Chapter 1772: Chapter 73: The Fall of Chen

He pondered again, musing:

"Since we’re already here, why not take a look inside this tomb to see what it’s like."

Old Siming was still fuming, instinctively replied: "Hmm??"

"You want to rob Chen Country’s tomb?!"

General Xue said: "Of course not."

He confidently stated: "We will enter through the main gate."

"Openly and honestly take it!"

Old Siming was dumbfounded: "Ha???"

Even though General Xue spoke rather unreliably, he acted swiftly and decisively, especially when it involved Chen Baxian, quickly reaching Chen Baxian’s tomb.

Chen Baxian had personally established the foundation for the lineage of Chen Country. The descendants held great admiration for this ancestor, a top Divine General of his era. The royal tomb cluster of Chen Country was built around the tomb of Duke Chen Baxian.

Old Siming saw a stone stele surrounded by two massive, majestic guardian tomb beasts. On the stele, a line of words was inscribed.

[Those who enter this tomb, punished personally by Ancestor Baxian, shall die without a burial place]!

General Xue dismissed it disdainfully and directly pushed open the massive stone door of the tomb.

"If you’ve got the guts, come at me, Chen Baxian."

"Old fellow, who are you trying to scare?"

Continuing forward, passing through the passageway, he saw another stele.

The characters were bold and fierce, seemingly written with a long spear, exuding a daunting heroic spirit as if from a battlefield.

[Those named Xue and dogs are not allowed inside]!

Old Siming fell silent: "What exactly did you do to Duke Chen Baxian for him to be so certain you would come to his tomb and leave such words in his burial site, cursing you like this?"

General Xue asserted confidently: "Who said I’ve entered?"

"It’s the Mechanical Man that entered centuries after my death."

"That old fellow guessed wrong."

Looking at the large stele, he strode forward:

"Like I care about any of this!"

General Xue walked inside, and though obstacles lined the way, none could stop the steps of this Divine General. He walked all the way to the innermost part, where a stele at the front of the tomb had a large character written with fierce strokes.

[Leave]!

General Xue laughed heartily, unconcerned.

Kicked the door open.

Get outta here!

Arriving at the burial site of the coffin, he saw a jug of wine and two wine cups placed before the massive tombstone. Evidently, these were things prepared long ago, covered in dust. General Xue picked up the jug, poured two cups of wine, and remarked:

"You still understand me!"

"At this time, I would certainly come to drink with you, Chen Baxian."

General Xue held up the wine cup, though he had a mechanical body, he could still feel a slow serenity, saying:

"You prepared everything, arranged everything, and indeed, your descendants established a nation, but in the end, it was destroyed. But it was only an empty dream; I feel, at least I should tell you."

"What you sought, ultimately, could not be achieved."

General Xue with a slight smile, tilted his head back, and drank wine.

As if conversing leisurely with an old friend.

But suddenly spit it out: "Hmm???"

He looked at the wine, filled with its aroma, but it tasted as if it mixed vinegar with spicy oil. Guan Shier’s Mechanical Techniques weren’t very strong, but with General Xue using Primordial Spirit Power to interact with the wine, he could somewhat sense it.

General Xue saw a line of small characters under the wine jug, written by Chen Baxian.

[This time, I won].

General Xue was stunned, imagining how five hundred years ago, that old friend, aged and near death, had easily, yet with a certain natural simplicity, devised this ’victorious move’ with painstaking thought.

Then carefully laid it out, with a sly and composed manner, closed his eyes, and departed from the world.

This was the last move against General Xue, and also the last gift from an old friend.

This gift was separated by five hundred years.

Chen Baxian had assumed General Xue would come to his tomb but never considered that he was also General Xue’s friend, a close comrade. Even with the latter’s carefree character, he never did something like this.

It wasn’t until over five hundred years later that Chen Country was destroyed that he came to tell him.

Both were too clever, clever enough to see through hearts.

Yet, as a result, they underestimated each other’s affection.

The old friend has passed away.

The old friend remains as before.

General Xue felt a sting in his heart, as if pricked, he sat dazedly beside the tombstone, raising his hand to stroke the nearby tombstone, suddenly chuckling softly, bursting into loud laughter, indulgent and wild, something he hadn’t experienced in a long time, exhilaratingly satisfying.

Downed the ’wine’ mixed with chili oil and vinegar in one go, laughing loudly:

"Great wine!!!"

"Chen Baxian, oh Chen Baxian, I concede you won!"

The ruler of Chen Country has perished, and the destiny of Chen Country is severed.

The death of a ruler, especially of a major country in the Central Plains, had a greater impact on the world than even Prince Qin’s conquest of the majority of Chen Country’s territory. Nonetheless, amid this turmoil and the waves of change.

Two matters followed closely.

First, with the passing of Emperor Chen, Chen Dingye, the ministers and officials discussed his posthumous title.

Secondly—

A new Divine General List was announced to the world.