A Sudden Upheaval in Great Zhou's Court

After successfully surviving the Tribulation Lightning, the Heart Demon Tribulation arrived as scheduled. Upon reaching the Body Integration Realm, the Heart Demons had undergone changes from the inside out.

It's not just the demons that arise within one's own heart anymore, but also the external demons that attack, the so-called Extraterritorial Heavenly Demons.

These Heavenly Demons will take advantage of the moment when cultivators have just survived their Tribulation Lightning, their will is weakened and their Law Power is exhausted, to launch a ruthless invasion. If their hearts are breached, their Fleshly Bodies will be taken over, turning them into complete Demon Dao Puppets.

Hehe--

A strange and eerie laugh echoed in his mind. In the sea of his mind, the once clear sky suddenly changed. Demonic clouds swept in and transformed into a two-headed Devil Creature with a blue face and fangs, covered in long black and green fur. It looked extremely ugly and bizarre.

Yang Tianyou's will materialized into human form, and he curiously observed the Heavenly Demon.

After a long pause, he pursed his lips and said, "It's nothing special!"

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Demon, who was laughing wildly, stopped abruptly, like a hen being choked.

"Alright, you've seen enough, die!" Yang Tianyou waved his hand, and starlight gathered to form a long sword. Its Jinge aura surged, its killing intent was fierce, enough to tear apart any evil thing.

With a clang, the sky above the Sea of Mind was illuminated by the light of the blade, making it crystal clear. The Heavenly Demon sensed something was wrong and hurriedly tried to return to the Heavenly Demon Realm. However, the blade was too fast and arrived in an instant, shredding him to pieces.

After defeating the Heavenly Demon, a pure Soul Power was infused into Yang Tianyou's soul. The Heavenly Demon was both a test and a blessing.

The reason why the Heavenly Dao of the Three Realms tolerates the invasion of Heavenly Demons is twofold: firstly, these beings do indeed possess unique methods; and secondly, because after a cultivator kills Heavenly Demon, they can also devour the Demon in return. This is a cruel selection process, and only cultivators who survive under the Heavenly Demon's attack can continue to walk on the path of the Great Dao.

Having passed through the tribulations of Tribulation Lightning and Heart Demon Tribulation one after another, it seemed as if the joyful rhythm of the Will of Heaven and Earth could be heard from the Unseen. The cultivators grew by relying on the various resources provided by heaven and earth, but they were not without any reward. In fact, the two complemented each other.

The various inspirations that a cultivator has, their unique understanding of the Dao of Heaven and Earth, and the unique path they have cultivated can all help Heaven and Earth perfect their own Principle structure. It's like helping the Will of Heaven and Earth and Earth build a house. The higher the cultivator's cultivation level, the better their house-building skills. Especially after reaching the Body Integration Realm and comprehending the Power of Principle, their house-building skills become even higher.

Therefore, the Will of Heaven and Earth is pleased every time a cultivator at the Body Integration Realm is born.

Wisps of azure energy drifted down from the Unseen.

Yang Tianyou opened his mouth and swallowed it, taking it into the Great White Grotto Heaven. At this moment Jade Register Heavenly Book manifested again, forcibly drawing a large amount of azure energy from the Will of Heaven and Earth, transforming it into a hazy Azure Light, directly raising Yang Tianyou's True Spirit to a higher level, comparable to Body Integration Cultivator.

At the same time, the seventh page of the Jade Register Heavenly Book slowly opened, and a Yellow Chains appeared on the ancient and noble page.

Countless pieces of information, like streaks of white light, entered Yang Tianyou's mind, informing him of the relevant information about the Chains.

[Chains of Karma] The embodiment of the rules of Karma and effect, capable of manipulating the power of Karma at will, shielding one's own Karma, evading the detection of divine Divine Ability, killing without incurring karmic Karma, possessing unfathomable power.

Yang Tianyou's eyes gradually lit up. It was indeed a treasure from the Karma series. Now he and his wife could finally have children.

Moreover, the Karma Chains itself is an extremely powerful treasure. It can not only be used for attack, but also to silently shield the minds of others and turn them into Puppets. In addition, the ability to deduce Karma and effect has always been something Yang Tianyou has longed for, and now he has finally achieved it.

After Yunhua broke through to the Nine Refinement Mountain, he stayed behind to guard the Lineage and did not enter the Formation Space to cultivate.

At this moment, on the cliff, Yunhua, dressed in flowing white robes, gracefully wielded her long sword. Yang Tianyou appeared silently, a smile playing on his lips, watching the stunningly beautiful woman dancing with the wind.

After a long while, Yunhua stopped her movements. Yang Tianyou clapped softly, walked up with a smile, and praised, "Madam's sword dance is truly captivating; I never tire of watching it!"

"You're so good at praising people!" Yunhua glared at him, then asked with eyes as gentle as water, "Are you confident you can lift the restriction I set in my past life?"

"Certainly!"

Yang Tianyou smiled confidently, then summoned the Chains of Karma. The Chains, resembling a swimming dragon, pierced directly into Yunhua's body. Following this, strands of Primordial Power surged forth. Yunhua did not resist. Time slowly passed, and as Yunhua waited anxiously, a cracking sound was heard. Her entire body felt light, and she actually floated up. Streams of immortal light uncontrollably surged from her body, and Yunhua's aura became ethereal and holy, like a fairy descended to earth.

Countless streams of Spiritual Qi surged forth, eagerly rushing into Yunhua's body.

Yang Tianyou's eyelids twitched, and he quickly took Yunhua into the Great White Grotto Heaven. Otherwise, with such a commotion, who knew which big fish would be attracted?

Inside the Great White Grotto Heaven, Yunhua continuously absorbed Spiritual Qi. The Spiritual Qi stored in several Seventh Tier Spirit Veins was decreasing at a visible rate. Seeing this, Yang Tianyou took out all the Spirit Stones he had and crushed them all, barely managing to achieve a balance.

Several hours later, Yunhua slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with countless emotions, but when she saw Yang Tianyou, only deep love remained.

"My husband, I wish to have another child!" Yunhua's eyes were like spring water, her red lips lightly brushed against Yang Tianyou's earlobe, and her gentle fragrance was so alluring that Yang Tianyou did not notice anything amiss in her words. He simply held his wife's slender waist in a hurry, released a Palace atmosphere, and rushed inside.

The beauty of spring here is beyond description to Human Dao!!

The Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, Wanlong City.

The Grand Marshal's mansion is filled with Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs and rare plants, and strange and exotic Mutant Beast can be seen everywhere. Even the maids are all exceptionally talented young girls, who would be considered Saint Sons and daughters in some small sects. But here, they can only serve tea and water and don't even have the chance to warm the master's bed.

This is the main room.

Ji Chengwu lay on the bed, surrounded by wisps of green smoke. This was a healing incense, a Ninth Tier fragrance that was said to extend life by a thousand years. However, for Ji Chengwu, whose three souls and seven spirits were almost completely dissolved, it was better than nothing and had little effect.

Over the decades, his injuries have worsened. Fortunately, he has successfully relinquished his power to his younger brother Ji Chengzong and several other close cousins. In particular, crucial powers such as the military power of the Imperial Guard and the control of the Imperial City's Formations are now completely under Ji Chengzong's control. Even if Ji Chengwu passes away, the status of their clan will remain unaffected.

Ji Chengzong knelt on the edge of the bed and whispered to his elder brother about the changing situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Brother, Wen Qun's status in the army is rising higher and higher, especially among the border armies, where he has almost surpassed you."

"The soldiers in the army are all praising Wen Qun and subtly comparing him to you. Some even have the audacity to openly say that if Wen Qun had been in command of the Battle of Jiangbei City, the defeat would certainly not have been so devastating!"

Ji Chengzong spoke with hatred, his eyes looking as if he wanted to tear Wen Qun to pieces.

Ji Chengwu remained calm upon hearing this news. He moved his lips and said, "Don't pay attention to these idle rumors. Wen Qun is indeed skilled in leading troops, but he has no intention of rebelling against the Court. As long as we don't push him too hard, he'll be fine."

"Not only that!" Ji Chengwu stared intently at Ji Chengzong. "After you take the throne, you must not transfer Wen Qun away from the border. Right now, he's the only one who can hold back the Great Zhao. We can certainly fight among ourselves and suppress him, but we cannot destroy our own arm, understand?"

"I understand... I understand!" Ji Chengzong said through gritted teeth, his fists clenched slightly, showing his reluctance.

"Furthermore, you don't need to worry about Wen Qun gaining power. As long as he doesn't enter the core of the Court, accumulating more strength in the border areas will be futile."

Upon hearing this, Ji Chengzong's expression softened.

"How is the situation in the capital?" Ji Chengwu changed the subject.

"This is very bad!" Ji Chengzong's expression was grave. "The relationship between the Tianshui Li Household and us has become delicate, and the Empress Dowager is no longer as close to us, showing a somewhat distant attitude."

"Your Majesty, you don't need to worry. As long as you appease her and always maintain a humble attitude, she will be on your side." Ji Chengwu glanced at his younger brother.

Ji Chengzong quickly lowered his head, somewhat embarrassed. To be honest, he had indeed become a bit arrogant during this period of holding great power, and had not paid his respects to the Empress Dowager even once. However, Ji Chengzong felt that these were minor issues. As long as he held military power and controlled the imperial city's Formation system, these people would not dare to disobey him.

Power is the eternal truth in the Cultivation World.

Ji Chengwu looked at his younger brother's face, and he was all too familiar with that expression of hidden resentment. Of course, he knew what Ji Chengzong was thinking, and he sighed inwardly.

Might is undoubtedly the only Principle to dominate the world, but to control power, one must possess sufficient Wisdom; otherwise, one will only harm oneself.

It's like a toddler wielding a sword. The toddler may have enough strength, but lacks skill, and could easily injure himself or others.

"The Tianshui Li Household is also easy to deal with. Let Lin'er marry Gaoyang Commandery Princess of the Li Household. Li Shentong won't act until he sees a clear benefit, but he and we are definitely not enemies. You must understand that." Ji Chengwu warned, "Don't think that everyone who opposes you is your enemy. Many times, enemies are just figments of your imagination. You must know how to win people over with mutual benefits, have a broad mind, and not ruin a great situation for a momentary argument."

"But I've heard that Gaoyang Commandery Princess is very unruly, and Lin'er has a volatile temper. What if..." Ji Chengwu hesitated.

"Then you must discipline Lin'er properly. This boy has been spoiled too much by you and will cause trouble sooner or later. It was fine when I was still here, but now we must change his temperament."

"Alright!" Ji Chengzong dared not disobey his elder brother and lowered his head again. However, at this moment, he suddenly felt a heat on his face. When he reached out and touched it, he found his hand covered in black and red blood. Ji Chengwu, who had been perfectly fine just moments before, now had wide eyes and his life force had dissipated.

"Brother!!"

Ji Chengzong's eyes were red and he looked like a madman. He held Ji Chengwu's body and wailed like a child.

After a long while, Ji Chengzong walked out of the room. Several of his cousins were waiting outside. One of them stepped forward and asked, "Is this the Grand Marshal...?"

"Hmm!" Ji Chengzong nodded in a muffled voice.

The cousins exchanged glances and quickly put on a sad expression.

In reality, they didn't have much affection for Ji Chengwu. On the contrary, they had grown up playing around with Ji Chengzong since they were little, and they were all his close friends, notorious playboys. They had a very good relationship with him and were quite loyal to Ji Chengzong.

"Alright, stop pretending!!" Ji Chengzong kicked the one who was acting the most exaggeratedly and cursed.

The group immediately fell silent. After a moment, the man who had been kicked cautiously asked, "Grand Marshal, is there anything you've instructed us to do?"

"Yes!" Ji Chengzong nodded slightly.

He seemed to be recalling his elder brother's earlier words, saying, "My brother instructed me that Wen Qun would disobey me and oppose me, and that I should summon him back to Wanlong City and kill him!"

"And all his generals, especially the veterans, must be eliminated and replaced with our own people to completely seize military power."

"And then there's the Li Household, the Empress Dowager, and even the Imperial Lord —we must be wary of these people; sooner or later they will become our greatest enemies!"

"My elder brother also said that we brothers should work together to support our Ji Clan and control the situation of the Great Zhou."

Ji Chengzong ultimately decided to follow his own ideas, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

To be honest, Ji Chengzong never understood his elder brother. Despite possessing such immense power, he was so lenient towards his enemies. The reason why court officials dared to oppose them was because his brother's attitude was too weak.

If we let him do it, let's see who dares to object.

"Don't announce our brother's death for now, otherwise Wen Qun might not obey my orders," Ji Chengzong instructed his brothers, who nodded quickly.

The following day, Ji Chengzong, on behalf of Ji Chengwu, read out the edict recalling Wen Qun.

Although the ministers were surprised, they still trusted Ji Chengwu's political skills and did not believe he would act recklessly. They assumed he must have something important to discuss, so they did not object.

In Jing'an City, Wen Qun received the order and, despite his dissatisfaction, still boarded the Teleportation Formation to return to the imperial city.

However, just as he stepped off the Teleportation Formation at the other end of the imperial city, several Transcending Bandit Cultivators surrounded him.

These were the Heartforce of the Ji Clan. One of them produced an imperial edict and read it aloud, "General Wen Qun has disobeyed orders and should be executed."

After saying that, he waved his hand and shouted, "Arrest him!"

Several men captured Wen Qun, who did not resist. He believed that the high-ranking officials in the Court would not let him die; otherwise, who would resist the Great Zhao?

However, what Wen Qun didn't know was that this time, he had encountered Ji Chengzong, a fool who was a once-in-a-millennium occurrence.

Ji Chengzong had no intention of publicly judging him. One of the men took out a slender dagger wrapped with countless Curses and poisons, and with a gentle thrust, stabbed Wen Qun right through.

The latter stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then collapsed to the ground with a thud. His body quickly turned black and then disintegrated into a pile of black particles.