Chapter 508: Brother, your path is narrowing!

One is a ruler close to the common folk, the other is a ruler detached from the mortal world.

Whose status is more stable?

Naturally the former!

Because the human way represented by the common folk can truly create wealth and represents a force that cannot be ignored.

A ruler governs and guides all beings.

If no benefit is gained from the common folk, who would still be interested in the throne?

In the Honghuang world, the fortune brought by the human way is something everyone loves.

No matter who, no matter how much they belittle the vast majority of ordinary people, saying they are good for nothing.

But… if these were truly gone, how could they still consider themselves noble?

Just like when the world is full of bad people and no good people, in such a world the bad people themselves would go mad.

And with good people present, whether it's feigned sincerity or genuine public spirit, one must strive to win their trust… as for whether, after gaining it, one deceives or does right, that is another matter.

At this moment.

Donghua Emperor is packaging himself, having continuously expanded his influence; now he seeks to rise in one leap, gaining support from the common folk, representing the countless masses of the Demon Race, to forge a throne for his Demon Emperor status!

In fact, in the Heavenly Court there is such an ancient god who is similar in this ascent.

— Nüwa.

She holds the creation of heaven and earth, governs the propagation of the human way; none can ignore her, and thus she naturally became the Demon Race's Nüwa Emperor.

But she can only be the Nüwa Emperor; within the Heavenly Court's system she cannot advance further.

Because the Heavenly Dao does not permit it.

If she does not break out, she will forever remain inferior to Hongjun.

Only because Hongjun advocates and promotes the "Three Corpses"... now that one has attained the Grand Luo Dao, one must follow the Three Corpses rule, find a backer, and then be able to sever the Three Corpses.

But for those far from reaching the Grand Luo level, what function do the Three Corpses serve in them?

Monitor!

There once was a person who spoke blunt truths, who wrote a book titled "River Chart Destiny-Tracking Talisman", which circulated in secret.

Those called "Three Corpses" are actually entities of soul and spirit, seeking to cause early death; they allow indulgence in freedom, gaining great ease.

How to die early?

Naturally — by filing a complaint!

Reporting various petty matters to the Heavenly Dao, monitoring every move of ordinary beings; good deeds are ignored, bad deeds are noted… not remembering a single good person, but never letting a bad person go.

Having done evil, one naturally deserves punishment; secretly weakening one's merit and fortune, great effort yields only seventy percent reward, or even less.

Whether intentional or not, regardless of whether the actor knows it's wrong, afterward it is hard to remedy…

Over time, the person ruins themselves.

This is the great authority of "kill".

The authority over life and death is of utmost importance.

Nüwa can hold the authority of "life", but cannot touch "kill"; continuing on, isn't she just working for free for Hongjun?

So she slipped away and went into independent business.

Now, Donghua, imitating Nüwa's key factor in gaining the throne, seeks the support of the common folk's will, while reaching into the authority of "kill" to make some plots and arrangements.

When the petition appears, make preparations.

He began to set the rhythm.

First he lists his own achievements, then casually brings up the performance of the Heavenly Court's ten Imperial Princes during their tenures for comparison and contrast, proving how incompetent they are, unfit for great responsibility.

And what qualifies such a group of unfit Imperial Princes to enjoy such great authority at birth?

Who is it?

Who is giving them a boost!

Who is it?

Who is building momentum for them!

Who is it?

Ignoring the cries of the common folk, arbitrarily promoting those unworthy Imperial Princes, letting them grasp great power, nearly causing the Demon Race to suffer a "lost ×× years"?

Fortunately!

In times of crisis, there is Donghua Emperor, displaying great heroic spirit, turning the tide, finally leading the Demon Race at the crossroads onto the correct path, avoiding the direst consequences.

"I speak of these not to settle old scores with a certain Heavenly Emperor whose name cannot be disclosed."

Donghua Emperor proclaimed loudly, addressing all attendees: "Only by not forgetting the past can it serve as a lesson for the future!"

"We need to appropriately check and balance those high-ranking officials who expand power without limit and cannot act impartially!"

"And the common folk also need such a voice, need such a deity, an embodiment of just law, a spokesperson for public conscience, to supervise them, to punish them, those hidden in the dark who violate their innate interests!"

"I!"

"Grand Minister of Destiny!"

"This is such a deity!"

"To speak for the common folk, to set an example of public justice!"

"Able to strike down a Grand Luo above, and comfort the common folk below!"

"Where the public heart points, forward without hesitation!"

Speaking with fervor, Donghua's spirit was invigorated, and he let out the strongest cry.

"If I were to become Demon Emperor in the future…"

"When I dethrone the Heavenly Emperor's son, storm the Hibiscus Palace, and exile him to the Hot Valley!"

Correct the foundation of the Heavenly Court, rectify past mistakes!

The Demon Race!

The Heavenly Court!

We must turn over the old chapters and enter a brand-new era!

I! I will let the entire Demon Race, the entire Heavenly Court, continue to be great!

The Emperor spread his arms wide.

At this very moment, hundreds of millions of stars glittered behind him, setting him off as if he were the sole myth between heaven and earth!

Wooooo!

Countless middle- and lower-tier delegates cheered and shouted.

Great!

Great!

Let the Heavenly Court continue to be great!

They shouted, naturally creating a rhythm.

As people's hearts incline, the great trend forms.

Moreover, among them were Donghua's own trusted aides, faithfully acting as 'shills' to give applause to their boss.

They are all Great Luo!

When a Great Simplicity emerges to set the rhythm, dozens or hundreds of trusted aides gather around; as events unfold, even ordinary Great Luo who originally had nothing to do with it cannot easily stay out, being swept up in the cheers.

Only mighty demon gods, demon marshals, and demon emperors could still watch coldly.

Even some veteran ancient gods and great sages, the top-tier Great Luo powerhouses, still had a bit of leisure, chatting and laughing in secret.

"Shao Yang doesn't pay attention to details!"

Jimeng Yao Marshal chuckled lightly, whispering to Guiche Yao Marshal, "Do you feel it?"

Hmm.

Guiche Yao Marshal nodded slightly, "I have felt it…"

"Donghuang Emperor doesn't follow the rules… finding shills during his speech is already enough."

"And he's even cheating?!"

"If it weren't for our sufficient strength, we might not even have sensed his use of divine abilities."

"The heart-demonic heretic art of bewildering the heart… tsk, truly lacking in civility!"

Several demon marshals shared the same sentiment.

So utterly lacking in decorum!

It is precisely because the Donghuang Emperor is so lacking in civility that the rhythm could be amplified so greatly.

Even some ordinary Great Luo were inexplicably swept in, heating the atmosphere to this extent.

Furthermore, given Donghua's astonishingly terrifying strength, he is among the most powerful Great Luo of Honghuang; this method cannot be easily broken.

"This has nothing to do with us," said the Nine Infant Yao Marshal with a smiling squint, "Heaven's great changes will naturally be worried over by other demon emperors."

"I just don't know who will make the first move—the Heavenly Emperor or the Eastern Emperor?"

They were somewhat curious.

No need to even think about it!

Of course it's the Eastern Emperor!

Qinyuan Yao Marshal was quite certain, "The Heavenly Emperor is the most exalted… since he is the most exalted, how could he act lightly?"

"Doesn't he care about face?"

"He is a god with status!"

"It should be his underling—Taiyi, charging into battle!"

As her words fell, a bell rang in the venue.

Dong!

The bell's sound lingered, shaking the vast expanse, leaving an echo for ages.

This is the bell that split heaven and earth, turning all things.

It comes from the Three Treasures of the Creation of Heaven——

Chaos Bell!

When this bell sounds, all besides it fall silent in the myriad worlds.

The lingering bell sound swept over the entire assembly, like a basin of cold water poured over everyone's heads, forcing calm upon each person.

All fervent hot-blooded zeal to overturn heaven and earth, all lofty ambitions to contend with heaven and earth, are swept away by this bell!

What remains are only empty hearts, empty people.

They all became Buddhist-like.

As Qinyuan Yao Marshal said.

Taiyi made a move!

He wielded the Chaos Bell, a light strike dismantled Donghua's methods, dispelling all the speech's enhancements.

Even within that bell's sound, intentionally or not, it amplified people's timidity and fear, turning the previously fervent representatives into hesitant, vacillating ones—drawn into the struggle for the demon emperor's throne, even the succession of imperial princes and heirs, the power struggles among the great figures—are they fit for it?

Those destined to eat cabbage, why bother worrying about the hearts of Great Luo?

Usually, they never get a chance to participate in the Heavenly Court's top-level decisions; among those high-ranking demon marshals and demon gods, how many were actually elected by them?

Do people even know them all?

Do you know their past experiences?

Do you understand their conduct?

Don't know anything.

Even now, the one who appears most friendly to them, the Grand Minister of Destiny…… the decrees he formulated, if we truly examine his original intentions, how many are for stabilizing rule, and how many are truly for the sake of the masses?

……

Under the bell's sound, myriad thoughts arise.

It magnified suspicion, increased fear, and extinguished fervor.

Donghua's heated rhythm suffered a major setback blow at once.

This is a collision of strength!

These days.

Without strength, the position of the Demon Emperor cannot be steadied.

Donghua Emperor's strength is sufficient.

But what can be done?

Destruction is always easier than construction.

Taiyi dismantling his stage is actually quite easy.

And when the atmosphere on the scene was deathly silent.

A tall, straight figure appeared on the podium, confronting Donghua.

Taiyi descended.

Just after descending, he coldly rebuked.

"Donghua... you're spouting nonsense!"

Taiyi gazed at Donghua with deep eyes, beginning to show off his acting skills in their duet.

For this day, he had prepared for a long time.

As someone who knows a certain truth but is also rather honest, this matter is truly difficult for him.

But there's nothing to be done.

Who let his brother reach a secret agreement with Donghua?

Being in the situation, it's not good to expose the stage, and he must do his best to cooperate in the act.

Ultimately, there is no decisive power capable of sweeping away all enemies.

Moreover, there are too many observant people watching... everyone is having a hard time.

And as one of the directors, Donghua did not let Taiyi awkwardly perform alone; in the parts where he should cooperate with Taiyi's performance, he exerted himself to perform well, lest he make a mistake and, together with the other director—Di Jun—be mocked by the gods afterward as the 'Crouching Dragon, Young Phoenix duo'.

——A tiny Eastern Barbarian actually produced these two talents, the Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix!

——Sorry! Sorry!

——Shouldn't we stand farther away from them? So we don't get our intelligence dragged down?

Just imagining this scene, even the emperor with willpower stronger than anything couldn't help but secretly suck in a breath of cold air.

This will be a black mark in history!

……

"Nonsense?"

Donghua's facial expression was half-smile, his tone drawn out, 'Taiyi, are you joking?'

"Thus to exonerate your nephew?"

"The Imperial Prince is incompetent, isn't that a fact?"

His eyes half-closed, his voice gradually rising, shaking the deaf and rousing the dull, 'My achievements are also displayed here…… could they still be false?'

"Hah." The Eastern Emperor coldly snorted, 'The Imperial Prince may perform poorly, but that doesn't necessarily mean lack of ability.'

"It could also be that a god is secretly causing mischief, colluding with outsiders, stirring trouble everywhere."

As Taiyi said this, some mighty demon gods of the Heavenly Court began to shift their gazes.

——Hmm, as long as I don't hear it, pretending not to know, I am innocent, I am blameless!

——They are all good loyal subjects of the Heavenly Court, never having done anything like lining their own pockets or seeking personal gain!

——Exactly! That's exactly it!

"As for achievements……"

"Yes!"

"I don't deny that you've done some good things."

"But!"

"As the Grand Minister of Destiny of my Heavenly Court, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility; naturally one must uphold justice for the Demon Race on this path!"

"This is your duty!"

"Since it's your duty and work you should do well, why seek credit?"

"Even using this to manipulate the public opinion of the masses, taking pride in one's achievements, and disregarding the bigger picture!"

Taiyi stood on the moral high ground and fiercely criticized Donghua.

If things are done well, that's what you should do; if things are done poorly, you bear full responsibility!

"Furthermore……"

"You also betrayed my Demon Race, intending to carry out subversive actions!"

"With all this, who gave you the courage to covet the Demon Emperor's position?"

Taiyi flicked his sleeves, the star river raged, transforming into boundless destruction; the aura of Chaos swept across, wearing away everything here.

Amidst the chaos, that scroll of the 'Ten Thousand People's Petition' was directly destroyed!

Only Taiyi and Donghua remained, standing between them, exchanging icy stares.

This thing…… you are not worthy!

Lacking virtue!

Lacking trust!

Lacking righteousness!

Your crimes— to exhaust all the bamboo under heaven, writing your sins would never be finished; to drain the four seas, the evil would be hard to exhaust.

If you were to become emperor, that would be the great misfortune of the Demon Race!

Taiyi issued the harshest accusation.

At this moment, the crowd below was already in an uproar.

Many unaware representatives were first stunned into silence, then launched into frantic discussion, desperate to learn the details.

Which side is speaking the truth?

"East Emperor." In the midst of Chaos, Donghua spoke with a deep, distant tone, his eyes clear yet revealing endless killing intent: "You must not slander me."

Am I really as bad as you say?

You say I'm guilty—do you have any evidence?

Empty words, baseless fabrication—anyone can randomly pin a big hat.

Like your elder brother Di Jun, I even guessed he was the Five Directions Heavenly Emperor of the human race.

Or perhaps it's Bai Ze; I suspect he has betrayed the Demon Race's interests and leaked important achievements of the Heavenly Court.

And furthermore...

Donghua spoke offhandedly, causing the gazes of many powerful beings below to shift.

——Brother, your path is narrowing!

(End of chapter)