Chapter 521: Du Ge's Emperor Plan |
Looking at the subdued Long Yichen, Du Ge felt a sense of relief. Indeed, strength speaks louder than words.
He needed to quickly find a few magical treasures to unlock the Sun God power and the Power of Poseidon. That way, his basic survival would be secured.
No.
Not just basic survival. With divine power as a foundation, he might even have the qualifications to challenge those cultivation sects.
The Dark God power had negative effects like devouring, teleportation in shadows, and consuming one's will.
It had strong regenerative abilities at night, not much inferior to celestial arts.
If Du Ge mastered the complete Dark God power, he would be a formidable force in this world.
Unfortunately, the amount of Dark God power was too little. Du Ge's real trump cards were the Power of Poseidon and the Sun God power, which later surpassed it.
After all.
...
While re-planning his future development, Du Ge asked, "Manor Lord Long, can you trust your subordinates?"
Long Yichen raised his head and asked, "Senior, I don't understand what you mean?"
Du Ge shook his head with a smile and said calmly, "Manor Lord Long, too many people are hard to control. Keeping a few trusted ones is enough."
"..." Long Yichen trembled violently, "Senior..."
"Hesitation leads to chaos." Du Ge slowed his speech, "Manor Lord Long, you were entrusted with a heavy responsibility by Prince Duan, yet you still thought of betraying him for glory. How much benefit have your subordinates gained at Longliu Manor?
Currently, they don't understand what's happening and can still be commanded by you. But once they know you've offended Prince Duan, how many do you think will still listen to you? Can a mere manor lord compare to Prince Duan?"
Du Ge chuckled, "You don't want to sleep with one eye open, do you? Manor Lord Long, better I betray the world than let the world betray me!"
Du Ge was a righteous person.
Even when encountering villains, as long as they were useful to him, he was willing to give them a chance to reform.
This was why Du Ge had friends all over the world.
But this time, the keyword was ruthless, so those who could be spared or not should not be spared.
The new Alien Star Battlefield was too dangerous. The priority of survival had shifted to fighting against the natives, rather than the Alien Star warriors.
At this time, if he was soft-hearted, it would be his own death.
Long Yichen looked at Du Ge, his expression fluctuating. After a moment, he finally made up his mind, cupped his fists, and said, "Senior, I'm not strong enough alone. To prevent anyone from escaping, please lend me a hand."
"You can first pick out the ones you've chosen. This way, we have helpers, and we can prevent accidental injuries." Du Ge suggested with a smile, "Manor Lord Long, keep only those with high martial arts skills. Intelligent ones will only cause trouble and are of no use. To prevent them from noticing anything and causing trouble, you can trick them in and kill them first."
"Alright." Long Yichen nodded and turned to leave. Once Du Ge mastered the Soul-Calming Bottle and gained the abilities of a Qi Refiner, Long Yichen had no thought of resistance.
...
Everything proceeded methodically.
Manor Lord Long had his prestige, and he quickly gathered the people he wanted.
Manager Ma's people had long been slaughtered by him.
The people of Longliu Manor, although puzzled as to why the manor lord suddenly started a massacre, didn't think much of it.
After all.
Most knew that Prince Duan was behind Longliu Manor.
Being close to a ruler was like being close to a tiger. Prince Duan didn't need to explain his actions against his subordinates. In the end, they were just tools in Prince Duan's hands, not needing their own thoughts.
When Long Yichen, along with Ding Chang and others, suddenly started a massacre, it was too late for anything.
In the night.
Even if someone could escape Long Yichen and the others' slaughter, they couldn't escape the God of Darkness's blockade.
After all, Du Ge needed to use the Soul-Calming Bottle to devour their souls.
Du Ge had long discovered that the resentful souls in the Soul-Calming Bottle would grow stronger after devouring other souls.
It had to be said, this thing was a genuine demonic artifact.
In less than a quarter of an hour.
Only Long Yichen, Ding Chang, and seven or eight of the best martial artists remained in Longliu Manor, along with over a hundred shivering children.
Apart from that, there were no other survivors.
"Senior, what should we do with these children? Kill them or not?" Long Yichen, covered in blood and with eyes red from killing, looked like a demon god.
"Keep them." Du Ge said calmly, his eyes sweeping over the huddled, trembling children.
"Senior, keeping them is a burden." Long Yichen frowned, reminding, "Leaving evidence for Prince Su, ten or so children would be enough. More would only drag us down. They witnessed everything tonight. Even if we let them go, if caught, all our secrets would be exposed."
"We won't tell." The leading child looked at Du Ge, mustering the courage to step forward, "You are our benefactor. We won't betray you."
"We won't betray our benefactor."
The children echoed, even though many didn't know who the benefactor was. They were young, but after suffering in Longliu Manor, they had matured early, having experienced the harshest evils of the world.
Hmph!
Long Yichen snorted, stepping aside without speaking, leaving the decision to Du Ge.
Ding Chang and the others, having witnessed Du Ge's control over the Soul-Calming Bottle, dared not speak. The fear of Qi Refiners was deeply ingrained, and controlling spirits to kill at will suggested he might be an evil cultivator.
Orthodox cultivators worried about karma and rarely harmed ordinary people.
It was said that if they killed too many, they would be plagued by inner demons, easily going astray during cultivation. Even if they overcame the inner demons, crossing tribulations would be harder than for other cultivators, risking soul annihilation.
But evil cultivators had no such concerns. They didn't seek ascension to immortality, only carefree life in the mortal world, killing without restraint...
Ding Chang knew Du Ge was likely a demon, but being the only survivor from the Tianzi Courtyard, with even the manager dead, he dared not reveal Du Ge's secrets.
...
Du Ge was silent for a moment, then stepped forward, using the Dark God power to lift himself, surveying the crowd, "Do you want to live?"
"Yes." The children's voices were uneven.
"Do you hate this world?" Du Ge asked again.
"Hate." This time the voices were more unified, and Du Ge could hear the gritted teeth and deep-seated hatred.
"I'm not a good person." Du Ge said, pointing to the corpses strewn across Longliu Manor, "These people died because of me. In less than a night, I've killed thousands. Are you afraid?"
A brief silence.
The leading boy stepped forward again, looking at Du Ge with bright eyes, "Not afraid. They were bad people. Bad people deserve to die. If you killed bad people, you're a good person."
"Not afraid."
"We're not afraid."
The boys and girls, recalling their past suffering, stood up one by one, their expressions shifting from panic to determination, with many showing anger and pain.
Du Ge gestured downward.
These children, having undergone harsh training, quickly quieted down at the gesture.
"I can let you live, but I can't give you a normal life." Du Ge said from above, looking at all the boys and girls below, "You can't live like normal people, marrying, farming, or doing business.
Following me, your lives will be dark. I'll teach you martial arts, but your daily tasks will be killing, arson, and possibly being hunted, seen as demons, with everyone against you. Are you willing to live such a life?"
A moment of silence.
The leading boy was the first to speak, "I am willing."
Afraid that some companions might not understand, he continued, "Benefactor, our previous lives were worse than animals, neither human nor ghost. We can't live normally in this world anymore. Even following you in killing and arson is better than before."
His words awakened the others.
After being rescued by Du Ge, many children fantasized about returning to a normal world, so they resisted the idea of killing and arson.
But the boy's words reminded them of their past.
Yes!
After experiencing such horrors, they could no longer live ordinary lives.
Even if they were released, the events at Longliu Manor were etched in their minds, never to be forgotten.
How unfair was this world to them?
Hatred surged from their hearts.
"I am willing to follow the benefactor, to serve him."
"I am willing too."
"I am willing too."
More and more children stood behind the initial boy, their eyes turning resolute.
"Very well, I hope you won't regret today's decision." Du Ge's eyes swept over the pitiful children, finally resting on the leading boy, "What's your name?"
"Thirteen." The boy hesitated, then said.
"Hmm?" Du Ge looked at him in confusion.
"When we came here, we lost our original names." The boy glanced at Ding Chang, "We each only have a number. Mine is thirteen."
"Thirteen it is." Du Ge smiled, "From now on, you'll be called Jian Thirteen!"
"Thank you for granting me a name." The boy, quick-witted, knelt to thank Du Ge.
Du Ge used the Dark God power to lift him, "Jian Thirteen, a man kneels only to gold, from now on, you don't need to kneel to anyone."
"Yes." Jian Thirteen stood, his posture straight.
"Ding Chang." Du Ge nodded, turning to instruct, "Find two people to assist Jian Thirteen in counting the names and numbers of the remaining children, arm them, treat their injuries, feed them, and don't harm them. I have great use for these children."
"Yes."
Ding Chang responded, calling Hou Yunfeng to help care for the surviving children.
...
Du Ge then turned to Long Yichen, asking, "Manor Lord Long, is there a place to settle them?"
A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Someone like Long Yichen surely had a backup plan, so Du Ge wasn't worried about having no place to settle the children.
Long Yichen said, "Senior, I have a manor in Lincheng where they can be temporarily arranged." He paused, then said hesitantly, "But there are too many children. If someone investigates, they can't be hidden for long."
"Hiding for two or three days is enough." Du Ge said, "Once I get what I want, I'll find a new place for them."
Long Yichen hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but say, "Senior, training these children could take years..."
"Manor Lord Long, they are known and rejected by the world, there's no better foundation than them." Du Ge glanced at him, interrupting, "Martial arts and cultivation start from building a foundation in youth. Even if you find me a ready-made batch, I wouldn't want them!"
"But their talents vary, and some are physically impaired." Long Yichen said.
"Precisely because they've endured the world's greatest pains, they'll work harder than ordinary people in both cultivation and martial arts. I believe these children will achieve great things in the future." Du Ge said calmly, "Manor Lord Long, just follow my orders, and don't worry about other matters."
Sigh!
Long Yichen looked at the stubborn Du Ge, sighed inwardly, and stopped arguing.
He realized that talent was just an excuse; Du Ge simply couldn't bear to kill these children.
The prince used these children to make evil artifacts for his throne, while the demon from another world saved them out of kindness.
For them, he was willing to oppose Prince Duan?
How ironic...
At this moment, Long Yichen couldn't tell who was truly righteous and who was evil.
...
At this time.
Du Ge was looking at his personal interface. After keeping Jian Thirteen and the others, the interface flickered, revealing a new skill.
Blood Hand, Buddha Heart: Punishing evil will earn you merit power; killing the innocent will deduct merit power and increase evil karma;
What is this?
Is this a skill that comes from being ruthless?
What use is merit power? With the keyword ruthless, he's destined to kill many. Can he become a saint or Buddha in this world through merit?
As for evil karma?
With his nature, how could he kill the innocent?
Besides!
Even a prince uses human lives to make evil artifacts like the Soul-Calming Bottle for his throne. If he becomes emperor, could he be a good one?
The innocent?
Du Ge's eyes flashed with irony as he looked up at the sky, thinking, isn't this world truly ruled by evil?
However.
Merit is always a good thing in any work. This new skill, though not for attack or defense, suits him well.
A demon head with merit power?
When those righteous sects hunt him, seeing his body full of merit power, it might just blow their minds!
...
Time unknowingly reached the fourth watch. Seeing the eastern sky lightening, Long Yichen couldn't help but ask, "Senior, are we really not seeking refuge with Prince Su? After dawn, if those wealthy merchants and nobles don't return home, someone will surely come to Longliu Manor to investigate. With so many dead, it's a major case, and Qi Refiners might come to investigate. Your identity..."
"That's exactly what I'm waiting for." Du Ge smiled, looking at Long Yichen, "Manor Lord Long, seeking refuge with Prince Su might topple Prince Duan, but what then? Are you sure Prince Su will still use you? With so many nobles dead at Longliu Manor, do you think Prince Su won't offer you up to appease those families' anger and win favor?"
"..." Long Yichen's face changed dramatically.
"Manor Lord Long, you must think three steps ahead. Being short-sighted means you won't even know how you died." Du Ge shook his head, smiling, "Remember, in this world, the only one you can rely on is yourself."
Gulp!
Long Yichen swallowed hard, "That's true, but we..."
"What about us?" Du Ge interrupted again, "Manor Lord Long, Qi Refiners aren't as terrifying as you think. With the Soul-Calming Bottle, I can handle one or two Qi Refiners. Taking them down will only strengthen us. As the saying goes, 'Why not be a king or duke?' Considering my identity, maybe we can even rule this world!"
A demon in chaotic times!
Long Yichen looked at the smiling Du Ge in shock, suddenly understanding his plan. His heart raced, and he stopped breathing for a moment.
...
Indeed.
After hearing that the emperor had dragon vein protection and the power to appoint Earth Gods, Du Ge changed his previous plan, deciding to try being an emperor.
As an Alien Star warrior with a child's body, entering a cultivation sect was nearly impossible. Instead of racking his brain to hide and enter a celestial sect, why not aim for the throne and become a wild emperor?
He had read history books, knowing this world had dynastic changes. If he got lucky and gained dragon vein protection.
Which cultivator would dare oppose him?
Wouldn't they fear backlash?
As for whether a wild emperor would be recognized by the celestial realm, he'd take it one step at a time and act first.
Having taken down Longliu Manor meant he couldn't continue hiding. The keyword ruthless inherently conflicted with the way of hiding.
An emperor with dragon vein protection couldn't practice celestial arts, but his divine power wasn't celestial arts, right?
Of course.
Du Ge didn't plan to give up celestial arts. Not entering a celestial sect didn't mean he couldn't cultivate. Those Qi Refiners helping princes were ready-made teachers. What if the Alien Star warrior identity could accommodate both celestial arts and dragon vein power?
Du Ge believed that with his abilities, capturing Qi Refiners and extracting cultivation techniques from them should be feasible.
Seeking refuge with Prince Su and entrusting his fate to others? Impossible!