Chapter 73: Luo Li's Expedition, Not a Blade of Grass Grows
Ye Hao's face was terrifyingly gloomy, making the entire Golden Luang Palace become oppressive and terrifying.
The civil and military officials were as silent as winter cicadas, not daring to utter a single word.
Because they knew very well that Ye Hao had accumulated boundless rage at this moment.
Whoever spoke first would be unlucky.
After all, since Ye Hao started his rebellion, he had not lost a single general.
Yet Luo Li, right before their eyes, had instantly killed Lü Bu, giving them no time to even react.
The key point was, she was a true disciple of the Star Temple.
"Why are my beloved ministers not saying a word?"
Ye Hao swept his gaze over the civil and military officials, saying with an expressionless face and a indifferent tone.
The civil and military officials all turned to look at Zhuge Liang.
Among them, Zhuge Liang held the highest official rank, serving as the Prime Minister Sacrificial Wine, controlling both civil and military affairs.
If he did not speak, who would?
"Your Majesty, the remnant of the former dynasty, Luo Li, is a disciple of the Star Temple. Could there be some misunderstanding about this matter?"
Zhuge Liang stepped forward reluctantly and said.
"The evidence is conclusive, what misunderstanding could there be?"
"Anyone who dares to harm my beloved general, even if she is an immortal, I will slay immortals; if she is a god, I will slaughter gods."
Ye Hao's cold and overbearing words echoed in the deathly silent Golden Luang Palace, making all the soldiers listen with burning passion.
To slay immortals and slaughter gods, what kind of overbearingness was this?
A group of military officials looked at Ye Hao with fanatical eyes, their gazes burning, their fighting spirit soaring to the heavens.
The civil officials, however, felt a surge of fear in their hearts.
That was the Star Temple, an existence that had stood evergreen across the ages.
Could they be its opponent?
The civil officials trembled, not daring to speak.
"Your Majesty, what should we do about the Star Temple?"
Zhuge Liang asked reluctantly.
"All under heaven is the king's land; all within the borders are the king's subjects."
"If the Star Temple does not make a move, so be it. If they dare to shelter her, I will exterminate the Star Temple."
Ye Hao said coldly.
Now that his great influence was established, he did not place the mere Star Temple in his eyes.
Sooner or later, he would summon a God Fire Realm expert; at that time, it would be the moment to annihilate the Star Temple.
"Your Majesty is mighty!"
The civil and military officials instantly prostrated themselves.
Hearing Ye Hao speak with such confidence, they immediately calmed down.
Ye Hao also possessed the power of the God Fire Realm.
Moreover, Ye Hao's methods were mysterious, with trump cards emerging one after another.
He could even help them improve their cultivation, so perhaps he still had hidden God Fire Realm experts.
At this thought, the civil and military officials were instantly overjoyed.
"Your Majesty, this subject is willing to go and capture the remnant of the former dynasty, Luo Li."
"Your Majesty…"
Without their concerns, the military officials scrambled to compete for the task of capturing Luo Li.
This was a tremendous military merit, with no difficulty at all.
At least, that was how it seemed to them.
"Xiang Yu, Yan Liang, Wen Chou…"
Ye Hao called out these three names.
Yan Liang and Wen Chou were at the Seventh Layer of the King Realm, while Xiang Yu was at the Third Layer of the Supreme Realm.
With the Hegemon-King of Western Chu making a move, capturing Luo Li would be more than enough.
Additionally, Ye Hao secretly sent a voice transmission to Feng Chu, ordering him to follow and intercept the Saint Realm expert from the Star Temple who had never appeared.
Clearly, he had believed Gu Qing's words, convinced that there were five Supreme Realm experts around Luo Li, and possibly one at the Seventh Layer of the Saint Realm.
"Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, you four will lead the Embroidery Guard to immediately arrest Gu Qing and bring him to justice."
A glint flashed in Ye Hao's eyes, and inwardly he felt somewhat grateful to Luo Li; without her, Ye Hao would not have found the opportunity to act against Gu Qing.
"Yes!"
The four leaders of the Embroidery Guard bowed to receive their orders, but as they rose, their expressions seemed to want to speak but hesitated.
Arresting Gu Qing was easy to handle, but what about Bai Wuya and Bai Suying?
And how should they deal with the Saint Realm Peak expert beside Gu Qing?
They were only at the Venerable Realm; facing a Saint Realm Peak expert, there was only a path to death.
Seeing this, Ye Hao frowned and fell silent, pondering.
"Your Majesty, in this subject's opinion, we should first send the Embroidery Guard to keep the people under surveillance. After capturing Luo Li and with conclusive evidence, it will not be too late to arrest Gu Qing and bring him to justice."
Zhuge Liang offered a strategy.
Once Luo Li was captured, Gu Qing would come to the door on his own, after all, the two shared the same master; it was impossible for him to watch her die without saving her.
"Good! We shall follow my beloved minister's words!"
Ye Hao was overjoyed. As expected of Zhuge Liang, whose wisdom was near that of a demon, he had resolved his difficult problem with a single sentence.
From now on, he only needed to wait for good news.
His aunt would finally be his.
…
Xiang Yu led the great army to Determined Sun City and directly ordered it to be surrounded.
"Where is the Ninth Princess?"
"Where has she gone?"
The Luo Clan experts in Determined Sun City were so anxious their souls were smoking.
Luo Li had gathered them, promised all sorts of benefits, and even gave them several supreme-grade pills.
They had thought their moment to turn defeat into victory had arrived.
Thus, they excitedly emerged from the great mountains, captured Determined Sun City with Luo Li, and subsequently massacred the city.
But now, with Xiang Yu's forces at the city gates and Luo Li nowhere to be found, they were instantly scared out of their wits.
A terrible guess arose in their hearts.
That's right, they were abandoned pieces, deliberately pushed out to be delivered to Ye Hao as heads.
And Luo Li, at this moment, had already arrived in Northern Coolness.
"Gentlemen, this expedition of mine is solely for revenge. However many cities you conquer, I will give you that many supreme-grade pills."
"Furthermore, all spoils of war obtained from massacring the cities will belong entirely to you."
Luo Li spoke thus to the experts she had recruited.
"Rest assured, Ninth Princess. The hatred of destroying a nation is irreconcilable. Even if we are smashed to pieces, we must help the Ninth Princess take revenge, restore the Luo Clan's dynasty, and exterminate the rebel Ye Hao."
Chapter Seventy-Three: Luo Li's Expedition, Not a Blade of Grass Grows
Ye Hao's face was terrifyingly gloomy, making the entire Golden Luang Palace become oppressive and terrifying.
The civil and military officials were as silent as winter cicadas, not daring to utter a single word.
Because they knew very well that Ye Hao had accumulated boundless rage at this moment.
Whoever spoke first would be unlucky.
After all, since Ye Hao started his rebellion, he had not lost a single general.
Yet Luo Li, right before their eyes, had instantly killed Lü Bu, giving them no time to even react.
The key point was, she was a true disciple of the Star Temple.
"Why are my beloved ministers not saying a word?"
Ye Hao swept his gaze over the civil and military officials, saying with an expressionless face and a indifferent tone.
The civil and military officials all turned to look at Zhuge Liang.
Among them, Zhuge Liang held the highest official rank, serving as the Prime Minister Sacrificial Wine, controlling both civil and military affairs.
If he did not speak, who would?
"Your Majesty, the remnant of the former dynasty, Luo Li, is a disciple of the Star Temple. Could there be some misunderstanding about this matter?"
Zhuge Liang stepped forward reluctantly and said.
"The evidence is conclusive, what misunderstanding could there be?"
"Anyone who dares to harm my beloved general, even if she is an immortal, I will slay immortals; if she is a god, I will slaughter gods."
Ye Hao's cold and overbearing words echoed in the deathly silent Golden Luang Palace, making all the soldiers listen with burning passion.
To slay immortals and slaughter gods, what kind of overbearingness was this?
A group of military officials looked at Ye Hao with fanatical eyes, their gazes burning, their fighting spirit soaring to the heavens.
The civil officials, however, felt a surge of fear in their hearts.
That was the Star Temple, an existence that had stood evergreen across the ages.
Could they be its opponent?
The civil officials trembled, not daring to speak.
"Your Majesty, what should we do about the Star Temple?"
Zhuge Liang asked reluctantly.
"All under heaven is the king's land; all within the borders are the king's subjects."
"If the Star Temple does not make a move, so be it. If they dare to shelter her, I will exterminate the Star Temple."
Ye Hao said coldly.
Now that his great influence was established, he did not place the mere Star Temple in his eyes.
Sooner or later, he would summon a Divine Fire Realm expert; at that time, it would be the moment to annihilate the Star Temple.
"Your Majesty is mighty!"
The civil and military officials instantly prostrated themselves.
Hearing Ye Hao speak with such confidence, they immediately calmed down.
Ye Hao also possessed the power of the Divine Fire Realm.
Moreover, Ye Hao's methods were mysterious, with trump cards emerging one after another.
He could even help them improve their cultivation, so perhaps he still had hidden Divine Fire Realm experts.
At this thought, the civil and military officials were instantly overjoyed.
"Your Majesty, this subject is willing to go and capture the remnant of the former dynasty, Luo Li."
"Your Majesty…"
Without their concerns, the military officials scrambled to compete for the task of capturing Luo Li.
This was a tremendous military merit, with no difficulty at all.
At least, that was how it seemed to them.
"Xiang Yu, Yan Liang, Wen Chou…"
Ye Hao called out these three names.
Yan Liang and Wen Chou were at the Seventh Layer of the King Realm, while Xiang Yu was at the Third Layer of the Supreme Realm.
With the Hegemon-King of Western Chu making a move, capturing Luo Li would be more than enough.
Additionally, Ye Hao secretly sent a voice transmission to Feng Chu, ordering him to follow and intercept the Saint Realm expert from the Star Temple who had never appeared.
Clearly, he had believed Gu Qing's words, convinced that there were five Supreme Realm experts around Luo Li, and possibly one at the Seventh Layer of the Saint Realm.
"Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, you four will lead the Embroidery Guard to immediately arrest Gu Qing and bring him to justice."
A glint flashed in Ye Hao's eyes, and inwardly he felt somewhat grateful to Luo Li; without her, Ye Hao would not have found the opportunity to act against Gu Qing.
"Yes!"
The four leaders of the Embroidery Guard bowed to receive their orders, but as they rose, their expressions seemed to want to speak but hesitated.
Arresting Gu Qing was easy to handle, but what about Bai Wuya and Bai Suying?
And how should they deal with the Saint Realm Peak expert beside Gu Qing?
They were only at the Venerable Realm; facing a Saint Realm Peak expert, there was only a path to death.
Seeing this, Ye Hao frowned and fell silent, pondering.
"Your Majesty, in this subject's opinion, we should first send the Embroidery Guard to keep the people under surveillance. After capturing Luo Li and with conclusive evidence, it will not be too late to arrest Gu Qing and bring him to justice."
Zhuge Liang offered a strategy.
Once Luo Li was captured, Gu Qing would come to the door on his own, after all, the two shared the same master; it was impossible for him to watch her die without saving her.
"Good! We shall follow my beloved minister's words!"
Ye Hao was overjoyed. As expected of Zhuge Liang, whose wisdom was near that of a demon, he had resolved his difficult problem with a single sentence.
From now on, he only needed to wait for good news.
His aunt would finally be his.
…
Xiang Yu led the great army to Determined Sun City and directly ordered it to be surrounded.
"Where is the Ninth Princess?"
"Where has she gone?"
The Luo Clan experts in Determined Sun City were so anxious their souls were smoking.
Luo Li had gathered them, promised all sorts of benefits, and even gave them several supreme-grade pills.
They had thought their moment to turn defeat into victory had arrived.
Thus, they excitedly emerged from the great mountains, captured Determined Sun City with Luo Li, and subsequently massacred the city.
But now, with Xiang Yu's forces at the city gates and Luo Li nowhere to be found, they were instantly scared out of their wits.
A terrible guess arose in their hearts.
That's right, they were abandoned pieces, deliberately pushed out to be delivered to Ye Hao as heads.
And Luo Li, at this moment, had already arrived in Northern Liang.
"Gentlemen, this expedition of mine is solely for revenge. However many cities you conquer, I will give you that many supreme-grade pills."
"Furthermore, all spoils of war obtained from massacring the cities will belong entirely to you."
Luo Li spoke thus to the experts she had recruited.
"Rest assured, Ninth Princess. The hatred of destroying a nation is irreconcilable. Even if we are smashed to pieces, we must help the Ninth Princess take revenge, restore the Luo Clan's dynasty, and exterminate the rebel Ye Hao."
Everyone spoke righteously, but the greed in their eyes could not be concealed.
After all, the city contained numerous cultivation families and shops, with wealth that was almost incalculable.
After completing this task, they would no longer have to worry about lacking cultivation resources.
Moreover, they wouldn't need to worry about retaliation.
After all, this was a chaotic era, and their leader was Luo Li.
"Mm, thank you all for your support. I, Luo Li, swear that if I can successfully restore my country, I will enfeoff you as kings. If not, I will take you away from the East Domain to the Central God Domain and recommend you to join the Holy Land."
The grand promise Luo Li painted made everyone breathe rapidly, their hearts filled with wild joy.
This was a tremendous opportunity.
Everyone was completely driven mad.
Only one thought remained in their minds: slaughter Northern Liang and seize all resources.
Even at the cost of their lives, they had to firmly hold onto Luo Li's golden thigh.
"Over two hundred Void Dao Realm experts and thirteen King Realm experts are still far from enough."
Watching the backs of everyone leaving joyfully, Luo Li's eyes were indifferent as she murmured.
These people were sufficient to destroy Northern Liang, but to annihilate all cities of the Divine Phoenix Empire, she needed more cannon fodder.
"I suppose those high and mighty sects, vassal kings, and aristocratic families... don't want to be ruled by Ye Hao's hegemony..."
"And the surrounding nations..."
"I just need to light a fire, and they will completely unite..."
Luo Li's eyes narrowed slightly as countless poisonous schemes emerged in her mind.
Ye Hao's imperial power was overbearing, leaving no path of survival for sects and aristocratic families.
Moreover, his methods were harsh, dispatching great armies that captured cities with irresistible force, confiscating properties and exterminating clans.
Under such circumstances, she didn't need to do anything; they were already resisting with all their might.
She only needed to unite them to annihilate most of the Divine Phoenix Empire's cities.
The surrounding nations certainly wouldn't want to see Ye Hao grow stronger either.
Thinking of this, Luo Li immediately found disciples of the Star Temple and asked them to run errands.
Of course, when asking them to handle matters, the necessary grand promises were indispensable.
After doing all this, Luo Li revealed a smile and murmured.
"Senior brother, oh senior brother, you must stay alive. I'm still counting on you to refine pills for me in the future."
She never expected that Gu Qing would come to the Divine Phoenix Empire and even settle in the Imperial Capital, searching for her everywhere.
Was he trying to support her?
Honestly, she was a bit moved, but not much.
Even when plotting against Gu Qing, she showed no mercy.
Given her actions and Ye Hao's overbearing style, he would certainly not let Gu Qing go.
If Gu Qing died, that would be perfect.
The Star Temple would definitely dispatch a Saint Realm expert, or even a Divine Fire Realm expert, carrying a divine artifact to descend and annihilate the Divine Phoenix Empire in one fell swoop.
And she, without Gu Qing as a competitor, would be the strongest disciple of their generation.
If he didn't die, that was fine too.
The mere All-Heaven Star God Body was something she no longer took seriously.
"It's just a pity that I can't obtain the opportunities and fortune on Ye Hao's body." Luo Li's beautiful eyes showed a color of regret.
She believed that Ye Hao must be a reincarnated great power who only awakened his past life memories after she excavated his bones.
That's why his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, using methods from his past life to entice Venerable Realm and Saint Realm experts to serve him.
The gap was too large, and Luo Li held no hope of killing Ye Hao at all.
However, she was determined to annihilate the Divine Phoenix Empire.
Thinking of this, Luo Li traversed the void, arriving at Northern Liang City in a single step. Her divine light enveloped her, as if a goddess had descended to the mortal world.
Without wasting words, she raised her hand and struck down with a palm. A Great Star Seal appeared in the air, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth, and smashed toward Northern Liang City.
"Hmm?"
The loyal followers Ye Zhentian had left in Northern Liang City all changed expression and hurriedly summoned their magic treasures.
Boom!
Without a doubt, they were turned to flying ash by the palm of the Great Star Seal divine ability.
The momentum of the Great Star Seal remained undiminished, striking the city's protective array and causing ripples in the formation. The great array shook as if about to collapse.
"It's the rebel Luo Li..."
Upon seeing clearly who had come, the many experts in Northern Liang City flew into a rage, their eyes revealing a chilling killing intent as they immediately sent a message to the Imperial City.
"A rebel?"
"How ridiculous."
The Luo Clan had ruled this continent for who knows how many years, and now that rebels had gained power, the Luo Clan had instead become rebels.
Truly, the ways of the world are unpredictable.
Luo Li couldn't be bothered with nonsense and summoned the Phoenix Nirvana Spear. This was the natal magic treasure of that phoenix, sealed together in the Divine Phoenix Mountain Secret Realm.
It was a Semi-Divine Artifact.
She had refined the phoenix's essence, and the Phoenix Nirvana Spear had automatically acknowledged her as its master.
Boom!
The power of a Semi-Divine Artifact was more terrifying than a Saint Artifact. Luo Li only activated less than one ten-thousandth of its power, yet it completely destroyed Northern Liang City, reducing it to nothingness.
Her expression was cold as she held the divine spear, like a celestial maiden.
With a single step covering ten thousand miles, she destroyed one city after another. Even the formidable border cities were destroyed by her.
...
"Ugh!"
Far away in the Imperial Capital, Ye Hao, who was eagerly waiting and dreaming of his glorious future, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. A terrifying backlash force struck his body.
"Roar..."
The Fortune Golden Dragon let out a mournful cry, shrinking rapidly as its fortune dissipated.
"What's happening?"
Ye Hao was horrified to the extreme.
From the feedback from the Fortune Golden Dragon, Northern Liang had been annihilated.
Countless living beings had perished in an instant.
You must know, Northern Liang was his Dragon Soaring Land.
Moreover, his current main fortune and beliefs came from Northern Liang.
As for other places, he had only just conquered them. Although he had won the people's hearts, his political power was still not stable.
With this one move, Luo Li had struck his vital point, causing one-third of his fortune to dissipate.
Not being killed by the backlash of fortune was entirely due to the Innate Spirit Treasure suppressing his fortune.
In fact, not only was he backlashed, but the civil and military officials were also severely injured by the backlash.
After all, their lives were connected to the nation's fortune. When the nation prospered, they prospered; when the nation declined, they declined.
"Damn it, Luo Li, I will definitely dismember you into a thousand pieces, making you unable to seek life or death..."
Ye Hao flew into a rage, his eyes blood-red.
He had originally thought she was just an insignificant ant, and his army's arrival would turn Luo Li to dust.
But he never expected that Luo Li would be so insane as to attack innocent civilians.
This had precisely struck his fatal weakness.
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