83: Chapter 83 Imperial Ambition

"Mr. Teler, I do not wish to kill you."

Princess Xiao sighed. Over these past days, she had witnessed Li Jiao's talent. If he could be brought into her service, he would surely be a great asset in the future!

Unfortunately, his prestige was too high; he could not be kept alive!

'It's a good thing I listened to Tiger Brother!'

Li Jiao was still coughing up blood, feeling fortunate in his heart. Thanks to Tiger Brother's strong insistence before they left that he wear the crimson molten armor, he would likely have died from that palm strike, even though he was only wearing half of it!

Li Jiao regretted it, wanting to slap himself twice. 'You just had to show off.' If he had only worn the complete crimson molten armor, he wouldn't be in this state.

The defense of the crimson molten armor was powerful and could even neutralize a Grandmaster's internal energy. Princess Xiao's palm strike just now hadn't actually severely injured him; it was the impact from slamming into the wall made of rare materials that did the damage.

His front side lacked the crimson molten armor, covered only by a layer of Grandmaster toad skin. Slamming into a wall comparable to black iron at such high speed had nearly shattered his internal organs.

If he had been wearing the full crimson molten armor, this wouldn't have happened; he would have been at most a bit disheveled, still lively and kicking.

Unfortunately, he was caught off guard.

Li Jiao swallowed the pieces of his internal organs that were about to come out and stood up, glancing at the situation on Tiger Brother's side.

Although Tiger Brother was not a Grandmaster, he was encased in the crimson molten armor, even using a hard, transparent material for his eyes. Even though he was being hammered by three Grandmasters, he was temporarily unharmed.

Subsequently, Li Jiao shifted his gaze back to Princess Xiao. Had his golden finger's intuition failed?

But in his observations, this person was indeed righteous and awe-inspiring. Where exactly had the problem arisen?

Li Jiao's body swayed, and he fell to the ground again. He seemed unable to walk. His eyes were filled with unwillingness and confusion.

"Why?"

"Because this is the territory of my Xiao family!"

Princess Xiao replied, walking to the dragon throne. Emperor Pi, who had ingested poison, was not yet dead and stared at the woman before him.

"Imperial Father, do I now have the qualifications to inherit your position?"

Princess Xiao smiled. She was not the daughter of the long-dead Prince, but Emperor Pi's own biological daughter. Since childhood, she had possessed astonishing talent in martial arts, and among the entire younger generation of the imperial family, she alone had the potential of a Grandmaster.

She considered herself extraordinary. She knew that Great Pi had once been glorious, with a status approaching that of a Great Power, but accidents had occurred, and it had ultimately fallen into decline.

From a young age, she had vowed to ascend the throne, not only to lead Great Pi back to its peak but to make it even more glorious, establishing a Super Power and dominating all nations!

But because of the ancestral teachings that the throne of the Xiao family could only be inherited by men, the man before her had denied her as his daughter, listed her under the name of her deceased uncle, sent her to a remote fief, and bestowed upon her the title of Princess to strip away her hope of inheriting the throne. Fortunately, she now saw an opportunity.

"Hahaha... Great Pi is not destined to perish!"

Emperor Pi laughed, his laughter mixed with tears; the Xiao family's territory had not perished in his hands but had been passed down.

But the price was too high; the entire imperial family, except for this daughter, had been slaughtered by that commoner.

"It is enough that it was not seized by outsiders."

Emperor Pi stood up, swaying, and pressed a mechanism. A secret compartment opened, and he took out the Imperial Jade Seal.

"I had once considered passing the position to you, but your ambition is too great," Emperor Pi murmured. He had once thought about governing the land well, but it was too tiring, and he had unknowingly become incompetent.

He had thought about passing the position down, but his children were all underage, and he was unwilling to pass it to his brothers, so he could only drag it out and observe among his children.

This daughter was very suitable; both her talent and aptitude were satisfactory. However, as she grew up, the ambition she displayed frightened him, and he ultimately gave up. He hadn't expected that she would obtain the imperial throne anyway.

"Before I die, I still want to give you a piece of advice: follow the ancestral teachings. You may do as you please within Pi Kingdom, but never harbor the delusion of challenging the status of a Great Power!"

"Imperial Father, you have been cowardly your entire life; do you want me to be cowardly as well?"

A fierce glint flashed in Princess Xiao's eyes. Was this the reason he had kept her away from the throne?

"It is only a Grandmaster; what is there to fear? I will surely be a Grandmaster in the future!"

Princess Xiao said proudly. She had become a Grandmaster before the age of twenty-five and was in the prime of her youth. In her view, the legendary Grandmasters were nothing special, and she could reach that stage too.

Moreover, she now had the assistance of divine weapons.

"You..." Emperor Pi opened his mouth, wanting to tell this daughter,

How many people are Grandmasters at a young age? There are not a few like you, and there are even those who become Grandmasters before twenty. As for you, part of the reason you became a Grandmaster was the full support of Pi Kingdom. Compared to those youthful Grandmasters, you do not have an advantage.

But in the end, those youthful Grandmasters who become Grandmasters are one in a hundred.

A Grandmaster is like an uncrossable chasm that many never step across in their entire lives.

And those Great Powers, it is not as simple as just having a Grandmaster. Otherwise, hundreds of years ago, when Pi Kingdom had three Grandmasters, it would have long since entered the ranks of the Great Powers. The foundation of a Great Power is mysterious and unfathomable, not something they can guess.

Emperor Pi opened his mouth but closed it again. He was too tired and could no longer speak. Moreover, this daughter's personality was not something he could persuade.

"Sigh~"

Emperor Pi sighed. The poison he had ingested had completely taken effect. He closed his eyes with worry, and his breathing gradually stopped.

"Watch from the underworld; watch how I... how I lead Great Pi to the pinnacle!"

Empress Xiao pushed away Emperor Pi's corpse and sat on the long-awaited throne, looking down at Li Jiao below.

"Do you understand now?"

From the beginning, she had been using Li Jiao's hand to eliminate those who obstructed her ascension to the throne, and incidentally, to purge corrupt officials and excise the rotting flesh of the Pi Dynasty. Although it was a bit ruthless—ninety percent of the officials had been cleared away, leaving an empty shell—

but without these obstacles, she believed that under her governance, Pi Kingdom could recover quickly.

"I understand." Li Jiao nodded. It wasn't that his golden finger's intuition had been wrong; this woman was indeed like him, single-mindedly wanting to create a prosperous age.

But the path between them was different!

What he wanted to do was overthrow the Pi Dynasty and establish a prosperous age that he was familiar with and idealized.

While Princess Xiao wanted a prosperous age that was glorious and powerful under her rule—a prosperous age that belonged to her empire!

His intuition had been misdirected at the beginning. He had trusted his golden finger too much, only sensing Princess Xiao's hatred for evil, and had treated her as one of his own without investigating further.

"The Rebel Army will not listen to you."

Li Jiao said. He had already instilled his ideology into the minds of the people. If Empress Xiao wanted to command this force, she would need to make changes.

"Martial artists listen to me!"

Empress Xiao said dismissively, gesturing for Li Jiao to look at the main hall.

Li Jiao looked back. The Rebel Army in the hall had already been controlled by martial artists. Firearms could kill martial artists, but in close quarters, they didn't even have the chance to fire.

At least half of the Rebel Army had already died; they were decisively killed by the martial artists because they wanted to protect their commander!

Firearms could kill martial artists, but in close quarters, they didn't even have the chance to fire. Moreover, even if they could fire, they were no match for martial artists who also held firearms.

Li Jiao's gaze swept over the martial artists. Those who obeyed Empress Xiao lowered their heads one after another, not daring to look Li Jiao in the eye.

"Following me, they remain the superior class, while the Rebel Army must honestly obey my will to survive."

Empress Xiao said. She did not need the obedience of ordinary people; a large number of martial artists was the foundation of a nation's prosperity.

Ordinary people could only survive under the protection of martial artists and should serve them—this was fair!

Empress Xiao's words made the bowing martial artists nod involuntarily.

After joining the Rebel Army, everyone's food and treatment were the same.

They had worked hard to practice martial arts their whole lives, only to end up eating and drinking the same as these ordinary people, and even working under the same roof. Their advantages as martial artists were minimal. What was the point of practicing martial arts?

Following Li Jiao meant suffering and fending for themselves.

But following the Empress, they could become the superior class and enjoy a wealthy, decadent life!

"Are you really the Xiao Qingtian rumored among the common people?"

Li Jiao mocked. How could someone who said such things stand up for the common people? It was likely just an excuse because she didn't like those official's sons!

"Mr. Teler, this is the reality for the vast majority of people. Your ideology is too illusory; you should construct your imagined prosperous age in your dreams!"

Empress Xiao did not want to explain these things. She waved her hand, and one of the three Grandmasters besieging Tiger Brother stopped and walked toward Li Jiao.

"That is not illusory; one day it will be realized!"

Li Jiao shook his head. Before the Grandmaster arrived, he stood up directly. Although he was injured, he wasn't so badly hurt that he couldn't walk. He quickly took off a pen hanging from his chest, broke it open, and inside seemed to be a kind of clay. Li Jiao pulled the thing out and then shouted,

"Tiger Brother!"

Tiger Brother, who was in the middle of fighting, understood instantly upon hearing this. He immediately inhaled and then let out a deafening Tiger Roar.

"Roar!!"

Boom!

The clay Li Jiao threw exploded!

Pfft!

Because the distance was too close, Li Jiao was shaken and spat out a mouthful of blood. Looking at the thick smoke, Li Jiao felt heartache.

The explosive just now was a special explosive he had accidentally created while trying to make C4. It was extremely stable, wouldn't explode when burned with fire, and would only explode under specific circumstances!

Moreover, it would explode with different power depending on the situation. Originally, it could have killed a Grandmaster, but there were too many ordinary people in the hall, so Li Jiao could only detonate the bomb in its weakest mode.

Materials were limited, and he had only made two. One was used for testing, and the remaining one was intended as his trump card, but it had been wasted just like that!

"You had better not let me survive!"

Li Jiao didn't bother to wipe the blood from his mouth and hurriedly turned around, exposing the back protected by the crimson molten armor to that Grandmaster.

The entire hall was covered in thick fog at this moment! No one could see or hear anything.

The Grandmaster who was preparing to execute Li Jiao stood calmly in place. Relying on his powerful perception to guess Li Jiao's direction, he threw a dart. He dared not approach, fearing that Li Jiao still had some trump card to take him down together.

Clang!

Even with the protection of the crimson molten armor, Li Jiao continued to vomit blood, his injuries worsening, and he nearly lost consciousness!

"Roar!"

After Tiger Brother finished roaring, he rushed toward Li Jiao's direction immediately, knocked aside the Grandmaster, and stopped after smelling Li Jiao's scent.

"Awoo~" (Get on quickly.)

Li Jiao took the opportunity to lie on Tiger Brother's back, and Tiger Brother directly chose a direction and charged out.

Boom!

The wall that had caused Li Jiao to shatter his internal organs was smashed apart by Tiger Brother, who carried Li Jiao and ran wildly, escaping the palace.

The hundreds of thousands of Rebel Army soldiers cheering outside the hall were confused and didn't understand what had happened. But upon seeing their commander, covered in blood, lying on the back of the Divine Tiger, they all felt as if the sky had collapsed!

"Lord Divine Tiger! This is..."

"Commander!!"

...

The Rebel Army wailed in grief, running to follow. At the same time, a portion of the people belonging to Empress Xiao silently approached every cannon of the Rebel Army and drew their swords.

"Roar!"

Tiger Brother ignored them and ran with all his might, carrying Li Jiao.

In the main hall, all the martial artists channeled their internal energy and true energy to push back the smoke.

"That tiger is wearing such heavy armor; it can't run fast. Chase after it! Do not leave any survivors!!"

Empress Xiao said. The three Grandmasters immediately took their weapons and chased after them.

After they left, Empress Xiao looked at the remaining Rebel Army in the hall and waved her hand.

Swish, swish, swish!

The martial artists swung their blades, and blood stained the ground red!

"Mr. Teler unfortunately died due to Emperor Pi's final counterattack. From now on, the Rebel Army will be under my command!"

Empress Xiao said calmly. The moment they acted, the Rebel Army's cannons and firearms had already been controlled by her people.

Without guns and cannons, the Rebel Army were just ordinary people and could not resist the martial artists. She was not afraid that the Rebel Army would disobey.

Soon, the hundreds of thousands of Rebel Army soldiers outside the hall were controlled. Empress Xiao methodically purged the palace, arranged for officials, and restored order; she had clearly made full preparations.

A few days later, the Empress officially ascended the throne, sitting high on the dragon throne, overlooking the civil and military officials below. After the removal by Li Jiao, she had replenished it with fresh blood; Great Pi now welcomed a rebirth.

The Empress believed that this empire would move toward prosperity in her hands!

"Your Majesty!"

The maid beside her bowed. "The machinery for manufacturing cannons has been obtained!"

"Very good!"

The Empress smiled. Cannons were good things; when their numbers accumulated, even Grandmasters could not resist. These would be the heavy weapons with which she would conquer Great Powers and dominate the world!

"Order the Ministry of Works to conscript laborers, regardless of gender, to mine with all their might and manufacture cannons and cannonballs."

"Yes!"

After the maid left, the Empress rested her head on one hand and tapped the dragon throne with the other.

"Mr. Teler is truly a great talent!"

The golden rice guns, bombs, and cannons were all created by Li Jiao, and they were all divine weapons for sieging cities and seizing territory.

Originally, in her calculations, after ascending the throne, she would need to develop steadily for many years and breakthrough to Grandmaster before she could get a glimpse of the strength of the Great Powers.

But with Li Jiao's sudden appearance, she not only saw the hope of Great Pi becoming a Great Power ahead of schedule, but also the possibility of conquering Great Powers and dominating the world.

Cannons and bombs were too strong; even ordinary people could use them.

Grandmasters were strong, but it only took one hundred third-rate martial artists operating one hundred cannons to easily bombard and kill a Grandmaster!

As for Grandmasters, they were just one level higher than Grandmasters; even if they were strong, how strong could they really be?

At worst, ten thousand cannons could bombard together!

Pi Kingdom did not lack mineral veins, and Li Jiao had also created several types of mining tools. The amount of ore mined in one day was equivalent to nearly the total amount mined in Pi Kingdom over more than a year previously.

"Manufacture cannons as quickly as possible. Having not emerged from the mountains for over two hundred years, I want to let all nations witness the strength of my Great Pi!"

The Empress was high-spirited. When following Li Jiao to crusade against Emperor Pi, she had been victorious in every battle, capturing three or five cities in a single day.

Later on, she even attacked ten cities simultaneously in one day!

It was too simple. As long as there were guns and cannons, fighting wars was not difficult at all. All armies, city walls, and martial artists were vulnerable in the face of artillery fire!

She did not want to drag it out until she broke through to Grandmaster to test the strength of the Great Powers.

"And Li Jiao, I want to see the news of his death as soon as possible!"

"His death is more important than anything else!"

The Empress sighed. There were still many of Li Jiao's weapons that she had not mastered. If she mastered them, her immortal imperial cause would be much smoother!

But this person could not be kept alive!!

...

Tiger Brother was physically and mentally exhausted, with three Grandmasters in hot pursuit behind him. He had been hunted for three days and three nights, circling round and round, and finally entered Tianduan Mountain.

Feeling Li Jiao's faint breathing on his back, Tiger Brother rushed in one direction.

As long as he reached that place, he would be safe.

...