DiploNovel Chapter 510 : Jiangdong No-Limits Fighting Tournament!
Chapter 510 : Jiangdong No-Limits Fighting Tournament!
Tianwu Hall, Xuanwu Gate.The cultivators of the Royal Guard Division were ultimately lacking in foundation, and the combat power granted by incense-path divinity was far too weak—they truly could not even compare to the officials of the Dao Court.
Adding to that, Lü Yang had issued an order forbidding the use of force.
Thus, under the charge of the officials, the human wall formed by the Royal Guard Division was pushed back again and again, and the divine incense light began to crack, allowing sound to penetrate into the depths of Tianwu Hall.
“What's going on?”
In the inner palace, Empress Xiao awoke from meditation, her elegant brows slightly furrowed. She had been comprehending the mysteries of 【Seven Luminaries Heaven】, but was suddenly interrupted by a wave of unease.
At that thought, she immediately activated her divine sense.
Then, she saw the scene outside Xuanwu Gate, and her expression changed slightly: “Is this... a palace coup? Such audacity! Are they really trying to tear all pretenses apart?”
Empress Xiao’s beautiful face turned ashen. She had never expected such an intense reaction from the officials. In this situation, she and the Crown Prince Longxing had no choice but to appear—at the very least, they had to meet them and ask about their intentions. Otherwise, if things truly escalated, it would plunge the entire Dao Court into even greater turmoil.
‘Could it be that Du Huan acted too aggressively?’
‘If that’s the case, then it’s easily resolved—just throw Du Huan out to take the blame. A pity, I thought that demon dragon might have been smarter than this…’
Empress Xiao's thoughts spun rapidly.
But in the next moment, her beautiful eyes abruptly froze. From afar, she saw smoke and dust rising to the heavens and heard uniform, rhythmic footsteps.
“Dong. Dong! Dong!”
The sound was like thunder. Soon after, she saw troops clad in heavy, face-covered armor, wielding black-red court staves, marching out from the dust clouds toward Xuanwu Gate.
“The Capital Garrison!?”
“You—what are you trying to do!?”
“I am a jinshi of the imperial examination from Jiayou 543! The Capital Garrison dares to deploy without orders? Do you not realize this is a grave crime!?”
The only response to these rebukes was a court staff smashing down.
“Bang!”
A muffled sound rang out, like the whistle signaling the start of a match. In the next second, all the soldiers of the Capital Garrison charged into the crowd of officials like wolves into a flock of sheep.
As soldiers of the Capital Garrison, their official ranks were the lowest ninth-grade. But like the Five Commanders of the Garrison, once they formed into military formations, these ranks combined into a hierarchical structure that absolutely suppressed all officials below the fifth rank—this accounted for ninety percent of the officials present.
As for the Foundation Establishment officials, they were to be handled personally by the Five Commanders.
With Lü Yang’s promise of generous rewards, and a bit of assistance from 【String-Pulling Puppet】, the morale of the Capital Garrison was at an all-time high.
The scene truly resembled wolves tearing through sheep.
In an instant, the area outside Xuanwu Gate echoed with ghostly wails and anguished howls, the air thick with the stench of blood. The Royal Guard Division, which had just been retreating, now surged forth once again.
“Sir! Stop hitting us! Please stop!”
Several officials, beaten into a huddle by Capital Garrison soldiers, had their previous righteous fury vanish in an instant. They howled miserably: “We were just passing by—”
“Bang!”
Before the sentence finished, a cultivator from the Royal Guard Division dashed forward and smashed a court staff across the speaker’s face, sending a spray of blood and shattered teeth flying.
Then, that cultivator turned seriously to the Capital Garrison soldiers: “You're lacking in experience. If you've already smashed someone with a court staff, how can they still talk? Come, let me show you. Watch and learn—only this way will Lord Du Huan see your loyalty!”
Very soon, this brawl turned into a full-blown no-limits tournament.
More and more officials tried to escape via light-flight, but the cultivators of the Capital Garrison and Royal Guard Division chased relentlessly, their court staves swinging so fast they left afterimages.
“T-This...”
Inside Tianwu Hall, Empress Xiao’s beautiful eyes widened. On the other side, the Crown Prince Longxing was similarly stunned, clearly not understanding the situation.
“What happened?”
The Crown Prince swallowed nervously, then looked to Empress Xiao for help. She, however, recovered from her brief shock almost instantly.
‘...Such audacity!’
The same phrase, but now it was aimed not at the officials—but at Lü Yang. She never imagined that Lü Yang would dare to do something like this!
Thinking of this, Empress Xiao's brows furrowed even deeper:
‘More importantly—what kind of demonic trick did he use to make all five Garrison Commanders obey him? This makes no sense at all!’
For the first time, Empress Xiao felt she might have misjudged someone.
In her plan, the Capital Garrison should be loyal only to the royal family. There was no way Lü Yang could control them—unless she herself stepped forward. That way, Lü Yang would bear all the blame, and she would reap the benefits.
But reality turned out completely different.
Not only the Garrison Commanders loyal to the Tianwu Royal Clan—but even those originally loyal to the Three Dukes inexplicably changed sides and followed Lü Yang!
‘Miscalculated… This is bad!’
At that moment, Empress Xiao suddenly realized her own dangerous position: once he controlled the Capital Garrison, that demon dragon would surely covet her Imperial Talisman!
In a flash, Empress Xiao felt a piercing chill across her skin. A powerful sense of crisis surged over her, as if a giant hand was crushing her.
‘Where is Du Huan? Where did Du Huan go!?’
—This was Empress Xiao’s question, as well as the question of the Junior Mentor, Junior Guardian, and Junior Preceptor who were secretly observing the situation.
Where was that demon dragon now?
Li Taian immediately turned to look at Junior Preceptor Zheng Pingyi.
However, after frowning in spiritual sense for a while, Zheng Pingyi shook his head: “I can’t sense any aura at all. He very likely left Tianwu City in secret.”
“Left? Impossible!”
Li Taian shook his head outright, then gritted his teeth: “No matter what, keep your eyes on the palace. That demon dragon wants the Imperial Talisman—he must enter the palace to get it!”
At that moment, Empress Xiao, the Crown Prince, the Junior Mentor, Junior Guardian, and Junior Preceptor—all five perfected Foundation Establishment True Persons—spread out their divine senses, almost completely covering the entire interior and exterior of Xuanwu Gate, sealing it tightly. Under such surveillance, almost no one could enter the palace unnoticed.
“Attend me!”
At that moment, Empress Xiao suddenly spoke in a low voice: “Transmit my decree. Summon the Five Garrison Commanders to the palace. I will receive them personally and inquire about the situation in the Capital Garrison.”
This was a chance!
‘Though I don’t know why, Du Huan is clearly not here. Take this opportunity to see if the Garrison Commanders can be turned to my side.’
At this thought, a cold glint flashed in Empress Xiao’s eyes:
‘If it works, then great. If not—if the Garrison Commanders have truly fallen to evil arts—then I’ll have them all executed. Better than letting them fall into enemy hands!’
There was only one question left: would the Five Garrison Commanders obey the summons?
Under Empress Xiao’s tense gaze, the Garrison Commanders—still in the midst of the fighting tournament—stopped immediately upon hearing the eunuch's announcement.
“Your humble subjects obey the decree!”
Without the slightest hesitation, the five commanders accepted the edict.
Seeing this, Empress Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, once they entered Tianwu Hall, they would be at her mercy.
After all, the Five Commanders could only regulate the Dao Court with the Imperial Talisman. Without it, they were just third-rank officials—Empress Xiao could blow them away with a breath. With this, the situation might still be salvageable.
Soon, the Five Commanders entered Tianwu Hall.
As they entered, the divine senses of Li Taian and the others followed closely, only to be cut off by Empress Xiao’s cold snort outside the hall.
Immediately after, Empress Xiao expelled the Crown Prince as well.
For no other reason than this—if the Five Commanders refused to submit, she was prepared to kill. And the fewer who witnessed such things, the better.
“Generals...”
Empress Xiao chose her words carefully, then spoke gently, intending to first probe whether the Five Commanders were truly under Lü Yang’s control.
Then she froze.
One, two, three… There were clearly only five Garrison Commanders—yet she suddenly saw a sixth person.
A handsome face, a composed smile, a perfected Foundation Establishment aura, and a half-human, half-dragon qi that made his identity unmistakable.
Lü Yang cupped his hands and smiled: “Greetings, Empress.”
In an instant, all fell silent.
At that moment, even Empress Xiao’s mind stalled. She couldn’t comprehend how Lü Yang had gotten here.
Though the answer was quite simple:
『I’ve got a cheat.』
Golden Talent · Mediocre Nobody!
【Mediocre Nobody: You can actively diminish your presence. The more people there are in the area, the harder it is for anyone to notice you.】
In the next second, before Empress Xiao could even speak, Lü Yang’s expression turned solemn:
“Capital Garrison, attention!”
“Salute the Empress!”
As his words fell, the Five Commanders of the Capital Garrison all stomped in unison and raised their arms to their sides: “Loyal! And! True!”
Seeing this, Empress Xiao instinctively took a step back, her red lips trembling, her beautiful eyes filled with wariness—like a sheep cornered by a wolf.
“Y-You... what exactly are you trying to do?”
Lü Yang stepped forward and said coolly:
“According to Royal Guard Division investigations and confession from the Minister of Military Affairs, Dutian Division—this court’s Junior Preceptor, Junior Guardian, and Junior Mentor have all colluded with the Demon Sect and are suspected of plotting to assassinate His Majesty.”
“I ask Her Majesty to grant me the Imperial Talisman and approve their arrest.”