Time flies like water, and in a daze, another twenty years have passed.
In the past twenty years, things have been turbulent.
Nine years ago, the army of "King Pingliang" broke through the capital "Shangjing" and completely destroyed the Wei Dynasty.
After that, the army under the command of King Pingliang marched south and north, conquering all the enemies and conquering all the battles. In just half a year, the seven northern states were pacified, which shocked the whole world.
After half a year of preparation, the army of one million troops crossed the Yangtze River and marched southward, attacking and destroying many anti-king and vassal towns along the way.
At this point, the nineteen states were reunited.
After King Pingliang went to Beijing to worship heaven, he officially ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor. He changed the name of his country to "Lu" and the title of "Kaihuang".
Today, it has been ten years since the founding of the emperor.
"What a beautiful countryside scenery..."
In the southwest of Qinzhou, on a country trail, Zhang Yao rode his horse along the trail, admiring the scenery along the road.
Smoke curled up from the small villages in the distance. It was just when the sunset was shining. Every household was lighting fires and cooking, and the sounds of children playing and dogs barking could be vaguely heard.
Twenty years later, he still wears a green shirt, but his appearance is much younger, like a troubled young man in his twenties.
"It's better to have peace in the world."
Zhang Yao looked away and couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "The common people can finally live a stable life."
It has been ten years since the troubled times ended.
After the establishment of the Lu State, the emperor made light of corvee and low taxes, encouraged intermarriage and trade, and formulated various policies to benefit the people.
In just ten years, the Nineteen Prefectures, where people were once in dire straits and businesses were in decline, have shown signs of prosperity. Perhaps in a few years, they will usher in a new prosperous era.
"After the great chaos, there must be great governance. Most of the people will die, conflicts will be greatly eliminated, and the land will be freed up."
"As long as the emperor doesn't mess around, it won't be difficult to usher in a prosperous age, not to mention that the 'King of Pingliang' is a shrewd and capable emperor..."
Zhang Yao couldn't help but show a trace of thinking in his eyes when he thought of the emperor:
"Whether the founding emperor has the support of the Immortal Family is still a mystery."
"The person I placed next to him has not gotten any useful information after so many years..."
Ten years ago:
When King Pingliang's army moved south, Zhang Yao happened to be secretly operating in Fuzhou in the south, implementing his plan in an orderly manner.
After a secret investigation, he learned that in the southern states, like the seven northern states, many anti-king and military envoys died mysteriously on the eve of the war, resulting in chaos and leaderlessness among his subordinates.
This is the truth that King Pingliang's million-strong army effortlessly pacified the south.
It was just that Zhang Yao was wary at that time. He was not sure whether the Xian family took action or whether several masters worked together, so he did not go to find out the secret of King Pingliang himself.
"Drive! Drive!"
While Zhang Yao was thinking, several groups of fast horses roared past him, sending up smoke and dust all over the sky.
"Hurry up, don't be late!"
"Don't worry, we will work hard all the way, we will definitely make it in time!"
Dressed in bright clothes, angry horses, armed with knives and swords, all in groups, they look like people from the world at first sight.
Ten years later, after the establishment of the Lu State, although the ban on martial arts was vigorously implemented, the troubled times continued for decades, and the martial arts among the people was extremely strong, which could not be eliminated in a short time.
The only change is that the number of warriors has decreased, and no one dares to use large-scale armors, crossbows and other contraband items anymore.
"It's really lively."
Zhang Yao smiled and continued to ride his horse leisurely, swaying forward.
“Hopefully I’ll get a good harvest this time.”
…………
Two months ago.
In Liang County, southwest of Qinzhou, there are rumors that the "Ye Emperor"'s secret cache hundreds of years ago has appeared, which quickly caused a sensation in all directions.
Countless people in the martial arts world heard the news and followed some rumors to investigate. It caused an uproar for a while and became the top priority in the Qinzhou Wulin.
It is recorded in classics:
Hundreds of years ago, at the end of the Chen Dynasty, in Qinzhou at that time, a peerless overlord emerged, who was honored as the "Ye Emperor" and was recognized as the most powerful person in the world at that time.
The Night Emperor's most famous deed was that he entered Kyoto alone and assassinated the last emperor of the Chen Dynasty in the Jinluan Palace, causing the world to completely collapse and become uncontrollable.
It is said that in that battle, one hundred thousand imperial troops were killed by him alone, and the four great masters were defeated together, which shocked the world.
It is rumored that before the death of Emperor Ye, he ordered people to build a huge underground palace. The underground palace contained unparalleled wealth and powerful martial arts, but this news has never been confirmed.
Until hundreds of years later:
A treasure map recording the route to the "Ye Di Palace" suddenly appeared in Liang County, Qinzhou, shocking the entire Qinzhou martial arts world.
It is said that this treasure map was originally owned by a young man who was just starting out in the world. During his heroic deeds, he bumped into a young lady from a martial arts family. The two had a grudge and the information was accidentally leaked.
What exactly happened in the middle is difficult to discern due to the intertwining of various rumors.
But the most important treasure map has since been spread. At this time, in the Qinzhou Wulin, everyone has a copy, but it is no longer top secret.
Liangjun, Qinzhou, in Yunxiao Mountain.
In a mist-shrouded valley, there were torches everywhere, and the firelight illuminated the entire valley.
Corpses lay everywhere in the valley, blood flowed everywhere, and there were broken arms and limbs everywhere. The whole scene looked extremely bloody.
"Ouch..."
"Damn, that bitch Li Santong is really ruthless!"
"The people from Qingchen Palace are also here. I'm afraid we won't even be able to drink the soup now..."
Many injured people from the martial arts world sat scattered in the corners of the valley, wailing and cursing.
And on the other side of the valley:
Half of the mountain wall has been opened, revealing a deep entrance, which is obviously the entrance to the underground palace where the secrets of the Night Emperor are buried.
Looking at this scene, it is not difficult to guess that after the major forces in Qinzhou's martial arts world joined forces, they must have been searching for a long time in Yunxiao Mountain before finally finding the portal to the underground palace. Before entering, a firefight broke out.
"Looks like it's not too late."
Zhang Yao, wearing a large black robe and a bamboo hat, slowly walked into the valley.
"Another one!"
"I don't know where it comes from..."
"Hey, another one is here to die!"
Many eyes were on him, curious, appraising, probing, malicious... Zhang Yao seemed to be unaware and walked towards the entrance of the underground palace.
He walked over the corpses and the pool of blood without stopping, but there was no trace of blood on the hem of his black robe or his boots.
"this!"
Many sharp-eyed people in the world suddenly felt huge waves in their hearts when they saw this scene.
"Is another grandmaster coming?"
Within the underground palace.
Entering along the deep passage, you can see many corpses along the way, as well as remaining mechanisms such as crossbow arrows and rolling stones.
After the main passage, many corpses were also seen in the ear rooms and side rooms on both sides, but most of them died from swords and sticks.
Others had their muscles and bones collapsed and died miserably, obviously being killed by the tyrannical Qi.
"We haven't even seen the main course yet, and the internal strife has started."
Zhang Yao looked at this messy scene and shook his head secretly.
There were many torches left in the dark room, and there were many gold and silver jewelry and funerary objects scattered on the ground. It was obvious that there were too many and they had been dropped in a hurry during the search.
Even the ear room and the side room are like this. The rumors that the Ye Emperor's secret treasure is so rich that it can rival the country are probably not groundless. It's no wonder that these people are jealous.
"Um?"
Continuing deeper along the underground palace, there was a faint light of fire and the sound of conversation ahead. Zhang Yao's expression moved slightly and he showed a smile:
“The finale hasn’t even finished yet, so it’s not too late.”
