Chapter 1403
The Emperor's Heart
Chapter 1403 The Emperor's Heart
"Bei Shou?"
His words were icy and chilling, which made the people inside laugh.
Qingzhuo remained calm and said:
"The White Qilin has already gained momentum and is coming on strong. The southern passes will fall in an instant. The Great General and the True Immortals are trapped in the east and cannot return for the time being. The fate of the nation is in grave danger."
"The northern passes are numerous, and beyond Jiamen Pass lies the land of Nanzheng and the other two prefectures. I urge Your Majesty to move your entourage here. To the south lies Jiamen Pass, and to the north, Mount Xiao, which is sufficient to ward off the Qilin!"
A long silence followed in the hall.
The silence lasted like a shadow until the person below couldn't help but speak, and finally heard the king's cold voice:
"You expect me, an emperor, to avoid his royal presence?"
Qing Zhuo seemed oblivious to the murderous intent in those words, raised his hand again, and said solemnly:
"It's not about avoiding thieves! Bai Qilin has ventured deep into our territory, seemingly full of power, but in reality, he's greedy and adventurous. I've already informed the General of his return and reported to the Cave Heaven, requesting that the elders cut off his retreat. As long as His Majesty waits in Nanzheng, we can launch a three-pronged attack and surely defeat him!"
His face was calm, and he spoke with absolute certainty:
"This is a suggestion from your subjects—the Human Emperor hunted the Qilin and slew the demon Mingyang, thus giving rise to the Lili. Now Your Majesty should emulate the supreme ruler of Heaven and Earth and hunt the Qilin in a grand manner, hence the name 'Northern Hunt'!"
This man was quick-witted; in the very instant he returned, he had already arranged all the escape routes and words of comfort for the emperor, which were consistent and extremely tempting!
But there was no unusual sound inside, only the soft sound of a pen being put down. The emperor said:
"I am fully aware of your plan, my dear minister. We can defeat the Qilin without relying on the two passes. I will personally lead the army and crush the Qilin!"
Qingzhuo frowned.
When the emperor was born, every decision was in his own hands. The Qing family gave birth to him and raised him, cultivating his respect for scholars and teaching him through various secrets, letting him know that he could not use his power lightly now...
When the order came down from Dongtian, Qingzhuo never imagined that this emperor would be a problem.
Things were spiraling out of control, so Qingzhuo had no choice but to bow again and whisper:
"If the emperor personally leads the expedition, he will surely be able to quell the Qilin. However, the True Lord is still in the north and has not yet returned. I fear that if someone supports the Qilin, he might overstep his bounds and offend the emperor's authority... Only by heading north first and obtaining the True Lord's protection can we eliminate the Qilin!"
His words were extremely tactful, yet they subtly implied the truth, but the voice inside said calmly:
"Bai Qilin cultivates in Mingyang, and his supreme honor lies in defeating enemies with grandeur. How can he possibly rely on my great imperial destiny and not enjoy it all by himself?"
Or perhaps…
"Master Qing believed that he could not defeat the Qilin alone."
Qingzhuo finally fell silent.
The supernatural powers of the two emperors of Song and Shu were directly linked to the light of martial arts cultivation. The current emperor of Shu was naturally far inferior to the one in the east. However, if we were to compare the two emperors... if we were to fight against ordinary cultivators, the reincarnation of the metal element would naturally have an absolute advantage. Moreover, the emperor of Shu in front of us was not only a reincarnation of the metal element, but also resonated with the martial arts star in the sky. He was part of the general trend of the world and had an extremely terrifying suppressive force!
'Back then, the carp flew south to test Yang Zhuo with its karmic roots. Although it was using his power, it also had the intention of probing. In the end, it was eliminated by water and fire. At least at the moment of becoming a Purple Mansion, Yang Zhuo, sensing the Martial Star, already possessed the divine power to kill the Six Incarnations of Maha.'
Although the Shu Emperor before him was not as powerful as Yang Zhuo, he had already enjoyed the reign of the emperor for many years and cultivated his character for many years... Even though a large portion of his life force had been stolen by his own Great Master, his foundation was still intact! If it weren't for the fact that Mingyang was no ordinary person, Qing Zhuo would have been considering how to protect Li Zhouwei!
For Qingzhuo, it would be best to get the Shu Emperor away. If he couldn't get him away, it wouldn't be too difficult to keep the Shu Emperor under Mingyang's control. After all, Mingyang believed in defeating the enemy fairly and honestly, and it would be difficult to borrow the power of the Golden Elixir.
'But... it will inevitably implicate the old master...'
Of course, this wasn't the more important thing for him. Qing Zhuo wasn't that close to Qing Tang. The problem was that he couldn't persuade the Shu Emperor to leave, so it naturally wasn't Qing Zhuo's achievement.
He said quietly:
"Your Majesty! The White Qilin is ordained by Heaven and is the sole favorite of Tianxia!"
But the light in the hall gradually brightened, and the words "heavenly glow" could not shake the people inside. Hearing the black light wavering, a strong wind suddenly rose and banged!
"crunch..."
The palace gates suddenly burst open.
The decorations above are magnificent, with a jade throne hanging high above it. A long and slender jade table is placed in front of the throne, and a young man sits prominently on top of it.
This person was far too young, appearing to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. He had fair skin and even seemed thin due to the enormous throne. He wore a wide imperial robe, but his eyes were cold and icy as he looked down at his subjects.
"The Mandate of Heaven?"
He sneered:
“When I ascended the throne and became emperor, you all said that I was ordained by Heaven! Today, there is another Mandate of Heaven, but it turns out that there is one family that is more powerful than the other.”
Qingzhuo bowed down and said respectfully:
"Your Majesty is wise!"
He said:
"In this world, no one can defeat Xuanwu. This is not a matter for any one family or group. We are powerless to do anything about it. Bai Qilin's glory today is merely a result of going with the flow."
The hall was silent.
The boy above had already stood up, laughing heartily, and said:
"I see! I see!"
He stepped down, fastened the jade sword from the table to his waist, its white jade gleaming, and said calmly:
"How could Tianwu possibly hide!"
Qing Zhuo showed no fear, and seemingly respectfully raised his head, saying:
"In the past, when the Zhou dynasty ruled the Xia dynasty, the Wei and Qiang tribes fought uncontrollably over the Tao region, and the Qi and Lu tribes were not yet united. The rituals and regulations fell into disarray. The crown prince avoided using the taboo name of the Western King, the Changfeng Temple collapsed, and the ancestral temples were destroyed by the Jin people. The emperors went on three hunts and revised the rites and books six times, yet the dynasty lasted a long time, and all the emperors' descendants were still alive, making it the longest-lasting dynasty among all dynasties. This shows that the emperors' avoidance of seclusion was indeed a natural destiny of rise and fall..."
The boy above sneered:
"Why try to persuade me of the Heavenly Martial True Qi with old Zhou stories? I, Qing Ting, would rather be a ruler of a fallen kingdom than a subject captured in the north!"
Qing Zhuo frowned again. This king, who had always been devoted to cultivation and treated scholars with respect, showed an unprecedented resolve. Qing Zhuo also sensed the predicament, so he lowered his brows and said:
Please…
"Clang!"
The faint sound of a sword being drawn rang in his ears, and all of Qing Zhuo's words were suddenly swallowed back into his stomach. His gaze suddenly froze as the crystal-clear, slender jade sword was already resting on his neck.
Close at hand.
The power of true qi was indeed not low. Even at such close range, Qingzhuo could feel the intense killing intent on the sword. This emperor's thoughts were clearly very different from his calm appearance.
The young emperor said softly:
"Let him come."
He uttered these words, his gaze slowly moving upwards until he looked directly outside the main hall.
Suddenly, the world was bathed in light, and all people and things outside disappeared. Only a rumbling sound, like the turning of a giant wheel, could be heard. In the instant the emperor raised his eyebrows, something else appeared in the light.
The gates of the Shu court were very tall, six zhang high and nine zhang wide, but they were now completely blocked by something enormous. That thing was watery and bright, and its pupil in the center was like an ink pool, staring straight at him.
The emperor's expression flickered for a moment.
The side doors banged loudly, and several withered, thin fingers reached in, meandering and gripping the pillars, locking the entire hall firmly in place.
The 'thing' outside began to raise its eyes, revealing its gleaming white teeth, as if it wanted to lift the entire hall up, swallow it whole, and take it away.
The entire hall began to shake, but the young emperor's sword remained steady.
His jade sword remained pressed against Qing Zhuo's neck, emanating a sharp, chilling aura, while his feet, firmly planted on the overturned table, resisted the swaying of the hall. He sneered:
"you dare!"
His voice boomed like thunder in the hall, shattering the lampstands on both sides, but no one answered him, not even the kneeling ministers or the unknown ghosts and gods outside. It was as if his words were just a gentle breeze blowing through the hall.
The emperor then coldly gripped the hilt of the sword, abruptly reversed it, and placed it against his own neck.
The thing suddenly stopped moving.
"Boom!"
The grand hall, which had been suspended three inches above the ground, crashed back down with a deafening roar. The fingers that had been gripping the hall tightly and the enormous lips and teeth that had been hovering in front of the hall's entrance had all disappeared. Outside, the long night had returned, as if nothing had happened.
Throughout, Qingzhuo maintained a calm smile and knelt respectfully on the ground.
The next moment, the outside world trembled again, as if the enormous being had straightened up, wanting to leave, but feeling resentful, it turned around, without shouting or cursing, but instead laughed and said:
"Pooh!"
This sound was truly heavenly thunder, exploding in the night sky, plunging the world into darkness, and a lump of bare earth fell from mid-air, crashing onto the roof of the main hall!
"Boom!"
This sea of light smashed through the main hall, destroyed the sixteen pillars in the courtyard, and caused the entire palace to tilt and crumble, leaving a desolate scene. Rocks rained down from the sky, and yellow sand ignored all the wonders, pelting the two people on the ground.
The young emperor seemed to have his feet firmly planted on them, remaining motionless.
Only when all the storms had subsided, and the main hall no longer had a roof, revealing the bright stars and moon in the sky, did he shake off the sand from his body.
Qingzhuo has also disappeared.
The boy understood that it wasn't that he had frightened the thing, but rather that the moment he placed the sword against his neck, that attitude, signified that he was being forcibly moved away from Chengdu, and that he would one day face Mingyang in a life-or-death confrontation, and that he would no longer allow himself to be a usable pawn.
The young emperor showed no emotion. The faint cries of the guards could be heard from all around. He raised his sword and casually strolled through the ruins, killing the cultivators of Changhuai Mountain one sword after another.
The screams rose and fell, but soon subsided. The remaining people realized the trouble and stopped screaming. But the boy simply swung his sword—he walked to the ruins in the center, and with a gentle flick, picked out the shimmering treasure.
【Feng Zhen Ce Xuan Bian】.
...
"Boom!"
A low, muffled sound echoed in the clouds, night fog filled the air, and a cold rain fell softly.
In this milky white, impenetrable fog, Fan Yuan felt a tingling sensation spread from his tongue to his spine. He watched as the ferocious god walked out step by step from the fog formed by the fall of his divine power, and his expression was shaken.
'If it weren't for luck, this would have been my fate too!'
He lowered his head, while Li Zhouwei above him slowly exhaled, holding a small white jade disc in his hand—this was Wang Yi's Purple Mansion Spirit Embryo.
The fragments of the jade bead outlined at his feet, enveloped in the sunlight, were actually Wang Yi's Purple Mansion Spiritual Artifact.
The Huayang King Yue, once in the hands of the Great Immortal Mingyang and the White Qilin, has risen to the level of a spiritual treasure and carries the weight of royal authority. It is so powerful that even those with weaker physical bodies cannot easily move it!
Jiang Fuwang was suppressed by this axe and [Shunchen Xuanguang] back then, and was unable to get up for a time. According to Li Zhouwei's judgment, if he were to achieve perfect supernatural powers one day, this thing would have the weight of a supreme being. Simply by the axe falling, it would be enough to immobilize a person.
With a powerful strike, he shattered the spirit pearl in the True Person's hand into pieces. Ironically, the spirit embryo that had been assisting him survived. Li Zhouwei casually tossed it into his sleeve and said:
Who is guarding Mount Xufa?
Fan Yuan quickly bowed and said respectfully:
"Both mountains are nominally under my jurisdiction... [Mount Xufa] is now deserted!"
"Just you?"
Fan Yuan knew his meaning perfectly well, and hurriedly said:
"Reporting to King Wei! Ranwu Mountain is a formidable pass, and one of its key routes leads to Duoling in Qize. The Sword Immortal is there, and both routes lead to Baishui City on the plateau..."
However, the main roads of Ranwu are interconnected, thus allowing for mutual checks and balances. Li Zhouwei nodded casually and said:
"I command you to remain here and guard against the evil spirits causing trouble."
Upon hearing this, Fan Yuan was struck dumb, his mind in turmoil, and he didn't know how to respond.
If we continue north with Li Zhouwei, and some earth-shattering battle breaks out, our lives will be in grave danger. But is it safe to stay here?
Without the protection of this white Qilin, if someone from the Qing family were to come down to save the situation, or if the white Qilin were to leave after accomplishing his task, leaving him trapped here, where would he find a way to survive?
'Well, at least it's better than going north with him and getting killed on the spot!'
He thanked him loudly, but Li Zhouwei had already risen on the wind, passed through the clouds, and returned to the void, rapidly passing through the darkness before him and heading north.
The distant capital city was gradually becoming clearer. The obstacles that Li Zhouwei had anticipated did not materialize. On the vast plain from Ranwu to Shudu, the cultivators fell silent, abandoned their supernatural powers and formations, and were left undefended.
This vast space, the only place he could resist, was surrendered so easily, allowing the white Qilin to roam freely. Even when he reached the legendary capital, the formation dimmed and lost its light. It wasn't until he reached the city gates that he saw a cultivator standing in mid-air.
This person had handsome features and bright eyes, but his cultivation level was not high. He had only just broken through to the Purple Mansion realm, yet his body shone with dazzling true qi light, indicating that he was also a cultivator who had attained the Mysterious Realm.
There was no light on the city wall, and the cultivators had vanished. Only this True Person stood above, gazing up at the approaching light of the sky, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
But at this moment, without the slightest hesitation, he took a step forward, and the divine power in his hands erupted with a dazzling brilliance he had never seen before, and laughed:
"I am Mo Jue, a poor man from Qize, who has received the Emperor's favor. I have overestimated my abilities and beg the King of Wei to grant me death!"