World's First Traitor System (402)

Chapter 402 - A Clash of Wills

Xiongzhou.

The former governor's mansion had been temporarily converted into the Jin Imperial Palace.

Emperor Shi Jingtang of Jin sat on the Dragon Throne, his tall, slender frame gaunt, his cheekbones sharp, with a long, straight beard hanging like a waterfall down his chest.

When he opened his eyes, a chilling, bone-deep coldness seemed to emanate from them.

"You were defeated."

Shi Jingtang spoke to no one in particular. But as his voice faded, a projection, sent from a thousand miles away, slowly manifested before him.

The projection was of a man, also an Emperor.

Clad in dragon robes and a crown, his demeanor refined, he was, among the rulers of the past, unusually handsome.

“Yes, I was defeated,” Li Yu said with a relaxed smile, not at all bothered. “I heard he was the best in the world, and it seems that reputation is well deserved. I’m even curious as to why, with his abilities, he hasn't ascended to the immortal realm yet. Why does he continue to linger in the mortal realm?”

"Hmph!"

Shi Jingtang scoffed.

"Li Yu, you’re putting on too much of a show. Praising your enemy like that, do you think I will laugh less at your pitiful defeat? In my view, the world is full of mediocrity; it's nowhere near as it was during the Spring and Autumn period."

Li Yu’s projection remained silent, still smiling.

“Is it really so inferior? Yet, you too, were defeated.”

"Defeated?" Shi Jingtang seemed to have heard a great joke. "You know my methods well. A mere beast tide, what’s that? Do you really call that a defeat?”

Ten thousand mechanical beasts had been completely destroyed outside of Peng City, but for Shi Jingtang, it was a mere trifle.

“Yes, you didn't give it your all.” Li Yu nodded, then asked, “And my abilities, have you forgotten them?”

Shi Jingtang was silent.

Indeed. Li Yu was known as a master poet, his methods were far beyond just manifesting a million soldiers with a stroke of his brush.

Li Yu, too, had not given it his all. Even so, he admitted that Jiajing's strength had already exceeded mortal limits.

“If you don't believe me, how about we trade territories?" Li Yu said, half-jokingly.

"Hmph! Dream on!" Shi Jingtang refused without hesitation.

The Southern Tang and Later Jin had been in the mortal realm for some time now.

Both knew that Great Ming was the most powerful dynasty, while Great Chu was wealthy yet relatively weak.

In Shi Jingtang’s eyes, Great Chu was practically a piece of meat on his plate, so why would he exchange it with Li Yu?

"I will swallow Great Chu whole, then sweep through Wei, Han, Wu, and Ci, and unify all under heaven!"

Shi Jingtang’s eyes burned with fervent ambition!

Listening to Li Yu, he suddenly smiled.

“Hehehe!”

"Li Yu, when I lead my army east, will I encounter your resistance, or Emperor Jiajing of Great Ming?"

A ruler with any ambition firmly believed he would ultimately be the final victor.

Great Ming would cease to exist. On that land, the Southern Tang would rise!

Li Yu, should have answered in a similar vein.

But he remained silent, his smile fading.

“I will go all in. If I win, I will unify the world. Then, I will ascend with my entire kingdom, fulfilling the responsibility she was given by Heaven!”

Li Yu’s reply was like a needle piercing Shi Jingtang’s flesh.

He practically jumped up, shouting,

“Heaven has already released us, and yet you still refuse to let it go?! Isn’t it good enough to enjoy the riches of the mortal realm? Just for her? You have followed her in battle for thousands of years, and yet has she ever given you a second glance?”

“In Wu Zhao’s eyes, you are no different than any ordinary soldier of Great Zhou, you were merely a tool she used on the battlefield!”

"Li Yu! You are a romantic fool!"

Shi Jingtang’s voice was incredibly loud, amplified by his cultivation, shaking the entire governor’s mansion, causing dust and debris to fall, as if the buildings were on the verge of collapse.

Li Yu quietly listened to Shi Jingtang’s insults. In truth, as fellow soldiers from the same side in the immortal realm, Li Yu and Shi Jingtang, though different in personality, had been comrades for millennia.

Shi Jingtang's insults were harsh, but he was genuinely trying to persuade him.

“You can’t do what Wu Zhao did! Just stay in the mortal realm. After I unify the world, I will make you a Duke, allowing you to keep your ancestral temples. Just like the Spring and Autumn period, you're only qualified to be a regional ruler!"

“Li Yu, oh, Li Yu, stop fantasizing about being with her, her ambitions are too high!”

With Wu Zhou’s ascension, Shi Jingtang and Li Yu had both believed Wu Zhao had successfully resurrected.

However, they didn’t realize that it was only Princess Chang Le who had ascended.

Li Yu raised his head, as if his gaze could pierce the clouds and reach the immortal realm.

He smiled.

In his eyes appeared a beautiful figure, captivating yet unattainable.

“I admire her, I simply want to observe her from afar.”

“I will never get too close, lest I disturb her heart, and ruin her splendor.”

“As for this beautiful mortal realm, that will be my gift to her.”

Shi Jingtang was completely speechless. Such a foolish infatuation that had lasted for millennia, it was clearly beyond hope of being changed.

“A romantic fool! A hopeless waste!”

Shi Jingtang waved his hand, dismissing Li Yu’s projection.

“If that’s the case, then I will no longer recognize you as a comrade in arms for these past millennia!”

…

While eating a hotpot, Fan Li recounted the events of the Peng City defense.

When Xiang Ning heard that a mechanical beast, pretending to be destroyed, had nearly attacked Fan Li's face, her own face paled in terror.

The jealousy she had shown earlier was instantly gone.

“Fan Li, if I had been in Peng City, I would have protected you!” Xiang Ning said seriously.

“Oh? Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.” Fan Li put down his chopsticks, then added, “I intend to rebuild the fortifications along the Xiongzhou border. After this victory, allowing enemies to freely advance, and destroying my Great Chu's cities is truly too dangerous."

The battle of Peng City happened in part due to Fan Li purposely making the Great Chu capital a target, attracting the mechanical beasts.

But after this battle, Shi Jingtang had seen Peng City’s defenses. If he tried again, he would likely shift his target.

Outside of Peng City, there wasn’t a single city in Great Chu that could withstand the attack of tens of thousands of powerful mechanical beasts.

“That will be expensive, won’t it?” Xiang Ning asked worriedly. “Fan Li, can Great Chu’s treasury support that?”

A war required both soldiers and resources, a strong logistics base.

Xiang Ning still felt she had a duty to her kingdom, so she naturally worried about this.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Though the treasury is empty, I have money to spare." Fan Li patted his chest, sounding immensely confident.

“Oh, that’s good, I knew that you…”

Xiang Ning stopped mid-sentence.

What was that?

"I have money to spare?” Did he really have to say it out loud?

“Cough!” Fan Li, realizing he had misspoke, quickly changed the topic. “Your Majesty, is there any news from Great Ci? I mean, has Empress Yao Guang mobilized her army, preparing to attack Shi Jingtang?”

“How would I know?” Xiang Ning pouted, looking adorable, a clear sign she was still upset. “I don't have any money; I can’t buy intelligence from Great Ci.”

As they spoke, Fan Chun suddenly arrived. He brought an urgent report, a clear sign of a crisis.

"Second Brother, bad news."

“A giant mechanical beast, over three hundred feet tall, with a body like a mountain, has appeared in Xiongzhou. It's rampaging across Great Chu. Wherever the beast goes, people and animals die, everything is destroyed!"