If you were asked to identify an item, would you choose to extract magical powers?

Chapter 254 Transfer
In the imperial study room.

After Emperor Shengwu said this, Eunuch Chen stared at the wooden box in Emperor Shengwu's hand with a complicated look in his eyes.

After a few breaths, Eunuch Chen slowly sighed.

"Your Majesty, since you have made this decision, we will definitely support it with all our strength. However, isn't it too early to hand it over to him now? After all, Your Majesty still has three months left."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Shengwu shook his head and said, "I do have three months left, but three months is a very short time for anyone. Besides, if something unexpected happens in the meantime, I'm afraid it will be too late."

"The current situation is changing too quickly. Even if I were in my position, I wouldn't be able to fully control it. I need to give it to him sooner rather than later so I can have an explanation."

Eunuch Chen wanted to say something, but after seeing the determined expression on Emperor Shengwu's face, he could only sigh slowly.

"In that case, when Shen Bai returns to Xuanjing City, let him come to see His Majesty."

Emperor Shengwu nodded and said nothing more.

Eunuch Chen knew it very well. After the complicated look in his eyes eased a little, he bowed and walked out of the imperial study.

After Eunuch Chen left, the imperial study returned to silence, with only Emperor Shengwu left sitting alone in front of the wide desk.

There was an oil lamp on the desk, flickering a dim light. Next to the oil lamp were various memorials piled up, representing the major affairs of the Great Zhou Kingdom.

Emperor Shengwu picked up a new handkerchief, put it to his mouth, coughed a few times, and a few more streaks of blood seeped onto the handkerchief.

He looked at the bloodstains on the handkerchief, then picked up the memorial next to him and continued to correct it carefully.

"Even if my life is about to end, I will burn my last drop of blood to arrange everything that can be arranged, so that I will be worthy of the people of the world."

The lights in the imperial study flickered continuously, illuminating the slightly hunched body of Emperor Shengwu. His shadow on the wall was as straight as a poplar tree.

……

Recently, the world of the Great Zhou Kingdom seems to be extremely peaceful, but in fact, there are undercurrents.

All forces are wary of and suspicious of each other.

During this period, some princes could not contain their temper and had already openly plotted a rebellion, but with the cooperation of the people in the martial arts world, the army of the Great Zhou Kingdom and the Tianjian Division where the princes were located, these princes who openly rebelled were immediately suppressed.

The culprit was pushed to Caishikou and his head and body had already been separated.

The Great Zhou Kingdom acted quickly and decisively, but since some princes dared to rebel at this time, it sent a signal to the surrounding people.

Many people are suspicious and feel that a storm is brewing.

The underworld forces were submissive and kept themselves out of trouble, fearing that the fire would burn themselves.

And in this environment that is calm on the surface but turbulent in secret, the arrival of a person has attracted the attention of many people in the world.

They all focused their attention on the location of Xuanjing City.

Shen Bai was dressed in black with a cold moon hanging around his waist as he walked into the palace.

The gazes of the surrounding forces lingered outside the palace, but they did not dare to cross this most terrifying place in the Great Zhou Kingdom.

As he entered the palace, Shen Bai felt a long-lost sense of familiarity.

It has been a long time since I last came here. The palace of the Great Zhou Kingdom was still under strict security. However, the palace masters hiding in the dark just took a look at Shen Bai after seeing him walk in, and did not look at him any more.

This place is different from the palace of the Great Southern Kingdom. Everyone in the palace of the Great Zhou Kingdom knows Shen Bai.

As soon as they saw Shen Bai, they all knew that he was a popular figure in the Great Zhou Kingdom and there was no need to keep a close eye on him.

Shen Bai was used to the gazes around him. After looking around the palace for a while, he found a young eunuch. Under the guidance of the young eunuch, he walked to the imperial study as if he was familiar with the place.

The imperial study was still the same as before, appearing relaxed on the outside but tight on the inside, and it looked like there weren't many people guarding it.

But this is one of the most heavily guarded places in the entire palace.

Eunuch Chen was standing outside the door at this moment, waiting patiently.

When he saw Shen Bai arrive, he slowly walked forward, slightly hunched over.

His hands were still tucked into his sleeves, revealing a kind smile.

"Shen Bai, did your trip to the Great Southern Kingdom go smoothly?"

This kind smile is what Eunuch Chen thinks he is kind.

If seen by other people, they would definitely think that this smile looks extremely eerie and terrifying.

Fortunately, Shen Bai had already gotten used to it.

He knew that when Eunuch Chen showed this smile, it actually represented his goodwill towards him.

Thinking of this, Shen Bai nodded and said.

"It's going quite smoothly, but there are some things I need to discuss with His Majesty in detail."

Whether it went smoothly or not, based on the intelligence within the Great Zhou, it would have been known long ago.

As for this conversation, Eunuch Chen actually had other plans.

Today, Shen Bai is considered a top celebrity in the four countries.

He wanted to see if Shen Bai had any arrogance.

Although Eunuch Chen admires Shen Bai very much, if Eunuch Chen had achieved what he has today when he was Shen Bai's age, he would probably have been so proud of himself long ago.

If Shen Bai showed any sign of arrogance, Eunuch Chen felt that as an elder, he should have a good talk with Shen Bai.

Unexpectedly, Shen Bai's answer was not only flawless, but also seemed elegant, easy-going, and even a bit humble.

There is no so-called arrogance at all.

This emotion and state made Eunuch Chen sigh slightly.

"Not only is he extremely powerful, but he is also young, and his cultivation and character are flawless."

No matter at which level, Eunuch Chen felt that he was not as capable as Shen Bai when he was young.

Thinking back to when he defeated the overlord of a region single-handedly and looked so arrogant and frivolous, I still feel a little ashamed.

Shen Bai didn't know what Eunuch Chen was thinking. He did have something important to do in the imperial study, so he made an excuse and said something.

"Is Your Majesty in the Imperial Study? I have something important to report to Your Majesty."

He only spoke in detail about the matter of Tianhe Tower to Emperor Tianyun of the Great Southern Kingdom, and it is likely that the people of the Great Zhou Kingdom are not aware of it yet.

Shen Bai felt that it would be best to let these senior executives do this.

After hearing this, Eunuch Chen nodded, pointed to the door of the imperial study, and said, "You can go in."

Others need to inform the emperor before entering, and also need to see if the emperor agrees, but Shen Bai can just go in directly if he wants to.

There are no etiquette or rules, everything is extremely simple.

Shen Bai didn't say any more and exchanged a few words with Eunuch Chen before pushing open the door of the imperial study.

The door still had the same simple yet unique decoration. Shen Bai saw Emperor Shengwu sitting at his desk sorting out memorials, so he walked in and closed the door behind him.

After the door was closed, Shen Bai slowly walked to the desk in the imperial study.

"You're here." Emperor Shengwu said without raising his head.

"I'll tell you in detail after I finish reading these memorials in my hand."

"Find a place to sit down. There's tea and water available. Just wait."

Being the king of a country is not as simple as others imagine.

They have a fixed plan every day, and every day is packed.

Just like dealing with memorials, Emperor Shengwu would spend almost an entire morning reading the contents, and even plan the subsequent developments while reading.

Shen Bai didn't mind. He found a chair next to him and sat down. He picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. Then he drank it slowly.

The tea was hot. After the cup of tea was finished, Emperor Shengwu put the memorial in his hand aside.

"I'm sure you'll gain a lot from this trip to the Great South."

Shen Bai nodded, then poured himself a cup of hot tea, put it in his hands, looked at the steam rising from it, and then slowly said: "This time I went to Tianhe Tower in the Great Southern Kingdom..."

"Something happened in Tianhe Tower, and I met someone from the Desolate Forbidden Land."

Afterwards, Shen Bai recounted his experiences in Tianhe Tower one by one.

At the beginning, Emperor Shengwu looked calm.

But when he heard Shen Bai talk about some things in the desolate forbidden land, he immediately frowned.

He was going to explore the forbidden area.

He didn't have much time left. Now that he had learned about the information about the desolate forbidden land, Emperor Shengwu began to have some thoughts in his mind.

"You mean to say that the desolate forbidden land is not entirely dangerous, and there are great opportunities that can make people addicted to it. Is that why the Drunken Taoist became addicted to it?" asked Emperor Shengwu.

Shen Bai nodded and said, "If Xianyue is not lying to me, then it should be like this, but if he is lying to me, I can't say for sure."

It is inherently difficult to determine who is real and who is fake, who is right and who is wrong.

Shen Bai just gave a clue of his own.

As for the authenticity of this, Emperor Shengwu needs to verify it.

After hearing this, Emperor Shengwu thought for a moment and then shook his head, saying, "I know about this matter."

He didn't delve into the details; he knew that this was enough.

After all, no matter what, he will have to go to a desolate forbidden area in three months.

It was both to find a way out and to complete a deal with Emperor Tianyun.

If they don't go, this deal will not be considered a deal, and the Great Southern Kingdom will not help the Great Zhou Kingdom resist the invasion of the other two countries.

Inside the room, the candles had gone out.

The sunlight coming in from the window filled this slightly simple imperial study with a warm feeling.

After finding out the whole story, Emperor Shengwu took out a wooden box from the drawer next to him.

Shen Bai also saw what Emperor Shengwu was doing at this moment.

When he cast his eyes on the wooden box, he said with a little surprise: "Good stuff."

There are tens of thousands of formations on the wooden box. Shen Bai has magical powers in this area, so he can see that these tens of thousands of formations are very complicated.

Even with Shen Bai's current level of strength, it is impossible to open this wooden box.

If you make a slight mistake, these tens of thousands of formations will be reassembled and become a new formation.

"Your Majesty, is this thing for me?" Shen Bai asked.

Now, there is no need to observe too many formalities between him and Emperor Shengwu.

So if there was anything, Shen Bai would ask directly.

When Shen Bai asked this question, Emperor Shengwu nodded directly and handed the wooden box to Shen Bai.

Shen Bai frowned slightly, looked at the unopened wooden box, and asked, "What's inside?"

Emperor Shengwu shook his head and said, "I can open the contents, but before I do, I want to ask you, what is your impression of the Great Zhou Kingdom?"

After a brief moment of thought, Shen Bai said, "Although the Great Zhou Kingdom is in turmoil, with various factions holding their own views and the princes harboring rebellious ambitions, Your Majesty has indeed fulfilled his responsibilities to the people of the Great Zhou Kingdom."

He was not wrong in saying this.

Even in such a great turmoil, the people of the Great Zhou Kingdom were still no less prosperous than those of the other three kingdoms.

This alone shows how much Emperor Shengwu valued and cared about the people of the Great Zhou Kingdom and the efforts he made.

Shen Bai also had some thoughts.

He knew that Emperor Shengwu asked this question to see whether he agreed with the Great Zhou Kingdom.

In fact, after everything he has experienced since he traveled to this world, Shen Bai has already identified very much with this country.

Shen Bai is not a heartless person. He knows that if others treat him well, he should treat them well as well.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Shengwu breathed a sigh of relief. "This gift I give you is a symbol of status. If you decide to accept it, I don't know what benefits you will gain from it, but at least in this time of turmoil, it will be considered a privilege I grant you."

Having said that, Emperor Shengwu waved his sleeves gently.

A golden light burst out from the fingertips of Emperor Shengwu and poured into the wooden box in front.

The tens of thousands of formations on the wooden box immediately disappeared into thin air as Emperor Shengwu injected energy into them.

At the same time, the exquisite little lock on it also fell off automatically.

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes and opened the wooden box in front of Emperor Shengwu.

Inside the wooden box lay an ordinary token made of an unknown metal.

The surface is as smooth as a mirror.

Only in the middle was the word "behead" written.

"Your Majesty, what is this?" Shen Bai asked.

He had never seen this token before, but since Emperor Shengwu handed it to him so solemnly, it must be a very valuable item.

Emperor Shengwu's face showed a trace of seriousness, and he said solemnly: "This token was created by me when the Great Zhou Kingdom was first established. It represents my authority."

"authority?"

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes. It was extremely rare to hear these two words spoken.

Whose authority does it represent?
It represents Emperor Shengwu, that is, the authority of the emperor.

In other words, this token is equivalent to the status of Emperor Shengwu.

Emperor Shengwu saw what Shen Bai was thinking and continued, "After I leave, I will announce the successor, and that successor will be one of my three princes. If he treats the world unfairly or has no talent or virtue, you can use this token to drive him off the throne and take his place."

Shen Bai's eyes widened: "Your Majesty, did I hear you correctly just now? You said the word 'replace'."

At first, he suspected that this thing was at most like an imperial sword.

But now when I hear the words "replace", I feel that there is a big problem.

Emperor Shengwu nodded and said, "You heard correctly, it is indeed a replacement."

"The most loyal people I have left behind, including Eunuch Chen and the General Manager, will fully assist the successor."

"Even if they are incompetent, I don't think anyone would overthrow them. If you hold this token, you can ask Eunuch Chen and others to assist you and immediately replace them."

Shen Bai suddenly felt that the token in front of him was extremely heavy.

After a brief thought, he placed it on the table and pondered for a long time: "Your Majesty, this thing is too heavy. I'm afraid I can't accept it."

This thing is really too heavy!

Shen Bai felt that he really couldn't get it.

Holding this is equivalent to establishing a new identity for yourself.

Apart from anything else, it is equivalent to hanging a sword over the head of the succeeding emperor.

No one can tell whether it is good or bad.

But this thing can indeed be regarded as the most valuable thing in the Great Zhou Kingdom today.

Shen Bai felt that he really couldn't grasp this opportunity.

"You are the person I trust the most." Emperor Shengwu said slowly.

Shen Bai shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, to be honest, we haven't had much time to interact with each other. Why do you trust me so much?"

"Trusting a person has nothing to do with time, but with his experience," Emperor Shengwu said bluntly.

"I see everything about you. You are not obsessed with power, beauty, or material possessions."

"That's why you are the most suitable person to take this token."

"I only hope that you can help me. Your strength will surely reach its peak in the future."

"This is the last resort I have left in this Great Zhou Kingdom."

Shen Bai was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, have you decided who will inherit the throne?"

When Emperor Shengwu heard what Shen Bai said, he knew that Shen Bai had already made his decision. He said, "At present, no specific candidate has been determined. I will make a final consideration soon. After the consideration is completed, I will make a final decision on the candidate."

Shen Bai nodded, then put the token away and placed it into the space of the Yin-Yang Storage Technique.

Seeing that Shen Bai was indeed as he thought, Emperor Shengwu put away the token. Still with a hint of curiosity, he asked, "What exactly do you think?"

Shen Bai smiled and said, "Your Majesty asked me to do this, so I will do it. I will always be a member of the Great Zhou Kingdom."

This answer was so ambiguous that Emperor Shengwu couldn't guess what Shen Bai was thinking.

But since Shen Bai has already accepted it, it means that Shen Bai agreed.

When Shen Bai saw Emperor Shengwu's relieved look, he felt a little disturbed in his heart.

Why did he accept this token?
Actually, there is a plan.

Firstly, it was indeed because Emperor Shengwu and many people in the Great Zhou Kingdom were very good to him, so it was only natural that he would receive the token.

The second is that he really needs such an identity.

In any case, this identity may play a better role in the future.

As for the price of taking on this identity, in Shen Bai's opinion, it seemed insignificant.

This matter came to a temporary end, but Emperor Shengwu did not let Shen Bai leave.

Shen Bai guessed that there might be other things for him to do.

As expected, after Emperor Shengwu calmed down, he picked out another memorial from the ones next to him and handed it to Shen Bai.

"There are still three months before I finally leave for the Desolate Forbidden Land. During these three months, there are still some things I need your help with."

Shen Bai nodded, opened the memorial in front of him, examined it carefully for a moment, then frowned: "Transferred to Qianyuan Capital."

This memorial contains a transfer order.

The direction pointed by this transfer order was a capital-level city in the Great Zhou Kingdom.

Shen Bai went to the Tianjiansi in this capital-level city to serve as the chief of Tianjiansi.

Another transfer occurred within a short period of time, which made Shen Bai feel that there might be something behind this.

As expected, when Shen Bai asked this question, Emperor Shengwu quickly gave a reply.

"This capital-level city is not simple. The power of the Heavenly Supervisory Department is not enough to suppress its Jianghu forces."

"Plus, the princes of Qianyuanjing are now ready to make a move, so we really need a master to take charge."

Shen Bai stared at the memorial for a long time. After hearing the Emperor Shengwu's answer, he shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, since I have agreed to accept the token, there is no need to hide some things. Just speak frankly."

It has never been heard in this world that the Tianjiansi cannot suppress the forces of the martial arts world.

If it were the princes, it would be fine, but the forces in the martial arts world would never be able to defeat the Heavenly Supervisor.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Shengwu laughed heartily and said, "You are indeed clever. I had no intention of hiding anything from you. I simply wanted to see if you could see through it."

"That's right. Even if the Tianjian Division shows weakness, it is still not something those Jianghu forces can deal with."

"The main combat force of a capital-level city is composed of masters at the peak level, and the lowest level of the members of the Tianjian Division in a capital-level city is at the peak level. It is extremely difficult to deal with the Tianjian Division."

"Only the princes can influence the Heavenly Supervisory Department."

"Then why does Your Majesty say that the Heavenly Supervisory Department of Qianyuanjing is even weaker than the Jianghu forces?"

Shen Bai asked.

He felt that there might be some other secrets here, and waited for Emperor Shengwu to continue.

Emperor Shengwu pondered for a moment, organizing his words before continuing, "Qianyuanjing has the headquarters of the three major factions: the Yedao Sect, the Yefo Sect, and the Xinhuo Academy."

After these words were spoken, Shen Bai, who had originally had a calm expression, immediately frowned.

"Your Majesty, you were talking about the headquarters, right?"

Shen Bai came from Shengyun County, passed through major cities, and killed countless people from the three major evil forces.

But the evil forces he eliminated were at best just branches.

But now Emperor Shengwu said that that was the headquarters.

Shen Bai thought of a question and asked, "Since it is the headquarters, why not send a large number of experts to encircle and eliminate them all?"

Judging from the chaos caused by the three evil forces, if this is true, sending a large number of experts to encircle and suppress them, even if it will cause certain casualties, it is better to suffer a short pain than a long one.

Causing casualties will bring more benefits.

"How could I not know this truth?"

Emperor Shengwu sighed and said, "It's just that the headquarters of the three evil forces are very difficult to find. They are hiding in a refuge."

When Shen Bai heard these three words, he immediately raised his eyebrows.

He was familiar with the place; he had even been there once.

It was built by those who fled during the Ten Thousand Cities Era and exists in a special space.

Each refuge is controlled by a master who controls the power of space.

If they are really hiding in the refuge as Emperor Shengwu said, then it would be very difficult to find them.

The beast village that Shen Bai went to before was just a very small refuge, and it was not difficult to get into that place.

But if it is really a huge and exquisite refuge, finding them would be extremely difficult.

Emperor Shengwu nodded and continued, "You've been to the refuge last time, and you know that the people in the chaotic organization are trying to break through the key to the refuge."

"At first, they found an extremely large refuge and rushed in with their men."

"I want to take this opportunity to find more refuge locations within that huge refuge and destroy them one by one."

"But the people in that refuge were also very clever. At the critical moment, they took the remaining people and fled. After escaping, they blocked all connecting passages, turning the refuge into a closed space."

"The chaotic organization has no choice but to keep the refuge for the three evil forces to use as a base. Because it is an extremely large refuge, its spatial capabilities are extremely sophisticated. So far, no method has been found to break into it."

"It is precisely because of this that the headquarters of the three major demonic forces are located inside, so no one can see through its location."

Shen Bai looked at the lukewarm tea, drank it in one gulp, and continued, "Your Majesty, the Tianjian Division's show of weakness mentioned earlier should be closely related to the headquarters of the three major demonic forces being established there, right?"

Emperor Shengwu said, "That's right. As you said, the demonic forces have gathered many experts at their headquarters, but due to their refuge, they are unable to completely eradicate them. Furthermore, the local princes have harbored rebellious intentions but haven't revealed them. I suspect they are colluding with the three major demonic forces."

"Coupled with the other demonic forces, both large and small, the Heavenly Supervisory Department there is in a difficult situation."

Shen Bai didn't say anything else, but started thinking in his heart.

If what Emperor Shengwu said was true, then the Tianjiansi of Qianyuanjing was indeed facing unimaginable difficulties.

Not only is there the headquarters of the evil forces, but there are also princes and local evil forces of all sizes.

It would be difficult to control it with just one Sky Monitor.

This involves a problem.

If the Great Zhou Kingdom could send more astronomical inspectors to assist, other places would be left vacant.

Even if we just send troops there, if after they are sent there, the headquarters of the three evil forces will be hidden in the dark like a poisonous snake, it will be a waste of manpower.

In addition, Emperor Shengwu is not long for this, and unrest is about to break out in the Great Zhou Kingdom. He probably wants to focus more on other things.

Then the problem is coming.

If I am sent there, can I wipe out the headquarters of the three evil forces by myself?
Shen Bai is not sure about this.

He has always been a very stable person. If he has a way to deal with it, he will deal with it. If he has no way, he will not take risks.

Shen Bai put down his teacup and said, "Your Majesty, if I were to go to Qianyuanjing to serve as the Chief of the Department, I would probably be like a drop of water falling into the ocean, unable to support itself."

Emperor Shengwu placed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and said with serious eyes, "I know it's difficult, but if you go to Qianyunjing, you may be able to stabilize the situation."

Shen Bai said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty, how can I stabilize the situation if I go alone?"

It would be easy to deal with at any other time, but that place is the headquarters of the three major evil forces.

Not to mention anything else, the moment Shen Bai goes there, I'm afraid that the three evil forces will all rush out and kill Shen Bai first.

Although Shen Bai was able to overcome adversity, he also had his own plans in mind.

He didn't want to go to that place and be besieged by the headquarters of the three evil forces, and eventually die on the spot.

Emperor Shengwu smiled mysteriously, "Don't worry, if you go over there, they won't dare to move around."

When Shen Bai heard this, he showed a hint of curiosity: "Why do you say that?"

According to his understanding, the other party simply wanted to eat his liver and drink his blood.

Now Emperor Shengwu said that the other party did not dare to act rashly, which was a bit strange.

"You can overcome adversity and attack. Although the headquarters of the three major evil forces are there, they are at most at the peak of the Absolute Peak Realm. If you go there, how can they possibly defeat you?"

Shen Bai was slightly stunned: "Is it just the peak of the Juefeng realm?"

The three evil forces are deeply rooted in the Great Zhou Kingdom. He didn't expect that he was just at the peak of the Juefeng realm.

The corner of Emperor Shengwu's mouth twitched slightly. "I think you think too highly of them. If they had greater strength, they wouldn't be treated like rats in the streets of the Great Zhou Kingdom. You must understand that the three evil forces are merely peripheral members of the chaotic organization."

"If they hadn't been hiding in the sanctuary, their headquarters would have been wiped out long ago."

"The combat power of most of the capital-level cities is only at the peak level. You can overcome the difficulties and be invincible at the peak level. How dare they make a move?"

After Emperor Shengwu said this, Shen Bai finally understood and figured out the whole story.

It is indeed as this statement goes. If the other party is really stronger than the Juefeng realm, he would not be just a peripheral member of the chaotic organization, and he would not even be forced by the Great Zhou Kingdom like a rat crossing the street, and could only make trouble in secret.

A capital-level city itself is the standard for peak-level combat power. Shen Bai has unknowingly stood at the top of this world.

Thinking of this, Shen Bai nodded and said.

"Okay, I can go to Qianyuanjing."

When he said this, he quietly practiced the Wuji Gua technique.

A golden light appeared before his eyes, indicating that Shen Bai's journey would be extremely safe and that there were plenty of opportunities waiting for him.

It's beneficial and safe, it would be a waste not to go.

Seeing Shen Bai's agreement, Emperor Shengwu nodded and said, "Since you have agreed, I am relieved. There is one more thing I want to discuss with you in detail. This matter concerns Zhou Qing."

(End of this chapter)