Chapter 593

Wu Tie – Iron Witch

Outside the Divine State's audience hall, the Qingqiu Palace, Wu Tie stood proudly, clad in black heavy armor, a blood-red fur cloak draped behind him, helmetless, his long hair flying wildly in the wind.

Linghu Jian stood beside Wu Tie, looking at him with a complex expression.

Occasionally Linghu Jian's gaze swept over the black heaven cauldron beside Wu Tie—shrunk to fist-sized, entirely black, wrapped in wisps of black smoke, slowly circling him—and his eyes would flash with greed and impulse, but ultimately a throb would dispel his greed and impulse completely.

Linghu Ayi, dressed in deep-purple first-rank eunuch robes, leading dozens of eunuchs big and small, came out lightly from the Qingqiu Palace, smiling as he bowed slightly to Wu Tie, then respectfully lifted a purple-gold tray with both hands.

Wu Tie bent over, solemnly took out a cleanly washed skull from a metal box at his feet, and placed it squarely in the center of the purple-gold tray.

This skull, gaunt-cheeked with prominent cheekbones, fierce and overbearing in appearance, was the former Divine Might Hall Master of the Great Jin, commander of the Divine Might Army, head of the first clan of the Great Jin's top military lineage—the Six-Yang Chieftain of the First Army.

Wu Tie then took two more skulls from the metal box, placing them left and right beside the First Army's skull.

First Wu Shuang – Peerless

Three strands of black aura shot up; within the black aura could be faintly seen three divine fetuses covered in cracks, like shattered porcelain dolls. The divine fetuses, with blood seeping from the cracks, emitted angry roars, frenziedly lunging at Wu Tie again and again.

Five Elements Daoist – Five Elements Daoist

Wu Tie gave a slight smile and calmly said to the three roaring divine fetuses: "Sirs, victory makes a king, defeat makes a bandit—that is an absolute truth unchanging through the ages. I know the times, I adapt; I do not wish to follow you down a single road to death… so, don't blame me."

Linghu Ayi smiled, his gaze sweeping deeply over the three divine fetuses; then his tense visage relaxed, revealing an extremely lighthearted, pleased smile as he nodded to Wu Tie: "Please, Duke of Yuzhou, follow this old servant to audience with His Majesty."

Linghu Ayi smiled warmly: "For this great merit, Duke of Yuzhou, His Majesty has specially decreed that you be exempt from the kneeling ceremony… and may wear your sword to court."

Four Spirit Warships – Four Spirit Warships

Exempting the kneeling ceremony is only fitting; these days Linghu Qingqing has been busy subduing the noble clans of the world, and at least a hundred court officials have already been exempted from kneeling by him.

Qingqiu Divine State – Qingqiu Divine State

Heh, compared to an ordinary sidearm, the Black Heaven Cauldron is a true killer weapon. Wu Tie intends to bring the Black Heaven Cauldron to court to see His Majesty—will you, Linghu Qingqing, allow it or not?

Qingqiu Palace – Qingqiu Palace

If you allow it, heh, then what meaning remains in the rule that civil and military officials may not carry weapons when audience with the Divine Emperor?

It's a headache—over all these years of the Great Jin Divine State, no foreign minister has ever wielded a state‑artifact‑level divine weapon.

And yet Linghu Qingqing has gotten herself into this; rather than this, it would be better to be generous.

Three Linghu Elders personally acted, carefully using specialized sealing artifacts to bind the three divine fetuses tightly; then Wu Tie tapped the Black Heaven Cauldron, releasing its seal on the fetuses, and the cauldron turned into a strand of black aura that entered his forehead.

Linghu Ayi led the way, holding the purple‑gold tray; three Linghu Elders followed, each holding a sealing artifact; Wu Tie walked a little over one zhang behind them, while Linghu Jian brought dozens of Linghu elite troops, stepping in step to follow Wu Tie.

Within the bodies of several Linghu officers behind Linghu Jian came the familiar tremor of a heavy weapon that Wu Tie knew well.

Coincidentally, they were the sub‑forms of the five Five‑Elements secret treasures used by the Five‑Elements Daoist to lodge his soul and sever an incarnation.

Wu Tie couldn't help but chuckle inwardly; the Linghu clan put on a grand, magnanimous front, yet secretly they were still guarding against him. After all, offering the First Army's heads and skulls could be a token of allegiance—or a bitter ploy.

What if Wu Tie pulled a "dagger‑revealing‑after‑the‑map‑is‑exhausted" trick, using the Black Heaven Cauldron's power to strike at Linghu Qingqing at close range—wouldn't that be a bit awkward? So the Linghu clan remains cautious.

Wu Tie followed closely behind Linghu Ayi, stepping into the Qingqiu Palace step by step.

The Qingqiu Palace is the Great Jin Divine State's Hall of Nine Heavens; the hall's furnishings remain unchanged, except that the huge screen behind Linghu Qingqing's throne, whose carvings were dragons, has been changed to foxes.

A divine celestial fox with ten tails lazily pressed one paw against the sun and one against the moon, a pair of hands governing sun and moon, exuding an exalted aura of controlling the cosmos.

First Clan of the Great Jin's Top Military Clan – First Clan of the Great Jin's Top Military Clan

Wu Tie walked to a point only a dozen zhang from the throne, then solemnly clasped his fists and offered a military salute to Linghu Qingqing: "Your subject, Duke of Yuzhou Hu Xiong, pays respects to the Majesty of the Qingqiu Divine State."

Divine State Emperor – Divine State Emperor

Not long ago, Wu Tie was the most trusted minister of the two foolish rulers of the Sima clan, promoted all the way from the southwest, even finally letting him replace the imperial prince and take charge of the Capital's Military Bureau, causing a huge uproar, and for a time he was practically at odds with the Linghu clan.

But who could have imagined that the situation would change so swiftly?

Linghu Qingqing acted with such decisive ruthlessness, giving no one even a moment's respite.

The Sima clan lost so cleanly and swiftly, Sima Fei committed suicide and fled, while Sima Xian simply abdicated, handing over the splendid lands and rivers to Linghu Qingqing.

And yet the current commander of the Capital's Military Bureau of the Great Jin Divine State, the last to hold that post, proved so ruthless and resolute, using the power of the Black Heaven Cauldron and the Four Spirit Warships to launch a surprise attack on the First Army hidden in Ganzhou, slaughtering countless loyal and brave officers under its command in one battle, and even bringing back the heads of the First Army and his two sons together with their Divine Fetuses.

The First Army, touted as the strongest fighting force in the Great Jin military.

The two sons of the First Army, First Wushuang and First Wudi, not only bore imposing names but also possessed truly formidable cultivation; within the Great Jin military they were equally mighty commanders, and among peers of the Linghu clan and among peers of all great military families in the Great Jin, there was simply no one who could match them.

In the Southwest battle, if it weren't for Linghu Qingqing's meddling behind the scenes, even with the formidable methods of the First Army, First Wushuang, and First Wudi father and son, even if the Great Wu Divine State's forces were fierce, the two sides could at most have stalemated; how could they have ended up in utter defeat?

What a pity… a generation of brave general… what a pity.

"Bring it here." Linghu Qingqing stretched out their hand and gave Linghu A-yi a nod.

Linghu A-yi held up a purple-gold tray, hurried to Linghu Qingqing's front, and placed the three skulls on the dragon-carved table before Linghu Qingqing.

The three Elders of the Linghu clan, meanwhile, held three forbidden artifacts, and likewise placed the three Divine Fetuses of the First Army, First Wushuang, and First Wudi before Linghu Qingqing.

Linghu Qingqing narrowed their eyes, carefully examining the three skulls.

As the sole figure in the Great Jin military who could once match wits with Linghu Qingqing, Linghu Qingqing naturally knew the First Army inside out.

Even such details as when the First Army lost its baby teeth as a child, who their first lover was, when and where they fought their first battle, when and where they received their first wound, what food they liked best, what drink they preferred, what tea they enjoyed—Linghu Qingqing knew all of this extremely well.

After all, to defeat an enemy, one must understand them as thoroughly as possible.

Carefully prying open the First Army's skull's mouth, they examined its oral cavity closely, then meticulously probed and manipulated the ears, eyelids, nostrils, and other fine parts; Linghu Qingqing even disregarded the dignity of the Divine Sovereign, leaning in to sniff the scent on the skull, and finally they nodded in satisfaction.

"Goodness, you really were beheaded. This head is indeed that of the First Army… What a pity… A-yi, remember to preserve it carefully; afterwards, sew the head onto the body and give them a proper burial with an intact corpse."

Wu Tie, from below, let out a muffled grunt: "Your Majesty, the First Army is the rebel leader; I… took only their head, while their body was completely crushed and obliterated by the Black Heaven Cauldron."

Linghu Qingqing stared blankly, then they burst into loud laughter, their gaze toward Wu Tie gaining a hint of admiration and satisfaction.

"Really? Well, the First Army once said they despised gold and silver, worldly trinkets, claiming they were useless to the state and family… Hehe, let's make a body of pure gold for them, then sew their head onto that golden form and bury them."

After a chuckle, Linghu Qingqing looked toward the Divine Fetus of the First Army, sealed within the forbidden artifact.

"Oh, no, no, Old First, your Divine Fetus is merely gravely injured, not shattered or obliterated… Hehe, I ordered your head to be buried, but in fact you cannot be considered dead yet, right?"

Linghu Qingqing looked upon the First Army's Divine Fetus with great satisfaction, then they seized the black energy floating on the forbidden artifact and grabbed the severely injured Divine Fetus of the First Army in their hand.

Points of green light spewed from their pupils, like long needles piercing into the First Army's Divine Fetus.

The First Army's Divine Fetus emitted a mournful, wailing howl, thrashing and spasming wildly in Linghu Qingqing's grasp.

In Linghu Qingqing's eyes, countless characters and light flashed nonstop; he boldly used the Soul Secret Technique to search the souls of the First Army's Divine Fetus.

The First Army was, in Linghu Qingqing's eyes, absolutely a vicious threat—a formidable foe; even if the Linghu Clan had an Elder versed in soul-searching, even if personally acting before so many civil and military officials at court would be somewhat embarrassing, Linghu Qingqing couldn't care less about that.

Personally taking action, confirming that this Divine Fetus belonged to the First Army—this was more important than anything to Linghu Qingqing.

Linghu Qingqing incessantly browsed the memories within the First Army's Divine Fetus, forcibly tracing back from the most recent minute's memories all the way to the First Army's childhood memories……All memories were complete and intact, all memories smooth and fluent, with no trace of artificial tampering.

Moreover, this Divine Fetus's cultivation was overwhelming, its aura immense; the Great Dao principles fused within it perfectly matched the cultivation method Linghu Qingqing knew the First Army practiced. Furthermore, hidden within this Divine Fetus were several Dao principles that outsiders would absolutely not know, yet Linghu Qingqing faintly suspected.

Rumors said the First Army secretly cultivated some immensely powerful demonic path techniques, but these rumors had never been confirmed.

But through soul-searching, Linghu Qingqing knew these rumors were true, and indeed the First Army's Divine Fetus truly bore a demonic aura.

"Alas, you are only a hair's breadth away from the Divine Realm……the Divine Fetus is almost perfectly fused with the flesh……" Linghu Qingqing sighed: "Having the Black Heaven Cauldron forcibly extract your Divine Fetus has caused you too great a loss. Therefore, First Army, only a dead First Army is the First Army I can rest easy about."

A wisp of green demonic flame burst from his palm, instantly burning the First Army's Divine Fetus into strands of green smoke.

Linghu Qingqing looked at the assembled civil and military officials, smiling lightly: "The First Army is dead, completely dead; those remnants of the previous dynasty, even if they wanted to rebel, as the saying goes, a snake without a head cannot move……hehe, Your Excellencies, if you wish to exterminate them, I suppose there will be no difficulty."

He let out a heavy sigh, then Linghu Qingqing leisurely said: "My heart, so to speak, has largely settled……Without the First Army, it's wonderful."

Hehe, laughing, Linghu Qingqing let out a satisfied long sigh: "Without the First Army, with just Sima Xian's meager ability, with just those people of the Sima clan… hehe, even if they wanted to rebel, they couldn't stir up too big a wave… Later, we can settle scores slowly."

Linghu Qingqing laughed hehe, then produced the peerless, invincible divine fetus, examined it carefully and seriously, personally appraised it, and only then nodded in satisfaction.

He looked at Wu Tie, seriously asking Wu Tie: "Lord of Yu Prefecture, your Twelve Guards of the Four Mansions… it is said you suffered heavy losses."

Wu Tie clenched his fists, he pondered for a moment, raised his head to glance at Linghu Qingqing, laughing embarrassedly: "To speak frankly, those Twelve Guards of the Four Mansions are, after all, a great army left over from the former dynasty… heh, hehe, as long as I have the Five Elements Spirit Tribe absolutely loyal to me, that is enough."

Linghu Qingqing's eyes flashed with sharp light: "I hear those troops were personally exterminated by Lord Yu Prefecture? Hehe, the Four Spirit Warships combined with the Heaven‑Black Cauldron—indeed their might is absolutely supreme. Hmm, I am merely curious; of course, Lord Yu Prefecture may choose not to answer this trivial question of mine… I hear…"

Wu Tie, without waiting for Linghu Qingqing to speak, spoke bluntly: "Your Majesty, the Heaven‑Black Cauldron is a demonic divine artifact; it can devour the essence and blood, souls of living beings, thereby strengthening itself. I frankly admit, those Twelve Guards of the Four Mansions—I have put them to use as waste material, directly refining them all, which has greatly enhanced the Heaven‑Black Cauldron's might."

Wu Tie bowed deeply to Linghu Qingqing: "I am terrified… but I think, merely exterminating the remnants of the First Army is not enough; among the Twelve Guards of the Four Mansions, aside from my few trusted confidants, what use are the others? If they were to rebel, would it not implicate me?"

Linghu Qingqing finally nodded in satisfaction: "I never expected, Lord Yu Prefecture… no, Prince An Huo Xiong, you are truly a pillar of the state."

She waved her hand, Linghu Qingqing smiled leisurely: "I hereby decree: you officials, Huo Xiong, for exterminating the remnants of the former dynasty's First Army and cleverly eliminating the former dynasty's traitors among the Twelve Guards of the Four Mansions, have rendered great merit to the Divine Kingdom; you are enfeoffed as Prince An, promoted to Vice Master of the Demon‑Suppressing Hall, and granted the lands of Yu, Gan, and Yan prefectures—nine provinces in all—as the fiefdom of the State of An."

Wu Tie smiled, then solemnly performed the great ritual bow to Linghu Qingqing.

The nine provinces serve as the fiefdom; for the sake of the nine provinces' dignity, Wu Tie bowed his head willingly and gladly.

However, Wu Tie harbored endless resentment toward Sima Wuyou.

"Killed the three members of the First Army's father and son," "Slaughtered the First Army's commander‑in‑chief and his troops," "Mercilessly murdered all the Twelve Guards of the Four Mansions"…

These baseless charges—future Prince An Huo Xiong's reputation will truly be as foul as dog‑shit.