The revolt of the five legions frightened the system in full. All eyes turned towards Skywrap Mountain and the imperial city of War Saint.
âIt is over for the dynasty.â This thought came up in everyoneâs mind.
A few ancestors shook their head and became sentimental: âThe new king is done for. Lucidity King reigned for three generations, turning War Saint into this great behemoth but this guy managed to bring it to ruins so quickly.â
A somber and reflective mood loomed over the land. War Saintâs current state of prosperity was due to Lucidityâs arduous efforts over the years. But now, only several days have passed and the dynasty was already shaking, on the verge of toppling at any moment.
âThe five legions have defected.â Jiadi immediately reported to Li Qiye upon finding out. His expression was quite ugly, knowing that this was beyond salvaging.
If Li Qiye didnât order the march, then they might have been able to get through these tough times while relying on Lucidityâs vestige of might. This was no longer the case.
âItâs to be expected, it wonât just be the five legions either.â Li Qiye smiled and said.
âYour Majesty, what should we do? Do you have a good plan?â Jiadi had no countermeasures to speak of, feeling that the new king had no chance to control the situation.
âPlan? No need for that. What will come will come.â Li Qiye smiled: âBut if you need something to do, my Jiadi, then start packing up, itâs time to go.â
âYou wish to retreat?â Jiadi put it nicely.
âNo need for such euphemism, itâs called running.â Li Qiye smiled: âNo one will die to protect us against the rebellion. Just pack up and let whoever in the palace wants to run, run.â
âWhere do you wish to go, Your Majesty?â Jiadi paused for a moment and didnât blame Li Qiye. His responsibility right now was to protect the guy.
âNo, not me. Iâm talking about you and your family. Go find a safe place to hide.â Li Qiye chuckled.
âYour Majesty?â Jiadi became surprised.
âIâll be cool here, itâll be fun watching the rebels storm into the palace. As for what Iâll do to them, that depends on my mood. If Iâm in a good mood, Iâll play with them, If not, Iâll just leave since itâs not my kingdom anyway. They can have it.â
âYour Majesty, Iâm afraid the rebels will want your life when theyâre here.â Jiadi was startled.
âI would like to see that, but unfortunately, I canât find anyone who can kill me. Thatâs the most vexing issue.â Li Qiye said.
âNo, my responsibility is to protect you, so if youâre not leaving, Iâm not leaving too. I have been entrusted by His Late Majesty to protect your safety, if anything were to hap-...â
âFirst, Iâm the king now, so if I tell you to leave, leave. Second, nothing will happen, what you imagine will never happen.â Li Qiye interrupted him and said: âJust go pack up and tell others to leave or itâll be too late once the army gets here. Donât stop any of them.
Jiadi didnât know what Li Qiye wanted to do. He bowed before leaving to carry out the order.
Meanwhile, Li Qiye closed his eyes to enjoy the massage from Bingchi Yingjian.
âYou should go too.â After a while, Li Qiye said: âThe rebels are about to be here. Leave the imperial city and seek asylum.â
She froze for a bit before regaining her wits and kneeled down with her head lowered: âI have been married into the royal clan, so I will be yours in life and death, there will be no escapingâ¦â [1]
âMine in life and death? Haha.â Li Qiye said: âThis is only a game of the higher-ups, and your marriage is but a sham, an empty showing. But if you actually have such thoughts, then I bestow freedom upon you and write you an imperial permission for traveling.â
âYour Majesty!â She turned pale.
âGo.â Li Qiye casually waved his hand: âPick a few treasures from the treasury, considered it as bestowments, a type of fate.â
âIâ¦â She was speechless. Though she was taken to the palace by the Bingchi, she was willing to do so and had accepted her fate. But now, as the dynasty was heading towards collapse, she didnât wish to leave. This thought had never crossed her mind before.
âItâs not too late to run.â Li Qiye continued: âIt will be too late once the siege starts. Donât think just because youâre from the Bingchi Clan that they will spare you. In fact, maybe youâll be the first victim.â
âYour Majesty⦠when the army gets in, youâll be in trouble.â She looked up at him and said.
Though she wasnât a master or anything, she was still trained by her clan members since youth and could tell that Li Qiye was very weak.
âI have my ways, and itâs not like you can protect me. Even an Eternal like Jiadi canât stop an army, let alone you.â Li Qiye smiled.
Yingjian found this to be the truth. Not to mention the great armies, Eight Formation True Emperor and Bingchi Juezun would be there as well. Jiadi alone couldnât amount to anything.
âTake care, Your Majesty.â In the end, Yingjian prostrated before him before leaving, overwhelmed with emotions.
After she was gone, he was still amused: âIt will get very exciting at Nine Secrets with the collapse of War Saint.â Having said that, his smile turned into a grin.
âRumble!â Continuous detonations resounded as the armies drew near. The five legions that went to conquer the Bingchi have headed back to the capital.
The armies of the Bingchi and Myriad Formation traveled at the same time, heading for Skywrap. They looked like a flood of steel as far as the eye can see.
Taking the vanguard was Eight Formation True Emperor - one step was one world, crushing everything beneath.
âThe king is incapable, immoral, and ruthless, I, Tian Zhiyuan, shall take arms against him for the sake of the worldâ¦â His voice echoed across Nine Systems.
Zhiyuan was his real name. He led these armies, wanting to overthrow War Saint Dynasty. The guy was brimming with ambition.
He wished to obtain a moral high ground so that his coronation would be legitimate. After all, regardless of how ridiculous the new king was, War Saint was still in charge of Nine Systems - the orthodox branch.
It was impudent of Myriad Formation to march towards the imperial city. The True Emperor didnât dare to talk about killing the king, using the excuse of helping the citizens to shield his real intent. After all, he was a subject under Lucidity so this was considered a rebellion. He needed a perfect excuse to legitimize this conquest.
The armies number in the tens of millions suffocated the spectators.
Because of this, even before they got there, the imperial city closed its heavenly gates and bolstered the walls, seemingly sealing off the world. No one could take half a step forward.
With loud detonations, beams of light rushed from the palace into the sky. Large barriers descended around the palace, acting like steel walls. The place became an impregnable fortress.
The imperial cityâs defenses have been activated, showing that War Saint Dynasty still had aces up its sleeve.
1. She addresses herself as a servant here, not I