Against the Gods Chapter 377 - Change in the Imperial City

Chapter 377 - Change in the Imperial City
The joyous atmosphere enveloping the entire city, which was brought about by the grand marriage of Yun Che and Cang Yue, had yet to be completely dispersed when astonishing news arrived from within the Imperial Palace...
Two days after the grand marriage of Yun Che and Cang Yue, Cang Wanhe suddenly issued the order to arrest the crown prince and the third prince, locking them within the maximum security prison. Later, he personally enumerated dozens of crimes, which actually included the shocking crimes of "rebellion" and "patricide." Then, after three days, Crown Prince Cang Lin, and Third Prince Cang Shuo were publicly beheaded, and all the other members of their camps were also arrested and eliminated without exception.
Cang Wanhe had acted in an unparalleled calm manner till now after recovering a few months ago, and seized back the authority of an emperor under Yun Che's influence. However, as soon as Yun Che and Cang Yue got married, he suddenly took drastic actions. He didn't hesitate to use all the means at his disposal to show the determination and mercilessness of an emperor. It seemed as if he had already decided on doing so and was just waiting for the right opportunity. Seeing such an attitude from Cang Wanhe, all the other princes, as well as the influential factions and officials that had originally preferred to side with the crown prince and third prince, felt themselves in danger as their hearts trembled in fear. Now that Cang Wanhe had Yun Che's support, the deterrent force of his authority was absolutely no less than that of the Three Major Sects. They didn't have any guts at all to defy or disobey Cang Wanhe at this point. Fortunately, after beheading the crown prince and third prince, as well as their group members, Cang Wanhe didn't show any signs of taking action against them. It greatly relieved them to know that they were not in imminent danger, and they didn't lose any time to express their loyalty towards Cang Wanhe by making use of all kinds of ways. They behaved so desperately, as though they wanted to dig open their chests and take out their hearts in order to present them to Cang Wanhe and have him see their devotion towards him filled in them so as to prove their loyalty.
The power in Cang Wanhe's grasp had reached to the highest point since his reign as the emperor of the Blue Wind Empire... It was a height that he had never even dared to think about before. His position as the emperor had also extremely stabilized compared to the past. Now, even the Three Major Sects would no longer dare to look down on his dignity as the emperor.
Cang Wanhe was very clear that it was only because of Yun Che's favor that he was able to enjoy all these things. He was extremely grateful to Yun Che, and extremely respectful to Xiao Lie. In Xiao Lie's presence he would act without showing any majesty of an emperor, and treated him like a brother on an equal footing.
As for the newlyweds, Yun Che and Cang Yue, they had no interest in what was going on in the Imperial Palace, and spent their every day with their bodies glued to each other. Days passed by without anyone realizing it, and the one month period within which Yun Che had agreed to go to the Frozen Cloud Asgard, was very quickly approaching its end.
Before leaving for Frozen Cloud Asgard, Yun Che hadn't forgotten to deal with a certain matter of significance... This matter was indeed the very reason due to which he was actually seen as a "fiend" who kills others with total disregard for human life by ordinary people.
Blue Wind Imperial City, Medical Saint Hall.
As the Medicine Hall opened by the generally acknowledged first genius doctor of the Blue Wind Empire, countless people from all parts of the Blue Wind Empire would come every day to seek medical treatment, and numerous people among them would bring great amounts of profound coins and treasures with them to request Gu Qiuhong to open the profound veins of the genius disciples of their sects and families. Due to his medical skill and influence, Gu Qiuhong had amassed so much property that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his wealth could rival that of an empire.
However, during the last few days, the entrance of the Medical Saint Hall had remained closed and it never opened even once.
In the past, the reason behind the Medical Saint Hall remaining closed for a long duration was perhaps because of Gu Qiuhong leaving the place for some time to wander about somewhere else, but this time the reason was not the same as before. These days Gu Qiuhong had stayed inside the medical hall the whole time. Ever since he heard the news about the sudden arrest, then beheading of the crown prince and third prince, his mind had been in a greatly disordered state. His mind was completely occupied by fear, as he spent every day in worry and anxiousness... A couple of months ago, he had vaguely realized that Yun Che's treatment had cured Cang Wanhe's illness. He was obviously very clear about the illness Cang Wanhe was suffering from. Since Yun Che was able to successfully treat Cang Wanhe, he must have naturally understood the reason behind the illness... In that case, he would certainly be the first person to be suspected... No, wrong! He would be the one and only suspect!
If it was some other person he was confronting, Gu Qiuhong was well aware that with his influence, he didn't have to fear any sort of retaliation. But Yun Che was a madman who didn't hesitate to directly exterminate the Burning Heaven Clan and cruelly beat up a prince of the Divine Phoenix Sect. So long as Yun Che felt like killing a doctor like him, he would definitely do so without any scruples.
These days, he stayed inside the Medicine Hall, spending his days praying for his well-being and doing his utmost to ponder some way to survive through the current predicament. He had even thought of running away to another empire. However, before he could get the chance to act on it, the grim reaper had already descended behind him.
"Great Genius Doctor Gu, the area outside the entrance of the Medicine Hall is as crowded as a marketplace, but here you are, leisurely and comfortably, passing your time. The legendary number one genius doctor of the Blue Wind Empire is spending his days as pleasurably as an immortal.”
Gu Qiuhong startled when a voice suddenly rang out from behind him, and he turned around as fast as lightning. When he saw Yun Che, his whole body shivered as his heart contorted. He said stammeringly: "You... You... So it's... So it's Yun... Lord Yun. I'm truly moved... and extremely... honored... to have Lord Yun personally visit my humble... abode."
There were four personal disciples at Gu Qiuhong's side, and none of them detected Yun Che arrival at this place. Looking at Yun Che who had suddenly appeared like a ghost, all of them were trembling with fear. They stooped and didn't even dare to let out a breath... As his successor disciples, they knew what Gu Qiuhong had done to Cang Wanhe very clearly. They also spent the past days in the same manner as Gu Qiuhong, in a constant state of anxiety.
Yun Che approached them with a sneer on his face: "Moved? Honored? Then why do I see nothing but fear written all over your face? Are you by chance afraid of me? Man, that's really strange. We didn't have any sort of connection between us till now, and have hardly seen each other's faces, so just why would you be afraid of me?"
"No, no..." Gu Qiuhong uttered in fear. Within this extremely short time of several breaths, his body was already perspiring profusely, and even beads of sweat were dripping from his fingertips: “Lord Yun is the only son-in-law of the emperor of Blue Wind Empire, and is also publicly known as Blue Wind’s number one. It is naturally a matter of utmost glory for a mere doctor like me to be able to meet Lord Yun.
"Oh? Doctor? You say that you're a doctor? I just happen to have a question regarding medical treatment. I don't know whether I could consult about it with you?" Yun Che said as he narrowed his eyes. There was cold light lurking in the depths of his eyes. Gu Qiuhong used to call himself a "Medical Saint." He naturally had no idea that this self-proclaimed title made Yun Che feel extremely unpleasant, because his master who had taught him the art of healing was called the "Medical Saint" of the Azure Cloud Continent. For this trash of a doctor with a malicious heart to have the same title as his most respected master, was completely sullying the two words, "Medical Saint."
Gu Qiuhong was already out of his wits, and could only nod his head in response: "It's... It's too much of an honor to me that you want to seek my consultation. Lord Yun, please tell me what you want to know. This lowly one will certainly do his best to give a satisfactory answer."
"You don't need to be so nervous. I just have a very small problem that I wish to consult about. I believe that a doctor of your level can easily come up with the solution." Yun Che moved a corner of his mouth upwards, his eyes nefarious and strange: "There's someone close to me who has a venomous parasite called the "Soul Devouring Life Binding Parasite" within his body. I don't know whether Great Genius Doctor Gu is aware of some way to save him?"
To Gu Qiuhong, the five words "Soul Devouring Life Binding Parasite" sounded like a grim reaper pressuring him to die, and caused his whole body to quiver violently. His legs went limp and he almost kneeled on the floor. He said in an extremely trembling voice: "No... I... don't know. This lowly one... only possess insignificant medical skill, and... has... never heard of anything like Soul Devouring Life Binding Parasite... I... ask Lord Yun... to pardon my ignorance."
"Oh? You don't know?" Yun Che laughed grimly: "After wasting over hundred years, you don't even know about something as small as the Soul Devouring Life Binding Parasite, yet you still dare to call yourself Blue Wind’s number one genius doctor? So you're just another one of those people who gained fame by deceiving the public, huh! If it was someone else doing such a thing, I wouldn't have cared about it. However, if a doctor who's supposed to do good to society by saving people's lives doesn't possess decent medical skill, the will to treat people, and medical ethics, let alone saving people, he would instead do harm to them! Furthermore, it won't be just one or two persons, but a large number of people who would be harmed by such deception. Since you're already trash that can do nothing but harm people... there's no need for you to stay in this world any longer!!"
"Ah..." Gu Qiuhong's eyes widened. He was just trying to say something when a red light suddenly flashed before his eyes...
RIIP!!
A streak of phoenix flame glittered past and instantly penetrated Gu Qiuhong's chest, leaving behind a large hole on it.
Gu Qiuhong's facial expression froze and his body fell down on the floor with a "thud" sound. Blood started to flow out and very quickly, gathered under his body.
"Ma... Master!" Gu Qiuhong’s four disciples were so frightened that their faces completely turned pale. Although they subconsciously let out their voices in panic, none of them had the courage to go over to Gu Qiuhong's body, and they just remained crouched at the corner of a wall. When Yun Che's gaze shifted to them, their entire bodies shuddered, and their teeth clattered; two of them even urinated on the spot... Yun Che's means were indeed as ferocious and ruthless as a devil. Even before Gu Qiuhong, who was the Blue Wind’s number one genius doctor, who possessed such a huge influence, he had first spoke indifferently for a while before actually killing him when he felt like it! He acted so casually, as if he was merely trampling an ant to death.
"You four idiots must be Gu Qiuhong’s successor disciples, right? Say, do you want to live or die?" Yun Che said with an expressionless face.
As soon as the four heard that they still had the hope to live through their current predicament, all of them immediately kneeled down, kowtowing again and again: "We want to live, we truly want to live... So long as Lord Yun agrees to spare our life, we'll willingly work extremely hard for our entire life..."
Yun Che coldly said: "Gu Qiuhong had conspired to murder His Majesty. He was guilty of a crime for which even death cannot atone. As for you, I can still give you the chance to live... You guys have always followed Gu Qiuhong, and should be very clear about the many disgraceful and evil deeds he had done over these years using his medical skill and reputation. I'll give you three days time. Within these three days, properly gather ironclad proofs related to Gu Qiuhong plotting to murder His Majesty and his all other disgraceful deeds, and let everyone under the heaven know about them... So that all people could know that he absolutely did not deserve the title of "Medical Saint." Afterwards, make sure to save people with the art of healing you've learned. That's how you're going to atone for the sin you've committed by following Gu Qiuhong. Keep in mind to not use your medical skills for evil ever again, otherwise, you will definitely die by my hands!!"
The four people were pleased beyond belief when they heard Yun Che's words. They hurriedly promised to do as he said while shedding tears of gratitude…
Three days later, the information about Gu Qiuhong colluding with the crown prince and third prince, and conspiring to murder His Majesty using the Soul Devouring Life Binding Parasite spread widely in the entire city. The four successor disciples of Gu Qiuhong revealed a lot of ironclad evidences about all kinds of disgraceful deeds he did during the time he practiced medicine by making use of his medical skill. All of his evil deeds were listed by the four of them, which surprisingly added up to a grand total of more than a thousand, shocking the entire Blue Wind Imperial City. For a while, the Medical Saint whose name once shook the Blue Wind, was condemned in speech and writing by all the people. The people and forces he was on friendly terms with in the normal times, made it publically clear in succession that they no longer any relation with him whatsoever, reasoning being that "they feel indignant at the injustice he had done."
At this time, Yun Che had already bid his farewell to Cang Yue and Xiao Lingxi, and was flying towards the Snowy Region of Extreme Ice on the Snow Phoenix Beast.
"Jasmine, I feel that my current cultivation has apparently reached a bottleneck." Yun Che, who was lying on the back of the Snow Phoenix Beast with his eyes closed, suddenly brought up a topic that had been bothering him for past some time.
"Bottleneck? Your advancement had always been without a hitch until now. What bottleneck are you talking about?" Jasmine said in reply.
"What I'm trying to say is that it has been a very long time, but I've yet to find a way to upgrade my strength with the same extreme rate as before." Yun Che slowly said: "During the more than one year time when I was under Heavenly Sword Villa’s Sword Management Terrace, my profound power cultivation had increased at an explosive rate. But now, let alone the fact that I've almost finished drinking and eating all of the dragon blood and flesh, their ability to promote my strength is already extremely limited at my current level. There is still four months' time before the Seven Nation Ranking Tournament. After going to the Divine Phoenix Empire, it’s not just the Ranking Tournament that I’d have to face. Right now, I'm in dire need of a way or opportunity that could successfully allow me to achieve a breakthrough again."
"Opportunity? Hmph! Once should advance in order, step by step! The way you forcefully upgraded your strength by absorbing the power from the blood and flesh of the Emperor Profound Dragon over a long period of time before, was actually extremely dangerous. If you didn't have the protection of the Great Way of Buddha, many hidden damages would have been left behind in your body due to that forced power amplification. Your current cultivation speed without the help of any external thing is already quite fast."
"But my current strength is practically worthless in the face of the Divine Phoenix Sect." Yun Che said in a somewhat depressed manner: "Looks like I'll have to go all out to increase my cultivation during these next four months. Returning to the point... it seems you, my master, haven't taught me anything for a long time. I don't even know what kind of profound art you cultivate. As you're so powerful, the arts and skills you're practicing must be incomparably powerful. I mean... why don't you try teaching me some of them?"
"How childish!" Jasmine said in a voice that was devoid of any emotion: "Among the abilities I possess, Star God’s Broken Shadow is the only one that you can practice with your current cultivation level! Your current foundation and level is too insufficient to practice anything else. If you were to forcefully practice any of my profound arts or killing moves, it'll be harmful to your life.
"I'm currently practicing the Evil God's, as well as the Rage God's profound arts at the same time, and don't feel any problem supporting them. Could it be that your profound arts are even more powerful than the Evil God Art and the Great Way of Buddha?" Yun Che widened his eyes, and said with some astonishment.
"They’re completely different." Jasmine coldly said: "If you truly want to practice my profound arts, wait for your profound strength to reach the later stages of the Sovereign Profound Realm. After reconstructing my body, I'll also be able to consider bestowing you with a drop of 'Heaven Slaughter Blood,' which will allow you to practice my profound arts."
"So... Sovereign Profound... and its late stage at that?" Yun Che was startled to the extent that it caused him to sit up on his butt: "And what is that Heaven Slaughter Blood thing?"
"You don't need to know."
"..."