After guarding the gates for a hundred years, I drove the Heavenly Saint to madness.

The heavy, black iron-clad city gate slammed shut under the pull of the winch, completely isolating the outside world from the bloodshed and devastation.

Inside Jiepai Pass, the gloom that had been building up for months was swept away.

"Victory!"

"The General is mighty! Jiepai Pass is mighty!"

Amidst the cheers, the dozens of prison vans in the center of the army stood out conspicuously.

Inside the prison cart, there were no ordinary soldiers, but all the well-known generals of the Xiqi army.

Among them, the most eye-catching were Li Jing, Huang Feihu, and Deng Jiugong, who were bound tightly with specially made Immortal-Binding Ropes.

Their faces turned ashen, and amidst the deafening cheers around them, they could only lower their heads in humiliation.

The General's Mansion, Central Hall.

Xiao Wuji removed his blood-stained armor, changed into a loose-fitting black casual outfit, and sat imposingly in the main seat.

Xu Gai strode into the hall, knelt on one knee, the armor plates clanging together with a crisp sound, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement:

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief! In this battle, we have killed over 100,000 enemy soldiers and captured countless supplies and weapons. The main generals of Xiqi, Huang Feihu, Deng Jiugong, Li Jing, and dozens of others, have all been brought outside the court to await trial!"

"Bring it in."

Xiao Wuji picked up the tea beside him and skimmed off the foam.

A moment later, accompanied by the screeching sound of chains dragging on the ground, three figures were forcibly dragged into the main hall by the fierce guards, who pressed their shoulders and made them kneel on the bluestone bricks.

Xiao Wuji put down his teacup and calmly swept his gaze over the three people.

"Loosen the chains on their legs." Xiao Wuji waved his hand.

Upon hearing this, the guards immediately stepped forward and removed the heavy shackles from Huang Feihu and Deng Jiugong's ankles.

"Two generals."

Xiao Wuji leaned forward slightly, his tone lacking the arrogance of a victor, but rather revealing a hint of respect.

"King Wu Cheng and General Deng are both pillars of our Great Shang Dynasty, the pillars that hold up the sky and the beams that span the sea. His Majesty has been bewitched by the evil concubine, persecuted loyal officials, and forced King Wu Cheng into rebellion. This is known throughout the land."

"I, Xiao Wuji, understand why you rebelled, whether for self-preservation or to save face. The Great Shang owes you something."

Upon hearing this, Huang Feihu suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes and looked at Xiao Wuji, who was sitting high up, with a complicated expression.

He had expected to be thoroughly humiliated, but he never expected such a comment.

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. Since I've fallen into your hands, I have nothing to say. Kill me if you want, no need for further words." Huang Feihu's voice was hoarse.

"I didn't intend to kill you."

Xiao Wuji leaned back in his chair, his expression indifferent.

"They're just serving their own masters. But if you go to Xiqi and become pawns for those hypocrites of the Chan Sect, that's a completely different matter. You won't be able to get past Jiepai Pass. Xu Gai!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Arrange a quiet courtyard for the two generals and keep them well under guard. Also, send two military doctors over to make some soup using the dregs from the Fire Cloud Cave to suppress the plague in their bodies."

"As long as they don't leave the courtyard, their food, clothing, and daily necessities must be provided for without neglect. In a few days, we will send them to Chaoge City."

"yes!"

Xu Gai waved his hand, and several guards politely ushered Huang Feihu and Deng Jiugong away.

Before leaving, Deng Jiugong turned back and gave Xiao Wuji a deep look, then sighed.

"If the Great Shang had had someone like you earlier, I wouldn't be in this situation... Never mind, never mind."

With the two men taken away, only Li Jing on the far right remained in the hall.

Li Jing witnessed the entire process of Xiao Wuji treating Huang and Deng well, and his heart, which had been pounding wildly with fear, suddenly calmed down a lot.

In his view, since Xiao Wuji could understand Huang Feihu and the others' predicament of being forced to rebel, he could naturally understand him as well.

After all, they were once ministers in the same court and generals of the Shang Dynasty.

To be honest, if he hadn't unexpectedly obtained the Guardian System, he would have surrendered as well. Compared to Xiqi, Dashang was actually not that great either; the two were just about equal.

"General Xiao!"

Before Xiao Wuji could speak, Li Jing eagerly raised his head, forcing a fawning smile onto his pale face.

"I have witnessed the might of the Commander-in-Chief today. Speaking of which, when I was stationed at Chentang Pass, I was a colleague of the Commander-in-Chief."

"What the commander-in-chief just said was very insightful; I, Li, was also caught in a situation beyond my control!"

Li Jing crawled forward two steps, his eyes darting around, his voice low and revealing a shrewd, opportunistic nature:

"The Chan Sect is bullying people by relying on its power. I, Li, am caught in the middle of it. In order to protect the people within the pass, I have no choice but to temporarily take refuge in Xiqi."

"Now that I have witnessed the might of the Great Commander, I, Li, am willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light! I am familiar with the military strategy of Xiqi and am willing to serve the Great Commander with utmost loyalty, to atone for my sins through meritorious service!"

He spoke these words with remarkable fluency, as if he had truly suffered a great injustice and was just waiting for a wise ruler to save him.

Xiao Wuji listened quietly without interrupting him.

Only after Li Jing finished pledging his loyalty and eagerly awaited being offered a seat did Xiao Wuji's lips slowly curve into a smile.

It was just a chilling, extremely disgusting sneer.

"Colleagues? Forced into a situation?"

Xiao Wuji stood up, walked down the steps one by one, and stopped in front of Li Jing.

He looked down at the self-proclaimed loyal and righteous Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King with eyes that seemed to regard him as a pile of unrecyclable garbage.

"Li Jing and Huang Feihu rebelled because King Zhou forced their wives and sisters to their deaths; it was a blood feud."

"Why are you rebelling?"

Xiao Wuji's voice wasn't loud, but it resounded like muffled thunder in the empty hall.

"For the people? Don't try to glorify yourself!"

"You're nothing but a coward who clings to life, only interested in keeping your pitiful official position and begging for mercy from the Chan Sect!"

Li Jing's smile froze instantly, and a fine layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead: "General, you've misunderstood. I really am..."

"Misunderstand?"

Xiao Wuji suddenly bent down, grabbed Li Jing by the collar, and half-lifted him up. Staring into his eyes, he said, word by word, "Back then, when the Dragon King of the East Sea flooded Chen Tang Pass, what did you do?"

"As a general and a father, you not only failed to draw your sword to protect the people, but you also forced your own flesh and blood, Nezha, to return his bones to his father and his flesh to his mother!"

"You stand on the bones of your own son to apologize to the dragon clans of the four seas and to show your loyalty to the Chan Sect."

"After Nezha died, he was resurrected by incarnation through a lotus flower. Fearing his revenge, you acted like a dog, begging Dipankara to bestow upon you the Exquisite Pagoda, and every day you suppressed your own son at the bottom of the pagoda!"

With each word Xiao Wuji spoke, Li Jing's face grew paler, and his body trembled violently. This fig leaf he had so desperately tried to conceal was torn to shreds by Xiao Wuji in front of everyone.

"A spineless coward like you, who sells out his son for personal gain and changes his allegiance with every wind, dares to talk to me about loyalty and righteousness? Dares to be mentioned as a fellow courtier?"

"As a fellow general, I feel ashamed to be your enemy."

"Bang!"

A murderous glint flashed in Xiao Wuji's eyes. Too lazy to listen to his nonsense any longer, he kicked Li Jing hard in the chest.

Although this kick wasn't delivered with full force, Xiao Wuji now possessed the physical body of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, making its power terrifying.

Li Jing screamed in agony as he flew backward like a rag doll, crashing heavily into a pillar in the main hall. He coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs and collapsed to the ground.

"Someone come here!"

Xiao Wuji pulled out a clean white handkerchief, wiped his hand that had touched Li Jing's collar, and casually threw it on the ground.

"Drag this disgusting thing away. Use a soul-snatching lock soaked in aconite juice to pierce his collarbone, and use a sealing talisman to seal his Niwan Palace."

Xiao Wuji turned around and walked towards the commander's seat, his voice as cold as ice:

"Isn't there an empty spot on the flagpole on the city tower? Hang it up there for me. Right next to that Samantabhadra."

"Let those hypocritical immortals of the Chan Sect see for themselves—these are the loyal and righteous men they've taken in!"