"You really won't consider taking action against me?" The emperor looked at Chen Qing with a strange expression, seemingly filled with doubt and a test, but wasn't this test a bit too crude?
Chen Qing was speechless for a moment. Shouldn't he be relieved that he hadn't made a move at this point?
"Does His Majesty wish me to take action?" Chen Qing asked.
"I don't want to," the emperor shook his head. "Even in my prime, I was extremely wary of your abilities just now. In my current state, I really don't want to clash with you head-on."
"If that's the case, why does Your Majesty still ask?"
"If you don't take action, I won't do anything even if I ask. But if you do take action, I can't fake my death even if I pretend to be dead, can I?"
"Your Majesty is truly frank with his subjects," Chen Qing said, shaking his head with amusement.
"Since I am so open and honest, can Your King of Qin be any more so?"
Chen Qing looked at the other party, remained silent for a few moments, and then said directly, "I can't make a move. If I could, Kagura wouldn't have let it go, and neither would His Majesty. How could I miss such a good opportunity if I could make a move?"
"That's the truth." The emperor nodded. "It seems your power isn't something you can control at will."
"What exactly does His Majesty want to say?" Chen Qing asked, puzzled. Surely, this probing wasn't a prelude to a potential attack on him?
If it were me, I wouldn't mind swallowing the other person whole.
"I wish to cooperate with you."
"Cooperation?" Chen Qing found it strange, mainly because the other party had acted so domineeringly, had already reached an agreement with King Xiang, had the strongest Ghost Army to assist them, and was even blessed by the world's fortune, yet they actually chose to cooperate with him?
"You don't want to?"
"It's not that I'm unwilling." Chen Qing quickly shook his head. Of course, it would be good to cooperate. His position in Jiangnan is in a standoff between the north and south, and his military strength is quite tight. Especially in this wave, after that guy King of Qin goes back, the East Sea forces are likely to rise within a few years. The four seas are connected. If they come looking for us then, we will be facing enemies on three sides. Even with Jiangnan's current military strength, it will be difficult to cope.
Moreover, that King of Qin possesses Bai Hua's forbidden abilities. Although I am immune to them, others are not. If the East Sea attacks, I and Ziyue must send one of us to confront them. No, I and Ziyue probably both need to be there. Otherwise, relying solely on Xu Hu, we might be able to have our commander replaced by the enemy.
The key issue is that the people on the other two sides are no pushovers either. There's Kagura, and the two siblings from the Xiao Household. If Heavenly Capital, Xu Hu wouldn't be able to hold out no matter which side he defends.
The Kagura with Kagura has already soured, and it's bound to be a fight to the death. I am also a mortal enemy of the King of Qin, so there's no way we can cooperate.
Looking back now, I realize that cooperating with the emperor would have relieved a great deal of pressure.
It's good, but...
"May I ask why?" Chen Qing asked, puzzled.
The emperor looked at Chen Qing, but did not answer the question immediately. Instead, he asked curiously, "I am very curious. You have clearly established your own kingdom, yet you always treat me with the respect due to a subject. Why is that?"
If this is just modesty, isn't it going a bit too far?
Chen Qing knew that the other party would ask this question sooner or later, so he sighed and said, "I am the King of Qin, appointed by His Majesty, so naturally I must perform the duties of a subject. This is a threshold that I cannot cross."
"I see." The emperor nodded. "I suppose your ability to bestow divine titles requires the court's approval, right?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Chen Qing said with a wry smile.
"If I were to revoke your title of King of Qin and declare you a traitor, would your spirits still be there?"
"Yes," Chen Qing said frankly, looking directly into the other person's eyes.
"That's interesting. What are the restrictions I place on you?" the emperor asked curiously.
"If Your Majesty dies, I can freely occupy any place in this world and arbitrarily bestow titles upon any deity in the world. But if Your Majesty is alive, at least in the capital, your subjects cannot offend you."
"You're quite honest," the emperor laughed immediately. "So, it seems that my decision to appoint you as the King of Qin was like raising a tiger that will eventually cause trouble."
The title of King of King of Qin was the highest in history. In previous dynasties, the King of Qin even had the ability to succeed to the throne. If the royal family did not have a suitable heir, the King of Qin of Qin would be the most suitable successor. Therefore, the bestowal of the title of King of Qin of Qin by successive dynasties was extremely cautious.
He himself had bestowed the title of Chen Qing upon King of Qin Chen, making Chen Qing the most powerful maternal relative besides himself. It seems that the special ability of the other party to bestow divine titles is related to the size of the official position conferred by the court.
That's really an interesting ability.
"So you want me dead? But you can't come in person, can you?"
"That makes sense." Chen Qing nodded. Originally, this secret shouldn't have been told to the emperor, but now that they were going to cooperate, this secret could actually serve as reassurance.
"Even if what you say is true," the emperor said with a smile.
"Shouldn't Your Majesty answer my question?"
The emperor nodded. "After this battle, I suddenly understand that the difficulty of revitalizing the human race is greater than I thought, and my enemies are more terrifying than I thought. I don't know why you, in creating this world, have imposed so many hardships on the human race, when everything about the human race was created according to your own inherent characteristics."
"When we created this place, we never imagined it would be our final resting place." Chen Qing said with a wry smile, "If we had known earlier, we wouldn't have done such a thankless task."
"Is that so?" the emperor laughed. "So this is retribution?"
"I guess so."
"Now that you say that, I feel much more at ease."
Chen Qing: "."
"I am not confident."
Chen Qing was taken aback. He hadn't expected the other person to say something like that; it didn't seem to fit his persona at all.
"What kind of expression is that?" the emperor said with amusement. "I'm not one-track-minded. Do you think I have to say that my true imperial nature is to destroy demons and revitalize humanity?"
"No, that's not it. It's just that His Majesty's sentimental tone feels different from before."
"We used to be enemies, but now, at least for the time being, we're allies, aren't we?"
"Your Majesty formed an alliance because you weren't confident?" Chen Qing asked doubtfully.
"Yes," the emperor nodded. "My ambition is to fight for a future for humanity, a future where we don't have to worry about food and drink. The King of Qin couldn't give me that future, so I betrayed him and took matters into my own hands. I was initially very confident, but after this battle, I realized that the road ahead is fraught with difficulties. I have committed too many atrocities for this goal, and I have driven half the population of the country to your side. Perhaps, in terms of public sentiment, you are more suitable to be the emperor than I am."
"His Majesty."
The emperor waved his hand, interrupting Chen Qing, and continued, "I do not mean to back down. I will not turn back, no matter how history judges me, no matter how I am condemned to eternal damnation, I will not turn back. One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. I do not deny that I am selfish, for the sake of the country and for my own sake, but I want to leave a way out for the human race."
He then looked at Chen Qing and said, "I have observed you for a long time. You are more sincere than the King of Qin King of Qin, and you are more like a human being. I want to entrust the future of the human race to you!"
Chen Qing stared blankly at the other person, not expecting them to be so open and honest, nor did he expect the significance of their alliance to be like this.
A multitude of plans flashed through my mind, yet they all felt utterly pointless.
"The first thing I will do upon my return is to dispatch a large army to drive all the people from the Northern Lands and the four cities outside the capital to your territory. Most of them are not suitable to become Ghost Army, nor can they become Ghost Army, but I know that if I do anything more, they will eventually become evil spirits themselves."
"And then?" Chen Qing looked at the other person.
"Then I will personally lead an expedition to the Northern Lands!" the emperor exclaimed, taking a deep breath. "Those high and mighty Reincarnator, it's time for them to face a backlash!"