Heavenly Emperor Portrait, Reactions from All Sides

"I am here."

"I command you to collect all the metal in the realm and cast a statue of the Heavenly Emperor. In one month, I will offer it to the Heavenly Emperor at Mount Tai!"

"Understood!"

Meng Tian was one of Ying Zheng's trusted confidants. No matter how outrageous his commands were, he would carry them out without question.

When Ying Zheng had previously demoted Fusu to the border, he had ordered Meng Tian to accompany and protect him.

After giving his orders, Ying Zheng turned his gaze to the ministers, who were cowering like quails.

"I know what you are thinking. You all believe I have become senile, don't you!"

"Your subject is terrified!"

The crowd gasped in shock and quickly prostrated themselves on the ground.

"Hmph! Whether I am senile or not will be clear in a month. By then, you, and indeed all the people under heaven, will surely thank me for what I am doing today!"

"For now, I do not wish to hear any dissenting voices. Do you understand?"

"Your subject obeys your decree!"

After the morning court, in the First Emperor's sleeping quarters.

Meng Tian followed Ying Zheng back to his chambers.

He looked at Ying Zheng, his expression somewhat hesitant.

"What? You think I'm senile too?"

Ying Zheng walked to his desk and began looking through the day's memorials, speaking to Meng Tian.

"Your subject would not dare. I merely wished to ask Your Majesty about the appearance of the Heavenly Emperor statue?"

Meng Tian was also at a loss. In all the legends of the past, there was no such Immortal as the Heavenly Emperor. Now, he was being asked to sculpt a statue for him, and he felt like a clever cook without ingredients.

Ying Zheng tapped his forehead upon hearing this and picked up a piece of paper nearby to draw.

"It was my oversight. Wait a moment."

Ying Zheng silently recalled the Heavenly Emperor Visualization Diagram in his mind and then drew it.

However, the moment he stopped drawing, the paper spontaneously combusted, turning to ash in an instant.

"Protect His Majesty!"

Seeing the fire erupt, Meng Tian's face paled in alarm and he quickly shielded Ying Zheng.

"It's nothing!"

Ying Zheng pushed Meng Tian aside and said to the imperial guards rushing over, "You may all withdraw!"

He had a vague idea of the reason for this unexpected event. How could the supreme Heavenly Emperor be depicted on ordinary paper?

After a moment's thought, Ying Zheng took out a piece of silk.

Under Meng Tian's worried gaze, he channeled the National Fortune's golden dragon, which was in his memory.

Instantly, Meng Tian felt a distant Dragon's Roar echo in his ears, followed by a golden light appearing on the tip of Ying Zheng's brush.

In his shock, Meng Tian reacted immediately, looking at Ying Zheng with profound reverence.

Perhaps, this matter of the Heavenly Emperor is real! The thought crossed his mind.

"It is done. When the artisans build the statue, do not carve a face. Simply affix this image to it!"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Ying Zheng's temples. He had used the National Fortune to paint the Heavenly Emperor. Once the statue was completed, the lines formed by the convergence of National Fortune would leave the silk and attach themselves to the statue.

Meng Tian, seeing this, immediately accepted the silk with both hands, bowing respectfully. His gaze was immediately drawn to the image on the silk.

The lines in the image were not complex, yet they depicted a person clad in opulent robes, exuding a mysterious aura. Upon seeing it, a name instantly appeared in his mind.

"Donghua Emperor!"

He was certain he had never seen this person before, yet it felt as if someone had guided him, telling him that this was the Heavenly Emperor. Even more bizarrely, after he looked away from the image, no matter how hard he tried to recall it, he couldn't remember any details of the person depicted.

Meng Tian suppressed his inner shock and knelt on one knee, saying.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Your subject will not fail in this mission and will complete the Heavenly Emperor statue!"

"Do good work, and be on your way!"

Ying Zheng waved his hand, signaling him to retreat, and then continued to bury his head in the mountain of memorials.

Unnoticed by everyone, every time he finished a memorial, a phantom golden dragon would appear on his shoulder. It lay there with its eyes narrowed, its mouth slightly open, and a wisp of golden energy from the void flowed into his body.

Confucianism.

Little Sage Village.

Many great scholars of the world were gathered in the main hall.

"Everyone, have you heard that the First Emperor has ordered a ceremony to worship the Heavenly Emperor at Mount Tai in one month?"

Yan Lu broke the heavy atmosphere in the hall.

"Yao are causing chaos in the country. The world has just been settled, and I fear it will be in turmoil again," a great scholar sighed.

"Hmph, the Qin State is tyrannical, and Ying Zheng is foolish, cruel, and inhumane. Building the Great Wall and the Epang Palace has caused the people to suffer. Now he is also collecting all the metal in the world to cast a useless statue. I believe the Qin State will perish sooner or later!" Zhang Liang, courtesy name Zifang, was born into a Korean noble family, and his father and grandfather were both Prime Ministers of Korea. Since Korea was destroyed by Qin, he regarded the Qin State as an enemy. He had even attempted to assassinate Ying Zheng multiple times, but without success.

Fu Nian did not express any opinion upon hearing this. Instead, he looked at an old man in the main seat.

Xunzi.

He was also their martial uncle.

"Martial Uncle, what are your thoughts?"

Xunzi slowly opened his eyes upon hearing this. The many great scholars also looked at him. Since Confucius's death, Xunzi had implicitly become the foremost figure in Confucianism. They naturally respected him immensely.

"The Master does not speak of strange phenomena. Ying Zheng killed Li Si for the words of ghosts and spirits, thus cutting himself off from all strategists in the world!"

Old Zhao, Dai Land.

Zhao Jia laughed up at the sky, the look of resentment that usually lingered on his face dissipating considerably.

"Ying Zheng, I thought I would never be able to avenge this national hatred in my lifetime. I didn't expect you to be so superstitious."

"Good, good, good! If I couldn't kill you in Xianyang, this trip to Mount Tai will be your death date!"

Every word Zhao Jia spoke was filled with barely concealed hatred. It was understandable. He should have been the next King of Zhao, but now he was reduced to living in the wilderness, barely surviving. How could he not hate?

"Guards!"

As his voice fell, his subordinates approached.

"Send word to the surviving members of the other five states, telling them that I, Prince Jia, invite them to join me in a grand undertaking!"

Yin-Yang School.

Donghuang Taiyi sat at the head seat with a pale face. Below him, Moon Goddess, Xu Fu, Gan Luo, and others stood by his side.

"Ying Zheng has returned to his youth?!" He paid no attention to Moon Goddess's words about abolishing the Grand Priest and no longer supporting the Yin-Yang School, instead asking with some urgency.

"I saw it with my own eyes. Ying Zheng has indeed become decades younger, and his Life Essence is so vigorous that it couldn't possibly be a disguise," Moon Goddess said with absolute certainty. Even thinking of Ying Zheng's methods at the time sent a shiver of fear through her.

Donghuang Taiyi fell silent. Ying Zheng's change, combined with the celestial phenomena he had previously divined, suggested that something unexpected had indeed happened in the Qin State. He just didn't know if it was good or bad.

"If that Heavenly Emperor is truly an immortal..." Donghuang Taiyi tapped the armrest rhythmically with his long fingers, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What Heavenly Emperor? I think he's just some alchemist who's putting on a show, trying to snatch food from the Yin-Yang School's mouth. Does he even know his own capabilities?" Gan Luo said with arrogance. As the first genius in the history of the Yin-Yang School, his current strength was second only to Donghuang Taiyi, giving him the right to be so presumptuous.

"Lord Donghuang, give me some time, and I will surely expose this so-called Heavenly Emperor and let that Ying Zheng understand that only our Yin-Yang School is his best choice."