95: rebel!

Dragon Duke Meng Shu breathed a sigh of relief, his whole body soaked through as if he had just emerged from a river.

He didn't get up for quite a while.

He repeatedly expressed his gratitude and, once he had regained some strength, left the temple.

Outside, the Believers were still kneeling and cheering.

They were all extremely devout towards the Azure Dragon Divine Lord.

Seeing them like this, Dragon Duke Meng Shu suddenly felt an impulse to join them.

"Old man...! What happened to you? How did you end up like this?"

Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang hurried over and supported him.

Meng Yiran followed beside her, also looking at Dragon Duke Meng Shu with deep concern.

Dragon Duke Meng Shu gave a bitter laugh and said, "The High Priest did not blame us at all, we..."

"Then let's go back now?" Meng Yiran immediately said with a smile.

Dragon Duke Meng Shu immediately glared at her and said sternly, "What's the rush? Guarding the temple gate is an honor for us!"

Meng Yiran shrank her neck, startled.

Her grandfather had never been so harsh with her before!

And now he was yelling at her over such a small matter?

Looking at Dragon Duke Meng Shu's serious expression, Meng Yiran held back, not daring to act spoiled or make a fuss.

Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang led the grandfather and granddaughter back to the side of the Red Gate.

This was their "duty post" for gate guarding.

After Dragon Duke Meng Shu sat down, he asked Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang for a water jug.

"Gulp, gulp..."

He drank it all in one go.

A flash of worry passed through Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang's eyes.

Others might not notice, but how could she, his lifelong partner, fail to detect Dragon Duke Meng Shu's unusual state?

Something must have happened inside the temple just now!

Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang sent Meng Yiran away, having her take a Broom and sweep the Stone Steps along the path.

Meng Yiran could only pout and go.

Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang squatted beside Dragon Duke Meng Shu, grabbed his large hand, and asked, "Old man, what on earth happened? I saw you running up the mountain when you returned just now..."

Dragon Duke Meng Shu fell silent for a moment, then looked up towards the direction of Nuoding City.

By now, the dark clouds had already dissipated, and the clear sky had returned.

"I hadn't been in the city for long when I saw the celestial phenomenon change..." Dragon Duke Meng Shu recounted what he had witnessed in the city.

Upon hearing about the Divine Lightning descending and precisely striking the nobles, Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang plopped down onto the ground, her face turning pale as well.

"This... this..."

"Are we going to serve the temple for the rest of our lives?"

Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang murmured to herself.

Dragon Duke Meng Shu smiled wryly and shook his head, saying, "I came back to ask for punishment, but the High Priest didn't care at all..."

Dragon Duke Meng Shu then recounted everything that had just happened.

Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang glared at him and said irritably:

"Couldn't you have led with that? You scared me half to death!"

Dragon Duke Meng Shu shook his head, hesitating to speak further.

Having witnessed the power of the Azure Dragon Divine Lord.

The might of the temple might be a powerful force they could latch onto!

If it truly was a True God, then their Meng Family might very well become the new Spirit Hall.

The God of Angels had shown no divine signs for tens of thousands of years.

But the Azure Dragon Divine Lord was still active!

Of course, this wasn't something he could decide unilaterally.

If the High Priest looked down on them, all his wishful thinking here would be futile... The next day.

Before the sky was fully light, two figures swiftly ascended the mountain.

They passed by Dragon Duke Meng Shu's family and knocked on the temple door.

"Come in."

Hearing the voice, the two pushed the door open together.

It was A Rou and City Lord Xiao.

City Lord Xiao stood beneath the statue, lowered his body, knelt down, and presented a document with both hands.

"High Priest, this document contains the list of those struck down by the Divine Lightning, as well as the names of the people they harmed. I have already prepared compensation for those innocent individuals..."

City Lord Xiao said respectfully.

Yu Mengzhang raised his hand, and the document flew into his grasp. He casually flipped through a few pages.

Indeed, a small amount of Karma had flown to him during the night.

Presumably, it was the Karma shared from the matters City Lord Xiao had handled.

"You have been thoughtful..." Yu Mengzhang said indifferently.

A look of joy flashed across City Lord Xiao's face, and he spoke again, "High Priest, inspired by you, I have been thinking lately: if the nobles in the Nuoding City region can cause such great harm, how many people across the entire Douluo Continent must be suffering under the nobility?"

"The Heaven Dou Empire is propped up by the nobility, and its laws naturally favor them. When they oppress or even kill commoners, the harshest punishment is usually just a fine."

"..."

City Lord Xiao's voice trembled.

His eyes, fixed on the ground, were bloodshot.

Yu Mengzhang looked at him calmly.

Listening to those words, they indeed aligned with what he had been thinking yesterday.

Natural disasters displace the people; controlling clouds and rain can accumulate Karma.

And since nobles universally oppress the common people, then... "What do you intend to do?"

Yu Mengzhang asked.

City Lord Xiao stopped speaking, hesitated for a moment, his body tensed, and slowly said, "High Priest, I... wish to remake the world, eliminate all nobility, and make the law impartial! Those with merit and ability can gain more, but absolutely no one should have the power to exceed... even the life of a beggar."

As City Lord Xiao spoke further, his body pressed lower and lower to the ground.

He was showing absolute submission to Yu Mengzhang.

Yu Mengzhang raised an eyebrow slightly. Eliminate all nobility?

He does have some courage.

Let him act under the banner of the Azure Dragon Temple?

If so, the Azure Dragon Temple would have no place to stand in the Heaven Dou Empire in the future, and as a heterodox force, even other kingdoms would likely not tolerate it.

A Rou whispered, "High Priest, City Lord Xiao wants our Merchant Association to provide him with financial support..."

City Lord Xiao continued, "I dare not trouble the temple or the High Priest. This is my choice... I will stockpile grain and recruit soldiers in Nuoding City, offer shelter to the common people, so they don't have to become the cattle and horses of the nobility... The Spirit Hall's interests will likely align with ours..."

City Lord Xiao elaborated on the feasibility of his plan.

Yu Mengzhang couldn't help but view him more highly. Listening to his speech, he had indeed considered things thoroughly and didn't shy away from utilizing the power of the Spirit Hall.

If successful, eliminating the noble class would naturally allow the temple backing him to share in a massive amount of Karma.

Perhaps it would be enough to directly accumulate the Karma needed for recognition by heaven and earth!

"You may do as you wish. There's no need to explain it to the temple."

Yu Mengzhang said indifferently.

City Lord Xiao's body stiffened, his heart leaping into his throat, and he couldn't help but feel panic. Could it be that the High Priest looked down on his plan?

Without the temple's backing, he didn't believe he had the ability to oppose the Heaven Dou Empire.

"If evil individuals attempt to harm the people, the temple will naturally not stand idly by."

Yu Mengzhang added another sentence.

"!!!"

City Lord Xiao couldn't help his heart from pounding wildly.

He understood!

Evil individuals... weren't they precisely referring to those nobles?!

If the nobles come to attack—no, aren't all the Civil and Military Officials of the Heaven Dou Empire nobles?

Could their hands be clean?

Once they come to suppress him, they will attract Divine Lightning!

The grand plan is feasible!

City Lord Xiao once again expressed his gratitude respectfully, "Praise the Divine Lord, praise the High Priest..."