Chapter 516: Coercion
"This is Xing Han, a sage who came before the Imperial Preceptor."
Qin Mu briefly introduced Xing Han to the others. The crowd around the campfire looked tense, especially the girls—Si Yunxiang, Hu Ling'er, and Ling Yuxiu—who had all encountered Xing Han before and knew firsthand how powerful and terrifying he was.
That had been at the Celestial Sage Academy, or rather at Granny Si's mountain villa. During the battle at the Celestial Sage Academy, nearly half of the world's top experts had been wounded by Xing Han's hand, including Emperor Yanfeng!
That battle had thoroughly humbled those experts. Despite their overwhelming numbers, they had been unable to subdue Xing Han. In the end, it was only thanks to a tonic Qin Mu had concocted that Xing Han was forced to retreat.
Now, that same fierce man was sitting right beside them. It was impossible not to be nervous. Even though the current Imperial Academy gathered the most formidable beings of the Yan Kang court—including one or two high-ranking ministers who had completed the Divine Bridge and leaped to the Heavenly Court, becoming gods, and the Emperor himself had become a god—Xing Han remained the most powerful existence in the world!
If Xing Han wanted to kill them, no one in the Imperial Academy, not even the gods, could stop him!
Qin Mu forced a smile and said, "As a sage born once every five hundred years, Xing Han is a senior. He wants to learn about our Heavenly Alliance, which is a good thing. Everyone, don't be nervous."
Despite his words, Qin Mu's face was pale, clearly showing that he himself was extremely tense.
Xing Han's target this time was obviously him. As the strongest figure of the previous era, Xing Han had his own principles. He wouldn't attack juniors. Even if he did, he would wait until they had grown and reached the divine realm in some aspect before he would strike and harvest their body parts.
But Qin Mu was an exception.
Qin Mu had offended him too deeply.
During the battle at the Celestial Sage Academy, Qin Mu had made him taste the bitterness of fleeing in panic with that tonic. He had been chased relentlessly by the Butcher, scurrying away in terror, hiding in the Great Ruins, and spending a long time healing his wounds.
Many of his collections had also been stolen by Qin Mu—that was the most critical part.
Then came the battle at Little Thunderclap Monastery, where Qin Mu had actually stolen his box and ransacked his entire stash!
Not only had he stolen his box, but Qin Mu had also taken him to Fengdu. In Fengdu, under the influence of the Realm of the Dead and the Living, Xing Han had lost all face and barely escaped back to the living world alive. That debt also had to be settled with Qin Mu!
It was already surprising that Xing Han hadn't directly killed Qin Mu.
The fact that he could still maintain his composure after seeing Qin Mu was a testament to his mental fortitude. Of course, his trip to Fengdu had shattered his Dao heart, leaving his current state of mind quite fragile. But even in his fragile state, he far surpassed everyone present.
Qin Mu, Wang Muran, Xu Shenghua, and Lin Xuan Daozhu took turns speaking, explaining how they had calculated celestial phenomena and determined the height and thickness of the sky. A heavy silence fell around the campfire. Even Xing Han sat silently, staring into the flames.
The red carp was sizzling over the fire, droplets of fish oil dripping into the flames with a crackling sound. The aroma of grilled fish wafted out, making everyone's mouths water.
"Minister Qin, weren't you supposed to come and severely punish them? Why are you eating here instead? You've committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. I should execute you..."
Emperor Yanfeng staggered over, reeking of alcohol, his voice slurred with drunkenness. Suddenly, he spotted Xing Han sitting across from Qin Mu, and his drunkenness vanished instantly. He turned to leave!
Xing Han said calmly, "Your Majesty, you might as well stay and sit for a while. Otherwise, your Grand Sacrificial Officer and your princess will both lose their lives."
Emperor Yanfeng clutched his wine jar, steeled himself, and turned back to sit by the campfire. He forced a smile and said, "Brother Xing Han, since our hasty parting last time, I've been lying on my sickbed for nearly twenty days."
Xing Han replied calmly, "I lay down for over four months."
Emperor Yanfeng handed him the wine jar, his eyes flickering. "But in the time since we last met, I've crossed the Divine Bridge and become a god. Brother Xing Han hasn't reached that step yet, has he?"
Xing Han took the wine jar and said, "These past few days, I've been hiding in the Heavenly Record Tower of the Imperial Academy, poring over various texts. I've repeatedly studied Divine Physician Qin's spatial mathematical model of the Divine Bridge. It won't be difficult for me to reach the divine realm, but it will take about a year."
He tilted his head back to drink. Emperor Yanfeng stared at his Adam's apple, wanting to strike, but he could never find an opening.
Qin Mu and the others were startled. Xing Han had been hiding in the Imperial Academy's Heavenly Record Tower for days without anyone noticing. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
Xing Han set down the wine jar and continued, "However, whether Your Majesty has reached the divine realm makes no difference to me. Even if you have, you're still no match for me. You're merely a false god, with perhaps slightly deeper cultivation than before. In terms of Dao techniques and divine abilities, you haven't made any significant progress. You summoned your civil and military officials—the Duke of Wei, the Heavenly Strategy General—both of whom are gods. Together with you, you might have a chance to fight me. But then the Imperial Academy and your capital city would be completely destroyed."
Emperor Yanfeng's forehead bulged with veins, but he suddenly relaxed and laughed. "What were you all discussing just now?"
"The Heavenly Alliance."
Xing Han said, "They discovered that the sky is a hundred thousand li high and three hundred zhang thick. So they formed the Heavenly Alliance, intending to explore its mysteries and break through this false firmament."
Emperor Yanfeng cursed with a laugh, "Nonsense! Just a bunch of kids messing around. I know about this matter. The Volcanic Order reported it to me. When I heard the term 'Heavenly Alliance,' it startled me. I thought you all were planning to overthrow me!" He burst into laughter.
But his laughter didn't carry outward. Instead, it reverberated within the surrounding space, shaking everyone by the campfire until their blood and qi churned.
Emperor Yanfeng was startled and quickly stopped laughing. He had intended to use his laughter to summon the Heavenly Strategy General and the others, but even though he had reached the divine realm, Xing Han's magical power was still far deeper than his. Xing Han used his own power to form a peculiar force field, trapping the laughter in a small space and preventing him from sending any signal.
His cultivation was indeed vast and profound. Just his laughter alone had nearly caused Qin Mu, Ling Yuxiu, and the others to vomit blood, so he had to stop.
Xing Han glanced at Ling Yuxiu and said, "Your Majesty is too complacent and blind to what's right under your nose. Your princess has made friends with heroes from all sides. The young people here are leaders of various sects and schools, destined to become dominant figures in their own territories. The Heavenly Demon Cult Leader, the Dao Lord, the Celestial Realm, the Little Jade Capital, the Buddhist Sect—these future leaders are all on good terms with her. Once her momentum is established, you'll have no choice but to abdicate and yield the throne. But you're too focused on the world to see her beside you."
Emperor Yanfeng was unperturbed. "Brother, don't try to sow discord between me and my daughter. Could it be that Brother Xing Han is also interested in the Heavenly Alliance?"
Xing Han shook his head. "I'm interested in the sky that is three hundred zhang thick, but not in the Heavenly Alliance."
"Then has Brother Xing Han come to kill me?" Qin Mu asked.
Xing Han shook his head again. "Originally, I did want to kill Divine Physician Qin. You've repeatedly gotten the better of me. My box was stolen by you, my entire stash was cleaned out. I truly hated you to the bone. But this time, while reading in the Heavenly Record Tower, I saw your spatial mathematical model of the Divine Bridge. Over the past few days, I also heard you lecturing and preaching at the Imperial Academy, passing on your sword techniques, and in just a few days, creating the Three Element Divine Convergence Technique. Suddenly, my murderous intent vanished, replaced by a measure of respect for you."
His gaze was sharp, but his expression was calm as he looked directly at Qin Mu and praised, "Everyone here is a hero. The divine techniques and Dao methods you've created in these few days surpass the progress I've seen in divine techniques and Dao methods over the past few hundred years. I cherish your talents. Keeping you alive will make the future world extremely interesting. I look forward to you growing up. Hunting you then will be far more entertaining."
Xu Shenghua, Wang Muran, and the others had grim expressions.
Wang Muran said coldly, "Senior Xing Han thinks highly of himself, treating our lives as if they're in the palm of his hand. But if we were on the same level of cultivation, you would be inferior to us! Do you dare to compete with us at the same realm?"
Xing Han's gaze was strange. He shook his head. "There's no need. Even at the same realm, you are no match for me. Among those present, perhaps only Divine Physician Qin and Xu Shenghua of the Celestial Realm could contend with me at the same level. Aside from these two, the only other person in all of Yan Kang who could match me at the same realm would be the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor."
Wang Muran's face turned deathly pale.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor was the opponent he had sworn his life to defeat, to avenge his master. Now, hearing Xing Han say that only three people could contend with him, and that Wang Muran was not among them, he felt a surge of despair.
Qin Mu, however, relaxed. Xing Han had his quirks and a twisted personality, but he kept his word and was worthy of respect. If he said he wouldn't attack, then as long as he wasn't provoked, he wouldn't. Qin Mu's life was safe for now.
"Brother Xing Han, do you want to go up and see the sky?"
Qin Mu blinked and suggested, "My Grandpa Butcher once went up to see the sky. He went in a hurry, but he saw many formations and many gods. Brother, your body parts are irretrievable now. They're all lost in Fengdu. The box is empty. But there are many gods up in the sky. You could go there to collect some body parts."
Xing Han was unmoved. "I'll go see the sky sooner or later. But I didn't come here to ascend to heaven. I came to find someone. The Heavenly Demon Cult, the Dao Sect, the Buddhist Sect, the Little Jade Capital, the Celestial Realm, and the Yan Kang court—your combined influence is enormous. You can help me find this person."
He didn't allow anyone to object and continued directly, "The person I'm looking for was born on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, seventeen years ago, in the zi hour of the chou month of the jiazi year. With your abilities, especially yours, Your Majesty, investigating the entire Yan Kang Kingdom and the Western Lands and picking out everyone born at that time shouldn't be too difficult, should it? If you all agree to this, then the people in the Imperial Academy won't have to die."
He smiled slightly, tore off a piece of fish, dipped it in the wine jar, and put it in his mouth. His expression was calm as he said, "Otherwise, it's hard to say how many people in the entire capital city will survive. I won't kill you all, but the lives of these Imperial Academy students and the common people in the capital depend on your sincerity."
Emperor Yanfeng broke out in a cold sweat. Suddenly, he said, "Fine! I will help you find everyone born at that time across the country! After this is done, I hope Brother Xing Han will remain peaceful for a while!"
Xing Han looked around and smiled. "Besides Your Majesty, won't the others do their utmost?"
Qin Mu exhaled a breath of turbid air and said solemnly, "The Celestial Saint Cult can also help Brother Xing Han with the census."
Lin Xuan Daozhu nodded. "The Dao Sect can handle matters within its own territory."
The Demon Ape said, "Good!"
Xu Shenghua hesitated for a moment, then said, "The Western Lands have already been incorporated into Yan Kang. As for the Celestial Realm, I'll see what I can do when I return. But whether it can be done is another matter."
Xing Han clapped his hands and laughed. "Then things will be much easier. Divine Physician Qin, if you have nothing to do, you might as well stay by my side and help me regulate my body."
Cold sweat broke out on Qin Mu's forehead. He quickly said, "I have things to do! I have a big business deal to attend to!"
Xing Han was unperturbed and laughed. "Then I'll stay by your side instead. It's the same. Your Majesty, you may take your leave."