"What is he trying to do? Is he really going to kill us too?"
"How can he do this? We’re innocent people!"
As Wu Tian summoned the Vanquishing Heaven Seal, it soared into the sky and expanded rapidly. The common folk before the Royal Palace were stunned, then began to clamor in astonishment. When the royal family promised them gold to do this, they had thought it was a risk-free, surefire profit. Surely Wu Tian wouldn’t kill innocent people, would he? But when they saw Wu Tian preparing to strike, they panicked.
The Vanquishing Heaven Seal grew so large that it alarmed not only the people before the palace, but the entire capital of Qian Zhong Country. Even though it was broad daylight, the sky suddenly dimmed. Confused, they looked up and quickly discovered why. High in the firmament, the colossal Vanquishing Heaven Seal blotted out the sun. It hovered over the masses, still expanding, looking as if it would descend at any moment and smash everything into pulp.
"No!"
"We’re innocent civilians!"
"You can’t do this!" the people roared in protest.
"No, this isn’t how things were supposed to go!" The King of Qian Zhong’s pupils constricted, his face a mask of mortal terror. He looked toward Tian Jiao. The civil and military officials did the same.
"Tian Jiao, this was your plan! You have to take responsibility!"
"That’s right! Tell us what to do now!"
"Yes, what should we do?"
Just moments ago, these same people were praising Tian Jiao. Now they all blamed him. What kind of rotten idea was this? Now look what you’ve done! You’ve gotten us all killed!
"No, this isn’t how things were supposed to develop! It shouldn’t be like this!" Tian Jiao was also in disbelief. By all rights, Wu Tian should be afraid of public opinion and spare us. But to his shock, Wu Tian was utterly decisive in his intent to kill. Public opinion be damned. If he wanted you dead, not even the heavens could stop him.
Admit we’re wrong! We have to admit we’re wrong right now! Tian Jiao’s eyes lit up as an idea struck him. He immediately stepped out from beneath the palace walls and shouted, "Mr. Wu Tian, we were wrong! We shouldn’t have refused to admit our mistakes! Qian Zhong Country will issue a formal confession, proclaiming our crimes and our errors! Please, spare us!"
The King of Qian Zhong, along with his civil and military officials, followed suit. They no longer cared about face; survival was all that mattered.
Wu Tian heard them but only sneered. "No. I don’t want your apologies. I want you dead."
What? Hearing this, Tian Jiao and the others turned deathly pale.
Tian Jiao cried out, "Why? The one who offended you was Tianlong, not us!"
Wu Tian shook his head. "You used another as a weapon to kill. For that, you must pay the price."
"You..." Tian Jiao trembled violently. He thought his plan was flawless. Could it be that Wu Tian knew all along?
The King of Qian Zhong suddenly understood. SLAP! He struck Tian Jiao across the face. "You vile son! Tianlong is your own brother! How could you scheme against him?"
Seeing the situation was hopeless, Tian Jiao threw all caution to the wind and roared back, "My brother? He was cruel and inhumane; he deserved to die! And you? Have you ever treated me like a son? I am your eldest! When I was the Crown Prince, I was diligent and conscientious, so cautious I was afraid to take a single wrong step. I was restrained every single day. But what did you do? You still stripped me of my title!"
As he spoke, tears welled up in Tian Jiao’s eyes and streamed down his face. "It was you! You’re the one who caused all of this!" Tian Jiao accused, pointing at the King of Qian Zhong. "If you hadn’t favored Tianlong, ignoring the fact that he would become a tyrant, how could things have ever reached this point?"
The King of Qian Zhong was dumbfounded.
At that moment, the Vanquishing Heaven Seal finally began its descent. It tore through the air, shaking the very fabric of space and snapping the king and his officials back to their senses.
"Run!"
The King of Qian Zhong and his officials were different from the common folk. The poor had to worry about tomorrow, the day after, and their future. But them? They had no such worries; they knew they could squander wealth for a lifetime without issue. Therefore, they feared death all the more. Beneath the descending Vanquishing Heaven Seal, they had only one thought: flee.
But by now, the enormous artifact had already enveloped the entire capital. Even if the King of Qian Zhong and his court wanted to escape, where could they go? Their only hope would be the presence of a Heavenly King Realm expert.
"Sacrificial Spirit, save me!" the King of Qian Zhong screamed.
But the Sacrificial Spirit had already fled, paying him no heed. The great stone turned and escaped. The Great Heavenly King of Dogs had beaten it so badly that it only had a few days left to live. A few days was not a long time, but to live one more day was still a victory. The Sacrificial Spirit had no intention of dying with the King of Qian Zhong!
"I was wrong."
"I was wrong, too!"
"Please, spare us!"
The civil and military officials didn’t know what they had done wrong, but to save their own lives, all they could do was kneel and beg for mercy.
Yet, under their terrified gazes, the massive Vanquishing Heaven Seal continued to fall.
"No!" the King of Qian Zhong cried out as a final thought occurred to him. "You can’t kill me! You can’t kill Tianlong! His master is an Elder of a Five-Star Sect, the Flying Leaf Sect!"
Wu Tian heard him but acted as if he hadn’t. A Five-Star Sect? So what? Heh.
The massive Vanquishing Heaven Seal descended without restraint, smashing down and turning every building in the capital of Qian Zhong Country into dust. As for the civil and military officials and the "innocent" civilians? They all vanished from the face of the earth.
The Artifact Domain was destined for chaos. Xiuyuan Country could use this opportunity to expand its territory, making the Xiuyuan Realm even larger.
Qin Yuhan stared blankly at the scene, feeling as though she understood something, yet not at all.
It seems that wasn’t enough, Wu Tian noted. He could see that Qin Yuhan’s heart still held a sliver of softness. To teach Qin Yuhan about the cruelty of this world, Wu Tian didn’t mind sacrificing more people.
This was the way of an Immortal Emperor. Sometimes, in the eyes of an Immortal Emperor, human lives were worth less than ants. When an Immortal Emperor was pleased, he could grant life to the world. When he was displeased, he could sentence all to death.
"Come with me," Wu Tian said.
Qin Yuhan furrowed her brow. "Isn’t the matter resolved?"
Wu Tian shook his head. "No."
Qin Yuhan was confused, but the young woman was clever and quick-witted, catching on immediately. "I know!" she called out. "There’s still the Flying Leaf Sect!"
With Wu Tian causing such a huge commotion, he naturally attracted attention from all sides. Upon learning of the events, the Great Heavenly King of Dogs rushed over. When he arrived before Wu Tian, there were still tears in the great dog’s eyes. Only in front of Wu Tian would he act this way, wanting to show him that he would forever be his master’s pet.
"Master, next time there’s a fight, remember to call me," the Great Heavenly King of Dogs said. At the same time, he kowtowed three times toward Qin Yuhan.
He hadn’t expected his master’s wife to be this woman. She was nothing compared to the Empress. Still, she was the one his master loved, and he would respect her for that alone.
Wu Tian nodded. "The Flying Leaf Sect. Do you know where it is?"