Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 471 Abolition
Gu Zhanting screamed and fell from the sky. Ye Tinglan followed closely, about to deliver the finishing blow.

Suddenly, there was a cracking sensation high in the sky, as if a pair of divine or demonic eyes were observing from above.

Ye Tinglan's heart stirred slightly, and she immediately concealed her aura, forcibly suppressing the power of Qian Yuan back into Huiyang.

There are several issues with breaking through to the Qian Yuan realm. First, there's the heavenly tribulation and ascension that occurred during the breakthrough, which was already avoided thanks to the Formless Realm and the little pig. But there's a second issue: ancient realm pursuers will come to capture him. Back then, Maha was found, and Jiang Duxu was afraid of this, so he kept his level suppressed.

If you want to break through to the Qian Yuan level, you need to take this into account and learn this method of suppressing your level from Jiang Duxu in advance.

Sure enough, a scanning sensation swept over him. Just then, Gu Zhanting was also struck and no longer had any Qian Yuan power. The scan found nothing, and the Eye of Gods and Demons in the sky closed again.

Ye Tinglan breathed a sigh of relief, but her hands didn't stop. She slashed at Gu Zhanting again with her sword, almost splitting his chest open.

"Bang!" Gu Zhanting landed on the altar, and a black flame had already quietly entered his body in mid-air.

Gu Zhanting let out a scream and rolled around on the altar, no longer able to find the overwhelming power of the demonic flames he had just displayed.

People watched silently, but there were few sighs of lament for the fall of an emperor. Everyone felt that Gu Zhanting lacked the aura of an emperor... Instead, there was a sense of melancholy about the changing times.

"Stop!" Several sharp shouts came from afar. Purple energy rose from the east, and several figures appeared in the field, blocking Ye Tinglan's pursuit.

Ye Tinglan suppressed his level and dared not unleash it again in the short term. Faced with the combined attack of several super-grade experts, he could only temporarily avoid their sharp edge and coldly said, "Everyone, do you still want to protect this tyrant to the death?"

They were none other than the old monsters who had been secretly cultivating in seclusion at the Gu family.

An old man slowly said, "We were in seclusion, unaware of the War Court's utter depravity... Now that we know, we will naturally not defend him. But the Grand Preceptor publicly murdered the emperor; was he plotting a rebellion?"

Dealing with Gu Zhanting and overthrowing the entire Daqian Dynasty are two different things.

The old monsters could tolerate dealing with Gu Zhanting, and might even hope that their own descendants could succeed him, but they would never allow the overthrow of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Similarly, the civil and military officials watching the battle at this time might also feel that Gu Zhanting is not fit to be the ruler, but it is hard to say how many of them hope for a change of dynasty—there are many powerful aristocratic families and sects, not just the Pei and Sheng families.

Even the Huanhua Sword Sect and Lingtian Pavilion, who are currently on Lu Xingzhou's side, are here for the Huo family. Would they be willing to rebel? At least there was no such agreement before.

Ye Tinglan glanced at them coldly: "It doesn't seem like it's impossible."

The old man was speechless. The Grand Preceptor's temperament and her way of life made it difficult for her to say "treason" so vehemently. He thought that this one sentence would be enough to shut Ye Tinglan down and make her say, "I am only eliminating the tyrannical emperor." But he never expected her to say that.

If she really decides to rebel, it seems she could.

She was the only Qian Yuan at this moment, and despite being under-leveled and injured, she was still the strongest in the arena. Moreover, Jiang Du, Xu Feng, Zi Liu, and the others on the ground were definitely still on her side. As long as all the royal old monsters could be eliminated, what did it matter whether the others agreed or not?
It's nothing more than tearing off the veil of deposing a tyrannical ruler and turning it into a naked rebellion; if you're willing to bear that kind of reputation, there's nothing wrong with it.

The old man lowered his posture and said in a low voice, "Grand Preceptor, this matter is indeed the fault of the War Court. But since the Grand Preceptor knows that the Upper Realm is pursuing us, the power of Qian Yuan cannot be used rashly. If our two families were to have a major conflict now, the officials might not stand by and watch as before, and it could lead to rivers of blood. The Grand Preceptor is not concerned with worldly power, so why should he do this?"

Ye Tinglan also knew that it would be quite troublesome to directly change the dynasty. If she dared to use the power of Qian Yuan casually, it would be fine, but if she didn't dare, it would be really difficult... However, her thoughts were not on the same wavelength as theirs.

Instead, they felt that Gu Zhanting had destroyed the very essence of the Great Qian Dynasty, and that the Great Qian Dynasty was beyond saving. Even if it continued to exist, it would only be a feeble existence, and it might be destroyed soon due to other matters.

For example, natural disasters, man-made calamities, the Demon Emperor's southward advance, or the invasion of the ancient realm.

After hearing the old man's words, Ye Tinglan remained calm and asked, "Then what do you all mean?"

The old man said, "Of course, it's abolition and establishment."

He paused, concealing his own desire to support his own bloodline, and said with a heart full of pain, "Supporting Yitang to the throne would be a win-win situation. What does the Imperial Advisor think?"

Ye Tinglan looked at Shen Tang, focusing on Lu Xingzhou, waiting for his opinion.

Their communication was now suspended above the altar, and could be heard by those nearby.

Shen Tang also turned to look at Lu Xingzhou. She herself had no desire to ascend the throne. She felt that it would be difficult to do anything if she did so under such intense circumstances. The entire royal family would not regard her as one of their own, but rather as a patricide and treason. Her reputation in court and among the people would also be very strange, and no one knew what unofficial histories would tell her.

Furthermore, given that his own cultivation is insufficient to control these members of the royal family and high-ranking officials, his decrees will be ineffective and he will be outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. In such a situation, being an emperor would be less comfortable than being the sect leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

But if Lu Xingzhou wants her to do it, then she should do it; problems can always be solved.

Lu Xingzhou gently shook his head and transmitted his voice, saying, "Being emperor is not an option; it's a complete quagmire. Moreover, the Great Qian Dynasty's fortune has already been lost, and there will be a lot of chaotic natural and man-made disasters, all of which you will have to take the blame for. Besides..." His gaze fell on Prince Qi, Gu Yiheng, standing in front of the officials in the distance, "Previously, Gu Zhanting helped you, sir, to ward off the Qian Yuan tribulations. If you ascend the throne now, you might be helping someone else ward off tribulations and gather good fortune. Perhaps we should change our approach and have him take the lead."

Shen Tang immediately understood what he meant: "You suspect that Prince Qi is the mastermind behind all these things?"

"Yes, because in the beginning, it was Prince Qi who first colluded with the demons, and Gu Zhanting only took over after discovering it. There's a big problem here. I suspect that Gu Zhanting was under Prince Qi's guidance from beginning to end. He was too arrogant and didn't think of this."

A chill ran through Shen Tang's heart: "But Prince Qi is only a fourth-grade cultivator, especially considering how young he was ten years ago?"

Lu Xingzhou's eyes were deep and mysterious: "Ten years ago, I was only a few years old, and I was already able to help establish the Yama Palace... In the world of cultivation, such age cannot be taken as reliable."

The two used telepathy, with one message also going to Ye Tinglan. She listened to their entire conversation and got a general idea of ​​what was going on. Ye Tinglan also felt that Shen Tang was truly unsuitable to ascend the throne at this time. If her cultivation were stronger, it would be better, but she was only a second-rank emperor, making it very difficult for her to be the emperor.

Since Lu Xingzhou thought so too, Ye Tinglan felt reassured and was about to speak when Gu Zhanting on the altar weakly interrupted, "There is no Gu Yitang! She died long ago!"

Ye Tinglan: "..."

The royal elder: "..."

"As long as I don't acknowledge her, she will have no official status... Ye Tinglan, your wishful thinking won't work!"

Ye Tinglan was thinking of going to the stage to find a clown mask for him to wear. What was all this nonsense? Had he been burned stupid by the black flames? It was hilarious.

However, he used this pretext to say, "Emperor Qian's actions are outrageous and he is unfit to be a ruler. Now, the imperial family has reached a consensus, and all officials agree that he should be deposed. A new emperor can be chosen from among the princes of Qi, Chu, and Wu, as for Princess Chaohuang..."

She paused, then smiled and leaned down to look at Gu Zhanting: "Princess Chaohuang's identity doesn't need to be announced by you. Any new emperor can announce it. I don't know what you're thinking... But Gu Zhanting, haven't you considered this? With Yitang ascending the throne, you'll still have a peaceful old age to enjoy. If it were someone else, they wouldn't have that..."

Gu Zhanting weakly spat out, "You're talking nonsense. If I were in your hands, I would be the one without hope."

"It's hard to reason with a damned ghost." Ye Tinglan suddenly struck Gu Zhanting's forehead, crippling all his powers, and then stood up: "I will not participate in the deposition and establishment of the royal family. You can decide for yourselves."

The old man asked Gu Shaoli, who had surrendered earlier and was sitting to the side, "We have been in seclusion for a long time and are unaware of the current situation. Shaoli has come out of seclusion many times and has a better understanding of the situation. Who do you think is worthy to be the ruler?"

Gu Shaoli sat cross-legged and closed his eyes: "Prince Qi is virtuous and the eldest prince besides the original Prince Jin, so of course it is him."

Another old royal said, "I also think that the Prince of Qi is suitable."

The other old royals also said, "Then let's go with Prince Qi."

The old man then asked the assembled officials, "What is the consensus among the officials?"

Pei Qingyan hesitated for a moment, then said, "I do not know the princes well, but as the eldest son of the legitimate wife, since the Prince of Jin has been deposed and reduced to a commoner, the Prince of Qi should naturally be the heir."

Other senior officials also unanimously agreed: "We agree with the King of Qi."

Lu Xingzhou narrowed his eyes.

This is truly problematic... It's strange enough that the court officials are so unanimously in favor of a single prince, but it's even stranger from the royal family's perspective. Those old tyrants all have their own descendants. While it's difficult for collateral branches to inherit the throne, the current situation is unique, and they might as well try. Yet, no one is advocating for their own bloodline; everyone is unanimously supporting Prince Qi.

No one heard his private conversation with Shen Tang. Logically, many people should have thought that Shen Tang had more leverage in this situation, but instead, everyone spoke up about Prince Qi.

Fortunately, Shen Tang didn't fight for the throne. If she had actually ascended to the throne, this quagmire would have been enough to drag her down.

Ye Tinglan claimed to "not participate," but everyone knew who was truly in charge at that moment. Regardless of who was supported to ascend the throne, Ye Tinglan's people would have to receive what they deserved.

In the late winter of the 30th year of the Taiping era of the Great Qian Dynasty, Emperor Qian, Gu Zhanting, colluded with demons and created an evil array. He sacrificed mountains and rivers to plunder the empire's vital energy, forging the body of a demonic dragon and the life of a true dragon in order to break through the Qian Yuan realm. His evil deeds were thwarted by the Imperial Preceptor Ye Tinglan and his followers. Furthermore, Grand Tutor Huo Liancheng exposed Emperor Qian's absurd actions over the years. After public discussion among the royal family and officials, Emperor Qian was deposed and imprisoned at an altar in the suburbs of the capital.

King Gu Yiheng of Qi, who seemed to have inherited a mess, ascended the throne with the support of his officials and changed the era name to "Gengshi" in the new year.

The first imperial edict bestowed upon Shen Tang, the sect leader of the Futian Xingjian Sect, the title of King of Xia, with Xia Prefecture as his fief.

Gu Zhanting's "denial" is a complete joke.

The second imperial edict stated that Grand Tutor Huo Liancheng had misled the emperor and committed treasonous acts, and his entire family was to be executed. Huo Qing, a member of a collateral branch of the Huo family, also known as Lu Xingzhou, inherited the Huo family's marquisate, changing his title to Marquis of Dingyuan, and was to marry the eldest princess and Prince Xia, Gu Yitang, in the capital on a chosen date.

(End of this chapter)