Chapter 394: Monarch and Minister (Requesting Moon Tickets)

Xu Jin was assigned to a separate courtyard within the Chen Emperor's palace.

The linear distance from the Star Gazing Pavilion where Qian'an Emperor was breaking through was about fifteen hundred meters.

For others, this distance was an insurmountable chasm.

Because most people's spiritual soul sensing range was only about a hundred meters, even those who had forged a Nascent Soul could reach at most two or three hundred meters.

But Xu Jin, blessed with thirty-six Mingji Star Patterns and an increasingly powerful Nascent Soul, had extended his spiritual soul sensing range beyond two thousand meters.

Even from this distance, Xu Jin could clearly sense Qian'an Emperor's breakthrough state.

He could even sense the aura of the eighth-rank old attendant, who stood not far from Qian'an Emperor, guarding him.

At present, there was no opportunity whatsoever.

As for whether Qian'an Emperor would succeed in breaking through, Xu Jin had discussed this with the Grand Master before arriving.

Qian'an Emperor had previously attempted to break through to the seventh rank twice, and both had failed.

The first time was ten years ago, when Cheng Yuexiao successfully broke through to the eighth rank; in his haste, Qian'an Emperor, unprepared, failed his breakthrough.

The second time was six years ago, and he failed again.

This breakthrough attempt was likely the most thoroughly prepared one Qian'an Emperor had ever made.

In fact, the Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Pill was not essential for Qian'an Emperor's breakthrough—it merely added an extra layer of assurance, increasing the probability by one or one and a half percent.

If Qian'an Emperor failed to break through, Xu Jin's task would become significantly easier.

If Qian'an Emperor succeeded, Xu Jin's task would not become substantially harder.

After all, he had only just broken through.

The key was waiting for Qian'an Emperor to create an opening.

If the eighth-rank old attendant never left the palace, Xu Jin would have no chance whatsoever.

Thus, before arriving, Xu Jin had already agreed with the Grand Master: during Qian'an Emperor's breakthrough, they would simply observe and wait.

The only signal they awaited was this: the eighth-rank old attendant leaving the palace.

And it had to be a definite case—he would not return for a short period.

Otherwise, as long as the old attendant remained within Wan Yi, he could return to the palace in two breaths at the first sign of trouble.

Xu Jin's personal safety came first.

If anything went awry, Xu Jin must leave the palace immediately; the Grand Master would be ready to assist him at any moment.

Inside the courtyard, Xu Jin sensed Qian'an Emperor's aura rising steadily; in the heavens, one star began to pulse faintly, emitting a grand aura as its brightness slowly increased.

In truth, whether Qian'an Emperor succeeded or failed meant little to Xu Jin, who had prepared thoroughly.

What Xu Jin cared about was whether the opportunity to strike would arise.

After learning that this foolish emperor had ordered the massacre of over a thousand men, women, and children from Xu Family Village, Xu Jin had been seething with righteous fury.

Unless he killed this tyrant, his heart would never find peace.

Outside the courtyard, the sixth-rank eunuch, accompanied by four fifth-rank attendants, kept constant watch.

Presumably, Qian'an Emperor believed Xu Jin, as the Blood God's emissary, was merely a fifth-rank second-layer cultivator, and that a sixth-rank guard was more than sufficient.

Inside the Star Gazing Pavilion, Qian'an Emperor's aura surged to its peak—then suddenly, he sensed a faint star aura.

Having attempted breakthroughs twice before, Qian'an Emperor knew what this meant; instantly, a delicate Nascent Soul embryo, over two meters tall, materialized before him.

This was another major aid to Qian'an Emperor's breakthrough.

If one forged a Nascent Soul, it greatly aided the breakthrough to the seventh rank.

Emperors possessed the wealth of the four seas and countless celestial treasures; forging a Nascent Soul was not difficult.

The instant he fully activated his Nascent Soul, the faint star aura became distinctly clearer.

Qian'an Emperor poured all his strength into merging his Earth Source Star Pattern with his Nascent Soul, relentlessly drawing in the star aura.

Simultaneously, one after another celestial treasure to aid the breakthrough was cast into the breakthrough array, boosting the success probability.

In the starry heavens, Qian'an Emperor sensed the star growing brighter, its fluctuations intensifying—but its stellar origin aura remained stubbornly unanchored.

As time slowly passed, the star's aura reached its peak.

Having experienced two failed breakthroughs, Qian'an Emperor's heart seized with dread.

After the peak came decline.

He knew well: if he could not yet draw down the stellar origin aura to establish his Star Tower, or further strengthen it, this breakthrough would fail!

In the next instant, Qian'an Emperor unhesitatingly swallowed the half-fifth-rank Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Pill.

Instantly, the vast stellar power within the pill, along with the faint true spirits extracted from the blood of tens of thousands of freshly slain beings, surged into his Central Star Palace like a mighty river, immediately absorbed by his Earth Source Star Pattern.

Empowered by this external force, Qian'an Emperor's stellar power briefly shattered the ceiling of sixth-rank ninth-layer peak.

At the same moment, the Earth Source Star Pattern's fluctuations surged to an unprecedented height.

And Qian'an Emperor's perception of the star in the heavens reached its utmost intensity.

It was like the final step before the door.

Instantly, the star in the heavens blazed to its brightest, and a pinpoint of starlight descended from the sky, striking straight down toward the Chen Palace.

Simultaneously, the myriad negative auras secretly infused into the Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Pill by the Blood God's talisman surged directly into Qian'an Emperor's Upper Star Palace.

Crimson and black auras spread like contamination across his Upper Star Palace's Nascent Soul.

But at the very moment they were about to fully taint the Nascent Soul, the Imperial Seal of State atop Qian'an Emperor's head flickered faintly with starlight.

Qian'an Emperor's Nascent Soul, as if bathed in spring rain, saw the creeping crimson and black auras instantly compressed by the Seal's aura to its very base, condensed into a single black-red speck.

Like a birthmark upon his Nascent Soul.

Nearby, seeing the faint shimmer of the Imperial Seal, the eighth-rank old attendant frowned slightly—then, seeing the stellar origin aura descend, he swallowed his warning.

The Emperor is about to succeed.

He must not be disturbed!

When Xu Jin saw the pinpoint of starlight descend from the heavens, he knew Qian'an Emperor would succeed.

Though Xu Jin himself had not reached the seventh rank, he had assisted several others in breaking through—he was very familiar with the process.

"This fool has succeeded—will the opportunity arise?"

Inside the Star Gazing Pavilion, as the pinpoint of starlight entered Qian'an Emperor's body, the first layer of his Earth Source Star Pattern, previously enhanced to fivefold strength, began to solidify from void to form.

The earlier cloud-tower illusion began its first step toward becoming real.

Above the starry heavens, the first layer of the faint cloud-tower gradually took on tangible substance.

In the next instant, Qian'an Emperor's aura surged; the vast stellar power left behind by the tens of thousands of fifth-rank Star Jade Tablets began to rush into him like a whirlwind.

He broke through!

This time, he had finally succeeded.

Feeling his aura begin to transform, Qian'an Emperor, though the breakthrough was still ongoing, could not help but beam with joy.

The breakthrough lasted a full hour.

Thanks to the massive investment of Star Jade Tablets, Qian'an Emperor's cultivation base stabilized at seventh-rank first layer within just one hour.

Unlike others, who needed days to fully consolidate after a breakthrough.

When the stellar power from the Star Jade Tablets and celestial treasures within the array finally vanished, Qian'an Emperor slowly opened his eyes.

Feeling the unprecedented torrent of stellar power within him, Qian'an Emperor burst into loud laughter.

His laughter shook the entire palace—and spread outward from it!

From this moment on, everything was different!

Breaking from sixth to seventh rank was a monumental threshold.

As long as he continued, his power would undergo a qualitative leap.

Simultaneously, his lifespan would greatly extend.

The title of Emperor of Chen Guo was within reach once more!

"Your humble servant congratulates Your Majesty, and offers his felicitations," the eighth-rank old attendant appeared silently.

"Hahaha! Congratulations to us both!"

Laughing heartily, Qian'an Emperor retracted the Imperial Seal of State into his body, swept his sleeve, and a torrent of stellar power surged forth, gathering the ash left by the used Star Jade Tablets and celestial treasures into a fist-sized sphere.

In the next instant, he expelled a pulse of stellar power, compressing the fist-sized sphere into a fingertip-sized crystal.

Seventh rank!

This was the power of seventh rank!

"Old Attendant, since I have broken through, there is no time to waste—I shall begin preparations immediately," said Qian'an Emperor.

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, you should stabilize your cultivation for a few days and think carefully before acting," said the eighth-rank old attendant.

"I have thought three hundred times—even three thousand times!

I've already decided!

I won't endure this humiliating existence for another day!"

Saying this, Qian'an Emperor added, "Old Attendant, you've worked hard today—please rest for a while. These next few days may demand even more of you."

Hearing this, the old attendant sighed inwardly, bowed, and vanished silently.

In the next instant, Qian'an Emperor pulled out the Star-Picking Token and eagerly contacted the Master of the Vast Palace.

He could wait no longer!

More importantly, the current global situation was exceptionally favorable.

Especially since the Vast Palace and the Wood Spirit Palace urgently needed territory, cooperation would be easily achieved.

In the future, dealing with them would be far simpler than dealing with the Sun Yang Star Lord.

For the Sun Yang Star Lord, Chen Guo's territory was a bonus—not essential.

During negotiations, he, Emperor Gan'an, was at a disadvantage and was the one seeking favors.

But the Sumeru Palace was different—it had just returned to the mortal realm and urgently needed a stable base for development, yet over these many years, all territory in the mortal realm had long been claimed by others; where could Sumeru Palace simply take land for itself?

It had been two or three months since its return, yet Sumeru Palace had still not expanded successfully.

Not a single Daoist academy had taken root in any state or commandery—this was clear proof.

Sumeru Palace needed Chen Guo even more.

To some extent, in this negotiation and cooperation, it was Sumeru Palace that was begging him.

At the very least, they were on equal footing.

More crucially, Emperor Gan'an had grown tired of one power dominating everything.

Twenty years ago, Chen Guo had the Lingji Star Hall and the State Daoist Academy, checking each other, and all three—these two and the imperial authority—mutually supported and restrained one another, making imperial power supremely noble.

But after the Lingji Star Hall sealed its halls twenty years ago, the State Daoist Academy grew increasingly powerful.

Gradually, it became the sole dominant force.

This led to the current predicament.

Now, even the imperial edict could not leave Wanyi.

Emperor Gan'an had planned this countless times.

He would bring in Sumeru Palace and the Wood Spirit Palace, then bring the State Daoist Academy under imperial control as the Imperial State Daoist Academy, restoring the exact balance of twenty years ago.

Imperial power would be supreme once more, yet now with the State Daoist Academy as its backbone—stronger than ever before!

This opportunity must not be missed—it will not come again!

Once Sumeru Palace secures a foothold, Chen Guo's value will drop significantly.

His leverage in negotiations would also shrink greatly.

Therefore, this matter must be handled swiftly.

Soon, the Sumeru Palace's master, Luo Xian, sent back a starlight message.

After reading it, Emperor Gan'an rejoiced and immediately replied: 【Master, all is now prepared; all that remains is for you to come east!】

【Oh? Your Majesty has everything ready—has His Majesty already decided how to deal with Grand Director Pei?】

【As for that, Master Luo, rest assured: the other eighth-rank figure in Wanyi, Pei Ze, will have no chance to act. Your only enemy is Cheng Yuexiao.】 Emperor Gan'an said.

This reply delighted Master Luo Xian of Sumeru Palace, but this matter was not so simple: 【Your Majesty, you witnessed my great battle with Cheng Yuexiao last time, did you not?】

【I did.】

【Your Majesty, I shall not hide it: Cheng Yuexiao is extremely powerful—I cannot defeat him alone.】

【Master, rest assured, I have already considered this and communicated with the Wood Spirit Palace's master. If you are willing to cooperate, I am certain the Wood Spirit Palace's master will join you.】

【With both of you acting together, defeating Cheng Yuexiao will be effortless.】 Emperor Gan'an said.

【Your Majesty jests. In my last great battle with Cheng Yuexiao, did Your Majesty not notice another detail? Cheng Yuexiao never used your nation's national Dao artifact—the Nine Sheng Bells—and still fought me to a standstill.】

【Theoretically, with me and the Wood Spirit Palace's master combined, we could defeat Cheng Yuexiao—but if he activates the national Dao artifact, the Nine Sheng Bells, and the battle takes place near Wanyi in Chen Guo, it becomes his home ground.】

【Your Majesty, it is not that I lack confidence.】

【It is that I plan for failure first: with the national Dao artifact, Cheng Yuexiao can be defeated by me and the Wood Spirit Palace's master, but he cannot be captured.】

【To guarantee his capture, we would need to deploy a top-tier eighth-rank cultivator—but…】

Master Luo Xian of Sumeru Palace did not finish his sentence, but Emperor Gan'an understood.

Deploying an ordinary eighth-rank could capture Cheng Yuexiao, but if Cheng Yuexiao fought to the death, the damage would be unbearable for all sides.

Only a top-tier eighth-rank could possibly capture Cheng Yuexiao without loss.

But there were only a few such top-tier eighth-ranks; deploying one meant sharing the spoils.

This was why Master Luo Xian hesitated to mention this point.

Hearing this, Emperor Gan'an laughed.

【Master Luo, you mean that without the national Dao artifact, the Nine Sheng Bells, you and the Wood Spirit Palace's master could capture Cheng Yuexiao?】

【Naturally! I have that much confidence.】

【Then this is simple: ruler and subject, I am the ruler, Cheng Yuexiao is the subject; similarly, the national jade seal is the ruler, the Nine Sheng Bells are the subject. I will deal with the Nine Sheng Bells.】 Emperor Gan'an promised.

【Your Majesty, is this truly possible? When can you resolve it?】 Master Luo Xian of Sumeru Palace asked urgently.

【Master, rest assured: the best moment is precisely when he activates it. When he uses it, I will resolve it—and I can even create for you two a rare and perfect battle opportunity.】 Emperor Gan'an said.

【If Your Majesty truly means this, then the timing is indeed perfect. Then, Your Majesty, when do you plan to act?】 Luo Xian asked.

【As soon as possible.】

【Allow me to consult with Master Chi of the Wood Spirit Palace, then set the time—it will be soon.】 Luo Xian said, then sent another starlight message: 【Your Majesty, shall we keep the previous terms unchanged?】

【Of course. My word is as firm as the imperial seal—I would never break my promise.】

【Good. Your Majesty, wait a moment.】

【I await your good news.】

(End of Chapter)