Chapter 486 - 434: Transforming into a Dragon Upon Encountering Water (Part 2)

Chapter 486: Chapter 434: Transforming into a Dragon Upon Encountering Water (Part 2)

The Great Witch of the Southern Border was consumed by rage.

Li Chengyuan’s immense power had been built upon the lives of the Witch Race. No wonder he had been so frenzied in the Southern Border.

"Kill him!"

The Great Witch of the Southern Border unleashed his powerful Witchcraft to its fullest extent.

The four Grandmasters attacked in unison, yet Li Chengyuan actually managed to withstand their combined assault!

Though he was clearly on the losing end, it seemed nearly impossible for the four of them to land a killing blow.

’The Demon God Blood Technique is truly formidable!’

The longer they fought, the more alarmed they became. A flicker of greed also ignited in their hearts.

’Even if we don’t practice this vile art ourselves, it would be perfect for raising the sect’s Death Warriors. Their power would surely be unparalleled.’

The battle grew increasingly brutal.

One after another, the Imperial Palace’s halls were reduced to ash by the shockwaves of the five-way battle.

"I am ordained by Heaven! Who can possibly kill me!"

With a furious roar, Li Chengyuan shot straight up into the heavens.

Seeing this, Song An and the other three pursued him into the sky. Now that they had chosen to make a move, it was destined to be a battle to the death.

Baokong looked in the direction Li Chengyuan had flown. "He’s going to the Imperial Mausoleum to retrieve a Nine Heavens Profound Soldier! Stop him!"

At these words, the four Grandmasters’ assault immediately grew more ferocious.

After withstanding countless devastating attacks, Li Chengyuan finally caught sight of the Imperial Mausoleum’s edge.

But at that very moment—

A colossal sword of light and shadow, fully one hundred zhang tall, suddenly materialized above the Imperial Mausoleum.

It was the Nine Heavens Profound Soldier of the Li Royal Race—the Azure Dragon Sword!

Li Chengyuan’s eyes turned blood-red. He gritted his teeth and snarled, "You old bastard!"

The next second, the Azure Dragon Sword thundered down, striking Li Chengyuan directly.

Swept up by the terrifying blow, Li Chengyuan’s body traced a parabola through the air before plummeting toward the ground.

The East Sea Dragon Lord let out a wild laugh. "The Emperor Xuanyang, struck down by his own clan’s Profound Soldier. How amusing. Truly, amusing."

But its laughter quickly died.

Li Chengyuan suddenly dissolved into a cloud of blood mist and vanished.

The sudden turn of events caught the four Grandmasters completely off guard.

Song An’s brow furrowed. "That’s Blood Escape, a technique from the blood arts!"

They exchanged a glance. They had joined forces to execute him, even using a Nine Heavens Profound Soldier, yet Li Chengyuan had still managed to escape.

Baokong chanted another mantra. "After using Blood Escape, his Qi and Blood will be completely depleted. I fear he won’t even be able to maintain his Mingxin Grandmaster realm. He is no longer a threat. My three patrons, this old monk shall return to Xuankong Temple."

With that, Elder Monk Baokong truly did drift away.

Seeing this, the remaining three also departed, soaring into the heavens one after another.

...

"Emperor Li Chengyuan, lacking in virtue, has voluntarily abdicated the throne. He passes it to Li Wei, the new Emperor. A general amnesty is granted throughout the land."

News of the emperor’s abdication quickly spread throughout Xuan Yang.

The ascension of the Third Prince, Li Wei, as the new emperor was particularly thought-provoking.

The announcement immediately stirred discontent among the other princes. Some even marched troops into the Capital City under the pretext of "cleansing the sovereign’s side," plunging the situation into even greater chaos.

’Voluntarily abdicated?’

Bai Yuan remained noncommittal.

The Capital City was now under a complete blockade by the Third Prince, who led the forces of Xuankong Temple. No information could get out, so he had no idea what had actually transpired in the Imperial City that day.

But from what he knew of Li Chengyuan, ’voluntarily’ was out of the question.

He just wondered how many powerful experts Xuankong Temple had deployed.

Li Chengyuan’s sudden exit had only added fuel to the fire. All of his sons had, as if by prior agreement, allied themselves with major sects and powerful clans, now fighting desperately to seize the throne.

This was the consequence of an illegitimate succession.

If the Third Prince, Li Wei, could collude with Xuankong Temple to force Li Chengyuan’s abdication, then the other princes could do the same.

And they would do so with even fewer qualms.

Fortunately, the external threats from the Southern Border, the East Sea, Ximo, and the Northern Plains had all temporarily withdrawn. Otherwise, the chaos would be even more spectacular.

Bai Yuan chuckled, turning his head to look at Li Huan.

"Brother Li, you’re actually qualified to sit on that throne yourself."

"..."

The usually cheerful Li Huan, for once, didn’t reply.

Although he was only a Crown Prince of a fiefdom, if one were to strictly follow the old ancestral laws, he truly did have the right to contend for the empire.

Aside from the Seventh Prince, Li Tai, the birthright of some of the other princes wasn’t necessarily superior to his own. He’d also heard that his own elder brother had been making many moves lately, clearly harboring ambitions for the throne as well.

"I... don’t know."

Li Huan finally gave a bitter smile.

Who wouldn’t want to fight for the Dragon Throne in the Imperial Palace? But he was self-aware enough to know that with his status and power, it was an impossible dream.

Bai Yuan: "Perhaps... I can help you."

Hearing this, Li Huan stared at Bai Yuan in disbelief.

"Ah Yuan, you..."

Bai Yuan chuckled. "It’s just a possibility for now. The situation is unclear, and our forces are insufficient. But if the opportunity truly arises, would you be willing to take the throne?"

Shock flickered in Li Huan’s eyes, followed by conflict, which finally settled into firm resolve.

"I am willing to try."

"Good."

Bai Yuan nodded.

’If the princes named Li can vie for the throne, then a Crown Prince named Li can do the same.’

’Of course, this didn’t mean raising an army and rebelling immediately.’

’With my current strength, I’m not yet in the same league as the major sects contending for the Central Plains. Although Yue Xiaobai once said that both the Dragon Tiger Sect and the Xiyue Sect had placed secret bets on me, that was merely a vote of confidence in my future on the Martial Dao. They simply believed I had a sliver of a chance of becoming a Martial Saint.’

’But only a sliver of a chance.’

’If I were to raise an army in the Northern Territory now, the Dragon Tiger Sect and Xiyue Sect would certainly not intervene.’

’Only after I break through to the Tong Shen realm will I have the power to vie for supremacy.’

’But life is unpredictable. That day might actually come, so I need to start paving the road now.’

’Given my status and reputation, I’ll eventually be forced to pick a side anyway. Rather than pledge allegiance to someone else, it’d be far more satisfying to establish our own faction under the banner of Crown Prince Li Huan.’

’In a chaotic era, one must abide by the rules of chaos.’

...

As Bai Yuan had anticipated, though he had no immediate plans to vie for supremacy, others didn’t see it that way.

Especially the ambitious princes.

Of the vast lands of the Northern Territory, half were now controlled by the Celestial Profound Sect, and the other half were in Bai Yuan’s hands.

Ever since the Third Prince ascended the throne, the Celestial Profound Sect—once branded as rebels—had transformed overnight into loyalists propping up the state. Public opinion of them shifted dramatically.

Dong Wanjun’s Northern Garrison Army, seeing no further reason to fight, had withdrawn to the Great Wall. They no longer involved themselves in the affairs of Xuan Yang, focusing solely on resisting the Demon Race from the Northern Plains.

Many officials shared this sentiment.

A considerable number resigned from their posts to retire to their homes.

Some of the great clans and major sects had stood for ten thousand years; scenes like this were nothing new to them. There was an old saying: emperors flow like water, but sects are forged of iron. Unless they were a major sect like Xuankong Temple, with the power to topple an emperor, most chose to wait and see.

The Eldest Prince, Li Kang, had set his sights on the Northern Territory.

Nearly every prince now vying for the throne had a major sect or a great clan backing them. Standing behind the Eldest Prince, Li Kang, was the great Daoist sect, the Quanqing Sect.

The Daoist Sects were divided into southern and northern branches; the southern branch was the Dragon Tiger Sect, and the northern branch was the Quanqing Sect.

Aside from the Celestial Profound Sect, which originated in the Northern Lands, the Quanqing Sect was the northernmost of all the major sects.

Half of the Northern Territory now belonged to the Celestial Profound Sect—and by extension, the Third Prince.

Thus, the Eldest Prince, Li Kang, naturally cast his gaze upon the other half.

Once he controlled half the Northern Territory, he would be in a geographically perfect position, able to attack or defend at will. At worst, he could simply secede and declare himself emperor of his own domain.

「The war in the Central Plains raged on.」

The Eldest Prince’s envoy arrived in Ling Province, at Huanglong Prefecture.

A clear-featured young scholar stood in the main hall, bowing slowly to Bai Yuan.

"Lord Bai, it has been a long time."

A flicker of surprise crossed Bai Yuan’s eyes. "Lord Situ."

The scholar before him was none other than Situ Nan, the Grand Scholar who had been ranked alongside him on the Hidden Dragon list all those years ago.

Ever since Emperor Li Chengyuan was forced to abdicate and the princes began their struggle for the empire, Situ Nan had decisively thrown his lot in with the Eldest Prince, Li Kang, causing quite a stir at the time.

The prestige of the Hidden Dragon list was gradually becoming clear; all four individuals who had been on it were now Mingxin Grandmasters without exception.

Situ Nan held a very high position within the Eldest Prince’s faction.

That Li Kang had sent Situ Nan to persuade him was a testament to his sincerity.

Situ Nan spoke slowly. "Allow me to ask, Lord Bai... does Shuofang bear the surname Li, or does it bear the surname Bai?"