Volume 1, Chapter 136: Heartless and Righteousless
A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Yu's eyes. He had already guessed that the Han Emperor possessed Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena cultivation, but he never expected the emperor's secret technique to be so fierce—even the patriarch of a Profound Heaven Immortal Sect might not withstand this strike!
With a thought, the Windrider Sword hovering before him burst into a dazzling cyan light. Wind Sword Intent rippled through the blade like flowing water, transforming it into a cyan rainbow in the blink of an eye.
Boom!
Fused with Wind Sword Intent, the Windrider Sword shot toward the descending thunderbolt, like a cyan dragon swimming upstream against a silver waterfall, ready to soar into the sky!
Bang!
A violent roar erupted within the Demon-Suppressing Array, followed by the ground shaking. Ministers of the Great Han staggered and fell, as if the entire imperial city were trembling. Ripples spread across the golden light shield in the sky; the might of Lin Yu and the Han Emperor's clash assaulted the ancient array, nearly overwhelming it.
Countless thunderbolts bombarded the Windrider Sword, yet the Wind Sword Intent surging within showed no sign of dimming. It continued to swim upstream, slicing through the falling thunder one by one. Even a rain of thunder could not stop the Windrider Sword from striking directly at the Han Emperor.
Eh!
The Han Emperor, originally confident of victory and composed, now saw the Windrider Sword shatter his thunderous strike. His face drastically changed, his eyes filled with disbelief. He raised his sword and slashed fiercely at the oncoming Windrider Sword. Silver thunder surged like a dragon toward the blade.
The cyan light on the Windrider Sword暴涨 (surged), instantly slaying the thunder. A wisp of Wind Sword Intent pierced through the thunder, hitting the Han Emperor and sending him crashing to the ground like a meteor, smashing the earth into countless cracks.
"Your Majesty...!"
The Chief Minister exclaimed, staring in disbelief at the Han Emperor lying on the ground. One moment he had stood between heaven and earth like a demon god, and the next, he was beaten down by Lin Yu.
The others looked at the Han Emperor and Lin Yu in惊疑不定 (apprehension), as if choosing which side to take. In this father-son battle, Lin Yu now held the upper hand. No matter who won, both were of the Han royal bloodline and qualified to rule the Great Han.
"You little abomination! I will never forgive you! You're as disgusting as that bitch Qu Lingxian!"
The Han Emperor slowly stood, glaring at Lin Yu with a狰狞 (ferocious) expression. Overcome by anger, he finally revealed his deep hatred for Qu Lingxian.
"Your Majesty...! Back then, you and Consort Qu were deeply in love. Everyone in the court knew you doted on Consort Qu the most. How can you now...?"
The Chief Minister looked at the Han Emperor in disbelief. He had served the emperor the longest and remembered how the Han Emperor had adored Qu Lingxian, even alienating his three thousand concubines for her. At that time, Qu Lingxian had been the center of all favor. But beauty was fated to die young—after giving birth to Lin Yu, she had passed away. The minister had always thought the emperor's indifference and dislike toward Lin Yu stemmed from blaming him for Qu Lingxian's death.
The Han Emperor's eyes were bloodshot, his imperial robe torn by Wind Sword Intent. He sneered viciously: "Shut up! Did I dote on her? If not for her being a Myriad Phenomena Realm warrior, would I have doted on her? Before you, I am the ruler of a nation, but before her, I had no dignity. I had to carefully guess her every word and action, fearing to anger her and bring disaster to the Great Han. I had to spend every day flattering her so she would help when the Great Han faced crisis. But what about her? She always acted high and mighty. No matter what I did, I could hardly earn a smile. Those were the most tormenting years of my life—more憋屈 than when I was crown prince!"
In the end, the Han Emperor laughed wildly: "Fortunately, she's dead! I'm finally free!"
The ministers of the Great Han stared in shock at the emperor's self-exposure.
"Lin Ze, have you ever thought that what Mother wanted wasn't your flattery or your careful guessing of her thoughts? She wanted you to treat her truly as a husband treats a wife, to care for and love her sincerely?"
Lin Yu looked coldly at the Han Emperor and said gravely: "But you didn't. From the start, you approached Mother with不纯动机 (ulterior motives). You only saw her Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena cultivation and wanted to tie her to your side for protection, didn't you?"
"Right! That's exactly what I thought!" The Han Emperor laughed triumphantly. "After ascending the throne, I traveled incognito and almost died in the mouth of a monster. Fortunately, she saved me. I knew then that if I could keep her by my side, my kingdom would be impregnable! Luckily, she was simple-hearted. After much flattery, I finally won her over and took her into the harem. That was the smartest move of my life!"
Lin Yu shook his head lightly: "I thought you and Mother truly loved each other, but it was a骗局 from the start. Lin Ze, Mother was a Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena warrior—she wouldn't have died from giving birth to me. Tell me—did you kill her?"
The Han Emperor's face darkened abruptly, and he sneered: "Hehe! You guessed it. I lived under that bitch Qu Lingxian's shadow, hating her yet pretending to be affectionate until I nearly went mad. Then, just before giving birth, she told me a secret!"
"The Enlightenment Lamp?" Lin Yu stared intently at the Han Emperor.
"Right! The Enlightenment Lamp! I never expected Qu Lingxian to be so stupid as to reveal its secret to me. With the lamp, I could cultivate without bottlenecks. Combined with the Han royal family's accumulation, advancing to Myriad Phenomena Realm would be easy. Did I still need to flatter and serve that bitch? Of course not! So after she gave birth to you, I poisoned her ginseng soup with Yanshen Powder—a poison no immortal can cure. When she drank it, she finally died before me. Do you know how happy I was? Happier than when I ascended the throne!"
The Han Emperor's expression twisted as he finally revealed the secret he had held for decades.
"Your Majesty... You actually poisoned Consort Qu..."
The Chief Minister looked at the Han Emperor in disbelief, never expecting the ruler he served to be so narrow-minded as to kill a woman. The other ministers regarded the Han Emperor with疏离 (estrangement)—his actions were far from those of a true king. Most would now choose Lin Yu.
The Han Emperor turned to the Chief Minister and the ministers, sneering: "Today, when Penglai warriors attacked, I activated the Demon-Suppressing Array to resist them and managed to kill the Penglai warriors. Tragically, Third Prince Lin Yu and all civil and military officials from the Chief Minister down were killed by the Penglai warriors. I am deeply grieved!"
"Your Majesty...!"
The ministers looked at the Han Emperor in horror—his words reeked of intent to silence them. No one who heard this secret today would survive.
"Lin Ze, have you ever thought that when Mother told you about the Enlightenment Lamp, she actually intended to give it to you?"
Lin Yu looked up at the Han Emperor, his tone calm but his eyes burning with uncontrollable anger and killing intent.