The Old Emperor looked ancient, but his aura was terrifying enough to scare a man to death.

An emperor’s fury meant a million corpses.

The Old Emperor’s single utterance of the word "kill" signified a complete reshuffling of power in White Jade City. Countless factions would be annihilated, while others would rise from the ashes. The entire political landscape of the Court was about to be turned upside down.

This was because even First Grade Officials had participated in the coup, a testament to its massive scale. Now that the Crown Prince and his allies had failed, all those involved—individuals and factions alike—would face the cruelest of punishments.

New inmates would be sent to the Dali Temple and the Imperial Music Bureau. Countless others would be exiled a thousand miles, fated to die along the way.

This was the price of their involvement. Even powerful Sects would be targeted by the Court. Since this was a matter of meddling in a coup, Sects from other regions wouldn’t interfere. They might even try to profit from the fallout. Such was the cost.

If the Imperial Family were to target a Sect without cause, it would undoubtedly provoke an alliance of many Sects in resistance. However, this situation was different.

Once a choice was made, one had to bear the consequences.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Xu Lianhua hastily withdrew from Taihe Hall, his legs trembling so badly he could barely walk straight.

He was terrified that the Old Emperor, Yang Yu, might kill him in a fit of rage. It wasn’t an impossible scenario.

After all, this Emperor was notoriously cruel and ungrateful. He had a history of eliminating those he deemed useless without a moment’s hesitation.

He had executed his own son without a shred of hesitation, so what were outsiders to him? He saw them as nothing more than ants.

"After this is over, take care of anyone who knows what happened. Leave no traces."

After Xu Lianhua left, the Old Emperor Yang Yu slowly spoke.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

A voice replied from the shadows, then vanished.

’Don’t blame me. It’s not that I didn’t give you a chance; you just failed to seize it.’

’As long as I break through to National Guardian Martial Saint and undergo Blood Exchange rebirth, you could have continued enjoying your wealth and status. I wouldn’t have restricted your cultivation either.’

’Why couldn’t you all just wait a little longer?’

’The throne is not a comfortable seat. Why did you covet it?’

’If I do not grant it, the throne will forever be mine.’

The Old Emperor, Yang Yu, muttered to himself. His words carried a hint of regret, yet they were steeped in domineering intent—the Emperor’s path of absolute rule, where he alone was supreme.

As he spoke the last words, the Old Emperor’s aura grew even more powerful.

A moment later, he once again reverted to his frail, ancient appearance, looking as though his life was about to gutter out.

"Your Majesty, Helian Guang requests an audience."

Outside Taihe Hall, the voice of the First Grade Grand Tutor, Helian Guang, carried into the hall.

Helian Guang was one who had always remained neutral and was one of the Emperor’s more trusted officials. He normally showed no partiality, much like the First Grade Grand Scholar, Peng Kang, and rarely involved himself in the Court’s affairs. However, he had been one of the Emperor’s arrangements all along.

Though he usually stayed out of conflicts, he had now made his move. The First Grade Grand Scholar, Peng Kang, who had sided with the Crown Prince, had been captured alive by none other than the First Grade Grand Tutor, Helian Guang.

Both men normally displayed a cultivation at the level of Inner Refining of the Five Viscera, but in truth, both had concealed their real strength.

The First Grade Grand Scholar Peng Kang’s true cultivation was at the Peak of Inner Refining of the Five Viscera, just a step shy of becoming a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster. When the coup began, he had intended to make an example of Helian Guang by killing him, but he never expected Helian Guang’s cultivation to be even greater. He was swiftly suppressed.

This was because the First Grade Grand Tutor, Helian Guang, was actually a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster. Although he had only recently broken through, the difference in their combat power was immense. Peng Kang was suppressed before he could even muster much of a fight. The entire confrontation was over in an instant.

The reason for this was that Helian Guang had received the Old Emperor Yang Yu’s support in the form of cultivation resources. Having consumed elixirs like the Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill and the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, he had been the first to break through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm.

Peng Kang was in utter disbelief when he was defeated. It was only later, upon learning that the Old Emperor, Yang Yu, had personally intervened, that he finally understood the crux of the matter.

His own talent for cultivation was superior, but who one served was far more important. The cultivation resources the Old Emperor could provide were things Crown Prince Yang Qian could not afford. The Crown Prince could only use empty promises to win allies.

When Crown Prince Yang Qian broke through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm, he sensed something was amiss and tried to flee, only to be instantly suppressed by an old eunuch from within the Imperial Palace.

The entire rebellion began swiftly, and it ended just as swiftly.

"Enter."

The Old Emperor Yang Yu’s voice drifted out.

Hearing this, Helian Guang quickly entered Taihe Hall.

"Your servant, Helian Guang, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Upon entering Taihe Hall, Helian Guang immediately performed a deep, formal bow.

"Rise!"

Seeing this, the Old Emperor Yang Yu slightly raised his hand and spoke.

Knowing one’s place was crucial. More than cultivation talent, Yang Yu preferred those who understood their station. In the Old Emperor Yang Yu’s eyes, Helian Guang was precisely such a man.

Even though a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster was not required to kneel, the thought had never even crossed Helian Guang’s mind. He remained cautious, meticulous, and his performance was exemplary.

This, of course, greatly pleased the Old Emperor, Yang Yu.

’A subject should hold me in awe. Only then will they not dare to transgress.’

"What is it?"

The Old Emperor’s gaze fell on Helian Guang as he asked casually.

"Your Majesty, since the Imperial Palace was sealed, White Jade City has descended into chaos. Many members of the Sects who entered the city have been killed, including the Advanced Pharmacists and promising young Pharmacists who came for the Pharmacist Assembly."

"Should we put a stop to this?"

Helian Guang asked urgently. The matter concerned the stability of the various regions, so he naturally treated it with great importance.

With the deaths of Advanced Pharmacists, Inner Refining Elders, promising young Pharmacists, and talented Direct Disciples from the major Sects in White Jade City, there was no telling what these Sects might do in response. That was why Helian Guang had come to gauge the Old Emperor’s stance.

He could not act on his own authority in such a matter; the consequences would be too troublesome. Even with his cultivation as a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster and his rank as First Grade Grand Tutor, he found the situation thorny. Only by reporting to the Old Emperor, Yang Yu, could the next course of action be determined.

"Not for now. The major Sects have gone unchecked for too long. This is a good opportunity to weaken them. A fifty-fifty loss is fine, so long as they aren’t all wiped out."

"Afterward, pin the blame for all this on the Crown Prince and his co-conspirators. If any Sect raises too much of a fuss, just put them in their place. Don’t overdo it, though."

The Old Emperor, Yang Yu, heard this, guessed what was on Helian Guang’s mind, and gave his instructions directly.

Too many Sects were involved for Helian Guang to bear the responsibility alone. After all, if so many Sects caused an uproar simultaneously, the entire Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty would know no peace.

For years, the Old Emperor, Yang Yu, had seemingly ignored the Sects. In reality, he had planted his own people within them and would occasionally stir up conflicts and disputes over resources among them.

After all, he had no desire to see the Sects unite. Only when they were fighting amongst themselves could he rest easy. Unlike the common rabble, they posed a significant threat that had to be guarded against. He could not allow them to develop unchecked, let alone grow strong enough to threaten the Imperial Family.