Eternal Night

Chapter 647 Three Questions on Humanity, Divine General Takes Action

(PS: Not many words today. I've tidied up the rest of the plot and feel much better. Thank you for your understanding these past few days. I'll resume three updates of 10,000 words each tomorrow!)

The next day, the emperor ordered a forced march, which immediately drew admonitions from ministers and nobles. After all, this army was not just an army, but also included a large number of high-ranking officials and nobles. Moreover, this was a trip to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony, not a battle, so such a forced march was completely meaningless.

But only the emperor himself knew that this was meaningful.

The closer they got to Mount Tai, the more pronounced the terrifying pressure became. Something was condensing and not being released, but it grew heavier and heavier. Although the emperor was not an extraordinary being, he could clearly feel all of this. He instinctively knew that he didn't have much time left.

The emperor had been ruling the country for more than a decade. Although he had not made any great achievements during this time, his title was still there. The longer he reigned, the more authoritative he became. So even though many ministers and generals opposed him, the emperor forced them to start a forced march the next day. By noon, they had indeed arrived at the foot of Mount Tai.

The numerous high-ranking officials and nobles naturally complained without mentioning it, and the emperor was also aware of their complaints. However, he was currently focused entirely on Mount Tai, and he didn't even care about the entire process of the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, because he knew that these procedures were meaningless for this trip. The only things that truly mattered were the Lin siblings and himself.

"...Then all the procedures, rituals, and times will depend on you gentlemen."

The emperor spoke to the people before him without expression, then, ignoring their reactions, rose and left the imperial tent.

The civil and military officials in the imperial tent looked at each other, each seeing something strange in the other's eyes. However, they kept quiet and only discussed the Fengshan ceremony with Heaven on the surface.

These civil and military officials who could stand in the imperial camp were all top-notch shrewd individuals. Otherwise, they would not have been able to secure their positions. If at first they thought the emperor was just being ambitious, they would definitely not think that way now. This matter clearly revealed something extremely strange. Whether it was the Lin siblings, the Lin Prince's Mansion in the northern frontier that the court was currently discussing, or this trip to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony, everything exuded an indescribable eeriness.

The emperor ignored them and went to the back tent. As soon as he entered, he immediately asked the old eunuch beside him, "Where are the Lin siblings?"

The old eunuch respectfully said, "Your Majesty, the Lin siblings went to Mount Tai early this morning and agreed to return this afternoon. They should be back soon."

The emperor nodded without speaking, and simply sat down in his chair to ponder silently.

The old eunuch stood motionless beside the emperor. After a long while, the emperor suddenly said, "My dear wife, if that illusion was real, when I was defeated, not a single official in the court could be found. Only you accompanied me up that crooked tree... It was all thanks to you."

The old eunuch's eyes stung slightly. He stood respectfully with his head bowed and said, "Your Majesty flatters me. This old servant was merely doing my duty."

The emperor shook his head slightly and remained silent for a long time before saying, "...After waiting for this, I must give you a future. I heard that you have a cousin who is still alive, and that your family has many descendants?"

The old eunuch was both excited and moved, and quickly said, "Your Majesty, my cousin is an honest farmer who only knows how to tend to his few acres of land. He is really not fit for a refined social setting."

The emperor waved his hand and said, "With many offspring, there will always be a virtuous one. You can have another one... Although a duke or marquis is not suitable, you can at least give him a noble birth."

The old eunuch simply stood respectfully, without saying a word.

The emperor continued to ramble on for a while, then suddenly sighed and said, "It's a pity that Minister Lin is far away in Jiangnan, and he doesn't seem to have the same supernatural ability to fly as his son. Otherwise, if we had Minister Lin, we would have a better chance of winning this battle... But it doesn't matter. With the Lin siblings, the nation is already blessed by heaven."

Just then, a sound came from outside the tent. The emperor saw Wu Pifu and Lin Daiyu enter the tent. Without hesitation, he picked up a small box himself, while the old eunuch followed behind the emperor with a scroll.

Wu Pifu glanced at the two of them and said, "Are you ready? If you are, let's set off now."

The emperor readily agreed.

Without wasting words, Wu Pifu immediately used his inner strength to envelop the emperor and the old eunuch. Regardless of the condition of the tent, he led the three of them into the sky and hurled them towards Mount Tai.

The tent exploded, and the distant army, officials, and generals all witnessed it. Although they had vaguely heard that the elder brother of the Lin siblings could fly, this was the first time they had seen it. Moreover, they saw the Lin siblings leading the emperor and the old eunuch towards Mount Tai. They were all dumbfounded, and a strange feeling arose from the bottom of their hearts, as if...

It felt as if the world would begin to change in many different ways from this moment on!
On the other side, Wu Pifu led the three of them to the Fengchan Platform on Mount Tai. The entire Fengchan Platform was quite broken, but its general shape was still intact. Its shape was actually somewhat like the pyramids of the Mayan civilization. The steps were towering and ancient, giving it an exceptionally strong sense of historical vicissitude.

Above the Fengchan Terrace, a seven-colored cloud solidified in the sky, appearing quite mystical.

Wu Pifu did not fly directly to the Fengchan Platform with the emperor, but instead placed the three people down at the bottom of the steps.

The emperor ignored him, simply adjusting the imperial robes he had specially worn that day. He wore a crown with twelve tassels hanging down his back and front, a black robe with a crimson skirt embroidered with the twelve imperial symbols, and was adorned with a jade tablet, a knee-covering, a wide belt, and so on. Holding a wooden box in his hand, he was about to walk up the steps.

At this moment, Wu Pifu suddenly said, "Your Majesty, what you have in your hand is not suitable for this occasion. Here, take it."

The emperor turned his head in surprise and suddenly saw a square, hard object about the size of a palm slowly flying towards him. He caught it and his heart skipped a beat. He saw a beautiful jade seal in his hand, but unfortunately, one corner of it was broken and inlaid with gold. The seal had eight small seal characters written on it, which read "By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous."

The emperor was thrilled and gripped the seal tightly. The old eunuch immediately took the wooden box from his hand. Without further hesitation, the emperor walked towards the Fengshan Platform.

But as soon as he took the first step, a strong wind arose. The clear sky, which had been cloudless, suddenly darkened. In the distance, one could vaguely hear sounds of people going about their business, reading, farming, and shouting. The old eunuch was about to climb the steps to protect the emperor.

But to everyone's surprise, the emperor seemed to have a premonition and immediately roared, "I stand here! All my Chinese people may come here! All those who have suffered injustice may appeal..."

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck the emperor, and he roared with all his might: "Heaven's justice will prevail, and China will surely be restored; the people's hearts will be united, and even the humblest man will avenge his grievances!!"

As the voices were spoken, the surrounding sounds seemed to fall silent for a moment, followed by a sudden roar. However, this no longer affected the emperor. Instead, it seemed to transform into countless heroic spirits protecting him, allowing him to ascend to the high place of the Fengchan Terrace unaffected by any wind or rain.

The old eunuch stood there blankly, tears streaming down his face, but he didn't dare to easily climb the steps of the Fengchan Temple. He just stood there silently weeping.

As the emperor ascended the steps, his appearance seemed to change constantly. Sometimes he had a square face and large ears with piercing eyes, and other times he was majestic and imposing with a dragon's jaw and a leopard's head. It was as if, at this moment, he was no longer the emperor of the dynasty, but rather a collection of emperors.

As the emperor ascended the Fengchan Platform, the colorful auspicious clouds in the sky slowly changed color, turning into a deep, dark red, almost dripping with blood. When the emperor finally stood at the very top of the Fengchan Platform, the auspicious clouds completely transformed into a black and red azure dragon. Its head looked down, its body was partially visible, but its tail was nowhere to be seen.

At this moment, the emperor had understood many things. He held up the Imperial Seal of the State without saying a word, staring intently at the azure dragon in the sky, but did not act as a subject as in the sacrificial ceremony.

Just then, the Azure Dragon looked down and spat out a bolt of black and red lightning that fell from the sky, heading straight for the emperor. However, in the dim light surrounding the emperor, countless human figures lunged upwards and collided with the lightning, annihilating it.

The emperor seemed startled by the thunder, and he suddenly spoke: "I, who govern the world, now that the dragon has appeared in heaven and earth, I ask the heavens and earth three questions."

"One question: How cruel is Heaven and Earth? Humans are born free, yet they must be bound by this predetermined future?"

"Second question: How cruel is Heaven and Earth! The change of dynasties should have its own reasons, so why is it destined that a foreign tribe will invade our Chinese land?"

"Three questions: Why is Heaven and Earth so cruel? Life and death are preordained. The living are born, and the dead are reincarnated. Why does Heaven and Earth repeatedly perform this cycle of reincarnation, in reality to devour the souls of my people as resources?!" Although the emperor was a mortal, his voice inexplicably amplified and spread, resounding throughout the Fengchan Terrace and even reaching the surrounding areas of Mount Tai. It could be clearly heard even in the camp at the foot of Mount Tai.

At this moment, the soldiers, eunuchs, servants, and high-ranking officials in the camp stared in disbelief at the black and red dragon that had fully appeared on Mount Tai. This was completely beyond their understanding and imagination. At the same time, the emperor's voice rang out, and everyone trembled, unable to tell whether they were afraid or excited.

Just then, a black and red dragon roared from the sky. Although it was a dragon's roar, those who heard it could inexplicably understand its meaning.

Heaven and earth have their own rules, like a net that is wide yet leak-proof. All people have their own destiny, and so do dynasties. As the saying goes, when the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless. This applies to all four classes of people in the world: scholars, merchants, artisans, and commoners. It applies to the common people as well as to dynasties.

The voice, like the emperor's three questions, spread out, and those who heard it—high-ranking officials, scholars, and students—all nodded in agreement. But the common people, whether farmers, merchants, or soldiers, all frowned and looked up at the sky.

On the Fengshan platform, the emperor merely sneered and shook his head slightly, saying, "I don't even want to use the 'Are kings and nobles born with special privileges?' to refute this. Now, listen to my third question!"

This statement continued to spread, startling the high-ranking officials and scholars across the land. They fell silent, while the rest of the people listened attentively. Countless figures stood in the dim clouds, waiting for the dragon's reply.

The sound of silence resounded throughout the universe, as if suppressing the roar of a dragon.

But... no one got an answer to the third question.

Because no matter how much you explain, you cannot erase the truth that the souls of countless living beings are being devoured in this illusory cycle of reincarnation!

In the silence of this third question, the black and red dragon in the sky looked down, roaring and howling, but no sound came out. At the same time, the black on its body began to be gradually peeled off. This blackness, like clouds, fell from the sky and merged into the earth in an instant.

The earth itself represents the cycle of death and the slumber of the dead. This third question goes straight to the core. If no one notices it, that's fine. Even if no emperor is here to question heaven and earth with humanity, that's fine. The dragon's destiny has its own power, and acting in secret is naturally without any taboos. But once this world notices it and humanity asks this third question, the earth will immediately be torn apart.

Only that day seemed to have been deeply eroded, and it still transformed into this blood-red azure dragon.

Meanwhile, in the camp at the foot of Mount Tai, Jia Baoyu looked at the bald-headed monk and the lame Taoist priest with a face full of fear.

The two men grabbed him from either side and led him away from the Rongguo Mansion's camp, directly to the desolate wilderness outside the camp.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Jia Baoyu roared in panic, completely paralyzed with fear.

The monks and Taoists looked at each other and nodded. Just then, the third question pointed directly to heaven and earth. The pitch black of the azure dragon in the sky was stripped away, leaving only a blood-red expanse.

Neither of them dared to be negligent. They each sat down on the ground and pointed a finger at each other's foreheads. A golden light and a white light shot out from their foreheads, rolled together, and fell into Jia Baoyu's forehead.

In the blink of an eye, Jia Baoyu suddenly fell to the ground, his whole body began to convulse violently. A few seconds later, his whole body stiffened and he became completely still. Then, he saw two golden and white lights emerge from between his eyebrows again and return to the monk's and Taoist's heads.

When the monks and Taoists opened their eyes, Jia Baoyu had already opened his eyes and stood up. His eyes were slightly confused, but he didn't say a word. He just glanced at the monks and Taoists first, and then looked at the blood-red azure dragon in the sky.

"...Humanity has questioned Heaven, how did things develop to this extent? Could it be that some heroes have escaped the net of Heaven and Earth? You two have failed in your duties greatly," Jia Baoyu said calmly.

The monk and the Taoist priest immediately knelt down. The monk spoke first: "Attendant Shenying, please allow me to report that after the Yuan Dynasty, a hero surnamed Zhu suddenly rose up, defied the heavenly secrets, and completely changed the past history of the Heavenly Court. Even the original Heavenly Net was affected by the paradox. Since then, many small worlds have evolved and have their own Ming and Hou. All the small worlds that evolved from the past have joined the maintenance personnel. How could we two dare to neglect them?"

The Taoist priest also said, "We have been diligently guarding this realm, and we also hope to share in the spoils after the refining is complete. This is our resource for progress, so how can we be negligent? It is because someone from the outside world has penetrated into this realm that the current human questioning of Heaven has been triggered!"

Jia Baoyu chuckled, looked down at the kneeling monks and Taoists, remained silent, and only touched the jade pendant around his neck. After a moment, he said, "Even so, you two are spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. Moreover, you have awakened me. Do you know that this awakening not only allows me to reverse my cultivation, but also severs my causal connection with the Heavenly Court? Otherwise, it would be fine if I died, at most I could return to the Heavenly Court's Immortal Nourishing Pool. But now you want to kill that outsider first, then destroy the world, repeat the cycle of reincarnation in this realm, regulate the heavens and earth of this realm, and reshape the net of heaven and earth before you can return to the Heavenly Court. You are quite bold."

The monks and Taoists kowtowed repeatedly, offering to make amends. In an instant, five-colored and nine-colored pellets emerged.

Jia Baoyu nodded and shook his head at the same time. He stared at the two of them for a long time before saying, "Very well, this is the accumulation of your two over many eras, which can barely compensate for my loss. Now, tell me, who is this ant that crossed over from another world?"

The monks and Taoists were overjoyed and immediately revealed Wu Pifu's background.

Jia Baoyu frowned and asked, "Is it really the lineage of Zhenwu?"

The monks and Taoists immediately nodded.

Jia Baoyu still frowned: "That shouldn't be the case. It's true that Ancestor Zhenwu knew long ago that the Star River lineage was the work of our Heavenly Court, but Ancestor Zhenwu seems to be heroic and invincible, but in reality he is petty and narrow-minded, outwardly strict but inwardly fearful. So what if he knew? Would he dare to test the mettle of our Heavenly Court? On the contrary, the Star River lineage is full of heroes, that's the real threat... Never mind, I'll give it a try."

As he spoke, Jia Baoyu was about to pull the jade pendant off his neck when, unexpectedly, the emperor's angry roar rang out from the Fengchan Platform.

"Minister Wu, for me, for this land, and for the people, slay this demonic dragon and demonic heaven!"

"it is good!"

The three looked up in astonishment and saw a figure leap up from the Fengchan Platform, swift as lightning, defying the heavens and the azure dragon thunder, wielding an ancient broadsword that slashed upwards.

"My grandson is here too!"

For some inexplicable reason, Wu Pifu recited the same lines he used when he used the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon last time. The amplification of these lines was actually not strong, only about five times, but Wu Pifu inexplicably recited them again.

The monks and Taoists below were both taken aback. They exclaimed in unison, "Yes, yes, he recited this last time too..."

The next second, Jia Baoyu's face turned ashen, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he almost made a sound from his throat.

"No, impossible! His soul and body have been completely destroyed!!"

"What a joke!!"

The next second, Jia Baoyu removed the jade pendant from his neck, and a nine-zhang-tall celestial being stood on the earth, surrounded by floating clouds and flames, with two snakes coiled around his body. In the blink of an eye, the nine-zhang-tall celestial being soared into the sky, holding a red-tasseled spear and thrusting it towards Wu Pifu's chest.

Its speed was as fast as lightning, striking later but arriving first, and in the blink of an eye, the spear had already pierced close!

(End of this chapter)