Chapter 253: Chapter 191: The Empress’s Holy Decree, Dire News from the Border, the Demon Country’s Army Attacks

“After the Great Nether Empress ascends the throne, her first priority will be to move against Great Yan. The entire Court will unite and stand as one against this external threat.

And next, Your Highness, you will face the condemnation of the Imperial Capital’s common folk and scholars. I hope you are prepared for this.”

Sui Yuqing spoke in a gentle voice, a hint of worry in her eyes.

Who could have imagined that the Demoness, once a mere prisoner, would one day become the Great Nether Empress.

This news will soon spread throughout the Capital City, and when it does, everyone will surely pin the blame on Lu Mingyuan.

They will blame him for his actions back then. If it weren’t for Lu Mingyuan, how could the Great Nether Empress have amassed such power today?

Hearing Elder Sui’s words, Lu Mingyuan actually felt a sense of relief.

He had just received his Imperial Father’s pardon when he got news of the Great Nether Empress’s enthronement.

This was not necessarily a bad thing.

The pressure from public opinion would buy him ample time to prepare. He still had a while before he could leave the Cold Palace.

He had to find a way to break through to the Tenth Realm and forge the Glazed Impermeable Vajra Body. He needed to raise his cultivation before he could consider anything else.

Strength was the only true source of confidence.

Schemes and strategies could only play a supporting role; what truly decided life and death was strength. Lu Guangjing had relied too much on his schemes, trusting his plans while neglecting his own power, which was how I found an opening to exploit.

Sui Yuqing sighed repeatedly. “In the span of a single night, the Bright Lamp Bureau has already sealed the Prince Jin’s Mansion. The Three Academy Cultivators have all been dispatched to capture his remaining followers. I thought that after Prince Jin’s death, Your Highness would be able to leave the Cold Palace. I never expected something like this to happen. The ways of the world are truly unpredictable.”

Lu Mingyuan’s expression remained unchanged; he simply lowered his head in acknowledgment.

Then, Sui Yuqing looked at Lu Mingyuan again, her strikingly clear eyes holding a trace of envy. “Your Highness, a figure like the Yuqing Ancestor Master is a true Great Power, someone who can blot out the sky with a single hand.

Even though I am a peak master of the Celestial Master’s Mansion and the National Preceptor of the Lion Frost Country, in control of the Path of Longevity, blessed with a lifespan of thousands of years and impervious to minor calamities, when compared to a figure like the Ancestor Master, the difference is more than a thousandfold.

When you reach the Twelfth Realm, you will naturally understand what an Ancestor Master is, and what the Great Dao is. If you do not enter the Ascension Realm, you are no more than an ant.”

Lu Mingyuan was not one to trouble himself with hypotheticals; he preferred to take things one step at a time. He replied, “Elder Sui, you seem to have a great fixation on the Upper Three Grades?”

Sui Yuqing’s beautiful eyes seemed to gaze into the past, filled with reminiscence. “When I was young, I was too arrogant and spoiled, with no self-awareness. I listened to too many people around me and tried to cultivate both the Daoist and Buddhist Dao, vowing to integrate the strengths of both teachings. Only in the end did I discover that my path had, in fact, long been set in stone.”

She was born into an extremely wealthy Noble Family on the Lotus Leaf Continent. On the day of her birth, a white deer appeared as an auspicious omen, and an Enlightened True Man with the bearing of an immortal came to her door. He accepted her in advance as his Closed-door Disciple, and thus she officially embarked on the path of cultivation.

With Destiny on her side, everything was smooth sailing.

Having grown up in the Sect, she was ignorant of the treachery of the human heart. She believed that as long as she cultivated diligently, she could attain the Great Dao.

Until one night, when the master she had always admired tried to bargain with her, she finally realized that every advantage had its price.

So, she left the Liangyi Sect.

To her surprise, her master shamelessly pursued her. Fortunately, a master from the Celestial Master’s Mansion happened to be passing by, and a tragedy was averted.

But after witnessing the heaven-shattering abilities of the Taoist Sect’s Celestial Master…

…she finally understood that there was always a higher mountain to climb.

Her master was merely the lord of a Blessed Land, while great powers like the Celestial Master’s Mansion existed in the world.

From that moment on, she vowed to forge a path to the very summit of the Great Dao.

’The Elder Celestial Master said that if I can successfully complete my mission on this trip to Great Yan, I can become a candidate for the position of Sect Leader.’

Sui Yuqing thought to herself.

As it happened, her thought echoed into Lu Mingyuan’s ears.

Lu Mingyuan remained impassive, his expression not betraying the slightest change.

“Your Highness should be careful in the coming days. The court session is about to begin, so I must take my leave.”

Watching Sui Yuqing’s graceful figure depart, Lu Mingyuan fell into thought.

Sui Yuqing’s obsession with breaking through to the Upper Three Grades helped him understand a few things.

’Are all these Sect powers of the Three Religions trying to get a piece of the pie from Great Yan’s rise and fall?’

’Otherwise, the Celestial Master’s Mansion wouldn’t be helping me.’

’Both the Taoist Sect and the Buddhist Sect must be thinking this way.’

If that was the case, then the Central Plains Dynasty was actually at a disadvantage before the top powers of the Three Religions. Squabbles with minor Sects were one thing, but the Great Yan Court would not dare to provoke a Major Sect lightly.

’Is that why my Imperial Father wanted to elevate Confucianism before?’

Lu Mingyuan felt as if he was beginning to understand the purpose behind some of his Imperial Father’s past actions.

For the past several decades, Emperor Yong’an had been attempting to break the balance of the Three Religions, trying to place the authority of the throne above them all.

He projected might against the external Alien Races while attempting to unify the powers within.

He had simply failed in the end.

…

「At this moment, within the Holy Bright Palace.」

The civil and military ministers stood on either side, the atmosphere solemn and tense, as if they were all waiting for something.

“Report!”

A Commander of the Imperial Guard, holding a red Command Flag, ran into the hall, knelt, and announced his report.

“On the Northern Great Wall, Shanhai Pass has fallen! All defending soldiers were killed in action! The Sword Cultivators of the Caiyun Sect have all perished! This news is from seven days ago!”

An uproar erupted among the assembled officials.

“What? Shanhai Pass has fallen!”

“The Caiyun Sect presides over a Second-class Blessed Land! If even they couldn’t hold the pass, does this mean the Demon Country is truly making its move?”

“It must have been Great Yan’s earlier invasion and seizure of land that angered the Great Nether Empress, bringing this disaster upon us.”

The ministers broke into a flurry of discussion, all agreeing that this was only the beginning of the disaster.

Every dynasty has decreed that the powers of the Three Religions must send new disciples to the Great Wall every three years. Different sections of the wall are guarded by their respective Sects.

Shanhai Pass was guarded by the Caiyun Sect.

Among the many powerful and entrenched Sects of the Haoran Continent, the Caiyun Sect was considered to be of middling strength. Their disciples practiced a unique technique, visualizing the five-colored clouds atop Caiyun Mountain. Those with superior aptitude could even receive Swordsmanship instruction in spiritual communion with their ancestor, allowing them to comprehend top-tier Sword Techniques. The disciples of the sect were known for their astonishing comprehension. With them garrisoning Shanhai Pass, the border had always been peaceful.

But now, Shanhai Pass had been breached.

This meant the Demon Country was serious, unlike their minor skirmishes in the past.

Although Great Yan had held the upper hand for the past sixty years, enjoying a long period of peace, a deep-seated worry had always remained.

The previous dynasty, the Great Zhou, could only adopt a defensive national policy against the Great Nether Sacred Country. They defended passively, never daring to take the initiative. On the rare occasions they did attack, victories were few and far between, and came at a great cost of manpower and resources. Therefore, the Great Zhou considered simply holding back the Demon Country a success, and never sought any greater triumph.

In fact, when the Great Yan Dynasty was founded, it held the same view.

It was best not to go to war; avoidance was the primary strategy.

Only the current Emperor Yong’an had managed to tear two pieces of flesh from the Demon Country’s grasp.

But without a doubt, the oppressive threat of the Demon Country remained.

“Chief Minister, it will take time for the main army to reach the border. Should we order Prince Zhenbei to rush reinforcements to the Shanhai Pass area to buy us some time?”

A minister in a purple robe stepped forward to suggest.

The Cabinet members, seated in their high positions, all maintained a cautious silence, not answering rashly.

Yuan Xuangang pondered for a moment, then glanced at Wang He’fu beside him.

Wang He’fu immediately understood and spoke calmly, “No. Xiong Wu State and Feiniu State are our only military strongholds in the Northwest; we cannot leave them vulnerable. They are the key to Great Yan maintaining its military advantage and initiative. We cannot dispatch troops from there lightly. It is not yet time to mobilize the main forces of the Northwest.”

Another Cabinet Minister, an old man with a goatee, said in a deep voice:

“Why not have the nearby Sects send reinforcements?”

“Those Sects are notorious for their self-preservation. Won’t they just shrink from battle and watch from the sidelines?” Wang He’fu asked.

The goateed elder replied, “The Court sold them those precious lands; it is their duty to defend them. They have no room to bargain and no reason to shrink back.”

“It’s still not a reliable plan.”

Wang He’fu clearly didn’t trust those Sects to fight to the death to defend Great Yan’s borders.

They might fight when the tide is in their favor, but if things turn against them, they would surely stand by and watch coldly, waiting for an advantageous moment to strike.

“Inform the Dao Alliance,” Chief Minister Yuan Xuangang finally spoke, his voice calm. “Defending the borders against invaders is one of the Dao Alliance’s duties.”

“As long as the small towns stand, the Demon Country won’t be able to break through just yet. For now, we wait for further news.”

Hearing this, Wang He’fu nodded lightly.

The border had three lines of defense. The first was the front line, composed of Great Yan Soldiers and Sect Cultivators.

The second line was the people who lived in the small towns.

As far as he knew, numerous small towns were situated at the foot of every section of the Great Wall, inhabited by common folk.

They were a significant force.

The people living in the small towns along the Great Wall were not disturbed by the wars of successive dynasties. Since the end of the Middle Ages, they had lived here for generations, never leaving. They multiplied from one generation to the next, living and working in peace.

“Your Excellencies, this is the Holy Decree of subjugation issued by the Great Nether Empress.”

The Commander of the Imperial Guard took a scroll of white paper with black writing from his belt and handed it to a eunuch, who then presented it to the Cabinet members.

“How outrageous!”

A Cabinet Minister cursed aloud after reading the contents of the paper.

“Do they really think Great Yan is such an easy target?”

The Cabinet then announced the contents of the Great Nether Empress’s Holy Decree of subjugation.

After the ministers read the contents of the decree, their expressions turned peculiar.

Even Wang He’fu furrowed his brow.

After a long silence, someone finally spoke up.

A young official asked in confusion, “The Great Nether Empress’s Holy Decree demands that we release the Sixth Prince of Great Yan, Lu Mingyuan, and enthrone him as emperor. It claims this is the will of Heaven. What is the meaning of this?”

“It doesn’t take much thought. This is clearly a scheme by that Demoness!” another thick-browed Military Minister snorted.

“Yes, that must be it. The Demoness’s true goal could never be so simple.”

Wang He’fu remained silent, his mind racing.

’Could the Great Nether Empress have learned of our internal affairs? Is she trying to drive a wedge between the Holy Emperor and Yuan’Er?’

’I refuse to believe she included this demand in the Holy Decree merely to repay Lu Mingyuan for saving her life. That’s absolutely impossible.’

’She isn’t some damsel from a Noble Family, ready to pledge her life to her savior. She is the Demoness of the Demon Kingdom—heinous, vicious, and a killer who doesn’t bat an eye!’

Wang He’fu concluded.

’This Great Nether Empress wants to use Lu Mingyuan as a pretext for her invasion. She aims to divide the Great Yan Royal Family and the various powers of the Three Religions, plunging Great Yan into internal chaos fueled by public opinion. By intensifying our internal conflicts, we’ll have no capacity to present a united front against her.’

’Then, the Holy Netherworld can attack and achieve a major victory.’

…

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