The monarch carefully chose her words: “It doesn’t matter who you are, Your Excellency. You are someone who shoulders what no one else dares! Immortal Emperors have their shining generations but they only shoulder an invincible power, not the immense weight of the nine worlds! Who is the one doing so, besmirched with infamy, but still protect the nine worlds? It’s not the Immortal Emperors and the myriad races and powers. You are the watcher, Your Excellency, the stopper of the darkness. Your existence allows for the brilliant Emperors Era.”

She paused for a moment before continuing: “Without you, the darkness would be coming again sooner or later. You have been doing your job, wiping away this bloodline all this time, not the emperors. They were indeed amazing and there’s no denying that they had walked on a path paved with bones too, but none had ever committed a massacre of your magnitude. It’s not because of their inability, it’s because they did not wish to do so! They were enamored by their own reputation, not wanting to be reviled by future generation as a butcher who slaughters the innocence…”

A sigh interrupted her speech: “They cherished this reputation too much and feared that doing evil deeds would end with criticisms. For example, killing innocent people after becoming emperors. Many of them were aware that at the beginning of the Emperors Era, this bloodline was still flowing in the nine worlds. They scattered with hybridizations everywhere. With this information, they also knew that the darkness will come again but why didn’t they do a mass cleansing? It’s all due to their own self-absorption. Because of this, all along, you’re the only one who has to shoulder the curses of the world. You’re the only one who doesn’t care about the respect of others or whether they fear you or not. Due to your lack of ulterior motives, you are able to correct the grand mistake by raising your executioner blade to sever the bloodline!”

She earnestly continued: “You were indeed a butcher, the dark hand behind the curtains. However, without your continuous cleansing, what would the nine worlds look like now? Like you have said, the blood will bite back. With the slightest incaution, the myriad races will cease to exist. Humans, spirits, golems will be no longer; only one race will be left. It won’t just be an enslaving darkness since by that point, every race will have become just one.”

“Thus, all creatures in the nine worlds should be grateful to you. Your conquests made it possible for them to live to the present. But maybe you are right, I have never experienced one of these great massacres. However, I can see one thing for certain, the future of the nine worlds without you. Because of this, I will support you. If you need to purge the world once more, just give me the order, I shall carry it out without wavering!” [1]

Li Qiye seemed to be sleeping on his chair. After a long while, he chuckled in response: “People have the rights to their own opinion. Each general back then deserved this right. A few things can’t be forced in this world.”

“In each generation, the world had always praised the emperors and their majestic accomplishments. However, they cursed your name without trying to understand your exploits. Even if they actually knew of your existence, they would still only react with fear. This is due to their own lack of foresight.” She said.

“Let them be.” Li Qiye smiled leisurely: “Since I’m a butcher, I should be raising my blade against the nine worlds. The particular narrative is fine.” He gently sighed at this point.

As the Dark Crow, he didn’t care about the words of the world. However, when his loyal and accomplished generals resisted him, personally giving the order to kill them was an unwilling and painful choice!

Nevertheless, someone needed to do so just as the matriarch had said. Every dreg of that blood must be swept clean or the darkness might come again!

The matriarch - his old comrade that had been to hell and back with him - stared at this seemingly ordinary man. She knew that he might have lost feelings due to his iron dao heart, there were substantial pain and unwanted memories lurking below!

This was why she truly admired him. He quietly endured the suffering and infamy in order to protect the nine worlds. Even emperors paled in comparison to his sacrifices.

“It’s fine to do another purge.” Li Qiye sat up and said: “If Soaring Immortal wants to come, then let them. I want to see what they have hiding in this generation!” His eyes flashed with a cold glint.

The monarch was ready for the incoming bloodbath after seeing his expression.

“But I’m a little tired of killing all the time now.” Li Qiye said with a smile: “Your eighteen crystal cannons haven’t been used for a long time. Take it out to test its strength now. Killing a chicken with an ox blade is very amusing.”

“I’ll bring them here, Your Excellency.” She walked away.

A moment later, she brought back two crates. One was overly large while the other wooden one was very very portable.

They were protected with many layers of seals, indicative of the content’s value.

The matriarch then opened the seals and plumes of glittering and translucent light came out from the large one.

A sizable cannon made from crystals and decorated with mighty runes was contained inside. The material emitted a mysterious power. The strange part was that the cannon wasn’t just one barrel but a cluster consisting of different sizes.

“The eighteen crystal cannons.” Li Qiye smiled after seeing it: “This type of crystal is indeed the finest. Only the Crystalfowl Immortal Mine would be able to produce them. It’s a shame that those geezers are too stingy.”

These cannons were the defining treasure of the Yu Clan, their ace card. Even those who were aware of their existence in the clan hadn’t seen them in person before.

“This is your love for us, using such precious materials to craft this peerless weapon for our clan.” She said.

“I was only bored and practicing.” Li Qiye said with a smile.

The cannons weren’t created with a method from this epoch. It shared the same origin as the Netherlord Hexagear Launcher but their own blacksmithing art had been lost in history.

The main difference was the material type. The launcher was much more precious and the cannons were created afterward.

After creating the launcher, Li Qiye rarely used this blacksmithing method again but due to the matriarch and her husband’s contributions, he created this weapon with some materials at hand and gave it to them.

She opened the other crate too. This one had a neat row of red diamonds serving as ammunition. Each resembled the sun itself with a spectacular flame.

“Dragonflame Uranium!” Li Qiye looked at each diamond and smiled: “Loading then firing them will be spectacular.” [2]

“Your Excellency, you had to squeeze the essence out of an entire sun just to make these diamonds.” She said with emotions because she had seen the devastating power of this weapon before.

1. Is this the new record for longest speech?

2. I don’t know how else to translate the word. It’s simply 鈾, Uranium. Maybe someone else can give their input