In the grand hall, the civil and military officials felt a chill in their hearts.
Her Majesty the Empress had made up her mind, determined to have Great Jin absorbed into Great Qian. This meant a complete upheaval for Great Jin, no less than a change of dynasty.
And all of them present would likely lose their current status and wealth. Some might even become war criminals and lose their lives. This applied to the generals who followed Hao Jiao in the invasion last night, as well as the officials who had always stood with Hao Jiao.
However, they dared not resist. This was a cultivation imperial dynasty, where the emperor controlled everything. Absolute power suppressed the entire dynasty from top to bottom, making it impossible for situations like coups or the sidelining of imperial power, which occurred in mortal dynasties.
Upon hearing the Empress of Great Jin's words, Hao Jiao's expression gradually turned ferocious. He felt abandoned by the Empress of Great Jin, who was willing to betray him to appease or even curry favor with the Emperor of Great Qian.
"Good, very good! Your Majesty, it seems you intend to betray all of Great Jin?" As if sensing something, Hao Jiao suddenly gained confidence, straightened his back, and looked directly at the Empress of Great Jin.
Bai Yue frowned slightly, not expecting Hao Jiao to become so confident. Sensing a familiar aura approaching the imperial capital, Bai Yue suddenly understood.
"Betray Great Jin? How can that be? From beginning to end, Great Jin has merely been a tool to aid my cultivation. Although it is called a cultivation imperial dynasty, it is still the mortal world. How can it compare to the immortal path?" Bai Yue's voice was cold, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Hao Jiao and the civil and military officials shivered. They had heard the Empress say similar things before, but at the time, they thought it was just a momentary感慨 from sitting on the throne for too long and didn't take it seriously.
But now, they finally understood completely. The Empress had never been joking. Her eyes truly held only the pursuit of the immortal path, and Great Jin was not in her consideration at all.
Xu Mo couldn't help but glance at Bai Yue. This woman was truly devoted to cultivation, perhaps even excessively heartless.
He believed he couldn't achieve what Bai Yue had, viewing the Great Qian imperial dynasty as a mere tool. He was a cultivator, but also a human. Humans had emotions. Without emotions, what was the difference between them and machines?
"Enough, stop this nonsense. Hao Jiao, since you admit to initiating the invasion, you must pay the price. I want you to kneel before the graves of my Great Qian fallen soldiers and atone for your sins!" Xu Mo looked at Hao Jiao, his icy gaze causing Hao Jiao to tremble uncontrollably.
However, he quickly regained his composure, touched the warm red talisman in his hand, and looked at Xu Mo, sneering, "Emperor of Great Qian? Do you truly believe you can cover the sky with one hand? Do you think I will be at your mercy, like fish on a chopping block?"
"And are you not?" Xu Mo looked at Hao Jiao calmly, also sensing the familiar aura approaching, but he remained unconcerned.
"Of course not!" Hao Jiao roared, then turned and bowed in a different direction, "Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor, I implore you to appear and assist me!"
As his voice fell, an aged figure materialized in the hall.
He was an old man wearing a magnificent brocade robe, with a long beard and a face full of wrinkles, appearing somewhat shrewd.
His appearance shocked the civil and military officials, for they had heard Hao Jiao's address to this elder.
Could this be the old Demon Emperor of the Western Regions' Ten Thousand Monster Kingdom!? A Great Desolate Emperor on par with the Emperors of Great Jin and Great Qian!
"Two, it's been over a decade since we last met. I trust you are both well," the old Demon Emperor said with a faint smile, one hand behind his back, the other stroking his beard.
Xu Mo looked at him. "Old Demon Emperor, you wish to meddle in this affair?"
He had sensed it when Hao Jiao crushed the red talisman. He just hadn't expected that the person Hao Jiao would summon would be the old Demon Emperor from the Monster Beast Mountain, which was beyond his expectations.
"It's not that I wish to meddle, but I owe Emperor Hao a favor. Now that he is dead, I cannot repay him, so I must repay his son."
The old Demon Emperor spoke, indicating his helplessness and that he was not intentionally opposing Xu Mo.
Xu Mo nodded, indicating he understood, and then asked, "Then what do you want? To take Hao Jiao away?"
The old Demon Emperor did not answer but looked at Hao Jiao, implying that Hao Jiao should make his own decision. He was merely there to fulfill a debt.
With the old Demon Emperor backing him, Hao Jiao felt emboldened. He directly looked at the throne behind Bai Yue and declared, "I want the entire Great Jin imperial dynasty. Since Your Majesty no longer wishes to be Emperor, I shall take your place!"
At this moment, he no longer held back anything and directly voiced his true desires.
Bai Yue glanced at Hao Jiao. She felt no particular emotion, as she was not particularly attached to the throne. However, she still replied coldly, "Can you ascend just because you want to? I have already decided to merge Great Jin into Great Qian. From this day forth, there will be no more Great Jin, nor an Emperor of Great Jin!"
Although she didn't care much about Great Jin itself, it was still her 'tool,' and she wouldn't allow others to decide its fate.
The old Demon Emperor stepped forward, releasing his half-saint aura, full of majesty, and said with a faint smile, "I believe Hao Jiao's proposal can be discussed. It might not be impossible."
Among the three, he had lived the longest. Before Bai Yue and Xu Mo broke through to the Saint realm, he was the strongest. This was why he was so confident, facing Xu Mo and Bai Yue with ease.
Decades ago, he had encountered Xu Mo and Bai Yue in the ruins of the Southern Region of the Great Desolation. At that time, the three had a small spar, and he, with his half-saint cultivation, had easily crushed them.
Now, decades later, the old Demon Emperor felt that even if Xu Mo and Bai Yue's cultivation had improved, it wouldn't be much. He could still easily crush them.
The favor he owed would likely be repaid today. It was a sure thing!