Chapter 169: Ascension to the Hall of Supreme Harmony!

As Lu Yuan's voice drifted, Heaven and Earth fell silent.

No one had any objections.

Nor did anyone dare to have any objections.

With Xici dead and the Jin Dynasty's remaining six Grandmasters slain, facing Lu Yuan, who seemed like an Immortal descended to the world, the Xuantong Emperor and the many Jin Clan princes and ministers were as pale as death, trembling in body and soul, unable to speak a word.

Setting aside the puppet-like Xuantong Emperor, the civil and military officials present included many high-ranking provincial governors, and having witnessed Xici's death with their own eyes, they were left with nothing but extreme terror before Lu Yuan; how could they dare to voice any opposition?

"Very good."

Seeing that these people dared not make a sound, Lu Yuan nodded:

"Since that is the case, you shall first accompany me to the palace; there are some matters I need to instruct you on in advance."

"Zhantang, you may come directly to the imperial palace to find me later."

As he spoke, he flicked his large sleeve, and a sudden gale rose on the viewing pavilion, as if turning into a solid entity, scooping up the Xuantong Emperor and over a dozen high-ranking officials in first-rank official robes, flying them high into the sky in an instant toward the direction of the Forbidden City.

Boom.

The moment Lu Yuan flew away with the Xuantong Emperor and the many high-ranking court officials, the thousands of spectators and commoners inside and outside the venue felt no panic; instead, they shouted and kowtowed even more fanatically, and more commoners left the venue one after another, running excitedly down the mountain, chasing after Lu Yuan as he streaked through the sky:

"Immortal, Immortal, please stay!"

"To be able to see an Immortal in this life, this old man has no regrets even if I die today!"

"Quick, quick, follow him and see what the Immortal intends to do!"

The venue was in a state of chaos; even the imperial guards maintaining order were leaderless at this moment, having completely lost their composure.

The delegations from Shenluo, Sha'e, Rizhao, and other nations gathered separately, staring at the horizon with shocked and horrified expressions:

"Not only can this person fly through the air, but he can actually carry so many people with him?"

"If what he carried was not people, but a large amount of explosives, wouldn't our warships and airships also be under threat?"

"This is preposterous; what exactly is this so-called Immortal? How can such an existence exist in the world..."

"This person's life essence may have already surpassed the Eighth Stage. The death of the Jin Dynasty's Empress Dowager Xici will bring about massive turmoil and will surely greatly affect the Empire's strategy."

"Go! Return immediately and tell the Emperor about what happened here!"

Under such a drastic change, the various national delegations had no heart to linger and left one after another;

And in the chaos, Chen Zhantang and the other disciples, along with Li Junxian, Wu Yixian, and a group of nearly a hundred people, gathered together at the first opportunity, then broke through the crowd to head down the mountain toward the palace.

During this process, everyone's expression was dreamlike; they had neither expected Lu Yuan to descend as an Immortal, nor had they expected Xici to die in full view of everyone, instantly turning the situation upside down.

Although they did not know why Lu Yuan had taken the Xuantong Emperor and the various high-ranking officials away, nor did they know what direction the future of the world or even the global situation would take, one thing was certain: the Jin Dynasty, which had usurped the nation for hundreds of years, was bound to perish!

With such earth-shattering changes right before their eyes, the group of disciples and friends could not suppress the excitement in their hearts and were determined to head to the palace to provide their full support.

In the blink of an eye, the crowd dispersed, and the large venue became scattered and in a complete mess.

At the edge of the venue, Nayancheng and several other officials who had not gone up to the viewing pavilion looked disheveled and wretched, staring blankly at Lu Yuan and the Emperor and ministers who had already disappeared into the horizon, then looking at Xici's headless corpse lying in the ruins of the arena, their eyes vacant, their spirits seemingly completely drained as they muttered to themselves:

"It's over, the Great Jin is finished..."

The International Martial Arts Tournament, planned to last two to three days, was declared over on the very same day.

When the thousands of commoners and spectators poured down Xiantai Mountain and rushed back to Tianjing City without stopping to spread the news, an unprecedented shock and wave swept through the entire city:

"What? You say that Lu Yuan, who served as the arena master, is actually an Immortal, and he suppressed all the powerhouses of the three major powers and every other nation in just one or two moves?"

"And he even killed the Old Buddha and took off her head!?"

"You're crazy, you're crazy, what kind of joke are you playing? Did you smoke too much opium and get confused, having hallucinations?"

"Screw you, what I said was seen with their own eyes by over a hundred thousand people at the scene; I might lie to you, but could everyone be lying to you!?"

"Let me tell you, we saw with our own eyes that the Immortal Lu flicked his sleeve and controlled a gale to scoop up the Emperor and over a dozen high-ranking officials, then flew toward Tianjing City!"

"I also saw it; not long ago, that Immortal flew over the sky here with people. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me; it turns out there really are Immortals in this world..."

"An Immortal has descended to the world; this is the fortune of us Han people, and indeed the entire Shenzhou!"

The vast Tianjing City had a population of millions, and many people subconsciously doubted the talk of an Immortal at first, but not to mention the thousands of commoners who rushed back excitedly from Xiantai Mountain, even in Tianjing City, people had seen Lu Yuan fly over the urban area not long ago. Under such ironclad facts, no one could refute it, causing the entire Tianjing City to be thoroughly shocked and boiling with excitement.

And at the same time.

Inside the imperial palace, in front of the magnificent Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The entire palace was filled with constant shouts; with a violent gust of wind, Lu Yuan landed in front of the hall, carrying the Xuantong Emperor and over a dozen princes and high-ranking officials.

As soon as they landed, these people stumbled and sat on the ground, their faces as pale as the dead, clearly having been terrified by being carried by Lu Yuan for over ten miles in the high sky.

And just as they landed, on the plaza in front of the hall, a large number of imperial guards swarmed over, shouting in panic:

"Someone, someone, there are assassins!"

"The assassins have taken the Emperor hostage!"

"Be careful, this demon seems to be, he flew in!"

The imperial guards stationed in the palace clearly did not yet know what had happened on Xiantai Mountain, and for a moment, hundreds of imperial guard experts flew over, forming a formation, with powerful bows, crossbows, and even firearms all aimed at Lu Yuan.

"Stop, stop!"

At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing Prince's ceremonial robes, who had been brought back by Lu Yuan, climbed up from the ground and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"What are you doing? How dare you be disrespectful to the Immortal?!"

The commander of the imperial guards, who was facing a formidable enemy, took a closer look and discovered that the person speaking was none other than Prince Gong, Yi Yunzheng, who was highly trusted by the Old Buddha, and was immediately shocked:

"Your Highness, this person..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Xuantong Emperor also recovered from his dizziness and immediately scolded:

"Bold slave! An Immortal has descended to the world, and you dare to be disrespectful? All of you, get back! No one is allowed to approach the Hall of Supreme Harmony without permission!"

An Immortal has descended to the world!?

What on earth is going on!?

The commander of the imperial guards looked at Lu Yuan in fear, completely unable to understand what kind of existence this person who had descended from the sky with the Xuantong Emperor and the others was, and could only hurriedly lower his head and say:

"Yes, this slave will withdraw at once!" Immediately, under his command, the hundred-plus imperial guards put away their weapons and retreated one after another, while the Xuantong Emperor took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to Lu Yuan:

"Respected Immortal Master, these servants had eyes but failed to recognize your identity; I beg you not to blame them."

Lu Yuan had just carried over a dozen people in flight for more than ten miles, and combined with the previous successive battles, even with his mid-stage Refining Essence into Qi cultivation, he had consumed quite a lot and was too lazy to move at this moment.

He was noncommittal, as if he were the true master of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and walked inside while saying:

"Come in."

The Xuantong Emperor, Yi Yunzheng, and the other princes and ministers dared not disobey; they followed cautiously behind and stepped into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, also known as the Supreme Golden Hall or the Golden Throne Hall, was the place where the Emperor held major court ceremonies and represented the supreme power of the Jin Dynasty.

But at this moment, after stepping into this great hall, Lu Yuan's figure floated up and landed on the high and lofty pure gold imperial throne.

He sat upright upon it, felt it for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, saying:

"This dragon chair is just so-so; it's not even as comfortable as the most ordinary armchair."

Prince Yi was very tactful and immediately said respectfully:

"Items used by an Immortal contain the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth; how could ordinary objects compare? After being sat upon by you, this dragon chair has been stained with immortal Qi, which is instead a blessing for this vulgar object."

"You certainly know how to talk."

Lu Yuan remained unmoved and said indifferently:

"No more empty talk. I already said before the viewing pavilion that I am giving you two months to abdicate and yield to the worthy, and to summon the knowledgeable people of the world to the Capital to re-establish the national system.

This process will inevitably be chaotic and turbulent; you princes and ministers must maintain basic stability to await the future dissolution of the imperial court and a peaceful handover."

Lu Yuan's words were plain and calm, yet they decided the fate of the Jin Dynasty. The many princes and ministers all trembled and dared not speak, but the Xuantong Emperor hurriedly said:

"Immortal Master, is there any room for negotiation regarding this matter? The Undying Demon Empress has held the world in her grip and wreaked havoc on the court for a long time. Not only the common people of the world, but even I deeply hate her. The Demon Empress has been dictatorial and arbitrary; since I ascended the throne, I have been nothing but a puppet. Without her permission, no government decree could even leave the Capital.

Now that the Immortal Master has descended to the world to act on behalf of Heaven and execute the Demon Empress, it can be said that you have returned a clear and bright universe to the world. As long as the court works hard to govern, reforms, and punishes corrupt officials, it will surely allow the people of the world to live and work in peace and return to a prosperous age.

Dissolving the court and re-establishing the national system at this time would cause unimaginable turmoil and chaos in the world. Most importantly, the foreign powers are currently coveting Shenzhou, viewing it as meat on the chopping block. Although the current court has been defeated repeatedly, as long as it exists, it can make the foreign powers wary and afraid to act rashly. Once the court no longer exists, then..."

With Xici and all the Grandmasters of the Jin Clan dead, the current fate of the Jin Dynasty could be decided by a single word from the Immortal before them.

However, the Xuantong Emperor, who had wanted to work hard to govern and realize his ambitions since he ascended the throne but never had the chance, was naturally extremely unwilling to see the Jin Dynasty buried by his own hands.

Yi Yunzheng and the other princes and ministers also hurriedly spoke up:

"Indeed, Immortal Master, what the Emperor says is reasonable. Once Shenzhou is in turmoil, those jackals and wolves will surely see an opportunity to pounce and tear it apart. By then, it will be the common people of the world who suffer!"

"Immortal Master, we know that you must have seen the darkness of this world and the suffering of the people, but the culprit behind all this is the Demon Empress. The Emperor has always been wise and supportive of reform, and he treats the Jin people and the Han people equally, without distinction; it is only under the Demon Empress's dictatorship that he has never had the chance to show his true capabilities."

"We beg you to give the Emperor, and us, another chance. Now that the Demon Empress is dead, we will surely work hard to govern, sweep away all the ills and deep-seated problems of the court, and recreate a prosperous age. You, Immortal Master, can be the High Immortal State Preceptor and supervise us!"

It was the same as the Xuantong Emperor.

Most of these princes and ministers were of Jin Clan origin. If the court truly fell apart and the Jin Dynasty perished, not only would they fall from the clouds and lose their power, but the entire Jin Clan from top to bottom would very likely face liquidation; the outcome would be unimaginable!

"Recreate a prosperous age?"

However, to the pleas and even begging of these people, Lu Yuan only smiled:

"A rotting ship that is decayed from the inside out has no need to exist; it is better to just let it sink. You of the Jin Clan originally usurped the state; over these past few hundred years, you have committed countless slaughters to maintain your rule, and it is time to pay the price."

"Of course, I know you will certainly be unwilling and will try every possible way to feign compliance while acting in opposition, but all of this is irrelevant to me."

"Because... whether you are willing or not, I will force you to be willing."

As his voice fell, his figure had already floated in front of the Xuantong Emperor and the many princes and ministers, and a mysterious dark light suddenly bloomed in his eyes.

The dark light seemed to suck away the souls of everyone present in an instant; their gazes immediately became chaotic, as if something had invaded their brains and cognition, causing their bodies to tremble slightly and continuously.

A full quarter of an hour passed.

The dark light in Lu Yuan's eyes dissipated, and then the Xuantong Emperor and all the princes and ministers present woke up as if from a dream.

Lu Yuan returned to the dragon chair, sat down, feeling slightly tired, and said indifferently:

"As for the matter of abdicating and inviting the knowledgeable people of the world to re-establish the national system, you should come up with a plan as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, the Xuantong Emperor immediately knelt on the ground and said with a trembling voice:

"Since my Jin Clan entered the pass, we have destroyed mountains and temples, burned books and banned martial arts, and closed the country, leading to the current weakness of Shenzhou and the humiliation of a thousand years. Even though the Demon Empress is dead, as Emperor, I am hard to absolve of blame.

Immortal Master, please rest assured. Once the plan is decided, I will issue an edict of abdication and self-reproach to announce it to the world. As for inviting the knowledgeable people of the world to the Capital, this scope is truly a bit broad; I wonder...?"

Lu Yuan pondered for a moment and said:

"Let the four parties—the provincial government, military, business, and civil organizations—each recommend three Han representatives to come to the Capital for deliberation. At that time, you governors and ministers must stabilize all parties and ensure no turmoil occurs."

This world was a world with a small amount of extraordinary power; experience clearly could not be copied from the modern world. Moreover, the collapse of the Jin Dynasty was entirely pushed by his own efforts rather than a thorough revolution from top to bottom, so he could only grope and experiment with rebuilding a new world.

Prince Gong and the provincial governors seemed like different people, and they said solemnly:

"We will strictly follow the Immortal Master's orders and will surely do our utmost to maintain stability on all sides!"

Lu Yuan nodded:

"Very well, you may leave; I will rest here alone for a while."

The group of people responded one after another and then respectfully retreated from the Jin Luan Dian. The Emperor did not look like an Emperor, and the princes did not look like princes; they looked more like loyal family retainers.

This was naturally due to the effect of the Nightmare Prayer Technique in distorting cognition.

Watching these people leave, Lu Yuan smiled silently, took two Qi Benefiting Bait Return Pills from his Pot Heaven Bag, and ingested them to refine them.

Although he was at the mid-stage of Refining Essence into Qi, after using Earthly Fiend Arts with such high consumption as Cloning, Wind Control, and Nightmare Prayer, his Dharma Power had bottomed out, and he had to replenish it.

And while replenishing his Dharma Power, he lifted his gaze, burning with intensity, as if piercing through the magnificent Jin Luan Dian, seeing that in the dark, an unprecedented, ocean-like force of Qi Luck was condensing and descending.