Volume One: Chaos in Yanyun, Chapter 109: It Was All a Trap
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Seeing the appearance of the Divine Emperor, Feng Qi was immediately stunned. Although he had never met him in this lifetime and had no idea what the Divine Emperor actually looked like, the combination of the dragon robe and the Dragon Emperor Sword—who else but the Divine Emperor could wear such regalia, and who else would dare?
Compared to Feng Qi, Feng Yue’s expression was much calmer, as if he had anticipated this moment long ago.
“I’ve always thought that apart from Dugu Changsi, the members of the Dugu family tend to be cautious and reserved. When I calculated Dugu Feiyun’s fate, I was almost never wrong, but I never expected to be bested by you,” Feng Yue sighed lightly. “If I had known you were so brave, I would have insisted on coming here myself, so as not to fall into such peril.”
So he hadn’t guessed either.
The Divine Emperor smiled gently, radiating warmth like a spring breeze. “You couldn’t even calculate the fate of the child before you, and yet you call yourself the Grand Emperor’s advisor? What you call divination is nothing but superstition in his eyes.”
He paused, then continued, “I suppose those two on Mount Tai Xuan hold the same view.”
Mount Tai Xuan and Ji Palace are currently the two most skilled places in divination. Why would the Divine Emperor say this?
Feng Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking that Mount Tai Xuan had clearly sided entirely with the royal family, and with the Xueyun Sect joining in... the current Dugu royal house could be called the strongest in human history.
Even the great Emperor Taizong of old had only gained the support of the Chan Sect and the Honglin Pavilion during the demon tribe war.
Feng Yue shook his head lightly, smiling softly, “It seems the world has underestimated you. With the backing of both Xueyun and Tai Xuan, you may be even more fit to be emperor than Dugu Feiyun.”
The Divine Emperor said, “From too far away, one cannot see clearly.”
Feng Yue replied, “Makes sense. Then what do you see in me?”
The Divine Emperor pondered. “You are a powerful figure from the Grand Emperor’s generation. Naturally, I can’t fully perceive you, but the Grand Emperor has some thoughts about you that might be relevant here.”
Feng Yue’s interest was piqued. “Do tell.”
The Divine Emperor said seriously, “Li Jinxing tends to overthink, but it’s just needless worry.”
Feng Yue squinted. “Your Majesty is also a Grand Dao cultivator. How do you view that?”
The Divine Emperor rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking: Isn’t it precisely because I think he’s right that I’m showing this to you? Why bother asking?
From the Divine Emperor’s expression, Feng Yue roughly understood his meaning, and asked again, “Does Your Majesty not sense the gradual decline of Heaven and Earth?”
The Divine Emperor did not answer directly, instead saying, “In recent years, there have been many strong cultivators on the continent. Within the Divine Dynasty, the heads of Tianxiang Valley, Bai Xiang Sect, and Jiangnan Craftsmen have successively reached Grand Dao. If the intelligence from Xiaoyao Pavilion is accurate, the demon tribe also has two generals who have broken through to Grand Dao... furthermore, the Grand Emperor himself has successfully ascended.”
Breaking through realms requires a vast amount of primordial energy.
Reaching Grand Dao consumes an incalculable amount.
Ascension consumes even more.
Feng Yue said, “If that is so, why does Your Majesty still think I am worrying needlessly?”
The Divine Emperor replied, “You, at your level, are anxious and fearful over a future whose distance you cannot even measure, and from that arise thoughts that could shake the foundations of humanity—how can that not be needless worry?”
Feng Yue said, “If one lacks foresight, one must have immediate worries.”
The Divine Emperor said seriously, “Having only foresight without seeing present dangers is not the right path either.”
Feng Yue said, “Distant matters concern survival; compared to that, current affairs are trivial.”
The Divine Emperor’s expression was somewhat intriguing. Then he looked at Feng Qi and asked, “Does the heir of Yanbei truly think present matters are trivial?”
Yanbei is broken.
The entire northern region of humanity has no defenses left.
A hundred years from now, when the demon tribe invades southward, will the Dugu Divine Dynasty become a second Tang Dynasty?
More importantly, the current matters concern the lives and deaths of kin—how could they be called trivial?
Feng Yue patiently explained, “I wouldn’t say that those who focus on great matters neglect the small, but when two evils must be chosen between, one must choose the lesser. If Your Majesty cannot even consider this, it will be only harm and no benefit to the Divine Dynasty.”
The Divine Emperor raised an eyebrow. “You speak so well, yet why did you refuse when the Sect Leader wanted you to replace him?”
Feng Yue thought this was a different matter.
The Divine Emperor thought it was the same matter, and continued, “And your disciple—if the storyteller hadn’t discovered his plan and made a timely countermeasure, would we have truly handed over the Yanbei lands to the barbarians? When the demon tribe comes south, can we rely on those barbarians to hold the line? It would be laughable.”
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Feng Yue said, “My disciple’s thoughts were insufficient, but I have my own plans for the demon tribe; Your Majesty need not worry.”
The Divine Emperor shook his head. “If you cannot sway the Demon Lord, then your plans are no better than none.”
Feng Yue thought, You don’t understand strategy.
The Divine Emperor thought, You don’t understand ambition.
The atmosphere turned cold for the first time.
This was what happens when words fail to connect.
The Divine Emperor shook his head and reached out toward Feng Qi.
Feng Yue frowned but did not intervene.
With his strength, he had no right to snatch someone from the Divine Emperor’s grasp.
Even if I came personally, it wouldn’t be allowed.
This is Wuyang, after all.
Somewhat surprised, Feng Qi looked at the Divine Emperor and asked, “You won’t kill me?”
The Divine Emperor looked puzzled. “Why must I kill you?”
Seeming to realize this might contradict the Divine Dynasty’s edicts and cause turmoil if spread, he paused and amended, “Killing you is pointless; after all, you are not truly Li Jinxing.”
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“The entire Landscape Scroll is with this fellow; it seems Li Jinxing valued this second-generation heir greatly.” The Divine Emperor walked with Feng Qi through the outskirts of Wuyang, where the sight was full of battle and the air filled with the roar of war, yet as the master of the Divine Dynasty, he remained utterly indifferent.
If he were a tyrant, Feng Qi would not find this surprising, but from the recent conversation with Feng Yue, the current Divine Emperor was clearly neither a tyrant nor a foolish ruler.
“Li Jinxing’s fears were not without reason. Before the Grand Emperor ascended, he specially invited me to Zixiao Palace for an all-night discussion, worried that the Grand Emperor’s sudden consumption of too much primordial energy would sow trouble for the future,” the Divine Emperor said softly. “After all, few have reached his level.”
Feng Qi thought, Isn’t that the path to enlightenment?
The Divine Emperor whispered, “Everyone believes the Grand Emperor reached the end of the Grand Dao, but no one knows he has stepped beyond it.”
What is the realm beyond Grand Dao?
The Red Dust Immortal is but a special Grand Dao cultivator; in terms of battle strength, he may not even surpass some Grand Dao.
“Don’t overthink. Even if you have read extensively and studied the Daoist canon, you cannot know what is unrecorded,” the Divine Emperor smiled lightly.
As he spoke, he waved his hand and effortlessly destroyed several corpse soldiers rushing at him.
Feng Qi thought, If it’s unrecorded, how did the old emperor know he had broken through Grand Dao? And what does this have to do with the current crisis?
He asked these two questions.
The Divine Emperor gave him a half-smile and did not answer the first, only saying, “Since the primordial energy of Heaven and Earth has been so depleted, we must replenish it from elsewhere.”
Feng Qi was stunned, then roughly understood the Divine Emperor’s strategy. Unbelievably, he asked, “Has Your Majesty been scheming against the Underworld?”
The Divine Emperor sighed, “There was also the Underworld, but even Dou Xiaotong knows very little about the way of reincarnation, so the only hope is the Suo Ming Tower.”
Feng Qi said, “The Myriad Stars Array... was laid by Dou Xiaotong.”
The Divine Emperor nodded, “He even used the power of the He Shi Bi jade. Otherwise, with his mere vast collection of books, how could he connect the Dragon Soaring Array?”
Feng Qi said, “So it’s all one grand scheme.”
The Divine Emperor said, “I had previously sought the Grand Marshal’s approval.”
Feng Qi’s heart tensed. “Grandfather’s intention?”
The Divine Emperor sighed, “The Grand Marshal cares deeply for the realm and is truly a vital minister.”
Feng Qi said, “So, the Fourth Prince’s death was also foreseen by you?”
The Divine Emperor did not answer this but instead said, “I dearly mourn Rui’er.”
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Feng Qi interrupted mercilessly, “But you still sacrificed him.”
The Divine Emperor said, “For the sake of the realm.”
Feng Qi said, “Your Majesty could have simply summoned me to the palace. Why resort to such measures?”
The Divine Emperor shook his head, “If I had summoned you directly, how would the realm know my suspicion of Yanbei?”
Feng Qi said no more.
He felt a deep sense of disgust.
It all started in Wuyang—perhaps the imperial palace, perhaps the Xiaoyao Pavilion headquarters.
The old emperor ascended; soon after, the heads of civil and military affairs arranged a marriage alliance. That same year, Your Majesty abandoned the already radiant Crown Prince and instead named the mere four-year-old Second Prince heir. The prime minister sent his young daughter into the palace to grow up alongside the heir and the Fourth Prince.
Sixteen years later, the prime minister’s daughter traveled north, and the royal family also sent someone to witness the union of civil and military powers.
The heir’s position was crucial, so this task fell to the most favored Fourth Prince.
Afterward, the Fourth Prince would die.
The Divine Emperor would not embarrass Yanbei or the Grand Marshal publicly; he only needed to show the pain of losing a son and dissatisfaction with Yanbei. The eunuchs and palace maids outside the residence would spread the word, and countless memorials would flood the Chaoyang Hall.
Thus, the conflict between Wuyang and Yanbei was ignited within a single day, and then the Yanbei King was ordered to march south.
But the Yanbei King could not leave lightly. First, his position and power were too great; leaving for any reason would invite suspicion. Second, he was already a cultivator halfway into the Void Path, and with his guards, assassination attempts would be difficult and unlikely to succeed.
Therefore, Feng Shenwei’s conversation with the Yanbei King was overheard by Feng Qi, who naturally ended up losing to Feng Qi.
Feng Qi went south; the heir went north.
They were ambushed, but it was more fright than harm.
Still, it allowed Feng Shenwei to be seen by the world.
Thus, the barbarians shifted from probing attacks to full-scale assault.
Thus, the Bohai army was fully deployed, instantly dragging several provinces into the flames of war.
Thus, the Five Pavilions of the Azure Pavilion all mobilized, wiping out Kunlun, besieging Wuyang, and breaking through Yanbei’s western route.
All promises Yang Wanli made to the Underworld had been fulfilled.
Thus, the Suo Ming Tower stirred.
But that was not enough. The Suo Ming Tower lies within Wuyang’s Heavenly Prison, a core node of the Dragon Soaring Array, which gathers countless formation masters and the power of several immortals on the verge of ascension. It would be almost impossible for the Underworld to dismantle it alone.
So Dou Xiaotong had previously set up the Myriad Stars Array, linking the core of the Dragon Soaring Array to it.
Then Feng Qi was invited to break the formation.
The formation was broken.
The Suo Ming Tower was destroyed.
The Underworld forces were fully unleashed.
Yanbei was in peril.
Wuyang was in peril.
But if all this was orchestrated or coordinated by the Divine Emperor, then the current situation can only be said to be fully under control.
Although the price of such control was extremely repugnant in Feng Qi’s eyes.
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