Tianjing was the core city of the Da Sheng Kingdom. After entering this dream-like city, Ji Chenxue felt as if he had come to an ancient fairytale town in the Holy Grail Federation. Although there weren't any tall buildings here, it was full of vitality. Even in the middle of the night, people bustled about, like a night market with waning lights.
Looking at the peddlers peddling along the street, Ding Meng's heart was filled with endless emotions. Forty years ago, he, Zheng Ming, and Ding Wenhe had wandered from place to place and headed north. Their goal was to come to Tianjing City to survive. However, things didn't go as they wished. Today, they finally came, but with a different identity.
At the entrance of the Imperial City was a tall tower. When Ding Meng was very young, he had heard people say that this tower was the symbol of the Da Sheng Dynasty. This was because the attic at the top housed the Holy Spirit of the Da Sheng Kingdom. Unfortunately, the attic at the top didn't have any aura. Instead, it was lifeless and dark.
The interior of the Imperial City was brightly lit. Starting from the main hall, the Council Palace, the Golden Hall Palace, the Listening Moon Pavilion, the Dueling Platform … all the way to the bedchambers in the rear gardens, there were palace maids and Imperial Army soldiers all the way. Fortunately, Jiaogu was traveling with them, so Ding Meng and Wang Chong were not stopped.
In the middle of a colorful garden, there was an exquisite and small palace hidden in the night. This place was the king's bedroom.
At this time, a young eunuch walked down from the entrance and said in a deep voice, "The king has ordered to invite the two chosen ones in. Unrelated people, immediately leave the palace."
Jiao Gu was secretly happy. Invite Ding Meng and Ji Chenxue in and let them leave the palace. This way, his old life could be saved.
Hearing this, Ding Meng and Ji Chenxue couldn't help but look at each other. They didn't expect the king to know about the chosen ones.
The eunuch suddenly said, "Mister Jiao Gu, there have been sudden changes in the royal family. The king has decided to officially deal with government affairs in the Imperial Council Palace from tomorrow onwards. You can rest now."
Jiao Gu's expression changed. This decision meant that the king had taken back his authority. "You can rest now" could be understood as him being no different from an ordinary person.
"Wh … Why?" Jiaogu was a little flustered.
The eunuch said in a deep voice, "This is the Emperor's decision. Please leave the palace immediately!"
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a piece of glittering jade flew out from his ancient belt. In the blink of an eye, it was in the hands of the official.
Ding Meng and Jiao Gu might not know what it was, but Jiao Gu's expression changed drastically. This was the Sheng Dynasty's commander's seal. The reason why he could act as the Deputy Head of Government and why Tianqing could sit on the position of Great General was because of this commander's seal.
Now that Azure had been destroyed, he naturally couldn't keep the Commander's Seal. If it was taken back, it meant that the monarch had regained control of the military. In the kingdom, having control of the military meant that he had control of the government.
Seeing Eunuch Lu's move, Ding Meng could not help but feel a little surprised. "Kinetic telekinesis, a Battle-Saint of the Hard System!"
The eunuch was expressionless when he looked at Jiao Gu, but he was very respectful to Ding Meng. "I don't dare. Please come in. The Emperor is not feeling well. Please don't keep him waiting."
Seeing the eunuch lead Ding Meng and Jiao Gu in, Jiao Gu felt as if he had sunk into an ice cellar. Snowflakes fell from the sky, and he felt as if his heart had sunk into a bottomless abyss.
The reason why he had friends all over the world was not because he had a lot of friends, but because of his status. However, once he lost his power, he would have no status at all. For so many years, he, the Tian, Bai, and Zhan families had done countless things to oppress the common people. The officials had protected each other and suppressed all these things.
But now, there was no need for Ding Meng to do anything. Many of his enemies and common people wanted him dead. What awaited him was endless darkness …
Inside the sleeping quarters, Ding Meng looked around in surprise. This was a palace that he was familiar with. This was because many of the palaces inside the Divine Light Singularities in the past looked like this. It was empty, and the four walls were carved with Mou Xing runes. There was a throne on a high platform in the north. Next to the throne was a wide bed, and a weak man was lying on the bed. His signs of life were very weak.
The eunuch explained, "After the Cang Ming Nation's army retreated 30 years ago, the Emperor has been bedridden. During this time, countless famous doctors were found, but to no avail. He has been in this state ever since."
Ding Meng said, "But you know about the Emperor's decision?"
The eunuch smiled bitterly. "I don't know. The Princess knows."
"The Princess?" Ding Meng was curious.
At this moment, a female voice came from behind the curtains not far away. "Ding Meng, you have been gone for 30 years. You are finally back."
Ding Meng knew that there was someone behind the curtains, but her aura was too weak. He thought that it was a palace maid. At this moment, the bead curtains were lifted, and a dignified, elegant, and mature figure slowly walked in.
Seeing this person, Ding Meng was instantly excited. "Princess, you have been waiting for me?"
This person was none other than the Immortal Travel Nation's princess, who was also his brother's wife. She was the prophet who had sent him to the Devouring World. He did not expect to see her in the Wei Dynasty's palace.
The princess's face was flushed. She was clearly very excited. She looked straight at Ding Meng. "Although it was a six-year promise, we have always believed in you. I even sent Ding Meng to the world you went to."
Ding Meng really didn't know what to say. To him, the Flourishing Kingdom was his hometown. His elder brother, Princess Ding Wenhe, was his family. He could only bow towards the Princess and deeply clasped his hands.
The princess smiled. "I think you should be able to treat the king's strange illness!"
Ding Meng understood. He turned his head and said, "Chen Xue, you should do it!"
Ji Chenxue nodded. She stretched out her slender fingers. The cross-shaped star on her fingertip spun, and the divine light singularity was pulled out.
The singularity left her finger and flew above the bed. Then, it spread out circles of light. Then, the princess and the eunuch saw that wisps of black fog were seeping out of the king's body. When they met the light, they dissipated. The king's black and sickly face was recovering its color, and his aura was gradually returning to normal.
The eunuch was pleasantly surprised. "Lord Ding, what is the reason for this?"
Ding Meng smiled. "This is the aura of Demons entering the body. Under normal circumstances, a normal person would not be able to withstand it. However, the king's willpower should be extremely strong. His mind has been resisting the inner demons, so he still has a breath left. If it was a normal person, they would have died long ago."
The eunuch obviously did not understand. However, seeing that the king was recovering, he could only bow and thank him.
Not long later, the king finally opened his eyes. His entire body had recovered its vitality. Even though so many years had passed, his movements were still vigorous, and his face was still handsome.
Ding Meng had known for many years that this young king was different from the people in Tianqing Jiaogu. The king had always been diligent in governing, but the officials in the dynasty were rarely like him.
Seeing the king sit up, Ding Meng bowed and cupped his hands. "Ding Meng, a citizen of Flourishing Country, greets the king."
The king nodded slightly and waved his hand. "Jiang Yu, you may leave. I have something to discuss with Lord Ding."
The eunuch immediately bowed his head and left. It was only after the eunuch left the bedchamber that the monarch carefully sized up Ding Meng. His eyes were filled with curiosity. He had never seen this chosen one before.
After a long time, the king opened his mouth. His first sentence stunned Ding Meng. "Actually, we should know each other."
Ding Meng was stunned. "Oh?"
The king said in a low voice, "My surname is Jiang. My name is Jiang Cheng!"
Ding Meng frowned. He did not understand what this meant.
The king continued, "My younger sister is called Jiang Li. She died 40 years ago in the outskirts of Flourishing Country at the southern border. She was 13 years old. At that time, I had yet to inherit the throne. I sent people to look for her, but they brought back bad news."
Ding Meng was shocked. The brother of the little girl was the king of the dynasty. This was something that he had never expected. However, the fate of the world was so mysterious. Back then, it was because the little girl and the protector risked their lives to save them that the young Ding Meng and Ding Wenhe were able to survive. Who would have thought that one day, Ding Meng would come to Tianjing and save the dying king. All of this had its own karma.
Ding Meng clasped his hands again. "My younger sister was so righteous in exchange for the lives of my elder sister and I."
The king smiled and waved his hand. "You don't have to be so polite. You don't have to be so formal with me. Actually, I have been waiting for your return."
Ding Meng was surprised. "Oh?"
The king looked into the distance, as if he was reminiscing about the past. "You should know about the invasion of the Cang Ming Country 30 years ago!"
Ding Meng nodded. "I am indeed very curious!"
The king immediately looked at the princess. The princess immediately explained, "Ding Meng, I sent you away back then because I wanted to protect you. You don't know how terrifying that army was. It was not something that could be stopped by human strength."
Ding Meng frowned. "What do you mean?"
The princess revealed a terrified expression. "That was a demon army made up of humans, beasts, demons, and foreign creatures. Every one of them carried a kind of evil aura. Once they fought, they were all incomparably cruel. They were all shrouded in a kind of black fog. It was exactly the same as the black fog that this young lady sucked out from the king's body."
Ji Chenxue said in a low voice, "That should be the Demons' army."
Ding Meng said, "But their level shouldn't be too high."
Ji Chenxue nodded. The strongest warriors in the Flourishing Kingdom at that time should be the beginner Battle Monarch. The typical ones were his elder brother and Tian Qing. Tian Qing probably broke through to the Battle Saint level in the past 30 years. If there really was a Battle God-level Demons warrior, the Flourishing Kingdom would have been finished long ago.
The princess said, "The Cang Ming Country's army was very powerful. We couldn't stop them at all. At that time, Tian Qing had also led the army to the western border. Elder Brother suggested that we retreat while fighting, preserving the main force of the kingdom's army and not hurting our foundation."
Ding Meng thought that this idea was right. Sometimes, a military battle was much more complicated than a battle between warriors. There were many factors that had to be considered. However, the general principle was the same. You always had to keep a trump card, whether it was a counterattack or an escape, so that you wouldn't fall into a trap.
The princess continued, "But this time, we retreated to the outskirts of Tianjing City. The Cang Ming Country's army had a long way to go, and it was difficult for them to follow up. It was unrealistic to want to take down the city in one go. Furthermore, we suffered heavy casualties. It wasn't a big problem to defend the city, but it was unrealistic to fight back and chase them away."
Ding Meng said, "So the two sides negotiated?"