Chapter 651 - 646: Fox Race

Chapter 651: Chapter 646: Fox Race

The struggle for imperial power is a bloody and cruel affair. Since ancient times, tales of family members turning on one another and fathers and sons becoming enemies in the fight for the throne have been all too common.

Ning Jiang had originally come to the Celestial Domain intending to use the Great Xia Ancient Emperor Order to borrow the power of the Great Xia Dynasty. His goal was to enter the Two Realms Mountain and find Magic Crystals, but he had unexpectedly stumbled into this struggle for the throne.

And according to the Shadow Guard Leader, the fourth-generation Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty had marched on the Two Realms Mountain centuries ago. He had been missing ever since, and it was said that he had long since fallen at the hands of the Demon Race.

That fourth-generation Emperor was the one who had given the Great Xia Ancient Emperor Order to the Golden Cicada.

If he were still alive, Ning Jiang could have simply used the order to find him. But now, with the Great Xia Dynasty embroiled in internal strife over the throne, would the current powers that be even acknowledge this Great Xia Ancient Emperor Order?

After all, that King Guanglin had already joined forces with Little Celestial King Luo Wushuang.

And he and Luo Wushuang were sworn enemies!

As Ning Jiang was lost in thought, the Shadow Guard Leader couldn’t help but say, "I was previously unaware that you possessed the Great Xia Ancient Emperor Order, sir. I have offended you greatly. I hope you will give me a chance to atone. If you are willing to return with me to the Great Xia Dynasty, with this order, you will be an honored guest. King Guanglin himself will receive you personally."

"I am enemies with Luo Wushuang." The moment Ning Jiang spoke, the Shadow Guard Leader’s expression changed drastically.

"When the time comes, do you think King Guanglin will side with me because of the Great Xia Ancient Emperor Order, or will he side with Luo Wushuang?" Ning Jiang asked with a faint, unreadable smile.

Upon hearing this, the Shadow Guard Leader was speechless.

Little Celestial King Luo Wushuang was a supreme figure ranked in the top five of the Celestial List. Furthermore, King Guanglin’s bid for the throne was backed by Luo Wushuang’s support. Under these circumstances, it was highly unlikely King Guanglin would offend Luo Wushuang over a mere Great Xia Ancient Emperor Order.

"When you return, what do you plan to say about what happened here?" Ning Jiang asked.

"Well..."

The Shadow Guard Leader was a smart man. He knew that if he answered poorly at this moment, it would mean certain death.

"I will keep today’s events a secret," the Shadow Guard Leader said, lowering his head.

"Keep it a secret?" Ning Jiang snorted coldly, a terrifying glint in his eyes. "Only dead men can truly keep secrets!"

The Shadow Guard Leader’s face fell. He could hear the genuine killing intent in Ning Jiang’s voice.

However, he quickly calmed himself.

’If Ning Jiang truly wanted to kill me, he could have done it already. Why would he waste his breath on me?’

"What would you have me do, sir? Please, speak plainly," the Shadow Guard Leader said.

"You Shadow Guards may seem impressive on the surface, but in reality, you’re just subordinates who follow orders. The powers that be tell you to do something, and you have to do it. If you fail, you might even lose your head. It’s safe to say that your every action is dictated by orders, with no freedom to speak of. To put it bluntly, you’re no different from dogs. Am I wrong?"

No different from dogs!

Without a doubt, these were incredibly harsh words.

But though the Shadow Guard Leader felt a bitter reluctance, he still nodded silently. It was true. They, the Shadow Guard, were merely puppets and machines who followed the orders of the Great Xia Dynasty. All matters were first decided by their superiors, who would issue commands that they would then carry out.

If their masters said go east, they could not go west. They truly were like dogs.

"Then let me ask you."

Ning Jiang’s eyes slowly narrowed, as if trying to peer into the Shadow Guard Leader’s very soul. "Do you want to be a dog for the Great Xia Dynasty your entire life, or... do you want to be my man!"

"What?"

The Shadow Guard Leader was stunned. He never imagined that Ning Jiang actually wanted to recruit him.

In the past, if a junior in the Earth Martial Realm had said such a thing, he would have thought the boy was insane. But now, he had to take him seriously.

One reason was Ning Jiang’s talent. To possess such strength at such a young age meant that, given time, he was destined to become a titan in his own right.

But more importantly, there was the Great Xia Ancient Emperor Order in Ning Jiang’s hands.

This Ancient Emperor Order was of extraordinary significance and had a momentous history. The Great Xia Dynasty had, in fact, been searching for it for a very long time. How did it end up in Ning Jiang’s hands? And what kind of background did he truly have?

The Shadow Guard Leader’s expression was conflicted, torn by his dilemma. After a long while, he finally made his decision.

He lowered his head toward Ning Jiang and said respectfully, "I am willing to follow your commands, sir."

It wasn’t that Ning Jiang’s words had moved him. Rather, it was the fact laid bare before him: if he refused, Ning Jiang would surely kill him.

Besides, he had a strange, faint feeling that following Ning Jiang might lead to a great fortune in the future.

"I’m glad you’ve made this choice. Perhaps right now you’re still a bit reluctant to become my man, but in the future, you will understand just how wise a decision this was."

As he spoke, Ning Jiang activated his God Obliteration Technique, condensing a rune. "This is a Spiritual Sense Restriction," he said lightly. "It won’t harm you, but it will prevent you from betraying me. Do not resist."

The Shadow Guard Leader naturally didn’t dare to resist. The rune entered the space between his brows and appeared in his mind. In that instant, he had the feeling that not a single one of his thoughts could escape the rune’s perception.

’What a powerful Primordial Spirit Technique.’

The Shadow Guard Leader was secretly stunned. Even his Great Xia Dynasty possessed no such technique.

"Tell me about your organization, the Shadow Guard."

"Yes, sir."

As the Shadow Guard Leader slowly explained, Ning Jiang began to get a general understanding of the Shadow Guard.

The Shadow Guard was a secret unit of the Great Xia Dynasty that had always operated in the shadows, carrying out various classified missions. In truth, the Shadow Guard had always answered directly to the Emperor; they were a blade meant exclusively for the Emperor’s hand!

However, the situation changed after Empress Xia Yan ascended the throne.

The Shadow Guard broke away and no longer took orders from Xia Yan.

"The Commander of the Shadow Guard, the Shadow King, has a very close relationship with King Guanglin. It is said that when King Guanglin was young, he was once the Shadow King’s disciple. That is why the Shadow King supports King Guanglin."

The Shadow King was a considerably ancient King from the same era as the fourth-generation Ancient Emperor of Great Xia. The numerous subordinates of the Shadow Guard were all under his command.

King Guanglin was a junior of his, and had even been his disciple in the past.

Under such circumstances, he naturally supported King Guanglin’s ascension to the throne.

As for Xia Yan, she was a woman, for one, and she also had the blood of the Fox Race, meaning she was not of pure Royal Family blood. Because of this, she was unpopular within the Royal Family and lacked even a single Prince to champion her cause.

"I understand the situation with the Shadow Guard. Now, tell me about the Fox Race," Ning Jiang said, suddenly changing the subject.

"The Fox Race?"

The Shadow Guard Leader was taken aback, unable to understand why Ning Jiang would suddenly be interested in the Fox Race.

He didn’t see the threads of nostalgia that flickered in Ning Jiang’s eyes. His gaze became distant and ethereal, as if it could pierce through the ages and trace a path back one hundred thousand years into the past.