"King, you are not qualified."
The words of the three stone statues plunged the summit of Mount Yunmeng into a stunned silence.
Jin De stared in disbelief, while Lu Fubao covered her mouth in shock.
Yan Yuan, Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, Zhou Yu, and Zhang Juzheng all furrowed their brows, lost in contemplation.
They didn't understand.
They truly didn't understand.
Wanli's answers had seemed perfectly reasonable.
"Bullshit!" Wanli roared, his composure shattered. "Who are you three to judge me? I am a true emperor, and you are nothing but broken stone statues!" His mental state had completely crumbled.
It was understandable. Being rejected by the Three Emperors Formation signified the utter failure of his mission to Mount Yunmeng, with no possibility of redemption.
Wanli was frustrated, furious, and most of all, afraid. He dreaded facing the Jiajing Emperor upon his return to the Great Ming.
"Guiguzi hasn't reacted at all?"
Fan Li's attention, however, was focused on the summit. He noticed that after Wanli answered the first question, Guiguzi seemed to lose interest in him.
Could it be that Guiguzi had already predicted the outcome?
"This damned Three Emperors Formation!" Wanli raged. "Zhang Juzheng, help me break this formation and bring Guiguzi back to the Great Ming!"
As he spoke, his aura surged, his Righteous Qi condensing into the shape of a dragon, like a newborn true dragon.
It was a magnificent sight, radiating with an aura of nobility and boundless pride. The dragon of Righteous Qi roared towards the heavens, its voice echoing through the mountains.
"Your Highness, no!" Zhang Juzheng cried out in alarm.
Despite his young age, Wanli possessed exceptional talent. In less than thirty years of cultivation, he had reached the first rank of the Unity Realm. With the Mandate of Heaven further enhancing his abilities, his combat prowess was unmatched among his peers in the Great Ming.
However, facing the three emperor statues, the first rank of the Unity Realm was simply too weak.
"ROAR~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
"ROAR~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
"ROAR~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
Three dragon roars resounded simultaneously.
Above each of the three stone statues, a gigantic dragon shadow appeared, each a different color – black, red, and yellow.
The earth trembled under the force of their roars.
Wanli's dragon of Righteous Qi writhed in agony, struggling and contorting under the pressure of the three colossal dragons' roars.
Finally, its body shattered, dissipating into nothingness, leaving no trace behind.
"Ugh~~~~~~!"
Wanli screamed, blood spurting from his nose and mouth. In the next moment, an invisible force ejected him from the formation.
"Your Highness!"
Zhang Juzheng caught Wanli in his arms but found him unconscious, his eyes rolled back in his head.
He looked nervously at Fan Li and the others, fearing they might take advantage of the situation and finish Wanli off.
"Don't worry, Master Zhang," Fan Li said with a hint of regret. "Just focus on treating your Crown Prince. We won't interfere."
"Fan Li! How can you speak for all of us?" Jin De snapped angrily.
Fan Li sneered.
This Sage Ruler must be the least intelligent person in the Brahma Sound Pure Land.
What benefit would they gain from killing Wanli?
Would the absence of a Crown Prince affect the balance of power between the Great Ming and Chu, Wei, Han, and Wu?
The Great Ming had a vast imperial family with no shortage of heirs to the throne.
As for the consequences, killing Wanli would undoubtedly anger Guiguzi, as it would be an act of murder on his territory.
Furthermore, it would completely sever their ties with the Great Ming.
If they killed the heir to the throne, the Jiajing Emperor would surely seek revenge. The world's strongest nation had no tolerance for such offenses.
"Sage Ruler, Duke Jin is right," Zhuge Liang said softly.
Jin De glared at him but noticed that Guo Jia and Zhou Yu shared the same sentiment.
Within moments, she understood the logic behind their words.
"Hmph!"
Jin De's loathing for Fan Li reached new heights. What frustrated her even more than his presumptuousness was the realization that he possessed greater foresight than she did.
Seeing that the others had reached a consensus, Zhang Juzheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fan Li, do you dare to challenge the formation?" Jin De taunted. "If you lack the courage, we shall take our leave. I never had any expectations of you anyway."
She was using reverse psychology. After witnessing Wanli's defeat, she feared that Fan Li might back down.
Jin De didn't expect him to break through the formation; she simply wanted to see him battered and near death.
"Don't worry, Sage Ruler," Fan Li replied lazily. "I have enough courage for that. Besides, as long as I don't provoke them, those three stone statues won't attack someone with the Mandate of Heaven."
"Ah?!"
Jin De was taken aback but realized he was right. Before Wanli's provocation, the statues hadn't initiated any attacks.
Could it be that this was a form of mutual respect between those who possessed the Mandate of Heaven?
"Fan Li..." Jin De gritted her teeth.
Everyone who had attempted to break through the Three Emperors Formation had suffered injuries to varying degrees, yet Fan Li, having seen through its secrets, would emerge unscathed?
She regretted not suggesting they all leave the mountain earlier. After all, if Fan Li succeeded in recruiting Guiguzi, it would be detrimental to the Brahma Sound Pure Land.
'These people are all on the side of the Great Chu,' she thought as she looked around.
Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, Guo Jia...
Those damned men, despite their outward respect for her, were siding with Fan Li in their actions.
"I will give it a try."
With those words, Fan Li stepped into the formation. He walked straight towards the dragon throne that Wanli had occupied and stopped beside it.
"Hmph! Fan Li is not worthy of sitting on the dragon throne!" Jin De scoffed. But her words were quickly proven wrong.
The three stone statues observed Fan Li for a moment, then spoke in unison. "King, please take your seat."
Jin De's face contorted. Although it was logical and expected, she simply couldn't accept it.
"I apologize, Your Majesties," Fan Li said, shaking his head and refusing to sit.
He patted the back of the dragon throne and smiled. "Someone else has already sat on this chair, so..."
Fan Li was being picky about the dragon throne?
Jin De almost laughed out loud.
Was he seeking his own demise?
The three stone statues replied in unison, "We understand. It was our oversight. Please forgive us, Your Majesty."
As they spoke, the dragon throne that Wanli had occupied vanished. In its place, a brand new dragon throne appeared before them.
Jin De's jaw dropped.
Could they just... change the dragon throne like that?
The others, however, had a different reaction.
"Duke Jin, you possess the bearing of a true emperor," Guo Jia praised.
"The demeanor of a king," Zhou Yu agreed with a nod.
"Although my lord also has the qualities of a dragon and phoenix, Young Master Liu Shan pales in comparison to Duke Jin!" Zhuge Liang said, his expression a mixture of admiration and worry.
Yan Yuan pondered, 'Duke Jin will likely become emperor sooner or later. Would my teacher and I be considered his founding ministers?'
Lu Fubao wondered, 'If he establishes his own dynasty, the Great Chu would become the previous dynasty. I am the imperial consort of the previous dynasty. Once Fan Li ascends the throne, what would my status be?'
As they were lost in their thoughts, Fan Li had already taken his seat on the new dragon throne.
As expected, the questioning began, and the first question was the same as before.
"Guigu has three questions. Please answer, King."
"First question: What is a Son of Heaven?"