Chapter 34: The Capital City Closes Its Gates, the Emperor Calls Upon Heaven

The Capital City's nine gates were tightly closed.

The Emperor ordered that anyone who spoke of Luo'an be executed.

Anyone who privately possessed the Wen Jun Book be executed.

Anyone whose family member had joined the Wen Jun Army would be imprisoned along with their entire household.

For a time, everyone in the Capital City lived in fear.

Yet the more they tried to suppress it, the more widely the Wen Jun Book spread.

Some hid it inside baked buns.

Others wrote it on corner walls.

Some whispered it at night beside wells.

The Imperial Guard arrested batch after batch, yet they could not arrest the hearts of the people.

Inside Zichen Hall, the Emperor had not slept for days.

His eyes were sunken, his hair disheveled, and his desk piled high with urgent reports.

"Pingyang has surrendered."

"Linhe has surrendered."

"The commander of An Ting committed suicide; his deputy opened the gates."

"Three thousand Sword Cultivators from Sword Pavilion are less than a hundred li from the Capital City."

"The Northern Garrison Army of Han Zhou has reached White Horse Slope."

Each urgent report was like a knife.

Wei Chong knelt below the dais, daring not to raise his head.

The Emperor suddenly asked: "Is the National Preceptor dead?"

Wei Chong trembled and replied: "The message from Luo'an says… he is dead."

The Emperor murmured: "Worthless."

He looked up, toward the ceiling.

"All of you are worthless."

"Lu Heng is worthless, the Three Kings are worthless, the National Preceptor is worthless too."

Wei Chong dared not respond.

The Emperor slowly rose and walked toward the back of the hall.

Wei Chong's face changed: "Your Majesty, that place…"

The Emperor coldly said: "Leave."

Behind the hall was a Secret Chamber.

Inside the Secret Chamber was not an ancestral tablet, but a small golden gate.

The gate stood only three feet tall, yet radiated a terrifying aura.

This was the Royal Family's final secret.

The Reception Gate left behind by the First Emperor when he made the Covenant with Heavenly Gate.

The Emperor knelt before the gate, sliced his palm, and smeared his blood upon the door.

"I, Emperor of Great Yin, humbly summon the Heavenly Envoy to descend!"

The golden gate did not respond.

The Emperor gritted his teeth, took out the Imperial Jade Seal, and slammed it onto the altar before the gate.

"I offer the National Fate of Great Yin for a hundred years as sacrifice!"

The golden gate finally glowed.

A cold voice echoed:

"The Heavenly Gate in the Lower Realm is shattered. How dare you call upon us?"

The Emperor turned pale, yet still prostrated himself: "Jiang Che is approaching the Capital City. If Great Yin falls, the Heavenly Gate's foundation in the Human Realm will be utterly destroyed."

Silence followed from behind the gate.

Then the voice spoke: "Worthless royal blood."

Shame flashed in the Emperor's eyes, yet he dared not retort.

The golden gate slowly opened a sliver.

A pale hand reached out from behind the gate.

Merely one hand—cracks spread across the entire Secret Chamber.

"I cannot descend in my true form."

"I grant you one Heavenly Puppet."

Golden light descended, forming a faceless figure clad in Golden Armor.

The Golden Armor figure stood over ten feet tall, wielding a massive sword, devoid of facial features, yet radiating a terrifying aura that towered above mortal existence.

The Emperor rejoiced.

"With this Heavenly Puppet, can you kill Jiang Che?"

The voice behind the gate replied coldly: "If he remains a mortal, yes."

The Emperor's heart sank.

"What if he is not?"

"Then you must hold him off."

The Emperor froze: "Me?"

The voice from behind the door said, "The Heavenly Puppet requires National Fate to drive it."

"If you are connected to the Imperial Jade Seal, you can borrow the National Fate to transform into a dragon."

The Emperor's face changed.

"What is the price?"

Silence fell behind the door for a moment.

"Burn out your lifespan."

The Emperor froze.

He still wanted Longevity.

He still wanted to be the ruler of ten thousand generations.

But Jiang Che had already reached the outskirts of the Capital City.

If he did not fight for his life, he would not even survive today.

After a long while, madness surfaced in the Emperor's eyes.

"Very well."

The Golden Gate slowly closed.

The Heavenly Puppet stood in the center of the Secret Chamber, motionless.

The Emperor picked up the Imperial Jade Seal and walked out of the Secret Chamber.

Wei Chong was still kneeling outside the hall.

The Emperor glanced at him.

"Issue the decree."

Wei Chong spoke with a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please speak."

The Emperor's voice was hoarse.

"Tomorrow at noon, I will personally meet Jiang Che at the Southern Gate of the Capital City."

Wei Chong was startled.

The Emperor continued:

"Issue another decree to the entire city."

"If Jiang Che retreats, I will let the past go."

"If Jiang Che advances, the Capital City will burn together."

Wei Chong trembled all over.

The Capital City will burn together.

These four words were more terrifying than the Lu'an Sacrificial City.

He finally could not hold back and looked up, "Your Majesty, the Capital City has a million people..."

The Emperor looked at him coldly.

"Do you want to rebel too?"

Wei Chong's face turned deathly pale, and he bowed his head heavily.

"This servant dares not."

When he withdrew from Zichen Hall, the rain had already stopped.

The clouds hung low over the Capital City.

Like a coffin about to close.