Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 406 Lowered Eyes
The Great Yan imperial court seemed to have become a stage, with one act ending and another beginning.

Helian Ran choked up and said, "Your subject is willing to die to atone for your sins, but please, Father Emperor, withdraw the order to attack Great Xia."

Helian Hai slumped on the dragon throne and sneered, "Aton for your sins with death? How could you possibly be willing to die? All the things you've done, weren't they all just to take my place?"

"Your subject has no words to defend himself, only death to repay the Emperor's grace." Weapons were not allowed in the court, but Helian Ran was a cultivator. He immediately used his spiritual energy to condense a sharp blade in his palm and stabbed it directly into his heart.

Fortunately, a minister nearby reacted quickly and grabbed him, shouting, "What are you all standing there for? Are you going to watch the Crown Prince commit suicide here?!"

The people around him suddenly realized what was happening and quickly surrounded Helian Ran, fearing that he might do something even more shocking.

The old minister who had just questioned the emperor was arranged by Helian Haihai. Now, looking at his completely unfamiliar son, he guessed that this situation was also deliberately arranged by the crown prince.

Helian Ran seemed determined to commit suicide, but in reality, the minister beside him was prepared and would stop him as soon as he made his move.

This was intended to give everyone the impression that "the crown prince would rather die."

Now, in this imperial court, only the Helian father and son know the "truth" about Lu Ziwei's death, yet they still have to compete in acting skills in front of a group of people.

One of the ministers defended Helian Ran, saying, "Why would the Crown Prince kill the Grand Preceptor? You clearly said she had been kind to you. Could it be that someone instructed you to do this?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone kept their eyes down and dared not express their opinions easily.

Nobody is a fool; of course, everyone knows that even if the Crown Prince had a lot of courage, he wouldn't dare to kill the Imperial Preceptor without authorization.

But if the emperor really instructed the crown prince to do this, then what about all his previous actions? Did he treat all the ministers like fools just to get them to agree to his sending troops to attack the Great Xia?
Helian Ran firmly stated, "It was all my doing, and has nothing to do with anyone else."

Even at this critical moment, he was still defending his father.

The minister advised, "The Grand Preceptor sacrificed himself to uphold imperial power, not to allow the current emperor to tyrannize the country!"

"How dare you speak of His Majesty like that!"

"But if the death of the Grand Preceptor has nothing to do with the Great Xia, what should we do? We can't even find the culprit to avenge her."

Helian Haihai closed his eyes, no longer looking at the chaos below.

At this time, the three factions—the emperor, the crown prince, and the imperial advisor—were arguing fiercely.

These people were perfectly clear-headed; they had already figured out the whole story.

The emperor ordered the crown prince to kill the imperial advisor, in order to force the crown prince to choose sides. After the deed was done, the emperor could use the assassination to blackmail the crown prince.

However, the Grand Preceptor, driven by a sense of righteousness, committed suicide, leaving behind the dying wish that the Xia dynasty not be attacked. Therefore, the Crown Prince, in order to become the Grand Preceptor, planned to take the blame for the Grand Preceptor's murder alone, provided the Emperor was willing to maintain peace with the Xia dynasty.

Therefore, the emperor's actions can be described as "heartless and cruel," persecuting his own son and plotting against the Grand Preceptor who had both contributed to and worked hard for the Great Yan Dynasty.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince's temperament was completely different from the Emperor's. He was willing to die to preserve the Emperor's reputation, which shows that he was a person who valued loyalty and righteousness.

The officials in the court were all human beings, and their thoughts on whether the Grand Preceptor died in the Great Xia or at the hands of the Emperor were completely different.

Who would want to serve a tyrant who is capricious and doesn't even respect those who have rendered meritorious service?

Lu Ziwei is right, Helian Ran is the real protagonist in this scene.

If someone here is skilled at observing qi, they might even be able to vaguely see that the fortune is gradually shifting to the crown prince.

The so-called national destiny is mysterious and profound, but simply put, it is nothing more than the will of the people.

Then came the end of the farce. No one could judge the culprit who killed the Imperial Preceptor, nor could the Crown Prince be allowed to commit suicide to fulfill the Emperor's wishes.

Therefore, a minister who was supporting the crown prince from behind whispered a reminder, after which Helian Ran suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

"The Crown Prince is so anxious that he's about to lose his temper. We absolutely mustn't delay the appointed time!"

All the ministers looked at the man on the dragon throne, waiting for his response.

Helian Haihai remained calm, thinking to himself, "What attitude can I possibly give you now? After today, the Crown Prince will be the most popular, while I, the emperor, will only be remembered as a tyrant who slaughtered meritorious officials and stirred up trouble."

He is now speechless, because killing Lu Ziwei was indeed his plan, and Helian Ran was just a pawn in it. Even he can't find any fault with it.

Most importantly, the emperor of Great Yan has already lost the hearts of the people. Does he want the crown prince to follow the same path?

Therefore, Helian Haihai had no choice but to preserve the crown prince's reputation.

He waved his hand dismissively: "Go and get the prince treated."

The officials, as if granted a pardon, poured out of the hall, many of them protecting the crown prince in the crowd, as if fearing that the emperor might go back on his word and suddenly kill him.

In the blink of an eye, the once bustling court, like a marketplace, became deserted. Helian Haihai walked alone outside the hall, looked up at the head that had been hung high, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

The emperor, whose mind had been clouded by power, finally understood the crux of the matter.

What if Lu Ziwei never died, and it was all just a charade she and the Crown Prince staged from beginning to end?
She wasn't originally a native of the Great Yan, but rather a disciple of the Tian Shu Academy who entered the mortal world to cultivate and bet on the Great Yan side. Therefore, with her immortal abilities, she could have easily retreated unscathed, leaving the Great Yan in a mess.

And the mysterious person hidden in the underground palace—they are all the same kind of people, always high and mighty, completely disregarding worldly imperial power!

"No, I still have a chance, I haven't lost yet!" Helian Haihai suddenly turned around and hurried towards the underground palace.

If that expert is willing to lend a hand, Helian Haihai can completely control Xijing City with a puppet army and force everyone to cooperate with him in attacking Daxia!

His eyes were bloodshot, and his reason was on the verge of collapse. A faint clicking sound came from his heart, the very means by which the master had prolonged his life.

……

Little did they know, three other "uninvited guests" were also on their way to the underground palace.

Yun Yi said, "Although Helian Ran's performance was good, you can no longer appear in the Great Yan court after this, otherwise his lies will be exposed and all your efforts will be in vain."

Lu Ziwei said nonchalantly, "I am ready to leave. Removing that invisible hand from the Great Yan is the last thing I will do for them."

When she decided to fake her death to escape, she knew she could never become the Grand Preceptor of the Great Yan Dynasty again.

So it is said that the Grand Preceptor of the Great Yan Kingdom truly died that night, and from then on, only a female tutor named Lu Ziwei remained in the world.

She has found something more worthwhile to do!
Inside the underground palace, as Po Jun of the Futian Pavilion, Mu Lang had already sensed several rather powerful auras rushing towards him.

He couldn't help but wonder why the situation had taken such a sharp turn for the worse, and why his hiding place had been exposed. Could it be that Helian Haihai had betrayed him?
No, absolutely not. His life still needs the Heavenly Puppet Technique to sustain him. How could he dare to make such a decision? Then he can only rely on the help of a master. But it doesn't matter. He came here to refine the Heavenly Puppet True Dragon, and now he is almost there.

Even if the Great Yan court is thrown into chaos afterward, so what?
It's just a matter of dying sooner or later.

Mu Lang was shrouded in a sinister aura. His skin was bluish-gray with faint golden patterns floating beneath it, and his pupils had a strange bronze hue.

His neck, wrist joints, and other areas were exposed with tiny gaps, making him look like a puppet made up of intricate parts.

This was the price he paid for cultivating the "Heavenly Puppet Path"—abandoning his original physical body and replacing it with this immortal and indestructible form. If it weren't for the intervention of the Overturning Heaven Pavilion Master, he would have surely perished under the Heavenly Dao.

The only regret is that even though he has shed his mortal body, the source of his ability to wield the Great Dao is still spiritual power.

To repay the Lord of the Overturning Heaven Pavilion for saving his life, he shattered the Heavenly Pillar several times, expending a great deal of energy. Once his spiritual energy is exhausted, unless the Heavenly Realm descends to the mortal realm so he can absorb its spiritual energy, he will be on his last legs.

That's why he wanted to forge a Heavenly Puppet Dragon, and even planned to use it to help destroy the next Heavenly Pillar.

Shepherd slowly got up, walked to the dragon skeleton, placed a finger on its forehead, and muttered incantations.

"The celestial pivot shifts, the earthly fiends return to their souls!"

A hoarse incantation pierced the deathly silence, and a sudden humming of mechanisms echoed through the underground palace. Dark golden light seeped continuously from the gaps in the dragon's joints, stirring the earth's veins beneath the palace, causing the spiritual energy here to boil suddenly, transforming into tongues of ghostly blue flames that meandered and rose along the dragon's spine.

As a burial ground for storing dragon remains, this place is similar to the Panlong Tower; both are essentially a ley line with abundant spiritual energy.

As the empty eye sockets of the dragon skeleton suddenly burst forth with crimson light, the decaying bones seemed to be drawn together by invisible threads, and bronze scales condensed out of thin air, layer upon layer covering the skeleton.

A smile appeared on Mu Lang's ashen face. He inserted his fingers into his chest, took out a drop of his heart's blood, and gently flicked it into the dragon's mouth.

Immediately afterwards, the dragon skeleton emitted a loud clang of metal against metal, then suddenly raised its head, opened its scarlet vertical pupils, and was reborn!
Heavenly Puppet True Dragon!

It was pieced together from a stark white skeleton and bronze scales. Its five sharp golden claws, which should have symbolized an emperor's mandate, were now tinged with an eerie color. Within its winding dragon body, ghostly blue flames steamed, and its eyes, which should have flowed with auspicious golden light, had turned red, giving it an appearance full of malevolence.

The shepherd's hoarse laughter echoed in the underground palace, revealing his smugness.

……

After finishing his official duties, Qin Dingfeng took some time to return to the Tian Shu Academy.

Ever since his junior sister successfully achieved Dao integration, he had a bad feeling.

Perhaps it was because he had been "playing chess" with Lu Ziwei for many years that he understood his opponent so well, and thus he could guess how terrifying the opponent his junior sister would face after she achieved Dao.

Qin Dingfeng was really worried and couldn't help but complain to the teacher, urging him to keep a close eye on Lu Ziwei and to take action when necessary.

Qiu Haoran was busy playing chess with himself and was getting a little annoyed by the nagging. He said, "Ziwei is at the same level as me now. She must have her own plans for what she does. Why are you worrying about it?"

Qin Dingfeng said, "As long as Junior Sister survives this tribulation, she will be the next teacher of Tian Shu Academy without a doubt, so of course I will pay close attention to her."

"I'm not dead yet, and you're already thinking about the next teacher!"

"Teacher, I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart."

"Heh, don't think I don't know what you're up to. Now that Su Chengqian of Great Xia has regained power, and Lu Ziwei has obviously not stayed in Great Yan as the Grand Preceptor after achieving Dao, you're thinking of unifying the two dynasties, aren't you?"

Qin Dingfeng blushed: "As expected, I couldn't hide it from my teacher."

Qiu Haoran glared at his apprentice, "That's why I say you're useless; all you care about are these worldly matters."

“This disciple calls it self-awareness. I served as prime minister of the Great Xia for so many years, and I originally thought I was the one holding the chess pieces, high above, treating the people as pawns. But in the end, all I want now is for them to live a better life.”

Qiu Haoran offered his disciple a rare word of comfort: "Don't underestimate yourself; this is your path."

Qin Dingfeng asked, "What about Junior Sister? The Great Yan Emperor is colluding with the remnants of the Heavenly Puppet Sect, and that's someone at the Ascension Realm!"

"You're just worrying about things that don't concern you. Do you need to fret about things that don't concern you in the Ascension Realm?"

The next moment, the old master waved his sleeve, and a huge scene appeared before his eyes, which was the Great Yan Western Capital City at this very moment.

Suddenly, the ordinary blue sky and white clouds were covered with a golden hue, and then a celestial eye slowly opened, its pupil staring at a certain spot in the city.

Qin Dingfeng exclaimed excitedly, "This is... the Way of Heaven?!"

This is the way of Heaven.

The Great Yan Imperial Palace was in a state of instability, and a five-clawed dragon, representing the emperor, was "resurrected," thus attracting the attention of the Heavenly Dao.

From his high vantage point, Song Xinci's gaze pierced through the nine heavens and landed on Xijing City, instantly revealing all the conspiracies and schemes there.

The emperor, who was insane and half-dead, was now at the end of his life.

A young man, feigning unconsciousness and appearing loyal, is continuously absorbing the fortune of the Great Yan Dynasty; he is clearly the next ruler of the dynasty.

What caught her attention even more was that somewhat familiar figure.

Although the man had changed his clothes, he had an aura that made even the heavens nauseous, so Song Xinci recognized him immediately.

At this moment, Mu Lang felt the gaze of Heaven, and the pressure suddenly increased, causing his disguise to gradually disappear.

He revealed his blood-red robe and jade crown, appearing to be a handsome young man, though his eyes and brows hinted at a sinister aura.

Song Xinci said expressionlessly, "It's you again."

The golden phantom beside him reminded him, "The Heavenly Way should not arbitrarily interfere in matters of the mortal world."

"Why didn't you say this when you destroyed the Sword Forging Manor? Why didn't you say this when you destroyed the Heavenly Puppet Sect, which this person regarded as his home?"

The golden phantom was speechless for a moment, but fortunately he had gradually gotten used to it and did not offer any explanation.

However, before Song Xinci could make a move against Mu Lang, the blood-red figure sensed something and slipped out of Xijing City like an eel. The golden phantom breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this; even he couldn't quite figure out Song Xinci's temperament anymore.

In this way, only one Heavenly Puppet True Dragon remained in the city.

Song Xinci did not look away. Although she had no interest in making a move, she was very interested in the man who was about to appear.

(End of this chapter)