CHAPTER 378: CHAPTER 378: DOMINEERING

After a brief observation, Spirit Sword Ancestor was the first to speak tentatively.

"Duke Yu..."

However, before the words were finished, Zhu Haomiao waved his hand, interrupting without allowing any argument.

"I trust you’re all well aware of the conditions I’ve previously laid out."

"I have no patience for wrangling with you. This time, I just want to know one thing..."

His words paused, and the young man cast his eyes around the room, his gaze filled with such pressure that everyone felt on edge, but his next words instantly stretched the atmosphere to its limit.

"Have you chosen to submit, or face annihilation?"

Everyone present turned pale, even Spirit Sword Ancestor frowned.

"Duke Yu, isn’t it too tyrannical to be so unreasonable?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Haomiao chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"Tyrannical?"

"I didn’t come here to directly eradicate you, which is already going above and beyond."

"Giving you the chance to choose your own fate is a show of respect. Don’t fail to appreciate this kindness."

"So many people long for the opportunity to make a choice but can’t have it..."

The suggestive murmur stirred something within everyone, making them subconsciously glance at the First Demon Sect Leader behind the young man, sensing a trace of helpless resignation on her otherwise expressionless face.

Seeing a living example before them, the young man’s arrogant and absurd words were no longer empty threats, but a genuine statement.

Soon, unprecedented pressure engulfed their bodies and minds, and everyone realized that they, and perhaps even all of Jianghu, stood at a turning point of fate.

If even the First Demon Sect Leader could only choose to submit, can they truly resist the crushing tide?

Upon introspection, an answer faintly surfaced in everyone’s hearts, bringing about a surge of confusion.

For the first time in their lives, they felt the despairing helplessness of life and death being at the whim of another.

To submit leaves them unwilling!

And to resist invites the calamity of extermination!

Noticing the conflicted emotions among the crowd, Zhu Haomiao shook his head in resignation.

"If it weren’t for the fact that you people still seem to follow certain principles and hold some positive value, I wouldn’t bother wasting words with you."

"Let’s do it this way; I allow you to retain part of your movable assets, as a cost for dismissing surplus members of your sect."

"This is my greatest concession."

After all, ordinary Jianghu people only need to be valiant and competitive, but the vast estate and affairs of Duke Yu require consideration of many things.

Releasing a large number of individuals with martial strength but no funds into society itself is a huge liability.

This forces them into criminal acts!

Conversely, allowing them to retain some movable assets instead helps to stabilize them.

Elsewhere, hearing the young man’s terms, some showed interest, but still, others remained indignant and unwilling.

"The industries within the sects have been painstakingly accumulated over hundreds of years, legally and fairly, so why should they be taken away by a single word from Duke Yu?!"

"Isn’t this outright plunder?"

Faced with the questioning, Zhu Haomiao’s lips curled with an expression of mockery.

"Truly legal and fair?"

"You parasites have been sucking the state dry, leaving Da Zhen impoverished and its people destitute."

"I’m merely letting you return to your original positions, cutting off your overreaching claws."

In response, someone immediately objected.

"We are not evil heretics; we are a legitimate sect..."

Before the words were finished, Zhu Haomiao’s gaze sharpened, his cold and piercing stare like a steel blade brushing over their skin, instantly silencing the speaker.

"Whether Black Path or White Path, not respecting court laws is the Devil’s Path!"

"I’ll say it one last time, sparing you a life is already due to acknowledging your positive contributions in upholding justice. Don’t force me to resort to violence."

"The rooms in the Demon Suppression Prison are plenty, enough to fit you all in!"

The blatant threat left everyone both shocked and angry, their emotions fluctuating like a roller coaster.

But after calming down, they had no doubt about the threat’s truth.

After all, many Black Path magnates had already served as vivid demonstrations for them.

Silently scrutinizing the young man, looking at his emotionless, handsome face, the scene fell into an awkward silence.

Zhu Haomiao was in no rush, allowing them to exchange glances privately, quietly waiting for the outcome.

After a long time, Spirit Sword Ancestor sighed softly, reluctantly nodding.

"The greatest of chivalry is for the country and the people."

"Sacrificing our homes and fortunes for the sake of the country is indeed a noble act."

Seeing this old guy finding grandiose justifications even as the end neared, Gui Hua, standing behind Zhu Haomiao, curled her lips coldly.

"Hypocrite."

"You..."

Seeing these two, with their combined ages nearing a thousand, about to quarrel, Zhu Haomiao decisively waved to stop them.

"Enough."

The low, gentle voice was warm and peaceful but carried an inherent severity that instantly made everyone shudder.

After controlling the scene, Zhu Haomiao placed Zhao Nuo, whom he had been holding, onto a chair and stood aside himself.

"This is His Majesty, the Emperor of Da Zhen, kneel down and pledge your loyalty."

Everyone’s eyelids twitched as they looked incredulously at the little girl, delicately carved like jade, then at the graceful black-clothed youth, their minds filled with questions.

Except for those monstrous founding emperors, the subsequent Da Zhen emperors almost never left the Imperial City!

Is it really okay to carry such a young emperor around the world?

Are you not afraid that someone might hold her hostage and harm her?

Or does Duke Yu have the confidence to ensure her safety under any circumstances?!

But quickly recovering from their shock, Spirit Sword Ancestor, Gao Haochen, understood that the black-clothed youth was offering them a way out, and he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Submission under a sixteen-year-old boy, versus kneeling before an emperor, are two completely different concepts!

Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, Teacher!!

Though younger, the latter upholds the righteousness of the sovereign-subject relationship, allowing even Gao Haochen to find peace in convincing himself.

But as for the former, many probably couldn’t overcome the psychological barrier, choosing death over submission, rather shedding blood than kneeling!

Understanding this, Gao Haochen adjusted his simple linen garment and respectfully performed a kneeling salute.

"Minister Gao Haochen, greets Your Majesty."

With a leader, the rest had no psychological burden. Even if some remained unwilling, they could only follow in kneeling.

"Greets Your Majesty."

Looking at the congregation kneeling in black masses below, Zhao Nuo gracefully raised her hand slightly to lift them.

"Arise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

At this moment, Zhu Haomiao suddenly raised his eyes to the void, capturing the violent surges of fate.

Endless Qi Fortune rushed forth like a tidal wave, continuously pouring into Zhao Nuo and himself.

Blinking his eyes, though he did not perceive any substantive change, Zhu Haomiao faintly sensed a subtle transformation on the level of fate.

It was an existential enhancement, transitioning from an ant to the Heavenly Destiny Main Character.