"Give it to me, and I'll give it to you in exchange for your life," Xiang Yu said coldly.
Zang Tu scrutinized the other person again. He looked so much like him! Although the person was masked, his figure and demeanor were strikingly similar to Xiang Yu. Could he be a member of the Xiang clan, or even a descendant of Xiang Yu?
“You have quite the nerve, brave warrior. Now that things have come to this, I no longer wish to hide anything. The Overlord’s sword is indeed in my possession. Your desire to seize this sword suggests that you have some connection with the Overlord. If you are willing to help me fight against Liu Ji, I will not only avenge the Overlord’s sword, but I will also avenge the Overlord’s grudge!”
"You think you can do this?" Xiang Yu looked at Zang Tu with disdain.
Zang Tu looked embarrassed, but quickly recovered and cupped his hands in greeting:
“Brave warrior, do you know that after Liu Ji absorbed Han Xin’s troops, I am the only one in the world who can fight against Liu Ji?”
If I am not up to the task, then others are even less capable. Do you expect the great traitor Ying Bu to avenge the overlord?
Indeed, I was initially afraid of Han Xin, and I surrendered to him because I saw that Xiang Yu was in danger, but that was a last resort.
I admit that I was too foolish back then, thinking that Liu Ji winning the world would be better than Xiang Yu winning the world.
As a result, Liu Ji did not stop after gaining power. He first tricked Han Xin into giving up his military power, and then forced us to elect him as emperor.
Then, while granting amnesty to win over the people, he also carried out a large-scale purge of Xiang Yu's former subordinates, not even sparing some surrendered soldiers and generals. He was truly a cunning person!
It is regrettable that his power has grown so strong, and without someone like Xiang Yu to check and balance him, victory is impossible. I implore you, brave warrior, to lend me your strength to resist Liu Ji and avenge the Hegemon-King!
After saying this, Zang Tu bowed deeply. He felt a sense of urgency; if he could get this man's help, his great cause could be accomplished!
"King Xiang, it seems that Zang Tu has already raised the flag of rebellion." Hao Jiu knew that Zang Tu was telling the truth.
It must be admitted that Liu Ji was really lucky to have found a general like Han Xin who was both easy to fool and capable.
In fact, after Xiang Yu committed suicide at Wujiang, Han Xin was the strongest military force, and Zang Tu surrendered to Han Xin. If Han Xin had the ambition to unify the world, Liu Ji would most likely have been doomed.
As it turned out, Han Xin had absolutely no intention of rebelling and was completely unprepared, repeatedly doing favors for Liu Ji.
The number one obstacle to consolidating the empire has suddenly become an asset; Liu Ji probably never expected it to go so smoothly.
After the Han army annexed the Qi army, it immediately became a powerful force whose military strength overwhelmed all other countries, and even the combined forces of all the feudal lords might not be able to match it.
In order to consolidate his power, Liu Ji had to eliminate these capable vassal kings. After dealing with Han Xin, his next target was Zang Tu, the King of Yan.
Zang Tu was no pushover either. When Xiang Yu enfeoffed him as the King of Yan and changed the title of the original King of Yan, Han Guang, to King of Liaodong, Zang Tu returned to Yan and immediately killed Han Guang.
After Han Xin pacified Zhao and Dai, he surrendered to the then-powerful Han Xin and betrayed Xiang Yu.
If Liu Ji couldn't even trust a loyal minister like Han Xin, he certainly couldn't trust someone like Zang Tu.
Just as Liu Ji declared himself emperor, he began a large-scale purge of Xiang Yu's former subordinates, and Tian Heng, a remnant of the Qi state, was also forced to his death. Zang Tu saw that Liu Ji would take action against him next, so he took the initiative to launch a rebellion, hoping to rally the feudal lords of the world to jointly attack Liu Ji.
As a result, no one responded to Zang Tu, and before they received any news of an alliance, Liu Ji's army arrived first to quell the rebellion.
Besides overestimating his own influence, Zang Tu overlooked one important thing.
That is, the people of the world have become extremely disgusted with war. After seven or eight years of continuous fighting, countless people have died and been injured. Even the soldiers of the Yan army are unwilling to continue fighting.
Zang Tu raised an army at this time without a particularly suitable excuse. He had agreed to Liu Ji's claim to the throne, and he himself had rebelled against Xiang Yu. He couldn't use Liu Ji's past rebellion against Xiang Yu as a pretext.
Under these circumstances, Zang Tu's defeat was a foregone conclusion.
Indeed, Zang Tuhan raised an army in July of the fifth year of his reign, and was defeated in September of the same year.
Now, Xiang Yu's arrival has undoubtedly given Zang Tu a chance to defy fate. This guy has also keenly realized this and is desperately trying to seize this opportunity.
Zang Tu stared at Xiang Yu expectantly, hoping to hear a positive answer, while also considering what conditions he could use to persuade Xiang Yu if he refused.
"Bring me the Overlord's sword." Xiang Yu did not answer him directly.
Zang Tu gritted his teeth and said, "Wait a moment, brave warrior, let me fetch it for you myself!"
"Your Majesty, you mustn't! What if this person is..." The head guard quickly stopped him.
"It's alright! If this brave warrior is indeed sent by Liu Ji to kill me, then it is my fate. I'll take this gamble. You all stay outside and are not allowed to come in!"
After saying this, Zang Tu mustered his courage and entered the treasure vault. He then went to a wall and turned a mechanism. The wall slid open, revealing several swords inside, with the Overlord's sword hanging in the very center!
"Brave warrior, accept this sword!" Zang Tu presented the Overlord's sword with both hands, trying his best to appear respectful.
Xiang Yu took the sword and said in a low voice, "You do have some courage. On the day of the decisive battle, you will lead your army to confront Liu Ji's army head-on, and I will take care of Liu Ji for you."
solitary?
Zang Tu was stunned, then looked at the other party who easily jumped out of the hole in the roof.
Then there was a single neighing of a warhorse, and then all was quiet.
Zang Tu ran out of the warehouse. The army outside still surrounded the warehouse, but the brave warrior was nowhere to be seen. All that could be heard was that a black light had flashed by in the sky.
He's truly a genius!
Chapter 140 Earth Escape
Previously, the black horse had been circling high in the sky. After seeing Xiang Yu leap high into the air, it swooped down and caught up with Xiang Yu, flying away.
Now that Wuzhui has fully mastered the skill of flying, Hao Jiu believes that even in the world of celestial horses, Wuzhui is definitely a top-tier horse.
It was fortunate that Wuzhui was transformed into a celestial horse beforehand, otherwise Xiang Yu might have escaped this time.
Because the capital of the Yan state was in Ji County, which is located roughly between Beijing and Tianjin, it was more than 2,000 li (about 1,000 kilometers) to Zhongshan.
However, along the way, Xiang Yu also practiced aerial combat in some sparsely populated areas.
Horizontal or acute-angle flight is not a problem, but vertical dives, climbs, or aerial turns are problematic, since there are no seat belts.
In addition, the horse lacks protection underneath when diving to attack targets, and Hao Jiu felt that the horse's equipment needed to be improved to adapt to aerial combat.
Of course, this is related to Xiang Yu's current lack of powerful wide-range and long-range attack methods. If he doesn't need to fight in close combat, then those high-difficulty moves are irrelevant.
They were almost at Zhongshan when Hao Jiu realized they hadn't figured out the exact time yet. But he figured it should be around July of the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, meaning the time flow in this plane was at most twice that of the main plane.
Zhongshan, the last array plate has been placed.
If nothing unexpected happens, the plane should have stabilized, though it may be somewhat weak.
Xiang Yu, leading his black horse, stepped into the time-space tunnel and returned to Fangxian Temple in the main plane.
"Welcome back, Great God, King Xiang!" An Qisheng stood at the entrance of the secret chamber with a joyful expression.
"What's the situation in this dimension?" Xiang Yu asked.
“I just observed the stars for a while and found nothing unusual. It seems that the great god and King Xiang have successfully prevented the collapse of the plane. This is a great merit. With this merit, if King Xiang were to renounce the mortal world and devote himself to the Tao, becoming an immortal would not be difficult for him,” An Qisheng said with some envy.
"The great master said that the immortal cultivation method of Master An is not suitable for me. I am more suited to a way of entering the Dao through killing." Xiang Yu felt that it was unlikely that he could renounce the mortal world, but if the Dao he was devoted to was the Dao of killing or the Dao of domination, then he should have a good chance.
“Entering the Dao through killing…” An Qisheng seemed to understand something, then smiled bitterly. With the help of a great god, it wouldn’t be difficult for Xiang Yu to enter the Dao through killing, let alone laziness.
"Does Immortal An know where Kuai Che is now?" Xiang Yu suddenly remembered that Kuai Che in the different planes had all returned to Chu, so it was time to take him in in the main plane as well.
An Qisheng laughed heartily, “So King Xiang still remembers my rascal friend. King Xiang may not know this, but Kuai Che is now an official in the Chu court. If King Xiang wishes to see him, a verbal order will suffice.”
Xiang Yu was slightly taken aback, then said with relief, "It seems that a lot has happened during the days I was away. Master An, I would like to have a new set of equipment made for my black horse, to prevent it from falling during aerial combat and to protect it from attacks from below. Does Master An know of any skilled craftsmen?"
"Haha, Your Majesty, you may not know this, but I have some knowledge of the intricacies of Qimen Dunjia and its mechanisms. If Your Majesty does not mind, I will make this equipment for Wuzhui." An Qisheng stroked his beard.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Immortal Master," Xiang Yu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
"Your Majesty, there's no need for such formalities. But could Your Majesty leave the black horse at the temple? I would like to measure its dimensions and make improvements as I go." An Qisheng said with a beaming smile.
Hao Jiu's lips twitched violently. It seemed that even enlightened masters had their own little schemes. But it didn't matter. Before he, this great master, showed his skills, An Qisheng might have had a slight chance of stewing or kidnapping the black horse.
But An Qisheng definitely doesn't have the guts now. Even if he escapes to another dimension, he can be caught and brought back. How could he dare to do anything reckless?
Of course, in Hao Jiu's view, this was simply because An Qisheng was curious about the black horse and wanted to take a closer look. If he could ride it for a spin, his life would be perfect.
"God of Wine, this..." Xiang Yu hesitated. After all, this was a heavenly horse. What if An Qisheng managed to steal it away?
"It's alright, he won't dare to do anything reckless," Hao Jiu said confidently.
"Then I will leave Wuzhui at Fangxian Temple for the time being. I will have the stable boy responsible for feeding the horse come over later. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now," Xiang Yu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
An Qisheng was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will make the equipment as soon as possible."
"Good." Xiang Yu responded and turned to go down the mountain.
Back at the palace, the whole family celebrated again. The plane had been saved, which was always a joyous occasion.
Hao Jiu, on the other hand, kept thinking about one thing: why was Xiang Yu attracted to the sword when he traveled through time?
Was it because Xiang Yu used this sword to commit suicide, and it was stained with the blood of the Overlord?
By now, the dregs should have completely fallen off by now, right?
How about making it even more fantastical? Xiang Yu's resentment runs so deep that his vengeful spirit clings to the sword and refuses to leave.
But nothing supernatural happened when Xiang Yu held these swords. Even if they had souls, they should have merged with Xiang Yu, but Xiang Yu didn't react at all.
How strange.
"God of Wine, which plane should we go to next?" Xiang Yu remembered that Hao Jiu had to kill all the black dragons in all the branch planes to complete the mission.
"Xiang Wang, get some rest tonight. Tomorrow morning we'll go to Fangxian Temple to retrieve the horses. Regardless of whether the equipment is complete or not, we'll head to the split plane. Xiang Wang, there's no need to rush. I'm already thinking about rescuing Zhongli Mei; it won't be delayed. Let's deal with the easier ones first, and then test how difficult the Black Dragon is in the later stages."
I want to go to the fifth plane first. Firstly, Liu Ji is easier to find in this plane. Secondly, if the black dragon in this plane is very difficult to defeat, we should hurry up and fight the sixth plane. The faster the time flow in a plane, the stronger the black dragon will be, and it will continue to get stronger.
"Of course, if we can easily deal with the black dragon in the fifth plane, then there's no rush to go to the sixth plane. We can leave the sixth plane for last and stay there a little longer without any hassle." Hao Jiu smiled slightly.
"Not in a hurry? Isn't the God of Wine in a hurry to complete his mission?" Xiang Yu asked, puzzled.
"Ahem, the stronger the black dragon, the more energy and good stuff it drops after being killed instantly. If we only have one left, it will be easier for us to raise it." Hao Jiu didn't hide anything from Xiang Yu; that was exactly what he was thinking.
Although Xiang Yu wanted to keep all five dragons, there's always an unexpected outcome; being too greedy might result in losing everything.
First, if Xiang Yu wanted to save Zhongli Mei, Liu Ji might find out. Even if the astonishing celestial phenomenon reached the ears of the Black Dragon, he might guess that someone had traveled through time.
What if the Black Dragon is prepared? Not only will the advantage of a surprise attack be gone, but the Black Dragon might also be able to escape beforehand!
Even if only one black dragon escapes the split plane, Hao Jiu's novice quest will be difficult to complete. Unless he uses his last request to the God of the System, Hao Jiu really can't think of any other way.
Hao Jiu didn't want to take that risk, so keeping a black dragon as a pet was the best option.
"It's getting late, Your Majesty, you should rest early," said Yu Ji as she approached, her face flushed with shyness.
"What you say is absolutely right, madam." Xiang Yu has been under a lot of pressure lately and really needs a good, comfortable rest.
"Well, Xiang Yu, please do as you please. Just pretend I don't exist," Hao Jiu said excitedly.
Xiang Yu frowned. "Can the God of Wine use earth magic?"