When the situation in Eastern Europe gradually became clear, the final maneuver of the two academies in Zhongzhou State—the most eye-catching and yet the most inconspicuous in recent years, finally came to an end.
In previous years, the final maneuver of the two academies was like a line. From the bottom to the top, all kinds of contents were endless and wonderful.
This time, the final maneuver of the two academies was the same, but it started from the top to the bottom. The first day focused on the contests between the Chosen Ones. Although there were eye-catching points in the rest of the maneuver occasionally, compared with the first day, it made people feel bland and tasteless.
As a result, from the second day on, fewer and fewer people came to the Sky Academy to watch the ceremony. First, a few high-ranking officials left there, and then several very powerful patriarchs of wealthy and influential families left as well. The maneuver had been going on until now. Although there were also a lot of people in the Sky Academy, compared with the past years, the academy seemed pitiably empty.
The most important thing was that most of the people who stayed there were not important figures. They were either the representatives of some agencies or the spokespersons of wealthy and powerful families. The real big shots had already left.
Except for Gu Xingyun.
After all, no matter what, this was a grand occasion for the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State.
Therefore, as the G.o.d of War of Zhongzhou State, Gu Xingyun had to stay in the Sky Academy and could not leave until the end of the maneuver.
Time pa.s.sed day by day.
Everyone found that Gu Xingyun’s face was getting paler and paler and that the look in his eyes was getting gloomier and gloomier. It was not a big problem for them to watch the maneuver in midsummer in the open air. Experts in the Fire-flaming Realm were unlikely to be afraid of the ordinary winter, and experts in the Ice-condensing Realm would not be worried about the heat in the summer.
However, Gu Xingyun was in an extremely sorry state in the midsummer.
He was fine in the first few days, but as the days pa.s.sed, he got more and more sweat. He was wet all around as if he had been pulled out of the water.
Finally, an elite of Kunlun City realized that something was amiss and secretly helped Gu Xingyun to drive away the heat, but his performance had been seen by others.
Rumor spread like wildfire that Gu Xingyun fell from the Invincible Realm after he was seriously injured by the Setting Sun.
In the last few days when the final maneuver was about to end, Gu Xingyun simply didn’t show up. He just sent an ordinary high-level official of Kunlun City to a.s.sume personal command at the Sky Academy to deal with the matter perfunctorily.
As a result, all kinds of rumors became more and more intense.
There were more and more speculations about what state Gu Xingyun was in right now from all walks of life in Zhongzhou State.
Some people even took the initiative to visit Gu Xingyun, trying to test his current state.
But Gu Xingyun was no longer at the Sky Academy.
Few people thought that Gu Xingyun didn’t show up because he was in a rage.
But no one thought that Gu Xingyun left the Sky Academy for receiving guests.
In a private room which was not the most luxurious but the most private in a suburban club, when w.a.n.g Qinglei, who secretly came to Huating, took the teacup that Gu Xingyun handed him, he could even clearly feel the slight tremble of Gu Xingyun’s arm.
w.a.n.g Qinglei took a sip of tea and said with a smile, “Your Highness is in poor health.”
“I was. .h.i.t by the Setting Sun face-to-face and didn’t even have a chance to dodge it. How better could I be?”
Gu Xingyun laughed with self-mockery. His face was so pale that it was almost transparent. Even the abundant cold air in the private room couldn’t evaporate the sweat on his face. He sat there, and even his breath was a little out of control.
“The rumors out there seem to be very unfavorable to Your Highness?”
w.a.n.g Qinglei tried to sound him out intentionally or unintentionally.
“Nonsense!”
Gu Xingyun waved his hand with force and took a few deep breaths. He looked at w.a.n.g Qinglei and said with a faint smile, “Secretary w.a.n.g, do you also think that I have fallen from the Invincible Realm and cannot make any further progress in this life?”
“How is this possible?”
w.a.n.g Qinglei laughed. “If I really thought so, I wouldn’t have come today.”
Gu Xingyun nodded and said, “They are just some views of mediocre people. You don’t need to pay attention to them. Indeed, I’m seriously injured. To be honest, this can be said to be the most serious injury I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve tried my best to control it, but all my efforts have failed so far. That’s why I meet you today. After leaving here, I won’t return to the Sky Academy. Instead, I’ll directly leave Huating for healing. Secretary w.a.n.g, our cooperation won’t change. When I recover, I’ll certainly be able to go further, and that will also be good for our cause.”
w.a.n.g Qinglei nodded and said in a softer voice, “At present, a lot of things have been started, but we still can’t hurry if we need the right timing. I can wait for a few years.”
A few years…
Thinking of w.a.n.g Qinglei’s age, Gu Xingyun was lost in thought for a while.
w.a.n.g Qinglei lowered his head and drank the tea silently. After drinking the tea up, he said calmly, “The Heaven Punishment Troop went to Eastern Europe.”
Gu Xingyun, who was thinking about something, was suddenly shocked and repeated it subconsciously, “Heaven Punishment Troop?!”
w.a.n.g Qinglei slowly nodded.
Gu Xingyun’s expression was a little uncertain, but before he could figure it out, w.a.n.g Qinglei told him another piece of breaking news. “The Beihai Corps has been secretly mobilizing recently. At present, according to the information I have, there are at least more than 10,000 elites of the Beihai Corps who have left Beihai.”
Gu Xingyun’s face grew gloomier.
Everyone knew that the Border Control Corps was the most elite troop in Zhongzhou State because according to many people’s common sense, the Beihai Corps didn’t exist at all.
The Beihai Corps was not a secret.
However, both the conscription and the appointment of high-ranking military officers of this army with 300,000 troops were all decided by Mount Dibing. The Beihai Corps nominally belonged to Zhongzhou State, but in fact, it was equivalent to the private army of Beihai.
Everyone knew that the Beihai Corps was very powerful.
However, no one knew how strong the Beihai Corps was.
The entire Beihai Corps was only responsible for Mount Dibing and even had the right to refuse the transfer order from the Army Headquarters.
After the collapse of the Li family, the Southeast Group was greatly weakened. At that time, w.a.n.g Tianzong had not been on the Divine List, and the whole w.a.n.g family of Beihai remained dormant.
When w.a.n.g Tianzong made it onto the Divine List, the Special Warfare Group also began to take shape. Gu Xingyun and the Prince Group worked together to help Qi Beicang serve as the standing minister of the Army Headquarters. Therefore, the relationship between the Beihai Corps and the Army Headquarters was at its worst. Qi Beicang was also sensible. The orders of the Army Headquarters had never been issued to the Beihai Corps. Qi Beicang had resigned his position, and Dongcheng Wudi took his place now. The relationship between the Army Headquarters and the Beihai Corps was also awful. But the Army Headquarters had never issued any orders to the Beihai Corps.
It was a corps stationed in Beihai Province, with all kinds of forces. It could exert super combat capability in any environment, and it was equipped with the world’s most well-equipped and large-scale modern elite troops.
In terms of resources, these 300,000 troops stationed in Beihai Province were the most powerful resources of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai.
They acted like the most powerful sword of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, and this sword had been hidden in the sheath for more than ten years.
This time, w.a.n.g Tianzong mobilized the Beihai Corps to Eastern Europe. How strong could these 10,000 elites be?
Gu Xingyun looked at w.a.n.g Qinglei. He wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.
“I don’t know.”
w.a.n.g Qinglei shook his head and said, “The recent military exercises of the Beihai Corps are all secretive, but I’m sure that the combat capability of the Beihai Corps won’t be inferior to that of the Border Control Corps.”
Their overall strength was not inferior to that of the Border Control Corps.
As a result, the most elite soldiers wouldn’t be inferior to those in the Thunderbolt Battalion either.
Gu Xingyun’s face grew gloomier. “What else?”
“The Canghai Force has already been on standby,” w.a.n.g Qinglei said in a calm tone.
The corners of Gu Xingyun’s mouth twitched fiercely, and he couldn’t say a word for a while.
Canghai Force didn’t belong to the Beihai Corps. On the surface, it didn’t even belong to the w.a.n.g family of Beihai.
But it was also the core agency of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai. It was the trump card of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai to fight in the air.
There were a total of 200 advanced fighter jets, and all of them were equipped with the best pilots who had served in Zhongzhou State for more than ten years. Whether in terms of the number of fighter jets or the aerial combat technology, the w.a.n.g family of Beihai was the strongest among all the forces. The Army Headquarters of Zhongzhou State didn’t even possess the most advanced fighter jets of Canghai Force.
With the existence of Canghai Force, the w.a.n.g family of Beihai’s ability in air attack could be said to be unparalleled in the world.
The Heaven Punishment Troop, Beihai Corps, and Canghai Force.
What was w.a.n.g Tianzong going to do?
w.a.n.g Qinglei looked at Gu Xingyun seriously and said, “You are afraid.”
Gu Xingyun took a deep breath and said coldly, “The w.a.n.g family of Beihai like this is really awe-inspiring, but what can it do? The situation in Eastern Europe is getting clearer and clearer. w.a.n.g Tianzong is unlikely to attack the Snowdance Corps by mobilizing such forces into Eastern Europe.”
“It’s really impossible.”
w.a.n.g Qinglei nodded. “At present, the five countries in Eastern Europe have fallen into Li Tianlan’s hands, but there are not just five countries in the vast Eastern Europe. Snow Country is no worse than the five Eastern European countries. What w.a.n.g Tianzong wants is the whole of Eastern Europe.”
Gu Xingyun had already thought of something in his heart, but he still said stubbornly, “So what?”
“Let’s see what other forces are in Eastern Europe at the moment.”
w.a.n.g Qinglei said calmly, “First of all, the Vatican won’t retreat even if Aresis is injured, because the Eastern Church has suffered great losses, which is the best opportunity for the Vatican to take over Eastern Europe. Secondly, the Purgatory of Heaven Capital. Who is the leader of the Purgatory of Heaven Capital? We know very well that given his temper and with East Island as his foundation, he won’t retreat now when facing Tianzong. Then it’s the Samsara Palace. The life and death of the Master of Samsara Palace are unknown, but they, together with the Qin Clan, have the power to reverse the overall situation in Eastern Europe. Furthermore, the Snowdance Corps. The Snowdance Corps has suffered heavy losses. Li Tianlan is young and he’s part of Zhongzhou State. He poses the least threat to us.
“The last one is the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, such as the Heaven Punishment Troop, Canghai Force, the Beihai Corps, and… Tianzong himself.
“Now he can make a breakthrough at any time and reproduce his ancestor’s unparalleled martial arts. Your Highness, if he succeeds in breaking through, who do you think can stop him, the Vatican, the Purgatory of Heaven Capital, the Samsara Palace, or the Qin Clan?”
Gu Xingyun stayed silent.
“To tell you the truth, no one can stop him.”
w.a.n.g Qinglei laughed and said, “Tianzong will wipe out all the enemies by then, and Eastern Europe will be awed by the Beihai Corps. Once Eastern Europe falls into the hands of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, you will know what will happen in the future.”
“I don’t know.”
Gu Xingyun’s cold tone contained irrepressible irritability.
w.a.n.g Qinglei glanced at him with a mocking look in his eyes. “Well, just pretend that you don’t know. Eastern Europe is too big. Snow Country’s territory alone exceeds that of Zhongzhou State. Such a large territory means great interests. If such great interests fall into the hands of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, what can it use to keep them? The Arctic Ocean Command cannot defend them.”
Gu Xingyun pinched the cup in his hand and said with no expression, “The Arctic Ocean Command can have reinforcement.”
“Reinforcement? Dongcheng Wudi in the Army Headquarters won’t agree to it. If the Li family can take down the five countries in Eastern Europe, the Giant Group and the Li family will definitely try their best to plunder the interests of the five countries in Eastern Europe. Since the situation is stable, why does Dongcheng Wudi bother to intervene in the internal affairs of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai?”
w.a.n.g Qinglei smiled and whispered, “So, if Eastern Europe falls into Tianzong’s hands, he’ll have to use the power of the Special Warfare System to defend it.”
A drop of sweat fell down along Gu Xingyun’s face.
If the w.a.n.g family of Beihai used the power of the Special Warfare System to guard Eastern Europe, it would transfer the power from the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State. And it could be predicted that this power would not listen to Gu Xingyun.
If Eastern Europe fell into the hands of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, it would be equal to falling into the hands of Zhongzhou State.
Then the force guarding Eastern Europe was naturally the power of the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State.
Once this force took shape, it was bound to surpa.s.s Kunlun City.
At that time, who would still consider Kunlun City as the Special Warfare Center?
w.a.n.g Tianzong was plotting against Eastern Europe, but what he would occupy was the discursive power of the entire Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State, which was also the foundation for the foothold of Kunlun City.
Gu Xingyun opened his mouth. The huge pressure almost made him breathless. He took a deep breath and let out a cry which even he himself felt ear-piercing.
“If everything goes well, Kunlun City will be destroyed in less than ten years. In this case, aren’t you going to do something, Your Highness?” w.a.n.g Qinglei asked leisurely.
“What can I do?”
Gu Xingyun began to smile bitterly.
Not to mention that w.a.n.g Tianzong could make a breakthrough at any time, even if he couldn’t, he was still no match for w.a.n.g Tianzong.
As for resources…
Gu Xingyun didn’t possess any forces like the Beihai Corps and Canghai Force.
Not to mention Kunlun City, which had just risen for 20 years, even if it was other super forces in the Dark World, who dared to compete with the w.a.n.g family of Beihai in terms of resources?
“The only thing I can take out is the Frost Force.”
Gu Xingyun’s voice was hoa.r.s.e.
Frost Force was Kunlun City’s super force. Its number was not as great as that of the Heaven Punishment Troop, and even its strength was slightly inferior to the latter’s, but it was Kunlun City’s most powerful trump card.
w.a.n.g Qinglei looked at Gu Xingyun thoughtfully.
Gu Xingyun gradually calmed down and said calmly, “Do you have any suggestions?”
“Eastern Europe is of great benefit.”
w.a.n.g Qinglei said blandly, “As long as Tianzong takes over Eastern Europe, he can rightfully transfer the power of the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State, which is the foundation to destroy Kunlun City. And if you don’t want him to do this, you need a reason to stop him from transferring the power of the Special Warfare System.”
“Reason?”
“It’s also a kind of benefit. It’s big enough to compete with the interests of the whole of Eastern Europe.”
“Are you kidding?”
Gu Xingyun said angrily, “In the current situation, is there anything more important than the interests of the whole of Eastern Europe?”
w.a.n.g Qinglei looked at Gu Xingyun with a strange look in his eyes.
“Of course there will be benefits like this.”
He said slowly, “The five countries in Eastern Europe. Aren’t they such interests?”
The five countries in Eastern Europe.
Gu Xingyun’s body shook slightly.
“After taking down the five countries in Eastern Europe, you can transfer the power of the Special Warfare System before Tianzong can. When the power of the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State is weak to a certain extent, he won’t be able to find the men he wants, and Zhongzhou State won’t allow him to do anything he wants. In this way, he’ll have to figure it out by himself.”
w.a.n.g Qinglei’s voice was clear and light. “But if you want to do this, there is still one condition.”
Gu Xingyun didn’t say anything.
He was well aware of what this so-called condition was.
The five countries in Eastern Europe were still in Li Tianlan’s hands.
In theory, there were two possibilities if Gu Xingyun wanted to intervene in it.
First, by paying a heavy price, Kunlun City could possibly join hands with Li Tianlan. However, whether Li Tianlan was willing to do it or not was still a question, not to mention the possibility that Kunlun City and the Li family would join hands. Even if they succeeded in joining hands, the force that Gu Xingyun sent over might be pocketed by Li Tianlan.
As for the second possibility, it was naturally to kill Li Tianlan.
There were two possibilities, but there was only one choice.
“After killing Li Tianlan, you can get the five countries in Eastern Europe and have the right to continue to fight with Tianzong in Eastern Europe,” w.a.n.g Qinglei whispered.
“But Li Tianlan is the marshal of Zhongzhou State!”
Gu Xingyun’s voice was cold. “You want me to commit treason?!”
He also wanted to kill Li Tianlan.
But now the situation in Wulan State was stable. Even w.a.n.g Tianzong had to give up. How did he dare to lay a finger on Li Tianlan?
“To kill people, one has to use a sword.”
w.a.n.g Qinglei said lightly, “I’m not asking you to do it yourself. Isn’t there still a sword in Kunlun City?”
Gu Xingyun’s face became paler and paler.
There was indeed a sword in Kunlun City.
The sword was also in Eastern Europe.
More than 20 years ago, the sword dragged the Li family from the clouds into the dust.
This time, could she destroy the Li family or not?
“The sword is no longer by my side…”
Gu Xingyun said bitterly, “What can I do?”
“If you really can’t do anything to her, why did you let her go that day?”
w.a.n.g Qinglei said meaningfully, “At the end of the day, you still can’t bear to hurt her.”
Gu Xingyun stayed silent.
They all knew who that sword indicated.
Li Xi.
The wife of Kunlun City’s Governor.
But if she really killed Li Tianlan, it would be treason.
If Kunlun City wanted to disown Li Xi, they had to give up on Li Xi completely.
Gu Xingyun gritted his teeth, and his eyes suddenly became crazy. “That’s not enough!”
He looked at w.a.n.g Qinglei and said word by word, “The five countries in Eastern Europe are not enough.”
The geographical location of Wulan State was very important, and it was the place where every ambitious man would fight for, but compared to the entire Eastern Europe, it was still slightly less important.
“It’s indeed not enough.”
The look in w.a.n.g Qinglei’s eyes was unfathomable. “But coupled with East Island, that’s enough.”
The door was silently pushed open.
The crisp sound of geta stepping on the ground could be heard clearly.
A middle-aged man walked into the room calmly. He looked at Gu Xingyun with a smile and said, “Your Highness, long time no see.”
There seemed to be a sudden flash of knife light in the incredibly cool private room.
Gu Xingyun’s eyes suddenly became extremely deep.
“Tianhai Wuji!” he said word by word.
Tianhai Wuji, the Master of Wuji Palace, was one of the grandmasters of the Invincible Realm in East Island.
He looked at w.a.n.g Qinglei and then looked at Tianhai Wuji. He remained silent for a long time.
“If killing Li Tianlan and taking down the five countries in Eastern Europe are not enough, what if we kill Deity and take down the whole East Island?”
w.a.n.g Qinglei smiled and said, “As far as I know, the sword in Kunlun City is very sharp.”
Gu Xingyun’s mouth twitched, and he finally said, “You really set a big trap.”
