Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 500 - 272 Great Chu

Big Black Donkey naturally noticed the actions of Little White Elephant, but he did not care at all. After all, being young, he hadn't suffered much, deceived by the appearance of this menacing figure, while I, Old Black, knew the times better.

Lu Yu nodded slightly and then walked towards the cave abode. Big Black Donkey hurriedly followed closely behind, with a fawning smile, fully embodying the role of a sycophant.

Little White Elephant felt as if his world had collapsed, having just been exposed to the world, he could not imagine that there were such people in this world.

Lu Yu returned to the cave abode and saw the calm lake and the glittering Enlightenment Tea Tree by the shore, with two towering giant trees growing upright beside it.

As if sensing Lu Yu's return, the Enlightenment Tea Tree joyously swayed its branches, welcoming Lu Yu's arrival, and the two giant trees beside him also emitted light, with two little girls immediately appearing by Lu Yu's side to greet him.

Lu Yu, smiling, told them to rise, and he himself walked slowly through the now much more spacious cave abode with a relaxed expression. Every plant and tree here had been developed by him and Liu Qingyun, and it now looked very successful.

Walking under the Enlightenment Tea Tree, he gently touched its branches, feeling the joyous emotions that emanated from it, Lu Yu was very happy. The longer he spent outside, the more he missed this place, missed every plant and tree here.

Sitting cross-legged under the Enlightenment Tea Tree, Lu Yu fell into deep thought. This trip out from the mountains had taken longer than he anticipated, and with the visit to Lion Camel City, the Journey to the West was drawing to a close. As he got closer to Mount Ling, his opportunities to intervene were becoming fewer, but now he did not mind too much, having already gained almost all the merit he could. It was time to leave something for others.

After several great battles, he had gained a lot, and needed to immerse himself to sort through his cultivation, calming his slightly agitated spirit, not allowing his spirit to be clouded, to see his true nature clearly. This was what every Cultivator should do.

The higher one's Realm, the higher the demands on one's mental state. This is why the so-called innocence of heart is especially precious in the Cultivation Realm.

While Lu Yu was immersed in his cultivation, thousands of miles away from Mountain Luoxia, in the southern continent of Kyushu, beyond Kyushu, Great Chu welcomed its own demise.

Since Lu Zhang founded the nation nearly eight hundred years ago, this powerful country ultimately headed towards extinction.

At this moment, the current monarch, Lu Yuan, stood on a high platform, looking at the fires spreading far and wide, his eyes distant. The once bustling Imperial Palace now seemed unusually empty; those ministers who had sworn to share Great Chu's fate were now nowhere to be seen.

"Ha, since my childhood, whenever I read of the Lord of the Great Chen taking his own life, I was deeply moved. Though he was a monarch of a fallen dynasty, his manner of death is vivid in my mind, as if I had seen it myself. I never thought I would have such a day," Lu Yuan leaned on the railing, looking into the distance where the fires indicated that the Rebels had entered the city.

"Your Majesty must not blame yourself. If not for those who opened the city gates fearing for their lives, if we had held the Royal City for ten days, the armies loyal to the king from various places would have swarmed in, and these ragtag mobs would have been defeated at once. Your Majesty would naturally have been able to reclaim the old rivers and mountains," an elderly eunuch kneeling by his side consoled.

Lu Yuan, however, slightly shook his head and said, "Why comfort me, Chen Da? I am well aware that there will be no reinforcements. Those outside the city are eagerly awaiting my death, only then can they rightfully start their contest. Today marks the time of the downfall of my nation and my family."

A bitter smile appeared on his face as he said, "The Great Ancestor once said, 'There is no dynasty in the world that doesn't perish.' The Great Chu has ruled the world for nearly eight hundred years. I have heard that even the legendary Nine Continents has rarely seen such a long-lived dynasty. Unfortunately, I became the king of a fallen nation, a disgrace to my ancestors."

"Your Majesty must not speak such words. Had it not been for the Former Emperor's brothers turning on each other and depleting the Primordial Qi, the Supreme Emperor indulging in pleasure and plundering the wealth of the people, leading to irreparable decline, Your Majesty's diligent governance would not have fallen on such hard times," the Old Eunuch said with tears streaming down his face.

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The king before him was of average talent. In times of peace, he would be considered a monarch who maintained stability, but he lacked the ability to save a faltering house. Since ascending the throne, he had exercised utmost diligence, yet the decline had been too steep to reverse by the time it led to the downfall of the nation.

"Alas! Our Lu Family's ancestor once said: 'When the times are favorable, the whole world collaborates; when fate turns, even heroes are not free.' These words are truly no falsehood. Since my accession, I have come to understand what it means to not defy fate. These bandits have been cornered several times, yet due to various reasons, they could not be eliminated and ultimately have led to the current climate," he sighed.

Lu Yuan stroked the jade railing in the Imperial Palace, gazed upon the palace buildings, and sighed lightly, "The eight hundred glorious years of the Lu Family have always been subject to the battering of rain and winds. I should now go to the Underworld to meet the ancestors and atone for our sins. It's just a pity that such savings have merely benefited others."

"Your Majesty, please heed this old servant's advice. As the ancestor said, in times of danger, one should seek the National Guardian Spirit to protect the nation. You must leave quickly!" the Old Eunuch earnestly advised.

"The Guardian Divinity Spirit can only save one individual, and I have already decided to send Xun Er away. He is still young, with many good years ahead, and there is no need for him to be buried along with this dynasty. As for myself, I am prepared to die to thank all under heaven," Lu Yuan said decisively, resembling his ancestor in that moment.

Thus, when the rebels stormed into the great hall, what they saw was the Old Eunuch holding Lu Yuan's severed head, which he presented to the rebel leader.

The rebel leader, a middle-aged man in his forties, his rugged face covered by a dense beard and his skin rough, glanced at the head and said, "Is this the head of that incompetent king?"

Unexpectedly, the Old Eunuch replied with neither servility nor defiance, "His Majesty, as the Son of Heaven, has already endured the disgrace of losing his nation. Why must the leader defame him with the word 'incompetent'?"

"If he was not incompetent, why did we not even have a chance to survive? If the world were at peace and the people prosperous, why would we need to commit such a heinous act and why would he end up as the king of a fallen nation?"

"The leader has never sat in this position and naturally does not understand its hardships. As for His Majesty's merits and faults, they will be judged by posterity and debated in history," the Old Eunuch stood upright, showing no trace of fear.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man deliberately showed a ferocious expression and said, "You speak so boldly. Are you not afraid that I will have you hacked to pieces?"

"Since His Majesty did not hesitate to die for his nation, this old servant naturally must preserve his last dignity," the Old Eunuch replied.