Chapter 2302: Chapter 2301: Plotting to Slay the Dragon

Li Shixian took a sip of wine, patted his brother on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Heading to the South Yangtze, I am fully prepared. Take care, Your Majesty, we brothers will definitely have a day to reunite."

Li Shiru nodded, wiped away his tears, finished the wine in the cup with Li Shixian, and finally asked, "Second Brother, tell me, what exactly does Mother Empress mean? Who is this ’Kill the Dragon Assembly’ really targeting?"

Li Shixian furrowed his brow and cautiously said, "The heavens cannot have two suns, nor the earth two masters. The Emperor should be well aware of Mother Empress’s intentions. This dragon is him, it is the Emperor, and it is the other members of the Li Family. With her hand on the hilt, she will naturally kill whoever she wants."

The cup in Li Shiru’s hand trembled, and the throne beneath him shook slightly.

He frantically said to Li Shixian, "Second Brother, what do you think I should do now?"

"Endure!"

Li Shixian reminded in a deep voice, "As long as the green hills last, there’s no fear of running out of firewood. In the face of situations, the Emperor must never contend with Mother Empress, just comply in every way, and she will have no reason to kill you. The Emperor is still young; as long as you can endure, there will still be a chance to overturn the situation."

"I will remember!"

Li Shiru grasped his hand. Upon being reminded by someone outside, he quickly gathered his spirits and stood up to see Li Shixian off.

When Empress Wu’s power swept over the court, Li Shixian was compelled to head to South Yangtze, appointed in Yangzhou as the "Prince of Wuu"!

This was the only thing Li Shiru could do for his brother, withstanding the pressure from Empress Wu for it.

He set up a game, both for Li Shixian and for himself.

As long as Li Shixian didn’t fall, he had value to utilize in the court.

In Chang’an City, the situation was rapidly changing.

Within three months, Empress Wu deployed her confidants in the court, controlled the various garrison forces, and with the support of less-noble factions, swept the court, using the name of the puppet Emperor, she vigorously attacked the Li Family factions.

The various princes of the Li Family royal clan were all trembling with fear, with noble titles getting imprisoned almost weekly for various reasons.

The ’Kill the Dragon Assembly’ became increasingly intense.

Because Long Fei had not emerged, Wu Chengzong felt more and more that Long Fei was simply trying to scare him back then.

If Long Fei could come out, he would have done so already, there was no need to wait and remain silent until now.

The itinerant cultivators he recruited grew in number, with grand banquets held daily at his residence.

No matter who came, he treated them with courtesy, offering substantial sums of money.

Now at his residence, there were more than ten thousand cultivators, with ten Human Immortals of the Mahayana Realm alone, making it the largest force in the Capital City.

These Human Immortals all came for the Nine Dragons Command Token from the Ancient Heavenly Court.

With so many people in his mansion, Wu Chengzong’s heart was hardened considerably.

He publicly sent word to Long Fei, telling him to restrain himself and not to become too complacent.

Whenever Long Fei emerged, as long as he came to apologize at his doorstep, Wu Chengzong would forgive him, even considering accepting Long Fei as a servant.

After sending the word, Long Fei did not respond.

Wu Chengzong was convinced that Long Fei was truly unable to come out.

He became increasingly arrogant, entirely forgetting his previously fearful state from three months ago.

In the Imperial Palace, Empress Wu summoned her nephew, Wu Shansi, for questioning.

Wu Shansi stood respectfully in the grand hall, and upon Empress Wu’s arrival, he bowed and greeted her, exclaiming, "Greetings, Aunt Empress!"

Empress Wu had him rise and asked about his tasks, "How are the matters I entrusted to you?"

Wu Shansi arrogantly replied, "Rest assured, Aunt Empress, we have roped in all the reputable itinerant cultivators in the Great Tang Empire. The famous sects may have the Nine Dragons Command Token, but these itinerant cultivators do not and must rely on our Royal Family. With their support and that of the Temple of Spiritual Mountain, you need not fear the Cultivation World."

Empress Wu nodded and chuckled, "You handled this task well, but don’t think I am unaware of your little schemes. You have Chengzong flaunting in the front while you scheme behind the scenes. If it succeeds, the credit is yours. But if something goes wrong, won’t it not affect you?"

Wu Shansi broke into a sweat, hurriedly knelt, and kowtowed, "Aunt Empress, your nephew did not mean that! Your nephew just wanted to cooperate with Chengzong, revealing and concealing. He operates in the open, and I in secret. No matter what happens, I can handle it deftly!"

Empress Wu’s lips curled, and she sighed softly, "Alright, I’m not punishing you. I don’t care how you handle things, I just want to see the results. Tomorrow, the Great Dharma Master of Tianzhu, whom I invited, will arrive in Chang’an with a delegation. Escort them to take a tour of Ci’en Temple. I am not at ease with Long Fei. Whether he’s dead or not, I don’t want him resurfacing."

"Yes, yes!"

Wu Shansi nodded repeatedly, both respecting and fearing this Aunt Empress.

The might of the Emperor, the Fury of Thunder.

To serve a ruler is like serving a tiger; though he is the nephew of Empress Wu, he dared not act presumptuously in her presence.

In the southwestern direction of the Great Tang Empire, there is the Tianzhu Country.

This nation is founded on Buddhism, with rumors that the Buddha Lord Shijia was a prince of this nation.

Empress Wu sent envoys to this country, contacting the abbot of the Great Thunderclap Monastery who accompanied Jin Chanzi for scriptures.

She had them send monks over to preach in Chang’an City.

At the same time, attempting to take away Ci’en Pagoda, to completely imprison and seal Long Fei.

Long Fei’s words about eradicating the household of Empress Wu infuriated her.

Although she said nothing openly, she secretly had her nephew, Wu Shansi, prepare, contacting experts from the Scattered Cultivator Realm to target Long Fei.

Additionally, she imprisoned Princess Taihua in the Princess Mansion, barring her from leaving.

Originally, she wanted to use Long Fei, but now she only saw him as a threat to her power.

In the Princess Mansion, Princess Taihua was sulking alone in a room.

An array was laid around her residence by experts, confining her there for nearly a year.

At this time, the window beside her suddenly sounded, and a crossbow bolt ten inches in length stuck into the pillar beside her with a puff.

Startled, she hurriedly stood up and took a look, removing the crossbow to find a Jade Slip attached.

Grasping the Jade Slip in her hand, words immediately emerged, "Empress Wu wants to kill Long Fei, beware."

With those words spoken, the finger-sized Jade Slip shattered into powder with a bang.

Princess Taihua quickly stepped out, staring blankly at the night sky outside.

She couldn’t believe someone could bypass the array and deliver a message.

Her heart thumped, realizing that Mother Empress truly intended to harm Long Fei.

Although she couldn’t leave, she remained informed of outside matters to some extent.

In her moment of anxiety, a dog’s head suddenly emerged from the garden, its eyes glowing green in the moonlight, frightening Princess Taihua into quickly summoning her Longsword and softly demanding, "Wha-what are you?"

The big black dog leapt out of the ground, shook off the dirt on its head, grinned to reveal two rows of white teeth, and wagged its tongue at Princess Taihua, "Don’t be afraid, Princess, don’t you remember me?"

Princess Taihua scrutinized it carefully and suddenly recalled the bald dog that was by Long Fei’s side in Shu State.

Excitedly she exclaimed, "You, you are Master’s demon servant?"

"Indeed, indeed!"

The big black dog glanced around, addressing Princess Taihua, "Princess, do you want to save my master?"

Princess Taihua nodded repeatedly, "Of course I do."

The big black dog said, "Then follow me, I’ll take you to save him."

"Really?"

Princess Taihua happily clenched her little hands, and without a second thought, followed the bald dog to the dog hole.

As soon as her left foot stepped in, a golden light flashed beside her.

When she reappeared, she was standing in front of a grand hall.

With her head spinning slightly, she looked around to find herself in front of the Grand Ancestral Temple.

Guards were patrolling behind her, yet somehow none seemed to notice her, an exceptionally eerie scene.