Chen Sansi flicked his fingers, feeding the elixir pills to Qi Cheng and others to heal their wounds: "Why are you still standing there? If you can still stand, take these unworthy descendants away."
"Your Majesty?!"
Dongfang Jingxing and Dongfang Jing staggered closer and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, is it really you?!"
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"
Qi Cheng saluted and then said, "But I wonder how Your Majesty crossed the barrier of heaven and earth to return to the lower realm? Could it be... that Ent?"
"Indeed."
Chen Sansi nodded: "Enough idle talk, I will first deal with some people, then we can discuss other matters together."
As the words fell.
He disappeared from the spot.
Within a day.
The entire Immortal Han underwent a thorough cleansing.
Not only the Chen Family.
Even the descendants of Zhu Tong were not all loyal and good, many colluded with local forces to harm the common people.
It could be said that to completely cleanse, it was almost necessary to uproot the entire Immortal Han.
During this process.
With each descendant he dealt with from familiar families or Chen Family heirs, Chen Sansi's disappointment grew, until it reached an absolute point, and the decision in his heart became increasingly resolute.
Months later.
Emperor Jianlong was deposed, escorted to the vegetable market of the mortal world, publicly executed, and his soul scattered.
The Chen family progeny, 182 executed, 563 spirit roots abolished, 1,230 banished, and related officials and cultivators, over twenty thousand executed.
The aftermath of founding achievements implicated many, involving over one hundred thousand people.
Other sect cultivators and local officials accumulated to numbers of fifty thousand.
On that day, the autumn execution turned blood into a torrent, nearly turning the entire vegetable market into a sea of blood.
Historically known as the "Deposed Emperor Case."
Half a year later.
Kunxu Heavenly Palace.
Chen Sansi was handling the aftermath.
Yu Ji was dead.
Yu Lie was deposed, but through certain means restored his spirit root and recommenced cultivation.
The rest like Wang Zhi and others mostly remained unscathed.
Spiritual Grain once again eradicated, the Jiang Mountain of Immortal Han restored to peace.
"Dismissed!"
After dealing with the last batch of affairs, ministers retreated one by one, leaving only the old ministers of Tian Wu's era.
"All right."
Now an established Heavenly Emperor, Chen Sansi, sitting on the Dragon Chair, surprisingly revealed fatigue, holding his head silently said: "Everyone, fellow brother and sister cultivators, Qi Cheng, Little Bamboo, don't feel constrained, speak whatever is on your mind."
"Your Majesty."
Qi Cheng spoke: "Now that Jiang Mountain has returned to peace, I wonder what Your Majesty plans next? Should Your Majesty intend to return to the Immortal Realm, then who should inherit the throne?"
"I recommend Prince Qi."
Wang Zhi said: "Your Majesty, Prince Qi is benevolent from a young age, acts appropriately, and his cultivation talent is not lacking. Given time, he will surely be the great leader of Immortal Han's resurgence."
"Indeed."
Rong Yanqiu agreed: "The child is promising, Your Majesty can personally assess him for a period."
Everyone voiced their support.
"I understand."
Chen Sansi said calmly: "I originally intended to appoint him as the new sovereign, and thereafter, how long Immortal Han can be sustained will depend on his actions and the will of the people."
"Sustained for how long?"
Lu Ji said surprised: "What do you mean by this?"
"The meaning is literal."
Chen Sansi replied without haste: "The foundation of Immortal Han is destroyed, even if repaired, it is already full of holes, akin to a tree with rotted roots, no matter how lush its branches, it has few seasons left."
"Your Majesty, how could you say such things?"
Dongfang Jingxing said: "You are now the Heavenly Emperor, not to mention the Human World, even in the entire Cultivation World, there is no one to contest you. With you present, Immortal Han should last for eternity."
"Exactly."
Wang Zhi said: "If you wish, Immortal Han could unify both realms! Become a true Immortal Han!"
"I plan to..."
Chen Sansi paused: "Destroy all spirit veins in both realms."
With these words.
The entire grand hall fell silent.
They even wondered if they misheard the statement.
"Junior brother?!"
Lu Ji raised his head: "Why?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Why?"
"Not to mention us, but about you, being the Heavenly Emperor, destroying spirit veins brings you no benefit!"
"..."
"The reason is simple."
Chen Sansi had anticipated everyone's reaction, he gazed at the sky beyond the grand hall somewhat absent-mindedly and said: "The matter of destroying spirit veins, I have long hesitated.
"Until this return to the Eastern Continent, witnessing its situation, I finally understand why Elder Mei kept urging me to come back and look, why Elder Jiang and the Immortal Gate were so insistent on this.
"As long as spirit veins exist even for a day, cultivators' demand for Spiritual Grain is inevitable, and the oppression of the weak by the strong will never lessen.
"I can naturally preside over the world, but I cannot watch everyone all the time, nor can I exist eternally, for I too will eventually return to dust, even though currently no one can challenge me.
"And the only way to solve this issue is to destroy the spirit veins!
"The purpose of destroying spirit veins is not to annihilate the cultivation world, but to allow ordinary people, at the very least, to possess the ability to resist.
"If oppressed, they can rise up, unlike now, separated by spirit roots, eternally trampled underfoot, only praying for a benevolent cultivator to save them!
"Without spirit veins, they can choose what kind of County Magistrate, what kind of Magistrate, what kind of General, what kind of Emperor they want, or even whether they need an Emperor at all.
