Longevity Chronicles
Chapter 406 - 286: The Unworthy Descendant Heavenly Destiny Emperor, the Longevity Alchemist Hides a Great Secret_2

Only to see the radiance flashing, the dazed Lady Xiang, along with a newborn baby, immediately appeared in the quiet room.

"Could it be... so magical?"

Princess Bao Shou, looking at the infant in her mother's arms, couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.

Wrapped in swaddling clothes was a male infant.

His body still tender, yet that wrinkled face bore a stern expression, and his eyes, both majestic and terrifying, seemed extremely abnormal. How could this be a just-born infant? Clearly, he was a perverse creature with an anomalous disposition and born with inherent knowledge?

As both mother and daughter shivered simultaneously, they recalled Tao Qian's assurance that the Emperor would not suffer any confusions while in the womb, and it turned out to be true.

The Emperor of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty had indeed returned to life.

Nevertheless, whether it was Lady Xiang or Princess Bao Shou, at this moment they both awkwardly watched the infant, unsure how to address him, feeling that nothing seemed quite right.

Zhu Yong, however, paid no heed to this, directly opening his mouth and speaking in that domineering tone both were very familiar with.

"My concubine, where is the Three Talents Purple Cloud Gold Hairpin I bestowed upon you in life? Are you still wearing it?"

"Wearing it, wearing it, Your Majesty, what do you need it for?"

In the conversation, Lady Xiang reached up to her head and took out an extremely exquisite but seemingly powerless gold hairpin that was a Magical Treasure.

Upon seeing the hairpin, Zhu Yong first ordered Lady Xiang to prepare his robes, and then he began to mutter incantations.

A sudden flash lit up, and from the gold hairpin, three purple clouds unexpectedly spread out, and three Blood Elixirs soared from within, leaping into the mouth of Zhu Yong, who was still in the form of an infant, in succession.

The next moment, a truly wondrous scene unfolded:

Upon swallowing the first Elixir, Zhu Yong instantly grew from an infant to about six years old, transforming into a child and tumbling to the ground.

With the second Elixir, the child sculpted from jade immediately grew into a valiant youth.

When he swallowed the third, a robust, dignified middle-aged Emperor returned to the Human World.

In a flash, he donned the Dragon Robe, indeed the "Heavenly Destiny Emperor Zhu Yong," made known to everyone in the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty through various newspapers.

Even Tao Qian was startled for a moment by this spectacle.

Seeing the True Inheritor of the Spirit Treasure Sect reacting in such a way, a smug look appeared on Zhu Yong's face as he boasted:

"This Elixir is called the 'Hundred Herbs Nine-Revolution Mysterious Yang Pill', a Treasure Pill specially procured for me from the Taishang Dao Sect Master by the Taixu Master of the Taishang Dao."

"One pill can revive the dead and mend bones; two pills can extend life by three hundred years; three pills allowed me to go from Primordial Embryo and infant back to an adult, and furthermore, acquire the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Yang Dao Body, allowing me to practice and refine any Cultivation Technique from the Daoist, Buddhist Sect, or Demon Path's Lifebound Scripture, with the Great Dao within reach."

After boasting, Zhu Yong was disappointed not to see Tao Qian express any admiration.

At this moment, Master Tao's thoughts were: What sort of debt did the Taixu Master owe this Emperor that he would grant him such favor, treatment one would give only to a son?

Although somewhat disappointed at his failed boast, Zhu Yong, having come back to life, still maintained his imperial pride.

Unwilling to owe Tao Qian a favor, he waved his hand to stop Princess Bao Shou and Lady Xiang from stepping forward to pay respects and approached Tao Qian himself.

He then opened his Spirit, showing complete transparency and integrity.

"Since you, as a disciple of Duobao True Monarch and the current Spirit Treasure True Inheritor, now qualify to touch my Taoist Body,"

"if you wish to understand the Alchemist's secrets, I cannot explain it all at once, so I invite you to see for yourself."

"The reason why I went mad and became a tyrant in those years, why I ended up like this, it's all there... Quite fittingly, as you are now the enemy of those beasts, you are naturally my ally. Once I regain power, I will eliminate all those old monsters without mercy."

As he uttered these words, a complex expression emerged on Zhu Yong's face; it was a mix of fear, anger, unwillingness, and regret.

Others listening, particularly mother and daughter Princess Bao Shou and Lady Xiang, were extremely surprised.

So the Emperor (His Majesty) became a tyrant for a reason?

Seeing the Heavenly Destiny Emperor's demeanor, Tao Qian was uninterested in discerning the truth and took the offer to open up and touch his body.

True or false, it didn't matter.

Tao Qian was not one to stand on ceremony, immediately pointing and touching Zhu Yong's forehead.

In almost an instant, the memories that Zhu Yong had selected in advance flooded toward Tao Qian like a torrent.

Inside, it was the partial life experience of the Heavenly Destiny Emperor.

The first scene: the moment Zhu Yong first learned about the existence of the Alchemists and one astounding secret.

Deep into the night in the Imperial Palace, as the Heavenly Destiny Emperor slept soundly, his Soul and Spirit were directly pulled from the dragon bed into the ancestral temple, facing the rows of ancestral tablets.

Most of the ancestral tablets now revealed the figures of successive emperors.

The place of the Founding Emperor was empty and deserted.

The area of the highest-ranking Emperor Taizhong was brightly illuminated, casting the figure of Emperor Taizhong himself.

Without waiting for Zhu Yong to speak, Emperor Taizhong took the initiative to disclose the secret. It turned out that generation after generation of emperors hadn't fully died; instead, they had merged with alchemists and continued to enjoy the provisions of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty.

What they had in life, not only continued after death, but their lifespans were virtually unlimited. As long as the name of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty existed, they could continue to live.

However, there was one rule they had to abide by: to let the dynasty pass on from generation to generation, and not to cling to the throne.

The Li Dynasty before the Zhu Family, or even further back the Song Family and so on, it was the same for every dynasty.

At this point, Emperor Taizhong issued his decree:

"Heavenly Destiny Emperor Zhu Yong, our good grandchild."

"I reckon you also understand the principle 'running water does not rot, nor does a door-hinge rot from use.' It's not that you have governed poorly, but rather our dynasty's time has run out, and it is time to change dynasties once again."

"Zhu Yong, although you have governed with diligence and determination, you cannot escape the label of being the last emperor."

"Starting from tonight, you might as well be an incompetent ruler. The sooner you exhaust what remains of our fortune, the earlier you can come together with your ancestors and enjoy Ultimate Happiness."

"I have already arranged your end. The Taiping Army will break into the Imperial City, slaughter the whole city, and you can set fire to the Imperial Palace and commit suicide for your country, thus preserving the Zhu Family's integrity."

"After your death, I will personally guide you to join the Alchemists, where you can then enjoy longevity and Ultimate Happiness, those benefits which hordes of Daoist and Buddhist cultivators thirst for but cannot obtain. As a scion of the Zhu Family, you can easily have them."

If he had been a careless tyrant, hearing this, he might have eagerly accepted.

Yet in that moment, Zhu Yong considered himself to be a wise ruler.

Even with his ancestors above, he dared to retort, "Taizong, what if I refuse?"

Who could have expected?

No sooner had Zhu Yong spoken, when suddenly his soul was dragged out of the ancestral temple by a terrifying force, all the way into the imperial mausoleum of the current dynasty.

There, Zhu Yong saw part of Emperor Taizhong's true body. What met his eyes was an endless, grossly swollen, and nauseating mass of flesh; shadows that twisted and swayed; writhing tentacles that filled the world; and thick, stench-ridden black water that flowed wildly and overwhelmed everything. In a daze, he saw a multitude of familiar, distorted beastly shadows pounce towards him. Their bodies carried booming pollution that caused Zhu Yong to cry out in pain and anguish.

What shattered his courage were the faces that topped these beastly shapes.

Twisted, greedy faces crowded in, attacking him from all sides. He recognized each one, for their portraits were hung in the ancestral temple, receiving worship from the imperial family, officials, and all the people.

They were the successive emperors of the current dynasty, from Taizong onwards; he was grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, great-great-great-grandfather to Zhu Yong...

Successive emperors, whether wise or incompetent, roared at Zhu Yong in unison:

"Undutiful descendant!"

"You are the last emperor, unlike your useless father; he could hide away and become a monk, but you cannot."

"If you disobey us, we will devour you alive."

"Ah!"

In a nightmare filled with screams, Zhu Yong awakened from his dragon bed, drenched in a cold sweat.

And so, from that day on, Heavenly Destiny Emperor went mad.

He feared the imperial edicts and threats of his ancestors, yet he did not want to betray his own aspirations. From then on, he lived in ceaseless anxiety. While allowing the court to decay and the world to fall into disrepair, he secretly dispatched capable ministers to each province, striving to maintain a semblance of order.

Such actions were no different from burying one's head in the sand, deceiving the self and one another.

Tao Qian, having seen this far, seamlessly transitioned to the second scene.

This time it was exceedingly simple and terrifying.

This was the truth behind the so-called "mysterious and sudden death of Heavenly Destiny Emperor Zhu Yong."

He had been eaten alive.

That night, he was once again dragged from his dragon bed and thrown into the imperial mausoleum, where the shadows of the successive emperors joyously devoured him piece by piece.

Why?

As the emperors ate, they roared in frustration:

"Idiotic child, you can't even be a completely incompetent ruler, acting with compliance in the open and defiance in secret, destroying the world without being thorough. You're exactly like those foolish ancestors of yours. Since you refuse to enjoy Ultimate Happiness with us, then off to death you go."

And so, there was a whispering sound, followed by Zhu Yong's tragically extreme screams.

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