Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Having obtained the Great Emperor Scripture, Blood River King finally bowed in respect, shedding his previous defiance.

”Hahaha!”

”With Blood River King on my side, it’s like a tiger growing wings!”

Yanliu Imperial Child burst into laughter, magnificently proud.

At this moment, his heart greatly relaxed; the despair of being suppressed by Cangkong Imperial Child and facing imminent death was shaken off. It was like a drowning person breaking free from water and returning to the shore, experiencing the vivacity of life anew.

Around him, Chenshan King, the chieftain of the Magic Stone Clan, Demon Mountain, and other guards no longer felt suppressed and began to recover.

Chenshan King’s nearly severed body rapidly healed, with flesh and blood reconstitution. Demon Mountain’s severed head levitated, magnetically attracting the shattered dark rock fragments of his body, swiftly reforming into the shape of a stone giant.

The two stood firm behind Yanliu Imperial Child.

While myriad worries surfaced in their hearts, joy also blossomed.

They wouldn’t have to die, wouldn’t have to follow the Imperial Child in a deathly loyalty.

”Blood River King...”

Yanliu Imperial Child meticulously scrutinized the Blood-robed Taoist as if admiring a precious treasure, with greed and longing.

The Blood-robed Taoist stood silently.

He did not perform the thrice kneeling and nine kowtows, nor did he express tearful gratitude—the common courtesies a king of the Slave Clan would show when meeting their master.

Yanliu Imperial Child’s expression remained unchanged, still affable, but thoughts began to arise in his heart.

’Dogs, once they taste blood, eventually become wild.’

’They can’t compare to those who have been domesticated from the beginning.’

Yanliu Imperial Child felt internally displeased.

Instinctively, he harbored thoughts of re-taming, akin to the knowledge needed in dog raising—vigilance was essential.

”How audacious!”

”Blood River King!”

Demon Mountain took a step forward, his voice stern: ”A king of the Slave Clan must perform three kneelings and nine kowtows in the presence of the Imperial Child. Blood River King, has your brain been burnt to cinders?”

”Do you need someone to teach you this?”

Jiang Ding glanced at him.

”Whoever taught you your etiquette, I will certainly impeach them another day!”

Demon Mountain remained unafraid, like a mad dog.

Clang!

The Sword-light chimed faintly.

Yanliu Imperial Child and Chenshan King felt a surge in their hearts, their bodies turning numb and ice cold.

A blood-red Sword-light abruptly appeared, striking Demon Mountain head-on. With a thunderous boom, Demon Mountain’s massive rocky body staggered backward, countless fragments explosively shattering in the air, turning to dust—its head shattered, violently hitting the ground, breaking apart.

Demon Mountain’s vitality sharply declined as he stared fearfully at the Blood-robed Taoist, seeing him as an unreasonable madman.

Such unexpected action!

Without any reason!

”Demon Mountain, you have a duty to protect the Imperial Child.”

”What has the situation come to now!”

Jiang Ding did not reply to his accusations but scolded him: ”This is all due to your incompetence! If not for the ineptitude of your people, the Magic Stone Clan, how could the Imperial Child have fallen into such peril?”

”You should be committing harakiri!”

”Now, you’ve neither taken your life nor shown any shame. As soon as the situation stabilizes slightly, you start to eliminate dissidents. Truly deserving of death.”

”It’s because of vermin like you that we have arrived at today’s situation!”

”Imperial Child!”

Jiang Ding clasped his hands together: ”I beseech you to execute this traitor to boost the military morale.”

Yanliu Imperial Child fell silent.

He exchanged a glance with Chenshan King beside him, seeing some similar thoughts in each other’s eyes.

”Haha!”

”What Blood River King said is correct.”

Yanliu Imperial Child laughed heartily.

”You damned cur, are you not going to get up and apologize to Blood River King?”

”If it weren’t for the current instability, I would have executed you long ago to set an example.”

Yanliu Imperial Child sternly said, his annoyance at his presumption very apparent.

”Yes, Emperor’s Child!”

”Your subordinate acknowledges his mistake, Lord Blood River King, please forgive me...”

Demon Mountain had none of the self-respect that a king should possess; he came before the Blood-robed Taoist, with his head kowtowing against the ground thump thump thump in succession, extremely sincere, extremely humble in his apology.

”It is enough.”

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

This stance, arrogant to the extreme, was as if he regarded Demon Mountain as an insignificant ant, not as a king of the same rank.

A slight interlude, quickly passed by.

Harmony was restored in the palace once more.

”The current situation is, to put it mildly, fraught with instability; in various Small Worlds, kings have surrendered and the circumstances have become extremely unfavorable.”

The Yanliu Imperial Child, full of vigor, unfolded a Domain map in front of everyone, strategizing: ”My intention is to gather the Slave Clan armies from various places – a minority of our own clan’s army, and launch an Attack against the Cangkong Imperial Child.”

”Be aware, aside from over two thousand Imperial Clan Guards, Cangkong’s millions-strong army is but fair-weather grass.”

”No need to win; just to hold out for a while, and I am absolutely confident that I can persuade those fair-weather grass to defect once again, especially the kings of the Flame Stone Family...”

The Yanliu Imperial Child’s voice paused slightly, expressing some regret: ”If you, Blood River King, had come to my side right from the start, by now I would have already achieved the Emperor’s crown.”

”Emperor’s Child.”

”I was isolated from news and delayed for many days, please forgive me, Emperor’s Child.”

Jiang Ding bowed once again to apologize.

”It doesn’t matter.”

The Yanliu Imperial Child waved his hand and pointed at the map: ”Now, I still have an army of three hundred thousand. As long as...”

He hesitated.

”Blood River King.”

The Yanliu Imperial Child asked: ”Can you face a siege by twenty-six Imperial Clan kings and remain undefeated?”

He suddenly thought of a terrifying question.

This constant defeat up to this day had left him with pitiful resources; there was only one of his own clan’s kings, three from the Slave Clans including Demon Mountain, the rest, the kings of the Fox Tribe and Tiger Clan, were stationed at the Formation Method in the Flower Cloud Boundary to guard against the unexpected, not in the palace.

Conversely, the Cangkong Imperial Child, absorbing the defections along the way, had many kings and Cultivators of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan defect to him, with his power rapidly inflating, almost doubling the overall strength!

Now, it was unclear whether they could even sustain the stalemate.

The surrounding kings also looked towards the Blood-robed Taoist, their eyes filled with both wariness and anticipation.

”Emperor’s Child.”

”I cannot.”

Jiang Ding calmly answered their question.

This was the reality.

This was also what he had hoped for; a war of quick victory or swift defeat did not serve his interests.

Nor did it serve the interests of the Blood River King.

Since the Blood River King also needed time to comprehend the Great Emperor Scripture and thus couldn’t afford to lose his utilitarian value so quickly.

Once victorious, the Blood River King might fall into great danger.

”You!”

The Yanliu Imperial Child showed anger.

Although he knew this was the reality, a talented Slave Clan king indeed possessed great strength but could not be invincible, alone against dozens of Imperial Clan kings and remain undefeated – it still angered him.

Suddenly, a tumult erupted from outside the palace.

”Emperor’s Child!”

”There has been a change in the situation.”

The Chenshan King’s expression changed, stepping forward to interrupt the Yanliu Imperial Child, and said gravely: ”People of our clan who previously defected have sent intelligence; the Cangkong Imperial Child, with a shaky foundation and not yet fully drilled army, suddenly mobilized millions, marching towards the Flower Cloud Boundary.”

”This defies logic!”

”It’s very possible that what has happened here is already known to him; some guards have been bribed and defected!”

The Chenshan King looked around with killing intent, particularly sweeping harshly over some Taoist Cultivators of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan of the general rank, as if he wished he could immediately execute them all.

At such a precarious moment, perhaps some guards have been bought off by the Cangkong Imperial Child with substantial rewards, leading to a leak.

This was highly likely.

To be honest, under the circumstances before, if not for the cold command of the Great Emperor, he would have found it difficult to resist surrendering himself, seeing no hint of hope for victory – for the benefit of his family, there was no other choice.

Jiang Ding maintained the detachment of a mere enforcer.

He said nothing.

Certainly, he could not say that he personally arranged for information to be leaked in order to prevent the Cangkong Imperial Child’s espionage from being insufficient.