Shendu, the emperor’s sleeping palace. Whether it was due to the presence of death, the place exuded a sinister and dim aura, with even thick rows of candles unable to illuminate the daytime.
The candlelight flickered, casting ghostly shadows, and the dim glow floated across Cui Qingyu’s face. Summons in the middle of the night had brought him here to meet the Imperial Prince Zhao Heng.
However, he knew well that it wasn’t merely the nominal Zhao Heng who had summoned him, but the true ruler of the royal house—Prince Qin Zhao Jingshi, a Grand Master!
On the steps above stood a man clad in resplendent golden dragon robes. Unadorned by a crown, his hair was loosely pinned with a wooden hairpin, exuding ease and nonchalance. His features were striking, his age difficult to discern. He bore a resemblance to the Zhao brothers, with slightly upturned eyes revealing a touch of youthful vigor, yet his gaze was deep and cold, like a frozen lake, betraying the maturity shaped by time and hardship. This was indeed Prince Qin Zhao Jingshi.
“If not for Chief Inspector Su witnessing the incident, this prince wouldn’t have known of Master Cui’s arrival in Shendu. My apologies for the oversight,” Zhao Jingshi spoke calmly, addressing Cui as Master of the Cui family rather than the more familiar “Minister Cui.”
Cui Qingyu had long acted as head of the Cui family in place of his elder brother and was now a pillar of the clan. Having seen every manner of situation and endured every danger, he remained composed, bowing calmly and saying, “Upon hearing of the unrest in Shendu, I grew concerned and rushed here overnight. I hadn’t yet informed anyone else. There’s no need for Prince Qin to be so courteous.”
Zhao Jingshi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at Cui Qingyu with an expression devoid of emotion. After a long pause, he suddenly smiled. “I wonder, does Senior Gao Teng of Northern Zhou find the climate and food in Shendu agreeable?”
At this, Cui Qingyu’s expression changed instantly. His right hand, hanging by his side, clenched tightly, as if he were about to draw his sword. He forced a smile and replied, “Your Highness, I don’t quite understand your meaning.”
Zhao Jingshi sighed, whether out of regret or sorrow, “If not for the Luo Sect and the Su Maiden Dao’s warning, this prince would never have known that the Cui family of Pingjin and the Zhang family of Longnan had lowered themselves to flatter Gao Lan.”
At this point, Cui Qingyu knew the matter had been fully exposed, with no chance of concealment. Slowly, he drew the Zhi-Ge sword and said with some emotion, “After the incident at the Longnan Marquisate, I suspected the truth had already leaked out. Even if it hadn’t, Zhang Baili’s desperate attempt to cover things up would have made it easy for Prince Qin and the Six Gates’ seasoned divine investigators to deduce what had happened.”
“Since you know this, why come at all?” Zhao Jingshi echoed the words of the Fengdian Divine Envoy on the river.
Cui Qingyu smiled. “Already lured to Shendu, caught in a grand formation, whether I came or not, what difference does it make?”
“Lured?” Zhao Jingshi echoed meaningfully.
Cui Qingyu gently stroked the sword with his left hand. “Without the emperor’s sudden death or the disappearance of Sima Shi, what reason would my old friend Gao and I have to believe we could incite internal strife, provoke conflict, and exploit the chaos? Alas, we fell into a trap.”
Zhao Jingshi smiled. “I am not heartless. This plan was suggested by the Luo Sect and the Su Maiden Dao, but after much thought, I realized it was the only way to lure both clan leaders and Senior Gao into Shendu with their divine weapons. Thus, some sacrifices were necessary. In this world, there is no such thing as getting everything you want without paying a price. Besides, the emperor was obsessed with beauty and strayed from the right path. The Imperial Prince is far more promising.”
“But don’t you fear the Luo Sect and the Su Maiden Dao have ulterior motives? They are no saints!” Cui Qingyu tried to sow discord. His greatest fear was that the Luo Sect’s Dharma King was lying in ambush nearby. “Moreover, conspiring with heretics is a grave offense. Once exposed, you will be in even greater danger than our two families, hunted by all!”
Zhao Jingshi shook his head. “How could I conspire with heretics? I merely purchased intelligence and accepted a suggestion from them, paying the appropriate price. Whether they have other motives, I neither know nor care—at least for now. But should I encounter them, I will certainly uphold righteousness and eliminate evil!”
“Then the death of Noble Consort Hua was not the Luo Sect’s doing?” Cui Qingyu pointed his sword sideways.
Zhao Jingshi’s expression remained unchanged. “She had long become a Luo Sect follower, seeking favor and a child. Even if she hadn’t taken her own life, I would have dealt with her.”
“Excellent! Truly excellent!” Cui Qingyu laughed, his beard and hair suddenly flaring, exuding boldness and extraordinary presence. “I have a divine weapon here. The Zhang family leader does as well. Add Senior Gao Teng, and we still have a chance to break through the grand formation of Shendu!”
A cultivator who had survived countless trials would not be easily intimidated!
At that moment, a figure emerged from behind the hall. Clad in wide robes with large sleeves, his face was unremarkable, like an elderly neighbor. It was none other than Sima Shi!
He carried the Nine-Dragon Seal, complementing the Emperor’s Sword in Zhao Jingshi’s hand. His aura was vast and overwhelming, covering the entire palace.
“I thought Zhao Jingshi had sold you to the Luo Sect or the Su Maiden Dao,” Cui Qingyu said with little surprise. “But it seems you willingly disappeared.”
Without the Yin-Yang Boundary Scarf or the Land and River Chart, his disappearance had been voluntary!
Sima Shi merely smiled faintly, saying nothing. At least for now, he was one of the pillars of the Zhao family in Shendu, not someone to be sacrificed.
Zhao Jingshi remained calm. “Once Senior Gao Teng acts, the top clans like the Ruan family will not stand idly by. Within the grand formation of Shendu, they will be able to contain and even capture him. As for the Zhang family leader, our Zhao clan’s Grand Master will temporarily control the grand formation to hold him down. With me, Sima, and the aid of two divine weapons and the formation, can we not deal with you?”
“What you do is in the shadows, while we no longer conspire with heretics. The more this matter escalates, the more disadvantageous it will be for you!”
Because it would drag in the other top clans!
Cui Qingyu calmed himself, emptied his mind, and raised his sword in the Zhi-Ge stance. “In that case, why not strike now?”
He could only hope the Pingjin family would act swiftly to welcome Gao Lan’s southern advance and avoid total annihilation.
Zhao Jingshi still did not strike. A faint smile curved his lips as he said casually, “Our alliance of nine great clans is the foundation of the Jin Dynasty. Only by setting aside past grievances, cooperating wholeheartedly, and sharing resources can we resist Northern Zhou and buy time to strengthen ourselves. If the Cui family is willing to sign a pact, sever ties with Northern Zhou, you will remain the Marquis of Pingjin, a pillar of the imperial court.”
Two ancient bamboo scrolls appeared in his hands, relics from some forgotten corner of the Zhao family’s treasure vault.
Cui Qingyu’s pupils contracted sharply, clearly recognizing the nature of such a pact. He hesitated, saying nothing for a moment.
“Gao Lan has the threat of Lu Da to worry about. If he moves south, he will provoke Su Wuming. For now, he dares not fully support your two families, hoping only to reap the benefits without effort. Master Cui, you should know this well!” Zhao Jingshi’s tone turned stern. “If you persist in your folly, this prince will have no choice but to cut off the limb to save the body, showing no mercy!”
“It is better to lose you two families than to let you join our enemies!”
Sima Shi took a step forward, blocking the only opening Cui Qingyu had just discovered.
Cui Qingyu suddenly sighed, reversed his Zhi-Ge sword, and bowed with emotion.
“Your Highness, your magnanimity puts this old man to shame.”
Zhao Jingshi secretly exhaled in relief, a genuine smile appearing on his face. “Surviving calamities, brothers remain; meeting again, old grudges fade with a smile!”
“Please, Master Cui, sign this pact, then accompany this prince and Sima to the Marquis of Longnan’s estate.”
…
A golden-orange glow illuminated the void, like dancing flames. Moisture evaporated rapidly, leaving a dry, searing heat all around.
A divine weapon! Liu Shengming’s pupils contracted, his heart pounding with a mix of shock and fear.
“Mad Saber” Su Meng actually possessed a divine weapon?
He actually had one!
Divine weapons were the rarest treasures in the world. No top sect or clan could exist without one. Even if they had once declined, even if no supreme experts had emerged, as long as they still had a Grand Master and a divine weapon, there was hope for revival. Thus, these weapons were the foundation for the survival of sects and families across millennia.
Outside of these, where else could extra divine weapons exist in the world?
Su Meng had already defeated a divine weapon-wielding expert at the peak of the Outer Scenery realm using only a fine weapon. Now, with a divine weapon in hand, how terrifying would he become?
Even if Haswula was not a divine weapon master, and his skills were incompatible with weapons, far inferior to the current Joyful Bodhisattva, and similarly distant from the Fengdian Divine Envoy bearing the Dharma King’s token, Su Meng now had a divine weapon—finally, he had one!
“A divine weapon!” The Fengdian Divine Envoy’s heart sank. It felt as if his face had been scorched by the heat, a vague sense of things slipping beyond control.
With a divine weapon, even if he and the Joyful Bodhisattva worked together, they might only manage to defeat him, not prevent his escape!
Fortunately, there were other means!
He raised his hand, and a transparent short blade trembled violently.
In a mysterious place deep in the void, the Dharma King Tu Shi, while cultivating, began to twitch his fingers.
The short blade flew out, returning to the sea like a fish, piercing the void and appearing directly beside Meng Qi.
Meng Qi half-closed his eyes, focusing all his senses, spirit, and threat perception onto the golden-orange divine saber. Suddenly, he stepped forward, his body expanding, and swung the long saber downward. It struck the transparent short blade precisely—no more, no less!
Clang! Flames erupted, instantly filling the self-contained realm. Numerous lights flashed across Liu Shengming’s body, but quickly melted away.
“Ahh!” He cried out, his clothes igniting, his body rapidly charring, unable even to withstand the residual shockwave of the divine weapon!
This was partly due to the unique environment. In the outside world, he might have had a chance to flee far away, enduring only the weakest shockwave. But here, in this self-contained realm, sealed by colored glaze, there was nowhere to escape!
(Note: “琉璃” is translated as “colored glaze,” which is the standard term for this traditional Chinese material in English. If a specific transliteration like “liuli” is preferred in the context, it can be adjusted accordingly.)
At this moment, the lotus throne beneath the Joyful Bodhisattva radiated red and white light. Petals rose, wrapping her hands, and she flicked a finger toward Meng Qi, precisely intercepting his next move and creating an opening for the transparent short blade. If struck by that finger, even Bodhisattvas and Arhats would fall into the sea of desire, trapped in endless bliss.
Meng Qi had just unleashed his divine weapon, cleaving through the transparent short blade, when he saw the Joyful Bodhisattva’s finger strike. At the same time, his forehead ached, and Gu Xiaosang’s qi pressure approached remotely, poised to strike. Once she moved, it would be lethal.
She seemed to possess a divine weapon as well, and this pressure forced Meng Qi to divert more than thirty percent of his attention to counter it. Under the combined assault of the Joyful Bodhisattva and the Fengdian Divine Envoy, he was beginning to seem precarious.
Just then, Meng Qi’s heart suddenly chilled. A figure emerged behind him, appearing without warning. The figure wielded a dull, dark sword aimed directly at Meng Qi’s head—an additional divine weapon!
The leader of the Buren Tower?
The leader of the Buren Tower, wielding a divine weapon!
His timing was impeccable, striking precisely when Meng Qi was fully engaged against the Joyful Bodhisattva, the Fengdian Divine Envoy, and Gu Xiaosang. He had no strength left to resist. If Meng Qi dodged, he would be unable to escape the transparent short blade, the Blissful Desire Finger, or Gu Xiaosang’s thunderous strike. And in this sealed void, there was no escape.
Truly the greatest assassin of the age. Once he struck, it was a death sentence, with no hope of survival.
As the sword neared, the Buren Tower leader suddenly heard Meng Qi sigh. Light surged, enveloping him, and he vanished.
“Deceased: Lin Kang, Sect Leader of the Tian Di Gate.
Cause of Death: Stab wound to the back of the head.
Appearance: Body leaning forward, narrow wound at the back of the head.
Killer: Assassin of the Buren Tower.
Note 1: Year 37 of Tianle, Ningxin City.
Note 2: The first victim of the current Buren Tower leader upon his debut.”
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