In a courtyard of Lanyuefang in Shenjing, Su Rui sat quietly on a cushion, listening attentively to Su Qingshan's story.
"The prince has been on the throne for sixty years, from his youth to old age. On the surface, he seems to be submissive to the emperor, obeying everything and never making trouble. His temper is also very good. I'm afraid he won't get angry even if you slap him in the face." Su Qingshan said in a serious tone, as if revealing an unknown secret.
Su Rui frowned slightly, thinking to himself: "How could this prince be so secretive?"
Then, Su Qingshan continued, "But in my opinion, this man's cunning has reached an incredible level. There is a Buddhist behind him. Although on the surface he is just a Buddhist layman, it is well known that he has always coveted the throne and intends to become a Buddhist and destroy the gods, turning this world of Western Tang into a Buddhist pure land!"
Hearing this, Su Rui couldn't help but take a breath.
"And the Emperor's younger brother, Prince Ning, also has ambitions to seize the throne. He acts without scruples, commanding five hundred troops, all of whom are arrogant and domineering, their methods brutal, like demons."
"It is said that the force behind him is the Demon Cult..." Su Qingshan added in a low voice, as if the whole situation was becoming more and more complicated.
"The harem is also not at peace. Recently, outside the court, there have been many rumors attacking the harem mistress, Empress Yan, as a demonic witch. I don't know which force is behind this!"
"The emperor has been on the throne for a hundred years, and now he has become increasingly indifferent. Almost all important court affairs have been handed over to the Ministry of Shangshu for handling. He hides in the harem, secluded all day long!"
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but frown. The emperor's inaction, allowing the court to fall into chaos, was truly worrying. And Prince Ning's collusion with the demonic cult was even more alarming.
"In this chaotic world, I wonder when things will finally settle down!"
Su Qingshan kept on talking and sighing.
Now, Su Qingshan, an eighth-rank official, worked as a proofreader in the Shangshu Province. Although he was at the core of power, he was actually marginalized. This situation made him feel frustrated and lost because he could not really participate in important affairs.
As for Su Rui, he came here with a special mission: to understand the true situation of Xitang and prevent evildoers from causing unrest and reaping the fate of humanity. Therefore, he had to find out the current situation in Shenjing City as soon as possible.
Initially, Su Rui believed the problem lay solely with the Emperor, but now it seemed more complex than that. It seemed not only the Emperor was at fault, but also several other figures at the center of power. After listening to Su Qingshan's analysis of the current situation, combined with intelligence gathered from Nun Ma Yi, Su Rui gradually grasped the current state of Shenjing.
Although the current Emperor of Western Tang is both human and divine, his human body is probably coming to an end, and even his humanity is almost wiped out. This is why he is becoming more and more indifferent to human affairs.
The Crown Prince, Prince Ning, and Empress Yan all hope for the Emperor's death so they can vie for the throne! The Crown Prince is backed by Buddhism, Prince Ning is backed by the Demonic Sect, and Empress Yan is connected to the Naked Sect. There are also other forces hidden in the shadows.
Faced with such a complicated situation, Su Rui couldn't help but feel a headache.
Currently, various forces have converged on Shenjing City, making it like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. If any party exerts even the slightest pressure, this powder keg will instantly explode, and most of the people in Shenjing City will die.
Despite the dire situation, Su Rui was less anxious after learning about the distribution of the various forces. At worst, he could just take Su Qingshan and flee from this crumbling "broken house"—Shenjing City.
Time flies, day and night. A few days passed quickly, and Su Rui was sitting in the yard, silently practicing the profound skills and refining the vajra he had exchanged from Dalin Temple.
It is rumored that this magic weapon was also left behind by the evil monk. Back then, the vajra was not only the evil monk's weapon, but he also integrated a trace of national destiny into it and turned it into a scepter.
Furthermore, he had also acquired the "Six Divine Powers" from Dalin Temple. Now, with the impact of a large amount of sandalwood Buddha light, he had successfully cultivated four of the "Six Divine Powers": divine sight, divine hearing, divine feet, and divine telepathy. He had even condensed the seeds of his knowledge of destiny, though he had yet to fully cultivate it. Only the knowledge of the cessation of defilements remained elusive.
Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps could be heard from outside the courtyard gate. It was Su Qingshan's servant. He walked frantically to Su Rui with an anxious expression, knelt down, and said, "Erlang, the palace gates are closed, and Dalang has been imprisoned. I heard rumors... rumors that the man above is dying!"
As he spoke, Su Rui sensed that the previously tranquil Divine Capital had suddenly become bustling with activity. The powerful auras rising from the surroundings made it clear how many people, both good and evil, were hiding within the Divine Capital.
Most of these rising powerful auras headed towards the imperial palace, and only a few were still lingering, seemingly hesitating whether or not to join in this carnival of power.
Su Rui was very worried about Su Qingshan's safety, so he left the yard without hesitation and fled towards the palace.
Su Rui, using the Five Elements Escape Technique, traveled through houses and hills, wading through rivers and mountains, heading non-stop towards the palace. However, just as he was concentrating on his journey, something strange in the sky made him look up.
The once clear sky suddenly became strangely distorted. The sunlight seemed to be blocked by something, and the entire world became dim. Even more astonishingly, a golden sun suddenly appeared in the sky! This sun shone with a dazzling light, eclipsing the original sun hanging high in the sky.
With the appearance of the golden sun, pillars of golden light suddenly rose from within the Divine Capital. These pillars ranged in size, some as thick as pillars, others as thin as a finger, yet they all shone with a brilliant golden light, as if gushing forth from the ground.
Su Rui stared at the strange sight in front of him with wide eyes, his heart full of doubts.
These golden pillars of light seemed endless, rising continuously and rapidly spreading to every corner of the Divine Capital. Furthermore, these pillars of light connected with each other, forming a vast network. Soon, these golden pillars merged into one, forming a massive formation with the golden sun in the sky as its center, enveloping the entire Divine Capital.
This formation was like a huge cage, trapping all the living beings in the entire Shenjing.
When Su Rui saw this, he thought to himself: "It seems that the message sent by the servant is true. Is this the rhythm of starting a fight directly?" His brows frowned slightly, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.
He remembered that his father, County Magistrate Su, had specifically told him to protect Su Qingshan before he went to the capital. If Su Qingshan came to any harm, even just a little bit, he would be hard-pressed to explain.
As a result, the light under Su Rui's feet couldn't help but speed up a bit and flew towards the palace.
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