93: The dust has settled, and a new emperor has been established!
Visibly, that terrifying energy, enough to destroy the Imperial City, was forcibly compressed and further compressed under Chen Xu's power!
In just three breaths!
That enormous black sun was forcibly compressed into an energy orb the size of a fist, glowing with an eerie purple light!
The orb quietly floated in mid-air, its surface smooth, no longer showing any signs of its previous ferocity.
It was as if the world-destroying scene just now was merely an illusion to everyone.
"No... impossible..."
Heavenly Corpse Venerable's last consciousness watched this miraculous scene, muttering in disbelief.
His ultimate trump card, the Heavenly Corpse Disintegration Great Technique... was it just... broken like this?
Broken by the opponent... with a single word, a single hand, casually... pinched?
What... what kind of monster is this?!
He had Cultivated for eight hundred years and claimed to have seen countless powerful Cultivators.
He even had the fortune to glimpse the supreme demeanor of a Deity Transformation Dao Monarch.
But even if a Deity Transformation Dao Monarch were personally present, he would absolutely not be able to so casually manipulate the self-detonation of a Middle Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator like molding clay!
Endless darkness engulfed Heavenly Corpse Venerable's last consciousness... Chen Xu no longer looked at Heavenly Corpse Venerable's lifeless remains.
His gaze fell on the purple energy orb in his hand, an expression of interest on his Face, as if he were examining an amusing toy.
This orb contained Heavenly Corpse Venerable's eight hundred years of Cultivation essence and the purest Demonic Path Origin.
If it were to fall into the wrong hands, it would be enough to drive any Demonic Path Cultivator mad, and could even create a new Nascent Soul grand Cultivator out of thin air.
But in Chen Xu's eyes, this was merely... a decent nourishment.
He flicked his finger.
"Whoosh!"
The purple orb transformed into a streak of light, shooting directly towards the myriad ages azure cloud sword in his hand.
"Buzz~!"
The myriad ages azure cloud sword's blade let out a soft hum.
The moment it touched the orb, ancient azure Dao patterns suddenly lit up on its simple blade.
It was like a glutton that had been hungry for a long time, opening an invisible maw, swallowing the energy orb, along with the pure Nascent Soul energy and Demonic Path Origin within, completely absorbing it!
After absorbing this immense energy, the light on the myriad ages azure cloud sword gradually receded.
But anyone could feel that this sword had undergone an indescribable change.
The ancient, return-to-simplicity aura on the blade grew stronger, and the edge seemed to become even sharper.
It was as if merely looking at it would tear one's Divine Soul apart!
"Crack..."
With a soft sound, Heavenly Corpse Venerable's shriveled remains, having lost their Nascent Soul, could no longer maintain their form.
Like a weathered sand sculpture, they crumbled inch by inch, eventually turning into a handful of black ashes, scattering with the wind.
A generation's Nascent Soul Devil Head, Heavenly Corpse Venerable, was utterly annihilated in both body and Soul!
With Heavenly Corpse Venerable's complete death, the entire Heaven-Reaching Altar fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone seemed to be under a body-fixing spell, frozen in place, their minds blank.
They looked at the green-robed figure standing with a sword, their eyes filled with nothing but awe and fear.
"Hiss~~"
Someone gasped, drawing everyone's attention back.
And this gasp instantly woke someone up.
Qin Kai!
The moment he saw Heavenly Corpse Venerable's self-detonation casually crushed into ashes by the opponent, the last shred of hope in his heart completely vanished.
Devil!
This Chen Xu was not human at all!
Run!
He must run!
These thoughts instantly appeared in his mind!
He scrambled to his feet, not even caring about his crippled Cultivation and the intense pain throughout his body.
He turned and tried to run down the altar!
He didn't care about anything now, not the throne, not the Demonic Earth Human King.
They were all bullshit!
He just wanted to live!
The farther away from this devil, the better!
However, he had just taken one step when Chen Xu's gaze fell upon him.
"Did I tell you to leave?"
The next moment, Chen Xu's voice rang out, causing Qin Kai's body to stiffen abruptly!
He turned his head in terror, met Chen Xu's eyes, his legs went soft, and he immediately knelt to the ground!
"No... don't kill me! Heavenly Master, spare me! Heavenly Master, spare my life!"
Qin Kai completely broke down.
He knelt on the ground like a dog, frantically kowtowing, snot and tears streaming down his Face.
"It was all Heavenly Corpse Venerable forcing me! Yes! It was all him! He controlled me with Demonic Technique, forced me to seize the throne, forced me to activate the blood sacrifice array!"
"I... I'm a victim too!"
"Please, for the sake of my Imperial Father's Face, for the sake of the Imperial Family's Face, spare my dog's life! I'm willing to be a servant, I'm willing to surrender everything!"
This Prince Yu, Qin Kai, who had just been so arrogant and high-spirited, now discarded all his dignity for the sake of survival.
Not only that, he frantically shifted the blame, begging Chen Xu to let him go!
Seeing his ugly display, a hint of disgust and disdain flashed in Qin Wujie's eyes from afar.
Such a person... is simply unworthy of being a member of the Great Feng Imperial Family!!
Chen Xu, however, was too lazy to listen to his sophistry.
He raised a finger, and from dozens of feet away, lightly pointed at Qin Kai's Dantian.
"Ah—!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream erupted from Qin Kai's mouth!
He only felt a powerful force instantly penetrate his Dantian.
His Demonic Technique, whose Foundation was not yet stable, was instantly shattered!
Immediately after, that force swept through his body like a destructive storm, severing all his Meridians inch by inch!
Excruciating pain!
Unbearable pain!
Qin Kai felt as if he had been thrown into a meat grinder, every inch of his flesh and blood being frantically torn and crushed!
He clutched his stomach, rolling and wailing frantically on the ground, his entire body curled up like a cooked shrimp.
In just a few breaths, he completely stopped struggling.
Not because the pain was gone, but because he had been in so much pain that he fainted, only to be painfully woken up again.
After several such repetitions, he no longer even had the strength to scream.
All his Cultivation was completely crippled by that single finger!
From now on, he was no longer a high and mighty prince, nor a Golden Core Demonic Cultivator.
He was just a cripple... with a shattered Dantian and severed Meridians, worse than an ordinary Mortal!
Having done all this, Chen Xu slowly walked over.
He grabbed Qin Kai's hair with one hand, like carrying a small chicken, dragging his limp body, which was like mud, off the ground.
Blood and filth left a long trail on the pure white altar.
Chen Xu dragged him like this, step by step, until he reached the Old Emperor, who lay in a pool of blood, already on his last breath.
At this moment, the Old Emperor's chest was caved in, his breath weak.
He was barely clinging to life thanks to a trace of spiritual power transferred by Qin Wujie.
His eyes stared blankly at everything happening before him, his Face filled only with bewilderment and regret.
"Bang."
Chen Xu casually tossed the half-dead Qin Kai, like a dead dog, in front of the Old Emperor.
He looked down at the former Dominator of the Great Feng Dynasty and spoke faintly:
"Your son, returned to you."
These few short words, however, were like a knife, plunging fiercely into the Old Emperor's heart!
My son... The Old Emperor trembled all over, his eyeballs slowly moving with difficulty.
He saw it.
He saw the son he had placed great hopes in, regarded as his pride, and for whom he had even paved the way and sacrificed everything.
Now lay like a puddle of mud at his feet, emitting painful moans, appearing like a madman.
He saw it again.
He saw the son he had disdained, thrown into the Heavenly Prison, and personally branded as a traitor.
Now covered in blood, kneeling beside him, looking at him with worried, bloodshot eyes.
One was a devil he had personally created.
One was a loyal subject he had personally abandoned.
How ironic!
How ridiculous!
"Hehe... hehehe..."
The Old Emperor laughed hysterically, and as he laughed, two lines of turbid bloody tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.
For that ethereal "Sacred Fetus Descending," for that so-called "Demonic Earth Human King,"
For his ridiculous ambition of immortality, what had he done!
He eliminated dissent, condoned the Demonic Path, and wronged loyal officials!
He even... personally almost pushed the entire Great Feng Dynasty into an abyss of eternal damnation!
"I... was wrong..."
"I... am a sinner for all ages... ah..."
A mouthful of black blood violently spurted from his mouth.
The Old Emperor stretched out a withered hand, trembling, seemingly wanting to grasp something.
Was he trying to grasp Qin Wujie, to say sorry?
Or was he trying to grasp that supreme imperial power, for a final retention?
No one knew.
The next second, his outstretched hand fell powerlessly.
The light in his eyes quickly dimmed.
The longest-reigning and most controversial emperor of the Great Feng Dynasty, died in endless regret and unwillingness.
With the Old Emperor's demise, the chaos in the capital, triggered by the infighting among the princes and the Demonic Path's conspiracy, finally came to an end.
On the Heaven-Reaching Altar, there was a deathly silence.
Only the mournful cold wind remained, stirring the pungent smell of blood.
The Emperor had passed away.
Prince Yu, Qin Kai, was crippled.
Seventh Prince, Qin Wujie, was severely wounded, while Prince Cheng, Qin Zhe, beside him, was already pale with fear, cowering in a corner, trembling, completely devoid of any princely dignity.
The throne was vacant, the court without a master.
All the surviving civil and military officials, and imperial relatives, after experiencing their bewilderment, their gazes unanimously focused on one person.
That green figure.
Chen Xu.
At this moment, he stood quietly in the center of the altar, a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood seemingly forming his backdrop.
In his hand, the tip of the myriad ages azure cloud sword was still dripping with blood that was not its own.
And in his other hand, he toyed with the state suppressing jade seal, symbolizing the supreme authority of the Great Feng Dynasty!
Seeing that jade seal, all the surviving officials suddenly realized.
Yes!
The Emperor... had passed away!
Although that Emperor was muddle-headed, he was still the Old Emperor, the Dominator of the Great Feng Dynasty, lying dead in a pool of blood not far away, his eyes wide open in death.
And Prince Yu, Qin Kai, who had been given high hopes, now lay like a lump of mud, his Cultivation crippled, sprawled on the ground, soiled with excrement and urine, already insane.
Looking around, it seemed only Seventh Prince, Qin Wujie, was qualified to inherit the throne.
Although he was severely wounded and covered in blood.
However, that indomitable Battle Intent and righteous aura made him exceptionally conspicuous amidst the chaos.
Many officials’ minds began to stir.
A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day!
Now that the great chaos had just subsided, it was time to enthrone a new ruler and clean up the mess.
Although Seventh Prince, Qin Wujie, had once been branded a traitor,
today he fought valiantly, risking his life to protect the Old Emperor. Though he failed to save him, he was the first to expose Prince Yu’s crimes. In terms of merit and popular support, he was undeniably worthy!
Several surviving old ministers exchanged glances, struggling to rise and offer their counsel.
However, just as they made a move, they saw Qin Wujie move.
He did not walk towards the Dragon Throne, which represented supreme imperial power.
Nor did he look at the ministers who were preparing to enthrone him.
Under everyone’s astonished gaze, Qin Wujie laboriously walked in front of Chen Xu.
Without the slightest hesitation, he tidied his already tattered battle armor, and knelt on one knee before Chen Xu.
He performed a standard great bow!
“Qin Wujie thanks the Heavenly Master for saving the country and for the grace of new creation!”
His words, each clear and resounding, echoed through the silent Heaven-Reaching Altar.
“If not for the Heavenly Master today, I, Qin Wujie, would already be a pile of dry bones in a tomb! The millions of lives in this capital city would also have turned into a bloody mire! The entire Great Feng Dynasty would have been beyond redemption!”
“The Great Feng Imperial Family was incompetent and nearly caused a catastrophe of the ages; they are no longer worthy to wield the authority of the state!”
Speaking of this, he raised his head, his bloodshot eyes.
There was no hint of greed for the throne.
Only pure awe and determination.
He bowed deeply to Chen Xu, his head touching the blood-stained ground!
“I humbly request the Heavenly Master to choose a new ruler for my Great Feng Dynasty, and for the common people of this world!”
Boom!!!
Qin Wujie’s words made all the surviving officials’ minds go blank!
They were all stunned!
Seventh Prince… he… he actually gave up the throne that was within his grasp?
He actually requested the Heavenly Master...
to decide the future of the Great Feng Dynasty?!
But after only a moment of shock, everyone woke up as if from a dream!
That’s right!
How could they have forgotten!
This Heavenly Master before them was no ordinary peerless expert!
With a flick of his hand, he awakened the Golden Dragon of National Fortune, devouring the blood sacrifice sky curtain.
Saving millions of lives from peril!
With another flick of his hand, he slaughtered all the Demonic Path Cultivators in the court; even the Middle Nascent Soul Stage Heavenly Corpse Venerable was crushed by him like a fly!
His Divine Might had already exceeded the limits of Mortal imagination.
More importantly… the Great Feng Dynasty’s state suppressing jade seal was currently in his hands!
Holding the state suppressing jade seal, possessing Divine Might.
Let alone choosing a ruler, even if he said he wanted to destroy the Great Feng Dynasty and establish a new Dynasty right now, who would dare say “no”?
And who could say “no”?
Realizing this, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, past sixty, trembled all over, scrambled to his knees, and, imitating Qin Wujie, prostrated himself completely.
“This old subject seconds the motion! I humbly request the Heavenly Master to choose a ruler for the Great Feng Dynasty!”
His action was like a signal.
“Thump!”
“Thump! Thump!”
In an instant, all the surviving civil and military officials, and imperial relatives on the Heaven-Reaching Altar, all knelt down.
A vast, dark mass, they bowed to the figure in green, their cries like mountains and seas.
“I humbly request the Heavenly Master to choose a ruler for the Great Feng Dynasty!”
“I humbly request the Heavenly Master to choose a ruler for the common people of this world!”
At this moment, Chen Xu had no imperial title.
Yet he already performed the duties of an emperor.
The rise and fall of the entire Great Feng Dynasty, and its future direction.
All hung on his single thought!
Facing this scene of hundreds of officials bowing and the myriad people pledging allegiance.
Chen Xu’s expression remained calm.
His gaze slowly swept over the kneeling crowd below.
He saw the officials whose Faces were filled with fear and flattery.
He saw the imperial relatives whose eyes flickered with various thoughts.
His gaze lingered for a moment on Qin Wujie, who was kneeling on one knee.
A hint of undisguised approval flashed in his eyes.
This young man has a decisive Heart-Nature, knows when to advance and retreat, understands gains and losses; he is a talent that can be nurtured.
However, the killing intent on him is too heavy, and his hatred too deep.
If he were to ascend the throne now, it would not be a good thing for a Dynasty that has just settled down after a great chaos.
Finally, Chen Xu’s gaze passed over everyone.
It fell on a nearly forgotten figure in the corner of the altar.
Prince Cheng, Qin Zhe.
The Third Prince who had been sickly and huddled in the corner from beginning to end.
As if he could cough up blood and die at any moment.
At this moment, he was kneeling on the ground like everyone else, his body trembling like a falling leaf in the autumn wind, not even daring to raise his head, his presence so low as to be almost transparent.
Chen Xu looked at him and spoke calmly.
“You, come here.”
As soon as these words were uttered, the entire Heaven-Reaching Altar fell into silence once more.
Everyone was stunned.
Who?
Who was the Heavenly Master calling?
Everyone followed Chen Xu’s gaze, and when they saw Prince Cheng, Qin Zhe, trembling in a ball in that corner.
Expressions of disbelief appeared on everyone’s Faces.
Prince Cheng?
The one with the least presence, whom everyone treated as transparent.
The sickly man whom even palace eunuchs dared to bully a bit?
What did the Heavenly Master want with him?
Even Qin Wujie showed a look of astonishment.
His third brother, frail and sickly since childhood, with a timid and reclusive nature, had never participated in any factional struggles.
In the eyes of all his brothers, he was dispensable.
Even somewhat pathetic.
Why would the Heavenly Master notice him?
And Qin Zhe, who was called by name, felt as if struck by lightning.
His entire body stiffened.
He slowly raised his head, his pale Face filled with terror and bewilderment.
He stretched out a finger, trembling, and pointed to himself.
“Heavenly… Heavenly Master… are… are you calling me?”
He truly couldn’t understand how a transparent person like himself could enter the Heavenly Master’s Dharma Eye.
Chen Xu did not answer, merely looked at him quietly.
But his gaze seemed to penetrate his skin.
Seeing through his bones, seeing through his heart.
Under Chen Xu’s gaze, Qin Zhe felt that he was seen through from inside out, with no secrets to speak of.
He dared not hesitate any longer, scrambling to his feet with hands and feet, stumbling towards Chen Xu.
With every step he took, his heart pounded uncontrollably, as if it would leap out of his throat.
Finally, he reached Chen Xu’s front, but because of his immense fear.
His legs gave way, and he knelt down again, not even daring to raise his head.
“Qin… Qin Zhe… greets the Heavenly Master…”
Seeing his cowardly and incompetent appearance.
Many officials’ eyes flashed with a hint of disdain.
Such a person, let alone being an emperor!
Even as a small official in the imperial court, he would probably be devoured until not even bones remained.
What exactly did the Heavenly Master mean?
Just as everyone was puzzled.
Chen Xu spoke again.
“I kill to prevent more innocent people from dying unjustly.”
“I support you, not because you have great ability, nor because you have a noble Bloodline.”
Chen Xu looked at Qin Zhe, who was kneeling at his feet, trembling like a sieve, and said calmly: “It is because, in your eyes, I did not see a desire for power, nor a fanaticism for slaughter.”
“I only saw… compassion for the common people.”
In Chen Xu’s eyes, a faint purple light subtly flowed.
【Purple Pupils of Delusion Breaking】!
In his vision, deep within the Divine Soul of Qin Zhe, who was kneeling on the ground.
There was none of the overt or covert turbid Qi of desire that other princes possessed.
Instead, a pure golden light enveloped him.
That was the Heart of an Infant, which could only be condensed by one who cared for all people and grieved for the world.
Though faint, it was incredibly pure.
This was what made him different.
An emperor whose hands were not stained with blood, and whose heart only held the common people.
Perhaps not a brilliant and strategic monarch, but for the Great Feng Dynasty, which had just experienced a great catastrophe.
He was the most suitable choice.
Hearing Chen Xu’s words.
Qin Zhe suddenly raised his head, his pale Face filled with shock.
Heavenly… how did the Heavenly Master know?
He had, since childhood, stayed away from court disputes due to his physical condition.
His greatest wish was for peace in the world and for the common people to live in peace and contentment.
He would often change into plain clothes, secretly slip out of the princely mansion, and walk through the streets and alleys of the capital.
Watching the peddlers and porters bustling for a living.
Watching the children playing on the streets.
He would feel a sense of inner peace.
He rejoiced at good harvests and grieved at famine.
These thoughts, which he had never spoken to anyone about, were revealed in a single sentence by this Heavenly Master whom he had only met once!
Chen Xu did not give him any more time to be shocked.
He raised the state suppressing jade seal in his hand, surveyed the entire scene, and his voice, like an imperial decree from heaven, spread to every corner of the Heaven-Reaching Altar.
“From today onwards, Prince Cheng, Qin Zhe, shall be the new Emperor of the Great Feng Dynasty!”
“Do any of you have any objections?”
As his words fell, the entire place fell silent.
Objections?
Who would dare to object?
After witnessing Chen Xu’s unfathomable and heaven-defying methods, let alone him enthroning a timid Prince Cheng.
Even if he brought a dog over at this moment and pointed at it, saying it was the new Emperor.
It was likely that all the civil and military officials would only kowtow and loudly exclaim, “Long live our sagacious Emperor!”
“This subject, Qin Wujie, greets our Emperor! Long live, long live, long live our Emperor!”
In the dead silence, Qin Wujie was the first to react. He turned without hesitation.
Towards Qin Zhe, who was still kneeling on the ground in a daze, he performed the great ritual of a subject to his sovereign!
His bow.
Completely shattered everyone’s last shred of illusion.
Even the Seventh Prince, with his illustrious military achievements and popular support, genuinely supported him.
What more could these surviving subjects say?
“This subject greets our Emperor! Long live, long live, long live our Emperor!”
The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet followed closely, kowtowing heavily.
“We, your subjects, greet our Emperor! Long live, long live, long live our Emperor!”
The cries of homage, like mountains and seas, once again echoed through the sky.
Qin Zhe was completely dumbfounded.
He looked at Qin Wujie bowing to him, and at the civil and military officials kneeling below.
He felt as if he was in a bizarre dream.
I… I became the Emperor?
He subconsciously looked at Chen Xu.
His eyes were filled with helplessness and fear.
Chen Xu gently placed the state suppressing jade seal from his hand into Qin Zhe’s hands.
“Go.”
“Go to your position.”
“This empire, from now on, is your responsibility.”