Chapter 741: Three Denunciations

In an empire adjacent to both Shenfeng and Hongyue, court was in session. The emperor sat on a draconic throne as he eyed his officials before him. One official had been designated as the emperor's representative and was leading a discussion.

"Is anyone unaware of the enmity between Shenfeng and Hongyue?" the official asked.

"Prime Minister, all of us are aware of the feuds between these two neighboring empires. Not long ago, Yuan Wudi and Tu Jiuniang attacked Shenfeng's capital and fled in disgrace. News of that fight has spread far and wide."

"I even heard that Dazheng, Shenfeng's ally, is even more impressive. Its capital was besieged by a horde of zombies, including seven Boundless Immortal zombie kings, and yet it still survived unscathed! I can hardly believe it."

"Dazheng became known around the world for having taken down the divine empire of Dayin; now, its reputation will only be enhanced."

"The rising star of the south is Shenfeng, and that in the east is Dazheng. The two empires have allied despite being half the continent away. It really is remarkable."

The officials made their points all at once. They were all shocked by the events that had transpired to date.

The prime minister shook his head. "It seems like you haven't received the latest news—or, more accurately, the news hasn't had time to spread."

"Oh? What's going on now, Prime Minister?" an official asked.

"Just moments ago, the Taiqing Immortal Sect, the Southern Aspect Yang Chuan, and the Shenfeng Empire simultaneously issued denunciations and declarations of war."

"The Taiqing Immortal Sect? Wasn't it destroyed two centuries ago? I heard that Lou Yujing was from the Taiqing Immortal Sect. Could it still have extant disciples? How did they end up allied with Shenfeng and the Hall of Martial Aspects?" someone exclaimed.

"Xiao Nanfeng seems to be the Heaven division leader of the Taiqing Immortal Sect at present," the prime minister explained.

"Oh?" Many officials were taken aback, though a large fraction was aware as well.

"Prime Minister, could you provide more information?" an official asked.

The prime minister turned to the emperor, who nodded. "Recite the denunciation."

"Understood!"

The officials all turned to the prime minister, who began, "The first denunciation is issued by the Taiqing Immortal Sect.

"In times of yore, the Taiqing Immortal Sect, once a bastion of righteousness and glory, had disciples spread far and wide across the world. One such was Lou Yujing. The sect granted him its full support and a tremendous quantity of resources to help him establish the Divine Empire of Hongyue in exchange for a tithe of fortune to help the sect advance into a holy land. Yet Lou Yujing, traitor and ingrate, attempted to eradicate the sect to avoid repaying the promised sums of fortune. Tens of thousands of Taiqing disciples and elders were killed in the calamity, and its ancestral lands, now the city of Taixu, were taken over. Even that did not suffice for Lou Yujing. His underlings exhumed the Taiqing dead and forged their specters and residual spirits into a relic, torturing and taking advantage of them even in death. The Taiqing Immortal Sect hereby denounces Lou Yujing as a cold-blooded murderer and demon whose death is rightly deserved. Though 231 years have passed since the calamity that befell Taiqing, its disciples will never forget the deeds that Lou Yujing wrought. As our ancestors watch over us, we shall march to Hongyue for his head! Death to the traitor and ingrate of the Taiqing Immortal Sect!"

All the officials took a deep breath.

"Shocking," an official murmured.

"If this is true, I can understand why Lou Yujing engenders such hatred. I only knew that the Taiqing Immortal Sect collapsed due to an internal schism, but it seems that it was orchestrated entirely by Lou Yujing."

"'A cold-blooded murderer and demon'..."

"This denunciation will surely win the sympathy of many. If these crimes can be corroborated, it's clear that the Taiqing Immortal Sect stands on the moral high ground."

The officials eyed each other and nodded.

"The second denunciation is issued by Yang Chuan.

"Few knew of the black coffin that lay hidden in the Southeastern Aquatic Palace until Lou Yujing ostentatiously stationed a garrison around it and attracted the world's attention. He used the black coffin to repair a damaged treasure, then to aid a white ape in breaking through to the Boundless Immortal realm, in order to lure cultivators across the world to surge into the coffin's hidden realm for the express purpose of strengthening the zombies within. Lou Yujing trapped the cultivators within the hidden realm, killed numerous Boundless Immortals, and transformed them into zombies for his nefarious ends. He mastered an ancestral zombie and thereby gained control of the entire horde of zombies, and is the perpetrator of countless deaths. His zombie army must be fed and nourished by daily human flesh and blood—but when has such a drawback ever stopped Lou Yujing? He even permitted his subordinate, Li Qianjun, to slaughter all the people of Taixu in order to enhance a relic. As the calamity of the heavens looms, I, Yang Chuan, Southern Aspect of the Imperial Court, implore the world to join me in taking down the demon Lou Yujing. You may do nothing now as he feasts on another sect. You may do nothing in the future as he takes down another empire. Who, then, will be left to do anything to him when he comes for you? Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

The officials made even more of a ruckus as Yang Chuan's denunciation was read out.

"Did Lou Yujing really gain control of a zombie horde?"

"That's obvious, isn't it? Lou Yujing must have headed to the Southeastern Aquatic Palace to bring that zombie horde out of the black coffin. Then, he used them immediately in a siege against Yongding. Xiao Nanfeng and Yang Chuan were both there. What a frightening battle! The ancestral zombie didn't admit to being Lou Yujing, but it's not hard to guess its identity, is it?"

"A zombie horde has to feast on human flesh daily, doesn't it? Do you think Lou Yujing might try to take down our empire?"

"Think about the scale of that army! He'd have to conquer a city a day to kill enough people to maintain it."

The officials were shaken and disturbed by the news.

"The third denunciation is issued by the Shenfeng Empire.

"The Shenfeng Empire has been righteous and just in its dealing with its fellow empires since its founding, repaying kindness with kindness and grudge with grudge. During its recent imperial examination, it was attacked by Hongyue representatives. Despite taking no action against them, it was then attacked by Hongyue once again. Two Boundless Immortals of Hongyue sought to destroy Shenfeng's capital. No longer will the Shenfeng Empire ignore these provocations. Lou Yujing is a demon in human guise. Traitor to his sect, butcher of his empire, demon to his foes. His repeated provocations will surely result in calamity for Shenfeng's people if he is left unchecked. Shenfeng invites the Taiqing Immortal Sect and the Martial Aspects of the Imperial Court to ally against Hongyue and take down the demon Lou Yujing. We will not suffer demons. Let them die, die, die, die, die!"

Silence reigned in the court as the third denunciation was read out. Then, the officials began shouting all at once.

"I knew the Divine Emperor was trying to advance her empire into a divine empire, but I didn't expect that she would do so so quickly. It's only been a few months, but Shenfeng is already launching another war! That's crazy."

"Allying with the Taiqing Immortal Sect and Yang Chuan? Is the Divine Emperor going to take advantage of these feuds to conquer Hongyue?"

"A fivefold 'die'—the Divine Emperor must be determined. War really is going to break out again, isn't it?"

"The whole world's attention is going to be on Hongyue now!"

The officials were all taken aback.

Under ordinary circumstances, no empire would ever dare take on a divine empire alone. Alliances of multiple empires were standard, and only when the divine empire was suffering from internal strife.

The Shenfeng Empire, however, seemed intent on taking on Hongyue alone. Few empires would ever do such a thing—no, Dazheng had done so before. Now, Shenfeng was following in its footsteps!

"Your Majesty, the impact of the three simultaneous denunciations will be felt across the world," an official murmured.

The emperor nodded. "An ordinary empire taking on a divine one is significant news."

"Shenfeng and Hongyue's war is looming over the horizon, and we're caught between them. How should we respond?" the prime minister asked, inviting officials to state their thoughts.

The officials fell silent. The slightest misstep could result in calamity, and no one wanted to offer a potentially flawed solution. They all looked toward the emperor.

"What do you think, Prime Minister?" the emperor asked.

"I remember Xiao Nanfeng's Stratagems Against Yin, which sketched out how he took down Dayin with limited manpower and resources. He too started by issuing a denunciation and inviting other forces to take down Dayin alongside him. He even sent delegations to many empires seeking an alliance. At the time, many lost out on an incredible opportunity because they were too cautious to participate. I believe we have to take advantage of this opportunity this time."

"Do you suggest that we take on Hongyue alongside Shenfeng, then?"

The prime minister shook his head. "No. I believe we ought to participate, but which faction we side with should depend on what benefits they promise to us."

The officials glanced at each other and nodded thoughtfully.

"If I'm not mistaken, envoys from the two empires will be arriving shortly," the prime minister continued.

"Indeed. We ought to think about which side will promise us more profit."

"Wise you are, Prime Minister! We should negotiate for the best terms."

Many officials agreed with the prime minister's suggestion, but the emperor felt somehow uneasy about the whole situation.

In the imperial study in Hongyue's capital, Lou Yujing's face was grim as he stared at the three denunciations. Then, with a bang, he tossed the three scrolls at the wall.

"Husband, what are we going to do? It's almost like what happened when Xiao Nanfeng took down Dayin! What should we do? Pacify the neighboring empires around us?" Tu Jiuniang exclaimed.

"Absolutely not! There's no such need. If they dare attack, I'll have my zombie army take down their capital. They're not worth our time," Lou Yujing said.

"I understand." Tu Jiuniang nodded, though she was concerned by her consort's vehemence.

In the palatial valley of Shenfeng's capital, Xiao Nanfeng was glancing through the documents neatly arranged on his table as the Divine Emperor peeled him some fruit.

"We've formally declared war on Hongyue. Shall we send envoys to the neighboring empires to prevent Hongyue from seizing control of them first?" the Divine Emperor asked.

"Ignore them. They're weak and hardly worth our time to bother with."

"Oh?"

"Shenfeng has far more resources than Dazheng did when it took on Dayin. We don't need allies," Xiao Nanfeng explained.

"Very well!" The Divine Emperor nodded.

A day later, a certain empire's prime minister spoke with several officials in charge of their empire's information network.

"Have Shenfeng's envoys been around?"

"No."

"And Hongyue's envoys?"

"We haven't seen them either."

"How can that be? Do they not intend to bother with us?!" the prime minister thundered.