Uproar in the Golden Throne Hall

Gu Qingfeng strode forward, preparing to attend the morning court session.

But before that, he couldn’t let valuable resources go to waste.

First, he collected the gold, silver, jewels, and fine silks bestowed by the old emperor. Then, he thoroughly searched the corpses of the guards. Only after completing these tasks did he feel satisfied and ready to leave.

Before departing, he glanced at the palace maids still trapped in the illusion. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to kill them—after all, they had served him well these past few days, and even if they hadn’t done anything extraordinary, they had worked hard.

Once everything was settled, he could always request these ten maids to continue serving him.

With this thought in mind, Gu Qingfeng left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The array restrictions at the entrance posed no obstacle to him under the gaze of his Truth-Seeking Eyes.

......

The Golden Chime Hall.

A magnificent, sprawling palace reserved exclusively for morning court sessions.

Today, the Golden Chime Hall was unusually lively. Nearly all civil and military officials were present, including State Preceptor Situ Kong and the young eunuch—both at the peak of the Dragon Transformation realm. Hundreds of people, the cream of the Great Yan Dynasty’s nobility, filled the hall.

These high-ranking nobles wore expressions of joy, as though celebrating some grand occasion.

The reason? The emperor, who had long abstained from morning court after taking the Ageless Pill, had extended his lifespan by a year and resumed his duties.

With such a momentous event as the emperor’s prolonged life, how could his subjects dare not rejoice? Anyone wearing a mournful face would be courting death.

Seated high upon the dragon throne, the aged emperor, revitalized like a withered tree greeting spring, looked down upon his ministers with indescribable delight.

The sensation of cheating death had swept away the gloom accumulated over years confined to a sickbed.

With the inheritor of the Ageless Pill in his grasp, he felt he could live at least another century!

Moreover, though he was an emperor, he was also a martial artist—a Grandmaster, just one step away from Dragon Transformation.

Another hundred years might very well see him ascend to Dragon Transformation, granting him an additional five centuries of life. The mere thought filled the emperor with uncontainable joy.

Of course, this was merely the emperor’s optimistic fantasy. In truth, his chances of reaching Dragon Transformation were slim. His cultivation had been forcibly elevated through rare treasures and elixirs, leaving his foundation weak and his combat prowess unstable. Despite his rank as a Grandmaster, in actual combat, he couldn’t even defeat a late-stage Master.

After the emperor delivered a few perfunctory remarks, his ministers erupted in flattery, showering him with endless praise.

"Your Majesty’s fortune is boundless! The Jade Dragon Secret Realm has existed for centuries, yet no one could inherit the Ageless Pill—until now, precisely when Your Majesty needed it most. This proves Heaven itself favors Your Majesty as a wise and virtuous ruler!"

"Minister Li speaks truly! In this humble subject’s view, Heaven witnessed Your Majesty’s diligent governance and the realm’s prosperity, and thus decreed to extend Your Majesty’s life, ensuring eternal rule and everlasting peace for the Great Yan Dynasty!"

......

The emperor listened to the sycophantic chorus, his imperial heart swelling with pride. Truly, destiny was on his side.

Then, as if rehearsed, the ministers collectively proclaimed: "Your Majesty’s acquisition of the Ageless Pill is a blessing for the Great Yan Dynasty! With Your Majesty’s reign, our dynasty shall rise as an eternal empire! We wish Your Majesty eternal bliss and a lifespan rivaling the heavens!"

"Hahaha..." Despite a century on the throne honing his composure, the emperor couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

His joy rivaled even that of his coronation day.

After laughing for a while, the emperor prepared to deliver an inspiring speech. This court session was meant to reassure the realm—to declare that he, the sovereign of the Great Yan Dynasty, the Nine-Five Supreme, still lived! And would continue living far longer! It was also an opportunity to intimidate those with ulterior motives.

"Ahem." The emperor cleared his throat, ready to speak.

The ministers, all shrewd veterans, immediately fell silent, the hall plunging into stillness.

Only the emperor’s dignified voice resonated through the vast Golden Chime Hall.

"My beloved subjects—"

Yet, just as he began—

Suddenly!

A chorus of voices from the dozen eunuchs waiting outside the hall interrupted him: "The Equal King arrives!"

The synchronized announcement cut the emperor off mid-sentence.

Every minister, along with the emperor himself, froze in stunned silence.

What was happening? The Equal King arriving? Wasn’t the Equal King confined to the Hall of Mental Cultivation? Had the emperor summoned him to court?

The officials turned questioning eyes toward the emperor—only to find His Majesty equally bewildered.

The emperor glanced at Situ Kong, standing at the forefront of the ministers, his gaze filled with confusion.

To his surprise, Situ Kong also wore a look of shock, his brows furrowed in disbelief.

Who would dare play such a prank during morning court?

In Situ Kong’s mind, Gu Qingfeng was securely imprisoned in the Hall of Mental Cultivation—guarded by a Dragon Transformation expert, multiple Masters, and reinforced by powerful sealing arrays. Even a genuine Dragon Transformation cultivator would struggle to escape, let alone the weak Gu Qingfeng.

All eyes turned toward the grand entrance of the Golden Chime Hall in astonishment.

There, a bright-eyed young man with sword-like brows strode leisurely into the hall, flanked by a retinue of eunuchs.

"Well, isn’t this a gathering? Why wasn’t this king informed of the court session?"

Gu Qingfeng smiled faintly as he addressed the elite gathered at the pinnacle of the Great Yan Dynasty’s hierarchy.

Silence.

An eerie, suffocating silence.

Hundreds stood dumbfounded, staring at Gu Qingfeng.

Those who knew him—Situ Kong, the young eunuch, and the emperor—wore particularly subtle expressions.

Gu Qingfeng relished the effect. His use of illusion magic to control the eunuchs and stage this grand entrance had paid off.

What was an Equal King without an entourage announcing his arrival?

“Gu Qingfeng! How did you escape the Hall of Mental Cultivation?” Situ Kong’s questioning shattered the silence.

The emperor’s face darkened slightly. As the supreme ruler, he despised events beyond his control—especially those involving the Ageless Pill.

"Situ Kong! You dare address this king by name? Have you grown tired of living?" Gu Qingfeng thundered.

The ministers were stunned.

What in the world was going on?

They all knew the so-called Equal King was a joke—a mere tool for refining pills.

It was like the Jade Emperor bestowing the title of Great Sage Equaling Heaven upon the Monkey King—an empty title with no real power.

Yet now, this nominal Equal King had the audacity to openly rebuke the State Preceptor in court?

What had happened? Wasn’t he imprisoned? And who had given him the courage to challenge the State Preceptor?

Recommend Series

My Dad Married a Female CEO, and I Gained Four Older Sisters

My Dad Married a Female CEO, and I Gained Four Older Sisters

Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"

Sect Recruitment: I Can See Attribute Tags

Sect Recruitment: I Can See Attribute Tags

+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!

The Day I Died, the Whole Sect Watched My Senior Sister Go on a Rampage

The Day I Died, the Whole Sect Watched My Senior Sister Go on a Rampage

ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.

Poor Talent? I Bought a Year of Cultivation for One Dollar!

Poor Talent? I Bought a Year of Cultivation for One Dollar!

ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!