Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Extermination Plan!

On the day Yang Ye led his people to sea, Tian Zhong convened a meeting.

In Parliament, the members who had always opposed Tian Zhong and represented the interests of the major cultivation families were mostly killed by Yang Ye and his men. The remaining ones, many resigned by sunset that very day. Out of the one hundred seats, half were vacant.

Naturally, the meeting called for the election of new members. Tian Zhong was the obvious beneficiary, as all the new members were either officials he had previously promoted or those he personally invited.

After a brief electoral process, Tian Zhong announced a series of new policies favoring ordinary citizens: compensating for years of overdue pensions, reducing taxes for the populace, strengthening urban security, allocating special funds for improving living conditions in various cities, establishing a maritime patrol to protect fishermen’s safety, dismantling the corrupt Star Martial Management Bureau, founding national martial arts academies in every city so that even civilian children might have the chance to cultivate...

After reading out the plethora of reforms, Tian Zhong finally declared that their implementation would be overseen by the Summer Capital Inspection Office.

Some still wished to oppose, but with Tian Zhong’s declaration, no one dared make a sound. Everyone now understood that Inspector Ye and Speaker Tian Zhong were allies. The political landscape of the country would be dramatically altered—the nation’s power would be fully concentrated in the hands of Tian Zhong and his faction.

The meeting was broadcast live. When Tian Zhong finished announcing his new policies, ordinary citizens rejoiced. For the cultivation families, however, their interests suffered: increased taxes and the establishment of national martial arts academies were particularly hard to tolerate.

But what could they do? The Inspection Office of the Summer Capital hung over their heads like a sword.

After the meeting, in a nondescript villa in the western suburbs of the Summer Capital, dozens gathered in a spacious basement. They were all representatives of the major cultivation families of China.

Once everyone arrived, a middle-aged man stepped forward with a smile. After saluting the assembly, he said, “Mr. Zhou, Mr. Li, and all present, you must be aware of the current situation in China. If we do not eliminate Ye Tianzu, your days of comfort are numbered. Thus, we should unite and take him down!

Without Ye Tianzu’s support, Tian Zhong’s new policies cannot be enforced. Cultivation circles in Fusang, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries will greatly benefit. Our interests are aligned. I hope my proposal will gain your support…”

The speaker, a middle-aged man, spoke fluent Chinese, without a trace of a Fusang accent.

But he was a true Fusang cultivator. His name was Kawahara Shoujiang.

Although Yang Ye had ordered the expulsion of Fusang nationals, many had slipped through and remained in China.

“Kawahara Shoujiang, what you propose is too risky. We need to think it over,” said a man in his forties, frowning. His surname was Li—Li Qi, from the Li family—one of the foremost families in China, as renowned as the annihilated Jiang family.

Compared to the Jiang family, the Li family was much more discreet in their actions and held their descendants to strict standards.

Li Qi was a mid-star level expert, but the prospect of confronting Ye Tianzu made him uneasy. He had witnessed yesterday’s battle at the stadium; even if the Li family gathered all its top fighters, they were no match for Inspector Ye.

After Li Qi spoke, the others nodded in agreement.

Kawahara Shoujiang grew anxious; persuading these families to attend the meeting had been no easy feat, and now they proved so timid.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed on, “Now is the perfect opportunity! The sea is not like the land. His ship, Tianxun, if surrounded by dozens of hunting vessels, will be destroyed in an instant. If Ye falls into the sea, neither heaven nor earth will answer his cries.”

“Not necessarily,” someone objected. “With Ye’s abilities, as long as he doesn’t encounter a star-level sea beast, he could return to shore even from the Pacific’s center in a few days.

And during the attack on Tianxun, who’s to say Ye or his even stronger wife won’t strike back and board a ship?”

After this remark, everyone shook their heads. The tactic seemed utterly foolish to them.

Kawahara Shoujiang’s eyes narrowed. “All you need to do is provide fire support. The charge will be handled by Fusang ships. Each ship is loaded with hundreds of tons of high explosives. If Ye boards, we’ll detonate the explosives and perish together with him!”

With this, the assembly finally looked intrigued. The explosive force from hundreds of tons would easily obliterate the Summer Capital. Even super-star experts would struggle to survive such a blast.

“What if Ye doesn’t take the bait? If he dives into the sea, he can still escape,” someone else ventured.

They knew that if they moved against Ye Tianzu, every factor had to be considered. If Ye escaped and returned to China, it would spell disaster for them.

Kawahara Shoujiang smiled. “Rest assured! Even in the sea, he cannot escape. A Fusang laboratory has developed a new drug; once released, it will drive sea beasts within hundreds of nautical miles into a frenzy, converging on the spot. No matter how formidable Ye Tianzu is, he cannot withstand such beasts.

Moreover, Fusang will send more cultivators, and besides neighboring countries, strongmen from Europe, America, and India will join the hunt for Ye Tianzu.”

“Europe and America? Why would they?” Li Qi asked, astonished.

Kawahara Shoujiang replied, “Ye Tianzu is simply too powerful. His strength defies common sense and provokes widespread fear.”

After he finished, silence fell over the room. Many looked tempted, yet some, like Li Qi, remained cautious.

Seeing their expressions, Kawahara Shoujiang felt his lungs might burst with rage. How could these Chinese be so timid!

“Forget it. Our Li family will not participate. But rest assured, if it concerns our interests, I will keep it confidential,” Li Qi said, rising and leaving the basement.

After Li Qi departed, others followed. Soon, only two-thirds remained—those who supported Kawahara Shoujiang’s plan.

...

“Third Brother, you did the right thing. The Li family must not take part. Paying a bit more tax each year is tolerable. We can manage; greed does us no good,” said Li Wei, head of the Li family, after Li Qi returned to the manor and recounted Kawahara Shoujiang’s plan.

Li Wei continued, “Secretly inform Ye Tianzu of this Fusang plan. Let him owe the Li family a favor.”

“Understood, I’ll see to it at once!” Li Qi replied and left immediately.