The Mandate of Heaven Lies with Great Jing, the Punishment Head's Inheritance

[Kaiyuan Year 43, Tian Shan Ji Que's lifespan is nearing its end. Before dying, he comes to challenge the Martial Arts Legend. You successfully survive his challenge, overcoming a calamity, and receive a survival reward - the immortal cultivation art 'Heavenly Heart Thunder Method'.]

Jiang Changsheng sat on the bed, the corners of his mouth raised.

As expected of a Grandmaster, the reward is extraordinary!

Jiang Changsheng began to happily inherit the Heavenly Heart Thunder Method. As he grew stronger and continued to stay in the Dragon Arising Temple, the survival rewards were not many, so he always looked forward to them.

In fact, he could have chosen another path, which was to venture into the martial world, fighting and killing every day. The survival rewards would definitely explode, but that was too inappropriate, delaying his cultivation. The survival rewards only provided methods of cultivation, not directly making him stronger.

Moreover, with too many enemies, he always felt he would fail.

Only those who can kill to the end are the protagonists; those who die halfway are supporting characters, even villains.

Tian Shan Ji Que died in battle at the Dragon Arising Temple and was buried in the Hero's Graveyard. This matter spread like wildfire throughout the Great Jing martial world within a month.

Although Sword Madman and Mad Blade were strong, they had not yet reached the Grandmaster level.

This battle completely ingrained the Hero's Graveyard's status in the hearts of martial artists, and even a saying emerged.

The greatest fortune for a martial artist is to be buried in the Hero's Graveyard.

Of course, more people scoffed at this, they were more eager to flatten the Dragon Arising Temple and create their own Martial Arts Legend by stepping on the Hero's Graveyard.

During the autumn season.

Jiang Yu led his army back to Jing City. After understanding the Emperor's arrangements, he couldn't help but be furious. He stormed into the palace and confronted Jiang Yuan in the imperial study.

The current Jiang Yuan was already in his twilight years, lying on the Dragon Tower, his eyes half-closed.

"Father, are you trying to harm your son? Supporting Ziyu will only cause trouble for Zihan! When I ascend the throne, I will definitely make Zihan the Crown Prince!"

Jiang Yu rebuked, completely disregarding Jiang Yuan as the Emperor.

Jiang Yuan weakly said, "Zihan is too arrogant and ruthless. You don't want to see your sons killing each other, do you?"

Jiang Yu frowned but remained silent.

Although he fought with his brothers, he didn't want to see his sons fighting.

Jiang Yu came to the table and sat down, sighing, "Father, your son suddenly feels so tired. This throne is not as easy as I imagined."

The past two years of fighting had smoothed out the arrogance in his heart.

Jiang Yuan did not answer, as if he had fallen asleep.

Jiang Yu began to recount his experiences over the past two years. Even after inviting experts from the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower, they could not turn the tide. Although there were only three Gu Han Grandmasters, each of them was comparable to Zong Tianwu. The experts from the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower could only restrain them, while the Gu Han army was stronger and had more numbers.

The most crucial thing was that the Jin Dynasty had also joined the war, completely causing Jiang Yu to retreat.

Great Jing and Gu Han had been fighting for many years, draining their resources and weakening their national strength, but the Jin Dynasty had been recuperating, and its strength was faintly stronger than both Great Jing and Gu Han.

"The Dragon Tower is too deceitful, forcing me to restore the Chu Dynasty. If I don't restore the Chu Dynasty, they won't send more and stronger experts to support me. The same goes for the five Grandmasters of the Great Jing martial world. Father, is Great Jing's fate really exhausted?"

Jiang Yu gritted his teeth, his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves, his mood difficult to calm.

Jiang Yuan showed no emotional fluctuation even upon hearing the words 'restore the Chu Dynasty'.

He was already too weak to think about so many things; he was completely sustained by Jiang Changsheng's medicine.

Jiang Yu spoke for a long time, venting the pent-up frustration in his heart. He stood up and looked down at Jiang Yuan on the dragon bed, saying, "Father, it's time for you to die. Let me decide on the restoration of Chu; this way, it won't tarnish your reputation. But if you keep holding on, it will be a stain on your imperial life."

After speaking, he turned and left.

Jiang Yuan struggled to open his eyes, watching the direction he left, his eyes revealing regret and unwillingness.

"This game... I still... lost..."

At the end of the year, Eunuch Li came to find Jiang Changsheng, saying that His Majesty the Emperor summoned him. Jiang Changsheng sensed something and went with Eunuch Li.

Arriving at Jiang Yuan's bedroom, the Empress was feeding Jiang Yuan medicine. Seeing Jiang Changsheng arrive, Jiang Yuan coughed excitedly.

The current Jiang Yuan was already skin and bones, his face full of age spots, the vitality in his body about to be cut off.

"All... retreat..."

Jiang Yuan said with difficulty. Seeing him wave his hand, the Empress had no choice but to retreat with the palace maids. When passing by Jiang Changsheng, the Empress looked at him worriedly, sighed, and left, closing the door behind her.

Jiang Changsheng came to the bedside.

Jiang Yuan held his hand, very excited, his hand trembling, but he couldn't say a word.

Seeing his eyes red and tearful, Jiang Changsheng couldn't bear it and used the Spring Return Spell on him, allowing him to rally briefly before death.

In an instant, Jiang Yuan clearly felt the pain in his body disappear, replaced by a strength he had almost forgotten. He sat up tremblingly and said in a trembling voice, "Changsheng, this is definitely not martial arts... but I am already a dying man... I summoned you here because I want to make up for the regrets and guilt in my heart..."

Jiang Changsheng remained expressionless and said, "Your Majesty, your current age can be considered a natural death. Why regret? The country has its own destiny. Trust the descendants."

Jiang Yuan held his hand with both hands, his chest rising and falling. He tried to calm his emotions and said, "I have something to tell you... I didn't want to say it, I wanted to take this secret to the afterlife, but I'm afraid..."

Jiang Changsheng said, "Afraid of what? Afraid of letting me down, or afraid that someone will target me without me knowing?"

Jiang Yuan was stunned, looking at him in disbelief.

Jiang Changsheng said, "My dear father, in fact, I have always known that the mysterious person you saw that night was none other than me."

Jiang Yuan was struck by lightning, his hands subconsciously releasing Jiang Changsheng's hand.

Jiang Changsheng remained calm.

Jiang Yuan suddenly understood, but was still puzzled, and asked, "Who told you? Eunuch Li? Or those guys who were beheaded by me?"

Jiang Changsheng said, "Just think of me as knowing the Mandate of Heaven."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan's face changed, eventually turning into a wry smile.

"It's not important anymore... The reason why I wanted to tell you about your background is that the Crown Prince's mother also knows about it. Originally, it was nothing, after all, your martial arts are strong... but the Crown Prince wants to restore Chu. Once Chu is restored, you and other brothers will have to die. The Crown Prince has mastered a peerless divine skill that can absorb people's true qi. I'm afraid you won't be able to guard against it..." Jiang Yuan gritted his teeth.

His face was full of regret.

Jiang Changsheng said, "Thank you for the reminder."

Jiang Yuan looked at him again, his eyes full of guilt, and asked, "Qian'er... Changsheng, do you hate Father..."

Jiang Changsheng said, "I did hate it when I learned the truth, but now I have let it go. I am not interested in the throne, but I am disgusted by others deciding my fate, so I also resisted."

Jiang Yuan said helplessly, "Changsheng, you are indeed very strong, and now you are the Martial Arts Supreme, but Father Emperor still gives you a piece of advice: do not underestimate this world. The Great Jing's Thirteen Provinces are just a corner of this vast world. Behind the Crown Prince is the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower, a sacred ground that has stood for thousands of years. There may be more than just the Dragon Tower. In order to monopolize the martial arts resources of this land, the Dragon Tower made the Chu Dynasty issue the Martial Arts Restriction Order. The martial arts of the Thirteen Provinces are not the strongest, and even lag behind other places. Although the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower will not interfere with the change of dynasties, my promotion of martial arts has angered them, so they taught the Crown Prince divine skills, absorbed my true qi, and are preparing to restore Chu..."

Martial Arts Restriction Order?

Jiang Changsheng didn't know about this, but he knew that the Chu Dynasty did value literature over martial arts.

"The Great Vehicle Dragon Tower is very strong... you are no match for them. Leave Jing City early..." Jiang Yuan was too excited, and he couldn't help coughing again as he said this.

Jiang Changsheng said, "Is that so? What if I destroy the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower?"

Jiang Yuan was stunned, only feeling that Jiang Changsheng was talking nonsense, but when he met Jiang Changsheng's eyes, he felt that the other party was not speaking falsely.

"What if you destroy the Dragon Tower... no matter how strong you are, this world does not belong to you. You have no status. The Great Jing's country will still be taken away by others..." Jiang Yuan shook his head.

It was impossible for him to announce to the world and restore Jiang Changsheng's status as Crown Prince. If that were the case, he would be infamous for ten thousand years, and his entire life would be a joke.

Jiang Changsheng was a little disappointed in his heart, and he followed, "It doesn't belong to me, but it can belong to my son."

Son?

Jiang Yuan's eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief.

"Who is your son... Prince Wei? Impossible... I asked you to be Prince Wei's master... how could you possibly scheme..." Jiang Yuan asked in a trembling voice.

Jiang Changsheng said expressionlessly, "Just imitating you, my respected Father Emperor. The two wastes from the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower didn't notice anything. Tell me, what threat can such a Great Vehicle Dragon Tower pose to me?"

Jiang Yuan trembled all over.

Jiang Changsheng said, "You should be glad that I left you a grandson. This Great Jing can still stand for another hundred years, which can be considered my repayment for the grace of your birth."

He turned to leave.

That was enough said.

Jiang Yuan raised his hand, subconsciously wanting to keep him, but thousands of words were stuck in his throat, and he could only watch him push the door and leave.

Jiang Yuan slowly lay down, and he suddenly showed a smile, with tears in his smile.

"I never thought that in my life, Jiang Yuan, I would ultimately rely on the child I abandoned... hahaha, destiny is with Jing..."

Jiang Yuan's eyes changed, and the former Kaiyuan Great Emperor seemed to have returned.

In the forty-third year of Kaiyuan, at the end of the year, Jiang Yuan, the founding emperor of the Great Jing, passed away. His posthumous title was Martial Ancestor, Jing Martial Ancestor, and the whole court mourned.

Crown Prince Jiang Yu ascended the throne and became emperor, establishing the regnal year, Zhenyu.

The new year arrived, the first year of Zhenyu.

In this year, Jiang Ziyu was fifteen years old.

Dragon Arising Temple.

Eunuch Li came to visit. He had been expelled from the palace and demoted to a commoner. Although his status had declined, he was still a Peerless Expert, and he would be able to live a life of ease in the future.

Wang Chen led Eunuch Li to Jiang Changsheng's courtyard.

When Eunuch Li saw that there was another person in the courtyard, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

He hurriedly knelt down and said, "Empress..."

He didn't expect the mysteriously missing Empress to be at Dragon Arising Temple; he had thought the Empress had been killed by Jiang Yu's men.

The Empress, dressed in a simple Daoist robe, stood up and said, "I am no longer the Empress, you all talk."

She turned and returned to her room, her steps faltering, because she was also of advanced age, only having taken a Youth Preservation Pill. If Jiang Changsheng hadn't refined pills for her, she feared she would have followed Jiang Yuan, but even so, she wouldn't live much longer, because her heart was already dead.

Although Jiang Changsheng's medical skills were superb, he couldn't help people live forever. He himself was just a cultivator, not a true immortal.

Eunuch Li walked up to Jiang Changsheng. Ping An, Jiang Ziyu, and Xu Tianji were not around; they had gone to the city together today.

Jiang Changsheng sat at the table, playing with a teacup, and said with a smile, "Eunuch Li, now that His Majesty has passed away, you still come to me, aren't you afraid of death?"

Eunuch Li was moved, instantly understanding the other party's meaning, and a storm surged in his heart.

"So His Majesty..."

Eunuch Li knelt down in fear, kowtowing and saying, "Crown Prince... This old servant was only following His Majesty's orders back then..."

The box in his arms fell to the ground.

Jiang Changsheng frowned and asked, "What is this thing?"

He sensed a trace of extreme Yin energy. He suddenly remembered the mysterious black aura he had seen during his soul's out-of-body experience. The aura was exactly the same as this box.

Eunuch Li looked up and quickly said, "This is His Majesty's gift to Prince Wei, hoping you will pass it on to Prince Wei. This is the foundation of the country. I wonder if Your Highness knows of the Punishment Head?"

Jiang Changsheng snorted, "No need to call me Crown Prince, I don't want this identity. I know of the Punishment Head, so what?"

Eunuch Li replied, "The Punishment Head is in the box. He is not a person, but a mountain demon. Back then, His Majesty had the Four Seas Sages save his life, and he has since served His Majesty. He usually uses illusions to transform into a human form. Because he is a demon, the world only knows his name, but not his true existence. He is His Majesty's secret knife, the sharpest knife. Now His Majesty is passing this knife on to Prince Wei, to help Prince Wei..."

"Save the Great Jing Dynasty!"

This can also be considered the beginning of a new chapter!