Wu Youdao gritted his teeth, wrestling with inner turmoil. As the dignified sixth Emperor Yu—the man of revival destined to topple Great Xia and restore Great Yu's former glory—how could he spill everything at the slightest threat?
He was an emperor who had weathered fierce storms, slain men, and bathed in blood. The mere prospect of being refined into an artifact spirit was nowhere near enough to frighten him!
Just as Wu Youdao was about to speak, he heard Lu Yang say thoughtfully from the side, "They say history is written by the victors. The Dao Seeking Sect has always maintained good relations with the imperial court, so we could probably consult with the court historians and apply a bit of artistic liberty to your legacy.
"If you confess honestly, we'll have the historians write that after your capture, you stood unyielding to the death. Despite every conceivable torment, an iron spine ensured you didn't leak a single shred of intelligence.
"We could even have Emperor Xia praise you as an enlightened ruler with the potential for immortality, whose only tragedy was being born in the wrong era—that had you continued to reign over Great Yu, you would have ushered in an even greater golden age, your brilliance rivaling that of your ancestor, the founding Emperor Yu.
"On the other hand, if you refuse to say anything, we'll have the historians write that the moment you were captured, you wailed hysterically, begging on your knees for us to spare your life. They can record that you acknowledged Great Xia's legitimacy and admitted the Great Yu Dynasty was far inferior. Or perhaps they'll write about how magnanimously Great Xia treats its captives, waiting on you hand and foot with fine wine and choice meats every single day at the Dao Seeking Sect, until you were having too much fun to ever miss Great Yu..."
"I'll confess! I'll tell you everything!"
Wu Youdao blurted out immediately, cold sweat pouring down his back at Lu Yang's words.
He was already a defeated prisoner. His life and death were no longer in his own hands, and attaining immortality was completely out of the question. The only thing he cared about now was his reputation. What Lu Yang described was worse than having his soul scattered to the winds—he would be mocked, reviled, and left to stink in the annals of history for ten thousand years.
Wu Youdao glared venomously at Lu Yang, but Lu Yang felt not the slightest burden of guilt, turning a completely blind eye to the glare.
Eldest Senior Sister glanced at Lu Yang in mild surprise. She hadn't expected such a method to exist; she had been preparing to extract their confessions through the traditional route of torture.
Raising a fair, slender hand, the golden bell on her wrist jingled melodiously as a curtain of light rose, separating Wu Youdao from Venerable Xuanlei to interrogate them individually.
"What was your plan in Huangzhou?"
"The Imperial Preceptor told... told me that Great Xia's power of national destiny is the crucial obstacle preventing our rise," Wu Youdao answered. "He needed to thoroughly analyze how that power affects Great Xia, so he formulated a plan to seize Huangzhou's national destiny. Once he understood it, he intended to use that power as nourishment for my dragon-tiger qi, which would increase my chances of attaining immortality in the future."
"How does Great Yu intend to rise again?"
"Only the first Imperial Preceptor knows the full scope of the revival plan. The second Imperial Preceptor and I only know parts of it. However, ever since I awakened, I have never once seen that legendary first Imperial Preceptor. It has always been the second Imperial Preceptor scheming alongside me."
The first Imperial Preceptor had vanished before Wu Youdao was even born; to him, the man was as much a legend as anyone else.
"The plan between the Imperial Preceptor and me was to ally with the Demon Domain, the Sea Race, and the demonic cults. When the Golden Age truly arrives, we would strike Great Xia from both inside and outside to seize power in one fell swoop, and I would once again take the throne as Emperor Yu."
The Immortal Fairy felt that the first half of this plan sounded strangely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
Lu Yang pondered. Wu Youdao's plan seemed rather crude, little more than a broad stroke of intent. It appeared the true architects behind everything were the two Imperial Preceptors.
This aligned with historical records: in the early days of the Great Yu Dynasty, Emperor Yu and the Imperial Preceptor had maintained an exceptionally close relationship. The Imperial Preceptor possessed the talent to govern the realm and devise grand strategies, while Emperor Yu readily accepted sound counsel. The two complemented each other, together fostering Great Yu's prosperity.
Not every Emperor Yu possessed the genius to rule an empire. Wu Youdao, for instance, had exceptional talent for cultivation, but possessed no ability whatsoever for statecraft.
"You were to become Emperor Yu? Then what about the founding Emperor Yu?"
The founding Emperor Yu was the greatest powerhouse of the Great Yu Dynasty. According to history, he campaigned across the realm, ultimately toppling Great Qian to unite the world and establish the Great Yu Dynasty. He reigned for three thousand years before succumbing to illness when latent injuries sustained from endless warfare finally erupted.
Lu Yang had always been skeptical of that account. He was hardly a stranger to mighty figures; as the undisputed pinnacle of the Great Yu Dynasty, how could the founding Emperor Yu have perished so simply?
"Our ancestor truly died. After ascending the throne, I even personally paid homage to his remains," Wu Youdao said with absolute certainty. Had the founding Emperor Yu not died, he never would have agreed to the Imperial Preceptor's plan in the first place.
After all, with the founding Emperor Yu around, the position of Emperor Yu and the chance to attain immortality would never have fallen to him.
"How many of your people have awakened so far, and what are their cultivation levels?"
"Thirty-two in the Body Integration stage, and seven in the Tribulation Transcendence stage."
Lu Yang frowned. That was vastly higher than the numbers Venerable Calamity had disclosed; Venerable Calamity had only mentioned two in the Tribulation Transcendence stage.
It seemed Venerable Calamity had not been a central figure in Great Yu's grand design, occupying only a marginal role.
If even an early Tribulation Transcendence cultivator was merely marginal, the strength Great Yu concealed in the shadows was truly terrifying.
"What are the specific cultivation levels of those seven Tribulation Transcendence cultivators?"
"Three at the early stage, two at the middle stage, and two at the late stage. The latter four are still in slumber. As for whether there are other Tribulation Transcendence cultivators beyond them, I don't know."
Lu Yang tallied the Great Yu Tribulation Transcendence cultivators he had encountered so far: Venerable Calamity, Venerable Xuanlei, and Venerable Wu Ji—exactly three at the early Tribulation Transcendence stage.
"Where are those four middle and late Tribulation Transcendence cultivators slumbering?"
"The Imperial Preceptor knows. I do not."
"What cultivation levels do the two Imperial Preceptors possess?"
"No one knows the first Imperial Preceptor's realm. I once asked several powerhouses who had seen him; some claimed he was merely half a step away from immortality, while others insisted he had already attained a Dao fruit and become a true immortal. The second Imperial Preceptor is a half-immortal powerhouse."
When Wu Youdao mentioned that the first Imperial Preceptor might be an immortal, reverence surfaced in his eyes.
Lu Yang, on the other hand, was far calmer. Nowadays, whenever someone mentioned immortals, his mind filled with thoughts of the Immortal Fairy and the four unlucky bastards.
He couldn't muster even an ounce of reverence for immortals.
A so-called half-immortal was essentially a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator who possessed a rudimentary Dao fruit.
Lu Yang knew only a single half-immortal cultivator: the Third-in-Command of the Immortal Lineage, the Immortal Celestial.
"If the Huangzhou plan had succeeded, what was your next move?"
"A Tribulation Transcendence expert would take action, shrouding a city in Jizhou with [Rules] to see if the power of rules could convert its inhabitants into subjects of Great Yu."
"Which city?"
"It would have been chosen at random."
Eldest Senior Sister repeated the interrogation with Venerable Xuanlei. Xuanlei knew far less than Wu Youdao, but his testimony was sufficient to cross-reference and verify what they had learned.
Eldest Senior Sister decided it was necessary to share Wu Youdao's intelligence with the imperial court and the other four great immortal sects, particularly regarding the threat to Jizhou, so comprehensive preparations could be made.
Binding the thoroughly purified soul of Venerable Wu Ji with chains, she handed the other end to Lu Yang.
"I shall escort these two to Prison Peak before heading to the imperial capital. Deliver this man's soul to Fifth Elder."
Watching Eldest Senior Sister's departing silhouette, the Immortal Fairy suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Aah! I forgot to ask for my contribution points!"
Chapter 450