Chapter 144: Chapter 140: The Wu Kingdom’s Throne: Others Can Take It, But the Du Family Can’t?
The voices from the conversation below carried up clearly.
Gradually, as more details came together, the entire situation became clear.
Du Youqian couldn’t help but marvel.
Du Yuhuan was truly daring.
Over the years, she had not only gathered three Innate Grandmasters from within the Wu Kingdom, but also over a dozen masters nearing the Innate Realm.
She had even roped in five Grandmasters from other kingdoms.
As for how she managed it... that was actually Du Youqian’s fault.
And Liao Minmin’s fault, too, in a way.
Back then, Du Youqian had left Liao Minmin some Magical Artifacts, Talismans, and Elixirs...
But Liao Minmin was more interested in having and raising children, planning to single-handedly revitalize two families.
As for Cultivation, she probably wasn’t too keen on it after discovering she didn’t have much talent.
Even the Dharma Robe Du Youqian had given her was packed away at the bottom of a chest, never seeing the light of day.
This played right into Du Yuhuan’s hands. Through a mix of trickery, deceit, and outright theft, she managed to get a few items.
She used these Immortal Treasures to put on a mysterious act in front of those Innate Grandmasters and Postnatal Masters, creating the illusion that she had an Immortal Master backing her.
Du Youqian knew nothing about this, yet she had brazenly used his name to her advantage!
So, what was Du Yuhuan’s goal in gathering so many Innate Grandmasters and Postnatal Masters?
An Innate Grandmaster with a deep, powerful voice was heard asking, "Hall Master, we have followed you for so many years. You always spoke of a grand undertaking, but there has been no movement. On behalf of the brothers, I have to ask: Do you even have a plan? When exactly will we make our move?"
Du Yuhuan pondered for a moment, then gave a heroic smile. "Years ago, when the Wu Kingdom was invaded by the Qi Kingdom, the Capital City fell, and the Sovereign fled south. The land was shattered, the nation on the brink of collapse. It was my ancestor, Duke You De, who raised his arm and rallied the Rebel Army of the realm for a northern expedition. After ten decisive campaigns, he finally drove out the enemy and reclaimed the land."
"I recall when the northern expeditionary force was still small and weak, and the soldiers’ morale was low, my ancestor composed a poem: ’When autumn comes on the eighth day of the ninth month, my flower will bloom and a hundred others die. My heaven-storming fragrance will pierce the Wu Capital, and the entire city shall be clad in golden armor.’"
"He then led the Rebel Army to face an enemy ten times their size and annihilated them in a single battle. From that day forward, the army’s morale soared. After a total of one hundred and seventy-four battles, large and small, they finally drove the people of Qi north of Woniushan."
Du Yuhuan looked at the crowd, only to see that most of them had blank expressions, as if they were listening to a foreign language.
She sighed inwardly.
’Without my ancestor, the Wu Kingdom wouldn’t even exist today.’
’But the world has long since forgotten him.’
’It’s been barely two hundred years since his passing...’
She composed herself and continued in a rhythmic, stirring voice, "The time to act will be next autumn, on the eighth day of the ninth month. When we succeed and the Du family ascends the throne, I shall not forget your contributions. Those who desire wealth and glory will be rewarded with titles of dukes and marquises based on their merits. Those who aspire to the Immortal Dao may receive my family’s ancestral Immortal Dao Inheritance."
Hearing her promise of titles and rewards, the flames of excitement were rekindled in the eyes of the crowd.
Next, Du Yuhuan methodically assigned tasks: certain people were to go to the Wu Kingdom Capital City to assassinate the Emperor and the Princes, while others were to assassinate several key ministers of state.
Another was tasked with providing a layout of the Imperial Palace.
Another would assassinate the governor of a certain province, another would kill the supreme commander of a certain military camp, and yet another would take over command...
Listening from his Flying Boat, Du Youqian had initially thought it was all a farce. But the more he heard, the more he realized that while Du Yuhuan had no chance of success due to the existence of the Shengxuan Sect—the very first step of assassinating the Emperor was impossible—
—even if she failed, she could still throw the world into chaos and incite countless warlords to rise up.
"Sigh..."
A faint sigh, though not loud, echoed throughout the entire area.
Every single person felt as if the sigh had whispered right beside their ear.
"Who is it?" Everyone was startled, looking around nervously.
Du Youqian materialized, treading on empty air as he slowly descended.
He wore the face of Qiu Yuanqing, his expression complex as he stared at Du Yuhuan.
"Ancestor!" Du Yuhuan gave a sorrowful smile. Her eyes held the despair and grief of years of planning coming to naught, yet she was powerless. Her body went limp, and she knelt on the ground.
The Innate Grandmasters rubbed their eyes, thinking they were still dreaming.
"You... Who are you! Stop this mystical charade!" a bold Postnatal Master shouted, his voice fierce but his heart trembling.
Du Youqian glanced at him calmly. The man suddenly began clawing at his own neck, his face flushing crimson as if an invisible hand was choking him, cutting off his breath.
A few breaths later, with a muffled BANG, the man exploded from the inside out into a cloud of blood mist.
There were no chunks of flesh, no bone fragments—his entire body had become a bloody mist!
It didn’t even look particularly gory; instead, it possessed a strange, demonic beauty.
This was something no mortal means could ever achieve.
"Immortal Master! Spare me, Immortal Master!"
"Immortal Master, please forgive us!"
"Immortal Master, would you consider taking me as your disciple?"
Du Youqian snapped his fingers. Everyone found that although they were trying to open their mouths to speak, they couldn’t make a single sound.
"This is a family matter. The rest of you will be silent," Du Youqian said faintly.
Then he snapped his fingers again. All of the Innate Grandmasters and Postnatal Masters present—over a hundred people in total—rose into the air against their will, as if hoisted into the sky by invisible ropes.
Some screamed in terror, but though their mouths were wide open, no sound came out, as if they were performing in a silent play.
Something seemed to snap in Du Yuhuan. She shot her head up and screamed herself hoarse, like a madwoman, "A family matter? What right do you have to call this a family matter! I call you Ancestor, but you are not my true ancestor! You saved my life, it’s true, but what right do you have to meddle in the affairs of the Du Family! When the divine continent was sinking, it was the Du Family that saved the Wu Kingdom! Others can sit on that throne, so why can’t the Du family?!"
Du Youqian did not stop her from speaking.
When he revealed himself, he already had a plan.
He would cripple her Cultivation as a warning to others.
But he had to give her a chance to plead her case.
Now, hearing her words, Du Youqian laughed instead of growing angry. "Your ancestor’s heart was with the common people of the world; he possessed great compassion. Even if he were alive today, he would not want to see his descendants cause immense suffering just because they covet the throne. If he had wanted to be Emperor, he would have deposed the old one and installed himself long ago. At that time, the throne of the Wu Kingdom was his for the taking, as easy as reaching into his pocket, but he simply chose not to take it!"
"And look what happened!" Du Yuhuan shrieked. "Heaven offers a gift, and to refuse it is to invite disaster! It was precisely because our ancestor’s character was too noble that a hundred years after his passing, the Du Family’s home was ransacked and our clan exterminated! Even his memorial tablet, which was honored in the Grand Ancestral Temple, was removed! Do you think if our ancestor knew what happened, he would want to see the Du Family vanish and his bloodline severed?"
Du Youqian closed his eyes and sighed.
Recalling everything from back then, he asked himself, ’Would I be willing to see the Du Family vanish and its bloodline severed?’
When he opened his eyes again, they shone like brilliant stars, so bright that no one dared to look at them directly.
"In truth, a respected senior of mine was once close friends with the first Duke You De. So, I’m afraid I understand Duke You De a little better than you do."
"More than ensuring the continuation of his bloodline, Duke You De cared about whether the policies he established back then would endure, whether they could make the Wu Kingdom prosperous and strong."
"More than the severing of his bloodline... he would probably be more heartbroken that the policies he implemented had long since died with him."
"That senior of mine also instructed me to look after the descendants of his old friend. However, Duke You De’s descendants did not inherit their ancestor’s political wisdom or self-discipline, and their actions grew increasingly despicable. What ultimately happened to them can be considered their own doing, which is why I did not interfere."
"It wasn’t until the matter of you and your brother caught my attention that I intervened to save you, also because I did not wish to see an old friend’s bloodline completely severed."
"If you had behaved yourselves, I would have guaranteed you a lifetime of wealth, health, and peace."
"But if you remain obstinate, what I granted you back then, I can just as easily take away."
Du Yuhuan gave a bitter smile and prostrated herself, her forehead touching the ground. "My life’s wish is to revive the Du Family and place it upon the supreme throne of the world. As long as I have a single breath left in me, I will never stop striving. Since you disapprove, Ancestor, then take back my Power! I have no regrets!"
"Foolish!" Du Youqian rebuked her. "The Wu Imperial Family also has an Immortal Sect backing it. Otherwise, why do you think that even though the Imperial Family has changed several times, the name of the Wu Kingdom has endured for eight thousand years? When the Qi Kingdom invaded and the Wu Imperial Family fled south, it was actually because an Immortal Master with Mighty Powers had intervened, preventing the Immortal Sect behind the Wu Kingdom from making a move. However, even if Duke You De hadn’t stepped forward, other heroes would have risen from the common folk to restore the Wu Kingdom’s territory. This is because the intervening Immortal Master also had to abide by certain rules and wouldn’t truly destroy the Wu Kingdom. Do you understand now?"
"So the world is nothing more than a plaything in the hands of Immortal Masters?" Du Yuhuan said, incensed.
"No, you’re wrong," Du Youqian said coldly. "To Immortal Masters like myself, and those far more powerful than me, the state of the world is of no concern. We have no interest in treating it as a toy. Our only concern is how to advance our own Cultivation, to achieve a lifespan as long as heaven and earth, to rival the sun and moon in brilliance. The rise and fall of dynasties in the Mortal World? In our eyes, it’s no different from the rise and fall of an ant dynasty in an anthill."
Hearing this, Du Yuhuan lost all her fighting spirit. Her expression was a mixture of tears and laughter, and her eyes went vacant.
With a wave of his sleeve, Du Youqian released the masters who were bound in mid-air and silenced. They all fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
Du Youqian gave Du Yuhuan one last deep look. "Considering that your Cultivation did not come easily, I will let you go today. You should watch your step and stop indulging in these fantasies. The Immortal Sect behind the Wu Kingdom may not be strong, but wiping out a ragtag group like you would be as easy as flipping a hand. You had best extinguish these unrealistic ideas at once, lest you bring disaster upon your brother and sister-in-law."
With that said, his figure once again faded from sight.
He had no desire to interfere any further in Du Yuhuan’s affairs.
Right now, he just wanted to hurry back to his Cultivation. Once he reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, he would go to the Qi Kingdom to seize that opportunity.
As for Fang Yuantang and his grandson, he could visit them in a year or so. It wasn’t like they were going anywhere.
