fifth form

Chapter 3461 Dong Yan's Backup Plan

"That's interesting!"

The new emperor showed seven parts concern, but also three parts opportunistic manipulation.

The internal conflicts within the royal family are never openly suppressed, but rather forced to yield through gains and losses at the top.

This is similar to the new emperor knowing that the Prince of Huainan harbored disloyal intentions, but being unable to simply resolve the issue by sending troops to suppress him.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't wail or scream to add to the atmosphere; instead, he watched the demon-revealing mirror with great interest, making comparisons.

In reality, he underwent a physical transformation to become a saint and merge with the divine. In addition to relying on Luo Burang's gene fluid to promote the development of his body's resistance layer, Zhang Xuezhou also obtained an extremely important external condition, which was the high-voltage current in reality.

This high-voltage current is like the demon monkey Yuan Hong using the power of lightning from the heavenly tribulation, constantly forcing a fusion reaction to occur inside his body through external destruction.

Many demon kings experienced terrifying tribulations during their heavenly tribulations, but Yuan Hong used them as an aid to his cultivation. Zhang Xuezhou successfully replicated them after referencing and imitating them, and he also had the intention of creating a replica in this world.

Zhang Xuezhou's original idea was to find an area where heavenly lightning was common, so that he could continuously endure heavenly lightning, or to use the technique of oneness with heaven and man to create a situation where he could enter the realm of supernatural powers and overcome the tribulation of lightning through physical techniques. However, he found that the power of the Demon-Revealing Mirror was also comparable. The Demon-Revealing Mirror's power was extremely complex, and it had almost triggered all the protective forces in his body.

Compared to uncontrollable heavenly lightning, the controllable demon-revealing mirror is undoubtedly a better choice.

Perhaps the Demon-Revealing Mirror was preparing for a second attack, or perhaps the demonic power brought by the Yinglong Soul was being restrained, or perhaps the new emperor, being a Han emperor, was being concealed and recognized, or perhaps Dong Yan had already forcibly taken control. Zhang Xuezhou did not suffer a second attack, and the bristling jade wings on his arm gradually retracted.

If they could control the Demon-Revealing Mirror and properly utilize its power to attack themselves, Zhang Xuezhou thought things might not be so bad.

With the addition of suitable elixirs, he might be able to promote internal and external harmony, thereby guiding the fusion and unification of various evasion techniques and physical techniques.

With such good fortune at his disposal, Zhang Xuezhou no longer cared about the shattering of the Eye of the Bashe.

"Dong Yan, what is your crime?"

The new emperor took great care of Dong Yan, but compared to Zhang Xuezhou's importance, Dong Yan was nothing.

Dong Yan, summoned by the Imperial Guards, hurried over, bowed respectfully, and dared not raise his head.

As the controller of the Demon-Revealing Mirror, Dong Yan knew that the mirror had caused an uncontrollable attack. It was a fact that the mirror was out of control, but what made Dong Yan's scalp tingle even more was the target of the attack.

Dong Yan never imagined that such a risk-free and rewarding task as managing the Demon-Revealing Mirror would go wrong, and even cause a blow to the 'high-ranking officials of the Celestial Court' that he believed in.

Compared to being punished by the Han Dynasty court, Dong Yan was more concerned about the Celestial Court's judgment that rashly attacked the high-ranking officials.

"sorry!"

Dong Yan bowed and knelt down, slamming his head heavily against the ground. Amidst the protective glow of his magical power, crimson blood reappeared.

Dong Yan could think of no other way but to plead guilty.

His face was blank, his mind was almost completely empty, and he could only kowtow repeatedly, begging for forgiveness.

"His Majesty!"

Princess Dou's face turned pale.

Looking at Dong Yan, who was kowtowing repeatedly on the ground, and then at the new emperor who was still angry and blocking Zhang Xuezhou, she felt that disaster was about to befall her.

The new emperor of the Unique Realm was humble and only overturned the table when forced by the Empress Dowager, but the new emperor of the True Realm was confident and even almost killed a famous general of the Han Dynasty like Li Guang.

Princess Dou used to be very capable, but her ability was to become stronger when facing weaker opponents. Now, she is finding it difficult to keep up with the new emperor, which inevitably leads to her becoming weaker when facing stronger opponents.

This is not just a matter of her personal abilities, but also involves her management skills.

After the new emperor finishes reforming the court, he will most likely use her as a scapegoat, and then proceed step by step until he has complete control over the royal family.

This situation is extremely rare in history, and there is only one reference case from the Qin Dynasty.

"I wish to present my aunt with a horn bow at Changmen Garden. What do you think, aunt?"

The new emperor spoke slowly, and his words made Princess Dou's heart sink completely. The new emperor had presented her with a life-or-death dilemma: if Dong Yan did not control the mirror properly, she could easily be injured by the aftershocks of the demon-revealing mirror while holding the horn bow; if Dong Yan could stabilize the demon-revealing mirror, it meant that Dong Yan's attack on Zhang Xuezhou was intentional.

Whether she goes left or right, Princess Dou loses with every choice she makes.

"Come here, fetch that sealed horn bow from the inner treasury!"

The new emperor frowned.

He had given Dou Taizhu ample time to think and allowed him to have Huang Laodao for a long time, but Dou Taizhu was clearly not going to let go so easily. Moreover, the Huang Laodao that Dou Taizhu was running was a mess, still continuing the old practices of seeking longevity and health.

If you don't focus on the present, you can't hope for the future.

The new emperor felt that all of Huang Lao Dao's manpower and resources should be directed towards talisman making, rather than attempting to seek longevity, beauty, and other such things.

This even concerned his life. Just thinking about his helplessness in the face of the Daoist Lord's curses forced the new emperor to harden his heart.

He can't easily slap a smiling face, so he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Dong Yan cried out, his head bleeding from the impact, his eyes filled with confusion.

Injuring Zhang Xuezhou is already a death sentence, and who knows what serious consequences might follow? If the Demon-Revealing Mirror goes out of control and injures Master Dou as well, he will lose his last bit of value and have nowhere to go.

Princess Dou faced a life-threatening question, and Dong Yan also faced a life-threatening question, but the one who set the question was the new emperor, whom they could not resist.

"Stop begging for mercy. Use whatever tricks you've planted on Princess Dou to help His Majesty clean up the mess. I'll guarantee your safety and even give you information from the Celestial Court about your arrangements!"

As Dong Yan was bewildered, he heard Zhang Xuezhou's voice transmission in his ear.

When many celestial officials from the Celestial Court descend to the mortal realm to carry out missions, they do indeed try to entice and curry favor with important figures through various means.

These methods of enticement each have their own ingenuity. Longevity pills are the most direct and unique method, while methods involving female or male allure are also common.

This kind of seduction is not about stripping naked as most people imagine; instead, it involves designing a whole process to make the person being seduced mistakenly believe that the person is their ideal love.

Being handsome and beautiful is just the most basic requirement, and being gentle and elegant is just a basic nature. They are more skilled at using words to win people over and taking advantage of their weaknesses, and they also have the ability to use charm and seduction techniques to influence people over the years.

Dong Yan's heart skipped a beat. Having accepted the instruction, he stopped kowtowing and begging for mercy. He slowly stood up and looked affectionately at Princess Dou with his handsome eyes.

Dong Yan didn't speak again, but all his words seemed to be contained in the expressive look in his eyes.

Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran can also communicate in this way, without needing to transmit their voices or speak; they can understand each other's meaning simply through their eyes.

This kind of feeling doesn't need to rely on any external expression to prove it. That's why he and Ren Anran have never had any conflicts, nor do they need to do anything deliberately to show their affection for each other.

Zhang Xuezhou gasped, realizing that Dong Yan was truly willing to risk everything to join the Celestial Court.

Even with the aid of flattery and props in such interactions, Dong Yan still had to give his true heart to win over Princess Dou's affections.

In a side hall of Changmen Garden, Princess Dou was captivated by Dong Yan's affectionate gaze, and seemed to lose herself in thought.

What family legacy, what grand ambitions, what eternal glory—none of these can withstand the fleeting tenderness of the human heart.

"Life is precious, but the value of affection is even greater!"

Zhang Xuezhou sighed softly to himself, while Dong Yan began to recite in a low voice.

"There is a beautiful woman, whom I cannot forget once I have seen her. If I do not see her for a day, I am driven mad with longing..."

Sima Xiangru's "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate" was recited by Dong Yan with deep emotion.

Princess Dou had once jokingly longed for a love like that described in "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate," and she even joined in the recitation at Zhang Xuezhou's wedding banquet. Now, this recitation in such a setting struck her heart like a heavy bell.

When Dong Yan finished reciting the hundred-odd characters of "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate," he slowly drew the sword from his waist and slashed it across his own neck. At that moment, Princess Dou let out a sharp cry, her defenses completely broken.