“You must now think of me as a traitor and a rebel…”
The Blood Oath Alliance Leader smiled, though his eyes were cold: “Indeed, I am! Alas, in this world, the victor becomes king and the loser becomes prey…”
“You scoundrel!”
Shang Jie was furious, but in an instant, his expression changed, and he collapsed straight down, almost coughing up blood.
“Has Your Majesty forgotten?”
The Blood Oath Alliance Leader kindly helped him up: “With the destruction of the Twelve Golden Men, Your Majesty has suffered the backlash of the metallic malevolence. Surviving until now has already cost me countless treasures to sustain your life…”
“What do you intend to do with me?”
Shang Jie’s expression changed repeatedly. Although there had never been an event in this world of holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles, similar incidents were certainly recorded in history.
However, he had the temperament of a mighty dragon. In Wu Ming’s past life, he would be comparable to the First Emperor of Qin. If treated like Emperor Xian of Han, his fate would inevitably be tragic.
“Your Majesty need not think too much. I have no ambition to vie for the throne…”
The Blood Oath Alliance Leader’s wise gaze seemed to pierce through Shang Jie’s soul: “The divine path, the immortal path… the hundred schools of thought and the nine streams of sects will not allow the Shang Dynasty to rise again!”
Shang Jie was furious, then fell into an unspeakable silence. If previously he had refused to face reality, today’s crushing defeat had finally shattered his last vestige of pride.
Thinking of the throne changing hands and the ancestral foundation of a thousand years being lost, he instantly felt his heart turn to ashes, unable to kindle even a spark.
“It seems Your Majesty has already resolved to die…”
The Blood Oath Alliance Leader smiled slightly: “That is good… However, I still have one final request, hoping Your Majesty can assist me!”
“Your…”
Sensing that the other’s intention was not as he had imagined, Shang Jie’s expression changed. However, before he could speak, his body stiffened, and he could not even open his mouth.
“Has Your Majesty not yet noticed the uniqueness of your body?”
The Blood Oath Alliance Leader gazed with pity: “The malevolent aura has entered your body, and your constitution is that of a terminal dragon. The creature born from this will be completely different from ordinary beings… If refined using the supreme art of corpse cultivation, it might become a Corpse King, rivaling an Earth Immortal, capable of suppressing the fortune of individuals and sects!”
Although Shang Jie was now a deposed monarch, he had previously ruled all nineteen provinces! As long as he remained alive, the last trace of imperial aura would not dissipate, making him the ideal flesh-and-blood material for many sects, including heretical cultivators!
Even the orthodox Daoist sects would not necessarily reject such a prospect.
Upon hearing these words, Shang Jie’s eyes nearly burst with rage, longing for death to avoid humiliation at the hands of a petty man.
“…Of course, even so, it would still be a waste!”
The Blood Oath Alliance Leader continued chattering, as if casually chatting with him: “If we truly want to forge a Corpse King, how could it compare to Ji Yi, the ancestral dragon of the Zhou? If it survives the heavenly calamity’s backlash, it might even rival a true immortal!”
Of course, transforming a living founding emperor of a dynasty into a corpse would be a violation of the natural order, a task no less difficult than Shang Jie’s forging of the Twelve Golden Men. He was merely musing aloud.
“But for me personally…” he continued, “this matter is best suited for Your Majesty, and I ask for your cooperation!”
At this moment, Shang Jie’s lips trembled, clearly wanting to say much, but unable to utter a word. He could only watch helplessly as the Blood Oath Alliance Leader proceeded with his own business.
First, he stripped Shang Jie of all his clothing. By now, Shang Jie’s transformation had begun, with fine scales growing across his body, making him distinctly different from an ordinary person. However, the Blood Oath Alliance Leader was unfazed. He used a precious spirit ink and brush to draw a small magical formation across Shang Jie’s body.
Then he took out a black leather pouch, seemingly containing the power of a universe within a mustard seed. Several metal slabs the size of millstones were removed and placed on the ground. Their surfaces were dim, yet carried a familiar malevolent aura recognizable to Shang Jie.
“Wu wu…”
At the sight of these, even Shang Jie struggled with all his might.
“Correct… It seems Your Majesty still recognizes them. These are the remnants of the Twelve Golden Men…”
The Blood Oath Alliance Leader smiled: “These objects were envied by heaven itself, destroyed by earth dragons and heavenly lightning, turning to dust. Even I could only salvage the last fragments… Heaven’s course is constant, and the great derivation of the universe always leaves a thread of hope, and that is here!”
“Indeed… I intend to reforging the Twelve Golden Men…”
His gaze toward Shang Jie grew increasingly gentle: “The Twelve Golden Men, fused with the earth dragons and suppressing all under heaven, were too rebellious and were treasures capable of stabilizing a nation’s fortune. Even if Your Majesty sacrificed everything and succeeded by sheer luck, they would inevitably be seized by others!”
“But with the foundation laid by Your Majesty, I intend to take a shortcut. I won’t aim for the full Twelve Golden Men, nor for the stabilization of national fortune, so the backlash will naturally be smaller. With Your Majesty’s assistance… I am already confident!”
He knew his own limits well.
Although he possessed considerable ability and skill, he still fell far short of the divine being and sword immortal who had appeared today.
The Twelve Golden Men were too rebellious. Once completed, they would shake heaven and earth, and move ghosts and gods. The great powers of the three realms would be unable to resist intervening.
Before even forging them, three had already appeared. If truly completed, how many more would be drawn?
Therefore, he chose a secondary path. Although he still planned to forge a divine artifact using Shang Jie and the remnants of the Twelve Golden Men, it would not be as rebellious.
For this plan, he had even abandoned much merit, and had been hiding within the Shang Palace, biding his time until now!
“If the divine artifact is completed… I still have other ways to enhance its power, quietly perfecting it…”
With the Main Temple behind him and access to countless worlds, he had many options.
The Blood Oath Alliance Leader murmured: “If so… perhaps I can finally step out from that person’s shadow?”
At this thought, his eyes flashed with coldness. Glancing at the mute Shang Jie, a luminous pearl appeared in his hand.
Despite his heart having turned to ashes, seeing this pearl caused Shang Jie to violently struggle.
The pearl was the size of a clenched fist, bright yellow, semi-transparent like amber. Most crucially, within it was a small black Xuan Bird, frozen in place.
The aura of heavenly mandate could not possibly escape Shang Jie’s perception.
“Exactly five thousand days of accumulated merit, used to seal away a fragment of heavenly fate… It’s the perfect core for a divine artifact, but it still lacks that final spark of spiritual essence!”
The Blood Oath Alliance Leader thought silently, then began chanting an incantation.
Whoosh!
Bright ghostly flames burst forth in all directions, illuminating the many complex rituals drawn upon the ground.
As the flames licked the ground, the metal slabs slowly melted, droplets of golden liquid filling the magical formation, radiating a vast power. An invisible force field expanded silently, quickly spreading throughout the entire palace.
“Hmm? This is…”
On the plaza, the guarding officer’s expression suddenly changed!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before his eyes, the black mist in the square was rapidly dissipating, until only a thin layer of gray fog remained.
“Somebody is performing a ritual, absorbing the malevolent aura!”
“And… it’s not our people!”
At this thought, the officer’s face turned pale: “With such painstaking effort, could it be remnants of the Shang?”
But the next moment, before he could order a search of the palace, the creatures that had lost their source of malevolent energy instantly turned their attention outward.
“Bad! Without the dragon’s malevolence, these creatures will automatically seek out blood and flesh!”
“And having absorbed so much malevolence, they must have become even more uncontrollable!”
His scalp tingled: “Prepare for battle!”
However, before he could shout his next command, those black dragon-like creatures immediately turned their heads, their blood-red eyes locking onto him.
“Roar! Roar!”
In an instant, dozens of black shadows tore through the void, savagely charging into the battlefield.
Puh!
Clang! Clang!
Protected by dragon scales, ordinary swords, spears, and crossbows had no effect on them. Their dragon claws were as sharp as divine weapons, and their speed was like the wind, making them veritable meat-grinding machines on the battlefield.
With just a moment’s hesitation, they breached the defenses, beginning to slaughter the soldiers in pursuit of blood and flesh.
“These creatures are at least equivalent to Zongshi martial artists, no! Even greater masters!”
Looking at the hundreds of figures emerging from the dissipating black mist, and most centrally, a dragon-like monster nearly twice the size of its companions and immensely powerful, the officer’s face turned into a bitter smile.
“Fast as the wind, protected by dragon’s malevolence, impervious to spells…”
With just a glance, he estimated that unless ten thousand soldiers were deployed to surround and eliminate them, these creatures could not be completely eradicated!
“Fortunately, the emperor is at the periphery!”
The officer’s eyes flickered, and in an instant, he turned and transformed into a streak of light—fleeing!
To knowingly walk into an unwinnable battle was foolishness.
There were also various schools within the military tradition, and sacrificing himself recklessly was not the style of his particular branch.
After all, the capital was already in such chaos. What difference would a bit more make?
Moreover, considering his earlier gains, this would not be seen as desertion in battle, and might even earn him a reward.
…
“What? There is a calamity of malevolent aura within the palace?”
Hearing the report, Ji Yi furrowed his brow. Even now, he still considered Shengjing as the future imperial capital, since for a thousand years it had been the established mindset.
“Correct… Some malevolent spirits have taken root, forming evil beings… They cannot be subdued without an army of ten thousand, or alternatively, if we delay for thirty-six days and allow this humble Daoist to perform the Grand Sacrificial Rite of the Heavens, they might be pacified, although the city would no longer be suitable for habitation!”
The Yuqing Daoist kowtowed: “With Zhou replacing Shang, changing the imperial capital is also the will of heaven!”
“Report! General Li Li of the You Shi division requests an audience!”
At this moment, another aide rushed in, kowtowing as he spoke.
“Summon him!”
Ji Yi furrowed his brow, then saw the officer from earlier carrying a sandalwood box, quickly entering and kneeling, holding it high above his head: “Your Majesty, rejoice! This humble officer retrieved the Imperial Seal from the palace and now presents it to you!”
“The Imperial Seal?!”
Ji Yi was startled, immediately standing up: “Quickly, bring it forth for me to see!”
The concept of legitimacy was still deeply rooted in this world. At least with this seal, Ji Yi’s claim to righteousness would be further solidified, a major political advantage he certainly understood, hence his immediate reaction.
“Here!”
Li Li joyfully presented it. Upon opening the box, there indeed lay an imperial jade seal, half a chi square, crystal clear and translucent, with blood-like veins inside. Upon it was a coiled dragon with horns, ancient and proud. At the base were eight seal script characters: “Mandated by Heaven, Long may it endure and prosper!”
“Your Majesty, this seal is counterfeit!”
The Yuqing Daoist’s face first showed joy, then changed to alarm and he cried out in shock.
The next moment.
Boom!!!
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