Snow Clan? Receiving an imperial decree?!
Xue Hen? Receiving an imperial decree?!
The entire star domain, all 32 billion beings of the Snow Clan, raised their heads in horror towards the void, as if they could see this scene through the endless expanse of space!
However, before he could even question it, a boundless majesty descended from the sky. With a *snap*, they were all forced to their knees, heads bowed, prostrate on the ground.
*Crack...*
As Liu Lang unfurled the scroll, Xue Shen’s legs, under the immense pressure, turned to dust. Her body, unable to support itself, collapsed like a dead dog onto the ground.
"This is... the Law of Imperial Authority, or has it also reached perfection! What kind of innate talent does this Great Emperor of the Ten Directions possess, to have comprehended such a law to perfection!"
At this moment, Xue Shen had forgotten her pain, staring dumbfounded at the imperial decree unfurled by Liu Lang.
The Law of Imperial Authority, also known as the Law of Power, was a law that countless emperors and leaders of major factions desperately pursued.
However, the difficulty in comprehending this law surpassed even that of space, time, and life. It was among the most difficult laws to comprehend in the Ten Directions Heaven and Earth, alongside the laws of destiny and creation, making it one of the three most profound laws of the Ten Directions Cosmos.
Yet, the Law of Imperial Authority appearing before him was in its perfect state! What kind of comprehension ability and terrifying innate talent would this require?
"By the Ten Directions Edict, the Emperor decrees: Moved by the righteousness of the Snow Clan and the loyalty of Xue Hen, we hereby bestow upon Xue Hen of the Snow Clan the command of the Ninth Army Group of the Empire and the title of its Commander. With five hundred million troops, you shall sweep across the territories of our enemies and bring them under the unified banner of the Ten Directions!"
"To the loyal and righteous, we reward one hundred fragments of laws. To the rebellious, we punish with the forfeiture of all cultivation. So it is decreed!"
This imperial decree was not in the usual format, appearing even somewhat casual, but no one paid attention to that. They were all stunned by its contents.
Commander of the Ninth Army Group! One hundred law fragments, five hundred million soldiers!
Putting aside everything else, the mere title of Commander was unfathomably superior to that of a Snow Clan Lord. If the Great Emperor of the Ten Directions succeeded in his Imperial Path, this title would become immeasurably significant!
"This commoner accepts the decree!" Xue Hen knelt on the ground, accepting the imperial decree from Liu Lang's hands.
"No! No! Don't kill me! I don't want to die yet!" Xue Shen's voice shrieked with utter agony.
As Xue Hen accepted the decree, the sound of ice shattering erupted across ten thousand miles around the ice palace. Soldiers below the rank of the Five Elders, as if struck by a massive blow, all shattered into pieces of ice slag.
The Five Elders were in the same predicament! They were utterly incapable of resisting! Only Xue Shen could endure for a while longer during this process, but that time was worse than death.
However, Xue Shen's screams were ignored. All of the Snow Clan were looking at the imperial decree in Xue Hen's hands, and also at Xue Hen, as if anticipating something.
*Boom...*
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion rent the air, accompanied by lightning that twisted and writhed, forming serpentine and draconic shapes.
"This is... a Heavenly Tribulation?!" As Xue Hen accepted the decree, the oppressive aura that had enveloped the entire world vanished, replaced by a more skin-crawling Heavenly Tribulation that filled them with dread.
At this moment, no one cared about the hundreds of millions of soldiers and the Five Elders who had shattered into ice slag, nor did they care about the dying Xue Shen. All they wanted was to escape quickly, to escape the Heavenly Tribulation.
"Extreme Realm Heavenly Tribulation? I never imagined that a mere conferment would elevate someone at the perfect stage of the Sovereign Realm to the intermediate stage of the Extreme Realm! This old woman can die without regret!" Xue Shen stared blankly as Xue Hen's aura continued to surge. In her mind, she recalled four words she had once read in ancient texts: "National Destiny is like a dragon!"
"Commander Liu, I shall go and face the tribulation! The situation here still requires your assistance to stabilize," Xue Hen said, feeling his exploding cultivation. He nodded at Liu Lang and then turned, vanishing into the depths of the cosmos. He didn't even glance at Xue Shen, whose body had already shattered to the waist.
"Heh, good fellow. A single decree actually allowed him to comprehend the Laws of Water and Ice. Truly a race born of heaven and earth, their talent is indeed terrifying," Liu Lang watched Xue Hen's retreating back, a hint of awe in his voice.
But then again, it made sense. The Snow Clan was born from ice and snow, naturally cultivating ice-elemental techniques. To comprehend the Law of Ice instantly upon breaking through to the Extreme Realm might not be difficult, and water, as the elemental precursor to ice, would naturally be understood.
The thunder dragons roared, and the lightning raged. The entire star domain became exceptionally oppressive under the might of this Heavenly Tribulation. As elemental beings born of heaven and earth, they possessed a natural fear of lightning that surpassed other elements.
Countless glaciers and endless snow-covered lands began to show signs of melting amidst the thunderous roars of the tribulation.
"With such a Heavenly Tribulation and such might, how many of my Snow Clan will suffer annihilation!" The ice slag beneath Xue Shen melted into snow water, glistening brightly under the sun.
"Heh, you were just willing to sacrifice billions of your own people to secure your Snow Clan's allegiance. Now, after only a few have died, you're lamenting the annihilation of all beings? Playing the saint after being a harlot, what a hypocrite," Liu Lang sneered, his gaze towards Xue Shen, who was now only an upper torso, devoid of any emotion.
Having experienced the betrayal of his closest kin, he understood Xue Hen's feelings at that moment. If he hadn't been afraid of Xue Hen overthinking it, he would have killed all those Snow Clan members on the spot.
"Can you... not let me go?!" Xue Shen looked up, seemingly surprised that Liu Lang had addressed her. She then looked at Liu Lang with a pleading tone.
"The birth of every king requires a stronger king to serve as his stepping stone. Only then can he stand taller and see further, and the hearts of the people can be more unified," Liu Lang said faintly, looking up at Xue Hen, who was constantly accepting the baptism of the thunder dragons in the void.
"Do you know why I didn't completely kill you earlier?"
"I didn't know before, but I know now," Xue Shen said with a bitter smile.
Liu Lang wanted her to witness the birth of the new king, to see his potential, and in doing so, indirectly acknowledge the new king's status and existence.
"Honestly, your Snow Clan is fortunate to have produced a Xue Hen. Otherwise, whether it be Futian or our Ten Directions, you would never see the glory of the past again!"
"Futian sets the Saint realm as a threshold. Once anyone surpasses the Saint realm, the majority of each race will be forcibly conscripted, and all of your Snow Clan would become 'slave livestock' for their empire."
"We have the Main God as a boundary. Any Main God must accept the supervision of our Great Emperor. But as long as you do not betray us, you will be free."
Liu Lang's words stunned Xue Shen. Having only recently emerged from her封禁 (fēngjìn - seal/confinement), she had a shallow understanding of the Ten Directions Empire or the Futian Empire. She thought the struggle for the Imperial Path was the same as in the past, but it seemed she had forgotten that the biggest variable in this Imperial Path struggle was the existence of the 'Heavenly Dao' game.
*Boom...*
For a full day and night, the Heavenly Tribulation gradually dissipated. An ice figure, completely covered in lightning, stood in the void.
Snowflakes began to fall again, passing through the lightning and his icy form, then transforming into mist that rose. This mist then turned back into snowflakes, falling into the lightning, repeating this cycle...
"This is... Perfection in the Law of Ice Crystals, Perfection in the Law of Weak Water, Mastery in the Law of Lightning? Intermediate-to-high stage of the Extreme Realm cultivation?"
This... this...
Xue Shen pointed at Xue Hen standing in the void. Her icy fingers, under the sunlight, shattered inch by inch, until they reached her chest, then her head...