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Join the Server“…How can submitting a petition… be a crime?”
Vermilion Bird gritted her teeth and struggled to control her anger as she spoke.
“Is it not I who rules heaven above and all beneath it, the four seas and eight wildernesses? A mere master of a pond, not even one of the Four Directional Divine Lords, dares to submit a petition to me. How arrogant and disrespectful is that?”
Though he called it arrogant and disrespectful, the Heavenly Emperor’s manner was utterly casual.
“But he was created by the Mother Goddess…”
“Yes. That one was a Four Directional Divine Lord created by the Mother Goddess to stabilize the four directions of heaven and earth and assist the Heavenly Emperor. But that is no longer true, is it? He fell into mere emotion, abandoned his duty, and gave up his position as the Azure Dragon Divine Lord to become the Lord of Cheonryeong.”
For the first time, the Heavenly Emperor’s expression hardened coldly. The Heavenly Emperor glared at Jawoon kneeling below, then turned his head toward his subjects on the pavilion and spoke:
“Then he is no longer a Four Directional Divine Lord. Even if he is Lord of Cheonryeong, is it proper for a mere master of a pond on earth to dare submit a petition to me, the Heavenly Emperor?”
In principle, there was nothing wrong with the Heavenly Emperor’s words. For a mere immortal on earth to directly petition the Heavenly Emperor was utterly disrespectful. So Vermilion Bird could not argue further and only pressed her lips shut.
When Vermilion Bird seemed to be forcing down her anger, White Tiger went to her side, looked up at her, and gently tugged at her hand. Vermilion Bird looked at White Tiger’s short curly hair, bit her lip, and held back her anger.
“Then how do you intend to punish him?”
Black Tortoise, having confirmed that Vermilion Bird was struggling to hold back her anger, asked the Heavenly Emperor. At some point the Heavenly Emperor had returned to his usual lax posture, watching them with a playful face.
“Well. If I had my way, I’d make him into a spirit jade.”
At the word “spirit jade,” everyone on the pavilion looked at the Heavenly Emperor in shock.
“Since it is the soul of one born as an Azure Dragon, it must be large and bright. Shall I put it at the head of my bed and use it as a lamp? It should burn brightly for about ten thousand years, no?”
The Heavenly Emperor laughed frivolously, but no one could agree and laugh with him. Seeing everyone’s expressions harden, the Heavenly Emperor shrugged and waved his hand.
“It was a joke, but none of you laugh. Everyone is so serious. Tsk. I also know the merits he achieved in the past. He has the merit of protecting the four seas and eight wildernesses. How could I turn him into a spirit jade?”
“Your Majesty. I will personally…”
The moment Black Tortoise stepped forward, the Heavenly Emperor raised his hand and stopped him. Then he spoke with a smiling face:
“I know that the Black Tortoise Divine Lord is in charge of enforcing the laws of the Heavenly Realm, but it would be best to leave this matter to me.”
“…Yes.”
The Heavenly Emperor hung his legs over the railing and swung them childishly, then waved his hand. At that, the blue puppets suppressing Jawoon scattered and disappeared in an instant.
“Lord of Cheonryeong, raise your head.”
Jawoon, who had been looking at the ground all along, slowly raised his head while kneeling. He could see the Heavenly Emperor’s feet swinging.
“Black Tortoise Divine Lord.”
“Yes.”
Black Tortoise stepped to the side, clasped his hands, and spoke.
“What punishment is given to an immortal who harms the divine generals and soldiers of the Sun-Moon Gate?”
“The Sun-Moon Gate is the entrance to the Heavenly Palace, a place of utmost importance. Those who try to force entry without permission have their spiritual energy sealed and are imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for ten thousand years, or…”
Black Tortoise paused and looked at the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor was still looking at Jawoon, who was kneeling on the bare floor.
“Or they are sentenced to be struck by White Thunder ten times a day without fail. The duration is decided by the Heavenly Emperor, but generally: ten days for one who harms only soldiers; fifty days for one who harms a general; one hundred days for one who harms both generals and soldiers and crosses the Sun-Moon Gate.”
White Thunder was a kind of lightning that fell in the Heavenly Realm. It was formed from pure energy, so even one strike inflicted pain that tore the soul to shreds. It did not directly take life, but because of the pain, many lost their minds before the punishment ended, or killed themselves out of fear of that pain.
The Heavenly Emperor sighed after hearing Black Tortoise’s words.
“Let me see… If I imprison him in the Heavenly Prison for ten thousand years, there will be no one to guard Cheonryeong while you are gone. Then he must receive White Thunder… So one hundred days, then?”
Then Geomun stepped forward, covering her lips with her sleeve.
“The Lord of Cheonryeong crossed the Sun-Moon Gate after being bound by the Manryeongsak, so fifty days would be appropriate.”
“Hmm… But not a few divine soldiers and generals were injured. What should be done about that?”
At those words, the Heavenly Emperor closed his eyes as if pondering, then opened them with an exaggerated nod.
“Yes. Let’s do this, Lord of Cheonryeong.”
The Heavenly Emperor, legs crossed on the railing, looked down and spoke:
“Give me a part of your memories. Then I will forgive all these crimes.”
Jawoon knew. The Heavenly Emperor wanted to erase all traces of Neungso from Jawoon. He had tried to take away the name, but since he could not take the name, now he was trying to erase the memories entirely. It seemed he believed that if he gathered and destroyed all Neungso’s memories dwelling within Jawoon, he would cease to be Jawoon and become the Azure Dragon again.
“Memories, you say?”
“Yes. Your memories. Give me your memories of that most lowly human, and I will forgive all your crimes.”
The pain of receiving White Thunder surpassed imagination. Ten times a day for fifty days like that. But Jawoon had no choice.
“How about it, Lord of Cheonryeong? My kindness?”
The Heavenly Emperor did not seem to doubt even a little that Jawoon would discard his memories. Jawoon looked at the Heavenly Emperor’s face smiling down at him.
“Heavenly God, the Lord of Cheonryeong reports to the Heavenly Emperor.”
“Yes. What will you do?”
Jawoon closed his eyes, bowed his body, and said:
“…I will receive White Thunder.”
The smiling face of the Heavenly Emperor suddenly contorted.
“What?”
Jawoon bowed his body completely.
“If what happened before the Sun-Moon Gate is a crime, how could I, your servant, avoid that punishment? Strike this servant with White Thunder.”
Silence fell over Chunhwaru, where even the music had abruptly stopped. The Heavenly Emperor looked at him and raised one corner of his mouth. But his eyes were not smiling at all.
“You would gladly receive White Thunder…”
His blue-tinged eyes looked down at Jawoon, filled with anger.
“…How could I…”
The Heavenly Emperor paused, took a breath, and continued:
“How am I to punish you?”
At the suddenly affectionate voice, Jawoon raised his body slightly.
Just then, with a light breeze, a round door appeared beside Jawoon, and from it came Black Crane holding a small box, along with a divine general who looked about eight chi tall.
“Any ordinary punishment would do you no good. So…”
Clack. Black Crane opened the box.
“I must punish you in a way that will make you reflect.”
Jawoon turned his head toward the sound without thinking, and his eyes flew wide open. Inside the box Black Crane had opened was the thing Jawoon had desperately wished to see for years. It was Neungso’s spirit jade.
Jawoon hurriedly looked up at the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor was smiling.
“Strike it.”
Jawoon suddenly rose and tried to snatch the box from Black Crane. But Black Crane, as if expecting this, lightly leaped away and avoided Jawoon’s reach.
The next moment, blue energy puppets created by the Heavenly Emperor seized Jawoon and slammed him to the ground.
“Wait, no. No!”
Jawoon, thrown to the ground, struggled and shouted. But Black Crane set the box on the ground with indifferent eyes. Then, as if he had been waiting, the divine general swung the huge iron hammer he was holding down onto the box.
Jawoon heaved his body violently, but he still could not move at all.
“No!”
Clang! With a loud noise, red energy flashed, and the box shattered into pieces that scattered in all directions. Several fragments grazed Jawoon’s cheek, drawing blood.
Jawoon could not even make a sound. He stared wide-eyed at the spot where the hammer had struck.
The divine general glanced at Jawoon, then slowly lifted the hammer. The ground where the hammer had struck was caved in about a chi. And at the bottom, the spirit jade remained, still shining.
“It’s quite a sturdy thing.”
The Heavenly Emperor said that and looked at Vermilion Bird.
“Or perhaps lucky.”
“…”
Vermilion Bird pretended not to notice the Heavenly Emperor’s gaze and turned her head.
Hmph. The Heavenly Emperor let out a light snort and waved his hand in command.
“Strike it again.”
The divine general looked back and forth between Jawoon and the Heavenly Emperor, then raised the hammer high again.
Jawoon’s eyes quickly scanned the spirit jade. He saw a very small crack on its surface. It was a very old crack, and fortunately it did not seem to have worsened. But surviving even one hammer blow filled with divine power while cracked was remarkable.
If it were struck once more, the spirit jade would surely break, and if that happened, Neungso’s soul inside would shatter and vanish.
That was the moment. A powerful energy burst from within Jawoon’s body.
In an instant, the Manryeongsak tore apart and scattered, and Jawoon’s suppressed body shot forward like an arrow. Blue water energy wrapped around Jawoon’s right hand and shattered the hammer that was descending toward the spirit jade in one blow.
As the weapon fragments scattered into energy, blood poured from Jawoon’s mouth.
“Azure Dragon!”
Vermilion Bird’s scream-like cry burst out.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, There Is a Monster in The Imperial Palace is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : There Is a Monster in The Imperial Palace
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