Chapter 353: The Four Heavenly Lords

"Let him come up," National Master Yan Kang said calmly.

Khan Luandi was bound tightly with chains wrapped around his body. Several soldiers followed behind, pushing him forward.

"This criminal, Luandi..."

As Khan Luandi was about to prostrate himself, National Master Yan Kang's expression subtly changed. He raised a hand to support him, saying with a half-smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Are you trying to make me seem unjust, Brother Luandi?"

Khan Luandi took the opportunity to stand up, laughing, "If I can undermine your friendship with Emperor Yanfeng, I might still have a chance to rise again."

National Master Yan Kang shook his head. "You can't. Even if you were to prostrate yourself before me in front of the entire army, the Emperor wouldn't doubt me. It's only those upright officials who would give me a headache. It's better to avoid trouble when possible. Brother Luandi, let those chains fall. I won't accept your surrender like this. When we return to the capital, you can bind yourself and surrender to the Emperor then."

Khan Luandi's body swayed, and the chains on him instantly snapped into pieces, falling to the ground. The soldiers were startled and took a step forward. National Master Yan Kang raised his hand, gesturing for them to retreat, saying, "There's no need for such caution."

Khan Luandi's eyes flickered. "I heard that the National Master was gravely wounded in a struggle with a deity. Even with the Little Poison King and Little Divine Physician treating your injuries, your cultivation hasn't returned to its peak state. Are you not afraid I might suddenly erupt and launch a deadly attack on you?"

"No."

National Master Yan Kang said, "A month ago, I would have been. But now I have comprehended the Way of the Sword. Although my injuries persist, I no longer have to fear. If you attack, you will die."

Khan Luandi was horrified.

National Master Yan Kang looked up at the Loulan Golden Palace ahead and said leisurely, "Brother Luandi, please look. The Loulan Golden Palace is impregnable. The Grand Shaman King has formidable defenses, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we launch a full assault, my army will surely suffer heavy casualties. I also sense terrifying auras hidden within the palace, which must be the previous incarnations of the Great Venerable. I've detected eighteen terrifying, god-like presences, which is why I've encamped here and haven't moved yet."

Khan Luandi said, "These eighteen god-like, demon-like, Buddha-like physical bodies are the Great Venerable's eighteen incarnations. They are extremely formidable and represent the strongest force guarding the Loulan Golden Palace. In addition to the Great Venerable's eighteen incarnations, the Loulan Golden Palace also has twelve sect masters who have cultivated to the Divine Comprehension realm, the strongest of whom is the Shaman Venerable. His strength is no less than mine."

National Master Yan Kang asked, "How many experts are there in the Celestial Being realm and Life and Death realm?"

Khan Luandi laughed, "How would I know?"

"You emulate Emperor Yanfeng, so you should know."

National Master Yan Kang glanced at him and said softly, "For example, I have full knowledge of the names, abilities, and spirit weapons of the experts from the Heavenly Saint Cult, Dao Sect, and Grand Thunderclap Temple. Above the state, no Sacred Land is allowed to wield excessive power. As the Emperor of the grasslands, you naturally wouldn't tolerate the Loulan Golden Palace sitting above you. You must be aware of this."

Khan Luandi praised, "The reason I couldn't contend with Emperor Yanfeng is precisely because he had the National Master assisting him. If I had a helper like you, why would I have been forced to surrender? I have already prepared a roster of the Celestial Being and Life and Death realm experts in the Loulan Golden Palace, which I offer to the National Master." With that, he took out a roster.

National Master Yan Kang handed the roster to Duke Weiguo, who stood behind him, and said, "Let the soldiers examine this, find their respective opponents, and prepare to engage the enemy."

Duke Weiguo gathered the renowned generals from the Celestial Being and Life and Death realms in the army to collectively study the roster.

National Master Yan Kang said, "The Golden Palace is protected by formations, including restrictions and killing arrays set up by successive Great Venerables and Shaman Venerables. All of them are now fully activated to defend against our army. Since Khan Luandi intends to overthrow the Golden Palace, he must have a plan in mind—a method to breach it."

Khan Luandi didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Why doesn't the National Master ask me why I surrendered? Seeing me surrender, you trust me so completely, without any caution, even asking me for a way to break into the Golden Palace. Aren't you afraid I might be feigning surrender and providing false information to lead your entire army to destruction?"

National Master Yan Kang shook his head. "You surrendered because of shamanic poison."

Khan Luandi fell silent.

"The Great Venerable ordered the Grand Shaman King to unleash shamanic poison. Nine out of ten households on the grasslands are empty; only one-tenth of the grassland tribesmen survived, primarily residents of a few major cities on your grasslands."

National Master Yan Kang said, "You are the Emperor of the grasslands. So many of your people have been killed. To whom do you seek revenge? Only the Loulan Golden Palace. That's why I trust you; there's no need to doubt you."

Khan Luandi remained silent for a long time, then exhaled a turbid breath and said, "When two nations are at war, common people are not to be harmed. If I were to invade Yan Kang, the people of Yan Kang's land would be my subjects, and I would not harm them. If Emperor Yanfeng were to invade the grasslands, the nomads there would be his subjects, and he would not harm them. However, the Loulan Golden Palace annihilated my people. I cannot tolerate this. National Master, I will tell you all the weaknesses of the Golden Palace, without the slightest concealment."

National Master Yan Kang smiled. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you here? With your arrival today, one less Sacred Land remains in the world!"

Khan Luandi was utterly convinced. "As long as the National Master holds power, Luandi will never rebel! Should I break this oath, may my eyes be pecked out by a gyrfalcon, and my heart torn out by an eagle! May my descendants be slaves and servants for generations!"

***

The capital city, where nine dragon-like mountain ranges converge, gathers the essence of nine dragons, forming the imperial capital.

"Coming down to the mortal realm this time, and seeing National Master Yan Kang conquer the grasslands, I realized that Yan Kang's army is increasingly resembling a celestial army, much like the divine and demonic armies of the Kaihuang era."

Above the capital, a reed shelter, roughly an *mu* in size, hovered in the air. Beneath it, on the clouds, several unusually distinguished men and women sat, shaded by the shelter, looking down to observe Yan Kang's destiny.

These men and women were all strikingly handsome, and though they appeared young, their cultivation was frighteningly high, possessing the countenances of gods and Buddhas.

One of them was Lord Qiao, attended by four maidens including Yu Liu. Xu Shenghua was also present, standing beside another young man, who was his master, Lord Yu.

They were not the only ones who came this time; the Heavens had four leaders. Besides Lord Qiao and Lord Yu, there were also Lord Hua and Lord Yan.

Due to the Village Chief's departure from the Great Ruins, all four leaders of the Heavens had arrived.

The four looked down, all showing expressions of surprise.

"The last time I came to inflict disaster, I didn't observe closely."

Lord Yu pondered, "At that time, I only roughly saw the nine dragon veins of the capital and missed the other ones, which almost allowed Yan Kang to become a formidable power."

Lord Hua, a beautiful young woman whose voice was as clear and melodious as an oriole's, said, "These nine dragon veins are the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range. Besides these, there are also four riverine dragon veins: Tu River, Jin River, Yong River, and Li River."

With a gentle wave of her hand, vital qi transformed into a mirror in the air, casting its light deep beneath Yan Kang's land.

The mirror could penetrate more than ten *li* deep underground, revealing three great dragons in its reflection—long rivers of magma flowing beneath the earth.

Lord Hua said, "Adding these three fire dragon veins hidden underground, the number of dragon veins within Yan Kang's borders now totals sixteen."

Lord Yan shook his head. "More than that. Look at Yan Kang's coast. The coastal mountain range undulates like two dragons coiling with their tails intertwined—that's two more dragon veins. I don't know what mountain that dragon-coiled tail region is. Eighteen dragon veins, no wonder Yan Kang produces so many outstanding people and prospers."

Lord Qiao said gravely, "The grasslands being incorporated into Yan Kang is only a matter of time. This time, National Master Yan Kang has attacked the grasslands; calculating the time, he should have reached the Loulan Golden Palace by now. How many dragon veins are there on the grasslands?"

The other three Lords felt a slight shock.

"And what about the snow plains in the bitter cold north, the Wolf Juxu Kingdom? How many dragon veins are there?"

Lord Qiao said, "The sheer number of dragon veins in Yan Kang has exceeded our expectations. A single dragon vein alone would be nothing, unable to make a significant impact. But with many dragons ascending to the heavens, this means they are seizing the destiny of the world! I believe that killing the old Human Emperor is a minor matter. Finding Yan Kang's main dragon vein and either seizing it or relocating it, leaving the other dragons headless, that is what we should do in the mortal realm."

Lord Yu pondered, "Without the main dragon vein, the other dragons would be leaderless, destiny would fracture, and heroes would rise across the land, dividing Yan Kang. That is indeed a good idea. Which dragon vein is the main one for Yan Kang?"

The four looked down, searching for a long time, but still couldn't discern the main vein.

"We should still invite the Dragon Keeper Lord from the Heavens to come and locate the main vein. He raises dragons, clearly distinguishes between various types of dragons, and is skilled at drawing maps and calculating geography."

Lord Qiao said, "Qingying, Yaohua, return to the Heavens. Ask the Dragon Keeper Lord to descend and measure Yan Kang's dragon veins to determine the main one."

The two maidens, Qingying and Yaohua, assented and quickly departed.

Lord Yu smiled. "The Sword God hasn't appeared yet; how disappointing. I thought if we released our aura, he would rush to respond to the challenge, but unexpectedly, he's become timid. The old him wouldn't have been afraid. It seems the Sword God is truly old."

"This is the sorrow of mortal bodies."

Lord Hua laughed. "No matter how powerful one is in their prime, in old age, their vital energy inevitably withers and declines. Once the vital energy fails, the spirit fails too. Calculating the years, his death is set for the next two years. To live those two years, he avoided battle. How ironic. Xu Shenghua, have you found the new Human Emperor?"

Xu Shenghua said, "Your disciple encountered this person by chance but didn't recognize him, thus missing the opportunity. However, I gave him a packet of tea, and he invited me to drink with him in Yan Kang's capital. I suppose I can meet him again when I go to the capital."

Lord Yu was intrigued. "What are the capabilities of this new Human Emperor?"

"Very high."

Recalling his clash with Qin Mu, Xu Shenghua said, "His magical power at the time was extremely profound, and his vital qi cultivation was slightly deeper than mine. However, his combat techniques and divine abilities were slightly inferior to mine, and his comprehension of divine abilities was also less than mine."

"His cultivation is even deeper than yours?"

All four Lords of the Heavens showed surprise. Xu Shenghua's cultivation at the same realm could overpower others from the Heavens; even the Four Lords' cultivation at the same realm was inferior to his. Yet, someone in this world could have a cultivation level exceeding his!

"However, since returning from the Lesser Jade Capital, I've made up for the shortcomings in my cultivation."

Xu Shenghua said, "If he hasn't had similar fortuitous encounters, my cultivation would now only be stronger than his."

Lord Yu smiled. "Go to the capital, kill him, and return to the Heavens soon. This mortal realm is a place of impurity, unsuitable for prolonged stay. We will find a suitable location to await the Dragon Keeper Lord and examine the main dragon vein. If the Sword God dares to answer the challenge, that would be good. If he doesn't, we will return to the mountains after seizing the main vein."

Xu Shenghua assented.

Lord Qiao said, "I'll have Jing Yan and Yu Liu accompany you, to prevent petty scoundrels from trying to harm you."

Yu Liu and Jing Yan secretly rejoiced. Yu Liu carried a jade vase, and Jing Yan held a *pipa*, as they followed Xu Shenghua to the capital.

Seeing that dusk was approaching, the four Lords of the Heavens descended their clouds, arriving at a quiet place, and the reed shelter settled down.

The place was scenic, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, far from any village or inn. Yet, across from them stood a house. Its door opened, and a radiantly beautiful woman emerged, carrying a small wooden bucket to fetch water. The sight made all four Lords of the Heavens blush, their hearts pounding fiercely.

Even Lord Hua, as beautiful as she was, the most alluring goddess in the Heavens, felt ashamed of her own appearance at that moment, yet simultaneously felt captivated and enchanted by this woman.

"Such beauty that even gods would envy and adore!"

The four Lords steadied themselves. The woman looked at the suddenly appeared reed shelter, then at them, and greeted the four, saying, "Honored guests, dusk is approaching. Please do not go out after dark."

Lord Yu, smitten with admiration, smiled. "Immortal maiden, this is not the Great Ruins. Why can't we go out after dark? Even in the Great Ruins, we can wander freely."

Lord Yan and Lord Qiao also felt admiration, wishing to get closer to the woman, and chuckled, "A beautiful night, a beautiful woman as a neighbor. This truly is a Sacred Land."

Lord Hua felt a twinge of bitterness and jealousy, but upon seeing the woman's beauty, her envy vanished.

The woman showed a surprised expression and said, "So, you four are divine beings, capable of entering and exiting the Great Ruins in darkness. I was being overly cautious." With that, she went to fetch water.

As night fell, the three Lords of the Heavens eagerly gazed towards the house opposite, and Lord Hua, also somewhat expectant, smiled, "Since you're so smitten, why don't you invite her over to sit with us?"

As they spoke, the opposite door suddenly opened, and a laugh that made one's blood boil and pulse quicken emerged: "Honored guests, you have traveled from afar. As the mistress of this place, I have been late to greet you."

The four Lords of the Heavens looked over in the dim moonlight, their hearts simultaneously exclaiming in awe, "Such exquisite beauty that even immortals would fall for!"