Jiang Chen hadn't expected the Shura Great Emperor to turn around and bite him like this.
At that moment, Canghai Great Emperor also rose to his feet. "Everyone, during the time the Peacock Great Emperor has been missing, may I ask one question — where is this so-called Young Master Zhen?"
"Folks, I think we're all curious. Where exactly did this legendary Young Master Zhen come from? The Peacock Sacred Mountain doesn't seem to have ever accepted a disciple named Young Master Zhen before. How is it that one day he just appears in the Glazed Royal City, and the next he's the young master of the Peacock Sacred Mountain? Don't you find his arrival… rather suspicious?"
With a sharp pivot, Canghai Great Emperor launched a direct assault on Jiang Chen.
How could Panlong Great Emperor fall behind? He stood up and barked, "Young Master Zhen is the successor His Majesty the Peacock Great Emperor cultivated in secret. He and the former Young Master Fan — one in the light, one in the dark — formed two young master pieces on the board. As his confidant, I've known about all of this for a long time. You're nothing more than an outsider to the Peacock Sacred Mountain, yet here you are, meddling in its internal affairs. Don't you find that rather tiresome?"
"Precisely. Young Master Zhen is the hidden piece our sovereign cultivated. His fortune ultimately surpassed Young Master Fan's, and he rose above the rest. All four of us Great Emperors knew about this." This time, it was Bright Emperor Yunzhong who stepped forward.
Canghai Great Emperor sneered contemptuously. "When a Great Emperor is speaking, what gives a minor Emperor like you the right to open his mouth?"
Bright Emperor Yunzhong replied, neither servile nor arrogant, "This concerns my Peacock Sacred Mountain. I have more right to speak than you do."
Canghai Great Emperor's face darkened. "Insolent! A petty Emperor dares to lecture a Great Emperor and roar at the Feudal Lords' Assembly?"
Before Bright Emperor Yunzhong could respond, Bright Emperor Duomei at his side spoke with a cold smile. "Canghai Great Emperor, don't try to scare people with your Great Emperor airs. I have just one question: when the Peacock Great Emperor was present, did you ever dare lecture us even once? Now that the Peacock Great Emperor happens to be absent, you show this face of yours? Tell me — would it be fair to say you're a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong?"
The Feudal Lords' Assembly had barely begun, and already verbal swords were drawn, sparks flying with no one willing to yield an inch.
The Shura Great Emperor raised a hand, cutting off Canghai Great Emperor's words. His gaze, deep and penetrating, fixed on Jiang Chen. "Young Master Zhen, my position remains the same — you're doing everything in your power to conceal Brother Peacock's whereabouts. What exactly are you after?"
Jiang Chen wore a look of pure disdain. "What I find far more interesting is this: were you an eyewitness, or did you take part yourself? How do you know His Majesty the Peacock has fallen? Could it be that those rumors were something you deliberately spread?"
"Slander!" The Shura Great Emperor's expression remained blank.
"Heaven sees all that men do." Jiang Chen tapped his own chest, then pointed up at the vault of the sky. "Shura Great Emperor, I understand your thoughts. You understand your own actions. I dare to swear an oath to the heavens — do you? If you have the guts to swear before heaven that the Peacock Great Emperor's disappearance has nothing to do with you, then I'll say not another word. I'll immediately declare the Peacock Sacred Mountain's withdrawal from the Glazed Royal City and hand over complete control of this city to you, Shura Great Emperor!"
Jiang Chen couldn't be bothered with a single word of empty talk. He went straight for the heart of the matter.
By now it was no longer a guess but a certainty — the Peacock Great Emperor's disappearance was absolutely connected to the Shura Great Emperor. Even if the man hadn't participated directly, he had certainly orchestrated it from the shadows.
The Shura Great Emperor's expression was one of cool indifference. "As expected of a whelp still wet behind the ears. If every matter in this world were settled by swearing oaths, there would be no conflicts left. I can only say — you're being childish. I truly don't understand how someone like you became the young master of the Peacock Sacred Mountain."
Jiang Chen threw his head back and laughed. "Shura Great Emperor, no matter how you try to change the subject, you can't conceal the fact that your conscience is guilty. You dare to act, but you won't own up to it. No wonder the Peacock Great Emperor once told me he'd been waiting for you to make your move — waiting for you to stand up and declare openly that you wanted the succession. But you never even had the courage to speak up in front of him. He said you had ambition but lacked the backbone. That was the polite way of putting it. In my opinion, you're simply a coward! And the proof is right here — you don't even dare swear a simple oath. If that's not cowardice, what is?"
At that moment, Zhankong Great Emperor — who had been silent until now — suddenly spoke. "Young Master Zhen, let's put these groundless speculations aside, shall we? We've also heard that you carry the Demon Race's bloodline — that you're a spy the demons planted in the Glazed Royal City, who bewitched His Majesty the Peacock Great Emperor into naming you young master. Are we really going to verify every rumor like this with oath-swearing? How absurd!"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "If you need me to swear an oath, I'm more than happy to oblige."
"Ridiculous!" Zhankong Great Emperor's face was full of scorn. "Young Master Zhen, a word of advice — this is the Feudal Lords' Assembly. The more childish you act, the more it shows everyone you're not fit to bear responsibility."
It had to be said that while Zhankong Great Emperor's words were meant to get the Shura Great Emperor off the hook, they weren't entirely without merit.
"Brother Niantian, Brother Zhenyue — what do you two think?" Zhankong Great Emperor asked with a mild smile.
Niantian Great Emperor let out a soft sigh. "These rumors are far too nebulous. In my view, they may well be deliberate fabrications, designed to divide us from within the Glazed Royal City and set us against one another. I suggest that none of us give further air to these groundless tales. Instead, let us face the reality before us and resolve the Glazed Royal City's problems in a proper and stable manner. That is the right path."
"I agree with Brother Niantian's proposal. The Glazed Royal City is already in a state of panic. What we truly need is to restore stability. Arguing endlessly here will only make things worse." Zhenyue Great Emperor also voiced his support.
The Shura Great Emperor cupped his fists toward Niantian Great Emperor and said, "Brother Niantian has always been a man of high moral standing. Do you have any wisdom to share on how we might calm the people's hearts?"
"Heaven cannot be without its sun; a kingdom cannot be without its ruler. The reason the Glazed Royal City is in turmoil is that it lacks a guiding hand!" Niantian Great Emperor declared. "My suggestion is that we first appoint someone to serve as that guiding hand — someone to take charge of the Glazed Royal City's overall situation. No matter where Brother Peacock has gone, when he returns, power can simply be handed back to him. But if he does not return, then this temporary steward becomes the Glazed Royal City's rightful ruler going forward."