Chapter 110 The Imperial Dynasty Is Merely a Cornerstone on the Path of Cultivation
Xu Mo looked up and examined Bai Yue, "With an army of tens of thousands of cultivators, how could anyone else mobilize them without your order?"
The Great Desolation did not have a large population, and even fewer possessed cultivation talent. Those with cultivation who were willing to join the army were even rarer.
Both the Great Jin and Great Qian only had tens of thousands of cultivator armies. Directly mobilizing an army of tens of thousands of cultivators would require the emperor's consent.
Bai Yue frowned slightly and said, "I have always been indifferent to court affairs. All matters are handled and managed by my subordinates. In my eyes, an imperial dynasty is merely a cornerstone on the path of cultivation, helping me achieve sainthood faster."
She was indeed telling the truth. Since embarking on the path of cultivation, her sole pursuit had been the supreme Dao. Power, wealth, and desires were all disregarded. Becoming the emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty was merely a means to more easily acquire cultivation resources.
When her strength was weak, she still needed the vast resources of the Great Jin Dynasty to aid her cultivation, thus she paid some attention to Great Jin, guiding it towards a better path of development.
However, upon reaching the Quasi-Saint realm, Great Jin's assistance became negligible. Consequently, she grew indifferent to Great Jin. She even delegated imperial power to her subordinates to handle state affairs, freeing up her time to focus on cultivation.
After hearing Bai Yue's words, Xu Mo stared into her eyes, confirming she was not lying. His expression gradually turned cold, and his tone became murderous, "In other words, everything was ordered by that Hao Jiao? And the thousand soldiers of the northern garrison also died because of him?"
He regretted his past inaction, wishing he had been ruthless enough to nip the problem in the bud.
Of course, his greatest hatred was reserved for the old emperor of Great Jin. If he hadn't deliberately incited Hao Jiao's animosity towards Great Gan, Hao Jiao would not have become what he was today.
"A life for a life. This time, there will be no escape," Xu Mo exhaled.
Bai Yue looked at him, her expression shifting, "You intend to attack Great Jin and annex it?"
Xu Mo did not deny it, nodding directly, "That's right! What, do you want to stop me? Don't forget, you were just defeated by me."
"Secure the interior before expanding outwards." He had already made up his mind to completely conquer Great Jin, unifying the northern and eastern regions of the Great Desolation under Great Gan.
Only then would he have the energy to deal with the crises of the Crossing, as well as the Saints and Ancient Saints from other worlds.
Bai Yue shook her head, her face devoid of any emotion, "I just said, Great Jin is merely a cornerstone on my path of cultivation. Now that I have achieved sainthood... though not perfectly, this cornerstone is no longer useful to me."
She harbored little affection for the Great Jin Dynasty; it was merely a tool to exploit the position of emperor to amass cultivation resources.
Originally, she had planned to abdicate after achieving sainthood, leave the Great Jin capital, find a blessed land with abundant spiritual energy, and cultivate in seclusion, awaiting the opportune moment to attempt the Crossing and seek a sliver of immortal destiny!
However, a problem had arisen. Her Dao fruit had been plundered, resulting in an imperfect Saint realm. This caused her great distress.
"It's good that you won't stop me." Xu Mo nodded with satisfaction, realizing that his earlier 'lesson' had been effective. He continued, "Even if you tried to stop me, it would be useless. At most, I would just beat you up again."
Hearing Xu Mo's words, Bai Yue's face stiffened, and a desire to beat Xu Mo surged within her. She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling, forcing herself to calm down. She was no match for Xu Mo at the moment, and impulsiveness would only lead to a worse outcome.
"I'll give you Great Jin, and you return the Supreme Dao foundation to me?" Bai Yue proposed.
Xu Mo looked at her in surprise, "You're probably overthinking things. Great Jin is already within Great Gan's grasp. On what basis do you claim to be giving it to me? As for the Supreme Dao foundation, don't even think about it. I seized it through my own strength, so why should I return it to you?"
Bai Yue's face turned red with anger at Xu Mo's words. She wanted to say something but didn't know how to begin.
Xu Mo ignored her. Knowing the mastermind behind last night's sneak attack, he naturally intended to capture them and, in the process, bring Great Jin under Great Gan's banner.
As for Bai Yue, Xu Mo did not deliver a fatal blow, nor did he employ any other drastic measures. It wasn't due to kindness, but because the drifting bottle had transmitted a message to him, advising him to avoid internal conflict with the Saints of his own world before the Crossing, lest he suffer losses later.
Xu Mo was initially puzzled and asked the drifting bottle for the reasons, but the bottle merely piqued his curiosity, refusing to divulge any explanations.
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Xu Mo believed the drifting bottle was unlikely to lie, and thus he bypassed Bai Yue. The main reason was his confidence in his own strength; even if Bai Yue escaped, he was not worried about future retaliation.
Bai Yue had not expected that after defeating her, Xu Mo would not kill her or demand a price. This left her greatly surprised, wondering what scheme the Great Gan emperor was plotting.
However, upon hearing that Xu Mo intended to go to the Great Jin capital immediately to capture Hao Jiao, Bai Yue expressed her desire to accompany him. Xu Mo agreed, and the two set off together towards the Great Jin capital.