"Li Xiaotian, you are very strong. Your presence has extinguished our will to fight. We surrender, and hope that Great Qin can grant us a chance to live." Tian Gu's voice was weak, echoing in the empty palace.
Li Xiaotian's people were stunned. They had been prepared for a fierce battle, only to have these people surrender immediately. Were they not even going to struggle?
"To surrender so easily, don't you feel it's beneath your dignity? You are the heads of noble families, usually aloof and superior. Now you don't even dare to attempt resistance and surrender directly. Heh, you are truly incompetent."
Li Xiaotian said coldly, walking step by step towards Tian Gu.
Tian Gu looked directly into Li Xiaotian's eyes, his expressionless. However, a trace of grief and indignation flashed in the eyes of some others in the hall. Yes, if it weren't for the dire circumstances, they wouldn't have made such a humiliating choice.
"Since you surrender, then recognize your status as losers!" Li Xiaotian's tone was icy, and he then looked at Tian Gu, speaking in a deep voice.
"Kneel! I accept your surrender! If you refuse to kneel, we will show no mercy!"
Upon hearing this, Tian Gu's expression immediately changed. The others also looked furious. Their status was so noble; each of them was a respected figure within their families.
In their eyes, admitting defeat was already the greatest humiliation they could bear. They never expected Li Xiaotian to be so relentless as to demand they kneel. This was simply too much.
Tian Gu's face turned grim. Kneel? In his life, besides kneeling to his parents, no one in this world was qualified to make him kneel!
"Li Xiaotian, leave some room for maneuver. We have already surrendered and are willing to hand over all our assets. You also know our identities. Are you unwilling to show us a shred of dignity?"
Tian Gu's tone grew colder. He knew that his Tian family had done Great Qin a favor. In his opinion, even if he surrendered, Great Qin would not excessively humiliate him. But who would have thought he would encounter someone like Li Xiaotian, who seemed to care about nothing?
"Where is Li Shanhai? We surrender to Great Qin! As the First Commander of the War Department, shouldn't Li Shanhai personally accept our surrender?"
Someone spoke, a War God, his face filled with anger at this moment.
"Impudent! Slap him!" Li Xiaotian reprimanded loudly. Long Yi quickly walked up to the speaker and delivered a resounding slap.
"Slap!" The man spat blood, his body flying out. He was already heavily injured, and with Long Yi's slap, his injuries worsened, and he was on the verge of death.
"Presumptuous!"
"Audacious! Li Xiaotian, you are going too far!" In the hall, people from the ancient martial families roared, their faces contorted.
"Li Xiaotian, the animosity between us is not deep. You are overstepping by doing this!" Tian Gu's tone was cold, anger flickering in his eyes.
"Overstepping? Heh, a bunch of losers like you are not qualified to question my decisions. If I tell you to kneel, you will kneel!" Li Xiaotian sneered, then continued.
"Long Yi, heed my command. Those who do not kneel when I count to three will be executed without mercy!"
"One!"
Tian Gu and the others' faces immediately changed. They gritted their teeth in hatred. Being forced to kneel was more unbearable than killing them.
"Two!"
Long Yi grinned, a killing intent gradually appearing in his eyes, ready to act at any moment.
"Three!"
"We kneel!" Tian Gu roared through gritted teeth. He struggled to rise and then knelt before Li Xiaotian. However, his limbs were crippled, and as soon as he knelt, his body went limp. Nevertheless, he had knelt.
In the hall, the others also followed Tian Gu's instructions and knelt. However, a few were a step slower. Their strength was not as great, and they couldn't force themselves to kneel.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three loud thuds. Long Yi unleashed three punches. Those three individuals, being a step late, were instantly killed by Long Yi.
"Despicable!!"
"Patriarch!!"
People from the ancient martial families in the hall cried out, their eyes turning scarlet.
"Li Xiaotian! You are a man of your word, yet you killed them when they had already knelt?" The Old Ancestor of the Han family shouted, his face filled with grief. One of the three who died was his child.
"Li Xiaotian, is it fun to humiliate us like this?" Tian Gu said through clenched teeth, his heart filled with extreme anger. But he was powerless to resist and could only bury his hatred deeply in his heart, awaiting future revenge.
"Heh, humiliation? My apologies, you are not qualified for me to humiliate you. Blame them for being too slow." Li Xiaotian sneered, but a growing sense of unease crept into his heart.
Someone of Tian Gu's status could even bring himself to kneel just to save his life. Did they have any hidden cards?
But they were all crippled, what great waves could they possibly stir?
Tian Gu and the others felt immense grief and indignation, but they bit their tongues fiercely, refusing to retort. Since they had already knelt, no matter how Li Xiaotian humiliated them further, they had to endure.
Only by staying alive could they await an opportunity for revenge.
"Where is Tian Qilin? If I recall correctly, the Tian family has a King-level expert, right? Why are they not here?" Li Xiaotian asked.
"They have been missing since their failed assassination attempt on you last time. I had always assumed you killed them. Otherwise, with the combined efforts of our five King-level experts today, the outcome might not have been like this," Tian Gu replied, suppressing his anger.
"Heh, I don't know why you did this, nor do I want to know. But I, Li Xiaotian, never let enemies who threaten me live. Therefore, you all might as well die!"
Li Xiaotian sneered, not bothering to consider whether Tian Gu's words were true or false. He just felt something was off, and the other side definitely had a plan. He was too lazy to ponder further and decided it was best to kill them all.
"Li Xiaotian! How dare you?!" Tian Gu and the others were shocked. They were already in this state, posing no threat, yet Li Xiaotian refused to let them go?
The people of the Dragon King Hall, hearing Li Xiaotian's words, were about to act when a figure rushed in urgently.
"No! Stop everything!" Li Shanhai's voice reached them before he even arrived. Upon learning of Tian Gu's surrender, he rushed over immediately.
Hearing that Li Xiaotian intended to kill Tian Gu and the others, he was even more startled. Tian Gu and the others must not die; their survival would be more beneficial to Great Qin than their deaths!
After all, Tian Gu and the others knew a great many secrets. Moreover, their surrender to Great Qin, publicized, would undoubtedly boost Great Qin's prestige. Therefore, Tian Gu and the others could not die.
"Lord Li, they cannot die!" Li Shanhai said anxiously, then continued.
"They are all crippled and can't cause any trouble. Spare them."
Li Shanhai had considered the possibility of Tian Gu and the others having a contingency plan, but he didn't believe their hidden cards could turn the tide. Thus, the best course of action now was to let Tian Gu and the others live.
Li Xiaotian frowned, giving Li Shanhai a deep look.
"Are you sure?"