The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS

In a small city within Yan Province, the Shadow King sat alone in a private room of a tavern, leaning by a window, quietly watching the crowd pass by on the street outside.

The seemingly youthful shadow gazed at the shouting peddlers, haggling women, and scurrying children, his face involuntarily showing a longing, "This truly is peace."

Silently, three figures draped in black cloaks appeared in the private room. The leader was a beautiful woman with a cross of sword scars at her brow. She raised her head, and it seemed as if the shadow of another appeared in her eyes.

"The ruler from the shadows, a rebel aspiring to usurp the throne, longing for peace, it is indeed ludicrous."

Sword Maiden remained silent, but the Shadow King could see the shadow of the person in her eyes moving its lips. A voice formed by the vibration of Divine Thoughts carried through the air.

The Shadow King showed no particular expression in response to the scene before him, simply lifting his teacup gently, taking a sip, and said, "After I ascend to the throne, everything in Daqian will be mine. Isn't it only natural to want to protect one's own things?"

"Just like Northern Zhou right now..."

The Shadow King pointed out the window, "Now, Northern Zhou is your prized possession, and you take the utmost care of it, don't you? A lion always values its territory and allows no other animal to run wild. You and I are the same."

"Pity that Daqian is not yours now, nor is it certain to be in the future," Qing Yu said with a hint of a sneer.

"Even if you obtain Daqian, in the end, it will just be a broken land. Perhaps by then, Northern Zhou could mount a counterattack to the south, unifying the world once more."

"That won't happen," the Shadow King shook his head lightly, "The Blood Demon Sect wants to incite a killing spree, to relive the scenes of a thousand years ago. The Heavenly Demon Palace also seeks to draw out the Evil Sky Slaughter, wishing for chaos throughout the world.

The People of Nine Heavens wish to use calamity to draw forth another, numerous forces push toward a common goal together. When that time comes, Northern Zhou too will be in chaos. How could it then counterattack Daqian?"

"Oh? It seems that the Shadow King is not very enthusiastic about the affairs of Nine Heavens?" The voice vibrated with Divine Thought, carrying no emotion, and Sword Maiden, occupied by Qing Yu, made no expression.

"Would you be enthusiastic?" countered the Shadow King.

He took another light sip of tea, "Neither you nor I have reached the Supreme level yet and are far from breaking through to the Tao Realm. If we eagerly participate now, isn't that just making wedding dresses for others? Would you want such an outcome?"

Everyone desires the Tao Realm, and the People of Nine Heavens gather for this reason. But if a great calamity that could break through the barriers was to be triggered immediately, some would be reluctant.

Among the contemporaries, even considering the Four Regions, there are at most only about twenty Supreme warriors, and the number does not exceed thirty. Among so many, those who reach the pinnacle and are confident of breaking through can be counted on one hand.

Even if the limits of heaven and earth were broken, one would still have to reach the Peak of Divine Communication first.

"Among those of Nine Heavens, there are actually very few who pursue only the Tao Realm. Or rather, they are not so eager. This is also why progress has been lukewarm over these years. We each dominate the major powers of the world, how could we shatter it for a goal that is not urgent?"

The Shadow King gently raised his hand and poured Qing Yu a cup of tea, "The most desperate are probably only Jun Heaven and Bian Tian. Jun Heaven has already come to the end of its path, and Bian Tian..."

The Shadow King chuckled, "Have you noticed? The body Bian Tian currently possesses..."

"The body of Qiao Baixuan," Qing Yu took the seat while controlling Sword Maiden's body, "Bian Tian has always been donned in Qiao Baixuan's deep blue cloak, truly a peculiar taste."

To seize the body of a disciple and still wear the disciple's cloak, Elder Shiming's peculiar taste is something Qing Yu could not quite comment on.

"However, what we are here to discuss today is not about Nine Heavens, right?"

The person's shadow within Sword Maiden's eyes seemed to grow a bit larger or perhaps stepped forward slightly, as if ready to come forth at any moment, "Shadow King, the matter of aiding Xuanfa, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

The Shadow King sure knew how to talk, diverting the topic subtly. However, Qing Yu was equally skilled in conversation, a deep strategist himself, and would not so easily be led along by him.

"Speak plainly," finally, the Shadow King stopped beating around the bush, "Within Shadow Pavilion, I give you enough status, second only to me. You have the authority to mobilize any resources or personnel. However, correspondingly, you too need to assist me with some matters; like eliminating the Six Gates, or rather, eliminating those within the Six Gates who oppose me.

Once I ascend, with our combined strength, one could say we control the entire Central Plains. With such vast manpower and resources at our disposal, our ascent to Supreme beings and advancement into the Tao Realm is just a matter of time."

The terms offered by the Shadow King were extremely tempting. If both parties truly controlled Daqian and Northern Zhou, they could not claim to be unrivaled, but the immense power and resources at their disposal would be beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

However, this was just a pie in the sky. The Shadow King wanted to usurp the throne, but first had to overcome the Daqian Royalist hurdle. There was no lack of warriors within the Daqian Court, several Divine Communicators among them were formidable, including the "World's Number One" Pei Dongliu, who was not an easy opponent.

Critically, hidden within the Daqian Royal Family was a Supreme warrior, said to be the son of the Daqian Ancestor Ji Muqing.

This Supreme warrior was said to have received the dying Ji Muqing's power transfer, possessing unfathomable strength, but due to some old injuries, had been in seclusion healing and had not appeared on the Heavenly List.

However, his strength was genuine and powerful, beyond the reach of Qing Yu and the Shadow King. After all, even if injured, he was still a Supreme warrior.

"Let's not draw any more pies in the sky; we both know how far-off that is. However, granting me control over a portion of Shadow Pavilion's power, you certainly are generous."

"Power is ultimately a subordination; only formidable actual strength is fundamental," said the Shadow King, "Do you think I can allure so many Divine Communicators without knowing what they desire?"

Divine Communicators are not without their needs; they too desire things. Take for example Kong Xuankong; this Universal Blade Lord was lured by the Shattering Universe Saber and hasn't jumped off the ship.

The Shadow King had mastered the skill sets of both the politician and the merchant. Even having offended Qing Yu by playing both sides before, he was quick to mitigate the damage.

"It's a deal," Qing Yu nodded lightly.

For the moment, the two shared the same interests. Six Gates, Dragon Tiger Mountain, and the like were common enemies to both. The Shadow King saw this and was confident in forming an alliance.

As for the affairs of Nine Heavens, neither spoke of it again, but what needed to be said was expressed, and the rest was left to an unspoken understanding between them.

"Let's swear with a handclap."

"Clap, clap, clap—"

Their hands struck together thrice, the Shadow King's face beaming with a smile, and the shadow in Sword Maiden's eyes also showing a smile, but their true intentions remained unknown.

The journey ahead was long, and only by walking forward would the outcome be revealed.