Chapter 124 - 108: Negotiations Completely Break Down, Go to War

Chapter 124: Chapter 108: Negotiations Completely Break Down, Go to War

Time flew by in a flash.

Fifteen days had passed since Zhang Ji entered the Shoushan Temple Ruins Realm.

The drones outside had never left, and the livestream was still running.

Many people in the Eastern Extreme Country were waiting—waiting for Zhang Ji to emerge, waiting for a resolution.

Many people abroad were also following the incident.

After all, an event like this was arguably the first of its kind in history.

One man against a nation!

Granted, in ancient times, there were tales of terrestrial immortals single-handedly defeating armies of ten thousand.

But that was a completely different concept from today.

Back then, even a Grandmaster could charge in and out of a ten-thousand-strong army seven times.

But today’s armies, with their modern weaponry, were absolutely not something a Grandmaster could challenge.

Even a true terrestrial immortal would have to avoid a direct confrontation, not daring to face them head-on.

But Zhang Ji was choosing to confront it all directly.

In this modern information age, the scene was being broadcast to the entire world.

Some hoped he would create a miracle, while others felt he would die at the hands of the Eastern Extreme Country’s ultimate weapon.

And amidst this anticipation, Zhang Ji appeared from the lotus platform.

The time was 10:56 AM on July 2nd.

The [Vajra Indestructible Body] was a bit more difficult to master than Zhang Ji had anticipated. So even though he constantly consumed Giant Whale Flesh and Yan Fruit liquid, and utilized both the sun and moon within the Ruins Realm, it still took him a little over fourteen days to finally master this martial art.

Fourteen days was undoubtedly much slower than the five days of binge-eating it took to master the [Great Eater Technique].

But the efficiency was still absolutely incredible.

The digestive abilities enhanced by the [Great Eater Technique], the nutrition from the Giant Whale Flesh and Yan Fruit liquid, the energy replenished by Dela’s Blood, the lunar essence supplemented by the Moonlight Cup, and finally, the function of the Limited Space and his own innate talent.

All these factors combined allowed him to master an (Excellent Nine-Star) Horizontal Training Combat Skill in just fourteen days.

Now, Zhang Ji’s physical strength had increased significantly once again.

From the inside out, his cellular structure had changed again, allowing him to withstand even more powerful physical and energy attacks. His physical density had increased so much that his body weight had likely surpassed a thousand kilograms.

The defensive power gained from this single Horizontal Martial Arts Training was stronger than the protection from the [Great Eater Technique], the "Five Forms True Technique," and the Profound Iron Body Refining Skill combined.

Moreover, another type of Yuan Qi had appeared in his body.

It was a golden Yuan Qi produced by the [Vajra Indestructible Body].

Once circulated according to the Cultivation Technique, this Yuan Qi could protect his entire body, enveloping it in a golden light that would drastically insulate, nullify, and even reflect damage.

Zhang Ji looked down at the lotus platform beneath him. This thing was the core of the Ruins Realm.

Taking it would be equivalent to taking the entire Ruins Realm.

However, this was different from the easily detachable Treasure Pearl of the Wind God Ruins Realm.

It was embedded in a spatial crevice. Although he could touch it, it couldn’t normally be removed.

The "Lotus Rod Key" of the True Buddha Sect had to be inserted to pull it out.

But this thing wasn’t particularly valuable. The Shoushan Temple Ruins Realm wasn’t a special Ruins Realm and had no farming value. The medicinal fields inside only contained a few thousand-year-old ginsengs and Lingzhi, which Zhang Ji had already picked and tossed into the [Ark of Hope]. The rest were just weeds.

So aside from offering some concealment, this space had little other value.

Incidentally, even if Zhang Ji did remove it, he couldn’t toss it into the [Ark of Hope] Ruins Realm.

Placing a Ruins Realm inside another Ruins Realm was possible.

But this involved a concept known as spatial tension.

In other words, there was a tension limit between Spatial Artifacts.

If you tried to put a large space into a small one, the smaller space would be stretched by the larger volume. If the spatial stability was insufficient and the tension wasn’t high enough, it would break open directly. Of course, the more likely outcome was that it simply wouldn’t fit. It would be naturally repelled by the other small space. If you tried to force it in with enough power, you would most likely just rupture it.

Therefore, when nesting Spatial Artifacts like matryoshka dolls, a larger one must contain a smaller one.

Putting a large one inside a small one was basically impossible.

Thus, Zhang Ji could bring the [Ark of Hope] in here, but he couldn’t necessarily put the Lotus Platform Ruins Realm’s core into the [Ark of Hope].

Of course, there were some exceptions.

Zhang Ji remembered that in the future, a special spatial compression technology would exist that allowed for repeated nesting, using a very small Spatial Artifact to contain multiple large spaces.

After glancing at the lotus platform, Zhang Ji swept his Spirit outward. He discovered the camera inside and the numerous drones waiting outside. A smirk played on his lips as he said, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

...

"The target has appeared."

The moment Zhang Ji appeared, the Eastern Extreme Country officials, who had been monitoring the area with various instruments, discovered him instantly.

Over in the Capital City, the members of congress, who had been too worried to eat or sleep well lately, immediately stopped what they were doing and turned all their attention to Zhang Ji.

In the livestream, the static image suddenly switched to a close-up.

From the abdomen of the great Buddha, Zhang Ji’s figure emerged.

He had changed into a new set of clothes: the custom-made uniform of a Five Elements Sect True Disciple, with a pattern of a snake, crane, leopard, Tiger, and dragon on the back.

Li Long once had a uniform just like it, which was ultimately buried with him in his tomb.

The number of viewers in the livestream skyrocketed. Even many foreign netizens following the event were jumping over the firewall to watch.

The servers almost couldn’t handle the load.

Fortunately, Liu Hetong had made preparations in advance, so they held up.

During this time, the resources at Liu Hetong’s disposal had been severely restricted. Although he hadn’t been completely kicked out of his congressional seat, he had already lost much of his substantial power.

However, he didn’t care.

Judging by the power Zhang Ji had displayed so far, even if he couldn’t withstand a direct assault from the Eastern Extreme Country’s government, switching to guerrilla tactics would be more than enough to topple the nation’s regime.

As long as he wanted to, he could do it.

Liu Hetong would support him, and the martial arts world would support him too.

Some factions within the congress were even discussing the possibility of switching sides, planning to offer up a few people to appease Zhang Ji’s wrath.

As for the thoughts of the common people besides them...

Sorry, the weak have no right to speak.

...

Armored vehicles, and at least a thousand robots.

In the distance, drones circled overhead.

As for fighter jets, they were probably taking shifts on patrol. Zhang Ji could hear their roar.

But the sight before him wasn’t enough to move Zhang Ji.

He was even a little disappointed.

’Is this all they have, again and again?’

’The technology of this era really lacks creativity.’

’It’s nothing compared to what comes later.’

Railguns, floating electromagnetic cannons, hyperspace strike weapons, Alchemy Biological Weapons, the Array of Heaven and Earth Destruction, Tier-Twelve Forbidden Spell Demon God Armor, Continent-Level Cleansing Annihilation Bombs...

’Alright, I can’t withstand a single one of those things right now.’

’If they actually had those, I wouldn’t be so happy. I’d definitely run away immediately.’

His disappointment stemmed mainly from his opponents’ lackluster struggles.

It gave him the feeling of "I haven’t even tried yet, and you’re already down."

"Zhang Ji, perhaps we can talk again," a voice emanated from a drone that flew up to him.

"Talk? About what?" Zhang Ji asked, a mocking smile on his face.

"A life-or-death struggle doesn’t serve either of our interests. There’s no need to take things to the extreme. You’re not all alone in the world. On Shanli Island, you still have a teacher and a registered disciple..."

"Are you threatening me?" Zhang Ji’s smile vanished. "Do you think I care?"

"Of course you care. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come back."

"Alright, your psychologists do have some skill." Zhang Ji clapped his hands. "But you should know, my ’caring’ only extends so far as they don’t interfere with my path. If I let their existence tie my hands, that would be ridiculous. You can go ahead and make a move on them, but you’d better kill yourselves quickly afterward. Otherwise... I know of certain Alchemy Drugs that can greatly increase a person’s cellular activity and drastically extend their lifespan. The side effects are just a little severe—uncontrolled proliferation. Just imagine, your entire body covered in excess flesh and tumorous growths, being harvested by a machine every single day, until you live to be over two hundred..."

The thing Zhang Ji was describing was an anti-humanity Alchemy Potion from a future era, the "Taisui Compound" from the Twisted City in the Roman Country. The Alchemists there used it to repeatedly harvest organ materials and human flesh.

Once you become a "Taisui Flesh Tree," you are fixed in place and "planted" inside a machine.

The only things you can feel are the daily force-feeding and the pain of being cut.

And yet, you remain perfectly conscious throughout the process.

If you lose consciousness, the Alchemists can simply reawaken it.

Even with the deepest hatred, after subjecting an enemy to this and listening to their desperate wails for a few days, any grudge would basically be satisfied.

...

In the congressional hall of the Capital City.

The negotiation expert, psychology expert, micro-expression expert, and others in charge of negotiating with Zhang Ji exchanged quick words after hearing his speech and came to a conclusion.

Zhang Ji was telling the truth. He truly wouldn’t hold back because of his connections. On the contrary, if he were completely without attachments, he might fully unleash his beast-like nature. At that point, the Eastern Extreme Congress would face a truly merciless, self-absorbed Supreme deity.

"So you’re saying not only can we not threaten them, we have to protect them?" Xiao Ning found the experts’ words somewhat absurd.

"According to the psychological model we’ve built, that is correct," the psychology expert replied. "He doesn’t have a strong antisocial personality. His current behavior is more of an emotional release and a process of satisfying his ambitions now that he has the power to do so..."

"Is there still room to negotiate?" Lin Kang asked.

"Perhaps we can concede a bit more, satisfy more of his conditions..." the negotiation expert said tentatively.

In a situation where the opponent clearly had the upper hand and his own side was unwilling to pay the price, he genuinely didn’t know how to negotiate.

Everything they possessed was difficult to use as a bargaining chip.

Be it power or wealth, if Zhang Ji wanted them, it wouldn’t take him much time to make them his own.

At this very moment, Zhang Ji had only one goal: to make these members of congress who had destroyed the Five Elements Sect, along with their family members, die one by one—to play a game of clan elimination.

Then, he would ascend to the pinnacle of the nation and become its "god" in the truest sense, an object of worship.

And that, obviously, was something the members of congress could not accept.

"Then... let the war begin!"