Chapter 619: Emperors and Great Families

Chapter 619: The Emperor and the Noble Clans

The battle at the bottom of the Imperial Ancestral Temple was stranger than anyone had anticipated.

While Wang Daoning was still being delayed by Tang Wanzhuang, far beyond the time his allies had estimated, every heart was secretly lamenting. Each extra second of delay added to their pressure. Fighting a powerhouse like Xia Longyuan without one of their main Imperial Realm fighters was no joke!

But they couldn't wait for Wang Daoning to finish before starting their work. Xia Longyuan wasn't stupid—once fighting broke out in the palace, he would naturally go out, and if he did, everything would collapse. The impostor would become useless, all palace guards would rally to him, and he could easily escape, with no one able to stop him. So they had to trap him here in this secret realm beneath the Ancestral Temple, turning the very sanctuary he had created for himself into his tomb.

They had originally thought that without Wang Daoning, they might be quickly scattered and routed, perhaps even suffering casualties...

But as it turned out, Xia Longyuan seemed truly far weaker than before. The three-pronged attack on his dragon vein of fortune had inflicted far more negative effects than anticipated—the results were astonishingly good!

It was like a man who had crossed the river retreating back onto the bridge, only to find the bridge demolished. Not only was he going backward, but he was falling into the river—far worse than mere retreat. This wasn't retreat; it was backlash!

Before setting sail, Zhao Changhe had once said to Xia Longyuan: "The water that overturns the boat is the people's tears; you won't know it until it floods."

Xia Longyuan had thought it pretentious and sneered at it.

Now, those besieging him were mostly driven by personal schemes or private vendettas, having little to do with the common people. Even those who acted for the people did so with shallow consideration, driven only by a surge of righteous indignation—thinking that this man deserved to bleed, that they would fight him to the death. They lacked thorough, comprehensive planning. To say they were truly acting for the people would be a stretch; it was more accurate to say they were acting on a burst of passion...

But why had their three-pronged attack on the dragon vein of fortune worked, and worked even better than expected? That was the key.

Xia Longyuan clearly knew that Maitreya was inciting rebellion in Jiangnan and colluding with officials, yet he did nothing, only waiting to lure out the gods and demons behind Maitreya, allowing the situation to deteriorate. The Maitreya sect swept through Jiangnan, leaving a trail of bones for a thousand li. Who should bear the blame for this? Certainly not Maitreya alone; the common view was to sigh and lament, blaming the ruler like the people of old blamed Emperors Huan and Ling.

If not for Tang Wanzhuang and Zhao Changhe going to great lengths to protect Suzhou and Yangzhou, and Tang Buqi awakening to organize resistance, Jiangnan would still be in a state of desolation, with countless more dead. How could there be the current scene of recovery? And during the war, aside from Tang Wanzhuang's efforts to scrape together some supplies for support, the imperial court sent not a single soldier to help. When the people of Jiangnan thought well of these few, what did they think of the emperor in their hearts?

Zhai Muzhi poisoned Bashu, forcing the Miao borderlands into rebellion. Did Xia Longyuan know? He knew, yet he took sides, treating Zhai Muzhi with the attitude that "at least he is loyal to me," and sent Lu Shouyi to support him. If one were to say he was unfair to Tang Wanzhuang, then he was equally unfair to Zhai Muzhi.

Why did he side with Zhai Muzhi? Because he knew that few local powers still acknowledged him as their lord. Zhai Muzhi, a bloodsucker entirely dependent on the Great Xia Empire for existence, was actually the most supportive of him. If he had to choose between Zhai Muzhi and Tang Buqi to keep only one, who do you think he would choose?

The hundred tribes of the Miao borderlands, the millions of Bashu—what did they think in their hearts? Where did Li Shentong's passion to fight to the death come from?

There were thousands upon thousands of Zhai Muzhis across the land, all reflections of Xia Longyuan. Uprisings everywhere, flames of war on all sides—it was not just Li Shentong!

He trusted Zhai Muzhi but did not trust Huangfu Yongxian, whose family was full of loyal martyrs, and even kept his only surviving son as a hostage. Huangfu Qing's deep hatred and towering demonic flames—was it really just because of doctrine?

He could have cooperated with the Four Symbols Saintesses without bloodshed, yet the result was the death of the saintesses and the orphaned young girl left to suffer. Sanniang, knowing that Zhao Changhe wanted to protect him, did not even come to the capital. Why? Because if she came and made a move, she and her companion might have to fight him, and she didn't want to put Zhao Changhe in a difficult position.

The Wang family's rebellious intent was blatant from early on, yet for the sake of the Sea Emperor, he waited for them to rise up, and even nearly killed Cui Wenjing, who had held the line for him.

Examples like these were numerous. Some court officials might think there was no great sin, and those who knew a bit of the inside story might think that some of the foolish governance measures were the work of the impostor. But when you counted the solid evidence of what the real emperor had done, which of them was a human deed? Even the impostor's chaotic governance was ultimately the real emperor's responsibility for secluding himself from the world.

After all, he needed to cultivate, to contend with gods and demons, and had no time for such trivial matters.

This was not just like Emperors Huan and Ling; one could find in him the traits of any last emperor of a dynasty. If not for his martial might that dominated the land, chaos would have erupted ten years earlier. Zhao Changhe had witnessed all this with his own eyes, so despite his natural affinity, he still felt that Xia Longyuan would one day die at the hands of the heroes of the mortal world, not by any god or demon.

And today, Zhao Changhe's premonition was finally confirmed. The mountains and rivers were shattered, the dragon's aura was shaken, the whole world rebelled, and no one acknowledged the sovereign.

This was not something that could be achieved by a few people's three-pronged attack; it was the ultimate feedback of the common people's collective sentiment. They had merely found the key.

Having attained the Dao by governing the world, he was now being devoured by the world's rebellion—this was in accordance with reason, and even the barbarian god had foreseen this day.

Ying Wu and Yang Jingxiu, who had participated in the battle against Xuewu back then, both felt that Xia Longyuan now was not much stronger than Xuewu... Though he was currently on the offensive against the many, putting immense pressure on everyone, he had ultimately failed to break through, and was repeatedly blocked back by the others risking their lives.

If Wang Daoning had known how the battle here was going, he would not have been so anxious to return; he would have taken his time to handle his own situation properly... But who could have expected such good results beforehand? When he fought Tang Wanzhuang, at least seven-tenths of his mind was here, and his failure to quickly defeat her was largely due to his distraction...

Of course, he couldn't be too late either; any later and there would have been casualties.

When Wang Daoning finally arrived in a rush, the first thing he saw was Xia Longyuan erupting with a terrifying golden aura, blasting all nearby opponents away, while his right hand struck straight at Li Gongsi's chest!

Wang Daoning knew at a glance that Li Gongsi couldn't dodge; he would be severely injured if not killed!

"Boom!" The Heaven-Pushing Sea-Suppressing Palm arrived from afar, colliding with Xia Longyuan's Dragon Fist. Both sides shook slightly, and Li Gongsi took the chance to retreat, cold sweat pouring down his face: "Brother Wang, you've come just in time!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure had been immense, but now that the Imperial Realm fighter had arrived in time, the matter should be settled.

But contrary to everyone's expectations, Xia Longyuan actually withdrew his fist and stood upright: "I've been waiting for you for quite a while... You're even more useless than I imagined."

Wang Daoning was stunned: "Waiting for me?"

"If there had been casualties here before you arrived, would you have fled to the Eastern Sea upon seeing the situation turn bad? I can't say for sure, so it's better to wait for you to come."

Everyone's expressions turned somewhat strange. These were all top martial artists; they had their own judgment. Your earlier difficulty didn't look like an act... You might fool others, but are you trying to fool yourself?

Of course, since Xia Longyuan wanted to put on a show and speak, no one bothered to interrupt. The pressure had indeed been too great, and now everyone was seizing the moment to recover their breath and rest.

Wang Daoning was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "If you were just putting on an act, that means you had the strength to save Tang Wanzhuang but didn't? Interesting. Even I feel sorry for her."

Xia Longyuan shook his head: "I'm not saying I had the strength to break out quickly on my own. As you can see, I am indeed greatly weakened now, and it's somewhat difficult on my own."

Wang Daoning was somewhat surprised. It was rare for Xia Longyuan to so frankly admit his weakness and difficulty; he had expected him to be stubborn and boastful. But since he admitted his decline, what did his earlier words mean?

Then Xia Longyuan continued: "What I mean is that some things are better done with you present. If you weren't here, the outcome might not be as clear-cut, and it would more likely end in mutual destruction. Actually, if Wenjing were here, it would be even better... I suspect Wenjing's absence this time is not because his injuries haven't healed; it's been long enough that he should have recovered... He didn't come, perhaps because he sensed something."

Wang Daoning sneered, feeling that Xia Longyuan had lost his mind. He even said it was better that he had come: "I wonder what plan Your Majesty has? We are all ears."

Xia Longyuan looked around. The four divine swords shone brilliantly; it was the sword formation of these four swords that had caused him the most trouble, restricting him severely, as if they were naturally opposed to him.

"I've been thinking: if I am suffering the backlash of the mountains and rivers' qi, I should accept this result... But what about you?" Xia Longyuan pointed at the four swords and said slowly: "These swords of the human world's rivers and mountains... It is only natural for them to rebel against me. But before that, they were first your swords... Earlier, the sword spirits were dormant, partly because I had seized half of their soul power, and partly because your intentions were contrary to theirs, so they could not resonate. But you seem to have forgotten the second point, attributing everything to the first? Wenjing always knew—did you know?"

The three clan leaders looked at each other, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts.

"Are you, Wang Daoning, worthy of guarding this Eastern Sea? Are you, Yang Jingxiu, worthy of overlooking these mountains and rivers? Do you have no idea? And you, Li Gongsi..." Xia Longyuan paused, as if in mockery: "Opening the pass, letting in the barbarians, ravaging Guanzhong—your Sword of Pacifying Longxi, who did it pacify?"

"Rumble!" The four divine swords began to tremble.

Li Gongsi stepped back: "You knew, yet did nothing—were you waiting for this day?"

Li Shentong's expression changed drastically.

"Yes, if I say this, my ghost-fire son-in-law will still curse me for being inhumane. But in my view, I have done nothing wrong." Xia Longyuan smiled: "People? In this age, how many are truly people!"

With these words, he suddenly flicked his finger.

Four masses of misty vapor shot into the four divine swords respectively. The swords trembled even more violently, as if different auras were being expelled.

"Half of your sword spirits' soul power is with me... Using the yin energy of the sea tribes to replenish soul power—are the awakened sword spirits still the original ones? Let me restore them... After restoration, ask them: if they want to rebel against me, then what about you, who summoned foreign yin energy to replenish the sword spirits in order to rebel and assassinate the emperor? The divine swords have spirits; they will not be as double-standard as humans."

"Swish, swish, swish!" Except for Qinghe, the other three swords suddenly rose into the air, pointing at their masters.

Only Qinghe remained still on the ground, its target still... Xia Longyuan.

Xia Longyuan paid it no mind and sighed softly: "Qinghe has found a master... Both Cui siblings, it recognizes them both... How to choose—truly a happy dilemma."