35: I am not a war-loving man!

Twenty years passed quickly.

Qin State took ten years to destroy the three great Immortal Sects of the Qingyun Sect, seizing their Cultivation resources, feeding them back into Qin State, and recuperating for fifteen years.

During these fifteen years.

Cultivators continually emerged within Qin State, and the national power significantly increased.

However.

As Qin State grew stronger and its territory expanded, there was another great nation bordering the Eastern Domain, called the Demon State.

Within the Demon State, most Cultivators focused on killing; the people of the Demon State were practically Blood Food for the Demon State's Cultivators, and they dared not speak out despite their anger.

Cultivators were high above, and the Demon State was backed by the Demon God Sect, resulting in none of the original several nations daring to provoke the Demon State. Furthermore, the Demon State seemed to strictly follow rules, never plundering the populace of other nations for Blood Food.

Thus, the development of the Demon State had always been stable.

As Qin State destroyed the other nations, Qin State and the Demon State obviously became neighbors, separated only by a Demon Mountain.

After Shen Hetu distributed some basic Cultivation Techniques, Xu Yaochi walked into the Main Hall with a man in ragged clothes.

"Junior Brother, this person crossed the Demon Mountain to come here, saying he has important matters to discuss with you."

Shen Hetu looked at the man; his face was pale, his Qi weak and unstable, clearly indicating he did not have long to live.

"Crossed the Demon Mountain to get here?"

Shen Hetu asked, "Are you a person from the Demon State?"

When the man saw Shen Hetu, he immediately knelt down: "Qin King, my name is Su Ming, and I am a Cultivator from the Demon State."

"A Cultivator from the Demon State, or one who has been crippled?"

A glint flashed in Shen Hetu's eyes: "You came to find This King, hoping This King will avenge you?"

Su Ming quickly shook his Head: "Qin King, it's not about avenging me, but about eliminating demons for the people of the Demon State!"

"I believe the Qin King is also aware of the situation in the Demon State. Our people are all Blood Food for the Demon State's Cultivators and are not treated as human beings at all. Although I am a Demon State Cultivator, the methods I Cultivated were not those of the Demon State. Because my family was treated as Blood Food by a Demon State Cultivator, I killed three Disciples of the Moqi Sect in a fit of rage. The Devil King of the Demon State then crippled all my Cultivation Base and intended to hand me over to the Moqi Sect for disposal."

"On the way they were escorting me, I was rescued by the common people, all so I could come to Qin State and see the Qin King!"

Su Ming said through gritted teeth.

"The Qin King destroyed Immortal Sects and blessed the common people. The people of the Demon State heard of the Qin King's name long ago, and day and night they pray for the Qin King to dispatch troops to the Demon State to eliminate the demons!"

Xu Yaochi looked surprised upon hearing Su Ming's words.

She then asked, "Are you suggesting that the Qin King should destroy your own country?"

Su Ming quickly nodded: "It's not just my intention, it's the will of all the people of the Demon State!"

"We are also human; we don't want to be treated as Blood Food for Cultivators."

"Before, we had no choice, but now, the appearance of the Qin King and the rise of Qin State have given the people of the Demon State hope!"

"I implore the Qin King to send troops and destroy the Demon State!"

As Su Ming spoke, he heavily kowtowed.

The Demon State.

Naturally, it was on Shen Hetu's list of nations to destroy. Originally, the Demon State offered the best excuse, since its Cultivators consumed humans as Blood Food. However, the Demon State's Cultivators were too disciplined; they only consumed their own people and never harmed outsiders.

This made it impossible for Shen Hetu to find an excuse.

"Alas!"

Shen Hetu sighed: "Su Ming, This King understands, and I know your anger. However, once war breaks out, it will be a war to destroy a nation. This King cannot risk the lives of my Qin State Great Army to save you."

"This King must also be responsible for the people of Qin State."

"Furthermore, if I instigate a war between two nations, This King would have no Moral High Ground. If other powerful Sects and Factions intervene, This King would be unable to defend himself!"

Listening to Shen Hetu's words, the hope in Su Ming's eyes gradually faded.

"Qin King, is there truly no way?"

Shen Hetu looked at Su Ming and asked, "Since you say this is for the people of the Demon State, This King asks you, how far are you willing to go?"

Su Ming firmly declared: "I will die and my Dao will vanish, without regret!"

"As long as the Qin King can save the people of the Demon State, I am willing, even if there is no Reincarnation afterward!"

"I am doing this for my family, and also for the people of my nation!"

Shen Hetu looked into Su Ming's eyes and slowly stood up.

He said: "Su Ming, are you willing to serve as Qin State's Envoy to the Demon State?"

Upon hearing this.

Su Ming was immediately overjoyed and quickly kowtowed: "Your Subject, Su Ming, greets the Great King!"

"Su Ming, starting today, you will lead the men of Qin State as an Envoy to the Demon State!"

"This King can only give you fifty Condemned Criminals as attendants."

"You understand This King's meaning, right?"

A look of great joy immediately appeared on Su Ming's pale face: "Your Subject Su Ming will definitely not fail the mission!"

"Great King, then..." Su Ming couldn't help but speak.

Shen Hetu walked up to Su Ming and placed his hand on his shoulder: "The day you depart as Envoy is the day my Qin State Great Army marches out. When news of your death arrives, my Qin State Soldiers will certainly force open the gates of the Demon State!"

Su Ming took a deep breath, retreated three steps, and knelt again: "Su Ming thanks the Qin King for his Great Righteousness!"

"Su Ming, on behalf of the people of the Demon State, thanks the Qin King for his Great Righteousness, and thanks the Qin State Soldiers for their Great Righteousness!"

Ten days later.

On the City Wall.

Xu Yaochi watched Su Ming leading the fifty Condemned Criminals away and asked curiously, "Why do you absolutely need an excuse? Couldn't you just start the fight directly?"

Over the years, Shen Hetu always needed an excuse, whether he was destroying other nations or Immortal Sects.

"Senior Sister, no one pays attention to minor skirmishes, but once it blows up, if powerful Forces intervene later, without a legitimate reason, we would be disadvantaged from the start."

Shen Hetu said calmly: "No matter what kind of battle, you must first overwhelm others with momentum."

"As the saying goes, having the Moral High Ground allows one to move freely under heaven."

"Moreover, instigating a war without cause is an act of unkindness. This King is not a bloodthirsty person!"

If I have no reason, whose backer am I supposed to be?

Furthermore, this is a safeguard for myself. If any powerful Force intervenes, the one without a reason will naturally be the weaker party. When it's time to talk reason, I must have reason; when it's time to talk Strength, I must be strong enough!

This is the path to stable development... "So, you want Su Ming to go back, which essentially means sending him to his death. Once he dies, you have your excuse. Is that it?" Xu Yaochi seemed to have an Epiphany, and an unknown light flickered in her eyes.

The Demon State.

"I am the Envoy of Qin State. Why does the Devil King order me to kneel?"

"I won't kneel!"

In the Main Hall of the Demon State.

Su Ming looked at the Devil King who had crippled him; there was no trace of fear left on his face, in his eyes, or in his heart, as he shouted at the Devil King.

The Devil King's face was ashen, and looking at Su Ming before him, he wished he could slap him dead instantly.

A mere cripple dares to come back and shout loudly at him in the Main Hall?

"Su Ming, you are seeking death!" the Devil King gnashed his teeth.

Su Ming chuckled: "Devil King, do you dare to kill me?"

"I am the Envoy of Qin State. My visit to your Demon State today is your Demon State's fortune."

"Oh, right. When I entered the Palace, some ignorant little fellow shouted at me, and my sword accidentally killed him. I hope the Devil King doesn't mind." Su Ming said, signaling the person beside him to throw out a package.

The package rolled onto the Main Hall floor, and a perfect Head rolled out of it.

"My Son!!"

The Devil King saw the Head on the floor, his eyes widened, and his rage soared to the sky: "Su Ming, you dared to kill My Son?"

"You are seeking death!"

The Subjects in the Main Hall glared angrily at Su Ming: "Su Ming, you cripple, first you killed the Disciples of the Moqi Sect, and now you kill the Heir of our Demon State! You truly deserve to die!"

"Great King, kill him!"

"Great King, this person must be Cut into a Thousand Pieces!"

"Failure to kill him is insufficient to quell our Hatred!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!!"