Yang Hao rose with a roar, startling all the imperial dynasty lords into instinctively retreating. This Han, daring to do what even the Wei Yang Imperial Dynasty dared not, by virtue of a single dynasty's might!
The ten elders all wore cold expressions as they watched Yang Hao stand. Each of them channeled their profound energy to its limit; if Yang Hao dared to take another step forward, it would surely lead to utter chaos!
Yang Hao swept his gaze across the ten elders, a cold smile playing on his lips. The Southwest Region was extremely perilous at present. Keeping them alive could still help resist the ancient desolate lands, especially these ten elders who hid behind the scenes. Now was the time for them to repay their debt to the Southwest Region!
"Everyone, since this place does not welcome this King, then this King shall take his leave!"
Yang Hao said with a smile, looking at the ten elders who were constantly powering up. He remained unfazed, as if their earth-shattering might held no sway over him.
Yang Hao turned and surveyed the Inner Realm, then, with Wang Yue and Li Bai, he walked towards the exit. His receding figure was like that of a divine being, so awe-inspiring that the ten elders dared not make a move.
Mysterious!
He was too mysterious, and thus, supremely dangerous. Ever since Yang Hao stepped into the Inner Realm, the ten elders had been unable to discern his cultivation level. When their divine senses touched him, they felt as if they had plunged into an abyss!
"Your Majesty, wait for me!"
"Your Majesty, wait for me!"
King Qing Cang glanced at the ten elders, his face instantly turning pale. He quickly turned his head and called out to Yang Hao. His aged body, at this moment, seemed remarkably vigorous, and within a few steps, he caught up to Yang Hao.
...
"You just let him go like that?"
Elder Qing looked at Yang Hao's gradually fading figure with a grim expression, gazing resentfully at the other ten elders and speaking.
"Hmph, if this brat is not eliminated, the Southwest Region will never know peace!"
Elder Xue angrily flicked his long sleeves and turned his head, looking at the imperial dynasty lords. If not for the Han, all nine of the present imperial dynasties would have submitted, leaving only Wei Yang, and then they would have easily conquered it.
But now, two of the ten elders had perished as soon as they emerged!
This was an utter disgrace!
Elder Sheng turned slightly, his face grave as he looked at everyone, "What? Which one of you has the ability to kill Wang Yue!"
"If any one of you can kill him, this old man will gladly accompany you to your death!"
"Now that he's gone, you want to show off your might!"
"What were you doing before?"
As Elder Sheng spoke, all the ten elders lowered their heads. Who dared to kill Wang Yue? Who could kill Wang Yue? They had served together for a thousand years, and each knew the other's capabilities. Elder Han, who was at the lower-middle tier of combat power among the ten elders, had been severely wounded by Wang Yue before he even drew his sword!
With such a display of power, who dared to challenge him!
Elder Sheng glared, making it clear to all the imperial dynasty lords who was the real power among the ten elders, and that they only needed to cling tightly to Elder Sheng's powerful influence to be secure in the Southwest Region.
"Since Elder Han's intentions have been conveyed to the various imperial dynasties!"
Elder Sheng swept his gaze over the imperial dynasty lords and said softly, "From this day forward, you shall, by the command of the Human Emperor, proclaim to the world that the ten elders of the Human Emperor's Hall shall be jointly revered!"
"You must mobilize a million-strong army and half of your imperial dynasty's foundations. Gather them all at the Human Emperor's Hall!"
"The ten elders of the Human Emperor's Hall have the right to control the state affairs of the various imperial dynasties!"
"Do you have any objections?"
As these words fell, all the ten elders glared fiercely at the imperial dynasty lords. Anyone who dared to defy them would be executed on the spot and a new ruler appointed!
"We have no objections!"
This scene stunned Ying Zhong and the others so much that even the Emperor himself dared not speak and hastily bowed his head in response to the ten elders!
"Very good!"
All the ten elders nodded with satisfaction!
...
On April 27th of the second year of the Han Dynasty, two days after the opening of the Imperial Dynasty Secret Treasury, news like a thunderclap swept across the Southwest Region, exploding above the heads of the martial artists!
The Shengyuan Imperial Dynasty, the Cangmu Imperial Dynasty, the Tianyue Imperial Dynasty, the Beihan Imperial Dynasty, the Tianyuan Imperial Dynasty, and the Dayan Imperial Dynasty successively issued imperial decrees, announcing that from this day forward, their imperial dynasties would jointly revere the ten elders of the Human Emperor's Hall.
The various imperial dynasties immediately dispatched several experts of the Rongtian realm to lead a million-strong army and station them at the Human Emperor's Hall!
Upon the occurrence of this event, the entire Southwest Region fell into panic. Their own countries were actually bowing down and submitting to the ten elders. While the ten elders were powerful and mysterious, could their human emperors, as rulers of their respective dynasties, sell out their nations without any bottom line?
The faith of many martial artists began to crumble!
On the same day, Empress Wei Yang issued a decree stating that the Wei Yang Imperial Dynasty would henceforth secede from the Human Emperor's Hall, and subsequently issued a proclamation criticizing and exposing the evil deeds of the ten elders!
A total of seventy-eight articles, large and small, were listed, all denouncing the unknown side behind the mystery of the ten elders!
Not long after the Wei Yang imperial decree was issued, the martial artists erupted in anger, their voices filled with curses directed at their imperial lords, accusing them of lacking the dignity of imperial dynasty rulers and belittling themselves, thereby belittling the entire imperial dynasty. Everyone was filled with righteous indignation and stirred up trouble.
The various imperial dynasties acted decisively this time. To quell the ensuing uproar, it was estimated that on the 27th alone, the number of people executed by the several imperial dynasties, when summed up, exceeded ten million. Entire factions were eliminated in a single day!
A profoundly dark day that completely silenced the public outcry!
...
In the afternoon of April 27th of the second year of the Han Dynasty, King Qing Cang, holding the imperial jade seal of the Qing Cang Imperial Dynasty, arrived at Chang'an City of the Han Dynasty with a smile. Under the gaze of the Han officials, Yang Hao accepted the surrender of King Qing Cang!
In the evening of April 27th of the second year of the Han Dynasty, King Qing Cang surrendered to the Han. The Qing Cang Imperial Dynasty thus exited the stage of the Southwest Region. To further win over the hearts of the people in the Qing Cang territory, Yang Hao enfeoffed King Qing Cang as Marquis Qing Cang!
The lineage of Marquis Qing Cang could be inherited, and he was granted an estate of thirteen thousand households. Marquis Qing Cang could continue to reside in the Qing Cang Imperial Palace!
That night.
In the royal palace's sleeping quarters in Chang'an City of the Han Dynasty.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for peacefully receiving the Qing Cang Imperial Dynasty, obtaining one hundred million Faith Points!"
"Ding! Reminder to the host, half of the Faith Points will be automatically drawn to consolidate national destiny from the national treasures: the Nine Cauldrons, the Monument of the Human King, and the Xuanyuan Sword."
"Ding! Reminder to the host, remaining Faith Points: fifty million!"
"System, open my panel!"
The Han Dynasty, having experienced the war of imperial dynasties, had seen breakthroughs in cultivation for both the generals who fought on the battlefield and the civil officials who meticulously handled state affairs. Yang Hao immediately ordered the system to check the detailed cultivation data of all the ancient heroes.
"Ding!"
"Master of the Xuanhuang Tower of Reincarnation: Yang Hao."
"Cultivation: Heavenly Martial Realm Tier 3!"
"Cultivation Method: Cosmic Firmament Emperor Scripture."
"Faith Points: fifty million, Slaughter Points: eight hundred thousand."
"Ding! Main quest in progress: The Eastern Wilderness's Southwest Region has endured hundreds of thousands of years of turmoil, and the human lands have suffered greatly from the slaughter of fierce beasts from the ancient desolate lands. Now, the various imperial dynasties wish to eliminate the Han as quickly as possible. For every action, there is a reaction; the host should take advantage of the situation and send troops to sweep across all the imperial dynasties and unify the Southwest Region!"
"Ding! Side quest in progress: Upgrade the Nine Cauldrons of Destiny to level eight, and the Han Dynasty can be promoted to an Imperial Dynasty. The host should become the Human Emperor of the human lands of the Eastern Wilderness Continent!"