The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “I didn’t think that there was still someone who remembered this prince. As this is the case, this prince will spare your life!”

  Buzz!

  As he spoke, Li Xuantu extended a fair hand from his black robe, pressing down against the air. The fabric of space trembled, and a black Halo of Spacetime surrounded by a layer of faint smoke began to rapidly expand. With the weight of a mountain, it descended on the people below.

  “Not good!”

  “Careful!”

  The sky darkened as Li Xuantu took action, and when Bai Hanzhou, Zhao Fengchen, and the Imperial Army Marshals felt the immense power contained in that black Halo of Spacetime, they immediately felt the scent of death fill their noses, and their faces paled.

  “Everyone, strike!”

  Everyone focused all of their power on the sky, their Stellar Energies gathering together and shooting toward the black Halo of Spacetime.

  But Li Xuantu’s casual strike smashed through their combined attack like it was made of paper, the torrent of Stellar Energy shattering apart on first contact.

  Bang!

  The black Halo of Spacetime slammed into the ground with a boom, sending thousands of Imperial Army elites together with Bai Hanzhou and Zhao Fengchen flying backward through the air, all of them heavily injured.

  Screams and moans of pain could be heard all around the imperial prison, and the roles of attacker and defender on the battlefield were instantly reversed.

  Zhao Fengchen and company were incapable of taking even one blow from Li Xuantu.

  On the Imperial Army side, only Li Xuanyi was still standing and unharmed. The rest of the Imperial Army soldiers had been blown back, their howls of pain filling the air.

  Li Xuanyi stood in a daze, his body shivering.

  When that black Halo of Spacetime passed by him, he felt as if he had brushed shoulders with death.

  Too powerful!

  Li Xuantu was far more powerful than they were, reaching a level that few, if any, of them could ever reach. There was simply no contest.

  Bang!

  Seeing this, the numerous prisoners in front of the imperial prison raised their arms and cheered.

  Fumeng Lingcha, Duan Zhuyan, and Huang Tianzhao had been rendered speechless, standing in a daze.

  During this rebellion in the imperial prison, the three of them only knew that some immense energy had broken out of the ground and shattered all of their cells, destroying the formations and seals that bound them. With this rare opportunity and the chaos in the prison, the three of them had joined the rest of the group in escaping through the fissure.

  For the moment, they had ignored the source of that power erupting from the earth.

  “It seems that he was the one who shattered the earth and destroyed the cells!”

  Fumeng Lingcha stared in shock at that robed figure in the air.

  A voice rang out amongst the prisoners. “This is Crown Prince Li Xuantu from Emperor Gaozong’s reign, Emperor Gaozong’s favored successor, the right and true inheritor of the throne! Everyone was able to escape the imperial prison due to His Highness the Crown Prince’s efforts. Everyone, hurry and pay respects to His Highness!”

  Everyone immediately turned to the speaker.

  “Huang Xiaotian!”

  Huang Tianzhao focused on the figure emerging from the fissure and immediately recognized him.

  In the Rebellion of the Three Princes, he and Huang Xiaotian had together joined with the First Prince, but later on, in the Imperial Army competition, Huang Xiaotian had been defeated, losing First Prince Li Ying’s favor. The two had not interacted much after that, but Huang Tianzhao could still recognize him at a glance.

  But in a flash, Huang Tianzhao’s eyes turned to the figure hiding in Huang Xiaotian’s shadow.

  This man was wearing an official’s hat and had a black scarf casually tied around his face. He stood amidst the prisoners like a crane amongst chickens. Upon noticing Huang Tianzhao’s gaze, the man unconsciously turned away.

  Even so, Huang Tianzhao felt something familiar about this man.

  And his intuition told Huang Tianzhao that even though Huang Xiaotian was the one who had spoken, he was simply the messenger of that man hiding behind him, who was the true planner of this breakout.

  As if knowing what Huang Tianzhao was thinking, Huang Xiaotian used a message transmission art, gathering his voice into a bundle and sending it into Huang Tianzhao’s ears.

  “Sir Huang, stop staring. The man behind me is none other than the current Prime Minister, Lord Li! The current Divine Majesty is young and is not fit for this great responsibility. Lord Li discovered that the Crown Prince from Emperor Gaozong’s reign, Li Xuantu, was imprisoned under the imperial prison, so he came to release him!

  “I am sure Milord understands what the current situation in the court is. The new Emperor is good friends with King of Foreign Lands Wang Chong, and with them there, we cannot hope to stick out our heads for the rest of our lives. As they say, fortune and fame are sought in danger. Milord, if you wish for fame just as much as I do, this is the best opportunity!”

  “What?!”

  Huang Tianzhao trembled in shock, a tinge of surprise appearing on his face.

  He once more glanced at the man behind Huang Xiaotian, and he finally understood why he seemed familiar.

  The mighty Prime Minister of the Great Tang, the leader of all the officials, would walk the official avenues every day to Taihe Palace. Wherever he went, the officials would all bow. How could a Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army not find him familiar?

  If the one behind this operation was Prime Minister Li Linfu, then everything changed.

  There was no doubt that the man in the air was the deposed Crown Prince, Li Xuantu!

  But what shook Huang Tianzhao the most were Huang Xiaotian’s last words.

  Fame and fortune were sought in danger, and if the man in the air really was Li Xuantu, then this might truly be his last chance. Not only that, if this operation went smoothly, he might experience a resurgence and rise to an even higher post!

  “What do you need us to do?” Huang Tianzhao used the same message transmission technique to reply.

  While he was looking at Huang Xiaotian, his words were actually for Li Linfu.

  Huang Xiaotian turned his head and softly whispered.

  A few moments later…

  “Protect His Highness the Crown Prince!”

  “May His Highness the Crown Prince live ten thousand years!”

  “Did you all hear it? This man is His Majesty Gaozong’s favored successor! He is the true Emperor of the Great Tang!”

  “What are you still waiting for? Follow His Highness the Crown Prince! This is the only way to live!”

  With these loud cries, Huang Tianzhao and the others got on their knees.

  “This subject swears to follow His Highness to the grave!”

  “We are willing to swear fealty to Your Highness!”

  Upon seeing Huang Tianzhao and the others kneel, the other prisoners also got on their knees.

  All fell silent. The eyes of Zhao Fengchen and the other Imperial Army soldiers filled with despair. This unrest in the imperial prison had completely changed in nature, becoming a full-blown rebellion!

  The winds howled!

  In the air, Li Xuantu looked down at the kneeling masses below and coldly snorted, his face cold and harsh.

  His eyes looked into the distance, toward the looming figure of Taiji Palace. He shot away, not even paying attention to the people below, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

  In front of the ruins of the imperial prison, the prisoners were flabbergasted.

  It was clear that they had not expected this sort of reaction from Li Xuantu.

  “What do we do?”

  Fumeng Lingcha was the first to stand, his brows creasing as he turned to Huang Tianzhao.

  Although he had been one of the senior Protector-Generals of the empire, as a Hu, he had spent the
majority of the first half of his life wandering the Western Regions. Moreover, he had been a nobody during Gaozong’s reign, and given that the heavens were high and the Emperor was far away, he had not understood the developments around the Imperial Palace and the Divine Dragon Coup.

  He had only ever heard the name of Li Xuantu, but he didn’t understand the man behind the name.

  The only thing that could make him somewhat believe this was Prime Minister Li Linfu’s endorsement.

  “While the realm is vast, all land is the sovereign’s land. Even if we run, where will we run to? Isn’t encountering Crown Prince Li Xuantu a gift from the heavens? Since we will die one way or another, it would be better to just put everything on the line!

  “Follow!”

  With these words, Huang Tianzhao went after Li Xuantu.

  Fumeng Lingcha, Duan Zhuyan, and the other prisoners also began to follow Li Xuantu.

  “I swear to follow His Highness the Crown Prince to the grave!”

  Such oaths rang out in the darkness, traveling far and wide.

  Chapter 2099 - Advancing on Taiji Palace!

  Chapter 2099: Advancing on Taiji Palace!

  While all the events seemed to take a long time, in reality, only a few moments had passed between the breakout from the imperial prison and Li Xuantu’s reemergence.

  “Kill!”

  In the Imperial Palace, Wang Chong grimaced in shock as he heard the sounds of fighting. He could sense that thousands of prisoners had broken free and were making their way to Taiji Palace.

  They sowed chaos through the palace as they proceeded through it, and he could see countless fires burning, smoke rising into the air.

  But the most striking of all was that destructive black storm of energy leading the prisoners.

  Even with Wang Chong’s current level of strength, he still felt immense pressure from this foe. Most terrifying of all was that he could sense spacetime ripples extremely similar to Firmament Supreme’s.

  Li Xuantu!

  With this thought, Wang Chong’s face turned extremely grave.

  Wang Chong had just seen Li Xuantu beneath the imperial prison, but this Li Xuantu seemed even stronger than that. It was clear that he had broken the seals the Sage Emperor had placed on him, recovering his strength to a terrifying degree.

  “Not good! His Majesty!”

  Wang Chong recalled Li Xuantu’s words beneath the imperial prison and shivered. With no time to think, he immediately began to head for Taiji Palace.

  Li Xuantu had been jailed for many years, and the Sage Emperor had seized his inheritance. He held a deep grudge against the Sage Emperor and his children, and now that his power had returned and he had escaped, he would not let them be.

  Even worse was that Li Xuantu wanted to destroy the Three Emperors Formation beneath Taiji Palace, which was exactly where Li Heng was.

  The consequences of these two meeting were unimaginable.

  Wang Chong was frantic with worry. Boom! Wang Chong accelerated as he rushed toward Taiji Palace.

  ……

  “Hahaha, good!”

  Outside of the capital, Genesis Supreme, wearing his bizarre white mask and black robe, was observing the activity in the Imperial Palace together with the Tianfu Divine Lord.

  “Good job, Li Linfu! This god did not misjudge you. So much chaos could have only been caused by the former Crown Prince!”

  Genesis Supreme heartily laughed.

  Genesis Supreme had noticed the disturbance in the Imperial Palace upon hearing the first explosion.

  From his standpoint, he could see fires breaking out in the palace and hear the sounds of fighting. Was this not exactly what he had been looking forward to?

  “Venerable One, that Li Xuantu seems extremely strong. Not even the Imperial Army can stop him. But Taiji Palace is protected by the Dragon Guards, and Wang Chong won’t ignore this. Can he really destroy the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Three Emperors Formation?” the Tianfu Divine Lord cautiously said.

  “Hmph, there’s no need for you to worry about that. Someone who could fight on par with someone like Li Taiyi, even force him into dire straits, cannot be an ordinary person.

  “At the time, Li Xuantu was already half a step from the Grotto Heaven realm. After thirty years, given his talent, he should have reached the Grotto Heaven realm, and he’s also of imperial blood. There’s probably no one but him who can break the Three Emperors Formation!”

  Genesis Supreme sneered.

  The Tianfu Divine Lord turned his head to glance back at the Imperial Palace, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

  This area had not been his original area of responsibility, so he did not know that the deposed Crown Prince had reached such levels of power.

  Realizing something, the Tianfu Divine Lord hesitantly asked, “But, Venerable One, if he really destroys the Three Emperors Formation, do we really have to support him onto the throne of the Great Tang?”

  Genesis Supreme placed his hands behind his back and coldly said, “We can talk about it again once the formation is broken!”

  The Tianfu Divine Lord looked at Genesis Supreme in surprise, but then he understood, and he slowly turned his gaze back to the Imperial Palace, saying no more.

  ……

  Deep within the palace, the escapees from the imperial prison roared and howled as they followed Li Xuantu to Taiji Palace.

  Imperial Army soldiers rushed out to intercept Li Xuantu, but with a single strike from Li Xuantu’s palm, he scattered them like leaves. No one was capable of halting his path, or even slowing him down.

  The prisoners grew more and more excited, and they cheered and bellowed with all their strength.

  “May His Highness the Crown Prince live ten thousand years!”

  “May His Highness the Crown Prince live ten thousand years!”

  “His Highness the Crown Prince is the true Emperor of the Great Tang! Everyone, swear to follow His Highness the Crown Prince to the grave! Kill!”

  Furious cries rang out across the palace.

  Even Fumeng Lingcha and the others couldn’t help but be flabbergasted by Li Xuantu’s terrifying power.

  “This man is simply too powerful. If he’s really the Crown Prince from Gaozong’s reign… then this operation really might succeed!”

  Fumeng Lingcha had decided to follow Li Xuantu toward Taiji Palace because Li Linfu’s words had convinced him to take a risk, but he now saw that if they could kill Li Heng before the empire had time to react, they really had a chance of this coup succeeding.

  “Come on, follow!”

  Seeing that the distance between him and Li Xuantu had increased, Fumeng Lingcha rushed forward, not even waiting for Huang Tianzhao to speak.

  Li Xuantu was advancing without rest toward Taiji Palace, but even so, the formations and seals that had accumulated in the Great Tang Imperial Palace over hundreds of years managed to significantly impede his power over space.

  “Mm?”

  As he was passing by a building, his brows creased together and he stopped to take a look.

  “Jade Dragon Palace!”

  He still remembered this palace, and the large nameboard on its gate told him that he was right. His expression chilled as he thrust out his palm.

  A black ball of turbulent Stellar Energy exploded from his hands and blasted into oblivion the renowned Jade Dragon Palace.

  How could he forget about Jade Dragon Palace? It was where Third Son Xuan, where Li Taiyi, had dwelled.

  To love the house was to love the crow perched atop it as well, and the same went for hate. He found anything that was connected to Li Taiyi unsightly.

  “Hmph!”

  With a cold snort, Li Xuantu continued on his way to Taiji Palace.

  Bang!

  A black Halo of Spacetime rippled, forcing open a path through the seals above the Imperial Palace, and Li Xuantu flew right through.

  ……

  At the same time, in Taiji Palace…

&n
bsp; “Just what is going on?”

  Li Heng, dressed in his dragon robe, was seated behind his desk, upon which a small mountain of memorials had been placed.

  Though it was late, Li Heng had neglected his sleep to review memorials by candlelight. As the sounds of fighting grew louder and louder, Li Heng was finally forced to put down his memorials and raise his head.

  “Your Majesty, it’s just a minor disturbance. Grand Marshals Zhao, Bai, and Li have already led men to the area. I am confident that the matter will be taken care of soon!”

  Li Jingzhong, wielding a horsetail whisk, was attending upon Li Heng.

  Now that Li Heng had taken the throne, Li Jingzhong had finally gotten his big break. He was now serving in Eunuch Gao’s former post as the Eunuch Director of the Inner Court.

  “It will be taken care of soon?”

  Li Heng’s expression chilled as he turned his head.

  “Do you really take Us for deaf? Does it sound like something that will be quickly taken care of?!”

  There was a flash of anger in his eyes.

  He had earlier heard about unrest in the imperial prison, and his subordinates had said that the Imperial Army had already mobilized and would pacify the unrest. But not only had the turmoil not faded away, it was getting closer and closer to his location.

  “This lowly subject knows he is mistaken!”

  Li Jingzhong mentally shivered as he hastily dropped his head.

  Li Heng now was not the Li Heng of the past. This was a sovereign, and even Li Jingzhong somewhat feared his wrath.

  But quickly, Li Jingzhong slightly raised his head and shot a glance at a figure next to Li Heng.

  “Your Majesty, this place is no longer safe. Let this lowly subject escort Your Majesty elsewhere. There is a secret passage beneath Taiji Palace, protected with powerful seals. It would be better if Your Majesty retreated there for the moment while the Imperial Army calms this disturbance. Your Majesty will have plenty of time to preside over the situation later.” General Li spoke in a resounding voice, his body still encased in that black suit of armor that showed only his eyes.

  He understood Li Jingzhong’s meaning, and he did not oppose the idea. For both him and Li Jingzhong, the first priority was Li Heng’s safety.