Timing, Terrain, and Popular Support — All Parties Take the Bait as the Game Descends into Chaos
Timing, Terrain, and Popular Support — All Parties Take the Bait as the Game Descends into Chaos
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Today, the Great Yu Imperial Capital was extraordinarily lively. A vast, mighty army had descended outside the city, standing amid the layers of clouds.
Black mist churned, murderous aura surged to the heavens, and iron cavalry rolled forward — a posture as if they could storm into the Imperial Capital at any moment.
Armies from all across Great Yu had also rapidly assembled, standing ready outside the city walls, divine weapons in hand and armor donned, waiting in strict formation.
Both sides were Great Yu armies, merely serving different masters. Many of Great Yu’s experts were unwilling to see the two forces clash in battle.
Waiting for this appointed duel to conclude, for the dust to settle — that was the best course of action.
After the news spread, countless Cultivators had swarmed in from ancient cities across every region, long since packing every inn, pavilion, and palace hall of the Great Yu Imperial Capital, watching from not far away.
A shaken Sacred Emperor Realm Cultivator swept the area with his divine sense, and his face filled with astonishment.
Today, no fewer than several billion Cultivators had gathered in this ancient city!
Ancient Royal Families, Supreme Great Sects, Immortal Daoist Traditions, Longevity Clans, Hereditary Celestial Dynasties — from all these unshakable powers, disciples and ancient beings had appeared, beings one could almost never see on ordinary days.
On the ancient streets thousands of meters wide, traffic flowed like water and horses like dragons, bustling with extraordinary liveliness.
Pixiu, Taotie, Phoenixes, Azure Dragons... these ancient ferocious beasts, normally almost impossible to glimpse, all had figures present.
And still more ancient beasts and flying vessels kept arriving from every direction, all to witness this great battle.
A succession of the throne in an Immortal Celestial Dynasty was, in itself, a matter of course — but this one touched upon a hidden secret of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty’s past.
It could very well cause the situation to reverse dramatically, changing the balance of power among the various races and Daoist Traditions.
This was something no one could afford to ignore.
The many high ministers of Great Yu’s court had long since taken up positions everywhere, dispatching the experts of their clans to keep watch over the surroundings, guarding against ill-intentioned parties sneaking in.
Beyond that, many of Emperor Yu’s consorts and children had also gathered here, to witness this battle with their own eyes.
In their view, Emperor Yu was the master of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty, ruling over boundless, vast territories — a single stamp of his foot could make heaven and earth quake violently and all eight directions tremble.
Anyone who dared provoke him would pay a horrifying price and die miserably here.
They had long been impatient, eager to watch Yu Tianzheng be personally slain by Emperor Yu.
“That Yu Tianzheng is nothing more than a defeated subordinate of Father Emperor back then. He actually dares come here to court death — truly ignorant of life and death.”
A prince, young in age but already sharp-edged and brilliant, spoke, his heart full of hatred and disdain for Yu Tianzheng.
Around him stood many princes and princesses, all of extraordinary bearing, divine light contained within their bodies, their eyes gleaming brilliantly, their strength formidable.
However, none of them said much more, merely standing in silence, gazing toward the city walls, as if waiting for something.
Time flowed slowly by. The setting sun sank in the west, the full moon rose in the east, and all sounds fell silent.
The entire Imperial Capital was shrouded in a hazy layer of rosy light. Array Patterns emerged and lit up across the land, dazzling and resplendent, auspicious vapors steaming upward — like an immortal city out of myth.
Countless gazes fell upon the peak of the Imperial Capital, everyone holding their breath, not daring to speak or whisper.
Even the ancient beings of the various Cults of Immortality frowned and did not open their mouths, fearing they might disturb all of this.
Ahem...
But just then, from the end of the quiet long street, a soft cough suddenly sounded, breaking the deathly silent atmosphere.
Many Cultivators and living beings couldn’t help but look over, their expressions astonished.
The people of the various Ancient Royal Families, Supreme Great Sects, and Immortal Daoist Traditions also trembled all over, thinking of something, and looked over.
“Gu Changge!”
“He’s here!”
The crowd of Young Prodigies secretly clenched their fists, their entire bodies tense, extremely ill at ease.
From that direction, a young man in a moon-white robe, his face slightly pale, walked over.
The stunningly beautiful woman at his side was holding a clean white silk handkerchief, wiping away the blood at the corner of his mouth.
On the long street, nearly all the Cultivators and living beings who saw this scene involuntarily retreated several steps, not daring to block the way, hastily clearing a path.
Many people had only heard that Gu Changge was gravely injured, his Source wounded — they had never seen him in person.
Now, no one had expected that at this moment, he would actually appear, coming to observe this battle as well.
Even the ancient beings of the various races changed expression slightly, suddenly uncomfortable, no longer as casual and at ease as before.
Although Gu Changge was injured, even coughing up blood in front of everyone, no one dared underestimate him.
Under these circumstances, Gu Changge absolutely still possessed the power to slay a True Daoist.
“It seems we’ve arrived at just the right time. This duel atop the Imperial Capital hasn’t begun yet.”
Looking at the scene before him, Gu Changge seemed somewhat surprised, smiling faintly at Yin Mei beside him.
“If Gongzi had arrived a step later, wouldn’t you have missed it?”
Yin Mei was dressed all in white, her hair like clouds. She pressed her lips into a smile, charming and graceful, her beauty soul-stirring.
Quite a few young men cast amazed gazes at her, secretly envious and jealous in their hearts.
“Young Master Changge has come at just the right time.”
“How could this battle of the Imperial Capital be without Young Master Changge?”
Seeing this, the supreme experts of the various races also emerged from the shadows one after another, inviting Gu Changge to join them, to stand at the highest point of the pavilion, in the most advantageous position, where he could watch this battle to his heart’s content.
Before this, they had all been hidden in the shadows, not revealing their true forms.
No one had expected Gu Changge to suddenly come over.
Everyone knew he was currently injured. If someone were to suddenly attack him later, wouldn’t they, hiding in the shadows, become objects of suspicion?
This scene left the many Young Prodigies present bitter beyond words, and then lost and despairing.
They were still secretly treating Gu Changge as the target they chased after — yet even the Ancestor-level figures behind them had to be cautious and apprehensive before Gu Changge.
“It seems neither side has shown themselves yet.”
Gu Changge stood at the highest point of the pavilion, the night wind blowing, his robes fluttering lightly, more like a banished immortal than a mortal. He spoke with seeming surprise.
“The time has come. It seems this Yu Tianzheng doesn’t dare show himself.”
Just then, as his words fell, a majestic voice suddenly resounded through heaven and earth.
A tall figure wearing a purple-gold crown and a purple-gold dragon robe appeared atop the city wall.
He walked over unhurriedly, and behind him, imperial dragon qi seemed to interweave — fully ten million strands, ceaselessly resonating, emitting a terrifying momentum that shook heaven and earth.
All the Cultivators and living beings felt an enormous pressure descend upon them, unable to keep from trembling in fear, as if facing collapsing mountains and seas, a fracturing universe.
They were practically about to prostrate themselves in worship toward that direction, kneeling down.
Even True Daoists frowned, their faces filled with uncertainty, feeling that at this moment, Emperor Yu seemed to have already set foot in the realm of True Daoist, rather than being a Quasi-Emperor.
Emperor Yu had finally appeared, very casually, strolling over and landing at the peak of the Imperial Capital.
Billions of strands of dragon qi encircled him, heaven and earth resonated, countless phenomena interwove and echoed — powerful and terrifying, innately standing in an invincible position.
However, many ancient beings still sensed that behind Emperor Yu, another powerful force lay hidden.
They guessed that in the shadows, quite a few old antiques of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty were likely concealed as well, simply not showing themselves, planning to act only if some unmanageable accident occurred.
It seemed that while Emperor Yu appeared relaxed on the surface, he was secretly quite wary and cautious.
Many ancient beings of the Immortal Daoist Traditions turned their gazes over, thinking thus.
Boom!
And with Emperor Yu’s appearance, the previously silent Great Yu Imperial Capital instantly boiled over. Many ministers felt invigorated, crying out there that His Majesty was invincible and would surely suppress the invading enemy.
In the eyes of many Cultivators and living beings, under Emperor Yu’s governance, the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty’s national power flourished day by day, and all races lived in peace and prosperity.
For calamity to suddenly arise at this time was clearly Yu Tianzheng’s doing.
Naturally, they hoped Emperor Yu could slay this former rival and restore peace to Great Yu.
“The time has come. Yu Tianzheng, where are you?”
Emperor Yu stood towering at the peak of the Imperial Capital, his gaze profound, and gave a light shout.
At this moment, his essence, qi, and spirit had reached a peak, faintly showing signs of breaking through his shackles. Moreover, countless subjects murmured his name, the power of faith and Fortuity converging, his strength growing even more terrifying — this could truly be called the right timing, the right terrain, and the support of the people.
How could Yu Tianzheng fight him?
“Tonight’s battle seems already decided. Under these circumstances, even we could hardly claim we could defeat Emperor Yu.”
“What’s more, he still has many methods and the Imperial Treasure in hand. This will be a battle without suspense.”
Several ancient beings all shook their heads, feeling this battle was already decided. Yu Tianzheng not showing himself was the wise move.
That terrifying army outside the Great Yu Imperial Capital would probably soon be annihilated as well — or subdued.
“However, there might be an accident. That Yu Tianzheng doesn’t seem like a fool. Daring to choose this moment to issue a challenge, he should have some confidence backing him.”
Another ancient being did not quite agree with this view. He had lived a very long time — even his eyelashes were hollow with age — so he faintly felt that this duel carried an indescribable strangeness.
“Things may not be so simple. We need only sit back and watch how it unfolds.”
“Young Master Changge, what is your view on this?” The other ancient beings all turned in unison to look at Gu Changge beside them, wanting to know his thoughts.
Hearing this, Gu Changge seemed to only just come back to his senses. He smiled with some surprise and said, “Whatever the outcome, this is an internal matter of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty. As outsiders, I feel it’s best we watch prudently and refrain from comment.”
Boom!
And just shortly after Gu Changge’s words fell, outside the Great Yu Imperial Capital, a sky-piercing murderous aura suddenly surged upward.
A terrifying figure whose aura suppressed heaven and earth, shattered the cloud layers, and broke apart the stars beyond the domain was striding over with great, meteor-like steps, killing his way forward!
His disheveled hair scattered loose, cold lightning bursting from his eyes, like an invincible Human Emperor, a golden heavenly blade in hand, he directly cleaved through the Array Patterns outside the city walls and forced his way all the way to this place.
“Yu Tianyong, it’s time for you and me to settle things. Today, either you die, or I perish.”
Yu Tianzheng had finally appeared, coldly staring at Emperor Yu as he spoke.
Yu Tianyong — that was Emperor Yu’s true name. It had been many years since anyone had called him by that name.