The State Preceptor's Wife also came to the Celestial Altar, looking ahead. Qin Mu had sheathed his sword, while Emperor Yanfeng was gazing at his back. This young woman watched them both, a worried look on her face.
This bloody battle quickly subsided. Monks and Daoists from the Great Thunderclap Monastery and the Dao Sect fled or died—most of them perished here, their blood staining the Celestial Altar crimson.
Blood flowed down the steps in rivulets, streaming from the nine hundred and ninety-ninth step all the way down to the first, pooling at the feet of foreign envoys and leaders of various sects and clans who had gathered below to witness the ceremony.
The Celestial Altar, this sacred place for heavenly worship, was dyed blood-red.
"Long live the Emperor! Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years!" Someone suddenly dropped to their knees and shouted.
Whoosh—
On the Altar and below it, whether officials, diplomatic envoys, or heads of various sects, clans, and noble families, all dropped to one knee in unison, crying out together: "Long live the Emperor! Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years!"
Emperor Yanfeng turned around and stood before the highest step, spreading his arms to face the prostrations of his subjects. After a moment, he raised both hands in a gesture. "Rise."
The State Preceptor's Wife looked at Emperor Yanfeng. Behind him, Qin Mu and the eight inspectors of the Heavenly Demon Cult also stood on the Altar, having not knelt.
"Husband, the Cult Master's sharp edges are fully exposed. This may not be good," she whispered to the State Preceptor of Yankang.
The State Preceptor of Yankang glanced at Qin Mu and shook his head. "For him, the Kingdom of Yankang is merely a place of tempering. Slaying the Crown Prince was nothing more than another trial. He has no such concerns, and besides, the Emperor truly needs to rely on him in many ways."
The State Preceptor's Wife was surprised. "Tempering?"
The State Preceptor of Yankang nodded. "Tempering."
This time, the Crown Prince had colluded with the Dao Sect and the Great Thunderclap Monastery in an attempted rebellion, plotting to assassinate the Emperor and seize power. The impact and destruction were far from ordinary.
In the annals of the court historians, it might simply read: "On the eighteenth of the second month, Crown Prince Yuxa conspired in rebellion. On the sixth of the third month, he was executed."
Just that simple. The finer details were not for outsiders to know. Many of the stories within could only be found in unofficial histories, but most of those were distorted through retelling and unreliable.
However, the rebellion was followed by a bloody purge. Officials from the Crown Prince's faction had their families arrested and executed. Monks and Daoists from the Great Thunderclap Monastery and the Dao Sect were dragged to the execution grounds.
Beheading at the vegetable market square continued from the seventh of the third month all the way into early April before it was barely finished.
An incident occurred during this time—the Crown Prince's head could not be found.
The Crown Prince's head had vanished into thin air. They searched everywhere around the Celestial Altar but could never locate it. Emperor Yanfeng did not order a thorough investigation.
Then the Emperor issued an edict, stripping the Crown Prince, Ling Yuxa, of his name and removing him from the royal genealogy and ancestral temple. He also demoted the Crown Prince's deceased birth mother—the former Empress—to the rank of consort.
Emperor Yanfeng then replaced officials, selecting young scholars from the Imperial Academy for promotion, and recruiting capable individuals from various military units and departments to fill the vacant positions.
A few days later, the Emperor summoned the Second Prince, Ling Yushu, back from the border to report on affairs. A few more days passed, and the Emperor, claiming to feel slightly unwell, appointed Ling Yushu as Crown Prince, entrusting him with overseeing state affairs.
"Yushu, you are now in charge of state affairs. What is the first thing you would do?" Emperor Yanfeng summoned Crown Prince Ling Yushu and asked.
He did not hold high expectations for this second son. Among all his children, Ling Yushu was not particularly outstanding. He was neither the boldest in spirit nor the most gifted in talent. On the contrary, the Emperor had once admired Ling Yuxa greatly—so much courage, vision, and ability. It was a pity he had too much boldness and daring.
The other older sons had died young, having been outlived by their father.
Ling Yushu pondered for a moment. Having just returned from the battlefields at the border, the months of hardship had given him a sharper, more commanding presence, along with greater decisiveness and resolve.
During this rebellion in which Ling Yuxa had colluded with the Great Thunderclap Monastery and the Dao Sect, he had been away from the capital and thus escaped the calamity.
Ling Yushu spoke in a grave voice. "This son would abolish his elder brother's..."
Emperor Yanfeng's face darkened. "Now you are the eldest son. I have no such son."
Ling Yushu paused, then continued. "This son would abolish the alliances he forged with foreign powers, reclaim the ceded territories, and sweep away the lands that various sects had seized during the chaos. Now that the Dao Sect and the Great Thunderclap Monastery have suffered heavy losses, with over half of their experts slain, this son intends to take the opportunity to reclaim most of their sect lands."
Emperor Yanfeng's expression softened slightly. "And then?"
"This son would assist Father in disaster relief. But before that, this son would first issue an Edict of Self-Blame..."
Emperor Yanfeng flew into a rage. "Say that again!"
Ling Yushu bowed and spoke in a low, steady voice. "This son would first issue an Edict of Self-Blame, taking upon himself the karmic consequences of the natural disasters, praying that Heaven would send no more calamities, and thus soothing the hearts of the people under heaven."
Emperor Yanfeng's face remained dark and cold. "Who taught you this?"
Ling Yushu was taken aback. "This son..."
"I asked you, who taught you this!"
Emperor Yanfeng rose to his feet, seething with anger, pacing back and forth before suddenly barking, "You are my son—I know you inside and out! You couldn't have come up with these words! This wasn't spoken from the perspective of the Second Prince, but from the vantage of one sitting on the Emperor's throne! Tell me, who taught you?"
Cold sweat broke out on Ling Yushu's forehead. He gritted his teeth and answered honestly. "After returning to the capital, this son visited the State Preceptor. The Grand Counsellor happened to be treating the State Preceptor's injuries at the time. This son mentioned that Father might ask about state affairs to test this son's mettle, and so asked them for advice..."
Emperor Yanfeng's anger subsided. He spoke unhurriedly. "The Edict of Self-Blame—who said that among them?"
Ling Yushu replied. "Both the State Preceptor and the Grand Counsellor spoke of it. They said this calamity was the punishment of the Heavenly Gods. It would be better to go along with the Heavenly Gods and bide our time. Forcing a confrontation would only lead to destruction. If this son were to issue the Edict of Self-Blame, it would be better than Father doing so. If Father were to issue it, it would amount to a repudiation of the reforms. But as the Crown Prince, this son could feign compliance while plotting otherwise."
Emperor Yanfeng's expression softened further. He sat down and continued. "I know that with your current wisdom and courage, you would not dare say such things on your own. Someone must have taught you, which is why I put on this angry display. When I ask you about state affairs, do not merely parrot what they told you. Also speak your own thoughts."
Ling Yushu agreed.
Emperor Yanfeng sighed. "I am not worried about the State Preceptor. I am worried about the Grand Counsellor. I fear that one day, when the State Preceptor and I are gone, you will not be able to match him. This time, my cultivation was completely destroyed and my Divine Abode shattered. It will be very difficult to restore my cultivation, which is why I have placed you in charge of governing the kingdom. You must be diligent and conscientious. If I cannot recover my cultivation, my remaining lifespan will be only thirty to fifty years. By then, you will be the Emperor. Broaden your horizons, widen your tolerance, and think for yourself more."
Meanwhile, on the Sacred Descent Mountain of the Heavenly Demon Cult, Qin Mu led the Hall Masters, Elders, and others to the graves of Qiantian King and Lutian King. All that remained of Lutian King was a handful of ashes, while Qiantian King's body had never been found. Buried in his tomb were the clothes he had worn in life.
Qin Mu stepped forward and placed the head of Crown Prince Ling Yuxa before the graves. The group offered incense and paid their respects.
"May the two Heavenly Kings rest in peace in the afterlife."
Jade Heavenly King offered a prayer. "Heaven has sent down calamities. In these troubled times, our Holy Cult cannot avoid its own tribulations. May the two Heavenly Kings, our senior brothers, protect our Holy Cult."
After paying their respects, the group dispersed.
Jade Heavenly King approached Qin Mu and hesitated before speaking. "Does the Cult Master still intend to return to Yankang?"
Qin Mu nodded.
Jade Heavenly King was puzzled. "This time, our Holy Cult entered the imperial city, slew the false Emperor, and eliminated so many experts from the Dao Sect and the Great Thunderclap Monastery. I fear the Emperor will be on his guard against us. Is the Cult Master not worried about going back?"
Qin Mu gazed at the tombstones of the two Heavenly Kings, his expression calm. "The Dao Sect and the Great Thunderclap Monastery still exist. Eliminating these two great sacred grounds is the Emperor's top priority. Until they are gone, he will not move against our Holy Celestial Cult. If those two sacred grounds are destroyed, that is when we must be cautious. As for now, there is no need to worry."
Jade Heavenly King thought it over carefully. Indeed, this made sense.
Qin Mu walked toward the Sacred Tree and gently ran his fingers along the bark of the ancient tree, looking up at its canopy. "The way of the sage is for the common people to use in their daily lives. Jade Heavenly King, do you think it is truly possible to change the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth?"
Jade Heavenly King stepped forward. "My aptitude is dull, and the Cult Master's question is too profound—I am afraid I cannot answer it. But I know that in the past, there were no roads in the world. When enough people walked a path, a road came into being. Later, people found muddy roads inconvenient on rainy days, so they paved them with stone slabs, and the roads became much easier to travel. And later still, people found walking too slow, so they invented the wheel and created carts, and there were horse-drawn carriages racing along the roads. I believe that in the past there was no way of carts and carriages, but when people created it, another Great Dao was added between heaven and earth."
Qin Mu was stunned.
Jade Heavenly King continued. "And later, people found carts and carriages too slow, so they built ships that could fly in the sky. When there was no ready-made mystic copper or mystic gold, they refined copper and gold from ores. When the distance was too great to send messages, they created flying letter messengers. I believe that with every creation people make, the Great Dao between heaven and earth slowly grows richer and more numerous."
Qin Mu stood in a daze, looking at the Sacred Tree. It had only a single trunk, yet the branches that sprouted from it branched again and again, growing ever more numerous. A smile crept onto his face.
"In the past, in the north during winter, it was difficult to obtain fresh vegetables and fruits. But now, with airships, produce from the south can be delivered to the north in just a few days. In the past, there were barren mountains, treacherous waters, and demons rising everywhere. Now, methods can be employed to reshape the terrain, turning bleak landscapes into verdant scenery. In the past, the soil was infertile and could not produce much grain. Now, barren land can be transformed into fertile fields."
Jade Heavenly King said. "In the past, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning were simply natural phenomena. Now, people have learned to command them. Cult Master, have we changed the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth?"
Qin Mu nodded and smiled. "Yes, I believe we have."
Jade Heavenly King said. "Cult Master, I am dull by nature..."
"You are not dull at all!"
Qin Mu cut him off with a smile. "Jade Heavenly King, you are a capable man. There is no need for constant modesty. What were you about to ask?"
Jade Heavenly King said. "The Cult Master just mentioned that once the two great sacred grounds are destroyed, the Emperor might turn against our Holy Celestial Cult. Does the Cult Master have a plan? Perhaps the Cult Master could also become Emperor..."
Qin Mu shook his head. "I will not. As long as the Emperor does what is in line with our Holy Celestial Cult, it matters not whether I am Emperor or not. Besides, the State Preceptor is also the Fourth Heavenly King of our Holy Cult. As long as the State Preceptor lives, would the Emperor dare move against us? And moreover, destroying the Dao Sect and the Great Thunderclap Monastery will not be easy. Do not think too much. I came to Yankang only for tempering and cultivation."