On Liu Shengming’s round face, the smile like Maitreya still lingered. After a moment of bewilderment, he asked, “Why does the Holy Maiden sit so high upon the throne? Could it be that she aspires to seize supreme power?”
Gu Xiaosang stroked the golden armrest, her solemn expression melting into a mischievous smile. “The struggle for the throne inevitably involves both overt and covert battles, making it all the more precious. As a mere woman, I can’t help but be curious about it. Now that departure is imminent and the opportunity presents itself, how could I resist giving it a try?”
“Only after truly sitting upon it did I realize it’s nothing special, merely an ordinary chair.”
She slowly stood up, looking relaxed.
Although Gu Xiaosang deliberately confused the concept of the throne, Liu Shengming’s focus lay elsewhere. His expression slightly changed, “The Holy Maiden is leaving? But the Prince of Qi has yet to form his Dharma Body; this might lead to complications…”
Gu Xiaosang glanced at the Lantern Bearer, smiling, “My religion cures all kinds of ‘ills,’ with immediate effects, but we certainly don’t guarantee the formation of a Dharma Body. Otherwise, there would have already been numerous Dharmarajas transforming the world into a Pure Land.”
“The Holy Emperor’s Demon Decree can only help the Prince of Qi covertly refine the power of countless beings accumulated within the Capital’s Grand Formation, increasing his chance of success. Whether he can attain the Dharma Body ultimately depends on himself—we can’t help with that. If that’s the case, why not return?”
With a chuckle, she continued, “After all, I’ve already viewed the Wordless Stele, and my sect and the Heaven-Annihilating Gate have each obtained what we needed. Should we wait around for the Prince of Qi to attain the Dharma Body and then turn his back on us?”
Liu Shengming forced a smile, “The Prince of Qi started preparing many years ago; he should have a certain degree of confidence. What concerns me is that forming the Dharma Body will cause great commotion. If external forces interfere, it might result in failure. Ah, if only he could secretly attain the Dao like the Mad King, so that only a few people would know about it now, that would be better…”
“How could the Mad King be compared to him? How would I know? If the Prince of Qi himself isn’t worried, why should you, Divine Investigator Liu, be concerned?” Gu Xiaosang replied with a half-smile.
Upon hearing this, Liu Shengming was momentarily stunned, glancing sideways at the palace pavilions near the Taiji Hall.
Gu Xiaosang, hands clasped behind her back, slowly descended the steps. Her white dress swayed with each step, exuding an indescribable purity and sanctity: “Besides, who in the capital could possibly interfere?”
“If it’s the Immortal Traces group, neither I nor the Lantern Bearer could withstand the unscrupulous Doumu Yuanjun. I believe the Prince of Qi has his own methods.”
Liu Shengming furrowed his brows: “Dharma…”
The Lantern Bearer followed behind Gu Xiaosang, brushing past Liu Shengming and lightly interrupting his words with a laugh: “Divine Investigator Liu, your loyalty to the emperor and the Prince of Qi is truly commendable. Not a trace remains of your identity as a guardian of the Su Nu Sect.”
Liu Shengming looked slightly embarrassed, chuckling, “Since the Holy Maiden has exposed my identity, and the emperor and the Prince of Qi have not abandoned me, I must sever my past and start anew.”
Gu Xiaosang didn’t turn back, stepping out of the Taiji Hall and softly laughing, “I heard that the current Xuan Nu and the Joyous Bodhisattva have both descended the mountain. Divine Investigator Liu, take care.”
Liu Shengming’s expression darkened and lightened alternately as he watched the white-dressed Gu Xiaosang disappear into the square outside the hall. The Lantern Bearer, withered and old, holding the lamp, looked like a servant.
The weather, which had been sunny moments ago, now gradually clouded over, as if a continuous autumn rain was about to fall.
The Lantern Bearer’s left hand now held a green parasol, devoutly raised above Gu Xiaosang’s head. Glancing back at the distant palace, he murmured softly, “It seems that Liu Shengming has not yet gained complete trust. Now it all depends on the Prince of Qi himself. If he can form his Dharma Body, the entire realm’s situation will undergo a massive change, which will be extremely beneficial to our Luo Sect’s great vow.”
Gu Xiaosang’s eyes sparkled with a clever smile: “Whether he succeeds or fails, what difference does it make? After this incident, can the relationship between the Zhao family and the other top clans really return to what it was before? That is the true source of chaos…”
Raindrops fell, striking the green parasol. In the hazy rain, the Lantern Bearer’s withered, thin back remained straight, and the hand holding the umbrella did not waver in the slightest. Gu Xiaosang, slender and graceful, remained spotless, like a fairy dancing in the rain.
Dark clouds gathered, and the sky over the capital grew as heavy as night, with continuous autumn rain falling without thunder or lightning.
Centered around the palace, the capital suddenly radiated a hazy golden light, enveloping every place. The golden light, like smoke, revealed scenes of the mundane world—red-dust paths, cooking smoke and lanterns, fishermen, woodcutters, farmers, and scholars, as well as martial cultivators.
These scenes constantly shifted, swirling and condensing into streams of golden light resembling ferocious, clawing dragons, coiling above the palace.
The Holy Emperor’s Demon Decree floated in midair in the hands of Prince Zhao Wuyan, greedily absorbing the dragon-like streams of energy. Then it emitted rays of auspicious light, landing on Zhao Wuyan.
Behind Zhao Wuyan appeared the image of a ruler of men, wearing a flat-topped crown, a royal robe, a dragon-like face, a body entwined with a true dragon, wielding a heavenly sword in one hand and holding a golden seal in the other—his “Emperor Dharma Manifestation!”
The Dharma Manifestation moved forward, overlapping with his physical body, appearing both illusory and real, slowly merging.
Zhao Wuyan’s expression remained calm, his eyebrows and beard fully extended, white and wild, sweeping away the dust of time.
He had reached the most critical moment. If he successfully stepped through this threshold, he would no longer be merely a “man” of the mortal world!
The center of the dark clouds grew increasingly black, as if brewing something terrifying.
…
How could such a transformation in the capital escape the notice of the powerful figures within the Yulinyuan?
Cui Qingyu’s expression changed. Just as he was about to investigate the source of the disturbance, he suddenly felt the light and shadow shift. The illusion formation rapidly expanded, turning the entire Yulinyuan dim and isolated from the outside world!
Faintly flickering restrictions merged into the void. Cui Qingyu, Cui Yan, Song Shouren, and other top clan experts sensed the situation and turned their gazes toward the old emperor standing on the central high platform.
Leaning back in his chair, the old emperor’s aged and slack face showed a hint of relaxation. Beside him, Sima Shi stood within layers of restrictions, serving as the core of the formation’s operation.
The layers of formations blurred the boundary between illusion and reality, protecting the old emperor within, preventing everyone from seeing the “young talents” battling inside.
“Esteemed ministers, please remain calm. Wait a moment; the formation will dissolve on its own,” the old emperor smiled.
Cui Qingyu, a man of extraordinary perception, had already connected the dots of previous events:
“It was you! You colluded with the Luo Sect and the Heaven-Annihilating Gate and took the Holy Emperor’s Demon Decree!”
“You’re helping the Prince of Qi form his Dharma Body!”
Suddenly, everything became clear. That explained why Sima Shi and Zhao Wuyan, two mighty experts, had failed to touch even a single hair of the Luo Sect despite their combined strength.
Although it made sense to target the strongest opponent first—the Doumu Yuanjun—this still seemed excessive!
Because of the preconceived notion that the imperial family would never collaborate with the Luo Sect, a heretical sect notorious for rebellion and subversion, Cui Qingyu had subconsciously overlooked this possibility.
Looking back now, it was clear that even mortal enemies could cooperate if the benefits were sufficient!
The expressions of the various clan experts darkened slightly. They each readied their weapons, their auras rising, preparing to break through the formation directly.
With so many powerful experts and precious weapons present, surely they could overcome Sima Shi and his formation?
At least for now, neither the Nine Dragon Seal nor the Emperor’s Sword was in sight.
At that moment, the old emperor chuckled, “Esteemed ministers, many of you have a thread of your essence still attached to your descendants. Even if you don’t worry about their safety, you should consider the backlash from the formation.”
“Of course, with your strength, it would only trouble you for a tea’s worth of time, perhaps slightly injuring you. But that tea’s worth of time is more than enough.”
His gaze swept over Cui Qingyu, Song Shouren, and others, as if saying, without the majority of their experts’ assistance, it would take you a while to break through the formation. And that brief moment is precisely what we need.
—Cui Yan had his essence attached to Cui Zhe, while Cui Qingyu did not, and there were others like him. Meanwhile, Song Quanlue, Zhang Yuanli, and others had been eliminated early by Meng Qi.
Cui Qingyu gently touched the hilt of his sword, his expression returning to normal, standing still. This slightly surprised Song Shouren and others who had intended to act, causing them to hesitate.
“Your Majesty,” Cui Qingyu said steadily, “forming a Dharma Body is a good thing. The Jin Dynasty will completely overshadow the sects. Why must we be so tense and confrontational?”
Suddenly, the old emperor burst into laughter, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world: “Haha, if it were done openly, would your Cui family allow the Prince of Qi to form his Dharma Body?”
“If not for Cui Qinghe, it might have been better. Under pressure from the sects, all of you here understand the bigger picture. But Cui Qinghe was born many years earlier. I believe none of you would welcome a Dharma Body emerging within the imperial family, truly ruling over the world.”
His expression turned cold: “A prince of exceptional talent cannot ascend the throne; powerful royal family members refining the power of countless beings are under strict surveillance… Do you call that ‘welcoming success’?”
“The Prince of Qi had already reached his personal limit years ago, but there were still a few steps to forming the Dharma Body. Refining the power of countless beings was under your watchful eyes, making it impossible to overstep, let alone finally breaking through the final barrier. Therefore, I sacrificed myself, transforming the power of countless beings for the Prince of Qi. Even if this causes backlash and shortens my life, I am willing!”
Transforming the power of countless beings for the Prince of Qi through the body of an emperor was inefficient and time-consuming; ten years might not even equal half a month’s worth of transformation provided by the Holy Emperor’s Demon Decree.
The old emperor believed that as long as the Prince of Qi successfully attained the Dharma Body, the major clans would compromise and retreat. With external threats like the Northern Zhou and the Western Regions, and internal pressures from sects, they would make wise choices.
If he failed, the Cui family was not yet prepared, and at most, the Zhao family’s situation would worsen—if there was no Dharma Body, this was inevitable as the Cui family grew stronger.
The expressions of the various clan experts darkened. None had expected the old emperor to have plotted for so long.
Cui Qingyu remained calm and unemotional: “But why stoop so low as to ally with evil cults and nine paths of heresy, willingly degrading yourself?”
The old emperor smiled: “I know the Luo Sect and the Heaven-Annihilating Gate have ulterior motives, but even if it’s poison, I must drink it to seek survival!”
He saw Cui Qingyu’s expression change slightly, as if he had already anticipated something: “Minister Cui, I know your sword was given by Qinghe and can remotely communicate with him. But have you forgotten that you are within the formation?”
Cui Qingyu had remained still precisely to secretly communicate. Now that his plan was exposed, he snorted coldly, drew his sword, neither clearly attacking nor defending.
Other clan experts either joined him in attacking or closed their eyes, sensing their essence threads, attempting to pull their outstanding descendants out.
Due to the formation’s interference, this process was not dangerous but extremely slow!
Su Li retreated to the back of the high platform, closed his eyes, and focused. However, the formation was ever-changing. With his third-level Outer Manifestation cultivation, he could not detect his essence thread for a while.
At this moment, he felt regret. He should have attached his essence to Su Yue, but out of caution, he had ultimately decided to act himself.
…
Kill intent continuously surfaced and vanished, leaving Meng Qi puzzled.
It seemed to be a special technique, using kill intent to distract him rather than indicating any real change—an ambush by someone capable of evading detection by the outside experts?
After walking a few steps, the mist dissipated. Although it was still “dark,” he could now sense his surroundings.
Suddenly, Meng Qi’s heart leapt with joy because beside a large rock ahead stood a figure. Dressed in white, her serene presence resembled the moon, and she held an ancient qin in both hands. Feeling her aura, it was indeed Ruan Yushu.
Finally, he had encountered a companion… Feeling her aura was normal, Meng Qi walked over, calling out joyfully, “Yushu, it seems we’re destined to meet again…”
As he drew near, Meng Qi’s eyes abruptly narrowed. Something was amiss—the qin wasn’t the Qifeng, only a resemblance!
Unless one was as familiar with the little glutton as he was, one would never notice the difference!
At that moment, “Ruan Yushu” extended her right hand. Like a shadow, it struck silently toward Meng Qi’s forehead!
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