The King could not hide the joy and memories in his eyes, and said with certainty, "That's right, you're absolutely right! She is Heng'er, she is Luo Zhiheng, I would never mistake her! You don't need to doubt her anymore."
The Pharaoh's guardians were speechless, their faces filled with shock and disbelief. Even after countless trials, they had never witnessed anything so unbelievable. Soul swapping, resurrection? These were all too fantastical and mythical. Yet, what they were seeing before them left them no choice but to believe it.
“You old folks, stop doubting! That person is my master, the leader of the Wildlands. She fell off a cliff three years ago, landing right at the sacred altar of our Wildlands ancestors. This woman is Luo Zhiheng, and she is also a Ruilin. Our old leader saved her life. Everything she says is true. Mu Yunhe knows it, and Luo Zhiwu knows it too!” The Demoness said anxiously to the elders.
The elders were all moved upon hearing Luo Zhiwu's name.
Luo Zhiheng immediately said, "Luo Zhiwu is my brother. I asked Yaoniang to tell my brother and then go find Elder Tong and the others. My purpose was to tell Elder Tong and the others the truth. I know that Yaoniang is, after all, a barbarian, and Elder Tong and the others might not believe her. Even if they have doubts, they won't really come along. That's why I asked my brother to go. Luo Zhiwu, don't you know? If he hadn't already confirmed that I am Aheng, why would he have assassinated that imposter Luo Zhiheng before?"
The old man's expression changed. After all, the matter of Luo Zhiwu assassinating her own sister had caused quite a stir for a while. They had previously found it unbelievable that her brother, who doted on Luo Zhiheng so much, would suddenly turn against her and try to assassinate her. Now, hearing this, he suddenly realized that if Luo Zhiwu knew that the person was not her biological sister, then the assassination would be much more understandable.
Although Mu Yunhe had previously blocked the news, the pharaohs still had ways to find out what was going on.
Thinking of this, the elders' gazes towards Luo Zhiheng shifted dramatically. They were finally starting to believe her to some extent. And this was a crucial moment; they couldn't afford to hesitate or delay any longer.
The old man said, “Whether you are really Luo Zhiheng or not, we will do everything in our power to rescue you today. It’s because you said you could stop Mu Yunhe. Although we don’t know why Mu Yunhe suddenly rebelled, this is not the behavior of a benevolent and compassionate priest. We may not know how magnanimous Mu Yunhe is, but we know his character and his position. He would never do such a treasonous thing to harm the common people.”
"Based on your statement that this person is not Mu Yunhe, but a member of the Demon Clan, and on the Dark Legion of the Demon Clan before us, I'll believe you this once! In my entire life, I've never blindly believed anyone's words, much less helped anyone based on a few words. But you've forced me to help you out, and you're the first person for whom we're willing to take a gamble. I hope you won't disappoint us. If you're not Luo Zhiheng, and if you dare to do anything bad after you're released, even if it costs me my old bones, I won't let you go!"
The guardian's words were harsh enough; his weathered demeanor gave him an imposing air, and a subtle sense of oppression emanated from him, telling everyone that he was not joking.
Luo Zhiheng finally felt half relieved and solemnly said, "Senior, please rest assured. I, Luo Zhiheng, have lived an upright life, and my words are never empty lies. You will definitely not regret your decision today!"
"Alright, old friends, let's give it our all!" the old man said in a deep voice.
This desperate gamble meant using all their power to break through the light barrier. This barrier was indeed incredibly difficult to breach; for them to unite would mean each of them expending a tremendous amount of internal energy. If they were to actually rescue Luo Zhiheng, the danger they would face would be immense, because they couldn't be 100% certain that Luo Zhiheng wouldn't harm them, or that she wasn't an anomaly.
But they still decided to take a gamble, setting aside the urgent need to protect the royal family and pharaohs, and preparing to use this gamble to give the pharaohs and the royal family a greater chance of victory.
The dozen or so elders had no objections. At that moment, a powerful force erupted from their bodies, causing their white robes to flutter and swell as their inner energy surged. Their white hair danced wildly, and each of them unleashed their full power in an attack on the light barrier.
Rumble!
A massive bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, slamming directly into the light barrier with a deafening roar. The light barrier, already a deep blue, suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light, blinding and terrifying, before vanishing completely.
The elders' true energy formed vortexes, converging at the front of them, gradually forming a giant sword even larger than before. It was golden in color, thick and sharp, with its pointed tip pointing straight to the sky, radiating silvery-white light that danced wildly.
The formation of that giant sword triggered strange phenomena in the heavens and earth. At this moment, the sky was even darker, with thick, gloomy clouds rolling in. It seemed as if thousands of troops were galloping in from those rolling, churning clouds. The ear-piercing thunder in the lightning and thunder made people feel suffocated, and the silvery lightning made people turn pale.
In that instant, it felt like the end of the world was coming, and the whole world was about to be turned upside down!
With a whoosh, a dozen or so old men swung their giant swords down heavily towards the light barrier.
The members of the Dark Legion were horrified by what they saw, but they were not afraid of death. Instead, they stood up and rushed towards the old men, trying to kill them.
The giant sword was not an ordinary illusion. As it fell, it contained the pure internal energy accumulated over a hundred years by the elders. It was truly a magnificent aura that could hold off ten thousand men. How could a few mere dark legions possibly contend with it?
In the blink of an eye, the members of the Dark Legion who rushed forward were injured by the sword energy and flew backward, their blood splattering everywhere. Some of them were able to fall to the ground, while others were directly cut in two by the sword energy, and still others were torn to pieces on the spot!
Luo Zhiheng watched this scene, her mouth going dry and her heart pounding. The Mu Dynasty truly had a powerful figure like this; they were incredibly confident. This power was hidden, unknown to others. If they did know, perhaps no one would dare to covet or provoke the Mu Dynasty again.
Old man!
A deep, resonant sound suddenly rang out, and the giant sword finally landed on the light screen. A circle of light appeared to crisscross across the light screen, and the faces of the surviving members of the Dark Legion changed drastically. They tried to dodge, but death was already beckoning to them, ready to take them away. They could not dodge or escape!
The moment the halo of light expanded and touched the people of the Dark Legion, a sweeping power was displayed to its fullest extent!
In an instant, blood rained down and corpses turned to dust, as the power of the aura reduced people to minced meat!
Click! Click click click!
After a brief silence, the light barrier that had trapped them finally showed obvious cracks—one, two, three…
It spread out like a spider web, crisscrossing and interwoven. The patch of sky above Luo Zhiheng's head instantly turned a dark blue-black!
When deep blue becomes even deeper, that becomes darkness!
Luo Zhiheng's eyes widened as the Poison Saint held her tightly, seemingly afraid she would get lost in the darkness. Meanwhile, the World King stared intently at the sky, unable to help but sigh. Zhiheng's actions had indeed been effective; these old fellows had been holding back before, and now they were unleashing their full power! Truly worthy of being the guardians of the Mu Dynasty's pharaohs, such strength was rare even in the Silver Moon Kingdom!
The darkness plunged people into panic once again, but the next moment, with those cracking sounds, winding lines that looked like snakes appeared, and light shone down like fluorescent light through those cracks.
With another deafening roar, the giant sword slashed down once more. This time, the cracks on the light barrier were even more numerous and larger. This happened more than twenty times. The seemingly simple number actually exhausted all the guardians' power.
Finally, with another deafening roar, the light barrier that had imprisoned Luo Zhiheng and the others was completely cleaved open, shattering into pieces in the blink of an eye! The light once again illuminated Luo Zhiheng's face!
542 A wolf's ambition, the emperor questions!
Updated: 2014-01-08 21:04:37 Word Count: 3428
The shattered light curtain shattered and fell in pieces, each piece carrying a flame. Wherever it landed, it ignited instantly, turning the entire priest's mansion into a dead city engulfed in flames, utterly silent.
But after the deathly silence came the panicked screams of the people and their desperate escape.
A beam of light fell straight down from the clouds, shining directly on Luo Zhiheng and illuminating that patch of sky and earth. Could there be a deity among those clouds? It's said that there are gods watching from above, and Luo Zhiheng believed it. If God allowed her to leave at a crucial moment, did that mean she could stop everything at that critical juncture?
Luo Zhiheng was overwhelmed with excitement and joy. She raised her voice and said, "Thank you all for your help and trust. I will definitely not let you down."
The old man who had just spoken was now suspended in mid-air with the others, below which the flames were almost completely engulfed. His voice was weary and aged as he said, “No need to thank us. We only hope someone can save these people and restore our former priest. We also don’t believe that His Excellency would abandon his people and become a messenger of demons. If you are truly Luo Zhiheng, then please do as much as we did to save you, to help the people of the Mu Dynasty and to help His Excellency.”
Luo Zhiheng nodded solemnly and said, "I will! Even if it takes all my strength, I will definitely try my best!"
She said to the King, "Aunt, could you please find someone to rescue Xiao Xizi? There's nothing left to cherish in this mansion, but Xiao Xizi can't be harmed, otherwise Yun He will be heartbroken when he returns. And please, Aunt, rescue these innocent servants as well."
The king nodded and said, "I will make arrangements. You don't need to worry about anything. I will have people do what you asked."
Luo Zhiheng nodded her thanks. The demon girl had already come to her side and excitedly hugged her. Suddenly, her expression changed drastically as she asked, "Master, how did your body become like this? Who attacked you?"
"Never mind that for now, heal me quickly, I need to get to Mu Yunhe right away," Luo Zhiheng said anxiously.
Without saying a word, the King picked up Luo Zhiheng and flew away from the doomed mansion.
Three hours later, the sun had set, its blood-red rays hanging obliquely in the western sky, dyeing the entire sky red, and all the dark clouds and darkness had disappeared.
The two armies clashed, and this time Mu Yunhe launched a coup, its momentum fierce and the situation dire. Tragically, even the emperor's staunch protectors defected, siding with Mu Yunhe. Mu Yunhe's coup, however, came without any warning. This man, who should have been the least threatening, the emperor's most trusted confidant, was now the very person he trusted most was trying to seize his position, kill him, harm him, and force him into submission!
Even a man like him couldn't bear such humiliation. Everyone regarded Mu Yunhe as the most noble and sacred priest, a figure almost above the throne. He should have been the least motivated and justified person to seize the throne, yet he did it anyway. No one could understand, no one could believe, but the truth was right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to believe, and no choice but to feel fear and resentment.
The country, which had only enjoyed a few years of peace, is now facing such a drastic change, and the people are unsettled. They find Mu Yunhe's actions incomprehensible. Three years ago, Mu Yunhe overcame all rivals and risked his life to save the country. At that time, if Mu Yunhe had wanted to ascend the throne, it would have been perfectly natural and justified! No one would have opposed him; on the contrary, many would have supported and understood him!
But at that time, Mu Yunhe calmly and quietly accepted a position above the throne. He was a dragon, yet he had to bow down to others. This was subservience! But he did it.
If he already desired the throne and aspired to be emperor back then, why didn't he seize the opportunity and declare himself emperor when the time was right? Why did he wait three years to launch another coup? This is quite incomprehensible.
Some say he was forced into it, some say he was driven by ambition, and some say his personality changed drastically after his beloved wife died.
There were many different opinions, but Mu Yunhe was not one of them. He simply watched coldly as the Great Demon King wreaked havoc, as his people fled in panic, and as his soldiers fell one by one in this war that should never have existed.
It's not that he's not anxious, it's not that he's not heartbroken!
But what could he do? Now was not the time. Having come this far, he absolutely could not act rashly, lest all his efforts be in vain!
The Great Demon King, controlling Mu Yunhe's body, stood arrogantly in his territory, looking at the city littered with smoke and blood, laughing cruelly: "Foolish humans, daring to resist! What I desire, I have never failed to obtain. Mu Yunhe was supposed to be powerful? By now, he's probably been cursed as utterly worthless by everyone, isn't he? Hahahaha, the Mu Dynasty is mine for the taking!"
"Mu Yunhe, aren't you so powerful? Come out! Come out and seek justice for yourself! Come out and protect your people from disaster! Come out and bring peace to this world and this dynasty! You headless turtle, now you dare not come out, do you? You dare not provoke me again, do you? After I take over the Mu Dynasty and have your beloved Luo Zhiheng, I'll see if you're still so arrogant, and if you'll still oppose me!"
"Divination priest? Hmph, nothing but a coward! How dare you oppose me. Everything you, Mu Yunhe, own will belong to me, and you, Mu Yunhe, will bear all my infamy."
"Report!" someone reported from outside the door. The Great Demon King let the guard in, and the guard respectfully said, "Your Excellency, the Emperor has come out from the city tower."
The Great Demon King narrowed his eyes. He could storm into the palace and kill the incompetent emperor directly, but that would be without any process. It was also uncertain whether he would become emperor. Although he loathed the troubles of humans, if he wanted to be emperor, he would make people willingly submit to him. Therefore, this battle was inevitable.
"I thought that emperor was a coward, that the Mu family's bloodline was just like that. I didn't expect this dog emperor to have some guts. Let's go, let's go meet this dog emperor!" the Great Demon King said arrogantly.
The current formation is that the emperor, along with his ministers and pharaohs, are holding the inner palace. The Great Demon King's men have blocked all the exits from the imperial city, and even the secret passages of the palace are infiltrated by his men. The emperor and his loyal ministers have no chance of escaping; they truly have no way to escape.
The Great Demon King and his men immediately used the city tower as a temporary command base. This tower, a watchtower of the imperial palace, was very spacious. They surrounded the palace, and those inside couldn't do anything to them. Of course, the palace's defenses were quite strong, and they couldn't do anything to those inside either. Thus, the two sides remained deadlocked.
The Great Demon King naturally loved this cat-and-mouse game, trapping the mouse in a small hole with only one door, making the mouse anxiously pace around inside, while he waited to eat it.
Standing atop the city wall, a wicked smile and disdainful gaze swept across the emperor opposite him, the youngest new emperor of the Mu Dynasty, Mu Yunchang, dressed in bright yellow robes. He spoke contemptuously, "So you've finally decided to come out? I thought you were going to wait inside until you died of old age. Have you come to your senses? Are you willing to abdicate in my favor? It should have been done long ago. Let your subjects see how wise their emperor is!"
Mu Yunchang inherited the royal family's handsome looks and cold demeanor, but he also possessed the iron will and ruthlessness honed by military experience. Now, cornered in his stronghold and under attack, his murderous aura was palpable. The emperor stood with his hands behind his back on the city wall, undaunted by the thousands of soldiers below, showing no fear or panic at being forced to the brink of defeat. He calmly and coldly declared, "I will absolutely not yield to you! This world, this country, and all its people belong to me! Even if I fight you to the last man, I will never be a traitorous ruler!"
His words enraged the Great Demon King: "Don't put on your emperor's airs in front of me! I'm only being kind to you by asking you to abdicate now because I'm being merciful. Don't be stubborn! You should know that my patience is limited. If you exhaust my patience, I have a thousand ways to crush you and then take the throne!"
The emperor remained unmoved by the Great Demon King's ruthlessness, though his eyes betrayed unconcealed pain and confusion. He asked, "Yunhe, you are the person I trust most. Even your father, the ever-loyal Prince Mu, who has always served and helped me, doesn't hold the same place in my heart as you. You are not only my right-hand man and a pillar of this nation, but also a member of the royalist party who secured my throne! You are my brother! If you just say the word, I would gladly give you the throne!"
"But I truly don't understand why you insist on rebelling in this way. You should know that I am willing to share this empire with you, as long as you can make the people of this empire live better lives. I have also said that as long as you ask for it, I will give it to you without hesitation or doubt! But why? Why do you insist on using such a cruel and extreme method to seize it? And why do you have to coerce and humiliate me like this?"
The emperor was heartbroken, for Mu Yunhe's betrayal had come suddenly and strangely, catching him completely off guard. The person he trusted most had dealt him the cruelest blow. He could have given up the throne, but Mu Yunhe had used coercion. If he yielded now and relinquished the throne, what would his people think? What would the world think? Everyone would call him a cowardly, weak, and incompetent emperor! The most ridiculous emperor in the history of the Mu Dynasty!
An emperor must never allow himself to become a ruler who brings about the downfall of his country, a person who sells out his country to survive!
Chapter 543 Standoff! (Bonus chapter for 84,000 recommended votes)
Updated: 2014-01-09 00:50:11 Word Count: 3446
The Great Demon King is no easy person to deal with, and he has no compassion whatsoever. The Emperor's question only fuels his contempt and disdain. Easily? Brothers? All bullshit!
"If you truly wish to relinquish the throne to me, then why are you clinging to it so stubbornly? Anyone can spout high-sounding platitudes. Mu Yunchang, you should abandon your hypocrisy. If you genuinely care for your people and do not wish for them to endure another war and bloodshed, then immediately agree to abdicate in my favor," the Great Demon King said coldly.
The emperor's face darkened, but inwardly he harbored deep hatred for Mu Yunhe. He roared, "Mu Yunhe, even if you harbor resentment towards me, you cannot humiliate me like this! Even if I die in battle today, I will never submit to you or bow my head to you! I only blame myself for misjudging you, for being blind to your true nature. From this day forward, you, Mu Yunhe, are no longer the protector of the Mu Dynasty! The people of my Mu Dynasty will kill you on sight!"
The Great Demon King laughed disdainfully, "How ridiculous! Mu Yunchang, it seems you still don't understand the ins and outs of this. My good father has always been devoted to you, helping you and considering everything for you, but he hasn't considered me at all! Do you think that the emperor's throne you sit on today is rightfully yours? Do you think I'm stealing what belongs to you? Do you think you're the one who's wronged?"
"You're wrong! It's me! I am the most pitiful one! My father actually helped an outsider to harm me! You, Mu Yunchang, shouldn't be sitting in this position. This throne should have belonged to me! Because the late emperor left a will before his death, wanting to change the identity of the heir to the throne, and before his death, the late emperor wanted to pass the throne to me!"
The Great Demon King's words completely stunned the emperor, who stared at him in disbelief.
"Impossible! I am the Emperor, I am the Crown Prince! I was personally appointed Crown Prince by my father. With my father's passing, I am the rightful heir to the throne, in accordance with the will of Heaven. How could there be any last-minute alteration of the will? This is absurd! I absolutely do not believe it! Not only do I not believe it, but I will also not allow you to utter such ridiculous reasons. Don't try to justify your wolfish ambitions!" the Emperor roared.
"I am a wolf with ambitions? I'm afraid it's you who are the wolf with ambitions. You've occupied my position for so many years, and now you still dare to speak so arrogantly to me. Mu Yunchang, are you even a man?" The Great Demon King sneered coldly and disdainfully.
"If what you say is true, then you must like this throne. But if Father really did have a will, why didn't you say it three years ago? Why did you refuse my offer to give you the throne three years ago?" The emperor naturally didn't believe the Great Demon King's words. At this moment, in his eyes, Mu Yunhe was simply a madman, a devil, and beyond redemption.