In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 464 Send them down to meet me.

Zhu Houzhao's expression finally changed.

His forcibly maintained imperial demeanor cracked at this moment.

That wasn't anger, but a deeper chill.

He never imagined that everything he had painstakingly built was just a cluster of fire placed in someone else's formation.

Zhu Houzhao's gaze gradually darkened, as if he had finally grasped the crucial thorn:
"You previously said that the jade seal can absorb dragon energy to nourish the old dragon vein. How can the jade seal absorb dragon energy?"

Gu Shaoan said calmly, "Because that is not the Imperial Seal of the Nine Provinces."

"The so-called national seals of the Nine Provinces throughout history are nothing more than imitations made by them according to the system of 'key seals' or secretly replaced and guided by them, which gradually gave them the attribute of 'receiving fortune'. The real core is the national seal of the Great Xia Dynasty, which can lock in the dragon's energy and absorb the energy of mature new dragon veins and send it back to the old dragon veins of the Divine Land."

"In other words, the Great Xia will use the real Imperial Seal as a guide to remotely seize the dragon energy from this new dragon vein that is being nurtured in the Nine Provinces."

The camp was eerily quiet.

Zhu Houzhao's breathing grew heavier and heavier, as if he finally understood the most ironic thing about his death: the empire he fought for might in the end be nothing more than a lifeline used by others to prolong their lives.

At this moment, Zhu Houzhao also understood why Xiang Yutian wanted to do everything he could to provoke a war between the Great Wei Kingdom and the Great Yuan Kingdom.

The purpose was solely to facilitate the rise and fall of dynasties, thereby generating more fortune to nourish the dragon veins.

Taking in Zhu Houzhao's situation, Gu Shaoan sighed inwardly.

Whether it's Pang Ban, the Azure Dragon Society, or Zhu Houzhao in front of him, in Gu Shaoan's eyes, they are all just troubles that need to be dealt with at this stage.

What Gu Shaoan truly valued was the land of China beyond the Nine Provinces.

The Great Xia Dynasty of the Central Plains was the real enemy in Gu Shaoan's eyes.

After a long silence, Zhu Houzhao murmured, "Xiang Yutian is nothing more than a dog sent in by the Great Xia Dynasty, but even Xiang Yutian has the power of a Great Three Harmony Heavenly Realm expert. How many experts are there in the Divine Continent?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan said calmly, "Don't worry, although there are many experts in the Divine Land, the number of experts at the Celestial Realm is still not large, and experts above the Celestial Realm are extremely rare."

The strong will always be strong. Although the power of heaven and earth in the Nine Provinces is thinner than that in the Divine Land due to the seal, it does not mean that martial arts have been cut off.

However, it is much more difficult for martial artists to enter the Celestial Realm and the Sitting Illumination Realm.

However, for true geniuses, this level of difficulty, while having an impact, is not so great as to be despairing.

Even within the entire Divine Continent, a master of the swordsmanship like Song Que, who has reached the Great Three Harmonies Heaven and Man Realm, would still be considered a top-tier figure in the Heaven and Man Realm.

Zhang Sanfeng, the number one martial artist in the Nine Provinces, would still be able to overpower countless geniuses in the Divine Land.

Otherwise, when the seal on the Nine Provinces is broken in the future, and Zhang Sanfeng faces a host of experts from the Divine Land, he would not have been able to single-handedly prevent the experts from the Divine Land from forcibly entering the Great Wei Kingdom for more than ten years.

If it weren't for the Shaolin Temple's betrayal and their collaboration with the rest of China, coupled with the Sui Dynasty's Cihang Jingzhai handing over the He Shi Bi jade and the Evil Emperor's relic, leaving Zhang Sanfeng isolated and helpless, the entire land of China wouldn't have been completely annexed.

Hearing Gu Shaoan's words, Zhu Houzhao felt a slight sense of relief.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Houzhao shook his head and said, "That's true. Given your habits, the fact that you dared to kill all of us Celestial Realm experts today, even knowing the situation in the Divine Land, is enough to show that you have the confidence to deal with the Divine Land."

In response, Gu Shaoan neither confirmed nor denied, saying, "Although the land of Shenzhou is strong, with Gu and Zhang Zhenren here, even if all the experts in Shenzhou come out, Gu and Zhang Zhenren are enough to protect the Great Wei Kingdom from harm."

Normally, after the fall of the Great Wei, Great Yuan, and Great Sui dynasties, and the successful establishment of the Tang dynasty three years later, a new dragon vein will be formed, and the seal of the Nine Provinces will be exposed again in the land of China.

Immediately afterwards, the land of Kyushu will be invaded by various martial arts forces within the land of Shenzhou.

Now that the problems of Zhu Houzhao and others have been resolved, as long as Gu Shaoan can successfully obtain the He Shi Bi jade in the Great Sui Kingdom, he is confident that he can refine his essence, energy and spirit into a golden elixir within a year and then enter the Celestial Realm through the unity of the three elements.

With the help of the system, three years later, when the seal on the land of Kyushu is broken, even if Gu Shaoan's strength cannot catch up with Zhang Sanfeng, his special Heavenly Sword Realm will be enough to make him comparable to a martial artist in the Sitting Illumination Realm.

With Zhang Sanfeng added to the mix, what could even the Great Xia Dynasty do if the two joined forces?
Naturally, compared to leaving Zhu Houzhao, Bashiba, and others alive, it would be better to deal with them before they invade the land of China.

This will also prevent these people from continuing to cause trouble in the future, or even from siding with the Chinese mainland and creating unnecessary complications.

Looking at Gu Shaoan's resolute expression, Zhu Houzhao's eyes flickered.

For some reason, Zhu Houzhao saw his former self in Gu Shaoan.

Back then, he was just like Gu Shaoan now, living in a remote corner, yet he was full of confidence and had a sense that everything in the world was under his control.

After a moment, Zhu Houzhao said, "Compared to having Shangguan Jin Hong impersonate me, I would much rather have you impersonate me and sit in that position. At least, it wouldn't be a disgrace to that position."

Then, before Gu Shaoan could respond, Zhu Houzhao said, "The imperial seal you want is in the pouch sewn into the lining of my chest. I did my best to protect the seal during the battle, but I can't do it myself now, so I have to trouble you to come and get it in person."

Seeing Zhu Houzhao's expression suddenly calm down, Gu Shaoan raised his right hand, and the Yin and Yang energies mixed with the Gang Yuan transformed into a special force.

A few breaths later, an object wrapped in golden silk was pulled out of Zhu Houzhao's arms by these special forces.

Without even glancing at it, Gu Shaoan used his internal energy to control and guide it towards Shangguan Jin Hong.

Shangguan Jin Hong's breathing visibly stopped for a moment.

He was closest to the object, and what he felt first was not its "preciousness," but an indescribable "oppression"—like an invisible mountain pressing down on his palm, or like a will that did not belong to man, coldly scrutinizing him through the silk.

As Gu Shaoan released his strength, the object landed steadily in front of Shangguan Jin Hong.

Shangguan Jin Hong reached out to take it, but as soon as her fingertips touched the silk cloth, her palm felt a sudden weight.

It sinks illogically.

With his cultivation and palm strength, metal weapons were just ordinary weight in his hands, but this "jade seal," even through a layer of silk, still made his wrist drop slightly, as if it was pressing down not on his bones, but on something deeper: fortune, status, and the life, death, prosperity, and decline of a nation.

He forced himself to steady his hand and held the package in his palm.

The edge of the silk cloth loosened slightly due to the previous pulling, and a touch of warm yet deep jade color flashed by.

When Shangguan Jin Hong unveiled the silk cloth, a complete seal came into his view.

At this moment, Shangguan Jin Hong could clearly feel the blood flowing through her body rapidly converging towards her chest, and her heart began to pound violently.

Zhu Houzhao lay on the couch, watching the imperial seal fall into Shangguan Jin Hong's hands, and showed no more pain, only a desolate calm.

It was as if he had finally handed over the heaviest thing.

Gu Shaoan didn't look at the imperial seal again, but only at Shangguan Jinhong.

As if understanding Gu Shaoan's meaning, Shangguan Jin Hong nodded heavily.

"It is a genuine imperial seal."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan slowly withdrew his gaze.

Upon seeing this, Shangguan Jin Hong wrapped the jade seal tightly again with the golden silk and slowly tucked it into his bosom, close to his body. His movements were extremely slow and steady, yet his hands still trembled visibly. Only when the jade seal was pressed against his chest did Shangguan Jin Hong feel his mind calm down somewhat.

The valley wind was still blowing outside the tent, and the fine yellow sand pattered against the tent walls, making a rustling sound, like countless people whispering among themselves.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan suddenly raised his right hand, and while circulating his internal energy, he flicked his fingers, sending two bursts of energy into the bodies of Zhu Houzhao and Mingyue Xin beside him.

As the finger force entered his body, Zhu Houzhao immediately felt a cool sensation flowing into his body along with the finger force.

But the next second, a warm feeling suddenly emerged from Zhu Houzhao's body.

The feeling was like the midday sun in the dead of winter, warming you up and making you feel cozy.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan spoke up: "This poison is called Noon Sun. As its name suggests, after being poisoned, it is like the warm sun of March on your body. When the poison takes effect, you will feel drowsy and die in your sleep."

After a pause, Gu Shaoan continued, "This is the most dignified and painless way for me to die."

Hearing what Gu Shaoan said, Zhu Houzhao smiled gently: "In the warm sunshine of March, I never thought there would be such a comfortable poison in the world. It's not a bad way to die."

As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao slowly raised his head, letting the sunlight fall on his face.

For a moment, Zhu Houzhao actually felt that the warmth brought on by the poison in his body was even more comfortable.

Perhaps it was because of the "noon sun," but Zhu Houzhao's expression actually relaxed little by little.

Zhu Houzhao's gaze fell upon the distant loess and plains.

The yellow sand was swept up and then set down by the wind. The vastness of heaven and earth was almost indifferent, and everything he had fought for in his life suddenly seemed extremely insignificant in the face of this vastness.

Zhu Houzhao said softly, "I originally thought that after I was cured of my premature aging, I would work diligently in government affairs, become a true wise ruler, and bring peace to the world for all generations."

He paused, as if searching his chest for a word that would lessen his embarrassment, but ultimately gave a self-deprecating laugh:

"I never imagined I'd been living in a well with such a limited perspective."

"Looking at it this way, after so many years on the throne, I am somewhat incompetent as emperor."

He closed his eyes and lowered his voice:

"I don't know how I'll face the late emperor after I go down here."

Gu Shaoan pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "In terms of imperial strategy, you are indeed qualified."

Zhu Houzhao did not respond, but simply looked at the dawn, as if waiting for a verdict.

Gu Shaoan continued, his tone still calm, but lacking the previous sharpness:
"If it weren't for the existence of the land of China, and if people like Xiang Yutian hadn't made the Nine Provinces their battleground, you might have truly become a wise and benevolent ruler in the future."

Zhu Houzhao's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had finally heard the "if" that he most wanted to hear but also most feared to hear.

Gu Shaoan didn't keep him in suspense, laying out clearly before him the path Zhu Houzhao hadn't finished:
"According to your original plan, after the Azure Dragon Society re-emerged, you would take advantage of the imperial court to consolidate the martial arts world and the military."

"First, cut off the martial arts of the Great Yuan Kingdom, and then take control of the Great Yuan court: support a puppet, control the border army, and control the supply lines, so that it is still the Great Yuan on the surface, but in its essence it has become a vassal of the Great Wei."

"In a few years or ten years, the Great Wei will be able to annex the Great Yuan and set its sights on the Great Sui."

Gu Shaoan's gaze swept across the desolate plains outside the tent, as if he were looking at a vast map of territory:
"The unification of the world is not an empty promise."

"By then, you will be able to weaken the power of the regional military governors, clean up the bureaucracy, regulate the salt and iron industries, develop water conservancy, curb the power of the martial arts sects, prevent the martial arts world from being above the law, and prevent the common people from being crushed at will by powerful sects."

"You will be remembered in history books. Even if you don't become the greatest emperor of all time, you will definitely be considered a wise ruler."

Zhu Houzhao did not show any joy upon hearing this.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that the warmth seemed to deepen, and even his eyelashes appeared somewhat weary.

"So, I really was almost there."

he murmured.

It wasn't that he almost beat Gu Shaoan, but that he almost defied fate and the hand that reached out from China.

Zhu Houzhao suddenly smiled softly, a very faint smile:
"That's fine too."

"At least I know that I did not lose to myself."

Immediately, Zhu Houzhao raised his right hand with great difficulty and placed his severed tendons into Mingyuexin's hand.

With tenderness, Zhu Houzhao bent down and gently kissed Mingyuexin's forehead before looking up at Gu Shaoan again.

"Gu Shaoan."

"After I die, remember one thing for me: do not let the land of Kyushu and the Great Wei Kingdom truly become the lifeblood of the Great Xia."

"The land of Kyushu and the Great Wei Kingdom are now entrusted to you and Master Zhang."

"If the people of the Great Xia Dynasty invade in the future, I hope you will use the same methods you used against me to send them down to meet me."

Gu Shaoan met his gaze, and after a moment, replied with only two words:

"rest assured."

The wind outside the tent still whistled, the yellow sand remained unchanged; heaven and earth did not pause for the life and death of emperors.

Zhu Houzhao's gaze slowly returned to the plain, as if he wanted to take one last good look at the "sky outside the well".

Zhu Houzhao and the unconscious Mingyue Xin's breathing became increasingly steady and long, until their breathing completely ceased.

[Congratulations to the player for earning 200 achievement points.]

[Congratulations to the player for killing the Emperor of Wei. Achievement points +1000, Special Achievement Chest *1]

Glancing at the two system notifications that popped up in front of him, Gu Shaoan felt no joy.

Instead, a sense of regret arose.

Over the years, Gu Shaoan has rarely met someone of similar age and personality.

Zhu Houzhao is one of them.

Unfortunately, the two eventually became adversaries.

If Zhu Houzhao was not the emperor of the Great Wei Kingdom, then Gu Shaoan was not a disciple of the Emei Sect.

Perhaps the two can become true friends.

(End of this chapter)