Chapter 11: The Human Sovereign’s Diehard Fan
In a secluded area, Prefect Gong slapped Clan Leader Jiang so hard that he spun twice in the air before crashing to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
“You idiot! Making you City Lord of Qing City was my biggest mistake! If your old ancestor wants to live a few more years, he should figure it out himself. Stop making us clean up his mess!”
“You said your ancestor practiced Demonic Cultivation with the Human Sovereign’s silent approval, didn’t you? Hurry up and contact the Human Sovereign! Right now, only he can save us!”
Clan Leader Jiang gulped down the blood in his mouth and replied, “The Human Sovereign has only ever contacted us; we’ve never been able to reach him.”
Prefect Gong now suspected that the Human Sovereign had no idea about Jiang Yixing’s demonic cultivation. Maybe the Human Sovereign was actually impartial and had never returned to the Jiang family at all.
But at this point, verifying the truth was meaningless.
“So you’re saying the Human Sovereign is unreliable, huh?” Prefect Gong’s face darkened like a storm. “Then there’s only one option left.”
“What is it? Should we send someone to take out Zhang Li?” Clan Leader Jiang and Former City Lord Zeng asked hurriedly.
“Idiots! If Zhang Li applies for Time Reversal and then suddenly dies, that’s not just killing Zhang Li—that’s a direct slap in the face to the Imperial Court! If the court lets this slide, where’s its authority? Once they investigate, we’re all finished!” Prefect Gong cursed. His century-long patience had already been shattered twice today—once by Zhang Li and now by these two fools.
“The Third Prince admires the Human Sovereign and has always sought to promote former City Lords of Qing City. Right now, the only person we can persuade is him. If he performs Time Reversal and covers for us, we might just survive this!”
“But who among us is qualified to meet the Third Prince?”
Prefect Gong smirked coldly. “I wasn’t the only one who got promoted after serving as Qing City’s City Lord. Many of them now hold high positions. With things falling apart, none of them can escape either. Let’s get them to pull some strings.”
“The Human Sovereign’s cousin practiced demonic cultivation, and he even had the Human Sovereign’s approval—can this be true?!”
The Third Prince sprang to his feet, his face full of disbelief.
“It is true, Your Highness. When I served in Qing City, I learned about this and was just as shocked.”
Over the past few days, former City Lords of Qing City had used all their connections, finally securing an audience for Prefect Gong with the Third Prince.
Before entering the capital, Prefect Gong had rehearsed his story multiple times until he was confident enough to present it.
“The Human Sovereign holds great power but has very few confidants. Because of this, he treasures his family even more. But as the Human Sovereign, he cannot openly show favoritism. He couldn’t bear to see his cousin die, so he secretly permitted him to practice Demonic Cultivation, allowing him to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage and extend his lifespan.”
“If those two reckless fools confirm that the Human Sovereign’s cousin practiced demonic cultivation, they might even uncover the fact that the Human Sovereign authorized it! If that happens, the Human Sovereign’s reputation will be ruined, Your Highness!”
“But if we cover this up, the Human Sovereign might be grateful to us.”
The Third Prince paced back and forth, his eyes flickering with excitement. He muttered to himself: ‘The Human Sovereign’s reputation’, ‘His gratitude toward us’, ‘The Human Sovereign is kind-hearted and can’t bear to see his brother die’, ‘Demonic Cultivation means nothing compared to brotherhood’…
Finally, he turned to Prefect Gong and said:
“I understand.”
The Great Zhou Dynasty, Xuanzheng Hall
The Zhou Emperor, Ji Zhi, was a tall man with double pupils in each eye, his features sharp and dignified. Simply sitting there, he radiated an overwhelming sense of authority and justice.
This was no illusion—it was the very real effect of National Fortune manifesting through him.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the strength of National Fortune was directly tied to the fairness of the legal system. The more just the laws, the stronger the nation’s fortune. As the Emperor, Ji Zhi was its guardian—if he acted unfairly, the weight of National Fortune would crush him instead.
Ji Zhi scanned the memorials and petitions requesting Time Reversal.
“There is a Nascent Soul Cultivator in Qing City suspected of practicing Demonic Cultivation. The City Lord may have shielded him and destroyed evidence. We need someone to travel to Tianqing Prefecture to conduct the Time Reversal. Who wants to go?”
The Imperial Princes and Princesses remained silent. This kind of mission offered no real benefits—if done well, there was no reward; if done poorly, there were consequences. It was always the Emperor who assigned two people—one to carry out the task and one to supervise. This was just a formality.
“Father, I volunteer.” The Third Prince stepped forward.
The other Imperial children glanced at him, surprised. They didn’t understand why their third brother was so eager. Was he trying to impress their father?
“Then Third Prince, you shall go. Fourth Prince, you will accompany him. The decision is made. Court adjourned.”
After the court session ended, the Third Prince called out to the Fourth Prince.
“Fourth Brother, come here for a moment.”
The Fourth Prince frowned. He and the Third Prince were not on good terms. They both had ambitions for the throne, and their struggles—both in the open and behind the scenes—were endless. Many ministers had already started choosing sides.
If his Third Brother was calling him over now, it could only be related to the Time Reversal case.
“Third Brother, what is it?”
“Do you know the background of this case Father assigned us?”
“Isn’t it just about the Qing City Lord helping a Nascent Soul Cultivator practice Demonic Cultivation?”
“That Nascent Soul Cultivator isn’t just anyone. He’s the Human Sovereign’s cousin—the only living relative of the Human Sovereign.”
“WHAT?!”
The Fourth Prince was stunned.
At first, he had dismissed the case. Given Great Zhou’s strength, even if the suspect were a Dao Sect Envoy, they would still enforce the law. Anyone who deserved to be arrested would be arrested.
Unless… the suspect had a background so terrifying that even Great Zhou wouldn’t dare provoke them.
And being the Human Sovereign’s cousin—the only living relative of the Human Sovereign—fit that description perfectly.
Moreover, if the Human Sovereign’s cousin practiced Demonic Cultivation, would the Human Sovereign really be unaware? The Human Sovereign was unimaginably powerful—could it be that he too practiced Demonic Cultivation?
If the Human Sovereign practiced Demonic Cultivation, then should Great Zhou intervene or not?
The Fourth Prince took a sharp breath. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying the implications became. No wonder their father hadn’t mentioned it in court—because once it was made official, no matter what the truth was, the final verdict would have to be ‘not guilty’.
Great Zhou had the authority to govern the Human Sovereign.
But it did not have the power to enforce it.
A Mahayana Stage Cultivator was beyond the reach of any dynasty. Even if Great Zhou threw everything it had at him, it would be like moths flying into a flame.
The Fourth Prince quickly reconsidered his stance. He and the Third Prince may have been rivals, but when it came to Great Zhou’s reputation and survival, they could put their differences aside—at least temporarily.
The Time Reversal was scheduled to take place outside Qing City. After submitting their petition, Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing returned to the city.
For the past few days, Yuan Wuxing had been on edge. Normally rare Nascent Soul and Soul Formation cultivators were showing up constantly, pressuring Zhang Li to withdraw the petition.
A Soul Formation cultivator finally snapped and attacked in anger—only for Jiang Li to demonstrate firsthand what it meant for a Nascent Soul genius to defeat an old Soul Formation expert.
As the commotion settled, there was a knock at the door.
Yuan Wuxing sighed. Here we go again.