CHAPTER 473: CHAPTER 457: ETERNAL TEMPLE CONSPIRACY_1

"Ding, congratulations to the Host for successfully seizing the Thousand Beasts Domain and completely dismantling the foreigners’ stronghold in the East Border. Your sign-in reward is the ’Slavery Ring’!"

Within the Imperial Study, Qin Wudao sat cross-legged, his eyes half-closed, circulating the "Chaos Heavenly Scripture" as he exhaled and inhaled Spiritual Energy. The vast majesty of the Imperial Dao enveloped him, making him resemble an ancient heavenly emperor, divinely martial and extraordinary.

Upon hearing the system’s prompt, Qin Wudao opened his eyes; two golden dragon phantoms shot out from his pupils, piercing the Void.

"The Slavery Ring!"

Hearing this name, Qin Wudao’s eyebrows rose slightly. Immediately, he began to inspect the information about the Slavery Ring, a deep joy spreading across his otherwise calm face.

Name: The Slavery Ring!

Rank: Special Spiritual Treasure!

Function: Can produce Slavery Dao Marks with Spiritual Energy, specialized in enslaving living creatures. A single thought can control their life, a single thought can control their death!

Note: The cultivation of the enslaved creature must not exceed the seal maker’s level by more than two; otherwise, the slave mark will become ineffective and backlash against the master!

"Finally, I have a method to deal with the foreigners!" Qin Wudao murmured to himself, a ruthless light surfacing in his profound eyes.

After conquering the Thousand Beasts Saint’s Court, the foreigners’ territory fell under the Qin Dynasty’s rule. How to handle the foreigners became the most vexing problem for the Qin Dynasty’s ruler and officials. Even the ingenious Zhuge Liang could not devise a satisfactory solution. Foreigners are bloodthirsty and cruel by nature. Moreover, in their eyes, humans are prime ’Spiritual Medicine,’ an irresistible temptation. The conflict between the two races was almost irreconcilable. Even if the Qin Dynasty were to govern the foreigners with benevolence, they would not appreciate it. Hadn’t the Dark Serpent Tribe betrayed them before?

Therefore, the royal court unanimously rejected the decision to treat foreigners with leniency. But how to deal with them remained an undecided issue.

""Not of my race, their hearts must be different!

"Since peaceful coexistence is impossible, they might as well become slaves to the human race!

"In Ancient Times, wasn’t the human race treated similarly? The wheel of Reincarnation turns; it’s the foreigners’ turn now!" Qin Wudao stated, his expression impassive, his icy voice echoing in the Imperial Study, sending shivers down the spine.

At this moment, the candlelight in the room flickered, its glow dimming as if swallowed by darkness, seemingly heralding the foreigners’ impending plunge into an endless abyss.

「Thousand Beasts Domain!」

With the destruction of the Thousand Beasts Saint’s Court, countless enslaved humans were rescued. Apart from a small number who appeared normal, most were in a daze, utterly devoid of vitality.

In the rudimentary encampments, hundreds of millions of humans either lay on the ground, leaned against pillars, or moved on all fours, their eyes dull.

They were treated as livestock! Under the brutal rule of the Thousand Beasts Saint’s Court, they were the lowest of creatures, unable to walk upright or communicate with language, stripped of all human dignity. Most tragically, they had witnessed their own kin turned into "delicacies" and served on the foreigners’ dining tables. The endless torment had made them less than human. The desolate land was permeated with an atmosphere of sorrow and despair.

"Damn foreigners! They should all be exterminated!" Bai Qi, riding a blood-red warhorse, his face filled with Evil Qi, looked at his brutally mistreated compatriots. Even this emotionally stoic man showed a hint of sadness.

"There are so many foreigners, their numbers no less than humans. How could they all possibly be slaughtered?" Wang Jian said with a bitter smile. The foreigners in the East Border numbered in the trillions. If they were all killed, it would generate overwhelming negative karma, shaking the very Fortune of the Qin Dynasty. He could only pin his hopes on the royal court to devise a reasonable solution to the conflict between humans and foreigners.

Zhao Yun and Lv Bu stood to the side, silently clenching their weapons, veins bulging on their hands, clearly showing the turmoil within.

"Report! Lord Wang and Lord Dong have arrived!" a Scout respectfully reported, galloping over on his warhorse.

Zhao Yun’s face lit up. "Quickly, invite them!" he hastily ordered.

The Scout saluted, wheeled his horse around, and galloped off into the distance.

Zhao Yun’s face was solemn. "Send a command to gather the rescued humans!" he ordered in a deep voice.

Soldiers from the Four Divine Beasts Legion moved through the crowds, gathering the numb and indifferent humans. The assembly stretched as far as the eye could see.

Shortly after, Dong Zhongshu and Wang Yangming, accompanied by their disciples, arrived before Zhao Yun and the others, looking weary and travel-stained. After a brief exchange, Dong Zhongshu levitated into the air, preparing to preach the Dao. Meanwhile, Wang Yangming, led by Wang Jian, headed to another encampment. There were dozens of such encampments throughout the Thousand Beasts Domain, housing enslaved humans numbering in the tens of billions.

"Heaven’s movement is powerful; the noble person constantly strives for self-improvement!

"The Earth’s nature is receptive; the noble person, with profound virtue, supports all beings..."

Thousands of feet in the sky, Dong Zhongshu, clad in a gray scholar’s robe, hovered with a boundless sea of literary energy above him. It shone with a brilliant white light, and countless golden divine scripts filled the air, making him appear like a god of the Literary Dao, his presence shaking the heavens. Golden characters emerged from Dong Zhongshu’s mouth, dancing between heaven and earth, flitting past the ears of the people. A single word, a single sentence, could enlighten a person, could bring about a transformation.

Gradually, the numb humans closed their eyes, bathing in the Literary Dao, washing away their defilement, purifying their souls. When they reopened their eyes, their gazes were clear and dazzling. All their past suffering seemed to dissipate like smoke.

The crowd bowed first to Dong Zhongshu, then to the soldiers of the Four Divine Beasts Legion.

The first bow was in gratitude for the grace of enlightenment.

The second bow was in gratitude for saving their lives.

"Let’s go!" Seeing the enslaved humans regain their clarity, Zhao Yun felt relieved. He smiled faintly and rode off on his warhorse.

As he turned his back, as if by a performer’s trick, the smile on his face vanished completely. A cold light glinted in his eyes, which now revealed an endless murderous intent. Lv Bu, Bai Qi, Wang Jian, and the others also turned, their faces fierce, their own murderous intent surging violently. The soldiers of the Azure Dragon Army, White Tiger Army, Vermilion Bird Army, and Black Tortoise Army turned in unison, quietly gripping their weapons. A terrifying Evil Qi surged skyward, scattering the white clouds for thousands of miles.

Everyone knew it was time for revenge.

「Meanwhile, at the Kylin Realm, the Tri-Saint Palace!」

"Qin Dynasty! Damned Qin Dynasty!"

In the majestic hall, Soul Annihilation roared, smashing all the furniture, as if to vent all the humiliation he had suffered on the central battlefield. As a Grand Elder of the Eternal Temple, he had roamed the continent for eons, rising to unparalleled infamy over the ruins of countless powers. Yet, the insignificant Qin Dynasty’s Saint’s Court had caused him to suffer defeat twice. This was utterly hateful!

"You two pieces of trash, get in here now!" After venting his fury, Soul Annihilation barked a command to those outside the hall.

Zheng Guiqiong and Xiong Lie entered with lowered heads, trembling. They knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, their foreheads making dull thuds against the floor.

"The Qin Dynasty’s army will surely attack the Kylin Realm! Go and conscript soldiers immediately! I will fight the Qin Dynasty to the death!" Soul Annihilation commanded coldly, looking at the two with utter disgust. If not for the fact that the Eternal Temple’s foundations in the East Border had been completely uprooted by the Qin Dynasty’s Saint’s Court, leaving him with no one else to command, he would have had Zheng Guiqiong and Xiong Lie torn to shreds.

"As you command!" Zheng Guiqiong and Xiong Lie replied, sighing in relief as they hastily departed.

After they left, ripples disturbed the Void within the hall, and two figures in black robes emerged, exuding an extremely powerful pressure.

"Elder Soul Obsession, Elder Soul Heart, I must trouble you both for this task." Upon their appearance, Soul Annihilation’s gloomy face revealed a rare smile. He said solemnly, "The Qin Dynasty has only one Origin Great Emperor Realm Martial Artist. I will hold him back.

"During this period, you are to go to the Qin Dynasty’s Imperial Capital, kill Qin Wudao, destroy the Qin Dynasty’s Fortune, shatter its dragon veins, and massacre the entire city..."

His voice, filled with murderous intent, echoed through the hall. A pillar of crimson, murderous energy shattered the eaves of the palace, soaring into the sky, piercing through heaven and earth.

Within a ten-thousand-mile radius, all living creatures felt a chill shoot up from the soles of their feet, engulfing their bodies. Their blood seemed to freeze, and their souls trembled.