"Damn it, how can the Xiang family members be so strong..."

Lu Chengfeng basically knew the strength and talent of that kid Chen Yuan. He knew he was extraordinary and even gave him some opportunities and guidance.

But he really didn't expect that in just a nap's time...

This kid was already approaching the Yang Shen realm!

Even if he recklessly consumed pills without regard for his foundation, it wouldn't be this fast, right?

And Chen Yuan's terrifying speed also reminded him of that figure who suppressed the world.

That guy rose from weakness in just over a decade.

Could it be...

That destiny truly favors the Xiang family?

Ye Xiangnan didn't know what Lu Chengfeng was thinking, but when he heard Lu Chengfeng's curse word, he couldn't help but look up, a hint of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

He had been personally guided by his master since he was young, and he had never seen him so distraught.

Even when the Former Chu Dynasty was overthrown and the Sima family took over, he only said one sentence:

"It's about time."

And then he added:

"The Sima family's national fortune will last for three hundred years at most, and the world will fall into great chaos."

It could be said that his master was his goal when he was young. After all, he was someone who had competed with Chu Taizu, that powerful figure, for the world. Although he was defeated, who could say he was useless?

Many immortals and demon gods died at the hands of Chu Taizu. Being alive was already a symbol.

But now, his master had lost his composure because of a Chen Yuan.

How could he not be surprised?

"Xiangnan."

"Disciple is here."

"I want to give you a word of advice."

"Yes."

"That kid surnamed Chen is not simple. In the future, either don't form a grudge with him and maintain a good relationship, or... if you do form a grudge, you must send him on his way even if it means ruining your own foundation. Otherwise... when you meet again, you will die."

"Master, you are exaggerating."

Ye Xiangnan chuckled lightly. Having been firmly in the second position in the world for hundreds of years, he also had some ambition. He even wanted to fight that so-called Third Prince of Chu, if it weren't inappropriate to act.

"Don't think I'm scaring you. Back then... that's how I was defeated."

Ye Xiangnan: "..."

He felt that his master was overestimating Chen Yuan, actually comparing him to Chu Taizu, but he opened his mouth and didn't say it.

"Disciple understands."

"This is just a warning. Actually, I don't want you to become enemies. We have a common enemy. Those people are too strong, so strong that they could besiege and kill that guy.

They are so strong that they can influence the fate of the human world for thousands of years, so strong that they can make the world turbid and the rules difficult to find. They are so strong that they can regard all living beings as chess pieces.

The Sima family is just a puppet. I guess some people's injuries haven't healed, so they deliberately used the Sima family to stir up the waters of the world. I told you this more than two hundred years ago.

What they... want is great chaos in the human world, just like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. Therefore... there were hidden dangers from the beginning of the Sima family's establishment. Therefore, Sima, the old thief, abdicated after sitting on the throne for decades.

Do you really think the Sima family doesn't want to have an eternal reign like the Former Chu?

Hehe... it's not unwillingness, but inability!"

Ye Xiangnan raised his head:

"If he knew, why would he still do it?"

"Because... he also wants to become one of those people!"

......

......

The Heavenly Demon Hall, the Xiang family, and Martial Emperor City were all preparing, but they were not all. They could only be considered a part.

Because of Jingtai's ascension to the Human Emperor, all the heroes in the world were mobilized at this moment.

Some people didn't want Jingtai to tarnish the title of 'Human Emperor', but more people actually wanted to profit from it and gain their own benefits.

Since the Sima family usurped the throne and established the country more than two hundred years ago, all the forces in the world had ambitions. Why could the Sima family do it, but they couldn't?

Destiny favors Jin?

What a joke!

!

Although the Sima family established the country, many people actually looked down on the Sima family, feeling that they were just lucky. As entrusted ministers, they personally sent the dynasty to its doom.

And their actions were a bit ugly.

The specific details were not leaked out and were tightly locked by the Sima family, but it was well known that the northern grasslands stirred when the Sima family secretly took action.

There was no evidence, so they couldn't slander anything.

But usurpation was a secret, so how could the Northern Barbarians happen to invade with a large army at this time?

This caused some of the court's strongmen to be unable to return to aid.

In addition, except for one Chen family army, none of the southern border armies went to the capital to defend the emperor, and Nangong Lie directly defected to the Sima family and gained a high position.

Obviously, this was prepared by the Sima family long ago.

Needless to say, the Sima family had ulterior motives, not hesitating to sacrifice the strength of the Central Plains in order to take the throne.

Naturally, they were not worthy of respect.

Of course, they were all about the same.

Originally, when the court was first established, many forces were ready to make a move, but the Sima family suppressed some forces while promising benefits, causing all forces to finally suppress their careful thoughts.

But once ambition exists, it can no longer be suppressed.

Therefore, over the past two hundred years, the Jianghu forces that were originally suppressed by the Former Chu began to rise and opposed the Sima family everywhere, without openly rebelling.

But they just stirred up trouble!

They gradually eroded the court and strengthened their own strength.

It could be said that from the moment the Sima family established the dynasty and compromised with the major immortal sects and forces in the Jianghu, it was already doomed that this dynasty would collapse one day.

Many people were fueling the flames and secretly accumulating strength.

Although... it was much earlier than many people expected.

Yes, actually many forces didn't plan to rebel now. They thought the Sima family could last for a few more decades, but unfortunately, things didn't go as they wished.

First, the Dao God Palace made a big disturbance in the capital, causing the imperial authority to be completely lost.

This made many people realize that the Sima family was actually... just so-so.

They couldn't even keep a Dao God Palace, so how could they talk about sitting firmly in the world?

Many people thought that the Liangshan battle was the starting point of the great chaos in the world and the biggest boost, but in fact, in the eyes of discerning people, from the time the Dao God Palace made a big disturbance in the capital and retreated unscathed, and the court could do nothing about the Dao God Palace, the Sima family's demise had already begun to accelerate!

Seven hundred thousand Northern Barbarian troops entered the country, and the King of Northern Liang led 300,000 troops to face the national crisis together, using the power of Wudang Mountain and the Jianghu of Liang Province to fight a mutually destructive battle.

But the court sat back and watched.

This made people completely see through the Sima family's mind.

They didn't even have the capacity to tolerate others, preferring to give to foreign thieves rather than loyal subjects, and even deliberately weakening them. Such people were not qualified to be the masters of the Central Plains dynasty.

If your actions weren't so ugly, many people, including some generals and officials, wouldn't say anything.

But...

It was really too ugly!

Under the secret promotion of various forces, the court directly lost the hearts of the people in the north.

This was the second step in promoting the current situation in the world.

Everything feared comparison.

Many strongmen had lived from the Former Chu to the present. Although many people had also secretly eroded the Former Chu, they truly admired the Xiang family's mind.

Chu Taizu was too long ago, so let's not talk about him. The five-hundred-year-long battle against the demons was a very typical example.

At that time, the Great Chu was at its true peak, with the afterglow of hundreds of years, and several immortal sects assisted, which could be said to suppress the world. Even the Western Region's Spiritual Mountain dared not go against the court.

But the Martial Emperor directly made a decision, taking advantage of the dynasty's prosperity to brazenly attack the demon race in the Southern Border, forcibly defeating the demon race so that they dared not look north for five hundred years.

This was a node, and the Xiang family went from prosperity to decline due to this battle.

Until its demise hundreds of years later.

But even at the time of its demise, some of the Xiang family's strength on the northern and southern borders had never returned to aid.

This might not be the decisive force, but its state of mind could be seen at a glance.

Ask yourself, did the Sima family... have such courage and mind?

Therefore, Chen Yuan felt that the Great Jin, from the beginning of its establishment, had already begun to move towards the path of destruction.

The battle of Liangshan shook the world.

Even the Sima family's immortal methods could not deal with Liangshan. How could such a court not make people greedy?

This was the third step in the movement of all parties in the world, and also the most important step.

In just a month, Mount Shu moved again.

The demon race, which had been dormant for five hundred years, showed its fangs again, but was forcibly repelled by Mount Shu. This could also be called a milestone battle.

Mount Shu, Dao God Palace, and Biyou Palace, the three major forces, seemed to have formed an alliance in secret, and had already nakedly shown their ambitions. Some people couldn't bear it any longer.

But...

Just at this time, the court personally pushed it, wanting to offer sacrifices to the heavens and become the Human Emperor!

This time, the various forces could no longer hold back.

Many people knew that as long as the sacrificial ceremony was ruined, then... it would be the beginning of great chaos in the world!

The next person to establish himself in the Central Plains would also appear.

Driven by various events, the people of the world had lost confidence in the court and did not want to continue selling their lives for such a court.

Not only the Jianghu was preparing, but also the officialdom.

The court's gathering of forces and retreating to the four states of the Central Plains could not be hidden from those who were interested. The people who were transferred were all trustworthy people, so what about the rest of them?

To be cannon fodder?

Many people were unwilling!

Prefects, deputy generals, captains, and even the most loyal imperial patrolling envoys were all secretly colluding with various forces. This was also one of the reasons why Chen Yuan easily won over a lot of people's hearts.

It could be said that from the moment Jingtai declared that he would offer sacrifices to the heavens and ascend to the Human Emperor, all the ambitious people began to prepare!

But, could Jingtai not have anticipated these reactions?

Imperial City, the harem.

Inside the Chunhua Palace.

Consort Yang was sitting upright in the upper seat, with the Fourth Prince Sima Ke and the Eldest Princess Pingyang on both sides below. Without exception, none of these people had a trace of joy on their faces.

To be precise, not only inside the Chunhua Palace, but the entire harem and even the entire imperial palace were the same.

The Jianghu was surging with undercurrents, no, to be precise, it was surging with open currents. Many people and many forces were verbally criticizing the emperor's sacrificial ceremony.

Some court literati were tough and directly submitted memorials, but the result was either confiscation of their homes and exile, or their official ranks being abolished.

Hundreds of thousands of imperial guards in the capital and tens of thousands of patrolling guards firmly suppressed all rebellious hearts.

The sky... was about to change!

And once the sky changed, the first to bear the brunt would be these imperial family members and harem concubines.

Consort Yang felt uneasy and wanted to find someone to rely on, but... that person was not in the capital and had not been secretly summoned to the capital. He was still an official in the south.

And this had already indicated some things.

Chen Yuan... also wanted to rebel!

And how could Consort Yang and her son, who had placed their bet on him, feel at ease?

Sima Ke had even been having nightmares these past few days, fearing that Chen Yuan would rise up and that he, who had a close relationship with him, would be directly labeled as a useless person.

Yang Huanyu would also be given three feet of white silk and a cup of poisoned wine.

"Ke'er, has he... has he replied?"

Consort Yang took a deep breath and tried to maintain her composure as she asked.

Sima Ke's body did stiffen slightly, and he slowly shook his head.

"Mother Consort, don't waste your efforts. Chen Yuan is an ambitious guy. The previous imperial marriage further intensified the conflict. He..." Princess Pingyang didn't finish her words, but the meaning was already clear.

She had been paying attention to the Second Miss of the Zhang family. Since she discovered that she had mysteriously disappeared a few days ago, she knew what Chen Yuan wanted to do in the future.

But she didn't report it.

One was that there was no need. Quite a few people in the court knew about this, but because of Zhang Yantong's reasons, no one investigated or dared to say anything.

Perhaps the emperor didn't care either.

The other was that she didn't want to report it.

It's good to leave a way out for yourself.

"This..."

Consort Yang swallowed a mouthful of saliva, feeling even more anxious and uneasy. After a long silence, she turned her gaze to Pingyang, who was always very opinionated, and asked:

"Pingyang, what should we... do now?"

Even though she was quite fond of Chen Yuan and even had a Daoist relationship with him, she knew that the only person she could rely on in this situation was herself.

He would not and could not escape to Shu Prefecture.

"Let's wait and see what happens."

Princess Pingyang said softly.

She had some intelligence and some means, but these were too far behind compared to the general trend of the world.

With her little strength, she didn't even have a Transformation Yang cultivator. How could she control the situation?

"Imperial Sister, is there really no other way? In two days, it will be... the ancestral sacrifice." Sima Ke couldn't help but say.

"Imperial Brother, you think too highly of me. In the great chaos of the Central Plains, the forces that can get on the table are at least True Lords. What can I use to stir up the situation? Instead of secretly speculating, you might as well relax. Either the Emperor succeeds and the court stabilizes the Central Plains again, or there will be great chaos and we will either be imprisoned or die."

"Is there no other way?"

"Yes."

"What?"

Sima Ke and Consort Yang's eyes lit up.

"In two days, Chen Yuan will make a big disturbance at the sacrificial ceremony and die in the hands of the Emperor, and the Emperor will successfully ascend to the Human Emperor. In this way, our family can be safe. Or, Chen Yuan can overwhelm the world, and the relationship between you can also save your lives."

Princess Pingyang glanced at her mother Consort and said indifferently.

Consort Yang subconsciously lowered her head, wondering how Pingyang knew about her and Chen Yuan's affair. It was really... a little...

Stimulating!

"Wh... what are you joking about?"

Sima Ke forced a smile.

He admitted that his fake father had some skills and talent, but how could he possibly overwhelm the world?

"It is said that Chen Yuan's cultivation is only at the Refining Spirit stage. How could he dare to come to the capital?" Consort Yang coughed lightly, not mentioning whether Chen Yuan could overwhelm the world at all.

Obviously, she didn't believe in her Daoist friend either.

"I don't know how strong he is, but... he will definitely come back for the sacrificial ceremony in two days and make a lot of noise."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Just watch."

Princess Pingyang smiled mysteriously, but she thought of the woman in the Shuanghe Temple in her mind. Although she was not Chen Yuan's woman, she was Jiang He's woman.

Given their relationship, they would definitely come!

Princess Pingyang was completely sure!

"Since Imperial Sister is so sure, why don't you report it to the Emperor?"

Sima Ke said.

"Now that I've told you, you go."

"I..."

Sima Ke's tone stagnated. He wanted to go, but he suppressed the thought when he thought of Chen Yuan's face.

There was no need, and he didn't want to go.

"Alas, can't this world be stable for a few years..."

Seeing that even her most knowledgeable daughter said so, Consort Yang could only sigh softly.

In a few more years, maybe Ke'er would become the Crown Prince with Chen Yuan's help, and she... would become a deeper Daoist friend with him.

Without that Reincarnation object, she was becoming increasingly empty.

After chatting for a while, Princess Pingyang gradually became impatient and got up to leave.

Sima Ke, who was on the side, saw this and casually asked:

"What is Imperial Sister going to be busy with?"

"I'm going to be busy with something I'm interested in. I was always thinking about other things before, but now I've let it go." Pingyang smiled, dragged her long skirt and slowly left.

Her fake father must have some plans for making such a big commotion at this time, and once the world is settled, she would probably have to marry abroad, whether to a barbarian or a subject.

Once the world is in great chaos, there would be no room for her to maneuver.

Intrigue is ultimately no match for martial arts.

There were hidden dangers from the beginning of the Sima family's establishment. Once the world was completely chaotic, no matter how great their plans were, they would not be able to avoid the path of destruction.

This chaos could not be saved by human power.

So, while there was still time, she should do what she wanted to do.

It was a pity that Chen Yuan didn't accept her.

Even if he was bent on rebellion, there was no need to worry about her identity. Actually... she also wanted to rebel and sit on the throne of supreme power.

She could also become a good helpmate.

It was a pity, a pity.

Over the years, he was the only man who had caught her eye.

If she had to marry a barbarian or those people she didn't like.

It would be better to die of illness at home.

She wondered if that guy would be sad when he heard the news of her death, even if it was just for a moment, Princess Pingyang would be very happy.

Looking at her Imperial Sister's gradually receding back, Sima Ke didn't know why, but he felt that the confidence of Imperial Sister, who was not inferior to men, was gone, and she looked more like a woman waiting to be married.

......

......

Imperial City, Star Observation Tower.

Jingtai slowly opened his eyes, a mysterious pattern flashing above his brow, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. There was a white jade incense burner in front of him.

The incense filled the room, as if setting him off as a supreme god.

Beside him was a brush, it was Wu Daozi's Wind and Cloud Brush, and his primordial spirit was also entrusted to it, personally witnessing Jingtai's changes over these days.

His heart was shaken by it.

"Paint Saint, just watch how I revive the Great Jin and become comparable to the immortals. The time... is almost up. I wonder if the person you said who is seeking justice dares to come. Hehe, I'm really looking forward to it."

The plan was complete, and destiny was on his side!

This... was the source of his confidence.