Chapter 518: The Empress's Means

Only three days.

Outside the imperial capital, on the massive plaza temporarily constructed by the power of the Divine Kingdom, over a hundred thousand cultivators had gathered.

A dark sea of people, their auras soaring to the heavens, the sight was spectacular.

The Moon Fairy stood on the high platform, looking down at the faces below filled with longing and excitement, her heart also surging.

This is the God Lord's Divine Kingdom.

Just a single province, and yet there are this many powerful ones.

She acts under Luo Bingyao's orders, overseeing this first round of selection.

Before her floated a huge Water Mirror, which reflected the silhouettes of every cultivator below.

"The first item of the selection: loyalty."

The Moon Fairy's voice, clear and cold, spread across the entire plaza.

"The Divine Kingdom is the God Lord's nation. To join the Heavenly Troops, one must take the God Lord's will as the highest will."

"Those whose hearts are not sincere, step back."

Above the plaza, the hundred thousand cultivators fell silent.

No one stepped back.

What a joke—they've painstakingly cultivated for years, isn't it just to stand out and gain more resources?

Loyalty?

As long as the benefits are great enough, what is loyalty?

Many harbored their own little schemes in their hearts.

The Moon Fairy looked at them, as if she had expected this all along.

She said no more, merely tapping lightly on the Water Mirror before her.

Hum—

On the Water Mirror, ripples of gold spread outward in circles.

An invisible yet immensely majestic will emanated from the Water Mirror, enveloping the entire plaza.

That was Gu Yuan's will.

It is the supreme Heavenly Dao of this Divine Kingdom.

Under the scrutiny of this will, any lie, any disguise, has nowhere to hide.

On the plaza, an old man who looked like an immortal sage, his cultivation at the Fifteenth Realm, suddenly changed color.

He felt his divine soul, as if gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand.

The thoughts in his mind—'first join the Heavenly Troops, then flee after swindling resources'—were infinitely magnified at this moment.

"No..."

The old man let out a terrified scream and turned to flee.

But it was already too late.

A golden pillar of light descended from the heavens, striking him precisely.

He didn't even have time to utter a bitter cry; his whole body, like snow under sunlight, quickly melted, ultimately turning to flying ash that scattered between heaven and earth.

Body and spirit both destroyed.

Dead silence.

The entire plaza instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The remaining cultivators each stared wide-eyed, their faces written with shock and disbelief.

A Saint... just died like that?

They didn't even see clearly how the Moon Fairy made her move.

"Those whose hearts are not sincere, step back."

The Moon Fairy's voice rang out again.

Rumble—

This time, there was finally movement in the crowd.

Several thousand cultivators, faces deathly pale, scrambled and crawled out of the plaza.

They were afraid.

They finally realized this selection was no joke.

God Lord, knows all.

The Moon Fairy watched those retreating backs, expressionless.

Her gaze once again fell upon the Water Mirror.

In the Water Mirror, the thoughts of the remaining over ninety thousand cultivators appeared clearly before the Moon Fairy.

Some sought to grow strong to protect their families.

Some pursued the ultimate of the Great Dao.

Some wished to repay the God Lord's grace of creation.

But many more were still after resources and higher status.

Luo Bingyao had already told her all of this.

The God Lord does not care what their original motives were.

As long as they harbor no divided heart toward the Divine Kingdom itself.

As long as they are willing to fight and shed blood for the Divine Kingdom's benefit.

Then they are qualified.

First assessment, passed.

Moon Immortal announced the result.

On the square, the over 90,000 remaining people all let out a heavy sigh.

That scene just now gave them too great a shock.

Second assessment, combat power.

Moon Immortal waved a hand.

In the center of the square, over a hundred huge arenas rose up.

Same-realm duel: victors advance, losers are eliminated.

No restrictions on means, no regard for life or death.

The rules are simple yet cruel.

The moment the words fell, the oppressive atmosphere on the square was instantly ignited.

Figures shot up into the sky, each finding their opponent and landing on the arenas.

Boom!

The battle erupted instantly.

Spiritual light flickered, magical treasures flew across.

Various kinds of Dao laws fiercely collided on the arenas.

Moon Immortal silently watched all of this.

Her duty was not merely to be a referee.

She wanted to pick from these people those who truly had potential, worthy of cultivation.

Her gaze quickly locked onto an inconspicuous arena.

The two on the arena were both Fourteenth Realm Quasi-Saints.

One of them wore splendid robes, held a fairy sword, with exquisite swordsmanship, obviously from a prestigious clan.

But his opponent was a ragged-clothed boy who looked somewhat malnourished.

The boy had no magical treasures in his hands, just bare fists.

But each of his punches and kicks was filled with the most primal, savage power.

His fighting style had no discernible technique, relying entirely on instinctive reactions to dodge and counter.

Several times, the splendid-robed cultivator's sword tip nearly pierced his throat.

But he always managed, at the crucial moment, in an extremely embarrassed yet effective way, to dodge the fatal blow.

Then he would fiercely smash his fist into the opponent's body.

This is a fighting style of trading injury for injury, life for life.

The splendid-robed cultivator obviously had never experienced such a battle, fighting with bound hands and feet, his exquisite swordsmanship could not be unleashed.

On the contrary, the ragged boy grew braver the more he fought, the madness in his eyes growing ever stronger.

"Interesting."

Moon Immortal thought to herself.

She could see that although the boy's cultivation was low, his combat intuition far surpassed ordinary people.

Such a person, given sufficient resources and a little polishing, will surely become a fierce general.

She silently recorded the boy's information.

There are many such seedlings in the entire square.

They may come from humble origins and have crude cultivation methods.

But they possess a ruthlessness that sect disciples lack...

And an almost obsessive desire for victory.

This is exactly what Luo Bingyao values most.

Divine Kingdom, Myriad Medicines Immortal Island.

This is where the Myriad Medicines Grand World merged into the Divine Kingdom, forming a new territory.

On the island, medicinal fragrance permeates, immortal qi twirls.

Countless rare spiritual medicinal herbs, nourished by the essence of the World Tree, thrive.

And in the center of the Immortal Island, a huge palace built from countless plants and vines.

Luo Bingyao's silhouette appeared silently.

She gazed at this immortal island brimming with vital energy, a flicker of satisfaction crossing her eyes.

East Mystic Prefecture is the recruitment ground for human cultivators.

And this Myriad Medicines Immortal Island will be the best source of troops for the Earth Division of her Heavenly Troops Four Divisions.

Here, the plant and tree spirits are naturally close to the Dao, and their numbers are huge.

Although most of them have gentle dispositions and dislike fighting.

But Luo Bingyao has ways to transform them into the most terrifying war machines.