Immortality Starts With Ignorant Heart Sword Art

Chapter 169: The First Chapter of the 89th Chapter. Dare to slander me for rebelling? Then rebel if you want.

From the recovery of old age to adulthood, Emperor Yinlong's ambition was rekindled. He wanted to live longer, preferably forever.

At the same time, besides living a long life, he also wanted to wield power and authority.

However, Zhong Cang's disregard for the slaughter of the powerful was undoubtedly a challenge to his imperial authority.

Therefore, when he received the plea for help from Yangcheng, it was clear where his inclination lay as he initiated this grand court discussion.

However, once the discussion began, he did not speak first. Instead, he presented the topic and listened quietly.

He knew that the officials below were more anxious about the life and death of Yangcheng than he was.

Indeed, that was the case.

As soon as the topic was raised, a minister immediately pleaded, "Your Majesty, we must save Yangcheng!"

"The Xuan Yuan Realm belongs to our Great Yin Empire. Even if the city lords of various cities are guilty, it should be our Great Yin Empire's responsibility to judge and punish them. If we allow Cloud Firmament Sect to slaughter wantonly, our country will no longer be a country!"

"Zhong Cang's actions are too brutal. No matter how much he has been raised, he should not be allowed to slaughter an entire city..."

Everyone in the grand court discussion clamored to stop Zhong Cang's actions.

This situation was inevitable.

After all, in the twilight years of this dynasty, every high-ranking official in the court came from a prestigious family.

And as everyone knows, one's background determines one's mindset. Naturally, those from prestigious families wanted to fight for the interests of their families, which meant that the punishment should not befall the literati.

They yearned for a world where the Dao and the Demons could contend, and where they, the privileged, could choose to align themselves with either side.

But in the struggle between the Dao and the Demons, it was best to maintain a "noble demeanor," meaning that regardless of which side emerged victorious, only wealth should be taken, and not the extermination of a clan.

At the same time, the surrendered offspring of the privileged should not be killed, but treated as nobles and allowed to be ransomed.

...

The desire for privileges made the demands of the high-ranking officials in the court almost unanimous.

After quietly listening to everyone's words, Emperor Yinlong did not immediately make a decision. Instead, he smiled and looked at an old man in the court—Yu Yong.

In a court that mostly leaned towards the Demon Sect, Yu Yong was a rare high-ranking official who leaned towards the Dao Sect. He was also the leader of the Cloud Firmament Sect faction in the court.

Looking at him, the emperor calmly said, "Elder Yu, share your opinion."

After a moment of silence, Yu Yong finally spoke, "Your Majesty, I also support taking action to stop Zhong Cang. Minister Li is right. If we allow the Dao and Demon Sects to slaughter wantonly, our Great Yin Empire will inevitably cease to be a country."

"However, people do not fear scarcity, but inequality. While stopping Zhong Cang, we must also assure Cloud Firmament Sect that the Demon Sect cannot launch attacks at will."

"Moreover, in this battle, it was ultimately the Demon Sect and the people of Yangcheng who lost. To appease the Daoist leaders of Cloud Firmament Sect, we need to designate Yangcheng as the sphere of influence of the Dao Sect and order Yangcheng to provide some compensation to Cloud Firmament Sect."

Upon hearing Yu Yong's words, someone immediately objected, "Why should we compensate them? Without Your Majesty's orders, Zhong Cang led the troops without authorization. This is treason. We are already lenient by not investigating Zhong Cang's fault."

"Minister Cui is right. In that case, I will trouble Minister Cui to go to the frontlines and inform Zhong Cang of this news."

"I..."

In response, the official surnamed Cui was directly silenced.

Afterwards, a fierce argument broke out in the court.

However, in the end, Yu Yong emerged victorious, or rather, the strength of Zhong Cang was recognized by everyone.

During the Battle of Linyuan City, everyone thought that Zhong Cang was cruel but did not consider him extremely powerful. They saw him as a weakling who challenged the authority of the privileged and influential families, and their main goal was to eliminate his intimidation.

But in the previous battle, everyone discovered that Zhong Cang was truly like an evil spirit, terrifying and extraordinary. This changed their mindset.

This is also the origin of the saying, "To kill one person is a crime, to kill a million is a hero, to kill nine million is the hero among heroes."

In that battle, Zhong Cang showcased his value in uniting forces.

After making the decision, there were immediately official documents that were transmitted to the front lines through special means.

At the same time, Yu Yong once again entered the Southern Heavenly Masters' Mansion and met with Jingming Perfected Being.

...

In the advancing army, Zhong Cang, who received the imperial decree from the Great Yin Dynasty, had a speechless expression.

"We can enter the city or seek compensation from the Yang family, but we must not slaughter the Yang family members. Their guilt will be judged by the imperial court... Hehe, why bother with such trouble? Just slaughter them all, and the spiritual stones and treasures in the city will all be mine."

Not recognizing the imperial court's decision, Zhong Cang casually threw the decree to the ground.

On the other side, after listening to Yu Yong's account, Jingming Perfected Being spoke the exact same words as Zhong Cang.

"Compensation? Hmph, just slaughter those scum who joined the Demon Sect. Their belongings are ours too."

Yu Yong did not refute this statement.

"You're right. By killing them all, the treasures of Yang City will indeed be yours. But by doing so, you will completely offend the privileged families of the Great Yin Dynasty. From then on, you will find it difficult to move a single step in the Xuan Yuan Realm."

"On the contrary, if you accept our proposal, many influential families will join you. It will restore the balance of power between you and the Demon Sect."

"Moreover, we will try our best to restrain the actions of the Demon Sect in the future and prevent them from launching attacks... Don't worry that we won't be wholehearted. Although the people in the court are a group of corrupt officials, they are not stupid. They know what is most beneficial to themselves."

Yu Yong did not hide anything and spoke with reason. As a result, Jingming Perfected Being contacted Zhong Cang and asked for his opinion.

To this, Zhong Cang replied with the same words, "If you seek balance and drag out the war, you can follow Yu Yong's suggestion. But if you want victory and oppose the influential families of the Xuan Yuan Realm, it will be inevitable."

"And I have confidence in leading the team to victory."

Upon hearing this, Jingming Perfected Being instantly rejected Yu Yong's proposal.

...

Because the two armies met halfway and engaged in a decisive battle.

After the victory, it would take Zhong Cang three to four days to lead the army to Yang City.

During these days, imperial edicts and decrees from the imperial city were issued one after another. In a very short time, twelve decrees were issued.

As Zhong Cang gradually approached Yang City, the wording of the imperial edicts and decrees became increasingly severe.

"Lord Zhong Cang, accepting the mediation of the imperial city is beneficial to both of us..."

This is the messenger of the first day.

Having witnessed Zhong Cang's strength, the Great Yin Dynasty primarily used persuasion, hoping that Zhong Cang would accept the dynasty's advice.

However, before he could finish speaking, he was driven out by Zhong Cang.

On the second day, another messenger arrived, and several waves of people came throughout the day.

"Zhong Cang, if you continue forward, you will be enemies with all the noble families of the Great Yin Dynasty."

"Why must everyone be our enemy? Isn't it better to accept our advice? Besides, by doing so, you won't suffer any losses..."

"If you are not satisfied, we can offer you more compensation in terms of wealth..."

"Zhong Cang, if you persist like this, not only will you be convicted, but also those associated with you and the soldiers who follow you will be charged with treason!"

On this day, the words of the messengers already carried a sense of threat.

On the third day, in the imperial city, Emperor Yin Long, who was attending court again, inquired about the officials executing his decrees.

"How is it? Is Zhong Cang willing to accept my decree?"

As soon as these words were spoken, an official immediately stepped forward and angrily said, "Your Majesty, that Zhong Cang is an arrogant thief who completely disregards our Great Yin court. Not only did he not accept the decree, but he also drove away all the messengers we sent!"

"What an audacious thief!"

"Your Majesty, we cannot let this go. If we do, the dignity of the court will be lost!"

Upon hearing the report from below, Emperor Yin Long's gaze flickered with endless anger.

However, being skilled at concealing his emotions, he did not immediately give an order, but instead looked towards Yu Yong's direction.

"Senior Yu, tell us your thoughts."

"...Zhong Cang is arrogant and conceited, thinking he is above everyone else. He can be wanted, but Your Majesty, please only want Zhong Cang and do not involve other members of the Cloud Firmament Sect."

It can only be said that although Yu Yong's heart leaned towards the Daoist sect, he believed that choosing the Daoist sect would be better for the Great Yin Dynasty.

If the interests of the Daoist sect and the dynasty were not aligned, his loyalty would still lean towards the Great Yin Dynasty.

In this way, with unanimous opinions in the court, on the third day, the wanted notice for Zhong Cang was issued.

A reward of one hundred thousand taels of gold and a noble title would be given to whoever kills Zhong Cang, and they would also become an inner disciple of the Demon Sect.

Furthermore, in the wanted notice, not only was Zhong Cang convicted, but soldiers, cultivators, and martial warriors who followed Zhong Cang and did not immediately leave would also be charged with treason.

"Am I wanted? It's quite a novel experience."

Upon learning of the decision of the Great Yin Dynasty, Zhong Cang felt somewhat emotional, while Hou Hua felt extremely nervous and sensed the difficulties ahead.

Previously, Zhong Cang's battles with the Demon Sect were only private battles among the noble families.

This time, the wanted notice from the Great Yin Dynasty made it an official matter.

And the dynasty had ruled this world for eight hundred years after all, so it was not an exaggeration to say that being wanted by them meant being enemies with the world.

At this moment, Hou Hua was very worried about one thing - he was afraid that once the soldiers knew that Zhong Cang was plotting against the dynasty, they would run away.

"Sir, do we need to block the news?"

"No need for that, but tell the soldiers below to follow me. I won't be stingy with rewards in terms of money, land, and other benefits."

"Yes, sir..."

Looking at Hou Hua, who seemed hesitant to speak, Zhong Cang raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is there something else?"

"Yes, sir. According to our spies' reports, after hearing news of their defeat, the members of the Yang family are fleeing with their wealth. Should we lead the troops to intercept them?"

When Hou Hua said this, he thought Zhong Cang would be angry, but it turned out not to be the case.

"They're running, huh? Perfect. Inform the forces around Yangcheng to intercept the members of the Yang family and order them to gather in Yangcheng in seven days. If they don't come or if anyone lets the members of the Yang family escape or hide, the entire clan will be wiped out!"

"Also, spread the word to the world. Say that I have treasures, martial arts techniques, and land... and welcome anyone with ambitions."

Such a domineering command left Hou Hua stunned.

After a while, he finally said somewhat awkwardly, "Sir, we can't issue such orders. Such commands will definitely be seen as rebellion!"

This statement made Zhong Cang laugh.

"Haven't I been wanted for a long time?"

As he said this, a cold light flickered in Zhong Cang's eyes.

Originally, I didn't have this idea, but I hate being slandered. Since they have accused me of rebellion, if I don't do something, wouldn't it be disrespectful to their good intentions?"

Listening to Zhong Cang's words and looking at his indifferent gaze, Hou Hua had a feeling that the world was about to be in chaos.

...

It's hard to say whether the world will be in chaos or not, but once Zhong Cang's orders were issued, the city of Yang and the major clans in Youzhou were all thrown into chaos.

At this moment, they were discussing whether to obey Zhong Cang's orders.

In the imperial city's council hall, many high-ranking officials, as well as the emperor sitting high above, were stunned by Zhong Cang's reaction.

"Rebellion?!!"

"How dare he!"

"Such arrogance, we must issue a nationwide warrant!"

"It's useless, the warrant has already been issued!"

"Ah, it's already been issued?"

...

The officials were discussing fervently, and on the dragon throne, Emperor Yin Long's expression kept changing.

Fury, disbelief, and... regret.

This was the current mood of the emperor. Even he never expected Zhong Cang's personality to be so domineering.

He only slightly threatened him, and he really rebelled.

(End of this chapter)