Chapter 1540: Donghan's Chu Song
Yun Che's words instantly plunged the hall into dead silence, and everyone's expressions changed drastically, some in shock, others in fear.
Fang Zhou had been the Guardian Divine King of the Donghan Kingdom for nearly a thousand years, and his prestige in Donghan was extremely high, on par with the Donghan Kingdom's ruler. At the same time, his temperament was also extremely arrogant; few among the major and minor sects and nobles of Donghan had not been on the receiving end of his bad attitude.
However, as the only Guardian Divine King of Donghan, he indeed had the capital and qualifications to be arrogant. No one dared to offend him. Even the Donghan ruler, in public settings, would show respect and even ingratiate himself, let alone the princes and princesses.
This time, when the Donghan royal city faced an overwhelming calamity, Fang Zhou returned at the last moment and saved Donghan royal city from certain doom. This achievement could even be called "saving the nation." After the Tianwu Kingdom withdrew its troops, the Donghan ruler bowed to Fang Zhou... his waist bent almost to a right angle.
It was easy to imagine that from today onward, his prestige in Donghan would soar to even greater heights.
And at this moment, the Nineteenth Princess had brought back another Divine King! Not only had this Divine King accepted the Nineteenth Princess's invitation, he had also not refused the Donghan ruler's invitation to the banquet, seemingly hinting at an intention to join Donghan.
For Donghan, this was undoubtedly a great blessing. But as the Donghan National Preceptor and Guardian Divine King who had just rendered monumental meritorious service, Fang Zhou—given his temperament and way of doing things—would certainly give this new Divine King, who was clearly much weaker than him, a show of dominance. In the eyes of everyone present, this came as no surprise.
But what they absolutely did not expect was that this "first-level Divine King," as Fang Zhou had called him, would utter such an earth-shattering remark.
As a powerful Divine King, one ought to have the pride—or rather, the arrogance—befitting a Divine King. No one would mock a strong person's arrogance, because they had the qualification for it. But that applied to the strong. When the strong faced someone even stronger, arrogance was foolishness.
Yun Che's origins were mysterious, and his aura carried an unsettling chilliness. He had remained silent throughout the entire proceedings, and no one dared to question anything about him. But when faced with Fang Zhou's display of power, he did not accede... Even remaining silent would have been acceptable, yet he dared to respond with an insult?!
Fang Zhou's expression did not change much, only his eyes narrowed slightly. The cold light glinting from the slits made everyone feel as if a chilling blade had swept past their throats.
The Hanwei Princess beside Yun Che's face changed dramatically. She abruptly stood up and said urgently, "Senior Yun is indifferent by nature and has never been fond of interacting with others. He was merely declining the National Preceptor just now and had no other intention. Please do not take offense, National Preceptor."
The Donghan Crown Prince, who was seated at the head table, abruptly stood up and glared at Yun Che. Fang Zhou was Donghan's Guardian Divine King. To secure his position as crown prince, he needed Fang Zhou's support, and he would also rely on Fang Zhou to inherit the throne in the future. Now that someone dared to insult him, how could he sit idly by? This was also an excellent opportunity to win over, or rather, to flatter Fang Zhou.
"You bastard..."
As soon as those two words left his mouth, a roar several times louder rang out: "Bastard! Who gave you the right to speak here? Get out!"
The one who roared was none other than the Donghan ruler. The Crown Prince's voice caught in his throat. He looked at his father's icy eyes and suddenly realized his mistake, breaking out in a cold sweat.
In his eagerness to win over Fang Zhou, he had almost forgotten that Yun Che was also a Divine King!
An existence like a Divine King—even if inferior to Fang Zhou—was not someone he could afford to offend!
He quickly lowered his head, his voice weakening by seven parts: "The Nineteenth Sister was discourteous in her words just now. I thought... Father... Father's reprimand is correct."
Having finished speaking incoherently, the Crown Prince sat down and dared not say another word.
The Donghan ruler shifted his gaze, his originally stern face instantly becoming peaceful. He laughed heartily and said: "The level of a Divine King—we dare not hope to reach it even in a lifetime; we can only look up in admiration. But we also know that having reached such a level, one must possess an arrogance and pride that looks down upon heaven and earth. Today, both Divine King venerables spoke only a few words, yet allowed us to closely experience the might and pride of Divine Kings. It truly opens our eyes and fills us with admiration."
"How fortunate we are to share a table with two Divine King venerables." The Donghan ruler turned his body and raised a golden cup: "With this cup, let us toast the two Divine King venerables!"
"Heh heh," Fang Zhou's gloomy expression eased slightly. He picked up his wine cup and faced the crowd—including the rising Donghan ruler paying his respects—but he did not stand up, still maintaining his distinctly casual seated posture. "Very well. Arrogant and rude people, I have seen countless of them in my life. Why would I stoop to their level?"
He tilted his gaze, shook the wine cup towards Yun Che, and said, "Please."
This time, Yun Che was not completely unresponsive. The corners of his lips moved slightly... as if revealing a faint smile, but no trace of amusement could be captured. He picked up the wine cup and drained it in one gulp.
"Hahahaha!" Since both Fang Zhou and Yun Che had shown him, the ruler, face, the Donghan ruler's laughter became much more cheerful. "Today, the National Preceptor displayed his divine might and forced back Tianwu, and we have also gained such a distinguished guest as Venerable Yun. It can be said that blessings have come in pairs."
"As they say, after surviving a great disaster, there must be great fortune. Today's calamity, though it shook us to the core, greatly boosts morale. With the National Preceptor stationed here, our Donghan is unshakable. From today onward, I will strive to govern well, and with the National Preceptor's assistance, reviving the glory of Donghan's past prosperous era is by no means an empty hope!"
Through this battle with the Tianwu Kingdom, the Donghan ruler became even more acutely aware of how terrifying the gap in levels was. They had fought many times before, with victories and defeats on both sides. But this time, with Fang Zhou absent from the royal city and Tianwu having the Divine King of the Taiyin Divine Mansion to assist, Donghan collapsed like a mountain toppling.
That was correct. As strong as a Divine King, even just one or two could easily dictate the outcome of a vast battlefield.
Such a disparity in level could not be easily made up by numbers.
This celebratory feast was centered around Fang Zhou. The Donghan ruler's gaze also kept secretly shifting to Yun Che, thinking about how to keep him.
Additionally, he also thought of Mingpeng Mountain.
The Young Master of Mingpeng had always coveted the Nineteenth Princess, Dongfang Hanwei. This was common knowledge.
Dongfang Hanwei was his most beloved daughter. Not only was she incomparably beautiful and recognized as the number one beauty of the Donghan Kingdom, but her talent in the Profound Way was also unrivaled among his many children. Therefore, if Dongfang Hanwei was unwilling, even the Young Master of Mingpeng would be politely declined.
But this time, facing the Tianwu Kingdom which had the support of the Taiyin Divine Mansion, his thoughts had to change.
The smoke of war in the royal city had not yet dispersed, but the main hall's celebratory feast was growing livelier. All the major nobles and sect leaders were scrambling to flock towards Fang Zhou. Those who were overlords in their own domains now showed a posture of fawning humility before Fang Zhou... as if they wished they could kneel on the ground to pay their respects.
And because of the earlier "exchange" between Fang Zhou and Yun Che, no one dared to approach Yun Che... Otherwise, wouldn't that offend Fang Zhou?
Both were Divine Kings, but one was a Guardian National Preceptor while the other's origins were unknown, and Fang Zhou was clearly stronger than Yun Che. The choice was obvious.
"Senior Yun," Dongfang Hanwei approached Yun Che's seat and bowed respectfully. "Your life-saving grace is beyond repayment. Please stay in the royal city for a longer period. Although Donghan is not a wealthy kingdom, if Senior has any requests, I and my father will do our utmost."
Yun Che slightly closed his eyes, without picking up the wine cup, and suddenly said coldly, "Mind your words."
Dongfang Hanwei was startled and quickly said in a flustered voice, "I... I know my mistake. Please instruct me, Senior."
"I am not much older than you," Yun Che said with his arms crossed, seemingly lost in thought.
"..." Dongfang Hanwei's lips parted... Not much older than her? That would mean around half a Jiazi in age?
Not to mention half a Jiazi in age; a Divine King of even one Jiazi in age was unheard of, and even at the level of upper star realms, it would be absolutely impossible. Dongfang Hanwei thought he was joking and could only manage a stiff smile in response: "Senior... is joking. How would Hanwei dare to be disrespectful in front of Senior."
Yun Che gave no response, only slightly tilting his eyes towards the outside of the hall.
"Report!!"
A panicked shout came from outside the hall, and soon a soldier in light armor hurried in and knelt before the hall.
The Donghan ruler frowned deeply: "What is the matter that causes such panic?"
"Reporting to the ruler, Tianwu... Tianwu Kingdom has returned and is now approaching within fifty li!"
"What!" Everyone in the hall stood up in shock.
The Donghan ruler's brow darkened, and he asked in a deep voice, "How many troops?"
"Approximately five thousand."
"...Five thousand?" This number made the Donghan ruler and the others show surprise.
"Heh heh," Fang Zhou stood up, hands behind his back, and walked down slowly. "A mere five thousand soldiers—clearly not for battle, but for peace. With this National Preceptor stationed in this city, I doubt they would dare to launch a strong attack... Is this army personally led by the Tianwu ruler?"
"Yes."
"Just as I thought." Fang Zhou revealed a smile. "Let's go. I, the National Preceptor, will personally go and meet them."
Fang Zhou's words also loosened the tight strings of everyone's hearts, and smiles appeared on their faces. For a moment, flattering voices surged chaotically, unceasing.
"Indeed! With the National Preceptor guarding the royal city, how could the Tianwu Kingdom shake it?"
"The so-called Taiyin Divine Mansion becoming Tianwu's guardian sect is utterly baseless."
"The National Preceptor is not only Donghan's pillar of heaven; this merit should be forever recorded in Donghan's history..."
Fang Zhou was long accustomed to these sycophantic praises. He walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back, a smile on his face. Whether intentionally or not, his position when exiting the hall was clearly ahead of the Donghan ruler, and he did not spare a single glance towards Yun Che.
Dongfang Hanwei said to Yun Che, "Senior, would you like to rest a while? If you don't mind..."
But at this moment, Yun Che stood up and said indifferently, "Let's go. Watch a play."
…………
Outside the Donghan royal city, the Tianwu Kingdom's army arrived.
Indeed, there were only five thousand soldiers, but at the front of the formation was the Tianwu ruler in person. At his side was the Tianwu Guardian Divine King, who also held great prestige in Tianwu... Bai Pengzhou!
Before the royal city, the Donghan army arrayed itself, vast and mighty. All the domain overlords of Donghan were present, and in terms of momentum, they far surpassed the Tianwu Kingdom.
Bai Pengzhou was a second-level Divine King, weaker than Fang Zhou. But as he watched Fang Zhou walk out, a strange faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Tianwu ruler, Fellow Daoist Bai, you have returned in such haste. It seems you have something to say," Fang Zhou said with his eyes raised high, speaking proudly.
The Donghan ruler was beside him, yet Fang Zhou was the one to speak first... Although the Donghan ruler was long accustomed to Fang Zhou's arrogance, with both armies facing off, his expression still turned unpleasant for an instant, but he quickly recovered and stepped forward to say, "Tianwu ruler, if you want war, our Donghan will fight to the end. If you want peace, then it depends on the sincerity of your Tianwu."
Hearing the Donghan ruler's words, the Tianwu ruler and Bai Pengzhou laughed at the same time. The Tianwu ruler said with a chuckle, "The reason I have returned is neither for war nor for peace, but... to grant your Donghan an opportunity, and the last opportunity."
"What do you mean?" The Donghan ruler's face darkened. Watching the Tianwu ruler's expression, his previous certainty quickly turned to unease.
"It's very simple," the Tianwu ruler said with a chuckle. "From today onward, let this Donghan Kingdom become the Donghan Prefecture of my Tianwu Kingdom. This will spare me from having to wage a bloody war, and you can all keep your lives and property. I can even grant you the title of Donghan Prefecture King... Dongfang Zhuo, will you choose to kneel and thank me, or will you foolishly resist?"
Dongfang Zhuo was indeed the name of the Donghan ruler.
The words of the Tianwu ruler caused everyone's faces to darken. But Fang Zhou laughed out loud. He slowly stepped forward, his eyes carrying the oppressive might of a Divine King as he stared at the Tianwu ruler: "Tianwu ruler, I am very curious. Who gave you such great confidence to utter such arrogant words?"
He extended his palm, facing the Tianwu ruler: "At this distance, it would be as easy as turning my hand for me to take your life. Even Bai Pengzhou won't be able to protect you... At that time, don't even think about your beautiful dreams—you won't even be able to have nightmares."
"Is that so?" The Tianwu ruler showed no sign of fear, nor did he shrink behind Bai Pengzhou. Instead, he revealed a strange faint smile.
"Fang Zhou, you are truly putting on quite the show of might."
From behind the military formation, a low, cold voice suddenly came.
It was a woman's voice. Hearing this voice, Fang Zhou's expression stiffened violently. When he clearly saw the figure slowly drifting over, his pupils sharply contracted, and he exclaimed in shock, "Zi... Zixuan Immortal!"