Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Chapter 191 The Great Yuan Delegation_1

In the following seven days, the imperial palace remained tranquil. The morning court always began punctually, and both the Crown Prince and King Huai never missed a session, with no news coming from within the palace walls.

Regarding the terrifying phenomenon that occurred behind the palace a few days earlier, Da Xia did not provide any explanation.

This was a decision agreed upon by the Crown Prince and King Huai. The calmer Da Xia appeared, the more other forces would suspect.

It was better to leave these people to their own conjectures.

And it was precisely this attitude of Da Xia that made other forces wary.

Although the Thunder Tribulation that day was extremely terrifying, and no one in the Nine Provinces, no matter who, could escape death upon facing it, the one who faced the Tribulation that day was nevertheless the Emperor of Da Xia, the once-in-an-epoch sovereign of the Nine Provinces, the foremost martial expert in the world.

Over the years, even though the Emperor of Da Xia had always been in seclusion, his prestige had not diminished at all in the hearts of people throughout the Nine Provinces, the entire world.

Moreover, that day when the Emperor of Da Xia emerged from seclusion, the heavens and earth of the entire Nine Provinces boomed with resounding celestial music cleansing the world, a scene that still lingered in the minds of countless people. It could be said that the higher one's cultivation, the more one could sense the terror of the Emperor of Da Xia.

Conversely, those martial artists of lesser skill, even some ordinary commoners, couldn't really make much of it.

And it was precisely because of the awareness of the Emperor of Da Xia's terror, that demeanor which merged with heaven and earth, every move shaking the world with supreme might, that many people found it hard to gauge whether the Emperor of Da Xia had indeed broken through to the Heavenly Human realm.

This was mainly because the Emperor of Da Xia had long commanded awe from all beneath the heavens, and many believed that despite the horror of the Thunder Tribulation, the Emperor of Da Xia might not necessarily die within it.

Among these people, there were even many grandmasters of martial arts at the Innate Realm, and even Master Gongsun felt the same way. Even after witnessing the cluster of tribulation ash with his own eyes, he couldn't bring himself to believe that the Emperor of Da Xia had really perished.

Of course, a cluster of tribulation ash didn't prove anything. Even those princes, high officials, and various powerful figures who witnessed the scene with their own eyes didn't dare to definitively claim that the Emperor of Da Xia was indeed dead.

If even they couldn't be certain, much less the rest of the people in the world.

At this moment, inside the palace, having just concluded the morning court, the Crown Prince dismissed the multitude of princes, high officials, and the eunuchs and palace maids, and went with King Huai into a grand hall.

Alone, fatigue swept over the Crown Prince's face. Since that fateful day, he hadn't slept a wink, and even with his martial skills, he was now almost at his limit.

But the Crown Prince knew he could not fall; if he did, Da Xia would be finished.

Then, the Crown Prince turned to King Huai, who also looked somewhat haggard, and said with concern, "Uncle, Father... Is he really..."

He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

King Huai maintained a calm demeanor and responded, "Your Highness, no matter what has happened to the Emperor, these are not the concerns you should dwell on at present. The Emperor's divine might secures the world, his fortunes immense. Until the very last moment, no one dares to conclude definitively what will become of the Emperor."

"Right now, what Your Highness should consider is how to stabilize the world."

In truth, there was something else King Huai hadn't said: regardless of whether the Emperor of Da Xia had fallen or simply vanished, if he did not show himself, what difference would it make from his demise?

The Crown Prince looked troubled; he too understood that such matters could not be delayed indefinitely. As time passed without any word from the Emperor of Da Xia, everyone would grow suspicious.

This was similar to the Emperor's prolonged seclusion; given enough time, the people of the world would naturally grow restless and seek the truth for themselves.

After all, since ancient times, not a single warrior of the Heavenly Human realm had appeared in the Nine Provinces. Despite everyone's belief that the Emperor of Da Xia was unprecedentedly formidable, breaking through to the Heavenly Human realm was likely not so simple.

Soon, rumors might spread throughout the land. Even now, many with hidden agendas were already using all manner of means to probe Da Xia.

But even in such times, the Qintian Monitor's Tower Supervisor still sat on the Star Gazing Platform, unwilling to communicate with others, leaving no one to know what was really on his mind.

At that moment, King Huai looked at the Crown Prince and said, "If it really comes to that moment, Your Highness, you should prepare to ascend the throne."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately changed color and said, "But Uncle, if I ascend the throne, wouldn't it confirm that Father Emperor..."

King Huai said expressionlessly, "Delaying is not an option. Continuing like this is no solution. Moreover, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. This is especially important for the common people at the bottom. If Your Highness takes the throne, at least, it will bring peace of mind to the people.

Plus, those with ulterior motives would quell unnecessary thoughts and prevent meaningless disputes."

After hearing this, the Crown Prince's heart turned cold; of course, he understood the implication behind King Huai's last sentence.

When he was young, before Emperor Xia went into seclusion, although he had chosen him as the heir, he was neither the eldest son nor born of the Empress, and his maternal family's power was not strong. He could step by step reach where he was today entirely relying on the support of King Huai.

After Emperor Xia went into seclusion, although the position of the Crown Prince was set, many still harbored intentions toward his seat.

Among them, the eldest son born of the Empress was the most ambitious.

When Emperor Xia was present, the eldest son couldn't do much. But now, with Emperor Xia gone, the position of Emperor became more uncertain.

Without King Huai's support, the Crown Prince could not sit securely on his throne.

To ascend the throne earlier would cut off these people's thoughts and prevent certain events from happening.

The Crown Prince also understood this, nodded at the words, and said with a deep voice, "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle."

Soon, another three days passed, and news suddenly arrived: an envoy from the Great Yuan was set to enter the capital.

After learning of this, the Crown Prince was greatly alarmed and quickly summoned his ministers to discuss how to respond to this situation.

After all, the purpose of Great Yuan's entry into the capital this time was very clear—it was to probe the reality of Da Xia, to ascertain the specific condition of Da Xia.

It was also an opportunity to infer the whereabouts of Emperor Xia and understand the current stance of Da Xia.

Twenty-three years ago, Great Yuan sought to invade Da Xia, and after their then sovereign was killed with a single blow from afar by Emperor Xia, amidst layers of encirclement, Great Yuan had quieted down. For twenty-three years, they hadn't dared to step near the border.

However, not long ago, for some unknown reason, perhaps also as a form of probing, Great Yuan started to train troops and assembled forces at the border, repeatedly provocating Da Xia.

Now, they had even sent an envoy to the capital; their purpose was exceedingly clear.

Da Xia could refuse, but such a refusal would also subtly indicate a hollow strength. Moreover, Da Xia had always prided itself as the orthodox state of the Nine Provinces, imposing over all under heaven. If they couldn't even meet the envoy of Great Yuan, it might lead to a loss of prestige.

In these present circumstances, to refuse an audience and prohibit the Great Yuan envoy from entering the capital could seem fearful, possibly precipitating warfare on the border and resulting in further friction.

This was also a test from Great Yuan to see if Da Xia dared to allow their envoy into the capital for a reality check.

The best course of action was to openly allow the Great Yuan envoy to enter the capital, thus demonstrating Da Xia's royal authority and might.

The more composed Da Xia appeared, the less the rest of the world could discern its actual strength and weaknesses.

Nevertheless, the proper degree of receptiveness still needed to be carefully gauged.