Human Clan Defender-Chapter 575 - 296: Immortality is Unattainable (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Chapter 575: Chapter 296: Immortality is Unattainable (Seeking Monthly Votes)

By the time everyone had left Great Zhou, a message spread like the wind.

Emperor Zhou, Mu Shentong, had sacrificed the entire Great Zhou Human Clan for the sake of immortality. However, he was utterly destroyed by the curse of resentment from the Great Zhou Human Clan.

When the news spread, it shocked the world. Some did not believe it, wanting to see Great Zhou for themselves. Once they entered Great Zhou territory, what met their eyes were severely decomposed bodies everywhere—a horrifying sight accompanied by a foul stench.

Quickly thereafter, another message spread: the people were wiped out. The transformation of Great Zhou into a realm of Guiyu was thus confirmed.

For a time, Mu Shentong was denounced by thousands.

But to Shen Changqing, these matters seemed meaningless. With everyone in Great Zhou dead, even if Mu Shentong was left with an eternal infamy, it was of no consequence.

However, the matter of the resentment backlash served, in his view, as a stark warning to others, especially to the Emperors of various nations. If they ever harbored thoughts similar to Mu Shentong’s, they would have to seriously consider whether they could withstand such a backlash.

Inside the Great Liang court, civil and military officials unanimously cursed Great Zhou. The civil officials were particularly incensed, vociferously condemning Mu Shentong’s actions.

The Liang Emperor, seated above, bore a dark and grim expression. The sacrifice of Great Zhou by Mu Shentong was indeed an outrage to both gods and men. He might be the Emperor of Great Liang, but he too was part of the Human Clan. Mu Shentong’s actions were far more than a simple betrayal of the Human Clan; if he were still alive, the entire world would not have spared him.

Besides that, what also angered the Liang Emperor was that Great Liang’s two-million-strong army had entered Great Zhou and gained no advantage, instead losing half of its elite troops. Such a loss, while not enough to seriously undermine Great Liang, was nonetheless extremely painful. While Great Liang’s national strength was considerable, it couldn’t be described as overwhelmingly powerful. The loss of a million troops for nothing pained him greatly.

What was more important, with Great Zhou now a realm of Guiyu and so many corpses, who knew how many plagues would arise? It was not only the issue of plagues but also the formation of natural disasters.

One could say the land of Great Zhou was completely wasted. After this war, Great Liang had suffered greatly without reaping any benefits—an extreme misfortune indeed.

"Enough."

The Liang Emperor suddenly spoke, and the court instantly fell silent.

The eyes of the officials all rested upon him.

"The people of Great Zhou have all perished, and the corpses will surely breed plague. Announce my decree: no one from Great Liang is to enter Great Zhou without authorization. Should anyone enter Great Zhou of their own accord and bring back a plague, they shall be beheaded for minor offenses, and their entire clan executed for major ones."

"Your subjects obey the decree!"

The officials bowed in response. With so many deaths in Great Zhou, the emergence of plagues from the decaying bodies was inevitable over time. Entering Great Zhou without permission carried a high risk of infection.

On the other hand, Great Liang had a certain buffer zone with Great Zhou. As long as no one entered that area without permission, there was little risk of contracting a plague.

"Furthermore, all military personnel and civilians stationed in the prefectures bordering Great Zhou are to withdraw one thousand li to prevent plague infection. Simultaneously, all regions must make thorough preparations. If anyone is unfortunately infected, they must be controlled immediately. Otherwise, the calamity that struck Guangyuan Prefecture of Great Qin over two hundred years ago will repeat itself."

The Liang Emperor’s expression was solemn. Plague was no laughing matter. The world was well aware of what had happened in Guangyuan Prefecture two centuries ago.

At this moment, the most Great Liang could do was prevent such an event from recurring.

Given enough time, even if plagues did arise in Great Zhou, they would gradually subside.

However, even if the plagues subsided, he had no plans to easily lay claim to Great Zhou. After all, while plagues were a fatal blow to ordinary people, natural disasters were a fatal blow to anyone. Over the years, a considerable number of powerful individuals had perished at the hands of natural disasters. After all, natural disasters also existed within Great Liang.

Attempting to claim Great Zhou meant potentially having to confront these natural disasters. Without absolute certainty, the Liang Emperor would not undertake such a risk.

"What is the current situation with Great Qin?"

He looked towards Ran An below. The latter had returned to Great Liang ever since departing from Great Zhou.

"There should be no issues with the Star Plate. Great Qin should be able to deliver it after some more time. As for Emperor Qin, in my opinion, his days are numbered."

"Are you certain?" The Liang Emperor’s expression shifted slightly.

Ran An nodded. "His battle with Mu Shentong seemed to have involved burning his Essence Blood. Gu Xuanji already had a limited lifespan; burning Essence Blood would only hasten the consumption of his remaining time. While in Great Zhou, I sensed he was barely holding on. Your Majesty should prepare for this in advance."

The Liang Emperor fell into contemplation. He did not doubt the truth of Ran An’s words. If Gu Xuanji, already short on lifespan, had indeed burned his Essence Blood, then he was truly nearing his end. If he were to fall, Great Qin would undoubtedly be left without a leader. There were things to be schemed and planned within this situation.

"Shen Changqing and Dongfang Zhao, what is your assessment of these two?"

"Shen Changqing’s strength is extremely formidable," Ran An replied, then added, "Even more powerful than Dongfang Zhao by a fair margin."

From the battle at Zhou Pass to the battle in the Great Zhou Capital City, he had witnessed the strength Shen Changqing displayed. Such strength... Honestly, Ran An himself wasn’t sure he could contend with it.

"As for Dongfang Zhao, while his strength is formidable, he made his name a hundred years ago. Considering the lifespan of a Defender Envoy, he has lived a long life. Even if he has methods to extend it, he is now approaching his end. I estimate that Dongfang Zhao will also pass away within a few years."

The Liang Emperor nodded slightly. Dongfang Zhao’s passing would mean Great Qin losing another powerful expert. But Ran An’s evaluation of Shen Changqing weighed heavily on the Liang Emperor’s mind. The Liang Emperor was well aware of the rumors surrounding the Defender Envoy of Nanyou Prefecture. Now, hearing it directly from Ran An gave it an entirely different significance.

After a long moment, he finally spoke.

"If you were to face Shen Changqing, what are your chances of handling him?"

"Winning? I have no confidence at all. But merely delaying and entangling him, I believe that shouldn’t be a problem," Ran An offered what he considered a fair assessment.

Hearing this, the Liang Emperor nodded.

"Keep a close watch on Great Qin’s movements and report any developments immediately. Furthermore, the Demon Saint appeared in the Great Zhou Capital City; we cannot rule out further actions. Strengthen border defenses and ensure all regions have made adequate intelligence preparations. I do not wish for a day to come when the Demon Saint attacks our Great Liang Capital City, and only then do we react."

"Yes!"

「Luo’an Prefecture.」

「Heavenly Gate Pass.」

The army had returned.

Gu Xuanji, however, did not return to the Capital City but remained in Luo’an Prefecture. He was temporarily residing in the main city of Heavenly Gate Pass.

Deep into the night, the study was brightly lit.

Gu Xuanji, Dongfang Zhao, and Shen Changqing were all present. They sat in silence, and the atmosphere in the room grew somewhat somber.

After a long while, a voice finally broke the silence.

"The Ghost Saint appeared in Great Zhou. He wouldn’t have goaded Mu Shentong into sacrificing the Great Zhou Human Clan for no reason; there must be a scheme of his own in this. What benefits he might gain from it, I do not know for now. But there is one thing I am certain of: the Ghost Saint’s desire to annihilate our Great Qin is undying. If he gets a sufficient opportunity one day, he will surely invade Great Qin again."

"Does Your Majesty have any countermeasures?" Shen Changqing asked in a solemn tone.

Gu Xuanji wouldn’t have summoned them for no reason. And currently, only he and Dongfang Zhao had been called. From this, it was evident that today’s matter was not going to be as simple as just discussing the threat of the Demon Saint.

Gu Xuanji’s expression was somewhat complex. "Defender Shen, you must have heard the rumors that my time is running short, haven’t you?"

"Those are just baseless rumors from the outside world," Shen Changqing shook his head. Whatever the rumors were, he definitely couldn’t voice them here.

Gu Xuanji chuckled lightly. "Defender Shen, you need not be so guarded. I am well aware of my own condition. If not for the battle in Great Zhou, I would have had another year. However, that battle severely damaged my foundational Essence Blood. The three years I originally had have now dwindled to less than a month. When that time comes, my lifespan will be completely exhausted. At that point, Great Qin will inevitably face turmoil."

Less than a month!

The complexions of both Shen Changqing and Dongfang Zhao changed drastically. Although they knew his lifespan was limited, they hadn’t expected it to have reached such a critical stage.

"May I be so bold as to ask if Your Majesty has reached the Great Grandmaster Realm?" Shen Changqing inquired.

Gu Xuanji shook his head. "I am not a Great Grandmaster. The strength I possess comes from a special method unique to an Emperor, something only an Emperor can understand."

A special method. Hearing this answer, Shen Changqing’s heart stirred slightly. However, he did not press further on this matter and instead continued, "If Your Majesty is not a Great Grandmaster, then you must be at the peak of the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit. With Great Qin’s resources, if the breakthrough method to Great Grandmaster is available, helping Your Majesty achieve that breakthrough shouldn’t be a problem. And when a Martial Artist makes a breakthrough, their lifespan inevitably increases. Wouldn’t that alleviate the issue of Your Majesty’s lifespan?"

This doubt had lingered in his mind for a long time. It was said that Gu Xuanji’s time was nearly up, yet this world possessed methods to extend life. Given his status, extending his lifespan shouldn’t have been an issue. After all, the Emperor wasn’t particularly old, perhaps only a hundred and twenty or thirty.

Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanji looked at him profoundly, then shook his head.

"It’s quite normal for Defender Shen to have such doubts. But do you know that being the Emperor of a nation, while granting the authority to rule the world, also comes with a significant drawback?"

"A drawback?"

"Indeed!" Gu Xuanji nodded, his expression serious. "An Emperor benefits from the karmic fortune of the myriad populace and thus cannot attain true longevity. Furthermore, an Emperor’s lifespan is ordained by Heaven, beyond the power of mortals to alter."

Hearing this explanation, Shen Changqing’s expression changed drastically, and his mind was profoundly shaken.