Chapter 340 - 12: Unlocking Great Dream of Thousand Years, I See All Beings, and All Beings See Me
Chapter 340: Chapter 12: Unlocking Great Dream of Thousand Years, I See All Beings, and All Beings See Me
From start to finish, the cultivators of the Silver Moon Royal Mansion all wore expressions of arrogant confidence. Not a single one of them worried about one thing: whether they could actually suppress Zhong Ming.
"Hmph. My Silver Moon Legion has a hundred thousand battle-ready soldiers. They are all warriors who have clawed their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They have fought bloody battles against Demonic Fiends, engaged in life-or-death struggles with insidious Evil Spirits, and contended with the Outer Barbarian Race for years. How could those cultivators who hide in their sects and train behind closed doors possibly compare to such an iron-blooded elite force?"
It wasn’t just his subordinates who thought this way; Ji Hao was also supremely confident in his legion’s soldiers.
Looking across all of Immortal Martial City, he only considered the Celestial Sea King’s faction—who also commanded a massive, battle-hardened army—as a true rival. He looked down on everyone else.
However, Ji Hao was still very cautious. To ensure complete success and utterly subdue Zhong Ming and the Prince Qinghe’s faction, making them submit wholeheartedly, Ji Hao prepared to summon a squad of the Silver Blood Guard for support. This was an elite unit within the Silver Moon Legion, with each member being one in a hundred—the sharpest blade in the Silver Moon Royal Mansion’s arsenal.
’No... that’s still not safe enough.’ After a moment of thought, Ji Hao still felt it wasn’t enough. He turned to Ji Yao beside him and said in a low voice, "Yaoyao, send a message to Ji Xiao. Tell him to come to Immortal Martial City at once."
At these words, Ji Yao was so shocked her beautiful face paled slightly. She looked at her elder brother in astonishment. "Given the current situation? Is it really necessary to trouble Brother Xiao to come in person?"
It was no wonder Ji Yao was so surprised; Ji Xiao’s status was truly out of the ordinary.
The young man, who was their age, had not originally been born with the surname Ji. He earned it entirely because of his outstanding strength and Talent, which made the Silver Moon King look upon him with great favor. The King first took him as a disciple, then later adopted him as a son. Only then was he known as Ji Xiao.
In the Silver Moon Royal Mansion, both Ji Yao and Ji Hao had to treat him with courtesy and address him as their elder brother.
He was practically the public face of the Silver Moon Royal Mansion’s younger generation.
That was why Ji Yao was a little confused as to why her brother would summon Ji Xiao so quickly.
In response, Ji Hao said calmly, "Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. The trip to Purgatory in three days’ time concerns the honor and future of my Silver Moon Royal Mansion. We cannot be defeated. We cannot afford to lose."
After a pause, Ji Hao’s expression softened as he added, "Of course, I’m only calling Ji Xiao here as a precaution. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll have to act."
"...Alright." Although Ji Yao was still confused, she nodded and agreed.
...
While Ji Hao and his sister were busily plotting how to deal with the challenge from Zhong Ming and Prince Qinghe, in another mansion in Immortal Martial City, Zhong Ming and the others were using a Communication Spiritual Artifact to speak with Prince Qinghe, who was far away in the Qinghe Commandery Mansion. They informed him of the situation in Immortal Martial City and asked for his opinion.
"Your Highness, our initial objectives for coming here have been achieved. As of now, Master Luo Zhiwei has expressed his support for us. In addition, a branch of the Chu Family in Immortal Martial City has also pledged their allegiance to us..."
"Eh?!"
Before Zhong Ming could finish, a somewhat undignified cry of surprise came from the Water Mirror Magical Artifact. Prince Qinghe, who had been lounging lazily on a soft couch, shot upright. "You really succeeded? And so quickly?"
This shocked reaction made Zhong Ming understand instantly—from the very beginning, Prince Qinghe had never expected them to achieve all their goals.
Of course, Prince Qinghe didn’t think Zhong Ming could succeed so easily. He was self-aware enough to know how big the gap was between himself, the Celestial Sea King, and the Silver Moon King.
Before learning of the Second Cataclysm’s arrival, he had been nothing more than a wealthy, idle prince with no real power or influence, with no usable soldiers under his command and no capable generals in his mansion.
Even though he later foresaw the coming cataclysm and hastily made arrangements, the forces he gathered under him were, to put it nicely, a "new alliance." To put it bluntly, they were nothing but a disorderly mob, completely unable to contend with the battle-hardened elites under the Celestial Sea King and the Silver Moon King.
Therefore, in his view, any of the great clans and noble families of Immortal Martial City, as well as a great expert like Luo Zhiwei, would choose to align with the two great powers, the Celestial Sea and Silver Moon Royal Mansions, as long as they had any sense at all. They would never bet on a weak, idle prince like him.
He had ordered Zhong Ming to go in advance mainly to repay a debt of gratitude by having Luo Zhiwei deduce an Array for him.
As for recruiting Luo Zhiwei, that was purely a shot in the dark; he never actually expected Zhong Ming to succeed.
"..."
Hearing Prince Qinghe’s exclamations of amazement from the other side of the Water Mirror, Zhong Ming was speechless for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
Just then, a sweet and lively voice suddenly rang out from beside the Water Mirror, breaking the brief silence. "Father, you’re underestimating Sir Zhong Ming too much. With him here, your position as Vice Military Commander is surely as stable as a mountain!"
The affectionate and familiar tone made Prince Qinghe subconsciously glance at his daughter, Ji Qinglian, who was beside him. He understood in an instant: Qinglian, from the third branch of the family, also had feelings for Zhong Ming.
Far from being annoyed, Prince Qinghe was actually happy to see it—Zhong Ming’s support was indeed of great benefit to him.
He immediately went along with his daughter’s words, letting out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha, Qinglian, you’re right. I underestimated young friend Zhong Ming’s abilities."
As his laughter died down, Prince Qinghe changed the subject. "Besides sharing the good news, you must have contacted me for another reason, right?"
"Exactly." Zhong Ming’s expression turned serious as he said solemnly, "Although we succeeded in inviting Master Luo Zhiwei, we have also drawn the wariness of the Silver Moon and Celestial Sea Royal Mansions because of it. The various powers in Immortal Martial City are now a roiling undercurrent. We’re a bit indecisive about whether we should temporarily avoid the spotlight and retract our claws, or press our advantage and continue to recruit more people to expand our influence."