Chapter 115: Frustration and Truth

"Bury them at sea, let the water return to water itself," Emperor Tai ordered the minister to dispose the bodies of Water Royals at the sea itself. "Let then rot there, and become food for the sea beasts, let them be useful that way, let's feed the sea creatures," he said with so much hatred in his voice. Ministers glanced at each other when Tai was not looking at then. There were few other small sect leaders who assembled in order to get permission from him to pardon some of the criminals who misbehaved towards the women in heaven which included themselves. 

"Is that proper? they were all high gods and goddesses," Hodam, one among the minisers asked after sometime. "Isn't  that a criminal  deed?" An old man with grey hair and beard, who was the former assistant of Tai's father.

"Why do you care about them? Do you want to be buried alive at sea?" Tai threatened him. 

"Forgive me your higness, " Hodam apologised in his tired voice and took fee steps back from his position at the hall. He bowed and left. "Sinner, sinner, what a criminal is ruling of the heaven now, if the greater gods curse, heavens will be doomed forever, Dear lord save us from the hands of dhe so called fake Phoenix, " he murmured and walked out of the Celestial Palace's gates. "Oh our greatest lord, save us from the end,"

"Once he finishes the burial ceremony, never let that old nut to enter the Celestial Palace again nor support him. He will be given early retirement and a small cottage at the village he chooses to live. Tai ordered the guards and notified others about how ruthless he is if somebody say a word or raise their voice against him. People were shocked. Murmurs raised. 

"Silence, " Tai ordered, wiping his golden sword. But his body has been aching, burned by the dragon and hurt by the crystals. He couldn't get in touch with Lihua who he always used to heal quickly from the wounds. He regretted behaving rudely to her. "Leave," he asked the people to disperse and let him be alone for sometime. 

He stood up from the throne and walked down to walk around the palace. He had least worries and plenty of time in his hands. His daily plan is to spend time looking around the palace, encourage extensions and build everything needed forgetting the fact that heaven is going down the hill with lesser coins in the treasury caused by the spendthrift nature of Tai buying unnecessary rare times for the palace and to add on his personal collection and they started going empty every day. He opened the underground treasure room open which had entrance in his room. All the treasures and rare items, all the magic weapons of Water Realm has been taken into his possession soon after the blockade with Water Realm began. It was all a trick and trap Tai laid for Aenon when he started raising to popularity. He could clearly the face of King Aenon and how he looked when those items were taken away from his palace. He smiling and pretending to be fine, when anger took over his inside. Tai found pleasure in all those moments. He recalled the look of Aenon and eyes before he dropped dead with his family beside, agony, regret and hatred. Tai felt glad but frustrated. Aqua is left to be taken care of. "Damn that wench," he cursed and sipped his wine. Alcohol always helped him fall asleep and it been weeks since Tai had slept at night. Tai drank five whole jugs of wine and got drunk. He was tried and he laid back on his bed. There were two maids laying naked under the sheets waiting for him. The palace has been turned upside down. Women at his harem no longer shared their bed for him and his wife spat on his face and no left the Celestial Palace. 

Tai fell asleep but not for long. 

"Please, please don't kill us, please don't kill my son," a lady begged him. The princess of the Phoenix family. The wife of the crown prince who married young, and his son, the heir to celestial throne. King Tanwen Yuan and his son Prince Nuri also addressed as Feng, had been brutally murdered by stealing their primordial dan not even giving the chance to reincarnate. Princess Helia begged literally lying on his feet. Emperor Tai took the sword back from her neck and lifted her chin looking into her face. "No, you are not pretty enough, Lihua looks better than you, and you're not a dragon, you are just another weak phoenix in the family," he said and smiled. He then looked at the baby. But the princess stabbed his shoulder to distract him for a second and sent the child away. She teleported him to a strange place and she remained there, accepting worst kinds of death that is doomed above her head. But Tai took the knife away and have them back to the princess. He smiled and walked away asking some hungry guards to take care of her. They tore her clothes and put cuffs on her. They carried her to the court and tied her up. Lying naked, everyone who set eyes on her, hurt her. And before her lay the bodies of her family, her king, her husband, her siblings, her personal maids and guard. She couldn't understand how the strongest Phoenixs got defeated overnight. She cursed the insider who did the job, betraying them and helping to breach the security. She was glad that she sent the child away. She laid there in pain and when she knew her body has been battered, in disgust and shame, she took the knife in her hands. But cuffs did not let her move her hands. Seeing the helpless state, one of  Prince Tai's guards, helped her. He killed her. He slit open her throat as she asked him. The guard had tears in his eyes. The guard who was the spy of the Demon Realm. He flew back to report to Prince Dritan immediately, to inform about the blood bath and cruel actions. 

Tai and his father waited for the apothecaries to perform the magic for them. To set the core taken away from the Phoenixs into their bodies. Tai's father, King Xian took the throne as the Celestial Emperor while Tai was appointed as the Crown Prince of the Heaven. The heir to throne. Nobody knew the reason behind usurping the throne but believed in the lies spread. Tai stood on the platform next to Father sitting on the throne, looking at the heap of bodies before them in the court. The odour of death and blood was everywhere inside the Celestial palace. "Burn them to dust, not a soul should be missing," Emperor  Xian ordered the guards. And they did it. But there was one person missing. The little newborn prince. Tai stopped the guards from reporting it since it was jus mistake. He was afraid of his father and did not wish to take punishment.  He lied to his father that he killed the prince himself and hid the fact forever. Tai led the people to clean the palace, and wash away the blood stains. But the stains on his heart never faded. The Palace was modified and new staff were appointed. But life was never the same, and never peaceful. The bodies haunted his thoughts. All the begging and fighting echoed in his ears from time to time. But Tai stopped caring about it gradually. "Bloodshed is a must in the game of thrones," he kept teaching himself the words he read in books. But that lad's face appeared again, cursing him. 

Tai shuddered and woke up. He was sober and sweating badly. "I should not have felt for that bitch and let her have her way," he regretted. "Would he have survived?" He wondered. "Damn it," he cursed. "No he could not have survived, just a few days it has been since his birth, the beasts would have eaten him instantly, the tender meat," Tai calmed himself. It was still night and Tai got up from his bed moving the sleeping maids away. Alcohol and women did not help him to sleep. His wounds were yet to heal. He looked at them and dressed the wound himself not showing other the state he is in. He had plenty of time in his hands. He decided to mediate in the underground chamber and opened the entrance on the floor without waking the maids. The tunnel was dark. He lighted few candles and walked down the stairs. The temperature was stable and the walls were not damp. He was relieved. He walked towards the treasure hall and turned the lights on. As always, the view was mesmerising. "HA," He said and smiled. The heaps of gold, gems and weapons of all kind. The gold treasures of Water Realm,  their magical items which will help in cultivation and upgrade the skills. "I am so glad that I took Water Realm for myself on my own, Father you must be proud of me," he said and walked towards a coffin, a coffin nobody had ever seen. A coffin that held the remains of His father, Emperor Xian. A man who disappeared without trace in front of universe leaving his throne to the Crown Prince, but infact killed by his son in the chamber he built. Nobody knew that his body is being kept at the Secret Chamber by King Tai. 

Tai smiled and patted the coffin. "Am I not better than you?"