Chapter 144: The Born Emperor

The might and grandeur of the five thousand Ming soldiers surpassed all imagination! Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, and Zhou Yu all wore solemn expressions.

Zhuge Liang spoke slowly, "Five thousand late-stage Golden Core cultivators? Truly, the Ming Dynasty deserves to be the strongest nation under heaven."

Upon hearing this, Fan Li was also moved. These five thousand Ming troops might not even represent the strongest forces of the Ming—perhaps they were merely the personal guards of the Wanli Emperor. Yet even so, five thousand late-stage Golden Core cultivators, both in quality and quantity, surpassed the standards of the Chu kingdom’s imperial guards. How many such formidable troops did the Ming still possess?

"Ministers of Chu, Han, Wei, and Wu, kneel at once!" The five thousand Ming soldiers roared again.

Of course, Fan Li would not kneel. But he suddenly realized that Wanli, who had not yet appeared, was a remarkably shrewd man, attentive to detail. He only commanded the ministers of the four kingdoms to kneel, deliberately avoiding naming the Holy Sovereign Jinde. Why? Was it to give her face? Or perhaps Wanli was showing his gentlemanly grace? No, Fan Li could not believe that. Having witnessed the domineering Jiajing Emperor and the pride of Zhang Juzheng, he knew the proud nobility of the Ming court would never nurture a humble and courteous heir apparent.

Hence, Fan Li concluded that Wanli feared the Holy Sovereign Jinde’s Mahayana-level cultivation and dared not offend her—nothing more. In other words, though the Ming army was vast, it likely lacked a Mahayana master commanding it.

Seeing through their bluff, Fan Li smiled. Suddenly, an idea struck him. Since the Holy Sovereign Jinde could intimidate the enemy, why not borrow her tiger’s might to bolster himself?

"All Ming forces, listen!" Fan Li suddenly shouted across.

"You and I are enemies, not friends! Chu, Han, Wei, Wu, and the Pure Land of Buddhist Sound are closely united allies. If you dare charge, we would rather die fighting alongside the Holy Sovereign than kneel in submission!"

The Holy Sovereign Jinde was baffled. Strange. Fan Li’s words seemed fine, but why did she feel so awkward? It felt as if she had been trapped.

She was about to argue that the Ming only ordered the ministers of the four kingdoms to kneel, not herself, but Zhuge Liang beat her to it.

"Lord Jin’s words are true! The four kingdoms and the Pure Land share honor and disgrace. We are bound to live and die with the Holy Sovereign!" Zhou Yu also said, "As soldiers of Eastern Wu, we stand ready to repel all foes with the Sovereign. Even if our last drop of blood dries up, we will never retreat!"

"Soldiers of Wei, heed my command!" Guo Jia ordered the few Wei troops. "The Holy Sovereign Jinde, a woman, personally ventured into the perilous Yunmeng Mountain. We owe the Wei Emperor our utmost loyalty. How dare we not repay with our lives?"

The Chu, Wei, Han, and Wu guards numbered just over a hundred but were all fervent. They shouted in unison: "We would rather die fighting!" "We would rather die fighting!" "We would rather die fighting!"

These hundred-plus were all powerful Nascent Soul cultivators. While not yet masters themselves, their combined presence rivaled that of the five thousand Golden Core troops opposite. Especially with Lü Bu present, his voice boomed like thunder. His ninth-grade Harmonious Dao power surged like a towering wave against the Ming ranks.

Fan Li laughed. Today, all were divine comrades! Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, and Zhou Yu seemed to share a tacit understanding with him. The five factions gathered just moments ago were now united as one against a common enemy!

"You... I..." The Holy Sovereign Jinde hesitated but finally chose silence. She suspected she had been used by Fan Li. But for now, the alliance between the four kingdoms and the Pure Land was paramount, so she dared not spoil the mood.

Suddenly! The Ming troops parted to both sides, clearing a path for a dragon carriage to emerge from their ranks.

Fan Li’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. A dragon carriage? The Jiajing Emperor was a rare and powerful sovereign; with him alive, how could Wanli dare use the imperial carriage? The person before them was clearly no tyrant like Dong Zhuo.

The only explanation was that Wanli was immensely favored, granted the emperor’s regalia and dragon carriage by Jiajing himself.

"The Ming Wanli? Truly extraordinary."
"The Azure Dragon gathers above, naturally bearing the aura of a cultured emperor."
"Generation after generation of formidable Ming rulers—how unjust the heavens!"

Guo Jia, Zhou Yu, and Zhuge Liang spoke one after another, their tones complicated and conflicted.

Fan Li also noticed a visible azure dragon circling above the dragon carriage, a manifestation of righteous energy.

The dragon symbolized imperial authority. The righteous energy embodied Confucian virtue. Together, they embodied the natural aura of a cultured emperor.

A figure emerged from the dragon carriage, clad in bright yellow robes, crowned with gold, handsome and radiating an extraordinary noble aura—a destined noble.

Fan Li’s mouth twitched as he thought, “This kid’s imperial aura is almost overflowing. Compared to him, what kind of emperor’s fate do I even have?”

“I am Wanli of the Great Ming,” the newcomer declared.

He swept his gaze over Fan Li and the others, smiling unfazed even in the presence of the Mahayana Holy Sovereign Jinde.

“Will you do me the courtesy of sparing face?” the Wanli Crown Prince asked with a smile.

Fan Li narrowed his eyes, unwilling to answer immediately. To respond to a question risked losing the momentum.

Zhuge Liang and the others remained silent, calmly watching Wanli.

But the Holy Sovereign Jinde lacked such tact and immediately asked, “What do you mean by sparing your face?”

Wanli laughed heartily. "Ha ha ha, easy to say, easy to say. Please, all of you, withdraw immediately to make things easier for me to capture Guiguzi. In the future, if you wish to change allegiance, my doors will always be open to you."

The Holy Sovereign Jinde was furious. “You!? Are you trying to humiliate us?”

Only now did she realize she had made a fool of herself, unwittingly giving Wanli a chance to assert his authority.

Everyone’s reactions were clearly noted by Wanli.

Suddenly, he called out to Lü Bu, "General, you must be Lord Wen Lü Fengxian? Would you not like to come to Ming? With your talents, why settle for a corner of Chu?"

“I... cough, Lord Jin has treated me well; Prince, no need to say more,” Lü Bu replied before Fan Li, refusing Wanli's offer, though his tone was hesitant.

Fan Li frowned. Impressive move! He had long heard of the Ming secret police’s prowess but only today learned how pervasive they were. Not only did they know Lü Bu had joined his ranks, but they also had probed his character and virtues.

Lü Bu was purely profit-driven.

Thinking this, Fan Li sneered, “The Ming has enemies on all sides, its situation precarious. What right do they have to mock Chu’s stability? Does the Crown Prince not know that Chu is the wealthiest under heaven, with treasures from all four seas gathered in Pengcheng?”

Calling the Ming precarious was, of course, alarmist, but boasting of Chu’s wealth was entirely true.

Under generations of the Fan family’s stewardship, Chu was the richest nation, and Pengcheng the most prosperous city on earth. Even the mighty Ming’s finances paled in comparison.

Hearing this, Lü Bu muttered to himself, “I joined the court for wealth and honor. Chu is already a land of riches, and Lord Jin is highly esteemed. Why hesitate to follow him?”

The first day of school is hectic, hence the late update. Here is another chapter—thank you all!

(End of chapter)