"The commotion outside is escalating, and the War Department can barely hold them back."
In the grand hall, Jiang Hai spoke with a grave expression.
"A bunch of fools, easily fooled by a few false rumors. Has all my elder brother's hard work been for naught? How many people have we lost in the Dragon King Hall! Even Long Yi, the second-in-command, has fallen. If my elder brother were a demon, would these people even have a chance to surround the Qin Palace?"
Long Shiwu was furious, seething with anger. He was angry at the schemers behind the scenes, but even more so at the ordinary people swayed by public opinion.
"Fifteenth, calm yourself."
Li Xiaotian's tone was placid, without much anger. He never cared about what others thought of him, and this time, the person behind the scenes had employed very clever tactics. It was normal for ordinary people to be deceived.
He only wondered who was targeting him this time. To be slandered into a universally despised figure in just half a day was certainly not the work of those resurgent factions.
Thinking this, Li Xiaotian gave a self-deprecating smile. His opponent had managed to corner him without lifting a finger; their methods were truly superb.
"What should we do now? If this drags on, I fear the people outside will break in."
Someone spoke, their voice filled with concern. It wasn't that they feared the common people, but rather they worried about how the Great Qin would respond if the populace actually stormed the Qin Palace.
Everything the Great Qin had done was for these ordinary people. Now, these very people were throwing a tantrum, and the Great Qin couldn't reason with them. They certainly couldn't resort to a massacre.
At these words, everyone in the hall wore a troubled expression. Indeed, what should they do if the common people broke into the Qin Palace?
If they were enemies, they wouldn't even be able to breach the capital's walls. But now, these were their own people.
"Qin Lord, perhaps you should imprison me for now, under the guise of an investigation, to appease the masses."
Li Xiaotian spoke after some thought, causing the expressions of everyone in the hall to change drastically.
"Absolutely not!"
"Elder Brother, no! You are innocent, why should you imprison yourself?"
Long Shiwu and the others exclaimed instinctively. How could this be? Li Xiaotian had contributed too much to the Great Qin. To imprison him over such a trivial matter – how could anyone accept this?
"Xiaotian, don't overthink this. We have a clear conscience and upright actions; there's no need to wrong yourself like this!"
The Qin Emperor spoke, outright refusing. No matter what, he would not allow Li Xiaotian to suffer any injustice.
Because Li Xiaotian was also a King, the King of the Dragon King Hall. Although the Dragon King Hall and the Great Qin were now integrated, the people still remembered their identities. If Li Xiaotian were imprisoned, it might truly throw the Great Qin into chaos.
"I will personally go out and stop them. I believe my subjects will give the face of the Great Qin's Emperor some consideration!"
The Qin Emperor continued, realizing that at this point, he had no choice but to personally step forward to stabilize the people in the capital.
Meanwhile, as Li Xiaotian and the others were struggling to deal with this wave of chaos, countless hidden forces were secretly watching the unfolding events with schadenfreude.
The Great Qin suffering a setback, Li Xiaotian facing trouble – this was precisely what they wanted to see.
Even though the major powers had now acknowledged the Great Qin's status, it was due to the Great Qin's undeniable strength. They had no choice but to acknowledge it.
However, now that someone was using superior tactics to put the Great Qin in an impossible situation, potentially even causing internal strife between Li Xiaotian and the Great Qin, any factions dissatisfied with the Great Qin were rejoicing.
Simultaneously, in an unnamed small city outside the Great Qin, within an ordinary residential building, Li Wenbo, clad in blood-red attire, wore a ferocious expression, his eyes filled with excitement.
"Li Xiaotian, this time, I will ruin your reputation and leave you with nowhere to turn. Hahaha, I will make the people you protect despise and resent you!"
Li Wenbo roared. When it came to public opinion manipulation, who could match his methods? The tactics the Desolate Hall had used to contend for public support via the internet were far inferior to Li Wenbo's.
After all, Li Wenbo was once the young master of the Li family, the third most influential family in the Great Qin. He had witnessed firsthand the bloodless struggles between financial consortia.
Behind Li Wenbo stood eight figures in red, accompanied by a group of ordinary people kneeling on the ground.
Those people had pale faces and trembling bodies. Before the great upheaval, they had held the title of internet trolls.
"Kill them all. Today's events will remain a secret forever. No matter how capable Li Xiaotian is, he will never discover that I am targeting him!"
Li Wenbo commanded indifferently. Immediately, screams erupted from behind him. Within moments, only a few desiccated corpses remained in the room.
At this moment, in the Qin Palace Square, the Qin Emperor personally appeared to pacify the agitated populace. Just as the Qin Emperor had said, as the ruler of the Great Qin, his subjects would grant him face.
However, while the capital was stabilized, other cities and the internet remained in an uproar. The people's anger continued to grow, and anyone daring to defend Li Xiaotian would be immediately attacked by furious netizens.
Coupled with the constant fanning of flames by malicious factions, the entire internet was filled with volatile and angry emotions, plunging into complete chaos.
By now, Li Xiaotian had already secretly left the capital. The incident had occurred suddenly, and the person behind it knew him very well. Furthermore, they were from the Sea of Blood, leading to a faint suspicion in his heart.
Shortly after leaving the capital and en route to the city where the red-clothed figures had appeared, Li Xiaotian stopped on a plain.
Not far ahead, a person astride a white horse stood silently in the wilderness, as if waiting specifically for him.
"Boom!" Upon seeing Li Xiaotian, Caesar's body erupted with intense fighting spirit. His eyes fixed intently on Li Xiaotian.
"Li Xiaotian, do you dare to fight?!"
Caesar called out, pointing his spear at Li Xiaotian.
"Move aside!" Li Xiaotian frowned. He could sense no hostility from the person before him. It seemed Caesar was blocking his path merely for a fight, but Li Xiaotian had no time for that.
"What? Called the greatest person of this era, possessing terrifying talent and the strength of the late Emperor stage, do you lack the courage to accept a challenge?"
Caesar raised an eyebrow. Such a subtle movement, if seen by infatuated girls in modern times, would likely elicit frantic screams.
Unfortunately, with only him and Li Xiaotian present, no one was destined to witness this scene.
"Move aside! I don't have time to play with you here!"
Li Xiaotian's expression turned cold, a chilling killing intent emanating from him.
Seeing this, Caesar's lips curved upwards, his eyes gleaming with sharpness. He looked at Li Xiaotian and spoke unhurriedly.
"Fight me once, and regardless of the outcome, I will help you find the person you're looking for."
Li Xiaotian's killing intent immediately halted upon hearing this. He examined Caesar closely. Did this mean the other party had encountered people from the Sea of Blood? Or was he in league with them?
"Don't misunderstand. I merely encountered one of them. The Sea of Blood is a great evil in this world, so I left a mark on that person. I had originally planned to kill him after fighting you."
As if sensing Li Xiaotian's thoughts, Caesar added calmly.