Chapter 940

As soon as these words were uttered, they resonated like thunder striking the heavens and landing upon the human realm, echoing within the hearts of officials both inside and outside the Ancient Imperial Star. They created a tremendous uproar, yet surprisingly, they did not stir up further turmoil. This was because the events unfolding today had already shocked everyone from the very beginning.

First, Ning Yan's sudden rebellion, then the three items he presented were each more sensational than the last, especially the one that triggered the Human Race's karmic retribution, forming chains that bound the Human Emperor. Such events, capable of shaking karmic destiny, could only mean that what Ning Yan had said was true. But compared to all this, King Zhenyan's strike was what truly defied belief and sent ripples through everyone's minds.

No one could have imagined that King Zhenyan, who had always been so diligent and devoted to the human race, serving as the Human Race's God of War, would actually betray them. This completely defied all logic. They couldn't guess what reason could possibly compel King Zhenyan to turn his blade against the Human Emperor! After all, at King Zhenyan's level and status, there were fewer and fewer things in the world that could sway him, especially since for years, he had genuinely fought for the human race with all his heart. His numerous brushes with death, severe wounds, and the countless foreign enemies he had slain — these were undeniable facts. Yet, such a Celestial King with an independent and noble soul, wholeheartedly devoted to the human race, had actually turned his blade against the Human Emperor. The magnitude of the turmoil caused by all this could only be described as a raging storm.

Therefore, Ning Yan, standing there now, his true identity no longer mattered in everyone's minds. Even some old officials had already made a judgment in that very instant. The major case involving Ning Yan several years ago was still vividly clear in everyone's memories. It was just that matters concerning Ning Yan's elder brother, the Eleventh Prince, were a taboo for the Human Emperor, and people neither would nor wished to touch upon them.

As the iron chains binding his body continued to break, one by one, the Human Emperor, suspended in mid-air, spoke in a calm, faint voice that now echoed across the Ancient Imperial Star.

“Your appearance did not surprise Us much,” the Human Emperor said. “Only King Zhenyan’s intervention is the first thing that truly surprised Us today.”

“King Zhenyan, are you willing to tell Us the reason?”

The Human Emperor looked up, gazing at King Zhenyan, who was battling the old eunuch. King Zhenyan remained silent, still attacking with full force. Roaring sounds reverberated, and blade light erupted across the heavens and earth.

The one who responded to the Human Emperor was Ning Yan's elder brother, the Eleventh Prince.

“Choosing to strike you down is, naturally, for the human race, for righteousness!” the Eleventh Prince declared. “Father Emperor, you, this Human Emperor, are a cancerous growth within our human race; you are unworthy of being emperor! And the address ‘Little Eleven’—it has been a long time since I heard it from your lips. In those days, those three words made me feel warm. But now, coming from your mouth, they are utterly hypocritical!”

The Eleventh Prince's expression was twisted, his eyes bloodshot, revealing intense hatred. He showed no surprise that the Human Emperor had revealed his identity. In his view, his identity was of no concern to him whatsoever. He cared about only one thing: to slay the Human Emperor! For this, he had endured and prepared for far too many years.

The Human Emperor remained expressionless, withdrawing his gaze from King Zhenyan and turning to the Eleventh Prince. Seemingly unfazed by the other’s sarcasm, he calmly continued to speak.

“When did you possess Ning Yan?”

The Eleventh Prince burst into laughter upon hearing this, his expression becoming even more sinister at that moment. Usually gloomy, he wouldn’t typically show such emotional fluctuations. But today was different; he had endured for too long, prepared for too long, and today he finally erupted, seeking revenge. Hence, his emotions were similarly intense.

“Of course, Father Emperor,” he replied, “it was when you imprisoned my foolish brother in the Royal Dungeon. To make you do that, I deliberately showed myself during that incident. Only in this way could the superficial blame be directed at Ning Yan. And I accurately predicted that Ning Yan would use the Immortal Inquiry Bell to prove his innocence, and that someone as ‘great’ as you, busy with personal matters, wouldn’t pay much attention to it. Therefore, imprisoning him was the only option. This way, I could use the Royal Dungeon to subtly possess him through my consciousness.”

The Eleventh Prince’s voice spread in all directions.

Xu Qing grew thoughtful upon hearing this. “The mysterious black-clad figure in the residential house that day was indeed this Eleventh Prince,” he mused. Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. Back then, when he soul-searched to find the mastermind behind the slander against the Heretic Immortal sect, he had found a residential house. There, he had first met a black-clad figure.

As he pondered, Xu Qing quickly recalled Ning Yan mentioning, while in the dungeon, that he had felt a familiar fluctuation deep within its depths… The reason the other party possessed Ning Yan was also obvious: the Eleventh Prince's true identity was hidden, and what he intended to do required him to be close to the Human Emperor. Furthermore, attempting to slay the Human Emperor in the Human Imperial Capital would naturally face immense resistance. For this plan to succeed, external intervention also had to be prevented. Thus, the Ancient Imperial Star, where the ancestral sacrifice took place, was isolated from the outside, making it the ideal battlefield. Here, outsiders required qualification to enter. And only the Human Emperor could grant such qualification through karmic destiny. But now, karmic destiny fluctuated, transforming into iron chains that bound the Human Emperor. Before resolving this, the Human Emperor couldn't summon the aid of karmic destiny.

The opponent had clearly waited a long time for this setup. What they waited for was the ancestral sacrifice. To appear within the Ancient Imperial Star during the ancestral sacrifice, perhaps the Eleventh Prince had other options before Ning Yan returned. But after Ning Yan's return, possessing Ning Yan became a strategic move for the opponent. Or, more precisely, possessing Ning Yan was initially just one method, but after Xu Qing's rise to prominence, it became the optimal means. Through Xu Qing's recommendation, the opponent successfully used Ning Yan's body to enter the Ancient Imperial Star and stand beside the Human Emperor. This was the most recent occasion.

Yet, one question lingered in Xu Qing's mind. “Was Ning Yan truly unaware of this, or was he a willing participant? And the Human Emperor, as the ruler and the highest will of the human race — was he truly unaware of all this, or was he acting intentionally?”

Xu Qing remained impassive. After experiencing too much, he knew that human nature wasn’t simply good or evil, and the human heart was even more complex and variable, often shifting with one’s position at different times. Especially since the Human Emperor’s reaction at this moment was also somewhat peculiar: a meaningful smile actually appeared on his calm face.

“It seems you have deep feelings for your younger brother,” the Human Emperor remarked. “Even to this extent, your words still subtly imply a desire to clear his name. Are you worried that if today’s events fail, your brother will be implicated? As for Ning Yan, We will naturally not make things difficult for him, so you need not speak at length on this matter. Since you have appeared today and spoken so much, you are clearly trying to buy some time. Whatever you are waiting for, since you still have words left unsaid, We will give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to speak. After all, to kill one’s father and usurp the monarch also requires a justifiable reason to present to the world.”

The Human Emperor’s voice remained calm and unruffled from beginning to end. This scene made the Eleventh Prince’s expression somewhat grim. Yet, he remained confident in his preparations and the forces behind him. So, his expression quickly returned to normal, as he stared fixedly at the Human Emperor.

“Reason?” he scoffed. “Don’t you know why I am like this? From the moment you ordered my mother to be slain that year, and I personally witnessed her death before me, causing my spirit to collapse, Xuan Zhan, from that moment on, I swore to never coexist with you! My hatred for you constantly devours my heart. And I know that you knew I wasn't dead; I even know the reason you let me be! Didn’t you just want to use me as bait, so you could see how many you could reel in at a critical moment? I will satisfy you! Because if I don’t kill you, my thoughts will remain unfulfilled! If I don’t kill you, I will have lived in vain as your son! If I don’t kill you, I am unworthy of existing in this world!”

The Eleventh Prince’s voice was sharp and mournful, reverberating in all directions. A hint of recollection appeared in the Human Emperor’s eyes. Evidently, the Eleventh Prince’s words made him recall the painting that had hung in his residence every day since that incident, and the beautiful figure within that painting. Ultimately, it transformed into a sigh. This sigh contained a lament for that past emotion. As he exhaled lightly, his heart settled once more, and he spoke calmly.

“Then, do you have any more trump cards? You may continue to reveal them.”

“As you wish!”

The Eleventh Prince lowered his head, gazing into the depths of the Ancient Imperial Star. Then a faint, chilling light appeared in his eyes as he spoke icily. As his words left his lips, a muffled rumble immediately echoed from the depths of the Ancient Imperial Star. It seemed that some drastic change was erupting within the Ancient Imperial Star, and this change was precisely the outcome the Eleventh Prince sought by buying time.

The next instant, a scene that stirred an even greater commotion in the hearts of everyone inside and outside the Ancient Imperial Star appeared, shocking, before their eyes! A booming sound like heavenly thunder continuously erupted within the Ancient Imperial Star, and from its depths, enveloped in endless mist, an earth-shattering fluctuation powerfully surged forth. The mist exploded, frantically rolling back in all directions, with an overwhelming sense of tearing everything apart. A five-pointed altar… was actually forcibly pulled out from the depths of the Ancient Imperial Star by some power!

That altar was the source of everyone’s immense shock. Because on the altar, there were five huge golden coffins. They were placed on the five corners, and each coffin emitted a terrifying imperial aura, containing supreme might. And each had a shrine standing upon it. There were no statues in the shrines, only spirit tablets, inscribed with Dong Sheng, Sheng Tian, Jing Yun, Dao Shi… and the last one, Xuan Zhan. This scene was like an earth-shattering, ancient, and shocking mysterious ritual.

And right in the center of these five coffins, there was a lamp. This lamp was crafted entirely from purple stone, resembling a blooming bauhinia flower. A purple phoenix bird perched upon it, its wings spread, lifelike. However, at this moment, the lamp was covered in cracks, and red flames emanated from within it. After enveloping the five coffins, and having undergone some unknown transformation, it merged with the five coffins and intertwined with the imperial aura, causing the outermost layer of the flames to turn golden. Burning fiercely, the aura of a deity spread within these golden flames. That was divine fire. More precisely, it was divine fire on the verge of completion!

“Father Emperor,” the Eleventh Prince said with a sneer, “I am now revealing to the world the deification ritual you secretly conducted under the guise of an ancestral sacrifice. Don’t you think this also counts as a reason to strike you down?”