Twilight Boundary-Chapter 826 - 808: Making a Great Vow, Conferring the Ming King

In an instant, great alarm struck my heart. Some quickly chanted, others struck forcefully, but to no avail. The surroundings heated up as if thrust into a furnace, not only melting the golden characters of the runes on the red belly cover but suddenly catching fire.

Amidst the chaotic military formation, dozens of blazing fireballs appeared abruptly. Even the screams were choked back by the flames, which grew more intense by the moment, springing up several zhang high.

The soldiers rushing from both sides were utterly startled, hastily stepping aside.

"Oh my... "

Manager Xu was also nearly frightened out of his seat by the spectacle, casting a suspicious glance at Hu Ma: "You... how did you do it? It must have been your doing, right?"

Hu Ma just smiled, helpless, knowing his own insight couldn't see through the intricacies of this venomous dharma method, being far from the level of breaking all techniques with a glance, hence resorting to clumsy methods.

From the aura emanating from them when they acted, it was evident that they followed an evil path. Solving the issue thus became straightforward; a single True Yang Arrow was spat out, harmless yet turning the area into a Pure Yang Copper Furnace.

The demon people donned in red belly covers had their yin qi completely refined away, but the remaining Primordial Yang Fire Qi wouldn't dissipate. Naturally, their physical bodies turned to fuel, starting to burn.

Indeed, Hu Ma used to envy those within the trickster's door who could breathe fire, yet now, he himself had mastered the skill.

"Heh, choosing a poor day to seek death!"

As the demon people targeting the food-protection general were abruptly burned to death like a divine miracle, Yang Gong stood behind the flames with a stern gaze, pointing forward with the golden knife in his hand, his shadow seemingly growing ever larger.

"Capture all these troublemakers, behead them, and display the heads as a warning."

"..."

The rebels initially sought to seize the opportunity to force the palace, but witnessing their soldiers behind them disobeying orders, and seeing several commanders and deputy generals whom they believed to be allies unexpectedly protecting the food-protection general, they realized the situation was dire.

Before their eyes, black masses of soldiers swarmed in, and several personal soldiers attempting to flee were all slain in chaos, quashing any thought of rebellion, allowing themselves to be captured.

Each was tied up tightly and escorted, following behind Yang Gong, entering the city once again.

Knowing there was no hope, they even spared the pleadings, save for one stubborn soul cursing Yang Gong, neck stiff: "Turns out you deliberately set us up in a trap, aiming to take our soldiers."

"But don't be too smug. Lord Jiao has set his sights on this place; his millennia of cultivation command respect from all."

"At worst, I'll walk the Netherworld Road a step ahead to wait for you there!"

"..."

"That old fool is rather audacious!"

Yang Gong glanced back at him, smiling: "I was about to find someone to take down anyway. I'll go find him before he comes, just won't let you see it."

With these words, he was weary of further discourse, gesturing a neck-cutting motion, saying: "What's with the jabbering, bean paste!"

One by one, they were pressed up to the city wall, and in front of the rebel troops outside, each was beheaded and hung at the gate tower as a demonstration.

Inside and outside the city, under the rebukes of Zhao Zhu and a group of generals, the rebel forces threw down their weapons, kneeling on the ground to plead for forgiveness.

Hu Ma plainly saw that this rebellion was likely part of Yang Gong's scheme from the start. His reach had grown vast, with many seeking to join from everywhere; some were usable, becoming fierce generals when taken in.

But others were too unruly, merely seeking someone to acquire provisions to sustain their own troops. These recruited forces, with few exceptions, required dispersing before they could be used, an idea these people would never agree to.

Hence, Yang Gong initially designed it all in secret, luring them out to lead the way: kill the leaders, slap a crime on the rest first, then slowly subdue them.

This strategy didn't appear particularly honorable, yet Hu Ma had no intention of intervening.

The Heavenly Book of the previous life has fallen into this world, containing great truths, but it also needs to accord with the reality of this world. Yang Gong has his own way of survival.

The final "Prosperity" character of the wordless treasure seal cannot be obtained by one person's ability alone but requires the collective fate of the people in this world. Therefore, after the subsequent contest, the selection of a true Emperor is imperative.

The truths of the past life cannot be completely replicated in this world, yet the term "public sentiment" proves most fundamental and precious, indispensable.

This determines that one must usher in a ruler who understands the people's sentiment, esteems public sentiment, yet aligns with the world's recognition of:

Emperor. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Such are his thoughts, so he spoke as such. At night, Yang Gong hosted a grand banquet to welcome him, though Hu Ma barely drank a few cups. Instead, he waited until after numerous rounds of toasts and the banquet dispersed, then sat with him in the courtyard, only retrieving a pot of wine to leisurely sit beneath the pavilion.

During their drinking, he candidly stated: "You are my brother, not my chess piece, so I feel it necessary to make some matters clear to you."

"You have established a strong foundation. The incense at Douyi has dissipated. Now is the time for you to leave the city. With your current soldiers and capable subordinates, though you may not hold a major advantage, you have the opportunity to vie for control."

"Regrettably, among the grasshead kings of this land, few truly hail from the common grass roots. Most are fostered by local nobles and figures from various Paths."

"While it may seem you're confronting various grasshead kings, in reality, you're facing those nobles and skilled figures from the Path, overseeing their domains and powers."