Chapter 351: Chapter 73 Gongsun Qi
"I laugh at His Majesty’s old age and the discord within the Ji Royal Family."
Zhang Zhixuan’s laughter faded, and his expression returned to normal. Holding the Jade Talisman, he seemed indifferent to the uninvited guest, speaking lightly, "The Heavenly Prison was infiltrated, my disciple died at the hands of another, but now, His Majesty wants to attribute Yang Ji’s death to his own command. Because he is old, he cannot show any sign of weakness."
Like an aging Lion King, he must always maintain the dignity of a leader, or else he faces numerous challenges.
The greatest barrier of the Heavenly Prison is actually the Emperor himself, for being close to the Imperial City allows the Emperor to act immediately. In theory, the Heavenly Prison should be foolproof.
If there is a failure, it is hard not to suspect that there was an issue with the Emperor.
This is very disadvantageous for the Emperor, because he truly is old.
Even for Cultivators, once they age, they inevitably begin to show signs of fatigue, not to the point of becoming a fallen Phoenix, but certainly far from their former glory.
Predecessors among the Emperors maintained their prime in the Spring and Autumn Annals before their demise, only the current Emperor has suffered an anomaly. After encountering Heaven’s Punishment, the Emperor lay bedridden for three years. When he finally rose from his sickbed, he seemed to have recovered from his injuries, but his features had aged.
Such anomalies, after months of concealment, were gradually exposed, and now there were rumors of the Emperor’s intent on eternal life swirling around the Divine Capital, seemingly calm but in fact, turbulent under the surface.
"The assassination affair in the Heavenly Prison must be suppressed, and must not be made known to outsiders."
Without turning his body, Zhang Zhixuan’s Divine Sense already detected a person standing outside the house on the porch, right in his original position, "Taiping Sect also needs to be struck. If the death of Yang Ji is discussed publicly by me, not only would it disclose the matter of the Heavenly Prison, but it may also make me overly assertive, further obstructing the longevity plan. Explaining, in a way, is a sign of weakness. Better to use the death of Yang Ji as a warning."
Between revealing his aged state and demonstrating brutality, the Emperor chose the latter.
Although this might anger Zhang Zhixuan, whether Zhang Zhixuan becomes angry is irrelevant. If he does not get angry, would he stop the making of the Immortality Elixir?
Moreover, with the Taiping Sect secretly fanning the flames, would the Emperor not be angry?
The result is still just a compromise.
This give and take cancels each other out.
This move, though not perfect, is certainly not bad.
The premise is that it must not be seen through.
Once seen through, it fails to be effective and instead, exposes the Emperor’s vulnerabilities.
But this outcome is similar to that of voluntarily explaining, so it is not too bad either.
"The matter of the Heavenly Prison has been thoroughly suppressed, and the memories of most people involved have been erased. The few who retain their memories have been personally ordered by His Majesty not to disclose it."
The uninvited guest walked into the house and sat opposite Zhang Zhixuan, his towering presence signifying that he was none other than the Sect Leader of Dinghu Sect — "Heavenly Monarch" Gongsun Qi.
Gongsun Qi, wearing an expression of great interest, said, "I’m curious how Taiping Sect came to know of this, and how the information reached your hands."
Despite the numerous covert operatives hidden within the Imperial City, that was at the discretion of the Emperor.
If necessary, the Emperor could completely shut off the news, with just the use of the Oral Heavenly Constitution.
As before, when the Emperor’s injury had healed and he aged overnight, it was several months before the people outside the palace knew.
Although Zhang Zhixuan seemed at liberty, his location had long been under Imperial Decree, preventing any information from being transmitted, regardless of what Secret Technique was used.
But he just knew.
"This is not something to be discussed with outsiders."
Zhang Zhixuan smiled faintly, smoothly moving past the topic, then spoke with an implied meaning, "However, Heavenly Monarch, knowing that I have already seen through the tricks, you seem to have no intention of informing His Majesty. It seems that among the discordant ones in the Ji Family, you too belong."
"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Gongsun Qi asked in apparent confusion.
"Gongsun Qi claims to be loyal to Your Majesty, does this not imply that Heavenly Monarch does not wish for His Majesty to be aware of his actions?" Zhang Zhixuan said indifferently.
Both third-grade and fourth-rank cultivators possess ways to shield their sense, but within the Imperial City, even someone as powerful as the Heavenly Monarch might be detected by the Emperor if they mentioned "Emperor".
Gongsun Qi used "Your Majesty" instead of "Emperor" precisely because he was cautious and did not want the Emperor to know his whereabouts.
Similarly, Zhang Zhixuan also dared not refer to him as "Emperor."
Even when mocking the old age of the Emperor, he still referred to him as "Your Majesty" to avoid detection.
A purple thunder light appeared in Zhang Zhixuan’s eyes, tainting his pupils as he tightly fixed his gaze on Gongsun Qi, "It’s just that I don’t know what the Heavenly Monarch intends to do?"
Is he opposing the Emperor?
Or is he, like Zhang Zhixuan, attempting to cause the Emperor’s downfall and then take another path?
"What do you intend?" Gongsun Qi, seemingly oblivious to Zhang Zhixuan’s intense scrutiny, simply chuckled, "Sect Leader Zhang jests. I call him ’Your Majesty’ out of respect for power, not out of disloyalty."
"If the Heavenly Monarch is willing to serve loyally, why would His Majesty even need to worry about those hidden currents?" Zhang Zhixuan didn’t believe a word of his, "The power of the Ji Family is the foremost in the world; if not for the discord within the Ji Family, there wouldn’t be such turbulent undercurrents now."
"Just someone trying to right the wrongs amid chaos."
Gongsun Qi gave a slight smile and gently uttered four words: "Heaven has died."
Upon these words, Zhang Zhixuan was profoundly shaken, but before he could speak, Gongsun Qi’s figure gradually faded and vanished into thin air.
"Incredible..." Zhang Zhixuan looked perplexed, "It’s you!"
His mention of discord within the Ji Family referred not only to Tianxuan and other members of the Ji Family opposing the Emperor’s plans for eternal life but also an additional implication.
Replacing the Fire Element with the Earth Deity, establishing the era of Yellow Heaven, this is the current primary directive of the Taiping Sect, but this policy did not originate from Zhang Zhixuan; it came from a descendant of the Yellow Emperor.
The rapid expansion of the Taiping Sect over the years also benefited from those allies in the shadows.
Zhang Zhixuan had always been suspicious, so he spoke out to test the waters by mentioning the Ji Family, but when he truly heard the words "Heaven has died" from the other party, his heart was overwhelmed by waves of emotions.
After a while, Zhang Zhixuan regained his composure, then whispered softly, "Very well."
With this, the Taiping Sect had the backing of a Supreme behind them.
Six Supremes set the world’s circumstances; the stance of any one of them is crucial, especially that of the Heavenly Monarch.
With his support, not only does the Taiping Sect gain a significant reliance, but it also means less resistance. If the Emperor’s plan for eternal life fails, he would have no choice but to lean towards us, and by then, the Taiping Sect would have two Supremes to assist them.
"Heaven has died, Yellow Heaven shall rise."
Zhang Zhixuan murmured to himself, his voice stronger than ever.
...
...
Meanwhile, Gongsun Qi’s figure quietly appeared in a palace.
Inside the palace, another "Gongsun Qi" was sitting cross-legged on a cushion. Seeing Gongsun Qi appear, his form moved and transformed into several talismans, merging with Gongsun Qi.
"I had planned to stay hidden a bit longer, but I didn’t expect Tianxuan’s move, implementing a strategy of division, which forced me to meet Zhang Zhixuan sooner and made him hold back for the time being."
Gongsun Qi paced around the hall, a hint of intrigued expression on his face, "Yet Zhang Zhixuan gave me a pleasant surprise. His ability also surprised me, as he discovered the matter of the Heavenly Prison. So next..."
Next, it would be Tianxuan’s turn to make a move.
"Sister, can you give me even more of a surprise?"