In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Xiang Shaoyu's Overlord Cavalry and Chi Yuan's Jiuli Army officially broke through the gates of Xianyang in Guanzhong, killing Zhao Gao and others inside the Xianyang Palace.

This also officially marked the end of the empire!

The once glorious and powerful empire that dominated the nine provinces was defeated by Hu Hai and Zhao Gao.

This also fulfilled Zhang Xiaoshan's prediction—

The one who will destroy Qin is Hu!

For a time, the land was divided among warlords, and the various top-tier rebel armies all emerged from hiding.

Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu; Chi Yuan, the King of Jiuli; Zhu San, the Prince of Ming; Li Keyong, the Prince of Jin; Li Maozhen, the Prince of Qi...

Meanwhile, Zhao Tuo declared himself king in the southern borderlands, and the Zhang family launched an uprising in Guanzhong, marking the official start of the struggle for control of the nine provinces.

"This is the true chess game of the Zhang family!"

On Mount Wudang, the Old Celestial Master and Zhang Sanfeng were playing the Precious Chess Game, their gazes filled with complex emotions.

They never imagined that the Zhang family would one day contend for supremacy over the Nine Provinces. Moreover, the cycle of fate has brought them together, and it is said that the Zhang family had foreseen this step without missing a single detail.

Despite the complicated situation, the Zhang family had the upper hand in terms of timing, location, and human resources.

As long as the Zhang family members for three generations aren't idiots, their destiny is basically sealed.

Moreover, they had all met the three eldest sons of the Zhang family, who were outstanding individuals, second only to the Zhang family members.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, destiny is in the Zhang family's hands; it's an inevitable trend.

Even if Chi Yuan were to be born, the will of Heaven rests with the Zhang family, and the tide cannot be turned.

Chapter 889 The Rise of the Zhang Family After Three Years of Seclusion

"It's been three years, and my husband still shows no sign of emerging from seclusion!"

East China Sea, Peach Blossom Island!

During the period of seclusion, Peach Blossom Island was also closed for three years.

Apart from supplies from the East China Sea base, the area within a hundred miles of Peach Blossom Island has basically become a forbidden zone in the East China Sea.

Even Yaoyue and Lianxing sought refuge on Peach Blossom Island.

After all, the Golden-Faced Buddha has three Dragon Balls in his possession, making him the target of many people.

With the Zhang family unable to resist, the forces of Miao territory and the Great Snow Mountain set their sights on the Golden-Faced Buddha, attempting to make their move against him.

This was something Zhang Xiaoshan had expected.

Therefore, before going into seclusion, Zhang Xiaoshan brought Yaoyue and Lianxing back to Peach Blossom Island, even though Yaoyue had already broken through the eleventh level of the Nine Yin Divine Skill.

As for the Yihua Palace, it was handed over to Gongsun Lü'e.

Moreover, Gongsun Lü'e's Eightfold Bright Jade Skill was enough to intimidate most of the masters in the martial arts world, not to mention that Zhang "827" was behind Gongsun Lü'e.

"Transcending the twelfth realm, he can be considered a true ancient god and demon."

Let alone three years, even ten years would be normal. All we can do now is wait; no news is the best news right now.

Yaoyue glanced at Huang Rong, her proud, bright eyes revealing a hint of disdain.

When rivals meet, they're like oil and water!

Given her pride, Yaoyue would never have sought refuge on Peach Blossom Island unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, Yaoyue was extremely concerned about Zhang Xiaoshan's breakthrough in his seclusion, as this was a realm above the twelfth level.

Although Zhang Xiaoshan was very confident, Yaoyue was still worried about the probability of his failure.

"Are you worried about the Zhang family now that no one is in charge?"

Suddenly, Yaoyue changed her tone and looked across the sea at the land of Kyushu.

"Some people are worried about the situation in Kyushu. The reason he brought you back to Peach Blossom Island is that there is someone in Kyushu who can threaten the Celestial Realm."

At this moment, Ping An's nemesis is the powerful figure from Miao Jiang who has broken through to the realm of an ancient demon god.

Although it is said to be ordained by fate, there are ultimately countless variables.

Huang Rong, known as a wise woman, naturally knew how great the risks were in pursuing the hegemony of the Nine Provinces. Even with absolute certainty, it was possible to fail at the last hurdle, let alone the fact that the Zhang family only held the advantage.

If Zhang Xiaoshan makes a mistake, the losses to the Zhang family will be far greater than just financial losses.

"Which ancient god or demon from Miao territory?"

Even Yaoyue frowned slightly upon hearing this, clearly understanding what Chi Yuan represented.

Unexpectedly, the nemesis of one of the younger members of the Zhang family was actually an ancient god-demon from Miao territory.

Moreover, before Zhang Xiaoshan went into seclusion, he was actually quite at ease letting Zhang Sheng face Chi Yuan, this terrifyingly powerful expert.

It's important to know that Zhang Sheng is still number one on the blacklist, which means he hasn't broken through to the Grandmaster level yet.

And what about Chi Yuan?

According to Zhang Xiaoshan's introduction, the tenth level is the Grandmaster of Pure Yang and Pure Yin, the eleventh level is the Primordial Spirit Realm, the twelfth level is the Void Shattering Realm, and only after that is the Ancient God and Demon Realm.

How could Zhang Sheng, a half-step Grandmaster, possibly be a match for Chi Yuan, an 'ancient god and demon'?

Does the Way of Heaven truly exist? Is destiny itself a matter of fate?

···

The Zhang family has been consolidating its power and lying low in the East China Sea for three years.

In the past three years, the power structure of Kyushu has been established. The Zhang family outside the pass has become the most powerful overlord in Kyushu in less than a year since they established themselves.

Three hundred thousand local soldiers from beyond the Great Wall, one hundred thousand armored soldiers stationed by the Empire, one hundred thousand Japanese samurai, one hundred thousand Goguryeo warriors...

The Zhang family alone controlled an army of over 600,000.

Even though the number of rebel armies in the Nine Provinces was in the millions, the largest warlords, such as Western Chu, Jiuli, and Later Tang, only had a few hundred thousand regular troops.

Most of the rebel army, which appeared to number over 100,000, were actually ragtag groups of incompetent soldiers.

On the contrary, the Zhang family was located outside the Great Wall, where the people were known for their fierce and tough nature. The criteria for recruiting them were mostly burly men who were seven feet tall and had a strength of over five stones. The selection process for Japan and Goguryeo was also extremely strict. The 100,000 men were the elite of the elite, and there was absolutely no way to get in through the back door.

As a result, in less than a year, the Zhang family, though the last to establish themselves, became the most powerful of the feudal lords.

With just a little training, they can become elite troops.

In terms of talent, as soon as the Zhang family established their banner, talented individuals from all over the country, such as Zhang Liang, Xiao He, and Han Xin, came to join them.

After all, the Zhang family had the right timing, location, and popular support; raising the flag was in line with the will of the people and an inevitable trend.

Moreover, unlike Liu Ji, who addressed each other as brothers to win people's hearts.

The Zhang family held an extremely high position in Kyushu, and the talented individuals who came to join them were truly loyal to the ruler.

There will be no recurrence of the indiscriminate killing of meritorious officials by figures like Liu Ji and Zhu Yuanzhang.

Knowing his own position, Han Xin would never dare to demand a title of king from the Zhang family as he had done with Liu Bang, and the Zhang family would not mistreat these people.

Whether it's troop numbers, weaponry, or logistical support...

In every aspect, the Zhang family is absolutely dominant.

Besides the area outside the pass, the Zhang family also controlled Ghost Street, Mechanical City, and two major imperial buildings throughout Kyushu...

But because of the Zhang family's superior status, no one dared to touch their business.

The location of the Mechanized City is so special that even a Grandmaster could not conquer it.

With its numerous traps, hidden schemes by the Zhang family, and the presence of a Grandmaster guarding the pass, it was truly a place where one man could hold off ten thousand.

Ghost Street is the largest arms dealer in Kyushu.

All the rebel armies that wanted sufficient weapons and armor had to place orders with Ghost Street and the Dongming Sect.

Therefore, given the unique nature of Ghost Street, no rebel army would willingly cut off their own escape route.

The weapons of the Dongming Sect are your true weapons. In a battle between two armies, the side with the better weapons will undoubtedly have the advantage.

Both Empire State Buildings are for commercial use, so looting them would only result in a pile of glass and cement.

Instead, it completely angered the Zhang family, as there have been precedents.

Even though Zhang Xiaoshan is in seclusion, the Zhang family's hidden strength should not be underestimated.

The Flying Guillotine, the Twelve Zodiac Killers, Grandmaster Master Xingyin...

Therefore, the Zhang family conducted their business in a proper and orderly manner, and their actions gave the Zhang family a reason to act.

Moreover, the rebel army near the capital was a remnant of the Li Tang dynasty supported by Princess Taiping, so naturally they would not attack the Zhang family.

The super mall in Xianyang, Guanzhong, has shops belonging to various prominent families.

2.0 When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken!

They didn't think that by taking action against the Zhang family, the rebel army would stop.

The old saying "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" applies to people who understand this best.

If the Zhang family is keeping an eye on things, then no one can escape the lucrative opportunity of the Super Mall.

Therefore, during the turmoil, the Zhang family's business remained stable, and no one dared to touch the Zhang family at this time.

After all, a single move can have far-reaching consequences; if the Zhang family is affected, their losses will be enormous.

The blockade of Ghost Street, the assassination attempt by the Flying Guillotine, the Zhang family's targeting...

Even at this point, Chi Yuan was unwilling to confront the Zhang family, given their overwhelming advantage in Kyushu.

However, Chi Yuan didn't take Zhang Sheng seriously.

After all, whether Zhang Shengman said he hadn't broken through to the Grandmaster level or not, the gap between them was at least thirty years.

Chapter 890 Three Years After Three Years: The Unification of the Nine Provinces

Beyond the Great Wall, to the capital, to the Eastern Sea Prince's Mansion!

At this moment, Zhang Sheng and Lü Su pressed their palms together, their bodies enveloped in a misty aura, with red and blue energies intertwined!

The surging and intense Yin and Yang energies, while clashing and harmonizing with each other, gradually merged into one, transforming into a more profound power.

In three years, Lü Su has transformed from a young girl who had just embarked on the path of martial arts into a powerful expert at the ninth level of the peerless realm.

Dragonfish blood, dragonfish marrow, thousand-year-old elixir...

Lu Su's progress was so rapid that she reached the ninth level of the Pure Yin Divine Skill in just three years.

Although her cultivation level was somewhat unstable, with Zhang Sheng's Pure Yang Divine Skill as an aid, and given her pure mind, Lü Su was unlikely to suffer from qi deviation.

After all, this is the orthodox cultivation method of the Xuanmen sect, gentle and pure.

Instead, it solidified his ninth level of cultivation, making it easy for Lü Su to enter the tenth level of Grandmaster.

Moreover, in order for Lü Su to reach the Grandmaster level as quickly as possible, Zhang Sheng never consummated his marriage with Lü Su.

If love between two people is meant to last, why should they be together every day?

Zhang Sheng could wait for Lü Su for ten or twenty years, and after he became a Grandmaster, they could stay together for at least a hundred years.

After all, the sooner you reach the Grandmaster level, the more benefits you will receive.

As for Lü Zhi?

His ambition was too great; he was not a good match for her.

Furthermore, after Lü Zhi cultivated the Northern Darkness Divine Art, her terrifying greed became even more evident.

During this period, Lü Zhi secretly absorbed the internal energy of many masters.

Although it was extremely secretive, Lü Zhi's changes in Zhang Sheng's cultivation level did not escape his notice in the slightest.

Lü Zhi was unaware of the changes in herself, but Zhang Sheng could tell at a glance that there was a problem with Lü Zhi's technique, but he simply didn't point it out.

Most of these were Zhang's enemies, and none of them crossed Zhang Sheng's bottom line.

Moreover, while the Northern Darkness Divine Art seems to offer a shortcut to increasing one's power, it essentially limits one to the peerless realm for life, and even the ability to enter the Black List is questionable.

After all, the masters who can enter the Blacklist are at least top-level masters who have achieved perfect harmony between man and sword and between man and nature.

Having internal strength without mastery is like having power without skill.