Martial Cultivator

Silence.

Deathlike silence.

"Long live Your Majesty!"

It did not take long for the officials to react. They quickly knelt and bowed, hailing longevity and prosperity for His Majesty.

Regardless of what had transpired before, the fact that the Great Liang Emperor now appeared before them could explain a great deal of things.

The Great Liang Emperor sat in the chair without speaking for a long time, just remaining silent.

The court officials knelt on the ground, their thoughts varying. The events of today were no secret - the Wei Family's rebellion had been crushed, their entire clan eradicated.

As a family whose existence predated even the Great Liang Dynasty, the Wei Family had a deep foundation. Before last night, no one could have imagined that such a towering tree could collapse in an instant.

Yet, in a single night, the Great Liang Dynasty's heavens had changed.

Such a political shift was not something many wished to see. However, the reason for the Wei Family's downfall was irrefutable.

The Wei Family were traitors.

Traitors that the foreign lands had planted in the Great Liang.

If it was a different emperor, or another dynasty, perhaps they would have turned a blind eye to this, and not lose all decorum with the foreign lands. But under the current Great Liang, under this Emperor, any traitor discovered would undoubtedly be eradicated.

With the elimination of this traitor, the Great Liang Dynasty now severed its ties with the foreign lands more thoroughly than ever before.

Such a Great Liang who had broken free from the foreign lands might achieve great things. Yet, the issue was that the foreign lands would not simply stand by and do nothing.

Thus, came the successive actions of the Temple Master and the Sword Sect's Sect Master.

The great battle had already ended.

The Great Liang Emperor was still alive.

It seemed this story was nearing its conclusion.

But what did it mean for His Majesty to hold a court session at this moment?

The court officials pondered this question, filled with doubt, yet no one dared to speak. Everyone remained silently kneeling before this human emperor who had exhibited his unparalleled might in this world.

"Rise."

The Great Liang Emperor finally spoke, his voice calm and composed.

The court officials rose to their feet, but kept their heads lowered. Some could not resist stealing a glance at the Emperor seated before the great hall, noticing that apart from his pale complexion, he showed no other signs of abnormality.

"Loyal subjects, presumably, you have all heard of last night's events."

The Great Liang Emperor smiled as he said, "Who would have thought that the Wei Family, long celebrated as one of the pillars of our Great Liang, had actually been traitors planted in the secular world by the foreign lands from the very beginning?"

Though His Majesty was smiling, everyone could hear the chilling undertone in his words.

Since the beginning of his reign, the Great Liang Emperor had been working to root out those from the foreign lands who had infiltrated the Great Liang. These efforts included the traitor-hunting during that bitterly cold winter, the eradication of the Xia Family, the purging on the night of the palace coup, and now, the annihilation of the Wei Family with lightning speed.

These matters and these people were deeply intertwined with the very essence of the Great Liang. To act against them could potentially destabilize the entire Great Liang. Another emperor might not have taken these actions, but the Great Liang Emperor not only acted decisively, he did it very decisively.

"Many years ago, We became aware that the court was full of traitors and spies. Though Great Liang appeared prosperous and flourishing, in truth, it was nothing more than a puppet controlled by the foreign lands... Every action, every decision, constrained by countless invisible strings."

The Great Liang Emperor smiled faintly and said, "Some might say: even so, what of it? This has always been the way of things since ancient times. The foreign lands are powerful, and ordinary people should bow their heads."

"But no one is born destined to bow their head. No one is born destined to be trampled beneath others."

"Does it being always the case, make it right?"

The Great Liang Emperor shook his head and continued calmly, "We have done so much, and many will secretly curse Us for antagonizing the foreign lands, of placing the Great Liang in peril. But We just want to tell you all this: living with your head bowed is easy. Yet, even if you all are willing to accept such a life, your children and grandchildren may not necessarily accept this. If not for yourselves, you should at least consider them and the future generations to come."

At this point, the Great Liang Emperor swept his gaze around, no one dared meet his gaze. After a moment of silence, he shook his head with a smile and said, "Forget it, regardless of the opinions held, from this day forward, Great Liang will simply be Great Liang. The road ahead is uncertain, but we must strive to move forward."

With those words, the Great Liang Emperor gestured with his hand rather tiredly, "Where is the Grand Historian?"

From the group of officials, the Grand Historian stepped forward. He glanced at the Great Liang Emperor with a rather complicated expression before lowering his head. "This subject is here."

"Will the events of last night and today be recorded in the annals of history?"

The Great Liang Emperor asked coolly.

The Grand Historian said seriously, "Your Majesty, as a historian official, it is this subject's duty to faithfully record everything that has happened."

"Never a single false word?"

The Great Liang Emperor looked at the Grand Historian.

The Grand Historian replied solemnly, "Never."

The Great Liang Emperor nodded in satisfaction and waved for the Grand Historian to step back.

Then, this emperor cast a deep glance at the court officials present before turning his head to look at Chen Chao, who had been standing by his side all this time. He spoke softly, "We once said that this world, which We took from one nephew, We can return to another nephew. Those were not false words. Now We ask you again, if We entrust this world to you, are you willing to take it?"

The Great Liang Emperor's voice was soft but not faint. Many court officials clearly heard him at this moment.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

The first to speak was none other than the Grand Historian who had spoken previously.

This historian of the Great Liang Dynasty said solemnly, "Your Majesty, you're in your prime. Why speak of such matters? Even if you truly have thoughts of abdication, there are still imperial princes. You must not pass the throne to an outsider!"

For a moment, the court officials all reacted, voicing their opinions one after another: "Your Majesty, this must not happen!"

"Your Majesty, how could the ancestral lands of our ancestors be handed to another?"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider! If you do this, the ancestral laws will be rendered meaningless!"

The court officials were no fools. Based on the emperor's current decisions, they could already guess that after his battle with the Temple Master and the Sword Sect's Sect Master, His Majesty was like a lamp that had run out of oil; nearing his end. Otherwise, why would he be arranging his final affairs now?

But even if the time had come to make arrangements for what was to come after his death, how could the new emperor be Chen Chao?

How could it possibly be Chen Chao?

The two imperial princes who had long been present in the hall remained silent. The First Prince smiled bitterly, having likely foreseen today's situation long ago. Their imperial father had never been satisfied with his sons, whether was it him, Second Brother, or the Youngest, none of them had ever been sons that Imperial Father liked.

On the contrary, Chen Chao had always been favored by Imperial Father from the very beginning.

Now, reaching the point where the throne had no choice but to be passed down, he still would not pick them.

The Third Prince kept his head lowered, tears welling up in his eyes.

He said nothing and just clenched his fists tightly.

"Chen Chao is Our nephew by blood. His veins flow with the blood of our Chen Family's imperial lineage. How can he be called an outsider?"

The Great Liang Emperor refuted the officials with a single remark, then waved his sleeve before turning to look at Chen Chao.

Chen Chao let out a bitter smile and said, "Your Majesty, doing this is pushing me into a pit of fire, isn't it?"

To say such things before the court officials and the two princes, if Chen Chao were to shake his head now, would the new Emperor not hold today's events against him in the future?

This was clearly an open plot by the Great Liang Emperor.

"It's not to decide a successor. How could We die so easily?"

The Great Liang Emperor smiled and said, "Just watch over Great Liang for Us for the time being."

Chen Chao looked at the Great Liang Emperor, his eyes tinged with sadness.

"The Sword Sect's Sect Master's sword achieved ninety percent completion. We gave him pointers to complete the final ten percent, and he agreed to some of Our requests. As for the Temple Master of Infatuation Daoist Temple, We have made arrangements as well, so there's no need to worry."

This statement was spoken by the Great Liang Emperor telepathically. Apart from Chen Chao, no one else could hear it.

Chen Chao also replied telepathically, "Has Your Majesty long foreseen today's outcome?"

"The foreign lands only think We have reached the pinnacle in martial arts. The court officials merely see Us as autocratic. But do you think We are a fool?"

The Great Liang Emperor glanced at Chen Chao with a rare trace of smugness, an emotion he seldom revealed.

Chen Chao smiled bitterly.

The Great Liang Emperor laughed and said, "But We are still somewhat uneasy. After all, there's one person who hasn't fought yet, someone stronger than both the Temple Master and the Sword Sect's Sect Master combined."

"Hence, We are making preparations."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Chen Chao said, "The Demon Emperor."

The Great Liang Emperor nodded. This scheme had started with the Wei Family, but ultimately landed on the Demon Emperor.

Chen Chao grew even more worried.

Whether was it the Temple Master or the Sword Sect's Sect Master, they paled greatly compared to the Demon Emperor.

The Great Liang Emperor shook his head, signaling Chen Chao not to worry. Then he asked once again, "Chen Chao, are you willing?"

Chen Chao shook his head and said, "This subject has received Your Majesty's grace. How dare I entertain such thoughts?"

This time, their conversation was audible to all the court officials.

The Great Liang Emperor no longer dwelt on it. He said calmly, "Li Heng, fetch Us the imperial seal."