CHAPTER 857: CHAPTER 867: PLAYING A MASTERFUL GAME OF CALCULATIONS

Chu Feng did not salute the man upon meeting nor did he warmly welcome him, which had already displeased the man.

Holding authority, he naturally wanted to exert his power and curb Chu Feng’s momentum.

"Privately changing the battle flag is a serious crime, especially since your name is Chu. Do you think that your great military achievements allow you to disregard military discipline and national law, doing whatever you please? Changing the flag at will to bear the name Chu?"

No wonder the Vermilion Bird Emperor sent this person as a special envoy; if nothing else, his tongue alone was sharp enough to be intimidating.

He directly slapped a charge on Chu Feng’s head.

"Yes, that’s right, I changed it. So what?" Chu Feng replied mockingly, with a hint of a cold smile.

"Where is the Military Judge? Arrest this man for me, and give him thirty lashes first!"

Jia Xuan was infuriated.

As an imperial envoy, wherever he went, he was always revered, with people nodding, bowing, and eagerly currying favor with him.

No one had ever been as arrogant as Chu Feng.

All the military officers and soldiers present had already become Chu Feng’s subordinates and were loyal to him.

Jia Xuan was oblivious to his limitations, even attempting to order them to arrest Chu Feng and flog him. It was simply laughable.

No one payed him any attention.

Some soldiers and generals even looked at him with particularly fierce eyes.

"Haha, if Envoy Jia wants to flaunt his prestige, you’d better wait until the war is over. Right now, my soldiers are busy fighting the formidable enemy and probably don’t have time to bother with you, esteemed envoy!"

Chu Feng laughed heartily, hoping this envoy could understand the situation clearly.

Otherwise, he would only bring suffering upon himself.

Jia Xuan’s face flushed with anger.

He hadn’t expected that not a single soldier would obey his orders. Remembering the important task given to him by the Vermilion Bird Emperor, he took a deep breath to suppress the raging fury within him.

"Chu Feng, this envoy won’t waste words with you. We’ll deal with your offenses later."

"I am here under the order of the Heavenly Emperor for two matters. First, you are to hand over the Emperor’s Sword. Second, I will take over all military and political affairs of Azure Dragon City. You and Divine General Ling Feng will serve under me."

"As for you two leading troops to capture Azure Dragon City and achieving such great merit, His Majesty will bestow great rewards upon your return."

Jia Xuan solemnly took out a decree from his sleeve.

It was much smaller than an ordinary decree and plainly made. After unrolling it, the back bore the word "secret."

This was a secret decree.

"Chu Feng, Divine General Ling Feng, receive the decree!"

After taking out the decree, Jia Xuan’s arrogance resurfaced. Holding the decree was equivalent to having imperial authority, giving him supreme power.

Everyone present was expected to show him respect and obey his orders.

Their fate would be under his control.

"Heh, what a secret decree, what a Vermilion Bird Emperor. He deliberately had the Panlong Heavenly Emperor lead an army to take Dragon Slayer Pass, putting us in a desperate situation. The sole purpose was to force us to capture the Azure Dragon Imperial City."

"Now that Azure Dragon City has been taken, he immediately sent an imperial envoy to seize power. Because he knows we’re all smart people, his plot cannot fool Divine General Ling Feng and me. He’s also afraid we might eventually hold onto our troops for our own power and disobey orders."

Chu Feng was filled with rage and laughed, realizing that the Vermilion Bird Emperor was indeed a cunning and ruthless manipulator.

Playing well both with overt and hidden plots.

"Hmm, where is Divine General Ling Feng? Why isn’t he coming to meet this envoy?" Jia Xuan noticed that Chu Feng had no intention of receiving the decree, and he began to search for Divine General Ling Feng’s presence.

He ignored the tense situation on the battlefield.

As if those more than twenty Supreme Sword God level masters of the Azure Dragon Royal Family had nothing to do with him.

He couldn’t control Chu Feng because Chu Feng was a free man, not a minister or general of the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Country.

He planned to subdue Divine General Ling Feng first.

"Divine General Ling Feng is busy resisting formidable enemies and has no time to see you. As for the secret decree, you might as well keep it for yourself. If there’s nothing else, Envoy Jia can leave. As you can see, there’s war everywhere here, and there’s no time to entertain you with tea and meals. Please go!"

Chu Feng’s anger flared high after learning Jia Xuan’s purpose.

Having now declared himself emperor, he certainly wouldn’t obey the Vermilion Bird Emperor’s command.

"Chu Feng, you dare defy the decree? Is this a rebellion you’re intending?" Jia Xuan, having his dignity repeatedly damaged and feeling neglected, finally exploded.

He stared angrily at Chu Feng, full of authority, and scolded him loudly.

"Yes, I refuse the decree; what can you do about it? Get lost!"

This time, Chu Feng didn’t even bother with the least bit of formal courtesy. He had long intended to break relations.

He originally planned to leave some face for Envoy Jia, delaying his fallout with the Vermilion Bird Emperor. Now it must happen sooner than planned.

"Y-you... This is outright rebellion! Fortunately, His Majesty the Emperor has had his guard up against you for a long time," spluttered Jia Xuan, trembling with anger, as he suddenly brought out something from his chest—the military’s Commander’s Seal.

This object held supreme authority in the military, even more so than a decree.

Even the Marshal in the army would have to bow and obey upon seeing this seal.

"This is the Commander’s Seal bestowed by the Vermilion Bird Emperor. All generals and soldiers heed the command!" Jia Xuan shouted, making sure his voice reached the ears of the four hundred thousand troops.

He, after all, possessed a Nine-star Sword God cultivation, having heard of Chu Feng’s fame and deeds but not paying them too much mind.

Nor did he take Chu Feng seriously.

He believed that as long as he intimidated the army and took command, Chu Feng would be nothing.

If Chu Feng dared to resist or disobey orders, he would be directly expelled.

After all, the army belonged to the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Country.

"I gave you the chance to live, but you didn’t cherish it. So blame no one but yourself," said Chu Feng as he moved to action, knowing the army was fully engaged in using formation tactics to combat the Azure Dragon Royal Family’s masters.

They must not be distracted or affected in any way.

Therefore, Chu Feng made a decisive decision to kill this person.

Additionally, it would prevent the Vermilion Bird Emperor from discovering his rebellion too soon.

For Chu Feng, time was now the most precious commodity. He must exploit the time differential to accomplish a series of extraordinary feats.

"Chu Feng, dare you strike at me, an imperial envoy? Divine General Ling Feng, and all of you, generals and soldiers, following Chu Feng would be a capital offense punished by execution and extermination of nine generations!"

Jia Xuan panicked and quickly drew his Divine Weapon, concentrating his focus to guard himself.

"Fool! Daring to disrespect our Emperor Chu, you deserve death!" a Vice General couldn’t help but curse.

"Emperor Chu? Does this mean you’ve already established yourself as ruler?" Jia Xuan’s eyes widened in shock. "In a war between nations, you don’t kill the envoys. Chu Feng, you can’t kill me..."

Faced with imminent death, Jia Xuan quickly pleaded for his life.

He wasn’t stupid, and connecting the various scenes he saw after entering the city, plus the Vice General calling Chu Feng Emperor Chu, he immediately understood that Chu Feng had established himself, taking the most risky step, one the Vermilion Bird Emperor least wished to see.