NOVPUBWu Fei's words resonated with force as he spoke with righteous indignation, fully immersing himself as if he were a steadfast and loyal pillar of the realm, ready to offer remonstration at the cost of his life.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan's face involuntarily twisted in anger, and his voice surged as he snapped, "What, by your words, do you mean to say that I should bow down to the six great holy lands? When my father was on the throne, he once stormed the gateways of those very holy lands. Now you want me to bow down? How am I to face my father and the ancestors of my Da Xia in the future?"
"What's more, this time they seek Gu Chen's life. If I yield now, what's to say that next time they won't demand my life? Am I to just meekly submit to execution?"
Hearing this, Wu Fei remained composed, countering Ji Yuan with reason, "Your Majesty is mistaken, what applied then does not apply now. If Your Majesty possessed the strength of the late emperor, I certainly wouldn't step forward, and no matter what Your Majesty wished to do, I would willingly become the pawn leading your chariot, serving Your Majesty with peace of mind."
"However..." Wu Fei paused, then sharply turned his argument, "The situation this time is different. Gu Chen was the one who provoked the six holy lands first. Had he not killed the holy land's successor, the situation wouldn't have escalated to this point. Da Xia cannot unconditionally support him forever. Now, it's time for him to contribute to Da Xia. To pay the price for youthful arrogance and haughtiness is only right, but surely that price need not be borne by Da Xia, by the countless common folk."
Hearing this, Ji Yuan's face darkened as he asked, "What do you propose then?"
At that remark, a glint of joy appeared on Wu Fei's face. He raised his head and loudly stated, "Your Majesty, I suggest we first strip Gu Chen of his nobility, remove his position in the Jing Tian Department, then eradicate his cultivation, sever his limbs, and hand him over to the six holy lands for them to deal with as they see fit. Perhaps this can mitigate some of their resentment and prevent it from falling upon Da Xia."
Immediately, Ji Yuan let out a cold laugh and said, "I hadn't realized before, but you truly are an excellent runner for the six holy lands."
His face paling, Wu Fei hurriedly retorted, "Your Majesty, my loyalty to Da Xia is evident to the heavens. Every word I've spoken has been with Da Xia's best interests in mind. By speaking thus, in putting everything on the line for a single Gu Chen, aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of all under heaven?"
Ji Yuan responded indifferently, "You say you wish to strip Gu Chen of his title, withdraw his office, even destroy his cultivation. We have debated this too long already, and I am weary. Since you are so convinced of your righteousness, I would like to hear the opinion of the individual in question before making a final decision."
"The individual in question?" Upon hearing these words, Wu Fei and all the ministers were taken aback.
King Huai, who knew the inside story, narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew the main act was about to begin.
Wu Fei's pupils contracted, and he quickly argued, "Your Majesty, by rights, the Jing Tian Department should not participate in regular imperial audience or the discussion of state affairs, so Your Majesty..."
With a cold expression, Ji Yuan did not let Wu Fei finish speaking and instead commanded, "Summon Gu Chen."
Eunuch Huang, with his uniquely piercing voice, immediately called out, "Announce Gu Chen's entrance to the hall."
The call carried far and wide, and soon enough, everyone in the Golden Throne Room saw Gu Chen, along with Qin Wu, leading a group of Jing Tian Department's tower supervisors, slowly approaching.
"These are... the eleven tower supervisors of the Jing Tian Department; why have they entered the capital?!"
Upon seeing the eleven tower supervisors behind Gu Chen and Qin Wu, everyone in the Great Hall changed their expressions, especially people like Chen Yuanli, who instinctively felt a sense of foreboding.
"How... how did these warriors come to the Golden Throne Room?" The moment he saw Gu Chen in person, Wu Fei immediately became anxious.
King Huai, who had been calmly observing and curious about the Tower Supervisor's means, also showed a change in expression when he saw the eleven tower supervisors.
Clearly, with his cultivation at the Coagulation Field level, he recognized that the eleven tower supervisors had all broken through to the Transcendent level.
A mixture of disbelief and shock surfaced in the heart of the foremost prince of Da Xia, and he found himself at a loss.
But aside from him, the others in the Golden Throne Room were still in the dark.
"The eleven tower supervisors have come to the capital; what could be the reason?" Minister of the War Department Chen Yuanli frowned, aware that without Ji Yuan's approval, they could not have entered the capital.
"This... Your Majesty, the eleven tower supervisors carry important responsibilities. At such a time, how can they abandon their posts? Does this mean Your Majesty truly intends to declare war on the six great holy lands?"
At this moment, Wu Fei too was stunned, seeing the eleven tower supervisors in the capital and in the Golden Throne Room, he thought Ji Yuan was determined to engage in an all-out war with the six holy lands.
Right then, Yan Qing and the other ten tower supervisors stood there with cold indifference, quietly positioned behind Gu Chen and Qin Wu, harboring not a sliver of goodwill towards the court officials in the Golden Throne Room.
Even, for them, the likes of Yan Qing could even be said to be an annoyance; in the eyes of the various garrison commanders, this group of people was nothing more than a bunch of good-for-nothings.
Among the officials in the imperial court, although there were those with significant talent, the vast majority would only be a drag on proceedings.
At that moment, Ji Yuan saw Gu Chen, a smile appearing on his face as he sat in the seat of honor and said softly, "Gu Chen, Minister Wu just said he wanted to strip you of your noble title, remove you from office, then destroy your cultivation level, and hand you over to the six great holy lands. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen's gaze shifted, looking towards Wu Fei.
When Wu Fei saw Gu Chen's look, and thought about Gu Chen's reputation under the heavens, his body immediately trembled. However, he still stood his ground with a stiff neck, feigning a tough tone as he said, "What about it, did I say something wrong? You caused these troubles yourself; why should Da Xia clean up your mess?"
Upon hearing these words, Qin Wu and the various garrison commanders immediately had their expressions darken, and a faint killing intent burst forth, causing Wu Fei to feel a chill all over, his body starting to shake.
Gu Chen merely glanced at Wu Fei before withdrawing his gaze, speaking indifferently, "Losing courage before a battle; if this were on the battlefield, I'd be the first to dispatch him!"
"What did you say?!" Wu Fei immediately spoke up loudly, "Did I say something wrong? You disregard the laws, act arrogantly and recklessly, and have caused so much trouble for Da Xia. Without Da Xia, could you have made it to where you are today? Now that your cultivation level has improved and you've grown bold, you dare to threaten me? Do you really want the countless citizens of Da Xia to be buried with you?!"
Wu Fei believed that in the presence of King Huai and Emperor Ji Yuan, along with the assembled ministers in the Golden Luang Hall, Gu Chen wouldn't dare to act too outrageous, which is why he dared to speak as he did.
Of course, it was mainly because King Huai had given him confidence. Upon saying this, Wu Fei immediately felt exhilarated. Given Gu Chen's current fame in the world, scolding him so directly would surely make his name known throughout the lands come the next day.
But in the next moment, a sentence from Gu Chen made him show a look of panic as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
"Qin Command, what is the crime for slandering a garrison commander and defecting to the enemy?" Gu Chen asked calmly.
Qin Wu's gaze was cold and sharp as he looked at Wu Fei and said just three words, "Death without pardon!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Fei's face turned to panic as he warned with a fierce exterior but inner timidity, "Gu Chen, this is the Golden Luang Hall, I'm telling you, if you dare to act rashly…"
Pfft!
His words cut off abruptly, followed by the spray of hot blood, spouting three feet high before falling to the ground.
Gurgle gurgle…
Immediately afterward, a large head rolled down the great hall towards the distance, Wu Fei's eyes wide open, dead with eyes unblinking.
Soon, the pungent scent of blood began to pervade the Golden Luang Hall. At this moment, everyone was in shock witnessing the scene.
Gu Chen had actually dared to take action in the Golden Luang Hall, in front of everyone, directly severing Wu Fei's head, his blood splattering the Golden Luang Hall!
This was too surreal, too unbelievable. Gu Chen's decisiveness was frightening!
At this moment, all the ministers were as if muted by the cold, with some of the less courageous ones starting to tremble.
Even the Minister of the War Department, Chen Yuanli, had his expression darken, his face becoming exceedingly solemn.
In contrast, Gu Chen, who had taken the action, remained calm, garbed in a black robe, with a tall figure and black hair falling to his waist.
To him, what of the Golden Luang Hall? Even if it were at the Southern Heavenly Gate, with the Heavenly King himself present, he, Gu Chen, would still carry out execution without hesitation!
At this instant, Gu Chen's eyes turned to meet King Huai's gaze. It just so happened that King Huai was looking over at the same time; their eyes met, energies clashed, and silently, traces of sparks seemed to be born in the void!
In an instant, the atmosphere within the Golden Luang Hall became extremely tense. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
