The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 480 The Emperor (Part 9)

"Bearing the imperial star and surrounded by purple aura, you are indeed a descendant of the Li Tang dynasty. The Li family has given birth to such an unpredictable person as you."

Dokoho stood before the stone gate at the entrance to the altar, his eyes, which were originally wrapped in blue cloth, fixed on Xiao Yan, and uttered some abrupt words.

But Xiao Yan ignored her.

Above the altar's stone gate, the seven remaining Balu stone discs, one missing, are deeply embedded in the massive tree trunk that envelops the altar. They shimmer with a faint, dark purple light, like the heart of this space, subtly connected to the terrain of the entire Yinshan Mountain. They form a barrier in front of the stone gate, which is the reason why Duokuohuo has been sleeping or imprisoned here for hundreds of years.

The surrendered official stood with his back to the cave entrance, his thin purple robe fluttering slightly in the strange air currents of the cave, outlining his slender and perfect figure.

She raised her right hand, fingers spread, the fingertips only a few feet away from the glowing, eerie stone. But the violent, dark purple aura surrounding her had not completely subsided, and her raised hand trembled violently, as if she were fighting a desperate battle with an invisible force.

Xiao Yan ignored the seemingly calm but actually extremely imposing Duo Kuo Huo, stepped forward slowly, and said in a low voice, "Surrendered subject, stop, look at me."

The surrendered minister's stiff body trembled violently, and the hand that had been reaching for the Balu Stone recoiled as if pricked by a needle. Then, in a daze, he turned his head with difficulty.

When she turned her face to Xiao Yan, her once radiant and flamboyant face was now as pale as snow, devoid of any color. A few strands of sweat-dampened hair clung to her cheeks, adding to her fragility.

Those once alluring peach blossom eyes now seemed veiled by a thick layer of mist, churning with indescribable pain and struggle. Upon seeing Xiao Yan, she even subconsciously took a step back, as if trying to hide herself in the shadows and escape his sight.

At the top of the steps, Duo Kuo Huo leaned on his ancient staff, seemingly unperturbed by Xiao Yan's disregard, neither angry nor stopping him. He simply sighed, "Si Yu Dan, it seems you have failed in the end."

The surrendered minister trembled all over, as if to prove something, and took another step back, getting closer to the barrier and the Balu Stone Wheel.

"Don't touch it!" But Xiao Yan reacted even faster. Without any hesitation, he strode forward, instantly closing the distance between them. "That's not your path. Look at me, surrendered subject!"

The surrendered official's empty eyes seemed to regain a faint focus, landing with difficulty on Xiao Yan's face. Her lips moved slightly, trembling silently, as if suppressing some painful secret. Finally, she uttered a hoarse voice: "Go...go, don't worry about me, she deliberately...lured you here..."

Xiao Yan's steps quickened, and he darted down the steps like an arrow, standing only a few steps away from her. His gaze was intense, as if he wanted to lock her in.

Upon hearing the words of the surrendered official, Duokuohuo merely smiled calmly and turned to Xiao Yan: "Li Tangzi, her obsession is probably not with you..."

"Shut up." For the first time, Xiao Yan coldly turned his gaze to Duo Kuo Huo. "If anything happens to her, you will not be allowed to leave this place. I will also use all the power of the world to flatten this mountain and turn this place into ruins forever!"

Dokoho's face, draped in blue silk, seemed to twitch slightly, and his grip on the ancient staff tightened almost imperceptibly.

However, she showed neither anger nor fear. Instead, she seemed to have heard something expected or even interesting: "Ah, the word 'love' is more scorching than this three-hundred-year-old Balu Stone. Li Tangzi, how about we make a deal?"

Upon hearing the word "love," the surrendered minister, who was trapped in chaos or illusion, experienced an extreme surge of violence from the dark purple vortex that had enveloped her, as if something was struggling against it. Her aura fluctuated wildly, sometimes as thin as a thread about to break, and at other times burst forth with an uncontrollable murderous aura.

Xiao Yan's heart sank. All thoughts of Duokuo Huo and Balu Stone were forcibly dismissed at this moment. He rushed to the surrendered woman, grabbed her wrist, and let the murderous aura emanating from her invade him. Without the slightest hesitation, warm yang energy instantly gathered in his palm, and then immediately pressed his palm against the surrendered woman's cold, trembling, tightly clenched fist, their ten fingers interlocked and pressed tightly together.

Almost at the same instant Xiao Yan grasped the surrendered minister's hand.

Ying Gou appeared silently half a step in front of Xiao Yan in an instant, arms crossed, staring indifferently at Duo Kuo Huo above the altar steps. At the same time, a blood-red aura, almost tangible, flowed around her, completely enveloping herself, Xiao Yan, and Jiang Chen behind her.

"Uh..." Jiang Chen's body jolted violently, and she let out a short gasp, like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood. Her fingertips unconsciously curled up and gripped Xiao Yan's fingers in return.

"Concentrate your mind and follow my breath."

Just as Xiao Yan probed with his inner force and spoke to comfort them, Duo Kuo Huo stopped looking at the three people below the steps and paced back and forth with his cane.

“The deal is simple. Li Tangzi, since you care about her so much, then you will take the final step for her.”

"The Ba Lin Stone is right before my eyes. Only those who have cultivated the Nine Nether Profound Heaven to the Flawless Realm can activate its core power without injury. She scattered her power and started cultivating again. Her cultivation was almost complete, just one step away from completion, but due to the backlash from her inner demons, she was unable to advance any further. And you... you cultivate with her from the same source, your power is even greater than hers, and you also possess the dragon energy of the Li Tang Dynasty. You are the best candidate to activate the Ba Lin Stone and help me completely break this cage of shackles."

Ying leaned forward and pursed her lips.

Dokoho stopped pacing and turned to Xiao Yan with a calm expression: "As long as you personally remove the remaining few Balu Stones and activate their power to help me escape, I will not only protect her life, but also help her stabilize her cultivation and completely get rid of the pain of the backlash from her cultivation technique. I can even tell you where Yuan Tiangang's true weakness lies."

Xiao Yan paid no heed. All his senses were focused on the faint yet violent pulse beneath his palm; he could clearly feel the frantic tearing between the two forces within the surrendered minister's body.

One force was the Nine Netherworld Profound Heavenly Evil Qi that she forcibly rebuilt after dissipating her power, but which went out of control due to the backlash from her inner demons; the other force was her own tenacious vitality and remaining will, like a candle flame in a storm, struggling bitterly in the boundless darkness and etherealness.

Dokoho was not discouraged. As if he knew that Xiao Yan could not bring back the surrendered minister, he simply said, "How about it? With your small favor, you can exchange her peace and happiness, and you can also learn the secrets of the Bad Commander. This deal is entirely beneficial to you. If you value relationships, this is the best of both worlds."

Xiao Yan frowned and remained silent, completely absorbed in the tug-of-war with the power within the surrendered minister's body.

Duo Kuo Huo sighed deeply and tapped his staff on the ground: "Si Yu Dan, is the hundred-year promise really going to be abandoned in an instant?"

Xiao Yan was furious. He could feel the surrendered minister's body tremble violently, and blood tears flowed from the corners of his tightly closed eyes. He seemed to be deeply hurt by the name "Siyu Dan". The violent killing aura instantly intensified by three points, almost breaking through the defenses he had built.

"You surrendered subject!"

Xiao Yan forcefully absorbed the murderous aura pouring down on him and intensified his internal energy to stabilize the man. His voice was already somewhat out of control: "Don't let the illusion drag you away. Guard your spirit platform. Besides Siyu Dan, think of Hou Qing, think of Ying Gou, think of Han Ba. They are all waiting for you. I can give you the mere Nine Gai of the Yinshan Saint! Come with me, I'll take you to find it. It's not her Nine Gai, it's yours. Let's go find it together!"

Perhaps it was the word "Nine Gai" that touched the deepest obsession in the soul of the surrendered minister, or perhaps it was Xiao Yan's firm and steady voice and the warm and gentle energy emanating from his palm that finally pierced through the layers of illusion. The surrendered minister's chaotic aura showed a very faint but real pause, as if it had been gently pressed down by an invisible hand.

In that fleeting moment.

Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He did not withdraw the hand that was forcibly guiding and dispersing the murderous aura of the surrendered minister. His other arm shot out like lightning, grabbed the other hand of the surrendered minister, and frantically absorbed all the murderous aura that had nowhere to go into the other party's body into his own. With this exhalation and absorption, a clever attraction was finally formed.

"Ugh..." Jiang Chen let out an unconscious groan. His body, like a puppet that had lost all its support, could no longer maintain its sitting posture and slumped forward.

Although Xiao Yan's face had turned pale, he still tightened his arms around her, pulling her blood-stained body completely into his embrace.

"How could an emperor act like this?" Dokoho observed the events unfolding before him and couldn't help but sigh.

But Xiao Yan had already turned a deaf ear.

His entire attention was focused on the frail, delicate body in his arms. He lowered his head, his chin almost touching the top of her disheveled hair, feeling her faint heartbeat and chaotic breathing, and the murderous intent in his eyes momentarily subsided.

He held her as if she were the most fragile thing in the world, or as if he were holding the promise he made to go out with her. Dokoho's words, whether threatening or seductive, became insignificant background noise at this moment.

"Give me your hand." Ying Gou extended her fair hand, and Xiao Yan did not hesitate. He immediately reached out his left hand and placed it in her palm. The surging evil energy in his body, which was almost bursting and was still being absorbed from Jiang Chen, was transferred outward again. Ying Gou remained expressionless and her eyes were still indifferent.

Fortunately, the surrendered minister's breathing finally calmed down a little, and he buried his face deeply in Xiao Yan's neck, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

But Dokoho remained unperturbed, simply smiling: "This is just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. If you don't get rid of her inner demons, do you really think you can save her?"

Xiao Yan did not respond to her, but instead held the surrendered minister in his arms even tighter, meeting Duo Kuo Huo's obscured gaze, waiting for what was to come.

Dokoho didn't seem to need his response and continued on his own: "The so-called Nine Netherworlds... are not the hell that people refer to, but the highest and farthest, coldest and most silent Nine Heavens beyond, the only law of the operation of the Heavenly Dao, and the final destination of the annihilation of all things."

"Yuan Tiangang spent a hundred years trying to understand the secrets of heaven. His desire for immortality for Li Shimin was an attempt to steal the power of the Nine Netherworlds and make his own will supersede the cycle of heaven, becoming an eternal and unchanging heaven. The origin of this power is closely related to his and Li Shimin's delusional desires."

She slammed her staff on the ground again, causing the snowflakes floating outside the cave to tremble slightly.

"As for Xuantian, it is the gateway to all mysteries. It refers to the ever-changing and infinitely boundless origin of the Heavenly Dao. Yuan Tiangang's 'tyranny' is to forcibly distort and control the trajectory of Xuantian with human will. He regards all living beings and things as chess pieces, and incorporates the rise and fall of dynasties and personal fates into his pre-set tyrannical chess game. The tyranny he seeks is to replace the will of Heaven with his own heart and to take his own way as the way of Heaven."

At this point, although Dokoho's voice carried a hint of resentment accumulated over three hundred years, it quickly softened and became indifferent: "The Nine Nether Profound Heaven is a forbidden technique that steals power from beyond the heavens in an attempt to control the laws of heaven. Back then, Yuan Tiangang glimpsed a prototype of it from here, which both made me who I am and trapped me. Three hundred years have passed, time has flowed, and the world has changed..."

After speaking, Duo Kuo Huo remained silent for a moment, then focused his gaze on Xiao Yan again, waiting for his reaction.

Xiao Yan's expression did not change at all. He raised his hand to stop Ying Gou, then hugged the surrendered minister and simply sat down on the ground.

"So, you set up this scheme to lure the surrendered minister into resetting his skills and training again, and to bring me here. Your ultimate goal is to use me, or the surrendered minister, to trigger the Balu Stone and help you completely break the Yinshan seal?"

Dokoho did not deny it, but leaned forward slightly: "That's right. During these three hundred years of imprisonment, although I gained immortality, I was also unable to escape and could not die. And my breaking the seal was not for revenge. Li Tangzi, look at this world, war is endless, and the cycle of reincarnation never ends. All because the way of heaven is unbalanced and the way of humanity is lost. Only by breaking these old shackles, and by having someone who truly understands the origin of the way of heaven..." She paused slightly, pointing to herself, "...to reshape the order, only then can this endless cycle of killing be ended, and an eternal paradise be established, that is Jiugai."

Leaning on her cane, she said softly, “Jiugai is a land free from war and hunger, where warriors return home and all people live in peace. It is an eternal pure land that transcends the rise and fall of dynasties. Isn’t this the very wish of Siyu Dan? Isn’t this what the person in your arms has been searching for for two hundred years? Helping me escape is the key to opening the gates of Jiugai. This is for the sake of all living beings, for her long-cherished wish, and even more so to end this cycle of suffering that has lasted for thousands of years.”

Ying frowned, feeling that what the person was saying did have a certain allure, making one involuntarily listen carefully.

However, Xiao Yan, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but chuckle.

"Jiugai? An eternal paradise? Dokoho, you've been imprisoned in this mountain for three hundred years. Hasn't your mind been completely hollowed out by hatred and delusion? You might be able to fool the people of the grasslands with such words, but how come you even believe them yourself?"

Dokoho slowly turned around and looked at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan looked down at the surrendered official curled up in his arms, reached out to wipe the dirt off her face, but couldn't get it clean in one go, and was unsure of the pressure, afraid of ruining her precious face, so he gave up and said:

"Dokoho, what is the source of the killings that have raged in this world for thousands of years? It is the greed in people's hearts, the oppression of power, the struggle for land, food, and survival. It is also the source of ambitions like yours, who call themselves gods and try to control the lives and deaths of all people for their own selfish desires, rather than some vague and ethereal imbalance of the Heavenly Way!"

He held the surrendered official in his arms, head held high, eyes narrowed. The so-called oppressive aura of the Yinshan Saint was practically nothing to him.

"If the paradise you speak of, free from calamity and eternally indestructible, truly existed, the world would have long since ceased hostilities. Yet, throughout history, from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the present day, with its shattered lands and rising nations, wars have never ceased. The evil in people's hearts can breed hell even in a paradise. Your so-called Nine Realms is nothing but a castle in the air, a vain dream woven to escape your predicament, seek revenge, and satisfy your own desire for control—a delusion that numbs others and, more importantly, yourself. To use it to conceal your selfish desires is utterly laughable!"

Dokoho leaned on his staff, listening quietly to Xiao Yan's laughter, which was like words piercing a knife, yet he showed no anger, but instead became even more compassionate.

"You can't talk about ice with a summer insect." She uttered these five words softly and sighed.

"Li Tangzi, the greed, lust for power, and struggles of the ants in your eyes are nothing more than insignificant specks of dust rising and falling in the vast ocean of the cycle of Heaven. What you see is the tragedy of fathers and sons killing each other and rivers of blood flowing, but what I see is the inevitable trajectory of all things struggling futilely and endlessly in their predetermined cages after the imbalance of Heaven. The rise of a dynasty is a temporary stabilization of Heaven; the fall of a dynasty is an intensification of the imbalance. The destruction and reconstruction of the land is merely an inevitable link in this trajectory."

Dokoho paused for a moment, then continued, “As far as the Heavenly Dao is concerned, even if you end the chaos, it is merely a pause on this great wheel of reincarnation. As long as this unbalanced Heavenly Dao remains, as long as this cage remains unbroken, new infighting and new wars will inevitably arise somewhere you cannot foresee. The cycle will continue endlessly.”

She slowly withdrew her staff, her voice becoming distant once more: "My path is to break free from the cage itself. Jiugai is not a fleeting dream, but the promised land reshaped by the Heavenly Dao. Siyu Dan understood this, which is why she willingly sacrificed herself. The woman in your arms seeks it because she instinctively senses that it is her true destiny. And you, Li Tangzi…"

Dokoho shook his head slightly: "You are a dragon among men, possessing the aura of a dragon, wielding a powerful army, and having the people in your heart. However, you are confined by worldly views and obsessed with repairing this doomed cage. In the end, you are just a relatively powerful variable in this endless cycle of reincarnation."

Xiao Yan's gaze remained fixed on the pale face of the surrendered official. After listening quietly, he smiled again, but the smile eventually turned into a cold laugh.

"Jiugai? Then so be it. Even if this world is vast and there truly is such an eternal paradise as you speak of, it would never tolerate an existence like yours."

"You heretic and evil cultist, you lured me to abandon my cultivation and start anew. To you, she was nothing more than a key to unlock the cage. Her life and death were never part of your calculations."

"Using Siyudan's last wish to distort the obsession that surrendered subjects have pursued for two hundred years, turning their most cherished beliefs into stepping stones for your escape. How is such behavior any different from that of jackals who prey on women and children on the grasslands?!"

"You keep talking about the Nine Heavens Paradise," Xiao Yan's sneer deepened, "but it's nothing but a trap to lure Si Yudan and bewitch surrendered officials. In the end, it will only backfire and lead to your own downfall. What Si Yudan seeks has never been some ethereal, otherworldly place. What she wants is for her people to be able to herd horses and sheep on the grasslands that nurtured them, to live a peaceful and prosperous life. It's a tangible, real world."

"And the surrendered subject," Xiao Yan glanced down at the faintly breathing person in his arms, his eyes instantly filled with complex emotions, before raising his head again, his gaze now icy, "she has pursued this for a hundred years to fulfill a promise to her deceased loved ones, driven by her unwavering love for her people and her yearning for simple peace. This yearning is protection, a bond, and the deepest human affection. It is absolutely not a sacrifice you would offer to help you escape and seek revenge!"

Dokoho's expression turned slightly cold. He slammed his staff heavily on the ground, and his oppressive aura swept out instantly. Ying Gou, who was standing beside Xiao Yan, also stepped forward and casually raised her hand to dispel the threat.

Xiao Yan, having already sneered, responded with a sharp retort.

"Dokoho, your purpose, from the moment you were imprisoned here until you instigated infighting among the eight tribes, causing the Yuling tribe to be wiped out and your surrendered minister to seek out Yinshan alone, has clearly never changed in the past three hundred years!"

"To escape this place, to take revenge on the Li Tang bloodline that imprisoned you, to take revenge on Yuan Tiangang who suppressed you here, to reignite the conflict between the grasslands and the Central Plains, and to make your name as a goddess shine once more—this is probably your only scheme. The so-called well-being of the people and the eternal paradise are nothing but a fig leaf to cover your true purpose. Your very existence, your very actions, are part of the cycle of 'evil' in this world! You are that cycle itself!"

"shut up!!!"

Dokoho slammed his staff down heavily.

Rumbling--

The entire main peak of Yinshan Mountain trembled violently, and all the floating ice and snow outside the cave instantly turned into a blizzard, sweeping across the entire mountain peak. The cave entrance was also suddenly buried by snow.

The staff was suddenly raised again, pointing directly at Xiao Yan, who was about ten feet away.

"Arrogant ant, what do you know about the laws of heaven and the hearts of men?! Leave her here!"

Faced with this earth-shattering pressure and an inexplicable mental assault, even Ying Gou, who was standing in front of Xiao Yan, felt her body sink slightly, and the hard rock beneath her feet instantly turned into dust.

Having delayed until now and slightly recovered his strength, Xiao Yan instantly raised his left hand, his fingers forming a sword shape. Pure and perfectly flowing Three-Part Returning Qi gathered at his fingertips, and he abruptly touched the ancestral aperture between the surrendered minister's eyebrows.

"I want you to come back with me!!"

The finger falls, the sound arrives.

The surrendered minister's tightly closed eyelashes trembled violently, as if he were struggling to open them in the boundless darkness.

"court death!"

Dokoho finally flew into a rage, raising her staff high once more before slamming it down. Where the staff tip touched the ground, a visible circle of indigo light instantly spread outwards.

Suddenly, the rocks surrounding the cave exploded, and countless sharp ice spikes as thick as arms shot out from the ground beneath Xiao Yan and Ying Gou's feet, the surrounding rock walls, and even from above their heads, aiming straight for them.

Ying Gou's crimson eyes blazed brightly, and without a second thought, she clasped her hands together, causing the surrounding energy to burst forth.

But before she could exert her power, an inexplicable pressure arose without warning, spreading upwards from the foot of the mountain. Like the heavens collapsing and the Milky Way pouring in backwards, it instantly enveloped the entire main peak of Yinshan Mountain, covering every inch of space.

In that instant, the power of the Yinshan earth veins activated by Dokoho, the blizzard sweeping across the entire mountain peak, and the dense ice spikes that burst forth, were as if gently brushed by a giant hand covering the sky.

In an instant, it froze, subsided, and disintegrated.

The countless ice spikes, which were only inches away from the three people, seemed to have been paused, and then silently crumbled inch by inch, turning into the finest ice dust, which fell down in a flurry.

Dokoho was startled. The countless old copper bells and wind banners hanging behind the stone gate trembled violently, and the staff in her hand slammed heavily onto the altar stone, making a piercing scraping sound.

The next moment, she threw away her staff, covered her head with both hands, and let out a muffled groan mixed with pain and great resentment. The backlash caused her to stagger back several steps before she could barely steady herself by leaning against the throne in the center of the altar, her aura instantly weakening.

Xiao Yan and Ying Gou paused simultaneously, but a glint flashed in the former's eyes, and he did not hesitate at all. Holding the surrendered minister, whose breathing had finally stabilized slightly but who was still in a deep coma, he did not even glance at Duo Kuo Huo again, but instead gave a low shout to Ying Gou in front of him.

"Walk."

A hint of seriousness flashed in Ying Gou's crimson eyes. Her gaze swept across the direction from which the oppressive aura emanated from the mountain below without the slightest hesitation. Her petite figure flashed, already clinging to Xiao Yan's side like a shadow.

The two figures transformed into two blurry streaks of light, one blue and one red, instantly breaking through the lingering oppressive aura and the pervasive icy dust and snow mist, and sped down the steep and rugged path.

The fierce wind at the summit whipped up the hem of Xiao Yan's blue robe, quickly engulfing their figures.

Down the mountain, on a steep mountain path that winds like a snake.

A towering figure stood with his hands behind his back, lingering for a long time in the direction where the figure in the green robe had disappeared, before finally pressing down his straw hat. Then, step by step, he walked steadily along the mountain path toward the summit of Yinshan Mountain.

As the sun began to set, the last vestiges of its dark red light stretched his shadow, casting a long silhouette across the rugged rocks and snow.

Before long, he stepped into the cave.

He stood still, and from beneath the bronze mask, a voice so flat and devoid of any inflection rang out in a hoarse tone.

"Three hundred years of sealing, it seems, is still not enough to erase your delusions?"

(End of this chapter)