The Emperor of Great Dragon, unable to contain his fury, roared:

"Jino has betrayed the empire, colluded with Yang Xiao, and deserves extermination. Guards, immediately send someone to arrest Jino's family and execute them all on the spot!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

In the great hall, two bodyguards of the Emperor bowed in response and turned to leave.

Over a hundred ministers and war generals kneeling in the hall trembled, and no one dared to speak.

Even Long Jing and Long Aotian didn't dare to speak up to dissuade their father.

Everyone knew that once the Emperor of Great Dragon was enraged, anyone who tried to intervene would meet with misfortune.

When the War God was alive, he could at least say a few words. Now that the War God is gone, no one wants to be the unlucky one.

Long Jing hesitated for a moment and was about to step forward to plead for Jino's family when the Fourth Prince stopped her with a glance.

Long Jing had no choice but to retreat.

The Emperor of Great Dragon scanned the crowd and said loudly:

"You all, leave now. All soldiers should return to their posts, assemble their guards. From now on, Wentian City and Dragon City are under martial law, the entire country is in a state of war, and we must strictly guard against any unexpected events."

"Yes!"

The crowd responded in unison and dispersed.

...

Long Jing looked at the Fourth Prince,

"Fourth Brother, why did you stop me just now? Do you also think Father is right to kill Jino? Even if Jino deserves to die, his family doesn't!"

The Fourth Prince sighed,

"Jing Mei, don't you understand Father yet? I wouldn't stop you over anything else, but War God Uncle's death was too great a blow for Father,

At this time, he's not concerned with right or wrong. Doesn't he know War God Uncle's death has nothing to do with Jino?

Father just needs to vent his anger now!

Why must Jino be the person in charge of Purple Origin Star? Moreover, Jino did collude with Yang Xiao, his death is not unjust."

"Even if Jino deserves to die, what about his family?"

"Are his family innocent? Who told them to be Jino's family?"

"..." Long Jing was speechlessly silent.

Long Aotian, the eldest prince nearby, sneered:

"Jing Mei, don't forget, if it wasn't for your issue back then triggering the betrothal withdrawal of the eldest prince of Youming Empire, would today's events have happened?

Our Great Dragon Empire could have already unified Witch Star, so you are responsible for the current situation,

And you still want to persuade Father? Isn't that seeking death?"

Long Jing was stunned, looking at Long Aotian,

"Long Aotian, stop with the sarcastic remarks, didn't Jino contribute to your ability to achieve merit at Purple Origin Star? How can you watch him die and do nothing?"

Long Aotian sneered,

"Jino deserves death; no one can save him. Besides, Jino isn't one of my people; why should I save him?"

After saying this, Long Aotian strode away.

Long Jing watched the back of Long Aotian as he left, sighed helplessly, and exited the royal palace hall.

However, she didn't leave immediately but went to the rear courtyard where the Emperor of Great Dragon resided.

The Fourth Prince followed and called out,

"Jing Mei, are you really going to provoke Father?"

Long Jing said resolutely:

"This isn't just to save Jino's family, it also concerns the future of the Great Dragon Empire. I must make things clear to Father."

The Fourth Prince was stunned for a moment and stopped.

Although he had a good relationship with Long Jing, he was unwilling to risk offending their father with her.

Long Jing arrived at the back courtyard, and seeing it was her, the guards did not stop her but let her in.

Long Jing quietly entered the garden in the backyard, seeing her father contemplating under a towering tree from afar. To avoid disturbing him, Long Jing quietly sat in a pavilion dozens of meters away.

"Is it Jing'er?"

The Emperor of Great Dragon said faintly, with his back still turned to Long Jing.

Long Jing was startled and smiled:

"Father, you are amazing to know it was me from so far away."

"You want to plead for Jino's clan, don't you?"

"No."

"Oh?"

The Emperor of Great Dragon seemed surprised, turned around, and looked at Long Jing,

"Then what do you want to discuss with me?"

"I'm here for the future of the Great Dragon Empire, for the generations of our foundation."

The Emperor of Great Dragon glanced at his daughter, walked over to the stone table beneath the tree, and sat down, gesturing for Long Jing to join him,

"Come sit."

Long Jing went over, sat beside her father. A servant had already brought tea and snacks and stepped aside to attend.

"What do you want to say?"

"Father, have you considered if the Flying Leopard Empire and the Youming Empire were to jointly attack us now, without War God Uncle and Long Kui Uncle, how long could we hold out?"

The Emperor of Great Dragon listened, was silent for a moment, and said,

"If that day comes, I will perish with them and not let them gain any advantage."

"Besides perishing together, is there no other path?"

The Emperor of Great Dragon was taken aback, looking at his daughter,

"Are you suggesting again that I make peace with Yang Xiao? Hmph, don't even think about it. I'd rather die in battle than make peace with a miner slave."

Long Jing sighed,

"Father, do you know why we, the Emperor of Great Dragon, are in the current passive situation?"

"?"

"Back then, it was Yang Xiao who took the initiative to ally with us, but now we're at odds with him, Yang Xiao allied with the Flying Leopard Empire against us,

That's one thing, but also Long Kui Uncle and War God Uncle both died on Purple Origin Star, greatly reducing our strength. Is all of this coincidence, or just bad luck?"

The Emperor of Great Dragon's face changed, staring at his daughter,

"What, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Long Jing stood up, hesitated for a moment, and said,

"It's simple, the consequences of all this are caused by none other than ourselves—it's our arrogance, our disregard for others, our conceitedness that finally ruined the favorable situation and turned a good hand into a hopeless mess."

The Emperor of Great Dragon widened his eyes in shock, looking bewildered at his daughter.

Long Jing was unafraid and continued,

"Back then, when Yang Xiao came to Witch Star to propose a new cooperation plan, did you ever meet with him, Father?"

"Me? That was all handled by your War God Uncle."

"Exactly, how could Father see the value of a tribal chief who hadn't even broken through to the Empire Level?

From what I know, War God Uncle and the Eldest Prince were even more ridiculous. After reaching a new cooperation plan, they thought of permanently keeping Yang Xiao on Witch Star, preventing him from returning to Purple Origin Star, and even issued orders to assassinate Yang Xiao,

It's laughable that while being pursued by the Eldest Prince in Dragon City, Yang Xiao escaped,

After that, Yang Xiao entered the Flying Leopard Academy to cultivate and befriended Wanyan He, the Flying Leopard Empire's Eldest Prince, eventually successfully returning to Purple Origin Star,

Father, it was our prejudice and arrogance that led War God Uncle and the Eldest Prince to commit these foolish acts, destroying a potential ally with their own hands,

Think about it, had you treated Yang Xiao with courtesy at the start and supported the development of the tribal people, wouldn't we now have a strong ally? Why should we be in such a passive position?"

The Emperor of Great Dragon looked at his daughter, with an embarrassed expression, unable to say anything.

Long Jing didn't stop and continued,

"Knowing Yang Xiao had tens of thousands of people and a hundred thousand elite guards on Purple Origin Star, Long Kui Uncle still arrogantly went to assassinate Yang Xiao there, the outcome is predictable,

Even more laughable was War God Uncle, whose arrogance was extreme, when he learned that the king of the tribes had broken through to Emperor Level Realm, he still wanted to challenge him alone; wasn't that seeking death?"

The Emperor of Great Dragon listened, his heart trembling, suddenly waved his hand and said,

"Enough, stop talking, do not insult War God Uncle and Long Kui Uncle!"

"Father, I don't mean to insult them. I have always truly respected them, but now that things have reached this point, we must face our own shortcomings,

True, they were cautious against opponents like the Flying Leopard Empire and the Youming Empire, but they always underestimated Yang Xiao and the tribal people on Purple Origin Star. This arrogance harmed themselves,

Now, Father, you're doing worse than War God Uncle and Long Kui Uncle, you've actually declared war on Purple Origin Star, have you thought about the repercussions?"

"Enough, shut up! Insolent, is this any way to talk to your father?"

The Emperor of Great Dragon finally couldn't bear it any longer and roared at Long Jing.