Otherwise, how do you explain the Battle of Goddess Palace, where Ye Xiangnan lent a helping hand?

Numerous discussions weave together the chaotic scene in the Central Plains today.

And in the north, it is the same.

The influence of the Liang-Man War has never really waned, only overshadowed by the storms stirred by Chen Yuan in the Central Plains over the past few months.

Now that the Central Plains have fallen silent, the northern wars have naturally come to the public eye.

The confrontation between the Northern Barbarians and Liangzhou has just begun to reach a stalemate. But as reinforcements grow and more strong figures gather, relying solely on Wei Jinfeng as a top Yang God is naturally difficult to resist.

In fact, at the most critical moment, the old Heavenly Master of Wudang Mountain appeared, wielding the True Martial Sword, engaging in an immortal battle with the Barbarian God on the grasslands.

The battle shattered the earth and overturned mountains and rivers, claiming countless lives in its aftermath.

In the end, it ended in a draw.

The Northern Barbarians continue their attacks, and Wei Jinfeng can only struggle to resist.

Such immense pressure has also given Wei Jinfeng other thoughts, wishing that Chen Yuan could lend a helping hand to help Liangzhou through this hardship.

But the problem is that Chen Yuan's sphere of influence has not reached here, and sending troops is almost impossible. After much contemplation, he decided to let it go.

He decided to take it one step at a time, and if it really became impossible, he could only spill the last drop of blood for the Central Plains and leave the mess for Chen Yuan to clean up.

At this time, in the Central State.

Sima Ke of Jianye Empire sat high on the dragon throne, staring blankly at the empty Golden Throne Hall.

Since the coup, the civil and military officials in the Golden Throne Hall have been sparse, and sometimes, even lower-ranking officials had to be included as extras.

Now, the court session has adjourned.

Once the ministers left, the eunuchs and palace maids by his side also departed, leaving him alone in this place, appearing very lonely. Until now, Sima Ke has realized some things.

Why sometimes the emperor calls himself a solitary man, because when the tide turns, he is indeed a solitary man. Even after accepting all this long ago, in the deep of night, when there is no one around, he still daydreams.

"Sand...."

Footsteps echoed in the empty Golden Throne Hall, and Sima Ke raised his head, looking in the direction of the sound, quickly composing his face into an innocent smile.

"Why does the royal sister have the leisure to come here?"

As a nearly decorative emperor, the power of the entire capital and even the entire Central State was in the hands of Princess Pingyang, who was arguably busier than he, the emperor.

Every day, she had to handle state affairs, and she also enjoyed it.

As for him, the emperor, most of the time he just attended the court formally, while the core of the ministers in the court was Pingyang, and the discussions at the court were mostly pre-determined.

"A letter has come from King Yan's side."

Pingyang walked up the steps one by one.

Sima Ke quickly got up, gave space to Princess Pingyang, and asked:

"What instructions does the dokku have?"

Princess Pingyang sat comfortably in the seat meant exclusively for the emperor, took a deep breath. It wasn't her first time sitting there; it started with Sima Ke's concession, but during the concession, at one point she thought of trying it, and after that... she quite liked this firm dragon throne, visiting whenever she had leisure.

"The war in Yun State is over, Goddess Palace has submitted, and the ancestor of the Gu Family has fallen. The Yan Army has taken advantage of the chaos in the Western Regions to seize most of Yang Province. There's a message asking you to open all defenses.

The Yan Army might soon enter the Divine Capital City."

"The dokku has finally come, hehe... It seems the dokku is still quite considerate of our feelings, letting us voluntarily open the defenses instead of taking direct action."

Sima Ke let out a long breath, as if releasing the last bit of unease in his heart.

With Chen Yuan's current power, even if the Yan Army advances into the Central State, the Sima Family has no real resistance, and the defenses are merely for show.

It's just that other forces are mindful of the impact, otherwise, the central hub of the Great Jin Court would have already been annihilated.

Therefore, Sima Ke sometimes truly feared that one day Chen Yuan would not honor their prior agreement, wipe out the Great Jin, and label him as a foolish emperor to destroy him.

For him, it would merely be a matter of lifting a finger.

Now, the message asking him to open the defenses basically acknowledges their previous agreement, granting him a wealthy life of peace and security.

"Just be prepared, perhaps within a few months, the Yan Army will be at the city's gates."

"Don't worry royal sister, I've already had people prepare a dragon robe according to the dokku's dragon flag and usual preferences, ready for when he arrives at the Divine Capital City.

Absolutely satisfactory."

Sima Ke laughed heartily, with limited authority he could only strive to grasp as much chance for survival as possible within those limits.

"You're considerate, rest assured, you and I both know what kind of person King Yan is. He won't just discard us once we're no longer useful, even if it's just superficial, he'll give us safety."

"I naturally trust that, not to mention the father-son bond between us, purely relying on mother's side...." Sima Ke nodded repeatedly, affirming his position always sided with Chen Yuan.

He knows his royal sister has long accepted things as they are, after previous indirect suggestions didn't bring desired responses, he naturally wouldn't utter foolish words.

"That's good."

"To tell the truth, meeting a person like dokku is both unfortunate and fortunate for us. In these days, when I'm leisurely free, I've read some of the banned books within our family.

Discovering that dokku carries the air of his ancestor, how similar the current situation is to a thousand years ago? The Central Plains in turmoil, four enemies surrounding, each with their own mind, mutual slaughter.

How similar dokku is to Grand Ancestor Chu? Both are those once-in-a-millennium figures, turning the tide, heroes who settled the Four Barbarians and unified the Central Plains, possessing great Qi fortune.

To oppose such a person, not to mention us, even the uncertain sleeping Grand Ancestor probably would...." Sima Ke paused his words, simply smiling.

"It's good you understand.... I only have one brother, I really don't wish for you to do anything foolish, opposing such a person would erase the only surviving bloodline of our Sima Clan."

Princess Pingyang said, looking at Sima Ke with a half-smile.

Inside, Sima Ke's heart skipped a beat, nervously calling out:

"Royal sister...."

"Keep those little thoughts to yourself, next time, I won't say more."

She finished speaking, dragging her long gown, slowly leaving, leaving only a silhouette behind.

Sima Ke, on the brink of tears, hurriedly called out:

"Royal sister, I truly have no ulterior motives, just lighting incense at the Imperial Mausoleum according to ancestral customs.... Royal sister.... please don't misunderstand.....

I am truly loyal to King Yan."

...

It seemed as if Chen Yuan had sunk into a silent world; here, there was not a whisper of sound, more terrifying than falling into an abyss. Initially, he was even a bit frightened and wanted to escape.

But soon, he remembered what he was doing, quickly calming his spirit and completely quieting his heart.

In cultivation, time flows without notice, and immersed in his spirit, Chen Yuan indeed forgot the passage of time. He felt like he had just slept a very deep and restful sleep.

Since his breakthrough, he hadn't slept like this, forgetting all his troubles, discarding all hatred, and the entire world contained only him.

Loneliness, silence....

When Chen Yuan instinctively opened his eyes, that pitch-black world finally changed, a faint light appeared before him, like strands of silk illuminating the entire world.

He reached out to touch, but the thread passed through him like it wasn't there, gradually.... more and more threads enclosed him.

And his vision returned to the top of the Tangshan Buddha before his retreat.

His gaze was very calm.

The world was still the same world, the human world was still the same human world, the heavens and earth were still the same heavens and earth, but.... he discovered some slight differences.....

————

Rest early, good night!