Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 383

Volume 3 - Chapter 95: A Nation in Turmoil - Part 2

Xia Linglong froze, a shiver running through her as goosebumps covered her skin, and every hair on her body stood on end.

“So… this is the grand strategy of His Majesty?”

She opened her mouth slightly, murmuring, “Those demonic forces…”

“If my guess is correct,” the old lady said quietly, “almost all of them have His Majesty's secret agents embedded within, constantly monitoring their movements. His Majesty’s scheme is for those agents to one day replace the leaders of the demonic forces entirely. If I am not mistaken, Star-Moon Academy is likely His Majesty’s most deeply placed chess piece.”

A glint flickered in the old lady’s eyes as she spoke in a soft tone.

Xia Linglong’s scalp tingled with unease. She had never imagined His Majesty could be so terrifying.

“But if His Majesty has such agents, why, in recent years, has there been constant warfare? Why hasn’t His Majesty…”

Her thoughts raced. If these agents’ intelligence had been used, the casualties could have been greatly reduced!

After all, the fallen included powerful warriors from the Five Divine General Mansions.

The old lady shook her head slightly and said, “Precisely because the losses were so severe, these agents had to be buried even deeper. I suspect even the Boundless Buddhist Lord would never have imagined the sheer ruthlessness of His Majesty’s heart.”

Xia Linglong stood stunned.

“Li Jiulang of the Li family,” the old lady continued, “if not for his unyielding nature and hatred of evil, boldly breaking through enemy lines alone, he would not have perished. On that occasion, there were traces of His Majesty using the agents, but alas…”

The old lady shook her head slowly. She had always paid close attention to these matters, and having some insider knowledge allowed her to discern traces that ordinary people could not see.

“So, the Boundless Buddhist Lord truly was slain by General Haotian, yet His Majesty… still favors him? And now, for his sake, is even willing to expose agents that have been hidden for a thousand years?”

Xia Linglong found it hard to believe. What kind of favoritism could justify such an action?

To kill the second-strongest figure in the current era, without suspicion or hesitation, and instead expose deeply concealed agents for his sake—such indulgence was unthinkable. Not even the Crown Prince, the most cherished in the court, could receive such treatment!

A trace of complexity flashed through the old lady’s eyes.

“It is indeed extreme favoritism, but beyond that, it’s because that young man is irreplaceable. With his talent, if he does not attain sainthood, then no one in the world can. What’s truly difficult to fathom is how His Majesty can entrust the entire realm to this youth so confidently. He must view him as the future foundation of the Dao.”

“The future Dao!”

Xia Linglong’s pupils contracted, and her blood surged as if boiling.

The weight of those words was immense.

The Boundless Buddhist Lord had schemed for two thousand years, spreading temples across cities, all for the sake of incense.

For years, the battle between Buddhism and Daoism had been to establish the Dao of Great Yu, inheriting all its incense offerings.

Now, General Haotian would replace the Daoist Master of Qiandao Palace and become the object of worship for the people of the world?

The old lady glanced at Xia Linglong, the complexity in her eyes unabated, and spoke softly, “Do you realize what this implies?”

Xia Linglong snapped out of her thoughts, noticing a trace of sorrow in the old lady’s eyes. She hesitated, then suddenly understood. Her heart sank as if plummeting into an abyss.

If the future Dao were to emerge, did it also mean that the current Daoist Master… was nearing the end of his time?

...

Outside of Youzhou, various other regions were also observing the widespread chaos of the demonic assaults.

A few elderly figures discerned subtle traces behind the demonic activities but did not dare to confirm their suspicions.

Perhaps only by consulting the Xia family could the truth be determined, as the Xia family specialized in methods to lock onto the vital lines of demons.

However, such matters clearly could not be probed recklessly—the dragon’s beard must not be touched.

In areas where demons attacked gatherings of Buddhists, the arhats of the Buddhist Sect were both shocked and enraged, their fury spilling over.

Their Buddhist Lord had just perished, and now these demons dared to invade. What’s more, their Buddhist Lord was indeed killed by these very demons!

Many who had fled from Boundless Mountain and witnessed Li Hao slay the Buddhist Lord were now wavering. The imperial edict had been issued, demons were raising their banners, and the public’s long-held perception of demons as malicious beings using sinister sorcery only fueled the outrage.

“Kill!”

“Revenge for the Buddhist Lord!”

“My Buddha is merciful, but I must destroy these demons!”

Numerous Buddhist monks cast off their robes, donned armor, and charged into battle against the demons.

...

Meanwhile, in the imperial court of the Great Yu Empire, those who had previously denounced Li Hao were trembling in fear. Some even claimed illness, retreating to their homes and avoiding court entirely.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Emperor Yu threw down the reports from the Demon Subduing Division and the Ministry of Justice.

“The truth has yet to come to light, yet you proclaimed to abolish a duke and strip him of his titles, slandering loyal and virtuous generals so recklessly. Do you admit your guilt?”

Though his voice was not loud, the weight of his words caused many to nearly collapse on the spot.

Question? What could they question?

The Demon Subduing Division and the Ministry of Justice were two of the most powerful institutions. The Ministry of Justice, managed by the Li family, could be accused of bias. However, the Demon Subduing Division reported directly to the Emperor.

Moreover, the news of chaos spreading through the cities had already quietly reached the imperial capital.

The truth was out—who would dare to argue further?

Emperor Yu glanced at the pale-faced ministers and snorted coldly, instructing Chu Jiuyue to issue an order.

Moments later, cries and wails filled the grand hall.

Those who had taken bribes from the Buddhist Sect, accepted favors, or were devout believers themselves were dragged from the hall.

They tried to plead their cases, but the Emperor clearly had no intention of listening.

An emperor’s wrath meant corpses would pile up for miles.

Before the Xuanguang Gate, heads rolled, blood splattered, and the stench of death filled the air.

When other ministers left court and returned home, they could still see eunuchs scrubbing the ground. The blood, washed away with water, only spread further, becoming more visible and grotesque.

...

Elsewhere, two women of striking beauty and clad in purple, who had intended to contact the Buddhist Sect to disseminate the truth, were stunned upon learning the news from Tianji Hall.

Anger surged as they immediately ordered the demons to retreat.

Who had authorized them to act on behalf of the demonic forces and take the blame for this calamity?

They had planned to use this incident to crush that troublesome boy.

However, the chaos had already spread. Although the elders of various demon factions hurriedly issued recalls, it was too late.

The Emperor of Great Yu had reacted too swiftly and ruthlessly, breaking their plans without following their anticipated trajectory.

It was said that the human heart was unpredictable and prone to suspicion, but this Emperor defied their expectations. He spared no expense in protecting the boy.

“Who would have thought that while we infiltrated the humans, those despicable humans had planted spies among us!”

A black-robed youth realized this, his face turning red with rage. The Buddhist Sect’s sword had now been rendered useless.

Although some bodhisattvas and Buddhist disciples remained usable, they were insufficient. Even a single Divine General Mansion could easily suppress them. They could not stir even the smallest ripple against the Great Yu Divine Dynasty.

Without the lower-level disciples of the Buddhist Sect inciting rebellion among the people, chaos would not spread. Any forced attempts would only lead to decapitation. The upper-level figures—bodhisattvas, Buddhist sons, and a few arhats—might still believe in the truth, but the masses had turned their wrath entirely toward the demons.

“This useless Buddhist Sect…”

The purple-clad woman’s face darkened. In the end, she abandoned further negotiations with the Buddhist Sect and returned to the secret palace outside Great Yu.

When the situation was explained to the elder with the staff, he fell silent.

The Buddhist Lord’s death, a monumental event, had been resolved effortlessly by the Emperor. The countless Buddhist disciples inciting riots in the nineteen provinces were now turned into the Emperor’s sharpest spear, aimed directly at the demons.

So ruthless.

“Report to the Holy Son and leave the decision to him.”

A vicious gleam flashed in the elder’s eyes. “Since they’ve chosen open war with us, perhaps we can seize this opportunity to retaliate!”

...

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