Star Trace Gate

The cowardly, timid, and heartless city lord, who was called the most useless person in the Long family by the people of Chaolong City, was actually a fifth-rank person.

He is really good at hiding and disguising himself...

In fact, the Little Bad King had thought that a person like Long Yuqing, who was meticulous and worked hard, could really be a useless person who was powerless, mediocre in talent, and lazy by nature?

He had suspected that the other party might not be as weak and vulnerable as he thought, but he never imagined that he had already entered the fifth level.

And... the magical vision displayed by Long Yuqing at this moment actually had a faint sense of inheritance from the Taoist Supreme Heavenly Venerable.

The heaven and earth create the Tai Chi diagram, and the blue ox steps on the ground...

Is he also a descendant of the Godly lineage? !

Ren Ye stood in the hall, carefully sensing Long Yuqing's breath, wanting to get a positive answer.

"brush!"

Long Yuqing raised his hand and a green ox staff suddenly appeared in his hand.

He looked at Ren Ye calmly, as if sensing his confusion, and then took the initiative to speak: "Legend has it that the Taoist Celestial Lord had eighty-one incarnations, and after eighteen generations, he wrote the supreme Taoist canon, called the Dao Sutra. Later, the Heshang Patriarch annotated the Dao Sutra, and through this, he gained the opportunity of heaven and earth, entered the Dao and achieved enlightenment, and founded the Fangxian Dao lineage. This can be regarded as one of the inheritances of the Heart Sutra of the Celestial Lord's incarnation. I was enlightened at the age of eight, and thus became connected with Taoism. However, because I was born into a powerful family and am the only legitimate son of the city lord, I encountered many constraints and restrictions when entering the secret realm and taking risks. Therefore, my advancement was slow, but fortunately, it was solid and stable...!"

"After my father was forced to his death, I bore the vengeance of his murder. I was trapped in this fragmented city, where politics were chaotic and people were despicable. I was trembling with fear and could hardly protect myself."

"In this time of blood feud and crisis...Brother Zhu, tell me, how can I not work hard? How can I waste my time?!"

Long Yuqing said calmly, "Over the past eight years, I've repeatedly secretly infiltrated the Fangxian Holy Land—Tiantai Mountain—and gradually ascended from the third rank to the fifth rank. Alas, the current situation here leaves me with very little free time. If I were to leave Chaolong for too long, people would inevitably notice. Therefore... although the Fangxian Dao lineage boasts many heritage sites, I haven't found any. Otherwise, hehe, I'd probably be considered... what the world calls a young prodigy."

He wasn't a true descendant of the gods, but rather a branch of the Tianzun lineage. Just like Lao Liu, although he inherited the giant lineage, the giant clan had never produced a god, so he wasn't among the descendants of the gods.

However, the Yin-Yang inheritance he received should be relatively complete, which is why his promotion speed is so fast. When he said he was a genius in the eyes of the world, it was also a humble statement.

In terms of age, he was about the same age as Chu Jin, the young marquis, and the others, yet he had already reached the fifth rank. Although talent wasn't solely determined by the speed of advancement, as everyone's opportunities and challenges varied, this rank alone made him a leader among the younger generation.

Ren Ye had the answer in his mind, so he was not so shocked.

Never underestimate the fortitude of someone burdened with a deep blood feud. Ever since the witch's return, he'd known his father's death wasn't natural; he'd been abandoned by Wuchen, a pitiful figure. Furthermore, his own position within Chaolong City was precarious. To put it bluntly, he was a puppet master at the mercy of others, living in a perilous environment.

With his personality, he would never tolerate standing still in such an environment, wasting eight years without any ability to protect himself.

Furthermore, although he was a puppet city lord, he never lacked financial resources, and secretly had the support of secret forces like the Li Gui Sect, which could use treasures like the Wuliang Zun to help him pass through secret realms, help him collect rare treasures from all over the world, and gather all opportunities for self-improvement. Therefore...his achievement of reaching the fifth rank was truly not a shocking event.

Long Yuqing held the Green Ox Staff in his hand, and the Tai Chi diagram and the green ox shadow behind him became more and more solid.

His hair flew, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "Brother Zhu, all of this could have been settled. Why do you insist on forcing me? Senior Shen Jin killed all the immortals in the sky. Why did he do that? Wasn't it because he felt something was in his heart, to restore life to this chaotic land and bring peace to the world?!"

"I can do it. I can really help you catch this sword!"

Ren Ye looked at him quietly and asked calmly, "You are clearly already a powerful warrior of the fifth level, and you are qualified to sit on the throne and become a powerful city lord. Why did you bury 20,000 soldiers and armor in Luoshen Mountain? Why did you kill the entire Yang family?!"

Long Yuqing listened to Ren Ye's words, a wry smile spreading across his face. He asked helplessly, "Haha, Brother Zhu, you said that the thick annals of history have recorded countless times that anyone who dares to rebel will inevitably bring disaster upon their entire family, be shattered to pieces, and suffer a tragic end. These bloody examples are right before our eyes, yet why can't they stop the coming generation after generation, willing to gamble their lives and property to give it a try?!"

Ren Ye frowned and looked at him, remaining silent.

"Because, if people don't work for themselves, they will be punished by heaven and earth! Human greed is endless; the depths of the human heart are so deep that even the laws of heaven cannot fathom it!!"

Long Yuqing walked forward, his words sonorous and powerful, as if answering Ren Ye, but also as if reaffirming a certain belief in his heart: "Looking across the entire Jiuli Continent, there are as many fifth-grade people as the stars in the sky, but have you ever seen anyone who can absolutely suppress an area, implement clear and fair policies, and completely change the world?"

“I am not a sixth-rank immortal from heaven who can use the power of a toucher to suppress everything and destroy all who do not obey; nor am I the strongest person in the divine forbidden realm who can silence the world with the power of a single sword!”

"How can a mere fifth-rank cultivator suppress the greed and deepness of human nature?!"

"The Yang family is in Chaolong City, with numerous students and former officials, and has long held military and political power. Even though I, a fifth-rank official, have ascended the throne, if I want to regain power, I must rebalance the government and the court, implement new policies, promote new people, and overturn the harsh taxes of the past."

"But if I regain power, whose power will I be controlling? It will be those arrogant and powerful generals of the Yang family. Before, I didn't speak up, and they had the final say. But now, if I say one more word, they won't have the right to speak anymore!"

"You want to take back the power they already have firmly in their hands? How is this any different from snatching food from a tiger's mouth?!"

"I overturned all the previous balances, but whose interests were affected?! Harsh levies and heavy taxes are gone, but whose wallets are emptied, whose splendor and wealth are shattered, and whose retainers are no longer able to be supported?! And it's his Yang family!"

"When the aristocracy is powerful, the imperial power is weak. This is an eternal truth! But how is imperial power manifested? It must be based on the people. Only when they are well fed and warmly clothed will they not rebel. It must be based on the officials. If you want to step on their shoulders, ascend to the highest position, and gain their support, then you must consider their interests. If the officials don't care about you, then what you want to do will be met with evasion and prevarication. If you question them, they will use a hundred excuses to leave you speechless!"

"A garrison with a thousand soldiers, all under the command of the Yang family. If I don't reduce their power, they will remain a puppet ruler. If I do, and all the officials come to me to dissuade me, and my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, third uncle, and sixth aunt all plead for mercy, how will you handle it?!"

"Kill them? Kill one, and your closest family will plummet to freezing point, and you'll also create enmity between the emperor and his subjects. They may publicly obey you, but when they leave the court, these people will live in the same room, eat from the same bowl. Do you know how much dissatisfaction, resentment, and conspiracy they harbor in secret?! The more power you take back, the more people you'll have to purge, and the more people you'll offend."

"Excluding my father-in-law, the two generals under his command are both fifth-rank, and there are at least a hundred fourth-rank officers in the army and among the retainers of various families. If these disgraced people gather together and plot something, what will you do?!"

"Inside this city, the powerful and wealthy are swamped; outside, the four cities and the entire Jiuli are engulfed in chaos. Amidst such internal and external troubles, the crux of the matter is no longer whether his Yang family will rebel, but whether he has the ability to do so!"

"After all, no one can guard against thieves every night. If the four cities can be driven by my interests today, they can stab you in the back tomorrow for higher interests!"

"Brother Zhu, in power struggles since ancient times, there has never been a chance to sit down and discuss reason and feelings peacefully. Whether I'm a fifth-rank or not doesn't matter... the fact that Yang Mingtang is secretly trying to kill me!!!"

"The difference is, it might be a little earlier or a little later..."

"In his mind, if I take the power of the city lord again, it would be robbery!"

"Since it's a robbery... it's destined to be a fight to the death."

Long Yuqing looked at him with a sad expression and said, "Whoever strikes first, whoever thinks ahead, will be the winner, and whoever will be the legitimate ruler in the history books!"

"Brother Zhu, I have no choice. From the moment I secretly cultivated the Ghost Sect and used the method of abduction to select military officers from the army... there is no turning back.

"Either life or death!"

He held the Green Ox Staff in hand, staring directly at Ren Ye with sincere eyes. "Brother Zhu! Whether you admit it or not, my actions have laid a solid foundation for you to take that sword. This city is free of the powerful and the wealthy, free of resistance. No matter who you choose to succeed you, there will be no more killing, backstabbing, suppression, or painstaking deliberation. Interest groups will be wiped out, and all court positions will be vacant... In this inner hall of the government office, symbolizing Chaolong's supreme power, there will only be promotion, gratitude, and the love between monarch and minister who are devoted to their cause."

Long Yuqing's voice softened as he spoke: "Brother Zhu, the price has been paid. Is Chaolong City, without its darkness and decay, really not what you wished for?!"

Ren Ye frowned, his eyes hard and he asked back, "Can I still trust you?!"

"A person who only schemes in the dark, bullies others with his cowardly and incompetent attitude, exploits the world's situation, uses others' butcher knives to plot against his friends, and even wipes out his father-in-law's entire family, not even sparing women and children! Tell me, do I still dare to trust you?!"

"What exactly is your price? Today, the Yang family is preventing you from taking power, and they are the price. But in the future, if I and the new officials disagree with your policies, then in your heart, will we also become the price we must pay? Are the close friends I left here also the ones you want to kill?!"

"You're right. There's no reason to guard against thieves every night!"

"Perhaps, in your mind, the chaos in Chaolong City must be ended in this way. But that's just what you think. I don't think this approach is the only solution!"

"Long Yuqing, we have different paths and cannot work together. Today, you can fully develop your fifth-grade divine skills, and I will only fight you with my physical body!"

"boom!"

The shouts resounded in the inner hall like a huge bell, and a terrifying aura of flesh and blood rose up, which was not inferior to that of the fifth grade.

Endless blood pressure spread, and a golden light like a sword that split the sky surged out from the Little Bad King's abdomen. The dazzling golden light spread out like the blazing sun, slowly enveloping his entire body.

His flesh, every inch of his skin, became even more translucent, as if carved from celestial jade. As the power of the star source slowly flowed through his blood, his flesh began to emit a hazy, faint golden light...

After the dust settled in the Emperor's Tomb, the Little Bad King went through a retreat that lasted more than two years. He had already completely refined the Emperor Body Pill, which helped him to transcend the mortal world and ascend to immortality. His body was like a new and flawless immortal body.

Afterwards, he swallowed that drop of emperor's blood, and guided by the remaining rhyme of the great emperor, he thoroughly cleansed his meridians and marrow. In the endless transformation, he truly awakened the bloodline of the Human Emperor, and the divine pardon entered his body.