Chapter Ninety-One: Great Xia, Draw Your Sword Today!

In ancient times, among the countless powerful ministers, only Cao Cao ever possessed such authority.

It was not that Emperor Xian of Han cherished or trusted Cao Cao so deeply; it was simply that Cao Cao held the Son of Heaven in his grasp to command the feudal lords, and Emperor Xian had no choice but to allow it.

For a minister to ascend the imperial hall carrying a sword and wearing shoes, and to be excused from formal salutations, was no longer the sort of power a subject ought to have.

What did it mean, to enter the throne hall armed and unannounced, with no need for ritual bows or shouted honors?

In plain terms, it meant being bound by no rules at all: no need for ceremony, no need for inspection.

You could go anywhere with a sword in hand, even stroll right before the emperor himself with it dangling at your side.

No emperor could ever permit that. After all, what if the man suddenly betrayed him, sprang up in violence, and stabbed him to death on the spot? Then what if he turned around and made himself emperor?

And in the present age, it was the same.

This privilege of entering armed and skipping all formalities was just as terrifying now.

You could refuse every inspection, carry a gun, and walk straight into any place at all. Even the residence or office of the Head of State could be entered directly. No one had the authority to search you, no one could demand decorum, and no one would dare stop you.

It was terrifying.

Yet the Head of State had given Lin Fan exactly this authority.

It could be said that he trusted Lin Fan absolutely. Or it could be said that even if Lin Fan betrayed him and wanted to kill him to seize the office for himself, he would have nothing to say, and would accept death with composure.

Because Lin Fan was the supreme commander of this war against the gods, and only he understood best how to deal with them, and how to keep Great Xia from falling.

He was willing to risk dying beneath Lin Fan's gun, so long as Lin Fan could lead Great Xia to survive in the gods' hands.

The Head of State would rather perish himself than see Great Xia destroyed.

Better that the world betray him than that he betray Great Xia.

That was the breadth of the Human Emperor of Great Xia.

For a moment, Lin Fan stood frozen in place, his eyes reddening. "Thank you, Head of State."

He understood the meaning behind those eight words all too well.

The Head of State nodded. "After the press conference, an official order will be issued. No security checkpoint is to seize weapons from members of the Godslaying Army, and no one is to obstruct them."

"The Godslaying Army does not part from its blade."

"Now, go in."

Just as Lin Fan was about to step forward, one of the security personnel could not help but say, "Head of State, if foreign reporters photograph our Great Xia supreme commander speaking with a blade at his waist..."

"That is of no concern." The Head of State said indifferently. "It is time Great Xia showed its blade."

At those words, all were stunned.

Today, Great Xia would show its blade.

At three o'clock sharp, under the waiting gaze of countless reporters and the watchful eyes of the regional leaders and military commanders, Great Xia's supreme commander, Lin Fan, finally took the stage.

Before he even spoke, the fierce gleam of the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade at his waist seized everyone's attention.

"He brought a blade with him?" Bai Zhan stared in disbelief at the long, shining saber hanging at Lin Fan's waist. "What is this kid doing? What kind of occasion is this? He dares to bring a blade? And such a huge one at that, with no attempt to hide it at all?"

"At this rate, should the rest of us military commanders be bringing guns in too? The hell with it, should we all sit here in the meeting each holding a gun?"

It was not only Bai Zhan.

Everyone was inwardly shaken.

How many years had it been?

Since Great Xia was founded, at every major conference held in the Great Hall of the highest assembly, no matter what the level of the meeting, no one had ever dared bring a blade inside, much less carry one onto the podium.

Not even the Head of State had ever delivered a speech with a blade at his side.

Great Xia had always governed with gentleness and goodwill. When had it ever given a speech with steel in hand?

The foreign reporters were snapping photos like mad, for the blade at Lin Fan's waist was impossible to miss.

Viewers watching the livestream were equally stunned.

"Wait, why does he have a blade hanging at his waist?"

"Hold on, isn't that the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade? I've seen that shape before. It's exactly the same as the one in the museum!"

"No way. The Azure Dragon Crescent Blade is clearly in the museum, and it's already been over a thousand years. How could it still be so bright and new?"

"That really is too outrageous. The sharpness and sheen of the blade look like it was just manufactured..."

"Uh, I went to the National Museum today and suddenly noticed that a lot of relics were gone. The Azure Dragon Crescent Blade was among them..."

"No way. You mean... that's the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade? How could that be... it's so new!"

"It must be right. We're talking about the Godslaying Army, after all. They must have a way. Besides, you saw how powerful that Jiang Chen was last time, didn't you? What if some beings appear that even titanium-alloy daggers can't handle?"

"I'm convinced. Just thinking about charging into battle with the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade... damn, I want to get up there myself!"

"By the way, if someone uses that blade, could they end up possessed by Guan Yu?"

Of course, that was only a small part of the discussion.

More people were talking not about the blade itself, but about Lin Fan's decision to carry one into a meeting.

"Bringing a blade to a conference? That's way too wild. This is one of Great Xia's highest-level meetings. Even the military commanders are sitting there obediently, and he walks onto the stage with a blade? Is he planning to kill a few people to liven things up?"

"Come on, can Lin Fan's status really be compared to the military commanders' now? He's the boss of the Godslaying Army, and besides, didn't you watch the video of him killing Jiang Chen last time?"

"No, I mean, yes, he does have that status... but this is still insane! Never mind the country, if the foreign reporters capture this, won't the other nations think Great Xia is subtly threatening them?"

"And this is the first conversation with the gods. Lin Fan showing up with a blade... isn't that a little inappropriate?"

On every major livestream platform, Lin Fan's blade-bearing entrance sent the comment feeds into a frenzy.

After all, the people of Great Xia had always been reserved and peace-loving. No one had ever before carried a blade onto the podium in the highest assembly hall.

The uproar caused by bringing a blade to the meeting was, astonishingly, even greater than the first conversation with the gods.

Lin Fan looked at the military commanders below, whispering among themselves, and at the foreign reporters frantically snapping photos at him. He smiled and leaned toward the microphone.

"Everyone, it seems you're quite curious about my bringing a blade onto the stage."

His voice rolled out from the loudspeakers.

No one answered.

But every face in the room seemed to be saying, "Isn't that obvious?"

"Heh. Everyone, don't read too much into it. Great Xia has no intention of going to war with anyone, and I don't mean to frighten anyone." Lin Fan smiled. "The reason I brought a blade to this meeting comes down to two things."

"First."

"The Godslaying Army must always ensure the safety of Great Xia, and must be ready to face danger at any time. So, the Godslaying Army never parts from its blade."

The Godslaying Army never parted from its blade.

An invisible killing intent swept over the hall.

"And the second reason..."