159: Fourth Generation: Overlord (55)

Meanwhile, deep within the Golden Tent of the Heavenly Wolf Dynasty royal court, ten thousand miles away in the northern border, a different scene was unfolding.

"Bang!"

Tianlang Kingdom Lord Boljin slammed a palm onto the golden table beside him, shattering it. His hair and beard bristled, and the violent Spiritual Pressure of his Foundation Establishment Perfection Realm swept through the entire Golden Tent like a storm, causing the wolf guards standing in attendance to tremble and kneel on the ground.

"That brat Wang Yuan! How dare he humiliate me like this!"

Boljin's eyes were bloodshot, his voice roaring like a gray wolf. "He is leading his army in person? Does he really think there is no one left in my Heavenly Wolf Dynasty?! I will personally lead the Gray Wolf Cavalry, flatten Iron Wall Pass, and turn his skull into a wine vessel!"

"Calm your anger, Kingdom Lord!"

An old and steady voice rang out. The High Priest, dressed in gray priestly robes, stepped forward slowly and bowed to offer counsel.

His face was withered, but his eyes were as deep as an abyss. He was none other than the mastermind of the Heavenly Wolf Dynasty, the High Priest He Lian Bo, who was at the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage.

"He Lian Bo! Are you trying to stop me again?"

Boljin glared at him, but faced with this old minister who had assisted him for many years, his tone softened slightly.

"Kingdom Lord, this man Wang Yuan is unfathomable," He Lian Bo said in a low voice. "According to secret reports, just a few days ago, during the palace examination, he exposed the disguise of a Shadow Tower assassin at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage with a single word and killed him instantly with a wave of his hand!"

"Furthermore... a Cultivator at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage couldn't even manage to self-destruct."

Boljin's pupils constricted slightly. "Is this true? Even if a Shadow Tower assassin at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage was no match, how could he be left without the strength to even struggle?"

"It is absolutely true!" He Lian Bo nodded heavily. "The spy saw it with his own eyes! That Wang Yuan's strength is definitely not something an ordinary Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator could possess. Now that he is leading his army in person, he may well have some hidden methods!"

Boljin's expression was uncertain, rage churning in his chest, but it was forcibly suppressed by a cold sense of reason.

Although he was violent, he was not a brainless brute.

He Lian Bo's words were like ice water poured over his head, causing his boiling blood to gradually cool.

He was well aware of the strength of a Shadow Tower assassin at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

That kind of Cultivator, who excelled in the art of concealment and assassination, had many ways to save their life and escape, even if they were slightly inferior to their peers in a head-on confrontation. How could they fail to even self-destruct to injure the enemy or take them down together?

This boy Wang Yuan was definitely not just relying on the Wang family's heritage!

There must be a shocking secret about him, or he possessed terrifying strength far exceeding his apparent Realm!

"Then what should we do?"

Boljin's voice dropped, carrying a trace of suppressed irritation and unwillingness, and he slammed his hand onto the wolf-headed armrest.

"Are you suggesting we just admit defeat, bow down to that brat Wang Yuan, and let my Heavenly Wolf Dynasty's thousand-year foundation become a vassal state to Great Shang?!"

"I would rather die in battle than suffer this humiliation!"

The temperature inside the Golden Tent seemed to drop even further. The wolf guards buried their heads even lower, not daring to let out a breath.

He Lian Bo knew his Kingdom Lord's temperament well. Seeing that although he was still angry, he could now listen to counsel, he felt slightly relieved and quickly bowed. "Calm your anger, Kingdom Lord! That is not what I meant at all! My Heavenly Wolf Dynasty dominates the grasslands; how could the descendants of the Gray Wolf bow to anyone?"

He took a step forward, lowering his voice further, carrying a bewitching tone. "Open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. Wang Yuan is strong, indeed, but since he is leading his army in person and is situated within the military formation, he appears to be protected by the National Fortune and the myriad troops, but in reality... this also exposes his greatest weakness!"

"Oh?" Boljin's gaze sharpened, and he leaned forward slightly. "Go on!"

"Does the Kingdom Lord remember that after the previous failed assassination by the Shadow Tower, they sent a message stating that Wang Yuan possessed a strange Imperial Dao Cultivation Technique that could invoke the National Fortune and allow his words to become law? This palace examination incident is likely proof of that!"

"A head-on collision is likely not the best strategy. Wang Yuan carries the momentum of a great victory, is blessed by the National Fortune, and has the full support of the Wang family. His strength has far exceeded our estimates."

"Although our army is numerous, our top-tier combat power... apart from the Kingdom Lord, I fear no one can keep him in check. Once the Kingdom Lord is held up by him, our army will be in danger."

"Shadow Tower!" He Lian Bo spat out the two words. "The Shadow Tower has failed repeatedly, lost assassins, and was even publicly humiliated by Wang Yuan. They must be harboring a grudge."

"We can contact the Shadow Tower envoy again and pay a sufficient price to have them send a Gold Tier Assassin! A Gold Tier Assassin at the Foundation Establishment Perfection level, combined with you personally attacking, could deliver a thunderous strike amidst the tens of thousands of troops!"

A fierce light rose in Boljin's eyes again, but this time it was calculated. "A Gold Tier Assassin... the price will not be small."

Boljin fell silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the throne's armrest, producing a dull tapping sound.

Inside the Golden Tent, only this rhythmic sound and the whistling of the wind outside remained.

He was weighing the pros and cons, his mind locked in a battle between heaven and man.

A Gold Tier Assassin! That is a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Perfection level!

Such a person, even in a massive assassin organization like the Shadow Tower that spreads across the Eastern Region and even broader territories, is definitely considered a pillar of strength, with a noble status far exceeding that of the previously lost assassins.

To hire such a person to act, the price required is by no means something that ordinary Spirit Stones or resources could satisfy.

It would certainly require a Heaven And Earth Treasure that could truly move a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Perfection level. Such treasures are extremely rare, even within the Heavenly Wolf Dynasty!

Such a massive expenditure would almost hollow out a portion of the Heavenly Wolf Dynasty's accumulated wealth over hundreds of years, so Boljin could not help but be cautious.

This was like a high-stakes gamble with the National Fortune. If they won, they would annex Great Shang, and the gains would far exceed the cost; but if they lost... the Heavenly Wolf Dynasty would likely suffer a great blow to its Origin Qi, or even collapse entirely.

He Lian Bo stood quietly to the side, not urging him.

He knew the weight of this decision; it had to be made by the Kingdom Lord himself.

All he could do was analyze all the pros and cons thoroughly.

Time passed bit by bit, and the atmosphere inside the Golden Tent was suffocating.

Finally, Boljin's fingers tapping on the armrest stopped abruptly.

All the hesitation, struggle, and heartache in his eyes transformed into a kind of ruthless determination and resolve to burn his bridges!

"Hoo..."

He exhaled a long breath of turbid air. The breath actually carried a trace of a bloody scent, showing the intensity of his internal resolve.

"He Lian Bo!"

Boljin's voice became cold and hard, like ten-thousand-year cold iron.

"I am here!"

He Lian Bo's spirits lifted, and he immediately bowed in response.

"We shall follow your strategy!" Boljin said, enunciating every word. Each word seemed to carry a weight of ten thousand jun. "Contact the Shadow Tower immediately! Tell them my conditions!"

He stood up, his tall figure casting a huge shadow under the lamplight, full of oppression:

"One wolf god blood crystal!"

Hearing this, He Lian Bo's heart rate quickened slightly. The wolf god blood crystal was the Heavenly Wolf Dynasty's ultimate treasure, which could only be condensed once every fifty years within the Heavenly Wolf Dynasty. It was rumored to have the effect of assisting a Cultivator at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage to break through to the Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Although it was ineffective for a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Perfection level, what Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Perfection level wouldn't have descendants, relatives, or nephews?

Boljin paused, a flash of extreme heartache appearing in his eyes, but it was immediately covered by a deeper ruthlessness: "After the matter is accomplished, add three-tenths of the Heavenly Wolf Dynasty's tax revenue for ten years! And... after the Great Shang Dynasty is destroyed, the Shadow Tower may select three items from its secret royal treasury first!"

This price was truly staggering! It was almost using the foundation of the nation as a gamble!