"Twelve rebel kings..."
Chen Qingyu tapped the armrest of the throne, lost in thought and remaining silent.
"These people must be eliminated!"
His sole purpose in coming to the Nine Realms was to seek that "gift".
Based on the information he currently has:
That "gift" is likely related to the Five Great Divine Artifacts, and it is necessary to collect them all.
Even if it's unrelated, we still need to suppress all the rebel kings and armies before mobilizing the forces of the Nine Realms to carry out a massive search of the heavens and the earth.
" Mighty Marshal."
Chen Qingyu snapped out of his daze, looked at the golden-armored general, and said in a deep voice:
"Now tell me, who holds the other four divine artifacts?"
These twelve rebel kings were merely twelve Half-Step Heavenly Lord, whom he didn't even consider worthy of his attention.
Even in a direct confrontation, he was confident he could defeat and kill them all!
The only thing he could be wary of were the other four incredibly powerful divine artifacts!
Upon hearing this, the Mighty Marshal pointed to the suspended light screen and solemnly said:
"Your Majesty, please look!"
As he pointed out:
The map of the Nine Realms on the light screen suddenly revealed four scarlet glows, each occupying a realm.
"Now, the four divine artifacts are scattered in all directions, each controlled by one of the four thieves."
"These four rebel kings are also the four most powerful and have the largest territories in the Nine Realms."
Chen Qingyu looked up and his heart stirred.
Above the light screen:
Those four scarlet areas not only marked the rebel king's name, sphere of influence, and the artifacts he controlled, but also provided corresponding detailed annotations.
The territories, from largest to smallest, are:
The Ascension Heavenly King, the successor to the " Eastern Heavenly King " and one of the Four Heavenly Kings, later openly rebelled and now controls the " Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag," occupying the Ascension Realm, one of the Nine Realms;
The Raging Sea Dragon King was originally a fisherman on the beach. Born into poverty, he had a fortuitous encounter in his youth and soared to great heights. Now, he controls the " All-Heaven Creation Gate " and occupies the Abyssal Sea Realm.
Chonglou Saint King, born into a powerful aristocratic family and possessing extraordinary talent, quickly swept across the realm after his rebellion. Now, he controls the " Qianyuan Spirit-Illuminating Mirror " and dominates the Chonglou Realm.
The Great Azure Realm King has a mysterious origin, possibly from a secret sect. He has gathered a large number of Rogue Cultivator and geniuses from the Nine Realms under his command, and now controls the " Five-Colored Heaven Altar," occupying the Great Azure Realm.
"Good."
Chen Qingyu glanced at it and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
This map shows that the military commanders in Heavenly Capital had long been preparing to quell the rebellion.
Although trapped in Heavenly Capital and forced to watch the situation deteriorate, they were prepared to wait for the day when Heavenly Emperor Chen Chentian would awaken and launch a large-scale invasion.
It must be said that the Zhang Clan Heavenly Dynasty has ruled the Nine Realms for over 100,000 years and remains the legitimate dynasty to this day. Even when the country was in ruins, it still had many loyal subjects.
"I am unworthy of Your Majesty's praise."
The Mighty Marshal lowered his head, his voice deep and muffled:
"Our negligence has led to the growth of the rebel army and the emergence of numerous rebellions against the king; this is a grave crime."
"Alright."
Chen Qingyu waved his hand and said:
"I have been asleep for many years, which has resulted in you also being bound hand and foot. This is not your fault."
Upon hearing this statement:
The civil and military officials in the Heaven-Bearing Hall Central Capital secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Since Heavenly Emperor Chen has decided not to hold them accountable for their past mistakes and will no longer pursue them, this is naturally a great thing.
"His Majesty."
The Grand Secretary stepped forward, bowed, and said:
" The Nine Realms are in turmoil, and the rebels are powerful. We humbly request Your Majesty's guidance on what to do next."
Upon hearing the Prime Minister's words:
The eyes of many civil and military officials, including the Mighty Marshal, were focused on the " Heavenly Emperor Chen ".
"Um..."
Chen Qingyu pondered for a moment, then looked at the Grand Secretary and said:
What good strategies does the Grand Secretary have?
Upon hearing this, the Grand Secretary seemed to have been prepared and immediately replied:
"These twelve rebel kings in the Nine Realms are also riddled with internal conflicts, and are hostile and confrontational towards each other."
"In my humble opinion, the best course of action now is to incite internal conflicts among them, thereby dividing and weakening them, and defeating them one by one."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyu became interested and gestured:
"The Grand Secretary can elaborate."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Grand Secretary bowed deeply and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty is the legitimate ruler of the Celestial Empire and the heart of the people. You can feign an abdication to gather numerous rebel kings and select the next Celestial Emperor."
"This is an open scheme; they had no choice but to come."
"Once all twelve rebel kings have gathered, we can use our cunning and maneuvering to make them fight amongst themselves, thereby..."
"Shut up!"
"Grand Secretary! These are words that strike at the heart of the matter!"
"Your Majesty is the Heavenly Emperor, the sovereign and father who rules over the Nine Realms. How can you compromise with treacherous ministers and rebels?!"
Not only him, but many of the generals also glared angrily at the chief minister and loudly rebuked him.
On the contrary, a group of civil officials kept their heads down and remained silent.
"His Majesty!"
Faced with accusations from numerous military officers, the old chief minister remained unmoved and insisted:
"Your Majesty, I am wholeheartedly devoted to the country and to Your Majesty, and have absolutely no other intentions!"
"The rebels are now powerful, so this is a last resort, a desperate measure. Otherwise..."
"Alright."
Chen Qingyu waved his hand and said:
"I already understand the Grand Secretary's intentions."
He knew very well:
The Prime Minister's plan is feasible to a certain extent, and may even be the best plan under the current circumstances.
The twelve rebel kings, whose combined strength far surpassed that of the Zhang Clan Heavenly Dynasty, hesitated to invade the Heavenly River Realm, which was actually due to mutual apprehension.
Everyone knows that Heavenly Capital first will become emperor.
However, in the current situation, neither side has overwhelming strength, and whoever attacks Heavenly Capital first is likely to be attacked by all sides.
It was through mutual distrust and checks and balances that the Heavenly River Realm managed to maintain a semblance of stability for many years, and the Zhang Clan Heavenly Dynasty was able to survive.
As the Grand Secretary said, if at such a time, the " Heavenly Emperor Chen " were to issue an announcement to the Nine Realms, summoning the twelve rebel kings to select a successor, then they would have no choice but to come.
after all:
If you don't come and just sit and watch the battle, then once a victor emerges in the struggle for the Heavenly Capital and gathers the remaining divine artifacts, the tide will be turned and you will no longer be able to resist.
Even if they saw through the scheme of the Zhang Clan Heavenly Dynasty, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and obey the Heavenly Emperor's decree.
"His Majesty..."
The Grand Secretary's expression shifted slightly, and he cautiously inquired:
"So, Your Majesty means..."
Chen Qingyu remained calm and slowly said:
"The Grand Secretary's idea to use my legitimacy to rally the rebel kings, sow discord, and incite them to kill each other is quite good."
"But all schemes must be backed by strength."
"Many rebel kings are not fools. Aren't you afraid of making a fool of yourself and ultimately benefiting others?"
Upon hearing this statement:
The Grand Secretary's eyebrows twitched, and he lowered his head deeply, remaining silent.
How could he not know this?
Once the numerous rebel kings gathered in the Heavenly Capital, they actually had no power to control the course of the situation. They could only try to survive by maneuvering between different factions and gambling on that slim chance.
There's nothing I can do about it.
Now that the Celestial Empire is weak while the rebel kings are powerful, their only bargaining chips are their legitimacy and the " Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron," the foremost of the Five Great Divine Artifacts.
If this method is not adopted, they will not even have the chance to sit at the gambling table. They can only watch helplessly as the feudal lords fight each other and a new emperor of the new era is born, crushing them, the dregs of the old era, into dust.
Ultimately, all conflicts boil down to one issue:
The Zhang Clan Heavenly Dynasty is not strong enough, and Heavenly Emperor Chen has lost his power to dominate the Nine Realms and suppress the world.
The Heavenly Emperor is old; can he still fight?!
You provided the starting sign-in rewards for the legendary Zhuang Shisan, featuring Chen Qingyu from the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Transformations Zhuang Shisan.