Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

At the main entrance of Tiandu, a group of officials was already waiting, clearly having received the news in advance.

As Zha Jiedunzhu entered Tiandu and looked at its bustling scenes, his brown eyes immediately shone brighter. In his view, before long, all of this would belong to Da Yuan.

The more prosperous Da Xia, the stronger Da Yuan would become after subsuming it!

The reign of Da Xia was at its end!

Suddenly, Zha Jiedunzhu's gaze swept across the scene, and his thick eyebrows immediately knitted into a frown.

It was nothing else but the fact that among those who had come to the main entrance of Tiandu to receive him, there wasn't even one high-ranking official of the top three ranks of Da Xia. This made Zha Jiedunzhu feel slighted.

After all, no matter how you put it, he was the direct disciple of the National Preceptor of Da Yuan. Even in Da Yuan, where the current national ruler paid him great respect and treated with him due courtesy, his status was extremely high. Who had ever dared to slight him like this?

"Humph!"

With a light harrumph from Zha Jiedunzhu, it sounded like a thunderclap resonating in everyone's ears. Those officials who had come to greet the Da Yuan delegation were stricken as if by a bloom before their eyes, their bodies trembling, they nearly fainted on the spot.

Among the crowd were guards from the forbidden army with considerable cultivation, but upon hearing this soft snort, they were similarly unable to endure it, no different from ordinary people, their vision darkened, nearly stumbling to the ground.

Not just them, at this moment, in the ears of countless people throughout Tiandu, that soft harrumph echoed, ripples in the air spreading like waves, continuing to surge towards the distance.

Those commoners also heard this soft harrumph, but as Zha Jiedunzhu wasn't targeting them, they looked on quizzically at Zha Jiedunzhu and others in their strange attire, wondering what these people from the prairie were doing in Da Xia.

A young monk dressed in a red kasaya stood by with his hands pressed together in prayer, head bowed, silent and not uttering a word.

At this moment, news had also reached the Crown Prince, King Huai, and the various ministers in the palace. Mr. Gongsun felt the terrifying surge of energy coming from the city gates and his expression changed.

Without looking back, King Huai softly asked, "How strong is he?"

Mr. Gongsun gravely answered, "Unfathomable. I'm not his match... I estimate he has reached the pinnacle Grandmaster level."

King Huai's eyebrows immediately furrowed upon hearing this.

Pinnacle Grandmaster, occupying an exceedingly high status, could be said to be at the very top of the martial arts pyramid of the Nine Provinces. Even at the peak of Da Xia's strength twenty-three years ago, there were but a few such masters.

Casting eyes across the entire world, such individuals were received with honors wherever they went. Even in the six holy lands, the strength of a pinnacle Grandmaster would be met with a considerable degree of respect.

Now in Tiandu, the only one who could handle such a person would be the Tower Supervisor of the Qintian Monitor. The deputy commander of the Jing Tian Department was also present, but it was unknown whether he could match this person.

The Crown Prince's expression was grave as he said, "It seems that Da Yuan has come well-prepared this time."

They had not foreseen that Da Yuan would send someone of such formidable strength, a pinnacle Grandmaster level figure.

Someone like Zha Jiedunzhu, in all likelihood, held a high position and wielded considerable power in the whole of Da Yuan, able to decide the life and death of countless people with a single word.

At the city gates, Zha Jiedunzhu's brown eyes swept over the inner city of Tiandu, in the direction of the Qintian Monitor. With his strength, he instinctively felt a pull of energy; he clearly knew the exact locations of all the martial artists within the whole of Tiandu that posed a threat to him.

One such presence was at the Qintian Monitor, another at the Jing Tian Department. Of course, the Mingjing Department also had four strong presences, but they were significantly lesser compared to the first two.

Feeling these presences, Zha Jiedunzhu's expression darkened, sensing the strength of Da Xia.

In just one Tiandu, there were so many Grandmaster level figures hidden.

But Zha Jiedunzhu was confident in himself; if he wanted to leave, these people might not really be able to stop him!

Moreover, the reason he had let out that soft snort earlier was not only to express his dissatisfaction but also to probe.

In Tiandu, he did not sense the energy of the Human Emperor of Da Xia.

Zha Jiedunzhu lightly smiled and turned to the young monk by his side, "I will make a trip to the palace; you wait here for my return."

Upon hearing this, the young monk nodded slightly.

Subsequently, under the guidance of Da Xia officials, Zha Jiedunzhu went to the palace to meet King Huai and the Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, the remaining members of the group, including the young monk and the rest of the Da Yuan entourage, were taken to the accommodations that had been arranged for them in advance.

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The Imperial Palace.

At this moment, Zha Jiedunzhu had been brought before the grand hall of the Imperial Palace to meet the Crown Prince and King Huai among others.

After arriving at the Imperial Palace, Zha Jiedunzhu did not exhibit any arrogant behavior, nor did he entertain the thought of assassinating the Crown Prince or King Huai.

After all, he had already sensed the lurking presences within Tiandu. Not to mention others, just the Tower Supervisor of the Qintian Monitor could stop him the instant he made a move.

Moreover, for Zha Jiedunzhu, killing or not killing the Crown Prince and King Huai was meaningless, as they seemed no different from ordinary people in his eyes.

Ordinary people do not play a significant role in a great war between two nations.

Unless Zha Jiedunzhu could slaughter the entire Tiandu, or perhaps the Imperial Palace.

But the Tower Supervisor of the Qintian Monitor would certainly not agree to that, and besides, Tiandu, as the capital of Da Xia, had a profound foundation. Zha Jiedunzhu could sense that there were hidden threats here, which were significant even to someone of his caliber, so of course he would not take any action.

However, Zha Jiedunzhu was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the people of Da Xia to actually dare to bring him before the Imperial Palace.

After all, he was a top-tier grandmaster, and not just anyone had the courage to face him directly.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, Zha Jiedunzhu, with his status in mind, did not offer any greetings, but simply announced his name.

Seeing this scene, the many princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials at the side all felt a surge of anger.

If Emperor Xia were still present, how could this barbarian from the steppe dare to act so insolently?

Zha Jiedunzhu stood proudly there, robust in stature, without a trace of his aura leaking out, but nobody in the grand hall dared to underestimate him because of that.

"What brings you all the way from Da Yuan?" the Crown Prince, seated at the head, asked in a deep voice.

With a slight smile, Zha Jiedunzhu responded, "The monarch and the national master have sent me from afar, mainly for two matters."

"And what might those two matters be?" the Crown Prince asked, furrowing his brows slightly.

Zha Jiedunzhu said, "The first is that, having learned of the Human Emperor of Da Xia leaving seclusion, I have come especially to pay my respects!"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince and all the princes and ministers' pupils constricted; they knew that Da Yuan's sending someone here would surely involve this intention.

But Da Xia had already prepared a response to this, and the Crown Prince calmly said, "After breaking through to the next realm, my father is now consolidating his cultivation in seclusion and cannot spare the time for other matters. Currently, all state affairs are being managed by me. If you have any matters, you may discuss them directly with me."

Breaking through to the next realm? What breakthrough!

On hearing these words, Zha Jiedunzhu sneered inwardly, as he was well aware that the Human Emperor was not in Tiandu.

Yet, on the surface, he maintained a calm demeanor, as if he had already anticipated Da Xia would say as much.

He then continued, "The second matter is that, having heard that the martial spirit of Da Xia is strong and the country is powerful, with many masters within the Central Plains, the monarch has also dispatched me here to experience it firsthand. I wish to exchange moves with your esteemed country's experts, to allow us men of the steppe to witness the might of the Central Plains' martial arts."

"Of course, there is also a personal request of mine. I have heard that the Tower Supervisor of your country's Qintian Monitor is also a top-tier grandmaster, a rare individual to find in this world. For my own part, I would like to spar with the Tower Supervisor to affirm my own learning."

"Do you wish to take action personally?" the Crown Prince's expression turned grave.

"Indeed," Zha Jiedunzhu nodded. This time, he had come to test Da Xia's strength and to see what level its upper echelons of power had reached. Merely sensing auric interactions was not as convincing as a hands-on battle.

Furthermore, Zha Jiedunzhu was very confident in himself, believing that under one-on-one conditions, there was no one in Tiandu who could match him at present.

Thus, he also wanted to use this manner to suppress Da Xia, letting them witness the overwhelming strength of Da Yuan now.