What is this immense evil energy?
Before the sleeping chambers, the Wanli Emperor was already pale. The evil energy had suppressed his imperial body. As emperor, although he could be killed by ordinary fire, or even ordinary blades and swords, in most cases, he would not die from attacks unleashed by magic, including evil energy.
This was, in a way, a "privilege" of the Son of Heaven, easily killed by mortals but difficult to be slain by cultivators.
But now, this evil energy had instilled immense fear in the Wanli Emperor. The profound resentment and hatred within it seemed too much for even the divine sword in his hand to resist!
Furthermore, the hatred and unwillingness in the other party's words had already revealed half of his identity.
"Malevolence... male... male..."
"You... no, you are...!"
The Wanli Emperor's thoughts began to race. In an instant, like a lightning strike, he grasped the key point in the other party's words.
Malevolence.
Ancestor of the Great Ming.
Only one person bore such an "infamous title"!
"I once heard you were a benevolent and righteous Son of Heaven, and that the Great Ming has endured to this day because of your merits. Why do you say you want to kill all the descendants of the Zhu family...!"
The Wanli Emperor spoke rapidly, fearing that the resentment would sweep over and claim his life before it was fully expressed. He lacked confidence, for the person standing before him, the "current Son of Heaven," was no ordinary being!
At the same time, deep within the Wanli Emperor's heart, his imperial spirit trembled violently.
The persecuted emperor of the past had transformed into resentment, lingering in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and had actually guided the Jiajing Emperor in breaking through to the Inner Mountain River?
"Unfilial, unbrotherly, unbenevolent, unrighteous, with foul deeds exposed, incurring the wrath of gods and men..."
"I am malevolence itself, I have no imperial title! Nor am I your ancestor!"
The darkness writhed, and within it, dozens of vast dark currents seemed to be constantly swirling. That boundless power overflowed the sleeping chambers, and several human skins suddenly appeared in the darkness. They were devoid of flesh and blood, yet they still emitted wails, their skins swelling as they were filled by the dark currents.
And among these human skins, the Wanli Emperor vaguely recognized some people he "knew."
In the past, several sons of the Jiajing Emperor had died one after another due to a curse, which led to the use of the "Succession of Offspring" ritual. These young princes who died prematurely, some of whom were even designated as the next Sons of Heaven, all had portraits passed down. Now they all appeared here, but in the form of human skins.
And among these human skins, one was constantly crying out. The Wanli Emperor caught a glimpse, and his hair stood on end. A wave of shock, anger, and fear erupted from his chest!
The Longqing Emperor!
"Do you feel anger and fear upon seeing the human skin of your father?"
"But you also witnessed your father's burial with your own eyes... Are the human skins here truly the same as your father?"
The voice from the darkness came, its tone seemingly laced with mockery. The human skin of the Longqing Emperor writhed its empty eye sockets, as if seeing the Wanli Emperor's appearance, and began to cry out for help.
"Zhu Yijun... you are Zhu Yijun! Save me, save me! I am your imperial father!"
The human skin wailed, but after the initial shock and anger, the Wanli Emperor had instead calmed down.
"Monster! How dare you impersonate a former emperor!"
Cold words were uttered from the emperor's mouth, devoid of any father-son affection. The voice in the darkness seemed to pause, let out a strange sound, and after a few breaths, erupted into a burst of laughter!
"Such is the imperial family! Excellent! Unwavering in the face of external forces! Although you are their unworthy descendant, a damned descendant, you still earn my admiration! To adjust your mindset in such a short time, to denounce the human skin of your father as a monster, and to refuse to acknowledge it as the former emperor!"
"This is correct! How can the Son of Heaven be a monster! A monster cannot be the Son of Heaven!"
"Therefore, I am not the Son of Heaven of your Ming Dynasty!"
"Wanli, oh Wanli! The life you borrowed, someone wants to reclaim it! Do you wish to live?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the human skins floating in the darkness opened their empty eye sockets and began to speak to the Wanli Emperor. It was a demand for life, a plea for debt collection:
"Return our lives to us."
"You were not meant to be the Son of Heaven of this generation."
"Why did you let Longqing become the emperor?"
These human skins, carrying heavy resentment, seemed to surge out of the sleeping chambers like dancing demons. Even the human skin resembling the Longqing Emperor began to reach out towards the hall!
At this moment, the Wanli Emperor held the Jingzhen Divine Sword horizontally before him. Instantly, the sword body emitted a brilliant radiance, and thunderous sword cries reverberated!
The Zhen hexagram!
The Jingzhen Jade Sword was a divine sword from the Song Dynasty, symbolizing the embodiment of the Eastern Zhen hexagram. It contained the form of Taiyi and possessed the power of the origin of all spirits. With a drop of its edge, all evil could not approach!
This thunderous sword cry instantly charred all the surging human skins. They emitted terrified screams and retreated back into the darkness. The next moment, a massive suction force erupted from the darkness, and a Dharma Realm emerged, enveloping the entire Imperial Ancestral Temple!
"A mere divine artifact that slays Yin spirits and evil hordes, and you think it can kill me, who has transformed from the malevolence of the Ming Dynasty for centuries!"
A sword from a previous dynasty slaying the resentful evil of the current dynasty?
What immense heavenly might you possess!
"Emperor Jingtai, why must you pressure your descendants so!"
In his desperation, Wanli hurriedly called out, simultaneously crushing a jade talisman hidden within his imperial robe!
"You are not my descendant! Nor am I Jingtai!"
"I am the 'Lord of Malevolence'!"
The response Wanli received was an extremely distorted roar filled with immense resentment!
However, the grand darkness was dispelled in the next moment, pushed back by another force of a Dharma Realm.
The crushed jade talisman communicated with the power of the Forbidden City Dharma Realm, using the might of the entire contemporary imperial city to suppress a large portion of the darkness and resentment. Simultaneously, a dark shadow formed behind Wanli. This was the shadow that Ji Xiang had once seen, imitating the appearance of Emperor Jianwen.
This shadow initially appeared in the three great halls of the Southern Forbidden City, demonstrating to Ji Xiang the origin of the Forbidden City Dharma Realm. Its image was based on the form and spirit of Emperor Jianwen. After Emperor Jianwen's form and spirit were stripped away and he fled, this form and spirit also became the carrier of the Dharma Realm's aspirations remaining within the Forbidden City Dharma Realm, giving birth to a sliver of self-will.
"What are you?"
The voice from the darkness questioned the appearance of this shadow.
The shadow did not answer, but merely channeled the power of the Forbidden City Dharma Realm to expel the darkness before the sleeping chambers.
"........"
"Wanli, oh Wanli, it seems you are also extraordinary... Compared to your imperial grandfather, Emperor Jiajing, you have caught a good era... You clearly have no aptitude for cultivation, yet you possess such powerful external might..."
"National Divine煞?"
The voice from the darkness mused, while the Wanli Emperor was startled.
Could this former emperor not know of the existence of the Forbidden City Dharma Realm?
And express doubt about the existence of the National Divine煞?
"Former Emperor, could you tell me what kind of power Emperor Jiajing exchanged with you here?"
"I do not wish to exchange anything here. If you have accumulated such immense resentment due to the failure of past emperors to fully vindicate you, then I can complete all the procedures for you, restore your seventeen-character imperial title, and have your remains interred in the imperial mausoleum..."
"Silence." The voice from the darkness spoke again, silencing the Wanli Emperor.
"I have already said, I am not your ancestor, nor do I have an imperial title. Past events cannot be changed. Posthumous honors are merely for profit, not for the predecessors. Matters that have been settled will never be altered!"
"Until the fall of the Ming Dynasty, until I witness the fall of the Ming Dynasty with my own eyes, I will not dissipate from this place. If you believe that your two celestial beings can kill me, then by all means, try it!"
"Jiajing, who achieved immortality, was merely an ant. Do you think he did not try to return and kill me after exchanging power with me! I have experienced such things too many times. You emperors are all petty individuals."
"I am the malevolence of the Ming Dynasty, the resentment that has not dissipated for thousands of generations. I am not Jingtai, I am the embodiment of the resentment of all beings in the Ming Dynasty. I will curse your Zhu family for generations without end, until you are utterly annihilated, your dynasty collapses, and you all become extinct!"
The Wanli Emperor was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Then why did you grant power to Emperor Jiajing?"
"If he had not been granted power, the Ming Dynasty might have fallen by now. In fact, I... your junior, almost died in a palace fire set by a monster. The imperial body is also merely mortal. Although the ruler of the nation cannot be killed by cultivators, mortal swords and water and fire can easily kill such a noble existence."
"Is it because you saw your own shadow in Emperor Jiajing?"
The darkness fell silent. There was no response.
The Jiajing Emperor was not of the Zhengde lineage, but a cousin of Emperor Zhengde. The Zhengde and Jiajing reigns were succession from elder brother to younger brother.
And although Emperor Yingzong was captured and did not die, Emperor Jingtai had also stepped up to shoulder the responsibility in a time of crisis, with the younger brother among brothers ascending to the throne.
There was a resemblance.
The two sides fell silent, and there was no further conflict. The Wanli Emperor still tried to ascertain the power Emperor Jiajing had exchanged here, and the worldly arrangements mentioned by Concubine Shang Shou.
"Did the former emperor... know a concubine named Shang? The Jinjizi was given to Emperor Jiajing, but it ended up in her hands. Was this Jiajing's arrangement, or your intention?"
"Actually, your junior is more interested in knowing why you have become this way. Where does this power originate from?"
The darkness remained silent for a long time.
After the Wanli Emperor did not know how long he had waited, a response came from the darkness. The Lord of Malevolence's sigh echoed:
"That woman... is a Han Immortal."
"This mortal body is merely a decaying vessel. Her true form is the Northern Cold Fairy Song Lianjuan, who was ordered by the Grand Supreme True Person to descend to this world to intervene in the fate of the Ming Dynasty. The Grand Supreme True Person is..."
"The Honglie of Huainan in Han."
"As for me, I became like this all thanks to the imperial edict of Emperor Yingzong! Isn't that your ancestor!"
"Fortunately, heaven has not abandoned me..."
The words from the darkness abruptly stopped.
Then came the words of expulsion:
"Wanli, oh Wanli, since you possess the National Divine煞 of this world, perhaps you can contend with that scoundrel Jiajing. However, I wonder who will win or lose between you, and in whose hands this Great Ming will completely collapse and perish!"
"Your time is running out... Would you like to exchange for the power to live from me?"
The voice from the darkness, the Lord of Malevolence, began to tempt Wanli again.
"No, your former emperor's kindness is appreciated by your junior."
"Your junior's talent is poor, and his bone structure is extremely inferior. Even if he possessed this power, he would find it difficult to control. Moreover, how can the current Son of Heaven seek help from a former Son of Heaven? This would make the current Son of Heaven appear very useless."
"Besides, if your junior does not take this power, will the Ming Dynasty not perish faster, and will your former emperor not be freed?"
The Wanli Emperor had become numb to many events. Any temptation now had little effect on him. When a person works with a completely laissez-faire attitude in one aspect, yet occasionally does not completely slack off, their opponents often find it difficult to gauge their temperament.
The Lord of Malevolence was also somewhat bewildered by this approach.
At this moment, a demonic energy suddenly covered the vicinity of the Imperial Ancestral Temple!
The Lord of Malevolence was about to say something to Wanli, but upon sensing the appearance of the demonic energy, he suddenly let out a sharp cry:
"This... what is this?"
"No, how is it different?"
The demonic energy gradually spread, enveloping the entire surroundings of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The power of Yuqing Heaven.
Demonic energy... this is the aura of a Heavenly Demon.
The Lord of Malevolence became uncertain, and that darkness also churned with unease.
The Wanli Emperor could also faintly sense the appearance of this demonic energy.
It was Ji Xiang's cultivation breakthrough. This demonic might was vast, containing the power to destroy everything, yet it possessed no evil energy.
"Yuqing... your subordinate also has Yuqing cultivators?"
The Lord of Malevolence's voice pulled the Wanli Emperor's consciousness back, but the Wanli Emperor somewhat doubtfully savored these two words:
"Yuqing...?"
Wait, wasn't the North Pole True Person a cultivator of Taiqing in Daoism?
"Truly remarkable... two celestial beings, the National Divine煞, a Yuqing cultivator... Haha, good, good, good!"
"The more powerful you become now, the more so when nineteen years later... no, it is now eighteen years! When you are completely crushed by the immortals of the Inner Mountain River after eighteen years, and this dynasty also crumbles, it will surely be a magnificent battle that will be difficult to witness for a thousand generations!"
"Continue to grow stronger like this, until this dynasty completely collapses and turns into the yellow earth of history!"
The Lord of Malevolence sensed the demonic energy, and his voice gradually became low, and then gradually disappeared from the world.
However, the voice of Yuqing churned in the darkness, and those human skins also cried out "Yuqing, Yuqing!"
A long time ago, it was a Yuqing cultivator who allowed the Lord of Malevolence to remain in the world in such a state.
The doors of the sleeping chambers began to close. The Wanli Emperor was suddenly startled and hurriedly pressed:
"Wait, former emperor!"
"Since the Jinjizi flowed from your hands, then where is the Yushui Pan, and where is the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable?"
The Jinjizi would cause the holder to slowly "transform into the Dao," using the power of transformation to become a key to comprehending the true Heavenly Dao. However, this power required another Yushui Pan to be fully unleashed.
"Where did Emperor Jiajing enter the Inner Mountain River from?"
This was a crucial clue. Knowing the place of entry and exit between the Outer and Inner Mountain Rivers, one could deploy heavy troops in advance.
"Lingbao Heavenly Venerable is not in the Outer Mountain River... It is in a place that is difficult to leave..."
"Did I not say, this item, it is mine and it is not mine. I did not create it, but I obtained it from elsewhere..."