Human Clan Defender-Chapter 718 - s Difficult Decisions, The Moment for the Rise of Great Liang (Four-in-One for Monthly Tickets) _7

Subsequently, another person stepped forward from the ranks. "Your Majesty, I believe Great Liang's proposal also holds certain benefits for our Dayue. Great Qin is showing signs of recovering its former strength. If it truly does, it will be difficult for us to contend with them."

"Lord Liu is right, Your Majesty," another chimed in. "We must seize a favorable position before Great Qin fully recovers. Otherwise, we'll be left passively taking hits."

"Your Majesty—"

The ministers below all began to speak at once, a clamor of voices filling the hall. But the sentiment was largely the same: they agreed with Great Liang's decision to join forces and attack Great Qin.

For more than three hundred years, Great Qin's deterrence to the other states had been too significant. It was so significant that any sign of Great Qin's resurgence would fill the other states with dread.

In the past, the scourge of Demon Evil was severe, and with Great Zhou caught between them and Great Qin, the threat from Great Qin was less apparent. But now, the problems with Demon Evil had diminished considerably, and Great Zhou had also been destroyed. Therefore, the forces that had kept Great Qin in check had all but vanished. If Great Qin was given time to recover its former strength, it was entirely possible they would succeed.

After everyone had spoken, Wang Xiao said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Great Liang's objective is simple: they are wary of Great Qin, so they wish to ally with us, Dayue, to suppress it. However, the Liang Emperor is known for his extreme caution; he never acts before he's sure of the outcome. His current daring to formally strike against Great Qin means he must have some kind of backing. Not long ago, word arrived that a terrifying aura had enveloped the Great Liang Capital, lingering for a long time before finally subsiding. I suspect this display of power is connected to Great Liang's preparations to attack Great Qin."

Hearing this, the civil and military officials reacted with different expressions.

Emperor Yue looked at those below and calmly said, "General Wang, are you suggesting that a powerful new expert has emerged in Great Liang?"

"It is highly possible," Wang Xiao nodded, his expression somewhat solemn. "In today's world, strength is revered above all. The power of any state is measured by its top experts. Remember, Great Qin currently has both Dongfang Zhao and Shen Changqing presiding there. For Great Liang to still possess such confidence despite this, it speaks volumes."

He was also very clear about Great Liang's situation.

Having said this, Wang Xiao paused for a moment before continuing, "However, while the threat of Great Qin cannot be ignored, Great Liang must also be guarded against. I believe Dayue can agree to this alliance with Great Liang, but we cannot commit our full strength. We must hold back some of our forces, to guard against any clandestine moves by Great Liang if necessary. After all, Great Zhou has fallen. Excluding the Barbarian Clan, the world is now effectively tripartite. If Great Qin is destroyed, only Dayue and Great Liang will remain."

As long as Great Qin remained undestroyed, and given that Dayue and Great Liang were weaker than Great Qin, an alliance between them was possible. But if Great Qin were destroyed, leaving only Dayue and Great Liang, then they could no longer be allies. At that time, it would come down to either Dayue destroying Great Liang, or Great Liang destroying Dayue. Unification of the world. Wang Xiao didn't believe that Great Liang lacked this ambition.

For thousands of years, the world had been fragmented, never truly unified. If one could achieve such a feat, their name would undoubtedly be renowned for ages, immortalized in history. Such glory was something many could not resist.

Emperor Yue fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. "General Wang is right. We must be cautious with Great Qin and also guard against Great Liang. However, if Dayue is to agree to this alliance with Great Liang now, we must also make an appropriate gesture."

Subsequently, he looked at Wang Xiao again. "You will be the commander-in-chief for this campaign against Great Qin."

"Yes!" Wang Xiao accepted the command.

After discussing the specifics of the attack a bit more, the ministers withdrew.

In the Imperial Garden, Emperor Yue and Wang Xiao appeared.

"What you said in court earlier was astute," Emperor Yue began. "The primary goal of this attack on Great Qin is not its conquest, but the preservation of our own strength. I trust you understand this point."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I know what to do."

"Hmm—" Emperor Yue nodded slightly, then fell into thought again. "If we genuinely manage to conquer Great Qin, you are to find an opportunity to ensure Great Liang's forces are all buried within Great Qin's borders. However, if this proves unachievable, then hold your troops back for the time being and do not reveal our true intentions. I expect you not to act recklessly. But when you do act, it must be decisive and impactful."

"Yes!" Wang Xiao's expression turned serious.

Emperor Yue's thinking was even more ruthless than Wang Xiao had anticipated. According to his original plan, when attacking Great Qin, Dayue was merely to play a supporting role, with Great Liang as the main force. But from the Emperor's meaning, it wasn't merely about letting Great Liang be the main force. If the time came, Dayue, ostensibly an ally, was to transform into a sharp dagger and plunge it viciously into Great Liang's heart.

Wang Xiao actually agreed with this quite a bit. Those who achieve great things do not fuss over trifles. Even if doing so would draw criticism, it wouldn't matter. The victors become kings, the vanquished are branded bandits. Victory and defeat have always been the ultimate arbiters. If Dayue truly unified the world, who could be dissatisfied? Who would dare to be dissatisfied?

After temporarily resolving the Great Zhou issue at Fallen Saint Pass and leaving behind his Essence Blood incarnation, Shen Changqing returned to the Capital City.

He immediately went to the palace and met with Gu Xing. After apprising him of the natural disaster in Great Zhou—ignoring Emperor Qin's shock—Shen Changqing then met with Dongfang Zhao to discuss matters concerning Exiled Immortal Valley.

Shen Changqing hadn't forgotten that a Spirit Vein still existed in the Ancient Ruins of Exiled Immortal Valley, which he had left some time ago. Although it lacked the Heart of Spirit Vein, causing the Spiritual Energy within the vein to slowly dissipate, this process of dissipation would still take years. Moreover, once the Spiritual Energy formed into Spirit Stones, its dissipation would be even slower. It was entirely feasible to send people to excavate them now. If all those Spirit Stones could be excavated, they would undoubtedly be of immense use.

Nevertheless, Shen Changqing had no intention of going to Exiled Immortal Valley again. After all, the Token to open the Ancient Ruins wasn't in his possession. If any problems arose, he could simply have Yi Ning resolve them.

For the following period, Shen Changqing remained in the Demon-Subduing Division, silently focused on the Refinement of the Heart of Spirit Vein.

He was now just one step away from achieving Immortal Golden Body Perfection. But this step was not easy to take.

Fortunately, the Heart of Spirit Vein was the very source of the Spirit Vein and contained immensely potent Spiritual Energy. If he could complete its Refinement, it would undoubtedly yield significant benefits. Although Shen Changqing wasn't certain that completing the Refinement of the Heart of Spirit Vein would guarantee his advancement to Immortal Golden Body Perfection, he had no other viable option at present. Otherwise, relying solely on Slaughter Value was far too insufficient. The quickest method to advance currently was to complete the Refinement of the Heart of Spirit Vein and see if he could achieve a breakthrough.

For a month, Shen Changqing remained in seclusion in his bedroom. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He held the Heart of Spirit Vein tightly in his palm, its boundless Spiritual Energy continuously surging into his Flesh. This energy was then subsequently refined by his qi and blood. Every bit of Spiritual Energy refined enhanced his strength.

After a month, more than half of the Spiritual Energy within the Heart of Spirit Vein had been depleted. Although it still appeared brilliantly luminous on the surface, the total amount of Spiritual Energy within had significantly diminished.

As a result of these efforts, Shen Changqing felt he had taken a significant step forward from the ninth tier of the Thousand Tribulations True Body, drawing much closer to the tenth tier. Although he hadn't truly stepped into the tenth tier, the gap was no longer as vast as it had been initially.

The tenth tier of the Thousand Tribulations True Body! The primary objective of the tenth tier was to achieve the Golden Body transformation for the head. The head being the most mysterious part of the human body, this Golden Body transformation process had to be undertaken with extreme caution. Otherwise, if any problem arose, the consequences would be unimaginable.

It's close!

Given another month, I might be able to truly achieve the Golden Body transformation of my head!

Sensing the golden hue spreading through his Sea of Consciousness, a look of satisfaction appeared on Shen Changqing's face.