Volume 1, Chapter 135: Cutting the Robe to Sever Ties
"What? The Enlightenment Lamp—a treasure of that magnitude—is actually in His Majesty's hands?"
"The Third Prince's guess isn't unfounded! How did His Majesty's cultivation surge to the Myriad Phenomena Realm so suddenly?"
"With the strength His Majesty displayed before, only the Enlightenment Lamp could create such a miracle, right?"
The officials of the Great Han Dynasty all turned to the Han Emperor, their eyes filled with confusion. They couldn't be blamed for suspecting him—his hidden cultivation was simply unexplainable.
The Han Emperor looked at Lin Yu and laughed loudly: "Yes, the Enlightenment Lamp is indeed in my hands. What do you plan to do about it?"
"The Enlightenment Lamp is my mother's relic, and I will take it back. I also need to know what exactly happened back then! Why did my mother, a mighty Myriad Phenomena Realm expert, die silently in the harem? Why does the First Prince hate my mother so much? Lin Ze, tell me—why is all this happening?"
Lin Yu held his head high, staring directly at the Han Emperor and calling him by his personal name. All bonds of father-son affection and ruler-minister loyalty had now vanished.
"Bold! Third Prince, have you gone mad? How dare you address His Majesty by name! Kneel and apologize at once!"
"Third Prince, even as a Myriad Phenomena Realm warrior, you cannot disregard ethics and propriety! His Majesty is your father—how can you call him by name?"
"Before His Majesty grows angrier, quickly apologize! He will surely forgive you!"
The officials of the Great Han were shocked to see Lin Yu openly address the Han Emperor by name—a flagrant act of treason.
"Father...," Lin Yu sneered, still staring at the Han Emperor. "If I'm not mistaken, when you activated the Demon-Suppressing Array earlier and suppressed my cultivation along with it, you intended to借刀杀人 (use others to do your dirty work) and have these Penglai Continent warriors kill me, didn't you?"
Before the Han Emperor could respond, he continued: "Since I can remember, I've seen you only a handful of times. When I was betrayed by the First Prince in the Southern Wasteland, ambushed by barbarians, and returned惨败 (in defeat) with my cultivation crippled, you didn't offer a word of concern. You simply banished me to the imperial mausoleum and ignored me. When you thought of me again, you sent me to the Great Zhou as a hostage, probably hoping I'd die there if war broke out between the two kingdoms! And my mother—for all these years, you never mentioned her, never told me anything about her. If I hadn't learned about her from the First Prince, I might have died without ever knowing the truth. Lin Ze, why do you fear and dislike me so much? Are you hiding something you did to my mother—something that haunts you?"
"Silence, Third Prince! You... you are utterly treasonous! Have you never heard that 'when the ruler orders a minister to die, the minister must die; when a father orders a son to die, the son must die'? Your very body comes from His Majesty—how can you defy ethics so brazenly!"
The Chief Minister's face turned iron-blue as he rebuked Lin Yu. The others joined in, scolding him, until he stood accused by all.
"Hehe! We who cultivate the martial path seek to break free from constraints, no longer bound by the heavens. If a mere code of ruler and minister can bind me, what use is my Myriad Phenomena Realm cultivation?"
Lin Yu scanned the crowd, smiled proudly, and raised a corner of his robe. A flying sword slashed through it, and he tossed the torn piece at the Han Emperor's feet, declaring loudly: "Lin Ze, I lost my mother in infancy and was raised by a wet nurse—you never fulfilled any duty to raise me. When I was severely wounded, you ignored me and banished me to the imperial mausoleum—you showed no paternal affection. When the two kingdoms formed an alliance, you sent me to Great Zhou as a hostage—you held no compassion for me. When I fought warriors from Penglai, you used the array to suppress my cultivation and tried to have me killed—you treated me like an enemy. Today, I, Lin Yu, cut my robe to sever all ties with you! From now on, we have nothing to do with each other!"
"Third Prince...!" The officials stared at Lin Yu in shock, never expecting him to be so resolute.
"What a wretched abomination! Do you think reaching the Myriad Phenomena Realm makes you invincible? Today, within this Demon-Suppressing Array, I will destroy you—this unfilial and traitorous fiend!"
With each word Lin Yu spoke, the Han Emperor's face grew darker. In the end, his anger turned to a mocking laugh, and his gaze toward Lin Yu was filled with undisguised killing intent.
"Even without the Emperor's Sword, I will strike down this rebellious son today!" He glared coldly at Lin Yu, his face betraying a sense of satisfaction, as if he had waited years for this chance to kill Lin Yu openly.
"Lin Ze, before you kill me, shouldn't you tell me about my mother, Qu Lingxian?" Lin Yu looked at the Han Emperor. Based on the emperor's attitude toward him and his silence about Qu Lingxian, Lin Yu was certain there was a mystery.
"Ask Qu Lingxian yourself after you die!" The Han Emperor sneered, calling her by name without a trace of affection.
He raised his sword, pointing it at Lin Yu, and thunder rumbled from his body. Countless silver snakes surged forth, coiling around him like chains. Vast thunder transformed the Han Emperor into a silver giant, as if standing between heaven and earth, exuding invincible might.
Especially with the Demon-Suppressing Array suppressing Lin Yu's cultivation by two realms, the Han Emperor's aura now far surpassed Lin Yu's. His cultivation was赫然 (shockingly) Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena.
"His Majesty is actually a Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena expert! With the Third Prince's cultivation suppressed by the array, he can't possibly defeat His Majesty!"
"Have you forgotten? The Third Prince is a sword cultivator! Even if His Majesty is stronger, it's hard to say who will win this battle."
"We must find a way to reconcile His Majesty and the Third Prince. If the Great Han had two Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena experts, unifying the Divine State Continent would be imminent!"
Seeing the Han Emperor unleash his full power, the officials were astonished. No one had expected him to hide such depth, never revealing his Myriad Phenomena cultivation to outsiders.
The Han Emperor冷冷 (coldly) glanced at the ministers who pleaded for peace, and they immediately fell silent, closing their mouths.
Then he stepped forward, soaring into the air and standing beneath the golden light shield of the Demon-Suppressing Array like a god.
"Abomination, face your death!"
The Han Emperor roared, wielding the Heavenly Son Sword and bound by thunderous dragons. He channeled the countless silver snakes coiling around him and slashed down at Lin Yu.
Hundreds of thunderbolts surged forth, pouring down from the sky like a waterfall of thunder. Before the thunder even hit the ground, silver ripples spread across it, forcing the officials to retreat again and again until they reached the palace gate, where they barely stood steady.
This strike was astonishing. The thunderous ripples on the ground created countless cracks, and fragments of stone rose into the air,悬浮 (suspending) densely like stars in a vast galaxy.