6.39 - Immaculate Monarch's Boon

“You’re proposing a massacre,” Li Heng said.

He Yu merely met his eyes and nodded. “I am.”

“They sealed their fates when they made their bargains,” Tan Xiaoling said. “They deserve nothing less.”

Of everyone present, He Yu had suspected she’d have the least problem with his proposal. Tan Zihao and Li Renshu both looked pensive. They were equal parts disturbed and accepting. Each of them old enough, and accustomed enough to the burden of rule to understand. Understand the necessity of difficult, and often distasteful, decisions.

Chen Fei was aghast, much as He Yu had expected. Li Heng’s mask had fallen over his features as He Yu spoke, betraying nothing. Zhang Lifen, Yi Xiurong, and Ren Huang all wore expressions equal parts grim and resolved.

None present gainsaid him; it was easy to see why. How else were they to defeat an expert of greater power, who drew that power from a multitude? What other choice had this foe, in all her overwhelming strength, left them? To defeat Jin Xifeng, they needed to cut her off from all those she’d placed a sliver of her own cultivation in. Cut her off from those experts she leeched from, who bolstered her strength beyond her advancement. To defeat Jin Xifeng, they needed to strike directly at the ultimate source of her strength—the Immaculate Monarch’s Boon.

Those she’d formed a pact with in this way—as far as He Yu could tell, didn’t return their cultivation to her when they died. That was the purpose of the demon cores, originally a creation meant to allow her escape from the Dawn Palace. It was only their usefulness, the fact they’d been far more of a success than Jin Xifeng could have hoped for, that reason alone gave them a place in her empire now that she’d shattered her former prison.

The Immaculate Monarch’s Boon worked differently. Jin Xifeng shared power with those who pacted with her in this way. An unequal arrangement, yes, but that mattered little to the pacted themselves. They still came out ahead compared to where they would have been. But should she have the need, Jin Xifeng could sap them of practically all their strength. The consequences of such were laid bare in her presence—the field of corpses she stood upon was nothing other than the foundation of her might. The countless cultivators who’d given themselves over, so that she might ascend and grow strong on the power she took from her subjects.

With that truth laid bare, they had one path open to them. Hunt down every expert she’d pacted with and cripple or kill them.

Even just thinking about such a plan sent an uncomfortable dissonance through He Yu’s spirit. It was not something a hero ought to do. The idealistic part of him that had formed the core of his Way, the initial spark that his Wayborn Seed coalesced around, protested the thought. There must be another path. There must be some way that spared the innocent. But he’d learned hard lessons in the trials Yunchang had sent him to. Sometimes a doctor had to remove a limb to save a patient.

Tan Zihao perhaps knew these lessons best of everyone present. “Such grim work is a heavy burden,” the old tiger said. “I’ll not fault anyone who wishes a different assignment.”

“Not everyone will have to participate,” He Yu said. “The most important part, and the most dangerous, will be dealing with Jin Xifeng herself. She’ll no doubt realize what we’re doing and seek to stop us. Someone will need to keep her occupied while the others deal with her loyalists.”

“I’ll stand against Jin Xifeng,” Li Heng said, not allowing even the time it took to draw a breath pass before speaking. “Necessary or not, culling a city is grim work and I’ll have no part of it.”

“No,” said several voices at once. Their once-somber meeting descended into chaos in an instant. Tan Xiaoling shouted at Li Heng. Li Renshu tried a calmer, if no less firm, approach. Chen Fei begged He Yu to let her be the one to face Jin Xifeng, while Tan Zihao tried to calmly point out that only Li Renshu or himself would last for more than a few moments, anyway. At least Ren Huang and Zhang Lifen kept what looked to be an increasingly heated disagreement confined to a relatively private corner. Neither looked happy, though.

Of all present, only Yi Xiurong seemed unaffected. She merely kept He Yu fixed with that severe and intent look she often used. In the past forty years, he’d come to know that look well enough—he let the others argue while he waited for Yi Xiurong to finally speak.

“Cai Weizhe said no single cultivator could defeat Jin Xifeng,” she said. “I trust you believe this applies equally to Jin Xifeng herself, and to her pacted minions?” She kept her attention on He Yu as she spoke, the question clearly meant primarily for him. Still, her voice cut through the others’ disagreements, and they quieted. The room’s attention fell upon He Yu once more.

“Elder Cai knew I possessed the Cloud Emperor’s Peerless Judgment, and that I would have discerned the truth of his words, eventually. I couldn’t say why he phrased it as such, though.”

Rather than offer her thoughts, Yi Xiurong shifted her attention to Zhang Lifen.

“It was his way,” she said, stepping away from the corner she shared with Ren Huang. “I suspect his reasons were good ones. He cultivated the same art, after all. He would have had access to the same technique, and he’d spent a thousand years mastering it.”

Given the dissonance in He Yu’s spirit whenever they brought up the specifics of their plan, he thought he had a good idea of the why. Pushing thoughts of how this course would interact with his Way to the side, He Yu said, “I’ll be facing Jin Xifeng myself. She’ll likely seek me out regardless, owing to the connection between her arts and mine. But Yi Xiurong is correct. I can’t face her alone. I’ll need help.”

Tan Zihao spoke up from where he stood opposite He Yu, lamplight flickering across his features. “You’re not in any shape to face her. She’ll rip through you, then through the rest of us, given what you’ve told me about how she dealt with Cai Weizhe and Zhou Shanyuan over the Shrouded Peaks.”

“Not as I am, no,” He Yu admitted. “But I have the necessary insights and cultivation to break into Divine Soul Apotheosis. I stood against Long Tingguang, if only briefly, when he was a stage above me. I swept aside Sha Xiang as though she were nothing at equal advancement, and she had fully mastered her demon core. My arts are ancient, and I believe they are capable of standing up to Jin Xifeng.”

“And those who would stand with you?” Li Renshu asked. His point was as obvious as his doubt. Even if He Yu’s arts allowed him to match Jin Xifeng, the same couldn’t be said for whoever came with him.

“We’re more than enough together, don’t you think, Li Renshu?” Tan Zihao asked with a hearty laugh. “The three of us will fight a battle worthy of legends! Surely enough to satisfy He Yu’s Dao, along with my own.”

He Yu shook his head. “I’ll need you two dealing with her pacted minions. If this is to work, we need two things to go according to plan. First, we need to keep Jin Xifeng occupied long enough to destroy the ultimate source of her power. Second, we need to cut through that power fast enough that those tying her up can continue to do so. That’s where you two will come in.

“It’s clear to me that the both of you understand the necessity. You can do what needs to be done. Given that you’re both as advanced as you are means you’ll cut huge swathes of her followers out from underneath her before she even realizes what we’re up to. That will buy myself, Li Heng, and Chen Fei enough time. As more of them fall, the footing will only become more even.”

“If you think I would allow my grandson—” Li Renshu began.

“I’ll do it,” Li Heng said. Although the impassive mask he often wore was mostly intact, He Yu couldn’t help but notice the profound relief he allowed to creep into his eyes.

“Li Heng and Chen Fei are both well suited to this, while also poorly suited to culling her followers,” He Yu said before anyone could voice any further objections. “Both wield powerful defensive arts. While Li Renshu also cultivates the Li family arts, can you really say Li Heng is better suited to doing what needs to be done in the city?” He fixed his attention on Li Renshu as he spoke, daring him to object.

An understanding passed between them, then Li Renshu relented. “It is as you say.”

He Yu allowed himself to relax fractionally. That was one problem sidestepped. Nobody present would try to argue for Chen Fei to stay out, so he didn’t need to justify her inclusion in the same way. Not that she would have listened to anyone—the fact that she would join He Yu regardless was simply a given. And if he’d needed any evidence of that, her expression when he gave her a slight nod was more than enough.

When Tan Zihao objected, he took a different tack than He Yu had expected. “Divine Soul Apotheosis won’t be like previous advancements. You will need to reforge your very spirit, much in the same way you’ve already forged your body.”

“I’ve had forty years to prepare,” He Yu said.

“Li Heng and Chen Fei have only had twenty,” the king countered.

“Chen Fei is in the late Seventh Realm already. Li Heng can advance to the late stage at any time. You know as well as I do what the requirements for Divine Soul Apotheosis are, King Tan. With my help, both can step into the Eighth Realm.”

Chen Fei and Li Heng both shot uncertain looks in He Yu’s direction. Tan Zihao merely frowned. “You’ve told me of the trials you faced while you were gone. Do you mean to subject those two to similar tribulations?”

“Were that my intent, I doubt I have the capability,” He Yu admitted. The rest of the room—except Li Renshu, who would understand what they spoke of as well as Tan Zihao—shot questioning looks at He Yu and each other. “But I do have the Cloud Emperor’s Peerless Judgment. And while I’ve spent decades away from both of them, there are no others under heaven I know better than Fei and Heng. If anyone can show them the path to reforge their spirits, it’s me.”

“What you propose is incredibly dangerous,” Li Renshu said. “I spent almost two hundred years preparing for my breakthrough. Were it not for all this,” he waved a hand to encompass the room, and the general direction toward the capital Jiankang, “I would have spent at least a hundred more.”

“I’ll break through first,” He Yu said. “Once I’ve done it, the Peerless Judgment will become even more capable. While I’m breaking through, Li Heng and Chen Fei can prepare. When they’re ready, I can guide them. I’m certain.”

“And if you fail—if they fail—you’ll kill them both,” Tan Zihao said. “Their spirits will be ripped apart. If we’re extremely fortunate, we might use their Nascent Souls to help them reincarnate.” He’d said it more for Li Heng and Chen Fei’s sakes than He Yu’s. His tone was clear. They needed to know what they risked.

“I trust He Yu,” Li Heng said. “In all my years of knowing him, he’s never led me wrong. If he says he can do it, then he can.”

Chen Fei stepped next to He Yu, took his hand in hers and squeezed. No words. She just looked over at him and smiled. That was enough.

“Seems we’ve been overruled, Renshu,” Tan Zihao said. Although as he spoke, the corners of his lips quirked up in a half smile He Yu had seen on his daughter countless times.

“I, for one, won’t let these three go unprepared,” Li Renshu said. “He Yu, I had hoped one day you would return. The core of that feathered serpent you gave me was certainly a reagent of high quality. A shame you’ve advanced so far, as I don’t know how much use it will be now, but I do still have the elixir crafted from it.”

“Any advantage, Patriarch Li,” He Yu said, bowing over a salute.

“Chen Fei can get to work on the formations of my cultivation chamber,” Li Renshu continued. “If we’re going to do this, we’re doing it properly.”

“I’ll get started in the morning,” Chen Fei said, casting a knowing glance in He Yu’s direction.

“And you,” Li Renshu said to his grandson. “You and I are going to be training and cultivating until the very moment you begin your breakthrough. As much as you think yourself ready for whatever He Yu is going to do, I’m not letting you go into it without making sure you’re as prepared as you possibly can be.”

With that, the meeting adjourned. They had their course. They knew what came next. Now, they just had to do the impossible. He Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about it that way almost made it seem easy.