<b>Chapter 658: Forcing An Abdication</b>
After hearing about the eventual appearance of the Pill King, even the Eagle Demon Monarch who was friends with the Qing Clan was enraged. Normally, he would say a nice word or two for them or try to win them some advantages, but in the end, he still came from the court and was one of its disciple as well as a loyal subject! Thus, during this critical juncture, he was on the side of the court.
“What is the Qing Clan trying to do? Are they intending to force the king to abdicate?!” One monarch angrily exclaimed: “I hope they didn't forget that it is not up to their clan to do as it pleases with the country.”
The Eagle Demon Monarch was quite worried as well as he spoke: “If the Pill King comes to the capital, I'm afraid we will be in danger. We will have no choice other than to invite the ancestor to come out in the face of two Virtuous Paragons!”
At this time, a disciple rushed over and reported: “Young Noble, the Qing Clan wants to have an audience with Her Majesty!”
The monarchs couldn't help but turn to look at Li Qiye who was leisurely sitting on the throne that originally belonged to Madam Zi Yan. However, at this moment, he was half-sitting there in a completely relaxed fashion as if nothing was happening.
As for the madam, she was sitting on the other side. With a calm demeanor, she didn't say anything; at best, she would only reveal a smile.
Eventually, Li Qiye came back to reality and lazily said: “Since they are already here, how could we not see them? Go tell the Qing Clan and the Huangfu Clan… In fact, tell this to all the people in the capital, all the lineages, that have something to say or are demanding an answer.”
Li Qiye didn't make a single move in the last two days; he was still nonchalant towards all the new developments. Now, he finally took action, allowing the monarchs to heave a sigh of relief.
At this moment, for the monarchs, it didn't matter whether Li Qiye's actions were right or wrong, it was still better than his attitude of indifference. At least he was doing something.
This disciple immediately acknowledged Li Qiye's command and quickly carried it out.
“Young Noble, we should have a discussion with the Qing Clan and the Huangfu Clan about this matter tomorrow. This is only a misunderstanding, so as long as Young Noble shows sincerity and relies on the reputation the Giant Bamboo Country that has already been established, erasing this animosity shouldn't be a problem.” The Ancient Pine Demon Monarch busily said.
He thought very highly of Li Qiye, so he didn't hope for Li Qiye to ascend to the throne in a state of war before consolidating his power.
The Eagle Demon Monarch also pondered for a moment before speaking to Li Qiye: “Young Noble, I volunteer to talk to the Qing Clan. We have some time and with my mediation, resolving this conflict shouldn't be a problem.” The Eagle Demon Monarch also didn't want to see the country fall into disarray, so he was willing to solve this side of the issue.
“Mediation and erasing this animosity with me showing sincerity?” Li Qiye couldn't help but chuckle after hearing these two and slowly replied: “Who said I wanted to mediate? Who said I wanted to resolve this conflict?”
This answer took the monarchs by surprise. Ancient Pine had to interject: “Young Noble, before we lose all sense of pretense, it is not too late to reconcile so that we can spare the country from war.”
Li Qiye laughed and lazily said: “Spare from war? Demon Monarchs, there will be war wherever I stand. Why should I try to reconcile? Very well, if you want peace, then I will think about it.
“… Actually, my demand will be very simple. Tell the Huangfu Ancestor and that whatever Pill King to prostrate and beg for forgiveness. Then, I will think about not bringing war to their door.”
The moment these words came out, all the monarchs were stunned and took passing glances at each other in order to read the situation. If Madam Zi Yan handing this matter over to Li Qiye was crazy, then at this moment, Li Qiye's decision was truly insane!
The Ancient Pine Demon Monarch hesitated for a bit and had to speak: “Young Noble… Ah… This will make it so that we will face the enemy from all sides. That… would be bad.”
Li Qiye lazily said: “Demon Monarchs, now that all of you are here, I will let you know my creed. First, I will not negotiate. At least, not with my enemies, unless they prostrate before me. Second, the words 'admitting defeat' are not in my vocabulary. Third, I will not let go of past grievances unless my enemies beg for forgiveness and accept their sentence. If their attitude is good, then I can think about it. Fourth, a very simple phrase — those who dare to halt my path shall be killed without mercy! Even Immortal Emperors are no exceptions!”
Li Qiye's lazy remark didn't carry an aggressive tone or oppressive momentum, but the contents were the most arrogant and overbearing words in the world! However, they came out of his mouth in such a nonchalant and confident manner as if all was within his grasp.
The eighteen monarchs were dumbfounded by this declaration. They looked at each other and felt that Li Qiye had turned mad. At the very least, he was the most insane person they had ever seen.
“Well, Young Noble, what will you do tomorrow then?” One monarch couldn't help but ask.
Li Qiye didn't even bat an eye as he slowly uttered: “What else is there to do? If they do not prostrate before me, then I will kill all of them! The stone-paved path before the imperial palace has not been washed with blood in a very long time, so it is high time that some people learn that the imperial court is not something they can provoke!”
Speaking up to this point, Li Qiye paused for a moment. He had an indescribable air of gentleness as he softly continued: “I adore peace and also wish for this place to be a tranquil paradise, but when the time comes, I don't mind washing this land with the blood of enemies; even the gods won't be able to escape. Let the people of the Nine Worlds and myriad realms know that those who offend the Giant Bamboo Country, no matter their background or race, will be massacred by me!” His eyes turned fierce at this point.
The gentle expression was replaced by this fierce gaze. It wasn't only the madam, the eighteen monarchs all quivered as an illusion appeared in their minds. At this moment, Li Qiye had become a fierce prehistoric beast. The moment he woke up would be when an ocean of blood forms and when corpses pile up into mountains. It was as if he was sharpening his fangs at the nine heavens and ten earths! Behind him was a scene of carnage where even the gods would wail! The people in the room had to shake off this creepy feeling. After finally calming down, they all took deep breaths. Inadvertently, they would feel a cold chill whenever they looked at Li Qiye.
However, they found Li Qiye lazily seated in a leisurely posture. At this moment, he was but an ordinary and carefree young man, so where was the aura of a prehistoric beast devouring the world from earlier? This disparity, this contrast was hard to accept for the monarchs.
“However, we are about to face two Virtuous Paragons…” The Eagle Demon Monarch paused for a bit before speaking after finally calming down: “Essentially, we alone cannot deal with two Virtuous Paragons. Just one of them is more than enough to slay all of us. If we don't invite our ancestor, we simply can't resist their might.”
“We?” At this time, Li Qiye glanced at the Eagle Demon Monarch and slightly shook his head to say: “Eagle Demon Monarch, you are mistaken, it is not we, but I. You all have no part in this, I alone shall deal with them.”
This development silenced all the monarchs. Even Ancient Pine was quite skeptical as he repeated: “Just Young Noble alone?”
How could he not be skeptical? The enemy camp had two Virtuous Paragons, so how could Li Qiye do anything by himself? Even if he was a Virtuous Paragon, it would still be impossible.
“Demon Monarch, what else must I say? If I say I want to do it alone, then that is that, there is no need to waste more breath.” Li Qiye slightly raised his brows and added: “Also, spread this news. Tomorrow when I see them, those who want to spectate can come. This is something that I'm encouraging so there is no need for an entrance fee. Of course, if people want to join the enemy, then I welcome that too. Killing one hundred with one hand is not as shocking as killing tens of thousands!”
At this point, the monarchs had no words left for Li Qiye. Under such circumstances, others would be afraid of having too many enemies to handle, yet he was actually afraid of having too few enemies. What could the eighteen monarchs say to a person who desired to have even more foes such as him?
They became a bit helpless and had to look at Madam Zi Yan. They hoped that she would come out and try to counsel him because Li Qiye's approach was too crazy. However, the madam didn't say anything and only sat there quietly with a smile on her face; it was obvious that she had faith in Li Qiye.
Seeing as how even the madam was supporting Li Qiye, the eighteen monarchs didn't have anything else to say. They had no choice but to do as he said.
Sure enough, the imperial court released a certain message overnight: “Tomorrow, the court will meet the Huangfu Clan, the Qing Clan, and any other lineage or sect that wants to support them.” This news spread across the capital very quickly.
After this news came out, all types of reactions ensued.
“Her Majesty has finally decided to show up?” After hearing this news, there were those who were excited since they were confident in Madam Zi Yan. They trusted that, with her appearance, she would be able to solve this problem.
In fact, her popularity was very high in the country. Even though there were two Virtuous Paragons challenging them, there was still quite a lot of people who believed that the madam was capable of quelling this storm.
However, there were also those who were shaken by this stormy situation. A few gazed towards the imperial court and murmured: “Will the court survive this disaster?”
[spoiler title='658 Teaser']After hearing the eventual appearance of the Pill King, even the Eagle Demon Monarch who was friends with the Qing Clan became enraged. Normally, he would say a nice word or two for them or try to win them some advantages, but in the end, he still came from the court and was one of its disciple as well as a loyal subject! Thus, during this critical juncture, he was on the side of the court.
“What is the Qing Clan trying to do? Are they intending to force the king to abdicate?!” One monarch angrily exclaimed: “I hope they didn't forget that it is not up to their clan to do as it pleases with the country.”
The Eagle Demon Monarch was quite worried as well as he spoke: “If the Pill King comes to the capital, I'm afraid we will be in danger. We will have no choice other than to invite the ancestor to come out in the face of two Virtuous Paragons!”
At this time, a disciple rushed over and reported: “Young Noble, the Qing Clan wants to have an audience with Her Majesty!”[/spoiler]