The fates of both parties have officially clashed, and the backlash from this moment's fate is not as severe as before.
Wen Zhong has no particular likes or dislikes towards the Deng family. However, he neither has any positive nor negative feelings towards them. As the current ruler of the Thunder Department, his fate is no longer tied to the prosperity or decline of mortal dynasties on Earth.
He is simply very dissatisfied with this, feeling that Wu Tian is not only fundamentally unjust in his decision-making process, but also lacks the virtues expected of a sovereign ruler.
He stepped forward immediately, his reply firm and resolute: "Your Majesty, the emperor of the mortal realm has not committed any major mistake, how can you mobilize a large army lightly? This is not the action of a ruler over all three realms, and I beg your pardon for my inability to comply with the edict!"
The persevering clone of resentment slapped the desk with anger: "Daring! How dare he openly defy the edict? Bring him forward, remove his official hat and robes, and throw him into the heavenly prison!"
Altogether, after saying just one sentence, not even a full cup of tea's worth of time had passed when Wenchong was arrested by several guards at the palace and thrown into the heavenly prison.
He was at a complete loss, wondering what Wu Tian was up to today.
Was it against the mortal realm, the Jiejiao, or himself specifically?
Before he could understand the reasons behind it, the gate of the heavenly prison started to open and close frequently.
Jiang Ziya was locked up in the cell next to his, and they became immediate neighbors.
Before, the disciples of the Jiejiao school, Ji Li and Yu Qing, were locked up on the other side. Among the eight great marshals of Deng Xin Zhang Tao, Pang Liu Gou Bi, only Gou Zhang who went to Zi Wei Star wasn't imprisoned, while the other seven were all thrown into the heavenly prison.
Subsequently, a large number of officials from the Thunder Department were brought in. It was apparent that after the top leaders were wiped out, the lower-level commanders dared not resist. Wenchong learned that one of his subordinates, a Lieutenant General under his command, had accepted Wu Tian's decree and was now engaged in organizing and preparing for battle.
The Thunder Department was the first to be subjected to a large-scale purge by the persevering clone, but it was not the last.
Julei Shen was working for credit in the Wu Zhou Mountains and thus avoided the fate, but his subordinates did not escape. They were stripped of their robes, their ranks were stripped away, and they were thrown into the heavenly prison.
The Fire Mansion, Water Mansion, Mansion of Ancestors, Mansion of Fortune, the Three Divine Kings and Nine Departments, the Hall of Celestial Officials, and the Hall of Law Enforcement—all the various functional departments were not spared and were all caught up in this upheaval.
Wenchong coughed violently inside the heavenly prison, his official position was abolished to the lowest level, and his previous cultivation and cultivation level based on incense were also eroded away.
All the hardships he endured over the past decades would be rendered useless, and even if his official position was restored now, he would have to undergo a new round of cultivation. At most, he would be two times more proficient than before, but there would be no other benefits.
This is the problem with the path of deity worship through incense and offerings; it is overly dependent on the official robes. There is deity only when there is an official position, and without the position, the deity ceases to exist.
Jiang Ziya is much better off than Wenchong. Although both were stripped of their official positions, Jiang Ziya has his own physical body and continues to cultivate both the divine and immortal paths. His influence is relatively smaller, and he sits comfortably in the prison, maintaining a calm demeanor.
Wenchong's voice was hoarse as he chatted with his good neighbor: "Has Wu Tian gone mad?"
Jiang Ziya himself couldn't quite figure out the answer. He only felt that Wu Tian was excessively capricious. Demoting so many celestial officials was a huge blow to his own fortune and destiny, it was like losing money to gain popularity. What are you gaining from this?
He already had the intention to retire. If things didn't work out, he would resign and return home! In the next moment, he sighed bitterly, realizing that his position had been stripped to the lowest level. What was the point of resigning?
In the end, he did not speak ill of Wu Tian: "Maybe the emperor has his own reasons for this."
The ex-starlords, ex-marshal, and ex-general in the prison were all complaining. An hour later, an extremely explosive news spread inside the heavenly prison.
Western Pole Emperor Taibai Kei opposed the military intervention in the mortal realm. He tried to persuade Wu Tian to withdraw his troops through forceful entreaties within the palace hall, but was immediately sentenced to death on the spot using the Su Sheng Tang, a concoction created by Wu Tian and Mengpo. Only half a bowl was consumed, and he vanished both form and essence.
One of the Four Emperors, and he died on the spot.
Jiang Ziya was extremely heartbroken this time. The last remaining connection between himself and the Ji family was also severed.
Taibai Kei's lifespan had already come to an end. Under normal circumstances, he could only wait for death. Jiang Ziya had used every possible method to extend Taibai Kei's life in the three realms, but he was helpless. He had reached the stage of doing all that could be done and letting fate decide.
However, several years ago, when the Phoenix ascended to the position of Emperor at Zi Wei Star, it offered a considerable amount of celestial treasures as benefits to its guests.
Jiang Ziya relied on his exceptional fishing skills to obtain many longevity materials from the Phoenix. If the quality of the longevity materials Jiang Ziya could find was rated as 1, then the ones provided by the Phoenix were rated as 100. Jiang Ziya gave most of these materials to Bai Yucao, which could add another century to his lifespan. However, he did not expect that he would still be ruthlessly killed.
Great turmoil had descended upon the heavenly court.
Wu Tian's reversal of justice frightened both civil and military officials, as well as numerous immortals. Some, with a strong and fiery temperament, vowed to resist to the death, while others chose to submit.
After three rounds of large-scale dismissals, more and more immortals who were willing to submit to Wu Tian. Yang Ren, the Star Lord of Fire, and Dao Rong, the Star Lord of Wu, as well as most of the low-level officials, had no more will to resist. What Wu Tian said was what they did.
You say we should strike the mortal realm? Fine!
And to attack the underworld? That could be considered as well.
As a result, even the current Tianxi Star Lord, who was once the celestial ruler over all under heaven as the King of Zhou, was given the title of Supreme Commander for the Celestial, Earthly, and Underworld Realms when he became Wu Tian's vassal. The opposition to this was very few, and most officials were intimidated by Wu Tian's string of arbitrary actions.
Although Zhoushuang managed to ascend to heaven and take a position in the official hierarchy through the Shengmingshang, he has always been under strict confinement and surveillance.
Among the immortals who have ascended to heaven through the Fushen List, at least one-third were once important ministers of the Yin Dynasty. They still maintain a master-disciple relationship with King Zhou. If King Zhou appeared in the court, would the ministers follow King Zhou or Wu Tian?
Wu Tian definitely did not want to see such a situation. One Tianxi Star Lord is not an important minister, so he will be locked up.
The position of Tianxi Star Lord is quite interesting. He is in charge of marriage and weddings in the mortal realm. In reality, which ordinary people offer sacrifices to King Zhou's plaque before their weddings? None! This is a position with a name but no real power. The actual management authority lies with the Wa Palace, and Wu Tian would not dare to invade Wa's authority over such a minor matter. It's up to Wa whether she wants to take on the job, but you can't just take it away from her.
King Zhou has been enshrined as a god for so many years, but he has gained very little in the way of power from offerings. Now that he has a foundation as a immortal, but after becoming the Supreme Commander for the Three Realms, his ceiling has been broken. Theoretically speaking, as long as there is enough power from offerings and enough time, he can continue to cultivate to a level comparable to that of the Great Lord of Golden Samsara without any problem.
Zi Wei Star.
Upon discovering that heaven was undergoing significant changes, Long Ji immediately contacted his parents.
She was unsure whether the Wu Tian issuing commands now was her biological father, and the transmission jade token received no response. Similarly, there was no response from the Queen Mother of the West. This was unusual. When she inquired about the Queen Mother's female immortals, they all said they had not seen her.
There is no doubt that something must have happened with the Queen Mother's side.
The Phoenix immediately drums to gather generals. Regardless of the specific situation of Wu Tian, now is the best time to raise the "Jingnan" flag, and absolutely cannot let this Wu Tian start a Three Realms War.
