The question pierced into Master Bitter Cicada's heart like an awl.
Master Bitter Cicada's face was pale, and his lips were pale. The handsome, clean man before couldn't have looked more haggard right now.
In a voice as soft as a dry leaf, he said, "Who — who will go to hell if not me?"
After saying that, there was no telling whether the words were an excuse or a self-comforting one, but the monk fell back and breathed heavily against the back of the chair.
"That's enough."
Observing his face, Meng Chixin knew that Master Bitter Cicada had reached a critical moment where he was struggling.
The monk had been mentally deranged the day before yesterday and vomited blood crazily. It must have been because he could not overcome the obstacle in his heart.
If the monk continued to be aggressive, it was possible that the monk would be possessed by the devil in his head, and he might even die abruptly!
"Whatever choice you make, fellow Cultivators," Meng Chixin said solemnly, "I believe that you must have your own reasons and difficulties. As long as your opinions are not too contrary to common sense, there is no need to explain in detail!"
Ba Xiaoyu stepped forward and supported Master Bitter Cicada, too. His ugly face cramping in shame, he said in a low voice, "Monk, it's — it's not easy for you! What you said just now has woken me up. I cannot just leave everybody in the Ancient Sages Sector behind. I have to stay and fight the 'Four Rapscallions' together with you to check the Ancient Sages Sector's situation. We cannot allow them to turn their temporary expedient into complete surrender and even apply the system of the Imperium of True Human Beings, which does not treat people as human beings, to the Ancient Sages Sector. "
"Only the high and mighty Cultivators do not treat other people as human beings!"
Wan Mingzhu glared at him again and shouted, "We were born poor in the first place. How can we be the same as the spoiled young masters like you?"
Although Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar seemed to be poor and slovenly right now, he was indeed a noble young master from an island in the East Ocean who was as wealthy as a country.
Wan Mingzhu, who had been born poor in the southeast coast, was almost innately hostile to Ba Xiaoyu, who owned a private island and considered serving the weak as his hobby.
"Alright. Now that we have reached a consensus, there's no need to say anything else, right? Fellow Daoist Wang, you are almost the 'think tank' among the twelve of us. What do you think? "
Meng Chixin resolved the dispute and accelerated the pace of the meeting.
Everybody's eyes fell on Long Yangjun, or Wang Xi.
Long Yangjun's opinion was indeed very important. It was even safe to say that she was the most important spokesperson, second only to the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators.
Although the twelve Yuanying and Divinity Transformation cultivators were all equal in name, there were still differences based on their specialties.
When it came to the technical issues of the Colossi or other magical equipment, there was no doubt that Li Yao's words were the most authoritative.
If it was necessary to resort to violence, it would be Yan Liren's turn. Even the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators would respect the opinion of the 'Sword Maniac'.
When it came to matters of life and death, ghosts, ghosts, and so on, everyone had to listen to the "Mother of All Ghosts" Wan Mingzhu. No matter how harsh her words were, they had to listen obediently. There was nothing they could do. She was a professional!
Qi Zhongdao was best at establishing rules. Perhaps he could be the organizer and supervisor of the twelve of them so that he could figure out their internal relationships.
Han Baling and Meng Chixin, as a pair of master and disciple, were both great commanders and strategists. When it came to long-term planning, they naturally had more to say than Yan Liren, Ba Xiaoyu, and the rest of them.
What about Long Yangjun and Wang Xi?
She was a 'treacherous minister' who had helped the emperor resist the major sects in the court for decades. It was needless to mention her terrifying ability to establish such a super intelligence and assassination agency as' Ghost Character 'and raise a storm of blood in the world of Cultivators!
If she had to be labeled, most Yuanying and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators would consider her an out-and-out 'schemer'!
Of the other eleven people present, perhaps many of them did not like Long Yangjun, if not dreaded or hated her.
But none of them would ignore her opinion on the matter!
Her opinion might even change many people's minds and make them reconsider the whole thing!
"Thankfully!"
Li Yao's heart was pounding. He thought to himself that, thankfully, Long Yangjun was on his side no matter what. As long as she raised an objection and the whole thing was reconsidered, chances were that there would be a turning point!
Right now, Ba Xiaoyu and Master Bitter Cicada were not so firm in their stance of surrendering to the Imperium. They should be persuadable!
Li Yao, Long Yangjun, Ba Xiaoyu, and Master Bitter Cicada were four in total. It was four against eight. Yan Liren was not a hardcore supporter of the Imperium, either, and he was merely following the crowd. Han Baling, on the other hand, had always regarded surrendering as nothing more than drinking water.
Those people could all change their stance. Therefore, they could still be saved, as long as Long Yangjun —
"I choose the Imperium."
Long Yangjun said simply.
Li Yao: "…"
Meng Chixin looked at her. "Are you done, Fellow Cultivator Wang?"
"Yes."
Long Yangjun's face was quite relaxed. When she glanced at Li Yao, her face was quite natural and frank, too, as if she did not remember that she had reached an agreement with Li Yao a couple of days ago and did not care about the consequences if Li Yao exposed her identity. "As for the reasons, the few fellow Cultivators before me have all given their own. You all have a point. I have nothing to add. The Imperium of True Human Beings is our only choice!"
After Long Yangjun, Wu Suiyun, another Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator who represented the righteous side of the Great Qian Dynasty, said, "I don't like the Imperium of True Human Beings very much. However, on second thought, we don't know the first thing about the situation in the universe. Whatever choice we make, it won't make much difference. The most critical thing is that we must be united and work together!
"Therefore, since so many fellow Cultivators have chosen the Imperium, there is no need for me to complicate things and add to the conflict. Let's surrender to the Imperium together with everybody and figure out the situation in the universe first before we make our decision!"
Right now, two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators and eight Yuanying Cultivators had chosen the Imperium of True Human Beings.
There were only two people who had not spoken yet. They were Li Yao, Master Spiritual Vulture, and Zhu Zongyou, Emperor Phoenix.
Everyone's gazes, as well as all the pressure, fell on the two of them, their faces, and the depths of their pupils!
The pressure that was as heavy as a mountain, as dense as the deep sea, and as suffocating as a swamp turned into bean-sized beads of cold sweat on the young emperor's forehead. It also caused his expression to fluctuate incessantly as he struggled to the extreme. "I, I, I …"
To be honest, Emperor Phoenix was certainly unwilling to surrender to the Imperium.
Not only had he been fooled by Heiye Lan, the female warrior of the Imperium, for such a long time, she was even bold enough to pretend to be his ancestors.
How could he, as the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, bow to somebody else like the beggar Ba Xiaoyu, the monk Bitter Cicada, and the bandits such as Qi Changsheng and Wan Mingzhu?
Wouldn't he be the emperor of a fallen country?
For a moment, the miserable endings of countless' fallen emperors' in the past flashed in Emperor Phoenix's head. He could not accept such an ending at all!
"Your Majesty."
Long Yangjun suggested to Emperor Phoenix respectfully, but her eyes' happened 'to fall on Li Yao's face. "How can a dragon soar in the sky without a dragon lurking in the abyss? Right now, the enemy is strong, and we are weak. What's the big deal about hiding and holding back for now?
"Just think about it, Your Majesty. Didn't you lurk in the Thunder Martial Temple and stay away from the turbulence in the royal palace before you rose to power? Where are the princes and princes who were flaunting their prowess in the Imperial Palace? Where are they now? "
"Let's not talk about the fact that our temporary surrender is just a stopgap measure that will not affect the independence of the Great Qian Dynasty. You are still the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty!
"Even if the country does perish, it can be revived again as long as the seeds are left! But if you perish and your soul scatter, then you'll really have nothing left. Your Majesty, please reconsider, reconsider! "
"You —"
Emperor Phoenix glared at Long Yangjun angrily. It was obvious that he hated the 'power eunuch' who had wreaked havoc in the court.
Long Yangjun smiled. Completely ignoring Emperor Phoenix's blatant hostility and Li Yao's secret fury, she said casually, "Your Majesty, you are sort of a 'great disciple' of Heiye Lan, the female warrior of the Imperium. You must have a deeper understanding of the formidability of the Imperium than we do, right? As the saying goes, it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a cow. In fact, which of the twelve of us sincerely want to lower our heads to the Imperium of True Human Beings? But what choice do we have if we don't lower our heads? Isn't it just a stopgap measure and an acceptance of humiliation?
"Even the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators and the peak of the Yuanying Stage gritted their teeth and endured such humiliation. Your Majesty, you still have a great future ahead of you. Can't you judge the situation and preserve some of the vitality of the Great Qian Dynasty?"
Emperor Phoenix was rendered speechless. He wiped his sweat and closed his eyes. His eyelids shivered for a long time before he struggled to say, "I … agree to negotiate and cooperate with the Imperium of True Human Beings!"
Right now, two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators and nine Yuanying Stage Cultivators, eleven of the twelve strongest experts of the Ancient Sages Sector, had chosen the Imperium.
Eleven to one.
Li Yao was the only one left.
Li Yao's heart was in a mess. Thousands of thoughts were dancing, colliding, and shattering inside his head like a snowstorm.
What was Long Yangjun up to exactly? Why did she suddenly change her stance and stand on the Imperium's side unswervingly? Was she not scared that her secrets would be exposed after a life-and-death struggle?
No. It seemed a bit weird to say that she was' unswervingly ', too.
Just listen to what she said to Emperor Phoenix in the end, such as' it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a cow 'and' even the peak of the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators and the peak of the Yuanying Stage Cultivators had to accept the 'humiliation'!
What did she mean? What did she mean by accepting the 'humiliation'? She was obviously trying to instigate the regret in the hearts of the Yuanying Stage Cultivators and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators!
However, even if they did instigate the regret, so what? After all, it was eleven to one right now. Did she, or he, have any way to save the situation?
"Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture!"
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