CHAPTER 196: CHAPTER 193: CONQUERING FOUR SIDES_1

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Upon entering the imperial study, Dong Zhongshu bowed respectfully, dressed in a grey Confucian robe. His jet-black hair was neatly tied into a bun and enclosed in an exquisite jade crown, epitomizing the spirit of a scholar. His most striking feature was his eyes, filled with the brilliance of wisdom. It seemed as if nothing in the world could escape his observation.

"Issue the decree, appoint Dong Zhongshu as an official of the Qin Dynasty, and entitle him to the second-rank treatment!" Qin Wudao commanded, temporarily assigning Dong Zhongshu a nominal post without granting him any actual power within the court.

"I am grateful, Your Majesty!"

As the proposer of the ’Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues,’ Dong Zhongshu naturally adhered to the will of the sovereign. He willingly accepted the role.

From this point on, the great scholar representing Confucianism formally stepped onto the stage of the Divine Court of the Qin Dynasty! In the future, he would shine brilliantly and play an irreplaceable role!

「Three days later」

Outside the Imperial Capital, Evil Qi soared into the sky. Five armies sped their way over, shattering the white clouds at the horizon and silencing the cicadas of midsummer.

"It seems all have made fruitful efforts!" Qin Wudao, sitting in his throne room for a court meeting, looked towards the outskirts of the city and, after careful sensation, revealed a hint of a smile.

As the ruler of the Divine Court, he could observe everything happening within the Qin Dynasty through Fortune. Under his perception, the capabilities of the ’Four Divine Beast Armies’ and the ’Bei Wei Army’ had generally elevated by three levels. The ordinary soldiers at the grassroots had all reached the Fasang Realm. Those with exceptional talents had even broken through to the Nirvana Realm and reached the sixth-tier Nirvana stage!

The future of the Qin Army was promising!

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the triumphant return of our armies!" Zhuge Liang, standing at the forefront of all the officials, congratulated him with a smile on his face.

Upon hearing Zhuge Liang’s words, all the courtiers, whether they understood Qin Wudao’s intentions or not, bowed and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

The atmosphere within the imperial court became relaxed and festive at that moment.

"Prime Minister, have you completed the task I assigned to you?" Qin Wudao raised his hand, his face returning to its stern expression, as he asked Zhuge Liang.

"Your Majesty, it has been accomplished!" Zhuge Liang nodded.

"It seems Zhao Yun and the others don’t need to return to the court for now!" Qin Wudao’s aura suddenly became sharp, akin to an unsheathed sword ready to strike in all directions. His commanding voice echoed for tens of thousands of miles: "Issue the command! The ’Bei Wei Army’ heads south to occupy the Wan Dao Domain, while the ’Four Divine Beast Armies’ set off for the northwest to attack the Scorpion Tribe!"

Upon hearing their orders, the marching ’Four Divine Beast Armies’ and ’Bei Wei Army’ came to an abrupt halt, their faces revealing strong battle intent. During their attack on the Grand Light Domain, they swept everything before them with barely any resistance, and thus they were all eager for a real fight. Everyone harbored a burning desire for battle within their hearts!

"We obey the command!" Zhao Yun, Lv Bu, Bai Qi, Wang Jian, and Yue Fei dismounted and knelt on one knee.

The two armies set off again at a rapid pace. Evil Qi loomed overhead, and blood-red light filled the sky!

Speed is the essence of war. The two major armies arrived at the border within a day, halted temporarily for rest, and began devising their battle plans.

Even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit! The commanders of the two armies, being battle-hardened, naturally understood this simple principle. Even if the enemy’s Saint King had fallen and their morale was low, they would not underestimate them.

Meanwhile, as the Qin Army deliberated its strategy, the Scorpion Tribe, the Sea Clan, and the Qunxian Sect received news of the Qin Dynasty’s invasion. Their higher-ups hastily gathered to discuss countermeasures.

「Scorpion Tribe!」

After the fall of the Scorpion King, they had lost their ambition for expansion and simply wished to hold onto their seven realms while they recuperated.

"What should we do about the Qin Dynasty’s invasion?"

In the great desert palace, all the Scorpion Tribe’s Saint elders were gathered, their faces revealing deep concern.

"The Qin Dynasty is powerful and has Saint King-level warriors. I suggest we retreat underground!" Scorpion Shadow suggested solemnly.

The atmosphere in the hall fell into a gloomy silence. Retreating underground was not an easy choice. The Scorpion Tribe had spent hundreds of thousands of years transitioning from an underground existence to living on the surface. If they retreated now, how long would it be before they could return? A million years? Or even longer? Compared to the dark, desolate, resource-scarce underworld, who, after experiencing life on the surface, would want to leave it?

"I disagree! I’d rather die than go back underground!" an elder immediately retorted.

"Then can you resist the Qin Divine Court’s invasion?"

"I... I can’t! But given the Qin Divine Court’s strength, even if we flee underground, they have ways to pursue us!"

"That’s still better than staying here!"

Many elders argued, none willing to concede.

"Fellow elders, I have a suggestion—why don’t we surrender?" Amid the heated disagreement, a relatively young elder suggested quietly.

The hall fell into momentary silence at these words, but very soon, strong objections ensued.

"Absolutely not! We are noble Beasts! How could we ever surrender to the Humans?"

"Absolutely not! Surrendering to Humans means betraying our ancestors. We must remember the deep-seated hatred between us and the Humans!"

"Exactly! I’d rather retreat underground than surrender to the Humans..."

When it came to their tribe’s stance, the Scorpion Tribe elders were surprisingly unanimous. Apart from the young elder who had just spoken, the rest were absolutely determined.

Life or death! Humiliation or honor! They would rather die with honor than live in shame!

Across the entire Primitive Continent’s Three Thousand Dao Domains, the number of Beasts who surrendered to Humans was extremely scarce. In contrast, Humans colluding with Beasts were as numerous as fish in a river.

"Retreating to the dark underground is impossible, and surrendering is even more so! We can only fight!" a hot-headed elder roared.

After he spoke, remarkably, no one opposed him. All elders tacitly agreed.

Fight then! Pursue honor, and fight to the death!

「Sea Clan!」

Like the Scorpion Tribe, all their elders gathered for intense discussions. Some proposed migrating to the deeper sea, while others chose to resist to the death. But no one chose to surrender.

"Enough! I have decided we will resist the Qin Divine Court’s invasion to the death. However, the tribe’s lineage must not be broken. Therefore, we need to select two elders to take the tribe’s prodigies far away and preserve our bloodline!"

After half a day of deliberation, the elder seated at the head made the final decision. This time, no one opposed.

"I agree!"

"I agree!"

"I also agree..."

This was probably the best solution. Migrating to the deep sea would mean passing through the territory of sea demons—a race of powerful but unintelligent creatures that dominated the deep sea, rendering it a forbidden zone. Migration was likely fatal. Therefore, it was better to stay and fight to the death, an act that could at least buy time for the pearls of the tribe to escape.

Compared to the Beasts, different opinions surfaced within the Qunxian Sect. Most elders decided to surrender. After all, the Qunxian Sect was also a Human power. Surrendering involved no racial issues, and they had no psychological qualms about it.

These old fogies have no sense of principle! Wan Hongfei, sitting on the throne with a gloomy expression, cursed bitterly in his heart.