Chapter 922: Abdication

Boom!

The tightly shut Forbidden Palace gate was violently smashed open by an axe blow, manifesting divine power, standing a hundred zhang tall with a burly dragon-like physique, Wu Jin held a shield in his left hand and an axe in his right, striding boldly into the Forbidden Palace gate.

Carelessly, he lifted his head slightly higher, and the Forbidden Palace gate shattered under his impact, the gate tower collapsing with a boom.

During this process, inside and outside the Forbidden Palace at the heart of the Imperial City, all restrictions erupted simultaneously, yet they shattered like fine porcelain.

Wu Jin, deliberately empowered and assisted by Wu Tie, condensed the Seven Great Dao Seals—all pertaining to battle and strength—thoroughly activating the Wu clan bloodline within him and awakening the Chiyou Divine Ability.

Wu Jin can now be seen as the primordial Wu clan demon god Chiyou descended to the mortal realm, though his power is diminished and has not reached Chiyou's peak.

Even so, he remains a Venerable-level expert.

Dozens of eunuchs in scarlet robes screamed as they charged forward, their long fingernails trailing wisps of Yin Wind Cold Qi, stabbing straight at Wu Jin's vital spots.

Wu Jin stood still, letting those eunuchs slash wildly at him.

Sparks flew from the tips of the nails, yet Wu Jin's oily skin wasn't scratched in the slightest. He let out a mighty roar, and dozens of eunuchs spurted blood from their seven orifices, hurled hundreds of zhang into the air; upon landing, each lay with broken bones and torn tendons, able only to whimper weakly, unable to move.

"Hand over the Fire Emperor, or spare your lives!" Wu Jin bellowed hoarsely.

Boom, boom boom—the Forbidden Palace walls crumbled section by section; Wu Yin and Wu Tong, together with over twenty Venerable experts of the Wu clan, leading thirty thousand Wu clan elites, all unleashed the Heaven-Earth Manifestation Divine Ability, charging in like a band of giants.

The terrifying aura of Venerable-level power filled the entire Forbidden Palace, lingering there and almost cutting off internal and external communication; the old eunuch who had barely kept Feng Xiao in touch with the outside world was instantly stunned, standing frozen in place.

"Over there… seize Feng Xiao." Wu Jin's eyes shot forth divine light, having already locked onto Feng Xiao's sleeping quarters.

Feng Xiao still lay motionless on the bed like a corpse, dazed and unresponsive to any outside disturbance.

A few old eunuchs shuddered all over, then gritted their teeth, seized Feng Xiao, and turned into streams of Yin Wind to flee—but just as they entered the wind, a huge phantom of a divine bell suddenly appeared high above.

A bell tolled, echoing through heaven and earth.

The void trembled, time froze; the Qianyuan Divine Bell, inheriting a single strand of primordial Qianyuan Qi, possessed the magnificent power to suppress the world and stabilize earth, water, fire, and wind. Under the Qianyuan Divine Bell, the old eunuchs' petty tricks could only be called 'ridiculous, childish, incompetent'!

Several old eunuchs coughed up mouthfuls of blood as they struggled out of the air; Feng Xiao was slammed hard to the ground by them, while the eunuchs clutched their chests and screamed hoarsely.

"I was wrong, I was wrong… spare me, spare me!"

"It's Qinglian… it's the Qinglian Observatory directing the servants…"

The old eunuchs were still shrieking when a handsome, graceful young eunuch wielding a longsword suddenly appeared before them, sword light flashing as he thrust toward their foreheads.

"You traitorous demonlings, how dare you tarnish the reputation of Qinglian?"

Just as the young eunuch's sword tip emerged, Wu Jin let out a great shout, his body flickering; he took a massive stride, shattering nearly a hundred palace halls and pavilions in his path, appearing instantly before the young eunuch.

With a 'bang,' Wu Jin flicked his little finger; the young eunuch's longsword shattered, his robes exploded into fragments, and even his close-fitting protective treasure robe hadn't time to glow before being reduced to scattered shards by a single finger.

The young eunuch spat blood profusely, flying hundreds of zhang away before slamming into a rockslide, sliding down like a heap of mud.

"Here, are you a disciple of the Qinglian Observatory?" Wu Jin pointed at the young eunuch: "Hmm, this matter is settled; we'll go settle accounts with the Qinglian Observatory… you're a human witness, you must not die."

The young eunuch spat blood while a flash of resolve crossed his eyes.

His entire body surged with chaotic magical energy as he prepared to self-destruct his soul, but Wu Yu appeared like a ghost before him, holding a bone needle and repeatedly stabbing him with a series of 'pah-pah-pah' strikes.

The magical fluctuations instantly subsided; the young eunuch went completely limp, unable to mobilize even a trace of magic, unable to move a finger, and even his capacity to think was sealed by Wu Yu's Wu curse—no thought could arise.

"You must not die… therefore, you cannot die." Wu Yu had already regained his youthful appearance, a sturdy man under three zhang tall, but having played the role of a 'rotten old man' for too many years, his every gesture still carried a hint of 'trembling frailty'.

"If you want to die yourself, heh, Grandpa Wu Yu won't let you—you'll find it hard to die!"

Wu Yu laughed triumphantly.

Now Wu Jin and the others have surged in strength; under their leadership, the Wu clan youths forming the Wu Formation have received tremendous support, each moving as fast as lightning and their strength multiplied many times over.

Under the fierce assault of this wolf-like, tiger-like band of brawny men, the vast Forbidden Palace was completely brought under control in just a few breaths.

Wu Jin crouched beside Feng Xiao, reached out to feel his breath, and immediately furrowed his brow.

"Old Ancestor Wu Yu, he's been hit with an evil curse… we only know how to slash and kill; come take a look? Is there still hope?"

Wu Yu stood with his hands behind his back, habitually hunched, he stared blankly, then straightened his back and strode over to Wu Jin with tiger-like vigor. He also crouched beside Feng Xiao, reaching out to examine him.

"Hey, that was a vicious strike—if it weren't for running into Grandpa Wu Yu, or if his strength hadn't surged so swiftly… this kid would be done for."

Shaking his head, Wu Yu produced a small white bone banner and vigorously waved it over Feng Xiao's body.

Wu Yin, in the distance, swung his great axe and shouted loudly: "Identify every eunuch, palace maid, and concubine one by one, investigate their origins… anyone whose cultivation doesn't match their background shall be tortured until they reveal the mastermind behind them."

In the distance, a palace maiden suddenly shrieked, turning into a stream of light as she tried to flee.

Wu Tong appeared out of thin air before that palace maiden; the unfortunate maiden slammed headfirst into Wu Tong's chest with a 'thud,' knocked out cold, her neck even twisted askew.

After a short while, the three Wu brothers—Wu Jin, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong—stood side by side before the awakening Feng Xiao.

Feng Xiao stared dumbfounded at the three Wu brothers, fists clenched tight, his voice hoarse beyond measure: "The legacy of our ancestors…"

"But you can't manage this legacy well." Wu Jin rested his great axe on his shoulder, solemnly lowering his gaze to look down at Feng Xiao: "Take a look—over these few short years, you've turned a fine earthly paradise into what?"

"The throne of the Fire Emperor belongs to the virtuous; the unworthy should roll away… isn't that the principle?"

Wu Jin spoke earnestly: "Or you could rally all the troops the Fire Dynasty can still control and fight us to the death."

Wu Yin beside him also spoke earnestly: "It's meaningless; first, the troops the Fire Dynasty can still muster are trash; second, even if you could scrape together a batch of elite soldiers, we'd crush them with a backhand."

Wu Tong chuckled foolishly: "Besides, there's no need to scare you—well, our Wu clan alone now has over three hundred Venerable experts; the Venerable old ghosts of the Demon Nation, Ghost Nation, Monster Nation, and Strange Nation have nearly all taken refuge with our fourth brother."

"Fight, you're sure to lose." Wu Tong said solemnly: "The fourth brother says, if you're willing to cooperate, your Feng clan royalty can still receive a parcel of nurturing land; we're not exterminationists, and we're not afraid of your rebellion."

"If you don't cooperate…" Wu Jin grinned with a dry laugh: "We also think the fourth brother's method is too cruel and shameless… but frankly, abdication and such are just an archway—however you build it, it's fine."

"The former emperor died suddenly; among the clan we chose the worthy and capable to inherit… the new emperor, feeling his virtue insufficient to rule, believed the Feng clan could no longer govern the world; thus, among the feudal lords and subjects, he selected a naturally holy person for abdication… after three refusals and three requests, or nine refusals and nine requests, our fourth brother was forced, deeply moving the wholehearted hearts of the populace, and so he cried out, heeding the people's will and heavenly mandate, ascending the throne as emperor!"

Wu Jin said bluntly: "Anyway, everyone knows that after you, the Fire Emperor, ascended the throne, you fell gravely ill and unconscious within two days, leaving this chaotic mess of a world."

"You can't govern the world well, but once our fourth brother takes the throne, he'll immediately quell the Nine Princes' Rebellion and ferret out the masterminds behind them to punish severely… the people will surely sing in unison, praising our fourth brother as an unparalleled sage ruler and sage!"

Feng Xiao stared blankly for a moment before bursting into hysterical screams.

Firelight of anger flickered in his eyes; Feng Xiao, heedless of having just awakened and still weak, leapt up and pointed at the three Wu brothers, cursing wildly: "Treacherous ministers and villainous sons, you're all treacherous ministers and villainous sons…… you have failed……"

Wu Tong delivered a clean, crisp slap.

Smack!

That not-so-heavy slap knocked Feng Xiao's head askew, and he hastily shut his mouth.

Remember, our Wu family has received no favor from your Sui dynasty at all… On the contrary, it was your Sui dynasty's great army that ran onto our land and burned, killed, looted and plundered; it was you who provoked us to come after you!

Also remember, we are not your Sui dynasty's subjects… My fourth brother is your Sui dynasty's Equal-rank King, a title jointly conferred by all past Sui emperors, equal to your God Emperor and possessing the authority of regency.

Your ancestors all think you lot of useless descendants are hopeless, so they let my fourth brother serve as regent.

If you can't do the job, just yield the position to someone who can—that's only right and proper… Why act like a shrew, cursing in the streets?

Wu Tong spoke each word with reason and evidence, leaving Feng Xiao flushed and speechless for a while.

Wu Jin and Wu Yin stared at Wu Tong in shock; Wu Jin slapped the back of Wu Tong's head hard: "Old Three, you put that smoothly… that's exactly the point..."

Feng Xiao stared blankly for a moment, he touched his stinging, reddened cheeks where he'd been hit, gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "If that's the case, I, the emperor, will certainly not allow it?"

Wu Jin laughed especially brightly: "Old Four said, you're outwardly soft but inwardly tough, the hardest to deal with…… but Old Four made it clear, if you refuse to cooperate, we'll take your brothers and nephews, even your own father, to threaten you!"

Feng Xiao stared blankly; his mind flashed with his brothers and nephews, recalling that Feng Shang was still in Wu Tie's hands… After a long while, he suddenly raised both hands: "I submit… no matter what you want me to do, I submit… but, my submission does not mean the Feng royal clan submits."

Wu Yu said coldly from the side: "Our Wu clan excels at bloodline curses; if they refuse to submit, within three to five days the Feng royal clan will be wiped out by plague, no matter where they hide."

Feng Xiao clenched his mouth shut tight and would not utter another word.

From Wu Yu's icy words, he felt that bone-deep killing intent and indifference.

Such old-timers, with their eccentric temperaments over the years, are the sort of old scoundrels capable of anything—better not provoke them.

Such old fogeys also exist within the Feng royal clan; Feng Xiao naturally understands their temperament.

Several days later, it was the auspicious day selected by the Sui dynasty's Imperial Observatory.

The two venerable gentlemen, Li Xuangui and Yuan Qilin, also solemnly announced to the civil and military officials of Wuguo that this was indeed a most auspicious day, the best possible, and that counting back three thousand years or forward ten thousand years, this day was the supreme Huangdao auspicious day.

Sui Du was spotless, every brick seam cleansed by magic to an oily sheen, and each huge brick on the city walls was like a mirror, able to reflect a person's silhouette.

Indescribably solemn and majestic, ineffably splendid and luxurious.

The whole of Sui Du was wrapped in brocade, with magically conjured strange flowers and exotic grasses enveloping it; especially outside the city, endless hills covered with towering cactus-like pillars bursting with splendid flowers added a hundredfold joy and wonder to Sui Du out of nowhere.

The Qian' divine bell hung high in the air, constantly booming, shaking auspicious clouds into bloom across billions of miles, auspicious light surging, with countless streams of auspicious energy shooting straight into the heavens, illuminating countless miles in pure brightness.

The Great Dao Forge stood at Sui Du's core, strands of Sui fire winding along the ground in all directions, forcibly linking the eyes of the Sui dynasty's firewood-transmission grand formation everywhere, thereby re-igniting the grand formation.

The entire Sui dynasty was shrouded in the firewood fire; the rebel armies of the Nine Kings immediately halted their attacks and withdrew.

Outside Sui Du, over a hundred li away, they selected a spot of superb scenery and superb feng shui, and built an artificial platform there.

Wu Tie stood upright on the platform, expressionless, gazing down at Feng Xiao and several carefully chosen elders of the Feng royal clan standing below.

In the surrounding air, venerable experts hovered, breath held, gazes heavy as mountains, likewise fixed on these high-ranking members of the Sui dynasty's royal clan.

Huang Lang, dressed in splendid robes, stood at the platform's center, holding a jade tablet, and shouted hoarsely: "The auspicious moment has arrived… please!"

Everything proceeded according to the ancient legend's Abdication Ceremony, unfolding smoothly without a ripple.

Only when handing over the Heirloom Jade Seal did Feng Xiao softly ask Wu Tie: "Your conscience… can you bear it?"

Wu Tie coldly glanced at Feng Xiao, snatched the Heirloom Jade Seal: "I have calculated… I… the Mandate of Heaven is mine; this act… follows Heaven and answers the people—great good fortune!"