Chapter 117 - 103: Declaring War on One Person

Chapter 117: Chapter 103: Declaring War on One Person

Liu Hetong arrived in a hurry and didn’t keep Zhang Ji waiting long.

The two of them met in the afternoon.

Zhang Ji was feeling a bit hungry again, so he ordered a plate of roast duck over rice for himself and got one for Liu Hetong as well.

Sitting on a park bench, Zhang Ji ate his food while Liu Hetong held his own plate of roast duck, eating slowly.

"What do you want?" Liu Hetong asked, getting straight to the point.

"To clean up the trash, and then take the throne," Zhang Ji said.

"That’s not realistic. You should understand that you’re not invincible. There are still many ways to threaten you," Liu Hetong said. "Besides, to rule, you must have enough supporters. Otherwise, your commands will be empty gestures most of the time. And the international community might not recognize you either..."

"Are you here to negotiate a truce?" Zhang Ji asked, looking at Liu Hetong with amusement.

"Not exactly." Liu Hetong did his best to avoid provoking Zhang Ji. "I’m just here to secure a favorable outcome for you. You’re a once-in-a-millennium genius. Your current cultivation level was hard-won; it shouldn’t be wasted. You can state any demands you have. With your power, I can help you get them. Even if you want a fiefdom of your own, that’s on the table. The Five Elements Sect can become a state within a state. From then on, you could become the leader of the martial arts world, replacing the Northern Dao Sect’s current status."

"These terms... don’t really sound like something you people would offer," Zhang Ji sneered.

’As expected. Only when you have enough power do you carry weight. Only then are you qualified to negotiate your terms.’

’But what Zhang Ji wanted wasn’t terms granted by others.’

’He would take it himself. He would take *everything*.’

"But we offered them nonetheless. Are you satisfied? If not, we can add more!" Liu Hetong said.

The term "strategic-level threat" carried a weight that was far beyond imagination.

The series of abilities Zhang Ji had displayed were certainly a threat, but they also represented value.

’This kind of value was worth using more resources to win over.’

"I don’t want what you’re giving me. I can take it myself." Zhang Ji smiled, swallowing the last bite of his roast duck rice. "I’ll give you time to prepare. Twenty days. I hope you won’t disappoint me. I want a grand debut performance to tell this country, to tell the world, that I have arrived!"

"You’re too arrogant. You’ll die!" Liu Hetong said.

"Then let’s see. Don’t hold back. If you can’t kill me, then it’s my turn. Don’t expect me to show any mercy. I’ll be far more excessive than they ever were. Exterminating nine generations of a family will just be the beginning," Zhang Ji said.

"Is there really no room for a peaceful settlement?" Liu Hetong asked.

"You must be joking," Zhang Ji sneered. "The moment those two missiles were fired, this became a life-or-death struggle. However, seeing as you helped out a little, I can give you a chance. Make a choice: submit to me, or stand with that heap of decadent trash."

’The reason Zhang Ji wanted to win over Liu Hetong, aside from the small bit of help he’d offered, was that he didn’t want to go through the trouble of building a new system of governance from scratch.’

’It would be a hassle to get the machinery of the state running immediately.’

’So he figured he could keep this person, who was at least marginally useful, and have him help build up his reputation at the same time.’

Zhang Ji’s words were casual, but beads of sweat broke out on Liu Hetong’s forehead.

An inexplicable tension gripped his heart.

’This choice was a deadly one.’

’If he chose wrong, he would die!’

Zhang Ji patted Liu Hetong’s shoulder. "Don’t be nervous. Even if you choose their side, I won’t kill you here. But then you’ll have to think long and hard about how to kill me for good. Because if you can’t... well, I’m a very petty person. Anyone who has ever made a move against me, anyone who has ever threatened my life, I will make them pay it back tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold..."

Liu Hetong’s feelings were in turmoil.

’He thought he could still play both sides.’

But now, he realized he had to make a choice.

Either support the original ruling class or choose this single individual, Zhang Ji.

He found himself hesitating.

’Yes, he was hesitating!’

’On one side was an entire nation; on the other, just one person.’

Yet for some reason, he hesitated.

It was very strange.

"Governing a country... it’s a lot of trouble..." Liu Hetong tried to reason.

’He didn’t know why, but he had a feeling that Zhang Ji might actually succeed.’

"When did I ever say I planned to govern this country?" Zhang Ji glanced at Liu Hetong, intrigued. "I just want to kill those who displease me, then stand above all mortals and accept their worship."

"You think you’re a god?" Liu Hetong asked, astonished.

’In ancient times, someone like Zhang Ji might have been called a terrestrial immortal. Temples would have been built in his honor, and even a king would have had to show respect and appoint him as National Preceptor.’

’But things were different now. They had been for a long time.’

"It might not be pleasant to hear, but at this stage, to mortals like you, I am without a doubt a god. In the future, that will be even more true," Zhang Ji said.

Liu Hetong was swayed by Zhang Ji’s confident tone.

Vaguely, he could even feel the pressure of Zhang Ji’s Spirit.

He recalled Zhang Ji’s performance at the airport, and one thing became increasingly clear in his mind.

The power held by mortals like them could no longer constrain such a figure... no, a terrestrial immortal!

His heart began to pound.

’His intuition was telling him that he was facing an incredible opportunity.’

’This was undoubtedly a gamble—the most absurd, most outrageous gamble of his political career.’

’Betting that this one man could defeat an entire nation.’

Liu Hetong looked up at Zhang Ji. "What do you want me to do?"

The same question, but this time, it was not about negotiating terms, but asking what Zhang Ji wanted him to do.

Liu Hetong’s tone was far more subdued, and he gave a slight nod.

He was bowing his head in submission.

"Help me build my reputation!" Zhang Ji said. "I want the entire martial arts world, the Eastern Extreme Country, and the whole world to witness me take on a nation by myself."

-----------------

"How dare he?" Yin Daiyu raged.

"But that’s what he said," Xiao Ning replied. "He only gave us twenty days to prepare."

"The arrogance! Does he really think we can’t stop him?" Dong Chengkong demanded.

"In that case, let’s declare war!" Lin Kang said.

Yes, war. A war against a single man.

Liu Hetong remained silent. Although he could still attend the meeting, he had already been ostracized by the other council members.

With an external enemy at the gates, they couldn’t afford internal conflict, so they wouldn’t make a move against him for now.

But as soon as Zhang Ji was killed, the reckoning would come, and he would be forced completely out of the picture.

Of course, there was another possibility: Zhang Ji would ascend to the throne, and he would become Zhang Ji’s greatest asset in ruling the nation.

........

「Immortal Mountain.」

The ruins of the Vajra Sect.

Broken walls, blast craters, and countless bullet marks scarred the mountainside.

In the past, they were even more magnificent than the Five Elements Sect.

They had even been the leading sect in the entire martial arts world.

Even as times changed, the Vajra Sect had been so powerful that it showed no respect to the government.

In the province they occupied, no government orders could get through.

All key positions were held by members of the Vajra Sect.

They were a true state within a state, local emperors.

They even killed an imperial envoy dispatched by the government.

As a result, they became the first target for suppression.

The Flame Blade Sect became the government’s borrowed knife. The conflict was escalated again and again until the two sects were locked in a deathmatch.

Who knew that the conflict had originally started over nothing more than a dispute for seats at a conference.

It had been a minor issue, but then someone fanned the flames, a sudden "accident" occurred, and a disciple of the Flame Blade Sect died a tragic death.

The life-and-death duels, a tradition that persists in the martial arts world to this day, began.

In that duel, someone used a gun.

It was someone from the Flame Blade Sect.

God only knows why he opened fire like that when he clearly knew that ordinary firearms couldn’t penetrate the bodies of the Vajra Sect’s Inner Sect Disciples.

And where did his gun come from?

These were all questions without answers.

The scene was chaotic. Both sides seemed to have modern weaponry; even rocket launchers were used.

After the melee, the scene was a complete mess.

The higher-ups from both sects were all together at the time and were nearly wiped out in one fell swoop.

Both sides suffered devastating losses.

And then, the government made its move.

Immortal Mountain was bombed directly. Many of the buildings on the summit were destroyed, and the grand hall at the very peak was almost leveled.

...

Now, Zhang Ji had reached the mountain gate—or what was left of it. Only half of the gate remained standing.

Zhang Ji looked around as he continued forward.

He followed the broken road all the way to the back mountain of the Vajra Sect.

Here, a Buddha statue sat in the lotus position, its back carved into the mountain itself.

The Buddha was carved directly from the mountainside.

It was colossal, standing over three hundred meters tall.

According to what Zhang Ji knew, the entrance to the Vajra Sect’s Ruins Realm was located somewhere on this giant Buddha statue.

He only knew that the specific entrance was a lotus platform.

But the Buddha before him had no lotus platform under it.

’Then where is it?’ Zhang Ji wondered.

His Spirit particles fanned out, scanning the entire Buddha statue.

The Spirit particles passed through the statue with ease.

Inside the Buddha’s head, he saw the lotus platform.

It was located at the position of the Buddha’s Mud Ball Palace.

The entrance method was to go in through the Buddha’s Dantian, travel upward to the Mud Ball Palace, then return to the Dantian via another path before exiting, forming a complete cycle.

’Wait, this is a meridian circulation chart? A Body Tempering technique? The *Vajra Indestructible Body Divine Art*? So that’s how it is!’

Zhang Ji’s expression turned colorful after he tried circulating his energy according to the path.

It turned out that the great Buddha statue had displayed the cultivation method for the *Vajra Indestructible Body Divine Art* from the very beginning.

This would explain why the members of the Vajra Sect had mastered the *Vajra Indestructible Body Divine Art* without ever having entered the Ruins Realm.

According to the player guides, one had to enter the realm, find the legacy, and then defeat eighteen B-rank bronze automatons to obtain this martial art.

But clearly, its creators had prepared more than one way to pass it on.

Zhang Ji memorized the meridian circulation chart, then prepared to enter the Ruins Realm through the Buddha’s Dantian to have a look.

Although he had already gotten what he wanted, Zhang Ji still wanted to go inside to confirm things, and while he was at it, see if there were any other techniques or resources available.

Just then, he suddenly sensed something.

’They got here fast!’

Dense black specks filled the sky, rapidly approaching.

Those were all suits of [Immortal-Suppressing] armor.

A total of three hundred and ninety-five units.

If Zhang Ji hadn’t smashed five of them, there would have been four hundred suits of [Immortal-Suppressing] armor.

The council members believed that these four hundred suits of [Immortal-Suppressing] armor were enough to maintain their absolute rule.

But the first time they were truly used in battle, they met their demise at Zhang Ji’s hands.

This time, they had come out in full force, intending to utterly crush Zhang Ji here.