World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 710 - 350: Slaughter until bodies are strewn all over! The ground is full of prostrate figures!_2

Chapter 710: 350: Slaughter until bodies are strewn all over! The ground is full of prostrate figures!_2

"Hmph..." Ding Meng snorted coldly, his eyes smug.

Suo Lun asked, "Why won’t you stand by my side?"

"The common people do not fear death, how can they be threatened by death?" Ding Meng said.

"Well said." Suo Lun replied, "But that only expresses your lack of fear of death, you still haven’t said why you won’t stand by my side."

"Traitors and rebels shall be executed by everyone!" Ding Meng declared.

"Traitors and rebels? When have I ever become a traitor and rebel?" Suo Lun questioned, "By the orders of His Majesty the King, my actions are legitimate. How did I become a traitor and rebel?"

"His Highness Zhi Li is wise and sagacious, undoubtedly the best choice as the sovereign of the kingdom. Yet you defy the heavens in your actions, for your own self-interest, you forcefully support the ascent of a woman to power, upsetting natural order, if not a traitor and rebel, what are you?" Ding Meng rebuked fiercely, "Moreover, you had a notorious reputation at the Royal City Academy, indulgent and lascivious. Someone as shameless as you also deserves my allegiance? Pah!"

After speaking, he spat disdainfully.

Suo Lun dodged quickly, avoiding Ding Meng’s spiteful phlegm.

Then, he looked at the proud young official with complex eyes and said, "You rise from the common people, full of pride, living a simple and hard life. Even after becoming the head of a county, your hands are still calloused and your clothes worn. You should be a good official."

Ding Meng coldly and disdainfully replied, "Hmph, spare me your hypocritical efforts. I will never give my loyalty to a treacherous lackey like you."

Suo Lun said, "You are full of pride, yet you’re an ignorant scholar. You do not fear death, you simply have no concept of it. Your so-called pride is more a result of your humble origins leading to an excess of self-esteem. The words you just uttered, in ten years’ time looking back you will probably be ashamed to death. If all the people in the world were categorized as ’superior,’ ’average,’ or ’inferior,’ at best, you would be an average person. If it were a few years later, I might have the patience to wait for your growth and tempering, but now... you’re deluding yourself."

At these words, young Ding Meng trembled slightly.

"In normal times, I might spare your life and imprison you," Suo Lun said, "But now it is either loyalty or beheading; there is no third option."

Suo Lun drew his cherished sword and held it to Ding Meng’s neck, saying, "However, I can send you off myself. And, the hostility in your eyes toward me is probably because I’ve bedded your dream lover at the Royal City Academy, sorry!"

Having said that, Suo Lun raised his cherished sword.

At this moment, Ding Meng seemed to finally awaken from his self-righteous pride. His face turned pale as he whispered, "Please don’t..."

He was too embarrassed to shout, but he didn’t want to die, so he muffled the words in his throat.

"Swish..." Suo Lun swung his sword down, decapitating the young county head.

Looking at his fearfully distorted expression in death, Suo Lun sighed, "I misjudged you, merely an inferior person after all. How dear you hold your reputation now, in twenty years you will cherish power just as much."

On Earth, when young, Wang Jingwei was filled with fiery passion and attempted to assassinate a member of the Qing Dynasty royal family. More than two decades later, he became the greatest traitor in China, committing unforgivable crimes.

Genuine loyalty and utter treachery are sometimes worlds apart, and yet at times they are separated by a mere sheet of paper.

After killing Ding Meng, Suo Lun approached the dignified old man and said, "Who might you be, and why won’t you stand by my side?"

The old man remained silent before finally speaking, "If you’re going to kill, then kill. Do it."

"You are not afraid to die?" Suo Lun asked.

"Who isn’t afraid of death?" the dignified old man replied. "Only the ignorant and fearless do not fear death."

"Then why won’t you stand by my side?" Suo Lun asked.

"If I surrender, my entire clan will die," the old man answered.

"I can send someone to rescue your clan and relocate them to the Southeast Province," Suo Lun offered.

"We have been here for a hundred years; I cannot abandon the ancestral foundation. I am bound here. To trade my death for the safety of my entire clan, I am willing," the old man replied.

Suo Lun said, "So, you shall live. I will imprison you until the day when my battle with Zhi Li is decided, then I will release you."

The old man’s face quivered, but instead of voicing his thanks, he stepped back half a step and bowed his head in silence.

Suddenly, Suo Lun said, "You, what is your official title?"

The dignified old man replied, "Governor of Donghai City!"

Suo Lun’s eyes narrowed, and he said, "Such a high-ranking official? Then I can’t let you live, sorry..."

Then he drew his greatsword, but then said again, "No, that’s not right, you just tried to trick me. You appear noble and upright, as if you’re not afraid of death, but in reality, you wanted to beg for your life. It’s true that if you surrender, your entire clan dies, but you also wanted to seize the opportunity to show your high integrity to make me spare your life. However, your act was too much. After I said I’d spare your life, you didn’t even say thanks. Your acting was too forced, revealing your ruse!"

"Whoosh..." Suo Lun’s sword came down in a swift stroke.

"I am willing to surrender..." The dignified old man shouted loudly.

But it was too late, Suo Lun’s sword had already severed his head.

By now, all those behind Yan Wuzhi had been cleanly killed.

The brother of the kingdom’s prime minister, Chief Historian of the Southeast Governor’s Mansion, stood alone, shivering uncontrollably.

...

"Why?" Yan Wuzhi looked at Suo Lun, his voice raw and straining, "Why do you do this? Just now, with Ding Meng, with the Governor of Donghai City, Qin Shizhong, your insightful analysis was clear, proving you as a supremely intelligent person. You could have easily won us over by displaying humility in front of those who are wise, so why act this way? Why the bloodbath, why the complete break of relations?"

Suo Lun pursed his lips, pondering how to phrase his response.

Yan Wuzhi continued, "You know that with our support, you could become even stronger. Everyone in the world is watching you, a slight display of magnanimity could win you covert support from many factions. Why are you so overbearing, offending everyone in the world?"

Suo Lun still didn’t answer.

Yan Wuzhi with indignant desperation, said, "You’re a wise man, why commit such foolish acts?"

Suo Lun looked at him for a while and said, "Because, you all overestimate your own importance. I really don’t need your sage counsel that badly, so why should I lower myself to flatter the wise? I don’t need your support or your loyalty."

At these words, Yan Wuzhi was completely stunned.

Suo Lun said, "Please, I’m not rebelling or vying for the world here. Behind me is His Majesty the King. All I need to do is eliminate Zhi Li, and my wife, Zhi Yan, will ascend as queen. Why should I pretend to be humble before a host of ’Buddhas’ now, only to have them become a burden later? It would only bring me trouble. I don’t need your support, nor your loyalty."

Yan Wuzhi turned deathly pale.

Suo Lun went on, "What I need is simply for you all to maintain order in the Southeast Province, and not interfere with my military recruitment. I’ve said it before, some official positions can be served by anyone. There’s no shortage of people who want to be officials. If I exterminate you all, there will still be a continuous stream of applicants."

Then, Suo Lun sighed and said, "I’m holding money in one hand and troops in the other, I really don’t need you. You’re just too full of yourselves, making our relationship so awkward, forcing me to slaughter so mercilessly!"

By this time, Yan Wuzhi’s body was trembling nonstop, he stammered, "Then, aren’t you afraid of offending all the powers, driving everyone to Zhi Li’s side?"

Suo Lun replied, "Before this, all the lords and nobles supported Zhi Li, and what came of it?"

Yan Wuzhi was astonished!

Suo Lun continued, "What use is the so-called support of these lords and nobles? At most, they’re just cheerleaders. If I haggle with these nobles and lords after a small victory, it’s just too troublesome. I really don’t care about their supposed or covert support. By having a bloodbath, they dare not provoke me, isn’t that better? If you’re a fence-sitter, just stay on the fence and enjoy the view. No need to interfere!"

Following that, Suo Lun, pointing at Yan Wuzhi, said, "You pride yourself on being exceedingly clever, but in truth, you’re just average, barely above mediocre, with too narrow a vision, and yet you pose as a rare talent. It’s so embarrassing for me."

At those words, Yan Wuzhi’s face burned crimson, he almost wanted to burrow into the ground.

...

Note: The second update of four thousand words is here, seeking support, asking for monthly passes, thank you everyone!