The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 481 A Grandmaster-level War God Emperor

"Younger brother Yang Xuyan greets all of you brothers!" In a Taoist temple outside Luoyang City, Yang Xuyan bowed deeply to his seven brothers.

After recuperating for a few days, Prince Pingyuan Yang Yu, Prince Ancheng Yang Jun, Prince Anping Yang Yi, Prince Xiangcheng Yang Ke, Prince Gaoyang Yang Gai, Prince Jian'an Yang Shao, and Prince Yingchuan Yang Ying, who gradually accepted the fact that they had been rescued or even died, looked at their brother who seemed somewhat familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar to them, and hurriedly returned the greeting.

They could accept the news that their younger brother Yang Xuyan was still alive. They did not see the body when their brother died young, and their father had hinted that their brother had faked his death to escape. They never thought that this day would come after so many years.

The eight brothers spoke their hearts out to each other at night. Yang Xuyan told them about Pei Ju's true identity and his martial arts training in Chengdu over the years. He did not hide the cruelty of the Demon Sect at all, which made the seven adult brothers almost burst into tears. Their original relief for their younger brother's early escape from the sea of ​​suffering immediately turned into deep guilt and pity.

Life is not easy for a disciple of the Evil King. If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. If you are unable to bear it, you will suffer from it. Fortunately, Yang Xuyan is talented and smart enough to hold on until Lin Bufan arrives. After that, he has to buy enough time to follow the suicidal pace of Emperor Yang Guang of Sui Dynasty, constantly grabbing benefits and striving to grow stronger.

"I've already made arrangements with the seven sisters-in-law to reunite with you brothers as soon as possible. However, our tyrant uncle is extremely vigilant at the moment, so we shouldn't act rashly. I hope you will understand." Yang Xuyan continued, "The Great Sui Dynasty is the domain of the Yang family, as well as the aristocratic families of Guanzhong and Longyou. Given our tyrant uncle's temperament, he will certainly not be willing to be controlled by others. There will definitely be major changes in the future, and that will be the time for us to demonstrate our abilities. Until then, I hope you will be patient and work hard to improve your abilities and wait for the right time."

What abilities should be improved?

With his wisdom in both civil and military affairs as well as his own martial arts, Yang Xuyan analyzed the situation in the world very clearly, especially the dangers posed by the aristocratic families and Buddhism, which shocked the seven royal descendants of the Yang family. The seemingly prosperous Sui Dynasty actually had so many hidden dangers in secret, and was even in danger of collapse at any time.

"Master Shi is currently in the Western Regions, investigating their customs, landscapes, and other aspects. Once he finds something, he will surely guide our tyrant uncle in conquering the Western Regions. However, the Western Regions are remote and not a strategic location in the Central Plains. It's easier for the Sui Dynasty to conquer than to maintain it. Unrest is inevitable, and we can seize the opportunity to seize it." Yang Xuyan said confidently, "Master Shi is exceptionally capable. There are few in the world who can rival him, not even the scoundrels of the Western Regions."

Yang Xuyan then continued, "Although I deeply hate our tyrant uncle, I have to admit that he has a far-reaching vision. After the Western Regions and the Turks, he will undoubtedly suppress Goryeo. Goryeo was originally a small country, but has since continuously expanded and encroached on the former Central Plains, becoming a major power. If it is not curbed, it will sooner or later become a disaster. Therefore, it is best to prepare for the Hebei region early. I wonder which brother is willing to go to this cold and harsh place to conduct business?"

Yang Xuyan elaborated on his future plans, stating that his abilities were limited and he couldn't split his time between them, so he needed his brothers' help. Then he changed the subject: "This is a matter for the future. It's best to plan early, but it doesn't necessarily need to be implemented immediately. Before that, I want to improve my brothers' martial arts skills."

Yang Yu and others looked at each other in bewilderment. They were born into the royal family of the Sui Dynasty, and their father was once the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty. They had also been enthroned as kings and had come into contact with many talented people. They had some martial arts skills. Yang Yu and Yang Jun had even reached the level of half a step to the innate realm. The other five were slightly worse, but they were definitely not weak scholars who could not even tie a chicken.

The Yang family has its own heritage and is not weak. Otherwise, how could they have defended their kingdom by simply relying on the support of Buddhism and the Demonic Sect?

Don't joke. If it were like this, it would have been eaten alive long ago, leaving nothing behind.

Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, was a master at the peak of his powers. Yang Guang was also a master at the same level, and a very experienced one. Yang Yong, a devotee of Buddhism, had also barely made it to the Grandmaster realm. Although not as strong as his father or brother, he was still a Grandmaster nonetheless. To be honest, the overall strength of Yang Jian's family was even greater than that of Li Yuan's. This is the foundation and power of the aristocratic family.

However, during Yang Yu's generation, a major change occurred. Firstly, Yang Yong himself had barely reached the Grandmaster level and did not place much emphasis on martial arts, lacking effective guidance for his sons. Secondly, after Yang Yong was deposed, Yang Guang oppressed them excessively, immediately intimidating and discouraging any ambitious individuals. Furthermore, after Yang Yong's death, Yang Yan, Yang Yu, Yang Jun, and others lived under the care of others, and Yun Dingxing became wary of them, even strictly forbidding them from continuing to practice martial arts.

During the six or seven years when their strength should have been rapidly improved, they were suppressed. Yang Yu and Yang Jun's half-step to the innate realm was the result of their secret efforts, while their other brothers were well protected by them, but because they were protected too well, their progress in martial arts fell behind.

"My idea is good, but my brothers and I are only ordinary in talent. We have been suppressed and neglected for several years. Even if we want to make a breakthrough now, I'm afraid it will be difficult..." Yang Yu sighed softly. "The core martial arts of the Yang family are unique and can only be improved on the battlefield. Now that we are the deceased former princes, it will be difficult for us to dominate the battlefield."

Yang Xuyan was sent to the Demon Sect by his father at an early age. He knew very little about the family martial arts, and he couldn't help but be very curious and asked the reason. Yang Yu then told him that the core martial arts of the Yang family is called the God of War Art. No one knows whether it is related to the God of War Atlas. It is a profound martial art that relies on fighting to support fighting. Only by galloping on the battlefield can one improve better. If one wins, the realm will be improved, and if one loses, he will be frustrated. If he loses battles in succession, his realm may even fall.

When Yang Xuyan heard this, his heart suddenly moved, and he vaguely figured out the reason why Yang Guang was killing people everywhere. He conquered Tuyuhun, suppressed the Turks, and conquered Ryukyu and won all the way. His strength must be strong. After that, he conquered Goguryeo three times. He should have planned to use Goguryeo, which had a grandmaster, as a stepping stone to break through to the grandmaster level.

It's just that he was too ambitious and calculated too much. He played a big game of chess and dragged many players into it, so that the chessboard was in chaos and he failed. The failure of the three expeditions to Goguryeo not only did not allow him to break through to the Grandmaster level as he wished, but instead his realm fell to that of an ordinary Grandmaster. The siege of Yanmen Pass almost brought him down to earth.

Wait, the Sui army was defeated in the first expedition to Goguryeo, but Yang Guang may not have lost but won, because his enemies were not only Goguryeo, but also the aristocratic families in Longyou, Guanzhong, and Shandong who he wanted to defeat. It can even be said that Goguryeo was not the main enemy, but a knife in his hand.

The situation got out of control starting from the second expedition to Goguryeo. Yang Xuangan's joking rebellion disrupted Yang Guang's plan and pace, and made Yang Guang see the threat from the aristocratic families and Buddhism. From that time on, the two sides had gradually shown a tendency to tear each other apart, and Yang Guang also changed from the invincible Emperor Wu to a tyrant and incompetent ruler who was hated by everyone.

The third expedition to Goguryeo was a desperate gamble by Yang Guang. After much effort, he was defeated helplessly. It was at this time that his invincible golden body was truly broken, and his strength level also suffered a huge impact and began to decline seriously.

What he didn't want to see the most was that after losing the protection of his invincible golden body, ambitious people kept jumping out and refused to give him a chance to turn things around. From then on, he was defeated in every battle, even with the right time and place, because he had completely lost the support of the people.

"So that's it, so that's it, I understand, I finally understand!" Yang Xuyan took a deep breath and suddenly had a strange idea, what would happen if I supported that tyrant uncle behind the scenes and let him succeed in conquering Goguryeo?

"A war god emperor at the grandmaster level, it's terrifying just to think about it." Yang Xuyan gave up after just thinking about it. Yang Guang at the grandmaster level was so terrifying. If he could really become a grandmaster, no one in the world would be able to control him, not even himself. He had no confidence that he could control and weigh down Yang Guang at the grandmaster level.