Da Xuan Martial Saint

At the Da Xuan Dynasty Court, Bureau Head Han Kuo held a position just below one but above tens of thousands. In the absence of Emperor Xuan's interest in state affairs, Han Kuo almost single-handedly manipulated the entire court, his power overwhelming. He was also a figure whom all the Eight Princes sought to court.

However, Han Kuo had never shown any clear inclination, and he had his reasons. He excelled in both literary and martial arts, had been peerless in his youth, and was now among the top figures in the Blood Exchange Realm. Moreover, he had connections with several other Blood Exchange Realm chief officers within the Da Xuan Dynasty Court. It could be said that he was qualified enough to watch the Eight Princes vie for power from the sidelines, and support from him meant that one was only a step away from ultimate authority.

To Han Kuo and other top figures of the court, who occupied that supreme position didn't really matter, so their relations with Chen Mu were not as sensitive as those of the Eight Princes. Back when Chen Mu had not reached his current realm, although Han Kuo had heard of him, it wasn't enough to span great distances to meet Chen Mu. At that time, he merely showed slight surprise and then dismissed it from his mind.

But the current Chen Mu was different.

No matter how far the future Chen Mu could go, just the present Chen Mu alone, who had repelled Yuwen Hao, the ancient Heavenly Demon, already had a status above that of a Grandmaster. He was considered one of the martial arts powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the current era. Even being at the pinnacle of power within the Da Xuan Dynasty Court, he wished to discuss the grand momentum of the world with Chen Mu.

"Han Kuo..."

Chen Mu muttered to himself.

Today, although he was superficially involved with the Da Xuan Dynasty Court, Chen Mu was clear about the general situation. If the Eight Princes were each fighting for their own interests, then Han Kuo represented the entire officialdom.

Central Prefecture was not as chaotic as the Cold North. Positions in the court were not all honored for martial capabilities; civil officials were also commonplace. Those in high positions were countless, but they all owed their status to Han Kuo. Almost all the high-ranking civil officials in today's Da Xuan Dynasty Court were Han Kuo's disciples, backed by their own clans, forming a substantial power.

However,

that was all Chen Mu understood.

On the surface, Han Kuo indeed did not seem to favor any one of the Eight Princes, but what his true intentions were remained known to no one. With someone standing at the pinnacle of both power and martial arts, naturally, their true intentions could not be easily discerned.

In fact, Chen Mu also wanted to discuss the grand momentum of the world with Han Kuo. After all, once he ascended to the pinnacle of Martial Arts Realm, he would likely not ignore this chaotic world. Although sweeping across the Nine State might be easy, stabilizing the Ninety-Nine State and restoring order would be a massive task. He could not do it all himself and would still need people like Han Kuo to manage it step by step.

As for now, he did not intend to go to Central Prefecture.

Even if Han Kuo manifested an intention to invite him, should he join Han Kuo's camp, even the Eight Princes would dare not act rashly. But all this was still superficial, and his understanding of Central Prefecture was too little.

Though he feared no martial artist below a Celestial Human, and perhaps not even some lesser Celestial Humans, Central Prefecture was still entirely unfamiliar territory. Being the heart of the Ninety-Nine State in the Da Xuan Dynasty and a gathering place for talents, renowned figures, and the focus of the entire world, he would not easily put himself at risk.

"I have other matters to attend to for now, and it is inconvenient to travel to Central Prefecture. Please extend my apologies to Lord Han."

Chen Mu responded indifferently.

Central Prefecture, he would visit eventually, but not now.

At least until his Martial Arts Realm advanced further, not necessarily to the point where he was invincible, but at least where he could support the heavens alone without fearing any expert in the world to impede his steps.

Upon hearing Chen Mu's response, neither Wei Sheng nor the several accompanying officials showed any surprise, though a hint of regret appeared in the officials' eyes, while Wei Sheng remained entirely composed.

Chen Mu's rise had long been known within the court, born in the remote Cold North of lower Yu State and having fought his way up from chaos to his current position. His distrust of the Imperial Court's power and regarding Central Prefecture as a den of dragons and tigers were both entirely reasonable attitudes.

"Eunuch Wei, your visit must involve more than just conveying Lord Han's invitation."

Chen Mu cast his gaze towards Wei Sheng and softly spoke.

Though Han Kuo was the Chief Secretary of the Cabinet, merely inviting him to Central Prefecture wouldn't have warranted bringing someone from the Inner Court with him. Though he did not know much about Central Prefecture, he was well aware that the Cabinet and the Inner Court's Twelve Bureaus were two distinctly opposing factions.

The Twelve Bureaus of the Inner Court, led by Wei He, the Palm Imprint in charge of the Bureau of Rituals, acted only on Imperial commands. In Han Kuo's eyes, they acted under the guise of Imperial orders to wantonly interfere and mess up state policies, and their relationship could almost be described as hostile.

Especially since Emperor Xuan had been half-mad, half-conscious, and unseen for over a decade, the actions of the Twelve Bureaus had intensified. Essentially led by Wei He, this went deeper into the intrigues of the Eight Princes and the old Emperor Xuan.

After hearing Chen Mu's words, Wei Sheng bowed again towards Chen Mu.

This time he slightly opened his mouth, but no sound came out; the sound formed into a line and echoed only by Chen Mu's ear.

"Lord Chen, your insight is profound. My visit is not only to deliver a message on behalf of Lord Han but also from a certain prince... The prince said, if Lord Chen is to travel, to be wary of the Master of Xue Yin Tower."