Achieving physical sainthood starting from Hunyuan Gong

Chapter 119 Corpse Puppet Emperor

Almost perfect.

His appearance was handsome and extraordinary.

Ji Wu, who had just turned forty, sat alone in a side hall, surrounded by the sounds of string and wind instruments. Listening to the imperial envoy's report, he asked somewhat indifferently, "Have all these matters been reported to the Grand Preceptor?"

Eunuch Chen respectfully replied, "Matters of state should be reported to His Majesty first; how could we possibly speak to the Imperial Advisor beforehand?"

Ji Wu nodded and said, "You have done well. Now go and report to the Imperial Preceptor."

The music stopped, and the dancers ceased their movements.

Several eunuchs quickly left for the Nine Cauldrons Palace to report to the Imperial Preceptor, Ji Wuwang.

"Keep the music playing, keep dancing."

The emperor, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, waved his hand, and even as he lay on the dragon throne, the musicians continued their singing and dancing.

Before long, the eunuch returned.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Advisor suggests that Your Majesty prepare a banquet. Garrison Commander Song will be arriving at court soon. The Imperial Advisor also says that Garrison Commander Song's achievements are unparalleled, and his merits and demerits should be considered separately. Your Majesty should not let his minor shortcomings in etiquette undermine his illustrious achievements and discourage the heroes of the world."

The emperor nodded and said, "Everything is as the Imperial Preceptor said."

Eunuch Chen said helplessly, "Your Majesty—the Imperial Preceptor is the pillar protecting the country; but Your Majesty is the ruler of the country. How can everything be done according to his wishes? If this happens, the officials will think that the ruler of the world is his Imperial Preceptor Ji. Although Song Shen has made great contributions, he disobeyed the imperial order and refused to kneel when receiving the decree, which is already a great act of treason and he should be executed! Even if the garrison commander of the Demon Suppression Division who disobeys the imperial order has great merit and talent, it is not something Your Majesty should try to subdue. If things cannot be done, the entire power of the Nine Cauldrons Palace should be used to suppress and kill him."

"We humbly request Your Majesty to make the decisive judgment!"

The emperor looked up at the several loyal eunuchs.

"I am aware of your loyalty."

"However, what the Grand Preceptor said is indeed reasonable. He has rendered meritorious service first and made mistakes later. I am a wise ruler, how can I not even have this much magnanimity? You may prepare your ceremonial regalia and wait for the garrison commander of Longzhou to come to court to report. If he has no respect for the king, he should be executed. If his words are justified, I will deal with him accordingly. Go!"

Several trusted eunuchs left in despair.

"Your Majesty—alas!"

The eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs could only manage a wry smile.

They were the old men who had been by the emperor's side since his ascension to the throne. They had watched him go from a young man who had just ascended the throne to a wise and powerful ruler, to a muddle-headed man who indulged in pleasure, from a time of great order to a time of great chaos, and from a time when the emperor was completely subservient to the Grand Preceptor Ji Wuwang.

How could the changes during this period not cause great sorrow to several trusted confidants?

Now, demons and monsters are rising up, and officials are becoming increasingly disloyal and alienated.

Some even bluntly stated that if the emperor were to be invincible against them, the country would cease to exist!

For several days, the entire palace prepared for the arrival of this Commander Song. Seven days later, a figure in white robes and a golden insignia appeared outside Yongdu City. Countless soldiers in black armor, imbued with military spirit, stood ready for battle.

"Greetings to Garrison Commander Song."

A military officer stepped forward respectfully and said.

All the soldiers stared at Song Shen, on high alert, filled with fear.

Bows and crossbows were drawn, swords gleamed, spears and halberds stood in a forest, and a chilling aura of killing intent filled the air.

It was as if facing an army of millions.

"Do not be afraid, I have no intention of being your enemy."

Song Shen stood alone before the giant city.

The general rode forward, his voice trembling slightly, and said, "I am Du Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards, and I have come here to escort Garrison Commander Song to the palace. His Majesty has been waiting for you for many days."

Song Shen nodded and said, "Thank you all for your hard work."

The central army parted to make way, and Du Cheng rode alongside Song Shen into the city.

The street is wide, with new buds just beginning to sprout on both sides.

Passing through Chongrenfang, Yongningfang, Xuanpingfang, and Changlefang, the gates gradually recede into the distance.

The Meridian Gate stands at the end of the long street.

As Song Shenning stood before the palace gate, he suddenly felt a tremor.

It's like facing a magnificent behemoth, looking down upon all living beings, cold and devoid of any emotion.

Song Shen used his Qi-gazing technique and saw a surge of Qi gathering there.

I thought that the situation was hopeless, but I saw that the overwhelming fortune had nothing to do with signs of decline.

It's truly bizarre and strange.

General Du Cheng whispered from the side, "Does Garrison Commander Song feel that the imperial palace has an imposing atmosphere, inspiring a deep sense of its vastness and supreme authority, and thus instilling fear in him?"

Song Shen nodded and said, "That's true to some extent."

Du Cheng chuckled and said, "Back when the founding emperor established the country, he used his unparalleled ability to observe the qi to find this treasure land in Yongdu. The rocks underground are harder than refined iron and cannot be quarried, let alone built upon. The founding emperor did not use any skilled craftsmen; he built the Forbidden City Palace all by himself with his supreme power. All the buildings in the palace were carved, not constructed."

"This Emperor Yong personally built his own palace?"

Song Shen found it very interesting.

"Yes, at that time, the court and the public were already choosing other locations to build a new palace. However, within a few days, this magnificent purple palace had already risen from the ground. From then on, no expert in the world dared to face the founding emperor directly. His strength had truly reached a level beyond the ordinary and beyond comprehension."

Song Shen thought to himself, "This is indeed a strange story."

The two stepped into the magnificent palace.

Song Shen looked around and said with some surprise, "This founding emperor was truly a genius—the construction of this palace is really interesting!"

"That's right, what a figure the founding emperor was!"

He seemed to have misunderstood Song Shen's meaning.

The extraordinary person Song Shen spoke of—truly was an extraordinary person—

The palace's shape is indeed unusual. The entire structure is a huge arc, with the outer walls in a dark gray hue. The interior buildings blend seamlessly with the ground, with winding corridors resembling a maze. The dome rises slowly from the ground and then falls back down, disappearing beyond the walls at both ends, like an eggshell that has been split open and placed upside down on the ground.

Yes, if you have the ability, you can add a roof on top, and then it will be a complete fortress.

The missing corner of the ring structure is located on the high mountain where the Jiuding Palace stands.

Song Shen stepped inside and arrived at the Tianji Palace, where the corridors intersected.

The enormous palace, the most magnificent of the surrounding arcade buildings, stood with officials standing motionless below the steps.

"Song Shen, the garrison commander of Xuanlong Prefecture, has entered the palace!"

The eunuch's long, sharp voice was like that of a hawk.

Du Cheng and Song Shen traveled to this place and found that this Garrison Commander Song was not as terrifying as the rumors suggested; in fact, he seemed quite approachable.

They actually felt a sense of closeness.

"Lord Song, please go in."

The Heavenly Palace was more spacious than any other hall he had ever seen. The dome narrowed upwards, converging at the highest point into a dark rift through which light leaked, falling on the dark floor in the center of the hall like a cut wound. Officials lined both sides, stretching from the palace entrance all the way down to the imperial steps.

Six departments.

The Minister of Personnel had graying hair and beard, and his hand holding the tablet trembled slightly.

The Vice Minister of Revenue lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the ground three inches in front of the toes of his boots.

The official in charge of the Ministry of Rites stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, the folds of his official robes looking as if they had been pressed down with an iron.

The Ministry of War personnel stood on the outermost side, their hands hanging at their waists, where no swords were worn.

The officials of the Ministry of Justice remained calm, but the knuckles of their fingers holding the tablets turned slightly white.

The Ministry of Works personnel stood a little further away, their gazes fixed on the metal patterns, as if they were looking at something they shouldn't be looking at.

Three provinces.

The Grand Secretary stood at the front, his expression normal, but his breathing was shallower than the others.

The secretary lowered his eyes, his fingers rubbing together slightly beneath his sleeve.

They all stared coldly, with the emperor in the center looking down at Song Shen as he strode in.

This scene gave Song Shen the feeling of being in a tomb. He stared at the emperor in front of him, seeing through this soulless puppet at a glance.

"How dare you, Song Shen! You have no choice but to kneel before your sovereign!"

Eunuch Chen shouted loudly.

The remaining officials all questioned him, their voices rising and falling like layers of a dome, surging in from all directions. Eunuch Chen's shrill voice pierced the air first, followed by the officials of the six ministries echoing his agreement, like a wave spreading along the metal floor, trying to drown him in titles and etiquette.

The voices of the officials flowed past him like water around a stone, gliding toward the light behind him, and then seeping back to the ground along the dark gray metallic patterns, leaving no echo.

This is where the current imperial court, the central government, is located.

Song Shen suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha----"

The Grand Chancellor, holding his tablet, shouted, "Song Shen, have you lost your mind? His Majesty has not remembered your mistakes. Instead, you are acting arrogantly and unlawfully. I implore His Majesty to bring this traitor to justice!"

All the officials echoed, "Your Majesty, we beseech you to bring this traitor to justice!"

The emperor, however, was not angry. Instead, he asked with interest, "Why doesn't Minister Song kneel, and why are you laughing?"

Song Shen lamented, "In life, it is inevitable to be controlled by others and become their puppets. But for the officials of the court to willingly bow down and become puppets of puppets, and to make the common people even worse than cattle and horses, is truly laughable."

The emperor retorted, "Oh? Are you implying that I am merely a puppet?"

Song Shen nodded and said, "That's right, everyone should know this fact."

The room erupted in cheers, the crowd surging with excitement.

The Grand Chancellor stepped forward, his voice as deep and resonant as metal striking the ground: "Outrageous words! Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the government has been efficient and the people harmonious, and the nine provinces are at peace. You, a garrison commander from the border, on your very first day in court, presumptuously criticize the emperor with the views of a brute. Do you know what crime this is?"

The supervising secretary then spoke up, his voice low but each word clear: "Song Shen, you have rendered service to the country, and the court has not failed you. But service is service, and fault is fault. You did not kneel when receiving the imperial decree, nor did you bow upon entering the palace, publicly humiliating all the officials and showing no respect for the emperor. If everyone follows your example, the country will cease to exist."

Eunuch Chen shrieked, "How dare you! Under the Emperor's nose, before the imperial steps, you, a mere garrison commander, are already overstepping your bounds by speaking while standing. How dare you utter such arrogant words and slander the Emperor? I ask you, since you entered the palace, have you ever knelt? Have you ever bowed? Have you ever truly looked upon the Emperor's face? Do you even have the concept of a subject to his ruler?"

The Grand Chancellor followed up, saying, "What Eunuch Chen said is absolutely right. You received the imperial decree without kneeling, entered the palace without bowing, and referred to His Majesty as a puppet, all to maintain order."

"This garrison commander has shown utter contempt for the laws of the court. If all garrison commanders in the land were to follow your example, where would the laws of the land lie, and where would the emperor's authority be?"

The supervising secretary also said, "Commander Song has rendered great service to the country, and the court has not failed you. But merit is merit, and fault is fault. If we tolerate this today, what kind of order will it be if everyone uses their merits to curry favor and disregards the proper etiquette between ruler and subject in the future?"

A dramatic scene unfolded in this way.

"Alright, I'll show you what kind of thing your emperor really is."

Song Shen raised his hand and pointed, and a burst of qi shot out.

Heads flew through the air, imperial crowns flew, and only a headless corpse remained on the dragon throne, but there was no scene of blood splattering everywhere.

The head fell to the bottom of the steps.

The officials were shocked, the eunuchs screamed, and the guards drew their weapons and surrounded Song Shen.

"You audacious traitor!"

Song Shen surveyed the group of henchmen, raised his hand and gestured, sending them flying out and landing outside the hall.

"Those who remain on the sidelines should not enter the battlefield with weapons."

Inside the main hall, all was quiet.

A moment later, a soft sigh was heard.

"Why do you do this, Minister Song? Do you want to destroy this empire?"

Upon hearing this sound, all the officials and eunuchs present were stunned and speechless. Looking at the headless corpse on the dragon throne, the head suddenly stood up, walked down the steps, picked up the head from the ground, and slowly put it back.

Song Shen grinned.

"This is your sovereign father—"

Song Shen looked around and saw faces filled with horror and fear. Many people were kneeling on the ground, vomiting uncontrollably, and many were in tears, crying out to the heavens.

"But it's still an interesting toy."

Eunuch Chen shrieked, "Quickly, go and fetch the Imperial Advisor!!!!"

Before long, someone rushed over. Song Shenning stood in the hall, letting the attendant go and invite the Imperial Preceptor.

Song Shen examined the corpse puppet dressed in a dragon robe and said, "They did a good job, you were excellent, but now you seem to have made a mistake."

These are some issues.

The emperor gazed at Song Shen. "Perhaps you are right."

"You actually know you're a corpse puppet?"

"I wasn't entirely sure about things in the past, but I started to realize it when I was thirty, and now I finally understand."

The emperor looked around and suddenly smiled, "In fact, what he said makes sense. I am undoubtedly a puppet, and you are puppets of puppets. However, there is no need to worry about it. Someone will take care of this discord."

Immediately, his gaze fell on Song Shen, "Including you, and of course, including me as well."

Song Shen said calmly, "I'm waiting for the cleaners to arrive."

A moment later, a slender figure entered the store from outside. This person looked at Song Shen, and Song Shen also looked at him.

Their eyes met, like sparks flying.

"You're the one behind it all?" Song Shen asked, looking at the man.

"I am Ji Wuwang. I never expected there to be such a powerful person as you in the world."

Ji Wuwang found it quite interesting. "Having mastered everything and overlooking all living beings, I observe everything, yet I overlooked a powerful figure like you. This can be considered a miscalculation."

The Imperial Advisor glanced at the group of officials and instructed the many people from the Nine Cauldrons Palace behind him: "You may all lead the officials down first."

In no time, the hall returned to silence.

Ji Wuwang looked at the emperor on the dragon throne, "Your Majesty, it's time to end this."

The implication is not that this puppet emperor is simply regarded as a puppet.

The emperor smiled wryly and said, "Very well, I have been waiting for this day."

The next moment, a red light entered his forehead, and he completely lost consciousness.

Ji Wuwang turned to look at Song Shen and said, "He is a very special one—a model. I injected consciousness into him and let it grow and develop, but I never expected him to go this far."

Song Shen asked with some curiosity, "Since you possess such great power, why not use it to become a diligent and capable emperor?"

Ji Wuwang said calmly, "No, I once instilled in him his original aspirations, wanting him to forget his desire for pleasure and only have the ambition to govern the country."

Hope, in fact, worked for the first ten years, but now, it has clearly suffered serious wear and tear.

"Interesting, absolutely extremely interesting."

"And so, you remain hidden behind the scenes, watching as this corpse puppet gradually loses its original purpose and transforms into a monster obsessed with pleasure."

Ji Wuwang smiled and said, "Sages are not benevolent; they treat the people like straw dogs. The current situation is exactly what I want to see. You don't understand the intricacies of it yet."

"In fact, I've always been very curious about how you got to this point. Logically speaking, it should be impossible. There shouldn't be anyone in the world who can surpass the level of a Grandmaster, yet you've taken that step."

Song Shen said coldly, "From what you're saying, it seems you're also involved in the fact that no one in the world can overcome this chasm?"

"No, you don't have that ability."

Song Shen's gaze seemed to see right through him.

Ji Wuwang laughed heartily, "You think you can see through me? You still don't know what true power is. He's right, all the discord will be cleared away by me. Next, I will let you know how insignificant you are."

After saying that, he threw a punch, and the world spun around in an instant.