Page 1058

"Do you have evidence for this statement?

" The Emperor seated on the throne, vigorous and a capable ruler, has reigned for ten years with great diligence, overturning the decline of his predecessor.

Combined with a decade of good governance and favorable weather, he has been highly praised and holds immense prestige.

Suddenly, with this statement raised, the atmosphere in the Imperial Court instantly turned eerie.

Many of the older generation of ministers exchanged glances, sensing that something significant was about to unfold.

The top-tier Elders all knew why the Sorcerer Dynasty’s Holy Clan elders held such great authority, and why the millennia-old independent Sorcerer Families were willing to cooperate and establish a unified dynasty.

It was not because of some ambitious Emperor, but because of the mysterious Holy Clan.

The Holy Clan had shared some ancient techniques and longevity methods with the major families, which is why most were willing to form this dynasty.

In the Sorcerer Dynasty, the Emperor is a unique existence. He is from the Holy Clan and is entirely chosen by the Holy Clan, essentially representing the Holy Clan; such an entity, logically speaking, would be foolish to provoke the Holy Clan.

But the situation has been different lately.

There had been divisions within the Holy Clan, with increasing differences between the old and the new generations, especially ten years ago when Princess Ziyue, a figurehead of the new generation, was even imprisoned, stirring discontent among the younger generation.

The internal split within the Holy Clan provided opportunities to the external Noble Families.

Many Family Heads were aware of the Holy Ancestor’s strength, but no family dared to act against them.

Several family leaders had even been converted to followers of the Holy Ancestor, and there had not been a single rebellion in the Sorcerer Dynasty for a thousand years due to the special existence of the Holy Ancestor.

But with many people, ambitions and greed naturally arise. The Holy Clan is having problems internally, who wouldn’t want to take a bite when the opportunity arises?

Whether it’s supporting the older generation to suppress the younger or helping the younger generation to resist the older, it’s all an opportunity for the families to gain more.

That’s why there was today’s probing.

Li Yankong quickly recalled why the situation today had evolved.

At this moment, he fully remembered... which made him glance outside; if not for the risk of drawing attention by leaving suddenly, he would have wanted to run away!

"Your Majesty..." The leading family just now was not one of the Five-Colored Families, but was still in the top tier within the dynasty, the Bai Family’s Family Head, Bai Chengfeng!

"If there were no solid evidence, we naturally wouldn’t dare bring it up in the Imperial Court. The Ancestral Holy Elders hold extraordinary positions; unless they did something far beyond the acceptable limits, no family would wish to offend them, right?"

The Emperor, hearing this, looked serious: "Since you have stated so, please present the evidence. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but you know the Elders hold extraordinary positions and this matter is of great importance; even I must be cautious!"

"Your Majesty, please look..." Bai Chengfeng signaled with his eyes, and the person below immediately stepped forward, holding up a set of golden Inner Armor with both hands.

The Emperor slightly frowned, then gestured for the guards beside to bring up the Golden Armor.

"What is this?"

"Your Majesty, from its style, it’s Inner Armor, but its material and performance are exceptional.

I’ve obtained accurate information that in Yundu, a workshop is mass-producing these.

Your Majesty, think about it, this kind of armor being mass-produced without consultation with the military ministers; what are the Elders trying to do? "

The Emperor’s expression turned unprecedentedly serious upon hearing this.

He had long been dissatisfied with the power of those Elders, from distribution angles to other aspects.

They took much too much, and their contributions were hardly significant.

Princess Ziyue had delivered so many results, yet her fate was to be imprisoned under a baseless accusation, a result truly hard to accept.

And now, they were even secretly manufacturing military equipment behind his back?

What are they trying to do?

Princess Ziyue is imprisoned, and the younger generations are all protesting. The elders have been shutting themselves away for days. Are they planning to suppress this by force?

But relying solely on these military preparations, what can those elders actually achieve without people?

For a moment, the entire Imperial Court was so silent that not a sound could be heard. Everyone held their breath, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Li Yankong saw this and felt incredibly anxious in his heart.

This was a test of power. The Ancestral Holy Elder had control over too many resources.

The imprisonment of Princess Ziyue had caused discontent led by the Emperor and the younger generations.

The outside Noble Families and other Great Noble Families were ready to make their moves.

The heads of great families all knew what the Holy Ancestor really was.

They knew that the so-called holy ritual was actually about choosing suitable beings to assimilate the Ancient Worm, becoming Extraordinary Beings, capable of breaking through the Magicians’ 300-year lifespan limit and stepping into a higher realm.

But whether it was the Family Head being parasitized or those Ancient Worms that parasitized the Family Heads, they all had their own plans.

Who doesn’t want more resources? Who doesn’t want to advance further?

Suppressing the Council of Elders and reshuffling the power structure would give this group of nouveaux riches a chance to obtain more resources. That’s what he thought at the time, so when the Bai Family Patriach came to discuss, he, representing the purple-clad Murong Family, agreed to this test.

But the outcome was more brutal than imagined...

Everyone, including the young Emperor on the Dragon Chair, simply did not understand the true power of that group of elders.

Everyone thought that by combining the power of the noble families with the young descendants of the Holy Ancestor, they had the capital to compete, but in reality, they later found out the gap between them was as huge as between an ant and a great tree!

"Bai Chengfeng, you are so audacious!"

A deep voice like rolling thunder came from outside the Palace Gate, causing everyone in the Imperial Court to tense up. Anyone who had spent time in the Imperial Court recognized it—this was State Preceptor Master Zhang’s voice.

The true identity of the State Preceptor was known to all—he was the Legacy Inheritance Elder of the Holy Ancestor, also rumored to be the most powerful Elder.

The recently spoken Bai Chengfeng’s face suddenly turned grim. He slowly turned around, his breathing becoming hurried.

It was the first test against the Holy Ancestor by the Noble Families. It was false to say they weren’t nervous, but at least he was an experienced Family Head and naturally wouldn’t be frightened the moment someone made their entrance.

He suddenly sneered: "The State Preceptor has arrived, good timing indeed. Please, State Preceptor, explain why this Inner Armor was found under your supervision in the Heavenly Secret Palace!"

Elder Zhang took large strides into the hall, not bothering to spare Bai Chengfeng a glance but instead looked towards the figure on the throne and lightly said: "Zi Yan, what are your thoughts?"

"Audacious!!" Several heads of the noble families in the Imperial Court shouted in anger.

"State Preceptor, how audacious to directly address the Emperor by name in the court, showing no respect for the imperial authority!"

Master Zhang still didn’t turn around but continued to stare coldly at the young man on the throne.

The Emperor’s breathing quickened, his legs so weak he almost sat down again, but he knew that if he showed fear now, he would truly have no chance to contend with these arrogant elders.

He had been diligently governing for twenty years, externally.

.. Several campaigns in Northern Mo made the Barbarian Clans of the Southern and Northern Wastelands bow their heads in submission, internally, under his rule, people slept with their doors unbarred and roads were so safe that no belongings were picked up if dropped, the nation’s power surged, and his reputation among the people was extremely high, who wouldn’t call him wise?

Across the nation, millennium Noble Families covertly pledged allegiance to him, and this instance of Elder Bai taking the initiative to open fire was also his signal, to convey a message to all Noble Families!

I... am the foremost of the Holy Ancestors!!