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Chapter 529: Chapter 525: The Emperor’s Demise
Qiantian.
In the Imperial Capital of Central State, the Royal Cultivation Tower.
At this moment, outside the cultivation tower, there were dozens of Refining Gods, Divinity Transformations, and even Primordial Spirit True Monarchs guarding it.
Leading them was none other than the Grand Chief, Zhou Ji.
Apart from them, there were also two Devas, Duke Qin Yujing and the leader of the Hidden Dragon Guard, Jiang Yindong, surveilling the surroundings, not allowing anyone to approach.
This was because, at the very top of the cultivation tower, Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was converging, forming a gigantic furnace in the void, and at the center of the furnace, a figure was refining a massive amount of materials into his body with the Will of All Living Beings, forging his Saint Body.
As a large amount of precious materials were refined, a vaguely visible giant figure, several meters tall, flickered in and out of existence.
However...
This flickering existence had already lasted nearly half a month, and there was still no sign of it solidifying.
Worry was evident on the faces of Zhou Ji, Jiang Yindong, Qin Yujing, and the others.
Finally...
The Primordial Energy in the sky suddenly became violent, and the massive furnace illusion quickly shook, exceeding the control range of the Will of All Living Beings.
For a time, the energies of Heaven and Earth collided, and the sky was filled with flashes of lightning, thunder, and torrential rain.
The rolling dark clouds seemed to be pressing down to completely crush the cultivation tower.
"This..."
The complexions of Qin Yujing, Jiang Yindong, and the others changed dramatically all at once.
Zhou Ji couldn’t help but cry out in dismay, "Your Majesty... No! No! Leaders like His Majesty, who have given their all for Daqian and served with utmost dedication, will definitely not encounter any mishap before their grand task is completed, absolutely not..."
Clearly, they had deduced something from the drastic changes in the heavenly phenomena.
The huge furnace in the void shook violently, instantly destroying and crushing the several-meters-tall phantom.
Before long, the giant phantom gradually collapsed.
After the phantom completely disintegrated, the violent Primordial Energy between Heaven and Earth also gradually dissipated.
Duke Qin Yujing and Deva Jiang Yindong exchanged glances, both seeing the sorrow in each other’s eyes.
"Using the Will of All Living Beings to replace the Undying Will... In the end, it is not the right way," Qin Yujing said.
"His Majesty achieved the status of a Deva with the Power of Fate. The imprints belonging to all beings are too heavy on him, making it very difficult to fully condense his own Undying Will," Jiang Yindong said with a tinge of desolation in his eyes.
After ascending to the Upper position, Jiang Tianji swiftly achieved the state of a Deva with the Power of Fate and soon reached the pinnacle within the Devas Realm. Then, he was blocked by the Undying Will for decades, nearly half of his life!
Exactly because he had been stuck for too long and the situation of the external world became increasingly complicated and severe, he took a risk and attempted to use the Will of All Living Beings to replace the Undying Will, trying to condense the Saint Body.
Now...
"Duke Qin, Imperial Uncle Jiang, please come inside to talk. Zhou Ji, please ask the Star King to see me," a voice came from within the cultivation tower.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhou Ji responded with a trembling voice.
Qin Yujing and Jiang Yindong exchanged a glance and quickly rushed towards the cultivation tower.
At the top of the high tower, the figure of Jiang Tianji appeared before them.
At this moment, his body was covered with visible bloodstains, resembling a porcelain doll filled with cracks that could completely shatter at any moment.
If it weren’t for the special state he maintained by harnessing the power of the Will of All Living Beings, he would have died the moment he failed to break through to the Saint Realm.
"Your Majesty..."
Sorrow was visible in the eyes of Qin Yujing and Jiang Yindong.
"After my death, I entrust Daqian to Duke Qin, Imperial Uncle, and General Li. I hope you can assist the Star King..." Jiang Tianji said.
"Your Majesty... We will find a way, there must be a way to help you recover," Qin Yujing said.
Jiang Tianji shook his head;
But even such a simple gesture caused his body’s cracks to widen further.
"Among Wang Yizhi, Zhang Hanhai, Long Yuantu, Qianhua Mountain, and Zhao Riyue, Wang Yizhi and Long Yuantu can still be trusted and relied upon. However, Zhang Hanhai is too preoccupied with his own interests, and Qianhua Mountain and Zhao Riyue have been making eyes at the Sanqing Hall. Duke Qin and Imperial Uncle, please keep a close watch on them..." As Jiang Tianji spoke, there was a slight pause in his tone: "At the necessary moment, you may use the hands of others to remove them, to ensure the proper succession of the Star King."
"Others?" Qin Yujing quickly thought of something, "Your Majesty, are you talking about Venerable Xuan Tian?"
"Venerable Xuan Tian..." A flash of pain crossed Jiang Tianji’s eyes, and his emotions stirred, causing the cracks on his body to spread even faster.
"The biggest mistake of my life was to cooperate with Venerable Xuan Tian... I knew full well that he was the Sword Master chosen by the Sky Extreme Sword and that he would inevitably travel the path of chaos, opposite to order, and yet..."
"Your Majesty..." Jiang Yindong exclaimed in shock.
"It’s the Southern King!" Jiang Tianji seemed to realize that his strength was waning, and he hurriedly continued, "Summon the Southern King to come north! Grant him the title of National Guardian General... Only he has the ability to assist the Star King, to sweep away all sorts of evil spirits..."
"The Southern King!?" Qin Yujing and Jiang Yindong exchanged glances.
Jiang Yindong had recently visited Tiannan, but according to Xin Tianqi and others, the Southern King had gone to the Aries Star Palace to receive the Aries Star Lord’s inheritance half a year ago.
And according to their investigations, the process of receiving the Aries Star Lord’s inheritance was extremely dangerous. Up to this day, there had been several Heavenly Monarchs who attempted it, all of whom had failed without exception.
Furthermore, considering the Southern King had been gone for half a year, it’s likely his chances were slim.
"Has something happened to the King of Tian Nan?"
Jiang Tianji quickly realized something, "Who was it? Blood Demon Emperor Luo? Or The Three Pure Ones? Or perhaps Venerable Xuan Tian? Even that Abyss Lord Lin Yuan?"
"It was the Aries Star Lord."
Jiang Yindong said softly, "The King of Tian Nan went to accept the inheritance of the Aries Star Lord ten months ago and has not returned since."
"The inheritance of the Aries Star Lord..."
Jiang Tianji also understood something.
The King of Tian Nan was someone Jiang Tianji deliberately allowed to grow, intended to assist the Star King in combating Qianhua Mountain and Zhao Riyue, or to say, serve as the greatest support in opposing the perpetual Immortal Wu Zhong and Immortal Wunian of The Three Pure Ones. Without his aid, relying solely on the likes of Li Xingdou, Qin Yujing, and Jiang Yindong...
"Crack."
Overcome with emotion, the fissures on Jiang Tianji’s body could no longer be contained.
Feeling his own condition, he sighed.
Looking up towards the far end of the sky, it seemed as if he wanted to take one last look at the splendid rivers and mountains of their vast Qiantian lands.
"Qiantian! Qiantian!"
In the end...
As the cracks spread, his body shattered completely like a porcelain vase struck by a hammer.
"Your Majesty!"
...
Emperor Qian passed away.
The Star King ascended to the throne, reigned as the Star Emperor.
In the same month, Venerable Xuan Tian breached Green State, swiftly seizing Sun State, Green State Province, Cheng Province, and Green State—four densely populated regions with abundant resources.
At the same time, Zhao Riyue and Qianhua Mountain petitioned for Master Wushi to be officially recognized.
They extolled Master Wushi’s hundred years of significant achievements in guarding Qiantian and recounted the ten great crimes of Venerable Xuan Tian, requesting the Star Emperor to call upon the world’s powers to join forces against Venerable Xuan Tian, to avoid a chaos similar to what Emperor Tianji caused a hundred years ago.
Immortal Wunian of The Three Pure Ones and Immortal Wu Zhong immediately responded.
Suddenly, the winds of change began to surge.
After half a month of turmoil, news broke that Gu Jinlai, the King of Tian Nan, had failed to inherit the legacy of the Aries Star Lord and had perished in the Aries Star Palace.
Shortly thereafter, more news came that the Supreme Divine Weapon World Sword appeared in Tian Nan.
It might be because Tiannan lost the mighty presence of Gu Jinlai, who could single-handedly annihilate three Demon Emperors.
Or perhaps it was the appearance of the Supreme Divine Weapon World Sword.
Or maybe it was the lure of Tian Nan’s vast expanse and wealth.
The gaze of many powers of Qiantian converged on Tian Nan.
Countless spies flooded in, among which, The Three Pure Ones were the most prominent.
...
Holy Land.
In the mountains located eighteen thousand li away from Purple Thunder City.
Gu Jinlai, Xuanzhou, and Zhan Tianpeng, a Devas expert in surveying and prospecting, appeared together.
During this time, a Demon King-level fowl, attracted by the scent of humans, came roaring for the kill, but before it came within ten li of the two, it was struck by a flash of lightning and turned into charred cinders, falling to the earth.
"This is the Black Flame Mountain that Black Fire Demon Emperor occupies," said Xuanzhou to Gu Jinlai and Zhan Tianpeng.
Noticing quite a few devils and demons gathering below after hearing the news, he added, "I will go and clear out these devils to avoid disturbing Minister Zhan while detecting the Thunder Magnetic Gold Vein."
Gu Jinlai did not stop him; he had brought along the Martial Saint Xuanzhou to handle such minor matters.
Martial Saints used their own bodies to slay enemies, their endurance far outstripping that of Devas and Saints with Divine Skills.
Of course, against the existence of a Demon Emperor, Martial Saints were clearly no match for Saints.
However, based on observations over time, Gu Jinlai was convinced that the devils and demons had indeed retreated substantially.
Like now, he was already eighteen thousand li away from Liuhuo City, yet he had not encountered a single Demon Emperor along the way.
Even the number of Demon Kings he had encountered was quite rare.
Zhan Tianpeng, upon receiving orders, quickly scoured the mountain range below.
Meanwhile, Gu Jinlai continued to stand in the void, sensing almost every powerful lifeform within hundreds of li through the mysterious trait of the Child of the Stars.
Unless there were those who were exceptionally skilled in concealment, any Demon King entering within hundreds of li would immediately be exposed under his perception.
"To mine in the territory of Black Fire Demon Emperor, the demon emperor is an obstacle we can’t avoid, and to deal with it, we’ll inevitably have to confront Xuan Yang Demon God backed by it," Gu Jinlai thought, directing part of his attention to his spirit world.
Recently, Liuhuo City and Wind and Rain City had been thoroughly purged by him.
Even...
Not just Liuhuo City and Wind and Rain City.
When he realized the yield from Liuhuo City was somewhat unsatisfying, he allowed some people from the city to "flee" to the surrounding cities.
Then, using the pretext of pursuing fugitives from the worst situation in Liuhuo City, he also made rounds in the neighboring cities.
Still, the accumulated quantity of Qingguang was less than four hundred.
Neither the Spirit Mechanism Technique nor the Creator’s Inheritance could be enhanced to Perfection.
"Perhaps, I should have been more assertive at the outset and brought Purple Thunder City under my rule as well," Gu Jinlai pondered.
But then, his Chaotic Star Light Body was not yet perfected, and if he touched the bottom line of the Holy Dynasty, and the Supreme Void Immortal truly emerged, it could end up being a situation where everything was lost.
"So now, we must start with the territories occupied by devils and demons. Many powerful Demon Emperors and Demon Gods certainly keep many Human Clans..."
As Gu Jinlai considered this, he once again looked in the direction where the Xuan Yang Demon God resided.
