Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds-Chapter 102 - 99. Heavenly Street is trodden by more than just high-ranking ministers... (4K characters, big Chapter)

"What a pity..." Ye Jeming looked back and shook his head. He intended to return, planning to snatch Emperor Chongming from the Siming Mountain Righteous Army and take him south. It was like trying to save a dying horse. Although Emperor Chongming was incompetent, it was still better than Fengxi Country having no one to rule and thus losing its National foundation.

However, there was a crucial time difference. By the time Chang Ji and the others captured Emperor Chongming and Li Enlu, they were already heading towards the Vermilion Bird Gate. They were now less than two miles from Xu Xing’s position. At this distance... if I try to snatch Emperor Chongming, I’ll definitely be stopped by that Grey-robed old monk, Ye Jeming thought. The consequences then would be hard to predict.

He, an ’Immortal,’ should not meddle in the power struggles of the Mortal World. This was especially true after seeing that Xu Xing was not a pseudo dragon, but another True Dragon of the human path who had risen to prominence. Obstructing the birth of a Human King, especially with Xuanji Temple having already lodged a complaint, meant he would face dire consequences. He would lose at least half his life, if not die outright.

It was all just a matter of chance... It seems the Great Fortune is not with the Song Family, and Song Knife’s attempt to condense a First-Rate Dao Pill will likely fail, Ye Jeming surmised.

Time passed slowly. Seeing that the two contingents of the Righteous Army, one inside and one outside the palace, were about to meet, Ye Jeming realized the situation was irreversible. He finally made his decision, turned, and leaped from the watchtower. Transforming into an Escaping Light, he departed, no longer concerning himself with the state of affairs in Shenjing.

「Outside the Vermilion Bird Gate.」

The two massive, mottled, and paint-peeled forbidden doors creaked open. Chang Ji, mounted on his warhorse, held a rope. At the other end of the rope, his hands bound, Emperor Chongming was being dragged along, stumbling desperately to keep up with the horse.

At this moment, the Emperor of the Song Family was covered in dust. His Bright Yellow Dragon Robe was torn in several places. The black Shanyi crown he wore had fallen off somewhere along the road, revealing a disheveled, greying hair bun. He was an utter wreck.

"Xu Ni..." Emperor Chongming gasped heavily, the coarse cloth finally removed from his mouth. "I am the Emperor and should be granted a death befitting an Emperor! How can I be subjected to such humiliation by weapons..."

He looked around. His two sons, the Crown Prince and Prince Yong, were kneeling by the roadside. The senior ministers to whom he had entrusted the state were now bowing and scraping, their faces full of sycophantic smiles. An immense sense of desolation washed over him. The dignified Emperor, now that his country was lost, was not only denied any special treatment but was treated like a stray dog.

But he was, after all, an emperor, and he possessed an emperor’s dignity. Even as a prisoner, an emperor should not be subjected to such misery. So, he loudly questioned Xu Xing, demanding "justice." freeweɓnovel-cøm

"He who receives the Heavenly Order should be the Emperor!" Xu Xing, looking down from his horse, retorted casually. "You are but a mediocre monarch, fit only to be a country’s ruler. How can you call yourself the Emperor?"

Being an emperor (Huangdi) did not necessarily equate to being the true Emperor (Tianzi), the Son of Heaven. In other words, the true Emperor, the Son of Heaven, is the son of the heavens, signifying that the Heavenly Order is with him and he is revered by all the People. An emperor (Huangdi), on the other hand, is merely a ruler within a set of rules. Generally, after becoming an emperor, one is automatically considered the true Emperor, the Son of Heaven, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. After all, who would dare tell an emperor to his face, "You do not possess the Heavenly Order"?

However, at this moment, Emperor Chongming having lost his National foundation was proof enough that he was not one favored by the Heavenly Order. Thus, he was not the true Emperor, the Son of Heaven!

"A country’s ruler?" Emperor Chongming laughed, the sound laced with extreme anger and bitterness. After being revered as the Emperor for so many years, this was the first time he had suffered such humiliation. He took a deep breath, suppressing the resentment and fury in his chest. Under another’s roof, he had no choice but to bow his head.

"Fengxi..." Emperor Chongming began, then corrected his address. "King Xing Tian of Fengxi, I implore you to grant me... an emperor’s death." He changed not only how he referred to himself but also how he addressed Xu Xing. He lacked the courage to draw his sword and end his own life, much less the resolve to bite his tongue and die. If Xu Xing did not show mercy and grant him a dignified death, tortures like Flaying Grass or lingchi—death by a thousand cuts—would be enough to make him unable to live, yet unable to die.

As for seeking a dignified death, he believed Xu Xing would grant his request, just as Xu Xing had been willing to accept all the civil and military officials of the court. Xu Xing was not a mere rebel; he understood order. An emperor should not be easily shamed, not even the ruler of a fallen country. Imperial power was sacred and dignified. To humiliate the Last Emperor was to humiliate the one who might become emperor in the future.

However, Xu Xing’s next words sent a chill deep into Emperor Chongming’s heart.

"Chongming," Xu Xing began, his voice clear for all to hear, "I made a great vow while I was in Sky Prison.

"If I ever breached Shenjing, I swore I would throw you among the Starving People. I would let you experience the gnawing hunger that millions of disaster victims have endured.

"And I would let you starve to death.

"Since you claim to despise Corrupt Officials so much, surely the Common People will embrace you.

"If you can survive among the Starving People, then This King will spare your life and allow you to go south."

In front of everyone, Xu Xing vented all his pent-up feelings. To kill, one did not always need a knife. He, King Xing Tian, upon escaping Sky Prison, sought more than just to tread upon the bones of nobles on Heavenly Street. Why couldn’t the Emperor’s bones be trod upon as well?

As for disrupting order? Heh! He and Emperor Chongming shared a blood feud. Sparing him would be an injustice. This was no peaceful abdication of the throne! Even if his methods were brutal, the world would understand. After all, such deep hatred could not be easily erased. If not for a stroke of luck, Cruel Officials would have Peeled His Skin and Made Shoes of it years ago, his flayed skin hung up in the Chenghuang Temple.

The civil and military officials lining the road, including the Crown Prince and Prince Yong who knelt in surrender, heard Xu Xing’s words, and a mixture of emotions stirred within them. Under Emperor Chongming’s cold and unfeeling rule, many of these officials had also grown to resent him. His frequent decrees of "male family members to be exiled three thousand miles, female family members to be sent to the Bureau of Music," implicating Three Clans, had sown widespread bitterness.