Chapter 748: Chapter 641: Special Envoy, Imperial Decree (Part 2)
Emperor Xuanwu laughed heartily and said, "Very good, you are impressive. I believe that destiny is merely a shackle imposed on people, and one must possess the power to break free from it."
"Alright, enough with the idle talk. Next, I will tell you exactly what I want you to do."
The small talk had concluded, and now it was time for the main business.
Emperor Xuanwu did not wish to waste time, for to him, time was as precious as gold.
Every moment, he needed to attend to many matters, and the time wasted here could be enough for him to deal with numerous state affairs.
Emperor Xuanwu raised his right hand and waved his sleeve toward the void ahead. A terrifying Void Essence emanated from his palm, condensing into a golden river in mid-air.
Raising his hand to point at this golden river, Emperor Xuanwu slowly spoke, "If we consider this golden river as time ceaselessly flowing forward, we are now at the end of it. I have this mysterious feeling that the so-called Heavenly Demon is about to emerge into the world."
"I wish to extend this time, giving us more opportunities to recuperate and more strength to continue resisting the Heavenly Demon. Therefore, I have devised a plan."
At this point, Emperor Xuanwu paused briefly and waved his sleeve again.
Subsequently, a enormous black vortex appeared in the void before Emperor Xuanwu.
Within the vortex, it seemed as if a pair of eyes were staring straight ahead, and the moment they saw Qin An, they exuded a murderous intent.
The moment Qin An was locked onto by these eyes, he only felt a chilling coldness engulfing him, as if the sensation of death was trying to obliterate him through endless space.
Only then did Emperor Xuanwu wave his sleeve again, causing the vortex before them to vanish completely, and said, "Do you see? This is the shadow left here by the Heavenly Demon. He found me and wants me to become his minion, his force for world destruction."
"I refused, but today, you can still feel his terror."
Qin An took a deep breath and nodded, "It is certainly terrifying."
Just now, even through immense distances of space, past the barriers of the world, Qin An could still feel the immense pressure descending upon him.
This pressure made him shiver, something he had never encountered before, surpassing even the pressure Emperor Xuanwu exerted on him by a several magnitude.
Emperor Xuanwu displayed a bitter smile and said, "Indeed, when I first saw him, I too felt a hint of fear. It’s truly laughable, considering I’ve once overthrown a dynasty and ought to fear nothing, yet thinking of his appearance still terrifies me deeply."
"He is an existence this world cannot contend with. Even a mere shadow is enough to destroy everything here. But I will not accept this; I want to reverse time and control it."
Saying this, Emperor Xuanwu raised his hand and gently clapped.
Immediately, from the shadows of the grand hall, several figures dressed in Profound Armor emerged.
These people, clad in Profound Armor, exuded an aura too intimidating to gaze upon directly, and even Qin An felt a sense of pressure.
Emperor Xuanwu continued, "They are the Forbidden Land Envoys of Xuanjing City, specifically tasked with matters related to the Forbidden Area. What I can tell you is that the Forbidden Area of Xuanjing City is more terrifying than any Tao-level City; the Demon Pseudo-Gods within are stronger than any Tao-level City. Hence, their burden is heavier than anyone."
The group bowed to Qin An.
"Greetings, Mr. Qin."
Qin An did not exhibit any disrespect; he reciprocated the gesture before turning to Emperor Xuanwu to ask, "Your Majesty, do you wish for me to become a Forbidden Land Envoy of Xuanjing City? Am I qualified for that?"
Emperor Xuanwu shook his head slightly and said, "You misunderstand, I do not wish for you to become a Forbidden Land Envoy of Xuanjing City. In fact, if you truly desired to be one, you are indeed qualified, but that would be rather mundane."
"What I want is for you to use your status as Savior to become our link with those Defenders, so they may assist me in thoroughly resolving the situation of the Forbidden Area and destroy those Demon Pseudo-Gods."
Qin An fell into deep thought.
He finally understood what Emperor Xuanwu wanted to accomplish.
In essence, Emperor Xuanwu’s talk of "expanding time" does not mean slowing it down or changing its flow, but rather presenting time differently through another method.
To put it simply, if the dangers within the Forbidden Areas were eliminated, wouldn’t the Forbidden Land Envoys and cultivators of Daqian Kingdom be able to concentrate more on honing themselves and thereby gain greater strength?
In other words, wouldn’t this indirectly elongate time?
Qin An thought the method feasible, but its feasibility depended on eliminating all those Demon Pseudo-Gods in the Forbidden Areas.
Yet, Qin An had some doubts—why make him the link?
Couldn’t Emperor Xuanwu convey the message himself?
Upon arriving at this question, Qin An did not hesitate and voiced his thoughts.
After hearing this, Emperor Xuanwu let out a long sigh and said, "To be honest, those Defenders in the Forbidden Areas do not trust me nor anyone from the Daqian Kingdom, including the Forbidden Land Envoys."
"Because throughout history, there have been instances where kings led betrayals, causing significant losses for the Defenders. I’ve sent people to inquire and guaranteed several times, but mistrust is mistrust; there’s nothing I can do."
Hearing this, Qin An realized and finally understood why Emperor Xuanwu wanted him to take on this task.
After all, if there were truly a situation where the entire nation sided with the Heavenly Demon, then the Defenders indeed had no reason to trust anyone from the Daqian Kingdom.
Perhaps this is why the Emperor of the Daqian Kingdom established the Forbidden Areas, to balance the forces within them.
Qin An pondered for a moment, then asked, "How should I go about this?"
Having said what he needed to, he now knew what was expected of him.
But to know precisely how to proceed, he needed an answer from Emperor Xuanwu.
Emperor Xuanwu was silent for a moment before saying, "I’ll give you one month, and I hope during this time, you will stay within Xuanjing City."
"I will inform those Defenders in the Forbidden Areas, and I hope you, as the link, can help them cooperate with the Forbidden Land Envoys in the fight against the Demon Pseudo-Gods within the Forbidden Areas."
"If possible, I can even mobilize the power of the Forbidden Area to help these Defenders eliminate the traitors. Once these threats are eradicated, I can fully focus on developing the Daqian Kingdom."
"When the Heavenly Demon truly descends, I will rally the full might of the Daqian Kingdom to resist. If we fail, at least I will have tried my very best."
After a prolonged contemplation, Qin An nodded and said, "Alright, Your Majesty, I am willing to undertake this task."
He had previously offended the Heavenly Demon, as well as some traitors within the Forbidden Area.
Moreover, his identity as the Savior had already been exposed.
Frankly, even if he did not take the initiative, the Heavenly Demon would not spare him, and those traitors would not either.
In that case, he might as well follow Emperor Xuanwu’s plan, collaborate with him, and first eliminate those Demon Pseudo-Gods.
Once those Demon Pseudo-Gods are dealt with, all that remains is to confront the so-called Heavenly Demon.
By then, things might be much easier.
In other words, as Emperor Xuanwu said, even if they ultimately fail, at least they will have given it their all, which is far better than giving up.
Emperor Xuanwu nodded slightly; he knew Qin An would agree.
However, he had not expected Qin An to agree so decisively.
He waved his sleeve, and the few Forbidden Land Envoys immediately departed.
At this moment, Emperor Xuanwu took a box from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and slowly pushed it towards Qin An.
