piratefiction Chapter 155 Refusing to Bow Before the Emperor!
Chapter 155 Refusing to Bow Before the Emperor!
Chapter 155 Refusing to Bow Before the Emperor!
In July, the bustling and noisy atmosphere of the capital city was still palpable.
The morning light cast a faint glow on the martial arts training ground of the Imperial Academy, illuminating a solemn scene.
One hundred outstanding young people stood tall like pine trees, lined up in neat rows.
They came from thousands of cities and towns in the Xia Kingdom, all of them at the peak of body tempering, bearing blue attributes, and were true prodigies who stood out in the city competitions.
Everyone was full of vigor and vitality, their eyes burning with aspirations for the future and the spirit of youth.
Those who appear here are all potential future rulers of a city.
Today is the highlight of their lives: they travel to the capital and then enter the palace to meet the emperor.
He then studied at the Imperial Academy for ten years, and based on his talent, he was given the choice to either continue his studies or transfer to a city lord management position.
This is an unparalleled honor, but also a heavy responsibility.
But among these hundred people, one figure inadvertently blended in.
Ye Li stood casually, dressed in simple white clothes, carrying an ancient longsword on his back, his expression indifferent, even with a hint of barely perceptible laziness.
Looking around at the empty space within several feet, I wondered if the matchmaking system was malfunctioning.
The group of people around me who have reached the peak of body tempering have the following record: winning is not the same as winning a city battle.
Then Ye Li began to fight against the half-step Xiantian from Kyoto.
If he wanted to, he could kill all 99 people with a single sword strike, thanks to the aftershocks he created.
Let alone comparing them to Ye Li, even Jiang Xiyue, who was suppressed by Ye Li and begged for mercy every day, could easily kill these people.
"The time has come! Prodigy, step forward, board the carriage, and tour the capital!"
A loud announcement broke the silence of the training ground.
The heavy courtyard gate slowly opened, revealing a huge crowd of Beijing residents who had been eagerly waiting outside.
Under the guidance of their instructors, the hundred prodigies filed out and boarded the beautifully decorated convertibles that had been prepared beforehand.
The carriage was made of precious wood, adorned with red decorations, and pulled by a magnificent dragon-blood horse.
As is customary, they will parade through the main streets of the capital, receiving the attention of the masses and enjoying the glory of being the pride of the nation.
Following the order, Ye Li was assigned to a car in the middle, blending in without being conspicuous.
However, as the convoy slowly drove out of the martial arts academy gate and merged into the bustling streets, an unexpected scene unfolded.
"Look! It's Ye Li! That white-robed sword demon!"
"Where? Where? Oh my god, it really is him! He's even younger than the rumors said!"
"It was him, the one who single-handedly took down the Jiang family with just his sword, even defeating a powerful cultivator at the Transformation Realm?"
"Hiss—impressive aura indeed!"
"Look! Look! He's looking this way!"
The moment Ye Li appeared in the public eye, he instantly ignited the entire long street.
The gazes that were originally scattered among the hundred prodigies were drawn together like a magnet and focused on the young man in white.
The gasps, whispers, and gasps of surprise blended together, creating an atmosphere far more intense than the combined noise of the ninety-nine cars.
The crowd surged forward, eager to catch a glimpse of the man who had been stirring up trouble in Kyoto in recent months.
This can be said to be the most exciting edition of the "Hundred Talents Tour of Beijing" ever.
After a month of fermentation, Ye Li's story had already spread like wildfire in teahouses, taverns, and streets.
The mere sight of the real person at this moment overshadowed everything else.
Since ancient times, stories of talented men and beautiful women have always attracted attention.
But ordinary people have had enough of tragic love stories like Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, where the protagonists suffer great hardships and ultimately commit suicide together.
Don't mention tragic endings (BE) stories.
Those artsy, intellectual types would be grateful if they didn't fall ill and let you slip in a couple of cuckolding stories.
When news spread that Ye Li's great victory over the Jiang family was solely to retrieve his beloved, and that he had actually succeeded...
This vivid and exciting novel in the real world has directly generated countless positive public opinions.
The gazes of countless young girls filled with romantic longing, the eyes of martial artists filled with awe, and the excitement of ordinary people watching the spectacle all converged and were directed at Ye Li.
He became the undisputed absolute focus.
Those brilliant talents who should have been shining brightly appeared somewhat dim and lackluster in comparison to Ye Li, becoming mere background figures in this grand parade.
This stark contrast caused many proud and arrogant geniuses to frown, their hearts filled with mixed feelings, yet they felt helpless.
Ye Li seemed oblivious to this, or rather, completely indifferent.
He leaned against the carriage railing, his gaze calmly sweeping over the bustling crowds and towering buildings on both sides, when suddenly his eyes lit up.
Amidst the crowd, Jiang Xiyue stood gracefully atop the pavilion.
At this moment, she was waving her arms vigorously and calling out Ye Li's name together with the women around her.
Subconsciously, Ye Li smiled and raised his hand to swing in that direction, immediately causing the girls in Jiang Xiyue's location to gasp in surprise.
In these days, as the story unfolds, a poignant tale has been woven, allowing countless young women of marriageable age to identify with it.
Ye Li's actions at this moment were like detonating a nuclear bomb somewhere.
"Look over here, Young Master Ye is looking at me!"
"Aaaaaaah, I can't take it anymore."
"Ye Li, look at me! Ye Li, look at me!"
"I love dawn! I love dawn!"
The grand ceremony of the "Tianjiao Tour of Beijing" came to a close amidst the thunderous cheers and overwhelming attention of the people.
The motorcade finally stopped outside the majestic and solemn Chengtian Gate.
Guided by officials from the Ministry of Rites, the hundred outstanding talents straightened their clothes, passed through numerous palaces, and finally arrived at the spacious white marble square in front of the Golden Palace.
Huge golden pillars with coiled dragons support the magnificent palace, and the glazed tiles shimmer with dazzling golden light under the spring sunshine.
The towering gates and the dim lighting inside added to the mystery and majesty of the palace.
"Summon—the outstanding talents of the Xia Kingdom, to—an—meet—!"
A sharp, penetrating call to prayer echoed from the depths of the main hall, reverberating across the square.
Under the guidance of the master of ceremonies, Tianjiao lowered his head and entered the Golden Palace in order.
The hall was extremely spacious, with civil and military officials standing on both sides, each with a deep aura and piercing eyes, all of them at the Acquired Realm.
An indescribable sense of immense pressure permeated the air, causing the hearts of these young people, who were just entering the hall of fame, to race and even unconsciously to breathe softly.
At the far end of the main hall, atop the nine-tiered steps, sat the supreme ruler of the Great Xia Dynasty—Emperor Yixia.
The Xia Emperor wore a bright yellow dragon robe and a twelve-tassel crown. A beaded curtain hung down, obscuring most of his face, leaving only a vague outline of his majestic features.
He did not deliberately exude an aura, but simply sitting upright on the dragon throne, relying on his power to govern the four seas of the Great Xia, made the group of Body Tempering Perfection cultivators feel terrified.
"Kneel! Pay your respects to Your Majesty!"
As the master of ceremonies' signature tone of announcing the ceremony began—
Pfft!Pfft!Pfft!
Like wheat fields swaying in the wind, the officials and guards standing in the hall, as well as the ninety-nine prodigies in front of and behind Ye Li, all knelt down in unison, their foreheads touching the ground, performing the full prostration.
Their movements were swift and precise, imbued with a deep-seated reverence and obedience rooted in ancient etiquette.
Apart from a few veterans like Su Xingcheng, everyone else knelt down.
Inside the vast Golden Palace, only the faint sound of robes rubbing against the floor tiles could be heard for a moment.
However, amidst this orderly and uniform crowd of kneeling people, one figure stood straight, conspicuously out of place like a crane among chickens!
Ye Li!
He maintained the same posture he had when he entered the main hall, his figure as straight as a sword. He calmly passed through the hanging beaded curtain and looked directly at the figure on the steps.
Dressed in white, as white as snow, he stood out like a solitary lamp in the dark amidst the crowd of officials in dark robes and tight-fitting clothes.
No kneeling! No bowing! No bending of the knees!
He didn't even lower his head an inch!
The air in the entire Golden Palace seemed to have been sucked out instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Countless gazes, like arrows, were fixed on Ye Li.
Some of the prodigies kneeling on the ground couldn't help but secretly raise their eyes.
When he saw the lone white figure standing there, his pupils contracted sharply, and a tidal wave of shock surged through his heart! How dare he?!
Xia Changhan's beaded curtain swayed gently as he stared at Ye Li, who refused to kneel before the emperor, his eyes filled with deep displeasure.
How could he not have heard of Ye Li's name?
The first thing Wei Guanlan, the former director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, did upon returning to the capital was to exaggerate Ye Li's arrogance tenfold or a hundredfold.
If it were an ordinary person who had just reached the peak of body tempering, and dared to show disrespect to the emperor's envoy, they would have been executed long ago.
But before Xia Changhan could make a move, Ye Li's actions after entering the capital far exceeded Xia Changhan's expectations, and now he has become too powerful to control.
"How dare you! Ye Li! You—you dare to behave disrespectfully before the Emperor and defy His Majesty! Kneel down at once!"
A shrill voice roared from the mouth of the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
"Say it again?"
Ye Li coldly turned his head: "You want me to kneel before a mere day after tomorrow?"
Then, to everyone's astonishment...
Ye Li stared directly at Emperor Xia, who was within a hundred paces, and lightly raised his right hand to grasp the Cup Shadow Sword.
As true energy was injected, the sword energy emitted a faint ringing sound.
"What is this guy doing?!"
Everyone stared in shock at the figure who dared to draw his sword against the Xia Emperor.
His eyes showed no fear, only discontent and fighting spirit: "Wait until the Xia Emperor can withstand one of my swords before you kneel!"
"How dare you! Are you trying to rebel?! Protect the Emperor!"
The eunuch's shrill voice echoed throughout the imperial court.
Several figures, fast as ghosts and accompanied by fierce winds, shot out from every corner of the shadows in the main hall in an instant!
They wore the black robes unique to the inner court, had pale faces and no beards, and their eyes contained extreme coldness and killing intent!
They were castrated eunuchs trained in the palace using secret methods, who were severed from all emotions and desires and only knew how to protect the emperor!
Each of them exuded a deep and abyss-like aura, clearly indicating that they were all experts at the half-step innate level!
These people were eunuchs who were brainwashed and trained in the palace at great cost after being castrated from a young age.
Because his body was incomplete, his reproductive organs had been completely removed by a secret method.
This part of the meridians cannot be reshaped unless it is reshaped with great magical power; otherwise, it will be difficult to reach the innate realm of regenerating flesh and blood in this lifetime.
At this moment, these eunuchs stood in front of Emperor Xia, trying to shield him from the terrifying pressure of the sword coming at him!
Xia Changhan stared intently at Ye Li, showing no sign of being protected, only a sense of crisis as if a long sword were pressed against his throat.
Xia Changhan ascended the throne at the age of twenty-five. In the thirteen years since then, he is facing the threat of death for the first time.
A common man's anger can cause blood to splatter five steps away, and the world to be draped in mourning!
If Ye Li insists on drawing his sword at this moment, he might be overwhelmed and captured by the entire court.
But he also faces the risk of being cut down!
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