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"Really won’t consider making a move against me?" The Emperor looked at Chen Qing with a strange expression, seemingly puzzled and testing, but wasn’t this test a bit too crude?

Chen Qing was at a loss for words. At such a time, shouldn’t he be relieved that he didn’t make a move?

"Does Your Majesty wish for me to make a move?" Chen Qing spoke up.

"I do not wish for that..." The Emperor shook his head: "The power you displayed just now would have been greatly feared even by me at my peak, let alone in my current state; I really don’t want to collide head-on with it."

"If that is so, why does Your Majesty still ask?"

"If you don’t make a move, even if I ask, I won’t either. But if you do intend to make a move, even pretending to be dead wouldn’t fool you, right?"

"Your Majesty is really forthright towards his subjects..." Chen Qing chuckled and shook his head.

"Since I am so forthright, can you, King of Qin, be a bit more open?"

Chen Qing looked at him, and after a few moments of silence, he straightforwardly said: "I can’t make a move. If I could, Kagura would not have let you off just now, including Your Majesty. With such a good opportunity, how could I miss it if I were able to make a move?"

"That sounds like the truth." The Emperor nodded: "It seems that this power of yours is not at your disposal as you please."

"What exactly are you trying to say, Your Majesty?" Chen Qing was puzzled. With the other party testing him like this, he surely wasn’t thinking of turning around and attacking him, was he?

If that were the case... he wouldn’t mind taking the other party down himself.

"I want to cooperate with you."

"Cooperate?" Chen Qing found this rather curious. The other party had shown such domineering behavior, and having already come to an agreement with King Xiang with the assistance of the strongest Ghost Army, coupled with the boost from the destiny of this world, he had chosen to cooperate with him?

"Do you not wish to?"

"It’s not that I’m unwilling..." Chen Qing hurriedly shook his head. Cooperation would, of course, be beneficial. His position in Jiangnan, facing off against both north and south, was under significant military pressure, especially with the recent turn of events. Once King of Qin returned, the Eastern Sea’s power could potentially rise within a few years.

The four seas being connected, if they were to come knocking at that time and he faced enemies on three sides, even with Jiangnan’s current military strength, it would be difficult to cope.

Moreover, King of Qin possessed the Forbidden Technique power of White Drawing.

Even though he himself was immune, others were not.

If the Eastern Sea launched an attack, both he and Ziyue would need to send one to counter it, no.

.. both he and Ziyue would likely need to be present, otherwise, just relying on Xuu Hu, the opposition could easily replace the commander.

The key point was that the people on the other two fronts were also not easy to deal with, Kagura and the Siao siblings. If someday all of them attacked together, no matter which side Xuu Hu defended, he wouldn’t be able to hold.

With Kagura, the enmity was already set; a battle to the death was inevitable. His relationship with King of Qin was that of life-and-death enemies; cooperation was impossible.

Now that he thought about it... if he could cooperate with the Emperor, it could certainly alleviate a lot of pressure.

It would be good indeed, but...

"May your servant ask why?" Chen Qing expressed his puzzlement.

The Emperor looked at Chen Qing, not answering the question right away, but instead asked curiously: "I’m very curious, you have already carved out your own kingdom, yet when conversing with me, you always maintain the etiquette of a subordinate. Why is that?"

If it’s humility, isn’t that going a bit too far?

Chen Qing knew that sooner or later the other party would ask this, so he sighed and said: "Your servant was appointed King of Qin by Your Majesty, and naturally, I must perform the duties of a subordinate. This is a threshold I cannot overstep."

"I see..." The Emperor nodded: "Let me guess, that ability of Divine Imperial Mandate Spirits you possess, it requires recognition from the Imperial Court, doesn’t it?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Chen Qing smiled bitterly.

"If I were to revoke your King of Qin title and label you a rebel, would those spirits still be with you?"

"They would be..." Chen Qing looked him in the eye and responded openly.

"This is interesting. What kind of restraint do I have over you?" The Emperor asked with curiosity.

"If Your Majesty were to die, I could freely occupy any place in this world and appoint the spirits of any place under heaven at will. But with Your Majesty around, at least the Capital City... is a place I would not dare to offend."

"You are quite straightforward..." The Emperor immediately laughed: "From the sound of it, bestowing upon you the title of King of Qin is like raising a tiger that invites trouble."

The King of Qin, the greatest of all royal titles throughout history, could even possess the power to ascend to the throne in the former dynasty.

If the Royal Family lacks a suitable heir, the King of Qin becomes the most appropriate successor.

Therefore, the bestowal of the title King of Qin has always been approached with utmost caution by previous dynasties.

By conferring upon Chen Qing the title King of Qin, he becomes the most powerful relative outside of me. It seems that his special ability to appoint Divine Imperial Mandate Spirits is correlated to the size of the official position bestowed by the Imperial Court.

Indeed, a fascinating ability...

"So, do you wish for my death? But you can’t do it yourself, right?"

"That’s the idea..." Chen Qing nodded. Originally, this secret should not have been revealed to the Emperor, but now that an alliance is to be formed, this secret instead can serve as reassurance.

"Let’s say what you’re telling is true..." The Emperor said with a smile.

"Isn’t it time for Your Majesty to answer my question?"

The Emperor nodded: "After this battle, I have come to understand that the rejuvenation of the Human Race is far more difficult than I imagined, and my enemies far more terrifying.

I do not understand why you creators of this world inflicted such numerous hardships upon the Human Race, when everything about humans was created based on your own characteristics. "

"We never thought this place would be our final destination when creating it," Chen Qing replied with a bitter smile. "If we had known beforehand, who would have done such an ungrateful task?"

"Is that so?" The Emperor laughed: "Does that mean this is retribution?"

"I suppose so...."

"Having said that, I feel much more at ease."

Chen Qing: "....."

"I... am not certain..."

Chen Qing was startled; he hadn’t expected the other to blurt out such a sentence, as it didn’t quite fit his persona.

"What’s that look for?" The Emperor said amusingly. "I’m not single-minded. Must I insist that my true emperor’s nature is to be utterly confident in vanquishing demons and revitalizing the Human Race?"

"It’s not that... it’s just... Your Majesty’s reflections seem different from the impression you used to give."

"In the past, we were enemies, but now... at least for a while, we are allies, aren’t we?"

"Is Your Majesty forming an alliance because of uncertainty?" Chen Qing asked, puzzled.

"Yes..." The Emperor nodded: "My aspiration is to struggle for a future for the Human Race, a future free from the necessity of bloodshed. Initially, the previous King of Qin couldn’t provide me with this future, so I betrayed him and took matters into my own hands. I was fully confident at first, but after this battle, I have come to realize the rough path ahead. For this purpose, I have committed too many sins, driving half of Jiangnan’s population to you. Perhaps in terms of the people’s hearts, you might be more suited to be Emperor than I. "

"Your Majesty...."

The Emperor waved his hand, interrupting Chen Qing and continued: "I don’t mean to shrink back.

I will not turn back, no matter how history judges me afterward, even if I am doomed never to recover.

’To achieve great things, a thousand bones will whither.

’ I have never denied that I’m selfish; I do what’s necessary for the throne and for myself, but I want to leave a way out for the Human Race. "

Having said that, he looked at Chen Qing: "I have observed for a long time, and you are more sincere than the King of Qin, and more human-like than him. I wish to entrust the future of the Human Race to you!"

Chen Qing looked at him stunned, not expecting such candor from the other, nor did he expect the meaning behind their alliance to be of this nature.

Suddenly, numerous calculations raced through his mind, yet they felt tasteless.

"The first thing I’ll do when I return is to dispatch a large army, to force the people from the Northern Territory and the outskirts of the four cities of the Capital to your place.

Most of them are not suitable to become part of the Ghost Army, nor can they become so, but I know, without doing something, they will eventually turn into Evil Ghosts. "

"And then?" Chen Qing looked at him.

"Then, I will lead an expedition to the Northern Territory!" The Emperor took a deep breath: "It’s about time those exalted Reincarnators face some backlash!"