The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 204 Where did you get the nerve?! (4k)

When Chen Su saw that Du Yuan had stopped, he was about to reply when his heart skipped a beat for no reason.

Before he could even speak, the surrounding scenery suddenly distorted and his vision spun around.

When he came to his senses, the desolate wilderness was gone, replaced by a magnificent and extravagant palace with carved beams and painted rafters. Below the steps, civil and military officials stood in orderly rows, each one imposing and awe-inspiring.

Turning his head, he saw three thousand beautiful women surrounding him, all blushing and smiling; looking outwards, he saw a vast expanse of mountains and rivers stretching out beneath his feet.

"I...I've become the emperor?! I'm the Son of Heaven?!"

Chen Su was both surprised and doubtful, how could he believe that the scene before him was real? So he hurriedly took half a step forward, wanting to see for himself whether this magnificent sight was real or not.

But just as he took half a step, his foot suddenly gave way, and he plummeted straight into the abyss.

Just as he was about to turn around and call for help, he saw the dragon throne above the abyss getting further and further away from him, and countless withered hands suddenly reached out from both sides, grabbing at him like madmen.

In the blink of an eye, he was clawed to pieces, his body covered in wounds.

Even more terrifying, each withered hand was screaming incessantly—

"Chen Su, you treacherous dog, give me back my life!"

"My heart, you've ripped my heart out!"

"It hurts, it hurts so much! Don't you feel pain too?"

The cries of countless wronged souls nearly tore him apart.

Amidst a violent tremor in his heart, Chen Su suddenly roared:

"No! It wasn't me! It wasn't me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the magnificent palace and the endless abyss vanished completely.

Before him lay the same desolate wilderness, and he stood unharmed, neither covered in wounds nor surrounded by countless wronged souls. Only his subordinates stared at him with suspicion and uncertainty.

Even the immortal who painted the dragon was watching intently from the side.

In astonishment, Chen Su looked around in disbelief.

Finally, he fixed his gaze on Du Yuan.

It's him!

Was it this immortal who showed me those things?

In that instant, Chen Su thought of many things.

The classical allusions I read in my childhood flooded back like a tide. They were mostly anecdotes about the founding emperors or restorers of dynasties:
When Emperor Renzong of the previous dynasty was young, he worshipped Buddha. An old monk asked him with a smile, "If you were to ascend the throne, would you be willing to protect all the people?"

Emperor Renzong immediately declared loudly: "I would rather suffer losses than harm the people!"

Upon hearing this, the old monk laughed heartily, rode away on a cloud, and thus began the Jiayou Restoration.

I am reminded of when Emperor Taizong of Zhao was still a commoner, he met a hermit in a dilapidated temple. The hermit pointed to the refugees who had frozen to death under the eaves and asked, "If you ever gain the throne, will you forget these people?"

Emperor Taizong of Zhao took off his fur coat and covered the corpse, saying, "If I were king, I would make it so that no one would pick up lost items on the road and no one would lock their doors at night."

The hermit stroked his beard and smiled. The next day, he left a note in the temple that read, "The dragon lies hidden in the abyss, and the world begins to prosper." Later, he indeed established the Zhao family's three-hundred-year-old dynasty!

Even more remarkably, during a grand banquet held when Emperor Taizu raised his army, he encountered a Taoist priest in Kunyang. The priest pointed to the fields littered with the corpses of the starving and asked, "The country or the people, which do you choose?"

At the grand banquet, Emperor Taizu pointed to the sky and said, "What use is this empire if there are no people to live on?"

The sorcerer then threw him a jade pendant, which was engraved with the words "Heaven bestows a great responsibility." The grand banquet for Emperor Taizu eventually led to the prosperous Kaihuang era!
All of the above-mentioned rulers were fortunate enough to encounter wise men who enlightened them, and subsequently received divine mandate!
So, it seems today is my turn?!
Overwhelmed with excitement, Chen Su cupped his hands and said:

"Only those who bring blessings to all people under heaven are true emperors!"

These words almost slipped out, and Chen Su was filled with excitement.

This is what he's thought about his whole life!
Can’t be wrong!
And he was certain that this was the day he had been waiting for!

Unexpectedly, as soon as he said this, the dragon-painting immortal shook his head repeatedly.

Chen Su was shocked. Could something be wrong?
But how could this be wrong?

"Why does the immortal shake his head? Shouldn't the true dragon emperor bring blessings to all people under heaven?"

These words were spoken with a hint of anger.

He simply couldn't believe that a dignified immortal would think that the emperor shouldn't prioritize the people.

But Du Yuan looked behind him and said:
"Of course, the well-being of all people should be the top priority."

Chen Su didn't see anything wrong and still said indignantly:

"Why did the immortal shake his head?"

Du Yuan lowered her head in pity, then pointed at him and said:

"You really don't understand?"

Chen Su's heart skipped a beat, but he still said:
Chen Su certainly couldn't understand.

He spoke with great confidence at first, but his confidence plummeted as soon as he opened his mouth, until he finally understood the meaning of those two words.

As if remembering something, Chen Su's tone became listless.

Seeing that he was still being stubborn, Du Yuan sighed and said:

"There are so many people behind you that there's no room for them all, yet you still come here to pretend you don't know what's going on!"

"Anyone who calls himself the Son of Heaven should prioritize bringing blessings to all people under Heaven; only in this way can he be worthy of the title 'True Dragon Son of Heaven'!"

Du Yuan's gaze swept over the countless wronged souls behind Chen Su, her voice growing colder:
"But you, with your hands stained with the blood of the people, how dare you say such a thing?"

From the moment they heard that there were so many people standing behind them that there wasn't enough room for everyone, Chen Su and the others felt a chill run down their spines and a constant cold wind blowing down their backs.

Although no one turned around, their eyes were constantly looking behind them.

They were both afraid and eager to find those 'people' who were so numerous they couldn't fit on the platform.

Then they heard Du Yuan's final rebuke.

The more timid among them collapsed to their knees, their legs giving way.

Even Chen Su was forced to back down repeatedly after being talked to.

He hurriedly turned around, saw no one there, and blushed furiously, shouted at Du Yuan:

"During the change of dynasties, looking at the founding emperors of each dynasty, which one didn't have blood on his hands? Which one didn't have countless dead bones under his feet? Why can they do it, but I can't?"

Du Yuan snorted coldly:
"Do you really not know the answer to this question?!"

With a loud shout, the jade pendant that the so-called immortal had given to Chen Su immediately shattered and turned into smoke that scattered in all directions.

Chen Su was so frightened at that moment that he collapsed on the spot.

At the same time, the old man who was pinching the white clouds in the sky as jade felt a sudden jolt in his heart, and then his expression changed drastically—something had happened to Chen Su!

Du Yuan then raised the half-burnt wooden stick and cursed at Chen Su:

"When the world is in chaos, a great ruler will naturally rise from all directions to restore order to the world and rebuild the nation. This is a helpless measure to bring peace to the people, not a pretext to recklessly wage war and harm the common people."

"Look at you now, was it an unfortunate accident that you were caught in the crossfire, or was it a deliberate act for your so-called imperial ambitions?!" Chen Su blushed deeply at his words.

But he still refused to admit it, because if he did, he would have nothing left!
He could only hurriedly say:
"I know I did wrong, but what can I do? I come from a poor family! I have no noble blood, I have no family name!"

"If I want to achieve my grand ambitions, I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. Otherwise, what will I have to compete with others?"

In the end, Chen Su shouted:

"If I become emperor, I will repay the people a hundredfold, a thousandfold. I will make everyone in the world live in peace and prosperity, and no one will pick up lost items on the road!"

"All I've done today, despite the enormous mistake I've made, is ask for this!"

"Tell me, where did I go wrong?! Was it better to endure temporary harm so that the world could enjoy lasting peace in the future? Or was it to be a woman's soft-hearted act and coldly watch the country crumble day by day?"

"Can't you, a dignified immortal, see that the world is wrong, and so utterly ridiculously wrong that it's laughable to the world?!"

Seeing that he remained stubborn and unyielding, Du Yuan shook her head even more, and then said to him word by word:

"Being born into poverty is not an excuse for you to commit murder, nor is pursuing imperial ambitions a pretext for your bloodlust!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Su still stubbornly glared at him.

Then I heard Du Yuan say:
"The lives of the people are lives in the present moment, not bargaining chips for your 'future compensation'! I ask you, can the people of the Southwest behind you see your so-called 'eternal peace'?"

Du Yuan had already stepped forward with the wooden stick in his hand, and none of the surrounding generals dared to stop him.

They all collapsed in horror, then repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy.

Now that things have come to this, how could they not see that the immortals have come to punish them for their sins!
Du Yuan said to him as she walked:

"You say the world is wrong? The world is indeed wrong! That's why I came here specifically. But no matter how wrong the world is, it can't be more wrong than you, who use cruelty as a means and greed as a grand cause!"

Chen Su dared not listen any longer, fearing that Du Yuan would completely tear apart his little fig leaf.

Therefore, he shouted and drew the sword that was said to be made of ten-thousand-year-old stone marrow.

It roared and slashed at Du Yuan, but with a flash of golden light, the stone contraption immediately broke in two.

Chen Su himself was also knocked to the ground by the force of the rebound. He was in a truly sorry state!

At this point, Du Yuan, who was standing high above him, finally managed to utter the last sentence, which she had almost forced out:
"Your mistake is that from the very beginning, what you wanted was not peace and tranquility, but simply to sit on that dragon throne yourself!"

Many things, you can't just look at what he says, you have to look at what he does!
That's how it is here in Chensu.

He said it was a temporary setback, but it would pave the way for lasting peace.

It does sound somewhat tragic and helpless.

But upon closer reflection, one realizes that anyone can say such a thing, but he alone cannot say it, given how utterly he has reversed the order of things!
Where in this world can someone claim to be doing what's best for the people while stepping on their corpses?
Upon hearing this, Chen Su's face turned ashen.

These things are all out in the open, but no one had ever dared to say them to him like this before.

Over time, even he himself started to believe it.

Now that Du Yuan has exposed him, he has no face left to save and no pride left to hold back.

All I can think about is that phrase—I'm going to be infamous for eternity!

In a daze, he remembered the general who had blocked his way at the foot of the mountain.
He subconsciously looked up in the direction where the other person had committed suicide, and in the blur, he seemed to really see the other person.

He opened his mouth, but Chen Su, filled with shame, could not utter a single word and hurriedly lowered his head.

Seeing this, Du Yuan's gaze also shifted, and then she shook her head as well.

This person has met the wrong person; it's both a pity and not a pity.

However, as Du Yuan looked in that direction, the leopard made of bones in the same direction let out a strange cry, and then, in a violent tremor, it completely disintegrated, turning back into a pile of bones.

This made Du Yuan shake her head repeatedly, and then she said to Chen Su:
"Immortals, what laughable immortals. And what laughable ambitions they have..."

Looking at the people who almost filled the entire wilderness, Du Yuan sighed deeply:

"What pitiful people!"

After letting out a long sigh, Du Yuan ignored Chen Su and the others, whose faces were ashen, and picked up the wooden stick again to continue drawing dragons on the rock wall.

In this matter, Chen Su was merely an accomplice. The reason the man questioned him was simply because he couldn't stand seeing this scoundrel using such foolish words to deceive him into harming the people.

The real challenge is yet to come!

Thus, a very dramatic scene unfolded.

Du Yuan used a half-burnt wooden stick to draw dragons on the cliff face, while Chen Su and the others kept kowtowing behind her without daring to leave for a moment.

The large army not far away was also frozen in place, at a loss.

Until that great dragon was almost fully formed in Du Yuan's hands.

The person who was actually in the situation arrived late.

It wasn't just the original three people, but a full six!

Suddenly, six golden gusts of wind swept down from the clouds above the once quiet mountain wilderness, instantly transforming into six figures upon landing.

The leader stood on a jade whisk, the dust of which swept across the ground, leaving behind only tiny golden glints; this object was called the Void Dust, an old artifact from the Heavenly Court!

The Taoist on the left holds half of a bronze Bagua (Eight Trigrams), and as the trigrams rotate, there is a faint sound of dragons roaring. In the past, his ancestor used this treasure to kill thirteen demonic dragons!
The old man on the right holds a red plum blossom, and as the petals fall, Buddhist chants resound! This red plum blossom has a remarkable origin; it was obtained by his sect's elders when the Buddha was preaching!
The remaining three were even more flamboyant—

A man in a short shirt had his wine gourd tilted at his waist, and what spilled out was not wine, but a chain of lightning coiled in a circle; this was the golden body of a former Thunder God, who subdued demons and monsters, and whose power was boundless!
From the outermost old woman's sleeve rolled out a black bead, which swelled into a black-armored warrior upon landing; this was a secret treasure of the ancient dynasty, said to have the power to move mountains!
The last scholar was the most eye-catching. The ink on his unfolded plain paper seemed to flow on its own, eventually condensing into the four large seal characters '天地玄黄' (Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow) in mid-air. Of the six, he was the only one without a magical treasure; this display was entirely due to his cultivation level!

Chen Su cannot die, and the plans laid out here are also difficult to abandon.

So they went back and called their friends, and found three more people.

They each took out their most treasured possessions before they felt confident enough to seek out this Taoist priest.

Even so, the six of them couldn't stop wondering what was going on in their minds.

After all, this Taoist's previous behavior was not at all like the ferocity one would expect from someone of the same realm.
As the saying goes, among cultivators, there are only three ways to address each other: little thief, fellow cultivator, and senior.

Therefore, even with all their treasures on them, they were still a little intimidated when they saw a senior expert at this moment.

We looked at each other, neither of us daring to speak first.

They were afraid of being made the first to stick their neck out.

After all, this group of people is divided and disloyal; it's hard to believe that the other side would be willing to risk their lives in a real fight.
Although the six of them were filled with trepidation, they had brought out their most treasured possessions, so each of them exuded an air of otherworldly elegance and presented a very impressive appearance!

This gave Chen Su and others unwarranted hope.

Chen Su's spirit, which had been extinguished, instantly revived, and he shouted at the three elders:

"We implore the three immortal masters to subdue this fiend at once!"

Upon hearing this, the six men's expressions changed drastically.

Then they slapped each other in the face:
"Be bold!"

"It's time to hit!"

Six rounds of applause rang out in succession. Although Chen Su was not dead, his face was swollen like a pig's head, and he fainted.

(End of this chapter)