Chapter 460: Chapter 279: The Nations Gather, a Summit Meeting, I Will Be the Ruler of the World, Not Just the Central Plains World...

"Let’s go. We’ll rendezvous with Li Muwan and Cao Zongxi."

Wuxun rested for a moment before resuming the march.

After several Hours, they had crossed the lush oasis, braved the wild, sandy winds of the Gobi, and left the small path behind.

Beyond the valley ahead lay a boundless plain.

But just as they were passing through the valley...

A crushing mass of people emerged from both sides of the valley. Banners and flags fluttered in every direction, and the elite soldiers, their vitality surging like dragons, stood ready for battle, halberds in hand.

"So you’ve finally arrived."

A voice, laced with a smile and a hint of mockery, echoed through the valley.

Luo Lingxiao and Wuxun scanned their surroundings but couldn’t locate the speaker.

They could only hear his voice, not see his face.

Luo Lingxiao snorted. "Is this the extent of your abilities? Laying a mere ambush in a canyon? Are you too cowardly to even show your face when you speak?"

Just then, in the distance, surrounded by soldiers, a Nine Dragon Imperial Carriage under a magnificent golden canopy came into view.

Luo Lingxiao and Wuxun exchanged a glance, seeing the determination in each other’s eyes.

They struck almost simultaneously, unleashing an impressive burst of power toward the Nine Dragon Imperial Carriage.

The Great Yan Soldiers trying to block them were sent flying.

In the blink of an eye, with the speed of a thunderclap, they were before the Nine Dragon Imperial Carriage.

They had clearly had the same idea.

Capture the Emperor of Great Yan alive.

But...

It was not as they had imagined.

There was no man in a Dragon Robe inside the Nine Dragon Imperial Carriage. Instead, two powerful figures rushed out: a Daoist Robe Woman with a vermilion mark between her brows, holding a Duster, and to her right, a handsome, middle-aged man in a dark, long gown with the massive, illusory image of a Yin-Yang Tai Chi symbol appearing beneath his feet.

It was none other than Fairy Ci Hang and the Taiwei Taoist Lord.

In an instant.

The Taiwei Taoist Lord produced the Sect’s Foundation-Protecting Immortal Artifact from his sleeve: the Yin Yang Profound Mirror.

He immediately drove the two of them back. The brilliant light shooting from the Yin Yang Profound Mirror transformed into a long rope, binding both Luo Lingxiao and Wuxun.

Captured alive, just like that.

Watching this from a distance amid his army, Lu Mingyuan smiled faintly.

’Show my face? Why would I show my face?’

’I knew it.’

Lu Mingyuan smirked, having anticipated their plan.

When ambushed and trapped, finding themselves at a disadvantage, the first instinct is naturally to capture the enemy commander alive and fight for a slim chance of survival.

The two of them had reacted quickly. If it had been the monarch of any other nation, their defensive line might have already been broken.

Unfortunately for them, Lu Mingyuan would not give them such an opportunity.

Besides, his own Cultivation was higher than either of theirs.

Not knowing their true strength, Lu Mingyuan could only observe from the shadows and use his Great Yan Tributors to test them.

Just a moment ago, Lu Mingyuan had roughly estimated that their strength wasn’t particularly high; they weren’t the type to hide their true Cultivation.

For now, he could assume that these two were no match for him.

He could mark them down as weak.

After being captured alive and having their Qi Sea Dantian sealed, they were powerless to use any of their myriad techniques. Luo Lingxiao shouted, unwilling to accept her defeat:

"The great and mighty Great Yan, which calls itself the Celestial Destiny Dynasty, resorts to such underhanded tricks? Don’t you dare face us in a direct battle?"

Lu Mingyuan remained unmoved by this taunt.

His voice carried to her, devoid of expression. "Do you take Us for a fool? We can capture you without losing a single soldier. Why wouldn’t We? The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Have you not learned this?"

Then, Lu Mingyuan thought to himself, ’Enough. No more wasting words on them. Now that they’re captured, I should be able to lure out the reinforcements from Nanli and Great Sui. I’ll set a trap for the rescuers. However many troops their allied army sends, my Great Yan will devour them all.’

Just as he was considering this, a Buddha’s Dharma Body descended from the heavens and materialized between heaven and earth.

Golden Lotuses filled the sky, floating amidst a brilliant Golden Light that illuminated the entire valley as if it were a great sun.

The Buddha’s Dharma Body was incredibly sacred. Its head was adorned with spiral-shaped hair, and it possessed a flaming nimbus and halo. Its right hand formed the earth-touching mudra, while its left hand was in the Zen Meditation mudra. At the center of the Dharma Body’s brow stood an incomparably handsome monk in white robes.

The white-robed monk gently pressed a palm downward.

The Dharma Body mirrored the action, pressing its own palm down.

It directly shattered the Barrier that the Taiwei Taoist Lord had conjured.

And just like that, it rescued Luo Lingxiao and Wuxun.

Seeing this, Lu Mingyuan chuckled. "Jiang Shan, it seems you are determined to make an enemy of Us."

Jiang Shan, suspended in the void, now formed a hand seal. His profile was sharp as if carved, extraordinarily handsome, and a Golden Light emanated from the corners of his eyes, making him resemble a Furious Vajra.

He glanced at Luo Lingxiao, who was now in his palm, and said with a faint smile, "We are but serving our respective masters. I ask for Your Majesty’s understanding."

This era was truly one of burgeoning talent, where every person was like a dragon. Had Luo Lingxiao been born a hundred years earlier, or a thousand years later, she might have become one of the top paragons of her generation.

But with Lu Mingyuan present, all other talented geniuses were destined to be overshadowed, to be mere foils.

Facing Jiang Shan, Lu Mingyuan remained composed, asking with a smile:

"Then let Us ask you, Master: in this eastern campaign of the Six Kingdoms, who do you think will be victorious? The Six Kingdoms, or my Great Yan?"

Jiang Shan recited a Buddhist chant, "Amitabha Buddha. The affairs of the world are impermanent, but cause and effect are absolute. All things are preordained. Naturally, victory will belong to the capable."

Lu Mingyuan’s expression turned serious. His voice rose several notches as he powered it from his Dantian, his Primordial Qi surging, and spoke with immense resonance:

"Then let me ask you again. What if We intend to become the master of the world—not just the Central Plains World, but *all* worlds?"

"Can We, or can We not?!"

Even Jiang Shan was stunned by Lu Mingyuan’s question.

"This..."

He had never imagined that Lu Mingyuan’s ambition was so vast.