Chapter 13: The Hegemon's Halberd

  Liu Bian was stunned for a moment, looking at Wang Yue and Shi A, they were also warriors, why didn't they sense it?

  "It seems that General Zhang has encountered a kindred spirit. Wang Yu looked at Zhang Heng with envy and said, "Your Majesty, divine weapons are like people, they have different innate energies, and only when they encounter opponents with the same energy or similar cultivation levels will they produce a response. General Zhang's reaction is so intense, it seems that there is a divine weapon in the treasury that shares his energy."

  "Really?" Liu Bian was half-believing and half-doubtful. This thing about the protective true energy and divine soldiers was too mysterious, after all. However, having experienced the scene of Chi Tu selling cute expressions, he already had some mental preparation for such strange things. "Isn't that a good thing? If we can find a suitable weapon, Zi Zhang's martial arts will advance another level, which is also a joyful event."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhang Heng sighed and said: "This divine weapon... is probably not something I can use. I just hope to take a look at what kind of divine weapon it is, with such a heavy killing aura."

  Liu Bian's eyebrows rose, his curiosity greatly piqued, and he turned to enter the hall first. Zhang Xiang was like a hunting dog, following the scent as he walked over. However, the further he went, the more tense he became, as if being suppressed by an invisible force, not even daring to breathe loudly. Wang Yue and Shi A's faces also turned solemn, while Liu Bian and Jia Xun didn't seem to react at all.

  They finally stopped in front of a wooden cabinet that was nearly two zhang high. The cabinet had an ancient charm, with black lacquer and dragon and phoenix patterns, and two bronze beastly heads with ferocious expressions.

  Standing in front of the wooden cabinet door, Zhang Xiu took a deep breath and used all her strength to stand up straight.

  "What is this weapon?" Liu Bian asked the hastily arriving Guardian of the Treasury.

  "Your Majesty, this weapon is a bit complicated to explain." The keeper of the armory smiled cautiously: "This is the Hegemon King's spear, it was used by Xiang Yu, the Hegemon King."

  Liu Bian was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "Is it that serious? Open it and let me take a look."

  "Your Majesty, Xiang Yu killed people by the city back then, and the aura of the Hegemon-King's halberd is too heavy, I'm afraid..."

  "Is it that serious?" Liu Bian waved his hand in disbelief and said unequivocally: "Open it!"

  The keeper of the storehouse clicked his tongue in distress, helplessly took out a bunch of keys and opened the cabinet. As soon as he removed the copper lock and hadn't even pulled open the cabinet door, Zhang Xiu had a reaction, her body began to tremble. When the keeper of the storehouse opened the cabinet door and revealed the dull and lightless halberd inside, a suffocating chill rushed out, making it hard for people to breathe. Zhang Xiu's face turned deathly pale, her fists clenched tightly, as if she had used all her strength not to fall to her knees.

  Wang Yue and Shi Ah's faces also changed, and they involuntarily tightened their grip on the hilt of their swords at their waist.

  I don't know if it's because of his zero cultivation or the difference in auras, but Liu didn't feel anything. He raised his head and examined this halberd. It was about 1.6 meters long, should be a cavalry halberd, the entire body was dark black, even the blade tip was black, couldn't see any sharpness.

  "Take it down, let me see."

  "Your Majesty, it's not allowed." The faces of the guardians all turned white as they shook their heads repeatedly: "According to the records in the imperial archives, the Halberd of the Hegemon has been stored in the palace since the Former Han dynasty. For 400 years, only two emperors have personally touched it; all other emperors could only view it from a distance and were not allowed to handle it closely."

  Liu Bian's curiosity was piqued: "Which two?"

  "Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei."

  "What about others...?"

  "Will get hurt, lightly unwell, severely ill for a long time."

  Liu Bian was a bit nervous, but he immediately said: "But I'm not feeling any discomfort now."

  The jailer's lips moved slightly, unsure of how to respond.

  The keeper of the treasury was hesitant and didn't dare to come forward, Liu Bei was somewhat annoyed, he pushed away the keeper of the treasury, just about to get it himself, Zhang Fei took a step ahead, bowed his body and said: "Your Majesty, please let me serve you."

  Liu Bian took a look at Zhang Xiu and saw that although his face was still pale, he had already recovered somewhat. He nodded: "Be careful, Zizhang."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhang Heng walked to the front of the cabinet, slowly stretched out his hands, grasped the hilt with both hands, and paused for a moment before carefully exerting force. The halberd was very heavy, exceeding what he had imagined, he took a deep breath, his muscles bulged, barely able to hold the halberd, placed it on the attic, "thud" a dull sound, as if the entire attic shook slightly.

  "How is it?" Liu Bian asked with concern.

  "It doesn't matter." Zhang Hua took a deep breath, looking at the halberd with a mixture of awe and reverence. "I won't consider him an enemy, and he didn't intend to harm me either."

  Liu Bian felt relieved, he didn't want Zhang Huan to be injured by this halberd. He walked forward, stroking the halberd, which felt slightly cool to the touch. The halberd had a faintly visible texture, and the grip was smoother than other parts. Liu Bian caressed the handle of the halberd, as if he had touched the hand of Xiang Yu, who had once moved mountains and covered the world with his aura, and couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy.

  What's the use of having the strength to uproot a mountain and the spirit to overshadow the world, if in the end you're still going to be controlled by others? The bravery of an ordinary man is ultimately unreliable.

  Liu Bian admired it for a long time, then let Zhang Yi put the Halberd of the Hegemon back and asked the guardian officer: "Are there any other similar weapons in the pavilion?"

  "There is." The keeper of the treasury saw that Liu Bian was unharmed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He hastily closed the cabinet door and led Liu Bian away to the side. As soon as the cabinet door was closed, Zhang Xiu felt much more at ease, but also somewhat lost and yearningly looked back at the Halberd of the Tyrant King.

  "Your Majesty, there is also a spear of the Hegemon King here, which was made in imitation of the Hegemon Halberd. It was a sharp instrument bestowed by Emperor Guangwu upon An Cheng Hou Zhenqi."

  Liu Bian followed the keeper of the storehouse to a cabinet, watching as the keeper opened it and revealed a large spear that resembled the shape of a halberd, but was smaller in size. The spear had only a spearhead, without a crossbar, and its cold light flashed, but there was no murderous aura about it.

  "Is this the weapon used by Qiong Ji?" Liu Bian was astonished. Qiong Ji was one of the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yun Tai, and a renowned general with outstanding military achievements, so why did his used weapon look so ordinary?

  "With the Halberd of the Overlord present, no other weapon can break through its aura, so it cannot reveal its due aura." The Guardian Officer explained: "Once out of the palace, Your Majesty will be able to feel its uniqueness."

  "Really?"

  "It should be like this." Zhang Xiang walked over, admiring the gun, reached out his hand and picked it up, feeling its weight, his eyebrows jumped and his eyes lit up: "Good gun!"

  "Why don't we go out and give it a try?"

  "Good." Zhang Hua didn't say another word, and with his spear in hand, he walked out of the pavilion. Indeed, as soon as he stepped out of the pavilion door, the originally ordinary-looking Dominating King Spear emitted a faint aura, as if it had come to life. Zhang Hua walked into the courtyard, took up a stance, and began practicing with his spear.

  Unlike what Liu Bian imagined, there were no blossoming flowers of gunfire, only the sound of breaking wind. The Overlord Spear in Zhang Liao's hands was like a giant python, its body suddenly extending and retracting, swift and unmatched, almost invisible to the naked eye.