Chapter 367: Chapter 88 Heaven’s Son
To know how Tianxuan "died" was not difficult.
At least, it wasn’t difficult now that the news had spread far and wide.
Maybe the common folk were unaware, but anyone with a bit of stature in the government knew that it was Tianxuan’s disciple, a member of the Gongsun Family, Gongsun Qingyue, who had come and personally announced that Tianxuan’s Life Lamp had been extinguished.
So, a quarter of an hour later, by the banks of Dragon Abyss Lake, Tianxuan sat with a cold expression, pushing a wheelchair.
Even though she was wearing a veil, even though her back was turned to him, Jiang Li could feel a chill continuously emanating from behind him, making his spine tingle with a cold sensation.
So filial, truly too filial.
Having learned of Gongsun Qingyue’s filial act, Tianxuan was deeply moved and wished to meet this good disciple right away, to let her know how "satisfied" her master was with this display of piety.
Thinking of this, the chill around Tianxuan deepened, making Jiang Li’s pores stand on end.
This chill was almost like murderous intent—it could directly affect others’ spirits, causing their perceptions to become skewed as if they were truly being attacked by the cold.
Such was a testament to how "filial" Gongsun Qingyue was in Tianxuan’s heart.
"This—ha," Jiang Li chuckled dryly, covering for Gongsun Qingyue, "Sister truly is wise, able to grasp Master’s intentions and release the news in advance. This way, at least, we avoid leaving any traces."
"Yes," Tianxuan replied with a smile, "she certainly is very clever, a truly worthy disciple of mine."
Yet, this cleverness was not only used against enemies but also against her own master.
While her smile remained, the chill grew even more intense.
Tianxuan lowered her head, gazing deeply at Jiang Li, having seen through Gongsun Qingyue’s little schemes, ’Useless silly disciple, given the opportunity you still don’t seize it, spitting out a duck that’s already in your mouth, and now you’re even jealous over your master.’
After all, Tianxuan had taught her herself; it wasn’t Jiang Li, who had become a disciple halfway through. Tianxuan might not see through Jiang Li’s thoughts, but realizing Gongsun Qingyue’s plans was an easy feat.
Upon seeing through her, Tianxuan couldn’t help but laugh.
If only Gongsun Qingyue had directed half of the courage she showed against her master towards dealing with Jiang Li, she wouldn’t have been called unambitious by her own master.
Still jealous?
Had Tianxuan truly harbored such intentions, the one cut off earlier would have been the red thread between Jiang Li and Gongsun Qingyue, not her own.
’If I had such intentions, how could you be the one to act, you foolish disciple?’ Tianxuan thought to herself, mocking inwardly.
Thinking this way, Tianxuan let some of the coldness dissipate, replaced by a mocking amusement.
Jiang Li, with his keen perception, noticed the weakening of the coldness and pondered before saying, "Since Sister is in Divine Capital, why not meet and exchange a few words with her?"
"Impossible."
Tianxuan denied immediately, saying, "Qingyue is currently under the scrutiny of others, and if you and I were to meet her, we risk exposing our tracks. Both Kaiyang and Tian Ji lean towards the Sect Leader, and their stance is unclear. By faking my death, I also intend to test them."
This was indeed part of the plan—Tianxuan had previously expressed her distrust of those two elders in her conversation with Jiang Li.
Whether or not Gongsun Qingyue came to Divine Capital, Tianxuan would not reveal her whereabouts to those two; she wanted to test them.
The reason given by Tianxuan did seem plausible.
But in truth...
’Silly girl, you like being jealous so much, I’ll just have to feed you a few more bottles,’ Tianxuan thought with amusement in her heart.
Testing the two elders was one thing, but the rebellious disciple also needed to be punished.
Tianxuan felt it necessary to teach the rebellious disciple about the hierarchy between senior and junior, and about respecting the master and valuing the Way.
At this moment, Jiang Li was unaware of the master-disciple backstabbing taking place; sneaky as a Ghost, he might not be able to fully grasp the thoughts of the two women beside him, even though he had Gongsun Qingyue eating out of his hand.
However, he did realize it was a good opportunity to spend time with Tianxuan.
[Gongsun Family’s two bowls of soft rice, I’ve got them pegged, hehehe.]
Jiang Li looked at the text that appeared before him, feeling a compulsion to chuckle in a similarly strange manner.
Now that Tianxuan had cut the red thread, but the marital connection had not been severed, she was at her most unguarded. At such a moment, Jiang Li, as one who nurtures without sound, should stir Tianxuan’s heartstrings, then let her make the first move.
’Wait, what’s this nurturing without sound method?’
Jiang Li felt he was having some trouble grasping the technique, unsure how to proceed so as to stir the heartstrings yet not allow Tianxuan to detect his impure filial piety.
The difficulty was not insignificant, and Jiang Li racked his brain but couldn’t come up with anything.
He recollected his interactions with Tianxuan, most of which were initiated by Tianxuan, with Jiang Li counterattacking afterwards, whether it was the substitute fight at the Sword Discussion Conference or the previous exchange of True Qi.
If it weren’t for Tianxuan taking Gongsun Qingyue’s place to fight, Jiang Li would hardly have left a profound impression on her.
Therefore, even with the opportunity to connect, he still had to wait.
Thinking this, Jiang Li wholeheartedly repressed the wild thoughts in his heart, resembling a hunter who had laid out a meticulous plan, quietly observing his prey.
As the wheelchair moved slowly along the path, it didn’t startle a single passerby.
Everyone who laid eyes on Jiang Li would subconsciously ignore him, to the point of not even leaving a trace in their memory.
This was not the work of Jiang Li’s Heart Demon Secret Sword, but a spell personally cast by Tianxuan.
In Jiang Li’s opinion, Tianxuan must have assimilated a Dao Fruit related to illusions, and as Taiyin itself symbolizes the utmost Yin, even without forming related Divine Skills in the realm of illusion techniques, its support in this aspect should be significant.
With such support, Tianxuan’s illusion would be fourth-rank, and probably difficult to break.
In this silent manner, the two arrived outside Iron Pillar Temple.
"You killed Yang Ji, causing covert tensions between Taiping Sect and the Emperor, killed Shen Yuan, and forced the Prince into action, and now with my impending death, it can be said that a significant trend is taking shape,"
Tianxuan looked at the tightly shut gates of Iron Pillar Temple and spoke slowly: "But this is not enough. There must also be a backing that can definitively determine the victory, one that, even if the Sect Leader was to act, would be a sufficient counterforce."
"Heaven!"
Tianxuan uttered these two words that seemed imbued with magic power, and suddenly the wind rose, leaves rustled, and an indescribable atmosphere seemed to manifest out of nowhere.
"Heaven?" Jiang Li muttered these two words, and the runes that had been silent within his orifices began to stir.
He could sense an intangible attention.
Ji Jiji... or rather, the Heavenly Incarnation, was right here, within Iron Pillar Temple.
"Heaven is the greatest foundation of Great Zhou for the past eight hundred years and the source of the Emperor Dao Fruit,"
Tianxuan’s voice carried a hint of vagueness as if stepping into the distant past, and with a touch of solemnity, as if speaking of a gravely important secret, "The Emperor, Heaven’s Son, the reason the Emperor Dao Fruit can grant one the heavens in a single step, is because it comes from Heaven. It is a creation of the amalgamation of Heaven’s principles with that of the Emperor; it is the bridge between man and heaven."
"So, the Emperor is the Emperor, and not a mere Emperor."
So, is that why the Emperor had trouble gaining the Xuanyuan Sword’s recognition...
Despite being a divine artifact of the Ji Family, it has always been kept within Dinghu Sect. Because the Emperor could not gain the Xuanyuan Sword’s recognition, if someone else from the clan were recognized by the sword, it would lead to turmoil.
The Xuanyuan Sword could only be sealed.
The Xuanyuan Sword, if placed in Divine Capital, was no more than scrap iron.
Why must it be divided into the Ji Family and the Gongsun Family? Clearly, the Jiang family did not do so.
Even if the Jiang family was divided into main and branch families, they never changed their surnames.
Officially, this was for intervening in the Sect Realm, to make Dinghu Sect a major pillar of Great Zhou, but in secret, there was possibly the motive to start anew, intending to control the Xuanyuan Sword.
With this dual approach, even if one day there was an error in the lineage of the Emperor Dao Fruit, the Xuanyuan Sword would still provide a fallback.
"No wonder..."
Jiang Li whispered, "No wonder the Emperor Dao Fruit is so unique. But in this case..."
"In this case, it’s like leaving the foundation in the hands of others, right?"
Tianxuan spoke the unvoiced part of Jiang Li’s thoughts, "Don’t worry, there is a natural order to the universe, without heart, without feeling, without self, not like us sentient beings. Moreover, this Heaven, is also..."
The gentle breeze before Iron Pillar Temple turned suddenly sharp, and the myriad things surrounding—breeze, vegetation, earth, and the sky...
All beings at this moment expressed an intent to obstruct.
The matter Tianxuan was about to reveal seemed to be of extraordinary importance.
At the same time, a faint silhouette started to emerge in front of the tightly shut gates, gradually becoming clearer. Ji Jiji appeared in the sight of both of them.
He was indeed inside the Iron Pillar Temple.
Seeing this Daoist figure, Jiang Li felt the runes within his orifices mobilize in unison, outlining a complete talisman, forming a talismanic seed, and his senses at this moment were greatly enhanced.
"Heaven... Incarnation!"