Chapter 934: Chapter Forty

This technique is used against Qiu Ba when facing scholars; no matter how flowery his speech, I, the Lord, simply deliver a single overhead slash that instantly strips the handsome man of his hair. Bai Lang is exactly that kind of person—there's no need for any discussion with Cuo Da; I just meet him with fists and slaps, and Cuo Da naturally has no idle words, letting him be crushed flat and rolled round. Bai Lang's fierce momentum storms into the Censorate, naturally inciting the anger of all the censors there.

Indeed, we know you are a celestial being, a noble of the realm, but we are the court's pure stream; even when the Son of Heaven errs we can still submit petitions, and iron‑bony censors who have berated the emperor to the point of bloodshed are not unheard of. Do you truly think we're afraid of you? That we can't speak?

At that moment a censor sprang forward, "Is the Qin King plotting rebellion? We didn't have that before, and now we also intend to file impeachment; Your Majesty, punish you!" An older censor interjected, "There's no impeachment of the Qin King here…," trying to smooth things over. Bai Lang simply replied, "If you intend to impeach me, then go die for me." He then acted outright, punching his way in with iron fists and beating the thirty‑four censors present, led by the Left Censor, into a thorough thrashing.

The beating left those men with bruised, swollen faces like pig heads, and Bai Lang's fiery power was restrained; even applying restorative medicine could not reduce the swelling. Thus, the next day at court the Censorate became a bizarre scene—every pig‑headed official had to impeach themselves for their own misconduct before the ruler. Of course they also frantically filed impeachment articles, accusing the Qin King of lawlessness and arbitrarily beating state ministers, and nothing else.

Because this Border King is neither greedy nor unlawful—he receives the state's stipend to support his own guards, and if he were corrupt he'd be drinking soldiers' blood; he does not govern the people, so there's no charge of legal abuse. One can only say he disregards the law and beats people at will, even the Censorate. "Truly there is no dignity left! Lawless!" Emperor Jing Tai roared, "Is the Qin King here?"

The eunuch beside him whispered a "reminder" to Emperor Jing Tai: the Qin King did not attend today… So Emperor Jing Tai gave up, and after berating Bai Lang, that "Qiu Ba," as unreasonable, he pretended to move past the incident. The censors were reluctant to pursue the matter repeatedly in the court session, so after the audience they kept drafting impeachment to condemn this coarse soldier—no martial Taoist lacks profound learning, and at that moment the censors chose to forget selectively.

This time Bai Lang did not pick the censors; he chose a certain minister—a branch of the prestigious Jiangdong County family—to test his skill. The Qin King kicked the great doors open and charged in as if no one were there; anyone who dared to block this celestial being let out a wail and was instantly ignited by flame, turning to ash with a breath. Bai Lang was there to kill, showing no mercy; when he broke into the house, he found the middle‑aged minister with a tranquil face, who, upon seeing Bai Lang, closed his eyes and awaited death.

"What an awakened one," Bai Lang exclaimed, "No wonder the boss can't outplay you…" He raised his hand and delivered a single slap—considered a gesture of face, a sign that he's no mere small fry. Layers of fire surged, instantly turning the pitiful man into skeletal ash; the Three Fires Returning to Origin Technique proved brutally effective here as well.

After killing the minister, the censors launched verbal and written attacks, and some even dared to ask the rarely‑present Bai Lang at the court—this Qin King does have a seat, situated just beneath the jade steps; while others perform the court bow, Bai Lang need not bow, merely sitting on his chair to receive homage, just like Emperor Jing Tai. Celestial clan masters, if they share no ambition with the emperor, truly leave the court's officials at a loss.

A censor asked why he had taken it upon himself to kill the minister—did the minister commit any crime? Or is the Qin King simply indulging in wanton killing? Bai Lang, indifferent, replied, "Baseless!" and no one pressed further—he had become so violent that only an equal‑ranked master could restrain him. Emperor Jing Tai felt a secret delight, uttering only a few harmless words; those standing below were all astute, of course aware that Bai Lang's actions were implicitly sanctioned by the emperor.

Their relationship as brothers needed reevaluation; unexpectedly they forced Emperor Jing Tai to join forces with the brother he most dreaded. The senior officials in the court wondered whether to adopt a different approach. If they allowed the Qin King to unleash a killing spree in the court with Emperor Jing Tai's backing, they would have virtually no means—celestial beings from the Buddhist Sect, Daoist paths, and even Confucian heavens would likely be unable to contend one‑on‑one with a martial Taoist.

Later, the eunuch in the palace once again slipped quietly to Bai Lang, indicating that the Emperor would allow him to kill a certain individual and then depart freely. "He doesn't care about that list?" Bai Lang asked curiously. The cautious eunuch replied, "The circumstances have shifted; the Emperor is now delighted, so Your Highness only needs to eliminate one more—this person has repeatedly defied His Majesty..."

"Understood—it's about not giving the emperor face, sometimes even insulting my elder brother's face, right? Fine, I'll go kill him now, and after I'm done I'll leave." Bai Lang, being considerate, realized he might become another brother feared by Emperor Jing Tai—though he wasn't sure whether this fellow would use dragon qi to imprison him within the Capital. So he decided to make a swift exit.

This fulfills the brotherly bond; from now on the boss may write letters, but Bai Lang will not return easily.

The War of the Investiture of the Gods had already begun, awaiting the first unlucky soul to be listed; now it seemed a southern court official would be the first, as Xiangpang's rebellion swelled. In recent days the court debated this, and Emperor Jing Tai was at a loss—especially after receiving intelligence that Xiangpang had broken through in battle, attaining the rank of celestial being.

Shouldn't they dispatch Qin King Bai Lang southward? Yet the Northern Frontier is stirring, with multiple celestial masters; how could the Xuanwu Grand General alone hold them back? Bai Lang immediately set out, this time targeting a minister—"This Minister of Works somehow turned against the boss; dismissing him would have sufficed, yet they insist on killing him; the grudge is considerable, and still no leverage? This emperor truly failed." Bai Lang descended from the heavens, confronting the Sima Minister directly.

The killing was swift and clean; the minister's martial skill was not low—he cultivated his own Confucian martial arts, but against Bai Lang it was useless, merely a single punch. After slaying the minister, Bai Lang transformed into a fire cloud and fled far away—within the Capital, the aura of celestial beings has begun to surface in more than one location...