Just after Wang Sheng had transported the remains of the young emperor out, somewhere in the palace of the Imperial City, a bright lantern began to flicker, its light waxing and waning intermittently.
The person guarding it was a Grandmaster, whose face changed drastically upon seeing this.
The Grandmaster’s steadfast vigil was not without reason; according to information passed down by the Imperial Family, as long as this lantern did not extinguish, the Imperial Family would not be considered extinct.
But now the bright lantern was flickering—clearly, it wouldn’t hold out much longer.
The guarding Grandmaster was one of the Imperial Family’s last lines of defense, and he understood why the Imperial Family was still holding on—this lantern was a significant reason for their perseverance.
Once the bright lantern went out, the Imperial Family could truly be declared extinct. When the faith dissipated, it would be truly gone.
King Yong Nian had been another fallback for the Imperial Family, but he had been inexplicably assassinated.
Now, apart from them, the only remnant of the Great Zhou’s foundation was Zhou Qinghai, the disposed Crown Prince, whose position had been taken away by the young emperor.
Regrettably, he could not be found. They were clearly a forsaken faction and naturally wouldn’t think too much about it.
“Is there really no hope left at all?”
The Grandmaster knew the Imperial Family was at the end of its strength, but as long as the bright lantern had not been extinguished, he always felt there was still hope.
Finally, the Grandmaster made a decision.
“Make preparations for the second option!”
He finally understood Zhou Tianyuan’s choice and why he let Zhou Qinghai leave on his own.
When the entire world was an enemy, without a decisive strong power, it was nearly impossible to hold on.
At one point, he thought that the problems with the Rebellion Army were a sign of hope, but now it seemed more like a flicker before extinguishing!
…
On the other side, Wang Sheng was unaware of all this. He had brought the emperor’s coffin back into East Mountain City. Of course, the coffin was disguised with Divine Thought, so it did not attract anyone’s attention.
Not only that, but Wang Sheng also acquired a decent coffin for the replacement.
“Guess that wraps things up!”
The business with the young emperor wasn’t particularly troublesome, and with the help of Stargazing Valley, Wang Sheng didn’t mind lending a hand.
However, Liu Jian’an and others were startled when they saw the coffin, but they were aware of some matters and quickly caught on.
“Uncle Wang, this is the young emperor, isn’t it…”
“Yes, it’s him. Next, we need to take him to the Imperial City for burial.”
Logically speaking, an emperor like the young prince, who had ascended the throne, should have been interred in the Imperial Mausoleum, but the young prince clearly wished otherwise.
The events of that year were complex and difficult to articulate; it could only be said that the young prince was ruthless enough to even deceive the Imperial Family at the end.
It was uncertain whether the people of the Great Zhou Imperial Family had avoided seeking out the young prince due to his actions or because of the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley; the prince’s body had remained untouched in Tai Mountain.
Better so; actually finding him would’ve been a real hassle.
Not finding him meant collecting the body; finding him and then doing this would’ve meant grave-robbing, which is not the same concept at all.
Liu Jian’an and others had heard about the young prince’s circumstances from the villagers and felt some sympathy.
Wang Sheng did not stop them from feeling this way.
Sympathy was a natural human emotion and not inherently bad.
The young prince was indeed pitiful; he had not enjoyed fortune for long and, in the end, had been thrust forward as a sacrificial pawn.
“Let’s go, to the Imperial City. There isn’t much time!”
East Mountain City wasn’t too far from the Imperial City; it was estimated it wouldn’t take long to arrive.
“Alright, Uncle Wang!”
“Don’t just sit around idle,” Wang Sheng said. “Before we reach the Imperial City, you all should have leveled up.”
A few months was a trivial period for Martial Artists, but it was different for Liu Jian’an and his companions. With top-tier resources and the most suitable experiences for cultivation, they had reached a certain pinnacle within their own ranks. All they lacked for a breakthrough was an opportunity.
However, for warriors at their level, even if there was no opportunity, Wang Sheng could create one.
“Running all the way to the Imperial City… that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
So, Wang Sheng had them dismount from the carriage and run alongside it. They were to get back on only when they had made their breakthrough, and then they could rest for a while.
The journey from East Mountain City to the Imperial City had been well planned by Wang Sheng, and nothing out of the ordinary was encountered along the way.
Ultimately, on the fifth day, Liu Jian’an and Wang Lingwei achieved their breakthroughs. Their aptitude was undeniable. Then came Zhou Tian, and lastly, the others followed suit one after another.
This was faster than Wang Sheng had expected; they hadn’t even entered the range of the Imperial City yet!
However, as they neared the Imperial City, they were stopped.
This was a group of soldiers, but from their spirit and demeanor, they didn’t seem like regular soldiers—more like ones hastily gathered.
But in these times, such people were all too common, and Wang Sheng wasn’t particularly surprised.
“Halt, routine inspection.”
This was the main thoroughfare into the Imperial City. Unless one went through the mountains, anyone coming from Wang Sheng’s direction would generally have to pass this point.
“May I ask what you need to inspect?”
“We suspect you are a member of the Great Zhou Imperial Family smuggling food, and you need to be searched.”
With this, Wang Sheng had a rough idea of the situation.
These individuals were likely from the Rebellion Army.
Only, as members of the Rebellion Army, what they were doing was far from righteous—they were bandits, robbing travelers on the road.
Under the influence of Divine Thought, his carriage, though appearing large to outsiders, was definitely not the type that could transport food. Their stopping him was likely in hope of obtaining some form of bribery.
“Ah…” Wang Sheng sighed, his tone suddenly changing, “Why resort to robbery? Tell me, how many have you killed in your banditry?”
Wang Sheng sat in the carriage, his words laced with a misleading allure.
The group of rebels outside, initially impatient, became spellbound upon hearing him, and began to spill everything unconstrainedly.
“Heh heh, not many, but still a few. Those people were fools to even dare travel toward the Imperial City.”
“And that young girl, she was so tender!”
“Right, you carriage drivers and your little girls, heh heh… I wonder if you’ve…”
Their words grew more and more unrestrained.
Wang Sheng was accompanied by a few girls, but not many—five. Hearing these words, they all turned a shade paler.
This was the first time they had encountered such an incident.
“Humph!”
Without further words, Wang Sheng summoned a flying sword, then with a flash of the blade, time seemed to stop for the dozen men outside—then—
“Great White, let’s go!”
No one obstructed them because after Great White left, the soldiers who had stopped them began to dissipate bit by bit, both in spirit and in flesh.
“Uncle, aren’t they from the Rebellion Army?” Although Wang Lingwei didn’t finish her question, her meaning was clear—weren’t the Rebellion Army supposed to be the righteous ones?
“They are from the Rebellion Army, but that doesn’t mean the Rebellion Army is good. They have seen hell, so they want everyone to go to hell with them.”
Many rebellions fail because once they gain momentum, they become even worse than the forces they overthrow.
“Aren’t there any true righteous warriors?” Liu Jian’an asked.
“There are, but we just haven’t come across them,” Wang Sheng replied honestly. “Even those we encountered just now might have started as such, but they changed later on. Eventually, without thought, one is bound to…”