"Speak freely. As long as it's something I can answer, there will naturally be no problem," Yi Tianxing said with a nod.
Liu Bowen was no ordinary man. A top-tier talent—truly the kind of strategist who could assist a king in ruling the world. Winning over such individuals was no easy feat. It was no accident that people like Yue Fei joined Great Yi. Their decision was closely tied to Yi Tianxing's reputation among the human race and in the Eternal World.
Had Yi Tianxing not risen to fame across the Eternal World, sweeping through the battlefield of gods and demons, suppressing the Eternal Night, and establishing the foremost Destiny Dynasty in existence—men like Yue Fei and Wan Sanqian would never have pledged allegiance so easily. Their pride alone would have prevented it.
Reputation—this was the most powerful card when recruiting talent.
Without it, even if someone else had tried to recruit them, Yue Fei and the others would have never agreed. That's how crucial it was. But for someone like Liu Bowen, a true minister of kings, reputation alone wasn't enough. People like him preferred to see and judge with their own eyes.
So, Yi Tianxing wasn't at all surprised by Liu Bowen's probing.
"Ancient wisdom says: 'When the sovereign commands the minister to die, the minister must die.' What is Your Majesty's view on this?" Liu Bowen asked slowly.
As soon as these words fell, a chill spread among the listeners.
Yue Fei's eyes narrowed sharply, and his face changed slightly.
That phrase had echoed throughout history's corridors. Many loyal officials had no choice but to perish because of it. Yue Fei himself was the living embodiment of that fate. The so-called "unfounded charges" that led to his death all stemmed from that very maxim: When the sovereign commands the minister to die, the minister must die.
Yue Fei had died for two reasons: his loyalty to king and country, which made him submit to the emperor's judgment, and for the sake of his family—his relatives were all in the capital. If he had refused to return, his family would have faced death. These circumstances forced him into accepting his fate.
He was never oblivious to the truth. It was Qin Hui who plotted his death, but it was the emperor who made the final decision. If the emperor had wanted him alive, Qin Hui wouldn't have been able to do a thing. No one who sits on a throne is a fool, no matter how inept—they all understand what it means to execute a general in his prime. Yet the emperor still gave the order.
That is the will of the sovereign.
Yi Tianxing knew exactly what Liu Bowen was truly asking—it was a test.
After a brief pause, Yi Tianxing replied calmly, "'When the sovereign commands the minister to die, the minister must die'—I both agree and disagree."
"Please enlighten me, Your Majesty," Liu Bowen said with a faint smile.
"It depends on who is right and who is wrong between ruler and subject. If the minister has committed a crime beyond forgiveness, then yes, he must die if the ruler wills it. But if the ruler is in the wrong and the minister is not, then no—the minister need not die. Humans are not saints; who can be without fault? If a mistake is made, it should be corrected. And if the sovereign is wrong and refuses to change, then the minister is justified in abandoning him."
Yi Tianxing spoke plainly and sincerely.
He wasn't like the monarchs of old who followed the rule of the infallible Son of Heaven—whose words, even when wrong, had to be treated as right. Calling a deer a horse, and demanding everyone agree—it was just self-deception.
Right is right.
Wrong is wrong.
And if one is wrong, one must have the courage to admit it.
A ruler who cannot accept fault has no right to the throne.
Yi Tianxing didn't see himself as a perfect man. He would surely make mistakes. But he was willing to bear the consequences and listen to wise counsel.
There was another dimension to the phrase "When the sovereign commands the minister to die, the minister must die." It also referred to when a ruler grew suspicious of powerful ministers—fearing that their achievements would overshadow him. Thus came the purges—the bow is stored once the birds are gone, the hounds boiled once the rabbits are dead.
Throughout history, few founding ministers had met a peaceful end. They were either distrusted, falsely accused, or executed.
The mind of an emperor—was the most elusive and dangerous thing under heaven.
Yi Tianxing fully understood Liu Bowen's concern—that he feared such a fate. Therefore, he gave his commitment without hesitation.
If such a day were to come, Liu Bowen could leave on his own accord.
"In that case, I, Liu Bowen, am willing to serve under Your Majesty. I entrust all my learning and wisdom to Your rule," Liu Bowen said, bowing deeply. This time, he used the formal salute of a subject to his ruler—establishing their bond of monarch and minister.
"To have Mister Liu's aid is to add wings to a tiger. It is indeed a blessing for Great Yi," Yi Tianxing replied with a broad smile.
Liu Bowen was a treasure.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on acquiring another great talent. I believe Great Yi will only grow stronger, becoming an eternal, shining star in the Eternal World," said Li Zhilin with a smile.
And this was only the beginning. Gathering of Heroes Pavilion was filled with such talent.
There were many historical generals. Yue Fei was not alone. He had brought his entire household with him—his mother Yao, his wives Li and Liu, his sons Yue Yun, Yue Lei, Yue Lin, Yue Zhen, and Yue Ting, and his two daughters Yue Yinping and Yue Anniang. It was rare for a family to remain so complete.
Yue Yun and Yue Lei had already grown up and were serving as military commanders in the Yue Family Army. The others had been born gradually over the years. Their family was united, and for now, they enjoyed the rare peace of domestic happiness.
In this chaotic Eternal World, that was a blessing in itself. As the worlds merged, even family members were easily scattered. Yue Fei's intact family felt like a gift from heaven. Compare that to the Yang family—Yang Ye only had two sons with him; the others were lost.
Sometimes, it all came down to fate.
BOOM!
Kill!!
Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out from within BlazingFlame City, followed by a murderous roar. A powerful shockwave swept through the area like a tide.
"Not good—Eternal Night demons have infiltrated the city again and are launching assassinations. That sound came from Wu Wudi! He's under attack!" Li Zhilin's expression changed drastically.
"Interesting," Yi Tianxing said calmly, a flicker of interest in his eyes. "Seems like quite a few Eternal Night demons have been hiding in the city lately. Judging by that aura, the attackers are no weaklings."
He could sense from the waves of power that both sides had strength equivalent to the Yang God realm.
"The demons of Eternal Night use all kinds of ghostly methods. Their disguises are extremely advanced. Quite a few of them have slipped into the city already—and they're all elite assassins. They've killed many strong individuals with their stealthy strikes. Their methods are horrifying—each time, they land a fatal blow and vanish without a trace. We've had no luck tracking them down," Liu Bowen said.
This was one of the pressing issues facing Blazing Flame City.
A hanging sword above everyone's head. No one could truly relax under such pressure. Many elite figures of various races had already perished in these assassinations—killed in strange and unpredictable ways.
"I've been investigating too," said Ba Tiangang loudly. "I've found a few clues, but nothing concrete yet. I wonder if Wu Wudi managed to catch any of the assassins this time."
"Let's go have a look. We can talk on the way. I'm quite curious to see these assassins in action," Yi Tianxing said, leading the way out of the Gathering of Heroes Pavilion.
Stepping outside, they found the city already swarming with cultivators.
Hovering above a tall building stood a towering man with a wild and arrogant look. His furious eyes swept across the surroundings. On his throat was a faint white mark—as though he'd been stabbed by some deadly weapon. It hadn't pierced his flesh fully, or perhaps it had, but failed to deal fatal damage.
The wound had just healed—barely visible, but a small trace of blood remained.
His body radiated a violent aura—one that could lash out at any time.
"That's Wu Wudi," Yi Tianxing observed, recognizing him at a glance.
A powerful figure. Every inch of him exuded confidence and an invincible will—he truly believed in his strength to conquer all.
"Yes, that's him," said Li Zhilin. "He created the Black Tortoise Divine Art himself—an incredibly powerful martial and body cultivation method. Few in the same realm can rival him."
Wu Wudi had once been hailed as one of the Ten Martial Titans, each representing a pinnacle martial art:
Blade – Peerless Blade Technique
Spear – Asking Heaven Spear Art
Sword – Heaven's Fate Sword Dao
Halberd – Great Yi Halberd Manual
Staff – Tiger Roar Staff Codex
Fist – Mountains and Seas Fist Scripture
Palm – Black Tortoise Divine Palm
Leg – Blazing Might Leg Arts
Finger – Harmonious Gold Finger
Claw – Bone Dragon Claw
Each one was a top-tier martial art, and Wu Wudi had mastered them all, unleashing terrifying power. After fusing into the Eternal World, these arts had evolved further under the world's blessings, granting him near-unmatched combat prowess.
"In recent days, the assassinations in the city have become increasingly bizarre. The enemy strikes without warning and always kills in a single blow. Afterward, the victim's body bursts into a blue ghostly flame," Ba Tiangang explained.
Yi Tianxing's eyes narrowed slightly.
Things were about to get very interesting.