The ninth year of Jingtai's reign in the Great Jin Dynasty, October 15th.

In previous years, this day would have been unremarkable, at most a few days after the ancestral rites. The ancestral rites on the ninth day of the tenth month were only a minor affair, and Jingtai did not even emerge from seclusion to attend.

Only some members of the Sima clan and princes presided over the event.

It didn't even cause a ripple.

Everyone, including the Jianghu and the imperial court, was focused on one thing: the current Emperor's ceremony to Heaven, ascending to the position of Human Emperor.

With Jingtai's previous decree, the entire capital was in motion. Even some officials who stubbornly tried to obstruct it failed to accomplish anything.

The Emperor was iron-willed.

As long as the powerful ministers in the court did not interfere, the Emperor's will would be fully implemented.

From a few days prior, the capital began to enforce a curfew. No official, regardless of rank, was allowed to make any movements. Movement meant death, and it would also implicate their families.

Therefore, aside from those stubborn individuals, no one dared to say anything to spoil the mood.

Purple Mountain, located east of the capital, where the rising sun brought purple energy from the east, was proof enough. East was the most important direction among the four cardinal directions, so the site for the ceremony to Heaven would naturally be there.

Ancient traditions had been interrupted. Over a thousand years of chaos, with constant annihilation and slaughter, had eroded most things.

Even the Martial Emperor who had swept across the human realm three thousand years ago was largely known through legends and deductions from fragmentary ancient texts.

It was as if someone was deliberately smoothing over certain events.

But since the founding of the former Chu Dynasty, the human realm had entered a new chapter. Jingtai's ceremony to Heaven to become the Human Emperor was largely modeled after that of the Chu Taizu.

Many people knew that Jingtai was not qualified to compare himself to Chu Taizu. Even he himself believed so. But no one dared to say it to his face.

Of course, he didn't want to hear such trivial words.

Becoming a god through incense, and protecting himself with national fortune, was the foundation he had already established. How could he stop because of a few words?

He wasn't even afraid of inciting rebellions among various forces in the world, so why would he fear these things?

Therefore, everything was proceeding smoothly.

Even though the reactions from the Jianghu were growing stronger, no one dared to directly attack the capital yet. Many were lying in wait.

Waiting for today's ceremony to Heaven!

Yes, the fifteenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of Jingtai was the day the Emperor would perform the ceremony to Heaven.

"How does it compare to Shu Prefecture?"

Chen Yuan, dressed in black, walked openly on the street. Beside him was an elderly man in simple clothing, his hair already white.

His face showed kindness.

And he was none other than Lingxu Zhenjun, the Sect Leader of Mount Shu.

That day, Chen Yuan arrived at Mount Shu and asked Lingxu in the Taiji Hall:

"Senior, will you join me in attacking the capital and avenge the fallen immortals of Mount Shu!"

Lingxu Daoist smiled faintly:

"Let's go!"

He couldn't avoid it, nor did he want to.

Since he had already decided to bet on Chen Yuan, and he had already shown his potential, something that everyone in the world knew, how could he avoid it?

Jiang He was at Mount Shu at the time, yet he had come in person, leaving him no room for maneuver.

Moreover, Mount Shu had been passed down for thousands of years, established around the same time as the former Chu Dynasty, and had received favor from the Xiang family, holding reverence for Chu Taizu.

That... was the true Human Emperor!

The Sima family was not worthy.

Now, the human realm was about to fall into great chaos. This ceremony to Heaven in the capital was the formal beginning of that chaos. He had been lying dormant in Mount Shu, guarding the Demon Suppressing Pagoda for over a hundred years without descending the mountain.

He had had enough.

Therefore, after Chen Yuan spoke, he directly agreed.

Chongxu Zhenjun and Yangxu Zhenren were stationed at Mount Shu. He and his junior brother Qingxu followed Jiang He and Chen Yuan to the Central Plains capital.

"The two are not comparable."

Lingxu Daoist smiled.

The Divine Capital City was the second city in the world, the capital of the dynasty. How could Shu Prefecture compare?

"I am just curious, are you not afraid of being detected by coming to the capital so brazenly?" Lingxu Lao Dao had thought that Chen Yuan and Jiang He would only dare to stay near Purple Mountain, which had just been named by Jingtai.

But the two of them, as if they had discussed it beforehand, had directly entered the capital.

Remarkable courage.

That was his evaluation.

After all, although the court had never proclaimed it, every major Immortal Sect knew that there was an immortal residing in the capital. That immortal was the Great Jin's founding Emperor.

He still remembered when they of the Dao God Palace had wreaked havoc in the capital, and the Heavenly Demon Palace had lent a hand. But the Palace Master, Dongfang Sheng, only dared to lure Li Kuangxiu out of the capital to confront him outside the city.

He didn't dare to enter the capital at all.

That was enough to prove something.

Chen Yuan raised his hand and pointed around:

"Do you think there are few people entering this capital?"

"This poor Daoist has not sensed any aura."

"Are you and I not concealing our auras now?"

"Hehe, that makes sense."

Chen Yuan then pointed in the direction of the Imperial City and said:

"Do you think Jingtai doesn't know that many powerful individuals will come to the capital today?"

Chen Yuan might say things casually sometimes, but he never underestimated any opponent, especially an emperor like Jingtai.

He was foolish, and cunning.

But could an ordinary person become an emperor, secretly control the No-Life Sect for his own schemes before ascending the throne?

Did he not know how much reaction the ceremony to Heaven and ascension to Human Emperor would cause, how many people it would cause to rebel?

No, he knew, he knew everything.

But he still did it.

Besides being forced to do it, it was also because... he had confidence.

Without some confidence, would he dare to do so?

"So?"

Chen Yuan's gaze narrowed:

"Therefore, it is fine to enter the capital now."

Lingxu Daoist nodded slightly, no longer saying more. But in his heart, he had an even higher opinion of Chen Yuan. He wouldn't go so far as to bow down to him, but he felt that this young man, besides having unparalleled martial arts talent,

his temperament was also not bad at all.

"Swish..."

The two were chatting when a figure in white slowly appeared from the corner, his gaze calm.

"How did it go?"

Chen Yuan's gaze shifted.

Jiang He slowly shook his head:

"She's not there."

Neither Shuanghe Temple nor the Marshal's Mansion had any sign of Li Hongshuang.

"It seems we can only see her at the ceremony to Heaven."

Chen Yuan sighed.

His trip to the capital was naturally not for sightseeing. One part was to take Li Hongshuang away. He wasn't thinking of openly snatching a woman.

If he could take her out sooner, what if he caused a scene in the capital before the ceremony to Heaven?

It was a pity that fate didn't go as he wished. Li Hongshuang had already been taken away, and no news had leaked out. It was obvious that it was Li Kuangxiu's doing.

He didn't want to cause anything that would displease the Emperor before the ceremony to Heaven.

"Mm."

"Let's go, to Qingyun Temple."

Chen Yuan didn't stop walking.

Besides coming to pick up Li Hongshuang in advance, his other reason was for Heavenly Void Old Daoist.

They had not contacted each other since their last farewell meeting. And this time, it was also when he was going to make his move.

He had accumulated power and rallied forces.

He was qualified to let this guy invest more.

In simple terms, this was diluting equity on the eve of an IPO. If you didn't want to dilute it, you had to work hard this time and bet everything.

Chen Yuan couldn't rest easy with just the favor of a Biyou Palace person.

Lingxu's expression was calm, following closely. Although he didn't know what they were going to do at Qingyun Temple, he would just follow. Jiang He was also like that, following by his side.

Three True Lords, and none of them were ordinary Yang Gods.

With such strength, it was enough to cause trouble in the capital, and enough to break out.

In addition to the hidden demon monk Moro, to be honest, this was also the confidence Chen Yuan had to enter the capital and stroll around without any concealment.

The three of them moved quickly, and in a short time, they arrived near Qingyun Temple.

Today, the capital had also begun to move. Noon was the time for the ceremony to Heaven, so the people of the capital and some dignitaries naturally had to go and wait first.

In simple terms, it was to make up the numbers.

In more complex terms, it was that these civil and military officials, and aristocratic families, had to witness the Emperor's ceremony to Heaven.

Of course, there were also some people who wanted to see what the scene would be like today.

It was already a common consensus that conflicts were highly likely to occur during the ceremony to Heaven. And no one wanted to miss such a grand occasion.

In front of Qingyun Temple, several young Daoist apprentices were sweeping the fallen leaves in front of the gate, while washing the streets with clean water. This was also what many people were doing now.

The three of them quickly arrived at the gate.

Without any notice, Heavenly Void Old Daoist gradually solidified from afar. At this moment, he was no longer as lazy as before. Instead, he had tied up his hair and wore a purple Daoist robe.

The horsetail whisk in his hand accentuated his image of an immortal Daoist, a reclusive master.

He looked at Chen Yuan, and Chen Yuan was also looking at him.

"Daoist."

"Marquis."

"Do you remember what we said before?"

"I remember."

Heavenly Void Old Daoist recalled the scene of their last meeting and bowed:

"This poor Daoist has been waiting for the Marquis's return."

"Join me in battle."

"Good."

Heavenly Void Daoist smiled faintly.

A trio became a quartet. Their figures were somewhat erratic, walking in the crowd, yet no one could discover them. But suddenly, as a convoy passed by, Chen Yuan frowned and looked over.

......

Since early morning, Jingtai's princes and princesses, and the Sima family's clan members, had been mobilized. As the eldest princess, Pingyang, was naturally no exception.

Her gaze was always calm, following the instructions of the elders of the Sima clan to prepare, changing into a grand dress, and lightly applying makeup before getting into the sedan.

Her heart was always uneasy, but like a pine tree, she forcefully suppressed all her thoughts and sat alone in the sedan.

In front of her were the carriages of the princes and concubines.

When passing by the Zhang Residence, she did not stop. When passing by the Marquis of Wuan Residence, she did not stop either. But at this moment, as if she had some kind of perception,

she actually lifted the curtain of the sedan and then saw the person that her imperial brother and mother often mentioned.

Princess Pingyang and Chen Yuan's eyes met for a moment. Both of their eyes were very calm, as if they were strangers, without any eye contact.

Lowering the curtain, Princess Pingyang closed her eyes.

......

......

The entire capital was being mobilized. Concubines, princes, clan members, Imperial Guards, however, with such a large movement, no one was flustered, because long before, the elders of the clan had taught them.

They were just going to watch the ceremony and shout "Long Live the Emperor".

Besides that, there was no action at all.

The Emperor's personal guards had also begun to move long ago. At this moment, the Imperial City was very empty. If they were to make a big disturbance, it would definitely be an excellent opportunity.

It was a pity that no one appeared.

After all, who would they be making a scene for?

But few people knew that the Emperor had not actually gone to Purple Mountain, because... the time had not yet arrived.

On weekdays, time passed quickly, often several hours passing without noticing. But today, the day of the ceremony to Heaven, seemed to pass so slowly in the eyes of many people.

"Slow? I think it's no different from usual."

At the top of the Star Gazing Tower, Jingtai, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a nine-jade crown, turned his gaze to Cao Zhengxian and said.

"This old servant is impatient."

Cao Zhengxian bowed and smiled.

For some reason, he was actually quite relaxed today. The Emperor, who had previously been gloomy and surrounded by a murderous aura, had become somewhat... amiable.

No, amiable was not suitable to describe an Emperor.

Tolerant, perhaps, was more appropriate.

Ever since Jingtai ascended the throne, he had been serving by his side and could be said to have witnessed the Emperor's life. He was not a wise ruler, but he was not a foolish one either.

It was more appropriate to call him a ruler who maintained the status quo.

After all, except for these recent years, he had basically not made any major moves.

Hmm....

To be precise, there were no major moves on the surface.

As for what was happening behind the scenes, Cao Zhengxian did not dare to think too much, because it was already very obvious.

"Where are Duke Gu and Duke Li?"

"Your Majesty, they have arrived at Purple Mountain to wait."

"Where is my Grand Uncle?"

"He is also there."

"What about the army?"

"Three hundred thousand elite Imperial Guards have arrived at Purple Mountain to line up. This time, if anyone tries to cause trouble, they will surely die without a burial!"

"Hehe, it won't come to that."

Jingtai had never placed his hopes on the Imperial Guards.

They might be able to unleash some power, but compared to the many Jianghu experts, they were still far behind.

There was no need to think too much. How could the major Immortal Sects of the world not come to join in the fun?

How could the Xiang family and Dao God Palace not come to stop him, no... how could they not come to give the court a heavy blow and push the world into chaos?

"Cao Qing."

"This old servant is here."

"You should go too, and wait at Purple Mountain."

"Yes, this old servant takes his leave."

After saying that, he slowly retreated.

After he left, Jingtai's gaze also turned to the east and he said softly:

"Bodhisattva, how many experts do you think will make a move this time?"

Beside Jingtai, a golden-haired monkey wearing a cassock, with a compassionate expression on its face, slowly shook its head:

"I do not know."

"What does Daoist think?"

On the other side, an old man wearing a Daoist robe also slowly solidified, and smiled faintly:

"There should be many."

"Hehe, hearing Daoist's words is as good as hearing nothing."

Thus, another hour passed. At this moment, the sun was already high in the sky. Jingtai slowly got up:

"Let's go, the ceremony to Heaven should begin."

"Hopefully, everything will go smoothly."