Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 709 - 639: The Fall of the Nation

In the Turkic Royal City, Ashide Keluo pushed aside the gasping slave girl atop him. Bare-chested, he sat up to carefully read the proclamation a servant had handed him.

"The Yu Country has committed many crimes, has insulted heaven and earth, defied the Dao and logic; it is Heaven’s mandate to strike it down..."

The Prime Minister read each word of the proclamation, the scar on his face slowly tightening, contorting into a terrifying smile.

In the Great Hall of the Zhou Kingdom Imperial Palace, still bearing faint traces of repair, the Emperor listened to his minister’s report. His hands involuntarily gripped the throne’s armrests, veins bulging on their backs.

"...The Academic Palace deceives the masses, sings praises of disasters, makes a mockery of the gods, and enrages the heavens..."

The entire court of ministers was ecstatic, as if they could already see countless iron cavalry crossing the Desolate Mountains, advancing eastward relentlessly until they reached the very walls of Chang’an City, fulfilling the Zhou Kingdom’s cherished ambition of three hundred years.

"Great-grandfather, Great-grandfather!" a young man in white yelled, holding a piece of paper as he sprinted through the estate of the Cui Family in Qinghe County. He tripped over the threshold and nearly fell.

"You’re a grown man now, stop being so clumsy." Old Master Cui frowned, taking the paper. As he read the words, his pupils constricted, and his hand unconsciously tightened, crushing the porcelain cup.

"What’s wrong?"

"What happened?!" his companions asked with concern. Old Master Cui remained silent, merely placing the proclamation on the table and tapping it with his finger, directing their attention to the words: "Raise the power of the Four Seas and Ten Thousand Countries, exterminate the Academic Palace, purge the sinful Yu, and ensure everlasting peace for the common people in the Central Plains."

At the Academic Palace, beside Chuiyun Lake, Su Feng sat on a bench in silence for a long time before tearing the proclamation to shreds and tossing the pieces into the lake.

He rose from the bench, crossed the long bridge, entered the supervision building, and climbed the steps to the top floor.

Portraits of past Mountain Masters lined the corridor walls: some carefree and detached, others wise and profound, still others gentle and benevolent.

Su Feng stopped at the end of the corridor and looked up at the portrait of Lian Xuanyao standing with sword in hand, remaining silent for a long while.

After what seemed like an eternity, he sighed deeply. He then took a key from his pocket, unlocked the wooden door to the Mountain Master’s study, and sat at the desk.

A thick stack of drawings lay on the desk, all depicting the same grand and majestic underground city.

Had you anticipated this... he murmured to himself, his words swallowed by the tolling of the Haotian Bell.

In the Great Ming Palace of Yu Country, Xue Ji, the Minister of the Secretariat, finished reading the entire proclamation and emotionlessly set the paper down.

"...Proclaim it throughout the world, let all hear it."

The study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Crown Prince Li Si’s face was taut, Minister Pei Su’s gaze was dark and brooding, while the Emperor stood with his back to them, looking out the window at the pond.

Night had fallen, and the stone spirit lamps along the pond’s edge glowed with candlelight, illuminating its surface.

Ripples reflected the light as a golden carp slowly surfaced. It appeared listless, its tail moving feebly, perhaps due to illness.

"The Daoist sect has gone too far!" the General ground out, his teeth clenched. "We must respond!"

Dongfang Lu, the Minister of the Secretariat, glanced at him. "How should we respond? Issue a counter-proclamation to conquer Taihao Mountain? What would the Vassal States think? What would the citizens of Yu Country think?"

The Daoist faith had endured for millennia. Countless commoners across the Four Seas and Ten Thousand Countries believed in Haotian, including those in the tribal nations—vassals to Yu Country that paid annual tribute.

These Vassal States were not merely tools to satisfy the Emperor’s personal craving for grand accomplishments. Through trade with their people, Yu Country received vast quantities of resources annually, including timber, stone, spices, medicinal herbs, fur, and gold, silver, copper, and iron.

Moreover, their geographical locations provided Yu Country with vital shipping routes and ports.

The Mountain and River Guardian Talisman did not extend to cover these Vassal States.

Even if Yu Country wished to take a stand, vowing to fight the Daoist faith to the death, it first needed to manage these Vassal States to prevent them from suddenly defecting.

Within Yu Country itself, millennia of religious customs would not be easily dismantled. It would take time to guide the common people and unify their thinking.

"But we can’t just swallow this insult and do nothing?" the General roared, slamming his fist against the wall, causing ripples of the Prohibition to spread.

The study was filled with incessant noise. These individuals, standing at the pinnacle of Yu Country’s power, masked their inner turmoil with loud arguments.

The phrase "Four Seas and Ten Thousand Countries" was no exaggeration. With the Daoist faith’s status and strength, they truly could mobilize various kingdoms for war. Wherever they looked, it seemed the entire world was their enemy.

"Your Majesty," Yan Yundang, the General of Army, who had been observing coldly from a corner, suddenly rose. He bowed to Emperor Yu, who still had his back to them at the window. "Please allow this old subject to take his leave and attend to some family matters."

The study fell silent. Yan Yundang had aged visibly over the years. Though he had been living in quiet retirement at home and his physique remained robust, the white at his temples and his dry beard were undeniable.

Emperor Yu slowly turned to face this loyal minister. "What family matters?"

"To hold my grandchildren one last time. Then, to sharpen my weapons, prepare my steed, and ride to the front lines."

Yan Yundang’s somewhat cloudy eyes suddenly turned sharp, his voice hoarse and raspy. "Taihao Mountain, wielding the faith of Haotian as a mandate over All Nations, is determined to crush Yu Country and annihilate the Academic Palace.

"Some are afraid, wanting to flee with their families from the flames of war. Others are ecstatic.

"Those who rejoice may be from noble families, believing that without Li Yu’s suppression, they can restore their former glory. Or they might be disgruntled scholars, imagining they can climb higher on the corpses of others amidst the chaos. Or perhaps they are simply fanatical believers. Either fools or fiends.

"Your subject is not thrilled, nor does he wish to flee. I am too old, past seventy and nearing eighty. I am neither able to flee nor willing to abandon this native land that nourished me, gave me a stage, and granted me my accomplishments and honors."

Yan Yundang gazed south, his eyes filled with deep affection, as if he could see past the layers of palace walls to the prosperous Chang’an City, to the vibrant land of Yu Country, teeming with life and ambition.

"If, one day, Taihao Mountain’s vanguard truly reaches our borders, they will have to step over my corpse first."

Yan Yundang turned back, a hoarse laugh escaping him. "And before that, a doubt I’ve held for many years should be answered—the Taihao Mountain Cardinal claims to be a divine messenger, a prophet. Is their blood red?"

With that, he bowed to the Emperor again, turned, and pushed open the doors. He strode out into the deep night, his hearty laughter echoing past the puzzled eunuchs waiting outside.

Emperor Yu stood rooted to the spot, watching Yan Yundang’s retreating figure, an unconscious smile playing on his lips.

He looked around at the people in the study and said calmly, "Taihao Mountain’s denunciation will spread sooner or later. Since we cannot stop it, then let us not try. Dongfang Lu."

"Your servant is here."

"Have the Ministry of Supervision draft a counter-proclamation."

"Your Majesty, what shall this proclamation be titled?"

"’The Condemnation of All Nations,’" Emperor Yu declared. "I shall perform the Fengshan rites at Mount Tai. I will announce this proclamation to the heavens, to the ancestors of Li Yu, and to all our common people. My ministers are not ministers of a doomed nation, and I am not the sovereign of a doomed nation."