Chapter 1316: Great Shen Empire: Chaos in Central Region I
Chapter 1316: Great Shen Empire: Chaos in Central Region I
Because of this, the Heavenly Court generally allowed the forces of the Immortal Land to fight among themselves. As long as the locals followed the rules, the Heavenly Court wouldn’t interfere, even if one side was clearly stronger or more aggressive than the other. Kingdoms could conquer territories, sects could fight over resources, and factions could even wage war against one another.
However, this tolerance only applied to conflicts between the locals.
The moment an outsider interfered, the Heavenly Court’s attitude changed completely.
If an outside force invaded a territory and clashed with the locals, the Heavenly Court would side with the locals regardless of who was right or wrong. It didn’t matter if the locals had provoked the conflict first or if they were the ones responsible for starting the war. From the Heavenly Court’s perspective, outsiders had no right to interfere in the affairs of the Immortal Land.
It was a blatant double standard, but the Heavenly Court had never claimed to be fair.
Their rules existed to protect the authority of the Heavenly Court, not to ensure absolute justice.
"We will not interfere unless we verify that they have broken the rules..." Shen Yao emphasized the word "rules."
Emperor Shen nodded seriously. He had gambled everything on this. If he was right, the empire could survive. But if he was wrong, the empire would be gone, replaced by others who would take over the land he cared so much about.
"If you understand, then we’ll investigate now," Shen Yao said before turning around and leaving.
Emperor Shen and Xi Xing remained silent, watching Shen Yao and the others until they left the throne room.
Only after they had left did Xi Xing turn to Emperor Shen and ask, "Is it going to be fine, Your Majesty?"
"Yes. You’ve heard the reports, so you know that someone is planning to break the rules, right?" Emperor Shen said confidently.
"You mean the plague in the eastern region?" Xi Xing raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah. They’re spreading the plague and killing people in various cities. As long as we can prove that the plague could potentially kill all the citizens of the empire, the Heavenly Court will make a move."
It was fine if other people simply killed the royal family and replaced Emperor Shen. But killing all the citizens was something the Heavenly Court would not tolerate.
The plague in the eastern region gave him an opportunity to submit a request for assistance to the Heavenly Court.
Of course, he didn’t need to attract the attention of the God-rank entities. Those beings didn’t care much about mortals and had their own views regarding them. He only wanted to gain the assistance of the Hero-rank experts in the Heavenly Court.
...
In the streets of the Royal Capital, Shen Yao and her companions concealed their presence within their surroundings. They observed everything around them without missing a single detail.
"Captain Shen, that emperor... do you think he’s telling the truth?" one of the four people asked.
"Yeah, the plague that destroyed numerous cities, towns, and villages must be real." Shen Yao paused briefly before continuing, "However, he also wanted to use us to intimidate his rivals. So don’t bother anyone as long as they’re outside our mission."
"We understand."
"We’ll follow your commands."
Shen Yao nodded, turning her head to look at the beautiful starry sky.
The stars were shining brightly, yet there was an aura of gloom surrounding them.
Shen Yao, a prodigy of the Heavenly Court, trusted her instincts. She knew there was more to this than met the eye, and perhaps a change would occur today in this land.
A land that most people in the Heavenly Court scoffed at, considering it nothing more than a wasteland because of its low mana density.
...
Somewhere within the central region of the Great Shen Empire, inside a tightly sealed room covered in runes.
Thousand Earth arrived and sat down on a chair, looking at the people present in the dimly lit room.
"You’re here. Did you kill them, Thousand Earth?" Anti Mage asked.
"No, they escaped," Thousand Earth replied.
"Oh, they escaped...?" Anti Mage was surprised.
The woman called Bloom Lotus was surprised as well. To think that those pests from before could escape from the hands of the powerful Thousand Earth was unexpected.
It was surprising.
"I could’ve chased them down and killed them, but I didn’t want to bother myself. Besides, they’re heading in the direction where Ice Death and Green King will capture that woman," Thousand Earth explained.
"Ice Death and Green King... If I’m not wrong, then Black Blader, Poisonous Vine, and Teng Guan are with them. If that’s the case, then only death awaits them," Anti Mage said.
"So, did Ice Death and Green King complete their mission?" Bloom Lotus asked.
"I don’t know, but their mission is a backup plan in case we fail here. If we successfully find it, then their mission is also completed. But if we fail, they have to complete it."
"That thing... So it’s here in the central region, right? We have to lock this place down as soon as possible."
Aside from Thousand Earth, Bloom Lotus, and Anti Mage, there were three more people in the room.
They had all come from outside, chasing after the thing that could change the tide of the battle. They all knew the dangers of coming into this land and exposing themselves, but they didn’t care at all. If they completed their plan, it wouldn’t matter whether they were exposed or not. Everything would change, and this land would be obliterated.
A new battlefield would be opened.
"So what’s with this country? We’ve only arrived here yesterday, so we didn’t have much information about the powerhouses here."
"Some of our people are hiding here, so I ordered them to make a move and provide us with some information. Look at the details here."
"Hmm...? There’s nothing noteworthy here aside from the emperor and the four dukes. Still, they’re far from enough to stop our plan, so we’ll proceed as usual."
"That’s right. We can just capture this land and be done with it before the Heavenly Court can react."
They had the confidence and power to do it.
Actually, they didn’t think much of the experts of the Great Shen Empire. They had been fighting on the front lines, battling powerful experts from large countries and Holy Lands, for a long time.
Compared to the prodigies and geniuses they had fought, the experts here in the empire were nothing.
There were six of them leading this operation, and each of them had their own subordinates to help lock down the entire place.
"Let’s start it. The sacrifice is ready, and we’ll track her movements if she’s still here in this country."
"She’s here, and she’s probably thinking about reversing our plan. I know her. I’ve worked alongside her before."
...
It was dark.
The night was strangely quiet in the Royal Capital and its neighboring cities.
Across the central region, lanterns illuminated the streets. Children returned to their homes, and merchants closed their shops for the night. In certain parts of the cities, various lights illuminated the streets as beautifully dressed women wearing thick makeup walked through the night.
The watchtowers stood proudly while the watchmen leaned against the walls, barely paying attention to their surroundings.
Everyone in the central region was unaware that something was about to happen.
An event that would shake the entire empire to its core.
It was on this day that they would realize they weren’t as far from the battlefield as they had thought.
Far beyond the thick walls of the cities in the central region, lines lit up across the ground, and the atmosphere immediately changed.
Some people felt it, but most didn’t.
Dark clouds slowly rose, covering the brilliant moon high above the sky.
Figures emerged from the shadows, their eyes gazing toward the bustling cities of the central region.
Ohm!
An invisible ripple spread out.
In mere moments, the entire central region began to shake violently.
People woke from their sleep, finding their surroundings trembling. Panic spread through the hearts of ordinary people. Children cried while their parents held them tightly.
Cabinets, drawers, vases, and other objects fell to the floor, but the earthquake didn’t stop. Instead, it grew stronger than ever before.
"What’s happening?!"
"Leave the house!!"
"My child!"
"HELP!!!"
Voices filled with confusion and fear echoed through the dimly lit streets. People ran out of their houses, desperately trying to find a safe place as the powerful earthquake continued to shake the ground beneath them.
In the streets of the Royal Capital, Shen Yao and her companions were alarmed. Their expressions changed as they felt the atmosphere shift.
They immediately kicked off the ground and shot into the air, stopping above the city.
"What’s happening?"
"I don’t know, but I felt something just before the earthquake occurred."
"Look!"
The group whispered to each other while observing the state of the Royal Capital. They weren’t the only ones who decided to fly into the air. Other experts had made the same decision, hovering above the city as they observed their surroundings.