Seeing that he was about to be officially initiated into the cult and even made a core member responsible for spreading its teachings, Jiang Li decided there was no need to keep acting anymore.
He had already gathered enough intelligence to understand the two conditions required to obtain the Power of Virtue: first, one had to kill; second, one must believe that the Venerable of the Divine Repository was the one and only.
After listening to the storytelling version of the Moksha Tribulation Sutra, Jiang Li saw no more reason to play along with them.
“Cult Master? Why are you asking about that?”
“I admire the Cult Master—he must sleep well enough to dream of the Divine Repository Venerable. I just wanted to ask what sleeping posture he uses so I can try it too.”
“Impudence!”
Master Feng bellowed. How dare this man show such disrespect toward the Cult Master! But before he could even finish speaking, he saw Jiang Li lift his hand slightly and press down.
At once, space solidified—none of them could move, not even blink! Not just the few standing before Jiang Li—he had frozen the entire secret realm in place!
“Uncle Jiang, we haven’t even joined the cult yet,” Ji Kongkong said curiously, still unwilling to leave.
“If I let you join,” Jiang Li replied dryly, “your royal father would end up chasing me with his sword. I’d have to knock him down in return. You wouldn’t like to see your father humiliated like that, would you?”
Ji Kongkong blinked rapidly, as though picturing the scene in her head. It sounded rather amusing.
“Now then,” Jiang Li said, “let’s trace the flow of time. After you saw the killer come here, where did he go next?”
Ji Kongkong vanished and reappeared, her face tense as she spoke, “I saw that person arriving at the grand hall, cutting open space itself, and leaving through it…” Cut through space and left? Jiang Li fell into thought.
Ji Kongkong’s description sounded simple, but such a feat was far beyond the reach of an ordinary cultivator. Cutting through space did not mean directly returning to the Nine Provinces World. One had to travel a long distance through the void, enduring the violent Gale Turbulence Streams.
Even a Tribulation Transcendence Stage cultivator could not return safely like that. There were only a handful of Tribulation Transcendence cultivators across the Nine Provinces, and Jiang Li knew them all. Which one could it be—or was there yet another whose existence he did not know?
To ascend from the Union Stage to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, one had to undergo an earth-shaking Heavenly Tribulation—such an event would be sensed across the whole Nine Provinces. No one could have broken through unnoticed. No… there was one possible way.
A sudden realization struck Jiang Li. With the Power of Virtue, it was possible to forcibly elevate a Union Stage cultivator directly into the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, without undergoing the tribulation at all! A Heavenly Tribulation tested a cultivator; the Power of Virtue rewarded one.
The two could offset each other! As Jiang Li reached this conclusion, Ji Kongkong continued speaking: “…and I saw the future too. This place will turn into a void.”
Even as she spoke, the entire secret realm made a cracking sound. Crack, crack, crack! Suddenly, the realm split open!
Not good!
Jiang Li instantly understood what was happening. He pulled Ji Kongkong close to shield her. But before he could even think about protecting the remaining high-ranking members of the Divine Repository Cult, the secret realm shattered completely and vanished from existence!
The collapse happened faster than a single thought. Jiang Li managed only to protect Ji Kongkong. Everyone and everything else within the secret realm was thrust into the raw void—swept by raging Gale Turbulence Streams that tore them to pieces before they could even cry for help.
Not even fragments remained. Only the mysterious statue of the Divine Repository Venerable drifted unharmed amidst the storms of the void, carried away by the gales. A secret realm was equivalent to a miniature world; its structure was extremely tough.
Destroying one in an instant was something even a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator could not do. Unless the perpetrator had long prepared, laying plans well in advance. Jiang Li’s expression turned as dark as storm clouds.
Shielding Ji Kongkong with his power, he tried to return to the Nine Provinces, but their speed was slow. This was a plot directed at him. Had he been alone, he could have easily escaped.
But protecting Ji Kongkong within the violent turbulence vastly slowed him down. His enemy had calculated everything—knew he would approach the Zhou Clan for aid, knew that whether it was Ji Zhi or Ji Kongkong, both would need his protection in the void. Their goal was not to kill him, merely to delay his return to the Nine Provinces. …
“‘Proclamation Demanding the Deposition of Yu Yin’? What an interesting piece of writing, Lord Zhao.”
The Heavenly Origin Empress Yu Yin sat high upon her icy Imperial Throne. Her pale face was expressionless, showing neither joy nor anger as she looked coldly at the gathered officials in the Hall of Harmony.
A few hours earlier, the Minister of Rites had issued a decree on Yu Yin’s behalf, summoning all ministers to the Hall of Harmony for court assembly. The Minister of Rites, however, was a known supporter of the Former Heavenly Origin Royal Clan.
Clearly, this had not been Yu Yin’s own command but rather the will of the former royal family. Everyone knew that this would be the day masks were torn away—today would decide victor and vanquished.
Although Great General Che Wu was dead, the army he had brought back was still being moved by other generals holding imperial edicts—though whether those decrees were genuine remained uncertain. The “court assembly” in name was nothing less than a choice of sides.
Sure enough, as soon as the session began, the Minister of Rites stepped forward with an official memorial, declaring that across the empire, the populace had started posting the Proclamation Demanding the Deposition of Yu Yin.
He read it aloud in the hall, and ended with the request that the Heavenly Origin Empress heed the people’s will and return the throne to the imperial house. He notably did not call it the “former” imperial house.
“Please, Your Majesty the Heavenly Origin Empress, yield to the will of the people and return the throne to the imperial clan!”
“Please, Your Majesty, return the throne to the imperial clan!”
As soon as the Minister of Rites finished, a few ministers echoed his shout in unison. The rest hesitated briefly before joining in as well—the Empress’s weakness was plain for all to see.
Of course, others among the officials remained observing coldly, thinking instead that if the Empress survived this rebellion and recovered from her injuries, she would emerge even stronger. They did not care who ruled the Heavenly Origin Dynasty—they followed only strength.
“Zhao Nian! Are you trying to rebel?” the Minister of Personnel stepped forward and pointed angrily at the Minister of Rites.
“The former royal family was weak and indecisive. You want to return power to people like that?”
“It isn’t what I want,” the Minister of Rites replied calmly, “it is the will of the people. The Empress has been cruel and unjust. It is only right that mild yet firm Prince An take the throne.”
“The will of the people?”
The corners of the Heavenly Origin Empress’s lips curved faintly. She coughed lightly, the blush on her pale face carrying a kind of fragile, morbid beauty—but no one in the hall had the heart to appreciate it. It was true—the Empress was at her weakest.
Relief flashed through the Minister of Rites’ heart. Normally, if he had dared speak thus, she would have personally executed him on the spot in the hall.
“You cannot claim to represent the people's hearts,” Yu Yin said coldly.
“And I do not care for them either. The Heavenly Origin Dynasty has stood in the Nine Provinces for ten thousand years—since when has power here ever bowed to the will of the crowd? It has always gone to the strongest.”
At that moment, a man in golden armor strode into the hall. The guards outside seemed to have become useless. The man was none other than Prince An—the foremost figure of the Former Imperial Clan, long forbidden from court.
“Lord Zhao, I told you long ago,” Prince An said.
“The Empress does not yield to words. We may as well seize power by force.”
“Prince An speaks truly,” the Minister of Rites replied deferentially, bowing before stepping aside.
“You are not fit. Who else dares come forward?”
Yu Yin said disdainfully, waving her hand lightly. Her tone carried open scorn for Prince An, who was at the same Union Stage as her. Prince An’s face grew grim.
“Since the Empress so wishes, how could Kang An dare refuse?”
At his command, one figure after another stepped beside him.
“The Supreme Elder of the Five Thunders Orthodox Sect pays respect to Your Majesty the Heavenly Origin Empress.”
“The King Qiongqi of the Baize Imperial Dynasty greets Your Majesty the Heavenly Origin Empress.”
“The Sect Master of the Heavenly Sky Sect greets Your Majesty the Heavenly Origin Empress.”
“The Lake Lord of Lake Cloud Dream greets Your Majesty the Heavenly Origin Empress.”
“General Divine Might greets Your Majesty the Heavenly Origin Empress.”
The Heavenly Origin Empress rose slowly from her throne. The pallor of her exquisite face flushed faintly red—whether in anger at their betrayal or in some perverse excitement at the confrontation, none could tell.
(End of Chapter)