Utterly deranged

"Ascension Platform?" Upon hearing this, King Fenghe was slightly taken aback, then nodded with a satisfied expression, saying, "The high command of our Great Tang Dynasty reacted very quickly. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Right now, the most urgent matter for the Great Tang Dynasty is indeed nothing more important than determining the new emperor."

At this point, King Fenghe turned to his son Li Zhi and said, "Zhi'er, this is the rule of our Great Tang royal family. Since you are qualified to go to the Ascension Platform to be nominated, we should not delay and set off now."

"Alright," Li Zhi nodded and said. Although Li Zhi didn't aspire to the Imperial Throne, since it was the rule, he couldn't break it for his own sake.

"How about it, Brother Zhuge? Would you like to go to the Ascension Platform? That's the place closest to the Dao of Heavenly Dao. Perhaps you can gain some insight into your cultivation," Li Zhi said, his gaze falling on Zhuge Xiang as he invited him.

"Indeed, the Heavenly Dao selects the emperor, and the Ascension Platform is indeed the closest place to the Heavenly Dao. At that time, many top experts will go there to comprehend the Heavenly Dao. With your contributions to the Great Tang, Zhuge Xiang, you are qualified to stand next to the Ascension Platform. I think no one will dare to say a word. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so don't miss it."

"Oh? There's such a benefit?" Upon hearing this, Zhuge Xiang's eyes lit up slightly.

Since the selection of the Great Tang Emperor is done by the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao will naturally be manifested on the so-called Ascension Platform. Being close to the Heaven's Will will indeed have ineffable benefits on one's cultivation.

"Alright, I'll go to the Ascension Platform too, you two come along as well." Zhuge Xiang nodded and then spoke again to Mo Lingna and Wu Zhao.

There are benefits. Of course, one can't be without one's own women. Although the Great Qin Empire is very busy, even if it's busy, it won't lack this little bit of time, right?

"Alright, let's set off then..." Li Zhi said after Zhuge Xiang and the others had made their decision. There was no need for King Fenghe to go in person. Li Zhi, Zhuge Xiang, Mo Lingna, and Wu Zhao walked out of the King Fenghe's Mansion together.

Outside the Prince's residence, a carriage pulled by Fairy was already waiting. It was a Royal Palace attendant. Upon seeing Li Zhi and Zhuge Xiang, the guard responsible for welcoming them frowned slightly, looking somewhat troubled. "Your Highness, to take you to the Ascension Platform, only you can go in person. You cannot bring any attendants or friends."

"I know, but he is Zhuge Xiang. This time, he exposed the emperor's disguise, which is a great service to our Great Tang. There should be no problem with him going?" Nodding to indicate that he knew the rules, Li Zhi then asked.

"So it's Zhuge Consecrated..." Upon hearing Li Zhi's words, the guard's troubled expression immediately vanished. He bowed respectfully to Zhuge Xiang and said, "Although this matter is not something a mere Guard Squad Leader myself can decide, since it is Zhuge Consecrated, I believe there will be no problem. Please come forward."

"Then I'll trouble you," Zhuge Xiang nodded, glancing at the carriage, which was quite large. He led Wu Zhao and Mo Lingna into the carriage, and then Li Zhi followed. The four of them sat in the carriage, which was pulled by the Fairy, and flew into the sky, heading towards the Ascension Platform...

The news that the Great Tang Emperor was actually a fake shocked the entire dynasty. However, the Great Tang high command reacted quickly, hastily suppressing the news and summoning all eligible members of the Imperial Clan to the Ascension Platform to await the selection of the Great Tang Emperor by Heavenly Dao.

Like Li Zhi, there were about forty or fifty Imperial Clan children of the right age in the Great Tang Imperial Family. These Imperial Clan children were riding in carriages pulled by Fairy, heading towards the Ascension Platform.

The powerful figures of the Great Tang's upper Third Layer surrounded the Ascension Platform in Third Layer. On one hand, the election of the new emperor on the Ascension Platform was a matter of State Altars and could not be taken lightly. On the other hand, they all hoped to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to closely sense the aura of the Heavenly Dao, thereby enhancing their own understanding of the Heavenly Dao and their state of mind...

However, while the Great Tang Imperial Family was busy with the election of a new emperor at the Ascension Platform, in a secluded valley of the Great Tang Dynasty, Ying Qianshan looked at the Twelve Golden Figures standing in front of him, his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with intense anger.

Of the twelve Golden Man, only half were intact; the other half, to varying degrees, were damaged. These were naturally torn apart by Zhuge Xiang, much to Ying Qianshan's chagrin.

Repairing these Golden Man is another troublesome matter for him. The fusion of the Golden Man into the Golden God is like a grand formation, meticulously crafted; even the slightest mistake will greatly affect the Golden God's abilities. Now, so many are missing...

"Senior Ying Qianshan, what should we do next?" The Great Tang Emperor, who had already fallen from the Imperial Throne, hesitated for a moment when he saw Ying Qianshan's angry expression. He asked cautiously.

"What to do?" Turning around, Ying Qianshan stared intently at the outdated emperor. With a burst of energy, he sent the emperor flying. Reaching out, he grabbed the emperor's neck and lifted him up. "You're asking me what to do? It's just Zhuge Xiang, and you couldn't even kill him? If it weren't for him, my Golden God wouldn't have suffered so many losses."

"And that Demon Mirror, I told you long ago that Demon Mirror shouldn't be kept; it's only a hindrance to you. But you, seeing that it's Half-Immortal Artifact Demon Mirror, couldn't bear to destroy it and even wanted to keep it for yourself. Didn't you know that was playing with fire? Now look at you, from the Great Tang Emperor to a stray dog, and I wasted so much of my Merit saving you."

The barrage of insults was understandable, given that the other party, in a moment of weakness, hesitated to destroy the Demon Mirror, which actually damaged Ying Qianshan's Golden God and depleted a huge amount of Merit. More importantly, the other party's fall from the Great Tang Imperial Throne completely disrupted his grand plans. Without the support of the Great Tang's National Fortune, the Great Qin Empire was bound to descend into chaos...

Once chaos erupts in the Great Qin Dynasty, the Heavenly Dao will surely provide signs. At that time, anyone with a cultivation level above the Dao Seeking Realm will be able to sense it, and they will all be like sharks smelling blood. In this way, the Great Qin will be destroyed in an instant.

After being berated by Ying Qianshan, this washed-up emperor didn't dare to utter a word in response. Or rather, with his neck being choked, he simply couldn't utter a word. His face flushed red, then turned blue, and then purple, revealing a ferocious and pained expression...

Seemingly having calmed down after hurling his anger, Ying Qianshan finally released the emperor, who was nearly strangled to death, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud.

Ignoring the other's disheveled appearance, Ying Qianshan's eyes flashed with a fierce light, as if he had made up his mind. He said, "No matter what, your position as Great Tang Emperor must not be compromised. Since we can no longer use the Creation Furnace to steal the heavens and earth, then I will let you ascend to the throne of the Great Tang Emperor in a dignified and upright manner, with the recognition of the Heavenly Dao."

"You have a way to put me back on the Imperial Throne? Even legitimately? Why didn't you use it back then?" The emperor, who had been lying on the ground, panting heavily, jumped up with a gleam in his eyes upon hearing Ying Qianshan's words.

"Hmph, is there anything in this world that I Ying Qianshan, cannot accomplish?" Xie Jie glanced at the guy's disheveled appearance Ying Qianshan snorted coldly. "As for why we didn't use it back then, it's because if we had used that method, it would have inevitably incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. Even if you ascended the Imperial Throne, you would have found it difficult to gain the support of the people. But things have come to this point, and even if it's the worst possible solution, it's the only one we can do."

"What method is it?" He could ignore the lack of popular support, but what he cared about most was how to ascend the Imperial Throne legitimately.

"I ask you, the selection of the new emperor on the Ascension Platform requires someone under one hundred years old. Is this ordained by Heavenly Dao?" Instead of rushing to reveal his method, Ying Qianshan asked.

"No, it's just an ancestral rule of the Great Tang Dynasty royal family, which states that the new emperor cannot be too old when he ascends the throne, otherwise he will lack the vigor of a young man," the outdated emperor replied, shaking his head. Although he didn't understand why Ying Qianshan would ask this, he still answered honestly.

"That's it," Ying Qianshan nodded, his eyes filled with Human Heart sternness. "They're not even a hundred years old. How high can their cultivation be? At most, they've just entered the Void Returning Stage Ascension Platform. Tell me, what would happen if we wiped them all out on the Ascension Platform, leaving only you there?"

"Hiss..." Even this deposed emperor, who was thinking about how to regain his Imperial Throne, gasped upon hearing Ying Qianshan's words. He never expected that Ying Qianshan could come up with such a ruthless method.

"Those who achieve great things must be ruthless. What? Are you scared? Or do you no longer want your Imperial Throne?" Ying Qianshan frowned and asked with displeasure at the man's shocked reaction.

"No, I'm not afraid. That Imperial Throne will definitely be mine." Upon hearing this, he quickly suppressed his shock and shook his head, saying, "If I force my way up to the Ascension Platform, and you can help me kill all those people, leaving only me on the Ascension Platform, then without a doubt, without any other choice, Heavenly Dao will choose me. After all, I am also a true member of the Li Clan family."

"That's good, let's do it that way," Ying Qianshan, a cold, sharp smile curving his aged lips beneath his black robe. (To be continued...)