The sky above held a vast scroll, absorbing the souls of the Beast Tamer tribe below.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu’s faces turned extremely grim.
They had always cherished freedom, living by the principle of "give me liberty or give me death," and found it utterly unacceptable that people would willingly become slaves merely to survive.
However, standing in the shoes of those unfortunate Beast Tamers, what choice did they truly have but to accept?
Their homes were gone, their grasslands submerged, and they were like a pack of stray dogs begging for a place to live.
Being alive was already a blessing; what more could they ask for?
Before their arrival, the Beast Tamers were mere playthings in the eyes of the Qian Kingdom. From atop the Great Wall, they watched the tribes below engage in brutal warfare, akin to viewing a gladiatorial contest.
After their arrival, these tribes became pawns and tools in the hands of immortals, who led them to fight amongst themselves.
In the end, millions of grassland people were piled into pyramids, becoming nourishment for others to cultivate their power.
After surviving against all odds and entering the Great Wall, finally securing a place to rest, their entire tribe was forced into servitude.
What logic was this? What heavenly principle? How could it be so unjust!
"I brought you out of one hell, only to send you into another. What am I doing?"
Wan Lei murmured to himself, his eyes welling up with tears.
"This cannot continue. They should not be slaves. So many of their kin died, they endured so much suffering; they deserve the right to live in peace and freedom, not this."
Fang Xiaoyu also gritted her teeth, her heart aching.
"I think the immortals sent everyone else away, leaving only the two of us, precisely because they want us to do this."
"Save them."
"Yes, save them."
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu soared into the air, swiftly ascending to the sky.
"Everyone, stop! Stop feeding souls into that scroll! All of you, stop!"
Wan Lei shouted, causing the people queuing ahead to halt.
Those individuals looked up at Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu, their eyes shimmering with hope.
Are the divine beings going to save us once more?
On the Great Wall, the Emperor looked at the two figures in the sky, a playful smile gracing his lips.
"National Preceptor, they don't seem to agree with our methods. They're challenging you."
"It's normal. They are not enslaved by the beasts, so naturally, they won't accept this so easily. There are always busybodies in this world."
"Does the National Preceptor have the confidence to defeat these two?"
"If they still had those four sixth-tier warriors with them, I certainly couldn't defeat them.
But now, they are only two, plus that injured sixth-tier Sacred Divine Beast..."
"It is not difficult for the National Preceptor to capture them."
"I still can't beat them."
"..."
"Your Majesty, aren't you worried?"
"Of course, I am. But I am the Emperor; I must remain composed and unfaltering, always maintaining my composure."
"Your Majesty's demeanor is truly admirable."
"Enough, National Preceptor, no more nonsense. Let's flee. Who would have thought our opponents would be so powerful?"
"How can His Majesty, the ruler of a nation, the Son of Heaven, speak of fleeing so lightly?"
"Does the National Preceptor have a sound plan?"
"I can run faster by myself."
"..." The Emperor.
"Perhaps, we should recall the Soul Destiny Scroll, stop those people from inputting their souls, and deal with this matter after we send them away."
"That won't do, Your Majesty."
"What is it?"
"The Soul Destiny Scroll... I cannot recall it."
The National Preceptor sighed and stood up. He could sense a mighty force preventing him from retracting the scroll.
"How can one defy the will of the divine beings? I, too, cannot be a disobedient wretch.
Very well, if the divine beings wish me to do this, then so be it."
"What did the divine beings say?"
"The divine beings said..."
The National Preceptor's eyes suddenly lit up, filled with yearning and greed.
"By suppressing these two and extracting their protagonist's fortune, our Qian Kingdom can gain the blessing of ten thousand years of national destiny. I can also use this destiny and national fortune to step into the realm I have long yearned for...
Seventh-tier!"
The National Preceptor floated in mid-air, unhurriedly approaching Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu, a faint, cold smile on his lips.
"You two outsiders, why do you not depart? Is there something amiss?"
The National Preceptor smiled slightly, very politely.
He intended to be courteous first, then resort to force, thus placing himself on the moral high ground. This way, after suppressing the two, the Beast Tamer tribe would harbor less rebellious sentiment.
"We have no intention of being your enemies, but you cannot turn all the Beast Tamer people into slaves."
"Oh? When did we ever say we treated the Beast Tamers as slaves? Here, their treatment is equal to that of the citizens of the Qian Kingdom."
"You are drawing out their souls, controlling their lives and deaths; what else is that if not slavery?"
"Two, are you not being rather unjust in your words? Since ancient times, the people of the dynasty lived south of the Great Wall, while the Beast Tamers resided on the vast grasslands.
We have never encroached upon an inch of the grassland's land. On the contrary, the Beast Tamers frequently raided our southern populace, forcing us to build the Great Wall to defend against them.
When the natural disaster struck, our Qian Kingdom, with its benevolent nature, did not wish to see the Beast Tamer tribe wiped out. With good intentions, we lent them a piece of land to survive. Do we not even have the right to take precautions?
Given the Beast Tamers' aggressive nature, who can guarantee they will not wreak havoc on our Qian people again?
We have already invited the wolf into our house. Must we not even be allowed to build a fence to protect our homes? What logic is this?
We did not force you to come to our land. Every inch of our land belongs to the people, with no excess.
If you do not wish to come, you may turn back now. We will not obstruct you in any way."
"You... you are splitting hairs! You gave them a place to live, and they will naturally be grateful. When the Purple Sea recedes, they will naturally return to the grasslands.
You gave them a place, but this is absolutely not a reason for you to arbitrarily control their lives and deaths. These tens of thousands of people, how could they be opponents of your dynasty?
If you wanted benefits, if you wanted peace, you could have traded with them as equals. I believe they would have accepted that.
But enslavement, we will never accept!"
"Then there is nothing more to discuss. All you people of the grassland, it is not that our Qian Kingdom does not shelter you, but rather that your so-called divine beings have driven you to a dead end. The choice of how to proceed lies with you. Choose yourselves."
"Kill him."
Fang Xiaoyu said through gritted teeth.
"However, this person has no enmity with us, and we have no reason to kill him. Let us destroy that Soul Destiny Scroll instead. That way, he will have nothing to enslave the grassland people with."
"That works too."
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu immediately rushed towards the scroll hanging in the sky.