Chapter 84 084 Slaying Gods, distorting right and wrong, disregarding black and white, you…
Yun Tianqi sat alone in his bedchamber, his gaze still somewhat dazed when Yun Tianjiao walked in.
"Elder sister..."
Yun Tianjiao cut to the chase and asked directly, "Why did you suddenly order Shen Hengzhen to return?"
Yun Tianqi buried his head in his hands, hanging it dejectedly. "I don't know either. I had a dream last night that Hengzhen led his army to force the emperor to abdicate. I... I got scared. Elder sister, did I do something wrong? What should we do now? Should we rescind the edict?"
“A ruler’s word is law; how can he change his mind so easily?” Yun Tianjiao sighed, walked to Yun Tianqi’s side, and stroked his hair. “Since things have already come to this, let’s not think about it anymore. Since we’ve brought Shen Hengzhen back, we should quickly choose a suitable person to take over his duties. The wildfire disaster should not be taken lightly.”
"Elder sister is right." Yun Tianqi frowned, pounded his head twice in frustration, feeling both regretful and annoyed. "Why did I have a nightmare at this time of year? The nightmare was so real, and I was still shaken when I woke up. Could it be that I've been haunted by some evil spirit?"
Yun Tianqi seemed to suddenly remember something, and got up to walk out of the hall.
Seeing his dazed look, Yun Tianjiao frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to pray to the gods to get rid of the bad luck!"
Yun Tianqi remained in this position for half a month. He specially left the palace to go to the incense-burning platform, where he burned incense, bathed, fasted, and prayed. He even skipped the morning court session and only sent memorials to the temporary palace near the incense-burning platform.
Yun Tianjiao felt uneasy and sent someone to ask which deity His Majesty was worshipping. The reply was that His Majesty mainly worshipped Heavenly Venerable Lin Shen, and also added a lot of incense to the three deities.
Yun Tianjiao didn't notice anything unusual, but then he remembered something and asked Zhiwei, "Before I entered the Tower of Sorrow, you were summoned back to the Heavenly Realm by the Heavenly Court. What was the reason for that?"
Zhiwei's expression revealed a hint of contempt as he said, "In recent years, natural disasters such as wildfires have occurred frequently, causing widespread discontent among the people, with many blaming the Heavenly Court for its inaction. The Heavenly Venerable, unwilling to see his reputation suffer, is preparing to shift the blame eastward, claiming that the rise of ghost worship among the people has led to a deficiency of Yang energy and the rampant spread of Yin energy, causing disharmony between Heaven and Earth. Summoning all the gods back to their positions is precisely to unify their narratives."
"That's far too dishonest," Yun Tianjiao scoffed.
"How upright can a person who murders his father and usurps the throne be? Lin Shen wanted to use this as an excuse to attack the Ghost Realm, but his strength was inferior. It was just a show for the believers and pilgrims."
Yun Tianjiao felt that Zhiwei's words were too broad, as if even she and Yun Tianqi were included in the category of fools who believed in gods.
"Alright, then I'll switch to worshipping ghosts and stop making offerings to gods. When you have no more incense to offer and your divine essence dissipates, and you can only accompany me in your ghost form, then we'll see if you're still afraid of me being gossiped about for being with ghosts."
Zhiwei realized her slip of the tongue and smiled as she bowed apologetically: "There are evil ghosts and good gods. Your Highness has discerning eyes. The gods you worship are of the righteous path and are certainly different from those like Lin Shen."
Yun Tianjiao scoffed, "You certainly know how to praise yourself."
The banter between the two greatly eased Yun Tianjiao's somewhat heavy mood.
Before long, the day of the Grand Ritual of All Heavens arrived, and the incense-lighting platforms throughout Yunchi Kingdom were bustling with activity, attracting throngs of worshippers. Of course, the most magnificent and prosperous scene was undoubtedly that of the incense-lighting platform in the capital.
Imperial relatives and high-ranking officials arrived early and took their seats on the viewing platform erected nearby. However, compared to previous grand ceremonies, this one involved the murder of the prime minister's daughter, making the atmosphere rather somber.
This is the first time a celestial being has openly murdered a mortal. The Celestial Venerable promised to give the Shen family and the people of Yunchi Kingdom an explanation. This news spread by word of mouth, resulting in the number of people coming to witness the ceremony being several times that of previous years. Before the auspicious time arrived, the atmosphere was in uproar.
Yun Tianqi attached great importance to this year's Grand Ritual of the Gods, spending ten thousand taels of gold to purchase incense and candles. He estimated the time when the gods would appear and ordered everyone to light them. In an instant, the incense burners were ablaze with light, and the smoke from the incense smoke blocked out the sun. Downwind, many children and the elderly were choked and coughed.
Yun Tianjiao frowned and said to Yun Tianqi, "Your Majesty, there are far too many incense sticks and candles."
Yun Tianqi felt quite at ease. "Elder sister, with wildfires raging and disasters occurring frequently in various places, we should offer more incense to show our sincerity and hope for the protection of the gods."
Yun Tianjiao felt uneasy, but he couldn't openly contradict the emperor, so he could only remain silent.
A short while later, as dawn broke, celestial music filled the air. The gods, led by the Heavenly Venerable Lin Shen, suddenly appeared on the incense-lighting platform. Amidst a deafening roar of worship, Yun Tianjiao heard a chorus of exclamations.
She squinted and looked over, only then realizing the reason for the people's exclamations—
Before the gods, there was a handsome young celestial being, his hands bound behind his back with a golden binding rope, kneeling on the ground in a disheveled state.
It is none other than Immortal Lord Zhujing!
Zhu Jingxianjun had no shortage of worshippers in the mortal world, and they were all agitated by this scene, but they dared not make a fuss due to the pressure from the gods.
The Heavenly Venerable's majestic voice resounded through the heavens: "Immortal Lord Zhu Jing, having suffered a qi deviation in the secret realm of the Ascension Assembly, raped and murdered his worshippers, violating the virtues of a celestial being. His crime is unforgivable, and he shall be publicly executed today, sentenced to be reduced to ashes as a warning to others."
Was it really Zhu Jingxianjun who killed Qiongzhi?
Yun Tianjiao couldn't help but recall Shen Qiongzhi's confident expression that Zhu Jing was innocent. He looked at Zhiwei beside him and a question arose in his mind: "I remember you said that the god who threw Qiongzhi into the Tower of Sorrow should be at least at the level of a Celestial Lord."
Zhiwei nodded, "That's right, at least a Celestial Venerable."
"If Zhu Jing killed Qiongzhi, then it wasn't him who sent Shen Qiongzhi to the Pagoda of Sorrow. So who was it?"
Zhiwei stared at Zhu Jing on the incense altar and said slowly, "When Your Highness asked Lord Mo Bei why he imprisoned Miss Shen's ghost in the Tongbei Tower, what did Lord Mo Bei say?"
Yun Tianjiao said, "He said that Qiongzhi was born into wealth and nobility, but was murdered by the gods. Her resentment was too strong, and she might become a ghost and bring disaster to the world. That's why he temporarily imprisoned her in the Tongbei Tower."
Zhiwei smiled mockingly. "I think that's probably not the reason. When a mortal dies, he or she must report to the judge of the ghost realm. After passing through the judge's pen, the events of the ghost's life will be recalled, and the scene of her being murdered in her previous life will also be replayed."
Yun Tianjiao's heart skipped a beat. "So, it's very likely that the real culprit, in order to conceal the truth, didn't want Shen Qiongzhi to enter the Ghost Realm through the normal procedures, so he imprisoned her in the Tower of Sorrow?"
Zhiwei neither confirmed nor denied it, saying, "It's just one possibility."
As the two were talking, the sky suddenly changed drastically. The clear sky suddenly darkened, and dark thunderclouds pressed down like a stampede of horses.
Lin Shen's eyes instantly turned blue, as if they contained a thousand pounds of thunder.
The wrath of the Heavenly Venerable is unbearable for mortals.
The worshippers who had been crowding near the incense altar hoping to receive the blessings of the gods all retreated and moved away.
Amidst the howling wind, lightning crackled around Lin Shen. He then raised his hand, summoning a long sword from his palm. He slashed through the sky and pointed it at Immortal Lord Zhu Jing. Lightning struck from the tip of the sword, hitting Zhu Jing squarely in the chest.
His divine essence was instantly shattered, and his divine body turned to ashes under the intense lightning pressure.
From this day forward, the world will be without a celestial lord.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. When the worshippers looked closely, they found that where Zhu Jingxianjun had been kneeling, there was only a patch of scattered light, like ashes after a fire.
As the clouds dispersed and the clear blue sky reappeared, the incense altar shone brightly under the divine light of the gods.
But all around was completely silent; no one dared to approach within three zhang (approximately 10 meters) of the incense-lighting platform. The worshippers below the platform looked cautiously at the high-ranking gods with fear.
Lin Shen spoke again, this time calling for Prime Minister Shen to come forward.
When Prime Minister Shen heard Lin Shen publicly expose that Qiongzhi had been raped and then murdered, his expression was already very unpleasant. He had just witnessed the execution of Immortal Lord Zhujing, and was filled with fear and dread. He seemed to have aged a lot in an instant.
Summoned by the Heavenly Venerable, he had no choice but to step forward and kneel in worship.
"Prime Minister Shen, I have now severely punished the true culprit and avenged your daughter. Are you satisfied?"
“Satisfied…” Prime Minister Shen kowtowed heavily, his head buried in the ground.
Lin Shen seemed quite satisfied with his handling of the situation, and then addressed the crowd, saying, "It is indeed wrong of Zhu Jing to harm people, but as worshippers, you should also have self-respect and keep your distance from the deities you worship. If you cause the deities to become unstable due to your own delusions, and then continue to pester them, thus causing the deities to fall, it is a sin, and you should all take this as a warning."
Yun Tianjiao felt increasingly uneasy as he listened.
Lin Shen's words were a veiled condemnation of Shen Qiongzhi for shamelessly seducing Zhu Jing, which led to her tragic end! Moreover, her fate seemed insignificant compared to the more serious consequences of causing a god to fall from grace!
What kind of utter illogical nonsense is this?!
Yun Tianjiao felt his blood boil and almost slammed his fist on the table.
But someone beat her to it, shouting from the crowd: "Absurd! Ridiculous! Such utterly ridiculous talk has come from the mouth of a god!"
Someone actually dared to defy and disobey the Heavenly Venerable in public! Who has such audacity?
Everyone turned to look at the speaker, who was none other than Shen Hengzhen, the son of the Prime Minister!
It turned out that after receiving the twelve imperial edicts issued by Yun Tianqi, Shen Hengzhen had no choice but to put aside the disaster relief work and rush back to the capital day and night, despite his reluctance.
Unexpectedly, it happened to coincide with the Grand Ceremony of All Heavens, and he happened to overhear Lin Shen's sarcastic remarks about Shen Qiongzhi.
Qiongzhi had been cherished by him since childhood, how could he allow her to suffer such a great injustice?
Even if the Heavenly Venerable were above, in Shen Hengzhen's eyes, he was nothing more than a rotten person spewing filth.
Lin Shen's expression was unreadable; his dark eyes flickered slightly as he fixed his gaze on Shen Hengzhen: "Oh? You think what I said is wrong?"
"Women are weak and vulnerable, and when they are bullied and killed, they are actually blamed for seducing men. I have never heard of such a reason! For a dignified celestial being to have such a view, it is no wonder that the world is in turmoil."
These words were utterly outrageous. Everyone turned pale with fright and looked at Shen Hengzhen as if he were a madman.
Yun Tianqi was so frightened that his lips trembled slightly. He stood up and shouted, "Shen Hengzhen! Who gave you the right to spout nonsense here!" He then gestured to the imperial guards on his left and right, "Take him down!"
Shen Hengzhen and his guards all bore burns on their bodies and faces, the result of rescuing innocent civilians from the wildfire. The guards had followed Shen Hengzhen all the way and witnessed his diligence in governing, his concern for the people, and all his good deeds, and they deeply respected him.
Upon seeing the approaching arresting officers, they instinctively shielded Shen Hengzhen, putting up a fierce resistance, but were ultimately subdued by the Imperial Guards.
Shen Hengzhen was pinned to the ground by the Imperial Guards, but he still refused to bow his head. He raised his head and rebuked the gods on the incense altar: "You enjoy the offerings of mortals, only knowing your boundless magical power, caring nothing for the lives of ordinary people. You spout benevolence and morality, yet you do filthy and vile things, distorting right and wrong, disregarding black and white. You are not worthy to be gods!"
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