Chapter 594

Former Jade Prefecture Duke of the Great Jin Divine State, also Supreme Commander of the Imperial City Military Bureau, now Prince An of the Qingqiu Divine State and Deputy Master of the Demon-Suppressing Hall, 'Huo Xiong' expressed gratitude, receiving the conferred jade disc, Prince An's seal, princely robes, the imperial gold sword, the fiefdom's geographical atlas, and all other items. After respectfully thanking the sovereign for his grace, he walked out of the Qingqiu Palace with a smiling face, head held high and spirits exalted.

The Black Heaven Cauldron, the size of a palm, hovered arrogantly beside him; as Wu Tie left the Qingqiu Palace, he deliberately put on a petty, arrogant expression, his square steps strutting with overbearing dominance, utterly like a crab walking upright on two legs.

Inside the Qingqiu Palace, the civil and military officials coldly watched Wu Tie stride out of the main hall; Gongyang Sanlü narrowed his eyes and slightly shook his head.

This grace is too heavy.

Even if it were a thousand gold for a horse's bone, this price is still too high.

Especially, Linghu Qingqing showed no reaction to the Black Heaven Cauldron nor to the Four Spirit Warships. Such a national heavy weapon, yet it was simply left in Wu Tie's hands? Gongyang Sanlü was somewhat at a loss; he furtively glanced at Linghu Qingqing from the corner of his eye, and his gaze instantly became extremely complex.

Linghu Qingqing laughed heartily, flicked his wide sleeve, and announced the dismissal of court.

Linghu Ayi laughed heartily, holding up a purple-gold tray and handing it to an elderly eunuch behind him, ordering him to take it to the Palace of Internal Affairs' Craftsmanship Bureau, so that the skilled artisans serving the inner court would carefully use gold, silver, pearls, agate, and other treasures, meticulously crafting three bodies for the father and son of the First Army, carving them well, then burying them in the earth.

The elderly eunuch took the tray and left; Linghu Ayi laughed heartily, closely following behind Linghu Qingqing, all the way straight to the inner court.

After a quarter hour, in a delicate garden at the northwest corner of the imperial city, Linghu Qingqing, with a beaming smile, personally poured a cup of fine wine for You Ruo's descending incarnation, lightly laughing as he asked: 'Sir, what do you think of Huo Xiong? Is his slaughter of the First Army a token of allegiance, or a bitter ploy?'

Wearing a loose fur-lined white robe, sitting in a rocking chair, swaying gently and comfortably, You Ruo, whose body had grown to the semblance of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth, took the chilled grape wine that still exhaled traces of Cold Qi, and gulped a large mouthful with relish.

He handed the empty wine cup to Linghu Qingqing, and You Ruo said slowly: 'You humans, sometimes, are simply too deceitful… Even though our clan's spirits are as wise as they come, dealing with you can still be a headache.'

"Whether it is a token of allegiance or a bitter ploy, what does it have to do with us? This is a problem you must face."

"Mortals, your worries are worth nothing in the eyes of our gods… Your life and death, your joys and sorrows, what do they have to do with us?"

"However, considering the offerings you have presented me these days, I can remind you of one thing. When Huo Xiong, with his subordinates, launched a surprise attack on the First Army, I do not know how many soldiers were under the First Army's command, but it is certain that not a single one of his Four Palaces Twelve Guards Imperial Army returned, and we…"

He blinked his eyes, carefully weighed his words, and You Ruo said slowly: 'On the battlefield, we sensed the scattered souls, probably fewer than a hundred thousand… Therefore, his claim that he used the Black Heaven Cauldron to devour the First Army and all his own subordinates is not false.'

A flash of azure cold light flickered in You Ruo's eyes as he murmured: 'The Black Heaven Cauldron, the state treasure of the Great Martial Divine State, naturally also appears on our monitoring list… The Black Heaven Cauldron we see today is far stronger than what our records indicate—by more than just a fewfold.'

He smacked his lips, You Ruo smiled and pointed at Linghu Qingqing: 'He is a greedy, ruthless fellow; considering the offerings you have given me, I will remind you of one thing: you must be wary of him.'

Linghu Qingqing let out a breath, his eyes glinting with a smile: 'So it turns out the pressure the Black Heaven Cauldron puts on me is indeed immense—it truly has devoured the essence and souls of countless brave warriors. Heh, whether greedy or ruthless, I don't mind. Thanks to the gods' blessings, our Qingqiu Divine State possesses enough state treasures to crush everything.'

You Ruo then laughed, laughing happily and brightly.

He smiled faintly, slowly sizing up Linghu Qingqing for a while, then said slowly: 'Speaking of state treasures, the gods above still have a message for you… To help you obtain these state treasures, so many noble spirits have fallen; how do you intend to repay the gods' grace?'

Linghu Qingqing opened his mouth and tightly furrowed his brows.

To help the Linghu clan acquire enough state treasures to oppose the Sima clan, many heavenly gods descended to besiege Ao Cheng… The outcome was rather tragic, with so many spirits falling on the spot; this debt must be charged to the Linghu clan.

Thinking of this, Linghu Qingqing felt a headache.

At the same time, he was full of resentment with no outlet—he had never prayed for the gods' descent!

What are you running down here to join the fun for?

You were ambushed and killed; that has nothing to do with Linghu Qingqing at all!

It's like someone bored out of their mind goes to tease a tiger for fun; you stand aside watching the spectacle, then you suddenly run over and help kick the tiger's butt, only to be caught and killed by the tiger—who could you blame?

However, facing You Ruo, one certainly cannot say such things.

Linghu Qingqing stared for a moment, then bowed deeply to You Ruo with sincere awe and fear: 'The grace of the gods, our Qingqiu Divine State is truly grateful beyond measure, yet unable to repay. The losses of those fallen spirits…'

Saying this, Linghu Qingqing only felt his teeth ache.

He drew a breath of cold air, pondered, and said: 'You Ruo, sir, the deaths of the gods… are they still priced as they were back then?'

Linghu Qingqing looked at You Ruo cautiously.

That matter, of course, was the trouble caused back then by the former crown prince of the Great Jin Divine State, Sima Sheng.

That time, Sima Sheng colluded with underground demons, even having a child with a female demon of the underworld; the Great Jin Divine State nearly fell under the control of those underground demons.

That time, heavenly gods likewise descended, with wind, rain, thunder and lightning, to subdue demons and eliminate evil.

That time, heavenly gods likewise fell, for that demon was too terrifying; despite his young age, he possessed extraordinarily formidable power.

That time, the imperial clan of the Great Jin Divine State suffered enormous losses. Not only did the former crown prince Sima Sheng carry off vast treasures of the imperial clan, but the imperial clan was also ruthlessly cut down like leeks by the angry gods.

As for the specific loss of wealth, Linghu Qingqing had roughly heard of it; it was an astronomical figure that made his scalp tingle.

Besides that, the most fatal was that the imperial clan of the Great Jin Divine State had several elders who hid in seclusion, serving as the clan's trump card to suppress the dynasty's fortune; those who had cultivated to the divine realm yet received the gods' favor without ascending to the divine-state divine realm were forcibly made to ascend.

The imperial clan's treasures largely vanished, the state treasures were taken away, and moreover, even the clan's foundation and divine-realm elders were forced to ascend in large numbers; thereafter, under the gods' direction, even the imperial authority was gradually hollowed out—this is the fundamental reason why Linghu Qingqing dared to seize power six thousand years later.

Back then, gods also fell, and the compensation price for those fallen gods… Linghu Qingqing, thinking of the number of gods fallen this time, felt like crying.

You Ruo smiled gently, gazing at Linghu Qingqing with feeling, and said softly: 'How could it be? According to the old price? Such a thing doesn't exist in the world… Well, Your Majesty, have you heard the term "inflation"? It means that today's money is not worth as much as the money of old. In other words…'

He tilted his head, You Ruo laughed and said: 'It means that spirits of the same lineage and rank who have fallen… must have their price raised, must be raised, and at least increased by eighty percent compared to six thousand years ago.'

Linghu Qingqing wanted to cry.

You Ruo smiled and said: 'This is not us deliberately making things difficult for you; really, Your Majesty, think about it: six thousand years ago in Anyang City, three copper coins could buy four large meat buns. Now, three copper coins can only buy two large meat buns, and the bun skins have become thicker while the filling has shrunk.'

Spreading his hands, You Ruo solemnly asked Linghu Qingqing: 'If even the buns have gone up in price, what about… the noble, supreme gods?'

Linghu Qingqing opened his mouth, stared blankly at You Ruo, and for a long while could not speak.

That argument was too sound; he found himself unable to refute it.

But, but, when Sima Sheng ran into trouble back then, the state of the Great Jin Divine State was still at its peak, with favorable weather and abundant harvests, so the price of buns was low—that is certainly true.

Nowadays, the Qingqiu Divine State is engaged in all-out war with the Great Martial Divine State; during wartime, with grain rationing, the price of buns has risen and their quality fallen—isn't that just natural?

Don't look at the buns; look at those luxury goods—pearls, agate, tortoiseshell, coral, and the like—their prices are constantly falling.

These luxury items are also quite favored by you gods; in every heavenly sacrifice, there are large quantities of such rare treasures.

Let's not talk about buns; let's use these luxury goods to discuss the price—would that work?

Linghu Qingqing felt a bellyful of grievance.

You Ruo laughed heartily, reached out and lightly patted Linghu Qingqing's shoulder: 'All right, all right, this descent and fall of the gods actually has little to do with you; the gods are reasonable, knowing they cannot blame you entirely. Therefore, the indemnity—not a single copper coin may be lacking; you must quickly mobilize various rare resources. But…'

Linghu Qingqing lifted his head with a smile, looking at You Ruo with great anticipation.

"But we really are reasonable, especially Your Majesty, who holds us in utmost respect and shares a close private bond with us… we certainly will not shortchange you.' You Ruo smiled and said: 'So get ready; to celebrate Your Majesty's ascension and the founding of the Qingqiu Divine State, the gods will open the Gate of Heaven and Earth, letting starlight shine upon the Qingqiu Divine State.'

You Ruo pointed at the ground beneath his feet and said solemnly: 'Especially Qingqiu City and the surrounding nearly hundred prefectures, which are the core region where starlight shines universally; the stellar essence will be a million times more intense than usual, and in certain specific cave-heavens and blessed lands, the stellar essence will directly manifest as stellar bodies, with a concentration over a hundred million times that of the norm.'

"We will inform Your Majesty in advance of the locations of these cave-heavens and blessed lands. Your Majesty may select some elite troops to undergo refinement by the stellar essence, and also some loyal subjects; if their clans have pregnant women, they too can prepare in advance."

Especially, star essence has a tremendous effect in promoting the growth and evolution of cultivators' own heavenly dao divine weapons that they refine. We roughly calculated that seven consecutive days of starlight bathing are enough for an ordinary cultivator at the fetal storage realm who refines a heavenly dao divine weapon to be promoted to a level comparable to an ordinary innate spiritual treasure.

You Ruo smiled at Linghu Qingqing: "Of course, the amount cannot be too many, cannot be excessive, otherwise the divine favor would seem too cheap. You must control the degree, not go too far—this measure, you must grasp well."

In Linghu Qingqing's pupils, a faint layer of green light circulated.

He looked at You Ruo, lost in thought: "Lady You Ruo, is something bad going to happen?"

You Ruo fell silent for a moment, then smiled and pointed at Linghu Qingqing: "Your Majesty is indeed a smart person; of course something is going to happen… To be frank, the Great Wei Divine Kingdom is preparing to launch a full-scale invasion of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom."

Although those fellows of the Great Wei Divine Kingdom usually recite poetry and affect elegance, appearing indifferent to profit and power… in fact you also know full well that the Great Wei Divine Kingdom is full of hypocrites; when there is an advantage, they will certainly not miss the chance to take a share.

The Great Wei Divine Kingdom and the Great Wu Divine Kingdom have already held dozens of secret talks in private; they are likely to sign an alliance treaty soon and join forces to attack the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom. You will soon be fighting on two fronts; if we don't give you a bit more confidence, we truly fear you will be wiped out in an instant.

You Ruo sighed: "If you are destroyed, could we possibly demand compensation from the dead? Moreover, the amount of future daily sacrificial offerings you promised us far exceeds that of Wei and Wu, so we naturally ought to lean a little toward you."

Linghu Qingqing's scalp faintly emitted wisps of white smoke, and he said in a cold voice: "The Wei truly intend to profit from the fire; thank you, Lady You Ruo. Um, I don't know whether the debt we owe to those fallen deities can be… paid in some other way."

On Linghu Qingqing's body rose a chilling, indifferent aura—indifferent to all life, even his own.

You Ruo burst into laughter: "Your Majesty is indeed sage and wise… Well, since we have strengthened your national foundation, we must certainly give those scoundrels who covet your realm a proper lesson."

"Let them bleed into rivers and pile up corpses like mountains… Well, actually, it's unnecessary—don't let Prince An Huo Xiong make a move." You Ruo frowned slightly, worrying: "This guy, how did he come up with the idea of swallowing soldiers' blood and souls to boost the power of the Black Heaven Cauldron? No one among the three kingdoms has ever done such a thing… this fellow is truly wicked."

Linghu Qingqing understood clearly in his heart; there was no need to say more.

He solemnly bowed deeply to You Ruo, then hurried away.

As he walked, his waist was slightly bent.

Indeed, with so many fallen deities requiring compensation, the pressure is truly enormous.

However, this bad news cannot be spread; we must first tell the good news to the people of the world. Otherwise, if the Great Wei Divine Kingdom launches an all-out attack, the populace might become unstable, and his newly founded Qingqiu Divine Kingdom could collapse overnight—then it would truly be embarrassing and a laughingstock.

Soon, a bit of gossip spread from within the imperial city, then quickly throughout Qingqiu City, and immediately thereafter to every corner of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom:

The founding god-emperor of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom, Linghu Qingqing, whose virtue matches heaven and earth, has earned heaven and earth's compassion; three days later, to celebrate the founding of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom, heaven and earth will bestow starry grace, which shall be poured upon all living beings.

Linghu Qingqing issued an edict: to thank the gods of heaven and earth for their grace, the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom will increase taxes by thirty percent for the next ten years, with all the additional revenue used to sacrifice to the gods of heaven and earth.

When this order was issued, the entire Qingqiu Divine Kingdom erupted in an uproar.

The civil and military officials did not know what to say.

The common people were even more at a loss for what to say.