Chapter 652: Not Inferior to the Grand Ancestor of Xiang

There was a heavenly will in the unseen workings of fate.

The true significance of the Investiture of Immortals Assembly was not that Yan Ruchu wanted to save his own life. This was the last thing he could do—secure an orthodox Investiture Scroll for Xianle, who now practiced ghost cultivation, so she could walk freely in the world.

Everything had been arranged long ago.

Yan Ruchu had guessed that the Investiture of Immortals Assembly might stir up strife, but that hardly mattered. This was a rare moment of willfulness on his part; no matter who tried to persuade him otherwise, it would be useless.

Listening to these words, Mo Yuan could not help but remark, "You truly are..."

Daring to think, and daring to act.

Looking at Yan Ruchu, Mo Yuan vaguely felt he was seeing something else entirely—just like the time he had looked upon Zhao Zhen at Liuyun Temple.

Yan Ruchu smiled. "If heaven's will does not stand in my way, there is nothing I set out to do that cannot be done."

The facts proved that this was indeed the case.

Back in Qingshan City, had it not been for that great drought that toyed with heaven's will, Yan Ruchu would not have lost. Perhaps, by relying on Yuanchuan's unique terrain and taking a few years to build his strength, he could have gained the power to shake the world himself.

Chen Changsheng poked at the charcoal in the stove and said, "I fear this Investiture of Immortals Assembly will invite unnecessary trouble."

Yan Ruchu paused. He had his own considerations regarding this matter.

Thus, he asked, "Does Mister think it is a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"If handled with clear judgment, it will be a good thing that benefits the nation and its people," Chen Changsheng said. "But if evil beings manage to deceive heaven and cross the sea to seize power, a Tribulation will surely follow. Fortune and disaster are bound together in this matter."

"Mister sees right through it," Yan Ruchu said. "I knew early on that this might violate certain taboos. With all the strange occurrences springing up inside and outside Shangjing these days, I figured this Investiture of Immortals Assembly was more than just words on paper. For cultivators and demons, this assembly is likely of utmost importance."

"Do you know," Chen Changsheng said, "that if the Investiture Scroll is conferred wrongly, the resulting karma will fall upon you as well?"

"If disaster strikes, then so be it," Yan Ruchu replied. "I am truly but a mortal. How could I possibly see everything clearly?"

This Human Sovereign, whose Lifespan was nearing its end, was now staking everything on a single throw.

Perhaps this Investiture of Immortals Assembly was his final gift to his younger sister, and equally, the final blessing and Tribulation he would leave to his nation.

Chen Changsheng spoke calmly. "The stove fire has grown a bit too vigorous. It is rather hot."

"I am somewhat cold," Yan Ruchu said. "Mister will just have to bear with a dying man."

He had no intention of taking back a single word.

The Investiture of Immortals Assembly had to be held.

The Imperial Study fell silent for a moment. Only the popping of charcoal in the stove could be heard.

Yan Ruchu changed the subject. "Did Mister Chen travel to Shangjing this time for the Investiture of Immortals Assembly?"

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "Just a coincidence. This Chen came specifically to find you."

"To find me?" Yan Ruchu was somewhat puzzled.

Chen Changsheng looked at him and said, "This Chen needs you to issue an Imperial Decree for a heavenly sacrifice."

Yan Ruchu paused slightly. "The Imperial Decree Mister Chen wishes to issue is definitely not a simple one."

Chen Changsheng looked up at him and said, "This Chen wishes to establish the Way of Reincarnation and guide the waters of the Yellow Springs into the Underworld's Netherworld Bureau. Although the Mortal World has its City God Temples, they are incomplete. Routing the Yellow Springs through these temples cannot bypass you, the Human Sovereign."

"Reincarnation?"

Yan Ruchu fell deep in thought.

Behind him, Mo Yuan was stunned by these words.

'Has Mister already reached this step...'

Chen Changsheng nodded. "Exactly Reincarnation. However, this matter is no small thing. Since it will be achieved through the Human Sovereign's intent via a heavenly sacrifice, you will have to bear the resulting karma."

Turning the thought over in his mind, Yan Ruchu asked, "Perfecting Reincarnation—shouldn't that be a grand blessing?"

Chen Changsheng looked at him. "Reincarnation belonging to the heavens naturally bears its own karma, but what This Chen seeks is for Reincarnation to belong to me."

Yan Ruchu was stunned.

"Mister... you intend to..."

He didn't understand much about the immortal path, but from those few words alone, he knew exactly what magnitude of event this was.

This was defying the heavens!

"Of course, you can choose not to do this," Chen Changsheng added. "This Chen has other methods."

Recovering his senses, Yan Ruchu asked, "Compared to having me do it, how do these other methods fare?"

"They would be a bit more troublesome, and a bit more perilous," Chen Changsheng said.

Yan Ruchu understood that Mister Chen hadn't sought him out merely for convenience.

He also knew that with Mister Chen's Dao Cultivation, the man would not force him to do this against his will.

Yan Ruchu asked, "May I make a request of Mister Chen?"

"As long as it is within This Chen's power, it will be done."

"Great Xiang currently enjoys the momentum of a prosperous age, but I see things clearly. In the Northern Territory, the remnants of West Xiao stir up chaos, while in the Southern Domain, the remnant Jing people remain dissatisfied. Though I am also of Jing descent, the world only sees me as a Xiang person who seized the throne. There will inevitably be chaos in the future. Moreover, officials in the Imperial Court still harbor ulterior motives and wait restlessly for an opening. Once I am gone, I fear my successors will struggle to keep the realm at peace."

"Therefore, I wish to ask Mister to ensure Great Xiang's lasting prosperity. Three hundred years will be enough."

Voicing such a demand sounded a lot like taking advantage of another's predicament.

Mo Yuan furrowed his brow upon hearing this, but he didn't flare up. He wanted to hear what Mister would say.

Chen Changsheng looked at him. "It is not excessive."

"So Mister has agreed?" Yan Ruchu asked.

He had spoken those words from his position as a monarch.

It was what he needed to consider and the condition he needed to propose. He was not just an individual, but the ruler of a nation.

Chen Changsheng, however, paused.

Truthfully, guaranteeing three hundred years of prosperity was far easier than owing a karmic debt of favor.

Yan Ruchu understood this logic perfectly well. He saw things clearly; by saying those words, he was also trying not to make things difficult for Chen Changsheng.

But how could such intentions be hidden from Chen Changsheng?

It was no wonder the Imperial Court thrived so vigorously under his rule.

Chen Changsheng let out a breath and said, "This Chen agrees. In addition, you may make one more request."

Yan Ruchu smiled. "If I am to make another request, then I will trouble Mister to point out a clear path forward for Xianle."

He did not stand on ceremony at all.

Chen Changsheng gave a warm smile. "A trifling matter."

Yan Ruchu looked at Mister Qingshan before him. He now understood that his thoughts could not escape this Mister's eyes. Even after all this time, he still fell short of a true immortal above mortals.

But it didn't matter. In this life, he had already obtained everything he could ever want.

After a long while, a voice drifted from the Imperial Study.

"I, Yan Ruchu, on behalf of the common people of Great Xiang, and on behalf of Xianle, bow in thanks to Mister."

Yan Ruchu did not kneel. He was now the monarch of Great Xiang, carrying the weight of the rivers and mountains, the realm, and its people upon his shoulders. This was the pride he ought to possess.

Chen Changsheng looked at him, recalling their first meeting. Back then, this royal prince of Jingshi had still been somewhat immature, but now he fully lived up to his title as a sovereign ruler.

He was not inferior to the Grand Ancestor of Xiang.