Even Hao Tian Shangxian was immobilized by fear by this point.
Terrifying waves should be crashing in the stormy sea of his heart by now!
This was Wu Yu’s first step in defeating him.
That is, to make him feel dread!
“That’s right, everyone. I’m not Sun Wudao, I am Wu Yu — the one that had everything of his destroyed one year ago, the Wu Yu who was banished off to the borders. Rumors say I was already eaten alive by a snake demon. I’m already dead...but how come I didn’t die?”
Wu Yu’s voice — calm, confident, and unperturbed — swept across the whole city. Everyone’s hearts were filled with too many doubts. They perked up their ears and listened to Wu Yu’s speech.
Although over a year had already passed, most of the mortals were moved to tears when they saw him once again.
“Today, in front of Hao Tian Shangxian, I will tell everyone about the great battle that occured in the Xi He Hall back then. As everyone knows, I was about to ascend the throne to become the Emperor. And then, what happened next?”
Wu Yu had a relaxed attitude but the more he acted this way, the more scared his opponent became.
“Shut up!” Hao Tian was about to attack.
Whoosh!
Wu Yu immediately returned to Yuan Xi and Yuan Hao’s side. He leaned against the city wall, the Demon Suppressing Staff pressed up against the middle of Yuan Hao’s back. He then turned to Hao Tian Shangxian and said as he laughed, “Hao Tian, if you don’t let me finish talking and don’t let all the people of the world know what happened that night, then I’ll just have to skewer the hearts of these two together.”
“You!”
Although Hao Tian disdained Yuan Xi and Yuan Hao, Yuan Hao was still his flesh and blood at the end of the day. As such, he couldn’t rashly attack as he wished.
“Wu Yu, no matter what you’ve gone through, there’s no question that you’re going to die today!” Hao Tian gnashed his teeth while threatening Wu Yu as he saw the pair shriek out of fright.
Wu Yu paid him no heed. He was in fact very excited. All his hard work for the past year — wasn’t it so that he could announce everything to the world today?
He looked upon the hundreds of thousands of people in front of him and loudly said, “That night, I slept early in preparation for the ascension ceremony the next early morning. What I didn’t expect was for a heaven-defying being to transport me to the Xi He Hall and strip me of my clothing. By the time I woke up from my stupor, a good number of nobles and ministers were already there, and they actually said I molested my imperial mother! I couldn’t believe such absurdity but Hao Tian Shangxian showed up. He crippled my cultivation and banished me to the borders…”
Wu Yu’s words naturally gave rise to a mighty uproar.
“Does Prince Yu mean to say that Hao Tian Shangxian and the Empress Dowager joined hands to frame him, seizing his throne and even crippling him?”
“But why would Hao Tian Shangxian do that?”
Everyone suddenly started spiritedly discussing away.
“I know you might not believe me, but let me tell you a few things and you’ll know why. I hope everyone’s listening!”
The crowd calmed down once more, looking at Wu Yu impatiently.
“First of all! No matter if it’s my current self or Hao Tian Shangxian, our capabilities are indeed impressive. But at the end of the day, we aren’t real celestials — we are human beings. We still have the seven emotions and six desires of human nature. We may look like celestials on the surface, but we could be sinister and crafty on the inside. This is the premise.”
Everyone took Hao Tian Shangxian to be a celestial that would deliver all living creatures from suffering. That was precisely the reason why they blindly trusted in him and didn’t trust even Wu Yu.
Had he said these words a few months ago, no one would believe them. However, everyone had witnessed a good number of conflicts within the last couple months. They started to understand that these so-called celestials were not all that different from mortals.
“Secondly! What comes next is the real kicker. Do you know why Hao Tian Shangxian is so anxious today? Because he and Concubine Xi — the Empress Dowager — are illicit lovers! Yuan Hao and Yuan Chen are not actually my father’s sons, but instead Hao Tian Shangxian’s sons! Ignoring all else, just look at their faces. Does Yuan Hao look more like my imperial father, or does he look more like Yuan Hao?”
Wu Yu laughed heartily after he finished.
“What!”
It’s probable that not even the likes of Commander Wu knew about this. For Wu Du’s citizens, or even the entire Eastern Wu, this was serious ****! The current Emperor was actually the son of the late Emperor’s concubine and the country’s Protector Shangxian!
“Oh my god!”
The masses were about to go crazy.
However, if they just looked at appearance alone, it was very obvious that Wu You and Wu Yu looked quite similar to the late Emperor, with a robust figure and taller stature.
On the other hand, Yuan Hao and Yuan Chen were similar to Hao Tian, having a svelte figure. You could instantly tell they were father and son.
It was simply that no one dared to think along that path in the past!
“Wu Yu!” Hao Tian was furious upon hearing his words. It would be very disadvantageous for him when this news got out! Even the Zhong Yuan Daoist sect would bother him regarding this issue.
“Heh!” Wu Yu made a slight movement. The Demon Suppressing Staff singed a hole into the back of Yuan Hao’s clothing, searing a mark directly onto his back. Yuan Hao was in so much pain that he gave an earth-shaking shriek, but he had to work his hardest to keep his body still at the same time.
“Everyone, you see? Hao Tian’s agitated.”
This move of Wu Yu’s made Hao Tian Shangxian even more unable to fight back. On the contrary, Wu Yu had caught onto his weakness. Innumerable people had already seen his nervousness. There was no way to refute this fact.
As long as they believed that this fact was true, they would be able to make the connection as to why Hao Tian Shangxian and Concubine Xi had schemed to ruin Wu Yu and make Yuan Hao the Emperor.
“So that was it! Prince Yu has been devoted to martial arts ever since he was young, and it’s not like he had never seen beautiful women before, so why would he suddenly make such a grave mistake like that? There turned out to be a shocking secret behind it!”
“It was unexpectedly because Hao Tian Shangxian and Concubine Xi plotted together to frame him! Prince Yu was not as strong in the past. So pitiful… How exactly did he manage to narrowly escape death that he only now returned…”
At this time, the entire Wu Du, and even the entire Eastern Wu, knew the truth of the matter!
But it wasn’t over yet!
Wu Yu loudly laughed and said, “Everyone, it wasn’t enough that this dignified Shangxian crippled me and banished me to the borders. He even sent out a snake demon to ambush me along the way and kill me. I’m sure you don’t believe me. A Shangxian that slays demons — how could he raise a demon? But Hao Tian did raise one. When the snake demon shifted into human form, its name was Wan Qing. Many people from the palace have heard about it. Over the years, Wan Qing had devoured more than a thousand people from Wu Du, but Hao Tian never reined it in. Does everyone still remember that a few days ago, I killed a snake demon in Wu Du? That’s right — it was Wan Qing!”
This news was equally shocking.
Everyone had already started to lean towards trusting Wu Yu. They saw Hao Tian Shangxian’s true colors with even more clarity after this. Never in a thousand years would they have thought that their Protector Shangxian was this kind of person!
There were quite a few relatives of the people who were eaten by the snake demon within the crowd. They finally understand the reason behind their family member’s disappearance and couldn’t help but start bawling.
“Hao Tian, it’s such a pity Wan Qing wasn’t able to eat me. Instead, your snake demon alerted Sect Leader Feng Xueya from the Sword to the Heavens sect! And now, I, Wu Yu, have returned to Wu Du for revenge after suffering great difficulties! I want your lives! I am now Feng Xueya’s direct disciple! You expected this even less! You crippled me with the Soul Severing powder but didn’t expect that I had heaven-defying aptitude. In this one year, I got to where I am now from being a cripple. Do you know that in this long period of time, every single day I wanted to drink your blood and eat your flesh!”
The last sentence was basically a roar of rage.
By now, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t believe in Wu Yu’s words.
There were so many details that they couldn’t be lies.
In fact, Hao Tian, Yuan Xi, and Yuan Hao were all dumbfounded at this moment and hadn’t said a word in rebuttal. The truth was laid out for all to see. Any rebuttal would just be sophistry!
“I never would have thought Prince Yu had suffered such a calamity! Even more unbelievable is his rebirth into a celestial!”
“He returned under the guise of Sun Wudao for so long already and only now disclosed his identity. How tough must that process have been!”
People are emotional beings.
When they imagined Wu Yu’s struggle from death to life, they couldn’t help but tear up.
Everything that needed to be said had been said already.
Wu Yu had been dissatisfied having to suppress everything in his heart for so long. No matter how this would end today, he had to at least let the world know Hao Tian Shangxian’s true nature.
He succeeded.
Everyone’s hearts were previously partial to Hao Tian Shangxian but now, his reputation had simply dropped rock bottom. If he wasn’t still so frighteningly powerful, he would’ve been like a rat crossing the street, provoking hatred and scorn from all.
The hundreds of thousands of people from Wu Du all wished for this legend-like returned Prince Yu to defeat Hao Tian and slaughter him in revenge!
As for Yuan Xi and Yuan Hao, they had never captured the people’s hearts to begin with, and they were even more hateful now.
“Wu Yu, are you done now?”
Hao Tian Shangxian could only look on helplessly as the public sentiment turned. The only thing he could do about Wu Yu’s inconceivable return for revenge was to counterattack.
“Done.” Wu Yu waved his hand.
Today was the most exciting day in Wu Du’s history.
Hao Tian Shangxian’s face was indifferent as he said, “I never expected that I had crippled you only to bring you such immense fortune, even becoming Feng Xueya’s direct disciple. It’s simply a miracle! Truthfully speaking, you should thank me.”
Wu Yu laughed and said, “Of course I’m grateful to you. If you hadn’t harmed me, I wouldn’t have what I have now. But, I still need to kill you today and make you disappear forever into ashes and smoke. ”
“Then we’ll have to see if you have the capability to do so…”
The sparks flying between the two vigorously combusted at this moment.
“Yuan Hao, you will die very miserably! Your sister Wu You will be **** by thousands of people!” Yuan Hao was right next to Wu Yu. The pain on his back caused him to lose his reason.
“Is that so? Then I’ll start with you.” A prod from the Demon Suppressing Staff in Wu Yu’s hands knocked Yuan Hao into plummeting down, screaming along the way. Meanwhile, Wu Yu held Consort Xi in place.
Crack!
The hemp rope that was wrapped around Yuan Hao’s neck pulled taut in a split second.
Yuan Hao, an emperor of a generation, was hanged on a city gate. In three breaths’ time, the miserable screams became weaker and weaker until he died a violent death on the spot, amidst despair and agony.
The corpse had wide-open eyes as it swayed from the imperial city gate.
“Hao Tian, come fight if you have the guts.”
When Wu Yu jumped up at that moment, Hao Tian had already started chasing after him in a maniacal fervor.