Chapter 725: Handling

A scream traveled very far in the night sky.

Even though many of the eunuchs and palace maids nearby were just ordinary people, because they were so close, everyone heard it clearly. The sound was like a sharp sword thrusting into their ear canals, as if it wanted to pierce straight into their brains.

Although the palace rules were strict and one was not allowed to gawk even if the sky were falling, Eunuch Jia and others who were not on duty, including the guards who had the duty to protect the palace, still rushed in one after another.

But the fastest one was the State Preceptor in the carriage; as soon as the carriage curtain moved, a shadow vanished into the doorway in an instant.

The State Preceptor entered the door first, his speed like lightning and thunder! The others' eyes could not see his figure clearly at all; those with good eyesight saw only a shadow, and those with poor eyesight could at most see the carriage curtain move.

Tang Zhao's eyesight was top-tier, and he saw a bit more clearly—

He saw a robe.

The robe was sky-blue, the material thin and light, exquisite and elegant, possessing quite the immortal air. He even saw the luxurious hidden embroidery on the robe clearly, but he still only saw a robe.

It was not because the angle was insufficient to see the full picture, but rather...

Was there really only a robe?!

The inside of the robe was completely empty, yet it automatically wrapped itself into a human shape and could move independently. If it flashed by, one would only feel it was strange, but if one saw it daily, one would likely be terrified.

This is ghostly.

Was that the true face of the State Preceptor who hid behind the curtain all day long?

No...

In this world, all kinds of strangeness have their own methods of explanation.

Perhaps it is a sword? A Sword Image?

Perhaps what was originally left on Zijin Mountain was also just a Sword Image. The State Preceptor himself might not necessarily be anywhere specific, only leaving a Sword Image in Jingcheng; that would also make sense. Once reaching that realm, a Sword Image is the same as the person's own incarnation.

Tang Zhao was only puzzled for a moment. Everyone was running inside, so he followed, but suddenly his footsteps halted.

The Emperor attacked the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager accidentally killed the Emperor...

The explosive news that Prince Shun had sent people to deliver to the Gaoyuan Marquis exploded in his ears at this moment, like a heavy hammer striking his heart fiercely.

It hammered him until he could not catch his breath.

It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it?

The false news from two days ago, did it become true news two days later?

In an instant, Tang Zhao felt he could not think it through; the more he thought, the more terrifying it was. But this was the time to make a decision, and overthinking was useless. Now he needed to decide:

Go in, or do not go in?

Go in, and he might encounter fatal danger; do not go in, and how would he know if he would encounter danger?

Tang Zhao hesitated slightly and made his decision. His body felt light, and amidst the panic of the crowd, he retreated to a corner. On the other hand, he dropped a wisp of matte light, attaching it to a guard's armor to serve as his eyes, replacing him to observe everything in the hall.

Now that the State Preceptor had rushed in, his attention was naturally focused inside. This was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to escape from the State Preceptor's side; he could not let it pass.

At the same time, Tang Zhao's vision followed that tall guard as he rushed into the rear hall.

The rear hall was full of blood. A dazzling, fresh red.

The bright red bloodstains on the ground were originally like pools of water, but because too many people had trampled them, they had turned into a muddy swamp.

In the mire, the despairing woman, surrounded by pearls and jade, was wailing while holding her son.

A large gash had been cut into that young man's neck, and the fresh blood had just spurted out, dyeing his yellow robe into a red one. His eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the sky; the rapid death had left him unable to close his eyes in peace.

Although this young man's state of death was not essentially different from those outlaws who died in the struggles of the pugilistic world, his status made this death earth-shattering.

Everyone present was struck as if by lightning, their minds a blank.

The Emperor, the Sovereign of the Nine-Five, at least the nominal master of all under heaven, was dead!

And...

The crowd's gazes could not help but look at a sword lying in the pool of blood; the sword was stained with blood and must be the murder weapon. However, judging from where it had fallen, it could only have been used by someone from that pair of mother and son.

The Emperor was already dead, so it could only be... the Empress Dowager!

The Empress Dowager killed the Emperor, killed her own son!

If the Emperor's death was Heavenly Thunder, then the Empress Dowager killing her son was the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation; the thunder struck one after another, not stopping until it blasted people into ashes. Several people's legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground.

"What is going on?"

The State Preceptor asked sternly with a voice that made one's skin tingle.

The Empress Dowager heard this voice that absolutely could not be ignored, as if she had found a backbone. She stumbled a few steps while holding the Emperor and cried out: "State Preceptor, save him, save my imperial son!"

While calling for help, she also wailed: "It wasn't me... I didn't want this. He wanted to kill me; this wicked obstacle wanted to kill me for the sake of outsiders! I only pushed him once, and he fell down, it's all blood... it's all blood... my imperial son! State Preceptor, I beg you to save him! You can save him, right?"

The State Preceptor was silent for a moment and said: "It is too late."

The words "too late" seemed to cut off the Empress Dowager's voice, making her throat go mute instantly. She opened her mouth in place without making a sound, like a broken puppet.

The State Preceptor snorted and barked: "Shut up! You fool, having done such a thing, you still howl to the heavens—are you afraid people don't know?"

Suddenly, only two *pop* sounds were heard, and two door-closing sounds rang out simultaneously.

That was the palace gate, or perhaps the inner hall door.

The sound of the doors closing made everyone inside Ning Shou Gong freeze. Among them, a few sharp-witted ones were suddenly horrified.

But, very quickly!

Hundreds of lightning bolts descended from thin air, each only the thickness of a finger, falling exactly one foot above everyone's heads, landing precisely on everyone's foreheads.

From inside to outside, over a hundred people, not one was spared!

*Sizzle*—

No one screamed, no one groaned; there was only the sound emitted by the electric arcs flashing past.

The people in the electric light, whether they were eunuchs, palace maids, or guards of decent background, were instantly silent in the Thunder Light, and in the next instant, they turned into powder!

Skin, flesh, tendons, bones, clothes, and weapons—not a single bit remained!

When the Thunder Light vanished after a blink, the great hall was empty; except for the Empress Dowager and the State Preceptor, there was no one else.

"This..."

Even though the Empress Dowager had long been in the palace, had long dabbled in power, and had seen scenes of bloodshed, she was stunned at this moment, so frightened that she was speechless and tottering.

Then she heard a voice like a thunderclap by her ear, sternly saying: "Enough, is this the time for you to faint? Hurry up and handle the aftermath. Have the three clans of your family lived long enough? You summoned the feudal lords of the world to the capital to plot great things, yet you still don't forget to fight among yourselves at a time like this, and at a critical moment, you cause an unmanageable disaster that will make outsiders laugh their heads off. You are all a bunch of trash!"

The Empress Dowager instinctively said: "It wasn't me who let... he struck first! State Preceptor, is the Emperor really beyond saving?"

The State Preceptor scolded: "He is beyond saving, stop worrying about him. This Emperor is dead, you hurry and think about the next Emperor! A country cannot go a day without a ruler!"

The Empress Dowager's heart was churning; she had just accidentally killed her own son, the blood was not yet dry, and the State Preceptor was already forcing her to make a choice. In the past, the State Preceptor had treated the Emperor with great care; though one could not say it was like a teacher or a father, it was still a deep kindness. Who would have thought that today, upon the Emperor's death, he not only felt no emotion, but mentioning him was not even as good as talking about a dog, at most like discussing a chair?

The State Preceptor... how heartless!

The Empress Dowager understood that although it looked like the State Preceptor was protecting her, it would be insane to think he was on her side. This monster only cared about the continuation of the Great Jin Dynasty; he supported her because she was currently the most legitimate person to complete the transfer of power and suppress the chaos.

If she could not do it, he would not be any softer in disposing of the Empress Dowager than he would be in disposing of a eunuch.

Intense fear bred an intense desire to survive, and even her grief was diluted. She scrambled up and said: "I have decided, Prince Xing is of noble character, pure and filial, and is suitable to be established as the new monarch to inherit the great throne!"

The State Preceptor said coldly: "That nine-year-old child? You still haven't given up; the Emperor has a sixteen-year-old younger brother, why not establish him?"

The Empress Dowager hurriedly explained: "Although Prince Si is older, his temperament is tyrannical and he does not understand the big picture; he lacks the capacity of a ruler. At this time, it is better for the world to be still than to move; choosing such a troublemaker is not as good as choosing a youth who is quieter."

The State Preceptor said without a ripple: "Truly, your greed is insatiable. You once held court from behind the curtain, yet I saw no merit; it was your own son and he still ended up like this. This time it is a concubine's son, what will happen in the future? Prince Si is just outside the palace; if he discovers the change, he will never let it go. If you have the ability to transition safely, then so be it. Don't cause trouble, I will not cover for you again! Go, seal the news, gather the hearts of the people, and go handle the aftermath."

The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Yes."

——

"That was close, just by a hair. This bullshit State Preceptor, a person who treats human lives like grass!"

On the other side, Tang Zhao had narrowly escaped from Ning Shou Gong, and subsequently escaped from the imperial palace.

Because of a split-second decision, Tang Zhao did not enter the hall, but instead stole an opportunity to flee, which was what allowed him to dodge that Heavenly Thunder strike.

Although with his strength, that bolt of lightning probably wouldn't have killed him, but if everyone else died and he lived, wouldn't that be conspicuous? How would the State Preceptor be willing to let it go? At that point, it would be him alone facing the Sword Immortal.

In the past six months, although Tang Zhao had focused on raising his Sword Deity, his cultivation had not fallen behind; instead, he had gained something from a trip to the Sun Court, and his strength had advanced further. Plus, with the Jinwu Sword becoming increasingly spiritual, it was not as if he lacked the strength to fight an ordinary Sword Immortal, but was it a good thing to pointlessly gamble his life in a great battle against a renowned Sword Immortal?

As for Tang Zhao revealing his identity and relying on his friendship with the Gaoyuan Marquis to receive special care from the State Preceptor—haha, is that possible?

Through that wisp of Sword Image he had attached to a pillar in time, Tang Zhao had clearly seen how that formless monster wrapped in robes had rationally and coldly handled the Emperor's death. There was absolutely no superfluous emotion, only dissatisfaction with the trouble caused by both parties involved. One must know that everyone outside believed the State Preceptor and the Emperor were as close as father and son.

Tang Zhao clearly felt that this State Preceptor had no feelings, only judgment. To say he was like a program—he still had emotions, likes, and dislikes, but he really was too unlike a human.

Perhaps he really was like a "personal god"?

In this situation, let alone Tang Zhao, even if the Gaoyuan Marquis were here in person, he would have to take a hit of Heavenly Thunder.

Of course, besides the wariness of the State Preceptor's coldness and the disgust that the royal family's affairs had harmed the innocent, there was also the bewilderment regarding the fact that "the Empress Dowager accidentally killed the Emperor."

The news had really come true!

However, the blood on the ground that had not yet faded showed that this event had indeed just happened.

Why would someone know about this beforehand?

Is it the ability of a sword?

Is it prophecy?

If Prince Shun mastered this kind of ability, wouldn't he be invincible?

Harboring various emotions, Tang Zhao hurried back to Zijin Mountain. He did not intend to stay alone in the treacherous Jingcheng and wanted to return first to rendezvous with the Gaoyuan Marquis.

However, it was not so easy to leave at this moment.