"So you are Old Ancestor Jiang Li. This unworthy descendant pays his respects to Old Ancestor Jiang Li." Jiang Clan Leader was stunned by Jiang Li's appearance. Recalling the grand theories about "Faith Power" he had spouted at Yuan Wu Xing's house earlier, his face burned with embarrassment. But he quickly reacted, cast aside his shame, and bowed until his head touched the ground.
Jiang Li smiled without speaking.
"Old Ancestor often reminisced about the childhood he spent with you, saying those were the happiest days of his life. He also said you were kind-hearted, that whenever you saw poor families, you would give them money to help them through their hardship."
"Old Ancestor said that in his youth, he was reckless and unable to distinguish right from wrong, and that he once caused you trouble. Whenever he recalled it now, he felt incomparably ashamed. How he wished he could say sorry to your face! But Old Ancestor's talent was limited, and he feared he would not live until the day he saw you again. And you regarded all under heaven as your own, passing by your household without entering. Seeing you even once was simply far, far too difficult!"
"Tormented by inner demons, Old Ancestor carelessly fell into the Demonic Path, extending his lifespan through opportunistic tricks!"
Jiang Clan Leader wept until tears and snot streamed down his face. His words were heartfelt and sincere, and by the look of it, he would have gladly torn out his heart and lungs for Jiang Li to inspect. The onlookers were also moved by his tone. They felt that Jiang Yixing's cultivation of the Demonic Path was understandable, perhaps even forgivable. Since ancient times, public duty and private feelings had been hard to reconcile. Human Emperor Jiang took all living beings as his responsibility and naturally had less concern for his Lineage. That was unavoidable.
What a pity Jiang Yixing never even had the chance to say, "Sorry."
Yuan Wu Xing wore a strange expression, feeling that this scene seemed oddly familiar.
"Our Jiang Family are not only descendants of Old Ancestor Jiang Yixing, but also your descendants. With an elder serving as Human Emperor, we juniors would never dare tarnish your name. Aside from Old Ancestor falling into the Demonic Path, we have never done anything that harmed heaven or defied reason. Our Jiang Family has also worked hard to make friends far and wide and gather wealth from all directions, using connections and funds to pave the way for building the city. We turned Green City into a great city—something everyone in Green City has witnessed!"
The people of Green City secretly nodded. They had heard from their elders that Green City's present scale was inseparable from the Jiang Family's efforts.
Though Green City had once been called a city, it had merely brushed against the threshold of one. Most people did not acknowledge it at all. What kind of city did not even have a single Golden Core Cultivator?
Back then, whenever people from other places argued with Green City residents, they would often call them country bumpkins, uncivilized and lacking in refinement.
But now, Green City was one of Tianqing Prefecture's foremost great cities. When Green City residents walked outside, they held their heads high, and whoever saw them would say, "People of Green City? Impressive!"
"We regard ourselves as part of the Human Emperor Palace, holding ourselves to its standards at all times. We ask only that the Human Emperor Palace—and you—acknowledge that our Jiang Family has not brought shame upon the Human Emperor Palace!"
"Old Ancestor Jiang Li, this unworthy descendant asks on behalf of the Jiang Family: may we join the Human Emperor Palace?"
Jiang Clan Leader raised his head to gaze up at Jiang Li, his eyes filled with longing. The surrounding crowd silently urged him on in their hearts, wishing they could take Jiang Li's place and say, "You may."
Jiang Li nodded lightly. "Dream on."
"The Human Emperor Palace displays the Seventy-Two Human Emperor Sages. Not a single one of them placed their Lineage's forces within the Human Emperor Palace, much less allowed an entire Lineage to join it. What virtue or ability do I, Jiang Li, possess to let the Jiang Family enter the Human Emperor Palace?"
"But you are the strongest Human Emperor. If you set a precedent, no one would say anything." Jiang Clan Leader hurriedly replied.
The people around them secretly nodded. Indeed, as the strongest person in the Nine Provinces, Human Emperor Jiang had never been overbearing or acted with reckless abandon. If anything, he was almost excessively well-behaved. Forget Tribulation Transcendence cultivators—even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators far more arrogant than Human Emperor Jiang were everywhere. They violated laws and customs whenever they pleased: snatching away brides on their wedding day, carrying out frenzied robberies after auctions, even claiming that this was the privilege of the strong.
If Human Emperor Jiang wished to bring the Jiang Family into the Human Emperor Palace, people would probably only laugh it off and would not object.
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Human Emperor Jiang, not everyone in the Jiang Family is bad!"
The moment those words were spoken, they stirred up a thousand waves. People began shouting, "Let the Jiang Family join the Human Emperor Palace!" The people of Green City shouted the fiercest of all.
The parents who had lost their children opposed it, but their voices seemed far, far too small at that moment.
Some parents furiously questioned those around them, "The Jiang Family devoured children to cultivate the Demonic Path. What right does such a Lineage have to enter the Human Emperor Palace?"
The person being questioned answered disdainfully, "Leaving aside how Old Ancestor Jiang Yixing valued loyalty and righteousness and was merely blinded for a moment, look at what the Jiang Family has done over the past three hundred years. Green City expanded, the people lived and worked in peace, its cultural atmosphere flourished, and even its spiritual energy surpassed other places by no small amount. Who knew how many cultivators had benefited? Were such merits not enough to make up for the crime of cultivating the Demonic Path? Do you people have no sense of the collective at all?"
The parents were left speechless, unable to think of a rebuttal.
Such conversations were taking place in many places, and without exception, Jiang Li heard every one of them.
Jiang Li floated to a height of thirty meters above the ground and called out with spiritual power, ensuring that everyone present could hear him.
Jiang Li smiled and said, "I heard everything you said. Very good, very well said—especially that line, 'Were such merits not enough to make up for the crime of cultivating the Demonic Path?' Setting aside the content, it was quite logical."
The person who had spoken earlier curled up the corners of his mouth and puffed out his chest. Being praised by the Human Emperor was an honor for a lifetime. He had also been the first to shout that the Jiang Family should enter the Human Emperor Palace. But Jiang Li's next words quickly wiped the smile from his face.
"I never thought I would hear such arguments in my lifetime. Brother Ji, I propose that Great Zhou add an Intelligence Tax to replenish the national treasury."
Zhou Emperor Ji Zhi nodded in agreement. "Brother Jiang speaks reasonably. This matter should be placed on the agenda for the Three Dukes to discuss."
The man's face flushed crimson as he argued, "Rewards and punishments should be clear, merits and faults should offset each other. What is wrong with that?"
Whether merits and faults could offset one another had always been a contentious question. The man did not believe Jiang Li could answer it.
Others might have found this matter difficult to answer, but to Jiang Li, it was effortless.
A murderous aura swept across the entire scene like a violent storm, piercing people until their bones felt icy cold. With a slight thought from Jiang Li, an invisible force seized the man by his collar and dragged him before Jiang Li.
Jiang Li clutched the man's throat and smiled coldly. "I stopped Extraterrestrial Demon invasions three times and saved the Nine Provinces three times. In other words, you are alive today in no small part because of my merit. Since that is the case, it would also be perfectly normal for me to massacre all of you! No one should have any grievance!"
"Let... let me go..." The man could not break free and struggled wildly.
"Why? I saved you three times, so why can't you peacefully let me kill you? Why do you have no collective consciousness at all? Killing you would make me very happy. Why do you not have even the slightest spirit of sacrifice?" Jiang Li remained unmoved. There was not a trace of mercy in his gaze, only endless arrogance and cruelty!
"Let... let me go..." The man regretted it beyond measure.
He felt that the legends were true. Before ascending the throne, Human Emperor Jiang might truly have fought an Extraterrestrial Demon, causing the horrific deaths of an entire city, leaving not even bones behind!
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