Chapter 49: All Ambitious Souls
Fan Li’s expression remained impassive; everything Cao Cao had just said was entirely within his expectations.
He claimed that destiny was his, likening himself to King Wen of Zhou?
No doubt about it—this was the real Cao Cao!
But the issue was, the Han dynasty was not yet under Cao Cao’s control, with the emperor as his puppet, issuing commands to the feudal lords.
Dong Zhuo held absolute power in the Han court. Where did Cao Cao find the courage and qualifications to make such bold statements?
The recent alliance by marriage between Chu and Han made Cao Cao’s words tantamount to telling Fan Li outright: I, Cao Cao, harbor grand ambitions!
As expected, Fan Ming, Fan Chun, and Fan Yuehua all revealed astonished expressions. Yet, none of them were ordinary figures; they quickly composed themselves and refrained from reckless words.
In this situation, Fan Li was the undisputed backbone of the Fan family.
Everything would be decided by him.
Fan Li’s gaze lingered on Cao Cao for a long while before slowly shifting to Liu Bei and Sun Quan.
As he had suspected, these two clearly already knew of Cao Cao’s ambitions, and had reached some tacit agreement.
“These three have managed to keep the emperor and Dong Zhuo completely in the dark,” he mused.
Fan Li said, “Today, the states of Chu and Han are joined as one. With such words, Lord Cao, you place me in a difficult position.”
A glint of cunning flashed in Cao Cao’s eyes.
“Why be troubled, Lord Jin? As I’ve just said, whether the land of Chu bears the surname Xiang or Fan, we remain your staunchest allies.”
“Likewise, whether the Han must forever be ruled by the House of Liu is not essential.”
“The three of us will always stand with Chu.”
After Cao Cao spoke, Liu Bei suddenly cut in, “As long as I am here, the flame of Han will never be extinguished.”
Sun Quan added, “Even if I cannot possess all under heaven, what harm is there in reigning over the southeast?”
At last, Fan Li understood.
Today, the three heroes of the late Han had come to lay their cards on the table.
Not only did Emperor Liu Xie wish to ally with Xiang Ning, but Cao, Liu, and Sun also sought an alliance with the real power behind Chu.
What shocked Fan Li was that, though these three were not of one mind, they had, for their own ambitions, come together as temporary allies.
Individually, none of them was truly qualified to negotiate with Fan Li as an equal.
Together, however, they were.
Xiang Ning was also stunned!
What was happening here?
Was she surrounded by traitors and rebels? As the legitimate emperor, had she walked alone into the tiger’s den?
“All three of you are heroes, your ambitions grand,” Fan Li said, taking a sip of his wine. “But as I see it, as long as Grand Tutor Dong remains, none of you will have your day in the sun.”
To discuss cooperation, strength was essential.
Together, their combined weight was enough to make Fan Li take them seriously.
But with Dong Zhuo in power, when would it ever be the turn of Cao, Liu, and Sun?
Cao Cao nodded. “What Lord Jin says is true. None of us can match Dong Zhuo, nor could we defeat him even together.”
“What, then, is Dong Zhuo’s true strength?” Fan Li asked.
“Most rumors say Dong Zhuo has reached the pinnacle of the Unification Realm, but that’s not so. His cultivation has already broken through to the Grand Ascension Realm, First Rank!” Liu Bei replied gravely.
Fan Li nodded, then shook his head.
Given Dong Zhuo’s dominance, it was reasonable for him to possess such power.
But to truly know oneself and the enemy was the key to victory; this information alone was far from enough.
“When Dong Zhuo entered the capital,” Sun Quan explained, “he did so under imperial command to eradicate the Ten Attendants. Those ten could not hold out against him for half a day before they were utterly destroyed.”
“Three of them were killed in the very first exchange.”
“The strongest among them, Zhang Rang, barely managed to last until the end, but his death was the most miserable of all.”
Sun Quan’s face paled, as though recalling a terrifying scene.
“Dong Zhuo practices the ‘Gluttonous Demon Art,’ and has entered the demonic path. When Zhang Rang was defeated, he begged for mercy, swearing fealty to Dong Zhuo in the name of Heaven, even offering to help him ascend the throne.”
“But Dong Zhuo refused on the spot, and used his demonic art to drain Zhang Rang’s flesh and spirit dry.”
Composing himself with difficulty, Sun Quan’s face remained ashen as he finished, “I had never before witnessed a person die in such a way—their existence utterly erased from the world. The Gluttonous Demon Art left not a trace of Zhang Rang behind.”
“I don’t believe it!” Xiang Ning interjected.
“Everyone knows Dong Zhuo covets the throne—how could he pass up the chance to become emperor? With the help of the Ten Attendants, he could have easily claimed the throne!”
Fan Li could only shake his head in exasperation.
You don’t believe? Are you some celebrity TV host? Please play your role as a palace maid and let the important people speak.
Fortunately, no one present took Xiang Ning’s protest seriously.
Cao Cao suddenly asked, “Can Lord Jin guess why Dong Zhuo refused the Ten Attendants’ surrender?”
Fan Li pondered a moment before replying, “I suppose Dong Zhuo does not possess the imperial destiny, does he?”
The imperial destiny—favored by Heaven—was the essential prerequisite for founding a dynasty.
No matter how great one’s cultivation, without this fate, one could never establish a nation.
The Son of Heaven—this was not an empty title!
The emperor could practice any art under heaven, and within the same realm, none could defeat him.
Moreover, the emperor enjoyed the blessing of Heaven, and could comprehend and forge the Imperial Seal, the highest artifact of the mortal world.
But most importantly, there was an almost mythical reason:
An ordinary cultivator might one day ascend to immortality.
But an emperor, in his cultivation, could potentially ascend with his entire nation, establishing an immortal kingdom.
Thus, for mortals seeking immortality, if they themselves lacked absolute confidence, following the Son of Heaven became their second hope.
Even those with the ability to ascend alone would, for their family’s future, seek to attach themselves to the emperor, hoping their descendants might ascend with him one day.
“When one man gains enlightenment, even his dogs and chickens ascend,” Fan Li thought.
In his past life, this was just a common saying.
But in this world, it hinted at the emperor’s role.
Xiang Ning sneered, “If Dong Zhuo lacks the imperial destiny, then why did he not take the throne before, and why would he plot rebellion now? Can he defy the heavens and change his fate, suddenly becoming the Son of Heaven?”
As soon as she spoke, Cao Cao’s expression grew grave and he nodded.
“The Gluttonous Demon Art does, in fact, possess the power to alter fate against the will of Heaven.”
“The three of us learned only recently that Dong Zhuo has delayed his rebellion because he is waiting for his transformation to succeed.”
“By forcibly changing his fate with this art, Dong Zhuo is on the verge of acquiring the imperial destiny. If he succeeds, our Han emperor will become a thorn in his side, marked for certain disaster.”
Xiang Ning could hardly believe it.
Destiny was innate—how could it be changed?
But Fan Li had a suspicion, and asked, “What exactly did Dong Zhuo devour?”
As the words fell, he saw Liu Bei’s eyes redden as if about to weep.
Cao Cao and Sun Quan remained silent, leaving Liu Bei to speak.
Clenching his teeth, Liu Bei replied in a hoarse voice, “That old fiend Dong Zhuo desecrated the original imperial tombs of Han!”
“What…?”
Fan Li was dumbstruck.
The Han dynasty, after all its turmoil, had split into Eastern and Western Han.
The so-called original imperial tomb was the mausoleum of Emperor Guangwu, restorer of the Han.
The current imperial Liu clan all traced their lineage to this branch.
In other words, Dong Zhuo had dug up Liu Xie’s ancestral graves?
Thinking of Dong Zhuo’s cultivation of the Gluttonous Demon Art, Fan Li felt a wave of nausea rise within him.