Chapter 507 - 503: Taking a Nation

Shangguan Shiyu stood beside Qin Li, watching Qin Suo incite the people’s passion. She chuckled softly and said, "You know, I think Qin Suo would be a pretty good fit as emperor of the Dianchi Kingdom."

Qin Li was stunned for a moment, but then he nodded and laughed. "I think so too. He’s a perfect fit... haha!"

Leng Yao stood by, a faint smile gracing her cool expression. She thought it was silly how Qin Li and Shiyu were teasing Qin Suo, but also quite amusing.

Leng Yao even found herself imagining the scene if Qin Suo were to become the emperor of the Dianchi Kingdom. ’But no matter how I picture it,’ she thought, ’he’s not as handsome as my husband!’

The Shattered Void Realm Martial Artist had been tortured for nearly two hours. In the end, he was literally tortured to death. The body of a Shattered Void Realm Martial Artist possessed a toughness that ordinary people simply couldn’t harm.

Forget bare hands—even with a knife, an ordinary person couldn’t have left a scratch on him. However, the human body still has its weak points, such as the seven facial orifices... or certain other areas.

In any case, that Shattered Void Realm Martial Artist must have felt an immense sense of relief before he died.

The other disciples of the Iron-blooded Hall were quickly torn to shreds by the furious crowd. Many people wept as they unleashed their frenzied rage, beating the Iron-blooded Hall disciples to death.

Shangguan Shiyu watched the frenzied commoners, sighed softly, and said, "Husband, let’s go."

Qin Li nodded. ’There’s no rush to take control of the Dianchi Kingdom,’ he thought. ’First, we should finish off the Iron-blooded Hall. Their headquarters isn’t far from here.’ With this in mind, Qin Li called Qin Suo over. He planned to have Qin Suo leave a few elite Qin Family disciples behind to help the Dianchi Kingdom establish a new government. The best-case scenario would be to find someone with the blood of the Dianchi Royal Family. Unless absolutely necessary, Qin Li didn’t want someone from the Qin family to take the throne. It was enough for the Qin Family to control things from behind the scenes.

As if sensing the group was about to leave, the frenzied commoners and the soldiers maintaining order gradually quieted down. It was unclear who started it, but one person took the lead, knelt, and shouted, "Benefactors, don’t go! Please, be the emperor of our Dianchi Kingdom!"

"Be the emperor of our Dianchi Kingdom!" The voices of thousands thundered through the air. More people were continuously streaming in from all directions as news of the Iron-blooded Hall’s annihilation spread at an astonishing speed.

Finally, the first firecracker was heard from within the Imperial Capital. Not long after, the pops and crackles merged into a continuous barrage. A joyous atmosphere surged up from the ancient city, rising to the heavens. Anyone with even a little power could distinctly feel the palpable aura formed by the coalesced will of the people.

Seeing the countless people kneeling all around him, Qin Li couldn’t help but be moved. He waved his hand and said slowly, "We have no intention of claiming the throne of the Dianchi Kingdom. Does anyone know if... there are any descendants of the Dianchi Royal Family’s bloodline left?"

Qin Li’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried clearly to everyone’s ears.

From within the army, a man who appeared to be a General stood up and slowly walked toward Qin Li. When he reached him, he performed a deep bow and said, "Reporting to our Benefactor, I am Tong Fang, Commander of the Imperial City’s Imperial Guard. To my knowledge, the late emperor has a concubine and a young son who are still alive in this world. When tragedy struck the Dianchi Kingdom, the concubine had just taken her young son to visit her family in a neighboring country!"

After Tong Fang spoke, many people secretly broke into a cold sweat for him. ’This man is so honest it’s foolish,’ they thought. ’Saying something like that at a time like this? Can’t you see they only asked that to find a more legitimate reason to ascend the throne of the Dianchi Kingdom? How could you be so direct? Just coming right out and saying there’s still a royal bloodline out there?’

Once the words were out, Tong Fang himself couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. ’Was I scared stupid?’ he wondered. ’How could I say something like that to these Godslayers?’ However, he wasn’t regretting the potential end of his own life, but rather the fear that these people would now seek out and eliminate the late emperor’s only remaining heir.

Tong Fang had been the Commander of the Imperial Guard for the Dianchi Kingdom. When the royal massacre occurred, he had wanted to lead his troops in resistance. Even if it meant death, it would have been a noble sacrifice for a just cause. He never expected, however, that the New Emperor, Hai Tiannan, would tell him directly, "If you dare oppose me, not only will you all die, but I’ll immediately order the entire city to be slaughtered!"

Therefore, Tong Fang could only endure the humiliation and bear the heavy burden, suffering a tide of condemnation from his countrymen while quietly doing what he could. Fortunately, the Dianchi Kingdom was a prosperous nation, and its commoners were largely literate and educated. Over time, people came to understand and accept the difficult position he was in.

Not that they had a choice. The Iron-blooded Hall was simply too powerful, too tyrannical. In the eyes of the Hall, they were no different than ants, to be crushed at will.

And yet, this existence, which was like a Demon King in the eyes of the common people, had been completely wiped out in the blink of an eye!

So, if these people before him wanted to seize power in the Dianchi Kingdom, who would dare to stop them?

However, Qin Li’s next words immediately made Tong Fang feel ashamed of his own petty suspicions.

"In that case, you should bring the mother and son back. The people will only be truly convinced by an heir of the royal bloodline inheriting the throne. I hope that after this ordeal, you will all continue to pledge your loyalty to the royal family that sacrificed itself for its people, just as you did in the past!"

The moment Qin Li finished, Tong Fang dropped to his knees. Tears welled in the upright man’s eyes as he choked out, "Benefactor, your righteousness is profound! I was a fool. I just dared to question your intentions in my heart. Please, Benefactor, punish me for my transgression!"

Qin Li waved his hand. "Get up. Such thoughts are unavoidable. After all, the hearts of men are difficult to read. You did nothing wrong. As for the Iron-blooded Hall, you can rest assured. We will go and wipe them out so you will have no further worries. However, this mess here... you all will need to clean it up yourselves."

"Benefactor, please wait." Seeing Qin Li and his group about to leave, Tong Fang grew anxious. If he still couldn’t tell the difference between these people and the Iron-blooded Hall, then he was unworthy of being a General of the Dianchi Kingdom. He could see it clearly now: they had no interest whatsoever in this prosperous nation. If not for the sake of destroying the Iron-blooded Hall, they likely wouldn’t have even bothered to pass through!

"Is there something else?" Qin Li knew exactly what was on Tong Fang’s mind. He knew what the general wanted to say and was simply waiting for him to say it. If Tong Fang chose to remain silent, it was no great loss to Qin Li. It was just a small kingdom, after all.

’In truth, my main purpose for controlling kingdoms isn’t for resources or ore deposits,’ Qin Li mused. ’It’s to give the hundred thousand disciples of the Qin Family a better place to temper themselves!’

He had suddenly realized that the current Qin Family was almost identical to the legendary Immortal Clans from the myths of his past life. Their members had incredibly long lifespans, lived in seclusion in places unknown to ordinary people, and possessed a level of power that was simply incomprehensible to mortals.

Although they lived on the same planet as ordinary people, it was as if they inhabited two separate worlds.

Having been immersed in this environment for so long, Qin Li had never considered it this way until recently. He had always believed that the Mortal Realm was an excellent place to gain worldly experience.

An ancient saying from Qin Li’s past life went: "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles."

The same principle applied on the Celestial Essence Continent. No matter how you cultivated, what a genius you were, or what lofty realm you reached, if you hadn’t experienced the world, you would end up as a theoretical master like Hai Jinzun—utterly fragile and unable to withstand a single blow.

Only by struggling and striving in the mortal world could one truly comprehend its myriad facets and learn to face unexpected crises with calm composure.

Tong Fang watched Qin Li cautiously, his voice low and pleading. "Might I have a word in private?"

Qin Li smiled and waved a hand. In that instant, Tong Fang felt all the surrounding noise vanish. He stared at Qin Li in shock. As a Celestial Level master himself, he naturally understood what a barrier was, but the power of this man, who had yet to even make a move, was simply too immense.

Suppressing his shock, Tong Fang said, "Might I ask our Benefactor to leave a few people behind? In the future, when the New Emperor ascends the throne, they could serve as the guardian Tributors of our Dianchi Kingdom."

Qin Li chuckled. "Rest assured, the crisis with the Iron-blooded Hall will soon be over..."

"Benefactor, the crisis with the Iron-blooded Hall may soon be over, but who’s to say there won’t be a second Iron-blooded Hall? Or a third?" Tong Fang sighed. "When the late emperor was on the throne, he wanted to find experts from a Mysterious Land to serve as guardian Tributors for the Dianchi Kingdom, but he never had the connections. Many of the small neighboring kingdoms are in the same boat; our nations are too small to even register in their eyes. Since you saved our entire Dianchi Kingdom, I, Tong Fang, must boldly ask you to help us one more time!"

Tong Fang knew that with this handsome young man, his only recourse was to appeal to his better nature. If he tried to entice him with material benefits, the man would likely just brush him off and leave. After all, if he truly cared about such gains, why wouldn’t he just take the throne for himself?

Qin Li hesitated for a moment before giving a faint nod. "Very well. I will leave five people behind to help you through this difficult time. After the New Emperor ascends the throne, if he has any reservations, he can ask them to leave at any time."

"He won’t! He never will! I will convince the New Emperor and the Empress Dowager!" Tong Fang declared, brimming with confidence. ’What a joke,’ he thought. ’We couldn’t even get experts of this caliber to come if we begged them. Even if the emperor were to truly lose his mind and listen to some slanderer’s advice to drive away the guardian Tributors, I’m sure the people of the entire nation wouldn’t stand for it!’

’And of course, I, a General with military power in my hands, wouldn’t stand for it either!’

Having arranged this matter, Qin Li didn’t linger. He immediately took the rest of his people and headed toward the Mysterious Land where the Iron-blooded Hall was based.