"Who dares to be so audacious!" Hao Jiao scanned his surroundings, his expression shocked and angry, trying to find the speaker.
The civil and military officials were all pale with fear, their hearts trembling. Someone actually dared to utter such a bold statement here, and in front of His Majesty?
Everyone couldn't help but look at the Empress of Da Jin. They expected her expression to turn grim and her to be furious. But to their surprise, the Empress remained composed, her expression unchanged.
What was going on? Had Her Majesty become so "zen" that she was unfazed even when someone openly slandered and scorned the Da Jin Dynasty?
Soon, the officials found the speaker. A tall, upright figure had suddenly appeared on the grand hall, standing not far from the Empress of Da Jin.
Instantly, the ministers became agitated and furiously questioned Xu Mo.
"Who are you to utter such treasonous words? Do you have any regard for Da Jin?"
"Whose family is this? What is his position? Why don't I recognize him?"
"He must be a minor official, someone who attends court sessions only occasionally. Otherwise, why would he be so foolish as to say such things in front of His Majesty!"
"How dare you! Young man, you are incredibly bold, your words are treasonous! Why aren't you kneeling before His Majesty?"
A group of officials began to verbally attack him, trying to curry favor with His Majesty.
Bai Yue watched this scene from above and couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. She never cared about state affairs, leaving them to the management of the court officials. She never expected these people to be so foolish, all fawning and incompetent.
Facing the harsh words, Xu Mo remained unperturbed. He casually swept his gaze over them, and the invisible aura of majesty instantly silenced the officials. They felt a sense of pressure and realized something was amiss.
Finally, Xu Mo's gaze settled on Hao Jiao, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, causing Hao Jiao to tremble.
"You... you are the Emperor of Da Gan!" Hao Jiao exclaimed, his lips trembling.
It was understandable that other officials, who had never been to the Eastern Region of Da Huang, didn't recognize Xu Mo. But he was born in the Eastern Region of Da Huang. He had seen Xu Mo as an infant. After all, cultivators had strong memories, capable of recalling things from thousands of years ago.
Moreover, Xu Mo was someone he considered his lifelong rival. How could he not recognize him?
Hao Jiao was profoundly shocked, even more so than when the Empress had attacked him earlier.
Why was the Emperor of Da Gan in Da Jin? And how had he entered the Da Jin capital safely? Why hadn't the Empress stopped him, or even allowed him into the Da Jin palace?
When others heard Hao Jiao's words, they were instantly stunned into silence, their eyes wide as they stared at Xu Mo.
This person before them was actually the Emperor of Da Gan!?
The one with unparalleled talent, who rose from humble beginnings, and was hailed as the most monstrous prodigy of the current era in Da Huang, on par with the Empress?
Everyone was speechless, completely bewildered by the situation. Had Da Jin been infiltrated by the Emperor of Da Gan, their capital raided?
It was said that the Emperor of Da Gan possessed cultivation above the Heaven-stepping realm. If he were to kill them, not a single person present would survive.
An old minister was the first to react, hastily kneeling and shouting, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of Da Gan has infiltrated our Da Jin capital. I implore you to capture him at once!"
The others also turned to look at their Empress.
Even Xu Mo turned to look at Bai Yue, curious to see what she would do.
Bai Yue's expression shifted slightly, then turned cold. She looked at the old minister and said sternly, "How dare you! The Emperor of Da Gan is my invited guest to Da Jin. How can a mere subject of yours slander him? Considering your age, I will not punish you. You may withdraw!"
Capture Xu Mo? It was more likely that Xu Mo would capture her.
"Your... Your Majesty!" The old minister looked astonished, then was escorted out of the hall by two soldiers.
The hall fell silent. Everyone exchanged glances, their minds racing.
The Empress had invited the Emperor of Da Gan to the Da Jin capital. What did this imply? They had only launched an invasion of Da Gan's border last night, killing thousands of their cultivator soldiers. The mastermind, Hao Jiao, was right here, and had just arrogantly claimed that even the Emperor of Da Gan couldn't do anything to him.
The officials who had spoken carelessly to Xu earlier were now trembling, fearing that the Emperor of Da Gan might turn them into paste with a single palm strike in his anger.
Meanwhile, Hao Jiao's face had turned extremely grim. He had never imagined that the Emperor of Da Gan would appear in the capital like this.
"Hao Jiao, was last night's incident solely your doing?" Xu Mo stared coldly at Hao Jiao, the man whose life he had once spared, and who now harbored such intense animosity towards him.
Hao Jiao trembled but still stepped forward to answer, "Yes, the order was mine!"
He discreetly crushed a red talisman behind his back.
Xu Mo's eyes flickered. His powerful spiritual sense immediately detected Hao Jiao's action, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he said coldly, "You are incredibly bold. You killed over a thousand of my Da Gan soldiers. What will you use to atone for it?"
"In war, people die. Although I instigated the invasion, so what? Hasn't Da Jin suffered casualties?" Hao Jiao gritted his teeth, his face contorted.
Xu Mo looked at him and said, "You are right, people die in war. But as the aggressor who initiated the war, your crime is heinous! Your death alone is not enough to atone for the souls of my Da Gan soldiers!"
Without aggression, where would war come from?
Since its founding, Da Gan's strategy towards Da Jin had always been defensive; they had never invaded. On the contrary, Da Jin was ambitious, constantly seeking to invade Da Gan and tear off a piece of it.
Facing Xu Mo's pressure, Hao Jiao did not back down. Instead, he turned to Bai Yue and bowed, "Your Majesty, are you going to stand by and do nothing?"
Bai Yue said calmly, "I have reached an agreement with the Emperor of Da Gan. Da Jin will merge into Da Gan. From this day forward, there will be no more Da Jin, only Da Gan."
"What!?"
Upon hearing their Empress's words, all the officials were instantly terrified. If Da Jin merged into Da Gan, would their current wealth, status, and power disappear? Would they even face retribution and be sent to the execution ground?
"Your Majesty, please reconsider! The foundation laid by the past emperors of Da Jin cannot be broken!" The civil and military officials spoke out, trying to change their Empress's mind.
But Bai Yue no longer paid them any attention. The Da Jin Dynasty was something she had seized by force; the past emperors had nothing to do with her.
She only hoped that by willingly surrendering Da Jin, Xu Mo would return the Supreme Dao Foundation to her in exchange for this great gift.
Otherwise, without the Supreme Dao Foundation, she felt an inexplicable emptiness within her, a discomfort.
And that missing part was with Xu Mo, which made Bai Yue feel strange and unable to accept it.