162: Outside Yuzhou City, the Demon Lord's Tower

Thirty years later, he would still be in his fifties, a time when an Emperor was in his prime.

Didn't this divination mean that the Kaiyuan Emperor, who had just ascended the throne, would become the ... Last Ruler of the Li Tang Dynasty?

If such words were spoken in the past, the person who uttered them would have long been dragged out and beheaded, and their entire nine generations would be executed!

The Chief Eunuch was so frightened that he buried his head low, wishing he could instantly become deaf.

However, Li Chengqian, on the Dragon Throne, showed no change in his expression after hearing this "prophecy" that would enrage any Emperor.

He just quietly looked at Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng, who were kneeling on the ground, his eyes as still as an ancient well.

"Reason."

He slowly opened his mouth, asking only two words.

His reaction stunned both Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng.

They had thought that revealing this shocking secret would invite the thunderous wrath of Your Majesty. They had even prepared to die to show their resolve.

But Your Majesty was... so calm?

So calm, as if he had known this outcome all along.

The two exchanged glances, and their awe deepened a few more points.

This new ruler's Heart-Nature was truly unfathomable.

Li Chunfeng raised the compass in his hand; the needle on the compass was spinning wildly, without any pattern.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Heavenly Dao is chaotic, and your subordinates cannot see the specific reason."

Li Chunfeng's voice carried a hint of bitterness.

"The two of us can only glimpse a vague future from the edges of the divination."

"The divination shows that in thirty years, the Ziwei Star will dim, and the Taiyin Star will flourish. Within the Dynasty, there will be... a female ruler presiding over the court, replacing the Li Tang Dynasty."

A female ruler presiding over the court... replacing the Li Tang Dynasty... these eight characters were another clap of thunder!

The Chief Eunuch only felt his vision go dark; this time, he truly couldn't stand firm and plopped down onto the ground.

He finally understood why the national destiny would end.

It turned out that a woman was going to become the Emperor!

This... this was even more preposterous than a fantasy!

Since ancient times, when had there ever been a woman as Emperor?!

This world was a man's world! This Empire belonged to the Li family!

How could it be possible for a woman to usurp it?

"Is it someone from the Wu family?" Li Chengqian's voice was still calm.

Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng's bodies trembled violently once more.

Your Majesty... knew even this?!

"Yes... yes, Your Majesty." Yuan Tiangang nodded with difficulty, "The divination vaguely points to... the Wu clan."

"Wu Meiniang..." Li Chengqian softly uttered the name.

Of course he knew.

He knew what would happen in the future better than anyone else in this world.

Wu Zetian, the woman who was originally supposed to be in Li Shimin's harem and eventually become Li Zhi's Empress, would become the only legitimate female Emperor in the history of China.

She would change the Li Tang Dynasty to Zhou and establish her own Dynasty.

And the national destiny of the Great Tang would indeed be interrupted for more than a decade in her hands.

It was not until much later that her son restored the Li Tang Dynasty's title.

Therefore, Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng's deductions were not wrong.

It was just that what they saw was the trajectory of the original history.

A historical trajectory without his own variable.

"Rise," Li Chengqian said indifferently.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng stood up tremblingly.

"This matter, Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, I know." Li Chengqian's gaze swept over the two of them, then glanced at the Chief Eunuch who was slumped on the ground.

"If a fifth person knows..."

His words were left unfinished, but the icy killing intent made the three feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Your subordinates obey! We absolutely dare not reveal a single word!" The three immediately knelt down, kowtowing desperately.

"Hmm."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, signaling them to withdraw.

After everyone had left, only Li Chengqian remained in the Imperial Study.

He slowly rose from the Dragon Throne and walked to the enormous map.

His gaze swept over the vast territory of the Great Tang.

"Wu Zetian..."

He murmured to himself, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

"A female ruler presiding over the court? The Wu clan replacing the Li Tang Dynasty?"

"I am still here. Have you asked for my opinion?"

If it were in the past, he might still have felt a hint of apprehension about this "prophecy."

But now, he wouldn't.

His Dao was the Dao of fighting against Heaven!

It was the domineering Dao that would even smash the Heavenly Dao and reshape the world!

A mere "inertia" of history, trying to stop him?

Ridiculous!

However... Li Chengqian's brows furrowed slightly again.

This matter also gave him a reminder.

He had too many enemies to face now.

Outside, there was a Heavenly Demon that could break the seal at any time.

Internally, there were countless aristocratic families with ulterior motives, resisting the new policies.

And now, in the shadows, there was an additional Wu Meiniang who might overturn his Li family's Empire.

Time.

What he lacked most was time.

According to Qing Wei, the Demon Lock Tower could only hold out for another year at most.

He had to complete the integration of the entire Empire within a year and gather enough power to resist the Heavenly Demon.

Only then could he free his hands to deal with the hidden threat of Wu Zetian.

"One year..."

Li Chengqian's finger heavily tapped the map.

"It seems some things can no longer be done slowly."

"We must use faster, bloodier methods!"

In his eyes, the killing intent that had just receded, once again, burned wildly!

Just as Li Chengqian was stirring up a monstrous bloody wave in Chang'an City, preparing to implement new policies with more iron-blooded methods.

Thousands of miles away from Chang'an, in the land of Shu, a prosperous and bustling city full of common folk life, Yuzhou City, still presented a scene of singing and dancing.

Here, far from the political center, Heaven was high and the Emperor was far away.

The commotions in Chang'an City, by the time they reached here, had long turned into exaggerated and bizarre stories in the mouths of storytellers.

The common people would listen to them after meals, but no one would truly take them to heart.

For them, whether the Crown Prince ascended the throne or the Emperor abdicated, it was far less important than the rice in their own rice jars.

As long as they could live peacefully, what difference did it make who was Emperor?

South of the city, Yongan Pawnshop.

This was the largest pawnshop in Yuzhou City.

Jing Tian, an employee of the pawnshop, was leaning on the counter, yawning idly.

He was nineteen years old this year, with a handsome face, but his eyes always carried an enduring laziness and cunning.

His biggest dream was to one day strike it rich, then take over this Yongan Pawnshop, become the big boss, marry a beautiful wife, and live a carefree life without worries about food and clothing.

As for achieving great deeds or saving the world, those were things only found in plays and had nothing to do with him, a small employee.

"Alas, another leisurely day." Jing Tian stretched, looked at the deserted street outside the door, and sighed.

"Business is so bad, the boss isn't going to deduct my wages again this month, is he?"

He was muttering softly when the pawnshop door suddenly creaked open.

Jing Tian's spirits lifted, and he quickly put on a warm, smiling face.

"Customer, are you here to pawn something or redeem something?"

He looked up, but after seeing the person's appearance, the smile on his face froze.

The person who walked in was very tall.

A head of long red hair was casually draped over his shoulders, and he was wearing a strange black tight-fitting suit. On his back, he also carried a pair of... wings?

The wings were not feathered, but rather demonic-like fleshy wings covered with strange patterns.