Perfect World

Chapter 471: Chapter 471: The Mountain Rain is Coming, the Wind Fills the Building
 

The imperial palace was vast, with solemn and imposing halls one after another. There were dozens of Divine Spirit Formations, interlinking with each other. Once activated, they would certainly startle heaven and earth and make ghosts and spirits weep.

Shi Hao had a faint smile at the corner of his mouth as he quietly waited. In the end, no one dared to intrude; the cultivators from the three sects were very cautious.

“Your Majesty, someone has approached the Eighth Prince and the Eleventh Princess,” an Imperial Guard reported as he entered the Central Heavenly Palace. His voice echoed in the spacious and splendid hall.

Shi Hao’s expression remained calm, and he said nothing.

“Retreat,” Peng Jiu said.

This was a secret report, passed on by covert agents—only used when issues were severe.

Shi Hao carefully read the secret letter that was presented before handing it over to Peng Jiu and the War King. His expressionless face added a certain heaviness to the atmosphere in the great hall.

“The old emperor was forthright and forceful throughout his life, but some of his children are truly disappointing. In their desire to ascend the throne, they dare to do anything,” the War King said with knitted brows.

“It’s only a few children, the others are fine,” Shi Hao spoke.

“What does the emperor plan to do?” the old imperial bodyguard, Peng Jiu, asked.

“As long as they do not cross that line, I will not target them. But if they go too far, the divine laws are ruthless,” Shi Hao stated calmly.

Inside the imperial palace were many fields planted with spirit medicine and the Ancestral Temple that housed many precious symbols, along with a treasure vault of countless rare items. These places had all been visited by the princes and princesses, sweeping away much.

Regarding these actions, Shi Hao had not pursued investigations, after all, they were the old emperor’s offspring. However, if these individuals went too far, he would no longer show mercy.

In a garden near the city wall, a group of cultivators from the Immortal Mountain were secretly discussing. Qinling was furious, shouting loudly in indignation.

“He went too far. I advised him kindly, but he responded coldly. Even that old bodyguard dared to rebuke me. Little Stone looked down on me from his high position, treating me like what?”

He had gone to the imperial palace as an envoy. The experience had put him under immense pressure; Shi Hao’s aura had overwhelmed him, tormenting both body and soul. He still felt fearful when he thought about it.

Qinling was naturally very dissatisfied and spoke angrily with the strong figures of his clan. Being an emperor didn’t matter; he represented the immortal Immortal Mountain.

“Stay calm,” an elder meditating on a mat said, opening his eyes which flashed with lightning.

In the courtyard, with its small bridges and flowing waters and elegant pavilions, the scenery was very beautiful and delicate.

Another middle-aged man spoke, saying, “He has half of Immortal Mountain’s blood flowing in his veins. What a great opportunity this is to have him recognize his ancestors and return to his roots. Without shedding blood, we could use him to control Stone Country and then further dominate the wasteland to find what we need.”

“It’s useless,” Qinling shook his head. He had calmed down and was no longer emotional, making a very objective assessment, “According to what we know, he may act frivolously normally, like when he was in the Realm of Virtual Gods. But once it involves principled matters, he is self-confident and strong-willed. We can hardly influence him, let alone use him to control a country.”

The middle-aged man frowned, saying, “Such a prodigy would be a great loss if he didn’t join our Immortal Mountain. Hmm, I also heard there is a couple on the mountain, his parents—what exactly is going on, why is it a great secret in the clan?”

“Some things should not be asked, even I don’t know much. The Clan Master will have arrangements. When the second calamity comes, the couple should enter the higher realms,” the elder sitting on the mat said, a Venerable One with a high status.

“Youth’s will is not firm. A little persuasion should always do the trick,” another elder took a sip of tea, thought slowly and then spoke. He too, was a Venerable One, “I’ve heard that several prodigies from the higher realms are coming down. We could arrange for Little Stone to meet with several noble ladies. Let him see the splendor of the higher realms—both its people and its precious symbols could impress him. Perhaps then, he might change his mind and use our Immortal Mountain to ascend.”

“Are the descendants of those great figures coming down to inspect the Eight Realms Prison?” the elder on the mat raised an eyebrow.

The opposite elder nodded, and upon seeing this, everyone else felt a wave of apprehension. The descent of the talented and noble from the higher realms to inspect the Lower Realm was indeed a major event.

The topic was dropped as it was a sensitive issue that ordinary people dared not discuss lightly; avoiding it was better.

“Perhaps Heaven Mending Sect and Western Sect may want to enter the imperial city to demonstrate their power. What should our Immortal Mountain do?” a moment later, the middle-aged man sought advice from the two Venerables.

“Although Little Stone has half the blood of our clan, he has achieved success at a young age and is overly arrogant; he should be taught a lesson. Later, when we intervene and save his life, he will likely be more obedient,” a Venerable One spoke.

The elder on the mat nodded, saying, “Inside the imperial palace, he does have some methods. His body harmonizes with the Imperial Dragon Energy, enough to match a Venerable One. Nevertheless, Heaven Mending Sect and Western Sect will surely deploy a strong enough force; he will not be able to withstand them no matter what. We should also go, exerting the pressure of a Venerable One. He is smart and will make the right choice.”

“Although he has the blood of our clan, his youthful spirit is arrogant. He must be taught a lesson and suffer hardships. Once we intervene to save his life later, only then will he learn to value it,” the middle-aged man nodded.

In another estate, the cultivators from the Western Sect were relatively silent, with everyone speaking very little.

“Should the two Venerables make a trip to the imperial palace?” someone asked.

“Yes.” The answer was concise, devoid of superfluous words.

“It should be so. Our Western Sect has seen countless dynasties rise and fall, all buried in the sands of time. A mere Stone Country is but a wave in the river of history—what does it amount to?” a youth said.

In the Western Sect, everyone kept their hair short, only about an inch long, all being cultivators who focused on tempering themselves.

Active participants were mostly young people, and after someone had spoken, others also expressed their indignation.

The venerable Western Sect, which had stood through the river of time, immemorially immortal and overlooking the eight regions, was recently dishonored by a youth who ousted them from the capital with his own might. This was a disgrace.

“I think we should invite several more elders to descend, to effortlessly sweep through this capital and kick him out of the imperial palace, otherwise how could we redress the humiliation of the past?”

“Indeed, we should crush him forcefully, smash him with a slap, and defeat him in front of everyone!”

Several youths said with unkind words, dwelling on their earlier defeat, hoping to fully regain their face by killing Little Stone.

Cultivators from the Heaven Mending Sect were also discussing, with an old man frowning because a middle-aged Daoist nun had left for a long time and had not yet returned, potentially missing the “time to enter the palace.”

The golden chariot rushed at a high speed, leaving a brilliant trail of light on the street, with eight Ferocious Beasts pulling it and the ground trembling under their steps.

Pedestrians in the street screamed and dodged, as the golden chariot, bringing a fierce wind with it, headed towards the imperial palace with an overwhelming ferocious aura.

“This is the Eighth Prince’s Gilded Battle Chariot, is he heading to the imperial palace? What a majestic air.”

Recently, there had been rumors in the city, with the prince claiming aloud that Little Stone’s ascension was problematic, deeming him a false emperor.

A purple carriage drove past, very steady and low-key, once again triggering discussions among the people, but with overflowing praise.

This was the Fifteenth Prince, usually enlightened and never putting on airs, leaving a very good impression on the people of the capital.

“Ah, the Fifteenth Prince is also entering the palace, what happened?” The people wondered.

Inside the Central Heavenly Palace, Shi Hao sat in meditation, having waited a long time, yet not having met any strong cultivators from the three sects; instead, several princes and princesses had arrived earlier.

Shi Hao remained indifferent, and Peng Jiu sighed, sensing through the Divine Spirit Formation that the intentions of these people were not pure.

As soon as the Eighth Prince entered the imperial palace, he had been secretly observing the underground array in an attempt to discover its secrets. Although he was covert, he couldn’t escape Shi Hao’s notice.

“The three sects’ cultivators are very cautious and careful,” murmured Peng Jiu, surprised that there was no forceful attack; instead, they had chosen their representatives among the princes and princesses to come and investigate first.

“Ah, these people!” sighed War King. If it came down to it, he was considered a distant clan uncle of these people.

“Let them look carefully!” Shi Hao had anticipated their arrival when they entered the palace; he held the precious imprint, reversed Heaven and Earth, and changed everything.

The Eighth Prince smiled as he walked, encountering many characters. The arrays that were destroyed during the great calamity had not yet been completely repaired, and everything was as he expected.

Upon entering the Central Heavenly Palace, he stood arrogantly without kneeling, declaring, “I do not acknowledge you as the New Emperor; this is the foundation left by my father, and that decree of succession was forged!”

Shi Hao stared at him coldly from his throne, remaining silent.

“Dear nephew, why must you do this?” War King spoke to him.

“A false emperor usurps the great position of Stone Country, naturally, I do not accept this, what is wrong in saying so?” The Eighth Prince retorted coldly.

“Do you really think I dare not kill you?!” Shi Hao sat above, calmly looking at him, speaking softly yet sending a shiver through the Eighth Prince, making him involuntarily step back.

“You just ascended the throne and want to silence others, to slaughter the descendants of the former emperor; how will the world view you, as cruel and ruthless!” said the Eighth Prince, which was also the reason for his confidence.

Of course, most importantly, he had the support of the Outer Domain’s Great Sect behind him.

“To the old emperor, having such descendants is truly a disgrace. You do not think to protect the nation’s territory, instead willing to hand it over to foreign forces, happy to be a puppet; I am cleaning the house for him, and the old emperor would be relieved!”

“You…” The Eighth Prince, frightened, retreated, feeling a chill from his head to his toes, seeing the composed youth, he felt a fear from his soul.

“Get out, shut yourself away and reflect; otherwise, don’t blame me for being heartless!” Shi Hao shouted sharply, shocking the Eighth Prince, causing his hair to stand on end and his lips to tremble, making him turn and leave without a word.

At that moment, he felt a profound fear in his heart, truly sensing the threat of death, fearing that Shi Hao would just raise his hand and kill him.

“He cannot cause much harm.” Behind him, came Shi Hao’s voice, but he did not dare to respond.

Later, Princess Eleven, the Fifteenth Prince, the Seventeenth Prince, and several others also successively entered the Central Heavenly Palace to pay respects to the New Emperor; they were very respectful on the surface and recognized Shi Hao as the legitimate ruler.

However, they secretly measured many places in the imperial palace, carefully testing and exploring the current state of the array, and all got satisfying answers.

After these individuals left one after another, War King and Peng Jiu immediately made plans, warning many guards to be cautious and to retreat when necessary, quietly waiting for the changes.

Shi Hao sat in the Central Heavenly Palace, musing to himself, “The three sects are stirring the princes and princesses to probe; are they starting to suppress me? I’ll just wait. Let them come, and I will kill as many as there are!” (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes, your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)