Emperor Tianchen's circumstances weren't good. Ever since he had ascended the throne, the natural disasters were incessant. Even if he was diligent and had a talent for ruling, he couldn't avoid the decreasing popular sentiment.
He needed to get rid of Prince Rui, but raising the popular sentiment was the most important thing. The common people of Wei Country had different opinions of the natural disasters, so he should start from there.
Even if he didn't know what Su Xinru's system was, it contained a huge amount of energy. After Gu Bai swallowed it, nevermind becoming immortal, becoming a large Yao and calling the wind and summoning the rain wouldn't be a problem for him.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Under Prince Rui's urging, throughout the three days, news about the sacrifice from the "real Son of Heaven" was very quickly spread through the capital. In addition, a spark had started a fire that spread through Wei Country.
Prince Rui had already planned and prepared for the better part of the year. He had long since been unable to endure being pressed down by Emperor Tianchen. Originally, Emperor Tianchen could have gotten rid of the prince, but now, Prince Rui could get rid of Emperor Tianchen. For the past few years, the heavens had been helping him, so how could he be willing to keep his head down?
Besides, he had already spent a lot of effort looking for an alchemist, one who claimed that the natural disasters would soon come to an end and that Wei Country's richest and most powerful hundred years would come. It was simply fortunate timing.
Three days later in the capital, the Imperial altar had already been properly prepared. The common people had received the news, and one after the other, ran distances to stand around to watch. Emperor Tianchen came after he bathed and changed, while Prince Rui had already arrived.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that it wouldn't be proper for you and Prince Rui to do this sacrifice together. I believe that it should be done separately...."
Long Zongxuan spared no effort to oppose Emperor Tianchen. Prince Rui was also confident, feeling like he had it within his grasp.
"Since it's like this, I will allow Imperial younger brother to begin first...."
Emperor Tianchen's handsome face was expressionless, with a calculating look. After speaking, he swept his sleeves and sat down on the Dragon Throne.
Now that he had already shown his face and his ambition, Prince Rui no longer bothered to hide it. After tidying his clothes, he advanced towards the altar.
When he emerged, the common people of Wei Country cheered excitedly.
In the past few years, Prince Rui appeared to have labored a lot. On typical days, he often showed up in public to hand out porridge and dried meat, as well as doing good deeds. He had been titled the "Auspicious Prince", but the people also called him the "Virtuous Prince", giving him their support.
So with this spectacle, Prince Rui's confidence swelled. After the overseer's ceremony, he kneeled down, looked towards the heavens, and loudly recited his sacrificial incantations.
He appeared handsome and bright with a good temperament. Adding on his specially prepared clothes, he truly had the aura of a "Son of Heaven".
Hiding high up in the skies, Gu Bai had been impatient for a while. When the other started reciting, he began to gather his magic and sent down a sudden ground-leveling clap of thunder.
"Bang!"
The loud sound of thunder suddenly echoed, making everyone jump.
"There's thunder; the heavens have responded. Prince Rui is the true Son of Heaven!" shouted some unknown person below.
On the altar, Prince Rui had also been scared, and he immediately reacted. Hearing the noise from below the altar, his spirit was shaken. His heart was pounding in his chest. Could it be that his sacrifice was actually successful?
Thinking of this, Prince Rui cupped his hands in greeting towards the heavens and continued to speak loudly.
"...Gods above, I am Prince Rui of Wei Country. The common people of Wei Country have suffered for three years. The Northwest is arid, the East is flooded, and the common people are suffering unspeakable misery. Today, Rui is here to earnestly request that the heavens are merciful and save the people of Wei Country from water and fire. Benwang is willing to reduce his life by 10 years!"
With such words, the common people who heard him couldn't help but be moved, repeatedly praising him.
The official beside Emperor Tianchen was immediately worried and asked, "What's to be done....?"
"Do not worry, wait for him to continue."
Emperor Tianchen smiled indifferently, looking at Prince Rui at the altar as if he was watching a jumping clown.
When Gu Bai saw this, he was amused. Prince Rui's act had been brought to the point of perfection. If he wanted to pretend, this grandfather would help him today!
"Boom!"
There was another clap of thunder, but this time, it wasn't just thunder. A flash of lightning struck right in front of Prince Rui, blackening the marble steps of the altar.
It almost struck Prince Rui, and his close contact with the thunder and lightning made his legs weak. He backed away a few steps, holding onto the railing, before standing firm, taking care to ensure that his liver hadn't been shaken out.
Without waiting for him to regain his bearings, Gu Bai, who was hiding high up in the sky, continued to rain down thunder and lightning. Each time, it struck dangerously close to Prince Rui's body.
After several rounds of thunder and lightning, Prince Rui's ears were almost deafened. He didn't know what had occurred at all. However, he had more faith. At the moment, there remained only panic, and he dodged the lightning in a flurry.
After the last clap of thunder, a dignified, angry voice came from the heavens.
"Which little mud snake dares to offer sacrifices and ask the heavens for a favor? His heart is not right, his spirit is not clean, and he still hasn't withdrawn? Please let the real Son of Heaven come forward!"
After he spoke, there was another flash of lightning. This time, it fell directly on Prince Rui's body. It struck him, and he suddenly coughed up blood, then fell from the altar.
With this short scene, the people, officers, and soldiers were all dumbstruck. Although everyone had accepted and revered the gods, who had ever seen the gods revealing themselves? But now, if this wasn't the mythical situation of gods revealing themselves, what else could it be?
"The gods really are showing themselves..."
"Little mud snake? His heart isn't right, his spirit isn't clean, thus the gods are unexpectedly berating Prince Rui? Prince Rui is typically good and virtuous, so it can't be..."
"Who knows? The gods said that it's like this, so how could it be false?"
"That's right. Regardless of how he is normally, he secretly might not be so good. Why else would the gods send down lightning to strike him....."
"Correct, if you raise your head three feet, there will be gods. How could secret matters be concealed from the heavens? This time, there really is a calamity..."
"..."
The common people were engaged in a spirited discussion, and the expressions of the court councilors were all shocked. General Long especially didn't know what to say.
Before, even if they had anticipated that the sacrifice wouldn't be successful, they could still forcefully seize the throne with their troops. However, they hadn't expected that the gods would really show themselves. Prince Rui had also been struck by lightning, and the gods had been revealed, so who would dare act recklessly?
General Long looked back and saw officers and soldiers with openly shocked, scared expressions; his own expression was unsightly.
The court councilor standing beside Emperor Tianchen was smiling, and he said in his heart: Prince Rui was unable to differentiate good from bad, and he couldn't see what trash he was. He even unexpectedly went up to go make a sacrifice. Who in the realm would dare to believe themselves to be the true dragon? He had been kicked in the head by a donkey!
"Your Highness, for the sake of the realm's common people, quickly go up and request..."
The councilor reacted, urging on Emperor Tianchen.
This time, Emperor Tianchen didn't try to evade. He nodded and looked up towards the heavens with a doting smile. Then, step by step, he walked up towards the altar.
Unlike Prince Rui's handsome and bright appearance, Emperor Tianchen was not only handsome, but also cold. Not smiling, he brought his own dignified aura. Additionally, he was tall and had been ruling for a long time. The regal aura he carried throughout his whole body couldn't be compared to Prince Rui's at all.
When the common people saw the emperor appear, they were immediately scared stiff by his imposing demeanor, quieting one after the other and shaking. This was the true Son of Heaven, a Son of Heaven that was awe-inspiring. It was no wonder that the gods had just berated Prince Rui as a little mud snake. Dragons and snakes were completely different things!
Gu Bai waited for Emperor Tianchen to finish reading the incantation and then correspondingly rained down golden light, and the Yao's powerful voice was transmitted to everyone's ears.
"Emperor Tianchen is thus heaven's true dragon. I have already received his request and will be reported to the court of heaven. Within one month, the disasters in Wei Country will be relieved!"
After he finished speaking, he cast a spell to create auspiciousness.
All of a sudden, spring burst forth from withered trees, radiating outwards for ten kilometers from the center. Hundreds of flowers bloomed, fish jumped from the lake, and cranes flew. It really was an impressive spectacle that would shock people.
"His Majesty really is the rightful dragon emperor! A Son of Heaven that has received the gods' approval!"
"Long live, long live, long live, long live the emperor!"
All of the commoners, officers, and soldiers, knelt down and shouted excitedly. Their Majesty, the Son of Heaven, had personally received the gods' recognition. With a true dragon, Wei Country would certainly prosper in the future.
Everyone looked at Emperor Tianchen with respect and adoration. All doubts had disappeared at this moment. As for Prince Rui, who had just been struck by lightning, he had long since been pushed to the back of everyone's minds.
In the following month, the entirety of Wei Country had sunk into a popular craze for the gods.
All of the disaster-stricken areas glowed with a golden light. Miraculously, it began to rain in the dry areas, and the blocked floods were cleared overnight. In just one month, all of the disasters had passed.
Emperor Tianchen took back the scattered military power and uprooted the foundation that Prince Rui had planted for several years. He issued orders to rebuild after the disasters and quickly gained popular support.
Gu Bai immediately returned to the Imperial Palace after he settled Wei Country's disasters. Because he had revealed himself in such a public manner before, it would be easy for Taoist priests to come and seek out trouble. He would be the safest around Emperor Tianchen.
Not only could he take advantage of Emperor Tianchen's dragon qi to cultivate, the Tao scholars wouldn't oppose an emperor with true purple dragon qi.
Because of the accidental transformation from before, Gu Bai kept his two fluffy dog ears in his human form. It would take at least one or two hundred years of sincere cultivation for him to retract them.
It was really inconvenient to appear in front of people with his partial Yao form, so he could only shift to his white dog form to follow the emperor at all times.
Because of the golden light at the banquet, the councilors didn't dare to regard him as an ordinary puppy anymore. They all revered his status as a child under the gods.
Not only did they no longer protest against Emperor Tianchen's special treatment towards him, they also regarded him as a mythical creature protecting the country. One after the other, they advised Emperor Tianchen to give him offerings as a child of the gods.
Gu Bai didn't want to be placed on a high platform and be watched every day. He painstakingly twisted his little dog's body, jumping back and forth in the Imperial Hall for half a day before he could suppress his barks, continuing to stay by Emperor Tianchen's side.
When the task was completed and all the troubles were gone, Gu Bai no longer continued to cultivate. He didn't seek the path for long life. During the day, he turned into a dog and stuck by Emperor Tianchen's side, and at night, he turned into his half Yao form and slept in the emperor's dragon bed.
After that, there weren't many concubines in the palace. Emperor Tianchen made plans to dismiss them one by one on the grounds of thanking the heavens for being merciful on Wei Country. He was willing to keep his heart clear for life.
The ministers of the Imperial court objected to this. How could an emperor have no concubines? Besides, Emperor Tianchen had no children yet.
However, no matter how much the ministers advised him, Emperor Tianchen was determined. In order to stop the ministers' mouths, he chose a child from distant relatives of the Imperial family and cultivated him as the heir.
When the common people of the realm learned of this, they all emotionally praised him. Emperor Tianchen was a real dragon emperor, giving himself for the country and its people.
As the chief eunuch of Emperor Tianchen, often hearing everyone's lamentations, he couldn't help but repeatedly facepalm.
What clear heart and scant desires? What "for the people of Wei country"? His Majesty was just doing this for the sake of his beloved little puppy Yao. The moans and groans coming from Qianqing Palace every night made this eunuch blush!
Due to the fact that the original body was a Yao, the span of this mission was very long. In addition to having close contact with Emperor Tianchen all day and night, the other's dragon qi caused him to be unable to suppress his growth.
At the very end of Emperor Tianchen's life, he was already a large Yao that could ascend. It wouldn't be a problem for him to live for another thousand years.
However, Gu Bai was still there when Emperor Tianchen finally closed his eyes. He broke off his own spirit and returned to the starry space. Without that man in the world, it would be dull and lonely to live longer.
The starry space was still the same as it was before, not changing in the slightest. The shadow of the mysterious master was still standing in the starry space.
Before he could speak, Gu Bai felt that his soul had become even more solid. This time, the growth in power was greater than it had been before. This left him somewhat amazed, and he subconsciously asked.
"My power...?"
"The system that you devoured is the same as you. It was something that intruded in the world with a mission. So after you absorbed it, the power went directly to your soul..."
"So if you encounter something beyond the rules of the world, you can devour it for your own use. The more powerful your soul is, the better it would be for the worlds' tasks.
"I know." Gu Bai's expression was happy.
"En, do you need to rest for a bit...?" The mysterious man was very patient, gentler than he had been in the past. His gaze also wasn't as cold.
"No, I want to enter the next task immediately."
Gu Bai was very impatient, wanting to enter the next world for his task.
After a short pause, the mysterious man seemed to want to speak with him, but endured again. He nodded to show his agreement. It was fine, as he wasn't in a hurry. They would still meet in the next task world anyway.
After watching Gu Bai's soul enter the next task world, the mysterious man also faded from the starry space, reluctant to part from him.