Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1056: The Public Confession

The dust continued to swirl through the ruined southern entrance while the heavy silence pressing down on the Solaria capital felt thick enough to suffocate a person. The royal army continued to stand frozen in place under the overwhelming suppression of Zhan Chen standing high in the sky. Their polished armor gleamed in the light but their hands trembled as King Aldous gathered his breath."What are you doing?!" King Aldous bellowed with a voice that carried across the sky. "You barge into my domain and destroy our ancient gates without a single word of warning! What could we have possibly done to warrant such unprovoked hostility?"

Zhan Chen floated above the broken walls and looked at the king with a cold and calculating gaze.

"You know exactly what you have done to me!" Zhan Chen roared back while his voice echoed like thunder across the grand avenues. "It is now time to pay back all the evil you have inflicted upon this world. Today, I act as the divine judge and the executioner for all of those who have been wronged by your corrupt hands!"

The words rang out clearly for the tens of thousands of terrified soldiers and the fleeing citizens to hear. Zhan Chen raised his hand and pointed a finger directly at the king wearing the golden armor.

"I will grant you one single chance at survival," Zhan Chen declared with a fierce tone. "Unless you beg for mercy right now and publicly apologize for what you have done to me, I will see this kingdom reduced to ash."

King Aldous was taken aback by the strange ultimatum. He stared at the hovering expert and his mind raced through decades of royal decrees and secret operations. He could clearly see that this person was vastly stronger than him and possessed a sturdy Sovereign foundation. But the king had no idea what this man could be referring to. He did not recognize the face, aura or anything else.

‘How did we anger such a man?’ The king thought to himself.

Of course, Zhan Chen was only talking to create a scene. The Solaria Kingdom had not done anything to him or the Zhan Clan at all. But barging in and making a grand accusation was the easiest way to force a reaction. By saying the king could apologize and this conflict could end, Zhan Chen gave the ruler a public way out even though the chances were slim he would.

The king on the other hand truly did not know what the man was talking about because the royal family had done too many vile things in the shadows to keep track of every single victim. What reigning kingdom did not have blood soaking the stones of their foundation? He needed to stall for time and figure out how to handle this threat though.

"Calm your rage and let us speak like civilized people," King Aldous suggested while taking a metaphorical step back. "All things can be discussed and proper compensation can be arranged if a true wrong has occurred."

The king was clearly trying to deescalate the situation because the invader was simply too strong to fight directly without preparation. What other person could destroy the main south gate and a large portion of the fortified wall and still be allowed to negotiate? Any lesser cultivator would have been instantly slaughtered by the royal guards or the king himself.

"Nonsense!" Zhan Chen shouted and dismissed the diplomatic offering with a wave of his hand. "I do not want your dirty wealth or your hollow promises. I am giving you a few short moments to decide your fate or I will level this entire kingdom into the dirt."

Zhan Chen then shifted his gaze past the trembling army and looked toward the inner city streets where countless people and low level cultivators resided.

"Anyone who does not want to be caught up in this divine judgment should run and hide right now!" Zhan Chen projected his voice so it reached every corner of the capital now. "I will slaughter the entire royal family and burn this kingdom to the ground. Only then will my rage be satisfied! Leave now or forever be buried here!"

The threat hung heavy in the air before Zhan Chen offered his final condition.

"That is your fate unless the royal family gathers before me right now," Zhan Chen demanded while crossing his arms over his chest. "They must all bow to me on the ground and apologize for what they did to me for all to see. If you confess your sins to the public, atone for your wrong doings by doing good for the citizens of your kingdom, then I will let you live and I will leave this place never to come back. Now decide!"

King Aldous fell silent and his mind worked furiously. The people standing in the streets were not sure what their ruler was going to choose. The soldiers and troops serving the kingdom were terrified beyond rational thought and useless. This invading expert was unfathomably strong and looked like he really would kill everyone without hesitation. He destroyed the gate and the wall section right away upon arriving. He clearly feared nothing within their borders.

Panic erupted across the civilian districts as the citizens gathered their children and their most precious belongings while rushing toward the narrow alleys and the underground cellars. Thousands of people tried to flee the city through the northern and eastern gates to escape the impending slaughter as well. Zhan Chen did not care who might have made it out or not, his only goal today was to eliminate most of the core. The rest would become useless once the Zhan Clan established a real hold on this realm anyways..

Zhan Chen watched the chaotic scramble from the sky and Li Yu watched from his position on the dirt road.

Li Yu’s unique instincts already told him everything he needed to know now that the people from the royal family had come out. The royal family had done many terrible things, that much was clear. Li Yu could almost physically feel the thick black sludge of bad karma radiating from them.

The princes and princesses hovering near the back of the formation carried quite a bit of sin on their shoulders but their dark auras were nothing compared to their father. King Aldous was practically drowning in a vortex of concentrated malice and cruelty that looked like he was hiding it beneath his shining golden armor. The pristine public image of the Solaria Kingdom was a lie just as they had suspected.

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It was at this exact moment that several grand shapes broke through the distant clouds.

A fleet of large battleships flew from the West where the Kingdom of Lunaris resided. The imposing vessels were constructed from dark wood and reinforced with silver plating. Grand sails caught the wind while heavy spiritual cannons bristled along the decks. They had come to attack the Solaria capital as well.

Just a day ago, a tense meeting had taken place in the court of the Lunaris Kingdom. Princess Lena and Grandmaster Orion stood before the royal throne and recounted the chaotic events that unfolded in Oakhaven. They told the king about the death of Prince Darian and they explained the bold plan proposed by the young cultivator named Li Yu.

King Sterling sat on his throne while wearing robes woven from the finest silver threads. He listened to the tale and found the black robed youth to be an interesting character. It was rare for a wandering expert to actively want to help their kingdom shoulder a political burden without asking for immense wealth in return.

After intense discussions within the royal court and receiving fresh intelligence that the Solaria Kingdom was preparing to declare war, King Sterling made a decisive choice himself. The Solaria King was already demanding an absurd amount of resources as tribute for the death of his son and he was rallying his armies to march on their borders. The Lunaris court decided it was much better for them to take the initiative in battle rather than wait to be besieged. They gathered their elite forces and had launched a preemptive strike.

As the royal fleet navigated the sky and approached the target, their forward scouts rushed back to the main command deck. The scouts reported that someone was already attacking the capital gates and causing widespread destruction as well as panic.

King Sterling and his commanders assumed it was Li Yu fulfilling his promise of creating chaos. They all thought the young man was genuinely insane to follow through with his words and assault a fortified city alone. He really was doing what he said he would do but they could not fathom what strategy or what he was counting on to survive the royal retaliation.

When the fleet finally arrived over the neutral plains and saw the smoking ruins of the southern entrance, Princess Lena leaned over the wooden railing of the command ship and narrowed her eyes.

"That is not Li Yu hovering in the air," Princess Lena said while pointing toward the golden figure projecting the Sovereign pressure. "Li Yu is standing right there on the dirt road with his two followers. Is that another powerful expert that he was relying on for this assault? Just who exactly is this person that commands someone like that to fight his battles?"

Grandmaster Orion stood beside the princess and stared at Zhan Chen. The older expert felt a cold sweat form on the back of his neck as he analyzed the golden Qi.

"The person floating in the air is far stronger than I am," Orion admitted with a grave tone. "We stand in the same Sovereign realm but his foundation is much deeper and infinitely more violent. Where do these people keep coming from?"

King Sterling gripped the hilt of his sword and looked at the terrified Solaria army trapped below.

"It does not matter who he is right now," King Sterling declared while his eyes gleamed with tactical ambition. "This is a perfect scenario for our forces. Their defensive arrays are broken and their soldiers are suppressed. They have another person at the Sovereign level that is attacking them. Now is the time to strike while they are vulnerable."

Back at the ruined gates, Zhan Chen noticed the approaching ships flying the silver crescent moon banners. He saw the grand fleet and immediately recognized an opportunity to push his psychological warfare even further. Zhan Chen roared loudly again and gestured toward the descending battleships.

"Divine judgment has arrived in full force!" Zhan Chen announced to the trembling citizens. "Another noble force that you have deeply hurt is here to claim your blood as well. The heavens are aligning to ensure your destruction today. Now is your very last chance for redemption!"

Zhan Chen pointed his glowing fist at King Aldous.

"Admit your sins to the world and bow your heads on the ground," Zhan Chen demanded once more. "If you confess, I will stop my assault and I will hold the other forces back as well. You can save your people if you just speak the truth."

Standing on the deck of the command ship, King Sterling, Princess Lena and Grandmaster Orion were stunned by the booming declaration. They exchanged confused glances with one another.

‘Was this supreme expert really going to let the corrupt royal family go free if they simply admitted their sins out loud?’ They all thought at the same time.

Down on the dirt road, Li Yu crossed his arms and watched the spectacle his cousin was putting on unfold. He knew his cousin extremely well by this point. Li Yu knew Zhan Chen was definitely not going to let these corrupt rulers walk away while still breathing. But he found himself wondering why his cousin was pushing for them to make a public confession so aggressively.

'Could it be that he wants to destroy their pristine legacy before he destroys their physical bodies? If he just kills them, the people might view the royal family as tragic martyrs who died defending their home. But if he forces them to confess their vile crimes in front of their own citizens to save their own skin, they will die as disgraced cowards.' Li Yu thought to himself as a possible answer but he didn’t really know.

King Aldous realized his back was pushed firmly against a wall. He had a terrifying Sovereign expert threatening him from the front and a rival fleet with another Sovereign at his side. However, he gritted his teeth and refused to kneel. He would rather see the city burn than bow to an unknown enemy that was acting in such a way.

Just as the king prepared to order his troops to fight to the death, a huge aura erupted from the very center of the capital.

The ground beneath the paved streets shook violently while all the intricate arrays and grand formations of the inner city flared into vibrant life. A pillar of scorching red light shot into the sky and dispersed the afternoon clouds as the searing heat caused the air to shimmer while a figure slowly rose from the royal pavilion.

It was their supreme protector, Ancestor Aethon.

The ancient expert wore flowing robes the color of liquid magma and his eyes burned with actual fire. He projected a Sovereign aura that clashed fiercely against the pressure exerted by Zhan Chen. The collision of the two supreme forces created violent shockwaves that cracked the surrounding stone buildings and sent loose tiles crashing into the alleys.

Ancestor Aethon hovered high above his descendant and glared at the invader.

"Do not think you can do as you please here you arrogant little brat!" Ancestor Aethon yelled loudly while his voice echoed with the crackle of a raging inferno. "You dare to demand that my bloodline bow to you in the dirt? I am ready to face you all and burn your bones into ash!"

The soldiers felt the oppressive weight lift slightly as their ancestor took the field. They let out a unified battle cry and raised their weapons toward the sky to cheer him on. They still had no intentions of going after Zhan Chen but they could at least show their support to a force on their side that they thought could match him. The final confrontation had officially begun and the Solaria Kingdom refused to go down without a fight.