Heavenly Decree
Ye Capital came because of Prince of Chen. The newly cleared snow shone brightly, and all the Purple Mansion palaces trembled. Sima Ying forcibly suppressed the [Cold Qi] Divine Ability surging within her body and stared intently at the coffin.
However, a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
When Prince of Chen appeared, a Golden Core True Lord revealed his true form in the clouds to confront him.
It's Li Fire!
It's [Langya Li Fire Heaven]!
The Li Fire the heavens possesses the light of the sun and the bright fire on the ground; it belongs to the Yang principle. It is not a fire of nothingness, nor a fire of formless calamity; it is Yin Fire. It needs light to attach itself to something.
Once, the Wang Clan was also a subject of the Mingyang!
Traitors often go to extremes!
Above the horizon, a magnificent celestial light suddenly burst forth, like the midday sun blazing across the sky, so dazzling that even cultivators in the Purple Mansion could not open their eyes.
Immediately afterwards, layers of crimson clouds spread out from the edge of the sky, as if someone had splashed cinnabar ink, turning half of the sky bright red.
Thousands of purple flames rose from the crimson clouds, swirling and coalescing, slowly condensing into a pair of enormous fiery eyes, their pupils a pure purple-gold color, coldly overlooking the entire Ye Capital.
The raging flames surged around the fiery eyes, distorting and warping the air, as if they would burn the entire world to ashes in the next second.
The power of Li Fire truly astounding.
Beneath the fiery gaze, a figure dressed in crimson robes adorned with purple flames stood silently, his face gaunt and his expression serene—it was none other than Wang Lan of [Langya Li Fire Heaven].
He gazed at the coffin, his tone calm, as if advising a lost friend.
Slowly, He spoke, seemingly offering advice:
"The end of the Wei dynasty is a universally acknowledged trend. The Jin Imperial House emperor, with three thousand warriors, seized power over the land. The oath made at the Luo River promises the Prince of Chen much more freedom."
"But Prince of Chen was unwilling, for war and calamity would not have been allowed to break out, causing immense suffering and death, and making the Ye Capital perpetually snowy and windy, thus ruining the lives of countless loyal ministers, heroes, and valiant men."
"[The Cold Qi] is trapped in Mang, in this divine coffin, wouldn't it be better to prolong its days here?"
"Furthermore, according to the rites of the Two Kings and Three Respected Officials, there are still one or two members of the Cao Clan clan who can rest in peace in the imperial court, although their future is completely cut off, their ancestral temple is not yet extinct..."
His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to Ye Capital, gentle and upright, with an undeniable persuasive power.
These words were both reasonable and logical, and every sentence was based on morality.
Sima Ying nodded secretly in agreement. Wang Clan family truly lived up to their reputation as immortals, standing tall and unyielding!
Their ability to distort the truth has always been first-rate.
It was clearly our Sima Clan that seized the throne and exterminated the imperial family, yet now it seems as if the Wei clan is ungrateful!
Inside the coffin, Prince of Chen seemed to recall some of his former carefree days. His hoarse voice interrupted the conversation of True Lord Wang Clan, carrying a resolute tone hidden beneath a gentle exterior, as well as a hint of mockery.
"How much of the truth is in those carefully preserved records found in old books... You foolish wretch, you have disgraced the Wang Clan and willingly become a servant of the Sima Clan, so shut up."
The words "stupid slave" were spoken bluntly and crudely, utterly vulgar insults. Where was even a trace of the refined elegance of the once renowned scholar?!
That's the Wang Clan!
Sima Ying's pupils contracted slightly.
He considered himself, apart from Prince of Chen, the number one person of Cold Qi in this world.
Naturally, he was familiar with Prince of Chen's poetry and prose, and knew how elegant, refined, and eloquent he was.
Yet this same person, at this moment, openly utters the words "stupid servant" and "petty person," without the slightest embellishment.
It was clear that he was truly furious to the extreme, having even abandoned any semblance of civility.
Wang Lan, however, showed no anger whatsoever.
He had anticipated this reaction, and remained calm, even nodding slightly, as if tolerating the younger generation's unreasonable behavior. The next second, he slowly raised his right hand and took something out of his sleeve.
It was a divine decree formed from profound lightning.
God willing!
This is the will of all the heavens, and what's more, the one in Luoyang now has achieved unparalleled success and is even showing signs of being revered by all the heavens!
His divine decree is now virtually irresistible!
Lightning crackled and danced across the scroll, its purplish-black electric sparks lingering and unyielding. The moment it appeared, the very energy of the entire world seemed to freeze.
A sudden gust of wind arose, the clouds churned, and the sky, which had just cleared, instantly darkened again. Thick, dark clouds pressed down overhead like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.
The might of Heaven descends.
Wang Lan held the imperial edict between two fingers and slowly unfurled it. His solemn and majestic voice echoed across the land with the lightning, each word carrying the power of thunder, striking the hearts of all.
"The Jin dynasty has been established by Heaven, and the Wei dynasty has come to an end. We swore an oath by the Luo River, promising you peace and tranquility. But who would have thought that the Cao Clan would repeatedly plot rebellion, causing immense suffering to the people, breaking their oath and bringing ruin upon themselves? Now, I, by imperial decree, clearly establish the law and punish all the clans of Wei, so that all may hear this."
The moment the words left his mouth, Ye Capital was jolted.
It was as if an invisible hand was gripping everything in the world.
The city walls served as boundaries, effectively isolating this area from the rest of the world.
The snowstorm stopped in mid-air, and all living things froze in place.
A decree from Heaven.
Let the heavens be a prison and the earth a jail.
All the cultivators in the city paled.
They could clearly feel that the surrounding space had been completely sealed off; not only could they not escape, but they couldn't even send out communication talismans.
With the intervention of the True Lord and the blessing of Heaven, the situation was terrifyingly severe.
Sima Ying's internal Cold Qi became completely agitated, as if it were both fearful and angry.
But the smile on his lips was almost impossible to suppress.
very good.
Once the imperial decree is issued, there is no room for maneuver. This Prince of Chen is destined to die in Ye Capital today.
With utmost loyalty and tireless effort!
The Supreme One will surely grant it to me!
It definitely will!
Once Prince of Chen dies, who else but me will fill the void of this [Cold Qi]?
If it weren't for me, Sima Ying, who else could command [Cold Qi]!
Luoyang.
Outside the palace, more than ten remaining members of the Cao Clan's collateral branches, who had been selected through the selection process, were kneeling on the cold jade steps.
Most of them had white hair and beards, and the youngest was over forty years old. Confinement had long since worn down their edges, and even the Mingyang in their blood was so thin that it was almost imperceptible. They were cold and weak, like a group of old beasts whose teeth had been pulled out, barely clinging to life.
The elderly man at the head of the group had completely white hair, a hunched back, and knelt at the very front, his expression calm.
They knew this day would come.
The so-called "Two Kings and Three Respected Officials" sounded like a benevolent treatment of the former dynasty's imperial family, but in reality, it was nothing more than imprisonment—imprisonment for life, a life without seeing the light of day.
On the palace steps stood Sima Honglin's imposing figure, hands clasped behind his back.
He wore an imperial robe, his face was cold and stern, revealing neither joy nor anger. He looked down at the group of the Cao Clan clan members kneeling below him, his tone as calm as if he were talking about something trivial.
It also seemed like an explanation to comfort himself.
"It is not that our family lacks integrity, but rather it is the will of Heaven."
He slightly raised his hand, and a dozen armored soldiers, appearing out of nowhere, carrying trays, slowly walked towards them.
A dozen or so glasses of clear liquor were neatly arranged on the tray. The liquor was crystal clear, reflecting the grayish-white light of the sky, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Sima Honglin's voice fell slowly, without a trace of emotion. "My lords, drink."
Among the kneeling crowd, some began to tremble.
The younger members of the collateral branches raised their heads, their faces filled with terror, their lips trembling as if they wanted to beg for mercy, but they couldn't say anything when faced with the indifferent eyes of their Sima Honglin.
Some people looked blank, as if they had long given up hope, and just stared numbly at the wine glass in front of them.
The white-haired old man at the front, who is also the current patriarch of the Cao Clan, slowly reached out and picked up the cup of wine at the front.
His hands were steady, without the slightest tremor.
The old man raised his head, glanced in the direction of Ye Capital in the north, and a glint of light flashed in his cloudy eyes.
Then he burst into loud laughter, a desolate laugh, yet carrying a long-lost sense of unbridled joy, an emotion that seemed to infect his people.
In their final moments, they spoke their minds without reservation.
"So grand and imposing, yet so fickle... Your clan, so high and mighty, should not forget that you caused the extermination of your entire clan, bringing about the same fate as my own!"
"Hahahaha! The world will remember the name of the Cao Clan, so what can the Sima Clan do!"
"Let us die if we must, but let not the Prince of Chen be distracted! Even if we kill one or two more Sima Clan bastards, our wish will be fulfilled!"