187: Military force is the primary productive force

“I… I really want to, but… but those…”

Li Chengqian smiled bitterly, “Even if I had ideas, in the face of pure, overwhelming martial power, they would be worthless. They only need a few Immortal Spells to effortlessly turn everything I’ve built into nothing. Rather than letting the Great Tang be destroyed in my hands, it’s better to…”

“Immortal Spells? Hehe, Your Highness, would you like to accompany Poor Monk out of the palace? Poor Monk will perform a trick for you to see?”

Tang Ku chuckled, “Don’t worry, it won’t take up much of your time. Consider it a chance to clear your head, how about it?”

“This…”

Li Chengqian knew that Tang Ku must have a reason for saying this, no doubt still wanting to persuade him to ascend the throne. But in the current situation, continuing to be at odds with his father and the others would truly be undignified. Just as Tang Ku said, going out to clear his head would be good. He immediately nodded: “Thank you, Holy Monk, but I absolutely will not become this emperor…”

Tang Ku smiled. The two threw down their wine gourds and then walked out hand in hand. The moment the main door opened, they indeed saw a large group of people eavesdropping outside, with Li Shimin prominently at the front.

“…That… Holy Monk…”

Li Shimin saw the two come out together and hesitated, wanting to speak.

“Poor Monk will take Your Highness out to clear his head. We can discuss other matters when we return…”

Tang Ku gave a look, and everyone immediately understood, retreating backward. Tang Ku led Li Chengqian down the steps, gave a whistle, and auspicious clouds appeared in mid-air. Brick slowly descended from the sky, letting out a cry: “I only know three phrases…”

“Hehe, alright, alright. Take me and His Highness, the Crown Prince, out of Chang’an City. Find a mountain that’s not too big and not too small; we’re going on an outing.”

As he spoke, Tang Ku had already led Li Chengqian onto Brick’s back.

Without needing more words, the two rode on the back of this Divine Beast, left Chang’an City, and traveled west. Before long, a massive mountain appeared before them.

“Does Your Highness know where this is?”

Tang Ku pointed at the huge mountain below.

“Hehe, I actually do know this. This place was originally the Two Realms Mountain. More than ten years ago, the mountain collapsed, and a spiritual monkey sprang out from it, shattering the mountain body. But the mountain peaks on the north and south sides of the Two Realms Mountain are still here…” Li Chengqian chuckled.

“Hmm, that spiritual monkey you mentioned is Poor Monk’s eldest Disciple, Sun Xingzhe!” Tang Ku pointed at the mountain peak, “This place was originally where my Buddha Tathagata suppressed his true body. It was Poor Monk who removed my Buddha’s verse, and only then was he freed. On Poor Monk’s journey to the West, it was thanks to him that we cleared paths through mountains and built bridges over water, subduing Yao Race and vanquishing demons, allowing us to reach the Western Heaven. His Divine Ability is clearly extraordinary!”

“I have also seen your Disciple; he is indeed remarkable!” Li Chengqian praised.

“Then, Your Highness, observe. See what Poor Monk’s punch… what Divine Ability it possesses!”

As he spoke, Tang Ku suddenly leaped down from the back of the monstrous beast. War God Gauntlets covered his right fist, and countless intricate patterns made Li Chengqian’s eyes light up. The worry he had felt when he jumped down earlier was swept away, replaced by an expression of envy.

“I had long heard that the Holy Monk had already achieved Buddhahood, but I never imagined he possessed such astonishing Magic Power… Uh…”

Before he could finish speaking, Great Wilderness Divine Fist’s third form, Shattering the Cosmos, had already been unleashed.

With a thirtyfold amplitude, all power was pushed to its extreme. A ripple in the air caused a brief distortion in the entire space, followed by… Boom!

The mountains on both sides trembled violently, then came an earth-shattering, deafening roar. The two mountain peaks were instantly pulverized by that single punch. Countless sparks erupted in the air, actually creating a gigantic mushroom cloud. For a time, dust rose everywhere, and fierce winds raged, so much so that even Brick couldn’t withstand it and hurriedly carried Li Chengqian backward.

At this moment, His Highness the Crown Prince was utterly stunned, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

However, the scene wasn’t over yet. Before the dust, Tang Ku suddenly threw another punch. The force of the punch swept through, dispersing all the dust. The moment the air cleared, Li Chengqian saw that where the mountains had been, two massive craters had formed, as if struck by meteorites. Blue smoke still rose from these pits, and the stones on the ground seemed to have been scorched red, a scene like the end of the world.

“This… this is…”

The shock in His Highness the Crown Prince’s heart was beyond words.

From birth until now, he had never witnessed such a terrifying sight.

With a gulp, he swallowed, then suddenly saw Tang Ku, robes fluttering, already flying before him, smiling, “Your Highness, is Poor Monk’s trick still pleasing to your eyes?”

“The Divine Might of a single punch, to this extent!”

Li Chengqian exclaimed in shock, “The Holy Monk possesses such Divine Might; this truly fills me with awe and admiration!”

“Then what do you think, how does this punch of mine compare to those so-called powerful enemies?”

Tang Ku smiled faintly.

This Crown Prince was a clever man. In an instant, he understood Tang Ku’s intention. He pondered for a long time but did not answer.

Tang Ku was not in a hurry, but continued to watch him with a smile.

Li Chengqian suddenly let out a helpless sigh: “Alright, I’ve fallen into your trap after all. But… can you truly protect me?”

“Hehe, of course I can’t protect you. What can protect you are the common people of this world, all living beings!” Tang Ku laughed, “Poor Monk alone, no matter how strong his power, ultimately cannot fight against many. But among these Three Mountains and Five Peaks, who doesn’t have friends? There are as many cultivators in Immortal Caves as there are cattle hairs, and there are many strong Yao Race members in the Mortal world. Aren’t these all your subjects?

The military generals in the court, each highly skilled in martial arts, after some training by Yuan Tiangang, last time slaughtered the representatives of those Immortals, leaving them with lost armor and helmets, dead and wounded. Aren’t those who could do this also your subordinates?

Don’t forget, Yuan Tiangang is just a Mortal who can use Spells, but he, with a Mortal body, was able to develop Magic Treasures that can suppress… and even kill Immortals. And these Magic Treasures can be used by ordinary people. This is one of our strongest bargaining chips… We can do many more things like this. One day, such weapons might even be equipped to the entire army. Plus, a few dozen more powerhouses of my level, do you still think we have no chance of winning?”

Tang Ku raised a finger and said: “Opportunity always coexists with risk. If you want to be an emperor for all time, how can you succeed without taking some risks? With us protecting this Great Tang empire, you just let go and implement your policies. You don’t need to worry about fighting; we’ll handle it! And I’m telling you now, besides me, there are at least four or five other people of my level of power on our Great Tang side… And this lineup will continue to grow. Do you still think we have no chance of winning?”

Li Chengqian stood on Brick’s back. A gentle breeze swept through, seemingly clearing the confusion before his eyes. With a glance, the vast landscape seemed to be beneath his feet… “Alright, you’ve convinced me…”

His Highness the Crown Prince’s eyes were firm. He clenched his fists and said, “This emperor… I will be!”