After Ying Kuang returned to the mortal realm, he did not return to his original residence. Instead, he chose to settle down on a desolate snowy plain in the extreme west of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Although the celestial lords retreated last time, it was hard to say when they would return. Thus, he did not make any contact with his two disciples. From this moment onwards, he would cut off his past and deal with the Celestial Court's encirclement by himself.
On this day, he was sitting cross-legged on the plains, quietly adjusting his breathing.
Suddenly, a ray of spiritual light fell from the sky, and the direction it landed was exactly where he was.
He opened his eyes but did not get up because the other party's Qi was calm and did not have a trace of murderous intent.
That spiritual light fell to the ground in a flash, but it didn't make any movement. When it dispersed, a white-haired old man wearing a deep collar shirt appeared. He didn't wear a crown on his head, and he had a kind and benevolent countenance. He smiled and cupped his hands together, saying, "How has the Left Imperial Advisor been?"
Ying Kuang was surprised when he saw the newcomer, "Star Official?"
This Star Official was originally an itinerant immortal. After entering the Celestial Court, he was only given an empty position. However, he was a good talker and had a good reputation. He was a frequent guest of the Celestial Court's banquets and had a good relationship with the immortal officials of the Hao and Xiao families.
The Star Official smiled and said, "Yes, I am."
Ying Kuang thought for a moment and said, "Did the Celestial Court send you as a mediator?"
As the Imperial Advisor Zuo, he was familiar with the Celestial Court's way of doing things. This person's arrival was undoubtedly a signal that the Celestial Court wanted to make peace with him. Thinking of the celestial lords' sudden retreat last time, he guessed that the Celestial Court must have encountered some trouble or they would not have made such a compromise.
The Star Official smiled bitterly and said, "Imperial Advisor Zuo, you overestimate me. You have a strong will and determination that cannot be compared to ordinary people. I'm afraid I can't do anything to you with my glib tongue."
He knew that the person in front of him was not someone who could be easily fooled. If he beat around the bush, he would not be happy. So, he might as well say it directly. Hence, he directly stated his purpose of coming. "This time, I have come under the orders of the Sky Emperor to mediate peace. If Imperial Advisor Zuo is willing to give up now and not make things difficult for the Sky Court, then all the previous mistakes can be forgiven." He said earnestly, "Imperial Advisor Zuo, you know His Majesty's temperament.
Ying Kuang said indifferently, "Oh? You can let bygones be bygones for killing the Emperor's son? "
The Star Official nodded and said, "Of course.
Ying Kuang gazed into the distance and said, "The imperial family is heartless. With the current Emperor's temperament, this Ying doesn't find it strange at all to issue such an edict. It's just that Heavenly Mother's son has been killed. Are you going to let this Ying go?"
The master of the Heavenly Court was the Hao Clan, but the Huo Clan was equally important. They represented a part of the will of the Heavenly Court. If this person refused to let them off, the Imperial Edict of the Heavenly Court might not be able to protect them.
The Star Official said, "If Imperial Advisor Zuo is still worried, here is something else." He extended his hand and took out a talisman.
Ying Kuang's expression changed when he saw it. He said in a low voice, "The Grand Supreme's Pardon?"
The Star Official said, "This is the Grand Supreme's Pardon. As long as Imperial Advisor Zuo agrees to stay out of this and not interfere in the fight for the throne, then you can take this."
Ying Kuang thought for a while and suddenly raised his head. His eyes were shining as he looked at the Star Official and said, "Is His Majesty going to appoint the Fourteenth Prince as his successor?"
The Star Official's expression froze. He coughed and shook his head. "This is not something I can ask."
Ying Kuang did not ask further. But from the other's intentional reaction, he knew that he had guessed correctly.
He had seen the Fourteenth Prince before. He was more intelligent than the other princes and was favored by Celestial Emperor. There was a rumor that the Eleventh Prince was favored by Celestial Emperor. Ying Kuang was Celestial Emperor's personal attendant at that time, but he knew that was not the case. Celestial Emperor had purposely put on an act to protect the Fourteenth Prince.
It could be said that the Eleventh Prince was targeted by many princes and immortal officials and was even banished to the lower realm. In fact, it was all because of the Fourteenth Prince, and the Eleventh Prince was not aware of it at the time.
With this knowledge, Ying Kuang was able to sort out his thoughts. It was probably because he had killed the Second Prince, and it seemed like he was going against the Tian family. Celestial Emperor wanted to prevent Ying Kuang from killing another prince, so he took this step to calm him down.
Thinking of this, Ying Kuang reached out and took the talisman.
The Star Official was relieved when he saw Ying Kuang accept it. He smiled and said, "With the Virtue Pardon, Imperial Advisor Zuo should be relieved, right?"
The person who held this pardon could be absolved of all past crimes, and the Heaven Court would not pursue the matter further. However, this person could no longer be an immortal official, and even his family members would be excluded. However, Ying Kuang had already rebelled against the Heaven Court and had no family members by his side, so he did not care about this.
Ying Kuang did not comment. Who said that he could not continue to go against the Heaven Court with this talisman?
He was not a pedantic person, and he respected using all means. Since the other party had taken the initiative to come to him, there was no reason for him not to use it. He could even numb the other party.
The Star Official did not care what he did. In any case, he had completed his task this time, and whatever happened in the future had nothing to do with him. Hence, he bowed with a Dao salute, said a few polite words, and left.
Ying Kuang thought about it and said, "It seems that His Majesty has already decided to choose the Fourteenth Prince as the next Emperor. Previously, the princes were fighting for the position on purpose to let these princes exhaust their own strength so that they could pave the way for the next one."
He sneered a few times. This idea was not bad, but since he wanted to overthrow the Heaven Court and kill all the gods in the world, how could he let it go as he wished?
In Yanlu Country, the Eleventh Prince received an edict from the Heaven Court at this moment. It was to summon him to the court for an audience. After he received the edict, he thought that the succession of the throne was going to be decided. At first, he was very excited, but after thinking about it again, he realized that something was wrong.
After thinking deeply, he ordered someone to invite Yi Guang, who had already returned to the country, and asked him about this matter.
After listening, Yi Guang said firmly, "This is the Celestial Emperor's plan. If the Prince goes, there will be no chance of survival. You must not go!"
After hearing that, Haoneng nodded to show that he understood.
The Celestial Emperor must be up to no good to ask him to go now. Now that he was in the lower realm and had the protection of the Li Wang Mountain, he was fine. If he returned to the Heaven Court, it would not be up to him. The Celestial Emperor could casually find an excuse to take him down. By then, how could he talk about inheriting the throne?
But then, he frowned and said, "But if you don't go …"
Yi Guang continued, "The Prince is not afraid that if you don't go, the Celestial Emperor can use this excuse to see the Third Prince and the Crown Prince as giving up on the opportunity to ascend the throne. Or, he can simply declare that the Prince is disrespectful to the Celestial Emperor and take away the title of the Crown Prince?"
Haoneng said, "Yes! Do you have a way to resolve this? "
Yi Guang said, "This is an overt plot. Whether the Prince goes or not, you cannot avoid it. However, the Prince does not have to worry about this. If the Celestial Emperor is not willing to abide by the rules, then the Li Wang Mountain will not be courteous to him. He will not be able to sit on the throne for long. "
At this moment, the Third Prince, Hao Chang, also received an edict. However, he also saw through the situation and made the same choice as the Eleventh Prince.
However, contrary to their expectations, the Celestial Emperor did not reprimand them for their actions. It was as if the matter had passed just like that.
In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.
In the dao palace, Zhang Yan was sitting in meditation. Suddenly, he sensed something and knew that there was a result in the Heavenly Court. At this moment, a boy came to report that Wan Guang wanted to see him. He said, "Call him in."
Wan Guang entered the palace and bowed, "Ancestral Master, Just now, the Celestial Emperor has sent down an edict saying that the Fourteenth Prince is the next successor to the throne. At the same time, he also decreed that because the Third Prince and the Eleventh Prince disobeyed the Celestial Emperor's order, they will be stripped of their celestial titles and demoted to commoners, never to be pardoned."
Zhang Yan nodded and said, "I already know. I think the Celestial Emperor still has other arrangements. We need to be more prepared for the eleven princes, you should pay more attention to them."
Wan Guang said seriously, "Disciple will remember." He bowed again and left.
Zhang Yan smiled faintly. It seemed that the Celestial Emperor chose the Dao of Virtue. However, he was not surprised by this result. The Celestial Emperor would either side with them or the Dao of Virtue. There was no third path.
The advantage of the Dao of Virtue was that it was an orthodox sect. The Heavenly Court had been with them for a long time and they were familiar with each other. After the next Prince ascended to the throne, there was no need to change anything. On the contrary, if Quan Dao became the orthodox sect, many things would have to be overturned and it would not be beneficial for the new Celestial Emperor to sit on the throne. The Celestial Emperor probably saw this and made such a decision.
However, this way, Quan Dao would not act according to the rules of the past. He would fight with the Dao of Virtue as he hoped.
The Daoist on the left said, "The Celestial Emperor chose the Fourteenth Prince as the crown prince because his heart is determined to follow the Dao of Virtue. However, the change of fate is not something that the Hao family can predict. I will fight with the Dao of Virtue to determine the position of the orthodox sect. "
The Daoist on the right looked at Zhang Yan and said, "What do you think?"
Zhang Yan's eyes flickered. The changes of fate in this world finally happened according to his will. He looked at the two of them and said seriously, "Since I have formed an alliance with the two of you, I will take the position together with the two of you."
In the Apricot Continent, the Third Prince Hao Chang also knew that the Celestial Emperor had chosen the Fourteenth Prince as his successor. His face was gloomy and he said hatefully, "How can a Celestial Emperor go back on his words?"
Yin Ming said at the side, "Since the Celestial Emperor has made a mistake, it is inappropriate for him to continue to sit on the throne. I, Quan Dao, will help Your Highness to ascend to the throne. Your Highness need not worry about this."
Hao Chang suppressed the hatred in his heart and returned to his usual calm self. However, he was still a little worried and asked, "Daoist, are you confident?" It was no wonder that he would ask such a question. The Dao of Virtue had always been superior to Quan Dao. Otherwise, they would not have become the orthodox sect.
Yin Ming said, "Your Highness, don't worry. We did not fight with the Dao of Virtue previously because there were three Grand Elders. This time, I have the Forgotten Mountain as an alliance, so we are well-matched. Even if we can't take the Celestial Emperor's position, we can divide it and rule it."
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