"Your Majesty!" The generals looked at the scholarly man with reverence. Of course, they knew who it was and even called him 'Your Majesty'. Just by this call, everyone could already deduce what type of existence the young man was.
"An emperor!" Someone watching in the sidelines quietly muttered. It wasn't his first time seeing an alive emperor, so he knew what type of auras ancient emperors were excluding.
Everyone was stumped by this sudden turn of events. To think that an ancient emperor would come into being to save the generals knowing the fact that they were reclusive bunch. However, upon thinking about it carefully, it was normal for an emperor to step up to save the generals. After all, the generals were three of the powerhouses that support the empire's standing. If to say they died here, the impact towards the empire would be tremendous. Take note, it wasn't easy to raise capable generals to lead an army. It was like you're searching for a needle in the vast sea.
"Greetings, Daoist Friend." The scholarly man smiled and said to Jin Rou with a polite tone, "I am called Raybook, one of the ancient emperors of Avion Empire. It is nice meeting you."
Raybook Ancient Emperor! Everyone was stupefied when they knew now his identity. It was Avion Empire's latest emperor that was dubbed to be one of the most talented individuals out there that would reach the heavens one day. After his coronation, he suddenly disappeared like a bubble and no news came out regarding him for so many years. Many were saying that he was perfecting his dao and in his isolation state. Some were also claiming that he died in a battle or old age. Nevertheless, he was praised to be one of the potential strongest ancient emperors around.
"It's good that you come out. I thought I'm going to grab you in your space to do so. Fortunately, you saved me the trouble." Jin Rou mocked. His words were filled with arrogance.
Everyone watching sucked a mouthful of cool air. This young lad just dared to spout words in front of an emperor! It was a blatant disrespect that trigger a death punishment.
However, the target of mockery didn't show any slight change in his expression. Raybook was still calm and amicable in as ever. He smiled and answered, "Daoist Friend, I know you are powerful enough to topple the heavens. So how about you take a step back and spare my generals? After all, they haven't done anything to the kingdom yet. And I'll make sure that they will not ever cause any trouble from you. Of course, everything is negotiable if you're not satisfied."
Now, the emperor went straight to that point and wanted to negotiate. As an emperor, he didn't actually need to consider Jin Rou's situation. However, Raybook knew that Jin Rou wasn't ordinary. Not at all. He felt like he was looking at a giant monster, and an impregnable wall at the same time. Thus, he chose this negotiation path. Everyone knew how brilliant and wise the emperor was, so no one would dare to question him and his authority.
"Unfortunately, this is not negotiable. I want your generals' heads. Now, if you want to step up for them, you have to defeat me or else they will really die." Jin Rou refused with a straight face. He didn't hesitate to refuse and show his resolve.
"Daoist Friend, I hope you reconsider. The world is vast, so hidden masters are around. You may be strong, but who knows who might be stronger than you? I'm not trying to educate you, but Daoist Friend, you have to think carefully about this and the consequences." It wasn't that Raybook was trying to threaten Jin Rou. He was merely showing the other party the other side of the coin and wanted to warn him not to act rash. There were no mockeries in his tone.
But Jin Rou shook his head and smiled, "I'm telling you, since I like your attitude towards me I will spare your life. Now leave your generals here and perfect your dao. You don't have to advice me because I know what I'm doing. And besides, you are wrong about there's someone stronger than me. I am the strongest here."
He paused for a moment and looked at everyone, "Emperors? Heavenlies? I'm sorry, but they weren't much in my eyes. All are below me, my feet. This is the truth of the world, and if you insist on resisting me, I don't mind showing you it."
Raybook could feel his back sweating for the first time in his life upon hearing these words. As an emperor, he knew that what Jin Rou was said was the truth. It wasn't arrogance at all, it was purely power that could trample everything in this world.
The emperor was now stuck in a hard place and a rock. It seemed that he was trying to calculate the losses of the decision he would make. Jin Rou didn't bother him and wait for his answer. If it could be helped, he didn't want to kill this emperor as he had all the traits to become stronger in the future. He didn't want to waste a talent like him here. But he wasn't expecting much.
"Is there no other choice here, Daoist Friend?" Raybook asked once again.
"There is none. This is my best concession. You can either give up their heads to me, or fight for them. You can also try to escape. If you manage to do so, then I have no say." Jin Rou smiled.
The people around were expecting that a fight would be inevitable as the emperor would surely fight for the generals.
However, their views were turned upside down when Raybook answered, "Alright, I'll be giving the generals to you to do what you want."
Hearing these words, everyone was silenced and didn't know what to say. It was like everyone was dumped with a cold water.