Chapter 856: Origin Rising

In August, in Blue Spirit City, the scorching sun hung high, and the weather was sweltering.

The Jing'an Marquis Mansion was filled with lush shade, which provided a touch of coolness.

"Marquis, Lord Ni Xuan, Pavilion Master of the Stop-Conflict Pavilion, has sent an invitation."

The head steward of the Marquis Mansion had been waiting outside the secret chamber where Li Fei was cultivating. Seeing Li Fei emerge on time, he hurriedly stepped forward to report.

"Ni Xuan?"

Li Fei took the invitation handed over by the steward.

He did not have much of a friendship with this Stop-Conflict Pavilion Master, and this was the first time the other party had sent him an invitation.

Opening the invitation, he discovered it was not an invitation to the other party's residence, but to the headquarters of the Stop-Conflict Pavilion.

This meant there was official business to discuss.

Thus, Li Fei did not delay; he set out with swift and decisive action, heading straight for the Stop-Conflict Pavilion headquarters.

During the battle a few days ago, Ni Xuan and several other Grandmasters had joined forces to attack Jing Heng, only to be severely wounded as a result.

Normally, Ni Xuan should have spent time recuperating properly, but now there were disturbances in temples everywhere, and the Stop-Conflict Pavilions in various regions also needed to take action.

As the Pavilion Master of the Stop-Conflict Pavilion, Ni Xuan truly could not rest at a time like this, so he had to cut his healing short, sit in command at the Stop-Conflict Pavilion, issue orders, and handle various affairs.

When Li Fei saw him, the aura of this Grandmaster of the Establishing the Dao realm was still somewhat unstable.

"Sorry to trouble the Jing'an Marquis, please sit."

Seeing Li Fei arrive, Ni Xuan put down the official documents in his hands.

"Pavilion Master Ni is too polite."

Li Fei walked over and sat down opposite him.

"The Third Imperial Prince Qin Ziyuan colluded with the Buddhist school, intending to rebel; after failing, he was reduced to dust on the spot."

Ni Xuan did not engage in polite pleasantries with Li Fei, but went straight to the point:

"The people in his residence have all been imprisoned. Among them is his personal maid, a Martial Arts Master by cultivation, who is being held in the dungeon of my Stop-Conflict Pavilion headquarters. I have already had people interrogate her, but she insists on seeing the Jing'an Marquis before she will speak."

Li Fei was startled: "See me?"

He had an impression of the maid named Xiaohua who was by the Third Imperial Prince's side, but he had almost no interaction with her, so he did not understand why she had specifically named him.

Ni Xuan looked at him: "Although the Third Imperial Prince is dead, he mastered many secrets while he was alive. If these could be known, they might be of great use in dealing with the Buddhist school in the future, which is why I invited the Jing'an Marquis to come."

"Fine, I will go see her."

Li Fei agreed quite readily.

Thus, Ni Xuan stood up and personally accompanied Li Fei into the dungeon, taking him down to the third level, and after passing through layers of checkpoints, they arrived outside a cell.

Inside the cell, Xiaohua was wearing a blood-stained white prisoner's uniform, with special shackles on her hands and feet, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

Hearing footsteps, she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze dead and silent.

Only after seeing clearly that the person who had come was Li Fei did a glimmer of light flash in her eyes.

"Sorry to trouble the Jing'an Marquis."

Outside the cell, Ni Xuan said to Li Fei.

Li Fei turned to nod at Ni Xuan, then stepped into the cell, while Ni Xuan took his men and left.

"I heard you wanted to see me, so I have come."

Li Fei looked into Xiaohua's eyes and said calmly.

Xiaohua raised her head to meet Li Fei's gaze and stood up from the ground with some difficulty.

"You also possess the 【No-Distance】 divine ability. During that battle, the situation was chaotic; with your strength, you had a great chance to escape in the chaos. Why didn't you run?"

Li Fei asked.

On the way here, Ni Xuan had briefly introduced the situation of that day to him.

At the time, everyone's attention was drawn to the Buddha Jing Heng and those few Great Arhats. Although there were experts guarding the Third Imperial Prince's residence, it would have been difficult to stop Xiaohua, who possessed the 【No-Distance】 divine ability.

Yet, when Ni Xuan sent people to seal the Third Imperial Prince's residence afterward to begin making arrests, he found that Xiaohua was just standing quietly in a courtyard.

She did not run, nor did she offer the slightest resistance; she was just taken to the dungeon like that.

"His Highness said that if the matter failed, he would already be dead. If there was a chance, he hoped I could see you once; he left a letter for you."

On Xiaohua's hollow face, only when mentioning the Third Imperial Prince did a trace of vitality finally appear.

"He left a letter for me?"

Li Fei was startled.

Xiaohua: "The letter is in my mind."

"Very well."

With Li Fei's current strength, he was not worried about what tricks a Martial Arts Master with sealed cultivation could play, so he quite readily separated a strand of mental energy and connected it with Xiaohua's mind.

In the world of consciousness, the exchange of information became more vivid and graphic.

The Third Imperial Prince, wearing fine robes and holding a folding fan, appeared before Li Fei's eyes once more, looking like a dashing, noble young master:

"Li Fei, you didn't expect me to leave a letter specifically for you, did you?"

"If I had succeeded this time, a new history would have been written by me. If I failed, it wouldn't matter how history books record me in the future."

"The mortals of this world are all like pigs and dogs, and the officials of the imperial court are mostly mediocre; they are not worth me explaining even half a sentence to."

"As for my two brothers, the Crown Prince has nothing to recommend him other than a better fate than mine; I disdain to speak much with him. My eldest brother is a mere brute, even less worth mentioning."

"As for the Emperor... if the sovereign treats me as a discarded pawn, how can I treat him as a sovereign and father?"

As the Third Imperial Prince's 'letter' reached this point, Li Fei could feel the deep resentment contained within it.

He could not help but fall silent.

Since ancient times, in the struggle for succession, once one fails, how many can have a good end?

The First Imperial Prince had always held onto false fantasies, but the Third Imperial Prince had seen it clearly long ago—

The Emperor would not change the Crown Prince!

Both he and the First Imperial Prince were merely whetstones for the Crown Prince, pawns used to balance the forces of the imperial court.

That was why he said the Emperor treated him as a discarded pawn!

In his view, the most benevolent and considerate side of a father was reserved by the other party for the Crown Prince.

The most generous and magnanimous side of a monarch was reserved by the other party for Li Fei.

And the most cold-blooded and ruthless side of a Son of Heaven was reserved by the other party for himself and the First Imperial Prince!

If the sovereign treats me as a discarded pawn, how can I treat you as a sovereign and father?

This was the only thing the Third Imperial Prince wanted to say to the Emperor.

In the world of consciousness, the Third Imperial Prince opened the folding fan in his hand and smiled at Li Fei:

"In this world, only you, Li Fei, make even me feel amazed and full of praise."

"So if I must explain something, only you, Li Fei, are qualified to listen."

This was the reason he left the letter for Li Fei.

I have no one else in my eyes, only you, Li Fei!

Subsequently, Li Fei heard the Third Imperial Prince recount his various schemes:

Bo Chen of the Hook-Deep Sword Sect was his most core piece; he had cut off his own self to attain the Dao, and surrounded and killed Wenren Zheng to break through his realm.

As long as it succeeded, the Third Imperial Prince would have possessed a Martial Saint!

So it appeared he had 'sold' the Great Lan Dynasty to the Buddhist school, willing to be a puppet emperor.

But according to his plan, he would have possessed two Martial Saints, Bo Chen and Qin Mingli.

In this way, in the game against the Buddhist school, he would at least not have been in a completely disadvantaged position.

In the future, by winning over the Daoist school, there would still have been a chance to slowly turn the situation around.

Every step of these moves and various layouts had been thought out by the Third Imperial Prince in advance and paved the way for.

"I could climb to the throne step by step from a desperate situation, and I could have snatched the Great Lan Dynasty back from the hands of the Buddhist school!"

"It is a pity you were unwilling to stand on my side. If I had your help, and the two of us joined forces, let alone the Buddhist school, what would have been difficult about sweeping across the Western Continent and unifying the world in the future?"

The Third Imperial Prince said with a loud laugh.

From these words, Li Fei could feel the other party's high spirits.

The other party disdained to explain anything to the world, but in front of Li Fei, the number one genius in history, he wanted to maintain his most impressive image!

Then, the Third Imperial Prince changed the subject and closed his folding fan:

"If you can see this letter, it means I ultimately failed."

"Everything I left behind can be given to you; I have placed pieces in the Red Dust Pavilion, the Seven Great Families, and the Four Great Sects."

"There is also 'Under Heaven'; I can give that to you as well!"

"I ask for nothing; just don't let Xiaohua be humiliated, and give her a quick end."

The Third Imperial Prince said this so nonchalantly.

Then, a massive amount of information flooded into Li Fei's mind.

Regarding the secrets the Third Imperial Prince knew, the pieces he had placed in various regions, and 'Under Heaven', the most powerful intelligence organization.

All the information, Li Fei had obtained it all!

A moment later, Li Fei disconnected his mental link with Xiaohua.

He was silent for a moment, then asked softly:

"Do you have any last words?"

A look of relief appeared on Xiaohua's face, and she slowly closed her eyes:

"Many thanks, Marquis."

She had no final words; she was fulfilling the Third Imperial Prince's last wish, seeking only a quick death!

"Good."

The 【Primordial Sword Realm】 expanded, enveloping the entire prison cell.

When the golden light faded, only Li Fei remained in the cell.

Xiao Hua vanished into dust within the sword realm, meeting the same end as the Third Imperial Prince.

Li Fei turned and walked out of the cell, noticing Ni Xuan approaching as he sensed the commotion.

"I used a secret soul-searching technique; the prisoner is dead, but I have obtained a vast amount of intelligence, which I will write up in a report to present to His Highness the Crown Prince later."

Li Fei said calmly.

Hearing that Xiao Hua was dead, Ni Xuan frowned slightly.

For such an important prisoner to die just like that—if it were anyone else, he would surely be furious!

But Li Fei was different, after all.

He was also aware of the contents of the Emperor's final imperial decree.

There was no need to offend a future pillar of the nation over a single prisoner!

"Very well, then I congratulate the Marquis of Jing'an on another meritorious service."

"You are too kind, Pavilion Master Ni; I could only achieve this thanks to you."

Hearing Li Fei say this, Ni Xuan's expression softened, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

After bidding farewell to Ni Xuan, Li Fei left the headquarters of the Stop-Gong Pavilion and first made a trip to the outer city.

He arrived at an empty courtyard in the outer city, and true energy surged from his body, performing the technique according to the secret method left by the Third Imperial Prince.

There was a dry well in the courtyard; suddenly, a faint light shone from within it, and then a short, nearly transparent thread flew out and landed in Li Fei's hand.

This segment of thread was the very secret treasure passed down through the Liu family—the Thousand-Mechanism Shadowless Thread!

The Third Imperial Prince's promise to gift the "Under Heaven" organization—the world's number one intelligence network—to Li Fei was no empty talk.

This segment of the Thousand-Mechanism Shadowless Thread was used to contact key personnel of "Under Heaven" everywhere, and the Third Imperial Prince had also informed Li Fei of all the secret codes used for communication.

"I made arrangements long ago; once I fail, all branches of 'Under Heaven' will enter a dormant state. From now on, only if you, Li Fei, personally hold this segment of the Thousand-Mechanism Shadowless Thread to contact them will they obey orders."

The intelligence organization that the Third Imperial Prince had painstakingly built with his own hands was something he was only willing to leave for Li Fei to use; in his eyes, no one else was qualified!

Li Fei held the "Thousand-Mechanism Shadowless Thread" in his hand, his mood somewhat complex.

Afterward, he returned to his own Marquis estate, walked into his study, and wrote a memorial.

In the memorial, he roughly wrote down the various important intelligence he had learned from the Third Imperial Prince, the moves and layouts related to major martial arts factions, and the situation of "Under Heaven."

Including the segment of the Thousand-Mechanism Shadowless Thread in his possession, he also wrote it truthfully in the memorial without concealment.

Then he had someone deliver this memorial into the palace to be handed to the Crown Prince.

The 49th year of Hongguang, August 16th.

Wenren Zheng led the Sky-Blue Cavalry back to Lanling City.

On August 17th, presided over by the Crown Prince himself and attended by all civil and military officials, a state funeral was held for the Imperial Preceptor, Xiang Yunshu.

Finally, his spirit tablet was sent into the Imperial Ancestral Temple for sacrificial rites.

August 21st, 5: 0 AM.

Ninety-nine eternal lamps were lit before the Spirit Path Stele outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The Imperial Guards lined both sides of the spirit path, their iron armor clashing against the mourning bands of plain hemp at their waists.

At 7: 0 AM sharp, the Crown Prince, draped in mourning white and holding the late Emperor's spirit tablet, followed by the civil and military officials, walked toward the Imperial Ancestral Temple together.

The seventy-two vermilion-lacquered doors of the main hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple swung open simultaneously, revealing the gilded spirit tablets of successive emperors.

At 7: 2 AM, the Crown Prince walked through the main gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple holding the spirit tablet.

Outside, mourning banners obscured the sun, and the civil and military officials prostrated along the spirit path like a tide.

As the Chief Ritual Officer struck the *zhu* three times, the late Emperor's spirit tablet hovered beneath the "Governing Heaven and Prosperous Fortune" plaque inscribed by the founding emperor, and seven layers of plain silk curtains suddenly descended.

Empress Xiao knelt at the very front, with the Crown Prince kneeling one position behind her.

Wenren Zheng, Ye Ze'an, and Li Fei, these three ministers entrusted with the late Emperor's final wishes, knelt behind the Crown Prince.

Further back were the dense ranks of civil and military officials.

After three kowtows and nine prostrations, the ceremony concluded.

Ye Ze'an took out an imperial decree and read the late Emperor's final edict in public.

After the reading, the imperial eunuch Feng Cheng stepped forward holding a nine-dragon gold-lacquered tray, upon which rested the Imperial Jade Seal.

The Crown Prince took a deep breath and received the Imperial Jade Seal before the late Emperor's spirit tablet.

With this, the transfer of the empire's supreme power was successfully completed.

The Crown Prince ascended the throne before the spirit tablet, becoming the new Emperor!

The 49th year of Hongguang, August 22nd.

The day after the new Emperor's ascension, the first grand morning assembly of the new reign was held.

There were many matters to discuss at this grand assembly, and the first was the new reign title.

The new Emperor and the Central Cabinet had already agreed on this matter, so the resolution was passed quickly; the new reign title was—Yuanxing!

According to custom, the new reign title would only take effect on the first day of the new year, so it was still the 49th year of Hongguang, and it would not change to the first year of Yuanxing until next year.

The new Emperor's formal enthronement ceremony would also be held next year.

After the reign title was determined, the second matter was to decide the temple name for the late Emperor.

The new Emperor had also discussed this with the Central Cabinet in advance, and with the handwritten note left by the late Emperor, there were no complications.

"The late Emperor's divine achievements were towering and brilliant, inheriting the mandate of Heaven above and saving the common people below..."

First, the Chief Grand Secretary Ye Ze'an read out the late Emperor's achievements, and finally gave the temple name jointly decided by the new Emperor and the Central Cabinet—

Renzong!

This result surprised many officials, who looked up one after another at the new Emperor on the Dragon Throne.

Given the late Emperor's achievements, he could have vied for the first-tier temple names of "Tai," "Gao," "Zhong," or "Shi"!

To think that it was given the second-tier "Renzong" without any dispute?

On the Dragon Throne, the new Emperor's gaze swept over the officials below, and he said in a deep voice:

"The late Emperor left me a handwritten note before he passed away..."

He gave a rough explanation, which made everyone suddenly understand and accept the result.

After the temple name was set, the third matter was to confer rewards upon those who had participated in the great war.

The imperial eunuch Feng Cheng began to read the imperial decree.

When Li Fei's name was read, the rewards for him, in addition to a large amount of wealth and cultivation resources, included a new official position:

"Specially appoint the Marquis of Jing'an, Li Fei, to the position of Special Envoy of the Secret Detective Division of the Supervisory Pavilion!"

Special Envoy of the Secret Detective Division of the Supervisory Pavilion—this position had not existed before, and the "Secret Detective Division," which sounded related to intelligence, was also a new department.

The Supervisory Pavilion's intelligence system was called the "Special Detective Division," and there had never been a "Secret Detective Division."

Hearing this reward, Li Fei immediately understood.

This was likely the new Emperor handing over the "Under Heaven" organization left by the Third Imperial Prince to him in this manner!

It seemed the other party did not intend to completely annex the intelligence system of "Under Heaven," but rather have it incorporated into the Supervisory Pavilion as an independent new department.

The benefit of doing this was to preserve the intelligence capabilities of "Under Heaven" to the greatest extent.

Of course, it also demonstrated the new Emperor's trust in Li Fei.

Li Fei held military power in the Northern Territory and possessed the authority of a Blue Patrol Special Envoy to supervise all officials.

Besides that, he was also the leader of the Blue Patrol Pavilion's inspection team, allowing him to legitimately manage martial arts factions.

Now, he had gained the "Secret Detective Division" as well!

The intelligence system of "Under Heaven" was primarily built upon martial arts factions, and its infiltration into the martial arts world was the strongest.

Therefore, for Li Fei to manage the martial arts world, this was like adding wings to a tiger!

And it was not over yet.

Feng Cheng continued to read:

"The Blue Patrol Pavilion is established with the position of Pavilion Master, with a rank equivalent to a Level 17 Pavilion Official; Li Fei shall succeed to the position of Blue Patrol Pavilion Master, overseeing the affairs of the Blue Patrol Pavilion across twenty-three provinces!"

Blue Patrol Pavilion Master!

When the late Emperor and Ye Ze'an jointly established the Blue Patrol Pavilion, the goal was to gather martial arts factions and make the Blue Patrol Pavilion an unprecedented martial arts alliance.

Ye Ze'an had even specifically called Li Fei to his estate to ask if he had ever thought about becoming the person who could decide the affairs of the martial arts world with a single word in the future? (See Volume 3, Chapter 162 for details)

It was just that at that time, Li Fei was not even a Martial Arts Master, and thinking about such things seemed too far off.

The late Emperor and Ye Ze'an had deliberately not established the position of Blue Patrol Pavilion Master back then; in fact, this position was intentionally left for Li Fei.

Ye Ze'an's conversation with Li Fei at his estate back then was to hint that one day he would take the position of Blue Patrol Pavilion Master and govern the martial arts world for the imperial court!

Now that the new Emperor had ascended the throne, he had finally given this position to Li Fei.

The Blue Patrol Pavilion's governance of the martial arts world naturally did not include those few factions that possessed peak experts.

But apart from those few factions, with Li Fei's current strength, he indeed had the opportunity to suppress the other major factions and sit firmly in the position of Blue Patrol Pavilion Master!

After all, the Blue Patrol Pavilion was not one of the six central pavilions, so the rank of its Pavilion Master was one level lower than that of the six pavilions.

However, Li Fei serving as the Blue Patrol Pavilion Master was still a promotion, from a Level 16 Pavilion Official to a Level 17 Pavilion Official, just one step away from "reaching the pinnacle of officialdom"!

"I thank Your Majesty for your great grace."

Li Fei stepped out of the ranks and bowed to the new Emperor on the Dragon Throne to express his gratitude.

On the Dragon Throne, a smile appeared on the new Emperor's face, and he nodded slightly.

The conferral of rewards continued—

"True Person Xuanchen of the Shangqing Sect shall enter the Righteous Law Pavilion to serve as Vice Pavilion Master!"

At today's Grand Court Assembly, the Shangqing Sect had also sent people to participate.

The new Emperor had been courting the Shangqing Sect for a long time; on the Baifeng Plains, Sect Master True Monarch Xuanxin had personally taken action, playing a critical role.

Therefore, the benefits promised afterward certainly could not be lacking.

True Person Xuanchen of the Shangqing Sect entering the Righteous Law Pavilion to directly serve as Vice Pavilion Master was one of the benefits promised by the imperial court!

The three Daoist sects already had many disciples serving in Righteous Law Courts across various regions, having split off a portion of the authority and occupied a significant amount of interests.

After Qingxu rebelled, the imperial court carried out a purge; not only was the influence of the Daluo Sect heavily struck, but the Shangqing Sect and the Yuhua Sect were also affected to no small degree.

Now, True Person Xuanchen of the Shangqing Sect entering the Righteous Law Pavilion made him the first True Person from the three Daoist sects to enter the Righteous Law Pavilion in the last hundred years, and he was even serving as Vice Pavilion Master!

The power shifts and interest exchanges hidden within this had extremely profound implications!

But now that the Buddhist faction was powerful, the imperial court had no choice but to rely on the Daoists.

Once all the conferrals were finished, the final agenda item of today's Grand Court Assembly began—

How to handle the Buddhist faction.

Just as the new Emperor intended to open his mouth to let the assembled officials speak their minds first, his heart suddenly stirred, and he could not help but frown slightly.

He sat on the dragon throne in deep thought, causing the officials below to look up one after another.

A moment later, the new Emperor looked at the crowd and spoke:

"An urgent report has just arrived from the Western Border."

He presided over the Profound Vault Imperial Ultimate True Dragon Array; if any truly urgent intelligence reached the imperial palace, he would be the first to know.

Upon hearing this, the officials were in an uproar, and many of them changed color.

An urgent report from the Western Border?

Could it be that the Western Continent had attacked?!

If the Western Continent were to suddenly send troops at this time, it would undoubtedly be a fatal matter for the Great Lan Dynasty!

Compared to the Grassland Royal Court, the two Desert Kingdoms, and the Northern Barbarian tribes, the threat posed by the Western Continent to the Great Lan Dynasty had always been the greatest.

Inside the great hall, only a few people like Ye Ze, Wenren Zheng, and Li Fei were able to remain calm.

The new Emperor took in the expressions of everyone present, then said in a deep voice:

"The Western Continent, led by the three great powers of the Deni Kingdom, the Meijia Kingdom, and the Saifulun Kingdom, together with four other nations, have sent a seven-nation diplomatic mission to visit our dynasty to offer congratulations to Us."

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(End of this chapter)