The surrender of Gasso City acted as a catalyst, prompting other towns to follow suit. Over the next two days, the Heavenly Dou army encountered no resistance as they gathered surrendered soldiers and marched towards the capital of the Balak Kingdom.
Dugu Bo stroked his chin, observing the tightly shut gates and the soldiers lining the walls of Balak City. "The capital's control over its military is indeed different," he remarked.
Li Xun glanced at the scorching sun and then gestured to the ground troops.
Upon receiving the signal, the Royal Knights swiftly cleared a path, allowing a group of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School disciples pushing war machinery to move to the front lines.
Watching as the war machines were assembled, Li Xun nodded to Sword Douluo. "Then we'll launch a strong assault. Sword Grandpa, it's your turn."
"Fifth Soul Skill, Might Over All Directions."
Sword Douluo's eyes sharpened as he stood the Seven Kill Sword before him, gently stroking it with a sword-finger gesture. The sword hummed and split into several radiant beams, instantly reaching the massive city gates.
Boom—
The gates shattered upon impact, and the resulting shockwave rippled across the entire wall. Soldiers who hadn't secured their footing were thrown into disarray.
"Attack!"
Seizing the moment, Yang Wudi, positioned at the front of the army, swung his Soul Piercing Lance forward. The Heaven Dou Royal Knights let out a unified battle cry and charged on horseback.
Thunderous roars echoed as fifty thousand knights and a hundred thousand infantry surged forward, their steps shaking the earth.
The soldiers on the walls of Balak City, witnessing the overwhelming force below, were struck with fear, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
"Captain... we are also subjects of Heavenly Dou. Let's surrender..."
...
The resistance the King of Balak had anticipated never materialized, and his ally, the Kingdom of Hilvers, did not come to his aid.
"I am willing to abdicate. According to the spirit of nobility, you must ensure the safety of me and my clan," the aged King Sarcas sighed, slowly removing the crown from his head and placing it on a nearby tray.
"If you had surrendered, perhaps I would have granted you some dignity. But unfortunately, my soldiers have suffered casualties," Li Xun said as he stepped forward.
"You can't do this! I am a king; I deserve preferential treatment!"
Li Xun scoffed at such notions and raised his hand.
The Royal Knights behind him immediately stepped forward, seized King Sarcas, and dragged him out. Moments later, the cries of agony abruptly ceased.
"We meet again, Prince Xue Beng."
"Li Xun, spare me... I'll give you anything you want," Xue Beng pleaded, kneeling on the ground in terror, his teeth chattering.
Li Xun walked past Xue Beng and approached the tray holding the crown. "Letting you go is impossible. The karma between us was set the moment Rongrong and I first entered the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy."
"I am the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire!" Xue Beng's voice suddenly rose.
"In my eyes, kings, nobles, and commoners are all the same," Li Xun said, fiddling with the crown before tossing it back onto the tray, finding it unremarkable.
Xue Beng was stunned, his fear twisting into rage. "I want to see Xue Qinghe! We are brothers!"
"He will face you," Li Xun said with a smile, giving a meaningful glance to Yang Qianjun, who had just entered.
Yang Qianjun immediately understood, stepped forward, grabbed the writhing Xue Beng, and dragged him out of the room.
Following that, the detestable voice of Xue Beng vanished.
Thud, thud, thud—
Soon after, Yang Qianjun walked in again with heavy steps, removing his bulky helmet and sitting down on the threshold: "Brother Li, when are we setting off?"
"Have the Sarcas royal family been completely dealt with?" Li Xun pondered for a moment.
"Most of those in Balak City have been taken care of, but there are probably some who escaped beforehand."
"That's normal," Li Xun nodded: "Brother Yang, stay here and clean up the remaining royals, and also get rid of some useless nobles while you're at it."
"Ah?" Yang Qianjun's expression immediately twisted into a knot: "Brother Li, does that mean I won't be able to join the operation against the Blue Lightning Tyrant School?"
"If you don't want to stay here, I can send someone else. But think carefully, this place is the gateway to the Heaven Dou Empire, the future Balak Province."
Li Xun teased: "You can choose to remain a rough soldier or become a regional governor."
"Ah!?" Yang Qianjun was stunned; he hadn't expected Li Xun's plan for him to be of this nature: "Am I capable? Wouldn't this be against the rules? Besides, I have no experience in governing the people!"
"No one is born knowing how to be an official, and do you really think these nobles are more learned than you?"
Li Xun patted Yang Qianjun's shoulder: "I'm just letting you try it out first, someone will be there to guide you. If you're really not cut out for it, I'll send someone else, and you can continue to hang around in the army with Yang Gongfeng."
After thinking for a moment, Yang Qianjun said somewhat bashfully: "There are too many rough people at home, and I really don't like staying in the military camp. Brother Li, I want to give it a try."
"I could tell long ago," Li Xun chuckled, tapping the broad silver armor on Yang Qianjun.
...…
As an old and established sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant School had a profound heritage and vast territory.
The sect was surrounded by mountains, with nine peaks serving as natural barriers.
Among them, the outer four peaks were named Crane, Valley, Soar, and Tyrant. The inner four peaks were named Fight, Gale, Purple Lightning, and Southern King. The main peak was called True Dragon Mountain.
At this moment, the True Dragon Mountain was gathered with masters, even some reclusive elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant School stood in the sect's council hall.
"Sect Master, the Heaven Dou Empire is coming with great force. To avoid unnecessary casualties, I think it's better to negotiate peace," an elder with white hair and a wrinkled face sighed.
Yu Luomian's eyes flickered, and he glanced at Yu Yuanzhen: "What are you saying! The Heaven Dou is here under the pretext of our leader casually killing royal knights. Do you want our leader to surrender and be at their mercy?"
"It's just a few knights, I think it's just an excuse for Heaven Dou to attack us," a councilor said with a bitter face.
"I also think it's an excuse, there must be another reason," another councilor, catching Yu Luomian's glance, stepped forward: "I heard Xiaogang has returned, do you know where he is?"
"Isn't it too much of a coincidence that as soon as he returned to Blue Lightning, the Heaven Dou Empire's army is at our borders?"
"What do you mean!" The councilors supporting Yu Yuanzhen immediately reacted, all glaring at the councilor who had spoken earlier.
"I think this statement is correct. It must be that he caused trouble outside and came back seeking protection," another elder chimed in.
Yu Yuanzhen sat in the main seat, watching the elders below him argue in chaos, his head throbbing with pain.
Although his cultivation was formidable, his descendants were disappointingly incompetent. He was aware that some of the elders and senior members had their criticisms.
And the root of all this was Yu Xiaogang.
But no matter what, he was still his son! Even in his younger days, no matter how angry he got, he never harbored dark thoughts. How dare these people?
Have I been too lenient over the years, making them forget who the true master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant School is, and thus breeding inappropriate ambitions?
Now, as he grew older, he knew that after his death, his descendants would inevitably suffer greatly.
A cold glint flashed in Yu Yuanzhen's eyes.
(End of Chapter)