Chapter 345

Chapter 345

The 29th Year of Kangxi's Reign

Galdan of the Dzungar tribe in Western Mongolia conquered the Khalkha Mongols of Northern Mongolia and led his forces southward into Inner Mongolia. Emperor Kangxi personally led his first military campaign, dividing his troops into three routes to march against Galdan. In the Battle of Ulan Butung, equipped with newly upgraded weapons continuously introduced over just a few years, the Qing forces overwhelmed them with superior firepower, inflicting heavy casualties and securing a decisive victory.

The Eldest Prince also joined the expedition, stationed under Fuquan’s command. The Dzungars feigned surrender to facilitate their retreat. Originally, this ruse might have caused the Eldest Prince to let his guard down, allowing the Dzungars to escape, with Prince Yu Fuquan ultimately taking the blame. However, due to Kangxi’s strict and decisive governance in recent years, no one dared to slack off or risk making mistakes through negligence.

The reason was simple: although the official policy promoted “Manchu and Han as one family,” those in power had always maintained clear distinctions in practice. Otherwise, Manchu officials would not have been so prone to arrogance before—indeed, they suffered the most during the Empress’s funeral rites. Han officials were employed, but an invisible hierarchy still existed.

Manchu, Mongol, and Han—the division was evident in Kangxi’s earlier harem, where Han consorts were relegated to decorative roles, rarely holding high positions. Even shortly after assuming personal rule, Kangxi resisted pressure from the Grand Empress Dowager and kept Han women as mere ornaments. Even when princes were raised by the Empress Dowager, the consorts arranged for them upon adulthood were the lowest-ranking among all princes—daughters of fifth-rank officials.

Now, with Manchu officials proving ineffective, there were plenty of replacements available. The entire landscape had shifted. Talents across the realm were now resources for the imperial household, and capable individuals were desperately needed everywhere. While Manchus were limited in number, Han officials were abundant. Especially after noticing Kangxi’s changed attitude, Han officials toiled relentlessly, outcompeting each other fiercely. The Manchu officials realized the stakes—if they didn’t keep up, their positions would be lost.

In the 26th year of Kangxi’s reign, Dai Zi was further promoted. Ferdinand Verbiest, harboring resentment, falsely accused him of "colluding with the Eastern barbarians," but instead found himself punished. These missionaries had secretly sent many valuable items back to their homeland, drawing Kangxi’s targeted scrutiny.

After all, internal instability was a domestic matter, but foreign barbarians meddling and scheming in the shadows became the priority enemy.

As for fatherly love for the Eldest Prince, there was little left—he was all but used as a pawn, a fact the Eldest Prince understood better than anyone. Once bold enough to challenge the Crown Prince and flaunt his status as the firstborn, he now faced Kangxi’s growing indifference day by day. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince remained close to the Emperor, handling government affairs, clearly showing who held favor.

During this expedition, the Eldest Prince dared not act carelessly; any misstep born of princely arrogance could bring consequences he knew Kangxi would never forgive.

The Dzungars’ feigned surrender was futile—the Qing forces weren’t there to accept it. Their goal was to wipe out the Dzungars root and branch, with no intention of sparing them.

Rebellion once could lead to rebellion again. With Kangxi focused on expanding the empire’s borders, how could he tolerate the Dzungars’ repeated provocations dragging the Qing dynasty backward?

At an age when Kangxi’s ambitions were nearly bursting, the loss of his wife transformed him into a ruthless, vengeance-fueled taskmaster—especially as an absolute monarch at the peak of centralized power. Consumed by hatred, he had no patience for the pretense of benevolent rulership.

Facing Kangxi in this era was sheer bad luck.

However, just as victory was secured and preparations were made to return to the capital, Kangxi fell seriously ill with a severe fever that refused to break.

This was dire news, striking like a plunge into icy water at such a critical moment.

Though many believed the Emperor had long ceased to be truly “normal”—appearing calm yet beneath the surface fanatical—the Qing dynasty’s undeniable rise under his rule left no doubt that a prosperous era lay ahead under his leadership.

While the Crown Prince, under Kangxi’s tutelage, had begun handling state affairs and demonstrated his excellence as the heir apparent—even acting as regent during Kangxi’s expedition—he was still too young.

Unexpectedly, despite his grave illness, Kangxi showed little panic. After summoning the Crown Prince to his side, he mustered the strength to draft an edict, calmly deciding that if he were to die, the Crown Prince would take the throne, and the Eldest Prince would join him in the grave.

Had the Crown Prince been older, Kangxi might have spared the Eldest Prince to assist Baocheng. But an eldest prince with military laurels returning home would only trouble a young emperor struggling to stabilize the realm. Kangxi knew all too well the hardships of internal and external constraints—he had endured them himself.

Kangxi saw the truth plainly. He merely tolerated his sons’ performances of fraternal harmony in his presence—he wasn’t fooled into believing it was genuine.

The Eldest Prince never expected his father to have already prepared such contingencies. Now, with Kangxi suddenly bedridden, his mind began to wander. It would be a lie to say he had no thoughts—but they were only faint.

The Crown Prince, as regent, would rightfully ascend the throne if Kangxi passed. Going from his father’s reign straight to his younger brother’s would be a stark difference—how could the Eldest Prince not have thoughts about that?

Prince Yu Fuquan, noticing the heightened security around the Emperor and the special attention paid to him and the Eldest Prince, felt deeply conflicted. He feared any rash ideas they might entertain—for if the Emperor’s condition worsened, they might be forced to join him in death.

Kangxi’s treatment of the Crown Prince in recent years left no doubt about the heir’s stability. Any rebellious notions would likely have been preemptively crushed by Kangxi to secure the Crown Prince’s future.

They resigned themselves.

Hoping for the Emperor’s swift recovery and seeking effective medicine became the only sensible path.

Upon receiving the news, the Crown Prince immediately set out with the Third Prince, pushing onward without rest.

Waking up to immediate lightning strikes—what kind of experience is that? Others might not know, but Su Yi certainly does. Before she could even test her new body’s limits, the heavens had to throw a tantrum. What, did they mistake her for some kind of celestial treasure about to emerge, needing a classic thunder tribulation to be properly "born"?

Alright then. If they wanna play dirty, she’ll play their game—hard.

She immediately tossed her lifebound sword to the other side of the island. The sword bore her essence, and anyone who’s experienced a thunder tribulation knows—it comes with automatic targeting and even escalates in intensity if others step into its range, so no one could take the fall for her.

No one questioned Su Yi’s penchant for chaos. She expanded the thunder tribulation zone to cover the entire island. Why half-ass it when you could go all out? Might as well forge her lifebound sword stronger and see if she could add some extra attributes while she’s at it. Her new body needed hardening anyway.

So, she stood on one side, her lifebound sword on the other, each drawing half the lightning.

Typically, cultivators facing tribulations sought isolation or prepared special formations to contain the damage. But now, the entire island had become a full-blown death zone—a literal slaughterhouse. Before calamity could fully take shape, a swarm of expendables had already been obliterated. And with natural disasters striking simultaneously, this "instance" turned into a bloodbath with no survivors.

At this point, the thunder tribulation had escalated beyond comprehension, and Su Yi was genuinely fired up. In this showdown, everything here had become expendable. After all, the more she got struck, the more invigorated she grew—like a true villain feeding off suffering.

Before, without a body, being struck by lightning had been utterly pointless. Having a body now hardly made a difference.

She wouldn’t have dared this in lands of strong destiny, but now far from the center, she could bear the consequences no matter how many died.

Resignation—she’d be struck regardless.

Defiance—bring it on, try to kill her.

Acceptance—death was just another outcome.

A colossal sword, nearly half the size of the island, hovered mid-air, sinking slightly with each thunder strike. The moment it fell, it would obliterate everything in its path.

At the sight of this monstrous sword and the lightning engulfing the entire region, some tried desperately to escape. But the moment the thunder zone formed, the island was written off as collateral—a sacrifice to stop her emergence through the tribulation. This world, sliding into an age of dying magic, couldn’t tolerate the existence of such a high-risk individual who would disrupt the balance. The thunder tribulation was inevitable.

But Su Yi wasn’t about to hold back. Instead, she expanded it to cover the entire region. Were it not for the ocean, she’d have pushed further.

Once the zone locked to prevent escape, Su Yi anchored herself as the formation’s core, layering another grand formation to seal the area. Everything here would fuel the formation—even corpses were fuel to be drained. Her goal? Simply to ensure no one slipped through the net.

Su Yi, dancing on the edge of darkness, naturally dabbled in unorthodox methods. Did anyone expect her to flip to saintly tactics now?

Blood, death, slaughter—they suited this place perfectly.

It was uncanny how Su Yi and Kangxi mirrored each other. While she was exterminating here, Kangxi was doing the same elsewhere—one enduring thunder strikes, the other gravely ill.

The thunder tribulation, building in intensity, suddenly hit a snag. The divine phoenix’s fate combined with golden merit light meant only 30-40% of its power actually landed on her.

What the hell?

For a long moment, the thunderclouds rumbled like they were choking on phlegm, unable to decide whether to strike or not. If thunderclouds had emojis, theirs would’ve been a full-on "disgusted, wants to curse" expression.

The only strikes still landing were due to her expanding the zone to drag everyone else down with her. The land was already devastated, tectonic plates shifting. Even if the tribulation stopped now, this place was doomed—either ruined or slowly sinking into the sea.

Once it became clear it couldn’t kill her—only refine her—the remaining thunder strikes grew half-hearted, as if rushing to finish so she wouldn’t benefit any further.

But with the tribulation gone, the temporarily stalled disasters began erupting in waves, giving no respite to those still alive. It was like the apocalypse—yet all confined within the sea’s boundaries.

Su Yi had noticed the golden merit light too. Logically, the situation over there had just begun—how could she already have salvation merits? Normally, it’d take mass casualties first, and avoiding karmic backlash worsening the tribulation would’ve been a win.

Before, she’d pushed herself hard to counterattack, to honor the one who’d sacrificed for her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have shouldered any responsibility.

She knew her own nature. At most, she’d provide tools and let others do the grinding. The rest? Left to fate.

It hadn’t been there before she slept. Only after waking did it appear.

Someone had actually accumulated merits for her?!

Calculating the timing, Su Yi’s expression turned complicated. To gather merits so quickly—not just anyone could pull that off.

That person was calling for her.