Huangxiu

Chapter 1074 Taking It Out
Having reached this point, he is no longer afraid of his grandfather's opinion.

He no longer needed the Emperor's Sword to ascend; as long as he helped Li Hongzhao ascend, he could follow.

The existence of the Earthly Origin Technique, along with the White Cloud Diagram, allows one to freely travel between the Outer Heaven and the Lesser Outer Heaven, and naturally, also to enter the Azure Origin Heaven.

The only difference is a coordinate.

Li Hongzhao is this coordinate.

He looked up to the sky.

I'm able to withstand the Emperor's Sword now; this level of cultivation must be the limit, right?
But the heavens and earth showed no unusual signs, no strange reactions, and no force that wanted to send him up.

He originally thought that once his cultivation reached a certain limit, he would be rejected by heaven and earth.

Looking back now, I realize I was overthinking things.

Heaven and earth will not reject you, nor will they send you to the Azure Heaven.

Li Hongzhao rushed over and asked with a smile, "Did you really manage to stop Cheng Zhongming?"

Chu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "He's worried that you'll settle scores with him later."

Li Hongzhao's eyes flickered.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "If we really settle scores later, won't that delay my ascension?"

Li Hongzhao tilted her head to look at him.

Chu Zhiyuan was puzzled by her gaze and laughed, "What's wrong?"

"Are you hoping I'll ascend to immortality?" Li Hongzhao scoffed.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "I also want to find out whether the Emperor's Sword can actually help people ascend to immortality."

"Using me as a trailblazer, huh?" Li Hongzhao scoffed.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Don't worry, there's nothing dangerous about this ascension. My intuition didn't give me any warnings."

Li Hongzhao said, "Ascension is naturally no problem, I have the Emperor's Sword... I feel suffocated if I don't get this out of my chest."

Chu Zhiyuan asked, "How can we vent our anger?"

"Make him abdicate!" Li Hongzhao snorted.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head and said, "How could that be? Now that he knows you are going to ascend, he is naturally fearless and not worried about you going all out."

Li Hongzhao frowned slightly.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "If he comes, I can help, but if you go and cause trouble for him, I can't help you."

Li Hongzhao rolled her eyes at him.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "He is also going to ascend. Why don't you wait until he ascends before you cause him trouble? You can vent your anger properly without having to rush things or worry about it affecting your ascension."

“…That makes some sense.” Li Hongzhao nodded slowly after a moment of contemplation.

Chu Zhiyuan, however, sensed something amiss in the tone and quickly said, "Having been emperor for so long, you must have gotten used to forbearance, right?"

“But this time I’m not going to tolerate it anymore,” Li Hongzhao said. “I’ve been emperor for so long, I’ve had enough!”

Chu Zhiyuan asked helplessly, "Then how are you going to get revenge? Are you going to go to Dazhen and deal with him?"

Li Hongzhao said coldly, "I'm going to cripple him!"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "He might hide, and you won't be able to find him."

If he were Cheng Zhongming, knowing that Li Hongzhao was going to ascend to immortality within a month, he would definitely want to lay low for a while.

If they didn't know she was going to ascend, they wouldn't have hidden away.

Li Hongzhao frowned.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Don't waste your energy, just focus on preparing for your ascension."

"If I don't vent this anger, my mind will be uneasy, and it will hinder my ascension... I will slash through his palace with my sword to vent my anger!"

“…Then go to Shenjing, but be careful not to go too far,” Chu Zhiyuan said. “You should think about whether he will retaliate after you ascend to immortality.”

Li Hongzhao snorted, "Who cares? Let's go."

Chu Zhiyuan pulled her into his arms and disappeared in a flash.

Outside the capital city, Chu Zhiyuan and Li Hongzhao stood side by side on the treetops of a grove of trees, gazing at the majestic city walls.

This grove of trees is located on the east side of the official road, more than ten zhang away from the city gate.

The two stood on the treetops, their bodies rising and falling with the swaying of the branches, moving with ease and comfort, as if walking on flat ground.

Li Hongzhao's clear eyes darted back and forth across the dark green city wall.

The city wall was built of large bluestone blocks, with moss growing between the stones.

Mottled and weathered, profound and resilient, it seems unshakable.

Li Hongzhao suddenly raised her jade-like arm.

With a flick of her jade-like hand, the Emperor's Sword transformed into a streak of light and landed in her palm.

It transformed into an ancient longsword.

She swung her sword and slashed.

Instantly, a sword aura pierced the air, shooting towards the wall several dozen feet high. "Boom!"

With a deafening thud, a huge breach appeared in the city wall.

Wherever the sword energy reached, the bluestone turned into rubble.

Looking down at the city wall from a high place, one can clearly see a sword mark, about ten zhang long.

The earth-shattering roar had already alerted the people around.

The city guards rushed forward, leaping like eagles, and quickly formed a defensive network.

Pedestrians passing by the city gate stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

Chu Zhiyuan exclaimed, "Excellent swordsmanship!"

Li Hongzhao rolled her eyes at him, able to detect his sarcastic tone.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "You've gotten your revenge now, haven't you?"

Li Hongzhao snorted and said, "Let's leave it at that for now. We'll deal with him properly when we get to Biyuan Heaven!"

She then added, "Your grandfather is cunning and treacherous; he hasn't shown his face at all!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Grandfather probably received the news."

Li Hongzhao said, "For your sake, I won't cause him any trouble."

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his hands in gratitude: "I am extremely grateful."

“Speak properly! ...I slashed through the wall of the capital with my sword,” Li Hongzhao said irritably, “I didn’t directly strike Cheng Zhongming, that’s generous enough!”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded repeatedly: "A heart as vast as the sea, I admire you greatly."

This prompted Li Hongzhao to scold, "Shut up and go back."

Chu Zhiyuan pulled her into his arms and disappeared again.

Meanwhile, the experts of Shenjing City stared intently at the sword mark, trying to guess where the sword had come from.

What kind of master is this, to possess such an incredibly powerful sword strike?

……

The Great Mongol Palace was bathed in the brilliant rays of the rising sun.

A tall altar stands in the very center of the palace.

The altar is ten meters high, with nineteen steps, and is entirely made of white clouds.

Under the dazzling golden light, it was covered with a layer of golden radiance, making it impossible to look directly at.

Nearly a hundred golden-armored guards surrounded the Temple of Heaven three times.

In the innermost circle of the Tongtian Altar, Chu Zhiyuan stood side by side with more than a dozen nobles of the Great Mongol royal family.

At the very center of the Tongtian Altar, Li Hongzhao, dressed in a yellow robe and wearing a Tongtian crown, stood with a solemn expression.

Bathed in golden light, she shone brightly, like a deity descending to earth.

Her gaze was calm as she solemnly looked at the men and women around her, and she said in a low voice, "I am about to ascend to heaven and leave. Before I depart, I will pass the throne to Li Biyang, the seventh son of Prince Ming."

Li Biyang, standing in the crowd, was taken aback upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty..."

“No need for formalities,” Li Hongzhao said calmly. “The heavy responsibility of my Li clan will be borne by you. Do not fail the hard work and expectations of our ancestors. Treat the people of Da Meng well and be compassionate towards their suffering.”

“…Yes.” Li Biyang solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Li Hongzhao looked at the elderly people in the crowd and said calmly, "You should all enjoy your retirement and not meddle in other people's business."

Several elderly men looked helpless: "Your Majesty..."

Li Hongzhao waved his hand: "I will not listen to you, nor will Biyang. If you interfere in other people's business, don't blame me for being ruthless with my backup plan."

"...Yes." The old men reluctantly clasped their hands in agreement.

Li Hongzhao was young and a woman, yet she was ruthless yet fair and magnanimous, possessing a charm and authority rarely seen among emperors throughout history.

They were also afraid of the backup plan that Li Hongzhao mentioned, feeling that Li Hongzhao would definitely have a backup plan to help Li Biyang secure the throne.

Li Hongzhao said calmly, "Alright, that's all I have to say. It's almost time."

At this moment, the Emperor's Sword in the void gradually lit up, revealing its form.

Once it was displayed, all the people of Tianjing City could see it clearly.

People stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the Emperor's Sword.

"The Emperor's Sword has appeared!"

Why did you reveal yourself?

"...Ascension? I think I've heard of that legend before."

"Who ascended to heaven? Could it be the Emperor? Impossible!"

They all felt that this was untrue, after all, Li Hongzhao was too young and it was impossible for her cultivation to reach the ascension level. Even if she did reach that level, she would not be willing to give up this wonderful world.

(End of this chapter)