Sitting Shoulder to Shoulder with the Emperor

As Gu Qingfeng produced the Kalan Pearl, the Golden Hall once again fell into silence, with all the ministers fixing their gaze upon the emperor and the imperial preceptor.

Situ Kong wore a grave expression and transmitted his voice to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the Kalan Pearl cannot be faked. This youth may truly be the disciple of the Divine One. The Divine One once said that only one person from the Gu family had caught his eye, and this boy shares the same surname. There may be more to this..."

Situ Kong trailed off, leaving the rest for the emperor to decide.

The emperor's face darkened with uncertainty.

In his heart, he had long regarded Gu Qingfeng as his personal property, intending to imprison him for life to refine the Ageless Pill. After all, who in this world did not desire immortality?

But now, things had spiraled beyond his control—the inheritor of the Ageless Pill was actually the Divine One's disciple.

Though he was the emperor, openly imprisoning the Divine One's disciple and provoking His wrath was a consequence he could scarcely bear.

That was the Divine One!

Could the two peak Dragon Transformation experts by his side truly withstand His fury? Even with the imperial family's hidden trump cards, it might still be...

Yet, the emperor could not suppress his resentment. He despised this feeling of being threatened and restrained.

Unwilling to relent, he transmitted his voice again: "Imperial Preceptor, as one who has met the Divine One, tell me—is He truly that formidable?"

Situ Kong sighed inwardly, understanding the emperor's intent, and could only advise: "Your Majesty, though the Divine One did not display His power that day, even the slightest glimpse of His presence was enough to leave me awestruck."

The emperor's expression shifted slightly. "Explain."

"Though I stand at the peak of Dragon Transformation, when I faced the Divine One, I could not perceive even a trace of His essence. It was as if He did not exist unless seen with the naked eye. Moreover, the attitude of the demon Pu further proved His might. That demon, also a peak Dragon Transformation entity and a rare anomaly of heaven and earth, was no weaker than I. Yet, such a being fled in terror, utterly devoid of resistance, even daring to invade the imperial capital rather than face the Divine One...

And most crucially, when the Divine One demanded my oath, I felt a foreboding in my soul—as though swearing would bring unspeakable horror. That was merely a verbal vow! For a mere oath to instill such mortal dread in me... the Divine One's power and methods are truly beyond comprehension."

After hearing Situ Kong's words, the emperor slumped into rare despondency and silence, his aged hands clenching tightly beneath his lavish dragon robes.

Damn it all! Why must such an entity exist—one so powerful that even imperial authority meant nothing before Him?

Just then, Situ Kong received a transmission from his subordinate, and his expression changed abruptly.

He hurriedly relayed to the emperor: "Your Majesty, word has just come from the Hall of Nurturing the Heart. The Dragon Transformation expert and five grandmasters guarding Gu Qingfeng have all been slain—each killed in a single strike. According to surviving palace maids, Gu Qingfeng merely glanced at them, and they lost consciousness. When they awoke, all the guards were dead.

Furthermore, the sealing array in the Hall of Nurturing the Heart was effortlessly destroyed.

Gu Qingfeng is only at the Internal Qi Realm, yet he annihilated a Dragon Transformation expert and the others in an instant. The Divine One must have bestowed some protective measure upon him.

Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but we must not provoke this youth. If the Divine One's casual gift allows an Internal Qi cultivator to slay a Dragon Transformation expert, how terrifying must He Himself be?

Your Majesty, before matters worsen, let us seek harmony. Though Gu Qingfeng is shameless and greedy for wealth and women, we can still obtain the Ageless Pill by indulging his desires. There is no need to take extreme measures."

At this point, no matter how unwilling the emperor was, he dared not entertain further schemes.

Instantly, the emperor forced a benevolent smile and addressed Gu Qingfeng warmly: "To think that not only are you the inheritor of the Ageless Pill, but also the Divine One's disciple! Truly, heroes emerge from the young. For the Great Yan Dynasty to have a peerless talent like you as a Co-Equal King is a blessing indeed."

The term "brother" left Gu Qingfeng momentarily stunned. No wonder you're the emperor—such flexibility!

Not just Gu Qingfeng, but the entire court was shocked. They felt they had witnessed more astonishment today than in the past year combined.

Was this not utterly absurd?

A teenager demanding to share the empire, calling the century-old emperor "old brother," and the emperor actually agreeing—even addressing him as "brother" in return! The shift was dizzyingly fast.

Who could have imagined the status of the Divine One's disciple would be so exalted that even the emperor would yield?

Had these ministers heard Situ Kong's conjectural private transmissions, their shock would have been even greater.

Gu Qingfeng, ever the brazen one, grew even bolder upon hearing the emperor's conciliatory tone.

"Old Brother, you truly have vision. No wonder you're the emperor."

The emperor's lips twitched as he suppressed his rage, forcing a smile. "Someone, prepare a seat for the Co-Equal King!"

"No need." Gu Qingfeng waved dismissively. "This throne looks spacious enough. I'll just sit here. After all, 'Co-Equal King' means we share the seat side by side, doesn't it?"

The entire Golden Hall erupted in uproar!

Every mind reeled as though struck by an atomic blast, questioning whether their ears had deceived them.

Someone actually dared to share the emperor's throne!?

Never in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty had such an outrageous scene occurred!

Even the emperor, with his profound composure, nearly lost control. His fists beneath the dragon robes clenched audibly, veins bulging on his forehead—yet he still dared not act.

The more audacious Gu Qingfeng's behavior, the more terrified the emperor became.

A person's boldness did not arise from nothing—it stemmed from either personal power or formidable backing.

If Gu Qingfeng dared to sit upon the imperial throne, just how immense must his support be?

Under the stunned gazes of the court, Gu Qingfeng strode confidently toward the throne.

The emperor's body trembled, his fury like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Each step Gu Qingfeng took felt like a stomp upon the sanctity of imperial authority.

He longed to order this insolent fool executed—but fear held him back.

Just as Gu Qingfeng reached the platform's edge, poised to ascend the throne, the young eunuch—a Dragon Transformation expert—stepped forward defiantly.

Blocking Gu Qingfeng's path, his face stormy, he growled through gritted teeth: "Lord Gu, the state has its laws, the family its rules, and the court its decorum. What you are doing—"

SMACK!

A resounding slap echoed through the Golden Hall!

"You damn eunuch! Now you remember to call me 'Your Highness'? How dare you lecture me about rules? Didn't you see even my elder brother kept silent? What the hell are you, barking like a mad dog in front of this prince?"

The slap sent the young eunuch reeling, stunning everyone present.

Everyone knew this young eunuch was at the peak of the Dragon Transformation stage—a royal guard personally trained by the imperial family to protect the emperor. Though his official rank might seem insignificant, he was the emperor’s most trusted confidant, a man whose authority stood second only to the sovereign himself!

Even the Grand Preceptor of the Great Yan Dynasty wouldn’t dare provoke him lightly.

To strike him was no different from slapping the emperor’s face.

Yet today, before the eyes of all, Gu Qingfeng had ruthlessly landed that very slap...

(Apologies, dear readers. I originally wanted to take a full day off, but my greasy boss refused and only gave me half a day. I’ve been writing all afternoon and now my head’s spinning. To avoid compromising quality, I’ll stop here for today—four chapters for now, and I’ll make up the fifth tomorrow.

Also, every single chapter is a solid 2,000+ words! They might not be super long, but they’re definitely not short either. This author’s heart is full of grievances!)