Chapter 1037: Eliminating the Traitors of the World

On the five-colored altar, Xiao Nanfeng glanced at the countless officials celebrating and bowing in reverence before him. He took a deep breath and declared, "From this day onward, Yongding shall be the capital of the world."

"Understood!" everyone replied.

Xiao Nanfeng continued, "Next, the officials of the Imperial Court shall be appointed!"

An official from the Ministry of Rites unrolled an imperial edict and began to recite from it. "Zhang Lingjun is appointed Empress of Dazheng. The Divine Emperor is appointed Empress of Dazheng. Xia Yu'er is appointed Empress of Dazheng. Lan Yaoguang is appointed Empress of Dazheng. Madam Rouge is appointed Empress of Dazheng. Liu Miaoyin is appointed Empress of Dazheng."

With a loud rumble, the sea of fortune churned. Six golden dragons of fortune slowly emerged, circling Xiao Nanfeng's eidolon. However, due to the limited quantity of fortune within the sea, the newly formed golden dragons couldn't yet take on physical form.

The official continued, "Ao Zhou is appointed guardian spirit of the Imperial Court..."

One by one, the officials who had contributed to the establishment of the Heavenly Court were promoted and their names announced. The announcement, amplified by the sea of fortune, echoed across the entire world.

Miniature golden dragons of fortune continued to emerge from the sea of fortune, swimming about and paying homage to Xiao Nanfeng's gigantic eidolon. As they took shape, rather than consuming the fortune within the sea, they instead caused it to increase rapidly.

The proclamation continued for much of the day. When they finally concluded, all the officials bowed in gratitude. Though many had not been mentioned due to their limited contributions, they had all been rewarded.

After the appointments, Xiao Nanfeng expressed his gratitude to the people and received countless responses in return. He then slowly descended from the five-colored altar and returned to Xuanhuang Hall.

By then, the interior of the hall had been expanded via formations, allowing all thousand officials of court to enter with ease. The hall exuded an aura of solemnity and grandeur.

Xiao Nanfeng walked over to his draconic throne, adjusted his robes, and slowly sat down. Except for the empresses, who had retired to their quarters, all the important ministers and officials stood in the hall.

"We greet the Heavenly Emperor! Long live the Heavenly Emperor!" All the officials bowed solemnly.

"Rise," Xiao Nanfeng said.

The officials stood straight as they turned to Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng surveyed the officials. "The mission of the Imperial Court of Dazheng is to protect the lives of the people, resist external aggression, and safeguard the people. Those who dare support the aggressors shall be executed."

"Understood!" all the officials shouted in unison.

"The first task of the Imperial Court of Dazheng is to thoroughly identify traitors among the people. Those who had been accomplices of the saints in the past shall be executed. Anyone who harbors or conceals them shall receive the same punishment," Xiao Nanfeng ordered.

"Understood!" all the officials shouted in unison.

It was time for a reckoning. In the past, the world had been chaotic and disorderly, making such a sweeping investigation impossible to carry out. Now that the world had been unified, it was time to deal with those who had betrayed the people and conspired with the Darkborn to slaughter their own kind.

There were many traitors among the people, especially after Yu Fuli's death. Many leaders of various factions had accepted the saints' outreach and willingly became their spies, providing them with information and various conveniences. To curry favor with the saints, they had even secretly assassinated many cultivators who strove to better the world as a way to prove their loyalty.

But who could have predicted how quickly the world would change? The saints had been killed one after the other, and the Darkborn suffered repeated setbacks.

The traitors, terrified, had gone into hiding, believing that no one knew what they had done and that they could escape justice.

But if they were allowed to go into hiding, what would come of the cultivators they had slain? How could the hatred, the desire for vengeance, of their families be appeased?

The Heavenly Emperor's campaign to eliminate the traitors of the world was met with full cooperation from the people. Although the traitors had acted in secret, traces of their deeds remained—and these traces were uncovered one by one.

Each traitor was brought to the tombstone of the cultivators they had killed and executed there. Large crowds gathered on the days of their respective executions, and countless citizens of Dazheng came to witness the event.

"Kill these traitors! They conspired with the enemy to slaughter us all. They deserve to die!"

"The Heavenly Emperor is wise. These traitors should have been killed long ago."

"I wish I could have carried out the execution myself..."

Countless people listened as Dazheng officials read out the crimes of the traitors, their anger boiling over.

The execution of these traitors quickly united the hearts of the people. The fortune generated from this unity surged like a roaring river and rushed toward Yongding's capital.

Half a month later, in the peach orchard in Yongding's palace, Madam Rouge leaned against Xiao Nanfeng's chest and asked, "Nanfeng, the Yuqing Grandmaster sent a messenger to ask when you'll be setting out for the white life hidden realm."

Xiao Nanfeng glanced at the churning sea of fortune in the air. "There still isn't enough fortune. We'll have to wait a little longer."

"Oh? For what, Nanfeng?"

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "I can't tell you at the moment. I'll explain everything to you soon enough."

He refused to speak of his plans to avoid any potential leaks. He was waiting to accumulate more fortune to rescue his parents, and didn't want any other complications to arise in the meantime. Though he trusted Madam Rouge, he knew that secrets could be revealed in unexpected ways. He planned to tell her the truth right before entering the white life hidden realm.

Madam Rouge nodded seriously. She clearly remembered the last time that Xiao Nanfeng had kept something from her—when he was preparing to face the Superior in a life-and-death battle. At the time, even the slightest leak could have doomed him.

Xiao Nanfeng's expression now was exactly the same as back then. Understanding the gravity of the situation, she felt a wave of fear wash over her as she unconsciously tightened her grip on Xiao Nanfeng's clothes. She glanced at him with worry, afraid of losing him again.

Xiao Nanfeng noticed her fear and comforted her. "Worry not. Everything is under control."

But how could Madam Rouge not worry? Her eyes filled with tenderness as she said, "Nanfeng, no matter what you plan to do, please be careful. We can't lose you."

Xiao Nanfeng gently stroked Madam Rouge's hair and smiled warmly. "Alright, I'll be careful. I can't bear to leave you all behind, either."

Madam Rouge looked at Xiao Nanfeng, biting her lip. She loved him deeply, but her worry only grew. After a moment of thought, she suddenly said softly, "Husband, tonight, I'll call Miaoyin and the Divine Emperor to join us."

"What?" Xiao Nanfeng was momentarily stunned.

Seeing Madam Rouge's glistening eyes, he couldn't help but be taken aback. He hadn't expected that his secrecy would lead to such a display of passion.

"Alright." Xiao Nanfeng suppressed his excitement and nodded.

Madam Rouge blushed. "I'll go talk to the two of them, then."

With that, she broke off their embrace and departed, while Xiao Nanfeng's heart thudded in anticipation.

One month later, the campaign to eliminate traitors was in full swing. Every time a traitor was executed, the people erupted in cheers, generating a massive surge of fortune that rushed toward Yongding.

During this time, the saints' avatars were suddenly discovered. They were paraded to Yongding and several major immortal cities across the four continents.

The crimes of the saints were announced to the public. They were to be a grand spectacle.

The saints were the greatest lackeys of the Darkborn and the most heinous traitors of the people. Over the past ten thousand years, though they had hidden like rats, Yu Fuli's Imperial Court had carefully recorded every evil deed they committed.

Now, as the crimes of these saints were announced to the world, the people's hatred burned fiercely. The crowds heckled and jeered.

The captured saints' avatars were filled with despair and indignation. To them, these people were nothing more than mere ants. How could they have fallen to such straits as to be judged and disdained by these very ants?

"I am a saint chosen by the heavens. You are the ones who will die. When the heavens return, none of you will escape!"

"Don't kill me! I don't want to die!"

"The heavens will avenge us!"

They screamed and cursed, but to no avail. Their execution had already begun., "How could the Imperial Court find me? I hid so well. Just how did they do it?!" they roared in despair.

No one bothered to explain things to them.

At the outermost edge of one execution ground, on the peak of a mountain, stood a figure shrouded in fog: Grand Duke Tang of the Imperial Court. Due to his outstanding contributions, he had been promoted to the rank of Grand Duke. He was one of the Imperial Court's most distinguished officials.

Beside him, a spectral guard said respectfully, "My avatar is currently meeting with the Heavenly Emperor. He has a message for you, which I was tasked to relay."

"Very well." Tang nodded.

"Tang, your efforts in uncovering all the saints' avatars have earned you the highest merit I can bestow upon you. However, given the current situation, I cannot afford to reveal your identity prematurely."

Tang's expression turned serious. He bowed to the ghost guard. "Of course, Your Majesty. I'm aware of my unique situation and acknowledge this fact."

"Worry not—no one will be able to erase your contributions. Once we finish dealing with the Darkborn, I will personally let the world know of your achievements."

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Tang replied gratefully.

Several days later, the sea of fortune above Yongding churned with an immense amount of fortune, rivaling that of Yu Fuli's Imperial Court in its prime.

Xiao Nanfeng stood within his palace at Yongding. With a wave of his hand, that vast fortune surged into the Divine Seal of Dazheng.

Before him were the officials of Dazheng and the three empresses.

He took out a storage treasure and placed them and the officials' yin bodies within. Then, he looked at the remaining officials. "The governance of the Imperial Court shall be temporarily entrusted to you. If any major issues arise, send messages through the avatars of the officials accompanying me."

"Understood!" the officials replied respectfully.

With that, Xiao Nanfeng left Yongding and soon arrived at an island on the Eastern Sea, where the three Qing Grandmasters were waiting for him.

"Greetings, Grandmasters. Thank you for the wait."

The three Qing Grandmasters nodded, and the Yuqing Grandmaster began, "Let us now enter the white life hidden realm."