Bingtian Hall, The Conversation Between One Emperor and Two Marquises

In Chaotian Capital, within the Great Shang Imperial Palace.

Inside the Bingtian Hall, where sandalwood incense drifted, two square-faced men clad in four-clawed purple dragon robes knelt on the floor.

Beyond them, about ten feet away on a jade platform, an elder with black hair unbound and cascading over his shoulders sat on a purple wood dragon throne, calmly flipping through the memorial he held.

Though the elder appeared frail with age, his complexion was ruddy, his posture upright, and his eyes bright and clear, indicating he was a cultivator of profound depth.

This man was the current Son of Heaven of the Great Shang Dynasty, the leader of the Wu Imperial Clan who cultivated the extremely rare Path of Destiny—Emperor Wu.

"Your Majesty, the interrogation of Marquis Wuyi by the Demon Subduing Bureau has concluded. Marquis Wuyi colluded with the demon of the Black Heaven Gate, and over the past five years, he secretly absorbed the vital essence from the bodies of citizens heading to Spring Full Pavilion within Chaotian Capital. Consequently, the number of people who died from serious illness or physical decline has only increased during these five years.

Simultaneously, the demon of the Black Heaven Gate he colluded with also dispatched numerous demons carrying the sinister artifact, the Spirit Gathering Banner, to the towns and villages surrounding Chaotian Capital. They collected the vital essence of living people, all in order to use demonic arts to resurrect Marquis Wuyi's wife."

"Marquis Wuyi and Madam Han knew each other from childhood, growing up together as sweethearts. Their affection ran much deeper than outsiders imagined. While his desire to resurrect his deceased wife is understandable, his descent into demonic ways and betrayal of the Wu Imperial Clan, harming innocent citizens of Great Shang for her revival, is an act truly deserving of death."

The two square-faced men echoed in unison, one after the other.

Wearing four-clawed purple dragon robes—such attire was permissible for only thirty-six individuals in Chaotian Capital, namely the thirty-six Marquises of Great Shang.

The two present today were Marquis Wuping, Wu Zongfei, and Marquis Wuchang, Wu Sanyu, among the thirty-six Marquises.

"When will Hua Nian be beheaded?" Emperor Wu asked, looking at the memorial.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is tomorrow."

"Change it. Make it a dismemberment by five horses. After Hua Nian dies, nail his head with seven black nails and send it to King's Burial Valley. Wrap his left and right arms with red thread and transport them to the Northern Frontier to be buried in a secluded spot. His left and right legs are to be thrown into the Boundless Cold Cave in the Southern Frontier, and his body is to be interred in the Wu Clan Mausoleum."

Emperor Wu said this casually, as if the thought had been brewing for some time.

"This..." Wu Zongfei was stunned upon hearing this.

What a bizarre method of disposing of a corpse. In all his years, he had never heard of such a thing.

"Your Majesty, even though Marquis Wuyi fell astray and brought shame upon the Wu Imperial Clan, there's no need to mutilate his corpse in such a manner after death. Leaving only his torso to be buried in the clan mausoleum might disturb our ancestors," Wu Sanyu said, unable to hold back after much hesitation.

"The reason for Hua Nian's fall astray is not as simple as you imagine. Do you truly believe he colluded with the Black Heaven Gate to resurrect his wife? No, the Black Heaven Gate had set their sights on him long ago."

Emperor Wu put down the memorial and smiled at the two relatives below.

His eyes suddenly flickered, and his pupils split into two, transforming into a pair of double pupils.

Wu Zongfei and Wu Sanyu, who happened to meet his gaze, felt the world around them sway, their bodies beginning to spin.

The common people are born ordinary.

However, some are born with celestial phenomena and peculiar characteristics.

Such as seven red moles on their back, six fingers from birth, double pupils in their eyes, a wolf-like gaze, arms longer than their knees, the ability to rotate their navel, or being born as conjoined twins.

Emperor Wu was born with double pupils and cultivated the rarely achieved Path of Destiny. His double pupils allowed him to perceive the destiny of the nation and individuals.

As one of the three thousand Great Daos, the Path of Destiny was divided into nine ranks, but no one knew which rank Emperor Wu had attained.

After his ascension, the Great Shang Dynasty became increasingly stable and prosperous, clearly indicating that Emperor Wu had done much for Great Shang behind the scenes using his abilities in the Path of Destiny.

"All thirty-six Marquises are direct descendants of the Wu Imperial Clan. You possess titles and a portion of Great Shang's national destiny and the Wu Clan Dragon Qi. What the Black Heaven Gate desires is not Hua Nian, but rather the foundation left to him by his ancestors.

Hua Nian's years of secret collusion with the Black Heaven Gate have allowed the Black Heaven Gate to steal the Wu Clan's destiny. His physical body must be destroyed to sever this connection, otherwise, it will provide the Black Heaven Gate with an opportunity to usurp Great Shang's national destiny. Do you two understand the implications?"

Wu Zongfei's expression turned to shock. He had never imagined that the matter of Marquis Wuyi's fall astray would carry such grave consequences.

It was no wonder that when Marquis Wuyi's collusion with the Black Heaven Gate was exposed to the world, Emperor Wu did not give any of his relatives the chance to beg for mercy on his behalf. He directly ordered the Duke to publicly announce Marquis Wuyi's death sentence.

Wu Sanyu couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, regarding matters concerning Great Shang's national destiny and the threat to our clan's Dragon Qi, did you only discover this recently?"

Destiny is formless and cannot be observed by the naked eye.

Only those who cultivate the Path of Destiny possess the means to perceive and even intervene.

In the entire Chaotian City, only Emperor Wu possessed this ability. If he had long observed something amiss with the national destiny, he should have discovered Marquis Wuyi's fall astray much earlier.

"Yes, I only discovered the abnormality in Hua Nian's destiny when he was exposed. This indicates that the Black Heaven Gate also has someone cultivating the Path of Destiny. They obscured the changes in Hua Nian's destiny, preventing me from detecting the anomaly. If Hua Nian hadn't been apprehended by the Demon Subduing Bureau and the matter exposed, I wouldn't have been able to perceive this," Emperor Wu said, retracting his double pupil ability with a sigh.

"The demons of the Black Heaven Gate still harbor ill intentions towards my Wu Imperial Dynasty!" Wu Zongfei said, his face filled with rage as he clenched his fists. "This subject understands. I will go and inform the Demon Subduing Bureau to change Marquis Wuyi's method of execution and the disposal of his corpse."

"Your Majesty, there are two more matters to report today," Wu Sanyu said.

"Are they good news or bad news?"

"One is good, and one is bad."

Emperor Wu tapped the wooden table. "Then let's hear the good news first."

"Yesterday, a Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Captain from the Demon Subduing Bureau advanced a rank, triggering three celestial phenomena: Great Sun Hanging in the Sky, Crimson Flames Burning the Clouds, and Heavenly King Holding the Sun. The entire populace of Chaotian Capital is aware of this. If nothing unexpected occurs, this individual will undoubtedly become a cornerstone of the Demon Subduing Bureau in the future."

"Oh? Then this is truly a blessing for Great Shang," Emperor Wu said with a smile. "The last person to advance a rank and trigger three celestial phenomena was that Purple Thunder True Man back then. It's a pity that fate envied his talent; Purple Thunder True Man did not achieve the position of Heavenly Monarch like Zhao Lingzi, the Immortal Saint, did in the past."

The Wu Clan does not use the sun as a symbol of the Son of Heaven, so the Great Sun Hanging in the Sky phenomenon triggered by Ning Xiu did not offend Emperor Wu in any way.

"Order Marquis Wuzhan to retrieve an Earth Fiend Token from the Wu Clan Treasury and present it to that Demon Subduing Captain as my congratulatory gift for his advancement." Emperor Wu commanded.

Wu Sanyu immediately acknowledged, "This subject understands."

As the foremost sword of Great Shang, the Demon Subduing Bureau's actions were all for the sake of the Great Shang dynasty. Therefore, successive Sons of Heaven had always placed great importance on the talents within the Demon Subduing Bureau.

Only those who cherish talent can earn the admiration of talented individuals. The excellent morale within the Demon Subduing Bureau, which has been maintained for hundreds of years, is inseparable from the relationship with successive Sons of Heaven.

"Now, let's talk about another piece of bad news. What is it?"

Wu Sanyu's expression immediately turned solemn. "Madam Han, wife of Marquis Wuyi, has been infused with the vital essence of tens of thousands of living people. She was already among the dead, and then she was resurrected by a secret technique from the Black Heaven Gate. Furthermore, the demon who presided over the ritual made unknown modifications to her. Under these multiple influences, Madam Han's corpse has transformed into an extremely rare Ghost Fiend Nether Corpse. Although its strength is still weak, even Marquis Wuzhan and Bai Taicang can do nothing about her physical body."

"Even Marquis Wuzhan and Bai Taicang can't?"

Marquis Wuzhan, Wu Taizong, could be considered the most unique among the thirty-six Marquises of Great Shang in this generation.

Although he inherited the title of Marquis Wuzhan, he refused to accept the official position and merit body bestowed by Emperor Wu. Instead, he chose the path of martial arts. In the end, he truly managed to reach Martial Path Rank 3 through his talent and arduous training, making his personal achievements extremely famous.

He was also the last of the three tigers in the Demon Subduing Bureau, following Qin Daorong and Nan Yuanxing.

It was very rare in the history of Great Shang's marquises for someone of his status to hold the position of Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Captain in the Demon Subduing Bureau.

If even the Martial Path Rank 3 Marquis Wuzhan and the Immortal Path Rank 2 Bai Taicang couldn't destroy Madam Han's physical body, how serious could the situation be?

Emperor Wu asked, "Has the refining furnace deep within the Demon Subduing Prison been used on her?"

Wu Sanyu shook his head. "Marquis Wuzhan told me it was useless. The Ghost Fiend Nether Corpse is already a legendary existence, something that cannot be destroyed by mortal means. Fortunately, Madam Han's body contains thousands of consciousnesses, all of which are the souls of the murdered commoners from the vital essence infusion, mixed in. This prevents her from having her own awareness. She is like a walking corpse, only knowing how to devour flesh and drink blood, and cannot unleash the full power of a Ghost Fiend Nether Corpse. It is sufficient to simply confine her in the Heaven Zone of the Demon Subduing Prison and keep a close watch.

However, if it were only this, I would not have reported to Bingtian Hall. The real problem lies elsewhere. Your Majesty, Marquis Wuzhan stated that the Medical Path Demon Subduing Captain he found discovered fetal movement in Madam Han's abdomen, suggesting that Madam Han, who has been dead for many years, is carrying a fetus."

"What?" For the first time, Emperor Wu's face showed a look of surprise.

Fetal movement, as the name suggests, is the movement of a fetus within a woman's body.

This proved that the fetus was alive. But Han Wan'er had been dead for several years. Even if she had been pregnant before her death, by now the fetus should have long since decayed within Han Wan'er's body like a dead person. How could there still be fetal movement?

A Ghost Fiend Nether Corpse carrying a fetus – what would be born from this? No one could guess.

It was very likely to be an unparalleled evil calamity. Such a hidden danger naturally needed to be nipped in the bud before it could develop into a crisis.

"Currently, the Demon Subduing Bureau has no Rank 1 officers. The Golden Dragon Demon Subduing Captains are all outside. Marquis Wuzhan hopes to invite Grand Duke Tai out of his tomb to see if the Ghost Fiend Nether Corpse can be executed, to eliminate future trouble."

Emperor Wu nodded. "Granted. Then you go to the ancestral tomb to find Grand Duke Tai."

"Since that is the case, all important matters have been reported. We shall take our leave and head to the ancestral tomb to seek an audience with Grand Duke Tai." Wu Sanyu and Wu Zongfei rose and turned to leave Bingtian Hall.

Watching them depart, Emperor Wu slowly mused inwardly, "There are countless people in the world who wish to seize my Wu Clan's destiny. Few among my kin can help me uphold the Wu Clan's empire."

This chapter is for supplementing details and transitioning. I will write a major chapter shortly.