Chapter 520: Chapter 440 Selecting Generals

"Summon Li Jing to see me," the Jade Emperor commanded softly.

"Yes!" the Immortal Officer standing at the door responded respectfully.

Shortly after, Li Jing hastened into the great hall, bowing very respectfully to the Jade Emperor and saying, "This humble official pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"My loyal subject, rise. Have you rested well during this time?" the Jade Emperor asked indifferently.

Li Jing could only offer a wry smile. Having been relieved from his front-line duties, he naturally felt some displeasure. Therefore, he had been feigning illness and refraining from appearing since returning from the front. The Jade Emperor was well aware of his favored general’s feelings and had been continuously bestowing various honors and comforts to quell the raging fury in Li Jing’s heart.

Of course, there was another reason: the crushing defeat at the front lines. That ignominious burden had been shouldered by Ziwei Star Lord since, in the scramble for that position, the behavior of these Star Lords had been extremely unseemly, offending many in the Heavenly Court.

Now faced with the opportunity to kick someone when they were down, naturally, no one wanted to miss out. Fortunately, the Jade Emperor was well aware that cooperation was critical at this juncture. If internal strife continued, the downfall of the Heavenly Court loomed close at hand, which prevented the conflict from escalating.

"In response to Your Majesty, this humble servant is prepared for any command you may have!" Li Jing said very sincerely.

After all, during this period, the Jade Emperor had given him plenty of face. As a subject, gaining such recognition was already quite difficult, and it would be improper to overreach.

"Good, since you are prepared, I wish to dispatch you to subdue the rebels this time," the Jade Emperor declared gravely.

After pondering for a moment, Li Jing said, "Your Majesty, if it is Luzhou in the North, your servant begs to be excused from the order. That situation has become a foregone conclusion, where, despite all my efforts, I would be powerless to alter the outcome."

It was not that Li Jing was shirking duty; rather, the state of affairs in Luzhou in the North was now hopeless. He knew the circumstances of the last battle all too well. The Demon Clan had grown in strength, and could no longer be viewed with past attitudes.

Unless the entire Heavenly Court were to come forth, eliminating the Demon Clan had essentially become a delusion.

The reason the front lines were holding on by a thread was only because the Demon Clan, weakened from the injuries sustained over several major battles, needed time to lick their wounds and restore their livelihoods.

Li Jing had resolved that if the Jade Emperor insisted on sending him back to Luzhou in the North, he would plead to resign, as he knew that place had become a quagmire.

However, the Jade Emperor chuckled lightly and said, "I, of course, would not send you to Luzhou in the North. That place has already lost its significance. We are merely maintaining a presence in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range as a statement. We have lost, and I acknowledge that."

"The reason I have summoned you today is that there is another area where I need you to take action!"

"Another area?" Li Jing murmured softly to himself.

After pondering for a long while, he still could not think of any other place that would require the personal intervention of the Grand Marshal of Heavenly Soldiers, for he had become the very face of the Heavenly Court. For minor conflicts, there would be no need for him to take action.

"I have found Yingzhou Island," the Jade Emperor said softly.

The voice was soft, yet when it reached Li Jing’s ears, it boomed like thunderclap, leaving even this marshal accustomed to grand spectacles stunned for a long moment.

Yingzhou Island, after the Eastern King’s failed struggle against the Jade Emperor for control of the Heavenly Court, he hid within this Immortal Island. With tremendous mana, he exiled the Immortal Island beyond the Three Realms, rendering it impossible for outsiders to locate.

As the Jade Emperor’s once greatest rival, the Jade Emperor himself had spared no effort in trying to find this place. But the Eastern King was no ordinary man, and the island where he hid was not so easily discovered.

After many years and countless attempts, all ending without result, many in the Heavenly Court had already given up the search for this ancient Immortal Island.

Who would have thought the Jade Emperor had found the location of this hidden enemy silently, a move that was indeed startling.

But Li Jing quickly associated this with the recent chaos in the Heavenly Court and couldn’t help exclaiming, "Was the Immortal Transformation Pond their doing?"

The Jade Emperor nodded with a smile, "Who else but them would be so obsessed with it? After his defeat in the contest for the throne, he always believed that I relied on divine weapons like the Immortal Transformation Pond, hence his resentment. The Immortal Transformation Pond became a nightmare for him, and for all these years, he’s been trying to obtain it by various means."

As the Jade Emperor spoke, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth, "Unfortunately, the Immortal Transformation Pond is a treasure of our Heavenly Court; it’s not something they can decipher easily. But unexpectedly, someone interfered, allowing them to get their hands on the Pond’s blueprints, hence today’s disaster."

The Jade Emperor elaborated the ins and outs of the matter, which further alarmed Li Jing.

It hadn’t been long since the last great upheaval in the Heavenly Court, but the Jade Emperor’s reaction had been rather ordinary, leading many to believe that His Majesty might have grown complacent after sitting on the throne for too long, lacking his former decisiveness.

Who would have thought that in secret, His Majesty had already clarified all matters and, using this event, had even calculated against the Eastern King, eventually determining the location of Yingzhou Island.

"The Eastern King has never ceased to yearn for the Immortal Transformation Pond. Little does he know that in my heart, Yingzhou Island is far more important than the Pond. When constructing the Immortal Transformation Pond, I left a mark of my own at its core. No matter where it is or who possesses it, I am well aware," said the Jade Emperor with no small amount of self-satisfaction.

Li Jing then bowed and said, "Your Majesty’s planning is impeccable; this time, the Eastern King will find no escape."

The Jade Emperor, brushing off Li Jing’s flattery with a light laugh, said sternly, "This move must be lethal; we can’t give them any chance to breathe. Due to the war with the Demon Clan, all in the Three Realms underestimate our Heavenly Court. We must seize their complacency, eradicate them completely, and let all living beings in the Three Realms understand that the Heavenly Court’s majesty is not to be violated."

"Your servant obeys!" Li Jing replied, his demeanor calm and collected.

He certainly understood the implications of the Jade Emperor’s intent. If anyone in the Three Realms posed the greatest threat to the Jade Emperor’s supreme throne, it would be the once foremost male immortal, the Eastern King. At the dawn of the Heavenly Court’s foundation, he was considered the likeliest candidate to ascend to the Jade Emperor’s throne.

Thus, even after so many years, if the Eastern King were to raise his banner once again, he could still garner much support and destabilize the Jade Emperor’s rule, a prospect no emperor could tolerate.

This action had to be swift and forceful, utterly extinguishing the Eastern King’s ambition, to truly secure the Jade Emperor’s position. Moreover, this battle was to establish authority, to proclaim the might of the Heavenly Court with a decisive victory that would counteract the negative implications of the previous defeat to the Demon Clan.

Seeing Li Jing’s expression, the Jade Emperor knew the other had fully grasped his intentions.