Chapter 555: Defying Orders

Sima Fa rose to power and forged a batch of Divine Emperor's Commands.

Unlike Sima Xian's Divine Emperor's Command, Sima Fa's Divine Emperor's Command has a rather peculiar design.

A jade banner pole two feet four inches long, pure white and fine throughout, with a one-foot-two-inch-tall tiny figurine at the top—exactly the likeness of Sima Fa, bare-armed, showing off his snowflake-like flesh.

Such a Divine Emperor's Command, it is said, caused the palace's master artisan under the Imperial Clan's Talisman Bureau to curse loudly, "Foolish ruler!" Indeed, this Divine Emperor's Command, which represents the Divine Emperor's presence exercising supreme authority, is simply too shameful!

Wu Tie also inexplicably felt his face flush.

Holding the Divine Emperor's Command brought together with the imperial edict by Sima Fa, Wu Tie felt his palm burning hot and wanted to throw this three-foot-six-inch-long, pure white jade banner pole onto the ground to feed the dogs.

But the dogs wouldn't eat this thing, would they?

Gazing at the statue of Sima Fa perched atop the Divine Emperor's Command, striking a proud, affected pose, Wu Tie let out a heavy sigh.

He rode a dragon horse, left hand holding the Divine Emperor's Command, right hand gripping Sima Fa's imperial edict, swiftly advancing along Anyang City's main street. Behind him, a great host of Dongyuan Forbidden Army in heavy armor flooded the street like a tide, while on the rooftops lining the street, countless agile Wood Spirits leapt forward rapidly.

In the sky, thirty-six Four Spirit Warships formed an array, accompanied by hundreds of large vessels, like dark clouds covering the earth, marching at a height of a thousand feet, closely following the ground troops.

Anyang City is protected by a powerful prohibition; no one or any weapon can fly above it.

However, Wu Tie's Dongyuan Forbidden Army, with hundreds of warships, flew openly over Anyang City's airspace, causing countless officers and officials to shudder—Sima Fa, that scoundrel, actually opened the permit for the city's great defensive formation, allowing the troops under Lord Huo Xiong of Yu Province to gain the privilege of flying above Anyang City.

Many scions of military families stood on their own rooftops, watching the warships drift slowly past at a thousand feet, their faces grim.

Only they knew what it meant for these warships to hover high above Anyang City, a metropolis layered with grand formations.

This means that even peak Embryonic Treasury cultivators or half-step Divine Realm experts can only stand on the ground and take a beating.

These warships, merely by hovering, can bombard ground enemies without pressure. Even a Diamond Iron Man cannot withstand the fleet's volleys; even an Indestructible Diamond Body would melt into molten iron under sustained fire.

Since the Eastern Palace Incident, a full six thousand years have passed with not a single warship able to fly over Anyang City.

Many elderly military families frowned, gazing ahead at the modest fleet's vanguard—the thirty-six colossal vessels—the thirty-six Four Spirit Warships—so uniquely shaped, so massive in size.

Just as six thousand years ago, only the royal household's most trusted forbidden troops were qualified to soar above Anyang City.

Back then, the vanguard of the royal forbidden army's fleet always bore the silhouette of Four Spirit Warships.

At that time, the imperial authority of the Great Jin Divine State was still at its peak.

At that time, the national strength of the Great Jin Divine State remained very strong.

Nowadays, the Great Jin has produced two exceptionally foolish rulers in succession, yet the Four Spirit Warships have appeared once more above everyone's heads.

An elder of the Zhao military clan stood on the roof of his high residence, watching the Four Spirit Warships drift slowly overhead, and muttered lowly: "A fish trapped at the bottom of a pot, what struggle is there? Hmm, I ought to calculate carefully; if one could truly be enfeoffed as a prince, perhaps..."

Wu Tie led his great force past the main gate of the War Department.

Before the War Department gate, thousands of elite officers in heavy armor stood ready, while dozens of attendants in scarlet robes lined the edge of the square before the gate, each holding a scarlet staff; their first words to Wu Tie were: "Cross the line and die!"

Wu Tie reined in his mount and stood silently before the line of attendants, gazing for a moment.

The thousands of officers before the War Department gate stepped forward in unison, let out a low roar, and a fierce killing intent surged toward Wu Tie like a great wave.

Wu Tie gave a cold laugh.

The Dongyuan Forbidden Army behind him was still weaker than these battlefield commanders, for most of its troops were merely private militias of the great clans of Yu Province, reorganized into service, having never seen real combat, making them inevitably seem rather weak.

On the contrary, the Wood Spirits let out a unified long howl; gusts of azure wind rose, forming a massive tornado that stood before Wu Tie, easily blocking the killing intent condensed by those warriors.

Wu Tie had brought hundreds of thousands of Wood Spirits into the city; now a great host of them rose into the air, gripping short bows and taking aim at the War Department office.

The War Department's main gate suddenly opened, and several senior officials in deep purple robes with jade belts stepped out shoulder to shoulder.

They stood before the War Department gate, grim-faced, gazing at the tens of thousands of Wood Spirits hovering in the air.

The Wood Spirits' formation stretched over ten-odd li, a vast, dark mass that was astonishing. The faces of the War Department senior officials were grim; not only could the Dongyuan Forbidden Army's warships fly, even its ordinary soldiers could take to the air.

These naturally agile Wood Spirits, now able to fly freely and possessing astonishing archery, constitute a terrifying fighting force.

The War Department senior officials quickly concluded that in Anyang City, no force could match these Wood Spirits.

Even if their numbers were ten or a hundred times greater, they would still not be a match.

They can fly, raining down arrows from above; even if they can't kill you outright, they can wear you down to death—what can you do?

Nevertheless, the War Department cannot lose face.

A purple-robed elder with a beard reaching his belly slowly raised his right hand; inside the War Department office, a low, heavy mechanical sound began. The War Department office of the Great Jin Divine State is not merely a place for daily work; it is also a war fortress defending the imperial city, its myriad mechanisms and prohibitions layered upon one another, countless in number.

Once a great general of the Great Jin boasted that even if the armies of Wei and Wu joined forces to besiege, the War Department office alone could easily withstand their combined might for decades!

Perhaps there was some exaggeration, but one can still see how formidable this War Department office is.

Wu Tie heard those deep, massive mechanisms stirring; he smiled, nodded to the several grim-faced senior officials of the War Department, and said calmly: "This Duke will pay a visit to the Left Premier in a few days. Today I bear an imperial edict, so… I shall not disturb you further."

Smiling, Wu Tie patted his mount; the dragon horse let out a joyful whinny and broke into a light trot.

Having passed the War Department office's main gate, he turned a corner, proceeded along the recently widened street for a while; beside the road stood a compound—the office of the Imperial City Military Command.

Wu Tie gave a soft shout; the dragon horse halted in the small square before the Imperial City Military Command's gate, stamped its hooves a few times, snorted, and turned to face the gate squarely.

Behind Wu Tie, ranks upon ranks of the Dongyuan Forbidden Army surged forward like a tide, quickly filling the entire street. Their weapons and armor occasionally clacked together, producing a crisp "ding-ding-dang" sound, with occasional sparks flying.

The thirty-six Four Spirit Warships hovered above the Imperial City Military Command; suddenly a phoenix's cry rang out, and the warships devoured heavenly and earthly essence, condensing on each side of their massive hulls a pair of enormous flaming wings.

The huge flaming wings unfurled, flames rose, heat surged, and the air above the Imperial City Military Command instantly became a sea of fire.

The Wood Spirits sprang forward lightly, quickly occupying the rooftops of the large district behind Wu Tie; moreover, many Wood Spirits took off by treading the wind, forming in the air a layered volley of arrows.

"Where is Prince Hui Sima Du?" Wu Tie, with a hint of shame, secretly hid the jade‑pole Divine Emperor's Command behind him, then raised high Sima Fa's imperial edict in his right hand: "By imperial decree, the Imperial City Military Command shall henceforth be under my control; I ask Prince Hui Sima Du to surrender all seals, documents, tokens, and arrow‑shafts, and to hand over his office to me."

"Furthermore, please have Prince Hui Sima Du hand over the registers of the Three Gardens and Twelve Guards forbidden troops, the payroll ledgers, equipment and supply transfer documents, and so on. This is a military matter; I ask Prince Hui Sima Du not to delay."

The gate of the Imperial City Military Command stood tightly shut; inside, not a sound could be heard.

When Wu Tie followed Elder Hu's retinue to loot innate spiritual treasures, Anyang City fell into chaos; Princess Jingcheng was framed, and the troops under her command mutinied en masse, burning, killing, and looting throughout the city, causing a tremendous uproar.

Afterward, Princess Jingcheng was imprisoned; the former commander of the Imperial City Military Command, Prince Xuan Sima Yi, was removed from office, and the new commander, Prince Hui Sima Du, became a son‑in‑law of the Linghu clan, one of his concubines being a Linghu clanswoman.

The one who once stole Wu Tie's merit and framed him for exile to the Southwest Great Marsh Prefecture was Sima Yu, the son born to Prince Hui Sima Du and a Linghu clanswoman; later, in the Southwest, Sima Yu was again schemed against by Wu Tie, left battered and miserable.

Thus Prince Hui Sima Du and Wu Tie truly have a great conflict.

And Prince Hui Sima Du is regarded by all as a member of the Linghu faction; his loyalty to the Sima imperial clan is genuinely slight.

Wu Tie waited silently for a quarter of an hour, then raised his voice again, repeating his previous words. With ample vital energy and a touch of magical power, his voice carried easily across a radius of several hundred li.

On the wall of the Military Department office, another row of military department clerks climbed onto the wall, craning their necks to look toward the office of the Imperial City Military Command.

Inside the office of the Imperial City Military Command, it remained utterly silent, as if it were completely an empty courtyard.

But Wu Tie knew that since the day they decided to reorganize the Three Gardens and the Twelve Guards Forbidden Army, the Imperial City Military Command had not only expanded its office manyfold, but the number of clerks on regular duty had also surged by over a hundred times.

Nowadays, the Imperial City Military Command routinely has over ten thousand civil officials on duty inside, plus various runners, guards, and the like who are dispatched to run errands, bringing the total to twenty or thirty thousand, essentially a small town.

There wasn't a sound inside, which naturally couldn't mean there was no one; it was simply that they were unwilling to deal with Wu Tie.

Wu Tie sighed, waited a moment, then finally, feeling ashamed, he held high the newly forged Divine Imperial Command of that scoundrel Sima Fei: "The Divine Imperial Command is here, as if the Emperor himself were present—do you truly intend to defy orders?"

This time, there was finally some movement in the courtyard of the Imperial City Military Command.

The heavy gate opened a crack, and a thin old man dressed in blue cloth and a small cap, looking like a household slave, stepped out from the gap, coughed heavily, tremulously lifted his head, and shook his head at Wu Tie.

"The Grand President has ordered that the Emperor's command is a chaotic order; for the sake of the eternal foundation of the Divine State, the Grand President dare not accept it."

In the triangular eyes of the thin old man flickered a sinister light; he said softly: "The Grand President said that Duke of Yu Prefecture Huo Xiong, the minister who advances fortune, the treacherous minister, the minister who brings chaos to the world... the Imperial City Military Command concerns the safety of the imperial capital, and it absolutely cannot..."

In the high sky, Pei Feng, standing on the prow of a Four Spirit Warship, suddenly opened his eyes; a black spear in his right hand spewed rolling black demonic flames, he violently raised his right hand and hurled the spear down at the thin old man.

A streak of black light flashed.

The thin old man's body suddenly emanated the aura of the peak of the Womb Store Realm, and around him seven kinds of Dao patterns flickered, winds surged, thick mist spread, and strands of strange light twined about; the void around him fluctuated illusorily, shifting like a dream.

This old man is clearly versed in evasion techniques and illusion arts; the Great Dao he has comprehended is also related to evasion and illusion.

Therefore, he dared to step out and provoke Wu Tie, ignoring the massive East Garden Forbidden Army behind Wu Tie.

But...

After Wu Tie returned to the East Garden last night, that Little Six Ren Illusion Secret Demon Body was directly given to him by Pei Feng; now Pei Feng, relying on the power of the secret demon body, is indeed an extremely formidable existence even in the Divine Realm.

The black spear pierced the old man's body; before he could move a step, the black demonic flames rolled, and in an instant the old man was burned to a wisp of green smoke.

On the prow of the Four Spirit Warship, Pei Feng glanced at his own hands with a hint of astonishment.

That old man's aura was so overbearing that, given Pei Feng's own cultivation, he could never be a match for the old man; as soon as the old man's aura appeared, Pei Feng sensed it and knew he absolutely could not oppose him.

But when he actually struck, the old man was like a chick, utterly powerless to resist, and Pei Feng exterminated him.

Light flickered in Pei Feng's eyes, a ripple sweeping over Wu Tie, who sat on his dragon horse down the street; his red lips curled slightly, revealing a charming smile.

Afterwards, Pei Feng finally straightened his face and shouted sternly: "Sima Du, do you truly intend to defy the imperial edict?"

Pei Feng waved his right hand downward, grabbed with his right palm, and the black spear planted before the gate of the Imperial City Military Command suddenly burst out a mass of black flame; with a boom, the gate tower of the Imperial City Military Command, which had just been rebuilt not long ago and was grand like a city gate, turned into a wisp of green smoke and dissipated in the black flame.

Pei Feng's strike was far more violent than Wu Tie's.

Wu Tie stared, then muttered curses: "You prodigal wife, this gate tower—will we have to pay for its repairs ourselves later... eh?"

Wu Tie suddenly sneered: "Sima Du, do you really want to play with your life?"

With a single blow, Pei Feng shattered the gate of the Imperial City Military Command, and saw within its pavilions faint light flickering; continuously, elite warriors in heavy armor rushed out from the pavilions, quickly forming battle arrays in one courtyard after another, one corridor after another.

"Duke of Yu Prefecture Huo Xiong... I, of royal lineage, have a share in the all-under-heaven of Great Jin, so I must bear responsibility for Great Jin's all-under-heaven!"

Sima Du's voice came from deep within the Imperial City Military Command.

"The Emperor is young and ignorant, inevitably misled by treacherous ministers into doing harm to all-under-heaven. Therefore, we of the imperial nobility must help the Emperor keep watch, keep watch over Great Jin's patrimony, lest it be harmed by treacherous ministers."

"Huo Xiong, you are a treacherous minister!"

"If you want the great authority of the Imperial City Military Command, you must step over my corpse!"

Wu Tie fell silent for a moment, then broke into a brilliant smile: "If that's the case, then you might as well go die!"

Black qi shot up from Wu Tie's head; the Black Heaven Cauldron, the state artifact of the Great Martial Divine State, howled as it rose tens of thousands of zhang high, then plunged straight down from the high heavens and slammed heavily into the courtyard of the Imperial City Military Command.

Just one blow, and half of the Imperial City Military Command was reduced to fragments.

In the air, the corner of Pei Feng's eye twitched violently: "Am I a prodigal wife? You..."