"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
The palace chambers flickered with light, and mournful moonlight streamed in, illuminating the emperor of an empire, the Human Emperor, in his final moments.
Lying on the bed, the Holy Yuan Human Emperor was pale and emaciated, his black hair now flecked with white. His breath was shallow and erratic.
A hundred years ago, the Holy Yuan Human Emperor had ascended to the throne of the Human Emperor Hall, wielding power over the land. His prestige had reached its zenith, and under his leadership, the Holy Yuan Dynasty had entered a prosperous era. It was during his tenure as Human Emperor that the Holy War he organized had begun.
The ferocious beasts that had emerged from the ancient seals were far more powerful than any seen in the past fifty thousand years. The Holy War, which lasted three months, saw the demise of eight experts from the Rongtian Realm within human territories alone. The total human population in the Southwest Region plummeted by one-fifth.
As the master of the Human Emperor Hall, he had led the charge and fought valiantly. It was in that battle, at the peak of his youth and strength, that he sustained a fatal blow. Though he was nursed back to a semblance of life by top-tier fourth-grade alchemists from the Danqing Pavilion, he was merely lingering on borrowed time.
"Hoo... hoo..."
The Holy Yuan Human Emperor gasped for air, his mouth agape. Breathing solely through his nose was no longer sufficient to sustain his body. His eyes bulged as he stared at the ceiling.
Consort Han, holding a bowl of medicinal soup, looked at the figure on the bed – the once supreme Human Emperor who had once commanded the admiration of all rulers, now frail and his life hanging by a thread.
For a moment, she lost herself in thought, her eyes filled with tenderness. But then, they instantly turned crimson and fierce. Once the Eighth Prince, Ying Jia, inherited the throne, she and her son, the Fourth Prince, Ying Zhong, would likely meet their end. To be born into an imperial family, one must shed all sentimentality.
"Human Emperor!" Consort Han approached, sat by the bedside, and called out softly, her eyes welling with tears.
The Human Emperor turned his head with immense effort, looking at Consort Han. He opened his mouth, but lacked the strength to speak. Even this was thanks to the most precious pill from the Danqing Pavilion, which had barely extended his lifespan by a few days.
A Rongtian Realm expert, too, could not withstand the collapse of his body!
"Here, Human Emperor, your concubine has prepared a bowl of ginseng soup for you." Consort Han wiped away her tears, gently helped the Human Emperor sit up, and poured the brown liquid down his throat. The Human Emperor had only been lying down for a short while.
His frail body suddenly convulsed violently. His skeletal hands clutched the bedsheet, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he glared malevolently at Consort Han.
"You... you... Guards!"
"Pfft!"
He spat out a mouthful of black blood. Within the pool of dark blood, black worms writhed. In an instant, the Holy Yuan Human Emperor's pale skin turned sallow and black. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, and what little flesh he had left vanished completely. He slumped back onto the bed, utterly powerless.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness and bowed respectfully to Consort Han. It was Ying Zhong, the Fourth Prince of the Holy Yuan Dynasty.
"Zhong'er, have the arrangements below been made?" Consort Han asked expressionlessly, looking at the Holy Yuan Human Emperor, who was now dissolving into a viscous liquid.
"Mother Consort, rest assured. Your son has made all the arrangements. Tomorrow, the court ministers will recommend me to inherit the throne!"
Ying Zhong's face was filled with joy as he gazed at the pool of liquid on the bed, showing not a trace of sadness, as if looking at nothingness.
"What about Ying Jia?" Consort Han's hair instantly turned gray. The Human Emperor had treated her well, and she remembered his kindness. But for her future and her son's, she had no choice but to kill the Human Emperor.
"Mother Consort, rest assured, Ying Jia will not see tomorrow's sun!"
...
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
...
As dawn began to break over the Holy Yuan Dynasty, the sound of bells echoed in all directions. This bell was different from others; in the Holy Yuan Dynasty, it signified the demise of the Human Emperor.
Chaos erupted throughout the capital as ministers rushed out of their residences, fleeing towards the imperial palace.
"Bang!"
"I object!"
"When the Human Emperor was alive, the Eighth Prince had already entered the court and managed the dynasty's affairs. You speak of letting the Fourth Prince, Ying Zhong, inherit the throne, but where is the late Emperor's will?"
An old minister, his face flushed with anger, pointed at the officials who supported the Fourth Prince, Ying Zhong, and rebuked them.
"The Eighth Prince, Ying Jia, was the last to see the Human Emperor. Though the late Emperor was frail, his death was not immediate. The Eighth Prince is the chief culprit in the murder of the late Emperor!"
"Look!"
"Swish!"
A general shouted explosively and revealed a document bearing the Eighth Prince Ying Jia's personal signature, incriminating him in this monstrous crime.
On the night of the incident, the Eighth Prince Ying Jia had been eradicated by the Fourth Prince Ying Zhong and imprisoned in the dungeons. Even the Ning family, who had supported the Eighth Prince, was not entirely spared. The entire Eighth Prince faction, with the exception of some palace officials, was left untouched by Ying Zhong. As for the regional powers, their entire clans were wiped out, and their branches severed, bathing the land in blood.
"You... you you you!"
The old minister, looking at the document of accusation, was so enraged he could barely breathe.
"Since the Holy War a hundred years ago, the late Emperor's health has been exceedingly poor. His continued existence to this day is a great kindness. However, the dynasty cannot be without a ruler for a single day!"
"The Eighth Prince plotted to usurp the throne and assassinated the late Emperor. The evidence is conclusive, and he has now been imprisoned by the Fourth Prince. Esteemed ministers, just moments ago, the Eighth Prince Ying Jia, realizing the magnitude of his sins, has followed the late Emperor to his demise, atoning for his transgressions!"
"We humbly request the Fourth Prince Ying Zhong to inherit the throne!"
"We humbly request the Fourth Prince Ying Zhong to inherit the throne!"
"We humbly request the Fourth Prince Ying Zhong to inherit the throne!"
...
Nearly half the officials prostrated themselves. The ministers who had supported the Eighth Prince could only kneel, witnessing this scene. The victor becomes king, the vanquished becomes a bandit!
Ying Zhong surveyed the grand hall, a smile gracing his lips. He then knelt on the ground and cried out, "Descendant of the Ying clan – Ying Zhong, respectfully requests the Zongren Fu (Imperial Clan Court). The dynasty cannot be without a ruler for a day. Your descendant Ying Zhong is deeply loved by the common people and has the support of the court ministers. I now implore the Zongren Fu to inherit the throne and become the Human Emperor of the Holy Yuan Dynasty!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
He kowtowed three times!
"Granted!"
An aged voice emanated from the void, and a decree, a golden "Granted," solidified in the air.
Ying Zhong bowed in thanks and rose. Suddenly, the decree transformed into an imperial robe, which he donned.
"We pay homage to the Human Emperor!"
"We pay homage to the Human Emperor!"
"We pay homage to the Human Emperor!"
...
Even the Zongren Fu acknowledged Ying Zhong's claim to the throne. He was indeed destined to sit on the throne of the Holy Yuan Dynasty's Human Emperor!
"In half a month, the succession ceremony will be held, and all regions will be invited!"
Ying Zhong, seated on the imperial throne, exuded an aura of majesty that instantly suppressed the entire court!