Chapter 1215 - 316: Taking the Fall—He Really Doesn’t Hold Back (5k)
"I want all the detailed information on Dongqing Country Emperor Xiao Dongqing."
"Dongqing Country Emperor? Did he offend you? That can't be, right?
He's always been the best at maintaining balance, and Dongqing Country's stable development owes much to his efforts.
Someone like him never gets involved in major events, so how could he have offended you?"
Song was a bit puzzled.
A small country nestled between two Divine Dynasties doesn't really have it easy.
Emperor Kuihou has been completely neglectful, relying entirely on established regulations and never truly intending to develop Kuihou Country.
In the past, he struggled with brothels, and now after the Jade Tablet appeared, he's focused on that, neglecting his duties.
Only the decent climate and environment of Kuihou Country, along with the emperor's indifference to the people's basic needs, allow things to barely remain stable.
Dongqing Country Emperor, on the other hand, develops systematically, never causing trouble or recklessly getting involved, maintaining a low profile between the two Divine Dynasties, which is why no one bothers them.
Both Divine Dynasties feel it's beneath them to bully Dongqing Country, and when Dongqing Country faces trouble, both provide assistance.
"Dongqing Country Emperor Xiao Dongqing may have already fallen. I can't guarantee the accuracy of this information."
"Oh..." Song was slightly surprised, unaware of this matter, and hadn't heard a thing.
"He supposedly fell more than a decade ago due to a major problem in cultivation. If you want to investigate further, you should do it yourself. If it turns out to be true, there's no need to hide it; proceed as necessary."
"Alright, considering Dongqing Country is a non-aggressive nation, looking into the emperor's information is indeed sensitive, but now that there's a reason, it's much easier."
Song took on the task, chatted with Yu Ziqing for a while, and then hurried away.
Although Dongqing Country isn't significant, with Dali and Daqian's armies facing off at the borders, Dongqing Country serves as a buffer zone, making it somewhat important and sensitive.
A mistake could lead to Dali and Daqian accusing each other over Dongqing Country Emperor's demise.
If anyone rashly enters Dongqing Country's territory, the country could be annihilated, turning the territory into a battleground between Daqian and Dali, and after the dust settles, a new nation would likely be rebuilt on the ruins.
In the past, this wasn't a big issue, and Dongqing Country's internal matters could be ignored.
For the Dongqing Heir to succeed the throne smoothly, he must first submit petitions to both Dali and Daqian for approval.
If the two giants don't give the nod, no matter how justified, the various factions and court ministers within Dongqing Country wouldn't acknowledge the succession.
Song opened his eyes, retrieved the information first, and then sent people to investigate secretly.
Afterward, he changed his clothes, entered the palace city, and, whether true or false, briefed the new emperor to prepare in advance.
Days later, Song Chengyue began receiving reports from spies within Dongqing Country.
Inside Dongqing Country, everything appeared normal, with the emperor supposedly in seclusion, making it difficult to detect any irregularities on an ordinary day.
But with an answer in hand, finding evidence was much easier.
Some factions in Dongqing Country were surreptitiously active, and in the past decade, the actions of the Dongqing Heir had noticeably increased, particularly his frequent contacts with certain individuals within Dali and Daqian.
Clearly, the Dongqing Heir knew about the emperor's demise.
In just half a month, various pieces of intelligence were consolidated in Song Chengyue's hands, and he was fairly certain that Yu Ziqing's information was true.
Just after Song had reported to the new emperor, the next day, Dongqing Country's State Letter was submitted to Daqian.
It stated that the Dongqing Country Emperor was entering a critical seclusion stage, intending to venture into the wilderness to cross tribulations after emerging, and was now passing the throne to the heir, requesting the Divine Dynasties to follow the procedure.
This made it impossible to keep the matter under wraps. Coupled with Song Chengyue's intelligence, the Daqian court was pretty much certain that Dongqing Country Emperor had died.
Meanwhile, on Dali's side, they also suddenly received the State Letter, roughly deducing that the emperor was likely having problems.
They were still not publicly acknowledging it, only keeping up the pretense of an emperor at the Primordial Spirit Realm stationing, without unraveling the truth.
In Old Emperor Qian's closed-door retreat, Qingping returned, travel-worn.
"There's news: Dongqing Country Emperor has fallen."
"Hmm." Old Emperor Qian responded indifferently, not particularly concerned. He watched Qingping, waiting for more, knowing that Qingping wouldn't have specifically returned just to report the emperor's fall.
"He fell over ten years ago, precisely when Your Majesty noticed significant anomalies in the Refining God Dao, just after your tribulation-crossing."
Old Emperor Qian furrowed his brow slightly, his gaze growing deep.
He fully understood the implications of these words.
Back then, during the tribulation-crossing, it started strong but ended weak, with only thunder and Earth Fire but no wind, causing him to miss out on the full benefits of the tribulation without knowing why.
In hindsight, he could only associate it with some minor interference by Cliff Divine King Zhan Dao.
After noticing changes in the Refining God Dao, he prudently refrained from further cultivation.
Now, upon hearing about the abrupt fall of a Primordial Spirit Realm Strong like Dongqing Country Emperor, who left not even a trace of his Primordial Spirit,
he understood the consequences of rashly pursuing cultivation at that time.
"Indeed, it's the work of an alien species, sabotaging my smooth breakthrough, directly tampering with the path of cultivation."