Whirlwind of time, years flying by, just like that, half a month has passed.
In the relentless promotion by well-meaning individuals, the events that unfolded outside Taian City quickly spread outward and gradually fermented with the passage of time.
In a moment, the whole world fell silent, and the world of martial arts was hushed.
No one could have imagined that the newly crowned martial arts emperor, who had only been around for a little over a month, had already stirred up another major incident.
Half a month ago, General Xu Xiao of Liyang and another spring and autumn general, Gu Jiantang, commanded a total of 400,000 troops to besiege Tai'an City. Among them were numerous first-class masters including the former sword god Li Chungang, all with the aim of killing Wu Xian, the newly promoted world champion.
Such an imposing lineup could have launched a war of annihilation, but now it is rumored to be aimed solely at a martial artist.
To be honest, if someone heard this news two months ago, people in the martial arts world would probably find it amusing and think that the person or force spreading the rumor had lost their mind. How could they even come up with a story like this, and they wouldn't dare to laugh so hard that it caused their teeth to fall out.
However, it turned out that sometimes the truth is even more unbelievable than rumors.
Having hundreds of thousands of troops surrounding one person is not only a real event, but even more absurdly, it was that person who won this unfair war in the end.
After this battle, nearly 400,000 troops perished in the fighting, and all of them were killed. It is said that on that day outside Tai'an City, blood flowed like a river, and resentment filled the sky. The surrounding area was turned into a land of demons and ghosts.
Moreover, shortly after the end of this great battle, news emerged that the descendants of Liyang's Zhao family, scattered across the 24 states, had all committed suicide at home without leaving any of their kin.
From then on, the Liyang Dynasty completely declined, its fate exhausted, and in no time it would turn into dust in history.
In comparison, Chu as the only remaining royal power in the Central Plains became the ultimate winner of this Spring and Autumn War, essentially winning by lying down.
However, the good news brought no joy to the court and officials of Chu.
This is because they had received gossip that the legendary madman who brought down the Liyang Dynasty had left the borders of Liyang and was heading west, moving towards the direction of Chu.
What does he intend to do?
Was it simply a tour of the scenic spots in Xichu, or was he unsatisfied with his conquest of Liyang and now planning to destroy Xichu as well?
For a time, everyone in the Chu court was in danger. The Emperor even stopped attending the morning meetings, handing over all government affairs to the prime minister and other ministers, adopting a hands-off approach to governance. He also issued an edict for the military sage Ye Baikui to lead troops to guard the royal city around the clock, for twelve hours a day without rest, in order to buy him time to escape.
At the same time, the northern grasslands of the Bei Murong began to experience internal strife. Upon hearing of this formidable figure in the Central Plains, they couldn't help but feel nervous, despite their glee at the misfortune of others.
Indeed, the power of this world's first is too baffling to believe, and it is completely beyond comprehension how a mere martial artist could possess such strength.
It should be noted that the most dazzling achievement of the last world's first, Wang Xianzi, was to fight three times in and out of a force of 60,000 troops. This is fundamentally different from slaughtering 60,000 people.
And Wu Xian did it directly with a super multiplier, and 400,000 troops disappeared in an instant. This is clearly not a martial arts emperor who walks among humans, but a divine being.
What is known as land deities or earthly immortals, it is not even fit for him to carry their shoes. Only the Buddha or celestial emperors in the heavens could possibly compare with him.
As the news of the events in Tai'an City spread ever wider, in the martial arts community and among the people, there were truly those who began to create statues of Wu Xian for worship, calling him the Martial Ancestor or Martial God.
Some even believed that he was the reincarnation of the true God of Martial Arts in this generation, and spontaneously praising and worshipping him, hoping to gain the favor and protection of the emperor, to ensure the safety and health of their families, or to cure infertility or other such issues...
Little did they know that it was precisely because of Wu Xian's existence that the true reincarnation of the God of Martial Arts, not yet born, had already seen his family destroyed and his life shattered.
What was once his prestigious status, with fine clothes, precious jewels, and numerous beautiful concubines, had now become a mere dreamlike illusion.
If the true God of Martial Arts in the heavens had known about this, he might have been so angered that his aura would shatter and his cultivation level would plummet.
...
Xichu's capital city, Dahuang City, in the Phoenix Mansion, an Essence Guesthouse.
Listening to the gossips and rumors about him from the diners around, Wu Xian couldn't help but smile wryly. Then he stood on the top floor of the most famous inn in this city, overlooking the sights and customs of Xichu's capital.
The description of the Xichu people in this novel is quite similar to the original. The customs are simple and orderly, at least in his journey, he rarely saw the kind of behaviors like those of a Northern Liang prince and his companions, who bullied and oppressed people.
In fact, Liyang is not that bad either, which proves that this world is still mostly populated by normal people, unlike the protagonist's side, which is more of an exception.
Of course, it could also be that the timing was not right.
After all, the war has just ended, and the officials and nobles are still busy with distributing profits, they have no time to bully the people. As soon as everything is stable, some of the hidden things will reveal their true forms.
"Xichu is quite good, except for the emperor... hehe!"
Thinking this to himself, Wu Xian turned his gaze towards the direction of the Xichu palace, his eyes carrying a hint of oddity.
Unlike Zhao Li, the brilliant and mighty emperor of Xichu, the current emperor of Xichu is Jiang Ren. Although he is not considered a fool, he still has a long way to go in terms of being wise.
This person loves poetry, calligraphy, painting, and chess. However, he is not skilled in governing the country. The reason why Xichu can become a spring and autumn power equal to Liyang, apart from the thick foundation left by the ancestors, is basically because Xichu still has a lot of capable ministers and generals.
People like the military sage Ye Baikui and the chess courtier Cao Changqing are rare talents in the world. Having one of them in a martial arts and literary role can ensure peace and stability in the country.
This Jiang Ren is also capable of distinguishing right from wrong, and he highly values both Ye Baikui and Cao Changqing. Under normal circumstances, as long as he doesn't make any blunders, he can be a stable and reliable ruler.
Unfortunately, his luck was not on his side. Just when it was his turn to ascend to the throne, he faced Xu Xiao, a bane of the battlefield, who managed to conquer five countries in just ten years and even penetrated deep into the heart of Xichu at one point.
If it were not for Wu Xian's unexpected appearance, the Great Phoenix City would probably be draped with flags of the Northern Liang army by now.
"If we calculate this, I can be considered a great benefactor of the entire Chu country, and not being given the title of a national teacher or an adoptive king is a bit unfair."
His lips curved slightly, and the next moment, Wu Xian had already vanished into thin air from the Essence Guesthouse, leaving no trace. As his figure flickered, he had already arrived at the capital of Chu.
Because the emperor of Chu was afraid of a martial arts madman coming to the gate, the defense of the royal city had been exceptionally strict recently. Guards were posted all over the palace walls, and there were frequent patrols of heavily armed palace guards, with strict defenses that even mosquitoes and flies had difficulty getting through.
However, seeing this situation, Wu Xian paid no attention to it, as if he were walking through his own backyard. He leisurely walked past the guards and palace guards without a care in the world.
Meanwhile, the latter seemed to have become deaf and blind, hearing and seeing nothing, as if Wu Xian did not even exist.
This situation was not due to some secret technique creating a special effect, but rather because after achieving the realm of a land deity, Wu Xian could enter the state of unity with the heavens, blending with light and dust at any time.
In this state, if combined with the stealth ability provided by the Six-Gallery Immortal Thief, as long as Wu Xian is willing, even a common martial artist or someone below the realm of a land god would have difficulty detecting his presence.
