Chapter 703

"They actually dare to do this? Don't they fear shaking the empire's foundation?"

On the fief of a noble, a noble in blue robes spoke with a dark expression.

In the past few days, more than one-fifth of the original nobles of the Purple Gold Empire had been exterminated.

Among them were no shortage of top-tier nobles of Duke rank.

As a small empire, the Purple Gold Empire could naturally bestow the title of Duke, but its number of Dukes was small—only a few in total.

And among that list were two Dukes!

Without the Dukes' involvement, these people could never have caused such a commotion.

They even dared to set traps and ambush the Divine Temple Knights—how bold they were!

But after the Mengying Sect deployed its core knightly brigade, none of these attacks succeeded!

The Purple Gold Empire's army had already suffered heavy losses in war; these nobles had armed massive forces for the three Imperial Princes' struggle for the throne, and those forces were now either dead or captured.

Though they could still spend vast sums to recruit capable warriors, they were utterly powerless against the core Divine Temple Knights.

Twenty Fifth Rank core Divine Temple Knights were enough to crush thousands of One or Two Rank warriors.

This was the terrifying power of high-end combat strength.

On the battlefield, without a corresponding Divine Temple Knight brigade to counter them, the Church's Divine Temple Knights alone could decide the outcome of a major campaign!

"We haven't been discovered yet—what should we do? Should we keep going?"

Another noble asked.

This time, not all the rebellious nobles had been uncovered.

The Purple Gold Empire's god, seeking to plunge the empire into chaos, had promised them many things—extended lifespan, enhanced strength, and other powerful temptations for nobles.

Coupled with their hidden positions and meticulous plans, they believed they could manipulate everything from behind the scenes.

Yet they never imagined that no matter how many schemes they devised, they would crumble before absolute power!

Still, many escapees had not been uncovered.

"No—this is now another battlefield. The Flame Empire dared to openly kill so many nobles; it is now at war with all nobles. Lord Laka, do not reveal your identity—go and contact those nobles who did not join them, urge them to unite and protest the Flame Empire's actions, and pressure the Flame Empire."

The noble in blue robes said.

"That's a brilliant plan!"

Nearby, another noble praised.

In this operation, many nobles still had not joined them.

But the Flame Empire's act of killing nobles without any trial had made these innocent nobles feel threatened as well.

On the Continent of Gods, nobles are the foundation of a nation.

Therefore, even a king would never kill a noble without trial!

Killing one or two occasionally was tolerable, but to kill nobles on this scale—even if some had suspected involvement in rebellion—was a violation of the rules!

For killing a noble must always go through trial, and the most crucial element in any trial is irrefutable evidence!

So they could absolutely incite those innocent nobles to protest the Flame Empire's mass killings of nobles.

If the Flame Empire dared to kill these innocent nobles, it would lose the people's support in the Purple Gold Empire.

If it did not kill them, it would be forced into a corner by these nobles and suffer a massive blow to its prestige!

In short, the Flame Empire was trapped between two impossible choices!

"Of course it's a brilliant plan—it's a revelation bestowed by my god!"

The noble in blue robes said coolly.

A divine radiance now clearly clung to him—he had clearly been chosen by the Purple Gold Empire's original god as the new Holy Son.

This group moved swiftly.

Within days, a large number of nobles who had not participated in the rebellion were persuaded and set out for the Purple Gold Empire's original imperial capital.

They intended to unite and pressure the Flame Empire.

The Flame Empire's actions threatened every noble.

And since they had not participated in rebellion, their protest was entirely justified.

"Your Majesty, thousands of nobles have gathered in the imperial capital, accusing us of violating tradition and law by killing so many nobles without trial. Their momentum is immense, and they've won the sympathy of many commoners—they're now assembled at the Purple Gold Square, demanding to see the two Empresses."

In the palace, a female official reported.

The original palace of the Purple Gold Empire had been destroyed.

Now, Mengying and the fox girl Sister Qing Ling resided in a new palace, rebuilt at great expense behind the Purple Gold Empire's former grounds.

It had been completed but never occupied, intended only for the new emperor's ascension.

Now it had conveniently become theirs!

"Holy Maiden, I'll handle this—my god has already bestowed a revelation."

Mengying said to the fox girl Sister Qing Ling.

Sister Qing Ling nodded and said, "Yes, go."

"Even if they are guilty, if the Flame Empire kills them today without trial, tomorrow it might kill us without trial—if we stay silent today, today's victims will be tomorrow's us!"

On the Purple Gold Square, a noble shouted loudly.

His words won the approval of many nobles.

"Yes—if after trial they are found guilty, then they deserve death, but to kill two Dukes, five Hou Jues, ten Earls, and over a hundred Viscounts without any trial, merely by announcing an investigation result—that's far too extreme!"

Immediately, someone echoed him.

The nobles spoke one after another, orderly and reasonable—they did not appear to be rioting without cause!

Around the square, tens of thousands of commoners had gathered to watch the spectacle.

On the Continent of Gods, nobles and commoners were not opposing forces—many commoners depended on nobles for their livelihood.

Of course, after the Flame Empire issued the land reclamation edict, commoners no longer needed to lease land from nobles, but after tending their own plots, they often still worked on noble lands to earn wages.