The Sims: I Open the Immortal Path for All Beings

Chapter 1317: Chapters 1264-1265: The Dragon Slayer Finally Becomes the Evil Dragon_2 Chapter 1317: Chapters 1264-1265: The Dragon Slayer Finally Becomes the Evil Dragon_2 “`

“When the Ning King rebelled back then, if it hadn’t been for Emperor Wenchang’s timely intervention to quell the uprising, it could have caused even greater chaos,” reflected Jade Emperor Zhu Houji as he recalled the myriad of events that had happened.

He had never paid much attention to these matters, since he was merely a princely heir at the time and had no need to be involved.

Yet now, faced with the current situation, he remembered everything and put all the pieces together.

Just like those True Immortals, who wanted to marginalize his authority, they didn’t wish to see an all-powerful Heavenly Monarch and preferred a Holy Heavenly Emperor who would reign in a detached manner.

Those Courtiers and Council Elders from the past also desired an Emperor similar to what the immortals wanted, using him as a puppet.

However, an unexpected turn of events occurred. With Master Pei’s intervention, even after Emperor Wuzong passed away, Zhu Houji managed to consolidate power within the Court with Master Pei’s help, elevating the Great Ming Empire to a Divine Dynasty. With control over the Golden Book and Jade Scroll, and all Divine Positions under his command, he suppressed everything and centralized the authority of the Divine Dynasty into his own hands.

But now, with the establishment of the Heavenly Court and the emergence of the Gods Sealing List, the Great Ming Divine Dynasty’s Courtiers, once enfeoffed by Heaven, gained their Divine Positions from the cosmos, bound by the Gods Sealing List, and were no longer subject solely to his decree, thus their original constraints dissolved.

“Master Pei once said, ‘There is no absolute loyalty, only that the cost of betrayal isn’t high enough,’” a cold light flashed in Jade Emperor Zhu Houji’s eyes.

Their allegiance was to him in the past, so they had to obey without dissent, not daring to harbor other thoughts.

Now that their shackles were broken, and with better opportunities to wield greater Authority, they naturally wouldn’t willingly obey him unconditionally anymore.

Of course, Jade Emperor Zhu Houji saw this as disloyalty, considering he had personally promoted them, but to some Courtiers who were reluctant to relinquish Authority, their devoted and exhausting contributions to the Great Ming Divine Dynasty justified his promotions.

Moreover, they didn’t view it as betrayal; they never intended, nor could they, to undermine the Jade Emperor’s position. They merely wanted to use the Authority in their hands more effectively, striving for the prosperity of the Heavenly Court.

No one wants to casually surrender their life and death to another, especially the strong.

Back in the day, these Courtiers’ fates were held by others. Even with their long lives, they lived without freedom, and one misstep with Jade Emperor Zhu Houji could mean demotion or even dismissal, demanding extreme caution daily.

This Jade Emperor, Zhu Houji, was not easy to serve. Although respectful in front of the national preceptor, Pei Xuanjing, he was never a benevolent ruler to his ministers, his despotism and sternness being far from kindly.

The power struggle between sovereign and ministers has always existed, with the Golden Book and Jade Scroll initially suppressing them, tipping the scales in favor of the sovereign.

But now, the Gods Sealing List has stripped away the Authority of the Golden Book and Jade Scroll, unlocking their restraints. The thoughts of the Six Imperials and the veteran True Immortals aligned with these ministers’, naturally leading to some new ideas.

Certainly, a significant portion of the ministers still remained loyal to the Jade Emperor, with very few truly harboring thoughts of revolt, for they might not fear Jade Emperor Zhu Houji but still had to be wary of his backers, primarily the Longevity Taoist Monarch holding the Gods Sealing List.

Yet, regardless of whether there was absolute loyalty to the Jade Emperor, even the most loyal minister would not wish their monarch to have the power to control their everything at any time.

It can be said that the current situation in the Heavenly Court is quite complex. Without the support of Emperor Wenchang and the Emperor of the South Pole Eternal Life granting a portion of Authority to the Jade Emperor, his current predicament would be even more awkward.

“But Master Pei, are you also one of those who is unwilling to see me in control of the Heavenly Court?” This thought lingered deep within Jade Emperor Zhu Houji’s mind.

He had never revealed this thought to anyone, not even to his closest confidants, Huang Jin and Lu Bing. Zhu Houji dared not to let slip the slightest inkling.

He knew Master Pei’s influence in this world; as long as Master Pei was willing to openly support him, even with dissatisfaction from other senior True Immortals, Zhu Houji could withstand the pressure and garner more authority, certainly much more than the current situation.

“`

Although Master Pei conferred a portion of the Emperor of the South Pole Eternal Life’s authority upon me, the entire control of Shenxiao House of Jade Purity still rested in the hands of my elder apprentice brother, True God of Thunder Department,

so, in the eyes of the Jade Emperor, it seemed that Master Pei didn’t entirely wish to see me take complete control of the Heavenly Court.

He supported me now, but the day might come when, if I were to gradually reclaim the authority of the Heavenly Court, Master Pei might indeed become my greatest obstacle.

“Indeed, the master wouldn’t want to see someone take complete control of the Heavenly Court!” The current True God of the Thunder Department of the Heavenly Court, the Nine Heavens Answering Yuan Thunder Sound Universalization Heavenly Venerate Pang Hong said with a smile.

“Does the Emperor Monarch not wish for a true Emperor of Heaven to emerge in the Heavenly Court?” Jade Pure, one of the Thunder Department Heavenly Monarchs, contemplated with a trace of Divine Light in his eyes.

Since Pei Xuanjing had dispatched an incarnation to act as the Emperor of the South Pole Eternal Life, naturally, many strongholders of divine positions conferred by the Shenxiao Sect would naturally follow him.

Even if he had delegated some authority to Zhu Houji, the Jade Emperor, with Pang Hong, his direct disciple, also a True God of Thunder Department, the divinities of the Shenxiao Sect outwardly cooperated with Zhu Houji, but in reality, they still followed Pang Hong’s lead.

If ever differing opinions arose between the two without Pei Xuanjing taking a stand, there was no doubt that these individuals would certainly adhere to Pang Hong’s will.

After all, in the end, the two sides were collaborators, but not truly one camp.

And not to mention that Zhu Houji was but a nominal disciple of Pei Xuanjing while Pang Hong was a direct disciple. Zhu Houji represented his own interests, the interests of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty lineage, whereas Pang Hong represented the real interests of the Shenxiao Sect’s strongmen.

When Zhu Houji, the Jade Emperor, was inquiring about the current situation in the Heavenly Court, within the Shenxiao House of Jade Purity, the gods of Shenxiao Sect also gathered to discuss similar matters.

The Shenxiao House of Jade Purity, while belonging to the Heavenly Court and under the Emperor of the South Pole Eternal Life, housed other powers’ enshrined gods too, but it was undeniable that this was the core of the Shenxiao Sect, akin to a division of the Shenxiao Sect stationed in the Heavenly Court.

Even if Pei Xuanjing didn’t mind sectarian differences and treated everyone equally, within Shenxiao House of Jade Purity, the divinities who originated from Shenxiao Sect were the core–a fact not even Pei Xuanjing could deny.

At this moment, with Pei Xuanjing himself in seclusion, not emerging from the Shenxiao Sect in the Mortal Realm, his Ghost Path Incarnation reigning as the Lord of the Nether Yin Department, and his Divine Path Incarnation, the Emperor of the South Pole Eternal Life, venturing to new worlds, the affairs of the Heavenly Court would naturally gravitate around Pang Hong.

Of course, even if his Divine Path Incarnation were in the Heavenly Court not to manage affairs, it would still be Pang Hong who presided over these matters.

Now that some issues had arisen within the Heavenly Court, these individuals naturally needed Pang Hong to lead, to determine the Shenxiao lineage’s stance and will.

As they were discussing this, someone asked Pang Hong about the true opinion of Pei Xuanjing regarding Zhu Houji’s desire to unify the Heavenly Court’s authority.

After all, with the Emperor of the South Pole Eternal Life bequeathing a part of his authority to Zhu Houji and having Pang Hong, True God of The Thunder Department, manage the Shenxiao lineage within the Shenxiao House of Jade Purity, the situation seemed somewhat contradictory.

That gave rise to the aforementioned response from Pang Hong, openly expressing his thoughts to these people.

As they engaged in this discussion, those who could sit here were the divinities of the Shenxiao Sect, each one either a Heavenly Monarch or a Star God, each a core powerhouse of the Shenxiao Sect, ordinary deities having no right to be present.

Since these people had asked, Pang Hong had no intentions of concealing anything, nor was there any need to do so.

After all, the interests of these individuals were one with the Shenxiao Sect–if even they couldn’t be trusted, then there would be no need for the existence of the Shenxiao Sect.