The matters were settled, and the vast council hall was left with only six people: Li Chenggan, Zhou Cang, the eunuch De, Sima Feixing, Wang Xi, and Wang Long.
Li Chenggan's gaze swept over them, his mind deep in thought.
The expressions of the others varied. Eunuch De, Wang Xi, and Wang Long all looked like they had just narrowly escaped a great disaster, clearly still shaken. As for Zhou Cang, his face remained calm, as expected. But it was Sima Feixing who puzzled Li Chenggan the most. Despite the many actions taken by Li Chenggan, Sima Feixing seemed unaffected, as if nothing concerned him at all.
It was important to note that Li Chenggan had ordered the execution of Sima Mo Yu's entire clan, and Sima Feixing was among those condemned. How could he remain so unperturbed?
"Your Majesty, Feixing takes his leave!" At that moment, Sima Feixing smiled mysteriously. In an instant, his figure dissolved into foam and disappeared without a trace.
"What is this?" Li Chenggan felt a wave of shock rise in his heart, quickly followed by an overwhelming fury. This man treated his royal palace as if it were his own playground—coming and going as he pleased! Li Chenggan swore that if he ever had the chance, he would capture Sima Feixing to vent his anger.
"Your Majesty, forgive me. This person's abilities are strange, and Zhou Cang was unable to stop him," Eunuch De explained quickly.
"It's fine. You all may leave. I want to be alone for a while."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Now that the others had left, Li Chenggan had no more distractions. His attention turned to the Destiny Tablet, which was suddenly showing signs of activity.
"Congratulations, Lord of Destiny! You have successfully completed the achievement: 'Clearing the Court, Initially Mastering the Dynasty!'"
"What is the use of this achievement?" Li Chenggan asked.
"Lord of Destiny, for completing this achievement, you receive the following rewards: 1. One opportunity to reconstruct your foundation; 2. A copy of the 'Imperial Emperor's Eternal Reign Sutra'; 3. One summon slot for a top-tier hero, and three summon slots for second-tier heroes."
"What other achievements are there?" Li Chenggan inquired.
"You, Lord of Destiny, are not authorized to know," came the cold reply from the Destiny Tablet.
The response from the Destiny Tablet was like a bucket of cold water thrown over Li Chenggan, extinguishing his earlier excitement. He had thought he had discovered a path to great power, only to find the tablet was so uncooperative. Still, he found the rewards quite generous, so he didn't complain too much.
Now, the priority was to raise his own strength.
Li Chenggan's previous cultivation had only reached the third level of Qi Gathering, which was hardly impressive. The opportunity to reconstruct his foundation offered by the Destiny Tablet was bound to be extraordinary, so he decided to use it right away.
For safety, Li Chenggan moved to the secret training chamber in the Imperial Study. He sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and prepared to activate the opportunity.
"Destiny Tablet, use the opportunity to reconstruct my foundation! Also, imprint the 'Imperial Emperor's Eternal Reign Sutra' into my mind!" he commanded.
"By the will of fate, the heavens have decreed: the Emperor is destined to rise. The ruler of all, eternal and unyielding... The Emperor's body is indestructible. Awaken!"
As Li Chenggan began to operate the "Imperial Emperor's Eternal Reign Sutra," the secret chamber was filled with mist and shimmering light. His body began to glow with dazzling colors, radiating a magnificent aura.
After some time, a strange phenomenon occurred. A massive golden dragon's head appeared behind Li Chenggan, and then the dragon's body began to form, winding around him in spirals.
After a while, the dragon disappeared, and Li Chenggan's body began to crack like dry earth, the pain intense enough to make him shudder. Blood mist filled the chamber, and it seemed as though blood was pouring from every one of his orifices. It was a terrifying sight.
Suddenly, the sound of flowing water echoed through the room, and it seemed as though divine water was washing over him, healing his wounds. His body regenerated as if made from pure water, and soon, no trace of injury remained.
Finally, the phenomenon subsided, and everything returned to normal.
"Ah, so comfortable, and I feel so powerful!" Li Chenggan clenched his fist, feeling as though he could now punch a dragon to death. Of course, he knew it was merely the feeling that came with the transformation of his foundation, but it was a thrilling sensation nonetheless.
"Destiny Tablet, check my status," Li Chenggan ordered.
"Name: Li Chenggan
Age: 16
Cultivation: Sixth level of Qi Gathering
Physique: Eternal Emperor's Indestructible Body (Initial)
Technique: Imperial Emperor's Eternal Reign Sutra
Subordinates: Li Ru, Zhou Cang, Guan Ping."
Li Chenggan noticed that his potential value was not listed. The Destiny Tablet explained that the Lord of Destiny's potential was infinite, and it was entirely up to Li Chenggan's abilities to determine how far he could grow.
After the reconstruction of his foundation and the replacement of his technique with the "Imperial Emperor's Eternal Reign Sutra," Li Chenggan's strength had increased significantly. With his current state, anyone at the first level of Meridian Opening would not be a match for him.
In conclusion, Li Chenggan was very satisfied with the results of his closed-door training.
He put on a newly prepared dragon robe and left the secret chamber.
"Your Majesty, urgent report from the frontier!"
As soon as he stepped out, Eunuch De hurriedly handed him a battlefield report.
After reading it, Li Chenggan's brow furrowed deeply, and a surge of rage erupted within him like a volcano.
"How many days have I been in seclusion, and when did this report come in?" Li Chenggan asked in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, you've been in seclusion for two days. This report arrived yesterday afternoon," Eunuch De quickly replied.
"Alright, you may wait outside," Li Chenggan ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Though Li Chenggan wanted to vent his fury, he held it in. As a ruler, one must control their emotions and remain composed, even in the face of disaster.
The report indicated that, on the morning of the previous day, the Grand Marshal of the Northern Di Kingdom, An Guoji, personally led an attack and captured the Dragon Yao Pass in the northern frontier of the Tang Dynasty. The following day, he seized three cities in the north, leaving nothing but desolation in his wake. Over three million citizens of the Tang Dynasty were slaughtered.
The thought of so many innocent lives lost filled Li Chenggan with hatred, and he yearned to march on the Northern Di Kingdom and exact vengeance. However, his army was in no condition to fight—his only force was the thousand-strong Tang Blood Guard. But thinking of their strength, Li Chenggan felt a sense of pride. With a thousand men, they had faced off against five thousand and suffered no casualties—a perfect victory.
"Destiny Tablet, check the data!"
"Currently, the Lord of Destiny has 8,000 Luck Points, one summon slot for a top-tier hero, and three summon slots for second-tier heroes."
It seemed that Li Ru had thoroughly cleaned up the city of Shengjing, and the presence of the noble families had been a serious hindrance to the development of the dynasty. The massacre of these families had granted Li Chenggan 8,000 Luck Points. It was clear how much damage these families had caused to the empire.
Li Chenggan silently pondered: If he sent Li Ru to purge the noble families in the major cities, how many more Luck Points could he gather?
However, this was only a fantasy. Not only would such actions be problematic in terms of legitimacy, but Li Ru's current strength might not be enough to handle such a task on his own.