Chapter Sixty: Alliance

"Not anymore."

Li Ning was slightly taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

Sun Sheng said solemnly, "Lu Xingchen has already broken through to the Great Martial Master realm."

Upon hearing this, Li Ning was greatly astonished.

"So fast? This kid is an absolute monster!"

Sun Sheng said in a deep voice, "Who's to say otherwise? Lord Li Ning, what should we do next?"

Li Ning pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Lu Xingchen must have survived by sheer luck thanks to the spirit artifact given to him by the Lingxiao Sect. A spirit artifact can protect him once, but it cannot protect him a second time."

"Send Mo Hei and Mo Bai! I must stay in Zigui City to suppress the citizens of the Great Dayan Kingdom within the walls."

"And for some reason, the Sovereign said he would not send any more troops to support the Fengming Kingdom. Could the Qinming Kingdom have intervened?"

Sun Sheng shook his head slightly.

"Unclear. But with Lord Li Ning holding down Zigui City, we are bound to win. That Lu Xingchen will be done for sooner or later!"

Li Ning felt a slight surge of satisfaction, but still said in a deep voice, "Stop spouting useless nonsense and go arrange the manpower!"

"Understood!"

It took Lu Xingchen and Yun Li a full day and night to reach the Cloud Hidden Kingdom.

During this time, he preliminarily mastered the essentials of the Silent Arrow, though he still lacked an opportunity for actual combat.

Yun Li said softly, "Lu Xingchen, why don't we ride horses instead? Flying across the territory of the Cloud Hidden Kingdom is likely to cause misunderstandings. We don't want to end up fighting the Cloud Hidden Kingdom before we even find reinforcements."

Lu Xingchen shook his head slightly. "No, not only am I going to fly over, but I'm going to have Xiao You land right on top of Su Xinghe's imperial palace."

Hearing this, Yun Li was somewhat surprised.

"Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"

"It has to be arrogant. Strength is the foundation of negotiation. Only by making Su Xinghe feel our might will he be willing to cooperate with us."

Yun Li said softly, "I think I'm starting to understand. Lu Xingchen, your scheming runs deep. Whoever becomes your wife is definitely going to be bullied by you."

At the mention of a wife, Lu Xingchen once again thought of Lin Wanqing.

The two had only just confirmed their relationship and hadn't even begun to get intimate before she left without saying goodbye.

He really missed her a bit.

Xiao You carried Lu Xingchen and Yun Li on its back as they flew across the territory of the Cloud Hidden Kingdom.

Along the way, the citizens on the ground let out continuous gasps of astonishment.

"Damn, am I seeing things? That's a dragon!"

"That's right, it's a dragon! Its scales are even reflecting the light!"

"I never thought I'd get to see a real dragon in my lifetime! I'm so lucky!"

"What is this giant beast doing coming to our Cloud Hidden Kingdom instead of staying in the Monster Beast Mountain Range?"

"Look, there seem to be people on the dragon's back!"

"Judging by the direction, they're heading for the royal capital!"

Xiao You carried the two all the way toward the royal capital, and upon nearing the city walls, it was spotted by the defending soldiers.

A martial master channeled his battle qi to amplify his voice and shouted, "The royal capital is a forbidden zone, outsiders are not allowed to enter. The people on the dragon's back, halt immediately, or we will attack!"

Lu Xingchen said indifferently, "Xiao You, ignore them and head straight for the imperial palace."

"Understood!"

Xiao You nodded and continued flying forward.

Seeing that Lu Xingchen did not respond, the city guards panicked, and over a hundred archers unleashed a volley of arrows at Xiao You.

However, ordinary arrows could not pierce Xiao You's defense at all.

The feathered arrows sparked against Xiao You's scales and then fell powerlessly.

That martial master turned pale with fright.

"It's a tier-three monster beast! His Majesty is in danger, quickly summon the Great Elder!"

Another martial master immediately rushed off to report to the Great Elder, while he himself led the soldiers in pursuit of Lu Xingchen.

A quarter of an hour later, Xiao You stopped atop the royal palace of the capital.

No sooner had Lu Xingchen and Yun Li jumped down than they were surrounded by soldiers of the Cloud Hidden Kingdom.

There were over a dozen martial masters and a hundred martial artists.

For a low-tier nation, this level of defense was already quite respectable, but Lu Xingchen remained completely unfazed.

The leading eight-star martial master said in a deep voice, "Who goes there? State your name!"

Lu Xingchen said indifferently, "You are not qualified to speak to me. Tell your leader to come out."

Hearing this, the eight-star martial master felt a flare of anger in his chest.

Yet, upon glancing at the Netherworld Dragon, he suppressed his displeasure.

Capable of subduing a tier-three draconic beast as a mount, this man indeed possessed the capital for arrogance.

He could only say respectfully, "Please wait a moment, Senior, the Great Elder will be right here."

Although Lu Xingchen was younger than him, the sheer strength displayed was undeniable.

Calling him "Senior" was no humiliation.

Lu Xingchen nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Five minutes later, a robust, white-haired old man walked over.

"Greetings, young friend. I am Li Mi, the Great Elder of the Cloud Hidden Kingdom. May I ask why you have made such a grand entrance and forced your way into the imperial palace? We are friends, not enemies, everything is negotiable."

Lu Xingchen glanced at the status above his head.

A five-star Great Martial Master, quite the expert!

Lu Xingchen cupped his fists slightly toward him. "I am Lu Xingchen, Junior General of the Great Dayan Kingdom. I have come to discuss important matters with Sovereign Su."

Hearing this, Li Mi felt a jolt of shock in his heart.

He had heard of Lu Xingchen. The young man had previously escorted the bridge architect Li Yuan back to the country, doing the Cloud Hidden Kingdom a massive favor.

He had long wished to meet this young hero, but alas, no opportunity had ever presented itself.

Yet here he was in the flesh.

A smile appeared on Li Mi's face as he said gently, "So it is young friend Lu Xingchen! I've heard much about your esteemed name. Follow me, the Sovereign is currently holding a meeting with his ministers, I will take you in."

Lu Xingchen smiled faintly. "Sorry to trouble you, Uncle Li Mi."

Li Mi chuckled awkwardly. "Would it be possible to have this tier-three monster beast move to a different spot? Parking it on top of the imperial palace is rather unsightly."

Lu Xingchen said softly, "Xiao You, return!"

Xiao You instantly transformed into a streak of white light and entered Lu Xingchen's mount space.

Li Mi was slightly startled.

For a tier-three monster beast to be so obedient to Lu Xingchen was a clear testament to his immense strength.

He had heard that half a year ago, when Lu Xingchen escorted Li Yuan, he was only a four-star martial master. He wondered how much progress the youth had made since then.

The three of them walked toward the grand hall together.

Li Mi pondered as he walked.

He had heard about the situation in the Great Dayan Kingdom; it was on the verge of annihilation.

Lu Xingchen's trip here was most likely to seek assistance.

Yet the Tianhui Kingdom openly supported the Fengming Kingdom, so how could other low-tier nations dare to stick their necks out?

Most likely, Lu Xingchen would return empty-handed this time.

Li Mi's voice arrived before they even reached the hall.

"Reporting to the Sovereign, young friend Lu Xingchen of the Great Dayan Kingdom requests an audience!"

Hearing this, Su Xinghe paused the meeting, rose from the dragon throne, and hurried forward to welcome him.

He held a degree of respect for this Junior General.

After all, not only was the youth talented and accomplished, but he had also done the Cloud Hidden Kingdom a tremendous favor.

As Lu Xingchen and Yun Li entered the grand hall, Su Xinghe took the initiative to shake hands with Lu Xingchen, smiling, "Young friend Lu, it has been quite a while! What brings you here today?"

Although he had already guessed the answer, he still had to ask.

Lu Xingchen said in a deep voice, "I represent the Great Dayan Kingdom, and I am here to discuss an alliance with the Cloud Hidden Kingdom."