The Sims: I Open the Immortal Path for All Beings

Chapter 904: Chapter 854: Life Simulation – A Whiff of Wind Makes the Crane Flinch; Everyone Feels Insecure

As the newly ascended emperor, he was filled with ambition and grand aspirations. He had yet to face any setbacks, and his heart harbored an attitude of supreme egotism.

Thus, when presented with such a proposition initially, the new emperor instantly and decisively refused. He couldn’t possibly agree to such terms, as he considered them a humiliation.

However, reality is often a harsh blow. Years into his reign, the new emperor hadn’t achieved control over Dahong as effortlessly as he had imagined. Instead, he faced dilemmas both domestic and foreign. Edicts struggled to make their way out of the royal capital, and even his own status faced tremendous threats.

“As long as I can suppress the rebels throughout the land and regain control of Dahong, what I give up today can certainly be reclaimed one day,” the new emperor thought, filled with wild ambition.

He was unwilling to relinquish the power in his hands, far less to be overthrown or to lose his life. What did it matter if he refused to cooperate with others? Should he die, and the world fall into the hands of other lords, its safety could not be guaranteed.

Better that I do it than others, he resolved. His cooperation was feigned, waiting for the right moment when he would rule the land alone. At that time, he could likewise seize back the privileges he had conceded.

Therefore, he agreed to cooperate and relinquished a portion of his interests and power in exchange for the support of the top-tier force, the Star Moon Temple.

The Star Moon Temple was a renowned power in these realms, hosting three Martial Artists of the Twelfth Realm in the Twelve-Floor Tower within its ranks. In addition to the two leaders of the Star Temple and Moon Temple, there was a mysterious Lord of Gods who was considered one of the top ten powerhouses within the Twelve-Floor Tower across Heaven and Earth.

Once the alliance was formed, the Star Moon Temple immediately dispatched numerous experts to join the ranks of the Dahong Dynasty. Obeying the new emperor’s commands, they followed the emperor’s army and his subordinates to suppress any forces that refused to submit, stripping rebellious lords of their powers and reasserting the new emperor’s governance over those territories.

In no time, a bloodbath swept through the entire Dahong Dynasty, with countless Martial Artists being slain and numerous forces destroyed. The emperor’s influence began to expand, and Star Moon Temple’s branches established a widespread presence throughout the entire territory of the Dahong Dynasty.

Facing the interventions of the Star Moon Temple, various factions were initially caught off guard and suffered immense losses. Eventually, they realized the threat to their existence and temporarily abandoned their bases to form several Alliances against the Star Moon Temple and the new emperor’s armies.

Yet, the Star Moon Temple truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier power. Even though the Ji Fang Alliances also had top-level Martial Artists of the Twelve-Floor Tower, the intervention by the Lord of Gods from the Star Moon Temple resulted in one such powerhouse being slain and another severely wounded, escaping. The alliances they belonged to were instantly annihilated, countless Martial Artists were killed or captured, reduced to prisoners at the feet of the new emperor and the Star Moon Temple.

In such a situation, the entire Dahong Dynasty was in a state of terror and unease, and no one knew when the Star Moon Temple and imperial forces might come knocking.

For they had realized that these two parties had not only targeted the rebels from the beginning but had gradually adopted the intention to reorganize the martial world of Dahong. Everywhere they went, all forces had to submit and obey the edicts of the Emperor of Dahong and the Star Moon Temple. Anyone who disobeyed or failed to follow through would be immediately annihilated without mercy.

The martial world and the imperial court were interdependent, yet neither had ever completely defeated or utterly subjugated the other. For thousands of years, whether the imperial court suppressed the rivers and lakes or the rivers and lakes bested the imperial court, they still retained their independence.

Now, however, the intentions of the new Emperor and the Star Moon Temple were clear: they sought to break with tradition and bring the entire martial world of Dahong under their absolute control, commanding obedience throughout the land.

This undoubtedly enraged other forces that had originally not taken part, as no one wished to be restrained, and this was especially true for accomplished cultivators and martial artists.

It could be said that at this moment, chaos thoroughly erupted throughout the land; every martial artist in Dahong felt endangered, and every faction faced difficult decisions.

And in these times, once again people ascended to Pei Xuanjing’s fief, seeking the aid of this prince.

Because the new emperor and Star Moon Temple had become too powerful to challenge, and most importantly, if they wanted to overturn the current regime, they had to penetrate the Royal Capital.

However, the formation nexus of the Royal Capital was an insurmountable barrier, not even the combined efforts of numerous martial arts experts from the Twelve-Floor Tower could easily break through—thus necessitating Pei Xuanjing’s intervention, a cultivator with exceptional Taoist talent.

After all, it was widely known that he had once held partial authority over the formation nexus of the Royal Capital.

Qingyun Path, Wuji Sect, and Tianwu Pavilion—these three forces each had top martial artists from the Twelve-Floor Tower at their helm and were only slightly less powerful than the Star Moon Temple. However, in this latest round of encirclement, a Twelve-Floor Tower martial artist from Tianwu Pavilion perished in battle while those from Wuji Sect and Qingyun Path suffered heavy injuries, resulting in devastating losses for their significant forces.

Of course, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse; even with the death and injury of top Twelve-Floor Tower martial artists, they remained the leading forces in the rivers and lakes. Yet, to jointly overcome this crisis, they shed all pretense, each sending martial artists from the Eleven-Floor Realm to Pei Xuanjing’s fief to request his help.

Upon their arrival, they no longer bore their usual haughty demeanor; they spoke with earnestness and humility, praising Pei Xuanjing to the skies, as if the situation had deteriorated beyond salvation.

“I, the prince, am solely dedicated to cultivation and have no desire to meddle in the affairs of the world,” Pei Xuanjing resolutely refused the martial artists who had come seeking help, led by the powerful figures from the three great forces and their respective alliances.

Pei Xuanjing was well aware of their predicament; they had no retreat left, unless willing to abandon everything in the Dahong Dynasty and flee to another country, or else they would have to face continuous strikes from the new emperor and the Star Moon Temple.

Their purpose in coming was none other than to use Pei Xuanjing’s hand to break through the Royal Capital’s formation nexus. Despite their current posture, once the formation was shattered and the Star Moon Temple defeated, these people would surely adopt an entirely different attitude.

Facing Pei Xuanjing’s refusal, the leaders of the three alliances who had come together were quite displeased. As Eleven-Floor Realm martial artists themselves, they were among the rare powerhouses between Heaven and Earth. With their high-ranking status in major forces, they were used to flattery and sycophancy wherever they went.

They were willing to stoop and persuade the Seventh Prince because of his familiarity with the Royal Capital’s formation nexus and the significant assistance he could provide. In their eyes, this was already a great concession.

Indeed, even though Pei Xuanjing was a prince, he didn’t amount to much in their eyes; after all, when it comes to martial arts in this world, one’s own strength is the ultimate measure.

In the eyes of many, Pei Xuanjing, despite his extraordinary Taoist talent and control of the Royal Capital’s formation nexus, able to contend with Twelve-Floor Tower powerhouses, relied on external forces. Moreover, this wasn’t the Royal Capital, so what right did he have to refuse them?