Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 950: Virtue, Good, and Evil (I)

Atop the tall walls of the imperial city, the crown prince of the Yu Dynasty stood still, staring down at the chaos unfolding beneath him. His face had turned ghostly pale, and the flickering in his eyes revealed the storm of thoughts churning within his mind.

"Your Highness, there is no need to worry," a voice of temptation murmured from behind. "By the time tonight ends, you will hold dominion over this realm."

The voice came from an old man standing quietly in the shadows beneath the city wall. A faint, knowing smile played across his face. He was none other than the Celestial Master of the Celestial Charm Sect.

Now that the capital city of Yu had descended into chaos, with humans and ghosts locked in battle and a celestial devil laying waste to everything in his path, the collapse of imperial order only caused the divine light in the Celestial Master’s eyes to burn more brightly. For the master of the Great Dao of Chaos and Separation, disorder was not a curse but a blessing. The greater the turmoil in the world, the stronger his cultivation became.

If the day ever came when every corner of the nine provinces was gripped by unrest and no land remained untouched by conflict, then his cultivation in the Great Dao of Chaos and Separation could finally reach completion. In that moment, he might even seize the chance to step onto the brink of ascension.

It was like how the South Sea's Hallowed Mother once proved her understanding of the Dao by attempting to devour the heavens with the sea.

Every cultivator at the brink of ascension was required to fulfill a grand wish ordained by the Dao itself. For the master of the Great Dao of Chaos and Separation, that wish was none other than the total collapse of peace across the nine provinces.

He had spent over a century weaving his plans, extending his influence into the imperial city time and again through careful schemes and calculated moves. What was happening today had always been part of his plan.

The current crown prince, the Second Prince, was one of the most important pieces in that plan.

"The defense of this capital has been broken through, and the celestial devil has descended. What realm is there even left to rule?" The Second Prince spoke in a panic. "At this point, why do you bother reaching out to me?"

From his birth until just before the Assembly of Immortal Sects, he had no idea that his mother was a spy from the Celestial Charm Sect. It was only then that he learned the truth, including the fact that their father had always planned to pass the throne to the Thirteenth Prince.

However, the Celestial Master secretly reached out to him and promised a way for him to become the crown prince. The Celestial Master even assured him that the Thirteenth Prince would no longer pose a threat.

Just as the Celestial Master had promised, the Thirteenth Prince was killed by Chu Liang, and the Second Prince became the crown prince without question or challenge. After that, his mother was imprisoned, and the Celestial Charm Sect never contacted him again.

The Second Prince thought that everything would return to peaceful normalcy after that.

Before this very night, he had received another secret letter from the Celestial Master, summoning him here for something important. He had no wish to continue dealing with the evildoers from the Celestial Charm Sect, but when he thought about how he had risen to the position of crown prince, he still chose to come.

The moment he arrived, he saw it with his own eyes. The night parade of ten thousand ghosts swept through the city, and a celestial devil descended from the skies. It was a scene more terrifying than anything he had ever imagined.

"Your Highness, what is being destroyed tonight is your father's capital of Yu," the Celestial Master said in a low voice. "Only when this city falls can your new capital be built. Just like how you received the title of crown prince back then, I can guarantee that as long as you do nothing, the imperial throne will be yours."

"I..." The Second Prince turned around and looked at the Celestial Master with a confused gaze. "What exactly do you want from me? Why are you helping me?"

"Because you are the son of a member of the Celestial Charm Sect. Naturally, we will help you," the Celestial Master said, shaking his head. "There is nothing you need to do. Just wait quietly, and the throne will be yours."

The Second Prince remained silent for a long time. He truly could not understand the ways of the Celestial Charm Sect.

If they had tried to tempt him into taking action, he might have made up his mind to refuse. But now that they had helped him become the crown prince and were offering him the throne without asking for anything in return, he found himself unable to take a clear stand.

All he needed to do was nothing, and his father’s throne would become his?

He lifted his gaze once more to the Celestial Master. "Are you going to kill my father tonight?"

"Not just the emperor..." The Celestial Master said as he pointed toward Evil Ksitigarbha looming in the air. "Everyone in the capital of Yu must die."

…

Three divine beams of light shot into the sky from within the capital of Yu.

The first beam rose from the Divine Fire Hall, summoned by Mingde. It burst into a wave of purple-gold light that spread across the imperial city, forming a radiant barrier. Any ghost that dared approach the imperial palace was instantly burned into nothingness.

This was the power of the Panyang Ancient Jade, currently ranked thirteenth in the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures.

It had once been ranked just below the True Form of Ksitigarbha, and was now ranked just beneath the Celestial Cosmic Ring. For generations, it had been regarded as the dividing line between legendary artifacts and the highest tier of enchanted artifacts. Although it was infused with powerful spiritual energy and carried mysterious powers, it was still not good enough when compared to the actual legendary artifacts.

What made the Panyang Ancient Jade the treasured heirloom of the Xia Clan was its perfect resonance with the Divine Fire Spirit constitution. When used together with the Samadhi True Fire, it could close the gap between itself and actual legendary artifacts to a remarkable extent. However, because it had rarely been tested in a real fight, it was still unclear how closely its power could truly rival that of a legendary artifact.

Mingde did not have the confidence to protect the entire capital of Yu, but he was certain he could hold the imperial city for now.

Entirely engulfed in Samadhi True Fire, he remained suspended above the imperial palace. From a distance, he looked like the ancient God of Fire, both awe-inspiring and majestic.

The second beam of light was unleashed by the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner.

A cluster of silver-white radiance floated in the sky and cast down a sharp, icy swordlight. Wherever the light of the moon reached, both humans and ghosts were forced to retreat. Although it looked soft to the eye, the glow was filled with deadly intent.

The source of this power was the Immortals' Talisman of Lunar Radiance, which was ranked fourteenth in the Catalog of the Mortal World’s Ten Thousand Treasures.

For years, the Immortals' Talisman of Lunar Radiance had been wielded by the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner, Qi Yingxuan. When used in harmony with the power of his Tai’a Sword Dao, the moonlight became like a sword, capable of cutting down anything in a single instant.

The third beam of light was unleashed by the Guardian Ruler.

With a sharp and piercing cry, a golden specter shot into the sky, racing away from the heart of the city. It was the Guardian Ruler, harnessing the power of the Golden Crow's Soul Essence to break the Emperor of the Yu Dynasty out of the encirclement. While the other two divine lights rose to defend the capital, this one flew in the opposite direction, covering more than a hundred li in the blink of an eye.

With the two powerful defenders distracting Evil Ksitigarbha, the Guardian Ruler seized the opportunity to escort the emperor to safety. There was nothing wrong in this approach, and by relying on the power of the Golden Crow’s Soul Essence, they did manage to break through and escape the capital of Yu.

As the divine light rose in the distance, Evil Ksitigarbha towered over them and responded with a single move.

He raised one foot and brought it down with devastating force.

Booooooooom!

Even before his foot struck the ground, the sheer pressure it released had already shaken the heavens and split the earth. City walls crumbled, buildings shattered into rubble, and the civilians who had failed to escape could only look up at the shadow looming above them. In that moment, whatever hope they had left was completely extinguished.

With such overwhelming power, who could possibly stand in his way?

Bang!

At the very brink of disaster, a mountain burst forth from the ground at the heart of the capital of Yu.

A towering peak rose from the earth, and beside it stood Shentu Yang. While supporting the mountain with one arm, he shouted, "Old Zuo, put your back into it!"

Shentu Yang could not possibly withstand Evil Ksitigarbha’s foot on his own. The only reason the mountain remained standing was because someone else was holding it up from the opposite side, and that person was Zuo Ci of the Imperial Supervisory Bureau.

Shentu Yang had summoned the mountain, and Zuo Ci had reinforced it immediately using the Great Dao of Resilient Defense, making it nearly indestructible. Only by working together had they been able to block the blow.

However, this was just one strike.

Suddenly, Evil Ksitigarbha turned and hurled a punch at the barrier formed by the Panyang Ancient Jade.

Boooooooooooooooom!

The punch shattered the shield completely, and the divine fire scattered like falling rain. What was meant to protect the city turned into a storm of flaming arrows, raining down on the capital and bringing even more destruction.

Up in the sky, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner kept activating the Immortals' Talisman of Lunar Radiance, unleashing wave after wave of sword beams at Evil Ksitigarbha. However, no matter how many times they struck, they only left behind shallow scratches on his body.

No one had expected Evil Ksitigarbha to have such strength and defense. His power shook the land and stirred the skies. Compared to him, the Demon God they had fought at Mount Shu was nothing. After all, that Demon God had no corporeal body; it had merely been a fragment of the Demon God's soul. Furthermore, it had been in a greatly weakened state.

And now, the legendary artifacts of the immortal sects had not yet arrived. With Evil Ksitigarbha displaying such terrifying strength, it was only a matter of time before the city’s defenses collapsed. All those remaining civilians in the capital of Yu who had yet to flee were drowning in despair.