Chapter 2350: Emperor Wu Welcomes the Green Bird!
Wang Chong was silent, but his mind was in turmoil.
He naturally understood what Li Xuantu was talking about. The historical records also said that when Huo Qubing died, Emperor Wu had been overcome with grief and served as one of his pallbearers.
In the Central Plains, the Yan Clan, which had served as Grand Scribes for generations, had always been extremely rigorous when it came to history. If this was what the records said, then it had to have occurred. This was precisely why Wang Chong and Li Xuantu were so shocked.
After some thought, Wang Chong said, “We can’t be sure. Think carefully. According to the historical records, how did Huo Qubing die?”
“It had to be because of illness…” Li Xuantu blurted out, but he almost instantly froze. It was clear that he had also noticed something strange.
The records stated that Huo Qubing had died in his prime from illness. This would be believable if the Flying Cavalry Great General had been an ordinary person, but…
Li Xuantu glanced at that young figure. Whether it was from the meridians in his body or his shattered Grotto Heaven Core, it was obvious that this man who had singlehandedly changed the positions of the Great Han and the Xiongnu, the Champion Marquis who had wiped out the greatest foe of the Central Plains, had a divine cultivation that even surpassed his and Wang Chong’s in some aspects.
Such an outstandingly talented expert could never have died from some illness.
That method of death was far too absurd.
Wang Chong was silent, knowing that Li Xuantu had already understood.
No matter what dimension it was in, the death of the Champion Marquis had always been a great pity. In truth, the matter of his death had always been greatly debated, and few people believed he had actually fallen ill. A Great General who was formidable in battle had to have a much healthier constitution than the ordinary person, and as a general that led from the front, Huo Qubing was a stalwart horseman. How could such a person die from such a simple cause?
“Regardless of what’s written in the histories, the truth seems very different from what is commonly understood,” Wang Chong said after some thought.
There was no reason for someone to disguise himself as Huo Qubing in the middle of the Celestial Palace. It was more likely that this was the real Huo Qubing.
“The annals said that Huo Qubing was ill in the capital at the age of twenty-three, but it now appears that this was far from the case. It’s clear that not long after Emperor Wu welcomed the green bird, he secretly had Flying Cavalry Great General Huo Qubing organize a team to seek out the green bird, the Queen Mother of the West, and the so-called Celestial Domain.
“This matter was kept top-secret. Emperor Wu didn’t want too many people to know, so no one spoke a word about it.”
Li Xuantu’s eyes were pensive as he slowly spoke.
“The Celestial Domain was clearly a huge draw for Emperor Wu, so Huo Qubing was probably just a vanguard to open the way for Emperor Wu. He probably did not imagine that Huo Qubing would head off into the Heaven-Reaching Path and never return.” Wang Chong took the reins from Li Xuantu and continued, the two of them slowly uncovering the true situation from that time.
“The Celestial Domain was a trap, so Emperor Wu waited for Huo Qubing in vain.”
Li Xuantu frowned as he said, “But this is the problem. If Huo Qubing’s real body is here, the Huo Qubing that was buried had to be an empty coffin. Emperor Wu was overcome with grief because he had to have confirmed that Huo Qubing was dead. The Grand Scribe of the Han Dynasty would not have made a mistake on this point. But how had Emperor Wu confirmed that Huo Qubing had been slain? ‘Missing’ is very different from ‘dead’!”
Wang Chong said nothing as he exchanged a glance with Li Xuantu. He had also thought of this point, and the historical records had been very clear on Emperor Wu’s grief.
Huo Qubing’s disappearance should have only left Emperor Wu anxious, perhaps even had him send people to seek him out. But grief meant something entirely different.
If he weren’t sure that Huo Qubing was dead, he would not have expressed this emotion.
Wang Chong was at least sure about one thing: Emperor Wu’s expression of grief had been sincere.
“This is truly a riddle, but the relationship between Emperor Wu and Huo Qubing is almost a fairytale, and Emperor Wu trusted Huo Qubing far more than any other person. I guess that there was some secretive method of communication between them that allowed Emperor Wu to conclude that Huo Qubing was dead.”
After a few moments of thought, Wang Chong glanced at the smiling figure of the Champion Marquis and continued.
“And don’t you think he died a little too carefreely? If he was a person who still had regrets and desires, he shouldn’t have died with such a relaxed expression.”
As a legend from nearly one thousand years ago and an astounding military genius, even now, this young Champion Marquis had a bearing and strength that inspired admiration.
“But there are some things I still don’t understand. If Emperor Wu wanted to seek the Immortals to consult them on the Dao, seeking out the green bird and the Queen Mother, why did he not come personally instead of sending Huo Qubing as his vanguard? Why is it that not long after the green bird’s descent, he turned around and began to search for the Queen Mother of the West and the Celestial Domain?
“Most importantly, even someone of Huo Qubing’s impressive cultivation could not leave the Celestial Palace. This means that while they thought they were acting in secret, Heaven had already seen through everything. They did not discover the Celestial Domain because their luck was good, but because Heaven let them.
“But what was Heaven’s goal? What did Emperor Wu and Huo Qubing have that he wanted? Why did he even make up the Queen Mother of the West and the green bird to go and interact with Emperor Wu?” Li Xuantu sternly said.
As someone who had once vied for the throne against the Sage Emperor and even managed to pressure him, Li Xuantu had an extremely sharp mind.
But even he was rather baffled. There were far too many things that couldn’t be explained here.
Wang Chong remained quiet as his mind churned.
Heaven had always been proud, taking himself as the Celestial Emperor that ruled over the nine heavens. He naturally had no regard for mortal sovereigns and generals, but that didn’t mean they had nothing he wanted.
Wang Chong happened to know of several items that Heaven dearly wanted.
At this time, Wang Chong had an idea, but he left it unspoken.
“The Queen Mother of the West and the Celestial Domain might have been fake, but it seems that the story of the green bird was true.”
Wang Chong quickly turned to that giant green peacock-phoenix hybrid next to Huo Qubing.
“True. Who could have imagined that this myth would be true?”
Li Xuantu emotionally sighed.
The first thing they had noticed upon their arrival was not the domineering figure of the Flying Cavalry Great General, but this mountainous bird.
This huge bird was none other than the green bird that Emperor Wu of Han had welcomed all those many years ago.
Just by looking at this giant bird, they could understand why the ambitious and wise Emperor Wu would fall for Heaven’s story about the Kunlun paradise.
For people who had never seen this giant bird, it clearly did not seem like some mortal creature. Only in the legendary ‘Celestial Domain’ could it truly exist.
“Master, I find this giant bird very familiar…” Little Nightmare said from within the Foundation Dimension.
After a few moments of thought, Li Xuantu said, “You’re speaking of the Arabian Behemoth Army?”
Li Xuantu had heard of this famed army. After the war between the Great Tang and Arabia, news of this special army had spread throughout the Central Plains.
“Mm.”
Wang Chong nodded. It was clear that all three of them were on the same train of thought.
“This creature couldn’t have arisen naturally, but Heaven is completely capable of creating this sort of creature. In fact, even Essence Supreme could create one.”
It was far from just one person in the Celestial God Organization that could create Behemoths. The Arabian Behemoth Army was the work of the Arab High Priest, and he had been a member of the Celestial God Organization. And besides Essence Supreme, Luo Supreme had also possessed the ability, having created those giant wolves.
Li Xuantu sighed. “Haaa, in the end, it was all a trap. The only blessing is that this green bird that Heaven created probably wasn’t meant for Huo Qubing, but Emperor Wu of Han. But in the end, it seems like Emperor Wu didn’t take the bait.”
After Huo Qubing’s death, Emperor Wu lived on for many years, possessing one of the longest lives amongst the sovereigns of the Central Plains. It was evident that Heaven had not reached his initial goal in that aspect.
Heaven’s avatar had most likely not been strong enough to subdue Emperor Wu.
Not saying any more, Wang Chong walked past Huo Qubing and the green bird.
They soon passed through the second barrier and entered the third sealed region of the Celestial Palace.
Buzz!
The moment they stepped in, they felt an immense pressure weigh on their shoulders. In front of them, they could sense a somber and vicious killing intent crisscrossing through the air. Wang Chong and Li Xuantu exchanged a grave glance.
“This place seems more like a battlefield than a Celestial Palace. The killing intent is intense,” Li Xuantu sternly said. He began to circulate the Stellar Energy in his dantian, transferring energy to his palms, and his body slightly tensed as he readied for battle.
Li Xuantu sensed that this region was very different from the other two!
“Be careful! An extremely bitter battle took place here, one between apex experts!” Wang Chong said as his sharp gaze inspected the area.
A battle had also taken place in the previous region. Under Heaven’s control, the Han experts under Huo Qubing’s command had killed each other and died tragic deaths. But in that region, Wang Chong had not sensed such vicious killing intent.
This killing intent suffused the air, making one feel like swords and sabers were rubbing across one’s skin, and goosebumps appeared over their skin.
Wang Chong focused, appearing outwardly relaxed while inwardly tense.
The two of them quickly saw a golden-armored figure in a heap on the ground.
This person had clearly suffered grievous wounds. His tough armor had been blasted into numerous fragments that peppered the ground around him, and his sword had also been broken into several pieces. The hilt was gripped in his hand while the tip and blade were ten-some meters away.
But most striking of all was the giant hole in his body. This hole started at his chest and ended out his back. Through this hole, one could see his carbonized organs and the shattered white jade paving stones.
Beneath him, the tough ground was covered in cracks.
Wang Chong and Li Xuantu stopped, but this time, they did not bend down to inspect the area.