Chapter 269: Chapter 179: At the Zenith, The Last Hope

"You might not believe me if I’m the only one saying it, but you’ll understand when all the emperors of the world come to my White Cloud Sect to invite you out of seclusion."

The White Cloud Sect Leader said, stroking his long beard.

Zhang Fan could only nod. "Yes, Master."

’But he still felt a little apprehensive. Was this ’destiny’ really as mystical as his master claimed?’

Inside the Zhang Family residence in Yunzhou, Zhang Hong’s face lit up with excitement as he watched the scene in the Profound Light Mirror.

Zhang He was the same. Lu Yuan had actually defeated the siege of the entire world.

He was so excited his face flushed red.

Zhang Zhe’s expression was grim. He looked at his father and said, "He is Lu Yuan. He’s no longer one of the Zhang Family."

SLAP! Zhang He struck his son across the face.

"It doesn’t matter what his surname is! The blood flowing in his veins is Zhang Family blood, and that’s enough."

Zhang Hong stood up and said, "That’s right. He has Zhang Family blood. That’s all that matters. I’m going to write his name back into the family registry."

"Whether he agrees or not, our branch of the family must know that such a figure once existed among us."

Zhang Zhe looked at his uncle, his face paling. "You mustn’t! Dayong and Lu Yuan already have a blood feud. If we add him to the registry now, our entire clan, young and old, will be killed."

"Hmph. So what if we die? If my death can earn even a sliver of pity from Yuan and remind him that the Zhang Family is his root, then I will be content,"

Zhang Hong said in a heavy voice.

At his side, Zhang He nodded. "We must do this as soon as possible. Have the younger generation of the family leave first, then we’ll officially record Yuan’s name in the family registry."

"And we must make a big event of it so that everyone knows."

The madness of his father and uncle left Zhang Zhe at a loss for what to do.

He didn’t want to be buried with the family.

His body retreated involuntarily. Zhang He looked at his son, wanting to pull him back, but ultimately couldn’t bear to. He let out a long sigh.

He sat down and said no more.

Zhang Zhe turned and fled outside, not even having the courage to look back.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan was not concerned with any of this.

He was now inside the Dayong Imperial City. It had been a full day since the army had fought its way here, and their torches now illuminated the thousand-year-old city.

The marks from blades and axes were clearly visible.

The Array above, with no one to maintain it, had grown completely dim.

As Lu Yuan rode his warhorse inside, the bluestone-paved streets were littered with things discarded by fleeing nobles in their panic.

In a small courtyard facing the street, someone was cautiously peering outside through a crack in the door.

These were the common people of Dayong.

It was the first time they had ever seen people from another dynasty storm the Imperial City, and their hearts were filled with fear of the unknown.

Lu Yuan had been to the Imperial City before. The last time he entered, he had been cautious and discreet.

Now, however, he was here openly, with a great army at his back.

It gave him a feeling of how much things had changed.

He looked back at Xiao Lie and asked softly, "What’s the army’s progress?"

"We’ve begun pushing south. Dayong has no elite forces left, only a few City Guard Army units. They can no longer stop our advance. We’re encountering almost no resistance wherever we go.

"It’s estimated that within half a year, at most, the Yong Dynasty will become part of our Great Qin,"

Xiao Lie said quickly.

Lu Yuan nodded, then said lightly, "Tell the army to accelerate its advance. Dayong is finished, but the others are still out there. Order Mangu Tun and Manliang to join forces, along with Sacrificial Priest Man You, and change course to attack the Eastern Wilderness.

"Order Mangu Hun to lead the Blood Riders to attack Xirong. Those two dynasties no longer have their Renowned Generals or Imperial Guards. These two armies are enough to destroy them.

"Xiao Xiong will lead his own troops, along with the Celestial King Stronghold’s forces, and continue the attack on Dayong.

"At the same time, send a message to His Majesty. Have the court issue a state letter to the Southern Border, telling them to cede their territory and surrender. Otherwise, after the army flattens the Yong Dynasty, we will continue pushing south."

The orders were issued one by one in a methodical manner.

At his side, Xiao Lie’s face was flushed with excitement. "As you command!"

He knew that with Lu Yuan’s domineering personality, a counterattack was certain, but he hadn’t expected it to be so fast. They were going to directly attack the Eastern Barbarians and Xirong.

If these two dynasties were also defeated, the unification of the world wouldn’t be far off.

Only Great Yu would be left, waiting to be dealt with.

As for the Southern Border, Xiao Lie believed that as long as they didn’t want to die, they would choose to cede their territory and surrender.

By this point, the situation in the world was already crystal clear.

As for Lu Yuan, after moving into the Dayong imperial palace, he didn’t make any major moves for the next few days, mostly just commanding from his seat of power.

After all, at this point, no one could stop Great Qin’s advance.

What he needed to do now was to raise his own cultivation level.

In the blink of an eye, the hot summer turned to winter.

The Dayong Imperial City was draped in a blanket of white.

The common people also gradually began to get used to Great Qin.

After all, they had no choice. Moreover, they discovered that after the Great Qin army arrived, there was none of the looting they had imagined; instead, the soldiers were actually quite friendly to the common folk.

Their resistance was wearing away. Once the next generation grew up, their hearts would know only Great Qin; there would be no other dynasties for them.

On this day, Lu Yuan walked out of his courtyard and looked at the thick white snow on the ground.

He said to Xiao Lie, who was at his side, "Is there any news of the Yong Emperor?"

"Reporting to the Prince, not yet," Xiao Lie said softly.

Last month, Dayong was completely destroyed. The Yong Emperor fled with a few sons and his most trusted old ministers, and their whereabouts are now unknown.

The Southern Border also submitted to Great Qin half a month ago.

Xirong and the Eastern Barbarians, after having a significant part of their territories occupied by Great Qin, were now wavering between surrendering and not surrendering.

Great Yu hoped to negotiate peace with Great Qin, proposing a non-aggression pact. After being rejected, they went silent. It seems they’re preparing some kind of big move.

It was unknown what their next move would be.

You could say that the Great Qin of today blotted out the sky with one hand.

"Unknowingly, it’s already been over half a year since we set out. It’s fortunate we don’t lack cavalry; that’s why we’ve achieved such results.

"Have the people from the Observatory find the Yong Emperor’s whereabouts as soon as possible.

"Notify the armies in Xirong and the Eastern Barbarians’ lands to speed up their progress on the battlefield.

"Have Xiao Xiong lead his army to gather at Suzhou. The other two dynasties are already spent forces. It’s time to deal with Great Yu,"

Lu Yuan said with a chuckle.

’Once Great Yu is destroyed, the passage between heaven and earth will open.’

’That will be the moment the path to ascension is cleared.’

"Yes, Prince."

Xiao Lie responded and retreated.

Zhou Hongling looked at Lu Yuan and said softly, "Once the world is settled, you’ll finally be able to rest for a while."

Seeing Lu Yuan busy all day, every day, it would be a lie to say her heart didn’t ache for him.

"Mm. When the time comes, let’s get married. You, me, and Xiao Hua... we’ll be a family then."

Zhou Hongling nodded shyly.

And at that very moment, three imperial carriages arrived together at the foot of the White Cloud Sect’s mountain gate. Seated inside were none other than the Yu Emperor, the Xirong Emperor, and the Cyan Emperor.

A cold wind blew past. The faces of these once high-and-mighty emperors now seemed to carry a trace of sorrow and dejection.

Several months ago, they had heard the news of the White Cloud Sect’s Zhang Fan ascending the Celestial Ladder Cliff.

They had repeatedly sent people to invite him out of seclusion, but he had refused them every time.

Now, left with no other choice, they had come in person.

At this time, the Cyan Emperor glanced at the Xirong Emperor and said, "I was already prepared to cede my territory and surrender. Now you’ve insisted on dragging me here. Does this White Cloud Sect truly have someone who can deal with Lu Yuan?"

"The one who ascended the Celestial Ladder Cliff... what do you think? This is our last chance. Don’t talk about surrendering. The fact that you came here proves you’re still holding on to one last sliver of hope, doesn’t it?

"Great Yu still has nearly a million Imperial Guards. As long as we have the right person to lead them, we might still have a chance to turn the tables. Didn’t Lu Yuan also lead Great Qin to rise from a desperate situation?" After speaking, the Xirong Emperor looked up the mountain.

He saw an old man walking down with a young man.

The former was naturally the White Cloud Sect Leader, and the latter was Zhang Fan.

The Yu Emperor watched the two descend slowly, then turned his head to the Cyan Emperor and Xirong Emperor and said lightly, "Gentlemen, as long as Zhang Fan is on our side, then destiny is with us. Although half the world has already fallen to Great Qin...

"...our foundation is still far better than what the Great Zhou Emperor had when he first raised his army.

"You may not believe me, but do you not believe in destiny?"

he said with great certainty.

It could be said that Zhang Fan was the Yu Emperor’s final trump card.

The Xirong Emperor and the Cyan Emperor exchanged a look, nodded, and said no more.

After all, if there was even a sliver of hope, they were unwilling to give up their own dynasties.

Just then, Zhang Fan and his master also came down.

The three reigning emperors of the world said to Zhang Fan, "Greetings, Mr. Zhang."

In that instant, all the worries in Zhang Fan’s heart vanished.

’Is this destiny? Three emperors are actually bowing to me so politely. This is something I never would have dared to imagine in the past.’

And just as the Yu Emperor was plotting his counterattack...

Lu Yuan had returned to his courtyard and opened his system panel.

His last breakthrough had been several months ago, and he had not slacked off in his cultivation during that time.

Now, his strength had once again increased dramatically.

It was time to break through again.

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