Chapter 3: Kill the Rebels and Set the Court to Rights!
The instant he heard the system's icy notification, Xu Nian'an's body stiffened.
His mind went blank.
The Holy... Holy Spirit Cult!!!
Xu Nian'an had studied the history of the Douluo Continent for nearly ten thousand years, so of course he knew what the Holy Spirit Cult was.
The Holy Spirit Cult was synonymous with Evil Soul Masters—their highest organization.
It had countless Titled Douluo experts and was utterly evil.
A thousand years later, it would be the Sun-Moon Empire's Nation-Protecting Divine Sect.
He hadn't expected the system to summon them now and make them his Nation-Protecting Divine Sect.
But... they were Evil Soul Masters, the very embodiment of evil.
[Ding! The characters summoned by the system are one hundred percent loyal to the host!]
Hearing the system's icy notification, Xu Nian'an breathed a sigh of relief.
One hundred percent loyalty meant they wouldn't betray him.
Did the fact that they were bad people mean he couldn't use them?
Did the fact that they were evil mean he couldn't use them?
Did every emperor throughout history stop employing officials just because they were corrupt?
No. No, no, no...
Didn't the emperors of old know how to tell loyal ministers from treacherous ones?
No, no, no. You had to put yourself in their shoes. There was the loyal minister who opposed you at every turn.
And then there was the treacherous minister who went along with everything you said, flattered you, and followed your every command.
Which one would you like better?
Who was loyal, and who was treacherous?
In an emperor's eyes—in Xu Nian'an's eyes—anyone who opposed him was a treacherous minister!
A treacherous minister of the highest order!!!
Those who obeyed would prosper; those who resisted would perish.
His kingdom was on the brink of collapse. What was wrong with borrowing the Holy Spirit Cult's power, with borrowing the Evil Soul Masters' strength?
Even if they went on to kill countless people to cultivate, what did it matter as long as they didn't kill his people?
I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me!!!
Since he'd already transmigrated—and into the world of a book, no less—why should he tie himself down with so many rules?
Morality, conscience? How much did those things cost per pound?
Shouldn't he just do whatever made him feel good?
Smack~
"Ah, ngh~!"
Thump!!!
"Bastard! Who told you to hold the coronation ceremony ahead of schedule?"
"Does this follow the proper protocol?"
"Don't you know that every monarch's coronation must be approved by the Internal Affairs Pavilion?"
Waaah...
A palace maid was slapped across the face by the man who had barged in earlier. She crumpled to the ground, her small body trembling uncontrollably.
"Prime... Prime Minister, this... this was the king's order."
Hearing the maid dare to talk back, Prime Minister Wei Kun's eyes turned cold.
Smack~
He struck her hard across the face again.
"What are you? You dare talk back to me?"
"Let me tell you, it's your good fortune that I hit you. You have to put up with my scolding, and when I hit you, you have to take it!"
Watching this, Xu Nian'an narrowed his eyes.
It wasn't that he couldn't stand seeing the maid suffer and wanted to step in for her.
You're wrong—and you're underestimating Xu Nian'an.
This was the royal palace. What did it mean to make a scene and beat a maid here?
It meant slapping Xu Nian'an in the face.
Everything inside the palace, even a single eunuch or maid, belonged to him. Never mind a maid—
even a stone. If Xu Nian'an didn't give it to them, they had no right to take it, let alone touch it.
"Wei Kun, you don't need to beat around the bush. What are you trying to do?"
Though Wei Kun appeared to be beating and cursing the maid, wasn't he really cursing Xu Nian'an instead?
Xu Nian'an had long since run out of patience with these people.
"Your Highness, I wasn't beating around the bush. I just think it's improper for you to rush into your coronation while the late king hasn't even been laid to rest."
Wei Kun looked respectful, but his words were secretly mocking Xu Nian'an: Your parents haven't even been buried, and you're already in such a hurry to take the throne. Aren't you being a little too eager?
Xu Nian'an's gaze turned cold at his words.
"So you do know the late king has passed away. I thought the officials of the Starry Sky Kingdom didn't know."
Xu Nian'an narrowed his eyes. Apart from Prime Minister Wei Kun, none of the civil or military officials had even shown up in the mourning hall after the late king and queen died.
It was nothing short of contempt for royal authority—and no different from betraying him.
Or perhaps they had already betrayed him and become the fangs and claws of this so-called prime minister.
They deserved to die. Their entire families—even nine generations of their kin—deserved to be wiped out!!!
The angrier Xu Nian'an grew, the more murderous his eyes became.
"Xu Yi."
Whoosh~!
The instant Xu Nian'an finished speaking, Xu Yi straightened slightly.
He strode forward.
"Here!"
Xu Nian'an's eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Seize every one of these rebels who scorn royal authority and conspire in secret!"
Whoosh~ Thump~ Thump!!!!
At Xu Nian'an's words, Prime Minister Wei Kun's face turned pale, and the officials behind him buckled at the knees.
Many dropped to their knees at once, trembling all over. The fainthearted wet themselves in terror.
"Damn it... you ignorant brat! Do you even know who I am?"
"Without me, how long do you think this crumbling Starry Sky Kingdom can hold out?"
"Bastard!"
The more Wei Kun looked at Xu Nian'an's face, the angrier he grew. He'd originally planned to take advantage of Xu Nian'an's young age and inexperience, ostensibly to help him ascend the throne while secretly wresting power away from him—to use the prince's authority to command the feudal lords.
But he'd never expected Xu Nian'an to ascend the throne early. Worse, the moment he did, he'd branded Wei Kun a rebel.
It had ruined Wei Kun's entire plan.
"You're only a six-year-old child. How could you possibly understand any of this? Someone must be manipulating you behind the scenes... holding you hostage, right?"
"It's all right. I'm the prime minister of the Starry Sky Kingdom and head of the Cabinet. I'll rescue you right now."
With his plan in ruins, Wei Kun decided to seize Xu Nian'an by force and carry on with his absurd scheme.
"Get over here!"
Wei Kun spread his hand and lunged for Xu Nian'an.
Seeing this, Xu Yi narrowed his eyes.
He raised his hand. A flash of black light appeared, and a pitch-black longsword materialized in his grip.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—the six Soul Rings appeared.
He was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor.
"Heh. A mere Six-Ring Soul Emperor? Get the hell out of my way!!!"
Wei Kun narrowed his eyes and clenched his right hand into a fist. Dense black scales instantly covered it.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—seven Soul Rings appeared around Wei Kun, two yellow, two purple, and three black.
Bang~!!! Pfft~!!!
A Soul Saint against a Soul Emperor was hardly a fight.
It was a one-sided crushing defeat. With a single punch, Xu Yi spat blood and flew backward, crashing off the raised platform built for the coronation ceremony.
"Damn it, Wei Kun, how dare you!"
"I have a hundred thousand Imperial Guards protecting Starry Sky City. If you dare hurt the king, I'll rally the troops at once. We'll abandon the walls and die together with you traitorous rebels!"
"Heh heh heh..."
Hearing Xu Yi, whom he'd just sent flying, Wei Kun slowed his steps.
"There's no need for that. There's no need. As long as His Highness takes back his earlier order and obediently accepts the Cabinet's guidance, we can still coexist."
At that, Xu Nian'an narrowed his eyes, a nameless fury rising inside him.
"Impossible. You'll have to kill me first!"
Hearing Xu Nian'an's words, Wei Kun's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"What did you say?"
"I've never heard such an outrageous demand in my life. If you insist on it, then I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to die..."
Wei Kun hadn't even finished speaking when the rest of his words caught in his throat.
He couldn't get another word out.
A hand appeared out of thin air. Space shuddered, and from within it emerged a tall old man with a head of silver hair, every strand perfectly in place.
The old man's eyes were cold. His aura was vast and deep as the abyss, his towering body floating motionless as one hand gripped Wei Kun by the throat.
"Hand of National Protection, chief enshrined of the Holy Spirit Cult, Long Xiaoyao, pays his respects to the king!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
The instant Long Xiaoyao finished speaking, figures in black robes slowly appeared from every direction.
"Holy Spirit Cult deacon, paying respects to the king!"
"Holy Spirit Cult envoy, paying respects to the king!"
Xu Nian'an tamped down his anger and slowly raised his head.
"Kill the rebels, quell the unrest, and set the court to rights!"
"Take every official plotting rebellion—and every one of their nine generations—and... kill them all!"
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