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While it was unusual for Commander Liu to take a leave of absence, what was even more surprising was that Jiang Li was acting as the overseer of the Imperial Palace in his absence.

“So, the duty of the Human Emperor also includes overseeing the Imperial Palace.” One of the seasoned guards suddenly recalled that the Human Emperor often acted as the overseer of the palace.

Jiang Li strolled around the center of the palace with his hands behind his back, reminiscent of a retired official. He checked how much faith had gathered in the bronze cauldron, felt the chair at the center of the hall, and then settled down.

“What should I be doing when overseeing the Imperial Palace?” Jiang Li realized this was his first time taking on this role.

He felt oddly guilty, as if he was letting down Commander Liu.

Just as Jiang Li was thinking about who he could ask for advice, a group of guards in uniform walked in, their faces beaming with smiles.

“Greetings, Hall Master!”

The guards all shouted in unison. Despite there being only a few hundred guards of the Human Emperor, they had the presence of thousands.

Moreover, Jiang Li noticed more and more guards appearing, even those who were supposed to be off duty that day.

“Hurry, hurry, big news, everyone come to the Imperial Palace!”

“What’s the big news? I planned to spend the day resting and having a good time with my wife and kids.”

“Quit yammering; your family isn’t going anywhere. You can spend time with them any other day. The hall master is overseeing the Imperial Palace today; are you coming or not?”

“Going, of course I am!”

The guard who received the news immediately placated his wife, dressed up, and hurried back to the Imperial Palace.

This guard had been in service for hundreds of years and had only had a handful of opportunities to meet Jiang Li.

It was rumoured that disciples from the Dao Sect had seen Jiang Li more than he had.

“Everyone, don’t be too surprised or panicked. Just think of me as if I were Commander Liu. Whatever Commander Liu did, I will do the same.” Jiang Li could feel the stares of the guards on him, causing him to feel uneasy. The looks they were giving weren’t much different from those of the women from the Upper Festival.

The Imperial Palace maintained the order of the nine states, ensuring competition among them but avoiding any destructive form of rivalry.

One of the guards stepped forward, “Hall Master, there is a matter that needed Commander Liu’s decision.”

“Say it.”

“The Great Yong Dynasty and Wuyue Dynasty are planning a competition for cultivators and wish to have the contestants sign death waivers. They hope that the Imperial Palace would give permission.”

The Great Yong Dynasty and Wuyue Dynasty both believed that amidst life and death, great terror and great opportunities coexist. Training under the threat of life and death can elevate a cultivator’s mental state and power level.

These two dynasties often hosted such competitions.

Many cultivators also follow this philosophy and enjoyed walking the edge of life and death. Those cultivators would travel from afar to the Great Yong Dynasty and Wuyue Dynasty to participate in the competition.

Jiang Li himself had participated in these kinds of competitions many times and had gained much from them.

“Let me take a look.” Jiang Li took the report compiled by the guard and carefully reviewed it.

The rewards from the competition were rich enough to attract those fearless cultivators, and the contest rules were more detailed than when Jiang Li had participated.

“Yes, this is fine. However, signing the death waiver requires that a cultivator’s mental state be tested. There must be audio and video evidence proving their voluntary participation. Also, they can’t gamble on the life and death of the contestants.”

“As you command.”

Jiang Li knew that some cultivators, even though afraid of death, enjoyed watching other cultivators fight to the death.

The casino saw a business opportunity in this and secretly controlled the outcome and the alleys of life and death.

The contestants thought they were participating in a life and death trial, when their fate had been predetermined.

Jiang Li had partaken in such rigged competitions before. Luckily, he was able to pull through due to his sudden breakthrough and the cultivation techniques he had practiced but not used before.

Even so, he was still pursued by the casino for several days after the competition.

One of the guards stepped back, and another came forward, “Hall Master, the Qingqiu Nation and the Great Witch Country are increasingly at odds, and war seems imminent.”

Not all the guards of the Human Emperor were stationed at the palace; they were dispersed throughout the countries to monitor any movements and prevent any large-scale wars.

The war between the Great Wei Dynasty and the Dream River Dynasty due to the Red Dust fairy was reported by one of the guards to Zhang Konghu. As Zhang Konghu realized that he was unable to handle the situation, he reported it to Jiang Li.

Although the Qingqiu Nation and the Great Witch Country are not dynasties, they are still large nations with a long history and many cultivators at the Body Integration Realm. If war were to break out between these two nations, the death toll could reach tens of thousands.

Qingqiu Nation is the home of the white fox on Qin Luan’s shoulder, while the Great Witch Country is Zhang Konghu’s hometown.

“What is the reason for the war?”

“There were people in the Qingqiu Nation who were dissatisfied with the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox’s rule and conspired with the Great Witch Country to ambush her, leading to her disappearance.”

“Taking advantage of the monarch’s disappearance, the Great Witch Country hopes to annex the Qingqiu Nation. Calculations suggest that about 800,000 cultivators will die in the process of annexation, not considering additional deaths that might occur if the people of Qingqiu Nation rebel and the Great Witch Country resorts to violent suppression.”

“The Great Witch Country has proposed to the Imperial Palace that if they are allowed to annex the Qingqiu Nation, they will triple their tribute to the Imperial Palace for the next hundred years.”

“Triple? How generous.” Jiang Li sneered. War demands a country’s people and spirit stones. After a war, the ordinary people would suffer, and the treasury would be emptied. How could the Great Witch Country afford this increase? The only explanations were that it was planning to deplete its treasury or exploit its people.

“Is the ruler of the Great Witch Country still Zhang Konghu’s brother?”

“Yes.”

“He’s still as presumptuous as ever.”

The Great Witch Country is a nation of witches, and within it, there is also a hierarchy, with the royal family at the very top.

Zhang Konghu was the son of the previous ruler of the Great Witch Country, and he had the blood of the royal witch family running through his veins. However, the royals look down upon Zhang Konghu, deeming him as unsuitable for cultivating.

After the death of the previous ruler of the Great Witch Country, Zhang Konghu had just come of age. He didn’t have the power to compete for the throne and lacked the intellect.

Zhang Konghu’s brother ascended the throne and saw his simple-minded younger brother as an irritation so he banished him from the Great Witch Country and made him fend for himself.

After being expelled from the Great Witch Country, Zhang Konghu met Commander Liu. Commander Liu saw potential in him and decided to mentor him.

Zhang Konghu didn’t disappoint, rising from the ranks of the guards to become a commander.

After hearing this news, the ruler of the Great Witch Country changed his attitude towards Zhang Konghu drastically, treating him warmly and even bestowed upon him the title of prince.

Even if Zhang Konghu was slow, he knew who truly cared for him and who was insincere. He never responded to the ruler of the Great Witch Country.

Zhang Konghu’s so-called annual visits home were merely to visit his mother’s grave in the Great Witch Country.

Despite Zhang Konghu’s cold attitude towards the ruler of the Great Witch Country, the ruler always believed that blood was thicker than water and assumed that the Imperial Palace would turn a blind eye to their actions out of consideration for Zhang Konghu.

For example, this time, the annexation of the Qingqiu Nation.

If it were Commander Liu, he would tactfully express that Zhang Konghu was a commander of the Imperial Palace, not a prince of the Great Witch Country.

Unlike Commander Liu, Jiang Li didn’t give the ruler of the Great Witch Country face: “Tell the ruler of the Great Witch Country, if they dare to start a war, I will intervene directly.”

“As you command.”

Jiang Li thought of Qin Luan. If one day Qin Luan learned of the identity of the little white fox on his shoulder and wanted to help her reclaim her throne, it would be something that the Great Witch Country would not want to see.

Conflict between Qin Luan and the Great Witch Country was inevitable.