The Man Who Had Died
Everyone says that waiting is a long time.
But this month felt like it went by very quickly.
Intelligence from the north kept arriving.
Zhuo Ning spent almost all of her daytime hours in the Heavenly Palace for the past month.
Together with many ministers, princes, and the Immortal Emperor.
The old imperial uncle sent back the first-hand news on the third day after he left, which was the night Zhuo Ning returned to the Immortal Dynasty.
It's not the old imperial uncle's fault.
The Barbarian Clan attack was very steady; they set up a barrier almost immediately after conquering the territory.
Therefore, those lost territories were completely unable to contact the immortal kingdom.
As for the areas that have not yet been occupied, although everyone is aware of the Barbarian Clan invasion, the barrier was already in place by the time the Barbarian Clan traces were discovered.
It would be a pipe dream to rely solely on the city defenses of major cities to fight off the Barbarian Clan army.
Therefore, in just three days, the Barbarian Clan army had advanced quite a bit further south. Fortunately, the army led by the old royal uncle finally arrived at the front line, which slowed down the Barbarian Clan offensive.
However, the old imperial uncle sent a message urging the Immortal Dynasty to send reinforcements as soon as possible.
The Barbarian Clan have gone all out this time, with countless troops and skilled warriors.
With the military force he currently possessed, the old imperial uncle had no confidence whatsoever in stopping the Barbarian Clan invasion.
Fortunately, reinforcements from the Immortal Dynasty also set off without delay.
In order to provide reinforcements as quickly as possible, the Immortal Emperor even mobilized his flying boats.
Only by sending the best experts from various factions to the front lines could they barely halt the Barbarian Clan invasion.
For some reason, compared to the great war a thousand years ago, this time the Barbarian Clan offensive has reached a point of madness.
As a former leader, the old imperial uncle is the most qualified to speak on this matter.
Although, with the assistance of the flying boats, the experts of the Immortal Kingdom gathered in the north one after another.
The two sides are evenly matched in terms of top-tier combat power.
Despite the almost frenzied attacks, the top experts on both sides were being worn down at an alarming rate.
From the Celestial Dynasty, news of several Loose Immortal dying in battle comes back almost every day.
Despite the fact that the Immortal Emperor has been stationed in the Immortal Palace, these messages are like death warrants, slowly consuming his already dwindling lifespan.
Zhuo Ning looked at the Immortal Emperor's increasingly worse complexion every day, and his face was also full of worry.
Even if the bond between father and son is weak, blood is thicker than water.
Zhuo Ning simply couldn't remain indifferent.
As Zhuo Ning's good friend, Yi Xuan naturally didn't want Zhuo Ning to be in a bad mood.
But the Immortal Emperor was suffering from the Five Decays of a Celestial Person!
Even though Yi Xuan's technology is now vastly different from what it used to be, when it comes to the soul, there is nothing he can do but express regret.
That's right!
The Immortal Emperor's Five Decays of a Celestial Person were not only manifested in his body, but even more so in his soul.
If everyone's soul is a candle, then the Immortal Emperor's candle has reached its final moment.
Everyone in the imperial court seemed to understand the situation.
Therefore, apart from reporting on the situation at the front every day, almost all matters of the court were handed over to the princes who were vying for the throne.
Of course, the main one is the fourth prince.
After all, he had been in charge of the government for many years, and he was definitely more suitable than Zhuo Ning and the Twenty-Seventh Prince.
Zhuo Ning and the Twenty-Seventh Prince also contributed significantly to this effort.
Faced with this crisis, the princes seemed to momentarily forget their rivalry with each other.
As for the Immortal Emperor, due to health reasons, he spends less and less time in court each day.
In recent days, with the situation on the front lines stabilizing, the Immortal Emperor has even chosen not to appear in court.
They only sent someone to deliver a message saying that they needed to report to him only when there was something important.
That night, just as the entire Heavenly Palace fell into silence...
The 27th prince hurriedly entered the Heavenly Palace.
Upon learning that the 27th Prince had important news to report, the Immortal Emperor had no choice but to grant him an audience, despite his failing health.
"Father!"
Upon entering the Immortal Emperor's palace, Zhuo Dao immediately knelt down.
"What business do you have with me in the middle of the night?"
"A letter came from my uncle!"
"Hmm? What did Immortal Emperor Daoyi say?"
"My uncle wants me to ascend the throne immediately!"
As Zhuo Dao uttered the words "ascension to the throne," the area around the Immortal Emperor's palace suddenly fell silent.
Only the Immortal Emperor looked at his son in astonishment.
"What did you say? I didn't hear you!"
The twenty-seventh prince slowly stood up, a smile on his face as he looked at the Immortal Emperor and said, "Father, I wish to ascend the throne. Please return to the West!"
This time, Zhuo Dao's voice clearly reached the Immortal Emperor's ears.
The Immortal Emperor's body was now so weak that even when he heard Zhuo Dao's treasonous remarks, he did not react too strongly.
He could only keep making hand gestures in the shadows, while simultaneously using his weakened Divine Sense to probe outwards.
Unfortunately, as soon as his Divine Sense left the palace, it seemed to encounter some kind of obstacle and could no longer extend further.
"Hehe, it seems you're very well prepared!"
The Immortal Kingdom is currently facing a major war, and most of the royal family's experts have been sent to the front lines.
It can be said that this was the weakest point the entire Heavenly Palace had been in nearly a thousand years.
"Stop wasting your breath on him. Have you forgotten what I told you? Why aren't you doing anything?"
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came in.
As the voice faded, a figure suddenly appeared before the Immortal Emperor.
"Mr. Qin! It really is you! So it seems the news you two brought was also false?"
"Good!"
"Where is my eldest son? What have you done to him?"
"Him? He should still be trapped in the Barbarian Clan encirclement, fighting like a cornered beast!"
"So it seems that it wasn't Lie'er who colluded with the Barbarian Clan, but you!"
"Hehe, you guessed right! Do you know how long I've waited for this day?"
Upon hearing this, the Immortal Emperor was puzzled.
"What do you mean by this? If I remember correctly, Mr. Qin, we haven't known each other for very long, have we? Why do you speak as if we have some old grudge?"
"Really? Then take a closer look at me!"
Mr. Qin wiped his face, and a familiar face immediately appeared before the Immortal Emperor.
"It's you?"
"That's right, it's me!"
The Immortal Emperor, who hadn't been too surprised even when his son wanted him to abdicate, was now horrified upon seeing the man's face.
In his mind, this person should have died long ago.
And he killed him with his own hands!
This person is his stand-in, or rather, his former bed double!
The royal stallion who bore him over two hundred children.
However, many years ago, the Immortal Emperor secretly disposed of him after he felt he had enough children.
Who would have thought that this person would actually appear before him today, and that he was even colluding with his twenty-seventh prince.
Of course, you could also say that the father and son were of one mind.
After all, the person in front of him was the true father of the Twenty-Seventh Prince!