Divine Brilliance

There were hundreds of people, not only those near Xijie City, but there were many people who Zong Shou forcefully brought from those 3 provinces. They had many different expressions on their faces: joy, seriousness, fury, and respect.

Even the treatment they got was different. Some sat under an orderly laid out warm tent with stoves beside them, whilst some of them stood alone in the snow.

Ren Bo looked out into the distance, only to see that there were rows of woodpiles facing the city walls, one every 20 feet, on it hung a corpse. There were a total of 30 thousand of them, inclusive of both males and females. Due to the cold weather, all of them had frozen up. Looking from afar, one felt a chill enter their body.

The most obvious one was the Taoyun City lord Yue Guanyun at the front! The other people should have come from those traitor cities.

Along the way, he had heard that Zong Shou’s actions towards the traitors were extremely cruel, unlike when he attacked and swept Huanlong, Tianfang and Xiping Provinces, where the cities either automatically or were forced to surrender.

He pretty much didn’t accept any surrender, city lord and below, including personal forces were all killed, along with families who were all wiped out.

Ren Bo couldn’t bear to look. However, he knew that there was nothing wrong with what Zong Shou did.

He was sharp to notice that most of the corpses were above 16 though.

Ren Bo smiled slightly and retracted his gaze, “Isn’t the ruler treating these city lords a little too harshly? I remembered that the former ruler although on the surface he treated the city lords as his arms and legs, not hurting their face, in the dark, he got close to some while distanced from others. He would often give ones close to him benefits. Rewards and punishment were obvious. As such he could make people closer to him…”

“Is that so?”

Zong Shou instantly realized that as compared to Zong Weiran, his methods were inferior.

However, this way of ruling was something that he didn’t understand. In the past, although he spent a period in the market, and although he managed to have a few people under him, just as he saw the light, he was suppressed.

Then Zong Shou didn’t bother much. Anyway, he didn’t care much about these people. He didn’t intend to play around with these methods and it was better to be more direct.

He directly got into the topic, “The prime minister came over from thousands of miles away. Has the Rainbow City been settled? How are my earnings this time?”

“Based on the 5% calculation agreed from before, the ruler earned 2 million grade 4 beast crystals! However, that didn’t include the beast crystals and ingredients in the ruler’s 2 heaven and earth-bags…”

Ren Bo wasn’t careless, handing over a few pieces of beast leather from his hand, “This is the inventory list and also the number of beast crystals Gantian Mountain will roughly use next year. Based on what the ruler said, it is a budget.”

That day before the fleet took off, he didn’t expect that the number of beast crystals they got was so huge. If he knew that, he would have lowered the percentage even more.

Zong Shou’s lips twitched. As expected, this Ren Bo wanted to take money from his pocket, what a scheming official.

“Prime minister, why didn’t you add in the 800 energy destroying crossbows I bought in Psychic Island into the list?”

Seeing Ren Bo smile and not reply, Zong Shou held his breath. Facing this old minister, this was the first time he had a feeling of loss. He skipped across that matter and looked at the budget that Ren Bo had made.

The 1st to jump into his eyes was the loan from him which was cut by a full 50%. The reason behind that Gantian Mountain’s current day finance was enough to support.

Zong Shou’s eyelids jumped and he forcefully suppressed the urge to sack Ren Bo, continuing to read on.

He said deep in thought, “The prime minister’s budget is a little weird! With this budget, most of the beast crystals and the soul stones are going to fall into the hands of the martial cultivators and spirit masters.”

When Ren Bo heard that he slightly bowed, “Yes! I have carefully considered. If most of the beast crystals and soul stones flowed into the market, it will only cause mass depreciation and cause the finances of the people to shrink. Which was why after I considered, the best way would be to use up and consume these items.”

Zong Shou’s eyes lit up, 90% of his anger from before had instantly disappeared. In this era, there weren’t many people who knew that an increase in supply would result in a decrease in the wealth of people.

Although he wasn’t pleased with the stinginess of Ren Bo, it could still barely be used. He looked more carefully, Tiegang Hall was already half completed.

“Good, this is exactly what I meant!”

Just as he said that a bunch of cavalry galloped over from afar. The one in the lead was Zong Yuan. He got off the horse and bowed, “Ruler, that Xie Rong isn’t willing to surrender!”

Zong Shou’s brows furrowed, saying coldly, “Did you say we will burn all the children under 16?”

Seeing Zong Yuan silently acknowledge, Zong Shou understood. He scoffed coldly, “Since he wants to die with his city, then let’s give him what he wants. Push those energy destroying crossbows out.”

Ren Bo’s expression changed slightly as he looked towards the front of the formation, at the hundreds of energy destroying crossbows being pushed out towards Xijie City. The 200 thousand people all cheered out!

Ren Bo knew that Zong Shou had always been keeping the energy destroying crossbows in his heaven and earth-bag and brought it along with him. However, he didn’t use it much. When he swept the 3 provinces and crushed the armies, most of them were in the wilderness. Which was why it wasn’t convenient to use them and not convenient to lay them out. The consumption was also huge so he didn’t do so many times.

It seems like Zong Shou was prepared to use it here to send a message to the various cities.

But thinking about the 800 grade 6 beast crystals that were going to be used up with one fire, which was a third of their usual income, Ren Bo felt heart pained. “Ruler, although the energy destroying crossbow is good but it consumes too much. We shouldn’t use it so much in the future.”

Zong Shou glanced at him and then he shook his head, “I think that the lives of my people are more important than those damn things. Since Xie Rong wants to die, there is no need to fight head-on with them…”

With those words out, the many guards beside this jade carriage were touched, their faces turned red from emotions. They only felt that following such a ruler, even if they died on the battlefield, it was worth it.

Ren Bo was startled before he smiled with praise as he looked into the distance. In just a moment those 800 energy destroying crossbows were into an energy-storing stage.

In the next moment, the city gates suddenly opened. With Xie Rong at the head. All the Xijie City generals were all ashen white as they walked out.

Hu Zhongyuan laughed coldly as he led a bunch of cavalry over. In just a moment he forcefully detained all of them and made them kneel in front of the hill.

Chai Zhou led his horse and held his ax as he moved in front of Xie Rong asking coldly, “Do you remember what you said on Psychic Island?”

Xie Rong’s face was green as he kept silent. However, Chai Zhou didn’t get annoyed.

“You said that the ruler is young and incapable, unable to make all of you trust him. You also didn’t believe he could bring you all down to hunt. Which was why when Yue Guanyun invited you had to go. To be able to join Taoyun City, it was the best thing that happened to your life…”

As he said that, Chai Zhou’s face was filled with a cold smile, “So what about now? Are you willing to repeat those words?”

Xie Rong kept silent, as for the situation now, he didn’t need to reply anything.

4 thousand cloud ships got crushed beneath the cloud ocean. The Gantian Mountain he didn’t have high hopes for came back with huge rewards. Even Yue Guanyun was cut into two and died a tragic death.

Only one out of the four provinces under Taoyun City remained, just barely breathing.

20 days ago he felt regretful. If he knew this would happen, why would he have done that?

When he had managed to escape back after so much trouble, he had thought about giving up and fleeing. However, he hoped that he would get lucky. When he realized that things weren’t going well and Zong Shou swept those 3 provinces, there was already nowhere to go when he wanted to flee.

He sighed softly, only to see a bright light from the ax flash across. His neck instantly felt a chill and in the next instant his head was tossed up, what he saw was spinning all about, even unable to see everything.

At this moment Zong Shou had left that luxurious carriage and was riding a grade 4 war horse towards the front of the hill.

Looking at that Xie Rong as well as the generals of Xijie City who were all beheaded one after another.

Zong Shou’s eyelids jumped a little before he turned and looked at the city lords behind him.

“Have you all seen the situation here?”

The people in those warm tents all walked out. Be it young or old, they stood respectfully in the cold dirt.

All their hearts shook. Some were respectful, unhappy, fearful, but everyone held their breaths. In front of Zong Shou, no one dared to make a sound.

“…I am different from my father. He treated all of you too well, as his hands and legs. I don’t have that patience. With the heavens as a witness, I am telling you. If any of you dares to have funny thoughts, I will massacre your city and destroy your countries! With these words being said, don’t say that I didn’t warn all of you…”

After he finished he laughed slightly, not returning to the carriage but just galloping on the horse.

He just abandoned and not bothered about the 200 thousand elites outside the city. Only Zong Yuan who gathered up 20 thousand cavalry in a short while and caught up.

Dust and smoke flew up and after a long while did this hilly land regain silence.

Zong Shou and the bunch of cavalry were left in the distance. No more people from Gantian Mountain stood on the hill did the people raise their heads. They exchanged glances with complicated expressions before they all left, in groups they discussed.

Most of them were split into 2 groups, one was the cities and countries which were originally under Gantian Mountain who were all slightly relaxed. Although they were shocked and felt sad about Xijie City’s destruction, however, they also felt honored since they were under Gantian mountain. Instead, they felt much happier.

Those from Huanlong, Tianfang and Xiping provinces, all had their faces all turned ashen white.

A thin face middle-aged man stood within. He was 7 feet tall, a long sword by his waist and was wearing a scholarly attire.

Around him surrounded many familiar people and knew that he was Tianfang Province, Yuanlong City city lord Zi Donglai, they immediately gathered towards him.

Zi Donglai didn’t even bother about that, only looking fixed at where Zong Shou was heading.