Undying Life

Chapter 972: The Calamity of Taichu

**Taichu Sacred Court, Qingqiu.**

The source of the Buddhist chants remained a mystery, but the Sima family had discovered one fact: Sima Yuan, the head of the Sima family, along with all his subordinates, had perished! In the eastern part of the imperial palace, a barrier had been erected.

Everyone could guess that the Buddhist chants had originated from the east of the palace. The so-called "Patriarch Buddha" had slain Sima Yuan!

Fortunately, this peerless power had already departed.

With Sima Yuan dead, his son, Sima Qing, showed no signs of mourning. Instead, he immediately seized his father's position, becoming the new head of the Sima family.

**"Continue the assault on the palace. The Taichu Grand Formation? It won't hold out much longer!"** Sima Qing ordered sternly.

Within the palace, in front of the assembly hall, stood dozens of Taichu's loyal officials, among them Mr. Li and the Chess Saint Meimei.

Looking at the trembling formation before him, Mr. Li let out a bitter smile.

**"The great Taichu is about to collapse,"** Mr. Li said bitterly.

**"The Holy King has not yet returned. When he does, he will surely turn the tide!"** Chess Saint Meimei said with a glimmer of hope.

**"No, the Holy King is not coming back,"** Mr. Li shook his head.

**"What?"**

**"To keep the ministers' spirits up, I haven't mentioned it, but the Sima family's rebellion was no ordinary one. Of the remaining two kings, one suddenly turned to the Sima family's side. The two kings have been neutralizing each other's influence, and Sima Qing has also colluded with the Purple Heaven Dojo. Do you think that's a coincidence?"** Mr. Li said, shaking his head.

**"You mean the Sima family has been plotting this rebellion since the very founding of Taichu?"** Chess Saint Meimei frowned.

**"Exactly. The Sima family's influence had already infiltrated every corner of Taichu, though it wasn't very strong. But this time, using the Nuwa Realm incident as a pretext, they made their move. The Holy King... the Holy King may have fallen into trouble,"** Mr. Li sighed.

**"But our Taichu's fortune is still intact. The Holy King will be fine!"** Chess Saint Meimei said with concern.

**"Let's hope so,"** Mr. Li said with a bitter expression.

The dozens of Taichu officials behind them looked up at the sky, but none said a word. These were Taichu's old ministers, steadfastly holding their ground despite the overwhelming crisis.

**"My father was right. I'm truly not as capable as my sister in inheriting his position,"** Mr. Li said with a wry smile.

**"This will pass,"** Chess Saint Meimei said with a frown.

**"Boom!"**

A thunderous explosion shook the air as the grand formation shattered, sending fragments of crystal flying everywhere. Before they could hit the ground, the crystals dissolved into celestial energy and dissipated.

Outside the palace, the scene was a nightmarish landscape of corpses and blood. Tens of thousands of skeletal archers took to the sky, their celestial arrows drawn and aimed directly at the palace.

**"It's broken! The formation is broken!"**

**"The Holy King hasn't returned—what should we do?"**

The officials were filled with fear, but they stood resolutely behind Mr. Li.

From the southern imperial road, Sima Qing slowly emerged before the gathered officials.

Sima Qing wore a dragon robe embroidered with nine dragons, followed by a large group of officials, as he walked step by step toward the assembly hall.

**"Sima Qing, you treacherous scoundrel! How dare you wear the dragon robe and walk the imperial road?"** an official suddenly stepped forward and angrily denounced Sima Qing.

Sima Qing gave him a cold glance.

With a single, icy look, Sima Qing's intent was clear—his ascension to power was complete, and any opposition would be met with swift and merciless retribution. The rebellion was no longer just a battle for control; it had become a final stand between the old guard of Taichu and the usurping forces of the Sima family, with the fate of the sacred court hanging by a thread.

**"Whoosh!"**

A celestial arrow shot forth with a thunderous roar.

**"Boom!"**

The arrow halted just before it struck the official, caught effortlessly by Chess Saint Meimei with one hand.

The official, seeing this, felt a wave of fear wash over him and dared not speak further.

**"Chess Saint Meimei, you represent the Fox Clan, don't you? This is a matter concerning the Taichu court. Do you really intend to involve yourself? The fortunes of Qingqiu have risen and fallen many times, yet the Fox Clan has never intervened, as long as the national beast remained the fox. Are you planning to go against your ancestral rules this time?"** Sima Qing questioned coldly.

Meimei shook her head. **"Taichu represents the Fox Clan—always has! And I do not trust you!"**

**"If that's the case, then forgive me!"** Sima Qing said.

As he spoke, a man in a green robe suddenly stepped forward from behind Sima Qing.

**"Zhongyong King, you, one of the three kings of Taichu, are you also betraying us?"** Chess Saint Meimei's eyes narrowed in disbelief.

**"All three kings have betrayed us?"** The officials were horrified. The three kings of Taichu—Sima Yuan was one, the second was the Weiwang King, a branch of the Sima family who had already sided with the Sima family during their rebellion. Now, the last king, Zhongyong King, had also defected?

**"The Taichu Holy King has long been dead. If the old Holy King were still alive, I would remain loyal, but now that girl is in charge, I refuse to serve her. Besides, why was the old Holy King's death hidden from us? Chess Saint Meimei, forgive me!"** Zhongyong King said before lunging at Meimei.

**"Boom!"**

A violent clash erupted as Chess Saint Meimei and Zhongyong King engaged in a brief, probing exchange. The two then shot into the sky, where they began battling fiercely above.

**"Good, now the last Ancient Immortal is occupied. Men, detain these remnants of the former regime!"** Sima Qing commanded.

**"You treacherous scoundrel, you will not die a peaceful death!"** the officials shouted angrily. However, Sima Qing had another Ancient Immortal on his side—the Weiwang King!

With Weiwang King taking action, there was no escape for anyone. Mr. Li stopped resisting, and in the blink of an eye, the palace had fallen.

Sima Qing, under the furious gazes of the officials, slowly approached the assembly hall and looked at the Nine Dragons Throne. A wave of excitement washed over him as he ascended the steps and sat down, sweeping his dragon robe aside.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Sima Qing felt a surge of power, as if he could command the world. It was an exhilarating sensation.

**"Boom!"**

The fortune of Qingqiu surged violently in the heavens, as if repelled by the fact that the one sitting on the dragon throne was not the rightful Holy King. But with the Holy King absent, there was nothing to be done.

**"From this day forth, I establish the Jin Dynasty. The Great Jin Celestial Court!"** Sima Qing declared loudly.

For now, Sima Qing could only establish a celestial court, as creating a holy court required many conditions that he did not yet meet.

**"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"** Sima Qing's subordinates chanted fervently.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Sima Qing closed his eyes, basking in his newfound authority.

The captured officials of Taichu, their cultivation sealed, glared at Sima Qing with hatred.

**"When the Holy King returns, he will surely annihilate your nine clans!"** one of the captured officials shouted in fury.

Sima Qing ignored them, completely absorbed in the pleasure of sitting on the dragon throne.

**"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"** In the distance, a streak of light was rapidly approaching the palace.

A large number of soldiers prepared to intercept it, but Sima Qing, seated in the grand hall as if he could see the outside world, calmly said, **"Stand down."**

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers immediately stepped aside.

"Whoosh!" A group of people descended onto the palace square.

Reluctantly, Sima Qing rose from the dragon throne and walked out to meet them.

Landing in the square was Cheng Baiyi from the Purple Heaven Dojo, accompanied by two elders in purple robes. Behind the three of them was a massive, spherical cage.

The cage emitted a faint black light, and inside, two women were sitting cross-legged: the Taichu Holy King and the Nine-Tailed Princess. The two women had formed protective barriers around themselves, resisting the corrosive black energy within the cage.

"Holy King!" The captured officials, still sealed, cried out in shock.

Cheng Baiyi smiled as he looked at Sima Qing. "I'm glad I wasn't too late."

"Brother Cheng, you've worked hard!" Sima Qing quickly approached with a smile.

"It wasn't too difficult for me, but it was quite an ordeal for the two elders of our Purple Heaven Dojo. It took nearly five years, and we had to use the Heaven and Earth Net to finally trap these two foxes!" Cheng Baiyi said, his tone laced with satisfaction.

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