Chapter 513: Chapter 226: Emperor Xia’s Trump Card_3

    It seemed as if time within the Mind-nourishing Hall had come to a halt, and even Du Yuan had lost track of how much had passed.

    Only after Emperor Xia finished browsing through the last of the secret missives did he direct his gaze toward Du Yuan below.

    “I am now aware of the situation. The chaos in the Imperial Capital Marketplace did not originate from you.

    However, as the Capital Governor, it is your duty to oversee the marketplace. For such an incident to occur, you must bear the responsibility and be punished.”

    “Your salary will be halved for six months, and the duty of overseeing the Imperial Capital Marketplace shall be handed over to the Guards Commander.”

    Du Yuan’s mind was in utter disarray.

    Despite his best efforts to minimize the impact of the incident and his proactive retreat in the face of the Supreme Taoist’s disciple, he was still punished.

    Losing half a year’s salary was secondary; what mattered was the power to oversee the marketplace, which entailed many interests. To hand it over so easily to one of the Nine Ministers, the Guards Commander, was something he found hard to swallow.

    But on the surface, Emperor Xia’s punishment had no fault, and even if Du Yuan had any complaints, he had to reluctantly accept it.

    “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

    “You may leave.”

    “Your humble servant takes his leave!”

    Du Yuan, filled with doubts, withdrew from the Mind-nourishing Hall.

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?ον??.с?

    As Du Yuan left, the previously calm expression on Emperor Xia’s face instantly twisted into anger.

    With a dry palm, he threw the secret missives that laid on his desk to the floor, his voice icy with rage:

    “Useless! All useless!”

    Those secret missives, sent up by the Shadow Guards, clearly recorded the subsequent reactions of the Crown Prince and the major sects.

    “My Capital Governor flinched and hasty retreated at the mere mention of the Supreme Taoist’s title.”

    “My eldest son, with all my expectations, coveting his sister’s wealth, didn’t even have the courage to act.”

    “Even those arrogant grotto heavens and blessed lands were scared witless by a mere name.”

    “Utterly worthless, utterly clean through!”

    The fury in Emperor Xia’s eyes seemed on the verge of erupting.

    Before Du Yuan arrived at the Mind-nourishing Hall, Emperor Xia had already sensed a disturbance in the fate of humanity. In the Enlightenment Pavilion, Xia Yunqiu had ignited the Fire of Humanity.

    This was a treasure Emperor Xia had sought but never obtained, and now it was in the hands of the daughter he had given up on.

    As for this daughter who had slipped from his control, Emperor Xia was, naturally, filled with incandescent rage and had even considered dealing with Xia Yunqiu directly, suppressing her completely.

    After receiving the Shadow Guards’ reports, Emperor Xia understood the cause and effect—the Enlightenment Pavilion had miraculously survived the clash between two forces, allowing Xia Yunqiu, through misfortune, to garner the favor of the fate of humanity and ignite the Fire of Humanity.

    Although the whole affair did not overtly involve the Supreme Taoist, Gong Buyu’s appearance made everyone cautious, including Emperor Xia himself.

    No one could be sure whether Xia Yunqiu was connected to the Supreme Taoist.

    This realization made Emperor Xia aware that he could not move against Xia Yunqiu directly in the open, so he decided to wait for the reactions of all parties involved.

    Xia Yunqiu, the grotto heavens and blessed land, and the Crown Prince all had a cause-and-effect relationship; if one of these parties acted, it could resolve Emperor Xia’s dilemma.

    But the subsequent messages from the Shadow Guards indicated that everyone had abandoned the idea of striking against the Enlightenment Pavilion, which infuriated Emperor Xia even more.

    Emotionally charged, Emperor Xia nearly commanded the destruction of the Enlightenment Pavilion and the capture of Xia Yunqiu back to the Imperial Palace, but in the end, reason suppressed the impulse in his heart.

    Important matters concerning the reestablishment of All City Gods took precedence, and the kingdom’s fate could not withstand such turmoil.

    “Should I just let that accursed girl grow freely as she pleases?”

    As soon as this thought arose, it was immediately dismissed by Emperor Xia.

    “No! Should her Fire of Humanity grow further, it has the potential to influence the fate of humanity significantly. This threat must be eliminated as soon as possible.”

    “I cannot act directly, the Crown Prince and the grotto heavens and blessed land fear the Supreme Taoist’s name and dare not move, now in the entire Primal Chaos Realm, only those backed by the Fengdu Emperor of the Netherworld Demon Gods possess the capital to be unafraid of the Supreme Taoist.”

    With this thought, a smile finally appeared on Emperor Xia’s face.

    Picking up a blank secret missive, Emperor Xia began to write a lengthy message with vigorous brushstrokes.

    The Shadow Guard quietly emerged from the shadows. Emperor Xia handed the secret missive he had written to the Shadow Guard.

    “Deliver this secret missive to the Mount Luofeng 6 Hell Deities. I wish to invite the Netherworld Demon Gods to act on my behalf and eliminate this hidden threat.”