141: Chapter 141 The entire nation of Yankang falls under the influence of the Heavenly Demon, and renowned families across the land condemn the rebellion against Heaven.

Early the next morning, in the capital of the Yankang Kingdom.

After being washed by a torrential rainstorm throughout the night, the air in this center of imperial power, which once symbolized the orthodoxy of the world, carried a hint of chill and a breath of rebirth.

The ten miles of red silk covering the entire imperial city still fluttered in the wind, resembling a crimson Dragon coiled above the palaces.

It silently declared to the world the absurdity and tyranny of the event that had overturned the imperial power last night.

In front of the dilapidated Taiji Palace.

The Old Emperor had changed into a solemn court robe that lacked any embroidered Dragon patterns, instead featuring black and red as its primary colors.

He stood at the very top of the white marble steps, looking down at the civil and military officials who had been summoned overnight and now looked ashen-faced.

Gone was the pressure of the Crown Prince's coup, and gone was his former air of superiority.

At this moment, the eyes of this monarch of the Yankang Kingdom flickered with a near-pathological fanaticism and determination.

"By the mandate of Heaven... No, from this day forth, there is no more Heaven's Will in the Yankang Kingdom, only Demonic Might!"

The Old Emperor held an imperial edict in his hands, which featured the totem of the Heavenly Demon Sect as its background, his withered chest puffed out high.

He infused his True Qi into his voice, allowing his hoarse yet highly piercing words to explode like thunder over the entire capital:

"I, the ruler of the Yankang Kingdom, hereby proclaim to the world!"

"From this day forward, the Yankang Kingdom shall be stripped of its imperial title and voluntarily demoted to a vassal state of the Heavenly Demon Sect! The seventy-two prefectures of Yankang, its ten thousand miles of territory, and its three million tiger-and-wolf troops shall all be under the command of the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader, Ye Xiu!"

"All Daoist traditions in the world, whether Buddhist, Confucian, or Daoist, shall be considered heterodox paths within the borders of Yankang! Only the Heavenly Demon Sect shall be the state religion of Yankang, supreme above all! To see the Sacred Flag of the Heavenly Demon is to see the sovereign father; anyone who dares to disobey or show disrespect shall have their ten generations executed and their lineage extinguished!"

"Respect this!"

Accompanying these three thunderous proclamations, the Old Emperor suddenly threw the imperial edict in his hand into the air.

"Boom!"

The edict swelled in the wind, transforming into a black and red curtain of light a thousand feet long, hanging over the capital and blotting out the sky.

The ferocious and majestic totem of the Heavenly Demon Sect completely overwhelmed the original golden Dragon of the Yankang Kingdom's imperial Luck.

Meanwhile, thousands of royal Spirit Beasts, flying boats, and post horses carried this edict, which was enough to shatter the worldview of everyone in the world, radiating madly in all directions with the capital as the center.

As the news spread, the world was terrified!

...

Central Plains, Tianji Mountain, the ancestral court of the Daoist Sect.

Inside the cloud-shrouded Zixiao Hall, the atmosphere was one of gloom and sky-high rage.

"Absurd! Utterly absurd! This is the greatest joke under Heaven!"

The Daoist Sect Head, an Immortal Master, slammed the jade ruyi in his hand onto the ground, smashing it to pieces.

This Sect Head, who usually practiced quietude and self-cultivation, was now trembling with rage, his face, which usually held the air of an immortal, twisted like a vengeful ghost.

"Has the Yankang imperial family gone mad? A dignified Human Race orthodoxy, a massive Empire occupying the Luck of the Central Plains, actually proactively fawning over a Demonic Path Sect despised by everyone in the world? They are even offering ten thousand miles of territory as a dowry to that Devil Head?!"

In the hall, dozens of Daoist Sect Elders were all ashen-faced, their eyes filled with shock and humiliation.

"Senior Brother Sect Head, that Old Emperor was scared out of his wits by Ye Xiu! It is said that last night, Ye Xiu broke into the capital single-handedly, not only crushing the Crown Prince to death but even, on the dragon bed in the Taiji Palace, forcibly... forcibly engaged in illicit relations with the Seventh Princess!"

A white-bearded Elder beat his chest in great distress.

"What illicit relations! The Old Emperor personally issued an edict to grant the marriage; it is legitimate and proper!" another Elder retorted, gritting his teeth.

"This is a blatant political marriage! The Yankang imperial family is trying to force us Righteous Path Sects to our deaths!"

Everyone understood that the Righteous Path and the Demonic Path could not coexist.

Previously, no matter how strong the Heavenly Demon Sect was, it was only entrenched in the desolate, mountainous areas like the Hundred Thousand Mountains and The Great Ruins.

The Righteous Sects occupied the prosperous Central Plains, controlled the secular imperial court, and enjoyed the annual tributes and incense offerings of the Yankang Kingdom.

But what about now? The Yankang Kingdom has directly "defected to the enemy"! This is equivalent to drawing the firewood from under the cauldron, directly severing the Foundation of all Righteous Path Sects in the world!

Without the resource supply of the secular Dynasty and without the population selection from the vast lands, these high and mighty immortal Sects would be completely withered within a hundred years!

"Heaven-Defying! This is a truly Heaven-Defying act!"

The Daoist Sect Head took a deep breath, and terrifying Killing Intent shot from his eyes:

"This devil Ye Xiu not only has Heaven-Defying cultivation but also acts in a lawless manner! He is trying to dig up the ancestral graves of the Righteous Path of the world!"

"Transmit my decree! Immediately activate the 'Heavenly Demon-Slaying Order'! Contact the Wan Jian Pavilion, the Shenxiao Sect, and the remnants of the Great Leiyin Sect! Since the Yankang imperial family is willing to degenerate and acknowledge a thief as their father, then we shall act on behalf of Heaven. We will wipe out this muddled Dynasty, along with the demonic lair in The Great Ruins, together!"

...

At the same time, all the great Righteous Sects and hidden families of the world were playing out the same drama.

Anger, panic, and disbelief.

The news of the Yankang Kingdom joining the Heavenly Demon Sect was like a meteorite thrown into the deep sea, kicking up unprecedented, monstrous waves.

The Sect Heads of the various great Righteous Sects came out of seclusion one after another, and countless old monsters who had been in death-seclusion were awakened.

They could not accept a Demonic Path leader riding on everyone's heads to shit and piss, and they could not accept the secular imperial power's open betrayal of the Righteous Path faith.

Within just three days.

A "Demon-Slaying Alliance" composed of seventy-two Righteous Sects and thirty-six families from across the world was established in a short period, hastily yet with great momentum.

Countless sword lights, flying boats, and Spirit Beasts gathered, blotting out the sky, toward the "Luoyan Plain" eight hundred miles from the capital.

Banners covered the sky, Killing Intent soared to the heavens, and hundreds of thousands of elite Righteous Path Cultivators gathered into a terrifying torrent capable of destroying the world.

...

Capital, Panlong Hall.

The sun was high in the sky, and sunlight filtered through the carved wooden windows, spilling onto the messy imperial bed.

Ye Xiu was bare-chested, his muscular upper body exposed, wearing a wide white robe draped casually as he leaned against the head of the bed.

He held a purple-red wine gourd in one hand, taking a swig from time to time, his heterochromatic gold and silver eyes revealing a sense of laziness after satisfaction.

In his arms, Ling Yuxiu was like an obedient kitten, sleeping soundly while resting her head on his broad chest.

Her stunningly beautiful face still bore a few lingering blushes and traces of fatigue.

Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a sweet, peaceful smile hung at the corner of her lips.

"Dong—Dong—Dong—"

Suddenly, a dull sound of war drums, as if it were going to tear the entire sky apart, came from the distant horizon outside the capital.

Accompanying the sound of the war drums was a terrifying pressure, gathered from hundreds of thousands of Cultivators, that was so immense it was suffocating.

This pressure condensed in the sky into a phantom deity ten thousand feet tall, holding a giant sword, pointing from afar toward the direction of the capital.

"Muddled ruler of Yankang! Devil Head Ye Xiu!"

A voice as vast as a profound thunderclap from the Nine Heavens, transmitted through some extremely ancient amplification array, boomed over the capital, shaking the glazed tiles of the imperial palace until they rattled:

"The Demonic Path is rampant, acting in a Heaven-Defying manner! Attempting to overturn secular order and disrupt the Daoist traditions of our Human Race!"