The sky began to darken, and muffled thunder rumbled.
"This..." King Ji Yonghao's expression changed slightly, and a bad feeling rose in his heart.
The civil and military officials below the altar also shifted uneasily, some already unable to resist whispering among themselves.
A sudden change in the weather during the welcoming of the gods was no good omen.
An Bulang sensed carefully and discovered that this was merely a formation that had been laid down long ago and was now activated.
Formations could be arranged in advance through special methods, guiding and gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to produce all manner of immensely powerful phenomena.
The formation before them was extremely crude. It should have been set up by a Spirit Attunement Realm cultivator, with Ji Shouqian acting as the Formation Eye to activate it, and it had not even used many spirit stones. Yet crude as it was, none of the other cultivators in the royal palace could detect the great formation in operation.
"Ah... the heavenly gods have revealed themselves!"
Ji Shouqian, the royal palace's representative for observing celestial phenomena, suddenly began trembling all over. He gazed reverently at the heavens and shouted.
An Bulang nodded slightly, inwardly marveling at how good this fellow's acting was—his emotions flowed naturally, and even his subtle movements were on point.
The officials had no idea what was happening, but Ji Shouqian was an authority in this field, so most of them believed him.
"Th-this is a sign that the heavenly gods have revealed themselves?"
"Then what does this sky of dark clouds and rolling thunder foretell?"
The scene began to stir, and many officials felt deeply uneasy.
At that moment, Ji Shouqian suddenly dropped to his knees and repeatedly kowtowed toward the sky, begging loudly, "Heavenly gods, quell your wrath! Heavenly gods, quell your wrath... Even if the King has done something wrong, he can still redeem himself through merit..."
The officials' expressions all changed.
Even a fool could understand what Ji Shouqian meant. Was this saying that King Ji Yonghao was at fault?
Seeing Ji Shouqian putting on such an act, Ji Yonghao trembled with rage. Pointing at the old man kneeling on the ground, he angrily rebuked, "Ji Shouqian! What nonsense are you spouting? I have treated and trusted you well for so many years, yet you would do something like this!!"
"Your Majesty! My loyalty to you can be witnessed by the sun and moon!" Ji Shouqian pointed at the sky in grief and indignation. "But the heavenly gods have already revealed themselves. If you still refuse to kneel and admit your mistakes, the heavenly gods will send down punishment!!"
The moment those words fell, the officials beneath the altar erupted again.
He was demanding that the King kneel before the heavenly gods and admit his errors?
This had become a serious matter. Was this not forcing Ji Yonghao to admit that he was guilty?
Chen Hao, Vice Minister of Justice, flew into a rage. He stepped forward and pointed at Ji Shouqian as he cursed, "Ji Shouqian, stop spreading your monstrous lies here! Under the King's leadership, the Azure Kingdom enjoys peace and prosperity, its seas calm and rivers clear. What crime could there be? This celestial phenomenon must be some wicked sorcery of yours!"
The instant he finished speaking, dark clouds churned in the sky.
Rumble!
A bolt of lightning flashed down.
Accompanied by an ear-splitting roar!
Chen Hao, the Vice Minister of Justice, still wore an angry expression on his face. His entire body had turned charred black, and he stood stiffly in place before falling straight backward.
"Thud."
Chen Hao fell to the ground, his life force completely extinguished.
"Vice Minister Chen!"
"Lord Chen!!"
The other officials turned pale with fright at the sight.
At that moment, Ji Shouqian began kowtowing to the sky again. "Heavenly gods, quell your wrath! Heavenly gods, quell your wrath! Chen Hao offended you, but let his fault not extend to the others. I beg you to spare their lives..."
"Your Majesty, what are you still standing there for? Hurry and join this old Daoist in admitting your mistakes to the heavenly gods! Otherwise, once the heavenly gods' wrath descends, they will use heavenly lightning to wash away your sins!!"
An Bulang watched in stunned disbelief.
He had not expected Ji Shouqian to truly dare kill someone. The lightning was not particularly powerful, but it was more than enough to kill an ordinary person.
Some officials had clearly been scared out of their wits. Some looked terrified, while others even followed suit and knelt, afraid they would become the next Chen Hao.
At that moment, several more officials stepped forward, begging the King to kneel, kowtow, admit his mistakes, and plead for the heavenly gods' forgiveness.
Jia Yuxuan also stepped forward, joining the officials demanding that Ji Yonghao kneel and admit his mistakes.
He stood on the Crown Prince's side, so he was not afraid of offending Ji Yonghao.
All of this was part of Crown Prince Ji Wuye's scheme. If Ji Yonghao chose not to kneel, they would simply strike him dead with lightning, claiming he was guilty and disrespectful toward the heavenly gods. No one would dare say much, and anyone who did could simply be struck dead with lightning as well.
If Ji Yonghao knelt and admitted his mistakes, that would be even better. It would prove that Ji Yonghao was foolish and incompetent, cruel and without virtue. Only Ji Wuye could take the position of ruler of a kingdom... No matter what he chose, Ji Yonghao was doomed!
"Good... very good..." Ji Yonghao pointed at the officials below. He seemed to have aged considerably, his aura weakening to the extreme as his breathing became hurried, as though one careless breath might be his last.
Seeing this, quite a few more officials stepped forward and joined the Crown Prince's camp.
Ji Yonghao trembled all over, glaring furiously at each official who had stepped out, as though he wanted to remember every single one of their faces.
But the officials were not afraid in the slightest. In a few days, the Azure Kingdom would belong to His Highness the Crown Prince. Did Ji Yonghao's thoughts matter anymore?
Heavenly timing, favorable terrain, and popular support were all on the Crown Prince's side. How could they lose?
"Your Majesty, if you still refuse to kneel and admit your mistakes, the heavenly gods' wrath will descend!" Ji Shouqian urged, pointing at the surging black clouds overhead.
At this moment, Ji Wuye also stepped forward, and everyone's gaze immediately turned toward him.
"Father King." Ji Wuye respectfully bowed to Ji Yonghao, then said in a deep voice, "You have recently been plagued by a serious illness for no reason. Perhaps that too was punishment sent down by the heavenly gods. Now that the heavenly gods have revealed themselves once more, as the ruler of a kingdom, if you cannot sincerely admit your mistakes, what if the heavenly gods' wrath falls upon all the people of the Azure Kingdom?"
"Good! You rebellious son, you even dare speak such outrageously unfilial words?" Ji Yonghao pointed at Ji Wuye, his face filled with grief and rage.
"This minister believes that His Highness the Crown Prince is right. The might of heaven cannot be faked. Why must Your Majesty be so stubborn?"
Jia Gucheng, the Left Prime Minister, standing at the forefront of the officials, suddenly spoke.
The stance of the leader of all officials was like a single stone stirring up a thousand waves. Not only were the officials shocked, even Ji Yonghao revealed a stunned expression.
"Good... very good!" Ji Yonghao laughed. "Whether you sincerely or falsely believe Ji Shouqian's monstrous lies, I will not blame you."
"But you want this King to kneel and admit his mistakes? Absolutely impossible! I, Ji Yonghao, have governed and ruled with a clear conscience. Above, I have not disgraced the kings before me; below, I have not wronged the common people. What fault have I committed? If the heavens are dissatisfied, then come and strike this King dead!!"
When Ji Yonghao spoke those words, his voice was full and powerful, as though a Dragon Roar burst forth, making all the officials' hearts tremble.
At that moment, Ji Yonghao bore none of his former frail and feeble appearance.
Yet a glint flashed through Ji Shouqian's eyes. His face was filled with anxiety and fear as he kowtowed toward the sky again. "Heavenly gods, quell your wrath! His Majesty did not intend to cast the people into fire and water. Let this old minister bear all the sins. Heavenly gods, strike me dead instead!!"
His hand secretly formed a hand seal.
According to the next part of the script, he would trigger the formation. The lightning would become the heavenly gods' judgment and descend, striking this foolish and tyrannical monarch dead.
Ji Wuye, Qin Shiyue, and the three elders behind her all had faint anticipation on their faces.
The real show was about to begin!
Sure enough, a terrifying bolt of lightning tore through the clouds. Like wrath cast down by the heavenly gods, it struck toward the ground.
The light illuminated Ji Yonghao's calm face and Ji Shouqian's somewhat smug face.
Some of the officials could not bear to watch any longer, as though in the next instant they would see the King die miserably on the spot.
Rumble!!
The lightning struck the ground.
"Ah...!!" A shrill scream rang out.
Ji Shouqian, kneeling on the ground, was instantly struck into charred coke!!
The entire scene fell silent.
Everyone's eyes widened as they stared blankly at the sight before them.
What was going on? The royal palace's number one expert, Ji Shouqian, had been struck dead?!
Ji Shouqian had said he would bear all the sins, and the heavenly gods really struck him dead? Were the heavenly gods this obedient?