Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts - Chapter 506

The words of the Wu Emperor echoed across the grand plaza.

All the sect leaders present felt a jolt in their hearts.

From their perspective, wasn’t the current relationship between the Wu Kingdom and the various sects already in an ideal state?

They gave him face by attending this Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Arts, at least on the surface acknowledging him as their sovereign.

In return, he provided them with fresh disciples.

If their disciples needed a place to train, they could come to the Wu Kingdom. The kingdom merely had to supply some resources, and in exchange, their disciples would help eliminate demons and monsters.

Everyone took what they needed. Hadn’t it always been this way?

Not just between the Wu Kingdom and the major sects—wasn’t this the same across all other dynasties?

How was it that, in his view, this was not the best arrangement?

How did the Wu Kingdom compare to the Qi Kingdom? To the Chu Kingdom? To the Wei Kingdom?

Though the Wu Kingdom was one of the Ten Great Human Dynasties, it was the youngest, the least rooted in history, the one most lacking in foundation.

And yet, he wanted something different?

A sect leader at the Jade Purity Realm stood up and asked, “May I ask what Your Majesty means by this?”

His tone was already somewhat impolite. In fact, there was even a hint of interrogation in his words.

The Wu Emperor, of course, picked up on this, but he remained composed and continued speaking with an air of absolute calm:

“The relationship between the Wu Kingdom and the various sects remains unchanged.

But in my view, that is still far from enough.

Take, for example, Baihe County on our borders. There are four noble families there, each backed by a sect.

With such support, those four families have grown arrogant beyond measure, extending their influence to the point of monopolizing nearly all industries in Baihe County.

The county’s magistrates—one after another—have been powerless against them.

Meanwhile, those four sects continue to receive their share of the profits.

Then, in Jiangnan Prefecture, a disciple from an inner sect took a fancy to a woman—one who was already betrothed—yet he still forcibly abducted her as a mere servant girl.

Her father pleaded for justice for years, to no avail.

In Qingle City, which lies near the Three Seas Sect, although it is territory of the Wu Kingdom, nothing can be done without first seeking the sect’s approval.

The Legalist School has a saying: Wandering knights disrupt prohibitions with force, scholars subvert the law with words.

If that is so, then tell me—what of cultivators?”

The sect leaders: “…”

All the sect leaders present furrowed their brows, their expressions turning grim.

They all understood—this Wu Emperor was trying to renegotiate their terms.

But none of them were willing to accept such a thing, not even in the slightest!

If they conceded anything now, what would come next?

Once they retreated a single step, they would be forced to retreat endlessly.

More importantly, in all of history, it had always been the mortal dynasties that yielded to the sects—never the other way around.

Never had a sect bowed to a mortal dynasty.

“Your Majesty speaks wisely,” one sect leader stepped forward and cupped his hands.

“For disciples of our sects, there must indeed be strict discipline.

When I return, I shall personally see to it that this matter is addressed.”

He seemed to express wholehearted agreement with the Wu Emperor, as if he truly stood on the emperor’s side.

But in truth, this was nothing more than empty words.

Once he returned, he would not even mention it.

He would act as if this conversation had never even taken place.

Such things had happened far too often.

In the past, the Wu Emperor had always chosen to turn a blind eye, responding to their perfunctory words with polite laughter.

But this time, the Wu Emperor had no intention of playing along.

He would not engage in verbal sparring with them.

If he did, then this Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Arts would be utterly meaningless.

The Wu Emperor rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced slowly atop the high platform.

“There is a saying I have always liked,” he said. “Without rules, there can be no order. Mere verbal restraint is ultimately useless.

So—I want all of you to sign something.”

A female sect leader stepped forward.

“Might I ask, Your Majesty, what exactly you wish for us to sign?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much,” the Wu Emperor replied casually.

“Just a set of rules.”

As he finished speaking, he waved his hand.

Above the imperial palace, the very essence of the nation’s mountains and rivers condensed, forming a golden scroll.

One by one, black characters appeared upon its shimmering surface.

All eyes were fixed on the golden scroll, reading the words written upon it.

1. Within the Wu Kingdom, the law applies equally to cultivators and mortals alike. Those who slaughter the innocent shall pay with their lives.

2. Within the Wu Kingdom, no sect shall interfere with mortal affairs.

3. All sects shall heed the commands of the Wu Kingdom. Sect leaders must receive imperial recognition and investiture.

4…

One rule after another appeared before them.

The more they read, the deeper their frowns became.

How could they possibly agree to this?!

To the sect leaders, the Wu Emperor was nothing short of a delusional fool!

Even the Wu Kingdom’s officials, upon reading these rules, could not help but gasp.

Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads as they turned to their emperor in shock.

Had their ever-calm ruler lost his mind?

Many of the court officials had ties to the sects—after all, cultivation required resources, and they had long benefited from these relationships.

Of course, there were also those who resented the sects and had long wished to bring them to heel.

But at this moment, regardless of their stance toward the sects, every official understood one thing—

His Majesty was about to break all ties with them.

A heavy silence fell over the vast plaza.

Some sect leaders read the rules over and over again, wondering if their eyes were deceiving them.

Others stared at the Wu Emperor, questioning if he had gone insane.

What was he thinking?

What gave him the audacity?

How dare he?

“Your Majesty, I fear that these rules of yours are unacceptable to us,” said the Sect Master of the Flying Fish Sect as he stepped forward, his expression dark.

In his view, simply attending this Grand Assembly and showing the Wu Emperor a superficial level of respect was already a tremendous courtesy.

Yet now, this emperor wanted to push even further?

Was it not enough to merely appear as their leader—did he truly wish to become their leader?

And that rule about sect leaders requiring imperial recognition and investiture?

Utterly laughable!

Did he think they were his vassal lords?

Since the dawn of time, it had always been sects that controlled human dynasties—never had a mortal dynasty controlled a sect!

“Your Majesty, these rules you have set forth are highly inappropriate,” another sect leader said.

“We have always been in a cooperative relationship.”

“Your Majesty,” yet another spoke, “I urge you to retract this decree. The Wu Kingdom has only stood for three hundred years, and such drastic changes could prove detrimental to its stability.”

“Do you not fear that your actions will shake the very foundations of your kingdom?”

The words of the sect leaders grew increasingly blunt.

Their tones carried a clear and unmistakable threat.

They despised mortals.

To them, mortals were mere ants, utterly beneath them.

And this Wu Emperor—he was nothing more than a mere mortal who happened to wield the fate of the land.

Yet now, this insignificant creature dared to think he could control giants?

How utterly ridiculous.

How absurd!

Faced with the sects’ questioning, the Wu Emperor merely curled his lips into a faint smirk.

His voice was not loud, yet it echoed throughout the imperial palace:

“I am not here to negotiate with you today. I am here to inform you.”

The moment his words fell, the golden dragon above the palace coiled restlessly in the air, its massive form casting an imposing shadow over the gathered crowd.

Looking down upon them all, its golden vertical pupils burned with fury and menace.

It was as if, in the very next moment, the dragon would swoop down and devour these sect leaders whole.

“Your Majesty, are you saying you intend to go to war with us?”

The Sect Master of Baoshan Sect fixed the Wu Emperor with an icy glare.

He had not expected that, after their refusal, the Wu Emperor would resort to open threats.

The murderous intent radiating from the golden dragon above the palace was no illusion—this emperor truly intended to kill them!

How dare he?

Even if he sat within his imperial palace, akin to a sage upon his throne, beyond the reach of even Ascension Realm cultivators—

Did he really think that they, so many high-tier cultivators, would simply cower before him?

Behind them stood hundreds of sects!

Tens of thousands of cultivators!

“I have already said,” the Wu Emperor repeated coldly, his gaze sweeping across these figures who disrupted his court and treated his laws as nothing—

“I am not here to negotiate. I am here to inform you.”

“Those who sign their names may live. Those who refuse—shall die. The choice is yours.”

With those words, all pretense was shattered.

Even the officials who had wanted to mediate, to smooth things over, to urge the emperor to reconsider—

Now, they could do nothing.

To be frank, they simply could not understand why His Majesty had made such a decision.

It was entirely beyond their expectations.

The Wu Kingdom was already powerful.

Its relationship with the sects was, if not perfect, at least stable.

As long as the emperor did not demand something excessive, such as sending sect disciples to throw themselves into certain death, the sects would more or less cooperate.

But now, if the kingdom truly turned against the sects, that meant war—

Not with just one or two sects, but all the sects within its borders.

That was no small matter.

If the northern barbarians chose this moment to invade, or if the demon kingdom of the southern frontier made its move, this would no longer be a mere internal crisis—

It would become a catastrophe.

As the tense standoff continued between the Wu Emperor and the sect leaders, a faint smirk appeared on the lips of a man seated to the side—

The King of Xiliang, Wu Tianhu.

This was exactly what he had been waiting for.

Not long ago, he had visited Tianji City, where he met its enigmatic city lord.

There, he had sought a divination.

The city lord had told him—

If he wished to claim the throne, his best opportunity would arise at the next Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Arts.

And that assembly would be moved up by a year.

So this time, Wu Tianhu had come to the capital not just to propose marriage between his son and Wu Yanhan.

That was merely an excuse, a test.

His true purpose was to attend this assembly—to see what might unfold.

But never in his wildest dreams did he expect this—

The Wu Emperor had gone mad, seeking to swallow the sects whole!

Wu Tianhu knew—

Now was the time to act.

He stood, walked to the center of the gathering, and cupped his fists toward the emperor.

“Nephew! Stop this madness at once! Apologize to the sect leaders immediately!”

His voice rang through the plaza as he stepped forward, directly reprimanding the emperor.

His tone was blunt, utterly devoid of respect—

As if he did not regard the Wu Emperor as the ruler of the kingdom at all.

Under normal circumstances, saying such words in public would be an act of outright treason—

Punishable by death.

But now, the situation had spiraled out of control.

The pretense was gone.

This was already a battle of life and death—so what did treason even matter anymore?

Wu Tianhu wanted to make such a bold move.

He needed the sects’ support, and this was the perfect way to show them that he was not like the young and reckless Wu Emperor.

Sure enough, the sect leaders all turned their gazes toward Wu Tianhu.

Most of them knew the King of Xiliang quite well.

He had maintained good relations with many sects over the years, often sending them generous gifts and cultivating ties.

The moment he stepped forward, a single thought emerged in the minds of many sect leaders—

Let Wu Tianhu take the throne.

Since this so-called Wu Emperor refused to listen, refused to follow the established order, and instead wanted to overturn the table entirely—

Then he no longer deserved to rule.

If he would not step down gracefully, then they would help him do so.

But at that moment, the Wu Emperor’s voice rang out once more.

“Uncle, your words truly wound me.”

His tone was neither hurried nor slow, but every syllable carried a piercing weight.

“Back when you fought alongside our founding ancestor, you were a force of unstoppable might—slaying gods and buddhas alike, carving out this kingdom with blood and steel.”

“I still remember the words of our first emperor—he swore to build a kingdom where ordinary people would rule their own fate, a kingdom free from the sects’ yoke.

‘We shall never be their hounds.’

“But now, Uncle, after just three hundred years… have you forgotten it all?”

“Are you so eager to bow your head and become a sect’s lapdog?”

The Wu Emperor’s words made Wu Tianhu’s brow furrow tightly.

His face flushed red.

His fists clenched at his sides.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice low and strained:

“Wu Chang, you are gravely mistaken!”

“A kingdom’s stability depends on the support of the sects!”

“These sect leaders are our friends—this is a partnership, not subjugation!”