CHAPTER 354: CHAPTER 25 PIG’S FOOT AND OLD DADDY BECOME ENEMIES_1

「Sun God World.」

「Jade Capital City.」

「Golden Throne Hall.」

Emperor Qian, Yang Pan, sat upright on the dragon throne, twelve tassels of his imperial crown hanging down, revealing only a pair of dignified and profound eyes.

Marquis Wu Wen, Hong Xuanji, Prince Yang Yuan, and other civil and military officials were arrayed on both sides, holding a grand court assembly.

"Those with matters to report may speak; all others, withdraw from court!"

The eunuch shouted at the top of his lungs.

Prince Yu Yang Gan stepped forward and respectfully reported, "Father Emperor, your son has recently discovered a supremely exalted Immortal True God—the Lord of Hongmeng!"

"The Lord of Hongmeng?"

Emperor Qian, Yang Pan’s gaze turned sharp. Marquis Wu Wen, Hong Xuanji, Prince Yang Yuan, and the rest of the civil and military officials also grew alert. They had not expected Prince Yu Yang Gan to bring this up so urgently.

In recent days, Yang Gan had made frequent moves, of which everyone naturally had heard.

Could it be because of this so-called Lord of Hongmeng?

Yet, they racked their brains but had never heard of this figure known as the Lord of Hongmeng.

And supremely exalted?

Where did that leave Emperor Qian, Yang Pan?

What exactly did Yang Gan intend to do?

All eyes turned in unison towards Yang Gan.

Feeling the multitude of gazes upon him, especially Yang Pan’s, Yang Gan felt immense pressure. Yet, when he thought of the great Lord of Hongmeng, he forced himself to calm down and continued,

"The Lord of Hongmeng is a great and benevolent Immortal True God. No matter who it is, as long as one believes in the Lord of Hongmeng, they will receive divine grace, strengthening the body and warding off all illnesses!"

"Your son implores Father Emperor to lead the nation in faith to the Lord of Hongmeng, so that our people of Great Qian may each be as powerful as dragons and live to a ripe old age!"

As Yang Gan’s impassioned voice faded, the entire Golden Throne Hall fell into a hushed silence.

All were dumbfounded, staring at Yang Gan in disbelief.

Had Yang Gan been bewitched?

Or gone mad?

The fourth brother is truly courting death, daring to speak such treasonous words. Does he really believe Father Emperor wouldn’t dare to kill him?

Prince Yang Yuan sneered inwardly, overjoyed. He hadn’t expected Yang Gan to be so foolish.

Since ascending the throne, Yang Pan had always been trying to suppress cultivators.

The saying goes: heroes with martial prowess defy prohibitions, and scholars with literary talent disrupt the law.

Dream Master Ji, the leader of the Taishang Path, wouldn’t allow the Emperor to practice the Ghost Immortal Law because Dream Master Ji did not wish for an undying ruler in the world.

This was also the sentiment of many cultivators.

A monarch with eternal life posed too great a threat of suppression to them.

As cultivators, they treasured their freedom.

Naturally, they did not want a powerful dynasty to constrain them.

Therefore, Dream Master Ji had even assassinated two emperors of the Great Qian Dynasty and held an unspoken reputation as The Number One Under Heaven.

Yang Pan practiced the Future Unborn Sutra and had now survived several Heavenly Tribulations as a Ghost Immortal. Ghost Immortals possessed a prolonged lifespan and could also seize new bodies to be reborn.

One could say Yang Pan had become a target Dream Master Ji sought to eliminate.

Yang Pan and Marquis Wu Wen, Hong Xuanji, had also been quietly amassing strength to deal with Dream Master Ji, devising strategies to weaken the power of Immortal Path cultivators.

Now, Yang Gan was publicly proposing that the nation should believe in the Lord of Hongmeng.

This was simply absurd.

While they didn’t know who the Lord of Hongmeng was, they supposed he must be some accomplished Ghost Immortal.

"Audacious!"

As expected, Yang Pan was furious. His terrifying majesty enveloped the Golden Throne Hall.

His gaze fixed on Yang Gan, he demanded, "Do you know what you are saying?"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Hong Xuanji stepped forward, bowed, and said,

"Your Majesty, Daoists are recluses who deceive the populace with heretical methods of cultivating immortality through spirits. They do not engage in production, nor do they respect law and etiquette!"

"In times of turmoil, they not only fail to remain loyal to the monarch, but they also attach themselves to new powers, and even attempt to take control of Divine Artifacts to sway the ruler’s will!"

"The Prince must have been bewitched by these Daoists. Your humble servant pleads for Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly, execute those who beguile the public, and abolish the sanctioned Taishang Path, Immortal Fang, and Zhengyi Path."

Emperor Qian did not immediately respond. He indeed wanted to deal with these individuals, but the Daoist sects had many formidable members. Suppressing them was not difficult, but he had to be wary of them retaliating out of desperation.

For now, he could only appease them while devising a long-term strategy.

However, he absolutely could not spare those who dared to ensnare his son Yang Gan; he had to make an example of them by killing one to warn a hundred.

This had already touched his bottom line.

Yang Pan stared at Yang Gan and demanded, "You rebellious son! Tell me, who is the Lord of Hongmeng, and where is he? What kind of people serve under him?"

"Father Emperor, please calm yourself. The messenger of the Lord of Hongmeng is already waiting outside. Whatever Father Emperor wishes to know, you may ask the Divine Envoy!"

Yang Gan said with a bow.

The messenger of the Lord of Hongmeng? What do they want?

Yang Pan pondered but felt no fear. He directly ordered,

"Bring them in!"

As Yang Pan’s voice fell, Hong Yi and Bai Ziyue quickly walked in from outside.

"Hong Yi!"

Seeing Hong Yi, Hong Xuanji became visibly unsettled.

At the same time, more speculations arose in his mind. Could it really be the Taishang Path’s Dream Master Ji playing tricks?

Hong Yi was the son of Dream Ice Cloud.

And Dream Ice Cloud had been the previous Sacred Girl of the Taishang Path.

No wonder he thought of Dream Master Ji.

"You scourge!"

Hong Xuanji glared at Hong Yi, looking ready to cleanse his household. "Was it Dream Master Ji who instructed you to deceive the Prince? I should never have let you, this seed of calamity, live!"

The surrounding civil and military officials widened their eyes. Currently, Hong Yi was still relatively unknown; fewer than five court officials recognized him.

However, from Hong Xuanji’s words, they understood that Hong Yi was his son.

This was truly interesting.

Hearing Hong Xuanji repeatedly call him a scourge and a seed of calamity, Hong Yi could no longer suppress his outburst.

"Hong Xuanji."

Hong Yi glared angrily and questioned, "Years ago, was it you who secretly instructed Madam Zhao to kill my mother?"

"A mere courtesan from a brothel, and a demoness of the Taishang Path at that! Leaving her alive would only have invited trouble!"

Hong Xuanji did not deny it. Staring fixedly at Hong Yi, he demanded, "Before His Majesty now, are you still not going to confess honestly? What exactly are your plots?"

"Hong Xuanji, just you wait! I will make you kneel before my mother’s grave for the rest of your life, repenting to her!" Hong Yi gritted his teeth.

He had held onto a sliver of hope, but now it was clear that Hong Xuanji was an utterly heartless and ungrateful man.

His mother was truly blind.

To have given her life for such a person.

Utterly not worth it.

"Stubborn fool!"

Seeing that Hong Yi would not let go of the matter concerning Dream Ice Cloud, Hong Xuanji also grew furious and raised his hand to strike Hong Yi down.

BOOM!

Bai Ziyue stepped in front of Hong Yi, blocking Hong Xuanji.

"Demon! You dare to be so presumptuous in the Golden Throne Hall!"

Seeing Bai Ziyue, Hong Xuanji grew furious. He recognized him as one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals, the White Ape King.

BOOM!

It was as if a sun had suddenly burst forth from the horizon, shattering the eternal night. Infinite, virile Yang Gang Blood Qi cascaded across the Great Qian World.

In that moment, an extremely terrifying, virile Yang Gang Blood Qi erupted from Hong Xuanji’s body, making the entire Golden Throne Hall seem as if it had caught fire, turning it a blazing red.

The Yang Gang Blood Qi of martial artists is the bane of Daoist arts.

Hong Xuanji practiced the Martial Path and had already stepped into the Martial Dao Human Immortal Realm, equivalent to a Ghost Immortal who had undergone four Heavenly Tribulations.

The released Yang Gang Blood Qi was vast and boundless, tyrannical and endless. In the face of such potent Yang Gang Blood Qi, even a Ghost Immortal would have to keep a great distance.

Bai Ziyue was immediately suppressed.

As the two fought, the Golden Throne Hall descended into chaos. However, Yang Pan, seated above, showed not the slightest change in expression.

Yang Pan himself was not weak. He possessed at least the Cultivation Level of a Ghost Immortal who had undergone four Heavenly Tribulations and was protected by the King of Divine Artifacts, the Creation Boat.

Even if Dream Master Ji himself came, he could not kill Yang Pan.

Let alone the insignificant Bai Ziyue.

Although Bai Ziyue was known as one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals, in reality, he was insignificant to the true powerhouses.

Yang Pan was not concerned about Bai Ziyue, but he remained wary of the Lord of Hongmeng that Yang Gan had mentioned.

The Lord of Hongmeng must be the backing Yang Gan relies upon.