After breaking up with my girlfriend, I became a Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

After several confirmations, the Spring Official was certain that Zhou Yan was serious about destroying the Imperial Observatory's lineage, and the Spring Official could only beg to atone for his sins by performing meritorious service.

He would do anything to preserve the last vestige of the Imperial Observatory's legacy.

Chapter Twenty-Four: You Can't Leave

Would killing yourself leave behind some legacy?

The chief eunuch turned around to look at Zhao Wuji, who looked utterly dejected.

Inheritance, inheritance...

The chief eunuch gave up this last chance to escape and simply asked Zhao Wuji with his back turned.

"Wuji, do you think that what my Imperial Observatory did before was wrong?"

Zhao Wuji choked up as he spoke.

"It's just over."

Gui water is not a rare thing, and virginity is not something that needs to be searched for.

In ancient times, when Ge Hong refined elixirs, he simply needed a few female disciples who would provide him with raw materials on a monthly basis.

Everyone got along peacefully and no trouble was caused.

But now, the emperor wants Gui water, the dynasty's nobles want Gui water, and the Imperial Observatory wants Gui water. What was originally a perfectly normal prescription has become a burden because everyone is vying for it and everyone wants it. The pressure has shifted from the upper levels to the lower levels.

By the time the Imperial Astronomical Bureau discovered this, nobles in the capital, the emperor, and Imperial Astronomical Bureaus in various regions had all begun mass-producing Gui water, during which time countless girls were persecuted.

The Imperial Observatory, however, found itself in a predicament.

This is no longer something that can be stopped by simply saying that the prescription is no good and needs to be changed, or that the elixir is a scam.

The Imperial Observatory had previously calculated that if they wanted to stop refining the elixir of immortality and confess their deception to the current emperor, they would immediately lose the emperor's favor.

This leads to a very subtle paradox.

The Imperial Observatory dared not tell the Emperor the truth for fear of losing his favor. But when the Imperial Observatory became too powerful and caused too many harms, thus incurring divine retribution, the Grand Director of the Imperial Observatory, the Director of Spring, began to think that it would have been better to have been honest with the Emperor in the first place.

Losing the emperor's favor is better than the sect being destroyed.

However, there's nowhere to buy a "regret pill".

The worst thing is to know things too early.

"I see."

The chief eunuch was looking up at the sky.

“Wuji, you did the right thing. For the sake of the long-term survival of the Daoist lineage, it is only right to kill this useless eunuch.”

The explosions caused by Xia Guanzheng and Qiu Guanzheng's self-destruction of their primordial spirits began to subside, and the ten Yin Marshals who had been temporarily trapped began to break free.

Er Yingzhao also flew up from the ground. He had just been hit by Zhongguan Zheng's primordial spirit explosion, but after flying up, it seemed that only a few hairs on his body were singed.

This was mainly because Yingzhao dared not let Zhou Yan get hurt, so she used her own body to fully withstand Zhongguan Zheng's self-destruction. Otherwise, with Yingzhao's divine body, not even a hair would have fallen.

Yu Yingzhao flew to the front of the Grand Supervisor, and the other Yin Marshals also surrounded him.

Lin Dajian closed his eyes and pushed Zhao Wuji aside with his other hand. Zhao Wuji immediately fell to the ground from mid-air. The other Yin Shuai and Yingzhao looked on but did not stop him.

As Zhao Wuji landed in mid-air, the Grand Eunuch took a deep breath.

He was the only Qi cultivator in the last few hundred years with a chance of ascending to immortality, but seeing the current scene of the gods besieging him, the Grand Supervisor knew very well that even if he ascended to the Immortal Realm, he would not have a good ending.

5 Therefore, it would be better to leave one last hope for the continuation of their own Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

However, getting his head back wasn't that easy!

The Grand Eunuch was flying towards Yingzhao.

He wanted to see what the difference was between this ancient deity and himself, an immortal who was only one step away from ascension.

……

Half a day later, at the Prince Ning's residence.

The third prince of the dynasty, Prince Ning, had just finished eating when he walked into his study, rubbing his stomach.

Unlike the other princes, the Third Prince's study contained many folk tales and stories collected from the common people.

Whenever he has free time, the Third Prince likes to read and relax in his study, sometimes reading from after lunch until dinner.

But today something unexpected happened. When the Third Prince opened the door to his study, he saw a handsome young eunuch dressed in a eunuch's robe standing in front of one of his bookshelves, reaching out to take a book.

The third prince stared at the eunuch for a while, then asked a question.

"You brat, aren't you afraid of death? How dare you rummage through my bookshelf like that?"

The eunuch put the book back on the shelf and turned around to say something.

"Of course I'm not afraid, because I've come to report good news to Prince Ning."

The third prince was delighted.

"Good news? What good news?"

Zhou Yan smiled.

“I see that Prince Ning has the bearing of an emperor. The supreme position in the world belongs to you alone.”

Prince Ci Ning's expression changed, and he immediately turned his head and shouted outside.

"Guards, drag this bastard out and execute him!"

4. I wonder if this little eunuch is crazy, he dares to say such things that could get him beheaded.

However, after a few seconds, the guards of the Prince Ning's mansion did not come out, but the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard did.

Following behind these two were the current Grand Secretary and the Junior Grand Secretary.

When the four men arrived before Prince Ning, they all clasped their hands in greeting to him, despite his puzzled expression.

"Your Majesty, we wish to honor Prince Ning as the Son of Heaven."

Prince Ning looked at this group of people as if they were madmen.

"Death is absurd, absurd!"

The Yining Dynasty shouted at these important officials in the court.

Lu: "My father is in good health..."

Zhou Yan interrupted.

"Your father died today."

Prince Ning turned to look at Zhou Yan, who nodded with a smile.

8. "I said he was dead, and he died today. There will be no surprises."

Prince Lingning turned his head in disbelief to look at the chief ministers and other officials outside the study. They were all silent, but their faces were quite relaxed, as if what Zhou Yan said was quite in line with their thoughts.

Prince Ning sensed something was amiss. It seemed that something momentous was brewing somewhere, something he had never been aware of before. Now that the surface of this event was right in front of him, he still didn't know what was happening beneath the surface.

Therefore, I don't know what the right thing to do next is.

Even if...

Prince Ning nervously swallowed.

"I... my father is dead, and there's my elder brother, he's the... crown prince..."

"Boom..."

A sound came from the eunuch's direction. Prince Ning followed the sound and looked over. He saw Zhou Yan calmly place a hideous human head on the table.

That severed head belonged to the current Crown Prince, the eldest son of the Emperor.

The eldest son, Prince Ning, had just eaten with him three days ago.

Prince Ning suddenly took a step back, sweat beading on his forehead.

Zhou Yan smiled at Prince Ning, a smile that made Prince Ning's legs go weak.

"The current Crown Prince is unlucky. He went hunting outside the city this morning and disappeared without a trace. No one will be able to find him in the future. That head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, don't you think?"

Zhou Yan looked at the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a man who could terrify all the civil and military officials in the court. The executioner who had killed an unknown official was so frightened by Zhou Yan's gaze that he knelt on one knee, grabbed the hundred-times-forged steel knife in front of him, and then spoke.

"Lord Zhou is right. After that, no one will be able to find the Crown Prince's body. The Embroidered Uniform Guard guarantees they can."

Fang Xiaoru, who was behind him, knelt down as well, his body still trembling.

Even when they saw the Emperor, Prince Ning had never seen these two Imperial Guards so afraid of him.

What exactly is this little eunuch?

Why could the Jinyiwei, a group of people hated by gods and ghosts, who had killed countless people and were known for their eccentricity and arrogance, be so frightened that they were like little quails?

Even if, even if the Crown Prince is missing...

Looking at the head of the Crown Prince beside Zhou Yan, Prince Ning felt his tongue trembling, making it difficult for him to speak clearly.

"And, fifth brother..."

The emperor's fifth son was the youngest son and was especially favored by the emperor. In addition, his mother was the current empress, and his maternal background was very strong. He was also a powerful contender for the imperial power.

"Oh dear, what a coincidence..."

Zhou Yan clapped his hands.

"Your fifth brother, it seems, went out boating tonight and drank too much. He fell into the Annam River and we can't find him."

As Zhou Yan spoke, he took out the bloodstained head of the fifth brother of the Prince of Ning and placed it next to the Crown Prince's head.

"I think it's most likely dead, the kind of thing that would be very difficult to find."

Prince Ning was horrified and took several steps back. While retreating, he accidentally stepped on a stone and fell to the ground. Fortunately, the young Grand Secretary behind him saw this and came out to support Prince Ning as he was about to fall.

After Prince Ning stopped moving, he turned to look at the young Grand Secretary, who said awkwardly. *Pfft*

"Your Majesty, it's not just Ling Su (the Fifth Prince's nickname), actually, the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince..."

"Dong dong..."

Another heavy thud echoed from the study. Prince Ning turned around, and what he saw sent shivers down his spine, his body stiffening.

The heads of the second and fourth princes were placed next to the heads of the first and fifth princes by Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan looked on incredulously.

"Hey, Your Majesty, isn't it a coincidence? This morning, the Second Prince went to a nearby Buddhist temple to pray for blessings and has since disappeared without a trace. The Fourth Prince, um..."

Zhou Yan looked at the kneeling Imperial Guard.

Zhou Yan couldn't think of a way to die.

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard added.

"Then, then, the Fourth Prince went on a private visit outside the palace. On the way, he encountered a demon eating people. The Fourth Prince, full of righteousness, ignored advice and rushed to save the people, but who would have thought..."

"The Black-Clad Guards can testify to this, and they have already killed the demon. I will bring up the demon's corpse later for Lord Zhou to examine."

Zhou Yan patted the back of his hand.

"Great! Excellent! The Black-Clad Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards are so capable. I am very pleased."

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard said bitterly.

"It's all thanks to Lord Zhou's excellent guidance and instruction."

Zhou Yan then looked at Prince Ning.

"Therefore, this throne can only be yours. Remember, after you ascend the throne, abolish the Elixir of Immortality, hunt down the Imperial Observatory's lineage, and never again treat the common people as medicine!"

Zhou Yan observed that among all of the current emperor's sons, only Prince Ning had never taken the elixir of immortality. The reason was simple: Prince Ning was a germaphobe and had an innate aversion to the elixir of immortality made with Gui water.

Therefore, Zhou Yan did not choose any other princes who had already consumed the elixir of immortality and enjoyed its benefits, but instead selected Prince Ning as the next emperor.

"Abolish... the elixir of immortality?"

Prince Ning opened his mouth slightly in surprise.

"This, um, father-in-law..."

Zhou Yan's expression was rather unpleasant.

Prince Ning respectfully clasped his hands in a fist salute.