Emperor Wuping’s chest rose and fell heavily; he had always been under the protection of Founding Emperor Yan. Although his throne was shaky, he had never faced a true life-and-death crisis.
At that moment, the sword was so close that he instinctively felt his chest rise and fall rapidly, and his throat moved up and down, but he still didn’t say a word.
"Since the late emperor ruled, Great Yan has shown signs of being at the end of its dynasty and its days are numbered."
"What has allowed the Great Yan Imperial Court to continue until today is not my ordinary achievements as Emperor Wuping, but the efforts of our founding ancestor who strengthened the legacy of Great Yan."
"Great Yan should have perished long ago!" Emperor Wuping cried out loudly.
"You are stubborn and foolish!" The Founding Emperor Yan’s gaze became sharper; he stepped forward and pressed down with the Human Emperor Sword.
Emperor Wuping’s neck was cut open by the sharp blade, blood flowing continuously, and as he was pushed down, he fell to the ground next to a nearby box.
The box was knocked over by his body, and the papers scattered all over the ground.
The loyal Flying Fish Guard Chu Xing instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword but soon stood there in confusion, unable to move.
"From now on, there will be no Great Yan! No matter what means are used, it will be useless; it is you, our ancestor, who is stubborn!"
"Today, I ask you to let go of Great Yan, cast aside your identity as the Great Sea Stabilizer, and do what you wish to do, the unfinished business!"
Founding Emperor Yan, holding the Human Emperor Sword, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Only then did he barely understand that Emperor Wuping, at this critical moment, speaking of great military drills and opening a parliament, meant for Great Yan to fall… was hiding a true intention.
Explaining his unfinished business is naturally one part.
And the other part… is right in front of him.
Emperor Wuping has his unfinished business, a great ambition unlike any emperor before or since.
As for Founding Emperor Yan, he should also have his own unfinished business.
"No…" Founding Emperor Yan hesitated slightly; his earlier anger faded a bit, and he said lightly:
"Without Great Yan, I would just be a lonely spirit that has lived for three or four hundred years."
"So, what about before the Great Yan Imperial Court was established?" Emperor Wuping asked again.
Founding Emperor Yan looked at the Human Emperor Sword in his hand and was momentarily speechless.
If everything is beyond repair, no matter how hard he tries, the Great Yan Imperial Court cannot continue.
If he let go of his identity as the pillar of the Great Yan Imperial Court and stopped worrying about its survival, what would he do?
What were his wishes and responsibilities?
Founding Emperor Yan did not speak, but inside, his thoughts were like raging waves, each one eager to surface.
He was not born as the ancestor of the Great Yan Imperial Court.
Founding Emperor Yan is not his name.
In a person’s life, there are many identities: a son, an emperor, a father, and an ancestor.
When he was young, he was just a true martial artist, brave and good at fighting, with nothing else.
Later, after leading the refugees to rise up, he gained other identities.
Eventually, he became the founding emperor of Great Yan, with the posthumous title of Founding Emperor Yan.
He returned to the world as Prince Yan Shenji to take revenge for his grandson, making the name Yan Shenji famous in the martial arts world.
After that, he became a martial arts master who sat quietly in the deep palace, a steady force for the Great Yan Imperial Court.
The young martial artist always led the charge, fighting bravely at the front lines of battle.
The three-hundred-year-old royal ancestor chose not to fight during the Inhuman War and avoided battles he could not win.
Everything he did was for the survival of the Great Yan Imperial Court and the royal family.
The establishment of the Great Yan Imperial Court was his greatest achievement in his youth and the obsession that lasted for three or four hundred years.
So, what if he let go of this identity and no longer worried about the survival of the Great Yan Imperial Court?
Founding Emperor Yan held the Human Emperor Sword in his hand and murmured:
"Someone like me should die on the battlefield."
Lying on the ground, Emperor Wuping pointed at the bloodied Human Emperor Sword in Founding Emperor Yan’s hand and said:
"Ancestor’s sword is not the emperor’s sword or the monarch’s sword."
"Since the Human Emperor Sword has revealed the fortune of the dynasty, it has become an important weapon of the nation, but its original name was… Human Emperor Sword."
At that moment, Emperor Wuping got up from the ground, brushed off the dust from his dragon robe, and adjusted his crown.
Then he said to Founding Emperor Yan with deep feelings:
"A great disaster is coming, and no action can save us; we can only survive by chance."
"Our ancestor has guarded the Great Yan Imperial Court for more than three hundred years, allowing the Great Yan dynasty to continue until now."
"But today, I ask our ancestor not to worry about the survival of Great Yan, and to focus only on unfinished matters and the things you wish to accomplish."
He paused, bowed deeply to Founding Emperor Yan, and said sincerely:
"Our ancestor does not need to fight for Great Yan anymore."
"Today, I ask our ancestor to face death!"
As his words fell, all the ministers were astonished.
Only Founding Emperor Yan, after listening, smiled and felt relieved.
He slowly wiped the blood from the edge of the Human Emperor Sword, then turned the blade and placed it back into its sheath.
He took one last look at Emperor Wuping and locked eyes with him.
"It has been nearly four hundred years," Founding Emperor Yan sighed deeply.
He patted Emperor Wuping’s shoulder and said earnestly:
"My Yan family has given birth to a dragon."
Three to four hundred years have passed, and finally, a descendant in the royal family dared to speak such rebellious words, expressing the deepest desire in Founding Emperor Yan’s heart.
Beneath the most prominent identity of Founding Emperor Yan.
At first, he was simply a pure martial artist.
So, over ninety years ago during the Inhuman War, he, the Founding Emperor Yan, sealed himself within the palace after the hundred-thousand strong army was destroyed in the Hundred-mile Desert, avoiding battle with the Immortal Gate.
And today, he is no longer the ancestor of the Great Yan Imperial Court.
From now on, the Great Yan is no more.
Therefore, as a fallen nation’s founder, he must do what he wishes to do but has not done.
"A person like me should die bravely on the battlefield."
Then, he turned around and walked outward step by step.
The officials outside the palace unconsciously stepped aside, creating a wide path, like waves parting around rocks.
The Founding Emperor Yan strode forward decisively, not looking back.
The officials stood in silence, gazing at the departing figure of the Founding Emperor Yan.
Emperor Wuping also looked a bit sad, but he did not speak to stop him.
It was only when the figure of Founding Emperor Yan disappeared from sight that Nian Chao Sheng finally appeared.
As soon as he appeared, he bowed to Emperor Wuping and apologized. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel-fire.ɴet
"Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Emperor Wuping did not look away and continued to gaze at the direction where Founding Emperor Yan had left.
Nian Chao Sheng felt a little awkward, but he gathered his courage and continued,
"What I said before about a glimmer of hope was actually a lie."
"When I mentioned the Human Emperor Sword, even though it has become an important national treasure, it is not as it seems. It is more like a King’s Sword or an Imperial Sword."
"Even if the Human Emperor Sword becomes a true Human Emperor Sword, there will always be a huge difference between the mortal and the immortal."
"Whether the founder avoided battle or fought bravely, he had no chance of winning against the True Immortal."
At this point, Emperor Wuping turned his gaze away and glanced at him with a calm expression.
"In this world, you are not the only clever person, Nian Chao Sheng."
"I know about this matter, and the founder knows it too."
Nian Chao Sheng looked up, his eyes showing his undisguised surprise.
"The ancestor did not leave to fight for Great Yan or for survival; he certainly understands this clearly," Emperor Wuping said slowly.
Emperor Wuping turned to look at the palace of Founding Emperor Yan, where countless officials and generals filled the inside and outside of the palace, but the one who should have been in there was already gone and would never return.