Once upon a time, he stood tall and handsome, feeling insolent and arrogant. He thought he was the protagonist of the world and that all people and everything would be at his disposal. Even the high and mighty Xuanbing Empress, who was extremely beautiful and had an elegant temperament, would be in his pocket!
But who could have imagined that at the moment when he was at the peak of his career and making great progress, he would encounter such a major crisis!
The instigator of all this is naturally the boy named Ye Chen in front of him!
After the Black Ice Queen dealt with Ao Li, she turned her gaze to Ye Chen.
His tone softened noticeably as he spoke, "Ye Chen, you have made outstanding contributions in killing the enemy in this battle. You led the people to recapture the southernmost region of our Xuanbing Divine Kingdom, saving millions of cultivators from danger, and have made outstanding contributions to our country.
With this in mind, I hereby grant you the title of 'Duke of the State' and award you with one hundred sacred stones. I decree this!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar.
It has only been a short time since Ye Chen was conferred the title of Marquis, but now he has been promoted again?
Moreover, he skipped the title of marquis and was directly conferred the title of duke.
The title bestowed is also intriguing!
What does 'Zhuguo' mean?
A pillar of the country, a minister who shoulders the heavy responsibility of the kingdom of God!
Is this something that ordinary people can deserve? Throughout the history of the Xuanbing Divine Kingdom, no one has ever received such an honor. Ye Chen is the first!
Frost Dragon Heavenly King Ao Beiming could no longer hold back and immediately said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I feel that this move is inappropriate. Although Ye Chen has made outstanding military achievements, he cannot be promoted so dramatically. The Kingdom of God has never had such a precedent. It is not in line with the ancestral system!"
"Then I will create this precedent. Starting from me, this system will be in place!"
The Black Ice Empress stood with her hands behind her back and continued majestically, "My decree is that merits must be rewarded and mistakes must be punished. Regardless of their origins or background, if they make a mistake, even a Heavenly King will be punished. If they have made a contribution, even a humble peasant will be given an exceptional position and promoted!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the blood of the many soldiers who had gathered around them suddenly boiled, and the respect and admiration they showed towards the empress became even stronger.
"But Your Majesty..."
Ao Beiming was unwilling to give in and wanted to persuade him again, but was interrupted by the empress. She said in a cold voice: "King Han Chi, are you the emperor, or am I the emperor? In this Xuanbing Divine Kingdom, do I have the final say, or do you?"
"Of course you are the emperor, you have the final say..."
Ao Beiming answered in a low voice with his head lowered.
"I'm glad you know!"
The Xuanbing Empress snorted coldly, looked at Ye Chen again and said: "Ye Chen, I will let you serve as the Grand Commander of the Extreme Southern Territory, and be the governor of all matters in the Extreme Southern Territory."
Ye Chen smiled faintly and nodded, then said, "Since His Majesty has entrusted me with such a heavy burden, I have no choice but to make some effort..."
Leng Guanxing was stunned when he heard this. He knew that this guy did not play by the rules, so he subconsciously asked, "Duke Zhuguo, what are your plans next?"
"What are you planning?"
Ye Chen's gaze turned towards the Snowy Mountains, towards the vast northern region of the Blazing Sun Kingdom, and he said with a half-smile, "Of course, I want to swallow that big piece of fat meat into my mouth!"
"You want to attack the Blazing Sun Divine Kingdom? Absolutely not!"
Ao Beiming sternly rejected the idea, "Do you know how huge a shock this will bring? If we're not careful, this hard-earned period of peace will be completely destroyed. We'll be faced with another massive war, or even a full-scale national war!"
"Even the Blazing Sun Divine Kingdom isn't afraid of them, so why should we be afraid? Just because the Blazing Sun Divine Kingdom attacks us, we can't counterattack the Blazing Sun Divine Kingdom. What's the logic behind this?"
Ye Chen looked at Ao Beiming and continued, "Heavenly King Han Chi, I want to tell you a truth: Only by being able to fight can we stop the war! Being so timid and cowardly like you will only accelerate the demise of the entire Kingdom of God!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone shouted, "Ye Chen! How dare you! How dare you, a mere duke, talk to the king of heaven!"
Ye Chen looked over and saw that the person who spoke was Ao Li. He immediately teased him sarcastically, "I was wondering who was lecturing me. It turns out it's an untitled duke? If I remember correctly, according to the system of the Kingdom of God, my current rank is even higher than yours. Aren't you also being presumptuous with me?"
"Ye Chen, you are really brave!"
Ao Li was so angry that his whole body was shaking. He was the top genius of the Ao clan, the former Duke Zhenhai Yuming, and a great cultivator in the Heavenly Sovereign realm. Now he was being taught a lesson in person by a kid from a remote village. It was simply unbearable!
Immediately, Ao Li said fiercely: "Ye Chen, you are so brave, do you dare to challenge me to a life-and-death battle?"
Ye Chen frowned slightly and remained silent.
Ao Li sneered, "You are a great Duke of the State, but you dare not challenge a duke like me without a title?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress said in a deep voice, "Ao Li, stop messing around!"
Ao Li's blood immediately boiled over, and blood filled his pupils. He pointed at Ye Chen and said, "This kid is doing whatever he wants. I just asked him to duel with me, but it's not okay. Your Majesty is too partial!
"My Ao people shed their blood for the late emperor and for Your Majesty. My Ao Li risked his life to defend the border for Your Majesty, yet in the end, I am not as meritorious as an outsider who helped Your Majesty win a few insignificant victories. Your Majesty, aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of your subjects and the hearts of all the Ao people?"
The passionate words made the empress fall into silence for a moment, not knowing how to end it.
At this moment, Ye Chen smiled faintly and said, "You speak so righteously, as if you and the entire Ao clan have suffered a great injustice... Don't you want to fight me to the death? I will grant you your wish. After I finish dealing with things here, I will return to the royal city to fight you. When the time comes, I will invite His Majesty and the Four Heavenly Kings to come and watch the battle. What do you think?"
After a pause, Ye Chen continued, "Isn't it just a demotion? You're acting like your mother has died. I have to sort out military affairs now. Just go play aside and stop making trouble, okay?"
Ye Chen's words immediately made everyone feel that Ao Li was a clown, or even more like an immature child who would throw a tantrum and cry for his parents when he suffered a little setback.
In comparison, the younger Ye Chen appears to be more mature and steady. This is the true genius of his generation!
"Okay, very good! Ye Chen, I'll be waiting for you in the royal city!"
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