After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

Chen Futu sat high on the dragon throne, exuding majesty.

The man in black robes was speechless, realizing that his operation had already been exposed. The Holy Emperor knew that the Peacock King was an imposter, which was why he was being so disrespectful.

Chen Futu looked at the Peacock King again, "I'm giving you one chance: either leave the ancient kingdom or die. The choice is yours."

The Peacock King took a deep breath. "Great Xia is the overlord of the Central Plains. Why come to the Western Regions to contend with the Sand Sea? Does His Majesty the Holy Emperor intend to remain in the Western Regions forever?"

"I will not linger in the Western Regions for long. Before I leave, the ancient kingdom must submit to the Great Xia."

"The desert will absolutely not allow it!"

"Hmph, too bad, it's not up to you."

Chen Futu waved his hand, and the man in black entered the hall, lifting his hood to reveal a young face, which shocked the Peacock King and the man in black. "How is this possible!"

That's right, the man in black robes is the Peacock King, who was also created by Chen Futu using clay.

The Peacock King rebuked the pretentious emperor, "I invited the Sand Sea to be my ally, but I never expected them to be so despicable as to dare to poison me!"

The false emperor was speechless. He was stunned for a long time before mocking Chen Futu, "I thought His Majesty the Holy Emperor had some tricks up his sleeve. It turns out he just had someone impersonate the Peacock King."

"A disguise? Are you sure?" Chen Futu chuckled sarcastically. "If you don't believe me, you can go and check it out to see if he really is the Peacock King."

"What if he's a fake!"

"If he is a fake, I will take people back to the Central Plains. Not only will the ancient kingdom be given to the desert, but everything in the Brahma Palace will also be given to you."

"Very well, His Majesty the Holy Emperor's word is law, and he will surely not go back on his word!"

The false emperor gestured to the man in black robes, who immediately stepped forward to examine the Peacock King's face. The more closely he looked, the more alarmed the man in black robes became. Finally, he exclaimed, "Strange! There's no disguise at all! He's the real one!"

"impossible!"

The false emperor, refusing to believe it, went forward to investigate himself. Just like the man in black robes, the Peacock King before him was real, unlike the man who was disguised with a human skin mask.

They could never have imagined that the Peacock King before them was merely a clay sculpture, and that the real Peacock King had long since died. In that case, the clay sculpture substitute could also be considered the real Peacock King.

Chen Futu asked, "How are the two from the Sand Sea doing now?"

"I clearly killed the Peacock King, and I did it myself. There wasn't even a trace of his body left. So how could someone else appear? Could this be the Peacock King's twin brother?"

The false emperor was furious and unwilling to back down.

Chen Futu said unhappily, "If you continue to be so stubborn, don't blame me for having all the officials distinguish between you two. I'm sure your little disguise won't fool anyone."

"Very well, Chen Futu, this time I've been outmaneuvered!"

The false emperor had no choice but to summon all the officials. His face would definitely not stand up to scrutiny. If Chen Futu were to reveal the secret, the desert would surely become a laughing stock.

"You're smart enough to know your place. I don't want to be enemies with the Sand Sea. Speaking of which, your Holy Maiden and I are old acquaintances."

"Is that so? Is this how His Majesty the Holy Emperor treats old acquaintances?"

The false emperor suddenly removed his disguise, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty—it was actually the Holy Maiden.

Chen Futu was dumbfounded. Good heavens, this guy actually took action himself.

The saintess regained her feminine voice and said angrily, "Your Majesty's reach is too far. The Sand Sea also needs to be bound to the fate of a nation. Please do us a favor and let the Sand Sea owe you a debt of gratitude, okay?"

Ding!

[Detection indicates that the Holy Maiden has requested the return of the ancient kingdom's throne. Host, please make a choice: whether to select a targeted reward.]

"Rewards should be as closely related to the cultivation level of the powerful generals as possible."

[1. Choose to agree to return the throne, and you will be rewarded with ten high-grade Nourishing Essence Pills.]

Those below the Martial Emperor level can improve their cultivation level by consuming it, with the improvement depending on their own comprehension.

[2. If you choose not to return the throne, you will be rewarded with a random-grade martial arts technique.]

[3. Choose peace talks, inquire about the internal affairs of the nation's fate, and be rewarded with the four beauties' combined combat skill "Qingping Ferry"]

The upgraded system offers targeted rewards that can indeed be freely adjusted, all of which are related to martial arts.

However, the improvement from taking pills was too slow. Chen Futu still hoped that the system would be upgraded so that he could advance to a higher realm in one go.

"I choose three."

[Qingping Ferry has been completed. The exclusive joint combat skill for the Four Beauties allows them to fight across a major realm when they join forces.]

After the system voice disappeared, Chen Futu said to the Holy Maiden, "I am not an unreasonable person. Tell me, why did the Sand Sea suddenly want to be tied to the fate of the nation? There must be a reason."

The saintess hesitated for a moment, then suggested that they find a place to talk privately, as it involved top secrets.

Without wasting any time, Chen Futu led her directly to the side hall.

The Holy Maiden closed the door and used telepathy again: "His Majesty the Holy Emperor is well aware of the benefits of the nation's fortune. As for why the Sand Sea needs to be bound to the nation's fortune, we are different from the Ancient Palace. The Ancient Palace aims to mass-produce strong individuals and enhance the combat power of the highest level. What the Sand Sea needs to do is protect the peace of Li Continent."

"what for?"

"Your Majesty the Holy Emperor is unaware of the origins of the desert. Many years ago, the place we are in was also a prosperous land. However, desertification gradually worsened and encroached upon many countries. As they disappeared into the desert, the Tea Horse Road and the Black Desert were formed between the Western Regions and the Central Plains. Your Majesty can understand us as the guardians of this land."

The saintess's explanation left Chen Futu feeling strange.

Surprisingly, this supposedly powerful force in the desert is actually an environmental protection organization. That's quite interesting.

What is an environmental protection organization?

The saintess asked, bewildered.

"It's nothing. If what you say is true, I admire you quite a bit. When we arrived, I noticed something strange about the Black Desert; it couldn't have appeared out of thin air, could it?"

Chen Futu asked the key question.

The Holy Maiden sighed, “It is indeed not naturally formed. It originated from a great war a thousand years ago. After the war, the land was desolate, and some kingdoms were destroyed. The remaining power formed sand eyes, which spread outward year by year. Our clan has guarded against it for many years, but we have not been able to stop its spread. Recently, the sand eyes have become more and more active, frequently triggering black sandstorms. The elders of the clan are getting old and plan to follow the example of the ancient temple and bind the fortune of a country to suppress the sand eyes. This is for the benefit of Lizhou. Otherwise, in another hundred years, Lizhou will be completely finished.”

"Lizhou, Lizhou...Lihuozhizhou, so that's what it means."

Chen Futu felt as if he had been enlightened. This showed that the Holy Maiden had not lied, and that the caravan had indeed encountered a black sandstorm on their way there. If it had not been for Zhang Sanfeng's suppression, the caravan would have suffered heavy losses.

"Your Majesty the Great Sage Emperor, even for the sake of your Central Plains, we hope you will cede the throne of the ancient kingdom to the Sand Sea. The Sand Sea is willing to form a karmic bond."

The saintess lowered her head and cupped her hands in a gesture of respect, her expression slightly sorrowful.

Chen Futu didn't answer, but instead asked the system, "Is what she said true?"

【Yes】

"What kind of person could leave behind such terrifying power after a fight?"

[Lizhou is a desolate land, disliked by outsiders. If the sand eye continues to expand and encroach upon the outer regions, it will inevitably provoke the wrath of powerful beings. At that time, a powerful being may shatter Lizhou and sever its source.]