319: A million-strong army? He really dares to boast.

No, it wasn't a marriage; it was merely an exchange.

Sacrificing her own happiness just to exchange for a piece of information.

Could it be that compared to information, a person's happiness was so worthless?

At this moment, endless resentment rose within Guihai Yidao's heart.

It all stemmed from his own lack of strength. If he were strong enough, he could protect the people around him whom he wanted to protect.

"Foster Father, it was all Yidao's fault for lacking a sense of the bigger picture. Since that's the case, we will do as you say." Guihai Yidao took a deep breath and spoke expressionlessly.

Guihai Yidao's sudden change of heart immediately left the three people present somewhat unable to react.

However, this no longer mattered to Zhu Wushi.

As long as Guihai Yidao didn't cause him trouble, all was well.

"Mhm, you've finally understood. Since that's the case, Haitang, go down and make the preparations."

"Once you are ready, head to Dali immediately." Zhu Wushi looked at Shangguan Haitang.

Although Shangguan Haitang was displeased, she had no choice and took a deep breath.

"Yes, Foster Father. I will go and prepare now."

"Foster Father, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave as well." Guihai Yidao stood up and bowed to Zhu Wushi.

Without waiting for Zhu Wushi to speak, he turned and left.

Zhu Wushi's expression turned gloomy, and a flicker of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Merely a chess piece, yet he dares to disobey my orders. I will deal with you sooner or later.

At that moment, a messenger ran in quickly.

"Lord Marquis, this is bad! An urgent report has arrived from the border!"

"The Jin Kingdom has suddenly gathered a million-strong army and is heading south. Initial assessments suggest their target is likely Dali."

"Hm? What happened? Why did the Jin Kingdom suddenly dispatch troops to Dali?" Zhu Wushi frowned.

"According to the latest news, a few days ago, Prince of Zhennan of Dali, Duan Zhengchun, killed the Jin Crown Prince, Wanyan Honglie, and his son, Wanyan Kang, at the Jiangnan Misty Rain Tower in the Song Dynasty."

"When this news reached the ears of Emperor of Jin, Wanyan Jing, he was enraged and immediately dispatched troops to Dali, intending to destroy the Kingdom of Dali to avenge Wanyan Honglie."

This news surprised Zhu Wushi. He hadn't expected Duan Zhengchun to be so bold as to kill the Crown Prince of Jin.

Did he not know that no matter how strong a Martial Artist was, they were simply not enough when facing an Imperial Dynasty's army?

Even an Earth Immortal Realm Master would not lightly provoke an Imperial Dynasty.

After all, every Imperial Dynasty had Masters overseeing it.

If pinned down by such Masters, then even an Earth Immortal would not suffice.

Therefore, at this moment, he hesitated.

Although Duan Zhengchun was powerful and could slay Earth Immortal Realm Masters,

whether he could withstand a million-strong army was an unknown variable.

Under normal circumstances, even at the Earth Immortal Realm, one would not be enough against a million-strong army.

However, could Duan Zhengchun really be viewed through the lens of normal circumstances?

This time, if Duan Zhengchun could successfully resolve this matter, then other Imperial Dynasties would likely lose sleep as well.

After all, which Imperial Dynasty wouldn't fear a powerhouse who could single-handedly oppose a million-strong army?

Furthermore, Duan Zhengchun was the Prince of Zhennan of Dali, and now he had even been posthumously honored as King Kaoshan.

What this title represented was self-evident.

Duan Zhengchun was the current 'Mountain of Support' for Dali.

In the current situation, it was better to wait and see. If Duan Zhengchun could truly solve this problem, they could only befriend him and not offend him in the future.

If he couldn't withstand the million-strong army and died, then everything would be easy to handle.

At that time, dealing with Dali would be much easier.

The women around Duan Zhengchun surely knew whatever secrets he possessed.

When the time came, obtaining those secrets would be much simpler.

"Foster Father, the Jin Kingdom is moving against Dali. Should we intervene?" Duan Tianya frowned and looked at Zhu Wushi.

"No rush. This Marquis also wants to see if Duan Zhengchun is truly as strong as the rumors say."

"A million-strong army? The Jin Kingdom really dares to boast. How many people does a tiny Jin Kingdom even have in total? A million-strong army indeed."

"Twenty thousand would be a generous estimate. However, even so, ordinary Earth Immortal Realm Masters are unwilling to face that many soldiers."

"Let's first see how Duan Zhengchun resolves this crisis," Zhu Wushi spoke expressionlessly.

Duan Tianya was not surprised by Zhu Wushi's answer.

After all, Dragon Guard Manor held a different status; it represented the Ming Imperial Family.

If Dragon Guard Manor intervened in this matter, it would mean the Ming Dynasty was standing on Dali's side.

Gaining only Dali's goodwill would be a case of the gains not making up for the losses. As the Manor Lord of Dragon Guard Manor and a Prince of Ming, he had more aspects to consider... The news of the Jin Kingdom's troop deployment against Dali quickly spread throughout the various Imperial Dynasties. At the Ascending Heaven Pavilion, Lei Wujie had swept through the levels like dry weeds and arrived directly at the sixteenth floor, the final floor.

As long as he defeated the guard of this floor, he would succeed and be able to see the sister he hadn't seen in years and had always wanted to see—Xueyue Sword Immortal Li Hanyi.

However, when he saw the guard of the sixteenth floor, Lei Wujie's expression instantly changed.

"Ma—Master? You... you are the guard of the sixteenth floor?" Lei Wujie looked in shock at the figure before him wearing a mask and sporting two small mustaches.

His face was full of disbelief; he could never have imagined that the guard of the final floor would be his own Master.

Moreover, he had long suspected that this so-called Master of his was actually his sister, Li Hanyi, whom he hadn't seen in years.

"What? Don't recognize me?" Li Hanyi's tone was calm yet carried a hint of gratification.

It turned out that the young lad from back then had grown up and was now capable of standing on his own.

To reach the strength of the Divine Roaming Profound Realm at such an age—this talent was even stronger than her own back then.

She just didn't know if he could pass her test.

"No, how could you be the guard of this floor?" Lei Wujie looked at his Master in a daze.

"Why can't I be the guard of the final floor?" Li Hanyi looked at Lei Wujie with a half-smile.

Lei Wujie opened his mouth, momentarily unsure of what to say.

Indeed, she was just his Master, and he didn't know her true identity. Although he suspected she was his sister, it hadn't been confirmed yet, had it?

There seemed to be nothing wrong with her being the guard of the final floor of the Ascending Heaven Pavilion.

"Fine. Since you say you are the guard of the final floor, Master, then I shall challenge you today." Lei Wujie took a deep breath, his tone firm and his eyes locked onto Li Hanyi.

"Very well, I accept your challenge," Li Hanyi nodded.

Lei Wujie directly took down the sha bu sword from his back. Previously, he hadn't used the sha bu sword, relying on the ting yu sword instead.

Now, facing his Master, he intended to use the sword techniques she had taught him to defeat her.

He wanted to prove to his sister that he could already support the entire Lei Family. Even without her, the Xueyue Sword Immortal, no one would dare provoke the Lei Family.

Li Hanyi looked at the younger brother before her with great gratification.

In the past, her brother had the great mountain of her presence pressing down on him, giving him immense pressure and making him always believe he could never surpass his sister.