Chapter 266: Kill the Emperor! (Big Chapter!)
The closer they got to the capital, the more scouts they encountered along the road. Although disasters and turmoil plagued the outside world, near the capital, song and dance still filled the air. Many trees were wrapped in red silk, and numerous foreign envoys were hurrying into the city.
A new emperor’s coronation was no small matter, especially since this new emperor, even before ascending the throne, had shown himself to be different from the previous dynasty. He treated foreign nations well and was willing to form friendly alliances with them.
During the previous dynasty, the Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang had favored military campaigns, annexing dozens of countries, crushing other major powers nearby, seizing their territories, or forcing them to submit and pay tribute. His arrogance knew no bounds.
The peak of Yan Kang’s national power came just before the Imperial Preceptor’s campaign against the Great Ruins. He waged war on five major powers simultaneously. Then the Imperial Preceptor was assassinated, halting Yan Kang’s expansion.
The new emperor of this dynasty was gentle and refined, full of courtesy. He treated Yan Kang’s sects well and was polite to foreign envoys. Not only did he return the lands conquered by that ferocious Imperial Preceptor to the surrounding countries, but he also promised reparations, willing to repair relations with foreign nations.
The rule requiring foreign nations to submit to Yan Kang as vassals was also abolished by the new emperor. The foreign nations were delighted and praised him lavishly, calling the new emperor Ling Yu Xia the rare wise ruler Yan Kang had seen in fifteen hundred years.
Beyond this, the new emperor, who had not yet ascended, widely invited sect leaders to attend his coronation ceremony. Rumors circulated that the new emperor planned to issue a self-incriminating edict on the day of his coronation. He intended to take upon himself the resentment from heaven and the people caused by the reforms of recent years, confess his sins to the heavens, and beg the heavens to punish him alone, sparing the countless people of Yan Kang.
“This move is the most vicious.”
Qin Mu praised repeatedly, saying to the Imperial Preceptor and the Emperor, “You two have worked hard for two hundred years of reform, toiling to change secular concepts and advance the divine arts and techniques. How much infamy have you borne? How much effort have you expended? How many people have fought and bled for it? All of this has shaped Yan Kang into what it is today. With one self-incriminating edict, the new emperor can turn your two hundred years of hard work and the sacrifices of your soldiers into nothing. This move is vicious, very vicious!”
Yan Feng Emperor groaned, feeling a tearing pain in his chest. He wanted to cry but had no tears, saying hoarsely, “Yu Xia, my good son, this knife is stabbed right into my heart…”
Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor’s expression was as calm as an ancient well. He said, “Once we enter the capital, I can contact my old subordinates in a few days. Seven or eight out of ten court officials will support His Majesty. Add to that the Dragon Guard Imperial Army hidden in the nine dragon veins, ready to attack the capital at any moment! The only problem now is that the Great Thunderclap Monastery and the Dao Sect have left so many monks and Taoists in the homes of these nobles and ministers. They claim to be begging for alms, but in reality, they are monitoring. Qin Sect Leader, I need you to use the Heavenly Demon Sect’s power to send me into the city to meet them.”
Qin Mu shook his head and said, “There’s no need for such trouble.”
Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor was slightly taken aback.
“The Great Thunderclap Monastery and the Dao Sect have spread too wide. Trying to control everything actually leaves weaknesses everywhere.”
Qin Mu stopped walking. They were at Houji Town, less than a hundred miles from the capital. They stopped in front of a pancake stall. Qin Mu was buying breakfast and said, “It’s like making pancakes. If you spread the batter too thin, it becomes fragile. The bigger they spread their pancake, the weaker it becomes. When the crown prince ascends the throne, he won’t have enough strength left to protect himself. The monks and Taoists they left in the homes of nobles and ministers will instead be controlled by those nobles and ministers, unable to go to the imperial city to support him.”
The pancake was ready. The vendor wrapped it in yellow paper. Qin Mu took it and first handed it to the Imperial Preceptor’s wife.
The Imperial Preceptor’s wife took a bite, her bright eyes glancing around, and whispered, “Aren’t you afraid of eavesdroppers, discussing this so openly? We’ve encountered quite a few of the crown prince’s spies along the way!”
“Not afraid.” Qin Mu smiled slightly.
Suddenly, all the pedestrians, vendors, vegetable sellers, buyers, butchers, and hawkers in the market fell silent. They all turned their heads, their gazes landing squarely on them.
“Sect Leader!” they said in unison.
Qin Mu waved his hand and said with a smile, “Continue on. Don’t mind us.”
The Imperial Preceptor’s wife was startled. Yan Feng Emperor sighed, “Commands are followed, prohibitions are heeded—this is the sign of a king. Qin Sect Leader, you make me afraid. Your Heavenly Sage Sect also makes me afraid.”
Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor nodded and said, “Commands followed, prohibitions heeded—this is the aura of one who becomes a king or emperor. His Majesty indeed should be concerned. However, in the two thousand years since the Heavenly Sage Sect was founded, no Sect Leader has ever claimed the title of emperor. His Majesty can rest assured.”
Yan Feng Emperor said angrily, “You’re all from the Heavenly Sage Sect! Even you, Imperial Preceptor, and your wife are from the Heavenly Sage Sect—one a Heavenly King, the other an Incense Master. I’m the only outsider here! You’re just messing with me!”
Qin Mu quickly said, “Does Your Majesty wish to join the sect?”
…
“How do we enter the capital?”
Outside the capital, Yan Feng Emperor looked into the distance at the city gate. The guards were strict, with layers of inspections. Getting in seemed as difficult as reaching the heavens. Today was the day the crown prince would ascend the throne and become the new emperor. On this day, the new emperor would issue a self-incriminating edict at the Altar of Heaven. Envoys from various countries, sect leaders and masters, heads of major families, and civil and military officials would all attend the ceremony, so the defenses were tight.
Qin Mu shook his head and said, “No problem. We’ll just walk in.”
Yan Feng Emperor was taken aback. Qin Mu had already led them to the city gate. The soldiers at the gate acted as if they didn’t see them, letting them enter the city.
“Are they also from the Heavenly Sage Sect?”
The Imperial Preceptor’s wife was startled and whispered to Qin Mu, “The Emperor is here. Don’t be too conspicuous, or you’ll arouse his suspicion. What the Emperor wants is a sect above the state, not a state above the sect. Be careful, Sect Leader.”
Qin Mu looked at Yan Feng Emperor, who indeed showed signs of worry. This was normal. The imperial guards guarding the capital’s gates were all from the Heavenly Demon Sect—how could that put him at ease?
Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor said, “Now that we’re in the city, what should we do?”
Qin Mu took out two pills and handed them to Yan Feng Emperor and Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor respectively. He said, “Go to the imperial city, to the Altar of Heaven, and watch the crown prince’s coronation and sacrifice to the heavens.”
Imperial City, Golden Throne Hall.
“Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long live!”
Yan Kang Crown Prince Ling Yu Xia, draped in a dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne. Behind him stood a monk on one side and a Taoist on the other. Below were the civil and military officials, kowtowing to the new emperor with great fanfare. There were so many officials that the hall was full, with others kneeling outside the hall and some on the steps.
Inside the hall were also envoys and delegations from dozens of countries, watching the ceremony under their national banners. Additionally, sect leaders and masters from dozens of sects observed.
The new emperor’s coronation involved cumbersome rituals, and it was nearly noon by the time the ceremony ended.
The spring sun wasn’t warm. Ling Yu Xia led the civil and military officials out of the hall, walking at the front. The ceremonial guard followed, with many monks and Taoists among them chanting Buddhist and Taoist scriptures loudly. Behind them were the crown princess and a group of palace maids. The envoy delegation followed behind, and the heads of various sects and families also headed to the Altar of Heaven. The procession grew even more grand.
Behind Ling Yu Xia were high-ranking officials like the Crown Prince’s Guardian and the Crown Prince’s Tutor, ministers who had supported him from the start. They were his right-hand men, holding very high positions. With the Emperor’s “death,” Ling Yu Xia had smoothly inherited the throne. Knowing that despite his foundation in the court, it was still unstable, he had invited many eminent monks from the Great Thunderclap Monastery and Taoists from the Dao Sect. He demoted officials who refused to submit and promoted monks and Taoists to official positions.
Nearly half of the civil and military officials in the court were monks and Taoists, chanting scriptures as they headed to the Altar of Heaven, creating a rather peculiar scene.
As for the Duke of Wei, the Prince of Mount Tai, the Pillar of State, the Heavenly Strategy General, and others, due to their “advanced age,” Ling Yu Xia specially allowed them to retire. They were to stay in the capital first and could return to their hometowns in glory after the ceremony.
In the court, nearly half of the officials were forced into retirement, some of whom were quite young—another strange occurrence.
Ling Yu Xia didn’t trust these retired officials. He couldn’t let them leave the capital, fearing they would rebel, so he effectively imprisoned them in their respective mansions, guarded by monks and Taoists from the Great Thunderclap Monastery and the Dao Sect. The Prince of Mount Tai, the Heavenly Strategy General, and others were still locked up in the imperial prison.
Before long, they arrived at the Altar of Heaven. The officials surged forward, with nearly half of the monks and Taoists standing on the left and right of the steps. Ling Yu Xia, holding his dragon robe, climbed the steps alone, respectfully, while the crown princess and the harem knelt at the base.
The steps were long, nine hundred and ninety-nine stone steps. Ling Yu Xia reached the Altar of Heaven and was about to kneel respectfully when suddenly a deep voice said, “The Great Thunderclap Monastery’s Tathagata Buddha has issued a decree. Please, Your Majesty, receive the decree.”
A monk stepped forward, majestic and solemn, with a halo of Buddha light behind his head. He held the Tathagata’s decree and came before Ling Yu Xia.
Ling Yu Xia quickly knelt to receive the decree, saying respectfully, “Your guilty subject receives the World-Honored One’s decree.”
Below, the former officials of the previous dynasty frowned, lowering their heads in silence. The monks among the other officials loudly chanted Buddhist verses, with Buddha light shining ten thousand feet behind their heads—a magnificent sight!
In the sky, flowers fell chaotically, and phantom images of gods and Buddhas appeared, creating a myriad of visions, as if all the gods and Buddhas were blessing and praising.
The monk finished reading the Tathagata’s decree, which essentially said that Yan Feng Emperor was unrighteous, causing heaven’s wrath and people’s resentment. It encouraged the new emperor to work diligently and stay in his place, and then the gods and Buddhas would grant blessings and longevity, with divine protection. And so on.
The crown prince received the decree.
Then a Taoist stepped forward, holding the Dao Lord’s decree, and said, “The Dao Sect’s Dao Lord has issued a decree. Please, Your Majesty, receive the decree.”
Ling Yu Xia quickly knelt again: “Your guilty subject receives the Dao Lord’s decree.”
The Taoists among the civil and military officials were not to be outdone. They manipulated their vital energy, creating various visions like dragons and phoenixes bringing auspicious signs, flying all over the sky.
The Dao Lord’s decree was also about encouraging the new emperor to be diligent for the people, work hard in governance, and not engage in reforms or the like.
The crown prince received the decree, stood up, straightened his clothes, and then was about to kneel at the center of the Altar of Heaven to confess his sins to the heavens.
Just then, a voice came from afar, clear and resonant: “The Heavenly Sage Sect’s Sect Leader, the Holy Master’s personal disciple, issues a decree! Please, Your Majesty, receive the decree!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Altar of Heaven erupted in commotion. Everyone looked toward the source of the voice. The envoys from various countries, sect leaders, masters, and heads of families below the altar also turned to look.
Ling Yu Xia took a few steps to the edge of the altar steps, looking down from a height. He saw a young man leading two monks and a Taoist nun toward the altar. The two monks walked with unsteady steps, and the Taoist nun seemed to be pregnant, moving with some difficulty.
Qin Mu smiled and walked straight toward the altar, saying leisurely, “The Great Thunderclap Monastery is a sacred land, the Dao Sect is a sacred land, and my Heavenly Sage Sect is also a sacred land. Ling Yu Xia, the Tathagata and the Dao Lord didn’t come in person, yet you knelt to receive their decrees. Now I, the Sect Leader, have come in person—won’t you kneel to welcome me?”
“Heavenly Demon Sect Leader!”
Suddenly, a sect master beside Qin Mu leaped up, attacking Qin Mu with deadly intent. At that moment, a large banner appeared beside Qin Mu. The banner’s surface rolled, blocking the sect master’s attack. As the banner unfurled, a mighty man with a sword case on his back stood behind it. A sword light flew out, taking the sect master’s head.
The man with the sword case rolled the banner, carrying the sect master’s head as he disappeared. In the crowd of onlookers, a headless body swayed and collapsed.
Qin Mu paid no attention and continued forward. More guards tried to attack, but as soon as they moved, large banners appeared one after another. Hall Masters of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Elders, Supervisors, and Heavenly Kings all revealed themselves. Banners fluttered, appearing and disappearing. When the banners vanished, dozens of headless bodies lay on the ground.
Qin Mu led the Imperial Preceptor and the Emperor forward. Around him, banners constantly appeared and disappeared. Those who attacked him were killed one after another, dying on the spot.
Wherever they passed, they left a trail of bodies, all missing their heads.
Qin Mu reached the foot of the altar and was about to ascend the steps when suddenly the kneeling crown princess attacked fiercely. But as soon as she moved, she turned into a corpse and fell to the ground.
The envoys from various countries, sect masters, and family heads were all horrified and dared not attack again. The might of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the foremost sacred land of the demonic path, was something they had heard of before. Now they had experienced it firsthand.
“Xiu Niang, don’t look,” Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor said to his wife.
Qin Mu stepped onto the altar. A eminent monk suddenly roared, “Heavenly Demon Sect Leader, we’ve been waiting for you! Fellow cultivators, surround the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader! Subdue the demon and eliminate the evil!”
A group of monks shed their official robes and roared, while the Taoists also activated their sword pills. In an instant, the air above and below the Altar of Heaven was filled with murderous intent.
Qin Mu continued forward. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Over three hundred large banners appeared. The Hall Masters of the three hundred and sixty halls all revealed themselves. The twelve Town-Sect Elders, the Left and Right Protector Envoys, the two Town-Sect Heavenly Kings, and the eight Supervisors also appeared.
The Altar of Heaven erupted in battle cries. The eight Supervisors did not attack but surrounded Qin Mu and the others.
The altar was filled with murderous intent that soared to the heavens. Sect Leader-level experts, masters of the Life and Death Realm and the Heavenly Being Realm, fought a great battle on the altar. The battle was earth-shattering, with booming sounds that nearly collapsed all the palaces around the altar.
The imperial city fell into chaos. The city guards rushed over in droves. The entire capital was alarmed. The major families and powerful clans in the capital, which had been silent, now erupted with earth-shaking auras. The monks and Taoists in their mansions tried to rush to the imperial city to support, but they were trapped inside by these families and killed on the spot.
In the imperial prison, Heavenly Strategy General Qin Jian, Senior Minister Su Yunzhi, and others were sitting in their cells when suddenly the cell doors opened. A jailer said with a smile, “His Majesty has returned. He’s at the Altar of Heaven.”
Heavenly Strategy General and the others were both shocked and delighted. They immediately rushed out of the prison and headed for the Altar of Heaven.
“Where is the Heavenly King Wei?” Yu Heavenly King shouted loudly.
“Heavenly King Wei is here!”
A thunderous voice spread throughout the capital. The Duke of Wei leaped directly from his mansion, crashing down with a loud boom at the foot of the Altar of Heaven. He was fully armored, his face fierce and ferocious: “Who wants to die?”
Qin Mu unhurriedly walked up the altar. The Crown Prince’s Tutor and others charged at him, but at that moment, Qin Jian and the others rushed out of the prison and engaged them. No one interfered with Qin Mu and his group’s progress.
On the Altar of Heaven, Ling Yu Xia showed panic. He looked at the monk and Taoist beside him. The two immediately leaped down to attack, but before they could land, the eight Supervisors intercepted them in midair, killing them on the spot. Blood splattered everywhere.
“Civil and military officials, I am the Emperor!”
Ling Yu Xia shouted sternly, “Are you disobeying my orders and planning to rebel with these demonic path followers?”
“Emperor?”
Yan Feng Emperor snorted. He took the pill Qin Mu had given him, and his hair immediately grew back. He wiped away the knife scar on his face and said in a deep voice, “Look at me. Who am I?”
Ling Yu Xia’s face changed drastically. Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor also took the pill, his hair growing back. He wiped away the green birthmark on his face and turned around.
The civil and military officials had originally planned to obey the emperor’s orders and attack, but now, seeing Yan Feng Emperor and Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor, they all knelt down.
Ling Yu Xia went mad. He charged at Yan Feng Emperor and Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor, shouting, “I am the Son of Heaven!”
The eight Supervisors moved, each exchanging a blow with Ling Yu Xia. Ling Yu Xia spat blood. Suddenly, his body transformed into a dragon, soaring into the air to escape. The eight Supervisors raised their robes to cover themselves, disappearing. The next moment, they had Ling Yu Xia pinned to the ground, kneeling in the center of the Altar of Heaven.
Yan Feng Emperor looked at the civil and military officials and shouted, “Why aren’t you suppressing the rebellion? Kill these rebellious Taoists and bald donkeys! Do I have to do it myself?”
The civil and military officials quickly rose and began killing the monks and Taoists from the Great Thunderclap Monastery and the Dao Sect. The imperial guards who had arrived also joined in the killing.
At the same time, Qin Mu walked to the Altar of Heaven. Ling Yu Xia was forced to his knees, unable to struggle.
Qin Mu bent down, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, “Your Highness, I’m not doing this to help the Emperor. I’m doing it for my sect’s Qian Heavenly King and Lu Heavenly King.”
Ling Yu Xia was stunned. He looked up at Qin Mu, disbelief in his eyes: “You…”
Qin Mu drew his sword. The Shaobao Sword was in his hand. He swung it in a horizontal slash!
Yan Feng Emperor and Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor had just reached the Altar of Heaven when they saw this sword stroke pass by. Ling Yu Xia’s head flew high into the air.
Yan Feng Emperor’s heart shook violently. He looked at the young man’s back. The young man flicked the blood off his sword, and with a clang, sheathed it. His back view was somewhat terrifying.
—A big chapter of nearly five thousand words. Please subscribe! Please monthly votes! Zhai Zhu’s public WeChat account is: zhaizhu00. Everyone is welcome to come and bother him~