Chapter 374: Surrender Without Fighting
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Duke of the Fiery let out a soft sigh and said slowly, “Please convey to the
North Vanquishing King’s army that I am willing to surrender!”
At the same time, in the Imperial City of Dashang.
The grand formation that had not been activated for tens of thousands of years now enveloped the void. Beneath it, there were people everywhere. One expert after another stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance.
Thick leaden clouds pressed down oppressively. The originally colorful world, reflected in their eyes, was now a sheet of gray. The entire land was desolate, almost suffocating.
In the central main hall, Shang Zhou sat high on the dragon throne. He was dressed in a long robe, looking elegant yet emitting boundless pressure. It was as if he had never moved, his eyes quietly observing the outside world through the formation enveloping the entire Imperial City.
He seemed to see countless experts gathering from all directions.
“Su Chen…” Shang Zhou opened his mouth slightly, a cold smile on his lips. “You really didn’t disappoint me!”
Earlier, he had guessed that Su Chen’s appeal had grown to a point where it could not be underestimated. But he had never expected it to be so powerful that almost half the forces of the entire East Barrens had mobilized upon hearing the news.
Some of these forces had come for Su Chen’s favor. There were also those who were purely here to watch the show. After all, the Dashang Empire was still a reputable power in the East Barrens. If it fell, these people need only casually reap some benefits to live comfortably for life.
“I request an audience with the Imperial Lord!”
Outside the main hall, a general in armor knelt on one knee, his face filled with fear.
“What is it?” Shang Zhou spoke calmly, his voice without any ripples.
“Your Majesty!” said the general. “I’ve just received news that Duke of the Fiery in the south has defected with millions of troops… Today, the Dachu Empire’s army has merged with the Duke of the Fiery’s army. They have already broken through our Dashang territory. It’s estimated that in ten days, they will be at the gates of the Imperial City!”
The general’s expression was very complicated as he spoke. In recent days, he had already lost count of how many times he had come to this great hall to report to the Imperial Lord, each time bringing news extremely unfavorable to the Dashang Empire.
First, the Dasui Empire had sent troops and set up a teleportation formation just outside Dashang territory. Right after, the Wang family of the Imperial Race had crossed tens of millions of miles to head straight for Dashang. Now, the nearby Dachu Empire was on their doorstep, with the North Vanquishing King personally leading countless elites into Dashang territory.
With so many powers joining forces, no matter how one looked at it, Dashang was doomed! It could be said that even immortals could not save them now!
Of course, if immortals really existed, they might be able to pull Dashang back from the edge of the cliff. But Dashang didn’t even have a quasi-emperor, let alone an actual immortal. They could only watch helplessly as their country walked towards destruction.
Even the general himself was wondering if he should start considering an escape route. But what made people despair was that the formation in the Imperial City was already wide open. This was a Great Saint level formation combining killing, trapping, and illusion formations. Even if several Great Saint Realm powerhouses joined forces, they would not be able to break it in a short time.
As long as the formation was activated, those inside could not get out and those outside could not get in. Many who wanted to rebel did not even have the chance to do so before it was too late. Their fates were now tightly bound to Dashang’s fate.
“I see,” replied Shang Zhou, nodding slightly as he sat loftily on the dragon throne. He seemed to have known about Duke of the Fiery’s betrayal long ago. “Pass on my decree,” he said indifferently. “Duke of the Fiery surrendering without a fight is a disgrace to Dashang! His entire family shall be exterminated, leaving no one alive. His divine soul shall be destroyed and cast into eternal damnation!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” said the general, body trembling as he hurriedly spoke respectfully. In recent days, the Duke of the Fiery was not the first person whose entire clan had been sentenced to death. There were several dukes and marquises who had met the same fate before him. It could be expected that Duke of the Fiery would definitely not be the last. Many more would likely follow in his footsteps after this.
The general left.
A ball of black mist then appeared in the hall. Shang Zhou was not surprised by the arrival of the dark creature. Things had already reached this point, so it would be stranger if the other party did not come! After all, the dark creatures within Dashang were in the same boat as him. With Dashang gone, these dark creatures would have nowhere to run either.
At that time, there would be no place for dark creatures in the vast world. And with Dashang’s downfall as a warning sign, it was unlikely any power would dare cooperate with them again.
“You’re here?” asked Shang Zhou, raising his eyes slightly as he indifferently glanced at the black fog before him.
“You did this on purpose?” A slender figure emerged from within the black fog.
Over this period of time, he had pondered and arrived at an unbelievable possibility – the reason the Dashang Empire had fallen to this state was because Shang Zhou had deliberately orchestrated it behind the scenes!
Although the idea seemed very far-fetched, there was really no other explanation that made sense. After all, if Shang Zhou had not sent people into the Great Mystery Sacred Sect’s territory, even if Su Chen suspected Dashang’s collusion with dark creatures, it would have only been suspicion. He would not have taken action, let alone made an announcement in the name of the Great Mystery Sacred Sect to all the forces of the East Barrens. Because if his suspicions had proven false, it would have been a devastating blow to the reputation of both Su Chen and the entire Great Mystery Sacred Sect!
Moreover, the last time Shang Zhou made a move, he had been dealing with a Quasi-Saint Realm expert who clearly had no way out. Yet he still let the man go, which struck everyone as highly bizarre. That person had explicitly spoken of Shang Zhou’s collusion with dark creatures. Sparing his life made no sense.
In summary, he was becoming increasingly unable to fathom Shang Zhou’s actions.
“Yes.” Shang Zhou nodded gently.
“As expected!” The black fog dissipated, revealing the figure of Marquis Champion. His body was filled with killing intent, his eyes turning scarlet and filled with a brutal aura as if the demon god of the Nine Nether had descended into the world once more.
An icy aura instantly enveloped the entire hall, as if he would lash out any second to kill Shang Zhou completely.
“Think carefully before attacking,” said Shang Zhou calmly, meeting his gaze. “We’re in the same boat now. If 1 die, you dark creatures won’t have a good ending either.”
As he spoke, the corners of his mouth curved into a faint smile. “Unless…” he continued lightly. “You’re willing to go back to wherever you came from! Furthermore…” At this, Shang Zhou leaned forward slightly, tone mocking. “You’ll have to personally destroy the spatial passageway that you’ve painstakingly created! I’m sure you understand better than I do what you’ve sacrificed for this passageway..”