Clasping hands, the Giant Ghost King bowed excitedly.
“Thank you, Saint-Emperor!” When he rose from his bow, he somehow seemed different from before. As of this moment, he now had a foundation in the Eternal Lands. He was no longer a roving rogue cultivator, and would no longer be in a constant state of deadly crisis. It was exactly as he had discussed at the outset with Bai Xiaochun!
Bai Xiaochun was also very excited. When he saw that the Giant Ghost King had been given an entire prefecture, he couldn’t help but wonder what his own reward would be, considering the greater nature of his role in the events.
With that, the Saint-Emperor looked at Bai Xiaochun, eyes flickering slightly as he said, “Bai Xiaochun, hear my decree!”
Bai Xiaochun put an extremely respectful expression onto his face. He knew when to bow his head at the proper time, and this was one of them. It was no loss of face to do so when reaching one's goal.
“Bai Xiaochun has performed a great service. He is someone of extremely high standing from the Heavenspan Realm, a person of such renown and prestige that none can compare to him!
“Henceforth, Bai Xiaochun shall be conferred with the title… Duke Heavenspan!
“In the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, only celestials may claim the title of king. Under the kings are the dukes. Therefore, Duke Heavenspan shall be the leader of many people, second only to a king!
“Bequeath him with a blessed land within Saint-Emperor City, a single dragonfish from the celestial pond, a ducal robe, and a seven-colored, jeweled belt!” As the Saint-Emperor’s words echoed out, very serious expressions could be seen on the faces of the surrounding aristocracy.
It was a very impressive reward. Not only was Bai Xiaochun being named Duke Heavenspan, he was also being given a blessed land, as well as a dragonfish. The ducal robe was a magical item, and the seven-colored belt would ensure that he didn’t feel any pressure from the spirit automaton that controlled the imperial palace.
All of it seemed very impressive, and yet in the end… it was an empty reward!
The truth was that Bai Xiaochun really was in a very unique position. The Saint-Emperor had seen fit to give the Giant Ghost King an entire prefecture, but that wasn't a possibility with Bai Xiaochun. The Saint-Emperor didn’t want to give the people of Heavenspan an actual location to build a power base!
His goal was to absorb the Heavenspan cultivators into the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. Obviously, it wouldn’t make sense to give Bai Xiaochun, the Arch-Ancestor, any substantial level of power!
He wanted Bai Xiaochun to stay in Saint-Emperor City and not cause any trouble. At best, he could be a figurehead. Later on, after all of the people of Heavenspan had been successfully absorbed into the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, Bai Xiaochun’s usefulness would end, and he could be disposed of if necessary.
The truth was that, even if Bai Xiaochun hadn’t brought his blood tribute, his reward would have been the same. Although the Saint-Emperor was pleased that Ghostmother had been brought to him, inside he was really just sighing in regret.
After all, everyone would be paying close attention to what happened as a result, including the officials in his own dynasty, as well as people from the Vile-Emperor Dynasty. Considering the enormous value of the gift, the Saint-Emperor had to offer some sort of reward. And that was why he had given a prefecture and preceptorship to the Giant Ghost King.
Normally speaking, he would never have given the people of Heavenspan even the slightest chance to do things on their own.
“I’ll just wait until the time is right and come up with an excuse to strip this Giant Ghost of his title.” Although the Saint-Emperor was chuckling coldly in his heart, his gaze when he looked at Bai Xiaochun was one of deep warmth.
“This is your first time in Saint-Emperor City, Duke Heavenspan, I’m sure it will take you a bit of time to settle in. You don’t need to worry for a moment about the Heavenspan Realm or your people. I’ll take care of everything!
“Surely you’re tired from all the travel, Duke Heavenspan, so please feel free to go take a rest. From now on, you can focus peacefully on your cultivation. I’m sure you’ll achieve a breakthrough soon. Once you’re a celestial, I’ll be more than happy to give you the title of king!”
As the Saint-Emperor spoke, cold gleams could be seen in the somber faces of the crowd. By this point, even Bai Xiaochun could tell that the reward he was being given was mostly a sham.
Of course, he and the Giant Ghost King had conferred with each other along the way, and had guessed that something like this might happen. And in the end, despite their faint hope, it turned out that the Saint-Emperor’s plans for them weren’t too different than the Vile-Emperor’s.
He just went about things differently.
“I bet that without the blood tribute, though, the Giant Ghost King would not have been given a prefecture!” As of now, Bai Xiaochun was absolutely convinced these two emperors were weasels from the same nest.
“One is vicious, the other is a hypocrite….” he thought, smiling faintly. Although he was a bit disappointed, he wasn’t too surprised. After all, there was one thing the Saint-Emperor had said that was absolutely correct.
“I’m definitely going to achieve a cultivation breakthrough soon!”
He clasped hands and bowed to the Saint-Emperor, and was just about to say his farewells to the Giant Ghost King, when all of a sudden, Heavenly Marquis Liu shouted, “Your Majesty the Saint-Emperor, you absolutely must not allow Bai Xiaochun to remain within Saint-Emperor City. It will put us all in grave danger!”
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Chapter
1057: Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You!
Chapter 1057: Dont Say I Didnt Warn You!
From the tightness of Heavenly Marquis Liu’s voice, he seemed extremely nervous. His words almost came out as a scream. In response, the thousands of court officials looked over at him with frowns on their faces.
Bai Xiaochun stopped in place and blinked a few times. As for the Giant Ghost King, his eyes shone with anticipation.
“So, the fellow finally speaks some truth!” Actually, the Giant Ghost King hoped that Heavenly Marquis Liu would convince the Saint-Emperor to change his mind. If Bai Xiaochun were able to avoid being confined in Saint-Emperor City, it would be much more beneficial to their cause.
For the first time, Bai Xiaochun wasn't very annoyed by Heavenly Marquis Liu, and actually looked forward to what he was about to say. He was even secretly cheering him on.
Although the Saint-Emperor wasn’t very pleased, he masked such feelings and turned his warm gaze onto Heavenly Marquis Liu.
“My dear Minister Liu. What exactly do you mean?”
Having received the nod of approval from the Saint-Emperor, Heavenly Marquis Liu bowed excitedly, and then spoke out in a much louder voice.
“Your Majesty, you have no idea the kinds of things this Bai Xiaochun did in the Heavenspan Realm. Sir, it didn't matter where he went, he would always cause a massive disaster, and wreak the cruelest of torments upon the people there!
“He toyed with the Spirit Stream Sect, toyed with the Blood Stream Sect, and toyed with the River-Defying Sect to no end! Later, he ended up in the Wildlands, where he shook down clans, stole wives, and accumulated a list of 100 major crimes! Afterward, he nearly destroyed the entire Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect. Voices of discontent could be heard everywhere! Men and gods alike were outraged!” Heavenly Marquis Liu was clearly very worked up, and actually had a lot more to say. But by this point, the gathered officials had begun to laugh openly.