You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

"I have met His Majesty."

Zhuge Liang appeared in the Hall of Mental Cultivation and bowed slightly to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

"No gift."

Zhou Chen waved his hand, glanced at Zhuge Liang, and said, "It is said that the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix are so powerful that knowing either one can bring peace to the world. I have long awaited your talent, Kongming."

"Now that our Great Zhou has gained the respect of the world, it is in dire need of talented people. I hope that your appearance, Kongming, will enable our Great Zhou to reach even greater heights."

Looking at Zhuge Liang, Zhou Chen said with anticipation.

A minister who dedicates himself to the cause until his dying breath—no one could dislike such a person.

Even Zhou Chen was no exception.

He hoped that this Wolong would also dedicate himself to the Great Zhou Dynasty until his dying breath.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, Kongming will never disappoint you."

Zhuge Liang cupped his hands and said.

Zhou Chen nodded; "Our Great Zhou now has two prime ministers, left and right, but we are still short of a central prime minister. You, Kongming, will be the central prime minister of our Great Zhou! Enter the cabinet to take charge of affairs."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang immediately bowed and expressed his gratitude.

To rise directly from a commoner to the position of prime minister and then to the position of cabinet minister is a meteoric rise.

Such favor is truly immense.

This also shows how much His Majesty values ​​him.

Subsequently, Zhou Chen ordered the eunuch to take Zhuge Liang away from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"It's really a double blessing!"

After Zhuge Liang left, Zhou Chen felt a pang of regret.

Today, not only was his eldest son born, but he also discovered Zhuge Liang, a man of exceptional talent who could command armies on horseback and govern the world on foot. Isn't this a double celebration?
Although opinions on Zhuge Liang vary among later generations, it is undeniable that his talent was unparalleled.

As the saying goes, no one is perfect; no one is without flaws or shortcomings.

Zhou Chen picked up the teacup beside him and took a small sip.

Now, the Great Zhou Dynasty is in a tripartite balance of power, with Li Si, Xiao He, and Zhuge Liang each being a renowned figure throughout history. With these three gathered in the Great Zhou court, Zhou Chen can imagine that the Great Zhou will usher in a period of true prosperity.

As for whether these people would seize power and become powerful ministers who threaten the imperial authority, Zhou Chen was not worried at all.

Putting aside the fact that all the outstanding individuals who signed in were 100% loyal to him, just the fact that these three ministers checked and balanced each other made it difficult for them to monopolize power.

Moreover, although Zhou Chen did not abolish the position of prime minister, he weakened some of the prime minister's authority. In addition, with the cabinet overseeing everything, it was almost impossible for anyone to monopolize power and thus threaten the imperial authority.

"Ding... The system is upgrading. You cannot sign in during the upgrade period."

Just then, a mechanical voice suddenly rang out.

"Uh!"

"Does the system need an upgrade?"

Zhou Chen was taken aback, put down his teacup, and immediately immersed himself in examining it.

……

Two-world pass.

After the great battle more than three months ago, the terrain and atmosphere of the entire Liangjie Pass have undergone considerable changes.

Even with the protection of a Saint-level formation, the Two Realms Pass still suffered a significant impact. Many buildings collapsed and the passes were broken. After more than three months of reconstruction and repair, the traces left by the previous great battle could not be concealed.

Needless to say, the area outside the walls was devastated, with mountains collapsing and the earth cracking. As far as the eye could see, it was almost entirely barren, with some places completely devoid of vegetation. This demonstrates just how destructive the sage's actions were.

Because of this, Liangjie Pass did not decline due to the great battle; on the contrary, its popularity increased, and more and more people flocked to Liangjie Pass.

These people all exuded an extraordinary aura. There were Venerables of the Reincarnation Realm, Kings of the Life and Death Realm, and even some Half-Saint Realm experts. None of them were ordinary people.

The reason why these people flocked to the Two Realms Pass was because the previous great battle left behind a rich power of law.

It contains not only the power of laws left behind by the Great Sage, but also the power of laws left behind by the Saint King and even the Half-Emperor.

If one can comprehend even a trace of these laws, one's strength can advance by leaps and bounds, bringing unimaginable benefits to one's future cultivation path.

Especially for those who are half-saints or whose cultivation has hit a bottleneck, as long as they can comprehend even a trace of it, entering the realm of saints or breaking through their current bottleneck is basically not a problem.

A flying boat flew in from afar and slowly landed outside the Two Realms Pass.

Four figures emerged from the flying boat.

The leader was a young gentleman, dressed in fine clothes and exuding an extraordinary aura; he was clearly no ordinary person.

Behind the young master were three people, one of whom was an elderly man who exuded a powerful aura that was more than ten times stronger than that of the other two.

"Is this the barrier between the two worlds?"

The young master stepped out of the flying boat and murmured to himself as he looked at the Two Realms Pass before him.

"Yes, Your Highness, this is the Two Realms Pass. Once you pass through these two realms, you will have entered the territory of the Eastern Region."

The old man behind him heard this and spoke up.

The young master glanced at the Two Realms Pass and nodded; "The Two Realms Pass can be considered a formidable pass."

Shifting his gaze from the Two Realms Pass, the young master swept his eyes over the desolate, unrecognizable land around him. At a glance, not a single place was intact, which made one imagine how intense the great battle must have been to cause such destruction.

Sensing the rich power of the laws, the young master said, "It seems this is where the great battle took place three months ago."

The old man behind him and the other two nodded. They could all feel the power of the laws left over from the great battle around them, and some of these laws were stronger than their own.

The most intense of the three dishes, in particular, made them feel a considerable pressure.

If I'm not mistaken, this power of law should have been left behind by that half-emperor's projection.

"This half-emperor's strength is indeed terrifying. Although it is only the power of law left behind by a projection, the pressure is still difficult to face. It is truly remarkable that someone in the Eastern Region can withstand the projection of this half-emperor!"

As an elder at the peak of the Great Sage realm, he could clearly feel the immense power of this pressure. Even for someone at the peak of the Great Sage realm like himself, it was not certain that he could get close enough to face this pressure directly.

"Yes! It's quite surprising that such a powerful expert could emerge from such a barren land."

The other two nodded as well, equally astonished that someone from the Eastern Region could block the projection of this half-emperor.

If this were in the Central Region, it wouldn't be surprising if someone could block the projection of this Half-Emperor, since there are quite a few Half-Emperors in the Central Region.

But the Eastern Region is a barren land. Let alone a Half-Emperor, there isn't even a Saint King. The number of Great Saint-level experts can be counted on one hand. In such a barren land, someone actually managed to block the projection of a Half-Emperor. If it weren't for the facts right in front of us, it would be hard to believe. "That's precisely why it's worth making this trip."

"Let's go! Once inside the city, let's find out about the situation in the Eastern Region and see who this person is who can withstand the projection of a half-emperor."

As the young man spoke, he stepped off the flying boat.

The other three didn't say anything more and followed the young master off the flying boat. Then, the old man cast a spell, and the giant flying boat shrank in the blink of an eye and was put away.

When the four arrived at the gate, a figure clad in silver-white armor leaped down from the gate and blocked their path.

"Where do you all come from?"

Taishi Ci glanced at the four of them and asked.

Indeed, the figure leaping down from the wall was none other than Taishi Ci.

Just as he was standing on the wall, Taishi Ci had already spotted the enormous flying ship approaching from afar.

Taishi Ci knew that the person who could possess such a flying boat was certainly not an ordinary person.

However, this was not what Taishi Ci cared about, because in the past two months, there had been countless waves of people from outside trying to pass through the Two Realms Pass to enter the Eastern Region, and Taishi Ci didn't care.

However, if Taishi Ci's perception is not mistaken, three of these four people possess the cultivation level of a sage.

Among them, the old man had the strongest aura, which made him feel considerable pressure. Only the young man in the lead had a slightly weaker aura, and he should be a half-saint, but the aura he exuded seemed to be no weaker than that of a real saint.

These are the things that Taishi Ci truly cares about.

"how?"

"Do we need to explain our origins to Your Excellency before we can enter these two realms?"

When the young master saw Taishi Ci fly down from the wall and land in front of them, asking where they came from, he couldn't help but frown.

"Of course not. Our Great Zhou welcomes guests from all directions. No matter who you are, as long as you abide by the laws of our Great Zhou, you can enter our territory."

Taishi Ci shook his head, knowing that the other party had misunderstood his meaning, and explained: "The reason I stopped the four of you and asked where you came from is because I saw that you had an impressive aura and were quite strong. I wanted to remind you that in our Great Zhou, sages are forbidden from taking action at will, especially from harming the innocent."

"Otherwise, our Great Zhou will surely suppress it directly."

Upon hearing Taishi Ci's words, the young master's furrowed brows did not relax; instead, they furrowed even more deeply.

"So, you mean if someone attacks or insults us, we can't retaliate and can only endure it?"

The young master's expression was somewhat displeased. Forbidding a saint from intervening? What kind of ridiculous rule is this?

Even in the Central Region Imperial Court, there is no such rule, nor could there possibly be such a rule.

What is a sage?
That was a true powerhouse, capable of causing mountains and rivers to collapse with a single rage.

Not to mention in this barren Eastern Region, he could be considered a true powerhouse even in the Central Region.

Trying to prevent such powerful individuals from taking action and make them abide by such rules is a joke, isn't it?
Say.

What are their identities?
Making them abide by these bullshit rules is something no one in the Central Region Imperial Court would dare to do.

"The four of you have misunderstood me. The laws of our Great Zhou are strict, and the majesty of the sages cannot be easily insulted. If someone deliberately seeks death, then that is naturally not the case."

Taishi Ci noticed the displeasure on the other person's face and said nothing more.

Everything that needed to be said has been said, and everything that needed to be reminded has been reminded.

Whether those four people would take it seriously was not his concern.

"Thank you for reminding us, we understand."

The young master nodded, said something indifferently, and then led the other three into the Two Realms Pass.

Obviously.

They didn't take Taishi Ci's words seriously.

"General, are we just going to let them in like this? They don't seem to be taking your words to heart."

As the young master and his three companions entered the Two Realms Pass, a captain stepped forward and whispered something.

“If we don’t let them in, are we going to keep them out of the pass? Our Great Zhou doesn’t have any rules against letting people in.”

Looking at the four young masters who had already entered the Two Realms Pass, Taishi Ci said quietly, "We've said what we needed to say. The rest is not our concern. The people of the Eastern Depot will take care of it."

Taishi Ci didn't just stop the four young masters from saying these things; rather, during this period, he would give a warning to anyone who came to the Two Realms Pass and was powerful.

This is also their daily work in guarding the Liangjie Pass, the gateway to the eastern region.

After withdrawing his gaze, Taishi Ci returned to the wall.

……

Great Zhou?

After entering the Two Realms Pass, the young master looked around the pass and asked with a puzzled expression, "Elder Guan, what kind of power is this Great Zhou? If I remember correctly, the Eastern Region should be ruled by the Azure Dragon Dynasty, right? When did the Great Zhou suddenly appear?"

Just now, at the gate of that city wall, he heard that general repeatedly mention our Great Zhou.

Wasn't the Eastern Region ruled by the Azure Dragon Dynasty? How come it seems to have become the Great Zhou Dynasty now?

“Your Highness, this old man does not know what kind of power the Great Zhou is. Some time ago, something happened in the other three regions, which Your Highness must already know. Although the Eastern Region blocked those alien races, the national fortune protecting the Imperial Court was also broken. I suppose the Azure Dragon Dynasty has also undergone some changes.”

The old man standing beside the young master spoke in a deep voice.

Thinking of the undercurrents that had been brewing during this period, the old man's face became extremely solemn.

Even with his peak Great Sage strength, he felt a sense of helplessness and unease.

Hearing the old man's words, the young master said nothing more and stopped in front of a restaurant. "Then let's find out what kind of power this Great Zhou is, see if anything has happened to the Azure Dragon Dynasty, and most importantly, find out who that person is who can block the half-emperor projection?"

The young master emphasized his words at the end.

This was their main purpose in coming to the Eastern Region.

Upon hearing the young man's words, one of the two saints left silently.

"Let's go!"

"Let's go check out this restaurant first."

After walking around, the young master discovered that this restaurant was the largest in the city.

So, without saying a word, he stepped into the restaurant first.

The other two followed closely behind. (End of Chapter)