Chapter Twenty-Two: Let's Choose Another King

From beginning to end, Wu Yun never paid heed to anyone’s words; in his world, there was only eating, watching, sleeping, and playing.

Yet, more and more masters arrived, and even generals of the Divine Destruction rank appeared, employing formations to encircle the inn.

“I am General Tongtian of the National Guard Army! Surrender the murderer who killed the King, Gu the Shrew! Otherwise, within this formation, even peak Divine Destroyers are no match for us!”

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers roared in unison, their imposing momentum converging to a single point. Even the plaque above the door guarded by Xiong Lao San was shattered by the force.

“This is truly a dynasty of cultivation—armies transformed into formations, even peak Divine Destroyers must retreat, no confronting them head-on. How about we hide for now, Senior Wu Yun?” Xiong Lao San deliberately tried to annoy Wu Yun, but before the latter could reply, Queen Consort Gu urgently spoke, “In the entire Qianluo world, everyone knows our Gu family is famed for our culinary skills. I conquered the late king’s heart with my cooking.”

Wu Yun lifted his head, feeling a sliver of light shine upon Queen Consort Gu’s face, making her appear especially beguiling.

“Our Gu family possesses the legendary Nine-Treasure Lotus Seeds. When ripe, eating one allows you to sleep for a year, dream blissful dreams for a year, once sought with a million spirit stones, if only…”

“There is no ‘if only.’” Long Wu Yun spat out the chicken tail in his mouth, scoffing, “Your son is now the King of the Seven Qi Dynasty.”

Wu Yun muttered for a while, and before him appeared a cloud; within it, the visage of the Supreme State Preceptor emerged. Hearing Wu Yun’s words, he said angrily, “I worked so hard… Forget it. Whoever the senior says should be king, so be it. In the future, when I leave, it will be farewell forever, never to return.”

Wu Yun praised him greatly, while at the door, General Tongtian concentrated the formation’s power into a blade of astral energy, over a thousand meters high, and swung it down.

He intended to strike down Queen Consort Gu and fulfill his mission. Yet, as the ominous blade approached the inn’s entrance—a weapon that had never failed—it was dissolved by auspicious clouds, transformed into surging waves that crashed upon the roof tiles and vanished without a trace.

Even Xiong Lao San and the Battle King had prepared their highest defenses.

Wu Yun curled his lips, thinking to himself, “I am the most orthodox executor of heaven’s will. Even if I regretted, heaven’s mandate would not recognize it. The powers of heaven, gathered by formations, cannot affect me.”

To borrow heaven’s combined force to slay a servant of heaven—is such a thing justifiable?

General Tongtian was stunned for a moment. This formation, developed by the Supreme State Preceptor, could slay peak Divine Destroyers. The more cultivators within it, the greater its power, exponentially increased.

A hundred thousand elite cultivators could kill Divine Destroyers; it had never failed in past campaigns. Yet now, not even the inn’s sign had been broken.

He was about to question the captains’ formation gestures when a young man, accompanied by Queen Consort Gu, leisurely walked from the ground into the air and stopped before him.

Wu Yun said, “The Ninth Prince has already become king. You must have just received the news.”

General Tongtian was momentarily perplexed, but he kept waving his hand, issuing attack orders.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers assembled, their murderous aura soaring, the confidence of those who had faced war, the assurance of those who had slain Divine Destroyers.

“You all must die. Even if the Ninth Prince has succeeded the throne, for now, my word is law.” As General Tongtian spoke, waves of pressure rolled forward, enveloping Wu Yun.

This layered formation attack, focused on a single point, would leave even a Divine Destroyer nothing but ashes.

But Wu Yun leisurely replied, “General Tongtian, you plot rebellion. Think of your families—imagine them sold into slavery. Remember, the Ninth Prince is now king.”

The pressure gradually became chaotic, dissipating. Before a second wave could arrive, a phantom azure dragon appeared in the sky; then, the Ninth Prince’s ascension was proclaimed to the world.

“The Ninth Prince, though young, may inherit the throne. The Second Prince is enfeoffed as King Luofuxing, forbidden for all time from bloodshed.” The azure dragon’s voice resounded in the heavens, and the Second Prince and Ninth Prince, moved by mutual sympathy, recited thousands of words, vowing to join hands toward glory.

This azure dragon acted swiftly, yet too smoothly. Once he left, could blood brothers truly avoid conflict?

Wu Yun smiled sheepishly at Queen Consort Gu. General Tongtian, seeing this, did not retreat. His expression changed, his eyes gleaming with danger.

A deputy behind him cried out in grief—“Don’t!”

Immediately, an overwhelming pressure surged forth. General Tongtian forcibly elevated his cultivation to the level of Divine Destroyer Overturn, unleashing a desperate attack, thundering forward, ignoring Wu Yun and charging straight at Queen Consort Gu.

As long as Queen Consort Gu died, the Second Prince would lose his greatest protector; even if he became king, what of it?

At the critical moment, Queen Consort Gu froze in shock—she had followed Wu Yun here, never expecting such an ending.

If she died, her son would lose his backing—how could he wield real power amid so many watching wolves?

Despair welled up. Then, a cloud appeared before her eyes, and within it, a massive azure dragon emerged, its mouth opening and closing, the deadly aura vanishing.

Dragon Yi, the Immortal King, fixed his truck-sized eyes on Wu Yun, belched, then vanished from the cloud.

Also gone were General Tongtian and his two deputies.

Because the dragon’s mouth was so large, those two deputies, even with protective treasures, could not evade…

“Weren’t you afraid just now?” The Battle King, leaning on a crutch with his only broken leg, trembled.

Wu Yun snorted, “That mudfish has always been watching me, trying to figure me out. How could I not be afraid? But I told him, if I die, the curse ends, and his old wounds will return.”

“…”

The Battle King and others…

Dragon Yi…

Queen Consort Gu’s Nine-Treasure Lotus was soon brought by eight winged dragon-horses, flying through the air.

Within a ten-meter-wide, aura-filled treasure altar, lay a stunningly beautiful lotus blossom.

Within its pink petals were nine immature lotus pods, absorbing spirit energy from the surrounding earth.

As Wu Yun approached, the Nine-Treasure Lotus and its nine leaves trembled, but seeing Wu Yun’s right hand grasp the pod, muttering crazily, they stopped.

“I enlighten you; you repay me. Leave behind the lotus seed and root—no hard feelings!”

After a while, the lotus transformed into a little girl, its leaves becoming green garments. She gently kissed Wu Yun’s forehead, then burrowed into the earth and vanished.

Now, the lotus and leaves were gone, leaving only a single lotus seed in the altar, faintly glowing.

Queen Consort Gu, solemn and dignified, was now panicked. She was about to order her servants to pursue, but Wu Yun waved her off, picked up the seed, sniffed it, chewed it like a cow swallowing peonies, and swallowed.

“If it grew for another three thousand years, it would be fully ripe. Still a bit astringent!”

He raised his brows, grinning. Digging into the soil beneath, he soon unearthed nine segments of bright red lotus root.

Queen Consort Gu was puzzled—this lotus was always cared for by professional gardeners, yet she’d never heard of lotus root growing when the lotus flower produced seeds.

Wu Yun lifted the lotus root, a gentle rain fell from the sky, washing away a thin membrane. He broke off a segment, took a small bite, savored it slowly, then, unable to resist, ate it all.