Dao Equaling the Heavens-Chapter 75 - 67 The Decree of Passing the Throne to Gu Wen
75: Chapter 67: The Decree of Passing the Throne to Gu Wen
75 -67: The Decree of Passing the Throne to Gu Wen
Dragon Bridge Avenue, Zhao Feng’s blood flowed to both sides due to the tilted drainage design on the road, staining his python robe red as the noble blood of the heavenly family spattered on the streets.
This was an unheard-of event; even in the Cultivation World, a direct disciple of a True Monarch couldn’t possibly be killed on the street.
Yet today, not only did someone actually take action, it was done right in front of a True Monarch’s incarnation.
Gu Wen took the Jade Pendant from Zhao Feng’s body, flaunted it before the Lord Emperor, and then tucked it into his Qiankun Bag.
After five years, the item had finally returned to its original owner.
Madness!
Sheer madness to the utmost!
To the extent that Lu Chan, a descendant of the Demon Sect, ran out of her chamber barefoot, tiptoeing to get a glimpse of Gu Wen’s figure—a mix of black and red, holding a spear and facing the True Monarch head-on.
Each of the Three Religions possesses unique principles; among them, the Demon Sect, known for its spontaneous style often experiences insubordination and fratricide amongst its members.
Cultivators of the Demon Path are both skilled in wielding power and rebellious against authority.
Hee Huan, covering his face, could already imagine Gu Wen’s fate.
The Lord Emperor was the top True Monarch of the era, his dharma form intertwined with the Daqian Dragon Vein, carrying the weight of the world, and thus the celestial limits on him were reduced.
Even a slight reduction, merely one-tenth, could amplify a True Monarch’s power a thousandfold.
He took out a sect token, a strand of Divine Thought left the Immortal Land, and he received a stern rejection along with a warning.
The Lord Emperor’s Divine Thought was intense; even arriving from beyond the heavens, it left Hee Huan with a headache and made him dizzy, causing him to complain, “No help then, no need to be so fierce about it, right?” freewebnøvel.coɱ
“Are you close with him, Mr.
Hee?” Murong Suyue asked in surprise.
She had known Hee Huan for many years and hadn’t heard him mentioning anything about Red Dust before.
Hee Huan replied with a bitter smile, “If I had saved him, we would have been closer, but this guy is really good at causing trouble.”
Not only did he kill Zhao Feng, but he did it right in front of the Lord Emperor.
Even if he wanted to do Gu Wen a favor, he couldn’t bear the karma, and his sect was unwilling to pay a hefty price to invest in a military dharma form genius.
Moreover, whether the sect could save Gu Wen from the Lord Emperor was still uncertain.
“Murong Fellow Daoist, do you have any ideas?”
Hee Huan thought of her identity, the descendant of Qianlong Manor, which was also skilled in spear alchemy.
Murong Suyue raised a small hammer in her hand and said, “I contacted our sect the moment he broke into Dragon Bridge, and the elder said we can’t defeat the Lord Emperor.”
An unaffiliated military prodigy who wielded a spear was already reason enough for Qianlong Manor to go all out.
Murong Suyue initially thought this was a good opportunity since the Lord Emperor’s real body couldn’t leave the palace and paying some price might allow them to rescue Gu Wen.
But now that Zhao Feng was dead, the Lord Emperor would undoubtedly spare no expense to act.
Everyone’s gaze converged on Dragon Bridge Avenue, knowing everything was irretrievable.
“Did you kill him?”
The True Monarch’s Golden Body slowly landed, his facial features blurred, clad in a Daoist robe, his voice not from human speech but a manifestation of Mana.
Almost emotionless but deafening to those with cultivation, a slight buzz in the ears, even just making a sound indicated tremendous presence as a supreme being.
“Yes, I killed him.”
Gu Wen candidly nodded in response.
He felt the tsunami-like Mana waves in front of him, just an incarnation, but the oppression was many times stronger than Feng Baizhou.
Zhao Feng and Feng Baizhou were mediocrities, but an Emperor who became a True Monarch was definitely not.
He couldn’t contend now, but not being able to fight didn’t mean he couldn’t escape.
After all, it was just an incarnation, wisps of Mana uncontrollably leaking under the celestial constraints.
“So it’s retribution.
I killed a hundred of the Gu family, and the last of my bloodline died at the hands of this sole son of the Gu surname.”
The Lord Emperor spoke with terrifying calmness, leaning over to touch the blood flowing from Zhao Feng’s mutilated body, his fingers gently rubbing as if reminiscing.
“People at the second realm of cultivation rarely have offspring, unheard of beyond the fourth level except for me.
My ability to have offspring was also part of the chance for Immortality; a dragon produces nine sons, none of whom become true dragons, and this ninth son originally had a slim chance of survival.”
“He’s dead, dead beyond revival.”
Gu Wen unabashedly stepped on Zhao Feng’s body, kicking it aside to display the internal organs to the Lord Emperor.
Not even the last trace of warmth remained, even the Divine Soul had been ground into dust by Gu Wen’s Heart Sword, leaving no chance for resurgence.
“Could it be that your Zhao family is really heavenly, capable of restoring life like this?”
“Indeed he’s dead now, and I am powerless,” the Lord Emperor nodded, then noticing Gu Wen surrounded by a Red Dragon dharma form, Mana surging, ready to escape.
He countered, “But you cannot leave, I want you to stay in Bianjing.”
“Heh.”
Gu Wen had no intention of staying, nor did he even want to confront the Lord Emperor’s incarnation.
Bravery without wisdom is foolishness; he had done everything he could, and what remained was to consider a full retreat, to return one day at a True Monarch’s level for revenge.
He didn’t need millions of years of growth, and the Lord Emperor wasn’t about to die soon.
“Gu Wen of the Gu family…”
The Lord Emperor raised his hand, and a decree flew in, Dragon Vein energy surging, carrying the mandate of heaven, his voice carrying for miles.
“Hidden dragon for five years, grasping the principles of heaven and earth, possessing the capabilities of ancient saints.
Today, having slain the Crown Prince and disrupted the state, he shall accept the karma, succeed the grand governance, the Zhao throne to be ceded to the Gu surname.”
Succeed the grand governance?
All the powers’ prodigies were stunned; they were prepared for Gu Wen to be killed by the Lord Emperor, or even for Gu Wen’s background to involve another True Monarch, subsequently leading to a clash of True Monarch skills.
But they never expected the Lord Emperor would actually appoint Gu Wen as the Crown Prince?
What was this playacting about?
He had just killed Zhao Feng.
With the Crown Prince killed in the street, the shaky Qi Fortune of Daqian would only weaken further, and various sects would not need to interfere for countless peasant rebellions to erupt.
Dynasties may weather many eras, but the surge of rebellion had never ceased; the only difference stemmed from whether the court could suppress them or not.
Gu Wen had not expected this when he looked at the imperial edict floating before him and said, “Are you mad?”
“It’s merely everything returning to its original trajectory.
You are the guardian of the Sanqing Taoist Sect; this should belong to you.
Taking back what is yours always comes at a cost.”
The Lord Emperor’s voice lacked any emotion; perhaps he held a sliver of affection for Zhao Feng, but now, to him, Zhao Feng was merely a piece of rotting flesh.
When the person dies, the Dao disappears; when the ruler is gone, the government extinguishes.
Now, seeing Gu Wen’s talent, he realized Gu Wen was more suitable to bear the burden of the Dragon Vein.
By having Gu Wen succeed as the Crown Prince and transferring the Zhao family’s realm to the Gu family, he could rid himself of the shackles of the Dragon Vein without harming the relationship with the Sanqing Taoist Sect.
The Lord Emperor could tell that all of Gu Wen’s magic skills, except for the military dharma form, originated from the Yuqing Sect.
And the representative of the Yuqing Sect in this world was that Taoist Heavenly Girl, top of the Heavenly List.
“Becoming the Crown Prince of Daqian, my relationship with you will only harbor good karma.”
“A mere word then elevated to Crown Prince?”
Gu Wen reached out and grasped the imperial edict; it seemed as though the heavenly constraints on him had lessened.
He faintly understood why the Lord Emperor could intimidate all parties.
The Lord Emperor, ignoring the stunned expressions of all present, did not skimp on his praise for his son’s killer: “A Third Level fulfilled Dao foundation, a military dharma form; any one of these qualifications is suitable for this position.”
At that moment, everyone regained their senses.
They were too shocked by Gu Wen’s actions and too focused on his audacity, but they had overlooked something.
To grow under the eyes of the Zhao family to this extent, what phenomenal talent it required!
Gu Wen retorted, “And if I refuse?”
The Lord Emperor was stunned for a moment.
He had not expected Gu Wen to actually refuse.
Without anger, he said, “The struggle for the Dao is not a matter of one day or night.
It’s only a blood feud.
In the thousands of years to come, will you still care about a handful of mortal soil?”
“Perhaps you’re right.
For immortals like you, it truly is so.
And I, were I to actually reach that step, might not hold even a fraction of my current principles.”
Gu Wen’s lips slightly curved upward.
He looked at the Lord Emperor and again questioned, “What are you afraid of?
Afraid that I will surpass you one day and trample you under my feet just like this pool of rotting flesh on the ground?”
Those with absolute advantages don’t negotiate terms, just as Gu Wen wouldn’t barter with a street vendor.
Moreover, this tottering throne likely had only disadvantages.
To put it nicely, it’s abdication; to put it unpleasantly, it is like refining the Jade Pendant using someone else’s life destiny.
“The future is just the future; this is beneficial for both you and me.”
The Lord Emperor tried to persuade him further, but saw Gu Wen had already let go, dropping the imperial edict onto Zhao Feng’s organs, staining it with blood.
“For hundreds of years, the Zhao family poisoned the world.
The bamboo slips of Nanshan cannot record all their sins.
The waves of the East Sea cannot wash away their endless crimes.
Though I am merely a commoner, I am not stained in the slightest; is Daqian worthy of my immaculate being?”
“Are you the only one who is virtuous?” the Lord Emperor countered, taking a step forward as if a divine mountain was toppling.
“Only you are righteous, only you are clean, only you are selfless?”
“Justice resides in the human heart; if there is no justice in the world, I myself am justice.”
Gu Wen took two steps forward.
The two stood eye to eye, half a step apart.
The Dragon Vein’s Yellow Dragon lay prostrate in the Nine Heavens, while the Slaughter Dragon raised its head and let out a mighty roar.
“What a pity for such talent.”
The Lord Emperor waved his sleeve, turning around to leave.
A king does not wage war; for war lays a million corpses.
Conversely, it’s also a backlash.
Boom!
Behind him, a golden light suddenly appeared.
A hundred-zhang tall golden giant stepped into the city from outside the walls, clad in golden armor, carrying a mountain-collapsing halberd, a True Monarch’s dharma form.
The gates of Wansheng Gate on the northern side of Bianjing slowly opened.
Thousands of horses thundered, fierce soldiers surged like the sea, and the killing intent filled the sky.
Leading them astride a tall black horse, clad in a beast-faced armor, standing three zhang and three feet tall, with a fierce face, and eyebrows thick as blades, was General Wenren Wu, who had guarded the borderlands for ten years, now summoned back to the capital to quash evil and pacify unrest.
—————–
Downstream of the Qian River, the gentle rain was unending, and paddy fields stretched endlessly on both banks.
Yu Hua sat by the window, intently reading a book of poems taken from Gu Wen, unsure how many times she’d read it.
Suddenly, she looked up at the sky, her mind unsettled.
“Bianjing might be in trouble.”
The old donkey lying beside her flicked its ears and yawned, saying, “With the Lord Emperor there, what kind of trouble could possibly occur?
Daqian may be tottering, but if it were going to collapse, it would have done so long ago.
Even if a dozen True Monarchs joined forces, they still might not be able to kill the Lord Emperor.”
In Immortal Land, there are currently two supreme powerhouses, one of whom was sitting before him, and the other was the Lord Emperor.
Initially, the Lord Emperor had to be the first; otherwise, he could not have firmly occupied the throne and looted the world’s spiritual objects for alchemy.
Now, the old donkey thought Yu Hua had the edge.
In a one-on-one situation, it wasn’t about whether the Lord Emperor could fight and win, but rather if he could survive.
An immortal’s might is not something a True Monarch could touch.
Yu Hua furrowed her brow in thought, increasingly uneasy, decisively using the Qingcang Dao foundation to utilize the Listening ability.
In an instant, the thoughts no longer came from human hearts but from the will of heaven and earth, allowing her to see from the clear heavens to the Yellow Springs below.
Using this method harmed one’s life destiny; Yu Hua only used it while searching for the Immortality Pill.
Now, using it to seek out Gu Wen might not be unjustifiable.
“Zhao Feng is dead.”
Yu Hua was certain of this, startling the old donkey so much it nearly jumped.
“My Three Pure Ancestors, have those True Monarchs gone as far as flipping the table?”
Yu Hua didn’t answer, only staring in the direction of Bianjing, her starry eyes shining brilliantly, her lips unable to suppress a smile.
It might sound mean-hearted, but if the little loach hadn’t been driven to desperation, how could I have caught him and made him willingly become the Guardian?
“Use your divine skills to take me back to Bianjing.”
