Chapter 336: Amnesty

"My Lord, it has been verified, it is absolutely true. That Meng Yifan is already a Fifth-grade Cultivator with immense power. With a wave of his hand, he can Summon Wind and Rain, bring Lightning and Thunder, and even unleash the Black and White Grinding Disc Supernatural Ability."

"It is said that Meng Yifan also possesses a thunderous technique of immense power; during the casting process, it is accompanied by a mushroom cloud that blots out the sky and sun. Lang Batian was struck by this very move and his life or death remains unknown," Tan San said, brimming with excitement.

For some time now, the Demon Beasts have been suppressing the humans, the situation becoming increasingly dire, with constant reports of human cities being slaughtered by the Demon Race army.

Never before had they heard of a human powerhouse defeating a Great Demon of the Demon Race, let alone achieving a complete victory. After receiving this news, Tan San was very encouraged, yet deep down, he was somewhat skeptical of the report's authenticity.

Tan San sent people to carefully investigate Meng Yifan's background. He didn't know until he checked, but once he did, he was shocked: Meng Yifan's combat record was brilliant; no matter what kind of formidable opponent he fought, he always achieved a complete victory in the end.

"A Fifth-grade Cultivator? A rebel who killed an official and started an uprising?" Tan Qingyang paced the study a few times with his hands behind his back, then said in a deep voice: "Now is a time when we need people. Send someone to offer amnesty to Meng Yifan. As for his killing an official and rebelling, I can take responsibility to let bygones be bygones and wipe the slate clean."

"Whatever cultivation resources Meng Yifan wants, as long as they are in the Dongzhou City Warehouse, I can give them to him. Even if he wants Luolong County, I can take responsibility and appoint him as the Luolong County Magistrate. From then on, his subordinates will no longer be rebels, but upright government troops."

"My Lord, according to the Great Wu Iron Law, killing an official and rebelling is a capital crime punishable by the extermination of one's nine clans, and it is unforgivable even with an amnesty. If you take it upon yourself to absolve Meng Yifan of his crimes now, and the Imperial Court investigates later, that would be a capital crime that would cost you your head," Tan San said, filled with worry.

"Haha, losing my head? Tan San, do you still not see it? In Dongzhou Province, millions of commoners have already been slaughtered by the Demon Race. These will all be counted against me. Regardless of whether we or the Demon Race win in the end, I am undoubtedly a dead man."

"Since that is the case, what is the harm in offering amnesty to Meng Yifan? As long as he is willing to follow my orders and come to Dongzhou City to fight the Demon Race, I can promise him whatever he wants."

"Even if I am eventually sliced into a thousand pieces by the Imperial Court, I will have no regrets in my heart. I must do something for those millions of innocent people who died."

Tan Qingyang's words were resonant and forceful. He was a good official who wanted to make a difference, but having encountered a massive invasion by the Demon Race with such a vast disparity in strength, even though Tan Qingyang had strategies in his heart, he could not implement them and could only watch helplessly as the commoners suffered.

"My Lord, why don't I protect you and we leave? Let's stop worrying about this mess with the Imperial Court." Tan San was a Fourth Grade High-level Martial Artist, and he had some confidence in protecting Tan Qingyang as they escaped along the small paths.

Tan Qingyang waved his hand and said: "Under the vast Heaven, is there any land that is not the King's? Within the borders of the land, is there anyone who is not the King's subject? Where could we even run to? Say no more, send someone to offer amnesty to Meng Yifan. As long as we can defeat the Demon Race, I will die without regrets."

Tan San tried to persuade him a few more times, but seeing that Tan Qingyang's will was firm and unmoved, he said no more, could only sigh, and sent someone to Luolong County to offer amnesty.

Southwest of Dongzhou City, there was a Daoist temple covering ten acres. It had red stone walls, and the golden glazed tiles shone brilliantly under the sunlight, making the temple look exceptionally solemn. Inside the temple, green water circled, green bamboos stood tall, and there was a scene every three steps and a painting every five steps; it was breathtakingly beautiful.

More importantly, this Qingzhu Daoist Temple was the eye of the City Protection Array of Dongzhou City, a place where Spirit Power gathered, making it very suitable for Immortal Cultivators to practice. Precisely because of this, the Immortal Masters of Dongzhou City all cultivated within the Qingzhu Daoist Temple.

Tan Qingyang walked quickly into the Qingzhu Daoist Temple and found several Fifth-grade Cultivators who were tasting tea.

"Respected Immortal Masters, good news! Lang Batian went to attack Luolong County City, but was miserably defeated, and even Lang Batian himself was defeated; his life or death is currently unknown," Tan Qingyang said.

"Luolong County City is merely a tiny, insignificant town. How could it possibly defeat Lang Batian? Inspector Tan, tell us the intelligence in detail."

The person speaking was an old man wearing a dark blue Daoist Robe. His face was covered in age spots, and his body was lifeless, just like an old man on the verge of death.

Yet, his eyes were flashing with brilliant light, as if they contained the sun, moon, and stars. If anyone stared into his eyes, they would easily feel dizzy, as if their Divine Soul Origin were about to be sucked into the old man's eyes.

This old man was named Yin Jiuji. He was a Fifth Grade Peak Immortal Cultivator and the most powerful among these four Fifth-grade Cultivators. In the world of Immortal Cultivators, strength is respected, and the other few Fifth-grade Cultivators all looked to Yin Jiuji as their leader.

Tan Qingyang did not dare to look into Yin Jiuji's eyes. He lowered his head slightly and recounted the intelligence about Meng Yifan advancing to a Fifth-grade Cultivator.

"Haha, good! I was wondering why that brat Lang Batian hadn't come out to challenge us recently. So he was beaten by Meng Yifan and his life or death is unknown. This is truly wonderful."

"Although Meng Yifan is a rebel, he is, after all, one of us humans. Inspector Tan, find a way to win Meng Yifan over to our side. In this way, the Demon Race will have one less Level 5 Great Demon, and we will have one more Fifth-grade Cultivator. The strength comparison won't be so lopsided, and the subsequent battles will be easier to fight."

The person speaking was a burly, sturdy man who was two and a half meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a thick, bushy beard. His voice was extremely loud, and when he spoke, it sounded like a booming bell, making the ears of the people around him buzz.

Yin Jiuji frowned and said with some displeasure: "Zhao Jingang, keep your voice down. None of us are deaf; you don't need to speak so loudly."

Zhao Jingang was a Fifth Grade Middle Stage Cultivator who practiced an Earth-style Cultivation Method. He had immense strength and astonishing physical defense. In terms of defense alone, among these four Immortal Cultivators, his defense was the strongest.

However, Yin Jiuji's methods were strange and unpredictable, so Zhao Jingang did not dare to offend Yin Jiuji and could only smile apologetically: "Haha, alright, I will be more careful when I speak in the future."

After pondering for a moment, Yin Jiuji said: "Meng Yifan's promotion speed is too fast; he is likely a great being reincarnated. However, he must be a great being of our human race. Given that we are all humans, he will likely stand on our side."

"Inspector Tan, the country is in crisis now. His Majesty the Emperor has also said that no matter who a person is, as long as they can serve the country, he is willing to let bygones be bygones and entrust them with important tasks. You must offer amnesty to Meng Yifan as soon as possible and have him come to Dongzhou City to join us and resist the experts of the Demon Race together."

Yin Jiuji's voice was weak, and he coughed a few times from time to time, looking very frail. But no one dared to underestimate him, because those who had looked down on him were already dead.