Chapter 154

Chapter 154: The Real World Speaks!

Tianxing Civilization has rebelled.

　　The news spread rapidly throughout the entire universe.

　　Countless civilizations were shocked that Tianxing Civilization would actually rebel!

　　Outrageous!

　　After all, Tianxing Civilization was one of the most powerful civilizations in the Guanxuan Universe before its rise, and had gone through life and death countless times for the sake of the Guanxuan Universe. In particular, the former Chief Executive of Tianxing Civilization had even fought alongside the Guanxuan Sword Master in the great battle to ascend the heavens.

　　How could they have rebelled?

　　Da Zhou.

　　Although Da Zhou also belonged to the Guanxuan Academy, it operated with a high degree of autonomy. At this moment, all the top powerhouses of the Da Zhou imperial family had gathered in one hall.

　　Inside the hall, the expressions of the Da Zhou powerhouses were all extremely grave. Seated at the head on the dragon throne was a middle-aged man — the current Emperor of Da Zhou, Zhou Gu.

　　Zhou Gu glanced at everyone present, “We just received an order from the Cabinet, demanding that Da Zhou send all our powerhouses to kill that Ye Tianming.”

　　An elderly man stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “I don’t think we should.”

　　This man was the current Grand Chancellor of Da Zhou, Xue Qi.

　　Everyone turned to look at Xue Qi. Xue Qi let out a quiet sigh, “Everyone, going along with this would be a mistake.”

　　A middle-aged man in armor said, “Grand Chancellor, how so?”

　　This middle-aged man was the current commander of Da Zhou’s Shence Army, Qiu Dai.

　　Xue Qi said in a deep voice, “The Young Lord has been defeated twice now.”

　　At those words, everyone in the hall fell silent.

　　Who could have imagined that Yang Jia would be defeated by Ye Tianming twice?

　　The first time could be attributed to carelessness, to a momentary slip… but what about the second time?

　　Xue Qi continued, “There is one thing that Da Zhou has consistently overlooked, and that is that we have severely underestimated Ye Tianming.”

　　As he spoke, a flicker of complex emotion crossed his eyes, “This is a dereliction of my duty as Grand Chancellor.”

　　Not far away, Zhou Gu shook his head, “It has nothing to do with you, Grand Chancellor. It is my fault.”

　　Xue Qi smiled bitterly, “After the Young Lord appeared, all of our attention was fixed on him. We subconsciously assumed he was invincible, and naturally overlooked everyone else. Of course, the Young Lord is indeed exceptional… but this Ye Tianming is clearly more exceptional than the Young Lord.”

　　Everyone fell silent.

　　By now, they all had no choice but to acknowledge one fact — that Ye Tianming was indeed more exceptional than Yang Jia.

　　A rough and burly man suddenly said, “Grand Chancellor, stop beating around the bush. Just say what you have to say, straight to the point.”

　　Xue Qi nodded, “The fact that Ye Tianming has defeated the Young Lord twice in a row proves one thing — either he is the true chosen one, or the force behind him is even more powerful than the Yang family.”

　　”Impossible!”

　　Someone in the hall immediately stood up in opposition, “The Young Lord is the true chosen one. How could that Ye Tianming possibly be the chosen one? Furthermore, the people behind Ye Tianming are certainly very powerful — that goes without saying — but how could they possibly be stronger than the Yang family?”

　　Inside the hall, several people nodded in agreement.

　　How could anyone be stronger than the Yang family?

　　Impossible!

　　There was no force in this world more formidable than the Yang family. This was the ancestral teaching passed down from their forebears — to stand with the Yang family without question.

　　Xue Qi looked around at everyone and let out a quiet sigh, “Everyone, if we do not change this mindset, I fear we are not far from death.”

　　An elderly man said in a deep voice, “Grand Chancellor, you are being alarmist. I don’t believe the force behind Ye Tianming is stronger than the Yang family. I…….”

　　”You don’t believe it — who do you think you are?”

　　Xue Qi cut the man off directly, without any courtesy, “And besides, do you think you’re more capable than me? If so, then you come be the Grand Chancellor.”

　　Everyone: “…….”

　　The elderly man’s expression immediately turned ugly. Although his status was not low, it was certainly not as high as Xue Qi’s.

　　Not far away, Zhou Gu suddenly said, “Grand Chancellor, don’t get angry. Let’s stick to the matter at hand.”

　　Xue Qi let out a quiet sigh, his expression complex, “Your Majesty, the Nalan Clan, the An Clan, the Ye family — they have all been wiped out!”

　　At those words, the hall instantly fell into dead silence.

　　The Nalan Clan… the An Clan, the Ye Clan… these were all first-tier super families of the Guanxuan Universe!

　　And every single one of them had been annihilated by Ye Tianming.

　　Xue Qi continued, “These great clans have been wiped out, yet the old-generation figures in the real world above haven’t made a single sound… Everyone, I fear we have already been drawn into some unfathomably deep scheme!”

　　Zhou Gu’s brow furrowed slightly, “Grand Chancellor, what you mean is……”

　　Xue Qi shook his head, “I dare not say for certain, but this matter is simply not normal… However, regardless of anything else, the time has come for Da Zhou to make a choice.”

　　Someone said in a deep voice, “Aside from choosing the Yang family, do we have any other option? Surely we can’t follow Tianxing Civilization and choose Ye Tianming, then stand in opposition to the Guanxuan Academy?”

　　Zhou Gu nodded, “It may seem like we have two choices, but in reality we only have one — and that is to choose the Yang family.”

　　”No!”

　　Xue Qi suddenly said, “There is one more choice, and that is to choose Ye Tianming — to bet against the odds.”

　　Everyone stared at Xue Qi in disbelief.

　　Someone immediately objected, “That is far too risky. Everyone, the reason Da Zhou is where it is today is because our ancestor Zhou Fan bet on the Yang family all those years ago. That is why Da Zhou has what it has now. Even if the force behind Ye Tianming is stronger than the Yang family, we still cannot stand against the Yang family! Would that not be biting the hand that feeds us?”

　　The rest of the people nodded in agreement. Toward the Yang family, they still felt a sense of gratitude.

　　Xue Qi suddenly said, “What if Ye Tianming is also… a member of the Yang family?”

　　”What?”

　　At those words, everyone in the hall was left completely stunned.

　　Someone said in a deep voice, “Grand Chancellor, what kind of joke are you making?”

　　Zhou Gu at the head also said in a deep voice, “Grand Chancellor… this joke of yours…….”

　　Xue Qi immediately said, “Why is it impossible?”

　　As he spoke, he looked around at everyone, his voice growing somewhat agitated, “Everyone, think about it — Ye Tianming is so extraordinarily gifted, and yet he has no connection whatsoever to the Ye family of Qingzhou. He was raised freely, without ties… Think about it — weren’t the Sword Master of the Human Realm and the Guanxuan Sword Master also raised that way?”

　　Everyone: “…….”

　　Xue Qi continued, “Raised freely, with monstrous talent, with heaven-defying fortune… and he even dares to name himself Tianming… Most importantly, his destiny was actually able to bear the weight of those two characters! It’s just like what those chivalric novels from the Milky Way say — he has the fate of a true protagonist through and through!”

　　Someone was immediately puzzled, “Grand Chancellor, what is the fate of a protagonist?”

　　Xue Qi said, “It means someone like the Guanxuan Sword Master and the Sword Master of the Human Realm…….”

　　The person asked, “Can you be more specific?”

　　Xue Qi said, “In short, it means being extraordinary — incredibly extraordinary. No one is more extraordinary than him. Understand?”

　　That person: “…….”

　　At this moment, a middle-aged man suddenly said, “What the Grand Chancellor says is not without reason. Perhaps the scheme laid out above is this — one person in the open, one person in the shadows. Yang Jia is in the open, and Ye Tianming is in the shadows… to see who is more exceptional, and whoever proves superior will eventually hold dominion over all and inherit the mantle.”

　　Once he said this, everyone in the hall was stunned.

　　Although it sounded somewhat absurd at first, upon careful reflection, it didn’t seem entirely impossible… After all, Ye Tianming’s extraordinary gifts were genuinely abnormal.

　　Someone suddenly said, “But what if he has no connection to the Yang family whatsoever…….”

　　Xue Qi said fiercely, “No connection is no connection. This person has beaten the Young Lord twice in a row. Even if he has no connection to the Yang family, so what? Because the force behind him is absolutely no weaker than the Yang family!”

　　Everyone fell silent.

　　There was no refuting Xue Qi, because the talent Ye Tianming had displayed was simply too terrifying.

　　At this moment, someone suddenly said, “I still don’t recommend siding with Ye Tianming, because Da Zhou once targeted him in the past…….”

　　”There’s no need to worry!”

　　Xue Qi said, “The destruction of the Ye family has nothing to do with Da Zhou, so everything can still be salvaged.”

　　As he spoke, he looked toward Zhou Gu not far away.

　　Inside the hall, everyone also turned their gaze toward Zhou Gu.

　　Because the one who could truly make the decision was Zhou Gu.

　　Side with Ye Tianming, or continue to side with the Yang family?

　　Zhou Gu remained silent.

　　To stand against the Yang family?

　　It had to be said, this required tremendous courage, and was also extremely risky. The fate of Da Zhou hung in the balance.

　　If the bet was lost…

　　An elder suddenly said, “I still think we should side with the Yang family. It is the most stable and safest choice. As long as the Guanxuan Sword Master is here, the Yang family will never fall.”

　　Many people nodded in agreement.

　　Xue Qi suddenly said, “Your Majesty, do you still remember that strand of Da Zhou’s nation-protecting sword qi?”

　　Zhou Gu’s brow furrowed.

　　Xue Qi continued, “That strand of nation-protecting sword qi disappeared without explanation back then…….”

　　Everyone also recalled this matter. The reason Da Zhou had not sent any powerhouses to the cosmic battlefield this time was precisely because of that strand of nation-protecting sword qi, as they too had found it somewhat abnormal.

　　Zhou Gu’s fists slowly clenched.

　　Xue Qi suddenly said, “Your Majesty, if the decision is difficult to make, then let us approach it from a different angle.”

　　Zhou Gu looked toward Xue Qi. Xue Qi said in a deep voice, “How powerful was the Tianlong Clan in its time? They even helped the Guanxuan Sword Master rise to power, yet in the end they were slaughtered to extinction by the Guanxuan Sword Master… Why? Because the Guanxuan Sword Master is one who reasons, one who distinguishes right from wrong. Therefore, we will not side with the Yang family nor with Ye Tianming — we will side with what is right. Whoever is in the right, we stand with them!”

　　After a moment of silence, Zhou Gu still shook his head, “The Tianlong Clan cannot be compared to Yang Jia. After all, Yang Jia is the Guanxuan Sword Master’s own son… Of course, your conjectures and assumptions are not without merit, Grand Chancellor. Therefore, I choose to take a third path — to support neither side. Whoever wins in the end, we will submit and follow.”

　　As he spoke, he raised his head and looked toward the sky beyond the hall, saying softly, “I do not seek great wealth and glory for Da Zhou. I only seek to avoid fault.”

　　Hearing Zhou Gu’s words, Xue Qi felt a sigh rise within him, feeling quite disappointed.

　　In that moment, he thought of the former Empress of Da Zhou, Zhou Fan.

　　Back then, when the Guanxuan Sword Master faced the great enemy of the Evil Dao Alliance, it was this Empress who threw caution to the wind and unconditionally sided with the Guanxuan Sword Master — and that was what brought Da Zhou a thousand years of glory.

　　In any dynastic transition, failing to take a side meant missing a chance to change one’s destiny.

　　Of course, he could also understand.

　　After all, to stand against the Yang family… not everyone had the courage to do so, and it was indeed extremely, extremely risky.

　　But he had a premonition that going forward, regardless of whether Yang Jia or Ye Tianming rose to power, Da Zhou would gradually withdraw from the core circle of power, and then slowly fade away.

　　But just at that moment, the space-time before Zhou Gu suddenly trembled faintly. The next instant, he shot to his feet, “Someone come, immediately summon all powerhouses to head to Tianxing Civilization!”

　　Xue Qi’s heart leapt with joy, “To support Ye Tianming?”

　　Zhou Gu’s expression was blank, “To support the Guanxuan Universe. Kill Ye Tianming!”

　　Xue Qi was stunned and quickly asked, “Your Majesty, why?”

　　Zhou Gu slowly closed his eyes, “I just received word that someone above has made their position clear — Ye Tianming cannot be allowed to live.”

　　Xue Qi was first taken aback, then understood… Above — that meant the real world!!

　　He was puzzled. Which great figure above had spoken?

　　Seeing Xue Qi’s confusion, Zhou Gu’s expression turned grave, “It is that person……”

　　As he spoke, he extended a finger and wrote three characters in the air.

　　Upon seeing those three characters, Xue Qi’s expression instantly changed. Without any hesitation, he immediately said, “Deploy the troops at once to support the Academy!”

　　Since that person had spoken, even if Ye Tianming had nine lives, he would have to die!