Chapter 84: Scheming
Yu Yin opened her eyes, her skin like jade, her beautiful gaze flowing with elegance. Every movement exuded an extremely noble aura.
No one dared to admire Yu Yin’s beauty. Instead, a chill rose from the depths of their hearts. The terror of a Tribulation Stage monarch was unimaginable. Among the Nine Great Dynasties, Yu Yin was currently the only one who had reached the Tribulation Stage!
Run!
No one said the word aloud, yet all made the same choice without hesitation.
Yu Yin stretched out her slender, jade-like finger and lightly pointed forward. Aside from General Shenwei, everyone else was instantly frozen in place, unable to move!
Yu Yin’s lips curved into a slight smile. As expected of that guy Jiang Li’s favorite move—using it felt truly satisfying.
General Shenwei knew escape was hopeless. Even if he could run, his army could not. Without his troops, he was merely at the Soul Formation Stage—there was no chance of fleeing from Yu Yin, who possessed the Tianyuan Bureau.
He could only grit his teeth and fight.
Although he, too, was at the Tribulation Stage, he had only brute strength. He couldn’t unleash the true powers of this stage, such as space confinement—a technique both Jiang Li, who lacked spatial talent, and Yu Yin could wield, yet he could not.
His opponent had just entered the Tribulation Stage; perhaps she was still unfamiliar with her abilities. If he relied on sheer force, he might still have a chance! General Shenwei tried to boost his own confidence.
Yu Yin gave him no opportunity to turn the tide. With national fortune surrounding her, she summoned the incomplete chessboard, dropping four pieces at the star positions. Instantly, 108,000 weapons of various shapes and sizes filled the entire space—above, below, in front, behind, to the left, and to the right—completely encasing General Shenwei in a sphere of blades, their sharp edges all pointed inward.
With a gentle wave of her hand, 108,000 weapons stabbed inward.
The weapons vanished, leaving only a cloud of blood where General Shenwei had stood.
Even the Tribulation Stage’s ability of blood-rebirth was beyond him.
He didn’t even get the chance to declare himself a key figure of the Divine Repository Sect or to beg for his life in exchange for contributions.
With General Shenwei dead, his army was left leaderless. The chessboard of national fortune reassembled itself into its complete state.
News of Yu Yin’s ascension to the Tribulation Stage had already spread throughout the imperial city, leaving no room for further surprises. The people emerged one by one to pay homage to their Empress.
The battle had long since reduced the imperial palace to ruins. Yu Yin floated into the air, taking Prince An and seven others with her. She intended to execute them before the eyes of all.
Everyone understood—now that the Empress reigned supreme, traitors could not be allowed to live!
Even their entire clans would likely be executed!
Not a single member of the former royal family would remain. The Five Thunder Orthodox Sect, the Vast Sky Sect, and Yunmengze would all decline under her suppression. The Minister of War and the Chief of the Court of Judicial Review faced confiscation of their properties. As for the relatives of King Qiongqi… Baize Emperor was more than happy to see one of the Eight Kings who had brought turmoil to the dynasty removed.
As for the Minister of Rites and the other officials who had sided with Prince An, their fate remained uncertain—would only they die, or would their clans be implicated, suffering extermination across three or even nine generations?
On the other hand, Minister of Personnel Sun Yuan, who had backed the right side, would now be second only to the Empress herself.
None of this had happened yet, but the officials and commoners alike knew Yu Yin’s character. They revered her talent and feared her power. Now that she had ascended to the Tribulation Stage, everything was set in stone.
This was Yu Yin’s prestige in the Tianyuan Dynasty!
No need for imperial scheming. No need for loyalist ministers. No political factions. Only a handful of trusted aides.
Prince An finally realized—Yu Yin was different from all past emperors of the Tianyuan Dynasty. She was more like the Human Sovereign!
The Human Sovereign pursued only power and never cared for political maneuvering!
The past emperors of Tianyuan had known they would never reach the Tribulation Stage. So they schemed, recruited officials, and carefully maintained their imperial authority. Prince An had imitated his ancestors, forming factions, believing that the grand momentum was on his side.
Now, he understood.
Before absolute power, his little tricks were nothing but petty games.
Yu Yin executed the seven prisoners, leaving their corpses to rot in the open.
“Sun Yuan, your loyalty is commendable… What are you doing?!”
Yu Yin turned, just about to commend Minister of Personnel Sun Yuan, only to see him wearing a sinister smile.
At the same time, a massive formation abruptly appeared, covering the entire imperial city.
Yu Yin’s pupils shrank as she recognized its origins.
The Spirit-Sealing Formation!
A slaughter array used by the demonic path to wipe out entire cities and nations!
In theory, a dynasty possessing such a formation should have been easily discovered. However, this Spirit-Sealing Formation had existed in a space parallel to the dynasty’s realm.
Now, that space had merged with the Nine Provinces, bringing the Spirit-Sealing Formation directly into the imperial city!
“Sun Yuan, you deserve death!”
For once, her usually cold voice carried a trace of anger.
Activating the Spirit-Sealing Formation required a few breaths of time. If she could immobilize him, there was still a chance to stop it.
Yet, Sun Yuan easily broke free of her restraint, radiating an aura on par with Yu Yin’s own.
He, too, was at the Tribulation Stage!
“Impossible! How could you break through to the Tribulation Stage without causing any commotion?!”
Yu Yin was incredulous. When she had advanced, the entire Nine Provinces had sensed it—that was normal. But Sun Yuan? He had ascended in complete secrecy?!
“Before the power of the Divine Repository, nothing is impossible.”
Sun Yuan’s lips curled into a cruel smile.
“Spirit-Sealing Formation, activate!”
The ancient and intricate array began to rotate. Its patterns intertwined, shifting stars and altering constellations, dragons and serpents rising and falling, the very heavens and earth overturning!
In just three breaths, the imperial city was emptied of life.
A thick mist of blood filled the air. The people had vanished, but their clothes remained, still standing in place, as if waiting for their owners to move again.
In an instant, the imperial city became a blood-drenched ruin where only garments moved, an eerie spectacle.
Soon, the blood mist scattered, and the clothing gently fell to the ground, as if no one had ever existed.
From the Vice Pavilion Master of Heaven’s Kill Pavilion, who was at the Early Soul Formation Stage, to the commoners at the Qi Refining Stage, none had the strength to resist Sun Yuan’s meticulously prepared Spirit-Sealing Formation.
Nine hundred thousand lives—eight million civilians, one million soldiers—were erased in an instant!
Sun Yuan had fabricated a rule through the Divine Repository Sovereign, claiming that cultists could only kill a thousand people each, fearing someone might surpass him in power through slaughter.
But Sun Yuan himself had no intention of following that rule.
With nine hundred thousand deaths, karmic virtue surged into his body, bringing him just one step away from ascension!
“Die!”
Yu Yin, filled with fury, struck out—only to feel a sweetness in her throat, coughing up blood with a loud splurt! Her aura weakened sharply.
The nation was gone. The army was gone. The impact on a monarch was self-evident. Connected to the national fortune, Yu Yin suffered heavy injuries as a result.
“Empress, in the Tianyuan Dynasty, the strong reign supreme. Step down.”
After decades of planning, Sun Yuan saw victory within his grasp.
Engaging Yu Yin in battle, he held the absolute advantage.
No matter how talented she was, there was no way she could win—wounded and newly ascended—against a Tribulation Stage cultivator on the verge of ascension.
Sun Yuan had calculated everything.
Jiang Li, who should have been guarding Yu Yin, was absent. Those who could stop him couldn’t arrive in time.
Once he defeated Yu Yin and became the new Tianyuan Emperor, he would use the chessboard of national fortune to complete the Spirit-Sealing Formation across the entire country.
By then, the power of the Divine Repository would push him to Jiang Li’s level.
He would become the second Mahayana Stage cultivator!
“Goodbye, Empress.”
Victory was certain.
Sun Yuan prepared to deliver the final blow—only for an iron grip to seize his wrist, preventing him from attacking.
Sun Yuan turned back in horror, meeting the furious gaze of a dark-faced young man.
Jiang Li!