The Magus Era

Those leaders started talking. On behalf of those marquises and earls sitting behind them, they listed a series of major efforts that would be made by the alliance of human clans next.

Emperor Shun knitted his eyebrows, looking at the leaders who looked like a group of greedy people who had been waving their knives and forks, carving up a trophy on the table. For fighting the flood, these powerful families didn’t make any contribution, but while scrambling for trophies, they were more active than anyone else. They were greedy, crazily greedy. After Ji Hao killed so many important members of these families, their greed had turned more and more hysterical.

Even when scrambling for trophies, these leaders never forgot to weaken the others and strengthen themselves.

As the leaders of powerful families, they were pretty capable. They methodically drew up tight operational plans, and ordered the other families and clans to send out certain numbers of warriors, and provide certain amounts of food, armaments, and other supplies, for the army to use.

A coalition force of these clans would march into Northern Wasteland under the unified command of these powerful families.

It was obvious that the coalition force of those relatively smaller clans, and the flood-control army, which was now being seen as an apple in those powerful families’ hands, would serve as a spearhead into Northern Wasteland, while the forces of these powerful families, their true elites, would stay behind to ‘help, and play to the score’!

If those clans under Gong Gong’s command struck back intensely, only warriors from those relatively smaller clans and the flood-control army would die. But with the forces of these powerful families ‘helping’ from the behind, all the occupied territories would be theirs! They wouldn’t sacrifice too much, but they would be able to attain large fertile territories.

Emperor Shun’s face was awfully dark, and so were the faces of the leaders of the other large human clans, especially the ones developed from medium and small scale clans, instead of branches of these powerful families. The leaders of those clans were so enraged that their faces seemed to even burst into thunderbolts at any time!

Earls and Marquises from these clans and families were assigned with the heaviest tasks. In comparison, the number of warriors they needed to send out was the largest, and the amount of supplies they needed to afford was the greatest.

During the flood, the territories of these marquises and ears, and their people had all suffered great losses. After all, their clans were newly developed ones, and were not like You Xiong City, which had strong defensive formations to protect their people against the flood. The flood was gone, and now was a critical moment for them to rebuild their homelands, rest, and recuperate. Nevertheless, at this time, those powerful families forced them to prepare for a war!

With twisted faces, quite a few marquises and earls attempted to stand up and say something loudly. But, their friends around them forcibly pressed them down on the ground and stopped them from losing their tempers. Everyone clearly understood that nothing good would ever happen to them if they went against those powerful families.

These marquises and earls were not like Ji Hao. They weren’t as strong as Ji Hao, neither did they have the complicated but especially strong background as Ji Hao did. If they offended these powerful clans, in all probability, they could die one night because of some ‘sudden illnesses’. Their people would be enslaved by the enemies and their territories would become farmlands of some other clans.

Many marquises and earls gritted their teeth in anger…They could only sulk without daring to say anything. They dared not to leap up and pull out their swords, hacking some unlikable powerful families people direct to death, just like Ji Hao did.

”Emperor Shun.” Touching the burning hot jade talisman, Ji Hao slowly stood up, smilingly bowed to Emperor Shun, and said.

Gong Sun Bo raised his eyebrows, showed a weird smile and said slowly, ”Marquis Yao, we’re discussing about important affairs. If you have something to say, wait until everything is settled!”

Ji Hao shook his head, then smiled to Gong Sun Bo and said, ”Do we need to discuss at all? Didn’t you leaders decide everything already? Even Emperor Shun can only sit aside and listen to you. What do you need us for?”

Gong Sun Bo gave a cold grin. Sitting beside him was a scrawny old man. He was the leader of Chu Wu Clan, named Wu Zong. ”Marquis Yao, what do you mean? Are you saying that…” Wu Zong said with a harsh tone.

”Boo!” Suddenly, Ji Hao burst with a loud shout while lunging towards Wu Zong.

Wu Zong was startled. He shrieked like an ordinary human being who suddenly saw a fierce tiger. His scrawny body leaned backward, and a dense smoke puffed out of his sleeves. From the smoke, over ten weaving puppets swished out and shifted into Wu Zong’s shape, fleeing towards all directions.

Ji Hao laughed, and so did many marquises and earls in the hall.

Slowly shaking his head, Ji Hao said, ”Leader Wu Zong, what are you afraid of? I am Ji Hao, a rule follower. I won’t beat anyone in the Town Hall. You know what I mean. I mean, since you are making plans for the future of the humankind, I will go handle some private matters, and won’t waste any more time in here.”

Waving his sleeves, Ji Hao turned around and told Man Man, Shaosi, and his other friends to leave. With big steps, they walked to the gate of the Town Hall.

Gong Sun Bo leaped up from the ground, pointed at Ji Hao’s back with tens of other leaders, and yelled, ”Marquis Yao, you are ignoring important affairs relating to the entire humankind for your personal reasons! If you leave today, you should never come back! A man like you should never come back to this place!”

Ji Hao paused briefly and stopped walking, then smilingly glanced at Emperor Shun.

With a deep voice, Emperor Shun responded, ”Marquis Yao has made major contributions to our humankind…”

Gong Sun Bo interrupted him and said coldly, ”Tens of thousands of marquises and earls in the alliance of human clans have made the decision together. From this day on, anyone who leaves the Town Hall during a meeting regarding important affairs…He or she can never set foot in this place again!”

Gong Sun Bo sneered and continued, ”Marquis Yao despised the alliance. We think he doesn’t deserve his title anymore. Emperor Shun, please deprive his title as Marquis Yao.”

Ji Hao clicked his tongue. ‘Hah, they want to take away my title now, don’t they? Forbid me from stepping into the Town Hall again, to expel me from the core zone of power. Then, when I become the leader of an ordinary clan, these powerful families can do whatever they want to me, right?’ Thought Ji Hao.

”Marquises, Earls, hehe!” Looking at those marquises and earls on the scene, Ji Hao laughed out loud, without saying a word. A long while later, he waved his sleeves and raised a dazzling fiery light, darting out of the Town Hall with Man Man, Shaosi, and his other friends, without looking back.

”Today, I leave because I want to. You cannot stop me!”

”Some other day, I will return when I want to, and you won’t be able to stop me either!”

”The life is long, and we have plenty of time. Dear leaders, we will have the time to play your game!”

Ji Hao’s cold voice echoed in the Town Hall. Hearing him, faint smiles emerged on the mouth corners of Emperor Shun and some marquises and earls, but Gong Sun Bo and the other leaders had their faces twisted. They nearly vomited blood in anger.

”Marquis Yao Ji Hao, you won’t have a chance to come back!” murmured Gong Sun Bo viciously.