Chapter 174 - An Angry Impotent Crowd!
Yun Xiao had barely spent a few days in the Heavenly Realm before he felt the need to quickly familiarize himself with the current situation of the Immortal Empire. His eyes cold, he remarked, "It's not just the former Azure Leaf Immortal Empire that has this kind of culture. The Violet Sky Immortal Empire is even worse. It's practically a puppet for the Demon Continent within the Immortal Empire. Rumor has it that demons can openly hold office there. Moreover, they send ordinary mortals straight to the Demon Continent for demons to feast upon. Ever heard the saying, 'Hell is empty and all the devils are here'? That’s why."
Red Moon's eyes spun in confusion. "I don't get it. Why betray your own kind? What’s the advantage in that?"
"The benefits? They're countless! First off, your descendants can forever enjoy privileges by being bootlickers. Secondly, with the support of demons, the Violet Sky Immortal Empire has always been more prosperous than other Empires. One might even say it's currently the top Immortal Empire in the Divine Continent.
"The former Azure Leaf Immortal Empire also benefited. Apart from these two, the other four Empires refused to bow to the demons. While their people might live more peacefully, their elite clans don't have it so easy."
Back in ancient times, there weren't as many Immortal Empires in the Divine Continent, and the Heavenly Realm was the sole capital. The Sword Realm back then was even vaster than it was now.
But with the sands of time shifting, the Immortal Empires of the Divine Continent went through countless mergers and partitions. The Violet Sky and Azure Leaf Immortal Empires were relatively newer. Especially notable was the Azure Leaf Immortal Empire which was located in the mini-universe, with the Heavenly Realm, as its capital. This was quite an unparalleled advantage. After all, this place was once the primary capital of ancient Immortal Empires!
As for Violet Sky and other Empires, while they might not have a world like the mini-universe, their capitals still sat within the aura-rich havens of the Divine Continent. They were not short of powerful individuals either.
"Especially the Violet Sky Immortal Empire. Though its citizens might be living on the edge, the geniuses emerging from its elite clans are astounding and the powerful are in abundance!"
In the Violet Sky Immortal Empire, whether one was a powerful figure, an official, or just a commoner... it was all predetermined at birth. There were no tales of defying fate here!
"If we could truly unite the powers of the six Immortal Empires and the Divine Dawn Empress, and wage war against the Demon Continent right now, could we win?" Red Moon asked.
Yun Xiao shook his head, "That's no longer a possibility. The enemy has already infiltrated from within, turning many of our people into humanoid demons."
As if on cue, and much to Yun Xiao's expectations, led by You Qingzhi, the geniuses from the Grand Temple, numbering over two hundred thousand, began rallying. Chanting slogans about cleansing the throne, it seemed they were about to stir things up! They all stood before the magnificent Spirit Treasure Palace!
You Qingzhi, his eyes aflame with righteous fury, pointed dramatically at the towering edifice and roared, "Zhao Xuanjian of the Spirit Treasure Palace, in cahoots with those treacherous ministers, sells wares at exorbitant prices! He profits off the people, robbing our Immortal Empire of its riches and stripping the denizens of the Heavenly Realm! How can such a lowly man amass wealth openly in our Empire? Where is our honor, if we don't stop him?"
His words ignited the passions of the two hundred thousand behind him, a sea of anger!
"Exactly! The Spirit Treasure Palace's prices are highway robbery!"
"Their quality's abysmal too! Nowhere near as good as the wares from the Violet Sky Immortal Empire!"
"Profiteer! Sucking the lifeblood from the people!"
"Take him down!"
"Raid the place! Whatever you grab is yours!"
"Smash it all!!"
In an instant, two hundred thousand zealous cultivators charged towards the Spirit Treasure Palace.
Inside, the palace's guests were paralyzed with shock.
"Halt! If you dare breach the Spirit Treasure Palace, don't blame us for being inhospitable!" Thousands of the palace's guards rallied at the entrance, looking out at the horde of two hundred thousand with ambitions wilder than wolves, their hearts quaking.
Everywhere they looked, they saw the scions of the Immortal Empire's elite. The very folks who, under normal circumstances, wouldn't be caught dead doing anything remotely rowdy. Most of them were, in fact, VIP patrons of the Spirit Treasure Palace, big spenders who didn't blink at dropping vast sums. And now they were complaining about prices?
As the massive crowd bore down, the guards could only brandish their magic treasures, readying for a fight.
However, seeing the treasures brought out, the eyes of the Immortal Empire's elite young ones sparkled even brighter, glinting with avarice!
"We are the future of the Immortal Empire!" one youth shouted, fire in his eyes. "You sycophantic lackeys might as well massacre us all, make it easier to plunge our nation into chaos!"
"Kill me! Come on, do it! Kill me!" another cried.
Their faces were all full of fierce passion, their words dripping with fervor. But something was off—it was as if every shout and protest had been choreographed in advance.
The guards of the Spirit Treasure Palace stared, slack-jawed.
They didn't dare make a move. Even if they took down one, the opposition would seize the opportunity, and the narrative would spiral out of control.
Fortunately, Zhao Xuanjian appeared at the palace entrance. His gaze was icy, unreadable as he assessed the agitated crowd. "Activate the Great Spirit Treasure Barrier!" he ordered in a calm voice.
"Yes!" A group of middle-aged men scrambled. Soon, a shimmering golden shield enveloped the palace, protecting it from the outside world.
Boom after boom echoed as two hundred thousand cultivators unleashed their magic and hurled their magic treasures at the barrier. The guests inside the palace paled at the onslaught.
"Dammit! A bunch of rowdy brats!" Zhao Xuanjian cursed under his breath. He turned back to the palace interior, a forced smile on his face. "Ladies and gentlemen, nothing to worry about. Please continue with your delightful shopping."
The guests exchanged bemused glances. Outside, the world seemed to be coming apart at the seams.
"They're just clowns, hiding behind their titles, causing trouble wherever they go," Zhao Xuanjian remarked to a young man with striking violet eyes by his side. "Let these whelps howl in anger for a bit. When their celestial forebears are punished by the Empress, it's only natural for the pups to bark."
"It turns my stomach," Stray Dog grumbled through gritted teeth. "Those very same folks had the audacity to send me an invitation to the newcomers' welcome party for the War of Immortals. Thankfully, I declined. That welcome party was just a stage for those from the higher realms to flaunt their superiority over us cultivators from the lower realms."
"Don't fret," Zhao Xuanjian said gravely. "The War of Immortals is imminent, and these lapdogs are destined to fight for the demons. Luckily, your generation from the ninety-nine lower realms has its fair share of prodigies. The Nine Heavens Immortal Army, the Chen Clan, and the Sword Cultivators have also scouted promising young talents. Coupled with prodigious righteous warriors from the other four Immortal Empires and Chen Xi at the helm, your combat strength won't be outshone by theirs or the demons. It will fall to your lot to hold the line for the mortal realm."
"Huh? I heard the Supreme Marshal said the entire Chen Clan would abstain from the War of Immortals," Stray Dog remarked, perplexed.
Zhao Xuanjian chuckled. "You trust his words as if they were gospel? The core descendants of the Chen Clan mostly hone their skills in the Nine Heavens Immortal Army, rarely returning to the Heavenly Realm. They're simply too lazy to get on the Dragon Ranking. Trust me, when push comes to shove, they're a tenacious lot, much fiercer than these paper tigers."
"Speaking of which, Old Zhao, your son can be a bit... delicate, don't you think?" Stray Dog teased.
Zhao Xuanjian nearly choked, "Watch it..."
"They're leaving!" Stray Dog noted, peering outside.
"They just couldn't stomach my Spirit Treasure Palace," Zhao Xuanjian sighed. "However, they might now vent on other shops and inns, hoping to goad the Nine Heavens Immortal Army into taking lethal action against them."
"Well, they'd best choose their targets wisely or they might end up trashing their own properties, which would be quite the comedic blunder," Stray Dog said with a smirk.
"Although about eighty percent of the businesses in the Heavenly Realm belong to their families and sell products even pricier than mine, they're sharp enough not to make that mistake," Zhao Xuanjian said with an icy smile. "Let them cause some economic losses. Consider it throwing a bone to the dogs. The real showdown during the War of Immortals will be the key."
"When that time comes, if they try their old tricks, they'll meet a grisly end," Stray Dog vowed darkly.
Zhao Xuanjian earnestly added, "Without Ye Xingchen and Ye Shengyin, they're practically halved in strength. Even You Qingzhi, the son of the Prime Minister, is about on par with you. Yet, there are a few formidable prodigies in the Violet Sky Immortal Empire you should keep an eye on. Not to mention, there's a slew of Saint Realm Demon Princes and Princesses in the Demon Continent, who are far more formidable than young demons like Kong Ming. If you cross paths with them, best leg it."
After all, as the old saying goes, "A lack of patience can spoil great plans."
The Nine Heavens Immortal Army had their orders and paid no mind to the so-called future talents of the Immortal Empires.
Many shops and inns, having heard the rumors, wisely shut their doors early and secured their wares. A smashed storefront was one thing, but intact goods meant the loss wasn't too severe.
"These ruffians aren’t making as big a splash as they think," an observer mused. "These noble kids just don't have the people's hearts in the Heavenly Realm. The cultivators here aren’t dimwits. They see right through their charades."
After all, had the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm not been wildly fervent for the Divine Dawn Empress in broad daylight? Who could rally them with such hollow chants?
This very reason bolstered Yun Xiao's belief: the essence of humanity still thrived. There was hope.
And so, a day of mindless smashing and violence ensued. Yet, because of the limited scale of these rioters, it all fizzled out as dusk approached.
The calls for purifying the throne were just noise. Turning such words into action, given the current public sentiment, seemed unlikely. They had hoped to rally millions of cultivators and march on the imperial palace. But in the end? A motley crew was all they could muster.
"At the heart of it all, when the Divine Dawn Empress executed the Eternal Joy Demon Emperor in broad daylight, her fame skyrocketed. She rallied an entire faction's angry souls, effortlessly dissolving the sinister schemes of those malevolent spirits," someone remarked.
The clamor for purifying the throne indicated their plans had been long in the making. But the Divine Dawn Empress had acted first, effectively blocking their path.
"So, in a way, I'm responsible for drawing all this animosity?" Yun Xiao said with a sly grin. Deep down, he felt reassured. All of today's events signaled that they, indeed, had the people's hearts. The masses were keen-eyed. They could distinguish friend from foe, human from dog. And with this clarity, a fight to the end held true meaning.
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Upon returning to his residence at the Chen Heavenly Mansion, Yun Xiao leaned against the mansion's wall, extending a hand outside.
From beyond the wall, a delicate, snow-white hand met his—a silent intertwining of fingers. Ahem! That hand belonged to Moon Fairy.
"This Seed of Creation grants a gift called Chalk Flesh Armor. Sounds a tad nauseating, I know, but it significantly strengthens hair and feathers. My Sword Soul couldn't penetrate the Peacock Prince's body, largely because of this particular seed," he shared.
"Once the body double receives this gift from the Seed of Creation, its physical defenses will multiply several times over!"
With a wall between them, Yun Xiao grasped his own outstretched hand and transferred the Seed of Creation. Done!
"Gosh, there's a lot here," Yun Xiao remarked, tossing several items outwards.
On the other side, Moon Fairy picked them up, delight evident in his movements. "With all these treasures, my body double will have a significant boost before joining the War of Immortals. I can infiltrate the enemy lines and cause quite the ruckus."
With that thought, Yun Xiao turned towards the Dawn Pavilion. "Tomorrow marks the commencement ceremony. 108 Demon Saints, various Demon Emperors, the Emperors of the five other Immortal Empires, and thousands of warriors will gather, making their grand appearance. I should use this time to strengthen myself further."
Just as he took a few steps, a fragrant breeze wafted his way. Looking up, Yun Xiao was met with a sprightly young girl in a white skirt, her captivating eyes sizing him up. In a playful tone, she asked, "Heard someone had a private audience with the Empress today?"
"Yes, and?" Yun Xiao responded, a slight smirk on his lips.
"Who's prettier? The Empress or me?" Chen Xi asked, biting her red lips.
"She's spicier than you," he teased.
"???"
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