256: Chapter 256 Watching Ghosts from the Palace Walls - The Grudge at Xuanwu Gate

Chang'an, Taiji Palace.

The night was deep and silent, the moon hung in the center of the sky.

Jiang Chen sat quietly atop the palace wall, gazing coldly at the moon, when suddenly he saw two ghostly shadows sweep through the air, heading straight for Emperor Li Shimin's bedchamber.

"Li Jiancheng? Li Yuanji?"

"And... Li Yuan?"

His gaze sharpened as he looked down; it really was those three! His eyes lit up instantly.

He knew full well how Emperor Li Shimin had ascended to the throne.

Coming from the civilized world, he had all the historical records and classics at his fingertips.

What kind of person was Emperor Li Shimin? He murdered his brother, forced his father to abdicate, stained Xuanwu Gate with blood, and seized power to become Emperor. Although he created the prosperous Zhenguan Era and his achievements would shine through the ages, when it came to the morals of filial piety and brotherly love, he was a complete failure.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation are ruthless. Whether you are a commoner, a supreme ruler, or even a cat or dog—as long as you carry the burden of killing, you will inevitably descend into hell after death, without dispute.

Even if you once benefited humanity and your merits were unparalleled, that is merely the merit of the Human Path.

The other five paths coexist equally with the Human Path and are not swayed by its judgments.

This is the truth!

Emperor Li Shimin slaughtered his brothers and forced his father to step down to obtain today's throne. Such actions are monstrous sins within the cycle of reincarnation.

Jiang Chen could not help but ponder: What would happen to such a person when facing the Six Paths of Reincarnation after death?

How would the Ten Yama Kings judge him?

Judging solely by good and evil, in his previous life, he was already the reincarnation of an evil spirit with heavy killing karma; even if cast into hell for thousands of years, it would be hard to redeem his sins.

But if one speaks of his merits in the Human Path, he was a wise monarch who created a prosperous age and benefited the common people.

According to what Jiang Chen knew, the judgment of the Ten Yama Kings might allow him to return to the Human Path, reincarnated as a wealthy idler who enjoys endless luxury but accomplishes nothing, spending several lifetimes wearing away his karmic obstacles before he could enter reincarnation again.

This is the righteous law of Heaven and Earth.

But with Emperor Li Shimin's temperament, would he be willing to accept that? He would surely overturn the Underworld and turn everything upside down.

"Wuwu—wuwu—"

"We died so miserably!"

"Brother, you sit securely on the throne, can't you arrange something for us too?"

"Let us live better in the Underworld..."

"Wuwu! You must take responsibility for us!"

One after another, the shrill wails echoed within the Taiji Palace, like ghosts crying and wolves howling, with chilling, bone-piercing winds.

Even without mentioning the mortal Emperor Li Shimin, even Jiang Chen, who was hiding in the shadows, couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end.

He originated from chaos, his power was heaven-defying, and ruling the Three Realms was effortless for him, yet facing these vengeful spirits head-on, he still felt a chill in his heart.

Looking closely at Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji—one headless, the other with broken limbs—if put together into one person, it would be even more miserable.

To be precise, it was tragic beyond words.

Jiang Chen's heart trembled slightly, and he actually felt a trace of pity.

Among the Three Realms, the Underworld is the most miserable; this is an iron-clad fact that cannot be ignored.

Moreover, after Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji died, because Emperor Li Shimin's fortune was too overwhelming, their resentment was suppressed; they could neither take revenge nor be reincarnated.

With nowhere to go, they could only wander the Imperial City, lingering, searching for a glimmer of hope.

And Emperor Li Shimin himself, as a hero of his generation, had traversed the battlefield in his lifetime, taking the heads of enemies amidst ten thousand troops, with civil and military achievements that surpassed his contemporaries.

Whether walking the Human Path or falling into the Ghost Path, he was a peak existence.

A hero in life, a hero among ghosts in death!

That is exactly the kind of person he was.

"Terrifying! If such a person were to lead a ghost army to attack the Heavenly Realm, it would simply be a catastrophe!"

"The Three Realms would be turned upside down by him!"

Witnessing this scene, Jiang Chen's brows suddenly knitted together, and his expression darkened instantly.

Anger flared in his heart, and killing intent surged quietly.

This matter could not be delayed any longer.

He had to act immediately!

"That Emperor Taizong of Tang, simply... destroy him!"

"If my Heavenly Dao is to be complete, I only need to control the Dharma; I have no need for a ghost-like, sinister emperor to be an eyesore!"

Once the thought arose, the murderous intent was set!

To prevent revealing his tracks, he quietly held his breath and raised his hand to strike with a palm—

"Boom!!!"

Heaven and Earth shook; a surge of chaotic energy pressed down from the nine heavens like a falling meteorite, striking directly at the Taiji Palace in Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty!

In an instant, the palace crumbled, and the pillars snapped!

"Rumble—"

The loud noise continued, dust and smoke shot up into the sky, and the Taiji Palace turned into ruins in an instant.

Bricks and tiles flew everywhere, and amidst the broken walls and ruins, there were no survivors left.

Not to mention Emperor Li Shimin, even the palace maids and eunuchs were all buried within, their souls scattered!

After finishing, Jiang Chen's figure flashed, and he rose into the air to leave.

But just as he turned, he caught a glimpse of two ghostly shadows on the ruins still frantically searching—it was Li Yuanji and Li Yuanba, their obsession unextinguished, still wishing to find Emperor Li Shimin for revenge.

"You two." Jiang Chen's voice was low but thunderous, "I will give you a chance."

"Keep a close watch on your brother, Emperor Li Shimin, for me."

"I want him to suffer a fate worse than death, never to recover for all eternity!"

As his words fell, a pressure originating from the supreme chaos swept out.

Although he had obscured the heavenly secrets, just that single thread of aura made the two ghost spirits of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji tremble all over and kneel on the ground.

"Yes! Yes! This is exactly what we desire!"

The two kowtowed in wild joy, tears and snot streaming down their faces, swearing on the spot that they would not fail the task.

Jiang Chen said no more and turned to leave.

As the Chaos Sovereign, taking action personally to deal with a mortal ghost emperor was already lowering his status.

Moreover—this kind of thing could be done, but it must never be known by others.

He snorted coldly and flew away, breaking through the air without looking back.

This time, descending to the mortal world, there were still two unfinished tasks.

First, rescue the trapped Haotian Heavenly Emperor and recover the scattered fortune and soul fragments of wealth scattered in the mortal world for him; second, take away his own family members who belonged to this cycle of reincarnation.

With a slight shift of his thoughts, his figure had already landed in the streets.

He found a scrawny stray dog on the street and summoned a dirty wild cat, then with a light wave of his sleeve, brought them back to the hotel.

"... You have suffered so much in this mortal world; after this is done, come with me to Chaos Wuji Heaven."

Jiang Chen smiled, a rare occurrence, his tone gentle.

When he was a human in the mortal world, he loved these little creatures dearly.

Seeing them again now, memories of the past surfaced quietly, and his gaze couldn't help but soften a bit.

Returning to the room, he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to enter meditation.

His primordial spirit left his body, quietly sending a message to the Queen Mother of the West—the time has come, you may act.

Afterward, he opened his eyes, got up, and ate something, as if he were just an ordinary person waiting for an important moment.

He sat quietly by the window, his expression indifferent, but his gaze was like a blade.

Time flowed slowly.

The wind rose.

The howling night wind swept over the eaves; in the eyes of mortals, it was just a natural phenomenon—the wind blowing the clouds away, a common celestial occurrence.

But Jiang Chen knew this was not wind.

It was the Queen Mother of the West leading the heavenly soldiers and generals, riding the wind!

She was driving away the remnants of the God of Wealth's soul while simultaneously guiding Haotian's return.

The Heavenly Realm always feared exposure to the mortal world.

They dared not appear openly in broad daylight for fear of alarming the world.

Therefore, they all descended in the form of spiritual bodies.

Riding the wind, walking on clouds without leaving a trace, formless and shapeless, leaving as soon as the task was done.

It was the most secretive and efficient method.

Jiang Chen remained calm, waiting for the results.

In the dead of night, all was silent.

Suddenly—

"Woof! Woof woof!!!"

The dog in the room suddenly sprang up, barking frantically, its limbs twitching, rolling on the ground, appearing mad, in extreme pain!

Jiang Chen's eyes opened slightly.

He knew—it had arrived.

The God of Wealth's soul had been captured by the Earth Spirit and was being forcibly stuffed into this dog's body!

That God of Wealth was already heavily burdened with sins and had long since been scared out of his wits; at this moment, he was even more terrified.

The judgment was imminent, the soul destruction was at hand, how could there be any trace of a deity's dignity left?

Only shrill screams remained, echoing in the darkness, heart-wrenching.

Fear penetrated his bones, and his soul was on the verge of shattering.

Jiang Chen did not care at all about these messy rules.