Chapter 831: The Elder Tiger, Though Weary, Still Softens

In the imperial capital, outside a quiet courtyard.

Ye Lan hugged her sword with both arms, leaning quietly against the cold wall.

Since she had noticed something amiss with the maid last time, she had simply stayed here; though her cultivation base alone could accomplish little within the imperial capital, at least the Emperor, beyond the Immortal Bureau, still had a channel to send word out.

She lifted her gaze to the dark, endless sky, her thoughts drifting toward the great continents she had never set foot upon.

At that moment, hurried footsteps rapidly approached.

Ye Lan turned her head and saw the armored woman—General Gu Li, who had brought the news last time.

She straightened her posture instinctively, staring at the woman in silence.

“...”

Gu Li likewise studied this close minister of the Emperor, this sword cultivator of only fourth-rank cultivation, the only person besides Lin Shuya permitted to enter and leave this courtyard at will.

Though she did not know what this person was tasked with, she had seen the tension in Ye Lan’s eyes—unmistakable, impossible to hide.

After a brief pause, Gu Li smiled: “Come with me. It’s good news.”

The two women hurried into the courtyard; after waiting for the maid to announce them, they headed straight for the wine pool.

“Hah!”

Inside the wine pool, the aged man stretched out with great effort; apart from that boy’s letters, little could stir his interest anymore.

Of course, the Emperor’s dwindling vitality could no longer sustain deep thought—he had even begun forgetting past events, a sign of too deep an erosion by imperial qi.

Gu Li was about to speak when heavy breathing sounded outside, followed by a thin, middle-aged man rushing over, bowing deeply toward the wine pool.

“Shuya pays homage to Your Majesty.”

“...”

Ye Lan’s expression remained unchanged, yet her eyes flickered with caution.

From the moment Gu Li appeared until now, barely a quarter-hour had passed—and yet Lin Shuya had received the news and arrived without delay.

My suspicions were correct.

This imperial capital has surely been thoroughly infiltrated by the Immortal Bureau.

Yet Gu Li felt no surprise; after all, before Ye Lan, Lin Shuya had always been the one who never left the Emperor’s side.

“Your Majesty, good tidings!”

Gu Li knelt on one knee, reporting excitedly: “The two great sects have reignited their conflict. The eldest disciple of Chi Yun Cave perished in Nanping, slain by the Bodhisattva of the Great Free Lotus Pearl. The Immortals of the North Continent have all mobilized, led by their first disciple, Grand Void True Lord, launching a thunderous assault upon the East Continent—the monks are retreating step by step.”

“Eager to seize offerings, other cultivators have imitated Grand Void True Lord, repeating the same tactics in the East Continent—finally, the common folk have a chance to rest and recover.”

“Now, apart from the West Continent, the other three have been pacified. Both sects have suffered heavy losses—this is a great auspicious omen for our Divine Dynasty!”

“...”

Before she finished speaking, Lin Shuya, who had just arrived, stared in shock, then broke into ecstatic joy.

He had spent every day buried in memorials from all continents, exhausted, yet unable to improve the situation in the slightest—yet now, the two sects had begun fighting each other.

A heavenly opportunity had arisen, granting the nearly dead Divine Dynasty a miraculous reprieve.

Lin Shuya did not care how many immortals or gods had died—he only wished more ordinary people might survive.

Thinking of this, he instinctively glanced at the Emperor—and noticed that neither the Emperor nor the sword-bearing woman beside him shared his elation; instead, they were unnervingly still.

In an instant, Lin Shuya felt a pang of disappointment.

Clearly, these people did not value what he held dear.

“Your Majesty?”

Gu Li softly called out. Even if reclaiming all four continents still seemed impossible, the situation had improved considerably—surely they should rejoice.

“Have you met him?” The man slowly turned his head.

“I...” Gu Li froze, then lowered her eyes in resignation. Of course, nothing could hide from the Emperor’s mind. She felt ashamed: “Your servant did not conspire with the great sects—I merely found this person intriguing, and truly wished to thank him, even if his actions were unintentional.”

“How did he strike you?” The man showed no sign of anger.

“He’s quite good—no arrogance of a prodigy, willing to defend his fellow disciples even at the cost of his own future. He has a certain...”

As she spoke, Gu Li suddenly realized her mistake and hastily corrected herself: “What I mean is, for the Three Immortal Teachings, he is an extraordinary talent—yet for our Divine Dynasty, he is a grave threat that must be guarded against in advance!”

The man watched her expression and suddenly smiled meaningfully at Ye Lan.

His own General of the South, clearly no ordinary person—even in opposing camps, Gu Li held such high praise for him, let alone within that great sect, where he must have drawn countless admirers.

“...”

Ye Lan stared straight ahead, finding nothing unusual.

Anyone who had met Shen Yi would feel this way—it was normal. Those who didn’t were blind.

“Do you have anything to report?”

The man turned his gaze to Lin Shuya beside him.

“Your Majesty, I received word: in the South Continent, a great sun blazed across the sky, hurtling toward Sumeru Mountain, its form echoing the ancient legends of the Primordial God.”

“Understood. Go.”

The Emperor gave a slight nod and waved his hand.

Those manifestations of cosmic order, even when entering the mortal realm, would never side with mortals—only uphold the rules they cherished. No need to dwell on them.

“Your servant takes leave.”

Lin Shuya bowed deeply, then withdrew with Gu Li from the wine pool.

Once no outsiders remained.

Ye Lan’s rigid frame finally trembled slightly. She had been waiting for news from Shen Yi—but never imagined that after settling down, he had immediately marched to the East Continent!

The first disciple of the Three Immortal Teachings, leading a host of immortals, had driven the Sumeru monks into retreat...

That youth once standing before the Earth God shrine now stood atop the pinnacle of this world!

“With the cultivation base of a Third-Rank Great Luo Immortal, attempting to turn the tide of four continents—arrogant.”

The Emperor, immersed in the wine pool, his gaze cloudy, smiled faintly: “Yet he has already achieved half of it—that is a genius beyond the ages.”

Even as a Six Sovereign, he could not imagine how a Great Luo Immortal could stir upheaval across three entire continents.

“He will become an Immortal Emperor.”

The Emperor slowly closed his eyes, exhaled deeply. A cultivator with no backing, burdened by a killing tribulation, had reached this point in such a short time.

The great tribulation ignited by the two sects seemed to have revealed its answer.

“He won’t.” Ye Lan’s voice was not loud, but resolute—even facing the Lord of Mortality, her gaze remained unwavering, not an inch retreated.

Silence lingered around the wine pool for a long while, then a sigh of deep lament rose, tinged with sorrow.

“Ah.”

The Emperor submerged his entire head in the wine, holding his breath until he burst upward with a splash.

He stared fixedly into emptiness.

Since Shen Yi’s last letter, the Emperor had sensed something amiss—but he never believed a Third-Rank cultivator could achieve such a feat.

Yet now, every word from Gu Li proved that the General of the South truly possessed the power to shake the entire tribulation.

Is this a good thing?

For mortals, for the mortal realm—yes, certainly.

But for the Emperor—perhaps not.

He had staked seventy percent of his dynasty’s lives, hoping the two sects would naturally fall into civil war. Now Shen Yi’s actions proved that no seventy percent were needed—only one man could achieve the same effect.

Yet while the outcome appeared identical, the former was natural, the latter deliberately provoked—risking awakening the sect masters and prompting their preemptive response.

Hence, the Emperor had spoken those words earlier, trying to convince himself that once a cultivator attained such status, his thoughts would inevitably change.

The Immortal Emperor’s throne was within reach—why care for the common folk now?

Only by believing this could he ignore Shen Yi and proceed with his original plan.

Yet faced with this girl’s rebuttal, the Emperor could only smile bitterly. To become an Immortal Emperor was a normal man’s thought—but the General of the South had never acted like a normal man.

“I also believe he won’t.”

The Emperor leaned lazily against the stone edge again, his breath faint, like a dying man.

What manner of cultivator was he? Fighting the Bodhisattva in the South, battling the immortals in the North, bringing peace to three continents—such a divine genius, burdened with great righteousness, how could he ever become a puppet Immortal Emperor bound by chains?

The Emperor despised the arrogance of gods and buddhas toward mortals, no longer trusted the Immortal Court, so he had stripped away his own indecisiveness, his inner kindness, and his unrealistic dreams.

Only after becoming heartless, even mad, did he dare stake everything, seeking to end this corruption once and for all.

But perhaps, as one grows old, one grows foolish.

Now he was dreaming again.

Could it be... that fewer lives need be lost, and still the separation of Heaven and Earth be achieved, freeing the mortal realm from divine interference?

After all, that boy had already accomplished so many miracles.

A small risk—merely allowing it all to unfold—could save countless lives... each one a living soul!

“...”

Ye Lan silently watched the Emperor. She suddenly realized that beneath his deliberately careless exterior, he remained, at heart, the same ruler who once sought to revive the realm.

Kingdoms may change, but nature endures.

She did not know what he struggled with, but she saw that this Emperor had softened.

“If I recall correctly, you came from the Demon-Slaying Bureau, didn’t you?”

The man did not turn, but placed a token on the pool’s edge: “Interested in joining the Immortal Bureau? With this token, you and Lin Shuya may jointly govern it.”

Now that the Emperor realized he could no longer return to his former desperate resolve, he began preparing for the risks that might arise.

He had once thought Lin Shuya’s schemes could never stir trouble—now he must guard against him in advance.

With this girl’s strength and experience, she could never outmaneuver Lin Shuya, who had long controlled the Immortal Bureau—but at least she could provide early intelligence, preventing him from being completely blinded.

Killing Lin Shuya outright leaves no one to replace him; even the imperial court’s current fragile stability is hard to maintain.

But if given enough time, once this young girl grows up, the head of the Immortal Department can be replaced.

“Me?”

Ye Lan paused, taken aback—before, she would never have dared involve herself in such matters.

But now, even the faintest hope of helping Shen Yi, she would not let slip.

She pressed her lips together, then bent down and picked up the waist token.

“Go.”

The Emperor seemed utterly exhausted; since founding the Immortal Department, he had never trusted another soul.

This was the first time.

He was willing to trust Shen Yi once—for the sake of those seven-tenths of living beings—to gamble with him, ignoring the overwhelming peril sensed by the Emperor’s divine perception.

Though the two had only met once in person.

And as Ye Lan quietly left the courtyard.

Deep within the imperial palace.

Under the escort of guards, Lin Shuya walked slowly to the front of a palace hall.

“Minister Lin Shuya requests an audience with the Crown Prince.”

Since the Emperor entered the Wine Pool, the Crown Prince has presided over the realm, managing state affairs on His Majesty’s behalf.

Alas, the Crown Prince, being mortal, though granted imperial aura to extend his lifespan beyond ordinary men, possessed little real power; faced with the empire’s crumbling chaos, he had long been helpless, watching helplessly as the grand halls collapsed.

On the palace couch, the Crown Prince, his chin covered in stubble, looked worn and listless. He sat up slightly, gazing with confusion at this close minister of his father: “Minister Lin…”

Lin Shuya had no one to share his joy with, so he came to this fellow mortal—the Crown Prince—sure the man would better understand the helplessness of being an ordinary being.

He knelt on the ground and carefully recounted the recent changes across the Four Continents.

Seeing the Crown Prince still puzzled.

Lin Shuya then whispered softly: “Your humble servant observes the world’s tide—great change may be coming. Your Highness must rouse yourself and not miss this opportunity.”

The Emperor’s heart has always been fixed on his severance of Heaven and Earth, seeking to establish unparalleled achievements.

But as mortals, we must learn to save ourselves—and to save each other!

This divine opportunity demands all mortals rise together, united, to seize it.

“Are you saying, Minister Lin, that the world still can be saved… that Your humble servant still has a chance to ascend the throne?”

Finally, light returned to the Crown Prince’s eyes. From his perspective, the Four Continents had long become the sacred grounds of great sects, and he himself merely a wretched creature, sleepless and trembling, destined to have his head casually plucked away by gods, buddhas, or immortals riding the clouds.

“It can be saved.”

Lin Shuya lifted his head, his gaze sincere.

The Emperor’s bloodline, passed generation after generation, all possess the ability to stir the imperial aura of the Wine Pool—perhaps weak, but still usable.

And the Crown Prince before him is the only mortal in the world capable of halting the Severance of Heaven and Earth, preventing the gods and buddhas from being utterly enraged.

No matter what comes next, it is wise to prepare the Crown Prince in advance.

“Your humble servant takes his leave.”

Lin Shuya quietly departed the deep palace, yet did not return home; instead, he boarded his carriage and began visiting the residences of every official in court.

The Immortal Department’s independence from court affairs—that was an old rule.

In this dire situation, any method that might save the world must be pursued without restraint.

(End of Chapter)