Chapter 523: Chapter 231 The Secret of the Square-Inch_2

    “`

    As his voice fell, the White Tiger let out a cold laugh and said,

    “We from the Netherworld certainly won’t break the rules, as long as you agree to hand over the territories of Tai and Luo, along with the three provinces of the Southern Territories, a total of five provinces, to the jurisdiction of the Netherworld.

    Within these five provinces, the incense offering faith need not be transmitted to the Imperial Capital, but can directly flow into Fengdu City.

    The Netherworld will have the authority to appoint and dismiss over a hundred City God positions within these five provinces, and Great Xia’s Imperial Court must not interfere in any way.

    In addition to that, the incense offering faith of Ming and Yang provinces shall also belong to the Netherworld.”

    Upon hearing these words, even the ministers and nobles who had been maintaining their composure could no longer sit still.

    “What does the Netherworld mean by this?”

    “The positions of City Gods in Great Xia, how could they be determined by the Netherworld?”

    “Seven provinces of incense offering faith, the positions of hundreds of City Gods within five provinces—the Netherworld sure has a big appetite.”

    Even more people turned their gazes towards Xia Yunqiu, speaking out bluntly,

    “I’ve said it before, with Xia Yunqiu pushed forward by the Netherworld, she will definitely disregard the interests of the Imperial Court!”

    “This is selling the country for glory, outright betrayal!”

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    “You dishonor your status as a princess, dishonor the blood of the Hoe family of Heaven Traversing Sect.”

    The conference was set ablaze by the terms laid out by the White Tiger.

    Even the 3 Dukes and 9 Ministers had anger filling their faces, wishing they could get up and leave the conference at once.

    The White Tiger leaned back in his chair, his voice full of pride and the power of the Yin God spreading through the room, completely suppressing the chaotic noise of the uproar.

    “This is the promise your Emperor made to the Netherworld, swearing on the dynasty’s fate isn’t something that can be faked.

    With such an attitude, are you trying to deny Emperor Xia’s oath?”

    At these words, all the ministers and nobles exhibited shock.

    “This is a promise the Emperor made to the Netherworld?”

    “Impossible, absolutely impossible!”

    The attendees, closely connected to the fates of the Great Xia Dynasty, attempted to refute the absurd claims of the White Tiger by invoking the dynasty’s fate the moment his words were spoken.

    But as the feedback from the dynasty’s fate reached them, everyone was stunned.

    The fluctuations in the dynasty’s fate confirmed the truth of the White Tiger’s words.

    The great Great Xia Emperor, in order to form an alliance with the Netherworld, had truly given up the incense offering faith and the positions of the City Gods for a vast seven provinces.

    Furthermore, Emperor Xia had sworn on the dynasty’s fate, disregarding the face of Great Xia.

    This was unprecedented in the three thousand years since Great Xia’s establishment.

    Although what was exchanged was the incense offering faith and control over the Netherworld’s incense offering magic domains, not actual territory,

    everyone knew that with the resurgence of the Spirit Energy Tidal Surge, all manners of creatures within the Spirit Energy would undergo earth-shattering changes.

    Demons and supernatural beings would gradually integrate into society, and to maintain societal stability, using the incense offering magic domain to suppress these beings was the best choice.

    The control over the City God positions and incense offering magic domains also meant control over the present world.

    Conceding so many City God positions and incense offering faith was almost tantamount to territorial concession.

    First, there were actions that destroyed the rites and regulations of the human world in the imperial court, with Xia Yunqiu presiding over the ceremonies. Then, there was the division of the land of the Yin World, all for an alliance with the Netherworld.

    All these absurd events refreshed all the court officials’ perception of Emperor Xia.

    “What in the world does the Emperor want to do?”

    “A foolish ruler, truly a foolish ruler!”

    Even the high-ranking officials of the court, who were supportive of the royal power, had their hearts chilled by the promises made by Emperor Xia.

    For the various factions in the court, the upright officials did not wish to see Great Xia’s territories split and naturally held opposing views.

    Those treacherous officials seeking benefits certainly did not want to see the Netherworld take over the positions of the City Gods in the five provinces.

    The resources of Great Xia were limited to begin with, and various noble families had long coveted the City God positions. Now with the Netherworld taking away nearly a third of the benefits in one go, the families who were beneficiaries naturally were not willing to comply.

    The court’s high officials fell collectively silent, while the smile on the White Tiger’s face grew even thicker.

    “`

    “It seems that none of you have any objections to the promises made by Emperor Xia, since that is the case…”

    “I object!”

    The clear voice of Xia Yunqiu shattered the tense atmosphere as she stood up from the long table and looked down at the White Tiger Esteemed Emissary before her:

    “Great Xia is unwilling, nor will it cede so many City God positions to the Netherworld.

    Since the era when the Mortal Emperor established his reign, the positions of City Gods within the Primal Chaos Realm have been controlled by the human Imperial Dynasty, even the kingdom of Hell has no say in the affairs of the City Gods.

    After the Great Schism, the Netherworld splintered from within the kingdom of Hell to become part of the Primal Chaos Realm, but it never broke this rule.

    All City Gods are only nominally under the Netherworld; the Netherworld supernatural beings can enter into City God temples to receive incense offerings, but the City Gods remain independent of the Netherworld, receiving offerings from the Imperial Court as local deities.

    This is a rule that has always been followed from ancient times; does the Netherworld intend to destroy this ancestral law?

    “To my knowledge, the Fengdu Emperor has never taken a stance in the Netherworld disputes over the position of City God.

    Before breaking this rule, has the Netherworld consulted the will of this Ancient One, the Fengdu Emperor?”

    Xia Yunqiu’s articulate speech displayed a starkly different attitude from the ministers and nobles, leaving the White Tiger at a loss for words.

    “You! You’re going against the agreement!”

    “I am a citizen of Great Xia, how could I possibly hand over the interests of Great Xia simply because of an absurd agreement?”

    The ministers and nobles also quickly recovered from their resentment towards Emperor Xia, looking at Xia Yunqiu with complex expressions.

    Before, they had speculated that Xia Yunqiu might have been bought by the Netherworld and betrayed the interests of Great Xia.

    Who would have thought that it was the Emperor Xia himself who was truly betraying the interests of Great Xia, and Gong Buyu herself was instead rejecting the temptations of the Netherworld and choosing to stand by her convictions.

    The abilities Gong Buyu displayed at this moment also greatly exceeded their expectations.

    Gong Buyu did not start from a standpoint of interest but instead targeted the rules, bringing into question the will of the Fengdu Emperor.

    The Netherworld might ignore everything else, but they dare not go against the will of the Fengdu Emperor; Xia Yunqiu used this to put the Netherworld supernatural beings in a difficult position.

    The White Tiger looked annoyed, but he didn’t know how to respond as the Vermilion Bird, who had been watching coolly from the sidelines, suddenly spoke up.

    “These conditions are the promises of Emperor Xia and since Emperor Xia is breaking his promises, there is no point in continuing this meeting.

    I will convey Great Xia’s stance to Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace accurately, and the entire Netherworld will refuse any form of assistance for the human Imperial Dynasty.”

    As the words fell, the Vermilion Bird turned to leave, with her tall figure striding on her slender legs towards the main door.

    Just then, Xia Yunqiu suddenly spoke up:

    “Great Xia is not willing to trade away the positions of the City Gods, but there is something else that the Netherworld will definitely be interested in.”

    Vermilion Bird showed no intention of turning back, continuing to walk forward.

    “You should know that my maternal family is the Hoe family of the Heaven Traversing Sect, a lineage with a slight reputation that has been passed down for ten thousand years in the entire Primal Chaos Realm.

    In the records of my Hoe family, the name of the Fengdu Emperor was once mentioned.”

    The footsteps of the Vermilion Bird abruptly halted, then the gaze of both Mount Luofeng 6 Hell Deities and twenty Spirit Transmutation Peak supernatural beings focused on Xia Yunqiu.

    “What do you mean?”

    “I simply wish to make a deal with the Netherworld.”

    Vermilion Bird narrowed her eyes and with a ripple in space, a pale golden talisman appeared in her hand.

    “This is a True Word Talisman drawn by a Ghost Immortal; no cultivators below the level of True Monarch can lie in the presence of a True Word Talisman.

    The next lie you tell will surely carry a grave price by the entirety of the Netherworld!”

    Xia Yunqiu appeared unafraid and even stepped forward toward the True Word Talisman and said:

    “There was once a peerless power that defied the fabric of time and space, using the method of creating worlds to establish a Secret Realm known as Square-Inch, implying that within a square inch, one could encompass all heavens.”

    “Within the Secret Realm Square-Inch, there is the origin of the Path of Refining Elemental Qi, it is rumored that the true intent of the Taiyang Path left by someone akin to the Donghua Emperor exists, and the Netherworld’s True Words left by the Fengdu Emperor as he traveled through it.

    Due to various special reasons, the Secret Realm Square-Inch could not appear in the world and only now, after these eons, has the opportunity to reappear emerged.”

    The True Word Talisman showed no reaction, and whether it was kings, ministers, nobles, or Netherworld supernatural beings, the hearts of all present were captivated by Xia Yunqiu’s words.

    Xia Yunqiu’s expression was solemn, and she spoke each word with serious intent:

    “I am willing to exchange the method to enter the Secret Realm Square-Inch for an alliance between the Netherworld and Great Xia!”