Mandated by Heaven, may he live long and prosper forever
The next morning, before dawn, the East Square of the Imperial City was already packed with people.
Zhang Yu, dressed in a dragon-patterned robe, walked with his hands behind his back, followed by Zhang Lingyun and members of the Four Great Families.
Their steps were neither hurried nor slow, yet they exuded a resolute coldness.
In the East Square, a red carpet was laid out, golden dragons coiled around pillars, and offerings of sacrificial animals and grains were placed on the altar, with incense smoke swirling around.
Zhu Wuyuan had already arrived and was standing on the high platform, staring at Zhang Yu with a sinister look and a meaningful smile on his lips.
"Just you wait and see."
He whispered, "Once I've fulfilled the bet and helped you ascend the Imperial Throne, we'll settle the score later."
"I will drag you down from your pedestal when you are at your most glorious and triumphant, and make you suffer for the rest of your life."
He had received a reply from his father, Zhu Lunbin, that the Five-Kingdom Coalition was on its way.
Moreover, as the Prime Minister, he deliberately manipulated the situation, allowing the Five-Kingdom Coalition to advance unimpeded and unimpeded.
Once he helped Zhang Yu become emperor, the Five-Kingdom Coalition besieged the city under the pretext of "eliminating tyranny".
Zhang Yu glanced at him but ignored him, treating him as nothing more than a clown.
Once he obtains the Jade Seal and completes his ascension to the throne, any subsequent upheavals will be irrelevant to him.
Sima Sheng followed beside Zhang Yu, his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with worry.
He was from the Eastern Sheng Kingdom, and he longed for his hometown and family.
However, he was controlled by the Twelve Immortals, and although he felt reluctant, he dared not disobey them in the slightest.
The Twelve Immortals were naturally not afraid of the Demon Grotto, nor were they afraid of the Five-Kingdom Coalition.
Even if they can't win, they have ways to escape.
Their sole purpose was to break free from the bondage of the Oath and see the light of day again.
Both sides harbored their own ulterior motives, yet the scene remained surprisingly calm, and the coronation ceremony proceeded in an orderly manner.
Until the very last step--
Zhu Wuyuan personally carried a Jade Seal that shimmered with purple light, slowly walked down from the high platform, and came to Zhang Yu's side.
"Your Highness, this Jade Seal is not easy to obtain."
He said in a low voice, a sinister smile on his face, "You'd better hold on tight."
Zhang Yu didn't care at all, reached out and took it, and sneered:
"Don't worry, if I lose my grip and fall, that's fine. What's there to worry about?"
The two men were speaking with hidden meanings, but Zhang Yu didn't care what Zhu Wuyuan's plans were.
Zhu Wuyuan, however, believed victory was assured, and with a disdainful smile, turned to face his millions of subjects and proclaimed loudly:
"The auspicious hour has arrived. Your Highness, please receive the enthronement eulogy—"
He unfolded the golden book in his hand, his voice booming and echoing throughout the surrounding fields:
"In the Eastern Sheng Kingdom of Tiannan Prefecture, on the 23rd day of the first month of the year Bingwu, your Zhu Wuyuan respectfully offers this fine wine and simple food to the Supreme God of Heaven, the Empress Earth, and the ancestors of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom."
We humbly acknowledge that our Eastern East Sheng originated in the South and has endured for a thousand years.
Now, there is Princes, Sheng Yu, who, by the mandate of Mandate of Heaven and in accordance with the will of the people, has abolished taxes and relieved the people from their suffering. He has specially held a grand enthronement ceremony to secure the country and comfort the spirits of his ancestors.
May our East Sheng, our nation prosper, our weather be favorable, our people live in peace and prosperity, and we enjoy lasting peace.
Please be advised.
After the eulogy was read, the square fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a deafening roar of "Long live the Emperor!"
Zhang Yu sat upright on the Dragon Throne, raising the Jade Seal high. In an instant, a great purple light burst forth, soaring into the sky like a tornado!
He felt a surge of immense National Destiny power flowing into his body like a tidal wave, and the entire Dragon Vein of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom was submitting to him!
"By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous—"
He loudly proclaimed these eight words, his voice like thunder, shaking the clouds and causing the incense on the altar to sway.
At this moment, he was not Zhang Yu, nor a prince of the Sheng family, but the new emperor of the Dong Sheng Kingdom, the supreme ruler destined by heaven!
Zhang Yu closed his eyes, his palm pressed tightly against the Imperial Seal of the Realm.
That ancient Jade Seal, at this moment, is like a miniature world, with a vast Dragon Qi flowing through its warm jade texture, echoing the Sheng Family bloodline within him.
In an instant, he "saw" it--
The Mandate of Heaven and the Merit of Heaven, like a golden scripture, float above the jade seal, recording the flow of the Eastern Prosperity Kingdom's fortune over a thousand years, and protecting the kingdom's destiny at all times.
At the same time, he sensed the presence of the Divine Weapon that suppressed the Nine Great Demon Caves.
Nine ferocious shadows, drawn by Dao Ancestor Li's Fortune, suppressed the Nine Great Demon Caves respectively.
The Ancestors Fortune, like wisps of green mist, permeated every inch of the land, every river, and the very bones of every citizen of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom, but it became mottled and mixed due to the resentment of the people.
"Quickly, quickly, issue an edict to set us free!"
A voice transmission burst forth from Sima Sheng's body, exploding in Zhang Yu's mind, filled with obvious impatience.
Zhang Yu calmly transmitted his voice. "What's the rush? We've waited ten thousand years already, what's a little more time?"
Immediately following, twelve voices—some rough, some gentle, some cold—surged in like a tide:
"You don't know anything! It's because we've waited ten thousand years, and freedom is just around the corner. Who the hell would want to wait even a second longer?"
"Kid, stop dawdling and hurry up."
"Wait, once I've finished my business, I will issue an edict to release you."
Zhang Yu didn't care about them, because Qi Restoration Divine Weapon of Luck wasn't so easy; he still needed to communicate and connect with the various Divine Weapon step by step.
"You--"
A harsh, transmitted sound nearly burst his eardrums, but Zhang Yu ignored it completely.
Qi Restoration and Divine Weapon is not as simple as it seems.
Especially the Divine Weapon of the Nine Great Demon Caves, each one stained with Demonic Blood and human lives, are extremely ferocious. If they are rashly taken back, they may turn against us.
In contrast, the Merit that Dao Ancestor Li gained from suppressing the Demon Grotto were the easiest to reclaim.
It was like a ball of golden light, suspended at the very top of the Jade Seal, pure and solid, without a trace of impurity.
"Take this one first."
Zhang Yu silently prepared to act.
Zhu Wuyuan stood below the stage, watching Zhang Yu's closed-eye "dazed" appearance, and sneered, saying, "You're so smug, let's see how long you can be smug."
As he spoke, he secretly took out his Voice Transmission Jade Token and confirmed the progress of the Five-Kingdom Coalition with his father Zhu Lunbin.
"It'll be soon... it'll be soon..."
He muttered to himself, his eyes brimming with malice.
Zhang Yu, however, was completely unaware of all of this.
He is focused on communicating with Merit.
But just then--
"Woo--woo--woo--"
The piercing alarm suddenly tore through the sky, like a sharp sword stabbing into everyone's eardrums!
"They've arrived."
Zhu Wuyuan's eyes lit up, and a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
This is the moment he's been waiting for.
"Report! The army of the Liuli Kingdom has breached the 'Soulbreak Pass' in the Northern Border, and has successively broken through the defense lines of our three prefectures: Northern Heaven, Cloudcenter, and Shufang. The defending general, Wu Tiannan, has been killed in battle, and the people of the three prefectures have been plunged into chaos."
"Report! The Lianshan Kingdom has swept through the provinces and prefectures, advancing unimpeded; our army is unable to resist."
"Report..."
"Report..."
Urgent military intelligence reports arrived like snowflakes, each one carrying the scent of blood and fire.
Sima Sheng stood aside, listening to these military reports, feeling a chill run down his spine. He transmitted his voice and said:
"Your Majesty, the Five-Kingdom Coalition arrived too quickly; this is not in accordance with common sense."
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhu Wuyuan, whose expression was cold and arrogant, and knew that he must be involved.
Zhang Yu, however, remained unmoved, glancing indifferently at Zhu Wusheng, thinking to himself, "What kind of brilliant move did I expect? It's nothing special."
"How could this happen? What happened?"
Why did five countries invade simultaneously?
Panic gripped the entire Eastern Sheng Kingdom.
In the Image Jade Token, the Soulbreak Pass in the Northern Border was trampled by iron cavalry, and the cries of the people were heart-wrenching;
A massive fire broke out in the granary Canglan River, and the elderly, women, and children fled through the flames.
In these attacked areas, the Image Jade Token echoed with cries of agony.
Standing on the high platform, Zhu Wuyuan felt the gazes of Zhang Yu and Sima Sheng, knowing that they had guessed that this matter was related to him.
However, he nonchalantly asked the messenger, "Tell me, what exactly happened? Why are the five nations sending troops at the same time?"
The messenger, beads of cold sweat on his forehead, glanced at Zhang Yu before shouting:
"The banner raised by the Five-Kingdom Coalition... they claimed to be 'in the name of Heaven, to punish the traitors, to eradicate tyranny, and to expel the Sheng Family.'"