"Who else could it be but Gonggong, the Water God? Did you not conquer the Iron Tree Imperial Palace? Instead of enjoying yourself in the underground palace, why have you come here?" Hongjun said calmly.
"Please do not call me Water God. I am no longer that willful youth."
"But you are still willful now."
"Very well, say what you will. I have come to tell you that I can cooperate with you to fight against the River Palace. You and I have the same goal, which is the Iron Tree World," Gonggong said.
"We are different," Hongjun said. "You are not here for the Iron Tree World; you are here for your own ever-expanding selfish desires."
Gonggong chuckled, "Perhaps. But we are heading towards the same destination. We have a common enemy, and based on this, we can cooperate. You cannot deny that, can you?"
Hongjun shook his head, "If I seek cooperation, I can find people anywhere. Friends are everywhere. Unlike you, the more your power grows, the fewer friends you have."
Gonggong's expression changed slightly, "You do not intend to make me your enemy, do you?"
Just as Hongjun was about to reply, a human face suddenly appeared in the sky, occupying half of the sky. It was a young and handsome face.
The face first smiled at Hongjun, "Teacher, I hope you are well."
Hongjun waved his hand casually, "It's Taiwu. I'm doing fine."
Taiwu then turned to look at Gonggong, "Gonggong, how dare you disrespect my teacher? I will tear you to shreds."
Gonggong's face immediately broke into a smile, "How could that be? I was just seeking cooperation with Mister. If Mister disagrees, I will leave. What's the big deal?"
After speaking, he turned to leave.
After a few steps, he suddenly turned back, "Mister, there is something I wish to discuss with you. I have just occupied the Heavenly Realm, and all factions are short of personnel. My idea is to hold a divine examination across the various kingdoms. I strongly request Mister's assistance in vetting the candidates, as these divine beings will bear the future safety of the Iron Tree World."
The situation was now irreversible; his status as Heavenly Emperor could not be denied.
Hongjun pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I will be there when the time comes."
Gonggong left with a smile.
Hongjun looked up at Taiwu again, "See if you can sense the whereabouts of the River Soul. I am looking for him."
After a moment, Taiwu said, "I cannot sense him. He has used an isolation technique. Even if we were side by side, we would not be able to sense him."
Hongjun sighed.
At this moment, Xiao He and his party arrived above the River Domain, preparing to enter it. A ball of light drifted leisurely from afar.
Xiao He's expression changed drastically, "How did someone from the Light World enter my River World? What is the Silver River Emperor doing?"
The hunched old man immediately stepped in front of Xiao He, "Master, you leave first. I will block them."
Xiao He knew that the matter was serious and did not dare to hesitate. He said, "Thank you," and pulled Xiao Tie towards the River Domain.
The ball of light quickly reached the hunched old man, then changed direction, attempting to bypass him and pursue Xiao He directly.
The hunched old man formed a hand seal, and the power of the void erupted. The beam of light exploded in the middle.
It split into countless fragments of light, diffusing in the air.
One beam of light suddenly surged, elongating like a sword, striking the hunched old man and directly sending him into the river.
The beam of light continued to surge, chasing after Xiao He.
At this moment, a dark planet slowly moved over. The beam of light struck it with great speed and hit the dark planet without any surprise.
The dark planet spun endlessly, and the light energy bloomed upon it like fireworks, scattering in all directions, colorful and vibrant.
The light energy gradually condensed, forming a humanoid shape, which then gazed at the dark planet ahead.
A person stood on the dark planet, a colossal figure, larger than the surrounding sun, moon, and stars.
"I did not use my full strength just now; consider it a warning. This is not a place you should be. Leave quickly. If you do not heed my advice, I will show no mercy." As he spoke, the colossal figure descended from the dark planet, reached out, and took the dark planet in his hand, preparing to strike.
The humanoid form of light said nothing, seemingly finally intimidated. It circled in the air for a moment, then, with a long trailing tail of light, it departed.
The colossal figure's body suddenly shrank, and in an instant, he returned to normal human size. However, he coughed out a mouthful of blood, beckoned, and drew the dark planet into his sleeve before heading towards the River Palace.
Mo Qi returned to the State of Wei. The entire State of Wei had basically been occupied by the Flowing Cloud Tribe, and the remaining areas had surrendered.
However, the people's hearts were unsettled, and undercurrents were surging.
The State of Wei had been captured, but the rewards had not yet arrived, causing some impatience among everyone.
What were the soldiers fighting so hard for?
If they conquered a vast territory only to return to their previous simple lives, it would be better to go back to where they came from.
The brothers waited for several days, but there was no movement. There was no news of a new king's enthronement, nor any imperial decree of rewards.
Could it be that they were bandits?
If they were bandits, they should be thorough. Thus, looting and pillaging began in the city.
Some even broke into the royal palace's harem, intending to take liberties with the women there.
They thought these were the concubines of Tian Heng.
Little did they know that Tian Heng's concubines had long since fled. The harem was currently inhabited by Xiao Yi, Sun Qian, and Er Zhu Lin.
But once men's eyes turned red, they stopped distinguishing between anyone.
They had transformed into beasts, ready to vent their carnal desires.
It was at this time that Ye Xingchen played his role.
Upon entering the city, he had strictly enforced military discipline: no burning, no looting, no disturbing the populace; violators would be executed.
When these people acted wildly, he did not hesitate to kill them all.
However, he was under immense pressure at this time because Mo Qi had not returned, and the soldiers' restlessness grew with each passing day.
If this continued, he would soon be unable to control them.
At this point, Elder Lang and others acted as "civil officials," stating that they were not good at fighting and were skilled only in persuasion.
"So, I can try to persuade them. If persuasion fails, you will have to step in."
Ye Xingchen's pressure increased.
Fortunately, although Ye Xingchen, Ye Xiaowei, and Ye Xiaowei's younger brother Ye Xiaobu had been imprisoned over the years, they had never abandoned their cultivation, achieving unparalleled martial prowess. Ordinary people would not dare to act presumptuously in front of them.
But while they dared not act openly, they engaged in constant clandestine activities.
Some people believed that Mo Qi would not return and began to set their sights on Ye Qingqing.
Ye Xingchen had a capable subordinate named Ren Wo You, who was his retainer and was exceptionally loyal to him.
Ren Wo You had advised Ye Xingchen to claim the throne himself, saying, "This empire was conquered by you and your father. Why should you hand it over to others?"
Ye Xingchen sternly reprimanded him, warning him not to have wild thoughts or fantasies.
However, Ren Wo You believed that Ye Xingchen was merely putting on a show. He thought that Ye Xingchen secretly desired to be king but had not been pushed to that point.
Therefore, he colluded with several others, planning to force his hand.
How to force him? By killing Ye Qingqing.
Once Ye Qingqing was dead, regardless of whether Ye Yun returned, Ye Xingchen would be forced to claim the throne.
At that time, he would surely become a Grand Tutor or something similar!
Having made up his mind, Ren Wo You led several people and quietly infiltrated the harem, entering Ye Qingqing's room. At that moment, Ye Qingqing and Xiao Yi were cultivating.
Hearing the commotion, the two emerged from the inner room and saw several fierce-looking individuals staring at them.
"What do you want? This is the Princess's Residence. Get out!" Xiao Yi shouted.
"Princess?" Ren Wo You chuckled, "We are here to kill the princess."
"Are you... trying to rebel?"
"We don't want to rebel; we just want to kill people." Ren Wo You suddenly looked at Ye Qingqing, his eyes shining, "I never noticed before. You look so beautiful when you dress up. Perhaps we can play with you before we kill you."
The others also had a greedy glint in their eyes, emitting lewd laughter.
Ye Qingqing was furious. She suddenly extended her hand, fingers spread apart, and vine-like rays of light extended from her fingertips, striking those people.
Ren Wo You disdained them. He made his hand into a blade and slashed through the air. A flash of light energy cut through the rays of light.
However, the subsequent rays of light came continuously, extending further. Ren Wo You had to keep slashing with his hand-blade, cutting through the rays of light, becoming somewhat flustered.
The severed rays of light did not disappear. They crisscrossed chaotically in the air, sometimes piercing the bodies of the men behind Ren Wo You, causing them to fall to the ground.
Finally, the severed rays of light, after circling around, suddenly turned back and pierced Ren Wo You's back.
Ren Wo You, caught off guard, appeared very disheveled.
Only then did he realize that this "gatekeeper" was not as weak as he had imagined.
If you can't win, run.
He fought and retreated, attempting to leave the Princess's Residence.
Seeing that he intended to leave, Ye Qingqing did not pursue relentlessly. She stood her ground, letting him go.
Xiao Yi saw her thoughts and said, "You cannot be so soft-hearted. If you are weak, others will think you are easy to bully."
As she spoke, Xiao Yi suddenly pushed forward. A circular ripple appeared in the air. She pointed her hand, and from the ripple, thousands of light particles rushed out, striking Ren Wo You.
Ren Wo You circled his hands, and the light blade in his hand suddenly elongated, forming a circle, a halo of light. All the light particles fell into the halo. However, he forgot that Ye Qingqing's rays of light were still continuously attacking. Inadvertently, a ray of light entangled his body, rendering him immobile.
Ren Wo You struggled for a moment, but the more he struggled, the tighter the entanglement became.
A few more rays of light wrapped Ren Wo You like a zongzi, a shimmering golden zongzi.
Xiao Yi raised her hand, intending to finish him off. Such a person deserved to be killed to establish authority.
However, Qingqing stopped her, "He cannot escape. Why don't we ask who sent him?"
Xiao Yi's eyes lit up, "Yes! You are always so thoughtful. You ask him."
Qingqing stepped forward and asked, "Who sent you?"
Ren Wo You lay on the ground, struggling a few more times but still unable to break free. He tilted his head up, "Give me a quick death. No one sent me. I just felt you were unworthy."
Ye Qingqing's heart trembled slightly as she asked, "Unworthy of what?"
Ren Wo You snorted coldly, "Unworthy of possessing this world. This world of Wei was conquered by the brothers under Ye Xingchen's leadership. Why should you siblings reap the rewards?"