Chapter 196: Blood Grievance! Your Grace, Spare Me!
The Imperial Study was filled with dragon-shaped golden energy, effortlessly blocking Ye Gucheng's Heavenly Flying Immortal strike.
It was a statement so shocking it would shake the world.
Everyone knew that while Heavenly Flying Immortal might not be the most lethal sword technique, it was undoubtedly the hardest to defend against.
Until now, no martial art had ever been able to defend against it completely.
Having missed his mark, Ye Gucheng's figure appeared inside the Imperial Study.
"I didn't expect it to be you…"
The emperor's face was filled with surprise. He couldn't fathom what reason Ye Gucheng could possibly have for trying to assassinate him.
"So the legend about dragon qi is true. The emperor of the Great Ming truly is protected by the fortune of the nation!"
Despite the failed assassination, Ye Gucheng remained calm, even curious. "So it's also true that the emperor can cultivate using dragon qi?"
The emperor replied coldly, "What does it matter if it's true or not? Either way, you won't leave the palace alive. The Imperial Guards will be here soon."
Ye Gucheng chuckled. "Your Majesty, I'm also quite curious—where are your Imperial Guards? How did we manage to get this far with such ease?"
The emperor frowned slightly. "We?"
Ye Gucheng said calmly, "Knowing about dragon qi, of course I came prepared."
Two figures slowly emerged from behind him. The emperor instantly recognized the first—it was Chief Steward Wang. But the second person left him utterly stunned.
It was a man who looked exactly like the emperor himself!
"Who are you?!"
"I am Your Majesty, of course."
"Nonsense!"
The emperor was livid. These traitors had clearly planned this long ago—even finding someone to impersonate him. The meticulousness of the plot was proof this wasn't something devised overnight.
"Haha, just playing a little joke on Your Majesty. Please don't be angry."
"I am the heir of the Prince of Pingnan. Do you remember me now?"
The man, identical to the emperor in every way, stood before him, speaking in his exact tone. It was deeply unsettling.
"Prince of Pingnan?!"
The emperor had nearly forgotten that title, let alone remembered any heir to it.
"I knew Your Majesty wouldn't recall. Back then, the late emperor granted my father a fief in the south. But calling it a fief is generous—it was a death trap."
"From the time I could remember, I never had a single day of peace. The lands around us were plagued by demons and monsters. Forget the common folk—even the Pingnan Palace was constantly on the brink of collapse."
"It was then I understood: our family was nothing more than a watchdog for your empire. We all bear the surname Zhu, so why do some live in peace while others must keep their heads tied to their belts every day?"
"Your Majesty—I refuse to accept this!"
The prince's heir's face was twisted with madness, his eyes gradually turning blood-red.
"Your fate was ill—who can you blame? My throne was earned through the blood and sweat of my ancestors. If yours were useless, don't come here whining like some pitiful woman. If you want the throne, then take it yourself."
"Looking at you now—you don't have a shred of imperial bearing. Even if you sat on the throne, you'd be nothing more than a monkey in a crown."
The emperor stared at the heir with cold indifference.
Both Ye Gucheng and Steward Wang exchanged glances, their expressions shifting as they looked at the emperor anew.
"All these years serving Your Majesty, today is the first time I see your true face. Compared to your usual meek and cautious self in court, this version is far more pleasing."
Steward Wang narrowed his eyes and smiled. "No offense, but you and the Virtuous Prince really are brothers—your ability to feign ignorance is identical."
The Imperial Study erupted with dragon roars, golden dragon qi swirling in the air.
But when Steward Wang mentioned Chu Yang, the emperor's expression finally darkened. He said coldly, "You know quite a bit…"
"After so many years as a eunuch, even if I lose favor, I still have obedient godsons under me. The Eastern and Western Bureaus you rely on aren't exactly solid iron."
Steward Wang boasted with confidence, "Though Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian are gifted in martial arts, in other respects, they still fall short of me."
The emperor sneered, "All of you are worthless."
Being insulted along with two high-ranking eunuchs, Steward Wang wasn't the least bit upset. He even swayed slightly as he smiled. "Please, continue, Your Majesty. We have all the time in the world. The nearby Imperial Guards are long dead, and the rest you reassigned yourself. Right now, even with wings, you can't escape."
The emperor's expression turned grim. He mentally calculated how long it would take Li Chengliang, Cao Zhengchun, and the others to kill Chu Yang. Once the Imperial Guards returned, he'd have all these traitors torn limb from limb.
Ye Gucheng suddenly said, "End this quickly. The longer we delay, the more likely the guards return."
The prince's heir nodded. "Brother Ye is right. It's time to bring it out."
Seeing how confident they were, the emperor grew slightly panicked. Clearly, they weren't bluffing.
The prince's heir carefully pulled out a box from his robes.
Even though it wasn't opened yet, red-black miasma seeped out from the edges. A terrifying aura rushed forward.
The thick stench of blood made the emperor dizzy and nauseous.
"What is that?"
"A treasure that can break your body's dragon qi."
The emperor's expression changed drastically.
The prince's heir pulled out a blood-red crystal orb. At its core swirled a persistent black mist—the very essence of misfortune.
He gently caressed the orb as though it were a lover, even his gaze softened, sending chills down the emperor's spine.
"Do you know what we sacrificed to make this?"
"There is no one left alive in the Pingnan Palace!"
"Every village, every town surrounding our fief—all the commoners are dead!"
"My royal father and consort are inside this orb. Their final words—were that I must become emperor…"
Listening to this calm narration, cold sweat soaked the emperor's back. His scalp tingled as he screamed, "Monsters! Are you even human?!"
They'd sacrificed so many innocent lives for this?
The heir burst out laughing, tears streaming down his face. "Of course we're human, Your Majesty. We've simply been forced to live like something else. If even we are like this, what do you think life is like for the rest of the empire's people?"
"Rather than let them drag out a miserable existence, I used their lives to fulfill my destiny. I promise to be a good emperor!"
Ye Gucheng added, "Your Majesty, the dragon vein is tied to national fate, and national fate to the people. The rise and fall of a nation is rooted in its people."
"Emperor Taizong once said—Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it."
"There's only one thing in the world that can break dragon qi—the people's grievance against you, against the Great Ming. This Blood Grievance Orb contains the blood and hatred of hundreds of thousands. Your dragon qi can't withstand it."
"What are you trying to do?" At last, fear crept into the emperor's voice. He now realized Ye Gucheng's words might be true.
"Regicide, of course." Ye Gucheng shook his head and looked at the emperor with disappointment. "We ask Your Majesty to hand over the realm to us."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Blood Grievance Orb in the prince heir's hand burst into blinding red light, overwhelming the golden glow of the study.
From the crimson light, countless blood phantoms surged forth, shrieking with hatred as they lunged at the emperor.
…
"Over ten thousand guards are dead already—how is he not exhausted yet?"
"Even if he really is a Grandmaster, by now he should've worn out, right?"
"So when exactly are we going to act?"
Cao Zhengchun stared at the mountain of corpses beneath Chu Yang's feet, chills running through his spine. He had never seen anyone kill so cleanly, so efficiently.
"Wait a bit longer. Unless he shows signs of fatigue, we must not make a move."
Yu Huatian licked his dry lips, body trembling slightly. He didn't even know what to feel anymore—was it excitement, or was it fear?
Chu Yang was too powerful. So strong he shattered Yu Huatian's understanding of martial prowess. If he'd faced Chu Yang himself, he would've been chopped into paste long ago.
"A Grandmaster and a Daoist Heavenly Lord… He wields the strengths of both schools and still fights with such dominance. After this battle, I need to study both Buddhism and Daoism myself."
So Yu Huatian thought silently.
On a high platform, someone watched the battle unfold with a face full of pain.
It was Li Chengliang, who had traveled from Liaodong to the capital to become the commander of the Imperial Guards.
The reason he looked so distressed was that—until now—every single person Chu Yang had killed was one of his personal troops from Liaodong.
The drill ground was far too small to hold all 800,000 guards. Most were waiting outside the palace. The first wave of troops, now lying in heaps, were all his.
It wasn't because he was greedy for merit—but because he wanted to make a clean sweep, earn a stunning victory, and secure his position through imperial favor.
Instead, his elite men had suffered catastrophic losses. Chu Yang seemed to have a bottomless vortex around him, sucking away the lives of the guards.
If they couldn't take Chu Yang down, he wouldn't just lose his men—he might lose his head too.
More time passed. Li Chengliang could no longer sit still. Fuming, he stormed over to Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian.
"If you two don't step in soon and this traitor breaks our formation, everything will be ruined!"
Yu Huatian shot him a cold glance and ignored him, infuriating Li Chengliang even more.
Fortunately, Cao Zhengchun was shrewd and experienced. He calmed Li Chengliang with soft words.
"I understand your concern, General. But to achieve great things, we must make sacrifices. Gains come only when we are willing to let go. What say you?"
"You're right. I've walked on thin ice my whole life—perhaps I've become too cautious. Please forgive me."
Li Chengliang sighed, turning his back on the blood-soaked battlefield.
Cao Zhengchun gave him an approving look, then turned back toward the fight, rubbing his knuckles under his robe.
As one of the few people who had seen Divine Marquis Zhuge fight, he was more nervous than anyone—but he dared not speak, afraid it might unsettle morale.
Compared to Zhuge…
The composure Chu Yang showed under the wave of guards was something even Zhuge never displayed.
He made it look too easy!
The guards weren't even pressuring him!
"He's holding back!"
"He doesn't want to kill them!"
Cao Zhengchun was growing more alarmed by the moment. He was certain—if Zhuge were in Chu Yang's shoes, he would never have had the leeway to hold back. Trying would've meant death.
And he was right. Chu Yang really didn't want to kill these soldiers—but he couldn't hold back too much either.
Military formations had their own unique strength.
Each soldier emitted a kind of aura—linked to one another. This "momentum" worked like a buff, clearly enhancing their capabilities.
The stronger and more coordinated the soldiers, the more powerful the momentum—so strong it could even resist spells.
As the commander charging into the formation, Chu Yang bore the brunt of this force. Ironically, it meant he had to prioritize killing the officers—centurions, captains, and the like.
Moreover, these formations were highly effective at containing enemies. Even Chu Yang, not fighting seriously, still felt somewhat constrained. A regular master caught in this net would have no chance of escaping.
These formations were humanity's key advantage in their war against the demons. Due to their nature, demons couldn't follow orders like humans—and thus couldn't fully utilize such formations.
Eventually, Li Chengliang could take it no longer. Eyes bloodshot, he shouted at Cao Zhengchun, "If you don't act now, I'll order my troops to withdraw! If this goes south, we'll all take the fall together!"
Cao Zhengchun sighed, then turned to Yu Huatian. The latter gave a silent nod.
Together, the two leapt into the battlefield.
Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang, the two Chief Overseers of the Eastern and Western Bureau, followed closely behind, and trailing them was a group of eunuchs clad in crimson robes.
They surrounded Chu Yang, forming an encirclement.
"Time to wrap this up."
After surveying the battlefield for a moment, Chu Yang came to a realization and decided to go all out to bring an end to this farce.
Just as he was about to reveal his True Origin Martial Form, a fierce wind suddenly howled above his head, accompanied by the sound of surging waves crashing.
"Surging Wave Palm!"
Guo Bujing descended from the sky, launching both palms forward.
"Vajra Body Protection!"
Cao Zhengchun activated his Heavenly Gang Child Technique, enveloping himself in protective qi to directly withstand Guo Bujing's strike.
"Hmph!"
Yu Huatian responded by drawing his sword. Sword qi as cold as frost collided with Guo Bujing's palm force, and both energies dissolved into nothingness!
The clash of true qi between the three grandmaster-level experts unleashed a massive shockwave, sending scores of imperial guards flying.
Guo Bujing landed beside Chu Yang, his aura steady and unshakable like Mount Tai.
"What formidable palm strength. In terms of palm techniques alone, Guo Bujing might truly be unmatched under heaven."
Cao Zhengchun's arms were numb and his face grim. Dealing with one Virtuous Prince was already difficult enough, and now Guo Bujing had shown up too!
Even worse—he still hadn't seen the prince fight seriously.
What now?
A bold thought suddenly flashed through Cao Zhengchun's mind.
"The Surging Wave Palm certainly lives up to its name."
Yu Huatian looked down at the nick in his sword tip and couldn't help feeling a pang of regret. Though not a divine weapon, his treasured sword was far from ordinary iron. He had paid a considerable price to obtain it.
Yet Guo Bujing had chipped it with a single palm strike.
"The martial prowess of the two Lords Eunuch is likewise advancing without end."
Guo Bujing wasn't unscathed either—Yu Huatian's sword qi and Cao Zhengchun's protective force had ravaged his arms, and merely suppressing the residual energies had already consumed a significant amount of his true essence.
Eunuch techniques were often sinister and treacherous, like parasitic thorns clinging to the bone. In battle, they could infiltrate an opponent's body without notice, slowly tormenting them from within.
"Lord Guo, how's the moonlight tonight?"
"Not bad. This trip wasn't in vain. The only problem is, it's hard to find a good place to enjoy the view."
Chu Yang reached out and gave him a slap on the back. A surge of vast spiritual energy surged through, instantly washing away the remnants of those sinister forces.
Guo Bujing let out a long breath and smiled. "Much obliged, Your Highness."
Chu Yang shook his head. "Enough with the talking—sounds too sentimental. The battle formation's a bit of a nuisance. You hold back the imperial guards for me. I'll take care of those eunuchs. That way, more of our people might survive."
Guo Bujing solemnly replied, "Your Highness, leave it to me."
With Guo Bujing holding the line, the imperial guard formation could no longer contain Chu Yang. His figure vanished like a ghost, and when he reappeared, he was already standing before Cao Zhengchun.
He formed a sword with his fingers and struck directly at his opponent's vital point.
But then came a shocking turn of events.
Cao Zhengchun dropped to his knees without hesitation.
"Spare me, Your Highness!"