Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

"The previous Emperor once issued a Holy Edict: anyone who trespasses in this Forbidden Land is to be killed without mercy. Not even a Prince is exempt," the Celestial Emperor said, enunciating each word.

"The Royal Family's Forbidden Land?" The people present were stunned.

"This... This!" The Empress's heart trembled. 'Now that I think about it, that's right.'

"But Ling Fei trespassed in the Forbidden Land too!" the Empress said through gritted teeth.

She glared at Ling Fei, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Even now, she still hoped the Celestial Emperor would execute Ling Fei.

"If not for Ling Fei, a great catastrophe would have already occurred. This time, not only is Ling Fei without fault, he has performed a great service," the Celestial Emperor said in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over them.

"A great service?" At these words, everyone present was dumbfounded.

The Stewards from the Four Major Sects were also flabbergasted. 'Has the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire gone mad? Someone killed your son, and you're saying he performed a great service?'

'Is there really such an Emperor in this world?' The crowd looked at each other in utter confusion.

"This... How could this be?" Liu Chen was stunned, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

This was the complete opposite of the scene he had anticipated—of the Celestial Emperor flying into a rage and having Ling Fei executed on the spot!

"How could His Majesty be so soft-hearted?" Li Zheng and the others were also dumbfounded.

"This..." Even Ling Fei was taken aback. As he looked at the Great Tang Emperor, he couldn't help but feel a new sense of respect.

After all, from an outsider's perspective, the Ninth Prince had indeed died at his hands.

The Celestial Emperor could have easily used this as a pretext to execute him.

But he had remained calm, not losing his composure, and was instead enumerating the Ninth Prince's crimes.

'This shows just how wise and enlightened the Great Tang Emperor is, how incredibly magnanimous his heart is.'

'The heart of the Great Tang Emperor does not hold his family, it holds the entire world!'

'What makes a Celestial Emperor?'

'Only one who puts the world first can be the Celestial Emperor!'

'For the Celestial Emperor, the world comes before family!'

But when the Empress heard this, a sense of dread washed over her.

The murderous intent in her eyes dissipated, replaced by the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

The disaster the Ninth Prince had caused this time seemed to have exceeded her imagination.

The ministers standing nearby didn't dare to say another word.

The Celestial Emperor rarely became this furious.

But once he did, it meant something monumental was about to happen.

"Immediately conduct a thorough investigation into who the Ninth Prince has been in contact with recently. Also, summon the aides from his residence. I will interrogate them personally," the Celestial Emperor commanded the chief attendant by his side.

"Yes!" The Palace Attendant nodded, boarded a Flying Chariot, and immediately departed to carry out the order.

Although this Palace Attendant was a eunuch, he possessed the Cultivation of the Celestial Pill Realm.

At the same time, the Celestial Emperor's Heart Spirit stirred, and his senses spread out in all directions, taking in the entire situation across the Imperial Capital.

'What in the world happened to make His Majesty so furious?' the ministers on the mountaintop wondered in terror.

After dispatching the attendant to investigate, the Celestial Emperor's gaze hardened and fell upon the Empress.

"Your Majesty, I knew nothing about this beforehand!" The Empress's face went pale. She immediately prostrated herself on the ground and pleaded pitifully.

"Even if you knew nothing, you have already committed a grave crime by rashly trespassing in the Forbidden Land." The Celestial Emperor's gaze hardened. Then, sweeping his eyes over everyone, he declared, "The Empress is without virtue. For the good of the realm, I hereby depose her, confiscate her Phoenix Seal, and confine her to the Nether Court Palace... She is to be imprisoned for life, with no visitors permitted."

His deep voice boomed in all directions, audible throughout the entire Imperial Capital.

With a wave of the Celestial Emperor's hand, the Phoenix Seal on the Empress's body flashed and flew into his palm.

The next moment, his great hand swept out, grabbing her and pulling her across the sky, depositing her in a courtyard deep within the Imperial Palace far away.

"No... Your Majesty!" the Empress cried out in despair.

"You were the Empress, yet you lacked an Empress's virtue. This grieves me." The Celestial Emperor's voice echoed directly within the Empress's Heart Spirit.

Then, he acted again, crippling the Empress's Cultivation...

The Celestial Emperor then personally placed a Seal on the courtyard where the Empress was confined, preventing anyone from approaching.

He feared that if the Empress learned the full truth about Ling Fei, she would bring immense trouble upon the young man.

Furthermore, the matter of the Forbidden Land was also not something that outsiders could be allowed to know.

Only after doing all this did the Celestial Emperor withdraw his great hand.

Seeing this, the Stewards of the Four Major Sects were all scared into silence.

The power of this Great Tang Emperor was even greater than they had imagined.

At that moment, a great uproar swept through the Empire.

"The Empress has been deposed?"

"Confined to the Nether Court Palace? That means she has completely fallen out of the Celestial Emperor's favor!" The people of the Imperial Capital were all discussing it.

The concubines within the Imperial Palace were also in emotional turmoil.

"It's over! The Wang Clan is finished!" The members of the Wang Clan were terrified.

With the Empress's fall, their Wang Clan would naturally lose its power and influence.

...

"Young Master Ling, you have been through quite an ordeal," the Celestial Emperor said, turning his gaze to Ling Fei.

His feelings at this moment were complex.

He had just exerted himself to divine the situation and had discovered a few things.

However, he felt no greed, only a profound sense of responsibility.

This was also why he had acted so decisively against the Empress.

"This was all rather unexpected. I did not wish for things to turn out this way. It is regrettable," Ling Fei said.

"What's past is past. It is best that some things remain known only to you and I. Do not let others find out," the Celestial Emperor said, transmitting his voice directly to Ling Fei.

"I understand." Ling Fei nodded. He knew the Celestial Emperor was referring to the matter of Trapped Dragon Valley.

'The Demon Emperor sealed there is likely one of the Royal Family's secrets.'

"You need not dwell on this matter. What you need now is to raise your Cultivation. In the future, this world may need your help to set things right," the Celestial Emperor said cryptically.

"I will certainly focus on my training." Hearing this, Ling Fei was puzzled as to why the Celestial Emperor would say such a thing, but he nodded in the end.

"Mm," the Celestial Emperor nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Liu Chen and the others were completely baffled.

Ling Fei had killed the Ninth Prince, yet the Celestial Emperor acted as if he held Ling Fei in the highest regard.

Was this the same Celestial Emperor they thought they knew?

In their eyes, the Celestial Emperor's power was heaven-reaching; even the Sect Leaders of the Southern Wilderness Major Sects were his equals at best.

What did he have to be wary of in this Southern Wilderness?

Thus, the atmosphere was incredibly strange. Even Han Beihai and his companions had their brows tightly furrowed in deep thought.

Originally, they had been sweating with anxiety for Ling Fei.

But this outcome had far exceeded their expectations.

"Young Master Ling was unable to continue his assessment due to an unforeseen incident. What are your thoughts, esteemed sirs?" the Celestial Emperor asked, his gaze shifting to the Stewards of the Four Major Sects.

"This Young Master Ling is a talent. My Lingyun Sect is willing to accept him," the Steward from Lingyun Sect said, cupping his hands.

"My Beiming Sword Sect is also willing to accept him," the Steward from the Beiming Sword Sect added.

Hearing this, Liu Chen, who stood nearby, frowned.

'It seems everyone is going to think more highly of Ling Fei because of the Celestial Emperor's attitude!'

"Hehe, my Great Sun Thunder Sound Temple is also willing to accept him as a disciple," the monk beside them said with a smile.

He stared at Ling Fei, his eyes crinkled in a smile.

Seeing this, Ling Fei rolled his eyes. 'The last thing I want is to become a monk.'

"If Young Master Ling is willing to cultivate my Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers' unique Secret Technique, he would also be welcome to join us," said Wan Guhua, a stewardess of considerable charm.

"Young Master Ling, which Sect do you wish to join?" the Celestial Emperor asked with a smile.

Ling Fei's eyes showed he was deep in thought.

"Ling Fei, although these Sects are willing to take you now, they are only doing it as a favor to the Celestial Emperor. They don't truly value you. If you want to receive good treatment among them, you still need to display your own talent," Han Beihai transmitted to Ling Fei alone, his voice a focused thread of sound.

"Mm." Ling Fei nodded. He too had noticed the lackadaisical attitude they had when they spoke.

"I thank all the seniors for their kind offers. However, I would like to continue with the assessment," Ling Fei said.

"Continue with the assessment?" Hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

"Does this guy not know what's good for him?" a young man from the Southern Wilderness sneered. "Does he really think he can impress everyone with his own talent?"

"He's just some wet-behind-the-ears kid. Even if he has some talent, does he think it's so easy to impress a Steward from a Southern Wilderness Major Sect?"

The people from the Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World all wore expressions of contempt.