N-A-A Chapter 74 Coup
Chapter 74 Coup
Snow Sea Divine City, Snow Sea Imperial Palace Main Hall.
Divine light flowed within the hall, and ancient runes faintly floated in the void. The ice crystal jade bricks paving the floor each bore countless imprints of Dao principles, representing the accumulated foundation of the Snow Sea Divine Kingdom since its founding. Yet, the atmosphere within the hall was as heavy as an abyss. Invisible divine pressure intertwined and collided, even the divine light flowing in the air became stagnant, as if it would explode at any moment.
The Ancient God Venerable, clad in a purple-gold robe embroidered with patterns of the ancient Rakshasa gods, with eighty-one divine halos partially visible around him, stood in the hall. As the Vice Master of the Rakshasa Temple, his cultivation was unfathomable, reaching the level of Great Freedom and Boundless Power. His expression was solemn and dignified, his gaze fixed on the Snow Sea Emperor seated at the head of the hall. His voice carried an undeniable solemnity: "Emperor, your intention to temporarily assume the position of clan leader and govern the seven great divine kingdoms of the Rakshasa clan hinges not on the attitude of the four great divine kingdoms, nor on the wishes of the gods under the temple's command, but on the approval of Senior Tianmu. If Senior Tianmu agrees to allow you to temporarily assume the position of clan leader, the entire Rakshasa Temple will undoubtedly support you with all our might, without any disloyalty."
Upon hearing this, the entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Upon hearing this, Ling Che smiled faintly, though he couldn't quite make it out. He thought to himself, "If my father-in-law could gain the approval of the Heavenly Mother, why would he need to go to such lengths to win over various factions and plot a coup?"
Tianmu is a legendary goddess of the Rakshasa clan, currently the strongest among them, and the pillar of the entire Hell Realm. Two hundred and fifty thousand years ago, she was an unparalleled being capable of contending with the heavens. Even the Fengdu Emperor, the ruler of the three races in the Hell Realm, or the Nine Deaths Heavenly Emperor, whose ferocity reigned supreme in the Dark Temple, dared not claim victory over Tianmu. She has reigned over the Abyss of Darkness for hundreds of thousands of years, single-handedly suppressing the ancient scourges within and protecting the safety of the Hell Realm. Her influence spans both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm, making her a supreme figure revered by all the realms.
If Tianmu were to support Emperor Xuehai, not only would she be able to force the heavily injured Emperor Luoyan to temporarily assume the position of clan leader, but she could also directly ascend to the position of clan leader and wield power over the Rakshasa clan without anyone in the entire Hell Realm daring to object. The gods of the Rakshasa clan would all defect and submit to Emperor Xuehai without hesitation.
The problem is that Tianmu is currently deep within the Abyss of Darkness, isolated from the outside world, focused solely on guarding the forbidden area. Xuehai Dijun simply doesn't have the right to communicate with her. Only by seizing power within the Rakshasa clan and becoming its rightful patriarch can one, as the leader of the clan, communicate with Tianmu in the Abyss of Darkness through divine communication.
Moreover, although Tianmu has not completely severed ties with the outside world, and the higher-ups of the Hell Realm all know that she is in charge of the Dark Abyss, what kind of status and vision does she have? How could she possibly interfere in the power struggles within the Rakshasa Clan and step forward to support the Snow Sea Emperor?
Ling Che understood that Cang Gu God Venerable's words were clearly an excuse to use Tianmu's name to shirk responsibility, making it clear that the Rakshasa Temple wanted to remain neutral and stay out of the matter, unwilling to get involved in the clan leader conflict between Xuehai Emperor and Luo Yan Emperor.
As expected, upon hearing this, the Snow Sea Emperor's already imposing face instantly darkened, turning as black as the bottom of a pot. To win over the Rakshasa Temple, he had spared no expense, expending countless divine resources and treasures, making numerous solemn promises, and even ceding several of the Snow Sea Divine Kingdom's top-tier divine mines to the Rakshasa Temple. Now, the Ancient God Venerable seemed to be trying to brush him off with a mere remark. This ignited a surge of rage within the Snow Sea Emperor, a man of great ambition and ambition, which he could barely contain.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging divine will, and stared coldly at the Ancient God Venerable, his voice carrying a chilling edge: "Ancient God Venerable, is this also the intention of Palace Master Luo Ao?"
Lord Luo Ao is the current leader of the Rakshasa Temple. His cultivation has reached the late stage of the Great Freedom and Limitless Realm. He is a contemporary of Emperor Luo Yan and Emperor Xue Hai, and is a pivotal figure within the Rakshasa clan. Cang Gu God Venerable is merely the deputy temple master; without the temple master's authorization, he would never dare to make a neutral decision.
The Ancient God Venerable's expression stiffened, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. In the end, he slowly nodded and said in a deep voice, "It is indeed the decision made after repeated discussions between the Palace Master and the higher-ups of the Temple."
He also had his own difficulties. The benefits promised by the Snow Sea Emperor were enough to greatly increase the strength of the Rakshasa Temple. If the Snow Sea Emperor could successfully ascend to the position of clan leader, it would undoubtedly be a once-in-hundred-thousand-years opportunity for the Rakshasa Temple.
However, this struggle for clan leadership is far too risky. Although Emperor Luo Yan has suffered severe injuries and his foundation has been damaged, he is still the legitimate clan leader, having held power over the Rakshasa clan for countless years. His prestige within the clan is deeply rooted, and he still commands a large number of loyal gods. Moreover, Tianmu's attitude is unclear, and no one dares to easily gamble the future of the entire Rakshasa Temple.
After careful consideration, the higher-ups of the Rakshasa Temple ultimately decided to remain neutral, impartial, and observe the situation.
The Snow Sea Emperor's face was extremely gloomy.
According to his meticulous plan, as long as he has the full support of the Rakshasa Temple and the four great divine kingdoms, plus his good son-in-law Ling Che, and the foundation of the Snow Sea Divine Kingdom, he is 70% confident that he can successfully force Emperor Luo Yan to abdicate.
Now, the Rakshasa Temple has suddenly changed its mind and reneged on its promise, completely disrupting his plans and catching him off guard.
However, the Snow Sea Emperor, as the ruler of the Snow Sea Divine Kingdom and one of the giants of the Hell Realm, was by no means a person who acted impulsively. He was a recognized hero in the Hell Realm, with a resolute mind and extremely deep cunning. Even though he was furious inside, he did not immediately show it on his face. Instead, he slowly suppressed his gloomy expression and smiled calmly. However, there was no warmth in that smile, only a cold sharpness: "It seems that Palace Master Luo Ao and you, Cang Gu, still do not think highly of this Emperor. Since that is the case, then this Emperor will not force you."
Having said that, Emperor Xuehai turned his head, his gaze falling on Ling Che beside him. His expression softened instantly, and he smiled, saying, "Che'er, I heard that you recently forged another batch of standard Supreme Sacred Artifacts and armed an elite Divine Guard as the protective force of the Demon Refining Workshop. In addition, you have also carefully crafted three prototype Divine Artifacts with boundless potential. Now your Demon Refining Workshop has already recruited two Divine Masters with spiritual power above the 80th level, as well as more than a dozen Celestial Master-level weapon forging experts. If this momentum continues, the weapon forging business of the entire Hell Realm will probably be contracted out to your Demon Refining Workshop in the future."
The Demon Refining Workshop is a weapon-refining force founded by Ling Che. Although it has only been established for a little over a hundred years, it has risen rapidly in the Hell Realm and become a top-level weapon-refining holy land that cannot be ignored by all the heavens and myriad realms.
Since its inception, the Demon Refining Workshop has been recruiting talents from all over the world. Whether they are weapon refiners from the Heavenly Realm, veteran weapon refiners from the Hell Realm, rogue cultivators from the black and white zones of the universe, or weapon refiners wanted by various forces in the universe, as long as they possess weapon refining skills, the Demon Refining Workshop will not refuse them and will recruit them with generous gifts.
Today, the Demon Refining Workshop boasts the most outstanding weapon-refining talents in the universe, including two Divine Masters whose spiritual power has broken through to the 80th level. It's important to understand that the 80th level of spiritual power is already at the God-level, and spiritual cultivators who reach this level are extremely rare throughout the entire universe. Such a foundation has allowed the Demon Refining Workshop to rise to the top tier of the Infernal Realm in just a century, occupying half of the weapon-refining world and monopolizing a large number of top-tier orders.
Upon hearing this, Ling Che cupped his hands and smiled, his expression humble yet confident: "Father-in-law, you flatter me. This is all thanks to the concerted efforts of all the weapon-refining masters at the Demon Refining Workshop. As for why cultivators from all over the heavens are willing to order weapons from the Demon Refining Workshop, it's simply because our Demon Refining Workshop offers high-quality products at reasonable prices, with excellent quality and fast delivery."
His words were calm, yet they contained boundless confidence.
The core reason why the Demon Refining Workshop was able to rise so quickly and monopolize the universe's weapon refining business was Ling Che's self-created profound weapon refining method.
This method defies the laws of nature, enabling the forging of exquisite supreme artifacts in an extremely short time, far surpassing the efficiency of all traditional artifact-forging techniques in the universe. It should be understood that even a True God at the Heaven-Mending Realm would need at least tens of thousands of years to personally refine and upgrade their weapon to a supreme artifact, consuming countless rare resources along the way.
The Demon Refining Workshop not only produces artifacts in extremely short times, but also custom-makes exclusive supreme artifacts based on a cultivator's Dao principles, physique, and cultivation methods, all at a low price. This advantage has attracted countless True Gods at the Heaven-Mending Realm, who have placed their orders with the Demon Refining Workshop, allowing it to completely monopolize the artifact refining business at the True God level, resulting in a flood of wealth and an ever-deepening foundation.
Emperor Xuehai nodded, then changed the subject, looking intently at the Ancient God Venerable, and slowly said, "I heard that the Rakshasa Temple has also placed a large order with the Demon Refining Workshop, and even Temple Master Luo Ao personally asked you to help him refine his natal artifact. Is this true?"
Ling Che's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood his father-in-law's intention. This was to use the Demon Refining Workshop's order to control the Rakshasa Temple and force the Ancient God Venerable to compromise.
He immediately followed up, calmly replying, "It is indeed true. The High Priest of the Rakshasa Temple personally went to the Demon Refining Workshop to place an order for ten Supreme Sacred Artifacts to strengthen the temple's foundation. However, the Demon Refining Workshop is currently overwhelmed with orders, with Saint Realm cultivators and even True Gods from various forces across the universe arriving in droves. The Rakshasa Temple's order has not yet been scheduled for completion. As for Lord Luo Ao, he did indeed entrust me with refining his natal battle weapon, but I have been too busy with other matters recently to find the time to get started."
Upon hearing this, the Ancient God Venerable's heart sank, and he thought to himself, "This is bad. The thing I was most worried about has finally come to pass."
The Heavenly Realm and the Hell Realm are currently embroiled in continuous warfare, with a major battle imminent. All ten races in the Hell Realm are actively preparing for war, expanding their military and strengthening their power, and the Rakshasa Temple is no exception.
Of the ten races and ten temples in the Hell Realm, the Rakshasa Temple has now fallen to the bottom. The Undying Temple and the Asura Temple, also belonging to the lower three races, have developed rapidly in recent years, producing new gods and deepening their foundations. On the other hand, the Rakshasa Temple has stagnated, failing to cultivate any top-tier new gods, and its strength has been declining day by day, causing it to feel a strong sense of crisis.
The ten Supreme Sacred Artifacts ordered from the Demon Refining Workshop are a key part of the Rakshasa Temple's strategy to enhance the strength of its young cultivators and solidify its position. Ten Supreme Sacred Artifacts are enough to significantly boost the combat power of the temple's younger generation, making them extremely important. Even with the Rakshasa Temple's resources, spending ten Supreme Sacred Artifacts at once would be a painful expense.
More importantly, half of the ten supreme artifacts are distributed in the hands of the Ancient God, and the cost of refining them is borne entirely by his faction. Since it concerns the interests and power of his own faction, how could the Ancient God not be anxious?
If Ling Che were to cancel the order from the Rakshasa Temple in a fit of anger and refuse to refine the natal artifact for Lord Luo Ao, he would have no way to explain it to the gods in the temple, nor would he be able to explain it to the Lord of the temple.
"No, we absolutely cannot let this situation worsen!" The Ancient God Venerable was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. His brain was racing, and he racked his brains to find an excuse to resolve this crisis and prevent the Snow Sea Emperor and Ling Che from making things difficult for the Rakshasa Temple.
The Snow Sea Emperor took in the ever-changing expressions of the Ancient God Venerable, and sneered inwardly, secretly pleased: "Old thing, how dare you play tricks on me, making a promise and then going back on your word. Let's see if your Rakshasa Temple can afford this price."
He was already certain that with Ling Che as his son-in-law and the power of the Demon Refining Workshop, the power of the Rakshasa Clan would eventually fall into his hands. Emperor Luo Yan was now alone and severely injured; what could he possibly use to contend with him? Time was always on his side.
Moreover, as the war between Heaven and Hell intensifies, the Heavenly Realm has gained Mingde, a man of supreme spiritual power and overwhelming combat strength, who is capable of changing the battlefield landscape and bringing endless variables to the war between the two realms.
As one of the three lower races of the Hell Realm, the Rakshasa clan must make changes as soon as possible, reorganize its internal affairs, and consolidate its strength, no longer able to remain as disorganized and inactive as before. The current Emperor Luo Yan is severely injured and exhausted, no longer capable of shouldering the responsibility of leading the Rakshasa clan to rise again. While Emperor Xuehai's actions are ambitious, they are not entirely for personal gain, but also for the future and survival of the Rakshasa clan.
After much deliberation, the Ancient God Venerable's expression shifted several times before he finally sighed helplessly, his tone tinged with compromise, and said, "Your Majesty, the Rakshasa Temple indeed cannot directly intervene and publicly declare its support for you. However, I can promise that as long as you gain control of the Rakshasa City, the Temple will immediately proclaim to the heavens its full support for you as the Rakshasa Clan Chief, assisting you in ruling the Seven Great Divine Kingdoms!"
The subtext was crystal clear: the Rakshasa Temple remained determined to stay out of the fray, refusing to take sides prematurely and preferring to observe from the sidelines. They planned to wait until the Snow Sea Emperor had achieved a complete victory and the situation was settled before stepping in to offer their support.
Emperor Xuehai laughed in exasperation, utterly disappointed. It seemed that these old fogies of the Rakshasa Temple were ultimately short-sighted, determined to remain neutral to the end.
So be it. Even without the support of the Rakshasa Temple, he, the Snow Sea Emperor, can still subdue Emperor Luo Yan and ascend to the position of clan leader. When that time comes, he can slowly deal with these incompetent and two-faced old fogies.
His expression returned to calm, his gaze sharp as a knife as he swept over Cang Gu God Venerable. His voice was firm and resounding: "Since that's the case, Cang Gu, go back and tell Luo Ao not to think too highly of yourself. Emperor Luo Yan doesn't take you seriously. I gave you a chance to rise to power. Since you don't know what's good for you and insist on refusing, then I won't force you."
"The future of my Rakshasa clan's seven great divine kingdoms, and the future of countless people, as well as the glory and disgrace of the wars across the heavens, shall all rest on my shoulders!"
As soon as he finished speaking, an overwhelming divine might erupted from the Snow Sea Emperor's body, sweeping across the entire hall. Even the Ancient God Venerable involuntarily took a half step back, his face extremely ugly.
Upon hearing this, the Ancient God Venerable's face turned ashen, alternating between pale and flushed, utterly ashen. The Snow Sea Emperor's words were extremely harsh, yet he was speechless. The Rakshasa Temple was clearly in the wrong, having gone back on its word; even though he was furious, he could only silently endure it.
In the end, the Ancient God Venerable left the Snow Sea Imperial Palace without saying a word, accompanied by the gods of the Rakshasa Temple, his expression somber.
Before departing, the Ancient God Venerable deliberately pulled Ling Che aside and spoke in hushed tones for a long time, his tone pleading. He hoped that Ling Che would not take his anger out on the Rakshasa Temple because of this incident, cancel the order, or refuse to refine the Temple Master's natal artifact. He repeatedly emphasized that the situation within the Rakshasa clan was complex, and the temple had too many unavoidable difficulties. Maintaining neutrality was also for the stability and survival of the Rakshasa clan.
Ling Che's gaze remained calm as he looked at his expressionless father-in-law, Emperor Xuehai, beside him, and he understood. His father-in-law was one of his own, and as a son-in-law who had married into the family, he was waiting to inherit his father-in-law's fortune, so naturally he couldn't side with outsiders.
He gave the Ancient God Venerable no guarantee, only nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Seeing this, the Ancient God sighed inwardly, knowing that there was no turning back now, and could only leave with deep worry.
Watching the departing figures of the Rakshasa Temple people, Emperor Xuehai slowly withdrew his gaze and sighed softly.
He knew in his heart that his prestige within the Rakshasa clan was still far inferior to that of Emperor Luo Yan; his foundation was still shallow, and he was unable to command the respect of the people. It seemed that in order to successfully ascend to the position of clan leader, he needed a world-shaking victory, to prove himself with strength and achievements, and to win the hearts and minds of the Rakshasa gods.
The struggle for power is always ruthless, and each reshuffling results in the loss of a great deal of resources. Although he did not want to deplete the Rakshasa clan's resources and strength and hoped to resolve the conflict peacefully, things had come to this point, and he could no longer afford to worry about anything else.