Ju Zi nodded gently and said, “I should be responsible for this matter. I was the one who gave the order for the two soul engineer legions to attack the Dou Ling Empire. Accurate information can only be obtained from me. I can"t report such a military mission to the military supervisor either. That"s why the responsibility lies with me. All of you don"t have to say anything else. Since I mentioned that I"ll shoulder all the blame, I"ll do it. From a profit standpoint, punishing me alone can help to protect all of you, the pillar of the empire.”Ju Zi sounded very composed. However, how could all the soul engineers be composed when they heard her words? Suddenly, they all lowered their voices.
They were clearly aware of what kind of responsibility she had to bear for this matter. By attacking the Holy Ghost Church, it was equivalent to causing a revolt, even if it was justified! The punishment for a revolt was the extermination of nine generations of one"s clan. Yes! By taking the blame for everyone, Ju Zi was indeed minimizing all punishment. After all, she held such a respectable status in the empire.
This War G.o.d Empress was once an orphan saved by the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. Many people tried to scheme against him when he decided to marry her. An Empress without a proper background was disallowed in the imperial family.
If not for the fact that Xu Tianran ignored all the objections, Ju Zi wouldn"t have become the Empress. Right now, her lack of background was ideal. Because she was by herself, no matter how heavy the punishment was, she would be the only one punished.
However, she was the Empress! She was even the War G.o.d Empress. Even though she appeared very calm, how could the soul engineers be calm?
“We are willing to share the blame with you, Marshal. Even if we are killed, we will die without any regrets.” A soul engineer legion commander kneeled on the floor before kowtowing to her. This was a formality given only to an Emperor. As a legion commander, no one could make him kneel on both knees except for the Emperor.
With the first came the second. Very soon, the entire tent was full of people kneeling down.
Ju Zi kneeled too. Right now, she could no longer hold her cool. Her tears fell uncontrollably.
“Thank you, comrades, for your unity. However, I must accept responsibility myself. The empire cannot survive without all of you. I only have one small request right now. I hope all of you can agree to it.”
The oldest Cla.s.s 9 soul engineer lifted his head to look at her. His expression was very fierce, but it was filled with sincerity.
“Your Majesty, please tell us. We"ll do it as long as we can.” This soul engineer had already decided. At such a period of time, it was best for Ju Zi to bear the burden for everything herself. This was because she was likely to escape without punishment. After all, she had acc.u.mulated many merits. She might not die. As for them, they were doomed if they went to take the rap. The Holy Ghost Church and military law wouldn"t let them off.
Ju Zi said, “With your trust, I can die without regrets. However, the Crown Prince is too young. If I die, there"ll be another Empress in the future. I"m only asking for your help as a mother. Please protect the Crown Prince and let him grow up happily. Even if he can"t become the Emperor in the future, it"s fine. Everything is good as long as he"s safe.”
Right now, Ju Zi appeared very cowardly, and was even filled with fear and sorrow. But it was also right now that she could truly touch others. The invincible War G.o.d Empress revealed her soft side. Such an atmosphere was too much even for these iron-blooded soldiers.
Another Cla.s.s 9 soul engineer suddenly stood up and came to lift Ju Zi to her feet. “Marshal, we"ll always be on your side no matter what. You won"t die. No one will die. We control more than two-thirds the power of the empire. We…”
“Shut up.” The old soul engineer appeared furious, “Do you really want everyone to lose their life?”
They couldn"t continue after speaking until here. Ju Zi regained her composure and comforted all the generals before sending them back to rest. As for how they were going to settle this matter, they were going to follow the original plan. However, she had obtained what she wanted.
At times, putting herself in the soldiers" shoes was more important. By doing so, she could win them over. By winning them over, she could then win over the entire world!
Ju Zi took a solid step in the attainment of her target.
Huo Yuhao wasn"t aware of all this. In fact, he just reached his destination.
A thick snowy mountain was already within view. It was covered by fog, but the fog couldn"t stop Huo Yuhao anymore. Even if there were powerful soul beasts amidst the fog, he couldn"t be stopped.
Gentle spiritual power spread, and Huo Yuhao sensed everything around him. He was like a spectre as he silently ascended Clear Sky Peak.
At the top of the peak, Clear Sky Castle was still standing there as usual. Nothing seemed to have changed.
This was Huo Yuhao"s fourth time at the castle. Every time, he had a different feeling. He felt the best the first time. When he first came, he was well-treated by the two sect leaders. However, it was also here that he almost flattened the entire castle because of the Snow Empress" embryo.
What was most unforgettable in Huo Yuhao"s mind was that his teacher, Electrolux, had left him forever here.
w.a.n.g Dong"er was unconscious the second time, and he was the one who personally brought her back. Then, he was completely heartbroken. When he left that time, w.a.n.g Dong"er ceased to exist.
When he came for the third time, it was because he found out that w.a.n.g Dong"er had left.
This was the fourth time. It seemed like misfortune followed him every time he came. However, he had no choice if he wanted Tang Wutong to recover.
Huo Yuhao didn"t knock on the door when he arrived in front of the castle. He didn"t call anyone either. He only just kneeled down in front of the castle.
Not long afterward, the door to the castle opened, and Tai Tan walked out.
He didn"t say anything to Huo Yuhao. He only walked in front of him before giving him a kick. This kick threw Huo Yuhao far back.
Tai Tan used a lot of force with this kick. Huo Yuhao"s body was like a sh.e.l.l, and he was kicked all the way out of Clear Sky Peak.
Tai Tan was merciless. Huo Yuhao didn"t resist either. The tremendous pain almost crushed his second soul core .
He spat out mouthfuls of blood. However, he still appeared as relieved as he was earlier.
He returned to the peak and silently came in front of Tai Tan. He kneeled down once again. He didn"t say anything, and only lowered his head.
Tai Tan looked coldly at him. Of course, I don"t have to ask him anything. The only reason he"s here is because Wutong is in trouble, judging from his demeanor.
“Where is she?” Tai Tan asked.
Huo Yuhao recited a few incantations, opening the spectral door. Tang Wutong was sent out and presented in front of Tai Tan.
Tai Tan hugged Tang Wutong and returned to the castle. The door to the castle closed heavily, and a deep rumbling sound could be heard.
No one came out from the castle after Tai Tan entered. Huo Yuhao didn"t move either. He only kneeled there and waited silently.
He neither ate nor drank anything. For someone of his cultivation, he wouldn"t die even if he kneeled down for a few months. Furthermore, his injuries also gradually recovered under the effect of his twin soul cores. He only needed one day to heal completely. He didn"t even take any medicine.
He kneeled down properly, and felt much better doing so.
He had no intention of returning alive this time. If Tang Wutong couldn"t be treated, he would kill himself for her. If she could be treated, he had to see her again even if it was at the expense of death. This was why he was kneeling down, not only to atone for his sins. He was also kneeling down to wait for results. This time, he wouldn"t leave the peak no matter what happened. He was going to wait here until Tang Wutong was fine, or until she died.
He was no longer sad. This was because he treated her as part of himself. If she was well, he would be well, and the reverse was also true. If she was a part of him, what was there for him to be sad about?
Seven days and nights pa.s.sed just like this.
The cold caused a layer of frost to form on his body. Even when kneeling down, his soul power was still circulating silently. According to his estimates, his soul power should be around Rank 94 after the gains he had made during that big fight earlier, and after he formed his twin soul cores.
For normal t.i.tled Douluo, it was very difficult to improve further after crossing Rank 90. However, this wasn"t an issue for him. The foundation set by his twin soul cores was too good. His improvement didn"t stop at all. According to Elder Xuan, he would at least reach Rank 98 without facing any bottlenecks. Of course, it was also precisely because of this that he would face a life-and-death situation when he reached Rank 98 and wanted to make a breakthrough to Rank 99.
However, this wasn"t on Huo Yuhao"s mind right now. He had no desire to improve himself anymore. He only had one person on his mind.
Another seven days pa.s.sed. By now, fourteen days had pa.s.sed. Huo Yuhao had already grown a beard from kneeling there. He was even like an ice statute right now. His entire body was completely engulfed by a thick layer of frost.
When the fifteenth day arrived, the door to the castle finally opened. Tai Tan was still the one who walked out.
Tai Tan appeared very grim. When he walked out, Huo Yuhao immediately reacted. He subconsciously lifted his head, and the ice cracked.
Tai Tan kicked him once again. However, it was much softer this time. At least Huo Yuhao wasn"t hurt this time.
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