One month after the edict was sent out, the daimyo received intermittent replies. Some sects did not dare to resist and could only cut their flesh, some cried poorly and tried to bargain, and some were still delaying.
Among the immortals, the Wuliang Sect and the Chunyang Sect were the first to be unable to sit still. After the Wuyun Sect was destroyed, these two families became the largest sects under the Zong family and above the Kyushu. They almost divided up most of the wealth of the Wuyun Sect, and Zong Zixiao naturally opened his mouth to them.
The Wuliang Sect and the Chunyang Sect have been jealous of each other for a long time, but in order to win more spoils, they almost fought again. In fact, there is a deep grudge. But this time, they were forced to stand together again. On the day of the winter solstice, Li Buyu and Xu Zhinan came to Daming to meet Emperor Zong.
In terms of age, Li Buyu and Xu Zhinan are a generation behind, but both of them have already taken the position of head. However, Xu Zhinan is the natural successor after the death of the master. After the grandfather was seriously injured in the battle with Lu Zhaofeng, he fell into bed with a serious illness. His father's qualifications were not good, so he directly gave way to his grandson to help him consolidate his position.
At first, the world of cultivating immortals was not optimistic about the helm of the Wuliang faction, who was only in his twenties. After all, Li Buyu's qualifications were not satisfactory, and he had never had any outstanding performances in the Jiaolong meeting. In the confrontation of Yunmen, he was a blockbuster, showing strong cultivation and excellent leadership. Moreover, this person has both sides, coupled with his young age, he can put down his figure, which played a great role in the alliance of various sects. Since then, no one dared to underestimate him.
Zongzi Heng summoned them in Zhengji Hall.
Most of the Zhengji Hall was destroyed in a life-and-death duel between Zong Ziheng and Zong Zixiao, and it has just been repaired recently. That battle shocked the entire world of cultivating immortals. It is a pity that people can only watch the situation in the Promise Palace change color and the ground shake in Daming City, but they cannot witness this top-notch decisive battle that is rare in a century—if it is really a distance that can be seen by the naked eye. , I'm afraid there is no life to say and tell others.
When Xu Zhinan and Li Buyu entered the hall, they looked around, as if subconsciously wanting to see traces of the duel from the brand new pillars. It was a duel between two cultivators from the eighth heaven of Zong Xuanjian, and many people would never have the chance to witness such a grand event in their lifetime.
However, the completely new Zhengji Hall whitewashed the peace.
In the main hall, the twelve elders were seated on both sides, and their disciples stood behind them. The eyes of the two followed the Danxi carved with the picture of Nine Dragons piercing the clouds and chasing waves. The eldest son Heng sat on a high dragon chair, and On the lower left side of the dragon chair, a huge black sandalwood chair was placed. Zong Zixiao raised Erlang's legs fiercely, looking at the two of them leisurely, his eyes were deep and cold, as if soaked in poison.
"My minister Xu Zhinan/Li Buyu, see the emperor."
After the two finished speaking in unison, they looked at Zong Zixiao hesitantly at the same time.
Li Buyu reacted first, and said without changing his expression: "See Your Honor."
When Xu Zhinan was the master teacher, he was also very exquisite, but after he became the master, he represented a majesty of a school, not as flexible as before. When he saw Zong Zixiao, his face was tense.
In the Zhengji Hall of the Daming Zong Clan, in front of the Emperor Zong, this "Refer to Your Majesty" made the monks of the Zong Clan feel ashamed, and they dared not speak out.
Zong Zixiao raised his eyebrows, thinking that this kid was as shameless as he was when he was young.
Xu Zhinan coughed lightly, and looked at Zong Ziheng: "Emperor, I'm going to meet you, it's for the annual sacrifice."
Zong Ziheng nodded, and silently exchanged a look with Xu Zhinan. Now the force he can trust and rely on the most is Xu Zhinan. Due to his improper position, he has not been able to win over Zong's people for many years. Consistent with his purpose, they all want to stop Zong Zixiao.
"What's your opinion on the yearly offering?" Before Zong Ziheng could speak, Zong Zixiao grinned, "Today, the universe bag is full, and I personally offer it with interest?"
"Your Majesty, the yearly offerings requested in the imperial edict greatly exceed those owned by each sect, and some are even ancestral treasures of each sect." Xu Zhinan said, "Everyone is extremely embarrassed."
"Even if my Wuliang faction hollowed out Shu Mountain, I will definitely not be able to get 100 million taels of gold." Li Buyu said with a wry smile.
"You have come all the way here just to evade?" Zong Zixiao sneered, "Whether it's an ancestral thing or not, it's none of my business, I just want to see something."
Xu Zhinan said with a sullen face: "Your Majesty, it is difficult for the strong."
"It's difficult for the strong, so what?" Zong Zixiao looked at Xu Zhinan condescendingly, "How many debts have you owed over the years, and now you have to pay back twice as much."
Zong Ziheng clenched his hands under the sleeves into fists. Sitting here, he is really like a marionette who can be manipulated by others, what kind of Ninth Five-Year King, what kind of emperor and emperor, he is just a prisoner without shackles. Not only that, the Zhengji Hall was almost completely refurbished, only the dragon chair had not been moved. This was the first time he went to court after the decisive battle. He was sitting on pins and needles, and all kinds of unbearable and painful images flooded his mind. As Zong Zixiao said, from now on, every second he sits on the throne, he will think of the most humiliating experience in his life. This is Zong Zixiao's revenge and torture on himself.
As if with a tacit understanding, Zong Zixiao suddenly turned his head, looked at Zong Ziheng with a half-smile, his presumptuous eyes fell from the person to the dragon chair below him, his eyes were indescribably ambiguous.
Zongzi Heng lowered his eyes, his stiff jawline revealed the anxiety in his heart.
"Your Majesty, don't force people too much." Xu Zhinan said in a deep voice, "The top-notch elixir can be refined overnight. What good is it for Your Majesty to kill a chicken and get its eggs?"
"The deity wants your help in order to refine it as soon as possible." Zong Zixiao smiled, "Collecting the power of cultivating the immortal world, gathering the spiritual treasures of Kyushu, and using the Shennong cauldron as a furnace, can't you make a peerless elixir?"
"My lord, this alchemy, especially the high-quality alchemy, may waste ninety-nine pills to get one, or not even one. It is really a waste of people and money." Li Buyu cupped his hands and said, "My school is willing to offer you the best pills." Your lord, please don't refine that illusory peerless elixir."
"If you don't succeed with one, refine ten, if you fail with ten, refine a hundred." Zong Zixiao stood up slowly, his tall body giving people a sense of oppression from the top of five peaks, "If you can't succeed with a hundred, then refine one Thousands, ten thousand." He had a fierce look in his eyes, "If the Wuliang Sect and the Pure Yang Sect are really in trouble, then I will dig out the pills of all of you, can't it help me break through the Nine Heavens?!"
Everyone's expressions changed in horror. They couldn't help but think of the fate of the Wuyun Sect. That night in Wuling, corpses were strewn all over the field, blood flowed in the oars, and all the monks were gutted by the Yin soldiers and took away the golden elixir. They had to burn down Wuling, and gathered thousands of high-ranking monks to do rituals for three days and three nights, but they still couldn't save all the resentful souls, and finally they could only set up a huge soul-binding array. Wuling, once lush and prosperous, has now become a ghost town with a radius of ten miles that no one dares to approach.
Mozun is not just talking, he can really do it, he has already done it.
Xu Zhinan took a deep breath: "Your Majesty, there is no pill in this world, it is guaranteed to help you break through the realm and reach Mahayana."
"Is there, I, all, want, try."
Zong Ziheng silently looked at the people below, and they were also looking at him. He saw either resentment or disdain from those eyes, and stabbed him with sword after sword.
The entire Zhengji Hall gathered the highest combat power in the world of cultivating immortals today, but no one dared to resist Zong Zixiao. How sad it is for a human emperor who exists in name only, and a group of big figures who are struggling to survive.
They knew clearly that what Zong Zixiao wanted was a bottomless pit.
What is the peerless elixir, what is used to refine it, how to refine it, when can it be refined, and whether it can be refined? How many treasures must be thrown into the alchemy furnace like firewood, how many monks must be quenched day and night, and how many times must failures be required to succeed
No one has the answer, and Zong Zixiao himself doesn't know, so he needs to search the world for an elusive thing.
If they compromised this time and paid the "annual offering", he would come to exploit the next batch when the treasures were gone. If all the treasures of heaven, material and earth can't make the pill he wants, he will take countless people pills.
Cut five cities today, cut ten cities tomorrow, and look at the four realms, and the Qin soldiers came again.
Sooner or later, they will be completely hollowed out by Zong Zixiao—
Zong Zixiao did not force the two to make an agreement on the spot, he ordered the two to stay in the guest house and talk another day.
Everyone knows what to talk about, it's nothing more than how much meat to cut. As long as the Wuliang Sect and the Chunyang Sect recognize it, all other sects in the Central Plains dare not refuse, but now the Cangyu Sect has the toughest attitude.
Back in the bedroom, Zong Ziheng stood with his eyes closed, asking Cai Chengyi to take off his crown for him.
Zong Zixiao sat aside and looked at Zong Ziheng without blinking. Suddenly, he said, "Change to the smoke-colored one."
Cai Chengyi was stunned.
"Big brother's complexion is pretty." Zong Zixiao's tone was quite natural.
Zong Ziheng took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his chest.
Cai Chengyi secretly took a look at Zong Ziheng, and after getting the acquiescence in his eyes, he took the smoke-colored regular clothes and changed into the emperor.
"Brother, don't always wear white. Although white is good-looking, it sometimes looks like you have no energy." Zong Zixiao rested his stomach in one hand, as if he was looking at something interesting, "I don't think I've seen you wear brighter colors, Eunuch Cai. , doesn’t Dijun have bright clothes?”
"Uh..." Cai Chengyi whispered, "Dijun prefers plain color."
"Make a few sets." Zong Zixiao curled his lips into a smile, "At least it will increase the joy of our bed."
Zong Ziheng glared at Zong Zixiao with a chill in his eyes.
"Why, unhappy? Do you feel that today in Zhengji Hall, I let you lose face?" Zong Zixiao said with a wicked smile, "What you don't have is more than face. If you want to open up, you won't make yourself unhappy."
"What kind of pill do you want to refine?" Zong Ziheng asked in a deep voice.
"The Yiwei Pill I saw from the "Tianji Jing"." Zong Zixiao said proudly, "I am sure to get it!"