Chapter 289: Those Who Depend on Heaven's Mandate Are Ultimately Abandoned by It

Jingzhou, the heart of Huangcheng.

Within the thick black clouds, a formless storm slowly swirled, as if proclaiming the gloom of this place.

"Hahahaha…"

"Heaven's Mandate is with me! Heaven's Mandate is with me!"

"Old杂毛, you can go in peace!"

Under the fine threads of blood-rain drifting down, a man in a yellow robe, a dagger stained with golden blood in his hand, was laughing wildly.

Before him sat the throne that represented the pinnacle of power over the entire dynasty, and upon that throne sat a middle-aged man with his head tilted back, his life gone.

He was the sovereign of all Dalong, the one who had triggered this strange phenomenon, a great existence whose strength had reached Half-Step Heavenly Sovereign.

Yet now he was dead, killed straight through the heart by the dagger shimmering with mysterious light in the hands of the wildly laughing man before him.

Beneath the throne, throughout the great hall that had lost its roof, a layer of bloodwater deep enough to cover one's ankles flowed — all of it the blood that had poured from the countless divine soldiers, divine generals, and officials of the entire court.

The entire Huangcheng, from that sovereign above down to the old, weak, women, and children within the palace, had all been slaughtered clean.

After his wild laughter, the man in the yellow robe slowly turned around, and what came into his eyes was a large group of True Sovereign great powers hovering three inches above the bloodwater, each radiating a different colored light and silently watching him.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on having your wish fulfilled."

At this moment, perhaps seeing that the man had calmed down, one being within the crowd stepped forward a few paces to offer congratulations.

"Hahahaha…" Hearing these words, the man in the yellow robe could not help but laugh again. He waved his hand and feigned modesty: "This is all thanks to the help of all of you, my dear ministers."

"Rest assured, I… This Emperor will absolutely not go back on the things I promised you."

Looking at this group of great powers radiating terrifying auras, the man in the yellow robe, whose eyes and brows were full of joy, could not help but recall what had happened half a year ago.

Just after all his arrangements and plans had been destroyed by some unknown mysterious existence, when he had fallen into despair and only wished to fight to the death, a group of True Sovereign great powers who had left countless deeds in distant ages had once again descended from the heavens, appearing together in this storm-tossed era of Dalong.

These great powers had each dazzled an era, only to gradually vanish without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.

With such a bizarre occurrence, the subordinates the man in the yellow robe had stationed throughout Dalong discovered it at once and hurriedly relayed the intelligence to him.

In an instant, upon learning this news, he who had been in despair suddenly discovered a path to life — winning over this group of True Sovereign great powers who had no sense of belonging to this dynasty.

So many True Sovereign great powers — if he could win them over, not to mention all of them, even just a portion would absolutely be a terrifying force.

When that time came, changing the dynasty would be within reach.

For this, he did not hesitate to go and visit them personally.

As the saying goes: when the mountains and rivers seem to leave no way out, a village appears amid shady willows and blooming flowers.

He who had thought his attempt to change the dynasty had already ended in failure had actually succeeded.

When he revealed his identity and personally invited them, those True Sovereigns who had also sensed just what terrifying existence stood behind him actually only pondered for a moment or two before decisively agreeing.

The only thing that struck him as strange was that these old predecessors walking the path of True Sovereign each seemed to have somewhat unstable auras, as if they had suffered some grave injury.

But what kind of enemy could have brought these veteran True Sovereigns to such a state?

Still, he did not think deeply about it. Unstable auras were unstable auras, but they were still not something ants below True Sovereign could deal with. Moreover, True Sovereigns in such a state who still had need of him was an even better thing.

He took this directly as fate's generous favor toward him.

Heaven's Mandate was with him!

Even after experiencing eight layers of despair and falling into the endless Abyss, Heaven's Mandate had not abandoned him, and had given him the chance to start anew.

Thus, the man who just the night before had been fretting over having so few True Sovereign-level helpers had, in the blink of an eye, gained the service of a whole group of True Sovereigns.

In an instant, with each True Sovereign great power coordinating with the methods he had already arranged, all of Dalong was plunged into turmoil in the blink of an eye. Countless powerful cultivators across the land were broken one by one, and the national strength of Dalong continuously declined.

And as the sovereign whose fate rose and fell with the dynasty, even though he had reached Half-Step Heavenly Sovereign, what of it? Under the decline of national strength, his own power was also constantly dropping.

In the end, until today, in the battle of Huangcheng, the Dalong sovereign who had declined to his limit — even though he had once reached Half-Step Heavenly Sovereign at his peak — could now only barely maintain the True Sovereign realm. How could he possibly be a match?

Not to mention that he also held in his hand the God-Breaking Dagger personally given to him by that one. How could that extremely weakened old杂毛 possibly survive?

That was a divine artifact specifically countering the power of Conferring Gods!

Heaven's Mandate — truly unfathomable.

Recalling the entire roller-coaster of rises and falls, an experience like a dream, this man in the yellow robe who was about to become the sovereign of a new dynasty looked up at the increasingly oppressive storm above, and could not help but feel both awe and endless emotion.

No matter how wise that old stray was, no matter that he sat over the vast Dalong with countless powerful cultivators standing at his side — so what?

In the end, hadn't he still died by his hand!

"Aaaahhh!!!"

"Traitor! Give your life!"

Just then, a roar like a cuckoo crying blood rang out.

The abrupt roar also caused the man in the yellow robe, who had been sighing in emotion, to look over at the sound.

It was a figure like a leaping flame.

The newcomer held a red-tasseled spear, wore a suit of radiant red divine armor, and beneath a pair of heroic brows shone a pair of bright, sharp phoenix eyes. From afar, that dashing and valiant bearing was in no way inferior to any man's.

For a moment, even the man in the yellow robe, who had long since grown accustomed to beauties, could not help but be stunned.

Only now, those beautiful, alluring phoenix eyes were a sheet of crimson, as if spewing fire, staring fixedly at him.

"Traitor! Die!!!"

The next instant, the female general gripping the red-tasseled spear gave a sharp cry. Her lithe body leapt, bringing with it a wave of searing flames as she hurled her spear across the air.

For a moment, waves of heat rolled, causing the bloodwater below to boil ceaselessly.

Yet facing such an attack, the man in the yellow robe did not frown in the slightest, nor did he even move.

"Little girl, this is not a place for you to run wild."

Then, the next moment, a soft sigh rang out.

Afterwards, from within that group radiating terrifying auras, a man with a look of sorrow and compassion on his face stepped out. With merely a wave of his wide sleeve, he swept her aside like a falling leaf.

Boom!

"What?!"

Amid the wails, blood blossomed in all directions.

The woman seemed unable to believe it — why had she become so weak and powerless?

"If your sovereign had not yet died, and your power had not yet dissipated, there would still be something worth watching." As if seeing the woman's disbelief, the compassionate man kindly explained, "Unfortunately, he is already dead now. Your strength is nothing but a rootless duckweed — collapse at a touch."

Whoooosh—

Rumble, rumble—

But just then, beams of light suddenly flew in from outside, and with their arrival, orderly footsteps thick with killing intent began to emerge.

They were all powerful cultivators who had rushed over from every corner of Dalong, along with reinforcing armies.

In just a few breaths, the entire Huangcheng was wrapped up tight.

Yet facing this seemingly endless sea of people, each pair of eyes seeming to devour him, the yellow-robed man showed no fear in the face of danger. He left his throne, left the soldiers and True Lords clustered around him, and slowly stepped into the blood-water.

"Squish, squish…"

In the crimson blood-water, amid endless corpses lying still upon the ground, the yellow-robed man quietly walked over the endless corpses to the center, spread his arms wide, raised his head to look up at the storm that was gathering and pressing down ever more oppressively above, and slowly spoke:

"A centipede — dead, but not stiff?"

"Sigh, in the end it's nothing but a dying struggle, a waste of lives."

"Your sovereign is already dead. Why not lay down your weapons right here and join my banner?"

"The victor becomes king, the vanquished becomes bandit — it's nothing but a soldier's common fate. And now, I have won."

"I promise, as long as you sincerely submit, I will not pursue past offenses!"

In the empty center of Huangcheng, surrounded by an endless sea of people, the yellow-robed man's slender figure produced a voice that resonated powerfully, echoing throughout this stretch of Huangcheng.

"Interesting. So that's how it is."

Baichuan, who had already arrived nearby by now, instantly spotted the group of familiar True Lord powerhouses behind the yellow-robed man.

They were unmistakably the True Lords he had casually rescued from the depths of Mingtu!

In a few breaths, he figured out exactly what had happened to the yellow-robed man — once called "Honored One," who had once tried to win over Old Dragon Ao Qing and seemed to have few powerful subordinates — and his current situation.

It seemed that the True Lords he had rescued on this trip into the depths of Mingtu had instead become the yellow-robed man's aid, causing the Dalong sovereign, who should have had the upper hand, to lose his precious life before he could even react.

What was this supposed to be?

Riding on his coattails, suddenly receiving heaven-sent power to decide the victory in one stroke?

"But what I need is not for you to finally sit securely on the throne. The old dynasty's lord is dead — if you, the new dynasty's lord, also die, will the one hiding behind you show himself?"

Muttering to himself, Baichuan glanced up at the storm above that was taking on an increasingly eerie shape about to form. The next moment, he surveyed the people present, pondered for a while, and then had an idea.

He only saw his dragon mouth part slightly, and Light Points, hovering between form and formlessness, carrying a sliver of information, gently flew toward where that group of True Lords was.

A few breaths later, that group of True Lords were seen to all stiffen at once. Then, without even a moment of hesitation, they exchanged glances in unison and nodded.

Then, in the gazes of all the True Lords looking toward the yellow-robed man still at the center of the sea of people, a trace of sympathy and pity seemed to surface.

"Boom!"

Just then, a piercing explosion rang out, and a Changqiang carrying terrifying sonic might was seen hurled forth, its target aimed straight at the yellow-robed man who had been speaking so freely.

It was a Divine General who had helped the red-armored woman to her feet who had struck.

In response, the yellow-robed man merely cast a calm glance, the smile stored at the corner of his mouth unchanged in the slightest, without a trace of worry.

Because he knew that among the True Lords who had submitted to him, someone would surely make a move.

Now that the old dynasty's lord was dead, his becoming the new dynasty's sovereign was already a nailed-down fact. In the face of the general trend, who could change it?

In such circumstances, how could the True Lords who had need of him leave him in the lurch?

Just as with the female general's earlier attack, a True Lord would surely step in.

Therefore, brimming with confidence, he was not flustered in the slightest.

Unfortunately, this time, he was going to be disappointed.

Perhaps if Baichuan had not appeared and spoken to stop them.

That group of True Lords really would have protected him completely, until everything became a foregone conclusion and he ascended to the great throne.

Unfortunately…

Beneath the piercing roar, accompanied by increasingly fierce howling gale-force winds, the Changqiang drew ever closer. It had already whipped his black hair into a wild frenzy, and the back of his head throbbed with piercing pain — yet still, not a single True Lord stepped forward to protect him.

The smile hanging at the corner of the yellow-robed man's mouth finally began to warp. He had finally sensed that something was wrong.

"Damn it!"

With no time to think about why, the yellow-robed man, who had been overly confident, could only curse in a low voice at the last moment, hurriedly mustering all his power to hold the God-Breaking Dagger behind him as a shield while lunging to the side.

"No! Honored One, be careful!"

At this moment, his loyal subordinates finally reacted as well.

BOOM!!!

A terrifying explosion suddenly erupted. Countless drops of blood-water were vaporized, and the ground paved with hard, precious materials shattered with a rumble.

"Drip, drip…"

A few breaths later, everything returned to calm, amid the sound of water droplets falling one by one.

A man in a somewhat tattered yellow robe, gripping a wondrous dagger in his right hand, swayed unsteadily as he stood up.

He hung his head low, a mane of black hair falling to conceal his current expression. All that could be seen was that his previously intact left hand was gone, and beads of blood, linking into a string, continuously dripped down.

"Why?"

Not long after, an emotionless inquiry rang out.

This voice did not single out anyone in particular, but everyone knew whom the man was asking.

The sudden变故 left everyone present utterly stunned.

At this moment, whether it was the many Dalong powerhouses and armies eager to devour him alive, or the true subordinates belonging to the yellow-robed man, all were stunned.

Anyone with eyes could see that the yellow-robed man now was like that blazing great sun, rising unstoppable, standing high above the heavens. Yet in precisely such circumstances, the group of True Lords who had submitted to him had betrayed him in unison, out of nowhere.

What is going on here?

At the final moment before success, abandoning all the effort and investment made before, just to play a trick on the other party and become enemies with them?

Is Zhenjun truly such a fool?

The yellow-robed man couldn't figure it out, his subordinates couldn't understand it either, and the powerful cultivators of the Great Prosperity were also bewildered.

And what about that group of Zhenjun at this moment?

It seemed that, seeing the other's current state as extremely pitiful, or perhaps wanting to curry favor with some mysterious existence to leave a good impression.

The man who had previously worn a look of compassion stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said: "There's no particular reason. My apologies, but our previous transaction is void."

"Mm, as Cangya Zhenjun said, our transaction is void."

"Everyone, if you wish to take revenge, now is your final chance."

A Zhenjun glanced at the increasingly terrifying storm above—formed from the power gathered by all living beings across the entire Great Prosperity region—and spoke slowly.

"No! You, you can't do this!"

"Protect me! Protect me! Someone come protect me!"

Hearing this, the yellow-robed man finally panicked, hurriedly raising his head to look at the many Zhenjun, his eyes filled with incomprehension.

Meanwhile, on the other side, hearing this, the Divine General who had thrown that spear first couldn't help but exchange glances with his companions.

But no matter what, being able to get rid of a large group of invincible Zhenjun was still a good thing.

Knowing this was the final chance to slay the traitor, the Divine General acted without hesitation.

In an instant, the Divine General's movement was like a single spark, instantly igniting everyone.

At this moment, countless attacks of every color rained down like drops of water.

"No! Don't!"

"I don't want to die!"

"My lord, save me!"

Watching the countless attacks descend, the yellow-robed man, his face showing utter despair, finally stretched out his hand toward the storm above the heavens, calling for rescue.

……

(End of chapter)