Inside the imperial palace in the Imperial City, within the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Beneath the resplendent Hall of Supreme Harmony, two individuals, too battered to be recognizable, knelt on the ground, their bodies covered in blood. Beside them knelt a group of elder venerables clad in the official robes of the Great Zhou.
Only one man, attired in a deep red official robe, stood. A dark gold dagger hung from his waist.
He was from the Demon Extermination Division of the Great Xia dynasty.
At the head of the hall, Emperor Zhou, adorned in a nine-clawed golden dragon imperial robe and a square-topped dragon-crowned cap, his vision obscured by strings of jade beads, sat on his throne.
Yet, those within the Hall of Supreme Harmony, especially the envoy from the fifth realm of the Demon Extermination Division, could feel the Emperor's gaze upon them, a pressure so immense it felt as though they might be crushed. The envoy felt an urge to kneel, but he resisted.
Moments later, with a muffled groan, the man from the Demon Extermination Division coughed up a mouthful of blood and knelt on one knee on the cold floor of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, his gaze fixed defiantly on the throne above.
"I am Lin Qian, Third Division Head of the Great Xia's Demon Extermination Division, paying respects to His Majesty, Emperor Zhou!"
Zhou Tian gazed silently at the man, not bidding him to rise, but merely intensifying his pressure. Lin Qian's knees throbbed with increasing pain, and the clear sound of his resilient bones cracking echoed in the hall. He turned deathly pale but uttered no sound.
For he was from the Demon Extermination Division, representing the entire Great Xia dynasty today. Therefore, no matter what, he could not yield, even if his opponent was the Emperor of Great Zhou, a cultivator in the Human King realm!
Di Qiu, kneeling in disarray on the ground, looked at Lin Qian with difficulty, a sigh of sorrow rising within him.
He had never imagined that even though they had hidden deep in the mountains, they would still be found by the Imperial Venerables of the Great Zhou. They hadn't even had a chance to take their own lives; their acupoints were sealed, and they were forcibly bound and brought to this imperial palace.
Zhou Tian looked at Lin Qian, who refused to kowtow even in the face of death, and silently withdrew his oppressive aura. A cold snort reverberated through the hall:
"This is how you Xia people are, always putting on a proud facade while engaging in despicable deeds behind the scenes. You get caught red-handed and still refuse to admit your wrongdoings!"
As the pressure vanished, Lin Qian felt as though countless mountains had been lifted from his chest. But he had no time to catch his breath, as Zhou Tian's words struck him like cannonballs, as if imbued with the Heavenly Way, causing his sea of consciousness to roar.
"This is the Human King!"
Lin Qian's face was pale. He knelt on one knee, glanced at Di Qiu and the unconscious elder lying on the ground, and cupped his hands towards Zhou Tian, saying:
"I implore His Majesty to mind his words. My Great Xia dynasty has no intention of denying anything. Regarding the events at Sword Pavilion, we will provide a reasonable explanation."
Zhou Tian let out a cold laugh, his voice laced with mockery:
"Explanation? Mei Chuan is already dead. My divine soul clone personally witnessed the perpetrator. Do you truly believe I would not dare to wage war if people from your Demon Extermination Division came to my Great Zhou to kill?"
Lin Qian's scalp tingled. He quickly cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "I implore His Majesty to calm down. The matter is absolutely not as you imagine!"
"Then what is it?"
Lin Qian took a deep breath, then, steeling himself, produced a scroll from his embrace and handed it to a nearby eunuch.
The eunuch squinted, examined it carefully, found no issues, and then scurried back to present it to Zhou Tian within the throne.
"Reporting to His Majesty Emperor Zhou, this is the peace treaty signed between your noble dynasty and ours years ago, as well as the detailed regulations for exploring secret realms and forbidden lands."
"After our dynasty's investigation, the sect leader of Plum Blossom Valley, Mei Chuan, did indeed violate these treaties back then. However, due to a lack of concrete evidence, she was never brought to trial. After the incident at Sword Pavilion recently, Mei Chuan personally confessed to her crimes of that year."
"Therefore, Your Majesty, the people of my dynasty merely executed a person who violated the covenants between our two dynasties. They were not spies hiding within your Great Zhou dynasty!"
Emperor Zhou did not even open the scroll to glance at it. He casually tossed it aside and squinted at Lin Qian, asking sternly: "Are you suggesting that Mei Chuan deserved to die, and that I arrested the wrong people?"
Lin Qian's scalp tingled. He forced himself to nod, saying:
"It was not Your Majesty who arrested her, and you were unaware of Mei Chuan's transgressions at the time. Naturally, it cannot be considered that you arrested the wrong people. This entire affair can only be considered a misunderstanding. Our dynasty and Great Zhou have absolutely no intention of going to war. We implore Your Majesty's understanding."
"Misunderstanding." Zhou Tian chuckled twice and casually stated, "Executing first and reporting later. Let's not even discuss whether Mei Chuan violated the treaty or not, but you have indeed broken the rules."
"According to the covenants, any disputes between our two dynasties should be investigated and resolved through diplomatic envoys. Secretly infiltrating Great Zhou to carry out retaliatory attacks, regardless of the reason, is something I cannot easily forgive!"
Zhou Tian became enraged, shouting loudly:
"If everyone acted like these two, would it mean that the martial experts and imperial venerables of our Great Zhou could also go to your Great Xia dynasty to kill people over some unclear personal grudges?"
"If they kill the right person, it's 'execute first, report later, and we hope for Your Majesty's understanding.' If they kill the wrong person, then we deal with it as a case of mistaken killing. In any case, it's all their personal grudges, unrelated to our Great Zhou dynasty?"
"This is absolutely unacceptable!" Lin Qian exclaimed urgently, then quickly corrected himself, "What I mean is, such methods are of course not to be condoned."
"Your Majesty is correct. Regardless of whether Mei Chuan was guilty, we should have handled it according to the agreed-upon procedures. Di Qiu and the other two improperly infiltrated Sword Pavilion for revenge, which itself violated regulations. Our side will certainly punish them severely."
As Lin Qian spoke, he turned his head to look at the blood-covered Di Qiu. They hadn't seen each other for over a decade. Seeing his old friend in such a sorry state, Lin Qian's heart ached as if it were bleeding, but he knew it was not the time for sorrowful reunions. The immediate priority was to save Di Qiu's life!
"You scoundrel, why aren't you apologizing to His Majesty yet!"
Lin Qian stood up and slapped Di Qiu to the ground, his expression feigning extreme anger, but his eyes filled with heartache.
Di Qiu lay face down on the ground, not looking up at Lin Qian or Emperor Zhou. He simply smiled calmly and said in a low voice, "At this point, my revenge is complete. I have no other lingering attachments to this mortal world." Di Qiu looked up at Lin Qian, and then at Emperor Zhou, speaking calmly and tragically, "I know I have violated Great Zhou's laws, so I implore Your Majesty to execute us according to the law, and not implicate anyone else."
"What nonsense are you talking!" Lin Qian's pupils constricted, and he immediately became anxious. He leaned in close to Di Qiu, his face contorted with distress, and said, "I, as an envoy to Great Zhou, am here to save you!"
"The elders in the Division know you've been hiding in Great Zhou for a long time, and they have some questions to ask you. If you die like this, how can I report back!"
Di Qiu was stunned by this revelation.
Only now did he realize that Lin Qian, a distinguished fifth-realm Division Head of the Demon Extermination Division, had personally come to Great Zhou specifically to save him!
Zhou Tian, seated high on his throne, seemed to sense something amiss. A peculiar smile played on his lips as he spoke, "Then, according to Zhou law, you shall be confined to the Celestial Prison. However, before that, you must reveal the whereabouts of your other four accomplices."
"There were six of you that day. I personally saw it. Do not think you can deceive me!"
Di Qiu's body trembled. Thinking of Xu Mu and the others who were currently in the imperial city, he couldn't help but turn to look at Lin Qian with a sense of unease.
Whether he lived or died was of no consequence; Xu Mu had to live!
"It's fine if you don't confess. Perhaps they have already been captured." Zhou Tian's eyes narrowed as he saw an old eunuch kneeling outside the palace. "The youngsters of this generation are daring indeed, to hide within the Imperial City. Do they truly think my sons are merely decoration?"
"Since you are actively seeking death, then according to Zhou law, you shall all be executed. I will also show some face to the Demon Extermination Division."
"Absolutely not!" Di Qiu suddenly raised his head, his face looking grimly at Zhou Tian. He hadn't expected that even Xu Mu and the others' whereabouts would be exposed, and that they might already have been captured. He could die, but Xu Mu and the others could not! They were the hope of the Great Xia dynasty's new generation!
Zhou Tian sneered, "You were the one who actively requested to be dealt with according to the law just now, and now you say it's not possible. Or would you like to sit on this dragon throne?"
Hearing this, Di Qiu knelt on both knees, speechless. He could only turn his head to look at Lin Qian.
Lin Qian had never intended for Di Qiu to die. He took a deep breath, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully:
"Reporting to His Majesty Emperor Zhou, although the Sword Pavilion case had severe repercussions, it is indeed true that Mei Chuan was at fault first, and our people violated the law afterward. Now that Mei Chuan is dead, I implore Your Majesty not to continue with any further unwarranted bloodshed."
"The Demon Extermination Division is willing to express our deepest apologies on behalf of the Xia dynasty for the deceased Sect Leader Mei Chuan, and to provide compensation in the form of brocades, silks, gold, silver, and horses, as per wartime provisions, to properly handle the aftermath."
Emperor Zhou remained silent.
The atmosphere within the Hall of Supreme Harmony became intensely oppressive, the invisible mountain casting a shadow over everyone's hearts.
Emperor Zhou's gaze was calm. To have a Domain Lord killed on his territory, and then to settle the matter with mere compensation in gold and fabric and take the person back – how was that possible?
White sweat dripped from Lin Qian's forehead. He forced himself to cup his hands again and said, "I am willing to represent the Demon Extermination Division and privately compensate Your Majesty with thirty million high-grade spirit stones, a set of fifth-realm artifacts, and a cultivation manual."
Zhou Tian spoke calmly:
"Not enough."
Lin Qian's expression turned grim. The combined price he had offered was enough to buy the lives of five Domain Lords in the Great Xia dynasty. Now, he merely wanted to take back one Lord, yet Zhou Tian still found it insufficient. Why was this?
The man regained his composure. After a long silence, he asked faintly, "It seems Your Majesty already has a price in mind. Might I suggest you state it directly."
"The exchange learning quota between the Demon Extermination Division and the imperial court shall be increased by three from now on. The ownership of the border secret realms shall be reallocated based on the results of the Grand Martial Competition."
"This is impossible!"
Lin Qian shook his head and refused. The so-called exchange learning quota referred to the annual exchange of personnel between their two dynasties for study. During their stay, their food, lodging, and protective measures would be handled with the utmost care, consuming considerable time and effort.
And their Great Xia dynasty, being the most powerful nation on the continent, naturally had countless people eager to study there. In previous years, the geniuses sent by the Great Zhou dynasty to study at the Demon Extermination Division were allocated only two spots every five years.
Those two individuals would receive the Demon Extermination Division's unreserved inheritance, learning as much as they could. In the future, they might even become their own enemies. Although the geniuses sent by the Xia dynasty could also receive the Great Zhou's inheritance, the Demon Extermination Division was the strongest force in the world. Exchanging it this way was a substantial loss!
"Regarding the exchange learning quota, I cannot make the decision, so I cannot agree to your terms." Lin Qian shook his head slightly and said earnestly to Emperor Zhou, "As for the allocation of border secret realms, I do manage three secret realms, so I can agree to your conditions."
"Three secret realms alone are not enough. I want all of them to be reallocated." Emperor Zhou shook his head slightly. The border battlefield was filled with spatial distortions and countless perilous secret realms, but the majority were occupied by the Xia dynasty. How could he be content with this?
"I have no authority to agree to this either."
Lin Qian shook his head slightly, his eyes turning cold.
He only wanted two people, yet Emperor Zhou had directly escalated the conditions to the level of inter-dynastic relations, his appetite was sky-high!
"Then go and report. There is still plenty of time until the next batch of exchange students is dispatched, and the Grand Military Exercise is still more than half a year away. I can wait."
"However, until the result is determined, these individuals will remain imprisoned in the Celestial Prison of my Great Zhou dynasty and will serve their sentences daily according to the law. We will not be responsible for any unforeseen accidents during this period."
After speaking, Zhou Tian calmly took a sip of tea, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony returned to its serene state.
Lin Qian stood below, his expression grim as he pondered for a long time. He then glanced at the gravely wounded Di Qiu and the elder, sighing with a hint of helplessness.
"The price to save you few seems a bit too steep, but I have no choice, as the higher-ups have given me strict orders."
Lin Qian gritted his teeth, looked up at Zhou Tian, and said word by word, "The exchange student quota will be increased by one at most. The matter of allocating secret realms based on the Grand Martial Competition is too complex and requires further discussion. But the prerequisite for discussion is that I must take them away!"
Zhou Tian said calmly upon hearing this:
"The exchange quota will be increased to two. All the compensation you promised previously cannot be less. As for the secret realms, since you said it can be discussed, I will personally write to the Emperor of Xia."
Lin Qian nodded in silence, agreeing. Meanwhile, Di Qiu knelt on the ground with immense pain, tears flowing uncontrollably onto the noble and cold floor of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The price to save them was far too great. Merely considering the two exchange student spots, the geniuses sent by the Great Zhou dynasty to study at the Demon Extermination Division would undoubtedly reach the fifth realm in the future. If war were to break out again, Great Xia would suffer the backlash from the very geniuses they had nurtured. Such a price was more than he could bear even if he died a hundred times over, not to mention the precious secret realms on the border!
Lin Qian finally bowed to Emperor Zhou, then helped Di Qiu and the elder to their feet and slowly turned to leave the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Turning around, Lin Qian faced the sunlight. A faint smile gradually appeared on his ordinarily stern and cold face, like a drop of water melting from an iceberg.
All the conditions he had just proposed were actually within his control. Although it seemed as though the Great Zhou dynasty had gained the advantage, it was not so in reality.
While the geniuses of the Great Zhou dynasty would indeed learn a great deal at the Demon Extermination Division, they would also be influenced by it. Even if they did not become spies, they might not truly wield their weapons against them on the battlefield in the future; rather, they could be exploited by them.
As for the reallocation of border secret realms, there was even less to worry about. Even if the Great Zhou dynasty had Zhou Yuan, and the martial world had the Divine Son of the Ancient God Sect, what of it? Had their Xia dynasty ever feared such things? In the past, they had Ji Chang, and this time, they could produce a genius even more monstrous than Ji Chang, so how could they possibly lose!
"Thank you, Division Head, for saving me. The price paid is so immense, I am truly ashamed." Di Qiu lamented, speaking as he stumbled along, "In fact, if it weren't for those two young ones, I would have preferred to dash my head against the Hall of Supreme Harmony than to let Zhou Tian demand such an exorbitant price."
"It's nothing."
Lin Qian smiled faintly and said:
"In truth, I came here to save them from the beginning. The claim that I needed to ask you questions was merely a pretext to deceive Zhou Tian."
Hearing this, Di Qiu's expression flickered slightly. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who is that young fellow... exactly?"
Lin Qian, recalling the uproar over the "Fire Biting" incident at the Demon Extermination Division some time ago, shook his head and sighed.
"His name is Xu Mu, and he is someone the Governor has taken a liking to."
"For some reason, he had no choice but to leave the Demon Extermination Division, to leave Great Xia. Now, the higher-ups have specifically ordered his return, which is why an envoy was dispatched to find him."
Lin Qian remembered the legends surrounding Xu Mu, and the sacred relics of the Elf Kingdom and the Dark Palace. A flicker of ardor appeared in his eyes, but it was quickly suppressed.
"Where is Xu Mu now?"
Hearing this, Di Qiu said in a low voice:
"I don't know."
"I lost contact with him many days ago, but he should have been involved in the incident at the city gate today. However, didn't Zhou Tian say he could be captured? Can't we just demand him from the court?"
Lin Qian nodded slightly and got into the carriage parked outside the palace. Just as he was about to give the driver some instructions, he saw a Demon Extermination Division ability user, clad in a deep red official robe, approach him with a solemn expression and say:
"My lord, Xu Mu has disappeared!"
...
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