"Such... such a strong presence...!"

"The Fire Qilin! It’s that disastrous Fire Qilin!"

"The Fire Qilin was reportedly severely injured by our Emperor Supreme in the past and later subdued by the Black Wind Village Chief, who then used its power to avert natural disasters in the Song Country. Now the Black Wind Village Chief is bringing the Fire Qilin here, is he trying to stand up for it?"

Within the Imperial Palace, countless people saw the dragon shadow in the sky and the massive Fire Qilin being dragged along, all feeling uneasy and terrified.

Even the well-trained and disciplined Divine Martial Guard showed signs of change in expression when they felt the fierce pressure rushing down from the sky.

It was at the midpoint between morning and noon, the sun at the zenith, shining brightly over the earth.

Jiang Dali, wearing the pitch-black Heavenly Tribulation Battle Armor, removed his mask to reveal a rugged and stern face. Instead of rashly ordering the Demon Dragon to swoop down, he stood proudly alongside Nie Renwang, looking down from high above at the well-ranked Divine Martial Guard spread throughout the palace city inside and out, exuding a sense of command over the landscape, chatting and laughing leisurely, evoking a sense of awe and reverence from all below who looked up.

"Brother Nie, in your view, how does the number of Inner Palace Experts in the Divine Martial Country compare to Old Zhu’s Ming Country Palace?"

Nie Renwang’s eyes sparkled as he sensed the Qi mechanism below, smiled admiringly, "The Emperor of Divine Martial Country deserves to be an Emperor Supreme in the past; this palace truly is filled with experts, and their Qi mechanism forms a whole. I’m afraid they are adept at the technique of arrayed joint attacks. Had I not come with you this time, I would only dare to break through this palace after reaching a higher level."

"Roar!"

At this time, the Fire Qilin below let out an angry roar, its eyes red with hatred upon seeing its enemy, its massive body almost leaping down from high above, shaking the chains with a tinkling sound, causing the Demon Dragon to emit a dissatisfied low growl.

"Fire Qilin! Calm down! We have not come to stir trouble this time."

Jiang Dali sensed the rising anger and hostility of the Fire Qilin, immediately sending a wave of Primordial Spirit to soothe it.

And this one vicious roar from the Fire Qilin seemed like a violent whirlwind rolling toward below, causing a slight commotion among a large number of people below, like ripples spreading on the surface of water.

At this time, the Emperor of Divine Martial Country finally stepped forward, looking up toward Jiang Dali and the other in the sky, pondering with a calm voice, "Black Wind Village Chief, I wonder if you suddenly visit my palace today in the identity of Ming Country’s Side-by-side King or Song State Champion King? And what is your purpose?"

Though the volume of his voice was not loud, it was clear like a dragon chant, enough for Jiang Dali to hear it from high above.

Jiang Dali crossed his arms calmly, chuckled, and spoke, his voice not loud, yet still spreading like a whirlwind below, "The Village Chief today does not come as a mere Prince. I come to see you, Divine Martial Emperor, only as a mountain bandit leader. What? Does the identity of a mountain bandit leader not qualify me to speak equally with the Divine Martial Emperor?"

These words were filled with absolute dominance and confidence, prompting some Players on the streets outside the palace, secretly disciples of Eight Desolates, to exclaim in excitement and admiration for the Grandmaster.

Some guards within the Divine Martial Palace felt humiliated and angry, yet dared not speak out.

Not to mention an ordinary mountain bandit leader, even the four great bandit masters whose names were renowned throughout the world, who dared utter such bold words in front of the Emperor of Divine Martial Country palace?

But the mountain bandit leader before them was indeed qualified, and it was unlikely anyone else could be found to freely roam and command respect across various countries.

The Emperor of Divine Martial was not angry upon hearing this. Instead, he noted Jiang Dali’s presence with Nie Renwang, vaguely guessing his intention, and revealed a faint smile, "No mountain bandit leaders in the world qualify to speak with this Emperor, but only you, Master Jiang, are absolutely qualified.

However, Master Jiang, the pomp and circumstance with which you travel now is indeed astounding, as a dragon and Qilin surpass a million troops. This Emperor must treat it with caution, please state your purpose, so this Emperor can be thoroughly assured."

"You, Divine Martial Emperor, indeed cautious, fair enough. The Village Chief came suddenly this time without notifying beforehand, which was indeed against protocol."

Jiang Dali smiled faintly, overlooking from high above, "I came to ask some questions of you, the Emperor, and need your assistance with some trivial matters. I shall leave the Demon Dragon and Fire Qilin outside the palace, then meet you, surely you will not even dare see me in person?"

The Divine Martial Emperor relaxed, laughed heartily, "The Village Chief’s renown is widespread, everyone knows that you are a reasonable person. Since you’ve clarified your purpose is not as an enemy, but as a friend, this Emperor surely ought to treat the Village Chief, lest I neglect the grand etiquette of my Divine Martial Country."

"Good!"

Jiang Dali stomped his foot, the Demon Dragon let out a low growl, then descended under countless gazes, directly to the outer gate of the palace, landing thunderously with the Fire Qilin.

When these two giant beasts landed, the terrifying aura they emitted spread like mountains and seas, filling the air with oppression and restlessness, leaving many nearby Divine Martial Guards pale and weak-kneed.

Imagine the sensation of a person’s heart racing at the terrifying scent of a tiger or lion when observed up close.

Now this Demon Dragon and Fire Qilin are vastly more formidable than lions or tigers, making even the strongest-willed persons paralyzed with fear upon seeing them closely. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

To demonstrate sincerity, Jiang Dali voluntarily removed all Heavenly Tribulation Battle Armor, indicating no hostile intent, and then, together with Nie Renwang, boarded the welcoming palanquin that emerged from the city gate, entering the inner palace under the escort of the brightly armored Divine Martial Guards, to meet with the Emperor of Divine Martial in the Divine Martial Hall where court was held.

This scene of two vassal states’ top figures meeting was extremely legendary and historical.

However, no Players within the Divine Martial Palace could witness this scene.

The specific content of their conversation naturally could not be conveyed through Player channels, causing a strong curiosity akin to being scratched by a cat claw among a large number of Players within Divine Martial Country.

...

Holy Dynasty.

Wan Family.

On the desk of Clan Elder Wan Lin, there lay records and intelligence detailing all the movements and actions of Wan Zhongchen during his journey to the vassal state. In a mere thirteen days, almost every detail was meticulously documented.

The speed and accuracy of this intelligence gathering undoubtedly proved one thing—the Wan Family had exceptionally skilled intelligence operatives in the vassal state, and judging by their speed in disseminating information, there must be many hidden intricacies.

At this moment, Wan Lin, the fifth-generation Patriarch of the Wan Family, who had stepped down and now served as the sixth generation Clan Elder and Returning Truth Expert, was carefully reviewing the information on the manuscript.

His bright and piercing eyes lingered on each line of text for prolonged moments, seemingly afraid of missing an insignificant word.

In truth, although this intelligence was detailed, it was only just over a thousand words. With his exceptional memory as a Returning Truth Expert, a quick scan could easily commit it all to memory, making such a careful read unnecessary. But this also proved his cautious and meticulous nature in handling affairs, often resulting in minimal errors in his dealings.

After reading all the intelligence content, his face, typically emotionless, turned somewhat grim. He finally confirmed that Wan Zhongchen had indeed fallen victim to foul play, and the culprit was the current Black Wind Village Chief, infamous in the vassal state.

He didn’t need to look at the intelligence regarding the Black Wind Village Chief; the information about him was already vividly clear in his mind.

Almost from the moment Jiang Dali rose to fame, became a name that resonated across the north and south, offended people, or formed alliances, Wan Lin was completely aware of them all.

This was because it was his routine duty to understand all potential elite officials in the vassal state with the seeds of becoming unparalleled experts. It was not just a family plan but related to the future structure of power development.

A top-tier power might have its fair share of arrogant scions, but not everyone could rest on their laurels. There had to be those who were exceptionally effective.

Wan Lin was undoubtedly one of such effective people. While he might not boast of outstanding achievements, he certainly had significant contributions to the Wan Family’s current flourishing status.

As for Jiang Dali, the Black Wind Village Chief, Wan Lin once considered him a target for the family’s blood exchange plan due to his extraordinary cultivation talent. However, his strength grew alarmingly fast, forcing Wan Lin to list him as a high-risk individual to be abandoned, and instead extend an olive branch aiming for recruitment.

He also believed that with Wan Zhongchen’s sharp wit, he would surely choose to politely retreat when encountering the Black Wind Village Chief.

And unless Jiang Dali was a fool, he wouldn’t recklessly offend the Wan Family.

But the key point now was that not only did the Black Wind Village Chief make a move, he possibly crushed Wan Zhongchen’s body leaving only his Primordial Spirit to escape, marking a life-and-death vendetta, an unexpected twist indeed.

But this accident should have been avoidable.

"Plans can never keep up with changes. The North Drinking Mad Saber Nie Renwang, despite having decent sword dao talents, was not included in the family’s watch list, thus was not written into the records, and Zhongchen shouldn’t have focused on him. He instead foolishly attempted to capture Nie Renwang, thinking to claim a merit...

Unfortunately... this kid was ultimately too young and rash, lacking steadiness. Had he consulted the family in advance, I would’ve timely reminded him that despite being able to dominate the vassal state with his strength, there existed very few he couldn’t afford to provoke, alas!"

Even with limited intelligence, Wan Lin seemed to follow closely beside Wan Zhongchen, easily deducing his intentions and the reasons for inciting trouble.

He sighed and finally rested his gaze on a seemingly insignificant line among the thousand words, though of utmost importance, outlining Nie Renwang’s friendships——"North Drinking Mad Saber Nie Renwang is closely acquainted with Black Wind Village Chief Jiang Dali."

Martial World, Martial World, venturing into it involves a constant dance of social exchanges; often, it is a contest of friendships, exchanging cards before crossing swords, perhaps then smiling to dissolve grievances. Never underestimate anyone who seems weaker, as you never know if they may have an untouchable friend.

The Black Wind Village Chief Jiang Dali was indisputably a friend that Wan Zhongchen couldn’t afford to cross.

From the intelligence acquired, it seemed that unless the man himself came to the Holy Dynasty, even with the vast energy of the Wan Family, achieving a retaliatory strike against him would be hard! Hard! Hard!

"Regrettably, however difficult, my third brother is likely to still insist on revenge, after all... Mingzhu once sacrificed a lot. Though she chose to give up for the family this time, the family cannot dishearten its members."

Wan Lin sighed inwardly, his mind already forming a rational and calm revenge plan—using a borrowed knife to kill!

Nie Renwang had friends, and Wan Zhongchen paid the price in blood because of Nie Renwang’s friend.

The Wan Family too had friends, and the Black Wind Village Chief Jiang Dali needed to pay the blood cost for the Wan Family’s friends, because the enemy’s enemy is a friend.

He knew, whether it was the Blood Transformation Divine Venerable ever pursued by the Holy Dynasty, or that ancient monster within the God-searching Palace now barely clinging to life, both were enemies of the Black Wind Village Chief; hence they could all become friends of the Wan Family...

...

...

...

(End of month ticket clearing)