Regarding this,
Emperor Tang Yunqi of Yanluo harbored no resentment whatsoever. Far from it, he even expressed understanding.
After all, the Immortal Dynasty was the true ruler of this world.
Who dared to defy it?
Even their Yanluo Kingdom, with its tens of thousands of years of heritage, dared not disobey the Immortal Dynasty's will, let alone a mere Wandering Immortal.
Therefore, from the very beginning, Emperor Tang Yunqi had never expected the four to five hundred Wandering Immortals serving as court guardians to step forward and support the Yanluo Royal Family today. He was already immensely grateful.
Fortunately, when Yanluo faced calamity, the imperial descendants scattered abroad had all rushed back.
And among them, the one who brought Tang Yunqi the most comfort was undoubtedly his eldest brother, whom he had always held in the highest respect—Tang Yunhao.
He had grown up trailing behind Tang Yunhao since childhood, and the bond between the two brothers was exceptionally deep. Ever since his elder sister, the Yanluo Empress Tang Henghao, had departed, within the entire Yanluo Royal Family, the only one he could rely on was this one elder brother, Tang Yunhao.
Alas,
Tang Yunhao was by nature rather **unrestrained and free-spirited**, disliking constraints, and spent his years wandering abroad.
Thankfully,
when Yanluo was in peril, he had finally managed to return.
Tang Yunhao was a True Immortal, a bona fide True Immortal. Not only was he one, but his wife, Ling Yan, was also a True Immortal. It could be said that the arrival of Tang Yunhao and his wife had allowed the stone weighing on Tang Yunqi's heart to settle somewhat, at least a little.
At the very least, he no longer felt as helpless and lost as before.
At this moment,
the sacrificial ceremony was underway. Emperor Tang Yunqi of Yanluo was leading the descendants of the Yanluo Royal Family, along with all the civil and military officials, in paying homage.
Tang Yunhao and his wife, as well as Tang Manqing, were naturally among them.
Tang Yunhao lived up to his name, possessing a burly and straightforward appearance. A full beard added a touch of wildness to his features.
His wife, Ling Yan, was beautiful and captivating, dignified and virtuous. Dressed in magnificent purple ceremonial robes, she carried an additional air of nobility, truly like a fairy maiden from a painting.
Both were True Immortals, having successfully transcended the Immortal Tribulation. They were no longer beings of flesh and blood but possessed Immortal Spirit Bodies—sacred and radiant, like the blazing sun in the sky. Even with eyes closed, one could clearly sense the powerful aura of Immortal Spirit emanating from them, pure and vast, inspiring both envy and awe among the assembled officials and generals.
The Immortal Spirit aura emanating from Ling Yan was relatively restrained.
But the Immortal Spirit aura radiating from Tang Yunhao was truly majestic and overwhelming, like rolling river waves ceaseless and unending. His powerful Immortal Might naturally flowed forth, pressing down on the four to five hundred Wandering Immortals present, causing them some trepidation.
Though he was an unrestrained and unconventional man by nature, who paid little attention to the affairs of Yanluo Kingdom and had no interest in them, now that Yanluo faced calamity, he would absolutely not stand idly by. The moment he received the message talisman, he had rushed back with Ling Yan. Upon returning and understanding the situation, he realized the matter was far more serious than he had imagined.
The Immortal Dynasty intended to use this opportunity to confer a title upon the Yanluo Royal Family.
While it was called a conferral, it was more of a threat and coercion.
Because once they accepted the Immortal Dynasty's conferral, it would mean the Yanluo Royal Family submitted to the Immortal Dynasty. And once they submitted, the future rulers of Yanluo would no longer be the royal family, but the Yanluo Immortal Prefecture.
If they refused the Immortal Dynasty's conferral, it would be defiance of an imperial decree.
The Immortal Dynasty would certainly use this as a pretext to move against the Yanluo Royal Family.
The Immortal Dynasty had dispatched many experts this time. Dealing with them would be no easy task. Moreover, the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects had already defected to the Immortal Dynasty. The Yanluo Royal Family stood alone, unable to muster support, and was fundamentally no match for the Immortal Dynasty.
And this actually wasn't the most important point.
Even if they could handle the experts dispatched by the Immortal Dynasty this time and suppress the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects, so what?
It would only give the Immortal Dynasty more excuses and reasons to dispatch even more powerful experts, leading to the slaughter and eradication of the Yanluo Royal Family.
Therefore,
today, no matter what, they could not clash with the people of the Immortal Dynasty. At the very least, they could not give the Immortal Dynasty a pretext to slaughter the Yanluo Royal Family.
But if they did not fight, and once they refused the Immortal Dynasty's conferral, what if the Immortal Dynasty used this as a pretext to interrogate the Yanluo Royal Family and then attacked? What then?
Fight or not?
Not fight?
Should they just allow the Immortal Dynasty to bully and humiliate them?
Tang Yunhao had been back for two days now. Over these two days, he had been constantly pondering this very question, yet to this day, he had not come up with a perfect strategy that satisfied both sides.
Apart from the Immortal Dynasty, there was another matter that concerned him.
That was the recently emerged Lord Chixiao in Yanluo.
There were many in the world who claimed to be Lord Chixiao. Originally, Tang Yunhao wouldn't have been particularly concerned, but the problem was the Old Master was utterly convinced of this Monarch's identity. Not only convinced, but according to Tang Yunqi, he even seemed prepared to have this Monarch make a public appearance for Yanluo.
Regarding this newly emerged Monarch in Yanluo, Tang Yunhao had also heard about him from his daughter Tang Manqing. It was said to be that Young Master Chiyan Gu Qingfeng from the Great Northwest, who claimed to have fused with a remnant consciousness of the Monarch. That was why the Chixiao people's Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephants revered him. Tang Manqing suspected the Old Master had grown senile and might have been fooled by that Gu Qingfeng.
But Tang Yunhao did not think so.
He understood the Old Master quite well. He clearly knew the Old Master was far from senile; on the contrary, he was shrewder and saw things more clearly than anyone else. Without substantial evidence, the Old Master would absolutely not claim offhand that person was the true Lord Chixiao.
Yet, if that fellow named Gu Qingfeng really was the Monarch,
Tang Yunhao found it rather hard to believe.
Over the years, during his travels abroad, he had specifically visited the Southern Sea and met those legendary figures who claimed to be the Monarch. Just as the rumors said, each was immensely powerful, mysterious, and bizarre. It was utterly impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood. At the very least, he dared not affirm they were real, yet he also dared not declare them fake.
Use those private matters from back then to test them?
Tang Yunhao had not been without trying. After arriving in the Southern Sea, he had specifically used those trivial past events between himself and Lord Chixiao to inquire. The result? They knew everything clearly. No matter what you asked, they knew, even clearer than you did. This left Tang Yunhao greatly puzzled. Later, after meeting the Emperor of the Southern Sea, he realized he was still too green, too foolish, too naive.
Those fellows who claimed to be the Monarch, each possessed heaven-defying abilities. Upon seeing you, they could see through your thoughts, directly and imperceptibly infiltrating your sea of consciousness with their divine sense, peeking into your memories. Whatever you knew, they would know. Whatever you asked, they would answer fluently.
As for others, they simply couldn't be bothered to engage in such lengthy discussions. They'd just say one sentence: they claimed to have lost their memories during reincarnation and couldn't remember. What could you do then?
Ask again?
Ask again and they'd attack you. A mere exertion of their aura could shake you until you didn't know which way was up.
Therefore, upon learning the Old Master was utterly convinced of Gu Qingfeng's identity, he had questioned the Old Master.
The Old Master didn't say much, but simply insisted that Gu Qingfeng was the true Monarch. When Tang Yunhao raised doubts, the Old Master had given him a sound thrashing.
Originally, he wanted to meet this fellow named Gu Qingfeng to see for himself whether he was true or false. But the Old Master said something about Gu Qingfeng currently resting, conserving his energy for today's temple fair, and that no one was to disturb him. This left Tang Yunhao utterly speechless.
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