Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

All 142 newly appointed military scholars immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, kneeling and shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, with no room for error.

All the civil and military officials in the hall bowed their heads and stood in strict accordance with the etiquette between ruler and subject.

In the vast Hall of Heavenly Purity, everyone knelt and bowed their heads, except for one person.

Li Xin stood alone in the center of the main hall, his hands behind his back, simply watching quietly.

The civil and military officials standing on both sides paused, raised their heads slightly, their pupils widened, and their faces were full of disbelief.

The young emperor on the high platform had a fleeting look of anger on his youthful face, his eyes filled with confusion and shock.

He had never seen such a bold and reckless person.

Entering the palace to meet the emperor while carrying weapons is already a grave offense and a major taboo.

Nowadays, people kneel and shout "Long live the Emperor!" three times in the imperial court, but this person dares to stand alone in the hall, neither kneeling nor bowing, treating the etiquette between the emperor and his subjects as nothing.

That relaxed and casual demeanor was hardly that of someone going to meet the emperor; it was more like visiting a friend.

From beginning to end, there was not a trace of reverence, nor a trace of restraint.

Whispers rippled through the hall, everyone lowered their voices, filled with shock and disbelief.

"I heard that when he was waiting outside the palace just now, Eunuch Gu was only slightly reprimanded before he was killed on the spot with a single palm strike?"

“Be careful what you say! This man is incredibly powerful and arrogant. He dares to kill even foreign barbarians. Why would he care about court etiquette?”

If he were to hear this, his life would be in grave danger!

"What have I, an old man, to fear in my life?"

Despite his tough words, the old minister subconsciously lowered his voice several notches, no longer daring to make any further criticisms.

Amid the uproar, an elderly official dressed in a dark blue court robe, with white hair and beard, suddenly stepped out of the ranks, his eyes wide open, and shouted sternly.

"How dare you, Li Xin! You refuse to kneel before the emperor, showing utter contempt for imperial authority! Do you know your crime?!"

The sound reverberated throughout the hall, each word ringing out powerfully.

Li Xin slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the old minister, and lightly swept over the beastly insignia on the other's court robe.

At a glance, one can tell that the other party holds a very high official position, wields important power in the imperial court, and has great influence.

But what good is a high official position or great power?

At this moment, his mind and spirit were in perfect harmony with the core of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's divine will.

Although he did not deliberately activate the power of the divine general, nor did he unlock the divine will form.

However, the energy deep within his soul had already merged with that unruly ape that had wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

He had no regard for kings or nobles, no distinction between the rich and the poor, regarded the powerful and influential in the court as dirt, and viewed imperial power and rituals as fleeting clouds.

He had previously cultivated the divine will of three great generals, each with its own cultivation stages and enlightenment rituals.

Nezha's divine will is that he uses the dragon-slaying ritual to break through the second level of divine will.

Erlang Shen used a giant cauldron as a mountain and a large sword as an axe to simulate splitting a mountain, thus breaking through the second level.

The divine intent of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven is the most difficult to digest.

The essence of this god is his refusal to be controlled and his fearlessness of authority.

He wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, breaking free from its shackles.

Given his current situation, ordinary powerful figures no longer dare to put on airs or act arrogantly in front of him.

Even if one were to privately arrange for someone to simulate a confrontation between the emperor and his ministers, or pressure from powerful figures, it would be impossible to replicate the mindset and scene of the Great Havoc in Heaven, where one defied the odds.

By sheer coincidence, I entered the palace today.

He finally decided to give this court a chance to rise in esteem.

Being in the middle of a large formation here could be considered as putting some pressure on myself.

Looking at the old minister who had reprimanded him sternly, Li Xin's lips curled slightly, and his tone remained calm:

"And who are you? Since you've come to see me, why don't you kneel?"

The words were spoken in a single sentence.

The white-haired old minister's body trembled violently, his blood surging...

He was so angry that he suddenly leaned back.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at Li Xin, his face filled with disbelief.

All the civil and military officials in the hall were frozen in place.

……

Chapter 173 The Great Sage's True Meaning: Who is the Monkey King?

"call out……"

The deathly silence inside the hall was instantly shattered.

A chorus of gasps rose from the ranks of civil and military officials.

The sound was extremely low, continuous and lingering...

Everyone froze, too afraid to move, only daring to stare intently at everything happening in the arena out of the corner of their eyes.

A wave of terror surged through my heart.

No one dared to breathe loudly, fearing they would be the next to suffer.

The white-haired old minister who stood up and sternly rebuked Li Xin was no ordinary court official.

This person is a prince of the current dynasty, a member of the imperial family.

Now he is in charge of the Nine Gates Commander-in-Chief's authority, concurrently serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Cities' Armed Forces, and holding the power of the city's defense forces inside and outside the capital.

He was a prince with real power.

Looking at the entire court, apart from the Empress Dowager who ruled from behind the curtain and the young emperor sitting on the dragon throne, his voice and influence were enough to place him at the top.

On ordinary days, all officials would bow and give way when they saw him.

Even the reigning emperor would give him face during ordinary discussions.

But at this moment, this powerful prince has run into a brick wall.

The officials were in turmoil, whispering amongst themselves:

“That’s a prince! A powerful member of the imperial family who holds military power in the capital region. Even at grand court assemblies, His Majesty rarely orders him to kneel and pay his respects.”

"This young man is absolutely ignorant of his own abilities and doesn't know his true strength..."

That rhetorical question just now was actually meant to make the prince kneel down to him.

That's utterly arrogant, unprecedented in history.

"No, no, it's not that he doesn't know, it's that he simply doesn't care."

Yesterday he killed experts from various countries, and earlier he even forced the Minister of War to commit suicide.

Today he even killed a palace gate eunuch, completely disregarding the consequences. What wouldn't he dare to do?

"The prince, relying on his status as a senior official and his esteemed position, tried to put on airs and intimidate others in front of the palace. Now he's probably asking for trouble."

The whispers drifted into his ears, but Li Xin remained calm, his eyes showing no emotion.

People all revered the majesty of the imperial court and the power of the emperor, and felt that the Golden Palace was solemn and majestic, with strict rules that did not allow the slightest transgression.

In his eyes, these high-ranking civil and military officials, gossiping and discussing behind people's backs, were no different from the idle aunts and uncles chatting in the alleys.

The so-called integrity of the imperial court and the majesty of the powerful are nothing but a superficial facade.

However, they made one very accurate statement.

He genuinely doesn't care.

The prince, his face contorted with rage and his chest heaving, roared:

“You audacious and arrogant fool, showing no respect for the emperor before the palace and disregarding the court, do you really think no one here can control you…”

The words had barely begun to be spoken.

Click!Click!

Two sharp, piercing sounds of bones cracking suddenly rang out, clearly echoing throughout the entire hall.

No one saw when Li Xin made his move, and no one even noticed the slightest fluctuation in the airflow.

The bones and tendons in the prince's knees shattered instantly.

The strong ligaments snapped, and the force supporting the body vanished in an instant.

Extreme pain instantly swept through my limbs and bones, directly attacking my heart and lungs.

His body suddenly went limp, unable to maintain his balance, and he plummeted downwards.

Bang!

A dull, loud bang.

The prince, a high-ranking official and military commander, knelt down on the gold-brick floor in front of Li Xin.

The incident happened so suddenly that he was caught off guard, and his kneeling was swift and heavy.

In the rush, he didn't even have time to raise his hand to brace himself...

His head slammed forward, crashing heavily against the cold, hard gold bricks in front of the steps.

Bang!

Another heavy, muffled thud, the jarring sound of metal colliding with stone was extremely jarring.

The prince's forehead instantly turned red and bled, and he felt dizzy and his vision blurred.

The once dignified prince was now in an extremely disheveled state, prostrate on the ground, utterly wretched, with not a trace of his former noble dignity remaining.

Overwhelmed by immense shame, he couldn't help but let out a miserable howl, tears streaming down his face.

The entire court was silent, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, their hands and feet were ice-cold, and they dared not even breathe too heavily.

Li Xin lowered his eyes slightly and said softly:

"Your Highness, you'd better think carefully before you speak."

"The last person to command the Nine Gates and lead the troops of the Five Cities is barely cold in his grave..."

These two simple sentences, like two cold blades, pierced the heart of the prince.

The prince suddenly looked up, his face flushed red, and blood slowly trickled down his cheek from his forehead.

The anger that lingered in his eyes completely dissipated, replaced by a deep-seated fear and despair.

He wasn't afraid of pain; as a martial artist, he was already used to muscle and bone injuries.

What he feared was death.

He held a high position, wielded military power, and enjoyed all the riches and honors of the world.

Living in a grand mansion, dressed in fine clothes and eating delicacies, surrounded by beautiful concubines, with children and grandchildren filling the house, enjoying wealth and worry-free life.

In addition, with great power in hand, his future looks bright.

He was attached to this luxurious and peaceful life and wished he could live to be a hundred years old.

He didn't want to die at all.

I don't want to die so cheaply, so worthlessly.

How could it be acceptable to die and become a laughingstock in the court simply for speaking carelessly and reprimanding a young man because of one's status?

At that moment, his heart was filled with endless regret.

He was never a confidant of the emperor and had always obeyed only the Empress Dowager. He never took the young emperor seriously and held imperial power in contempt.

My outburst of righteous indignation just now was nothing but wishful thinking, and I needlessly offended such a formidable figure.

What does it matter to him if the emperor is despised?