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Chapter 690: Chapter 690: The Gathering of the Powerful Outside the Sword Formation

"Prime Minister, ever since the war began, my side business has completely fallen apart. I used to make fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones daily, and now I\'m down to less than five thousand. That\'s a loss of forty-five thousand high-grade spirit stones every day!" one official lamented angrily.

"Prime Minister, we are facing similar issues. More importantly, during wartime, every city is under strict lockdown, making it extremely difficult for our supplies to arrive on time, cutting down our daily income significantly!" another official added anxiously.

"So, what do you propose?" the Prime Minister asked calmly.

"We should collectively petition the Emperor to cease the war and restore peace!" the official suggested.

"You need to understand your roles as officials of the Eastern Lin Dynasty. You are here to serve the Emperor and share his burdens. If the Emperor is in favor of war, so should you!" the Prime Minister responded coldly.

"Salaries? What are those paltry salaries compared to the Emperor\'s orders that cut off our income?" the official retorted in frustration.

"Hmph!" The Prime Minister scoffed.

"Do not mention petitioning again!" the Prime Minister ordered angrily.

"Yes, sir!" The officials, though reluctant, could only nod in agreement.

As the officials left the Prime Minister\'s residence, they wore troubled expressions. These officials were now daring to challenge the Emperor, a dangerous sign indeed.

Outside the residence, the officials gathered, their brows furrowed with concern.

"Lord Zhang, what should we do? The Prime Minister won\'t support us, and we have no other recourse!"

"Hmph, the Prime Minister? His losses are even greater than ours, likely losing millions of high-grade spirit stones daily. He might not care about a day\'s or two\'s loss, but over time, he\'ll be the one most desperate!" Lord Zhang sneered.

"Ah, if not for this war, I could be earning sixty thousand high-grade spirit stones daily now!"

"With such an income, it wouldn\'t be difficult to establish our own dynasty within a few years!" Lord Zhang remarked coldly.

"Indeed!" The other ministers nodded in agreement.

Their loyalty to the dynasty had now transformed into personal ambition!

Lingxiao Heavenly Court had always been a highly sensitive area, with countless spies stationed there. The moment the Zhu Xian Sword Formation trapped Lingxiao Heavenly Court, news spread swiftly across the land.

In the Great Qin Dynasty, at the court.

"Your Majesty, this is Da Qin\'s commercial war, an unconventional form of economic sabotage against the dynasty. If executed well, we can seize all southern cities!" Lü Buwei explained to Ying.

Clearly, Lü Buwei had meticulously organized the Great Whale Devouring Plan and presented it to Ying.

"Within Great Qin, ban all such sales methods. Anyone who disobeys shall be executed!" Ying commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The ministers responded in unison.

"Your Majesty, it is said that the Zhu Xian Sword Formation has trapped Lingxiao Heavenly Court for nearly a month now. I would like to go investigate and personally experience Da Qin\'s commercial war," Lü Buwei requested.

After considering Lü Buwei for a moment, Ying nodded, "Very well, go and see for yourself."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lü Buwei immediately replied.

"Summon Guiguzi!" Ying ordered.

"Summon Guiguzi～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

The Feng Shui master of Great Qin, Guiguzi, was quickly brought forth. Guiguzi was a thin, dark-skinned man with sparse hair, whose appearance was somewhat unseemly.

"Guiguzi pays respect to Your Majesty!"

"Hmm. You will accompany Lü Buwei to Da Qin and investigate the situation with the Feng Shui master Ni Pusa," Ying commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Guiguzi responded immediately.

In the Great Yong Dynasty, at the court.

"King Taizong, King Zhantian, you will accompany the Grand Elder to Da Qin," the Great Yong Emperor Gu Zheng ordered.

"Yes!" Gu Taizong nodded in agreement.

As the Zhu Xian Sword Formation trapped the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, news quickly spread to the various powers, prompting many to converge upon the Da Qin Dynasty.

Ten days later, numerous forces had gathered at a distance from the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, gazing at the towering Zhu Xian Sword Formation. The formation, enveloped in a pitch-black atmosphere, completely surrounded the Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

In the sky, 108 stars shone brightly. The fact that the Zhu Xian swords were still in place indicated that the battle within had yet to reach a conclusion.

Da Qin Dynasty? Just an imperial dynasty, while the Longevity Realm was a sacred land. The Realm Lord of the Longevity Realm, bringing the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, still hadn\'t secured a quick victory?

People grew increasingly curious about the strength of the Da Qin Dynasty. How could an imperial dynasty stand against a sacred land?

In a small valley some distance from the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, Zi Xun, dressed in purple, watched the distant formation with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Nü Qinghui, Gu Shentong is dead. Stop your foolish obsession. If you really dare to act, I will never forgive you!" Zi Xun murmured coldly.

On a peak far from the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, the thin Feng Shui master Guiguzi studied the surrounding terrain, examining the Feng Shui dragon vein paths.

Beside him, Lü Buwei, dressed in noble attire, held some letters while seven or eight scouts continuously brought in information from all directions.

Lü Buwei squinted as he read the letters. After reading, a subtle, cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Zhong Shan has cast quite the net," Lü Buwei remarked, putting away the letters.

"Prime Minister Lü, I\'ve completed my survey. This area features a centripetal dragon vein pattern, with the Lingxiao Heavenly Court being protected by the dragon veins of the surrounding lands. Should the Lingxiao Heavenly Court face a crisis, this Feng Shui formation will draw energy from the earth veins to strengthen the court. It appears that the Lingxiao Heavenly Court hasn\'t suffered major damage, so there will likely be a standoff for some time," Guiguzi explained confidently.

When it came to Feng Shui, Guiguzi was unmatched in confidence.

"Hmm, there\'s nothing more to see here. Let\'s go and check on Ni Pusa," Lü Buwei suggested.

"Ni Pusa? Isn\'t Ni Pusa here? With the Lingxiao Heavenly Court under siege, would he really leave?" Guiguzi questioned incredulously.

"Of course. My judgment has never been wrong," Lü Buwei asserted.

"Regardless of where Ni Pusa went, he will surely return. If we leave and he comes back, what then?" Guiguzi shook his head.

Annoyed by Guiguzi\'s defiance, Lü Buwei\'s eyes narrowed as he glared at Guiguzi. "So, you refuse to follow me?"

"You have your views, and I have mine. The Emperor didn\'t order me to obey you. Moreover, my status in Great Qin is not inferior to yours. Please mind your manners," Guiguzi replied, shaking his head.

It was clear that Feng Shui masters held a unique pride. There were only a handful across the land, and all dynasties recognized their special status. Except for the rulers of dynasties, Feng Shui masters never bowed to anyone.

"Hahaha, respect? Maybe your grandmaster deserves my respect, but you?" Lü Buwei displayed a peculiar smile.

Respect? In Great Qin, only Ying and a few senior ministers dared to speak to Lü Buwei in such a manner. Those who had previously dared were long gone.

"Hmph!" Guiguzi snorted coldly.

"I won\'t argue with you now. Otherwise, the court might accuse me of bullying the younger generation. Remember what you said today. When your grandmaster returns, let him speak to me!" Lü Buwei said coldly.

With that, Lü Buwei flicked his sleeves and disappeared from Guiguzi\'s sight.

Watching Lü Buwei leave, Guiguzi raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. Instead, he turned his attention back to the enormous Zhu Xian Sword Formation and the surrounding Feng Shui patterns.

Three days later.

In a valley some distance from the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, an old man leaning on a cane, with a stooped posture, examined the vast Feng Shui patterns before him.

Beside him, the Great Yong Dynasty\'s King Taizong and King Zhantian were scrutinizing various pieces of intelligence, their brows furrowed slightly.

"Da Qin has actually deployed the recently subjugated Xuanwu Clan to the battlefield? And they\'ve been assigned significant positions?" King Zhantian remarked, frowning at the information.

"There might be more to this than meets the eye," King Taizong nodded.

"This war also seems strange, as if Zhong Shan anticipated this situation and knew he couldn\'t command the army himself. All military command in Da Qin has fallen to Mister Shuijing," King Zhantian mused with a furrowed brow.

"Mister Shuijing? Truly a genius. To calmly confront the four dynasties is remarkable. It\'s a pity he almost served me!" King Taizong sighed lightly.

"Indeed," King Zhantian nodded.

"Elder Tian, have you discerned anything?" King Taizong asked, looking at the elder beside him.

"Naturally, Ni Pusa\'s Feng Shui formation, which draws upon the earth veins, is indeed formidable. Explaining it to you would be futile, but I\'ve discovered someone interesting," Elder Tian said calmly.

"Oh?"

"Aside from Ni Pusa, only five branches of Feng Shui practitioners exist in Shenzhou: Heaven, Earth, Human, God, and Ghost. I represent Heaven, and I have a secret method to sense other Feng Shui masters. Though I can\'t discern much, I can tell if they exist. The Earth master vanished when Nie Fancheng died, and Shenxiu disappeared a few years ago. They are either dead or no longer in Shenzhou. Thus, the Heaven and Earth branches of Shenzhou have lost their inheritance," Elder Tian explained.

"Mm!" The two kings remained silent, listening intently.

"That leaves the Human and Ghost branches. The Human branch is in Taizong Dynasty, while Guiguzi, of the Ghost branch, is in Great Qin and not far from here," Elder Tian continued.

"Guiguzi is here too?" King Taizong\'s eyes brightened.

"He\'s in that direction!" Elder Tian pointed with his cane.

The two kings looked in the indicated direction.

After a moment of contemplation, King Taizong\'s brow suddenly twitched. "Someone, investigate the comings and goings in that direction. Find out who else is there, but be discreet!"

"Yes, my lord!" Several subordinates immediately left to carry out the order.