Just like no woman can ever defeat the "first love" etched in a man's heart, Yang Yuhuan now desperately wanted to prove her excellence.

Even becoming the leader of one of the Seven Divisions, the Demon Suppression Bureau, was far from enough.

Her master, Russell, effortlessly began guiding her, relying on his understanding of her and his keen control of human nature. How could she prove her worth to the entire world?

Simple—become the Emperor.

An increasingly fanatical Yang Yuhuan felt a sudden clarity. Indeed! Why not emulate King Su, the first ruler of the Great Tang, and become the Great King herself?

Moreover, once I control this Great Tang, wouldn't everyone have to follow my vision? Then, the White Lotus Sect will undoubtedly rise to greatness once again!

She did not doubt for a moment whether she could achieve this. She firmly believed that she was the true Daughter of the Heavenly Mandate!

Yang Yuhuan's ambitions quickly spread throughout the White Lotus Sect through Russell, garnering immediate support from the fanatical believers of the No-Life Old Mother. They swiftly devised a feasible plan.

Suffice it to say, when it comes to rebellion, these people are professionals!

The desires of the human heart are boundless. Not everyone participating in the plan truly worshiped the No-Life Old Mother; many were simply in it for self-interest. The current system was already rigid—those seeking more benefits had no choice but to break the existing rules and redistribute the stakes.

Did the No-Life Old Mother know this? Absolutely.

Originally, as an ancient artifact, she was indifferent to and barely engaged with Human Clan politics. But ever since Yang Yuhuan took command of the Demon Extermination Department, this Great Tang "Public Tool" began being covertly repurposed for personal use.

People saved daily by the Demon Suppression Bureau gradually became aware of the reputation of the White Lotus Sect, and its influence began to spread. Simple-minded commoners didn't overthink the implications—whoever rescued them had their faith.

Individually, this faith may have been negligible, but as their numbers grew, the No-Life Old Mother began to faintly see a chance to enhance her Fate Grid!

And this was already the status quo with just one of the Seven Divisions under control. If Yang Yuhuan were really pushed to the supreme throne, wouldn't her power soar?

No scheme of her adherents could escape her notice. While plans were being finalized, the No-Life Old Mother personally took action. In the 228th year of the Great Tang, a divine omen appeared in the Yellow River—the riverbank revealed a giant tortoise bearing the Divine Stone, inscribed with the words "Inestimably Noble."

Back when Yang Yuhuan's fate was read by a Daoist, wasn't the same conclusion foretold with these very words?

Yang Yuhuan formally relinquished her Daoist identity to dedicate herself to the court's service. Discarding her Daoist title of "Taizhen," she officially transitioned from a cultivator to a government official of the Great Tang.

Though twenty-something Yang Yuhuan was considered older for a maiden at the time, her family's doorstep was thronged once again with suitors the very same day.

Yang Yuhuan appeared at the Yang Mansion gates, shrinking the two stone lions at the entrance down to palm size. She declared that she would marry whoever could lift them, cleverly delaying the ambitions of the aristocratic factions within the Cabinet, while secretly beginning negotiations with the Imperial Li Family.

Indeed, the White Lotus Sect laid out a course for her inspired by Su Daji's old path. If Su Daji, a woman and not even a member of the Li lineage, could become a Great King, then Yang Yuhuan ascending the throne as Emperor seemed entirely reasonable!

It was all about legitimacy. As for how Yang Yuhuan would handle her rule post-ascension, that would be a matter for later.

The Li Family had no objection to the arrangement. The noble clans dominated the Great Tang, and while the Li Royal Family still prospered, it paled in comparison to its early glory. How could the once-magnificent Li Family tolerate being surpassed by others?

Whether Yang Yuhuan might pull a fast one after ascending didn't seem to concern them—they naively believed she wouldn't. After all, their ancestors still cast long shadows over her. Such naivety plainly explains why the Li Family had been overtaken by others in the first place.

With both sides establishing a foundation for cooperation, marriage negotiations commenced. The proposed match? On Yang Yuhuan's side, naturally, it was herself. On the Li side? Not Li Qing, but his father, the Li Family patriarch, Li Longji!

The Li Family intended to leverage the restored imperial authority to reclaim their status. Li Longji, the family patriarch, undoubtedly had his own agenda as he aggressively pushed this union. As for his wife?

For Li Longji, a wife was insignificant compared to power—after all, he already had Li Qing, an illegitimate son born of a concubine. To him, women were nothing but pawns in the game of ambition.

He knew full well his son, Li Qing, had always been infatuated with Yang Yuhuan. But "infatuation" alone held no sway in his mind. What did mere affection amount to against the prize of power?

At the Yang Mansion gates,

the place had transformed into one of the most iconic attractions in all of Chang'an. Yang Yuhuan's fame as a Divine Maiden swept across the Great Tang, nobles dreaming of marriage alliances flocked to her, and commoners dreaming of fortune filled the courtyard. Yet, to this day, no one had managed to lift the two palm-sized stone lions.

Amid the crowd stood Li Qing, his white hair stark in the sea of faces, watching person after person fail to lift the lions. Ever since his battle with the Blood Demon, his Primordial Energy had been completely drained, severing his path of cultivation. Once, it would have been easy for him to lift those lions—but that was in the past. Now, he knew of only one person who might succeed, and that was Jing An. But Jing An wouldn't come.

A hulking man made a valiant effort, sweating and grunting, but failed to budge the stone lions an inch. Embarrassed, he shuffled away. Just then, a dignified-looking middle-aged man with a paper fan walked forward through the crowd.

The younger spectators saw this newcomer and quickly heckled, "Hey hey, uncle, at your age, you still dream of this? Give it a rest!"

"Yeah, exactly! Don't know if your knees can even hold up, and you still want to marry the Divine Maiden?"

"Step aside!"

"Step aside!"

The middle-aged man remained unperturbed, smiling as he replied, "I'm only in my forties—still quite young. If you young men can't manage, how about letting me give it a try?"

He paid no mind to the jeers of the crowd, calm and confident, as though victory was already his.

In the crowd, Li Qing's eyes were fixed intently on the man. He knew who it was—his father. Although his cultivation was lost, Li Qing's intelligence remained sharp. His mind raced as he connected his father's presence with the recent events in Chang'an, arriving at a conclusion so dreadful it sent shivers down his spine.

He tried desperately to dismiss his own inference, but the unfolding events refused to align with his hopes. Helplessly, he watched as his father softly muttered under his breath, then calmly lifted the stone lions.

Li Qing coughed up a mouthful of blood. Ignoring the startled exclamations of the crowd—"Whoa, the old man's got moves!", "Oh my god, someone's fainted from excitement!", "No way, a white-haired man's spitting blood from rage!"—he summoned the faint remnants of mana within him and dashed toward a secluded temple on the outskirts of the city.

He felt as if the entire world had become incomprehensibly absurd. The woman he had idolized and adored since his youth, the one he'd been willing to sacrifice everything for—even his path to immortality—was now about to become his stepmother.

"My beloved woman is going to marry my biological father. How is this reasonable?! Damn you, heavens!"

Halfway to the temple, Li Qing gazed skyward and roared in fury. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, until another round of blood spewed from his mouth, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Saint Taiqing: …

Nezha: Clam-tastic!

Nuwa: Delightful!

Queen Mother: Well played!

With the Qi Fortune surrounding him, there was no way Li Qing would perish so pitifully on the roadside. Eventually, a kind stranger carried him to a nearby temple—Jing An's very temple of cultivation.

Jing An had always been a friend to Li Qing, not because of his former status or power, but for the deep tranquility that once resided within him. No one could have predicted that such a peaceful soul would face such devastating blows.

When Li Qing awoke, he tightly grasped Jing An's hand, staring into his eyes. "Jing An, will you help me?"

Jing An's expression remained serene.

"Amitabha Buddha, you are this humble monk's friend. You always have been, and always will be."

While Li Qing wallowed as a disgraced son, the news of Li Longji divorcing his wife to marry the Divine Maiden spread like wildfire through Chang'an.

The entire city was bewildered by the revelation. What was Yang Yuhuan thinking, rejecting younger suitors in favor of an old man?

As for poor Li Qing, all anyone could say was: A father's joy is something his son can never truly fathom!

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