Chapter 1025: Battle Begins

"Those who remain in Xianyang will only face the disaster of the Qin-Confucian conflict. The Confucian Sect will show no mercy to the people of Xianyang!" Zai Wo coldly declared once more. This was his final ultimatum to the people of Xianyang: stay, and you will die with them. To defy the Confucian Sect was to seek death!

Zai Wo's words struck at the hearts of the common people. After all, their power was far too weak. In the midst of a battle, even the shockwaves alone could wipe many of them out. The Confucian Sect's willingness to disregard the lives of their enemies only deepened the people's hesitation.

Should they stay? If the battle began, it would undoubtedly bring heaven-shattering destruction, and they wouldn't be able to withstand it.

The people fell into silence, and almost everyone looked toward the Chongtian Hall.

Clap, clap, clap! Ying clapped his hands.

"Well done! A fine performance," Ying said with a smile, as if Zai Wo had truly come to celebrate his birthday.

"Ying, do you think we're bluffing?" Zai Wo retorted coldly.

"Threatening me with the lives of my people? You're not qualified!" Ying replied calmly.

Zai Wo's expression changed slightly.

"Get out!" Suddenly, a series of loud shouts echoed throughout Xianyang.

One by one, Confucian-robed figures were forcibly expelled from various halls by Qin soldiers. These Confucian scholars, their hair disheveled, were bound and dragged to the major squares, where they were forced to kneel. In all directions, nearly 400,000 Confucian scholars were brought out, distributed across the city's central squares, and forced to kneel. Each Qin soldier held a large blade to their throats, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

On the clouds of righteous energy, Zai Wo's face turned pale.

"Confucian scholars chanting your scriptures in the clouds, take a look and see if any of your family or friends are among them!" Ying said with a faint smile.

As soon as Ying finished speaking, a commotion broke out among the Confucian scholars behind Zai Wo.

"Father, that's my father!"

"Brother, how did you get captured?"

"My son, didn't I tell you not to leave the house?"

Family and friends? When did Ying capture their loved ones?

"Ying, how despicable! Is this the act of a true Holy King?" Zai Wo shouted in anger.

"You've got it wrong. You should be asking Confucius this question. Do sages see the common people as mere ants? Do the people of my Great Qin deserve to die? Do my guests deserve to die? If you came to me openly and honestly, I would have respected you. But to threaten the Great Qin with the lives of my people? How dare you!" Ying roared.

At first, some of the Xianyang citizens felt a pang of guilt seeing the Confucian scholars brought to the execution ground. But after hearing Ying's words, all hesitation vanished. If not for Ying's foresight, it would be them on the chopping block right now, treated as insignificant ants ready to be slaughtered.

In an instant, the people of the Great Qin were united in anger, glaring at the Confucian scholars in the sky.

A spirit of unity and determination surged among the people of the Great Qin, creating an invisible force that seemed to push back the surrounding righteous energy.

Seeing the panic among the Confucian disciples behind him, Zai Wo's eyes flashed with a dark glint. He exchanged a look with his fellow disciples, who nodded in agreement, signaling him to continue.

Turning back to Ying, Zai Wo said, "Ying, our conflict need not involve these weaklings. Today you threaten the Confucian Sect with scholars—don't you fear becoming a laughingstock tomorrow?"

"Hah, hahaha…!" Ying burst into hearty laughter.

And the people of Xianyang looked at Zai Wo with disdain. How could someone be so shameless?

Ying finished laughing and fixed his gaze on Zai Wo, his expression full of disdain. "Is this what the Confucian Sect has become?"

Zai Wo's face twisted in anger, silently cursing the informant who had exposed their plans. If not for that leak, today's events might have turned out differently.

"You wouldn't dare kill Confucian scholars! If you do, not a single citizen of Xianyang will survive!" Zai Wo snarled, his face darkening.

"Kill them!" Ying commanded with a calm voice.

"Kill!"

A thunderous roar echoed through Xianyang as the Qin soldiers raised their blades and brought them down in unison.

Thud, thud, thud!

The heads of 400,000 Confucian scholars fell to the ground.

"You!" Zai Wo screamed in fury. Ying had just humiliated him in the most direct way possible.

The citizens of Xianyang were equally stunned, unable to comprehend why Ying had done this. Weren't these Confucian scholars supposed to be used as leverage? Why kill them?

Up in the clouds, nearly ten thousand Confucian scholars erupted in rage, their eyes bloodshot. They had just watched their family and friends be executed before their very eyes. Among the leading sages, some even let out long sighs of relief, revealing how conflicted they were.

Ying glanced coldly at the scholars in the sky and said, "Those who come to my Great Qin must be prepared for the consequences."

"Your kin have been slain by the Great Qin! This enmity is irreconcilable—show no mercy, begin the attack!" Zai Wo ordered the scholars behind him.

"Yes!" The nearly ten thousand Confucian scholars roared in anger.

Seated at the very back, Sekong remained silent, his eyes darting around as he desperately searched for a way to escape. The ominous feeling in his gut was growing stronger by the minute.

"Confucius said, 'Clever words and an ingratiating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue!'"

Suddenly, the group of Confucian scholars behind the sages began chanting again, their voices booming like thunder. An immense gathering of righteous energy converged, forming a colossal pillar that seemed to connect heaven and earth.

The pillar was pure white, inscribed with countless Confucian maxims and passages from the Analects and the Spring and Autumn Annals, embodying the very essence of the Confucian Way.

"The Great Confucian Way, the path of Confucius? Manifested through the devout faith of Confucian scholars, this Great Confucian Way shows that the Confucian Sect is truly willing to risk everything!" Tathagata remarked calmly.

"But some of its power has already been undermined by Ying. The slaughter of 400,000 Confucian scholars has shaken the resolve of those forming this path, creating a flaw in the Great Confucian Way," Lan said solemnly.

"These were the most devout disciples of the Confucian Sect. What a pity," Bodhi sighed and shook his head.

The Great Confucian Way rose, towering into the sky, but as it approached within a hundred zhang of the ground, it suddenly halted, unable to penetrate further.

It was as if a massive formation was protecting Xianyang, shielding it from the righteous energy. The massive formation encased the city, preventing even the slightest infiltration by the righteous energy.

But how could any formation block the way of the Heavenly Dao? The Dao is omnipresent, unyielding to any obstacle.

"A temporal treasure, Ying, you certainly have no shortage of powerful artifacts!" Lan's eyes sparkled with a glint of admiration.

A temporal treasure? Zhong Shan recalled that when Ying had left the Small Thousand World, it had indeed been with the help of a temporal treasure.

"Today, I will merely observe. The battle with the Confucian Sect is yours to fight," Ying declared.

"Understood," the others nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Xianyang finally understood why Ying had executed the 400,000 Confucian scholars. Their Holy King had no need for such base tactics as threats. He had already prepared everything for their protection, filling the people with a deep sense of pride.

In the distance, at the center of the gathering righteous energy, Zai Wo's face flushed red with rage. Ying was right—he had indeed been acting like a petty clown just moments ago.

"Righteous Energy!" Zai Wo shouted in shame and anger from the distance.

With a thunderous hum, a colossal sword, a million li in height, suddenly emerged from the Great Confucian Way. This massive sword was forged entirely from righteous energy—a Sword of Righteousness.

Zai Wo's gaze turned icy as the Sword of Righteousness descended from the heavens, aiming directly at the Chongtian Hall.

This was a test from the Confucian sages. Their goal was to force Ying's hand, to compel him to summon the Golden Dragon of Fate.

But Ying, instead of reacting, simply sat down, showing no further concern.

"Hum!"

Tathagata took a step forward, and with a deep, resonant "Hum" mantra, a gigantic golden "Hum" character emerged from his mouth, shooting upward. The golden character expanded rapidly, growing to a size of a thousand li in an instant, forming a shield in front of the Chongtian Hall.

"Boom!"

The mantra from Tathagata collided with the Sword of Righteousness, causing the sky to tremble violently. The golden "Hum" character shattered, and the Sword of Righteousness dispersed into nothingness.

"Tathagata, do you intend to oppose the Confucian Sect as well?" Zai Wo shouted in fury.

"Confucius said, 'The gentleman does not discuss strange occurrences, forces, disorder, and spirits.' Buddhism and Confucianism are inherently opposed—where is the opposition in that?" Tathagata responded calmly. As he spoke, his body radiated a blinding golden light, growing tenfold in size, revealing his true form. What had previously appeared as an ordinary human stature was now revealed to be a mere illusion, reduced by magic.

Tathagata's golden light shone brilliantly, his immense Buddha aura rising to the heavens. Though he had yet to fully reveal his mastery of the Heavenly Dao, the sheer divine power emanating from him was already awe-inspiring.

"Righteous Energy!"

A voice shouted from afar once more.

Around the Great Confucian Way, another series of Righteous Energy Swords began to manifest. This time, not just one, but eighty-eight of them appeared. It seemed as though, as long as they were near the Great Confucian Way, an endless number of Righteous Energy Swords could be summoned.

Eighty-eight swords—such a magnificent sight.

Among the leading sages, ninety-nine figures stood tall; of these, eleven stood with their arms folded, while the others raised the Righteous Energy Swords.

These Righteous Energy Swords were immensely powerful, seemingly drawing upon the force of the Heavenly Dao itself, channeling the power of the Great Confucian Way behind them. Each sword carried the strength of a newly ascended Ancestral Immortal.

Though each sword was only as powerful as a single strike from an Ancestral Immortal, there were eighty-eight of them—equivalent to the power of eighty-eight Ancestral Immortals.

Their might was overwhelming. As the Righteous Energy Swords descended, the space around them trembled violently, like the roaring waves of a stormy sea. The massive tremors spread in all directions, and if not for Ying's temporal treasure protecting the area, the ground below would have been reduced to dust.

Ying still did not intervene, and the faces of the ordinary guests had turned pale. As for the Qin soldiers, they remained cold and composed. As long as the Holy King stood, they feared nothing—not even the greatest of natural disasters.

"Om Mani Padme Hum!"

Tathagata chanted another mantra, this time reciting all six sacred syllables in one breath. Instantly, the area around the Chongtian Hall was enveloped in boundless golden light, forming a massive golden pillar that stretched from the heavens to the earth.

Tathagata's Heavenly Dao emerged!

With the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao, the Chongtian Hall was fully protected. The powerful sound of Buddhist chants filled the air, and the vast golden light illuminated the heavens and the earth.

The eighty-eight Righteous Energy Swords crashed against Tathagata's Heavenly Dao barrier.

"Boom!"

The intense light from the collision was so bright that it blinded everyone momentarily, forcing them to shut their eyes against the overwhelming radiance.

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