Journey to the West: I have Nine Golden Crows Inside Me-Chapter 1354: September 18, Red Emperor_2

"Disperse!"

"The fate of the Great Han has come to an end. Its destruction is the will of Heaven, and even if you persist, it’s useless. Nothing can be changed."

"Out of regard for the Son of Emperor Chi, I shall leave a bloodline for the Liu family so that they may live without worries."

Jiang Chen said to the Dragon Phoenix’s last lament before him.

Although he could easily erase its last lament, Liu Xiu was after all a former peerless great man. To directly eliminate his last lament was a bit too much.

As if understanding Jiang Chen’s intention, the Dragon Phoenix’s last lament let out a sound akin to the cry of a dragon and a phoenix before violently disintegrating, turning into a ball of flames, and burning toward the last of Great Han’s national fortune.

The fire of the Dragon Phoenix was intense, and in an instant, it burned the last of Great Han’s foundation to ashes.

"The heavenly mandate of Great Han has ended!"

Jiang Chen knew that what the Dragon Phoenix’s last lament burned was not only Great Han’s last fortune but also the prestige accumulated by generations of emperors. It was as if a fire had burned all of Great Han’s foundation.

The Great Han had ruled the world for over three hundred years, its governance deeply ingrained in people’s hearts. Everyone in the world considered themselves Han people. Even people of other ethnicities took pride in being able to become Han people.

Great Han could be easily destroyed, but people’s hearts are hard to change. Had it not been for the fire of the Dragon Phoenix that burned the three hundred years of people’s loyalty to ashes, Jiang Chen would have needed to spend a significant amount of time and effort to change people’s hearts even after destroying Great Han.

At this very moment, as the fire of the Dragon Phoenix extinguished, countless commoners throughout Great Han suddenly felt an emptiness in their hearts as if something extremely important had been lost.

However, no matter how they tried to remember, they could not recall what was lost. What they lost was their sense of belonging to Great Han, invisible and intangible, yet genuinely existing.

In the past, when they saw Great Han being destroyed, they would cry and reminisce. But now they wouldn’t, seeing Great Han’s destruction was like witnessing the death of a stranger; although they might feel sympathy, they would not feel it was related to them.

Ordinary people detected nothing amiss, but those with significant cultivation instantly sensed that something was wrong.

Within Luoyang City, many civil and military officials suddenly covered their chests with their hands, their faces showing a look of lost spirits.

"Where is the people’s loyalty to my Great Han?"

Some experts wept, yet their hearts did not show sorrow. Indeed, the people’s loyalty to Great Han was gone, but they could not find sorrow within themselves; they were crying because of their inability to feel sorrow.

Weeping for the inability to feel sad.

"How did the people’s loyalty to our Great Han vanish just like that?"

That faithful old minister of Great Han felt rage stirring in his heart, wishing to erupt and burn the entire world to ashes.

For a nation, even if the national fortune is lost, as long as the people’s loyalty remains, there is still hope to return to the pinnacle. But if the people’s loyalty is lost, then even with the national fortune intact, the nation will not last much longer.

This was also why, even though Great Han’s national fortune had previously vanished, those old ministers still harbored hope. Because Great Han’s loyalty remained, and with the people’s support, they still had a chance.

Now, with the people’s loyalty gone, their last hope had also disappeared.

"Has Heaven truly forsaken our Great Han?"

An official of Han Dynasty wailed in grief, his voice so piercing that it moved one to tears.

...

"All this cannot be destroyed. The Great Han’s rule over the world for over three hundred years has not been for naught."

Jiang Chen used his divine abilities, staring at Great Han for a long time. He thought Great Han’s vitality was exhausted, but unexpectedly, in the profound depths, there was still a glimmer of life in Great Han.

"Unfortunately, the heavenly decree is set, and even if a Saint were to intervene personally, Great Han could not be saved."

Withdrawing his gaze, Jiang Chen did not enter Luoyang City but continued to stay in his place, waiting silently. He knew that at this moment, the Son of Emperor Chi was on his way to meet him.

The Son of Emperor Chi, one of the five Emperors of Heaven Court, held a status equivalent to that of the Five Elders. Jiang Chen’s title as Lord of the Nine Heavens was also of this esteemed rank.

There are five Emperors in Heaven Court: White Emperor, Green Emperor, Black Emperor, Son of Emperor Chi, and Emperor Huang. All five Emperors are early-stage Quasi-Saints, each corresponding to one of the Innate Five Elements.

To speak of the origins of the Five Emperors, that too is related to the Human Race. In that Distant Ancient Era, Tiandi Haotian met an unexpected demise, and upon the collective nomination of the gods, it was the Human King who ascended to temporarily take charge of Heaven Court.

Since then, the Human Race produced five sovereigns known as the Five Elements Emperors. And every time an Emperor assumed the throne, Heaven and Earth would resonate, channeling the forces of the corresponding Five Elements to conceive an Innate Divine Guardian to proclaim the Emperor’s benevolence and majesty.

The Five Emperors are the Five Innate Divine Guardians.

Indeed, the so-called Five Emperors are the Divine Guardians of the Five Elements Emperors. Though they are not from the Human Race, they can still be considered a part of it, loyally devoted to the Five Elements Emperors.

If it were not so, Son of Emperor Chi Liu Bang’s descent to the Lower Realm to vie for the throne would not have gone so smoothly. Various forces, out of respect for Emperor Chi, chose not to contend with him.

Emperor Chi is the Divine Protector of the Han Dynasty, and the royal family of the Han is precisely his descendants left in the mortal world. Now with the imminent downfall of the Han Dynasty, he naturally could not sit idly by and had to meet with Jiang Chen no matter what, to understand his intentions.

There was no possibility of contending with him, nor could they have overpowered him. Emperor Chi’s visit was solely to safeguard his descendants. He genuinely feared that Jiang Chen, in a fit of rage, would exterminate the Liu family’s royal bloodline.

Had it been anyone else, Emperor Chi would not have been so worried. Counting on the favor owed to him, even if someone destroyed the Great Han, in consideration of his face, they would not bother the Liu family’s royal line too much.

But with Jiang Chen, it was different.

Too bloodthirsty!

Of all the previous Human Kings, which one wasn’t bloodthirsty? Yet, it was only directed outward, while internally they were still benevolent. Each one of them was a sage king, inwardly sage and outwardly king.

But Jiang Chen was the exception, killing the foreign races ruthlessly as well as being merciless internally. Anyone who opposed him, at the very least, would be decapitated, and at worst, their family would be eradicated.

Emperor Chi had good reason to be afraid!

If Jiang Chen, in a bout of anger, killed all his descendants, what could he do? He wouldn’t even dare seek revenge. Now, even if the Flame Emperor came, he might not be Jiang Chen’s match, let alone him.

...

Jiang Chen did not have to wait long before Emperor Chi arrived. A mass of crimson light emerged, and a majestic man clad in a fiery red robe appeared before Jiang Chen.

This was Emperor Chi, looking like a middle-aged man, and, to observe his features, he bore a striking resemblance to Jiang Chen.

Quite normal!

Emperor Chi, being a Divine Guardian of the Flame Emperor, was created by the Heavenly Dao in the image of the Flame Emperor and thus shared a great likeness to him.

As Jiang Chen was a 108th generation descendant of the Flame Emperor, due to the ancestral bloodline regression, his appearance shared some similarity to the Flame Emperor as well. Therefore, it was perfectly normal for Jiang Chen and Emperor Chi to look alike.

"I’ve seen the Star Lord!"

Aware that Jiang Chen was a personage as revered as a Saint, Emperor Chi did not dare to act presumptuously and hastened to greet him with a bow.

"Predecessor, you are too kind!"

Jiang Chen didn’t wait for Emperor Chi to bow before stepping forward and stopping him, not allowing him to continue with his salutation.

Emperor Chi was, after all, a Divine Guardian of the Flame Emperor, akin to family. Even if Jiang Chen was to display his power, he would not do so to his own kin.

"Congratulations are in order, predecessor, for your further advancement," Jiang Chen congratulated him with a nod after appraising Emperor Chi.

By now, Emperor Chi’s realm had stepped from the early stages of a Quasi-Saint into the mid-stages. It could only be said that ruling over the Great Han for more than three hundred years had brought him many benefits, at the very least allowing his cultivation to advance by a step.

"I am no match for the Star Lord!"

Had anyone else said this, Emperor Chi would surely have been happy. But hearing this from Jiang Chen, he could not find joy in it.

How could his minor achievement compare with Jiang Chen’s? Laboring for tens of millions of years, yet still falling short of someone’s few hundred years of cultivation. It truly felt as if all those millions of years of cultivation had gone to the dogs.

"I am already aware of the purpose of your visit, predecessor. Rest assured, once the Great Han is overthrown, I will certainly treat some members of the royal family kindly. I can’t promise them the status of princes or dukes, but I can definitely guarantee their wealth and honor."

Emperor Chi’s intentions could not be hidden from Jiang Chen, so he assured Emperor Chi directly.

Previously, he had already made this promise to Liu Xiu. Similarly, it was to express his thanks that Liu Xiu chose to self-immolate his remaining spirits, burning away the entire foundation of the Great Han.