Atop the highest level of the Wenxin Hall, in the Vermilion Forbidden City of Longjing.
A gaunt scholar bowed towards the throne shrouded in shadow. "Your Majesty," he said, "someone requests an audience."
"Is it those three old fellows from the Three Sovereigns again? Dismissed, dismissed," Emperor Ganlie, Fu Chi, waved his hand, raising his wine cup to continue admiring the moon.
"Uh..." The slender scholar appeared somewhat troubled but still spoke, "It is not the Three Sovereigns or the Five Emperors."
"Oh?" A glint flashed in Fu Chi's eyes within the darkness. He set down his wine cup and asked, "Prime Minister Li, I am most curious. Besides those eight, who else has the qualification to see me?"
"Am I qualified?"
A clear, feminine voice interrupted the conversation between the monarch and his minister.
King Qin Guang, trailing a vibrant red long gown, swaggered into the top level of the Wenxin Hall.
"You..." Fu Chi's pupils contracted.
From the shadows beside Fu Chi's throne, three figures surged forth. A general with white hair and beard stood directly between Fu Chi and King Qin Guang. A disheveled Taoist priest casually tossed a compass, isolating this space from the outside world. A monk, holding a Zen staff aimed at King Qin Guang, seemed ready to strike and suppress the intruder at any moment.
"Hahahaha..." King Qin Guang let out a cold laugh. "What? You are all among the first wave of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, yet you lack the courage to speak to me directly? And you call these rotten fish and rotten shrimp to protect you?"
Fu Chi's face darkened. "Haven't our grudges been settled long ago? I owe you nothing. Why are you looking for me?!"
Fu Chi knew all too well how terrifying this woman was. Not to mention anything else, she had entered the very heart of the Vermilion Forbidden City alone, as if walking through empty space. Not only had she evaded the 'Thousand Lights Array' of Emperor Jia, but she had also triggered no mechanisms or restrictions. This feat alone was enough to prove her immense power.
"I won't waste words with you," King Qin Guang said, her eyes fixed on Fu Chi in the darkness. "I am here for only one thing. Did you give away all three Heavenly Crowns of the Three Sovereigns?"
"Why should I tell you?" Fu Chi frowned slightly. Although he was a prisoner, the pride of a generation's emperor had not been lost. King Qin Guang's aggressive demeanor here was utterly unreasonable.
"Because of this." King Qin Guang casually tossed something onto the ground. Fu Chi examined it closely and broke out in a cold sweat – it was, in fact, the Heavenly Crown of Emperor Heaven, one of the Three Heavenly Crowns.
The Three Heavenly Crowns, namely the Heavenly Crown of Emperor Heaven, the Heavenly Crown of Dust Heaven, and the Heavenly Crown of Yin Heaven, each represented distinct authority and abilities.
Previously, Fu Chi, following protocol, had bestowed the three crowns upon the first three individuals who had participated in the trial at the Wenxin Hall and received the highest possible evaluation.
The Heavenly Crown of Emperor Heaven had been given to a youth with the ability of a Golden Crow, who later became known as Ding Yang.
But now... the Heavenly Crown of Emperor Heaven bore obvious damage, clearly indicating that Ding Yang might have also met with an accident.
"Speak, who did you give the Heavenly Crowns of the Three Sovereigns to?" King Qin Guang asked with a stern face.
"..." Fu Chi's expression shifted for a long time. Finally, he sighed and signaled the general, Taoist, and monk protecting him to step aside.
"Your Majesty!?"
"I wish to speak with her alone."
Seeing this, the four could only bow and withdraw.
Only Fu Chi and King Qin Guang remained in the hall.
"You've lost weight," Fu Chi said slowly. "Surviving under the pursuit of those three must have taken a great toll on you, hasn't it?"
"You don't need to worry about me."
"Don't need me to worry..." Fu Chi gave a bitter smile. He stood up from his throne and walked step by step towards King Qin Guang, asking, "I am your uncle. If I don't worry about you, who will?"
"I have never had an uncle like you," King Qin Guang frowned. "Stop wasting time. Answer my question quickly."
"You already know about the Heavenly Crown of Emperor Heaven. I gave the Heavenly Crown of Dust Heaven to that boy from the Yellow Emperor's lineage. And the Heavenly Crown of Yin Heaven, I gave it to a ghost cultivator boy."
"Ghost cultivator..." King Qin Guang frowned. "What is his name?"
"Let me think... Mo Chuan, yes, Mo Chuan."
Looking at King Qin Guang, whose expression was peculiar, Fu Chi was somewhat perplexed. He could only ask, "Any other questions?"
"None..." King Qin Guang shook her head.
"There is no one else here, so we don't need to play pretend anymore," Fu Chi said, looking at King Qin Guang. "What do you need? Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No need." King Qin Guang, having obtained what she wanted, turned to leave the Wenxin Hall. "If you want to help me, just pretend I never came."
With that, King Qin Guang, without waiting for Fu Chi's reply, turned into a stream of light and departed.
Fu Chi watched King Qin Guang's receding figure, a bitter smile on his face. He murmured, "Brother... I have failed you..."
...
Dunhuang Relic Site, Mogao Grottoes Cave 735.
Ronnie, hearing King Taishan issue orders to the extraterrestrial demon, immediately became agitated. "Soldiers! Bury them!"
As the words fell, another wave of sand soldiers rose from the ground, charging towards King Taishan with their spears.
But King Chu Jiang had already landed from the air. He propped himself up with one hand, bent low, and held his shovel behind him, stating coldly, "Chu Jiang's Grand Burial."
With a horizontal sweep of King Chu Jiang's shovel-blade, a massive wave of earth and sand surged towards the charging sand soldiers. Even though they held up their shields to resist, they were still pounded into dust by the colossal wave.
"His power counters mine..." Ronnie's face darkened. She continued to summon soldiers, intending to rescue Mo Chuan.
But it was too late.
King Du Shi, who had been waiting on the wall, enveloped the smoke and dust with a spiderweb, sealing off Mo Chuan's escape route. Then, the extraterrestrial demon beneath King Taishan's throne sank down and charged ferociously towards Mo Chuan.
"Mo Chuan!!" Ronnie's eyes turned crimson, and a small amount of downy fur and feathers began to appear on her body.
The great Buddha statue was shattered by the intense impact, its head and body crumbling into rubble and falling downwards.
King Du Shi directly used a spider silk to latch onto the ceiling, pulling himself, King Pingdeng, and King Chu Jiang away from the ground. Ronnie, protected by the sand soldiers, braced herself against the impact of the falling debris.
Amidst the dust and smoke, King Taishan, riding the extraterrestrial demon, saw Mo Chuan spitting blood.
"Hahahaha—Mo Chuan! You're dead meat!!"
"Is that so..." Mo Chuan smiled through his mask. "Broken Remnants."
A shield of pure white was erected, pushing the extraterrestrial demon aside. Then, an ironclad body rose from the rubble and smoke.
As King Taishan maneuvered the extraterrestrial demon to dodge repeatedly amidst the falling debris, he suddenly saw an increasingly large fist approaching him.
"Eat my steamroller!"