After I Die, Who Dares to Claim the Throne

Su Ji immediately put on an expression that said he understood and began explaining things to Little Fox:

“The Tong Clan made such a huge commotion that the whole city knows about it. Those hypocrites from Imperial Court Mountain usually go on and on about benevolence and morality, but when it comes to something like this ‘forbidden object,’ they guard it more jealously than anyone. There’s no way they’d let this sword remain outside their control, much less allow anyone to use it to cause trouble.”

“So they’re here to keep the peace?”

“Keep the peace? Heh, that’s just the official story.” Su Ji sneered. “In truth, they’re here to clear the field. No matter who ends up winning the sword at the auction, there’s a good chance they’ll be ‘invited’ to Imperial Court Mountain for tea as soon as they leave the city. The sword will stay behind, while whether the person gets to walk away will depend on their connections and their abilities.”

“That’s domineering.”

“They’ve always been this domineering. Isn’t that right, Old Fossil?”

Despite Su Ji’s words, the Old Emperor did not seem angry.

“Quit being sarcastic. If you were sitting in that position, you wouldn’t do much better.”

“What do you think being Emperor means?”

“The Emperor is an Immortal Venerable blessed by the mandate of Heaven and Earth.”

“It is a position meant to preserve the prosperous future of the Canghuang Realm.”

The Old Emperor actually let out a sigh.

“That is why the Emperor can be anything.”

“A human, a demon, even the essence of grass and trees or the spirit of a mountain or rock.”

“Anyone can fight for the justice in their heart or live in pursuit of glory.”

“But the Emperor alone cannot.”

“There is only one thing the Emperor must do: remain clear-minded.”

“With supreme will, the Emperor must guide the desires within their heart—which could lose control at any moment—onto the proper path.”

“With an impartial stance, the Emperor must suppress all who threaten stability.”

“Likewise, the Emperor does not need to be understood.”

“To be feared—that is what makes a truly qualified Emperor.”

“I did indeed study blood sacrifices.”

“So what?”

“Was I not supposed to study them?”

“On the contrary, I believe I was supposed to.”

“I suppressed that era, which was precisely why I understood it better than anyone.”

“Given the state the Canghuang Realm was in back then…”

“After my death, who would dare call themselves Emperor?”

“I did want to live, certainly. But at that time, I was still in the prime of my life. If it had been nothing more than selfish desire, I could have done it secretly from behind the scenes. Why would I make it known to everyone?”

“As for Imperial Court Mountain, yes, they were a force under my command.”

“But what they did had nothing to do with me, did it?”

“Did you think I had nothing better to do than keep an eye on them all day?”

“You may not be greedy, and he may not be greedy, but there will always be someone who is.”

“You may not put on an act, and he may not put on an act, but there will always be someone who does.”

“Can I really keep track of everything? Can I kill every last one of them?”

“Go find me a faction where every single person inside is purely good.”

“I’ll charge straight up Imperial Court Mountain and make everyone there step down. Then they can take the throne.”

“Do you think that’s possible, Brat?”

The Old Emperor was still speaking when the bustling street suddenly fell silent.

It was not the kind of silence that gradually settled in. It was as though someone had suddenly gripped the entire street by the throat, and every sound stopped at the exact same moment.

Su Ji turned toward the window.

He saw that, at some point, a massive cloudship had appeared directly above Skywater City.

The cloudship was pure white from bow to stern, without a single unnecessary ornament. It did not even have sails. It simply hovered in the sky a thousand zhang above the city.

A faint pressure radiated from the vessel. It was not violent, yet it pressed down on everyone’s hearts like a mountain, making even breathing difficult.

Beneath the cloudship, a golden pillar of light slowly descended, pointing straight at the City Lord’s Manor in the center of the city—in other words, the Shu Clan.

“That’s quite a show of force,” Su Ji remarked.

Compared with the three-man group that had just entered the city on foot, parking a ship directly above someone else’s head was indeed very much in keeping with the style of an “official” organization.

“That’s a Sky-Patrol Vessel.” The Old Emperor sounded somewhat exasperated. “This is troublesome. Why did someone of this caliber have to show up?”

Su Ji narrowed his eyes. Through the golden pillar of light, he could vaguely see several figures slowly descending along it.

The man at the front wore a black-and-white Daoist robe. His face was stern and upright, almost rigid, and a command token hung from his waist.

Behind him followed two sword-bearing attendants. Their chins were raised so high that their nostrils seemed to point toward the heavens, and their expressions were arrogant.

“Who’s that? Do I owe him money?” Su Ji asked.

“I’ve been dead for tens of thousands of years. How would I know?” The Old Emperor gave the man’s title instead. “Judging by his clothes, he appears to be from the Black and White Hall. They’re one of the few factions in Imperial Court Mountain that actually get things done, but he’s probably an incredibly troublesome rigid-minded fool.”

“Is he difficult to deal with?”

“Late-stage Mahayana.” The Old Emperor paused. “If this had been tens of thousands of years ago, a nobody like him wouldn’t even have been worthy of putting on my shoes. But now…”

“Now he could beat the two of us senseless?” Su Ji finished.

The Old Emperor fell silent for a moment. Though he clearly did not want to admit it, he still gave a grunt.

“It’s not mainly because of his cultivation realm.”

“Even if I had only one breath left in me, a Mahayana cultivator still wouldn’t be qualified to challenge me.”

“The real problem is that the Black and White Hall is troublesome. If he brought the Heavenly Tome of Laws with him, then he really could be difficult to handle. That thing can borrow a trace of Imperial Court Mountain’s fortune and suppress anything deemed ‘unlawful.’”

As the black-and-white-robed man descended, the Shu Clan’s main gates burst open.

Shu Wanjuan hurried out with a group of clan elders to welcome him.

This local overlord, who normally ruled Skywater City with an iron fist, now wore a face full of humble smiles. His back was bent even lower than that of the registrar at the city gate.

“I had no idea an elder of the Black and White Hall was coming! Shu has failed to welcome you properly. I deserve death, I deserve death!”

Shu Wanjuan’s voice, carried by spiritual power, spread throughout the entire city. He put on a suitably obsequious display.

Fang Zheng did not immediately descend. Instead, he hovered three zhang above the Shu Clan’s main gate and looked down at Shu Wanjuan from above.

“City Lord Shu.” Fang Zheng’s voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered the ears of everyone present. It carried an unquestionable majesty. “I hear Skywater City has been rather chaotic lately?”

Sweat appeared on Shu Wanjuan’s forehead. He repeatedly cupped his hands and bowed.

“Elder, you are wise. It’s nothing more than a few insignificant thugs…”

“A few insignificant thugs?” Fang Zheng gave a cold snort.

“Hmph.”

The muffled sound seemed to strike everyone directly in the chest.

“On my way here, I saw blood energy soaring into the heavens and faint traces of demonic aura. Is that what you call a few insignificant thugs?” Fang Zheng’s gaze swept across the entire city like lightning. “By decree of Imperial Court Mountain, from this moment until the Skywater City auction concludes, all private fighting within Skywater City is forbidden. Anyone who violates this order will be executed!”

When the final word—“executed”—left his mouth, a murderous aura instantly swept through the entire city.

Countless cultivators felt a chill run down their necks, as though an invisible sword were hanging above their heads.

Su Ji sat by the window, sensing the wave of divine consciousness sweeping across his body. His brows drew together slightly.

The Old Emperor continued speaking.

“Do you understand now?”

“Do you think Imperial Court Mountain is my family’s private force?”

“After I died back then, why do you think that usurper left Imperial Court Mountain intact?”

“Take this auction, for example. If Imperial Court Mountain didn’t show up, do you really think Skywater City wouldn’t be drenched in blood?”

For a moment, Su Ji was rendered speechless.

He suddenly realized that some facts were entirely different from what he had imagined.

“Forget it. You’ve only been alive for how many years, Brat? It’s normal that you don’t understand.”

“I can’t be bothered to explain things to someone who refuses to listen. Let’s just talk about the person from Emperor Court Mountain. His strength is decent, and his status is fairly high, but in a place like Emperor Court Mountain, he’s the one who handles the ‘dirty work.’”

“None of those old fossils in the real core decision-making circle came.”

“So you mean he isn’t important enough?” Su Ji mused.

“Exactly. He isn’t important enough.” A hint of relief mixed with helplessness in the Old Emperor’s voice. “That means Emperor Court Mountain values that sword, but not to the point of treating it as a mortal threat. They may genuinely think it’s just an ordinary Immortal Venerable relic.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Su Ji countered. “If an Immortal King had come, would we still be able to get our hands on it?”

“It is a good thing.” The Old Emperor sighed. “But I don’t dare reveal everything to him.”

“Reveal everything?” Su Ji froze. “Huh? You didn’t go to Emperor Court Mountain to obtain some resources—you went there to expose your identity? ‘Hey, I’m your founding ancestor. I’ve only got one breath left in me. Could you do me a favor?’ Are you trying to get yourself killed faster?”

“What the hell do you know?” the Old Emperor cursed. “Emperor Court Mountain may be under that bastard’s control now, but internally, it isn’t completely united. The old fellows who once received favors from me are probably all dead by now, but… how should I put it?”

“There are still a few decent people who value old ties. They might be willing to leave something behind for their descendants, or at least remain neutral. If someone like that came, I might be able to try contacting them and borrow some of their influence.”

“I’m merely a remnant soul that revived from a section of finger bone. If I truly want to keep living, it’s far more complicated than simply rebuilding a body.”

“My soul has already decayed… Even after eating so many of your things, I’m only barely maintaining my existence.”

“Take a guess what would happen.”

“Go get me the body of an Immortal Venerable right now.”

“If I entered it, I’d live for three years. Then the Immortal Venerable’s body would collapse.”

Su Ji raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I see. So my Golden Core body just can’t withstand the erosion of time?”

The Old Emperor: …

He finally understood why people always said that the more one talked, the more likely one was to let something slip.

But he just couldn’t help himself…

After awakening in the endless darkness, perhaps if he didn’t ramble a little now, he might never have the chance again.