Chapter 311: Chapter 281: Why is Your Majesty Rebelling? The Method of Dual Cultivation!
The ministers were still shaken. If the Imperial Court hadn’t been locked down and all civil and military officials detained inside, they would have fled with high-ranking cultivators long ago. That was an outer world Celestial Demon; any one of them required high-ranking cultivators to deal with. Yet, a battle capable of destroying the world was easily settled by the State Preceptor, which was terrifying. What Spell had the State Preceptor cultivated that, with only two War Beasts and a group of strange followers, he had defeated the invading Celestial Demons, sending them back in disarray?
In the Imperial Court, the officials were silent as cicadas in winter. They fawned over, feared, and silently watched the master of the Golden Hall, each with a different expression. On the dragon throne, an old man draped in a Profound Black Dragon Robe, like a candle in the wind, bowed his head silently. The Crown couldn’t suppress his gray hair; his vitality was depleted. But even so, he exuded a long-standing dragon prestige, like a sleeping true dragon. This was Emperor Longwu, the thirty-sixth emperor of the Longwu Dynasty, each emperor taking the title of Longwu. However, the ministers bypassed him, looking at the young man standing close by, near Emperor Longwu. Now, the Imperial Court’s power had long been in the hands of this young State Preceptor.
Emperor Longwu lowered his head, awakened by a cough. His voice was raspy as he said, "The State Preceptor has rendered meritorious service in defending the country, achieving unparalleled success for the state; I shall reward him generously, bestowing ten thousand taels of Gold, ten thousand bolts of silk, a fief of one thousand households, and ten thousand acres of fertile land... COUGH, COUGH..."
Before he could finish, he clutched his chest and coughed violently. A maid immediately stepped forward, bringing a bowl of medicinal soup. The dark liquid had unknown ephemeral flies floating in it. Emperor Longwu drank it in one gulp, and after a moment, his complexion turned a little rosier.
After discussing state affairs, the eunuch saw the time was right and called out, "Court adjourned."
"Long live the Emperor!" the civil and military officials perfunctorily responded and gradually left the Golden Hall, hurrying to inspect the battlefield after the Celestial Demon invasion.
Inside the Golden Hall, only Emperor Longwu and the State Preceptor remained.
Emperor Longwu coughed lightly and lowered his head, asking in confusion, "Wei Aiqing, is there something you wish to discuss?" His palm, resting on the armrest of the dragon throne, unconsciously tightened its grip.
"Your Majesty, this humble official has a question." With no one else around, Wei Wuyang stood up. His appearance was handsome, his posture as upright as a peak, exuding the grace of a refined young master. He glanced around the Jinluan Grand Hall, where pearls spilled gentle light, and couldn’t help but chuckle softly. "The Celestial Demon has been temporarily repelled. Can the Dragon-locking Array spread throughout the Capital City be withdrawn to bring back my two War Beasts?"
Emperor Longwu bowed his head, remaining silent for a moment before faintly saying, "Wei Aiqing, Celestial Demons are omnipresent. As the ruler of this nation, I must guard against their attacks."
As soon as his words fell, his figure distorted. Abnormal phenomena flew around, and a jade radiance emerged within the Jinluan Hall: The Immortal Deer with Ganoderma, the Vermilion Bird Soaring, the White Tiger with Wings, the Spirit Turtle Bestowing Auspiciousness...
Wei Wuyang sighed. Within his impassive gaze, there was a trace of scorn and ridicule.
In an instant, nine high-ranking cultivators hidden within the hall by the Sinful Dragon Technique erupted simultaneously. They released various lethal moves; a tidal air current surged through the heavens and earth, transforming with a roar as countless Spells blossomed in the sky like glorious flowers!
The next moment, a chaotic, depraved, and mad whisper, like the call of a Mother Goddess, exploded directly in their minds! Their consciousnesses blurred as though they had sunk to the ocean floor. Their bodies began an uncontrolled, grotesque transformation; bones, flesh, and fur rapidly degenerated in unknown directions.
An incense stick’s worth of time later, the Jinluan Hall collapsed with a thunderous sound, sending up clouds of billowing smoke. Wei Wuyang threw down nine high-ranking cultivator corpses. He glanced down at the utterly spent Emperor Longwu, who was kneeling before him in a posture of defeat.
"Mere natives of a minor world, daring to play such sly tricks in private. Any scheme of yours is a joke in the face of absolute power. If it weren’t so troublesome to transition a nation’s dragon energy, I would have disposed of you old fool long ago and replaced you with someone obedient," Wei Wuyang sneered.
He coldly glanced at Emperor Longwu, then turned and left, reclaiming his two Pet Beasts into the Beast Taming Space.
"Escort His Majesty to rest."
"Yes."
A line of shadow guards emerged from the void, iron chains coiling around Emperor Longwu, escorting him to the sleeping quarters.
Meanwhile, in the rear palace, an eerie aura layered like a cocoon and writhed like a tide, wandering through the residences of the emperor’s three thousand concubines. The previously magnificent side halls and main palace were now dilapidated, entwined with thick, gnarled vines. These vines sprouted scarlet eyeballs, large and small, transforming the area into a twisted domain. Thousands of corpses—eunuchs, concubines, guards, and maids—were piled into a mountain. Their essence was drained by these writhing vine tendrils, all to nurture a gigantic White Lotus. The White Lotus was pure, covering an area of a hundred acres. Its petals slowly wriggled, revealing hideous, layered mouths. Countless snowflake-like particles erupted from them, scattering like dandelion seeds across the entire dynasty, bringing World Destruction.
...
「In the wilderness.」
An ornate, light-dappled door stood upright, thirty feet high and twenty feet wide, forged entirely from illusory light. The door opened, the void around it writhed, and a small stone path descended beneath it, allowing entry that could transport one thousands of miles away. This was the Road Transference Technique, a Spell of transportation. It was capable of refining oneself into a thoroughfare; cultivated to a high rank, one could reach the nine heavens above and the nine layers of the underworld below. However, initiating this Spell required a Road Transference Spirit Beast. Not only were these beasts rare, but they were also difficult to capture, making Cultivation of this technique as challenging as ascending to the heavens. Mid-rank was typically the limit.
Soon, an indistinct black figure of bear-like stature within the doorway gradually sharpened. A tall, middle-aged military general walked out. He wore the Tiger Demon Helmet, red tassels tied behind his head, and was clad in Golden Battle Armor. He carried a Long Halberd on his back and a treasure sword at his waist, presenting a truly majestic and intimidating figure.
"Uncle, why have you come?" Ji Xuexin was surprised. The one delivering the Suanni Technique was unexpectedly Grand General Hu Wei himself. This high-ranking expert, who had once served as Grand General in the Imperial Court and now guarded the Rebel Army’s front line, rarely made such a journey personally.
"There’s turmoil within the Imperial Court, so I took some time to come and see this Thunder Cultivator you spoke of," Jiang Feng said, looking at the youth beside him. The young man’s tender, youthful, handsome face surprised him slightly.
His age... he’s so young! Cultivating Spells to a high rank requires years of accumulation. The youngest high-ranking cultivator in the dynasty’s history was fifty, and that was for an auxiliary Spell that was easier to master. But this youth... his bone age is absolutely under twenty! Of course, it might be someone reborn into a new body, or an old monster who has possessed someone. Recalling Ji Xuexin’s letter, which mentioned a person from beyond this world, Jiang Feng was half-believing, half-doubting.
"Uncle, this is Young Master Chu Yi. He saved me at Wolf Tooth Pass," Ji Xuexin smiled and looked at Chu Yi. "Young Master Chu, this is my uncle, the current Grand General and leader of the Rebel Army."
Chu Yi nodded in acknowledgment.
Unaware of the intricacies of the Demon Martial World, his purpose here was to cultivate the Nine Techniques of the Ancestral Dragon. He planned to gather top-tier Spells while also searching for any trace of Nan Zhi.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jiang Feng took a palm-sized Glazed Stone Slab from his chest. His tiger-like eyes fixed on Chu Yi, his gaze as intense as a torch. "Young Master Chu, since you wish to cultivate the Suanni Technique, Xue Xin must have already taught you about the Divine Acupoint. However, to truly begin your Cultivation, one more thing is required."
"What is that?" Chu Yi asked.
"To dual cultivate with my niece."