Shi Wudao, Goodbye

"The four directions and the space above and below are called the universe; the past and the present are called the cosmos; the universe encompasses all things..."

High above the inner palace of the Weiyang Palace, Shi Wudao's voice boomed like thunder.

Countless streams of corpse energy gathered above the inner hall.

Within the aura of the corpse, an old man with long gray hair and a long beard held a scroll of bamboo slips and began to recite.

If we disregard each other's positions, Shi Wudao does indeed appear harmless, even possessing a somewhat otherworldly air.

"Yu and Zhou, has the Corpse-Eyed School already researched time and space?"

Inside the inner hall, Dong Zhongshu listened to the thunderous sound, his heart filled with shock.

Confucian School picks up scraps of wisdom from others, but it hasn't reached this level of excellence.

The Corpse-Leading School has defined the concepts of the universe and cosmos, indicating that its research in this area has made some progress and has even been applied to the techniques of Corpse-Wudao. This may be one of the reasons why Corpse-Wudao can reverse life and death.

Few scholars in the current school of thought can achieve this level of expertise.

According to Dong Zhongshu, the Huang-Lao School involved "Dao" and "Yu", the School of Mohists involved "Jiu" and "Yu", and the School of Names involved "Da Yi" and "Xiao Yi".

He pricked up his ears to listen, and heard the new emperor shout.

"Spreading heresy and misleading the public, kill him!"

The coffin of Emperor Jing was constantly wreathed in a grayish-black aura, and flames were slowly burning around it.

Seeing the struggling, ghostly face on the coffin, the new emperor drew his sword and roared, slashing at the ghostly face with his sword.

"Goodbye, Corpseless Dao!"

The new emperor drew his sword and slashed at the coffin, while Li Guang murmured and drew his bow, aiming it at the sky.

As if the sky had shattered, streaks of light flashed across it, and several stars shone brightly in the dark night sky.

The morning star appeared on the horizon, illuminating the city with its faint glow.

Amidst the endless corpse energy, the gray-haired, long-bearded old man holding the bamboo tube was pierced through the chest by an arrow.

He slowly put down the bamboo slips, glanced at Li Guang who was shooting arrows, then sighed deeply. His body burst like a bubble, leaving only the mad roar of the ghostly face on the coffin.

"Your Majesty, Shi Wudao has escaped the Divine Soul Manipulation Technique, but now his soul and spirit have completely vanished, leaving only a decaying shell. It is difficult for him to be resurrected!"

Li Guang put away his bow and returned to report.

When the soul lacks control, Shi Wudao's corpse aura incarnation is like a mindless beast, making it suddenly much easier to deal with.

Li Guang even saw a flame in the air slowly burning around the coffin.

He glanced at the new emperor's sword, then at the golden talisman affixed to the coffin, and finally concluded that Shi Wudao could no longer cause any trouble.

Li Guang didn't want to know who played a greater role, nor did he want to claim credit. He only felt that this difficult task was finally coming to an end, and this difficult night was finally coming to a close.

During the time they were keeping vigil for Emperor Jing, Shi Wudao was not the most powerful cultivator who came, but he was definitely the most troublesome one at the moment.

As long as Emperor Jing does not enter the mausoleum, such days may continue, and even stronger cultivators may come to target him.

Li Guang could only live one day at a time, trying to defeat these troublemakers while ensuring the life of the new emperor.

"The late emperor had many grudges from the past; this is the thirteenth wave!"

Li Guang thought to himself.

Emperor Jing's actions were mostly internal suppression, with few external actions. Li Guang also waited for Emperor Jing's promise to conquer Northern Kuru Continent year after year.

But that time never came.

His current responsibility is to safeguard the new emperor's safety, a duty far removed from his imagined scenario of leading troops into battle.

Holding his bow and arrow, he was momentarily speechless with his complex emotions.

But he couldn't go and grab Emperor Jing's corpse to question him about why he had broken his promise.

With the man dead, all promises naturally went to waste, and Li Guang could only hope that the new emperor would be more ruthless.

But the thought of the Han Dynasty court forced Li Guang to abandon his delusions.

The new emperor is too young, and the other side's power is even unstable.

The Corpse-Impure is difficult to deal with, but the officials of the court are not to be trifled with either. While they may not be able to completely defeat the Corpse-Impure, they all possess some means to counter it. However, these officials either make excuses, refuse, or waver in their attitude.

"You've gone too far in deceiving me!"

The new emperor's longsword swept across the corpse aura, the faint Sword-Ray carving a groove in the aura before slicing off a corner of the high table placed in the mourning hall.

He clenched his teeth and ultimately swallowed back the two harsh words he was about to utter.

A dog that bites doesn't bark, and a dog that barks doesn't bite. He clearly won't bark wildly everywhere; he intends to truly hurt these people.

This involves not only matters outside the imperial court, but also matters within it.

What Li Guang could understand, the new emperor would eventually understand as well.

No matter how high one's cultivation level or how strong one's abilities, if one holds a position without performing duties and doesn't obey orders, such a person is of no use to the new emperor.

"A dog?"

His gaze swept over Chancellor Wei Wan and Imperial Censor Zhi Buyi, and then swept towards Anle Palace.

When one's own abilities are insufficient to control the situation, the new emperor clearly needs to push others to break the deadlock.

"Zhao Wan, Wang Zang, and Dong Zhongshu performed exceptionally well while guarding the late emperor's coffin tonight." The new emperor's expression changed slightly, but he finally sheathed his sword and praised, "I have long heard that Confucian School scholars are numerous and skilled in many arts. What I have witnessed tonight is indeed extraordinary. They deserve to be credited with a merit."

"His Majesty praises him highly!"

Zhao Wan bowed repeatedly in gratitude, Wang Zang blushed, and Dong Zhongshu's expression changed slightly as he bowed.

Currently, three Confucian School scholars hold high positions in the court, but none of them—whether it be Dong Zhongshu, Zhao Wan, or Wang Zang—have entered the ranks of the Three Dukes and Nine Confucian School, nor have any Confucian School scholars become prefects.

The three men did not perform well tonight, but compared to other high-ranking officials who were all talk and no action, these three Confucian scholars were at least doing something, and even took some risks.

"I have heard that the Confucian School master Shen Pei is a virtuous and upright man. I wonder if he has any intention of serving the court?" the new emperor inquired.

"Your Majesty, although my teacher is of advanced age, his patriotic heart has never diminished," Zhao Wan said with great joy.

Zhao Wan himself was incompetent, Wang Zang lacked ability, and Dong Zhongshu was an eccentric who was incompatible with Confucian School. However, there were many Confucian School scholars, and Shen Peigong was the acknowledgmented leader of the Confucian School school at present. His strength was arguably the strongest among contemporary Confucian scholars, and he was no less than any of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

As long as Shen Peigong takes up a post in the imperial court, many Confucian School scholars from his faction will inevitably recommend him to the court.

This involves Confucian School masters such as Kong Anguo, Zhou Ba, Xia Kuan, Dang Lu, Miao Sheng, Xu Yan, and Qing Ji, as well as Gongsun Hong and others who were close to Dong Zhongshu's faction.

During Emperor Jing's reign, he never heavily relied on any great Confucian School scholars. The new emperor, however, was young at the time and, after receiving their teachings, was clearly very close to the Confucian School school, rarely showing any suspicion towards them.

Zhao Wan was overjoyed and, disregarding the lingering corpse energy she had been tainted by, repeatedly recommended her teacher.

As long as the new emperor is sincere and earnest, they will surely devote themselves to his cause.

"Of course I am sincere!"

The new emperor nodded.

If he wants to use someone else's strength against them, he will obviously be sincere and may even offer the highest level of courtesy he can currently provide.

Only with sufficiently high honors would this large school of thought, which had been suppressed by Emperor Jing for a period of time, collectively enter the court and become the biggest conspicuous target of the Han Dynasty, attracting all the malice directed at him.

Whenever these people fight back and forth, he has the opportunity to use their strength against them.

For example, right now, Prime Minister Wei Wan's expression has changed, indicating that he senses something is wrong.