Paradise of Demonic Gods

Fang Xingjian’s martial will rose abruptly into the sky, glancing down on the huge Divine Capital.

This central city of the Great Jin Dynasty that had existed for over 100 years was still extremely prosperous despite the unstable and chaotic situation of wars being fought on all sides. People and horse carriages could be seen everywhere.

Even some of the red-light districts were even more lively than before.

The Divine Capital’s structure was comparable or even bigger than some of the big cities Fang Xingjian had seen in the modern world. Densely-packed buildings filled up the streets everywhere, and there were even huge buildings that were several tens of levels high. Only the heavens knew how they were constructed.

Looking down at the huge city below his feet, Fang Xingjian locked onto three positions with a single thought.

The three spots were a manor in the east of the city, a corner of the palace, and a military base outside the city. He was able to sense strong powers coming from these places through all sorts of light and heat waves.

‘However, judging on the waves that I’m sensing, these three people are the strongest in the Divine Capital. They possess at least the strength of tier five Divine level experts, but it’s hard to tell how much they’ve concealed their capabilities.

‘And based on these three locations—one in the palace, one in a military base, and one in the Grand Preceptor Manor that is in the east of the city—there’s a very high chance that these three people are the Eunuch Wang, General Cao, and Grand Preceptor He whom the young eunuch mentioned.

‘Hmmm, that’s not right. To think that there’s another power in the military base? And this person is no weaker than the other three?’

Fang Xingjian shook his head and put this matter side. With a flash, he headed for a corner in the palace, planning to take a look at the extraordinary powers that this world’s experts possessed. Simultaneously, he was also going to get the palace under his control.

…

Concurrently, in a sumptuous palace hall that situated in a corner of the palace…

Although this was not where the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and the Grand Empress Dowager stayed in, the decorations were so luxurious that it would not lose out to the places where the three of them stayed.

Huge blocks of ice—which were as tall as half a person’s height—were placed in the hall in silver basins, emitting hints of cold air. Despite it being in the hot summer, there was no scorching heat at all in this place.

An old man, who appeared to be gentle and reserved and had white hair and brows, sat on the wooden armchair with two maids by his side. One of them was massaging his shoulders while the other served a cup of tea right up to the his lips.

An effeminate young man smiled and said to the old man, “Foster Father, this is Qing Region’s June’s Red. When paired with the mountain spring water saved from last winter, it’s best for relieving the summer heat. It also has the effect of improving one’s internal arts ¹  and meridian channels.”

The man addressed as ‘Foster Father’ was naturally one of the three magnates in the imperial court—the head eunuch ²  in the palace and the leader of the Azure Dragon Secret Bureau, Eunuch Wang.

The Azure Dragon Secret Bureau he controlled had been founded by Emperor Shenzong 50 years ago, tasked with upholding law and order as well as to supervise all court officials.

It was a pity that the previous Emperor—Emperor Wenzong—had been frail, laden with illnesses, and died young due to sickness. His control over the court had been extremely weak. So, after he passed away suddenly and left the Crown Princess to ascend to the throne, it resulted in the current Azure Dragon Secret Bureau being greatly recalcitrant and becoming increasingly arrogant.

Eunuch Wang slowly took the drink and had a sip before saying calmly, “Hu`er, what is the reason for your visit this time around?”

“Nothing escapes Foster Father’s eyes,” the young man said with a smile. Then he continued sincerely, “Foster Father, the imperial court is in decline and that young Emperor lives deep in the palace, growing up in the hands of women. The Grand Preceptor is tyrannical, and there are crafty people everywhere. The world is in decline…”

Eunuch Wang waved his hand to interrupt him and dismissed the maids serving him. After ascertaining that there were no one around, he smiled coldly and said to the young man, “Little Hu, just be direct and say what you want to. Is there a need for you to go in circles when we, father and son, are sharing heartfelt words?”

The young man smiled and nodded. “Foster Father is right. To be honest, the reason I’m secretly paying a visit to the palace this time around is because I’m under the orders of General Cao.”

“General Cao?” Eunuch Wang’s eyes narrowed, and a strong expression of wariness flashed in the depths of his eyes.

This General Cao was conferred the title of generalissimo by the previous Emperor. Not only was General Cao known to be a person of great virtue, but his reputation in the army was unrivaled. He was an important subject the previous Emperor had placed his trust in.

This young man was a spy that Eunuch Wang had previously sent to monitor General Cao, but now it seemed that he had become a renegade.

With the previous Emperor’s death, the world was put through political unrest. General Cao and Grand Preceptor He were on opposite sides like fire and water, with one of them representing the civil officials while the other represented the military officials. They both had conflicting views to begin with. So, with the previous Emperor’s death and the Crown Prince being too young to control them, the two parties broke out in a great fight and went completely out of control.

Now, both parties could be said to have feuds that ran deep as the sea. General Cao was unwilling to take a step out of his military base. Meanwhile, Grand Preceptor He kept on submitting petitions, getting many officials to join him in wanting to remove General Cao’s military power.

As wars broke out in the world, General Cao also started showing signs of becoming restless.

The young man continued, “Now, 30,000 members of the Imperial Guards and 20,000 members of the city guards are all under the General’s control.”

Hearing the young man’s words, Eunuch Wang’s countenance turned cold. He glared at the young man and asked, “What are you guys thinking of doing?”

The young man smiled and said proudly, “Foster Father, we’re naturally going to rid the evil subjects around the Emperor, wiping out the treacherous officials.”

Hearing the young man’s words, Eunuch Wang’s face twitched fiercely, and he asked in disbelief, “You’re going to start a rebellion?”

“Foster Father is mistaken.” The young man shook his head. “General Cao is extremely loyal, so how can he possibly start a rebellion? It’s just that Traitor He has the imperial court under his control, and he’s wreaking havoc in the world. General Cao can’t accept this. Therefore, he has decided to take a risk and wipe out traitors, returning a bright future to the world.

“After everything is done, he’ll definitely seek for His Majesty’s forgiveness.”

Eunuch Wang smiled coldly. Who on earth would believe these words? General Cao just wanted to call upon a coup d’état, bathing the Divine Capital in blood. Once that happened, all the subjects who had different opinions from him would all be treated as treacherous officials and killed.

After that, General Cao would naturally be able to have the Emperor, as well as the entire world, under his control.

Although the Great Jin Dynasty was beyond redemption, the Divine Capital was still the wealthiest place in the entire world. As long as General Cao could take control over the imperial court, he would not only be able to gain control over the world but also have a tremendous amount of wealth in his grasp. It was a fundamental top class move.

Eunuch Wang said, “Grand Preceptor He is a grandmaster of the Confucian Sect, and his cultivation has reached great sublimity. How are you guys planning on dealing with him?”

“Foster Father won’t have to worry about this. As long as you remain on neutral ground and don’t make a move, the General will definitely offer great thanks in the future.” After saying that, the young man suddenly looked in the direction of the city gate and beckoned, “Foster Father, listen. It has started.”

Many war cries rang out, and Eunuch Wang furrowed his brows, feeling torn.

He knew that the Great Jin Dynasty was a wrecked ship that was going to sink, but he found it a little hard to decide which side he should stand on.

Just as he was still hesitating, Fang Xingjian did not plan on waiting anymore. He took a step out, and the entire space seemed to turn dark as he arrived in the room.

A hint of surprise flashed in the young man’s eyes upon seeing Fang Xingjian’s sudden appearance. “Fang Xuan!” At the next moment, a hint of a smile curled up the corners of his lips. “Your Majesty, blades have no eyes. It is best for me to protect you.”

After saying this, he dragged a series of afterimages behind him, and the essential Qi in his body went through a series of changes. He grabbed out toward Fang Xingjian’s shoulder like an eagle descending from the sky.

However, before he was done with his moves, a boundless sword intent swept out like it wanted to sweep through the entire world, shaking the entire universe. It also reflected the young man’s astonished expression.