Chapter 265: Chapter 262: Clan Execution_1
"This... No... this can’t be possible!"
The Serpent King ceased his attack, standing in the ruins of the city. Seeing Qin Wudao and the others approach, his eyes filled with terror. He had returned; the man who should have been dead was back! In an instant, he felt as if he’d been cast down from heaven to hell!
He may not have a complete understanding of the power of the Divine Court of the Qin Dynasty, or know exactly how many powerful figures resided in it, but anyone who could wreak havoc in the Kylin’s sacred land and escape the pursuit of Great Emperor experts would undoubtedly possess great strength. Wasn’t his rebellion at this moment just courting death?
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty is here, Peace City is safe!"
The surviving soldiers from the city climbed out from the ruins, cheering and waving their weapons.
"What do we do now?"
"The experts from the Divine Court of the Qin Dynasty are here, are we doomed?"
"No, the Qin Dynasty advocates peaceful coexistence. As long as we don’t resist, we still have a chance to survive!"
The Serpent soldiers discussed this in hushed and panicked tones, though they managed to maintain some composure. Most of them believed that the Divine Court wouldn’t punish their rebellion. During this period, the many policies issued by the Divine Court of the Qin Dynasty had favored other races, giving them the mistaken impression that they were very important.
"Control the Serpent Tribe!"
After Qin Wudao issued his orders, he moved to Zhou Cang’s side. He took a medicinal pill from his storage space and fed it to him, asking worriedly, "General Zhou, are you alright?"
Zhou Cang’s complexion improved somewhat after swallowing the pill. He replied in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, I am much better, but I cannot move my limbs freely. Please forgive me for not being able to pay the proper respects!"
"No worries, General. You must rest well. Leave the upcoming matters to me!" Qin Wudao picked up Zhou Cang, laid him on a clean patch of grass, and reassured him with a smile.
However, the moment he turned around, his expression turned deathly cold. A terrifying imperial might enveloped the surrounding Void as he strode towards the battlefield. With every step, the killing intent intensified.
Xu Chu and Dian Wei followed closely behind him, weapons in hand. The Saint King aura they inadvertently revealed caused the Serpent soldiers to stagger backward.
By the time the trio arrived outside the city, Huo Qubing, Xiang Yu, and other generals had already brought the Serpent Tribe’s high-ranking officials under control. Wu Ming, Wang Lingling, and other prodigies were busy distributing medicinal pills to the injured defenders.
Qin Wudao surveyed the surroundings and noticed that out of twenty thousand defenders, fewer than three thousand remained. However, there were very few bodies on the ground because the soldiers who had died in battle had been devoured by the Serpent Tribe.
Looking at the distended bellies of the Serpent Tribe soldiers, Qin Wudao fixed his cold gaze on the Serpent King and demanded angrily, "We have treated the Serpent Tribe well. Why did you rebel?"
The Serpent King remained silent. He had so many reasons! Directly, he could say it was to avenge the old Serpent King. More radically, it was the desire to devour the Human Race to enhance his cultivation! But the most fundamental reason was for power, to realize his ambitions. He was unwilling to be a mere puppet Serpent King; he wanted to be an independent king!
"Your Majesty, I was incited by the Langya Sect. They threatened to eradicate the Serpent Tribe if I did not rebel. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy!"
The Serpent King, now in human form, knelt on the ground and argued deceitfully, attempting to escape punishment by shifting all blame to Su Anshou.
"If you were truly loyal, you would not have rebelled, much less allowed the flesh and blood of Qin Dynasty soldiers to fill your belly!"
Qin Wudao naturally didn’t believe the Serpent King’s lies. He noticed that the Serpent King’s belly was also slightly distended, and his breath carried a strong stench of blood.
"Your Majesty, please show us mercy! We will never make the same mistake again!" one of the Serpent Tribe’s high-ranking officials stepped forward and said with a forced smile.
"Rest assured, you will definitely not make the same mistake again!" Qin Wudao responded with a cold smile.
The high-ranking official from the Serpent Tribe was confused. Is the Qin Dynasty planning to implement some policy to restrict our tribe’s actions?
Then, Qin Wudao’s voice reached his ears. It consisted of only two short words, yet they made him feel as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
"Kill them!"
All the Serpent Tribe soldiers looked panic-stricken and tried to flee. However, in the eyes of Huo Qubing and the others, their speed was laughably slow, like ants crawling.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Several attacks from Saint King experts descended from the sky, killing large swathes of Serpent Tribe soldiers. After just a few breaths, the ground was littered with the corpses of the Serpent Tribe, stretching for tens of miles.
Facing these man-eating beasts, Xiang Yu and the others showed no mercy. Nearly every one of them had the blood of tens of thousands of Serpent Tribe members on their hands.
"Your Majesty, apart from a small number of the Serpent Tribe who escaped, all the rest have been killed!" Xiang Yu reported loudly.
Upon hearing this, the Serpent King collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale. Six hundred thousand of my kinsmen are dead. Even if the Serpent Tribe somehow survives this disaster, we won’t be able to field a capable army for the next hundred years. Besides, whether we can even escape this calamity is still unknown!
"Good! Which is the nearest army?" Qin Wudao nodded with a majestic air and asked.
"Your Majesty, the nearest army is the Donglin Army, stationed in Anlan Prefecture. It’s a local army of about two hundred thousand men!" Li Ru replied thoughtfully with a respectful salute. (The Abyssal Guards are spread throughout the Eastern Territory, so he is well aware of the internal situation of the Qin Dynasty.)
"The Serpent Tribe has suffered two crushing defeats; they shouldn’t have many core forces left. Send orders to the commander of the Donglin Army to hunt down the remaining Serpent Tribe members, exterminate their clan, and obliterate their lineage!" Qin Wudao commanded coldly.
"As you command!" Li Ru bowed and departed to relay the order.
"No, don’t! Emperor Qin, Your Majesty, if you want to kill someone, kill me! Please, don’t kill my kinsmen! They are innocent! They haven’t killed a single member of the Human Race!"
Hearing the order for the extermination of his entire clan, the Serpent King completely broke down. He knelt on the ground, pleading ceaselessly.
"In this rebellion, not a single member of your tribe is innocent. Just as when an avalanche occurs, no single snowflake is without responsibility!" Qin Wudao said somberly, his expression unchanged and still cold. His voice was frigid, sending shivers down one’s spine.
After saying this, he turned and left, leaving behind the despairing Serpent King!
「The next day,」
News of the Serpent Tribe’s rebellion reached the Imperial Capital. However, no one paid much attention to this minor event. All eyes were on Qin Wudao.
Their Emperor had returned!
"Issue the orders to prepare for His Majesty’s return! Furthermore, all departments must also manage the aftermath in Peace City. Arrange the compensation for the martyrs, as well as promotions and other related matters properly!" Zhuge Liang immediately relayed the commands.
Following these commands, the officials began to bustle about. Everyone was full of energy and enthusiasm, enveloped in an atmosphere of joy.
It was no exaggeration to say that Qin Wudao held absolute authority in the Divine Court of the Qin Dynasty and was the pillar of support for its billions of citizens.
Of course, while some rejoiced, others were naturally uneasy—such as the Heavenly Wolf Tribe and the neighboring powers...
But regardless, Qin Wudao’s return was now a certainty!
「Two days later,」
Drums and gongs resounded outside the Imperial Capital as Zhuge Liang led the officials, having waited early for His Majesty’s arrival!
An hour later, a golden dragon soared into the sky, signaling the Emperor’s return to the Imperial City!