Chapter 533: Chapter 432: Thunderous Methods

The snowstorm howled past with ice particles, inside the Ice Extreme Pass, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to freeze the air.

The eyes of all the soldiers darted between Qin Tian and Duan Guangtai. Some looked worried, fearing the situation might spiral out of control; some had a cold sneer, eager to witness the new Guardian Envoy’s embarrassment; while others remained indifferent, watching coldly as they awaited the unfolding events.

Qin Tian suddenly curled his lips, his tone flat but with undeniable authority: “The four captains, step forward again.”

As soon as he spoke, the four of Zhai Jialu remained rooted in their spots, not even moving a step.

There were even a few suppressed chuckles in the crowd, evidently, some thought Qin Tian was making a fool of himself.

Duan Guangtai also looked at Qin Tian with a mocking expression.

Just then, Qin Tian turned to look at him, and asked blandly: “Administrator Duan, do you know what’s most important to a soldier?”

Duan responded with a question: “The Royal Army regulations have many articles, I don’t know what General Qin is referring to?”

“Since you don’t know, let me teach you a lesson.” Qin Tian said with calm eyes,

“As a Royal Soldier, the paramount iron rule is only one, and that is — obedience, absolute obedience to superiors!”

Upon hearing this, the faces of the four of Zhai Jialu instantly changed.

Qin Tian looked at the four of Zhai Jialu, with a faint purple light rising in his eyes: “Zhai Jialu, Qu Feng, Sang Yanhua, Fan Jun! As garrison captains and field officers, you should lead by example, yet you openly disregard the orders of superiors!”

Before the words fell, the four felt a bone-chilling cold rushing from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads, as if their very souls were about to shatter from being frozen.

In the next second, four violent bursts of Soul Power erupted in their minds.

“Ah!”

A piercing scream sounded simultaneously, the four clutched their heads and fell into the snow, blood seeping instantly from their seven orifices, their bodies convulsing incessantly.

“I hereby announce, effective immediately, Zhai Jialu and the others are stripped of their captain positions and demoted to regular soldiers!”

Qin Tian’s voice was without any ripple, “If they dare defy military orders again, they will be executed on the spot without pardon!”

In an instant, a terrifying pressure swept across the entire Ice Extreme Pass, making every soldier feel as though their souls were frozen, even causing their breathing to become difficult.

They looked at the four captains who had fallen and were screaming, and then at the serene-looking Qin Tian, their throats moved, eyes full of dread.

To know, those four were genuine Tier Five Spiritualists, yet in front of the New Army Commander, they didn’t even have the chance to resist. Even more terrifying was the New Army Commander’s swift and iron-fisted approach, directly taking action against Duan Guangtai’s people without showing the slightest courtesy.

Those who originally wanted to side with Duan Guangtai were at this moment given a severe shock, their previous thoughts were completely extinguished.

On the other hand, Duan Guangtai’s face was ashen. Qin Tian’s move was not only a harsh counterattack, it was a public slap in the face in front of everyone!

“Qin Tian, how dare you employ personal punishment against your soldiers!” Duan Guangtai gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, “You are utterly lawless, do you really think the soldiers of the Ice Extreme Pass are your personal servants to bully at will!”

He deliberately called out Qin Tian’s full name, not only to vent his anger but also to incite dissatisfaction among the soldiers against Qin Tian.

Yet Qin Tian responded calmly: “Administrator Duan, I am the Guardian Envoy of the Ice Extreme Pass, I have the authority to punish those who defy military orders. If they are dissatisfied, they are welcome to report me to the Military Department’s oversight committee, but as an administrator, you have no authority to interfere in any military affairs.”

“Qin Tian!”

Duan Guangtai clenched his fists, cracking sounds emanating as his knuckles turned white. How glorious he was in the Split Soul Ice Valley, even the former Guardian Envoy Lu Yuan had to give him some respect. Now, reduced to this icy wasteland of the Ice Extreme Pass, it was like being banished from a city to a remote village, leaving him with bottled-up resentment. And Qin Tian’s series of forceful counterstrikes, further fueling the fire of his anger to its peak.

Qin Tian looked at his ashen face and coldly smiled inwardly—since he had to establish authority, he might as well make it as thorough as possible.

He stepped forward, his tone calm yet carrying an irrefutable command: “Administrator Duan, administration of the Ice Extreme Pass is your responsibility, but I’m very dissatisfied with your current work.”

He raised his hand to point at the ankle-deep snow at his feet, and again at the snowdrifts between the ice houses:

“The accumulated snow inside the pass is so thick, it severely affects the soldiers’ movements and daily training; should a Snow Beast raid occur, even a second’s delay in gathering due to snow could result in irreparable casualties—this is playing with the soldiers’ lives as if they were a joke!”

“By the end of today, you must personally lead people to complete the full snow clearance. By seven o’clock in the evening, I want to see a clean Ice Extreme Pass—without a single flake of snow remaining on the ground, and the pathways unobstructed.”

Qin Tian’s gaze was as sharp as a blade, “If you fail to accomplish this, it is a severe dereliction of duty on your part as an administrator. At that point, you will take a broom yourself and clear the snow from the Ice Extreme Pass until it’s done.”

This statement sent the soldiers on the scene into a state of mutual exchange of looks, their eyes filled with shock.

No one expected the new Guardian Envoy to just finish cleaning up the four captains, only to then turn his gun on the administrator.

In the Ice Extreme Pass, snow falls seventy percent of the day; even if everyone is deployed for snow shoveling, it’s impossible to achieve “not leaving a single snowflake,” this is clearly the New Army Commander deliberately making things difficult for people.

But with the reason of “delaying battle, endangering soldiers’ lives,” it was so righteous and irrefutable, leaving Duan Guangtai hardly an opportunity to rebut.

Duan Guangtai looked at Qin Tian and instantly understood that the latter intended to completely tear the mask off, not only to suppress him but also to use him to establish authority.

He suddenly sneered: “What if I refuse? Qin Tian, do you plan to use the same tactic on me, the administrator?”

As soon as he spoke, a faint Tier Six pressure erupted from within him, he was a Tier Six Golden Bloodline Spiritualist, among his tier, except for the Holy Blood Inheritors, he truly feared no one.

“Refuse?” Qin Tian raised his eyes, his gaze calmly falling on him, devoid of any detectable emotion but carrying an oppressive presence that could seize one’s soul: “Administrator Duan, are you sure you want to disobey orders?”

“What?”

Duan Guangtai took a step forward, seemingly even the wind and snow were forced to retreat a bit by his momentum, “Do you also plan to slaughter me here? Qin Tian, do you have this ability?”

These words were like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, immediately intensifying the scene’s tension to the extreme.

The soldiers’ hearts were in their throats, many subconsciously stepped half a step back—as two Tier Six experts if they were to fight publicly at the Ice Extreme Pass, the terrifying Spiritual Energy impact would be enough to blow this Profound Ice-built pass to shambles, and the soldiers would surely suffer.

Cold wind with snow flakes smacked their faces, yet no one dared lift a hand to wipe it.

Everyone’s gaze was tightly locked on Qin Tian and Duan Guangtai, even their breathing seemed to halt.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep