The Fire Dong Zhongshu Struggled to Ignite

"In the inner sanctuary!"

Wang Zang's attempt to locate the source failed, but Dong Zhongshu's seizing opportunity to insert Unity of Celestial Person and Heaven tracking Technique Method imprint revealed the true location.

He felt a chill run through him.

There was only one corpse in the inner sanctum.

Shi Wudao's true target was likely Emperor Jing.

If they hadn't been drawn from the new emperor's forces, such inadequate protection would have been enough to warrant beheading.

Dong Zhongshu's forehead was beaded with cold sweat.

Dong Zhongshu was indeed powerless to fight at the moment. Not only was he injured by the collapsed house, but he also had the hidden danger of forcibly entering the Sole Self Realm. He was forced to suppress it by Li Guang's Supreme Purity True Technique.

If he were to use his strength to fight, it would inevitably cause the hidden dangers to erupt.

However, Shi Wudao is not currently alive, and such an inanimate object can easily escape.

If he cannot kill him with a single blow, Shi Wudao's revenge after escaping will cause Dong Zhongshu great distress.

He now knew the general location, but with many concerns in his mind, he didn't dare to speak for a moment.

"Erudite Dong?"

Wang Zang's spell failed, and he not only suffered from the blood arrow, but also from the backlash of the interrupted spell, making it difficult for him to exert his strength for the time being.

This made the new emperor somewhat depressed, and he also asked the third great Confucian scholar, Dong Zhongshu.

"Your Majesty, if we find Shi Wudao, how can we effectively strike him?"

Instead of directly seeking out the whereabouts, Dong Zhongshu asked the new emperor a question.

"The two Imperial Guards are exceptionally powerful and can ward off evil spirits," the new emperor replied.

"Commander Li, Commander Cheng, if there's a target, can you completely eliminate Shi Wudao?" Dong Zhongshu asked the entrance of the main hall.

"I'm only good at guarding; I'm not very Cheng Bushi replied, turning his head.

"My arrow..."

Dong Zhongshu's hesitation mirrored Li Guang's hesitation.

If Shi Wudao were to manipulate Emperor Jing's corpse to emerge from the coffin, Li Guang would also be at a loss as to how to deal with it.

At this moment, he only wished to transform into Cheng Bushi, since he didn't have the ability to do so, making it easier to shirk responsibility.

"Erudite Dong, have you confirmed the location of that Corpse-Destroying Dao?" Li Guang asked in return.

"If you can kill him completely, I am willing to give it a try. If you cannot kill Shi Wudao, then it is better to wait until dawn so that he will have difficulty hiding and will have to retreat, and then thoroughly search the entire city during the day," Dong Zhongshu said.

"Does this mean they're letting the scoundrel leave?"

Before Li Guang could reply, the new emperor on the dragon throne grew anxious.

He releases this today and that tomorrow; he's hardly had a day off these days.

For the new emperor, the right thing to do is to kill or even completely annihilate any provocateur.

He didn't want to play along with these people, nor could he stand by and watch the royal family's dignity be trampled on time and time again.

However, the fact that the court officials were like scattered sand made the new emperor feel utterly humiliated.

This was something Emperor Jing often mentioned in the past, and now the new emperor has come to understand it as well.

He glanced at the high-ranking officials, including the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, then at Zhao Wan and Wang Zang, before finally settling on Dong Zhongshu and Li Guang, who were bowing in apology.

"Not good!"

If it is said that most of the high-ranking officials were prudent and self-preserving, and some were entangled with the Empress Dowager, resulting in them not putting in their best efforts, then Li Guang and Dong Zhongshu were among those whom Emperor Jing had specifically named.

Some of these people are questionable but usable, while others are usable and even reusable.

The new emperor was unwilling to follow the old system and had his own subjective judgment, but he undoubtedly believed in his father's advice.

The fact that Dong Zhongshu and Li Guang were able to talk back and forth probing each other suggests that there must have been some reservations involved.

In the main hall of the Weiyang Palace, there weren't many things that could still be considered taboo under his golden words.

One involves the Empress Dowager of Chang Le Palace, and the other involves the late Emperor.

The Chang Le Palace had already seen instances of refusing to expel the corpse-obsessed, so the rest is not hard to guess.

"To the inner palace!"

On the dragon throne, the new emperor quickly rose and then stepped down.

He stepped over the ground, which the eunuchs had quickly cleaned of filth and flesh, ignored the barrier formed by the imperial censor's treasure, and chose to move forward directly.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Zhi Bu Ning exclaimed in surprise, and hurriedly tried to control her Law Power.

He withdrew his Law Power from his body, but the new emperor had already strode forward and passed him several meters ahead.

Then Chancellor Wei Wan bowed and reached out to stop him, only to be struck by the hilt of the long sword worn at the new emperor's waist.

When Wei Wan trembled and contracted her swollen right hand, none of the three dukes and nine ministers dared to stop her.

The group exchanged glances and had no choice but to follow behind the new emperor, while repeatedly giving Li Guang and Cheng Bushi meaningful looks.

"It's dangerous outside, Your Majesty..."

Cheng Bushi about to reach out to stop him, he heard Li Guang cough softly, which made him quickly withdraw his hand.

"Your Majesty may stay by my side; I will swear to protect Your Majesty's safety with my life!"

Cheng Bushi changed his tone, putting down the greatsword he was carrying and holding a heavy shield engraved with the Black Tortoise.

"To the inner palace!"

The new emperor repeated the sentence, Cheng Bushi quickly changed the direction of the heavy shield he had set up.

He strode forward to block their path, while the new emperor strode swiftly behind him.

"Erudite Dong?"

Li Guang spoke in a low voice, Dong Zhongshu pointed to his own body, then nodded and quickly followed behind the new emperor.

He lacked the confidence to directly point out the location of Shi Wudao, but the hints from his conversation with Li Guang clearly made the new emperor understand.

Dong Zhongshu had no one to protect him at all times, but the new emperor did. The new emperor was not afraid of provoking Shi Wudao, and Shi Wudao would find it difficult to truly retaliate against the new emperor.

More importantly, the new emperor had no taboo against examining Emperor Jing's body.

Such matters should be handled by the new emperor, not by these ministers.

Leaving the main hall of the Weiyang Palace, turn and walk a hundred meters to reach the inner hall where Emperor Jing's coffin is placed.

Compared to the Weiyang Palace, the center of supreme power, the furnishings here are clearly a level below.

However, there were also many civil and military officials here, with nearly twenty people keeping vigil and spending the night here.

The new emperor glanced at the officials and saw that none of them dared to slacken their vigil, which made him somewhat doubt his own judgment.

But he quickly turned his attention to the coffin.

"Do not open the coffin to worship me again seven days after my body has been placed in it."

The words Emperor Jing had given before his death still echoed in the new emperor's mind. Looking at the coffin, he was unsure whether to open it or not.

"It's too late, too late, hahaha~"

Shi Wudao's voice echoed continuously in the inner hall.

"If I were to reappear in the mortal realm as Emperor Jing, what would you all do?"

Above the coffin, wisps of dark gray smoke swirled and occasionally coalesced into a terrifying and ferocious face.

Waves of corpse energy continued to emanate, and a chilling aura quickly spread, causing the nearby civil and military officials to be terrified, their Qi and Blood and Law Power surging forth.

"Do you intend to commit treason and slaughter the emperor, or are you willing to honor me as emperor?"

Laughter emanated from the large face on the coffin.

Looking at the civil and military officials who dared not step forward out of fear of disgracing the late emperor's remains, and then at the new emperor whose face was flushed red, he felt a surge of resentment.

"By order of the Empress Dowager, this talisman can seal the wicked corpse within the coffin, and after forty-nine days, it will surely bring about his demise!"

When the new emperor was filled with anger and frustration, he heard footsteps and pronouncements coming from outside the inner palace.

Clearly, almost everything that happened was exactly as the Empress Dowager had predicted.

A golden talisman floated up and gently covered the coffin.

At the same time, a streak of firelight flashed across the sky.

The pale flames, like flies chasing after rotting flesh, quickly followed the trail of corpse odor.

"Southern Fire!"

Dong Zhongshu's heart stirred.

This was a skill he possessed, but it wasn't a skill he could display in front of the new emperor.

This flame can burn Shi Wudao, and it can also burn Emperor Jing's corpse.

Killing the former is a meritorious act, while destroying the latter is a capital offense.

Merits and demerits are difficult to offset, and life and death are difficult to control.

But there's no problem if someone else sets the fire.