Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1014 - 1014 0602 Specious Reason_2

Chapter 1014: Chapter 0602: Specious Reason_2 Chapter 1014: Chapter 0602: Specious Reason_2 This reality also determined that on the path of a cultivator’s progression, there has never been a principle of yielding.

Moreover, setting that aside, speaking solely of the reality in front of eyes, since the opportunity lies within the grounds of Jianwu Palace, within his old man’s territory, the opportunity belongs to Zhao Shibo. Even if someone were to get the gall of three bears and the courage of three leopards, they would not dare to let someone else have his old man’s opportunity. Besides, even if his father were willing to cede the opportunity like him, wouldn’t that cut off the path of advancement for both father and son? If so, their influence in Eastern Capital City would progressively weaken, and in due time, they would only be left with the possibility of being eliminated.

No matter which angle one considers, Zhao Shibo felt there was no room to give way. Time and again, he conveyed his orders to the Gold Core Realm experts he had brought with him, demanding that no matter what they encountered, they must protect Jianwu Palace with their lives, preventing outsiders from breaking in and disturbing Emperor Jianwu’s seclusion, and from capturing the opportunity of Jianwu Palace.

Under Zhao Shibo’s repeated commands, the defenses inside and outside Jianwu Palace were strengthened. However, the more Jianwu Palace did this, the more convinced outsiders became that something significant was hidden there, that there was a great opportunity within Jianwu Palace. The cultivators who had been monitoring Jianwu Palace from a distance began to emerge from their hiding spots, boldly approaching the perimeter of Jianwu Palace and brazenly probing for any activity inside.

At first, Zhao Shibo led people to disperse those who had gathered around, but as time went on, more and more cultivators came, and the proportion of those at the middle and late stages of the Gold Core Realm among them grew. Zhao Shibo could no longer drive them away and, left with no choice, he had to retract his defensive lines, ceasing to expel the onlookers from afar. Instead, he issued a deadly order: they had to hold the line firmly, and anyone daring to cross it could be killed without warning.

Zhao Shibo was staking everything on this issue. Back when Emperor Jianwu had been hiding in a small space, even as a Prince, Zhao Shibo often tread softly in Eastern Capital City, always greeting others with a smile, seldom speaking harshly. But now things were different; he had the backing of Emperor Jianwu, and moreover, it was concerning whether Jianwu Palace could seize the opportunity to advance further. At this time, no matter how weak Zhao Shibo used to be, he would not back down an inch.

Raising his voice, Zhao Shibo shouted to those around him, “Gentlemen, this prince is following the orders of my royal father, tasked with guarding Jianwu Palace. As you can all see, we have established a warning line around Jianwu Palace, which also serves as a safety line. If you stay outside the safety line, we will have no quarrel, but if you dare to step over it, then this prince considers your action a provocation. When dealing with provocation, this prince will show no mercy. I’ll state the ugly truth here and now, so that when I take action later, you can’t accuse this prince of not giving you fair warning.”

At that moment, Li Mijia arrived with more people. After hearing Zhao Shibo’s warning, Li Mijia’s lips curled into a cold smirk as he spoke up sharply, “Your Highness, why don’t you open your eyes and look at who is coming around? Do you think your Jianwu Palace can hold out?”

Zhao Shibo replied, “Chief Li, whether we can hold out is not up to you to decide, nor is it up to me. We need to clash head-on to see if Jianwu Palace can truly hold out. Why don’t you lead the charge and try to see if Jianwu Palace can withstand it?”

Li Mijia let out a cold laugh. What a joke! Why should he lead the charge? Leading the charge at this time would definitely incur the greatest number of casualties. He wouldn’t make such a mistake.

At this moment, Yang Yongqi approached. Although Yang Yongqi was known as the First below Nascent Soul, he was always very polite to Zhao Shibo. His courtesy was not because Emperor Jianwu had emerged from the small space, but rather, had been maintained over a long period, adhering strictly to the etiquette due between sovereign and subject.

Yang Yongqi folded his hands towards Zhao Shibo, saying, “Prince, such a commotion has arisen from Jianwu Palace that half of the Eastern Capital City has been startled. Since the founding of the city, this is the first encounter with such a situation, which can be described as extraordinary. It has indeed caused panic among everyone, high and low, in the city. I believe Jianwu Palace must provide some explanation for this, and furthermore, to dispel the unnecessary panic, a simple explanation will not suffice. Jianwu Palace needs to clarify the root cause of this panic, to let us know what exactly this calamity is.”

Li Mijia chimed in from the side, “Commander Yang speaks sense, and I too believe it should be handled as such. I say, you all, don’t just stand there watching; come and voice your opinions as well. Let’s demand an explanation from Jianwu Palace, don’t you agree that’s reasonable?”

The latter part of Li Mijia’s statement was addressed to other significant figures from the palaces. Except for Huoyang Palace and Chaoyang Palace, heavyweights from the other three palaces had also hurried over and were onlooking. Without exception, their eyes shimmered with underlying greed and desire.

At this time, the only place Zhao Shibo felt he could find solace was the fact that the other palaces had not sent their ruling Princes in person, but rather a chief steward or a commander, which relieved much of Zhao Shibo’s pressure. To speak frankly, with his current capabilities, he truly didn’t have the gall to confront these Princes directly.

Zhao Shibo took a deep breath and said, “Are you trying to coerce the palace? Do you think our Jianwu Palace is easy to bully? Do you think our Prince is weak and can be easily deceived?”

Li Mijia replied, “Prince, please do not misconstrue our intentions. We have always treated Emperor Jianwu with great respect, daring not to show the slightest neglect. There has been no disrespect towards Lord Jianwu in our words. All we seek is a reasonable explanation. You have seen it yourself, half of the Eastern Capital City has been disturbed, and the Spirit Qi of the nearby palaces has been drained completely, severely affecting the cultivations of the Princes, the functioning of the Arrays and restrictions within the palaces, and, by extension, the safety of the Princes. Such a serious matter—without a sensible explanation, do you think the Princes would consent to this?”

Zhao Shibo snorted coldly and said, “Spirit Qi is like the wind; where it wishes to go, it goes. Can we stop it? Moreover, as far as I know, all the Princes seem to possess means to lock down the Spirit Qi. If they do not want the Spirit Qi in their palaces to dissipate, they can use these methods to prevent any change in their own gardens’ Spirit Qi. If they don’t use these methods now, would it not mean that they have acquiesced to the flow of Spirit Qi, allowing it to move to our Jianwu Palace? What does this imply? It suggests that the other Princes are united with us, Jianwu Palace. They must be aware that our Prince has just emerged from the small space and urgently needs a substantial amount of Spirit Qi for replenishment. Thus, they allowed the Spirit Qi to flow over as a gift. My Prince has accepted this present. Please convey Jianwu Palace’s gratitude to all the Princes. In the future, I shall personally deliver lavish gifts to express our thanks to each of them.”

Li Mijia had not anticipated Zhao Shibo would come up with such an argument, which sounded well-reasoned and seemed plausible. With this rationale, it appeared he could settle the matter. But how could Li Mijia accept such a seemingly valid but fundamentally flawed reasoning? Wasn’t this treating their Huoyang Palace and the other palaces as fools to be deceived?