When I woke up, I wanted to go home.

Chapter 110 The Death of the Duke

The fifteen Emperor-level powerhouses, led by the Duke of Wangguo, had also arrived within the battle zone, and all sides had spotted each other.

A member of the Peace Chamber of Commerce shouted, "The Peace Chamber of Commerce is conducting business; all irrelevant personnel must leave immediately!"

Upon hearing the man's shout, the Duke of the Kingdom replied with a gloomy expression, "A bunch of black-hearted people blinded by greed. They dare to point fingers at us on our territory, Ruixue Kingdom. Do you really think Xiao Feng can control everything on the God-Abandoned Continent?"

I command all Emperor-level experts to immediately go and assist my Ninth Prince, the King of Ruixue Kingdom, in defeating the invading enemy!

As soon as the Duke of the Kingdom finished speaking, the fifteen Emperor-level experts behind him did not hesitate and instantly rushed to the battlefield, engaging in battle with the Emperor-level experts of the Peace Chamber of Commerce.

Then, the Duke of the Kingdom took out the communication stone and reported the current situation to King Lai Xun word for word.

Inside the palace, after receiving a message from the Duke of the Kingdom, King Lai Xun ordered, "Immediately summon all princes and ministers to the main hall for a meeting. This is my order."

Half an hour later, apart from those who were unable to return in time, the various princes and ministers, regardless of what they had to do, arrived at the palace hall one after another.

As the hall was filled with people whispering amongst themselves, King Lai Xun strode out from the back hall and, without a word, said directly, "Quiet! I have a decree."

The order is given: arrest all businesses and individuals associated with the Peace Chamber of Commerce, whether in villages, towns, or cities. Anyone who resists will be executed on the spot. All assets of the Peace Chamber of Commerce will be confiscated and turned over to the national treasury. Rewards will be given afterward based on merit!

Second, mobilize all the Emperor-level experts in the country and quickly send them to the vast snow-covered mountains to help the King of Ruixue Kingdom, "Ninth Brother," eliminate all enemies.

Alright, let's get on with it now. Soon, I myself will travel to the vast, icy plains to reunite with Ninth Brother.

After King Raixun gave his order, a commotion suddenly erupted in the hall. King Raixun looked at the princes and ministers below, who were now discussing amongst themselves in a somewhat disorderly manner, and then said with a furious expression, "Quiet."

"Did you all fail to hear my orders clearly? Or are my orders no longer effective for you?"

Upon seeing the somewhat annoyed King Lai Xun, the various princes and ministers quieted down. However, an elderly man of imperial rank stepped forward, bowed to King Lai Xun, and asked, "Your Majesty, isn't this a breach of decorum?"

After all, the Peace Chamber of Commerce is the largest chamber of commerce on the entire God-Abandoned Continent, and we have many business dealings with them.

If we uproot it, we'll offend the Peace Merchant Guild terribly, and our Snow Kingdom will be unable to supply many of its resources in the future.

Furthermore, the Peace Chamber of Commerce is not merely a chamber of commerce; its power is immense. If they were to retaliate against our Snowdrift Kingdom, we would be unable to withstand it.

King Lai Xun looked at the elderly minister below the hall and calmly asked, "Duke Ji, have you finished speaking?"

The man named Duke Ji quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this old minister has finished speaking."

Okay, is there anything else you want to say?

After King Lai Xun finished asking his question, several ministers of different appearances stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Although we have nothing to add, we all agree with what the Duke of Ji said."

King Lai Xun looked at the assembled princes and ministers below the main hall and said, "I have already taken into account what the Duke of Ji said, and I have my own solutions."

Even if it weren't for that, I, the King, would not allow a merchant guild to interfere in the affairs of a kingdom and challenge my authority.

I have already communicated with the Flame Emperor of the Flame Empire, and if nothing unexpected happens, the Flame Emperor should be doing the same thing as me at this time.

As the Peace Chamber of Commerce has grown stronger over the millennia, it has become a threat to every kingdom on the continent of the Forsaken Gods. It has not only threatened them, but has already taken action.

Furthermore, don't think I don't know that some of your ministers have shady dealings with the Peace Chamber of Commerce. It's best to sever all ties now, and I will not pursue the matter further. Otherwise, when the time comes to settle accounts, don't blame me for being ruthless and merciless."

As King Raihun's words grew increasingly somber and ruthless, some of the princes and ministers slowly lowered their heads.

Finally, with King Raihun's words, "The meeting is adjourned," the vast machinery of the nation began to operate at full speed.

On the battlefield, Zhu Chongjiu quickly approached the members of the Kingdom who had joined the fight.

When the Duke of Wangguo saw his Ninth Brother standing in front of him, he felt as if he had been in another world. In the moment when the Duke of Wangguo was stunned, Zhu Chongjiu swung his sword and killed an Emperor-level expert who came close and was about to ambush the two of them.

At the same time, it also interrupted the Duke of Wangguo's daze. Immediately, the Duke of Wangguo spoke up and asked loudly with a laugh, "Ninth Brother is indeed Ninth Brother, wherever you go, there is bloodshed! What is it this time? As long as Ninth Brother gives the order, our Ruixue Kingdom will definitely go all out."

Upon hearing the Duke of Wang's words, Zhu Chongjiu felt a long-lost warmth in his heart. He replied, "Old Wang, this matter is different. You should withdraw from the battle immediately and also tell that brat Lai Xun not to get involved in this matter."

Hearing this, the Duke of Wang Guo was displeased. His expression slightly angry, he said, "Ninth Brother, what do you mean? Now that you're powerful, you look down on us lowly soldiers?"

Stop talking nonsense, I'm serious. It's not that I look down on you, it's that I really do. This time, our opponent is from the upper realm; I could die at any moment. Don't gamble an entire nation's life for my sake. Besides, even if we did gamble, there's no guarantee of victory.

When the Duke of Wangguo heard the first two sentences of Zhu Chongjiu's speech, he still had an indignant expression. But after Zhu Chongjiu finished speaking, he frowned and asked, "Is it really that serious?"

Yes, there really is. Get out of here right now, listen to me. As for the details, if I'm still alive after this, we can have a good drink and I'll tell you all about it for three days and three nights.

After listening to Zhu Chongjiu's words, the Duke of the Kingdom pondered for a moment, then turned to his fifteen Emperor-level experts and ordered, "Withdraw from the battle and return to the border town, ready to be deployed at any time." After giving the order, the Duke of the Kingdom handed a recording stone of his conversation with Zhu Chongjiu to one of the Emperor-level experts, telling him that it must be sent to the capital immediately and personally delivered to King Lai Xun.

After the Duke of Wangguo covered the retreat of the fifteen Emperor-level experts, Zhu Chongjiu saw the Duke of Wangguo, who was grinning and laughing loudly as he fought, approaching him. He then transmitted his voice and asked, "Old Wang, why aren't you leaving yet?"

Why should I leave? This kind of battle is a rare and precious opportunity. Since the last great battle against the snowfield monsters, I haven't had a proper fight in ages. Besides, I'm here to help you as a friend, not as a representative of the Snow Kingdom. What, you look down on my meager strength?”

Just as Zhu Chongjiu was about to earnestly persuade the Duke of Wangguo to leave this dangerous place again, he suddenly felt an unprecedented chill run up his spine, and the hairs on his body stood on end as if he had been electrocuted! Without the slightest hesitation, Zhu Chongjiu rushed towards the Duke of Wangguo's location at the fastest speed he could ever achieve.

In the blink of an eye, Zhu Chongjiu arrived beside the Duke of Wangguo, stretched out his arms, and scooped him up tightly. Without hesitation, he turned and ran wildly into the distance. However, the instant he lifted the Duke into his arms, a deafening roar resounded, as if the entire world trembled! Immediately afterward, countless snowflakes surged into the sky like raging waves, blotting out the sun. The already precarious icebergs shook violently once more, experiencing another breathtaking earthquake.

Just as the explosion was about to happen, something unexpected occurred—the Duke of the Kingdom twisted his body with all his might, intending to use his back to withstand the terrifying aftershocks of the explosion!

Zhu Chongjiu, who was completely focused on escaping at top speed, had no time to react. By the time he realized the Duke of Wang's astonishing move, it was already too late.

Faced with such terrifying power, the numerous defensive spells meticulously prepared by the Duke proved utterly fragile. Those seemingly indestructible shields and barriers were as fragile as paper before the power of this behemoth. A series of crisp cracking sounds rang out, and the Duke's defensive spells were instantly shattered layer by layer, turning into countless fragments shimmering with faint light, drifting in the air like starlight, and disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The extremely violent power did not stop there; it continued to surge forward unimpeded, striking directly at the Duke's body.

Zhu Chongjiu watched helplessly as it unfolded, his gaze fixed on the Duke of Wangguo. The Duke, who had been smiling at him the whole time, began to crumble under the devastating force. First, grotesque cracks appeared on his limbs, then his body began to disintegrate, like a building about to collapse.

Even after suffering such a devastating blow, the Duke of Wangguo mustered his last ounce of strength to look at Zhu Chongjiu. A slight smile played on his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only managed to utter the word "Goodbye," his voice barely audible, yet seemingly containing a thousand unspoken words. As his voice faded, the Duke of Wangguo's entire body turned to ashes, drifting away with the wind, forever disappearing into the vast expanse of heaven and earth.

Witnessing this scene, Zhu Chongjiu felt as if his heart was being torn apart, and tears welled up in his eyes. But before he could recover from his grief, the terrifying energy that had just destroyed the Duke of the Kingdom was already relentlessly pursuing him, slamming into his body.

Fortunately, after the Duke of Wang's desperate resistance, the force had been weakened considerably. But even so, it was still an unbearable blow for Zhu Chongjiu, who was already severely injured. He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and his body flew backward involuntarily, like a cannonball, flying tens of thousands of meters away.

Finally, Zhu Chongjiu crashed heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. He struggled to get up, but found that his injuries were extremely serious. Just like last time, his internal organs were all shattered. He was truly at his last gasp, and even breathing became extremely difficult.

Zhu Chongjiu struggled to his feet, his hands swaying as he leaned on his greatsword to keep from falling. Looking at Elder Qi, who hadn't come over, he said, "Elder Qi, this is the second time you've ambushed me."

After saying that, he glanced at the surrounding environment. Apart from the fifteen Emperor-level experts who had just retreated, everything around him, except for himself who was still standing, had turned to ashes.

Then he spoke again: Now, it's just the two of us left. I'm seriously injured now, why don't you give me another move and send me to my death?

Given my current physical condition, I can no longer dodge your attacks.

If you're worried about missing, you can move forward a little more; wouldn't that be safer?

Seeing Zhu Chongjiu, who was seriously injured but remained calm, from a distance, Elder Qi said, "I only wanted to kill you, not to die with you. Just now, that Emperor-level expert helped you block one attack, what a pity...! But there will always be another chance."

After hearing what Elder Qi said, Zhu Chongjiu glared at him fiercely before turning and walking away into the distance.

At this moment, Elder Qi thought to himself, "If I were to use all my strength to obliterate this vast expanse of ice and snow with a single palm strike, it would surely alert that terrifying being deep within the endless sea. Even if that terrifying being ignores me, this fragile world cannot withstand my full-force attack."

If this world were shattered, causing the power of the universe to flow back in, then everything would vanish.

The force can only be controlled to the right degree.

Ugh! This is really tough.

After pondering for a while, Qi Lao looked at Zhu Chongjiu, who was walking unsteadily into the distance, and sighed inwardly, "This boy is truly a man of unwavering resolve, a person favored by heaven!"

Even though time is tight, we can only look for opportunities.