Chapter Ten: The Second Divine Martial Contest Section Three: Seeking Fortune Amidst Danger

Section Three: Seeking Danger in Peril

“My two wives are descendants of the Moon Clan, princesses of the Zhou dynasty. Ha ha… Fate, there is fate in all things! Why should we bother scheming to steal the Zhou Kingdom? That Zhou Kingdom belongs entirely to my two princesses; it is rightfully theirs—why steal what is already theirs?” Bu Jinxian laughed heartily, never having imagined that destiny’s arrangement could be so marvelous.

Suddenly, he recalled his clan elder. Lady Li had said that her father had once rebelled unsuccessfully in the Chen Kingdom. He himself had met the Moon Sisters in Chen, wandering through hardships and dangers until finally arriving at Bei Yin City. These two wives had indeed brought him immense fortune.

“Descendants of the Moon Clan, princesses of the Zhou dynasty! When our clan’s armies march forth, they represent the Zhou royal family and the Emperor’s decree. No one—dares to speak against it!” Bu Jinxian paced back and forth, unable to contain the overwhelming joy swelling within him.

“My lord, look at how happy you are,” Baixing teased.

Hearing this, he suddenly knelt completely on the ground. “Your humble servant—pays respects to the two princesses.”

Baixing chuckled softly, while Baiyue solemnly gestured, “Rise, my dear subject, no need for such formality.” Then she collapsed into Bu Jinxian’s arms, laughing endlessly.

After a while, Baiyue’s laughter subsided, and Bu Jinxian helped her to sit.

“Right, while the Northern Lord was away, I took the liberty to add a decree in the Emperor’s edict demanding that the Seven Powers contribute funds to rebuild the Zhou capital. Do you think the Seven Powers will actually pay?” Baiyue asked.

“They will pay, but the amount will be no more than what one might give a beggar. Of course, that money means little to them, but it’s still usable funds for us. In my opinion, we should issue another edict stating that the fire at the Zhou capital was due to negligence on the part of Zheng Kingdom, thereby requiring Zheng to rebuild the capital within a year and relocate its people back once restored. Furthermore, another edict should be sent to Chen Kingdom requesting grain and supplies for the displaced Zhou people, to Chu for military equipment lost in the fire, and to Wei and Yan for slave labor to aid reconstruction. As for Han, so destitute and powerless, there’s no use asking them.”

“Can they really agree? The scale of rebuilding the Zhou capital is enormous.”

“Whether they agree or not, it benefits us and harms us not. Why not issue the decree?”

“Very well! Tomorrow at dawn, I will have the Emperor issue the decree,” Baiyue declared, then softly added, “My lord, after all, the Emperor is our kin. In public, we should preserve some of his dignity.”

Bu Jinxian smiled and nodded in agreement. Knowing that the sisters had acknowledged Ao Pan as family, he was pleased. The more kin there were, the warmer the ties.

Half a month later, envoys returned to report that the Zhou Emperor had accepted Zheng Kingdom’s responsibility to rebuild the capital, delivering five thousand taels of gold and half a million taels of silver. Chen Kingdom also agreed to transport three hundred thousand loads of grain and supplies. Wei and Yan each sent five thousand slaves, and Chu delivered ten thousand sets of armor and weapons.

When Bu Jinxian received an invitation to the Divine Martial Arena from Zheng Kingdom, he pondered for several days before deciding to attend. Ao Pan, however, was strongly opposed, even appealing to the Moon Sisters to persuade Bu Jinxian not to send him to certain death in Zheng. This caused Bu Jinxian considerable headache. After many days of earnest persuasion, Ao Pan finally reluctantly agreed to accompany him.

“Reviving the glory of the Zhou Kingdom will not be easy. The Emperor sitting here in Bei Yin City cannot hope for success. If the Emperor trusts me and allows me to attend the Divine Martial Arena, I guarantee that within a year, the Zhou Kingdom will add at least five hundred thousand troops!”

This statement was irresistible to Ao Pan, but he and the Zhou Empress feared Bu Jinxian might harbor murderous intent. If Ao Pan died, the royal bloodline of Zhou would remain only with the Bai sisters. Yet, under Bu Jinxian’s repeated counsel, Ao Pan could no longer refuse.

In the previous Divine Martial Arena, Qiu Ye from the Fei Xian Sect had claimed first place, becoming the Martial Sovereign of the world—the top master.

Now, at the second Divine Martial Arena, even with Zheng Fei Xian’s death widely known and hotly debated, he was still regarded as an immortal-like expert unmatched by others.

The top ten masters from the first Divine Martial Arena were:

First place: Qiu Ye of the Fei Xian Sect.

Second place: Ka’er, the Black Wolf Tribe’s top warrior, defeated by Qiu Ye.

Third place: Ye Feiluo, leader of the Northern Martial Sect and known as the Sword Saint of Eastern Yan.

Fourth place: Wei Wuquan, head of the Huashan branch of the Sword Mountain Sect of Northern Wei, known as the Sword God.

Both the Sword Saint of Eastern Yan and the Sword God of Northern Wei were defeated by Qiu Ye; thus, martial cultivators did not believe their skills were inferior to Ka’er’s. Although ranked third and fourth, many considered them evenly matched with the second-place Ka’er.

Fifth place: Elder Dong Xue of Fei Xian Sect.

Sixth place: Zheng Qiangwu, the top expert of the Fei Xian Sect’s December Hall, known as the Sea-flipping Palm.

Seventh place: Cha Xiaogai, a Huashan branch expert of the Sword Mountain Sect, nicknamed Mad Sword.

Eighth place: Wu Fei, an expert of the Hengshan branch of the Sword Mountain Sect, known as the Flying Sword Dance.

Ninth place: Ming Gang, a Northern Martial Sect expert, called the Immovable King.

Tenth place: Ren Qingyi, a Northern Martial Sect expert, known as Sword Immortal.

However, after the Divine Martial Arena concluded, many martial cultivators criticized that Zheng Kingdom invited only the great sects from across the land, excluding renowned wandering heroes, thus casting doubt on the accuracy of the top ten rankings.

This time, Zheng Kingdom had evidently learned from past mistakes, inviting more martial sects and painstakingly seeking famous wandering heroes from various nations to participate, hoping the results would be more convincing.

Recent conflicts had brought many retired wandering heroes back into the fold. As nations prepared for war, they intensified military efforts, offering better treatment to skilled warriors and organizing competitions to select valiant generals. The status of martial artists had risen, attracting more aspirants.

The current Divine Martial Arena attracted ten times more participants than the first, causing great anticipation and expectations that the results would be truly authoritative. Renowned masters from various nations hoped to secure distinguished rankings to fulfill their reputations.

The Black Wolf Tribe, always admiring strength, paid great attention. Da Luo Bi arranged doubled care for Ka’er’s daily needs, ensuring he could focus solely on training. Despite having lost the first time, Ka’er remained the world’s second strongest. Though his failure to claim first place disappointed the tribe, no one blamed him.

Baiyue of the Evening Glow Clan also received an invitation but, after much deliberation, chose not to attend. She was unafraid of Zheng Kingdom’s plots during the arena but wary of what might happen afterward. While participants set aside grievances for the competition’s fairness, Ao Pan’s attendance, along with the two Moon Clan sisters, greatly increased the risk of Zheng Kingdom’s treachery.

“In any case, the world’s top master has nothing to do with our Evening Glow Clan. This spectacle is not worth our trouble!” Baiyue’s view was fully supported by Bu Jinxian. Their current strength and experience made the dream of becoming the world’s strongest a pipe dream. Moreover, Bu Jinxian had no interest in the arena’s contest. Whoever became first would face endless, relentless revenge from the Fei Xian Sect. That world champion would either be killed by Fei Xian or drag all related forces into chaos.

This was the consequence of Zheng Fei Xian’s past pride and competitiveness, becoming the Fei Xian Sect’s unyielding nature.

Bu Jinxian’s purpose in attending the Divine Martial Arena was to fully leverage Emperor Ao Pan’s value and to observe the strength of various sects and wandering heroes.

When Da Luo Bi heard Bu Jinxian planned to accompany Ao Pan to Zheng Kingdom for the arena, he urged caution.

“Zheng Kingdom is ambitious and ruthless. Da Luo Bi is no mere martial artist but holds the fate of the Evening Glow Clan. How could he risk such danger?”

“With Ka’er, the tribe’s top warrior, by my side, where would I fear to go?”

Da Luo Bi was delighted and exclaimed, “Well said, Left Bank Luo Bi! He is a match for thousands; why fear the lamb-like Zheng army? Very well, I shall personally see you off!”

The Divine Martial Arena was grandly announced, stirring much discussion across the land.

Before departure, Bu Jinxian instructed Ao Pan to send envoys to the Seven Powers, proclaiming that the Zhou Emperor would personally attend the arena.

This news stunned many and caused King Zheng to sigh in regret, lamenting his earlier leniency.

All knew the Zhou Emperor would attend the Divine Martial Arena; how could King Zheng dare harm him now?

King Zheng not only rejected counsel from his ministers to assassinate the Emperor en route but also dispatched a large army to escort Ao Pan to the capital. Although the Seven Powers usually disregarded the Zhou Emperor, at this critical time, though the monarchs could not come personally, they all sent senior ministers as envoys to pay respects.

At first, Ao Pan was terrified upon seeing Zheng’s massive army, but as they treated him with great respect and obeyed his orders without question, he gradually relaxed and admired Bu Jinxian’s boldness.

“Your Majesty need not worry. Even when facing King Zheng in the capital, remember you are the Son of Heaven. King Zheng must bow and obey. Never show fear or hesitation, lest you become a laughingstock.”

“Rest assured, Northern Lord. I know what to do.”

This journey gave Ao Pan a true sense of being the Son of Heaven. He recalled past humiliations in the Zhou capital, where he had been treated as a lowly servant, always cautious around a mere Zheng commander, and unable to protest the leering eyes of Zheng soldiers upon his empress.

Upon Ao Pan’s arrival in the capital, King Zheng raged in the palace.

Even the queen dared not approach to comfort him, and ministers were scolded one after another.

“Must I kneel before such a yellow-haired brat!” King Zheng shouted furiously.

“Guards! Imprison General Li, responsible for guarding the former Zhou capital!” Orders were promptly executed, but the king’s anger persisted, “My officials are incompetent! Even such trivial matters are mishandled. They deserve execution!”

Among the fearful ministers, one stepped forward, “Your Majesty speaks rightly. I believe Chief Left Minister should also be held accountable…”

King Zheng glared coldly, a cruel smile playing on his lips. “I warned the Chief Left Minister repeatedly. If he disobeys, it means he does not respect me! And you, scoundrel, when the Chief left minister gave counsel, you accused him of unscrupulousness and trying to trap me unjustly. Guards! Arrest him and imprison him. He shall be executed tomorrow!”