matter how the Qin people contend for status, at least for now, the Jingguo Empire is still the central empire, the foremost in the present world. The Jingguo Heavenly Son is still the one who can best represent the human race, and the ritual laws belong to the Heavenly Son.

The Qin Emperor cannot represent the human race in rituals, and the Qin Kingdom has never allied with the world in its history.

Xu Wangjian stroked his beard with his finger and said with a light laugh, "I was just asking casually. Southern Heavenly Master seems overly agitated."

"What kind of dangerous matter is the rebellion of the Long River Dragon Monarch, many people seem not to understand." Ying Jianghong pointed out lightly, then said, "This seat only regrets that I did not advise my emperor that day. If I had killed Ao Shuyi at that banquet, I don't think things would have turned out like this today. And I wouldn't have to stand here, enduring ridicule and criticism!"

Xu Wangjian stopped stroking his beard, and also didn't laugh. What "endure ridicule" was he talking about? The Jingguo people couldn't tolerate even half a sentence of it!

He raised those eyes that were like knives. "To speak of killing at a banquet when there was no crime at the time, is this the arrogance of the central empire?"

"Facts prove that he was indeed going to rebel, wasn't he? If we had known earlier, why not decide earlier? Why not listen, and prevent disaster before it happens!" Ying Jianghong said in a plain voice, "Things should have been like this in the past, and they should be like this today as well."

His voice was not loud, but the killing intent was extremely fierce.

Preventing disaster before it happened in the past meant killing the Dragon Monarch at a banquet. How else could disaster be prevented before it happened today?

Nothing more than encircling and killing the water race!

The water race no longer has a Dragon Monarch, and their commanding general has been punished. Their various branches are not unified, their military forces are scattered throughout the world, and they have fallen under the control of various countries, being driven by them. In its entirety, it has almost no ability to resist in front of the human race now.

Its contribution to the human race is not that great, not only is it far from being as crucial as it was during the Middle Ancient period, but it is also probably difficult to be of much use in the battlefield of Shenxiao.

Furthermore, with the matter of the Long River Dragon Monarch's rebellion, the loyalty of the water race to the human race, and the performance of the water race in the battlefield of Shenxiao, all need to be carefully considered.

Is the water race still trustworthy?

Using them on one hand and guarding against them on the other, does this really conform to the overall interests of the human race?

To be even more cruel, it's not impossible to completely encircle the water race as a source of pills for opening meridians and raise them like pigs and dogs!

Such a viewpoint is not new today.

Yan Huachuan, a meritorious minister of the Jingguo Empire during its founding, who had the title of "Nightmare God," once publicly advocated this view, causing an uproar. The water race throughout the world was collectively indignant. Historical records show that "the Long River Dragon Monarch asked about this several times."

In the end, it was Jing Taizu Tang Yu himself who took action, imprisoning and killing him and stopping the discussion.

Since then, such remarks have never dared to be brought to the table.

But today... times have changed.

No one from the water race can even sit at the table to discuss.

The only one who is "on the table" is Fu Yunqin, who is a dish, not a diner.

Similarly, in the present world, having been suppressed for so many years almost habitually, the water race is much easier to encircle than the demon race.

If one wants to maximize the value of the water race, this is probably the most direct plan.

The five words "prevent disaster before it happens" are simply words that draw blood.

When spoken by Ying Jianghong, they carry especially heavy weight.

Because he truly possesses such strength, he can truly promote such a decision. He can truly encircle and kill the water race of the world with a single word.

Fu Yunqin, hanging behind Ying Jianghong, suddenly raised his head. His eyes, which were open in the gaps of his messy hair, wanted to split at the corners!

"Ying Jianghong! May you not have a good death—"

A cold light flashed across the sky!

Ying Jianghong didn't say a word, and directly drew his sword to nail his skull!

A prisoner under the stairs dares to disrespect the Heavenly Master of the Upper Kingdom? He can be killed!

If Fu Yunqin were to be killed just like this, there would be no need for any further discussion in today's grand assembly. The fate of the water race would be decided, and it would end with this skull—

Sword qi blew wildly, and a fierce wind rolled.

That chilling energy neatly blew Fu Yunqin's messy hair, which covered his face, back to the back of his head. Bits of broken hair also floated in the air one by one. His tongue was directly twisted into meat paste, and his mouth was full of fresh blood. All remaining sounds were chopped into fragments in his oral cavity, emitting muffled sounds of "Uh!" and "Uh!".

But this sword, the sword belonging to the Southern Heavenly Master Ying Jianghong, after all, stopped.

It stopped in front of Fu Yunqin.

The tip of the sword was less than half an inch from Fu Yunqin's face.

Above and below the stage, everyone was silent for a moment.

Stopping this sword was a slender and powerful hand, Jiang Wang's hand.

His five fingers grasped the sword blade, and his immortal body was already cut through. Blood dripped from his palm, and blood flowed from the gaps between his fingers, dropping down drop by drop. Soon, it accumulated into a puddle of blood in front of Fu Yunqin.

Jiang Wang's eyes, however, did not show any ripples. He seemed not to be the one who was injured. He just stood there in front of Fu Yunqin, looked at Ying Jianghong, and said extremely seriously, "Southern Heavenly Master, this sword of yours is a sword that divides the sun and moon, fixes mountains and rivers, divides the order of myriad realms, and slaughters disasters in the present world. How can it be unsheathed so easily?"

Ying Jianghong slightly lifted one of his lower eyelids. He was surprised by three points. Although this sword of his was done casually and he did not use any force, it was not something that could be blocked so easily.

Although Jiang Wang had only just advanced to the Zhenjun realm, his strength could no longer be underestimated. He was indeed worthy of the momentum that shook myriad heavens and returned to true in myriad realms that day.

"Do you feel this sword is too easy?" Ying Jianghong asked.

"Too easy!" Jiang Wang said somewhat heavily, even somewhat painfully, "To kill the Dragon Monarch at a banquet, and today also to prevent disaster before it happens... Southern Heavenly Master, how can such heavy words be spoken so lightly?"

Behind this sentence, how many lives of the water race were there!

And he didn't even write the numbers.

The cruelest thing in the world is nothing more than the battlefield, where human lives are as cheap as grass, just one number after another in military reports.

But the lives of the water race in Ying Jianghong's sentence didn't even have numbers.

From ancient times to the present, throughout a long history, countless heroes of the water race are actually all hidden within that word "disaster."

Looking at Jiang Wang's eyes at this moment, Ying Jianghong's three points of surprise turned into seven.

Because such a strong person, who had already reached the absolute peak and stood equal to them, actually still had true anger and pity in his eyes.

For the water race?

"Are you asking me from the standpoint of the human race?" Ying Jianghong asked.

"Jiang Wang was born a human, and his standpoint cannot change. Jiang Wang roams the deep sea of the heavenly way, his sword deters myriad heavens and myriad realms. The Heavenly Master guards the heavenly gate, and I guard outside the heavenly gate—is there any room for doubt in this standpoint?" Jiang Wang gazed at Ying Jianghong. "If there must be only one person representing the human race between us, I don't think it necessarily has to be the Heavenly Master! What standpoint is the Heavenly Master based on when asking about my standpoint?"

Ying Jianghong's eyes were deep. "What we stand on is the high platform piled up by the sages of the human race. What we face in front of our eyes is the water disaster that we have always faced from eternity to the present. I think we should all stand on the standpoint of the human race to discuss the future of the Long River."

"I am precisely speaking as an individual, about the future of the human race, the future of the Long River, and the future of the water race." Jiang Wang paused. "Jiang Wang didn't read much when he was young, but he also listened to the elderly talk. He knows that the human race and the water race have an ancient alliance, as close as family. Even old men in the mountains and wilderness know about this matter. There should not be a minority of people who remember it as clearly as Jiang Wang. If you say today to prevent disaster before it happens, how can you teach these people?"

Ying Jianghong said, "That was one time, this is another time!"

"But there are always some things that will not change with time." Jiang Wang said, "There are always some reasons that are accurate all over the world. It was like this then, and it is like this now."

"Your cultivation has made this seat ignore your age." Ying Jianghong said, "I only discovered today that you are truly too young."

Jiang Wang asked, "People have differences between elders and juniors, but does Dao also have elders and juniors?"

Ying Jianghong glanced at his long sword, indicating that Jiang Wang should loosen his hand.

Jiang Wang also truly loosened his five fingers.

Ying Jianghong lifted this long sword stained with the blood of a True Monarch and asked in a plain voice, "The Heavenly Sons of the Six Hegemonic Kingdoms drove the human emperor's treasure to kill the Dragon Monarch, and now you say the Dragon Monarch was innocent. Are you saying that the Heavenly Sons of the various kingdoms were wrong?"

"I do not say the Dragon Monarch was innocent, nor do I say that the Heavenly Sons of the various kingdoms were wrong."

Jiang Wang said firmly, "The rebellion of the Long River Dragon Monarch is an established fact. When a transcendent being defects, the Heavenly Sons of the various kingdoms cannot think too much. They must suppress the rebellion immediately. I have read history books and seen that the various countries from ancient times to the present are all like this. War is the final dialogue, it is when all words that could be spoken have been spoken, and the words are spoken at swords and blades—once a rebellion happens, the first thing is always to suppress the rebellion, and then talk about other things."

"The Heavenly Sons of the Six Kingdoms suppressed the rebellion immediately, preventing the situation from further worsening. This is precisely a responsible act towards the common people of the world. It is shouldering the world and does not shame the name of a monarch!"

"But should we talk about 'other things' after suppressing the rebellion?"

Jiang Wang asked, "Do we want to ask why he rebelled, whether he could have not rebelled, and... how to stop it? In my foolish opinion, this is the reason for doing things."

He stood on the stage and looked around at the four sides. "Just as General Wei of the Ligguo Empire and Southern Heavenly Master of the Jingguo Empire said, evil deeds should be traced back to their source and flow, only then can the aftereffects be eradicated. The Heavenly Sons of the various kingdoms drew their swords to clear dangers for the world. Why fear making the world know its majesty and clarifying its laws? When this matter is made public for everyone to see clearly, with a clear and upright beginning and end, it will not damage the spirit of the Six Heavenly Sons, but only make the world see the majesty of the holy Heavenly Sons and the undertaking of the state lords!"

Ying Jianghong had a cold and quiet posture as if he were a bystander. "What we are discussing today is precisely how to stop the rebellion of the water race. Preventing it when it is small and stopping it gradually, how is that like cutting grass and removing the roots?"

"Southern Heavenly Master!" Jiang Wang raised his voice. "The Jingguo Heavenly Son used the human emperor's seal to suppress the rebellion, which is precisely the undertaking of the Central Heavenly Son. Now, tracing back and analyzing the reasons is precisely the virtue of the Central Heavenly Son! Southern Heavenly Master—"

He joined his hands and bowed with that blood-dripping hand. "Please consider the country and do not let the Jingguo Emperor lose his virtue!"

Ying Jianghong tightened his grip on his long sword and his face turned cold. "A minister dies when his lord is insulted. I truly cannot tolerate it—Jiang Zhenjun, draw your sword."

"I did not hear Jiang Wang insulting the Jingguo Emperor. He only hoped that you would not insult your country's Heavenly Son!" Xu Wangjian directly stood up from under the stage. "Heavenly Master, are you on the stage and not allowing people to speak? If you must bully the weak with the strong, why not ask for my sword!"

Wei Qingpeng, who was beside him, looked at him in surprise.

No, in this occasion, everyone is just talking big and making random promises... are you really going to support him?

Of course, he understood very well that Xu Wangjian standing up at this time was certainly standing up for the interests of the Qin Kingdom.

Just as he could verbally support the Qin Kingdom infinitely, if he truly wanted him to get up and stand, the Qin Kingdom would have to pay enough.

"Jiang Zhenjun said 'do not let the Jingguo Emperor lose his virtue', and Southern Heavenly Master seems to have already tacitly agreed?" Gongyang Hongyan sat there gently and courteously, but no one doubted that he could rise violently at any time. He looked at Ying Jianghong's sword. "Let's not point this Xiyi sword at the young person, shall we? This humble Gongyang is also willing to receive it!"

The True Monarch of the Qin Kingdom and the True Monarch of the Jingguo Empire successively stated their positions!

Ying Jianghong, at this moment, instead became calm. He lightly flicked his long sword. "Standing here without a fight always feels like something is missing. Very well! This humble Ying will now spar for the world. Today, no matter who it is, there will be no hindrance—"

But only such a sharp sound was heard.

Jiang Wang, on the stage, drew his sword!

Everyone under the stage was shocked!

Ying Jianghong also turned his eyes to look at him, and the surprise in his eyes had already reached ten points.

"Ten years ago, I ascended this stage because I was the world's first in the Inner Mansion realm. Ten years later, I have already taken over many world firsts, and I ascend this stage again only to expound the reasons in my heart."

Jiang Wang said, "Southern Heavenly Master wants to point at Jiang Wang, Jiang Wang is not frightened, and is also ten thousand points honored."

"It can be today, it can be tomorrow, it can be anytime."

"But the reason that should be spoken, Jiang Wang must make clear."

"My disciple once asked me—is this not a world where the one with the biggest fist has the reason?"

"Because he defended his master's reputation outside, clarifying others' slanders against his master, no one reasoned with him. He stated the facts with a red face and ears, speaking reason, only to receive shame and ridicule. It wasn't until several of his elders went to support him that someone honestly apologized in front of him. He didn't understand, clearly right and wrong were so simple, matters that could be distinguished as true or false with a single glance, why couldn't his words get through, but his elders' words could get through."

"Honestly speaking, I don't know how to answer him properly. Because in my limited life, no one has ever answered me properly. I have also had the same doubts as him more than once."

"Finally, I told him that this is a world with order and reason. Who is right and who is wrong, besides recognizing it oneself, there are also laws, morals, etiquette, public order and good customs, and the hearts of the people. It's just that sometimes, right and wrong are not pure, and we need to look specifically. Other times, only when your fist is big, those who don't speak reason will then be willing to speak reason with you."

"Until today, I still feel that my answer is not proper enough, but I can't think of a better answer."

Jiang Wang looked at everyone under the stage. "Everyone here is my senior, and all of them can be my teachers. May I ask what you all have to teach me?"

Everyone under the stage was silent for a moment.

Even Qin Zizhen, who seized every moment to cultivate, opened his eyes and fell into thought.

Jiang Wang continued, "Later, I thought, I'll just keep moving forward. A master's answer should be within his footsteps."

"There is a saying, 'Justice is in the hearts of the people'."

"But if justice is always only in the hearts of the people."

"Then does it really still exist?"

Jiang Wang held his sword horizontally in front of him. "Jiang is naturally not the opponent of the Southern Heavenly Master, but Jiang is willing to try the Southern Heavenly Master's sword and feel the Southern Heavenly Master's reason."

He stroked the sword with his blood-stained sword finger, wiping it lightly. "Heavenly Master, the Heavenly Court lost its virtue, and myriad realms raised banners. The Dragon Emperor lost its virtue, and the nine sons suppressed the bridge. Now is the time when we cannot but consider former matters as a mirror!"

Thank you to book friend "Implied God" for becoming the alliance master of this book! This is the 807th alliance for Red Heart Patrol Heaven!

Thank you to book friend "weisu0409" for becoming the alliance master of this book! This is the 808th alliance for Red Heart Patrol Heaven!