Chapter 112: The Izumo Empire's Move

(Everyone, don't ask me what happened to people like Jia Xing Tian; I just don't want to filler, after all the recent college entrance exams left updates unguaranteed, so I'll just gloss over it. I can only say the damned are all dead; anyone who provokes the protagonist can't survive.)

In the Jia Ma Empire royal family, Xiao Zhan sat on the throne feeling a bit dazed; just a day ago he was the local emperor of the remote Wutan City, still pondering how to develop his clan.

Today, he truly became emperor.

The original Jia Ma Empire officials remained largely unchanged; the position formerly held by the Nalan family was taken over by a newly recruited group of capable people, and the members of the Mu family and the Miter family were not only unharmed but were mostly promoted.

Xiao Li has no hesitation about any family's strength; on the Fighting Qi continent, the strong are supreme, and as long as he is strong enough, does he still worry about a tiny Jia Ma Empire?

Now, unexpectedly becoming the second prince of the Jia Ma Empire was also something Xiao Li hadn't anticipated; who could have known that Jia Xing Tian would court death and happen to provoke Xiao Li.

But now Xiao Li has both Heijiao Yu and the Jia Ma Empire as territories, and his manpower is a bit lacking; fortunately, people from Canaan Academy can help him manage Heijiao Yu a bit.

However, those at Canaan Academy are either teachers or reclusive strongmen; being poor at administration is one thing, but more importantly they are unwilling to manage, so Xiao Li must find manpower within a certain time.

"Xiao Li, something big has happened."

Seeing Hai Bo Dong rush hurriedly into his room, a large crowd trailing behind, Xiao Li realized the seriousness of the problem.

"What's wrong, Hai Lao? What problem could the Jia Ma Empire still have now?"

Hai Bo Dong's face bore a faint, lingering anger, "It's not within the Jia Ma Empire; it's the neighboring Izumo Empire. Our Jia Ma Empire and they are ancient enemies. Now that we've made such a big move, they want to loot us in the chaos. Their scouts reported that they are already close to the Tagor Desert."

Izumo Empire?

Xiao Li recalled this poison‑master nation, his worry lessened a bit, "The other two nations didn't come?"

"Alas, that's exactly what worries me. If we show weakness, the Luoyan Empire and the Mulan Empire will surely join the scramble for territory, and then we won't be fine."

Hai Bo Dong appeared very anxious; after all, he had lived his whole life in the Jia Ma Empire and truly could not bear its downfall.

"No problem, just one Izumo Empire; I don't mind it at all."

Xiao Li's expression returned to calm; he recalled a line from the original work that the Izumo Empire had once raided the Snake People in the Tagor Desert. The fact that they are now coming again to Tagor Desert must mean they don't know the Snake People have already allied with the Lei Sect, catching them off guard.

"Gather the strong of the Snake People and come with me to the Tagor Desert."

"Understood."

Everyone responded in turn; although half a month ago they had just endured a great battle, they have now recovered, and even Chen Long has broken through to the Fighting Emperor realm.

"Xiao Yan, stay a moment."

Xiao Yan stopped at the sound, "What's up, second brother?"

"Yao Lao has already expended a lot earlier; unless absolutely necessary, we shouldn't let Yao Lao act this time," Xiao Li said.

Yao Lao felt a warmth in his heart, drifting out from his ring, "No problem, even if a few more great battles come, it's fine."

Xiao Li gave a faint smile, "Yao Lao, President Fama sent over a scroll of single‑ingredient Soul‑Returning Pill; once I gather some herbs for you, you can recover a bit."

Speaking of Fama, Yao Lao had formed some impression; a few days earlier the two had recognized each other, and in gratitude for Yao Lao's guidance, Fama offered wholehearted assistance, immediately agreeing to fulfill any of Yao Lao's requests free of charge, sending over the prized items from his chest.

Yao Lao felt greatly relieved and was happy to advise Fama further; he estimated that in a few years Fama would break through to Sixth‑grade Alchemist, replacing the former Dan King Gu He.

"Xiao Yan, how did the puppet you forged earlier turn out?" Xiao Li asked.

"Don't worry, second brother. I followed your orders, entered the palace with men, discovered a wounded sixth‑tier beast here, took its demon core, and after my research, combined Yun Shan, Jia Xing Tian's corpse, and the souls of the Soul Hall people to forge some materials, crafting two human‑demon puppets whose combat power reaches the level of six or seven stars of a Fighting Emperor."

Xiao Yan chuckled, now holding two high‑grade Fighting Emperor puppets and a half‑step Fighting Sect puppet, a sudden windfall indeed; it showed Xiao Yan still had some conscience—whenever Xiao Li forged puppets, the Fighting Kings like Yun Leng wouldn't waste them, and they'd surely extract every benefit.

Nevertheless, Xiao Li was quite satisfied; in this battle against the Izumo Empire, these three puppets would surely be of great use.

... Tagor Desert

Numerous figures clad in Izumo Empire uniforms appeared, most exuding strong aura; as members of the raid, they were almost all elite, many bearing equipment specific to poison masters.

As a force capable of heavily damaging the Snake People in the original work, its combat power was certainly formidable; in the original, it was Medusa's arrival that resolved this major trouble, otherwise the Snake People might have been wiped out.

The Tagor Desert was endless yellow sand everywhere; Xiao Li and his companions had no intention to hide, standing straightforwardly at the desert's center, dozens of Fighting Qi wings flapped, radiating powerful might.

Below, emergency‑called soldiers stood, mixed with many Snake People; although relations remain a bit tense, after this battle they should ease considerably.

Looking at the multitude ahead, the leader Xie Shan hesitated; their Wan Xie Sect had been heavily hired by the royal family for this raid, but it was now clear the plan had been exposed, and the raid could no longer proceed.

However, in this Izumo Empire maneuver, the Wan Xie Sect had only this mission; retreating without fighting would inevitably invite gossip.

Moreover, the Wan Xie Sect is not to be taken lightly; not only many of its top masters arrived, but even the old sect head Xie Bi Yan came, and though he won't act rashly, his presence bolstered Xie Shan's confidence.

With such strength, it's no wonder the Snake People were heavily damaged after the raid.

Just as Xie Shan was about to speak, a thunderous drum roll surged from afar, spreading across the entire desert.

"They're about to launch an attack!" Hearing the rapid drums, Xie Shan's complexion changed; these people truly have no etiquette, attacking without a word.

Soon after the drums rang out, the desert began to tremble; in the far distance, an endless sea of people surged like waves toward the direction where Xie Shan and the others stood, the thundering footfalls echoing across the sky like thunder, imposing an extremely heavy psychological pressure.

The Snake People have lived in the Tagor Desert for many years and know it like the back of their hand; countless Snake People have already reached the rear of the Wan Xie Sect and the Izumo Empire's main force.

Thanks to Shui Su Jia for the reward

Some may question whether a single raid could annihilate the Snake People in the original work?

Actually I don't believe it either, but Chapter 727 wrote that Long Tao Yan Cheng said (possibly exaggerated) that without Medusa, the Snake People would likely be wiped out; with four Fighting Emperor peaks and eight Fighting Kings, I can only assume Xie Bi Yan intervened (the possibility of Xiao Yi Xian is not excluded, but it's slim; Tu Dou likely wouldn't write such a plot, since the victims are Medusa's clan, it wouldn't tarnish Xiao Yi Xian—98% chance it's Xie Bi Yan).

(End of Chapter)