Emperor Qi Tai's head buzzed as blood rushed to his face. He tried his best to control his emotions, but his heart was in a mess, and his legs were trembling.
Imperial authority had to be enforced. If one didn't obey the Emperor's orders, the Emperor would lose his sanctity. The only way to do so would be to use force.
At this point, another eunuch reported, "Your Majesty, there's an urgent report from Ying Prefecture."
"Send it!" Emperor Qi Tai paused before replying. After all, he was the Emperor now. His earlier panic and weakness disappeared in a blink of an eye.
"Your Majesty, the men we sent to Ying Prefecture to welcome Pei Qian Shi and Ye Su 'er have failed. They said that the Empress was feeling bored, and that the True Monarch had arranged for his wife to accompany her. We don't know where she went. And, and …" The eunuch spoke hesitantly. The Emperor's face turned cold, "And what?"
"Your Majesty, the men from Golden Island wanted to control the Canton Princess, but were all killed. Yao Jifu died in battle, and was pinned to the pier. They said he was a pirate."
"After that, we received news that the Canton Princess had disappeared as well. I'm not sure if someone leaked the news, or what happened." The eunuch spoke, his face turning pale.
"I understand. You may leave." The Emperor's face was as white as snow as he spoke to the eunuch. Seeing the eunuch leave, the Emperor grunted as his face turned red. He then looked at Feng Min, "What did the Dao Monarch say? Is there a way? "
"The Dao Monarch said that Pei Zi Yun might have gone to Qin Prefecture on a whim. Now, we have to wait until we've defeated the demons. When that time comes, we can use this opportunity to summon him." Feng Min relayed the Dao Monarch's words, and the Emperor calmed down. After thinking for some time, he ordered, "Since Pei Zi Yun has gone to Qin, immediately recognize him as the commander of the army. Send an edict to encourage him."
"Tell them that the Imperial Court and I have a deep relationship with the True Monarch."
Jin Prefecture
As soon as Pei Zi Yun arrived at the city, there was a relay station that reported his journey. Mounted scouts flew back like a shooting star, reporting back to him. Finally, the fastest horse came back, thirty miles away from the city.
Two Imperial Envoys came out to welcome him, "Fire the firecrackers and play the music!"
At this point, the sound of drums could be heard as the officials welcomed him. The two Imperial Envoys then stepped forward, "Greetings, True Monarch."
"You are all imperial envoys, how could we dare to accept your greetings?" Pei Zi Yun was astonished as he helped him up. At this point, the two Imperial Envoys spoke out, "The Emperor has issued a decree, ordering True Sovereign to take charge of the situation. We are all under his command."
He continued, "The real edict is still on its way, but the draft written by the Department of Records has already arrived."
Li Pan of Chuzhou and Huang Yuanzhen of Beiyuan said as they handed over their manuscripts.
Pei Zi Yun bowed and took a look. He saw that it was a copy of the Imperial Edict. Every word was warm and gentle, "My beloved subject worries for the world, and I am not happy."
When Pei Zi Yun read this, his expression didn't change. He then said, "Your Majesty, your subject is terrified. Since that's the case, let's go in!"
"True Sovereign, please!" The two imperial envoys led the way into the city.
As soon as he entered the city, he heard the sound of firecrackers going off. The entire city was engulfed in smoke and smoke. Pei Zi Yun sat on the carriage and observed the firecrackers. He did not make a sound, but his heart was in turmoil.
When they arrived at Jin Prefecture, along the way, the county magistrate and the governor personally welcomed them and sent them off. They knelt down to pay their respects, and even presented them with gifts. At this point, the imperial envoys and the commoners knelt down to pay their respects. If it were anyone else, they would have thought that it was a grand sight. However, Pei Zi Yun smiled bitterly, as a chill ran down his spine.
'This is the same as the Imperial Edict. On the surface, it looks like a gift, but if you think about it carefully, it's very chilling.'
'No matter how close the Emperor and his subjects are, there's no need to be so courteous and considerate. This in itself is a signal. It looks like the Emperor is determined to kill me.'
As he thought about this, Pei Zi Yun looked at the encampment that was getting nearer and nearer. When the three hundred officers saw him, they all knelt down and shouted in unison, "We pay our respects to the True Sovereign."
Following this, the imperial envoys led the officials into the encampment. The central tent was spacious, and in the middle of it was a table with the four treasures of the study. One by one, the generals rushed in. Pei Zi Yun stood at the front, followed by the two imperial envoys. They all knelt down and said, "We pay our respects to the True Sovereign!"
Pei Zi Yun rose to his seat and looked around before smiling, "Everyone here is a familiar face. I've seen the situation. The demon army is extremely cruel, and they are killing everywhere. Although you've done a good job, your actions are a little slow. Every day, the demon soldiers are slaughtering the common people. We can't help but be anxious."
The generals clasped their hands and said, "We're willing to listen to the True Sovereign's orders."
Most of them were sincere and sincere. No matter what the Imperial Court thought, the True Sovereign had the ability to fight a war. Pei Zi Yun nodded his head and said, "I'll issue an order now. The people at the frontlines are to be evacuated as soon as possible. I'll give you half a month's time. If you don't manage to do so within half a month, I'll execute the magistrate and the county magistrate."
"Secondly, all the cavalrymen are to gather before me. If anyone refuses to surrender, they'll be dealt with according to military law."
"Yes!"
Pei Zi Yun replied plainly, "The demon soldiers do not have food to eat. There's only a few thousand of them. With me around, what's a few thousand demon soldiers?"
This wasn't the way to fight a war. Just the matter of evacuating the common people was a huge project. Only by coordinating with the Imperial Court could everything be carried out in an orderly manner. However, Pei Zi Yun's purpose for this trip was to obtain the demon race's present. Once he killed the present, he would be able to enter the capital city. Why would he think about anything else?
Naturally, he was eager for quick success.
King Lu's Paradise
The land of the underworld was deep, and there were mountains everywhere. Ever since King Lu's Paradise started to change, the area around it started to feel uneasy. Demonic Qi started to leak out, and many ghosts started to transform into terrifying evil spirits.
"Roar!"
An evil spirit roared out in anger, as it tore a weaker evil spirit apart and started to devour it. Within Paradise, it was covered in a bloody mist, and demonic Qi was everywhere. Numerous skeletons hung from the branches of the demonic trees, swaying in the wind. The demon soldiers patrolled the forest, looking out into the distance to prevent any evil spirits from invading.
All of a sudden, all the demon soldiers in Paradise looked up into the sky, only to see a beam of demonic light descending from the skies. It was unusually bright as it landed on the Reincarnation Platform.
"We pay our respects to the Demon Emperor." The Reincarnation Platform trembled, as the scholar stood up. King Lu landed on the platform and stood beside Xie Cheng Dong. He revealed a cold smile, "What happened to the authority required to activate the Imperial Qi the last time?"
"Your Majesty, I really don't have the authority." The scholar laughed bitterly. At this point, another beam of blood-red light descended from the skies, as several spirits fell into the lake of blood in front of the Reincarnation Platform.
"Hm, do you think I will believe you?" King Lu spoke out coldly, "If you don't hand over the authority, don't blame me for being merciless."
"Your Majesty, I don't have the authority. You should be able to feel it." The scholar's heart stirred, as he could feel King Lu's anxiety.
"Then where did the other half of the authority go? Your master is dead, and it should have returned to me. "King Lu shouted out, as the entire Paradise shook, as though it was resonating with him.
The scholar then thought of the Demon Emperor, and then of Pei Zi Yun. He then spoke out, "Your Majesty, it's in deep slumber within the Reincarnation Platform. I've heard that Pei Zi Yun has returned to the battlefield. As long as you kill Pei Zi Yun, and fulfill the wishes of the previous Demon Emperor, you can ascend to the throne and obtain all the authority."
"Your Majesty, I've said what I wanted to say, and shall take my leave." The scholar bowed before he transformed into a beam of light and landed beneath the Reincarnation Platform. He then turned into a statue, and didn't move.
"Damn it." King Lu was enraged, but he quickly composed himself. He then turned around and asked Xie Cheng Dong, "What do you think? Is this true or false?"
"Generally speaking, it should be true. However, there might be some tricks to it. No matter what, we don't have many choices now." Xie Cheng Dong bowed, "Pei Zi Yun is indeed powerful. Now that the order to evacuate the citizens has struck us where it hurts. Your Majesty only has half of the authority, and can't force the spirits to possess you. Hence, we need blood sacrifices in order to increase the strength of the demon army. However, once the order is issued, there will only be soldiers defending the city. Even if we manage to take over the city, we will only lose a few soldiers.
"Look, this is what it means to be trapped in a trap."
"However, there's no despair. The speed at which the citizens move is extremely slow. Even if it's only the citizens, it's difficult for them to leave their homeland. It won't be that easy."
"I'm sure the ones who are retreating are the citizens, and they haven't retreated too far. Once we break through the first line of defense, we will be able to reach the citizens again. However, the most terrifying thing is the second move."
"Pei Zi Yun has ordered the cavalry to gather together. There are already thousands of them, and their speed is extremely fast. They have their eyes on us, and can easily wipe out the troops that we send out. This will force us to maintain our main force, and prevent us from moving."
"Pei Zi Yun is truly a master of the art of war. I wonder how he managed to cultivate to such a level."
When King Lu heard this, he sighed and felt melancholy, "I've always thought of myself as a great strategist. However, when I met Pei Zi Yun, I was restricted in every way. Since the heavens gave birth to you and me, why did they give birth to Pei Zi Yun? Does the Crown Prince really have the Mandate of Heaven?"
King Lu's eyes turned bloodshot. Up till now, he still refused to address himself as Emperor Qi Tai, and only addressed him as Crown Prince.
"Your Majesty, the Mandate of Heaven exists. However, it hasn't been confirmed yet."
Xie Cheng Dong smiled as he spoke. King Lu was suspicious, "Why do you say that? Don't tell me there's going to be chaos? "
"Your Majesty, you're the Demon King. Are you willing to share your authority with someone else?" Xie Cheng Dong asked. King Lu frowned, "Of course not."
Xie Cheng Dong laughed, "Since that's the case, the Crown Prince and Pei Zi Yun might not be on good terms. Although we're separated, I have a feeling that Pei Zi Yun might not have a good ending."
King Lu thought for some time before nodding his head, "That's right. Pei Zi Yun is the Crown Prince's lucky star. However, his strength is too great. He has the power to topple an entire country. The Crown Prince might not be able to tolerate him."
As he spoke, his face sank, "We're too far away now. What do we do now?"
"Your Majesty, we have to seize control of the entire Demon King's authority. Only then will we have a future. And to do so, we have to kill Pei Zi Yun."
"We can't win this battle in Jin Prefecture." Xie Cheng Dong's expression was solemn. King Lu's eyelids twitched as his heart sank, "I'd like to hear more."
"Your Majesty is a man of great talent and strategy. You should be clear that even with the blood sacrifice, the demon army isn't endless. There aren't many demonic spirits that can be possessed."
"Originally, in order to seize control of the world, it would require ten to a hundred times the number of demons. Now that Your Majesty has been exposed, it's practically impossible for you to become the ruler of the world."
Seeing King Lu's ashen face, Xie Cheng Dong spoke blandly, "Since that's the case, why don't we jump out?"
Jump out? King Lu was originally enraged, but when he heard these words, he paused in shock. His body trembled slightly, and his intuition told him that this was his chance. Originally, he only wanted to deal with Pei Zi Yun. He didn't expect Xie Cheng Dong to point out a new path for him.
"What do you mean?" King Lu asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"Your majesty, you're no longer the human race's King Lu. You're now the Demon Emperor. Although it's impossible for you to live forever, you're still with the demon race. As long as the demon race thrives, not only will you be able to live forever as a deity, you'll be able to pay a hefty price to reincarnate. If the demon race rules over the world, you'll be able to become a deity with your fleshly body and rule over the world. This game of chess has just begun.
King Lu paused. He knew that he didn't have much time left, and was feeling extremely depressed. When he heard this, his eyes lit up, "That's right. I'm no longer a human. I'm a Demon Emperor. I have plenty of time ahead of me. Why should I fight against such a strong enemy?"
"The dynasty has existed for hundreds of years, and many heroes have perished in the underworld, unable to transcend. However, I am the Demon Emperor, and was able to reincarnate as a human. Don't tell me I can't be the next Chosen One?" King Lu laughed out as he spoke.
Xie Chengdong, however, knew that things weren't that simple. Back when a Daolord had appeared, the path of a Daolord became increasingly difficult.
Once he was reincarnated, he would have to lose his status as a Demon Emperor.
All these things were done to maintain the balance of power. The Demon Emperor only had one chance to reincarnate. He didn't say anything, but bowed, "Congratulations to your Majesty for gaining enlightenment. However, the prerequisite for all of this is that Pei Zi Yun must be killed."
"I understand. As long as I can kill Pei Zi Yun, I will be able to gain full control of the Demon Emperor. Only then will I be the true Demon Emperor."
"In order to achieve this goal, I am willing to sacrifice everything I have, including my five thousand soldiers." At this point, King Lu was in high spirits, "Xie Chengdong, your plan wasn't bad. Let's lure the snake out of its hole."
Xie Chengdong smiled, "Your Majesty, there's another plan we can use. Let's say that Pei Zi Yun has been ordered by the heavens to wipe out the entire demon race. As long as this continues, he will be able to break through his cultivation bottleneck and attain an indestructible body. When that happens, the Imperial Qi will be destroyed, and the Imperial Court will no longer be able to do anything to him."
"Now that the conflict between the Imperial Court and Pei Zi Yun has escalated, it's only a matter of time. If this rumor spreads, do you think the Imperial Court will still tolerate Pei Zi Yun?"
"Definitely not." King Lu clapped his hands, "Xie Chengdong, you're truly a peerless scholar. With these two plans, even if Pei Zi Yun has the ability to transcend the heavens, he wouldn't be able to do anything."
He then asked hesitantly, "What you're saying, is it true?"
Xie Chengdong bowed, "This is merely a guess. But look, Pei Zi Yun's rate of improvement is extremely fast. In less than ten years, he'll become a Dao Monarch. This is a speed that even a Dao Monarch couldn't achieve."
"There must be a reason for this. Perhaps it's really his destiny to resist the Demon Emperor."
"Hence, this isn't entirely a wild guess."
"The most important thing is, regardless of whether it's true or not, the Imperial Court must be confused as well. This answer gives the Imperial Court an answer. Even if the Imperial Court doesn't believe it, they have no choice but to believe it."
"When that time comes, the Imperial Court would rather sacrifice their entire army to ensure Pei Zi Yun's death."
"You're right. Let's act according to this plan and release the bait." King Lu spoke as his eyes flashed with a bright light. He then muttered, "Since that's the case, let me take a gamble."
He then raised his hand, "Reincarnation Platform, listen to my command."
The Reincarnation Platform began to vibrate as demonic Qi emanated out from it. The blood pool was filled with a mist of blood.
"Roar!"
The statues were nourished by the mist of blood as they lined up in rows and came to life.
"Based on my authority, I don't have to be hesitant. In a short period of time, I can create a demonic army. When that time comes, I can catch Pei Zi Yun off guard. Victory is within my grasp."
"Your Majesty is wise." Xie Chengdong bowed. As soon as he finished speaking, King Lu couldn't stay any longer. He transformed into a beam of light and disappeared from Paradise.
Xie Chengdong stood up straight and looked into the distance, "Pei Zi Yun, although I'm going to die, I'll be able to watch you die under my schemes. That's my wish."
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