Chapter 698: One-Third

Wu Tie smiled and clasped his hands toward Linghu Qingqing.

"Your Majesty, Li Xuangui, Yuan Qilin, Kong Chengxi, and Meng Buyan are now my retainers." Wu Tie smiled especially brightly: "Just now, while I was struggling under the rubble, I heard Grand Preceptor Gongyang swear a blood oath of loyalty to Your Majesty."

Wu Tie smiled especially brightly: "Li Xuangui and Yuan Qilin didn't swear a blood oath; I directly imprisoned their souls."

Linghu Qingqing's and Gongyang Sanlü's faces turned especially strange.

A blood oath might still be undone, but opening the soul and directly planting a restriction in the soul—especially, the souls of Divine Manifestation Realm elders are no longer mere souls, but a more profound existence.

The more profound, the greater the power; correspondingly, also more 'fragile'. Once damaged, their lethality becomes even more terrifying. Having been granted a soul restriction by Wu Tie, their life and death lie in his single thought.

This is far more reliable than the blood oath sworn by Gongyang Sanlü.

Linghu Qingqing looked thoughtfully at Gongyang Sanlü.

Gongyang Sanlü lowered his head, silent and fuming, cursing Wu Tie in his heart. Swearing the blood oath soul pearl to loyalty to Linghu Qingqing is already the limit he can accept. To have him like a servant, placing his life and death under Linghu Qingqing's single thought, is absolutely unacceptable.

So he could only pretend not to see Linghu Qingqing's expectant, hopeful gaze.

Your Majesty, it's not that I lack loyalty, but I... truly cannot bring myself to do it.

Linghu Qingqing took a deep breath, warily looking at Li Guang, Zhao Xiang, Xiang Feiyu, and others: "Then, what about you officials?"

Li Guang, Zhao Xiang, Xiang Feiyu, and others hurriedly brought the descendants rescued by Wu Tie, rushing to Linghu Qingqing's presence. They trembled as they bowed before Linghu Qingqing, Zhao Xiang leading, each swearing oaths of utter loyalty to Linghu Qingqing.

"Your Majesty, we are loyal to you, evident to heaven and earth!" Zhao Xiang's eyes reddened; others, including the blunt and straightforward Xiang Feiyu, also nodded eagerly.

Their faces of 'loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness' were so intense they seemed almost to burst from their pores.

Linghu Qingqing nodded, believing Zhao Xiang's words.

To say Li Xuangui and the others defected to Wu Tie was due to having no choice, forced to survive in desperation.

Then Linghu Qingqing believed that Li Guang, Zhao Xiang, these elder generals of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom, even if they acted from personal restraint or family honor, would not so shamelessly defect to Wu Tie.

There's no such reason, absolutely none.

Though the Qingqiu General Clan had little integrity to begin with—when they abandoned the former Jin Sima imperial clan and chose the Linghu clan as the new imperial house—Linghu Qingqing knew these fellows' integrity was nearly gone.

But the little integrity they had left shouldn't be enough to make them defect to Wu Tie.

"Please rise, beloved officials. After this tribulation... no, this great victory, our Qingqiu Divine Kingdom can be considered the ultimate winner." Linghu Qingqing smiled especially brightly.

"Kill them all." Wu Tie suddenly barked in a low voice.

Linghu Qingqing and Gongyang Sanlü were startled, hastily stepping back two paces; the elders behind them rushed forward, surrounding the two in the center.

Li Guang, Zhao Xiang, and others also rose with faces of loyalty to the sovereign and country, hastily forming a line to block Linghu Qingqing's front. Zhao Xiang pointed at Wu Tie and shouted sternly: "Prince An, what do you intend?"

Wu Tie stared in astonishment at Linghu Qingqing and the others; his finger pointed at the twenty-five Great Wu elders lying on the ground.

Linghu Qingqing's face instantly calmed; looking at those Great Wu elders struggling on the ground, he shouted sternly: "Your words are correct, beloved officials; quickly execute them, lest trouble arise!"

These Great Wu elders still bore projections of the Ten Directions Slaughter Armor; who knows if the gods have other means. If suddenly a divine light descended, instantly healing these old-timers and restoring their peak strength, Linghu Qingqing would likely vomit blood.

Not just vomiting blood; he'd probably be beaten into a puddle of pus and blood.

Li Guang, Zhao Xiang, and others shouted in unison, together with a few Great Wei elders behind Wu Tie, they surged forward, hacking wildly with various blades; in an instant they chopped the twenty-five surviving Great Wu elders into pieces.

Again, twenty-five beams of strong light shot into the sky.

Within the dueling battlefield, light pillars pressed tightly together; in the void, the dense, substantive Dao resonance and righteousness surged; the mana erupting from the fallen Divine Manifestation Realm elders traced back to its source, transforming into the purest heavenly-earthly primal energy returning to heaven and earth; the air became viscous like mercury, a fist-sized mass of air weighing as much as dozens of great mountains.

If not for everyone here having sufficient cultivation, even the weakest being half-step Divine Manifestation Realm elites, the battlefield's current air alone could crush countless Fetal Storage Realm cultivators.

Li Guang, Zhao Xiang, and others, after their frantic hacking, exhausted their strength, each panting as they stopped and looked toward Linghu Qingqing.

Linghu Qingqing narrowed his eyes, calmly looking at the thirteen clans standing behind Wu Tie—oh, no, after adding the Ma clan represented by Ma Liang, skilled in Dao painting, the Wei clans that had defected to Wu Tie alone numbered fourteen.

Besides that, we must set aside dozens more Great Wei elders rescued by Wu Tie before entering the military city.

These Great Wei elders came from dozens of different clans in Great Wei; persuaded by Li Xuangui and Yuan Qilin, and again by the earnest urging of a large group of old friends, they likewise defected to Wu Tie.

Setting aside those scattered Divine Manifestation Realm elders, just the fourteen clans each have twenty-one or twenty-two at minimum, up to nearly thirty; on average, each clan possesses more than twenty-five Divine Manifestation Realm elders.

Behind Wu Tie stood over four hundred Divine Manifestation Realm elders, their vital essences full, their strength at peak.

Although they are all Great Wei spellcasters, their power has been weakened to the extreme within this dueling battlefield; but once they leave the battlefield, this force… this force…

Linghu Qingqing subconsciously glanced at his subordinates nearby.

He protected them with the Indestructible Heart Lamp, rescuing the Qingqiu Divine Manifestation Realm elders from Wu Ba's self-detonation; together with himself, he numbered only seventy-seven.

Adding Li Guang, Zhao Xiang, Xiang Feiyu, and over two hundred others, the number of Divine Manifestation Realm elders under Linghu Qingqing's command is still twenty or thirty fewer than those behind Wu Tie.

Linghu Qingqing took a deep breath, gazing at the two hundred thirty-nine Great Wei elders frozen in the distant shattered mysterious ice.

Wu Tie raised his eyebrows, then suddenly waved his hand.

Behind Wu Tie, including Ma Liang, dozens of elders from various clans shot out simultaneously, rushing to the broken mysterious ice chunks and swiftly scraping at them.

Soon, Ma Liang returned with three Ma clan elders.

Those dozens of scattered clan elders also brought back sixty-nine of their own elders to Wu Tie's rear.

These people were frozen in the mysterious ice, but their souls retained strong vitality; they fully knew what had happened outside. Their eyes flickered, staring through the ice at Wu Tie for a while, using soul fluctuations to communicate swiftly with their own kin.

Soon, these rescued elders reached an unspoken understanding with their own family members.

In Linghu Qingqing's presence, these elders' brows split open, and strange light shone through the mysterious ice.

Wu Tie was no exception; with a palm he shattered the ice sealing their heads, planting profound restrictions into their minds.

Soon, the seventy-two rescued Great Wei elders all became Wu Tie's subordinates.

In the ruins of the military city buried under chaotic ice, there remained another one hundred sixty-seven Great Wei elders.

Linghu Qingqing waved his hand; Li Guang, Zhao Xiang, and others hurried over, digging out the Great Wei elders encased in ice, together with Xiahou Rulong, and brought them before Linghu Qingqing.

Linghu Qingqing and Yan Yuese clasped their hands toward Xiahou Rulong and the others: "Gentlemen, you are all sensible people; now, at this moment, if you do not submit to me, you will surely die."

Xiahou Rulong and the others pondered for a moment, glancing toward Wu Tie's rear, then fell silent. Their brows split simultaneously, and the one hundred sixty-seven Great Wei elders sighed in unison, causing the heavenly-earthly primal energy to fluctuate, stirring up weak, listless gusts of yin wind within the dueling battlefield.

Enough, truly enough.

The dead are enough already; the gods should be satisfied, shouldn't they?

No more fighting, truly no more fighting… Xiahou Rulong and the others understood clearly: they had just played a trick on Linghu Qingqing; if they did not yield now, they would truly only face death and the disappearance of their Dao.

But after living so many years, who would still want to enjoy a long lifespan? Who would want to die?

Even if they were to become servants of Linghu Qingqing, with their strength they could still live in luxury, still be high and mighty. Although they no longer have the nominal prestige of the imperial clan, they could still lead a carefree life of fine wine and beautiful women.

What could they possibly be dissatisfied with?

Therefore, Xiahou Ru Long and the others all submitted.

Suddenly, the God Realm elders gathered around Linghu Qingqing outnumbered Wu Tie's side by several dozen.

Linghu Qingqing's strength still overwhelmed Wu Tie.

But… about half of the God Realm elders beside Linghu Qingqing are subjects… whereas the God Realm elders standing behind Wu Tie are all his retainers whose lives and deaths he controls; in other words, they are essentially his slaves.

In terms of cohesion and control, Wu Tie holds an absolute advantage.

Linghu Qingqing stared at Wu Tie for a while, then fell silent and gave a dry cough: 'My loyal subject.'

Wu Tie nodded to Linghu Qingqing: 'Your Majesty, I am utterly loyal to you, so please do not harbor any suspicions.'

After a pause, Wu Tie chuckled: 'Your Majesty, after so many have died, does anyone still want to keep fighting?'

Linghu Qingqing remained silent.

If Wu Tie truly harbored disloyal intentions, a single command from him would surely send those elders behind him to fight to the death, since their lives are in his grasp.

As for the God Realm elders beside Linghu Qingqing, aside from the newly subdued Xiahou Ru Long and his 167 followers, aside from the Gongyang clan who just swore a blood oath, would the others still fight desperately for Linghu Qingqing?

Linghu Qingqing looked at Wu Tie with growing kindness: 'Your loyalty, I have never doubted… Hmm, you are truly a pillar of the state. May I ask, in this situation, what would you like to say?'

Wu Tie fell silent for a moment, glanced at Linghu Qingqing, then suddenly slapped his own head.

A mighty white vapor shot up into the sky, grand and upright, the awe‑inspiring righteous aura filling heaven and earth. Myriad pillars of light standing between heaven and earth trembled; even though they were anomalous signs left by fallen God Realm elders, they were still shaken by this righteous aura until their colors faded, continually swaying.

'I possess a righteous aura,' Wu Tie said solemnly, bowing his hands to Linghu Qingqing.

'Your Majesty, do you think I would betray you?' Amid the loud exclamations of many Kong and Meng clan members of Great Wei, Wu Tie earnestly countered Linghu Qingqing.

Linghu Qingqing sucked in a breath of cold air, suddenly trusting Wu Tie ninety‑nine percent.

The righteous aura is something legendary.

It is said that those who possess righteous aura will not do sneaky things; cultivating such righteous aura makes a person, even if not a perfect sage, at least an upright and honest person.

An upright person despises doing shady deeds.

Gongyang Sanlü, beside them, burned with jealousy, his eyes bloodshot and almost popping out of their sockets, staring fixedly at the white light tens of thousands of feet above Wu Tie's head, which radiated a mighty, endless righteous aura.

The righteous aura is what Gongyang Sanlü has been pondering his whole life.

Yet Gongyang Sanlü spent over ten thousand painstaking years trying, but still could not grasp its essence.

Yet a mere warrior, a low‑ranked military household warrior, a rough‑handed killer from the army, somehow cultivated righteous aura.

Gongyang Sanlü wanted to curse, 'Is there still any heavenly principle? Is there still any royal law?'

Shouldn't righteous aura be a treasure hidden away by scholars? What does it have to do with this bunch of warriors?

'You… you…' Gongyang Sanlü gritted his teeth, blood continually seeping from the corners of his mouth.

He was actually injured internally by Wu Tie's anger.

Behind Wu Tie, Kong Chengxi and Meng Buyan shook their heads repeatedly, leading the Great Wei's self‑named scholars and refined clansmen, who all bowed deeply to Wu Tie.

What they respect is not Wu Tie's current status—although he is their lord, he is not worthy of such wholehearted reverence from these old‑timers.

What they respect is this righteous aura.

Among the top over a hundred clans of Great Wei, at least fifty regard the legendary righteous aura as their highest cultivation goal.

Yet despite Great Wei's long history, the number of people actually recorded as having cultivated righteous aura is fewer than can be counted on one hand.

At this moment, in the hearts of Kong Chengxi and others, Wu Tie is truly a living, breathing god!

Linghu Qingqing laughed brightly: 'Then, my loyal subject, in this battle, can my Azure Hill be called a complete victory?'

Wu Tie quickly nodded: 'Your Majesty is absolutely right; our Azure Hill has indeed won a complete victory—these three kingdoms' territories and countless peoples are now ours.'

Linghu Qingqing pondered for a moment: 'My loyal subject, how should I reward you most appropriately?'

Linghu Qingqing glanced at the hundreds of God Realm elders behind Wu Tie, gave a wry smile, and said: 'You can surely understand me, my loyal subject; my trust in you will never waver—just look at this righteous aura, what else is there for me to worry about?'

But… Linghu Qingqing shifted his tone, speaking earnestly: 'Please also understand my difficulties, my loyal subject; your strength is now overwhelming, and if you were to stay close to my heartland, the court might become unsettled.'

Linghu Qingqing's words were indeed most sincere.

Wu Tie pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: 'Then I dare to ask, Your Majesty, please grant me the territory of the original Great Martial God Kingdom.'

Linghu Qingqing and Gongyang Sanlü glanced at each other and both relaxed.

Wu Tie's demand for the territory of the Great Martial God Kingdom—excellent!

The Great Martial God Kingdom is the poorest, most backward of the three kingdoms, with the fewest people; granting it to Wu Tie is the most appropriate arrangement.

With the resources of Azure Hill and Great Wei at his disposal, Linghu Qingqing could overwhelm Wu Tie within a century—what threat could Wu Tie possibly pose then?

The righteous aura is indeed a good thing.

Prince An Huo Xiong is indeed a loyal minister.