Chapter 35: The War Goddess Yu Ji

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For the stubborn Xiang Yu, Wang Kun merely shook his head. Initially, he had hoped Xiang Yu might help him conquer the Xiongnu and the nomads, but now it was clear this man was determined to restore the state of Chu. Since that was the case, there was nothing more to be said. Wang Kun simply sent Xiang Yu away from Chang’an.

Yet Liu Bang, ever shrewd, quietly left behind a parting remark before departing. Reading Liu Bang’s words, Wang Kun smiled. “Liu Bang sees things clearly. He understands the current state of the world—he knows who holds the advantage now.”

Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.

In Chu territory, Xiang Yu’s last remaining force was now completely surrounded in a mountain valley by Liu Bang, who led tens of thousands of troops. “Xiang Yu, the world now belongs to the Holy Emperor. Why persist in such stubborn opposition?”

Perhaps Liu Bang, having witnessed Wang Kun’s extraordinary power, no longer harbored ambitions of ruling alone. Now, all he desired was a prominent position within the court—a place of influence would suffice. Wang Kun’s abilities were nothing short of miraculous, and it was clear that only Xiang Yu’s remnant force stood against the tide.

Today, if Xiang Yu fell, the entire Central Plains would echo with only the voice of the Great Han Empire.

Facing Liu Bang’s relentless advance, Xiang Yu’s battered troops—fewer than a thousand—were either killed or wounded and captured. Xiang Yu himself survived. Although he wished to end his own life, Liu Bang would not allow it. Wang Kun’s command was clear: Xiang Yu must be taken alive.

About ten days later, Xiang Yu was brought to Xianyang by Liu Bang.

When Wang Kun saw Xiang Yu again, he found the man resigned to whatever fate awaited him, so he ordered him locked away. Wang Kun planned to let Xiang Yu languish for two years; if the man remained obstinately unyielding, he would settle things before leaving this world.

Wang Kun could remain in this world for another eight years. Barely a year had passed since he arrived. With seven years remaining, Wang Kun intended to use his time to further strengthen his own abilities and, as much as possible, eliminate all threats surrounding the Great Han Empire.

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The Xiongnu and the nomads were his chief concern.

Wang Kun’s method for dealing with these peoples was brutally simple: he would eradicate all Xiongnu and nomad males, regardless of age. Then, he would send settlers from the Central Plains to inhabit these regions, instituting mandatory assimilation into Han culture. With time, these lands would cease to be a threat.

In the third year of the Holy Emperor’s reign, in the autumn, Wang Kun—who had spent several years cultivating the Ninefold Thunder Blade technique in the rear gardens of Celestial Palace—finally mastered its fundamentals. This was no small feat for him.

Over the years, Wang Kun had used dragon’s blood and the spirit of millennia-old plants to augment his strength. Now, he had reached the level of a high war god.

Notably, after Wang Kun passed on the genetic energy cultivation method to Yu Ji and Jade Xu—both of whom had taken the elixir of immortality—they succeeded in sensing the primordial energy of the universe and advanced to the ranks of junior war general and senior warrior, respectively.

Wang Kun was deeply pleased by their progress. Both women were his consorts; with newfound strength, he could entrust the empire to their care with confidence, even after he departed this world.

Half a year passed swiftly. When Yu Ji’s abilities advanced to the intermediate war general level, Wang Kun allowed her to use the remaining portion of jade marrow. With its power, Yu Ji broke through to the rank of junior war god. Though barely reaching this level, she was now second only to Wang Kun himself in strength.

But Wang Kun felt a pang of frustration as well. After cultivating the Ninefold Thunder Blade, Yu Ji mastered the first level in just two months and soon broke through to the second. In contrast, Wang Kun was still stuck at the first level. How could he not be vexed? His talent paled beside a woman’s; if Yu Ji ever found out, she would surely laugh at him.

Fortunately, Wang Kun had kept his inadequacy a secret. Otherwise, his pride would suffer.

Over the years, Wang Kun had considered letting others attempt to cultivate the genetic energy as well.

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But after some thought, he abandoned the idea. He feared that someone might, without the immortal elixir, sense the primordial energy and possess exceptional talent; within a few years, he might inadvertently nurture an unstable element.

To safeguard his own position and imperial power, he decisively gave up the notion of empowering others.

He guided Yu Ji and Jade Xu onto the path of cultivation because they were his women—entirely trustworthy. Moreover, both had taken the elixir of immortality. With endless years ahead, mere loyalty was insufficient to guard the vast empire Wang Kun had built; they needed strength of their own.

Time flowed by. By the fifth year of the Holy Emperor’s reign, after years of relentless campaigns, the Great Han Empire had eliminated all threats posed by surrounding nomadic tribes. The empire even pressed westward to the lands of the Aryans.

Were it not for the vast distance and the limited population of the Central Plains, the western campaign might not have halted.

In the sixth year, Liu Bang, whom Wang Kun had dispatched to conquer Siam, had been appointed governor of the region for less than a year before dying in that wild land. Perhaps the harshness of Siam hastened Liu Bang’s death, making it come several years earlier than in history.

With Liu Bang gone and the empire’s expansion halted, Wang Kun felt Xiang Yu had outlived his usefulness. If only Xiang Yu had yielded years before and aided in the western campaigns, Wang Kun might have kept him. Now, with the wars concluded, Xiang Yu had no further purpose.

So, two months after Liu Bang’s death, Xiang Yu also died within the residence where he had been kept under house arrest.

During those years, Wang Kun, hoping to win Xiang Yu’s loyalty, had not confined him to a dungeon, but kept him in a house under soft confinement. Yet after several years, Xiang Yu remained stubborn and unyielding. Naturally, Wang Kun would not suffer him any longer.

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