Chapter 0684: Qin Zhenjiang's Move

When the Regent finished his speech, the atmosphere around the entire white jade square turned extremely tense. The drums had fallen silent and the warm, festive cheer had turned freezing in but an instant.

The Regent's words had demonstrated his reckless ambition. He wanted to take the place of the Little Emperor and complete the coronation ceremony, taking control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation.

"Impudent!" the First Princess coldly exclaimed as her face turned frigid and her eyes furious. "Gong Yuan! Do you plan to commit treason?! Do you wish to violate the Gong family's ancestor’s rules?"

A commotion broke out atop the viewing stands. Numerous royalists had faces full of anger as they shouted, "Don't talk nonsense, Regent! The Xia Kingdom already possesses the royal court. How can we casually just change the controller of the Kingdom Protecting Formation?!" Some of the older officials had also voiced their opinions. Although they had been taken aback and infuriated by Gong Jingyao's sudden transformation, the Regent's words were absolutely disgraceful and rebellious. He actually wanted to usurp the Little Emperor's position!

"I agree with the Regent's words. The Kingdom Protecting Formation is no small matter—it is the culmination of the effort and resources of the Xia Kingdom's founding ancestor, something they spared no expenses or lifeblood to forge into the national treasure it is today. If we are unable to control it and the Xia Kingdom encounters a disaster, who will protect it?! Whoever can control the formation should be the Xia Kingdom’s Emperor!"

At the same time, those who supported the Regent stood up without hesitation to defend him. The most notable of them was Zhong Jie, who governed three provinces and was the right hand man of the Regent. He naturally knew that now was the time to strongly demonstrate his support.

Once the Regent ascended to the throne, he would be brought along with the rising tide.

For the sake of his future, he would have to pay a price today to push the Regent ahead.

"Are you planning to rebel as well?" From the First Princess' camp, Chief Steward Qin gloomily walked out, and immeasurable amounts of resonant power poured out from his body as his robes billowed. With a casual wave of his hand, countless elite soldiers stepped out from atop the high walls of the square, wielding curiously lit crossbows that were locked upon this direction.

The turmoil intensified immediately, and the heads of the factions began to show looks of caution. At the same time, they similarly released mighty waves of resonant power. Things had degenerated into the worst possible situation, so they had to take precautions.

"Hmph!"

The Regent snorted when he saw the chaotic situation, and his eyes shot daggers at Chief Steward Qin. At the same time, frightening amounts of resonant power erupted from him like a volcano, and a terrifying pressure akin to a gigantic primal beast bore down on the entire area. Then the void behind him shattered and his world space was revealed. Five Duke Bergfrieds floated in the ocean of resonant power within.

With the five Duke Bergfried's appearance, the void trembled.

The Regent was displaying his full strength as a fifth-grade Duke.

This caused the expressions of the people in the First Princess' faction to change, and a hint of panic could be seen in their eyes.

Meanwhile, atop the viewing platforms, the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank, the two super-factions, grimaced as they watched the chaos unfolding. Neither Su Xin nor Yu Hongxi hoped that the Xia Kingdom would devolve into civil war, as neither of them would benefit from it.

However, the battle for the throne was something they could not interfere in, so merely standing aside and watching the situation develop was all they could do.

Fortunately, at this critical juncture, the First Princess opted to remain composed, quickly regaining her calmness as she stood up. "General Qin, as a pillar of the Xia Kingdom, what do you plan to do now that the kingdom has fallen into unrest?"

The moment she opened her mouth, countless gazes were shot towards Qin Zhenjiang, who had yet to move an inch since everything started.

Qin Zhenjiang, on the other hand, continued to sit unflinchingly like a coiled-up, gigantic beast, his body exuding a bloodthirsty aura. When he heard the First Princess' exhortations, he raised his head slightly and observed the situation atop the sacrificial platform. The Little Emperor was already in a state of collapse and in complete silence. He then nonchalantly asked, "What does Your Highness want me to say?"

The First Princess continued to glare at Qin Zhenjiang before removing a golden scroll from her pocket sphere. She then announced, "I have a posthumous edict from my father, the Emperor. Within is a command for the General. Do you wish to hear it?"

Qin Zhenjiang was slightly taken aback. He was an official of the previous Emperor and held him in great respect, so he was greatly loyal to him. Thus, he was more than willing to do so. He dropped down to one knee.

The First Princess unraveled the scroll when she saw this, and her clear voice enunciated every word. "I command the great General Qin Zhenjiang to protect the young Emperor and to preserve the peace of the Xia Kingdom!"

Countless gazes were shot towards Qin Zhenjiang. As the general of the frontier with a massive army in his hands, he possessed a pivotal position and unrivaled power within the Xia Kingdom. His choice would thus have an indelible impact on the overall situation.

Frankly speaking, no one knew if the edict in the First Princess' hand was real or fake. However, now that it had been taken out, this would mean that Qin Zhenjiang could no longer stand by idly.

A few old members of the conservative faction felt moved by this scene. Although they had been riled up by the Little Emperor's transformation and felt anger towards the First Princess, seeing her actions led them to sigh in admiration deep down. They were very clear that the general had spent countless years away at the border and hadn't built an intimate relationship with both the Regent and the First Princess. Only those of the older generation like them knew that the general was not one who would give face to anyone except the previous Emperor, whom he was extremely loyal to. The First Princess taking out that edict had struck at the weak point of this key individual, regardless if it was real or not.

Additionally, Qin Zhenjiang would never even have the thought to question the authenticity of the edict!

Qin Zhenjiang's rough facial features remained unmoved as he pondered for a few seconds. After which, he used a single fist to pound his chest as he replied, "I will follow the will of the late Emperor."

With that, he stood up, his tiger-like eyes glaring at the Regent. "I would like to beseech the Regent to place the Xia Kingdom's peace and tranquility first. Do not stir up any further trouble."

Countless whispers began to break out amongst the crowd. Qin Zhenjiang's words had demonstrated his choice. When faced with the edict of dubious background, he eventually opted to protect the Little Emperor instead.

"General Qin, your choice has disappointed me," the Regent placidly replied.

"Do you think that this Emperor who is unable to control the Kingdom Protecting Formation is able to protect the peace of the Xia Kingdom?" He then pointed at the panicked young lady, Gong Jingyao.

Qin Zhenjiang coolly replied, "The Xia Kingdom's peace will come from us. Alone I might not be the equal of the formation, but I believe that if the Xia Kingdom comes together, our combined might will not be weaker than it."

"A general who is used to both slaughter and conquest could actually say such naïve and ridiculous words?" The Regent shook his head disdainfully.

"Since the great General is unwilling to support me, then I will have to test out the extent to which you've cultivated your White Tiger's Breakthrough after all these years!" The Regent's gaze turned chilly. Qin Zhenjiang's support had undoubtedly restored confidence within the First Princess' faction. As a result, he would have to demonstrate his absolute power to suppress any thoughts of further resistance.

"Since the Regent has such a request, who am I to reject it?" Qin Zhenjiang was naturally a vicious individual. Now that he had made his stance clear, he would not fear the consequences of offending the Regent. With a bellow, he leaped into the air, and the void trembled behind him, also revealing his world space with four mountainous Duke Bergfrieds within, copiously absorbing worldly natural energy.

He was a fourth-grade Duke.

The moment he struck, he did not intend to hold back in the slightest. With a thought, the four Duke Bergfrieds began to churn out vast amounts of energy that condensed within the void. In a blink, they transformed into a thousand-foot-long white tiger. The tiger exuded a valiant and warring spirit, every roar seemingly accompanied by the shouts of thousands of troops and the sounds of charging horns.

Qin Zhenjiang clenched his fingers, forming a fist. With a push, the skies and the earth seemed to have been swept up by his momentum, as though one could actually see countless soldiers charging over with unstoppable vigor.

"White Tiger Breakthrough, Ten Thousand Soldiers’ Fist!"

With a single punch, the sounds of war resounded throughout the area. The white tiger pounced forth like it was the commander of tens of thousands of soldiers, leading them with irrepressible power and directly striking out towards the Regent.

The void was continuously shattered as the attack passed through space.

This single punch caused the expressions of countless Dukes within the square to change.

Even the fourth-grade Zhu Qinghuo became solemn upon seeing it.

"Qin Zhenjiang has cultivated his warfare vital energy for so many years that he has managed to cultivate the White Tiger Breakthrough to the Ten Thousand Soldiers’ realm!"

"A punch from ten thousand soldiers is able to suppress all enemies!"

"This single punch is comparable to a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art!"

Zhu Qinghuo knew that if he were to directly clash with this fist, he would inevitably receive a calamitous wound. Qin Zhenjiang's strike was originally a Communion-grade Duke Art. However, over many years of continuous deduction and improvement, it had reached the stage of greater completion.

It truly was a pity... that Qin Zhenjiang's opponent was not him, but the even more unfathomable Regent!

As the numerous peak experts watched closely, the Regent's expression remained unfazed as he raised a palm. With that action, his palm seemed to grow infinitely large, covering the entire sky. Silhouettes of towering mountains and rivers began to surface at its center.

A single palm had transformed into an expanse filled with mountains and rivers.

The viewers felt a shock as they recognized this art.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

This was the Gong family's most powerful Duke Art.

Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art, Imperial Mountains and River Palm!