NOVEL NEXT Chapter 379: Drinking Fake Wine Makes You Dizzy!
Chapter 379: Drinking Fake Wine Makes You Dizzy!
The Heavenly Fiend Sovereign glared at Zhao Ban with intense killing intent, his cold smile dripping with disdain. “A eunuch dares to interfere in the affairs of the Sovereign?”
Trembling, Zhao Ban pointed at the crowd kneeling on the ground, his voice sharp and urgent. “Minister Li, Minister Zhang, speak up!”
But no one dared to answer. Only Zhao Ban, covered in blood, stood in the square, shouting desperately, his voice hoarse and his appearance wild.
Inside the blood-red prison, Lin Fengmian watched the scene with great anxiety.
In his hand, he gripped Zhenyuan, unleashing powerful strikes against the surrounding barrier. The blood-red prison trembled violently, but it remained intact for the time being.
The Heavenly Fiend Sovereign who had intended to strike down Zhao Ban was now forced to focus all his efforts on containing Lin Fengmian, who was desperately trying to break free. He had no time for anything else.
Zhao Ban stumbled over to a dignified old man, his voice filled with anger. “You all heard the decree of the late Holy Emperor with your own ears. Stand up and testify!”
The old man trembled all over, his face turned pale, but he couldn’t utter a single word.
Zhao Ban’s shrill voice cut through the air. “Didn’t you always boast of being a pillar of the nation, unyielding and unbending?”
The once revered, righteous ministers who had always carried themselves with an air of nobility now lowered their heads, hoping that Zhao Ban would leave them alone and spare their lives.
“Aren’t you just a sycophantic scoundrel who flatters the powerful? Just bow your head and stay out of this!”
“Do you call yourselves pillars of the nation, yet you stand by and watch as the Holy Emperor of the Junyan Empire is oppressed by the Sovereign, and our Junyan Empire is swallowed up by the Heavenly Fiend Hall?” Zhao Ban’s voice was fierce and urgent. “This is nothing less than calling a horse a deer and plotting to usurp the throne!”
He wasn’t unafraid of death, but for him, there were things more important than his own life.
Unlike the other ministers and elders, Zhao Ban had grown up under the care of Emperor Jun Lingtian, whom he revered as a god.
If not for Jun Lingtian, he might have died long ago in some forgotten corner, reduced to a pile of bones that no one would care about.
Zhao Ban wasn’t a virtuous and capable pillar of the nation, nor did he understand lofty principles.
But he knew how to repay kindness. He had always been loyal to Jun Lingtian, following his every command without question.
When Jun Lingtian died at the hands of Lin Fengmian, Zhao Ban was heartbroken, but he respected Jun Lingtian’s choice.
He knew that for Jun Lingtian, dying a glorious death in battle was nothing to be ashamed of. To die a miserable, cowardly death was what truly dishonored a man.
After Jun Lingtian’s death, Zhao Ban had served Jun Yunshang tirelessly, often earning the scorn of ministers who accused him of lacking integrity.
Now, as he watched the Heavenly Fiend Sovereign force Jun Yunshang to abdicate, these so-called righteous ministers who had always prided themselves on their integrity remained silent.
It was Zhao Ban, the “villain” in their eyes, who stood up to speak out. The irony of it all struck him as absurd.
“Is this your integrity? Is this your backbone?” Zhao Ban’s voice was filled with grief and anger as he pointed at them, laughing bitterly. “It’s laughable that the entire court of the Junyan Empire, with thousands of officials, has not a single true man among them!”
In a fit of rage, he tore off his hat and threw it to the ground. “I, Zhao Ban, may be imperfect, but I am ashamed to be associated with the likes of you.”
The entire court was filled with shame. An old minister’s face turned crimson as he slammed his jade tablet onto the ground with a loud crack.
Sharp fragments of jade cut into his hand, spilling blood across the floor, but he seemed unaware of the pain.
Somehow, he found the strength to rise to his feet, his eyes closed as he shouted in anger, “Empress Fengyao is the rightful Holy Emperor of the Junyan Empire. Please, Sovereign, do not interfere in our internal affairs!”
“When the ruler is humiliated, it is the duty of the ministers to die. I am powerless to stop the Sovereign, but I am willing to die for my country. If the Sovereign insists on proceeding, then grant me death!”
Another elderly minister, frail and aged, followed suit, smashing his jade tablet to the ground and shattering it into pieces.
The elderly minister’s voice rang out loud and clear. “Empress Fengyao is the rightful Holy Emperor of the Junyan Empire. Please, Sovereign, do not interfere in our internal affairs.”
“If the Sovereign insists on proceeding, then grant me death. I am willing to die for my country to maintain my loyalty and righteousness!”
It seemed like a chain reaction. One by one, the ministers with even a shred of integrity smashed their jade tablets to the ground and stood up resolutely.
The sound of the jade shattering echoed continuously, symbolizing their unyielding determination to remain unbreakable like jade rather than submit like fragile pottery.
“Empress Fengyao is the rightful Holy Emperor of the Junyan Empire. Please, Sovereign, do not interfere in our internal affairs. We are powerless to stop you, but we are willing to die for our country!”
…
They repeated these words over and over again, their expressions solemn and tragic, their frail bodies trembling, but no one gave in.
Zhao Ban looked at the officials who had stood up and couldn’t help but laugh, revealing his blood-stained teeth.
As expected from scholars, they certainly know how to say the right things.
I, Zhao Ban, haven’t read many books, so I can’t come up with such eloquent words.
I’ll return all the gifts I received from you one by one, personally delivering them back to your doors.
The Dragon Qi of the Junyan Empire, activated by their righteous aura, emerged from the clouds of fortune and let out a long, resonant roar.
The dragon’s roar shook the heavens, sweeping away the oppressive aura that the master of the Heavenly Fiend Sect had cast over the entire area. Everyone felt the weight on their shoulders lift.
Jun Yunshang, unwavering, looked up at the Heavenly Fiend Sovereign in the sky and declared loudly, “Please, Sovereign, reconsider. Our Junyan Empire may be small, but we will never surrender!”
The Heavenly Fiend Sovereign’s face, obscured by his features, showed no clear signs of anger or joy, but his gaze grew increasingly cold.
“You… seek death? Kneel!”
This thunderous roar carried an even more powerful pressure than before, as if the heavens themselves were enraged.
Many of the standing officials collapsed to the ground, while those who remained steadfast heard a sickening crack as their legs broke and they were forced to kneel.
As the pressure increased, Zhao Ban’s legs exploded in a shower of blood and flesh, revealing white bones beneath. He was on the verge of collapsing to his knees.
Instead, he simply fell backward, lying flat on the ground, his gaze unyielding as he stared at the sky.
“You are courting death!”
The Heavenly Fiend Sovereign was utterly enraged. Was he being mocked by a mere eunuch?
A blood red light descended from the sky, but it was intercepted by a dazzling sword light.
It was Lin Fengmian, who had finally escaped from the prison and blocked the attack just in time.
With one hand gripping his sword and the other behind his back, Lin Fengmian stood in mid air, his black eyes fixed on the Heavenly Fiend Sovereign.
“Have you lost your temper and stopped pretending?” he taunted.
The Heavenly Fiend Sovereign immediately turned his attention to Lin Fengmian, his voice thundering across the area.
“Ye Xuefeng, you killed the Sword Saint of my Heavenly Fiend Hall, defied me, and now you dare to speak so arrogantly. Kneel down!”
The pressure on everyone else dropped as all the overwhelming power was now focused on Lin Fengmian.
The immense pressure pushed Lin Fengmian back to the ground, causing the surrounding earth to crack and stone fragments to fly everywhere.
But he remained calm, leaning back with his sword propped against the ground and pulled out a jug of fake wine, drinking it in large gulps.
The Heavenly Fiend Sovereign roared, “I told you to kneel down!”
Lin Fengmian put the wine jug away, wiped his mouth, and let out a thunderous shout.
“Kneel before your uncle!”
Black mist swirled around him and lightning crackled. A towering, hundred-zhang tall demonic god manifested in the mist and let out a deafening roar.
Behind the demonic god, sword wings spread out, their feathers wrapped in lightning. Countless flying swords shot out like a cascading galaxy, rushing upward.
With a mighty stomp, the ground shook, and Lin Fengmian transformed into a streak of light that soared into the sky.
“So it turns out that the idiot who dared to point his sword at a Sovereign is actually me. I must have drunk too much fake wine and gotten carried away!”
“But who the hell could stand this kind of Sovereign!”