Chapter 1208 You'll have to bear it yourselves!
From the general's perspective, he does indeed have the responsibility and obligation to protect the safety of the ministers of the divine kingdom and to uphold the laws and dignity of the divine kingdom.
If he stood idly by and watched as four ministers of the Holy Emperor were killed, he would surely be impeached by the court afterwards.
They might even be accused of "failing to rescue those in distress, dereliction of duty, and cowardice."
but……
Another thought, however, was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing all his passion and impulse.
His Majesty's seemingly ordinary command became crystal clear in his mind at this moment, filled with a chillingly profound meaning.
Is His Majesty asking me to bring them here to assist in the garrison?
Or is it that His Majesty simply instructed him to bring them here?
Throughout the entire ordeal, His Majesty never uttered a single word asking him to "protect" them!
Combined with Ye Chen's words, "Give the King of No Form any face," a truth that made General Xiang's scalp tingle was about to be revealed!
This is hardly about letting yourself protect them.
This is clearly His Majesty using someone else to do his dirty work!
It was His Majesty himself who orchestrated this, ordering me to escort these four fools, who were oblivious to their own mortality, to Senior Ye's execution ground!
If I were to take action now, it would not be upholding the dignity of the divine kingdom, but rather openly defying His Majesty's decree!
It means standing on the opposite side of this terrifying existence!
What are the consequences?
General Xiang dared not think about it, but he was certain that it would be a thousand times more terrible than the charge of "dereliction of duty and cowardice in battle"!
He will die!
And they would die a meaningless death! They might even bring ruin upon their families!
On one side is the illusory and potentially even trap-like "divine righteousness".
On one side is the abyss of death, so close yet so clearly visible.
How should I choose?
General Xiang felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest, each thud sending shivers down his spine.
He looked at Shangguan Qing's face, contorted with fear and anger, and then at Ye Chen's calm and collected face in the distance, with a hint of mockery in it.
Comparing the two, a judgment is made.
General Xiang! What are you still hesitating for!
Seeing that General Xiang had not made a move for a long time, Shangguan Qing's unease grew stronger, and he couldn't help but urge him again in a stern voice.
"Do you really want to bear the stigma of being a coward, incompetent, and a betrayer of your colleagues?!"
This rebuke became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
General Xiang's body jolted violently.
Cowardly and incompetent?
Betray your colleagues?
Fuck you!
I'm trying to save myself!
I am comprehending the divine will!
You four idiots are asking for it, don't even think about dragging me down with you!
General Xiang's anger erupted completely at this moment!
However, he did not speak, nor did he show any extra expression.
He simply made a gesture.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, General Xiang silently moved a hundred feet to the side, away from the four members of the Shangguan family.
This action, though silent, speaks volumes!
His actions made his stance crystal clear!
The fate of the Shangguan family is none of my business!
I, Xiang, will not get involved!
"you……"
Shangguan Qing's pupils suddenly contracted, his outstretched finger pointed at General Xiang, he was so angry that he trembled all over and couldn't utter a single word.
The color drained completely from the faces of Shangguan Yan, Shangguan Jing, and Shangguan Lian in that instant.
Finished!
The last hope was shattered!
Even General Xiang abandoned them!
At that moment, an icy chill shot from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads, freezing their last struggles and madness completely.
Deep in the universe, even the powerful figures watching the spectacle were stunned by General Xiang's decisive action.
"Holy crap! General Xiang... deserted his post?"
"No! This isn't desertion! This is choosing sides! He's chosen to stand with that powerful man!"
"My God, he's a general of the Divine Kingdom! How dare he do this? Isn't he afraid of His Majesty's wrath?"
"Assault? Haven't you figured it out yet? General Xiang has probably guessed some inside story we don't know! This is a very complex matter!"
Everyone was baffled by this scene.
Seeing General Xiang's sensible behavior, Ye Chen's smile deepened.
He turned his gaze back to the four members of the Shangguan family, whose faces had turned ashen.
"Minister of the Kingdom of God?"
He chuckled lightly, his expression full of disdain and mockery.
"Blessed by good fortune?"
"The crime of treason?"
With each word Ye Chen uttered, the four members of the Shangguan family trembled and paled.
When Ye Chen finished speaking, the four of them were trembling like candles in the wind, as if they would be completely extinguished in the next second.
"Do you have some misunderstanding about me, or about your Holy Emperor?"
Ye Chen's voice was soft, yet it resounded like thunder from the heavens in everyone's hearts.
He slowly raised his hand and gently tapped Shangguan Qing with his index finger.
Ye Chen raised his index finger, his movement so slow it was as if he were admiring a work of art.
At the fingertip, a wisp of golden light condensed, without any earth-shattering power or the strange phenomenon of tearing through the void; it simply floated quietly.
But all the powerful individuals who witnessed this scene experienced a violent tremor in their souls at that moment.
That was absolute power suppression.
Just as mortals face natural disasters, and ants look up at a dragon, the fear etched into their instincts caused countless Saint Emperors to subconsciously take several steps back.
\"It's over...\"
Shangguan Qing's pupils contracted to their maximum, and his lips trembled as he uttered two words.
He wanted to run away.
But his legs felt like they were made of lead, and he couldn't move an inch.
It wasn't that he didn't want to move, but the aura locked onto him had completely blocked all his escape routes.
Shangguan Yan's face was deathly pale, and cold sweat poured down his forehead like a waterfall: "We...we're going to die..."
"No! I don't want to die!"
Shangguan Lian screamed, her voice filled with hysteria, "I haven't broken through to a higher realm yet! I can't die!"
Her hands frantically formed hand seals, trying to cast some kind of life-saving secret technique.
But the next second, Ye Chen flicked his fingertip lightly.
The golden light shot out from his hand.
Without a sonic boom or spatial tremor, it simply floated lightly toward the four of them.
The speed was not fast, and the trajectory was clear.
But the more this is the case, the more desperate people become.
Because everyone could see that this attack didn't need to be fast or concealed.
It was clearly telling the four people: You can't escape.
"Block it! You must block it!"
Shangguan Jing gritted his teeth and roared, his Chaos Saint Emperor power surging wildly around him, condensing into an energy shield hundreds of millions of feet thick in front of him.
Shangguan Qing, Shangguan Yan, and Shangguan Lian dared not be negligent and each used their best skills, unleashing all their defensive measures.
In an instant, a dazzling light shone in front of the four people, and various colored energies intertwined to form an impenetrable defensive net.
But the golden light still drifted over slowly, gently touching the outermost shield.
There was no violent explosion.
There is no energy counteraction.
