The Heavenly Prison!
The eighteenth level!
Originally, eighty-one members of the Jia family were imprisoned here!
But now there were two more people!
They were Shen Cong and Shen Lang!
Following a faint sound of footsteps!
Two figures appeared on the eighteenth level of the dungeon!
The arrivals were none other than Shen Lang and Chen Nan!
Chen Nan's appearance surprised the Jia family, who seemed not to expect him to be with Shen Lang!
But they vaguely guessed Chen Nan's plan!
Therefore, they absolutely could not acknowledge him at this moment!
"Eldest brother, third brother, are you still getting used to living here?" Shen Lang asked Shen Cong and Shen Fei with a smile!
The former high-ranking commanders of the City Defense Battalion and the Imperial Guard were now manacled and shackled, looking quite dishevelled!
"The victor becomes king, the vanquished a rogue. Kill us if you will, we will never surrender to you!" Shen Cong said indignantly!
Shen Fei also said, "Fourth brother, if you've come to mock us, spare us. We don't even fear death, why would we care about your taunts?"
Shen Lang said with a smile, "I've come to tell you two a piece of good news. His Majesty had an accident during his incognito visit. A state funeral was held yesterday, and father will ascend the throne in three days to become the new Emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom!"
"According to custom, every emperor upon succession must grant a general amnesty to the world!"
"Not to mention you are father's sons!"
"Father is willing to give you two a chance to atone for your past mistakes!"
The two rejoiced, "Really?"
Shen Lang grinned, "A king's word is his bond. I've come to take my two brothers out."
"What? His Majesty has passed away?"
The Jia family was struck by lightning, never expecting such a thing to happen!
Shen Lang looked at the Jia family, "Indeed, the Empress Dowager personally issued a decree for my father to inherit the throne. This outcome should be beyond your expectations, right?"
"Do you regret it now?"
"If you repent now and betroth the sisters Xia Zhi and Han Lu to me, I might be able to intercede with father for you!"
Although King Wu was about to inherit the throne, for Shen Lang, securing the Jia family would be icing on the cake!
After all, the Jia family represented the trust of the former Emperor's lineage!
"King Wu harbors wolfish ambitions. Even if he sits on the throne, our Jia family will not pledge allegiance to him!" Jia Xiang'an gritted his teeth and said!
A cold glint flashed in Shen Lang's eyes, "Since that is the case, after father's coronation ceremony, your Jia clan will surely be annihilated to set an example for the court!"
------
Three days passed in the blink of an eye!
On this day!
All eyes were focused!
Everyone turned their gaze towards the Imperial Mausoleum!
The first part of the enthronement ceremony was the sacrifice to heaven and ancestors!
After that came the enthronement ritual!
King Wu, Shen Duantian, attended the ancestral worship ceremony dressed in a golden dragon robe!
After completing a series of rituals, he returned to the Imperial Palace and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, ascended the throne!
Then, an eunuch unfurled the imperial edict and read out a series of decrees!
Among them were tax reductions for the common people!
A general amnesty for the world!
And the change of the reign title!
The establishment of an Empress!
And the Crown Prince!
Shen Cong was enfeoffed as the Prince of Ding'an!
Shen Fei was enfeoffed as the King of Zhenguo!
Both were sons of King Wu, so this treatment was fitting!
Not only that, but they still held command of the City Defense Battalion and the Imperial Guard!
"His Majesty decrees that Heng Ji, the sect leader of the Xuanji Sect, be appointed as the Grand Preceptor of the court!"
"Fei Ce, a strategist from King Wu's manor, be appointed as the Left Prime Minister!"
"Chen Nan, a strategist from the Crown Prince's manor, be appointed as the Right Prime Minister!"
"Appoint..."
King Wu enfeoffed many people upon his ascension!
Although Chen Nan became a prime minister, he did not expect that there would be a Grand Preceptor above him!
And another Left Prime Minister!
It was clear that the old fox, King Wu, was still guarding against him!
Although he had granted him immense power, this action had divided the authority!
"I object to Shen Duantian inheriting the throne and becoming the new Emperor!"
Abruptly!
A roar like thunder echoed from the southern sky!
Immediately after, cranes cried in unison!
A flock of white cranes broke through the void, and standing on the bodies of the cranes was a man in a yellow robe with a stern expression!
This person was none other than King Ning, Shen Dugou!
Behind him were two elders protecting him!
Without exception, all were powerful cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage!
"You have finally come!" King Wu's face showed a sinister smile. He instantly flew out of the great hall, his eyes cold as he asked, "Brother Ning, the late Emperor decreed that you were not to return to the capital without an imperial edict. Have you forgotten the late Emperor's decree?"
He knew King Ning would definitely come!
But he was not afraid!
Because he wanted to use this opportunity to capture King Ning and his entire faction!
Although he had no great ambition, he was still the legitimate heir of the imperial family!
If he harbored ill intentions, with just a single command, the officials in the court would support him!
To him, this was a great hidden danger!
King Ning landed, his eyes cold, "King Wu, have you forgotten that I also possess a golden tablet of immunity from death bestowed by the Grand Emperor? Even if I return to the capital without authorization, who can punish me?"
As he spoke, a golden token appeared in his hand!
King Wu frowned and asked in confusion, "So, why didn't you return during the late Emperor's state funeral, but chose today? Are you trying to prevent me from inheriting the throne?"
King Ning gritted his teeth and said, "No, I am here to kill you and avenge my wife and children!"
King Wu burst into laughter, "Hearing you say that, am I the murderer of your wife and children? King Ning, King Ning, you are a wise king, how can you say such a thing?"
"The world knows that your wife and children died due to complications during childbirth. How does this involve me?"
Shen Fei's face was filled with killing intent, "King Ning is slandering us. This alone is enough to convict him. Your son is willing to slay King Ning!"
King Wu did not object!
Instead, a meaningful smile appeared on his face!
He had not killed Shen Fei precisely because he wanted to see father and son turn against each other at a critical moment!
Such a show was quite entertaining!
"Where are the Imperial Guards!"
Shen Fei let out a low roar!
Swish swish swish!
Over a hundred Imperial Guards in black armor arrived, riding on swords!
Although they appeared formidable!
Their opponents were two powerful cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage!
"For the sake of fairness, let's activate the Dragon Spirit Array!" King Wu winked at the Grand Preceptor Heng Ji, who made a hand seal and activated the Dragon Spirit Array!
This formation could suppress everyone's cultivation to the early Golden Core stage!
Even late Nascent Soul cultivators could not exert their full strength!
While claiming to be for fairness, this was to suppress the strength of King Ning and his allies!
"I will face these two experts first!"
Shen Fei drew his long sword and lunged at an old man beside King Ning!
But as he approached King Ning, he suddenly turned around, pointed his sword at King Wu, and roared with fury, "King Wu, you killed my mother and brother, do you really think you can hide the truth forever?"
"You adopted me and raised me, merely to watch my father and I tear each other apart!"
"Do you truly believe you can manipulate everyone's fate?"
The sudden bombshell shocked the entire court!
Even King Wu looked on in disbelief!
Damn it, how did he know about this?