Demons

"Master, are we going to see Father Emperor?"

Li Zhu's face turned deathly pale as he stared in horror at Prince Guangyang's severed head.

"Not me. You."

Zhou Yi handed Prince Guangyang's head to him, then flicked a finger. A streak of sword qi slashed across Li Zhu's shoulder.

Blood immediately soaked his yellow robe, and Li Zhu let out a cry.

"Prince Guangyang plotted rebellion and attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince killed him in retaliation and wiped out his entire household."

Li Zhu held the head with its eyes still wide open, his face blank.

"Master, will anyone believe that?"

"Whoever refuses to believe Prince Guangyang rebelled can come find me!"

Zhou Yi suddenly asked, "Have you heard of pointing to a deer as a horse?"

"Of course. That was done by the treacherous minister Zhao Gao, and his infamy has lasted through the ages."

"Good. You need to learn how to point to a deer as a horse!"

Qianyang Palace.

Before Prince Guangyang died, the emperor had already received a report.

After all, this was the capital of Great Jing. Though the Imperial Guard Directorate had no official presence here, the imperial clan had its own means of surveillance.

Li Yu roared, "Demonic Daoist! He truly is a Demonic Daoist! Great Companion Chu, hurry to Prince Guangyang's Mansion."

Before the eunuch Chu Xiu had even left the palace, another report arrived: Prince Guangyang's Mansion had been wiped out!

To an Innate Grandmaster, ordinary people were no different from ants. While the first batch of spies was still on the road, Prince Guangyang's head had already fallen.

Li Yu smashed his beloved Glazed Lamp to pieces, his eyes bloodshot. "How dare he! How dare he! That was an imperial prince of the court, a first-rank official!"

"Even the Demonic Monk who poisons the court was never this arrogant!"

Chu Xiu advised from the side, "Your Majesty, I do not believe Chixiao True Person has any interest in power. Perhaps there is some deeper purpose behind his actions."

"No matter what he wants to do, this Demonic Daoist cannot be allowed to live!"

Li Yu's eyes were bloodshot. Prince Guangyang's death did not matter much to him; he also knew that the Eight Great Kings had long since changed from meritorious subjects of Great Jing into parasites and scourges upon Great Jing.

He was afraid—afraid Zhou Yi would butcher the emperor just as he had killed Prince Guangyang.

At that moment, a eunuch hurried in to report, "Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor requests an audience."

"Hm?"

Fear flashed across Li Yu's face. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Let him in!"

Chu Xiu silently took his place behind Li Yu. With the cultivation of an Innate Grandmaster, even if he could not defeat Zhou Yi, he could still protect the emperor.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

After entering, Zhou Yi offered a casual salute.

The dense Blood Fiend Qi around him made the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall shiver for no reason.

"Grand Tutor, what brings you here?"

Li Yu suppressed the fear and hatred in his heart, acting as though he knew nothing of Prince Guangyang's death.

"Naturally, I have come to save Your Majesty's life."

The moment Zhou Yi spoke, the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall wished they could faint on the spot.

Palace secrets were not pleasant things to hear. Every year, who knew how many palace maids and eunuchs heard something they should not have, only to vanish without a trace afterward.

At Li Yu's signal, Chu Xiu declared loudly, "Why are you still here? His Majesty wishes to speak privately with the Grand Tutor."

"What do you mean, Grand Tutor? I am in the prime of life and suffer from no hidden illness. How could my life be in danger?"

Li Yu kept reminding himself that the Demonic Daoist was spouting nonsense and that he must not be bewitched by him. Yet deep down, he actually believed a little of it.

There were simply too many people in the world who wanted the emperor dead. Whether among the imperial clan or the ambitious heroes vying for the realm, all of them constantly hoped for Li Yu to die suddenly.

Li Yu trusted Chu Xiu not merely because of their bond. More importantly, Chu Xiu captured and killed several waves of assassins every year.

Zhou Yi said, "Does Your Majesty know why Pu Du Ci Hang covets the position of Imperial Preceptor?"

With only three people left in the hall, Li Yu no longer needed to conceal his desire to get rid of Pu Du Ci Hang as quickly as possible.

"Isn't that Demonic Monk after power? I know that the Buddhist Sect has expanded rapidly these past few years, all because of that Demonic Monk's indulgence."

Zhou Yi shook his head. "No, no. Pu Du Ci Hang is not a monk."

Li Yu frowned. "Not a monk? Could he be a Demonic Monster in disguise?"

"Your Majesty is correct. Pu Du Ci Hang is a Demonic Monster in disguise."

"Do you have proof?"

"Your Majesty need only investigate. Many officials in court have already had their organs devoured by Demonic Monsters. Only lesser demons remain, wearing their bodies as shells."

Zhou Yi understood the relationship between the Buddhist Sect and Pu Du Ci Hang, but he also truly knew its origins.

It was a Centipede Demon. Its years of cultivation might not rival the Thousand-Year Tree Demon's, but its strength was unfathomable, already far beyond that of ordinary Qi Induction into Body cultivators.

During that Magical Combat, it had not even Revealed Form before four Daoist True Men were defeated.

"Demonic Monsters... shells..."

Li Yu stared blankly into space and muttered, "No wonder my teacher was full of righteous qi, yet became a believer of the Demonic Monk."

"Great Companion Chu, do you think I wronged my teacher?"

Chu Xiu bowed. "Master He was killed by Demonic Monsters. Your Majesty should avenge Master He."

Imperial Tutor He Zhizhang had not only been Li Yu's teacher. He had personally helped Li Yu ascend the throne, and he had also been Chu Xiu's teacher.

The eunuchs beside the emperor did far more than attend to him; they needed to master all kinds of texts and records. If Chu Xiu had taken the imperial examinations, he possessed the talent to become a jinshi.

It was precisely because he comprehended the classics and had learned the palace's martial arts inheritance that he achieved perfection both within and without, ascending to the heavens in a single step.

"Back then, Father Emperor wanted to depose the legitimate heir and elevate the younger son. It was Master who remonstrated unto death that preserved my position as Crown Prince."

Li Yu reminisced, "I still remember twenty years ago, when I ascended the throne. I swore to emulate the Great Ancestor, to cleanse the realm and revitalize Great Jing. My ministers and I worked together with one heart. After six years of effort, the realm had begun to show signs of stability."

"At that time, I remember Great Companion Chu also served concurrently as Inspector, investigating corrupt officials. You were called Chu the Azure..."

Chu Xiu's eyes reddened. "For Great Jing, this servant would not hesitate to die ten thousand deaths."

Zhou Yi listened with a serious expression, but inwardly he felt helpless. Pu Du Ci Hang had nearly driven Li Yu mad. Whenever he had the chance, he would reminisce about the past and try to win people over.

Relying on sentiment to win people over was a ruler's greatest tragedy.

"Master, Jiang Yu, He Can, Yan Deze..."

Li Yu recited a string of names. His eyes turned red, and two tears actually fell.

"I swear that even if I die, I will eliminate that Demonic Monk and restore bright skies to Great Jing!"

Chu Xiu dropped to one knee. "I am willing to die for Your Majesty!"

"Great Companion Chu, once the realm is at peace, you shall enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

Li Yu was not a ruler who only spoke of feelings and ideals. At the very least, he knew that if he wanted his subordinates to risk their lives, he needed to promise them corresponding rewards.

For a eunuch to be honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple was unprecedented.

Zhou Yi spoke at the right moment. "Your Majesty, I came this time precisely to save you."

Li Yu wiped away tears that had long since dried, his expression turning solemn. "Does that Demonic Monk truly dare lay hands on me? Is he not afraid of heavenly retribution?"

Great Jing had ruled the realm for several centuries and understood Buddhist and Daoist cultivators well. The emperor bore the faith power of countless people, commonly known as Dragon Qi protecting his body.

Daoist True Men, arhats, Demonic Monsters and Ghosts would all avoid Dragon Qi. The backlash of faith power bringing down heavenly lightning was entirely normal.

"Your Majesty does not know this, but Pu Du Ci Hang has already begun refining Dragon Qi in secret. He devours the officials not to control the court, but to refine their fortune and weaken Great Jing's Dragon Qi."

"When the time is ripe, Your Majesty will become Pu Du Ci Hang's ultimate goal."

"When I had no choice but to threaten Your Majesty that day, it was because I knew that Pu Du Ci Hang might kill anyone, but he would never harm Your Majesty."

Zhou Yi said, "Because Your Majesty is his most important... food!"

With every sentence Zhou Yi spoke, Li Yu's face grew a shade paler.

Upon hearing the word "food," he nearly vomited the imperial meal he had eaten not long ago.

"Daoist Master Chixiao, how can you save me?"

"As long as you eliminate that Demonic Monk, I will grant you the position of Imperial Preceptor."