Chapter 462: Thorough Investigation of the Traitor, Newly Advanced Mid-Stage
We are back after a long "two-day break." Enjoy the chappy, the chapters will resume as usual!
Hearing the words "Confucian Saint ," the old patriarch of the imperial clan, who was controlling the Jade Dragon Seal, trembled slightly in his palm.
The Great Jin Immortal Dynasty revered Confucian laws. The reform of the Nine-Rank Immortal Official System had originated from this transcendent existence.
Emperor Yu's brows were tightly furrowed, and the killing intent in his eyes surged violently.
If the Confucian Saint ’s attention was drawn, the potential future crises for the imperial family of Great Yu would increase drastically.
Under the suppression and slaughter of the Azure Dragon Sword and the Jade Dragon Seal, the three Nascent Soul cultivators of the Luo imperial clan did not hold out for long.
First, the two early Nascent Soul cultivators became ghosts under the Azure Dragon Sword.
Their nascent souls that emerged from their bodies had their divine powers and escape speed severely weakened under the imprisoning force of the Jade Dragon Seal, rendering them incapable of escaping the encirclement and death.
In the end, the Luo patriarch self-detonated, yet he failed to harm Emperor Yu, who was protected by the Imperial Dragon Robes.
However, one early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator of the Great Yu Kingdom was dragged down by the Luo patriarch and perished together with him.Despite having more than double the numbers and relying on the national dragon artifacts, the result was one dead and multiple injured.
Emperor Yu’s face was grim, showing no joy of victory.
Pff!
The yellow-robed patriarch spat out a mouthful of blood. The abnormal redness on his face faded, replaced by its original dry and ghastly pallor.
His white, elderly hair turned ashen and completely withered away.
“Patriarch, your injuries...”
Emperor Yu showed concern as he supported the trembling yellow-robed patriarch and took out a sacred healing pill.
“No matter. It's just the backlash from using a secret art, not fatal.”
The imperial patriarch spoke weakly, waving his hand.
His spiritual power fluctuation had dropped from the peak of mid Nascent Soul stage to just entering the mid-stage.
Moreover, this downward trend was irreversible.
Several present True Monarchs could all see that the patriarch's life essence had drastically declined, and deathly aura filled his body.
It could even be said that he already had one foot in the grave.
…
“Next, to annex the territory of the Great Luo Kingdom, I’ll have to trouble you all to lend your efforts.”
The imperial patriarch gave a brief order.
Several early Nascent Soul cultivators received the command and departed to sweep through the chaotic imperial city of the Great Luo Kingdom.
At this point, Great Yu's conquest was essentially settled.
What followed was merely postwar cleanup.
To digest the expanded territory and fully subjugate the local forces would require many years.
“After this war, the accumulated national fortune and dragon qi of our kingdom has been largely exhausted. From here on, we must recuperate properly to face future strong enemies.”
The yellow-robed patriarch sighed.
Emperor Yu nodded. The dragon qi lingering on the Azure Dragon Sword in his hand had dimmed significantly, no longer carrying its previous oppressive aura.
The same applied to the other two national dragon artifacts.
“My lifespan has been shortened, only thirty years remain. The Jade Dragon Seal I will now entrust to your management.”
After speaking, the Jade Dragon Seal in the patriarch’s hand floated in front of Emperor Yu.
“I will not fail the patriarch’s trust.”
Emperor Yu did not decline and solemnly accepted the Jade Dragon Seal, a symbol of supreme authority.
With the Jade Dragon Seal, one could suppress others of the same realm by three-tenths, so long as they were in Great Yu or surrounding regions.
Moreover, the seal was also the key to controlling the imperial secret realm and the clan's sacred beast.
“A mid-stage Nascent Soul cannot effectively wield all three national dragon artifacts. From now on, the Azure Dragon Sword will be given to Yuanjin, let it be put to best use.”
Emperor Yu took the initiative to promise.
Yu Yuanjin was a sword cultivator. After reaching mid Nascent Soul stage, he could bring out the full power of the Azure Dragon Sword. This was also why the imperial clan had been keen to nurture him.
“Patriarch, the Luo lineage descends from Prince Luo, and they’re not without roots in the Jin Immortal Dynasty. If they truly establish contact with ‘Marquis Tianwu’ and alert that one…”
“No need to overthink. The Confucian Saint is a pillar of the realm, the current Emperor’s imperial teacher, stationed in Fenghua Province, the central region of Tianyuan Continent. He won’t easily leave his post.”
“Our clan’s matters may enter his sight, but they are not yet enough to draw his attention.”
The imperial patriarch sighed at the ancestor's wisdom in choosing Great Yuan as their foothold, it was a subtle choice.
As a prosperous coastal state, its location was remote, and the Jin Immortal Dynasty had always been too busy to care, unable to reach that far.
If worse came to worst, they could still retreat into the vast outer seas.
…
Later, Emperor Yu arrived at the imperial city of the Great Luo Kingdom.
With the Azure Dragon Sword, he beheaded another stubborn veteran Nascent Soul cultivator, finally bringing complete closure.
The Great Luo Kingdom collapsed entirely. Cultivators of various factions either fled or surrendered.
In less than three days, the Great Yu imperial clan smoothly took control of the imperial city, spreading influence across ten thousand li. Most local cultivation forces chose to submit.
The Luo imperial clan and its relatives were massively captured, many were turned in or apprehended by local Great Luo Kingdom factions.
Now, only a few remnants of the Luo imperial clan had escaped.
In Great Luo City, the former imperial palace had become a temporary imperial residence.
“You still haven’t found any trace of those two?”
Emperor Yu’s voice was low and carried an innate majesty. The palace hall was filled with an inexplicable oppression.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince of the Luo imperial clan and Princess Qianshui were said to have been sent out of Great Luo City in advance. The surrounding Luo bloodlines have greatly interfered the tracking experts' search.”
An elder in ancient robes of the imperial clan bowed and reported.
“Three days have passed. The difficulty of tracking them has increased drastically.”
A divination strategist proposed:
“First, expand the range and greatly increase manpower; second, we need to ask the Divination Grandmaster to make a move. The Luo imperial clan surely has many treasures that can obscure the heavenly mechanisms.”
After hearing the report and suggestions, Emperor Yu was displeased.
The two who escaped were both direct descendants of the Luo imperial clan.
One had exceptional talent; the other was a beauty of peerless charm.
If they fled to the Jin Immortal Dynasty and stirred up trouble, they might bring future calamity to the Great Yu imperial clan.
“True Monarch Iron Calculation is stationed in the rear to devise strategies, and couldn’t arrive in time.”
Emperor Yu shook his head.
True Monarch Iron Calculation could not be moved. His health was poor and his energy limited. Aside from devising strategies for Great Yu’s conquest, he also had to guard against Yaqi Mountain’s schemes.
With True Monarch Iron Calculation’s strategic planning, Yu Yuanjin’s defense in the Western Border remained secure.
“Raise the bounty. Increase manpower for the hunt!”
Emperor Yu immediately ordered a simple and direct incentive strategy.
When the bounty becomes high enough to tempt even Nascent Soul cultivators, the chances of success will naturally increase greatly.
…
“I heard that True Monarch Xiang has also arrived in the vicinity of Great Luo City?”
The Yu Emperor changed the topic, his voice turning cold and low.
Thinking of this troublesome figure, the Yu Emperor’s grand ambitions wavered slightly with a trace of irritation.
“Yes, True Monarch Xiang arrived two days ago.”
The reply from below was cautious and reserved.
Several Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the hall exchanged glances, saying nothing.
Xiang Dalong had been in the area for two days and had not come to pay respects to the Yu Emperor, nor did he heed his summons.
For the past two days, Xiang Dalong had been wantonly scavenging resources around Great Luo City with Lord Earthrock.
It could be said that he was profiting greatly from the war.
Xiang Dalong seemed to be skilled in tracking, and with Lord Earthrock’s keen sense of smell aiding him, they had scavenged a great number of spirit stones and precious resources around the former imperial city of Great Luo.
This even included the underground treasury that the Luo imperial clan had attempted to relocate.
Their repeated success and overflowing gains made many Nascent Soul cultivators who participated in the war on behalf of the Yu Kingdom green with envy.
As a Nascent Soul giant, not only did other cultivators dare not contend with him, but in the case of any disputes over spoils of war, they had to yield obediently.
“Please quell your anger, Your Majesty. Xiang Dalong rendered great merit at Water Moon Mountain by containing two enemy giants and multiple True Monarchs. At a critical juncture, he preserved our army of over a hundred thousand cultivators. His reputation in the Great Yu cultivation world has soared.”
“Now that Xiang Dalong harbors some dissatisfaction, it is only human.”
An elder in an ancient robe tried to dissuade the Yu Emperor, thinking there was no need to be angry and make the conflict public.
Even powers dominant in the Central Region were unwilling to make an irreconcilable enemy out of a Nascent Soul giant.
What’s more, Xiang Dalong had the upper hand and had achieved great merit.
The Yu Emperor had no choice but to admit that Xiang Dalong was a talent, he had managed to preserve more than a hundred thousand cultivators, and the other two Nascent Soul cultivators had also escaped unscathed.
Without sufficient leverage, how could one contain two enemy powerhouses and numerous Nascent Soul True Monarchs?
The imperial clan had prepared for the worst, sacrificing over a hundred thousand cultivators and even the physical body destruction of Nascent Soul cultivators.
They had not expected Xiang Dalong to bring such a surprise victory.
After the morning court ended, a group of high-level cultivators took their orders and left.
Only a few close confidants, including the elder in ancient robes, remained in the hall.
The Yu Emperor, after careful deliberation, issued a secret decree:
“Deliver an imperial edict to Xiang Dalong, to receive the imperial clan’s commendation.”
“Since this person excels at tracking and scavenging, have him assist in locating the Ninth Prince of the Luo clan and Princess Qianshui.”
“Your Majesty, what a brilliant plan! Making full use of talent…”
A trusted aide praised with endless admiration.
...
That evening, several thousand li outside Great Luo City.
Lan Chang'an received the Yu Emperor’s secret decree, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
“We’ve almost finished looting. Let’s go, time to ask the imperial family for compensation!”
That night, Lan Chang'an and Lord Earthrock swaggered toward Great Luo City.
However, the man and beast did not enter the city.
A third-rank white-clad puppet, with a similar appearance to Lan Chang'an, entered Great Luo City to attend audience.
...
In the study of the temporary palace.
The Yu Emperor’s face held a faint green hue as he coldly stared at the white-clad puppet bowing in salute before him:
“Xiang Dalong, is this how you present yourself before this emperor?”
Xiang Dalong’s conduct was not merely an offense.
Such defensive, distrustful behavior might lead uninformed cultivators to think the imperial clan was part of the demonic path.
To strike openly at a giant like him would carry enormous risk and severely impact reputation.
The imperial clan indeed had no such intentions.
Even if they did, they wouldn’t make such an overt, crude move.
“Forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty!”
A voice came from the white-clad puppet, Lan Chang'an’s voice.
Controlling a puppet remotely over several hundred li with soul possession was a routine practice for a fourth-rank puppet master.
“It’s not that I distrust the imperial family, but back at Water Moon Mountain, I and over a hundred thousand cultivators were already sold out once!”
Lan Chang'an’s tone was severe and forceful, counter-questioning:
“Had I not reacted quickly and received intel in time… being pursued by more than double our number of Nascent Soul cultivators at Water Moon Mountain, I might not have escaped with my life!”
Received intel?
A glint of murderous intent flickered in the Yu Emperor’s eyes.
“Bang!”
Since it was only a puppet, Lan Chang'an slapped the table directly and challenged:
“With the imperial family acting in such a manner, tell me, how am I supposed to trust you again?”
“Watch your insolence!”
The Yu Emperor roared in fury. The Imperial Dragon Robe stirred without wind, and a dragon’s roar echoed faintly in the air.
Crack!
Under the intense pressure, fine cracks appeared on the surface of the third-rank white-clad puppet.
“The damage to this puppet will also be counted toward the imperial family’s compensation later.”
Lan Chang'an’s calm voice drifted out.
The Yu Emperor suppressed his anger, his gaze frosty. The two sides fell into a brief silence.
To quarrel with a puppet was truly unnecessary, but when had the Yu Emperor ever suffered such offense?
More importantly, Lan Chang'an had facts and reason on his side, leaving the imperial family clearly in the wrong.
Only through displays of authority and anger could they hope to cover up their guilt.
Were it an ordinary cultivator, they would’ve had to swallow their indignation, accept some compensation afterward, and the matter would quietly pass.
But this giant before him who dared to challenge the imperial clan head-on was not so easy to brush off.
...
After a long pause.
“Speak, what compensation do you want?”
Emperor Yu's face fell, his imposing imperial demeanor gone. He asked curtly, clearly in a foul mood.
Lan Chang'an paused slightly, but wasn’t particularly surprised.
This one’s an old actor too. That mask of anger and imperial majesty was only for show.
“The previously promised rewards, add fifty percent.”
“Fine.”
The Emperor Yu considered it for a moment. Though it was a steep price, the imperial treasury had profited greatly after the war’s victory.
“In addition to the agreed-upon Blood Refining Demon Scripture, I want the imperial collection’s Myriad Spirits and Medicine Compendium.”
Lan Chang'an added.
“The Myriad Spirits and Medicine Compendium?”
The Emperor Yu raised his brows and asked coldly, “How did True Monarch Xiang learn of this compendium?”
The Myriad Spirits and Medicine Compendium was a secret imperial text, containing a vast trove of top-tier herbal recipes, spiritual plant cultivation methods, and spirit-liquid concoctions.
Previously, only select portions had been released for exchange within the imperial family, strictly forbidden from external circulation.
“I have my own sources.”
Lan Chang'an smiled faintly, offering no explanation.
He wanted the Myriad Spirits and Medicine Compendium mainly to concoct top-tier spirit-nourishing elixirs to hasten the growth of the Xuanmu Vine Gourd.
“Very well. But True Monarch Xiang must swear never to trade or disseminate the compendium externally.”
“No problem.”
Lan Chang'an immediately made a heart demon oath on the spot.
Emperor Yu was also swift and direct, creating two jade slips on the spot, Blood Refining Demon Scripture and Myriad Spirits and Medicine Compendium.
Next came the distribution of the promised rewards.
“The mid to superior-grade fourth-rank materials you requested for puppet-making and artifact forging have mostly been exhausted. After this war, our treasury is largely depleted. It may take a hundred years to gather them again.”
The Emperor Yu sighed, putting on a troubled look.
Lan Chang'an inwardly cursed. The Emperor Yu was clearly stalling. Shameless!
After annexing the Great Luo Kingdom and looting its stockpiles, how could they still lack forging materials?
It was obvious the imperial family didn’t want him to craft another fourth-rank puppet too soon.
“If True Monarch Xiang is willing to wait a hundred years, then it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“There’s another option, seventy percent of the requested materials could be substituted with other resources, like elixirs, herbs, or magical treasures, with a ten percent increase in total value.”
On the surface, the imperial family wasn’t breaching the agreement.
They weren’t refusing, just postponing.
“Thirty percent increase.”
Lan Chang'an said grimly.
The imperial family no longer relied on him after the war’s success. They didn’t burn the bridge, but weren’t eager to pay in full either. Still, honoring most of the deal meant they retained some credibility.
“Twenty percent, and we’ll add a top-tier body refinement technique.”
The Emperor Yu, losing face entirely, bargained like a street vendor.
Eventually, Lan Chang'an grudgingly agreed.
The substitute resources he requested included spiritual herbs and wood, fourth-rank pelts, and demon-king blood essence, materials useful for talisman crafting and alchemy.
Emperor Yu readily agreed, thinking these were for the Yunxia Sect.
He was blissfully unaware that Lan Chang'an, besides practicing body refinement on the side, was also a fourth-rank talisman master.
Switching to equivalent-grade resources didn’t hinder Lan Chang'an at all. In fact, the quantity of usable materials even increased.
To avoid any resentment, the body refinement technique given in compensation was quite sincere.
“This Blood Prison Dragon Fiend Art, I trust it won’t disappoint you, True Monarch Xiang.”
The Emperor Yu handed over a crimson scroll with a calm smile.
“Oh?”
Lan Chang'an accepted it with interest, noting that the Emperor had prepared it ahead of time.
He skimmed it briefly.
The Blood Prison Dragon Fiend Art was a blood-path body refinement technique that improved the body by slaughtering and absorbing fiendish qi and fresh blood.
As a demonic technique, its growth was terrifyingly fast, provided the cultivator had enough slaughtered resources.
But it had a flaw: it required slaying great monsters with dragon bloodlines, such as flood dragons for the best effect.
In the cultivation world, anything with dragon blood was no pushover.
Using other creatures would drastically reduce its effectiveness.
Moreover, absorbing too much blood qi and fiendish energy could warp a cultivator’s mind.
“The Emperor Yu is most thoughtful.”
Lan Chang'an smiled without revealing the truth.
If it were a top-tier cultivation technique or divine ability, the imperial family would never hand it out so easily.
Body refinement methods didn’t align with mainstream cultivation thus, they weren’t valued as much.
This “generosity” was to ensure Lan Chang'an remained occupied on the body refinement path.
...
Two days later.
A third-rank puppet controlled by Lan Chang'an entered the Great Luo palace and received a huge quantity of rewards.
Before departing, he received an imperial decree to hunt down the Ninth Prince of the Luo imperial family and Princess Qianshui.
Lan Chang'an gave a half-hearted response.
Then, taking Lord Earthrock with him, he ventured to the Great Luo rear territories to hunt remaining enemies and continue looting.
Shortly after Lan Chang'an’s departure...
The Emperor Yu summoned his trusted aides and the commander of the Shadow Guards to initiate a top-secret operation.
“Give this Emperor a thorough investigation to the end!”
Emperor Yu strongly suspected there was a traitor within the imperial court and someone of high rank.
Xiang Dalong knew too much about imperial secrets. His quick reactions during the Water Moon Mountain battle, his insight into the situation and the imperial family’s plans, it all suggested he had inside information.
In just a few days...
Over a dozen potential traitors came under suspicion, including one Nascent Soul elder related to the imperial family by marriage.
...
Lan Chang'an traveled northward, crossing over half of the Great Luo Kingdom and gradually approaching its border.
Thanks to his fourth-rank divination skills and Lord Earthrock’s keen sense of smell, Lan Chang'an reaped the fruits of Great Yu’s military victory and gained bountiful rewards.
Along the way, he even intercepted several shipments destined for the imperial family, a subtle form of payback.
“That should be enough.”
On this day, Lan Chang'an arrived in the skies above the border mountains, ready to return home.
Once he got back to Great Yu and the Yunxia Sect and processed the spoils of war, he’d be close to completing his fourth-rank puppet formation and advancing to fourth-rank body refinement.
Squeak!
Lord Earthrock burrowed through the rocky layers of the mountain, sending Lan Chang'an a message.
The spirit rat’s keen nose had clearly caught something.
Lan Chang'an descended into the mountains, discovering several low-grade spiritual veins and mineral deposits scattered throughout the area, including a small marketplace and a dozen or so minor cultivation clans.
The most bustling location was the mountain-stream market situated atop a second-rank spiritual vein.
Due to the war, many cultivators of the Great Luo Kingdom had fled across the border.
As a result, the mountain market had become a gathering point for fleeing cultivators, with several times its usual foot traffic including no shortage of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
At present, the mountain market had been taken over by Great Yu cultivators, with access tightly restricted.
Lan Chang'an suppressed his Nascent Soul-level spiritual pressure and transformed into a streak of wood-element light, descending into the heart of the market’s main street.
This modest Foundation Establishment market was unexpectedly hosting multiple Core Formation experts. They were leading elite cultivators, turning the place upside down in their search.
Lan Chang'an strolled through the stone streets, arriving at the scattered vendor stalls set up by loose cultivators.
He stopped in his tracks, eyes landing on a nearby talisman stall, specifically on a slender young man beside it.
The youth, at the early stage of Qi-Refining, had delicate features and wore an oversized, worn-out green robe. He was currently haggling with an older cultivator over a few first-rank talismans.
Just then, two subdued streaks of Core Formation light descended in front of Lan Chang'an.
“Greetings, True Monarch Xiang.”
The saluting cultivators included an elderly woman of the imperial family, at the late Core Formation stage.
The other was a Great Yu imperial guest, a young man with eccentric attire and a long braid, at the early Core Formation stage. His nose was unusually large and flushed red, pierced with a black ring.
In his left hand, the braided man held a compass. Its needle trembled erratically, pointing in no fixed direction.
Lan Chang'an gave it a thoughtful glance and waved them down, gesturing for subtlety.
“May I ask, True Monarch Xiang, did you personally come to this market because you discovered something?”
The elderly woman’s eyes shimmered with caution.
Rumor had it that this True Monarch Xiang possessed a fourth-rank spirit rat with incredible tracking abilities and had made substantial gains after the war.
Despite suppressing their pressure, the arrival of two Core Formation cultivators had unsettled the nearby stalls.
A Nascent Soul cultivator?
The slender youth at the side stall instinctively glanced over.
Unfortunately, that fleeting glance met the gaze of the rumored True Monarch Xiang.
The youth’s disguise was skillful enough to fool Core Formation cultivators.
But under Lan Chang'an’s seasoned eyes, the beautiful features behind the mask were nothing more than a thin layer of transparent silicone.
From his perspective, those eyes were as clear as still water, deep and radiant like a cold moonlit pond, capable of making any man lose himself.
The oversized, tattered robe concealed a lithe, graceful figure with long, shapely legs and a flawless posture.
Lan Chang'an even sensed the girl’s brief moment of panic, her legs subtly tensing, cold sweat beading down her spotless, jade-like back.
Fortunately, the marketplace was full of cultivators unnerved by high-level presences, so her reaction didn’t seem out of place.
The attention of the two Core Formation cultivators remained on the Nascent Soul giant before them.
“Draped in gems, noble and proud but alas, a moment too late.”
Lan Chang'an withdrew his gaze, smiling faintly.
Inside his sleeve, he secretly formed a hand seal, subtly stirring the threads of fate and destiny.
Buzz!
The compass in the braided man’s hand began to tremble violently, its needle swinging to point southwest.
The tracking specialist’s expression shifted, and he spun around sharply.
“Fellow Daoist Wu…”
The elderly Core Formation woman looked at him in surprise.
“Our previous tracking attempts were likely misled intentionally. The true scions of the Luo imperial family didn’t flee north, they’re heading toward Yaqi Mountain!”
The braided man’s face darkened.
With most of Great Luo now fallen, the Luo imperials fleeing to Yaqi Mountain meant diving into a dragon’s lair, right through vast swathes of territory controlled by Great Yu.
But this kind of reverse thinking could sometimes be the perfect blind spot, hiding in plain sight.
“We have a mission to fulfill, we can’t stay to entertain True Monarch Xiang…”
The two Core Formation cultivators hurriedly took their leave.
...
Within the marketplace, most of the cultivators involved in the blockade and search swiftly withdrew.
Lan Chang'an no longer spared a glance at the lean youth concealing their identity.
The Earthrock Lord, hidden a few zhang beneath the girl's feet in the rocky layers, received his master's signal and quietly retreated.
As a princess of the imperial family, Luo Qianshui had inevitably carried precious jewelry and ornaments with her during her escape, which had been detected by the Earthrock Lord’s sharp sense of smell.
By manipulating fate, Lan Chang'an deliberately misled the imperial family's tracking expert, allowing the girl to narrowly escape a major disaster.
The imperial family had played dirty, using him like a tool on the Water Moon Mountain battlefield, where over a hundred thousand cultivators were treated as expendable pawns.
Even after the battle, they reneged on promises and failed to honor their full reward.
Harboring discontent, Lan Chang'an didn’t mind planting a hidden mine beneath the imperial family in passing.
Without lingering in the mountain marketplace, Lan Chang'an surged with Nascent Soul energy and tore through the skies, beginning his return journey.
It wasn’t until he was gone that the cultivators in the market noticed the fleeting presence of a True Monarch’s spiritual pressure, an event that soon became the talk of the town.
At the stall, Luo Qianshui let out a long breath, her heart still pounding in lingering fear.
After such intense danger and tension, her legs had gone weak, and her heart beat wildly like a startled deer, taking a long time to calm.
To help the Ninth Prince escape via another route, she, a true-blood imperial, had revealed herself just slightly to draw more pursuit, bearing tremendous risk.
“True Monarch Xiang… the newly risen giant of the Central Region…”
Luo Qianshui had a strong intuition, that Nascent Soul monster had surely seen through her disguise, yet chose not to expose her.
Why had he let her go? She couldn’t understand it.
Nascent Soul cultivators were unpredictable and cunning, who knew what schemes lay behind his actions?
She recalled how the imperial family had once promised her as a concubine to curry favor with this very monster… and her emotions grew complicated, a haze of life’s unpredictability washing over her.
Back then, if they had managed to win him over, would the fate of the Luo imperial family have been different?
…
High above the Luo Kingdom.
Lan Chang'an confirmed once again through divination that his little maneuver hadn’t alerted the imperial family’s divination masters.
The Great Yu Kingdom was fighting a war on two fronts. True Monarch Iron Calculation, who was orchestrating everything, was mentally and physically drained, with no capacity to watch every detail.
Besides, crossing two nations’ borders, his remote divinations couldn’t compare to Lan Chang'an’s on-site interference.
On the way back, as he passed through Great Luo City.
Lan Chang'an received a summons from the Yu Emperor.
Temporary Imperial Palace.
Inside the study, Lan Chang'an, using his third-rank puppet body, once again met the Emperor.
But this time was completely different.
Lan Chang'an had deliberately shirked involvement in the pursuit of the Lou imperial family's true-blood descendants and the Emperor had noticed.
Yet, there was no blame. The Emperor spoke warmly:
“True Monarch Xiang has worked tirelessly for the Great Yu Kingdom, your contributions are immense. As for the Water Moon Mountain battle, our clan indeed fell short in planning.”
“But I assure you, there was never any intent to harm True Monarch Xiang in that battle, at worst, a group of low to middle level cultivators were to be sacrificed.”
The Emperor directly acknowledged the rift between them, seemingly with sincerity.
Lan Chang'an remained unmoved. “May I ask why Your Majesty has summoned me again?”
Smiling, the Emperor unfurled a map of the Luo Kingdom’s spiritual veins and mountains.
“Three fourth rank spiritual veins in the former Luo Kingdom now lie unclaimed. True Monarch Xiang may choose one as a cultivation base. You may found a sect or establish a noble family.”
Lan Chang'an narrowed his eyes. Two of the three spiritual veins clearly already had occupants.
If he were to select one of those, the Emperor would likely destroy the sect or massacre the clan there, using it as a show of power while preparing the land for Lan Chang'an.
“Heh… such thorough etiquette from Your Majesty, this humble one is flattered indeed,” Lan Chang'an sneered slightly.
A brief calculation clarified everything.
He cast his gaze toward the direction of Great Yu and the Yunxia Sect, and said slowly:
“So, Your Majesty has confirmed the news of Ziyan’s breakthrough to mid-stage Nascent Soul?”
At these words, the Emperor’s face darkened as a wave of shock rippled through his heart.
The Purple Mist Fairy had advanced to mid-stage Nascent Soul.
That was a classified message, rushed across borders through emergency transmission.
It had only just arrived…
Yet this Xiang Dalong seemed to know at the exact same time as the emperor himself?
The Emperor clenched his fingers under the desk, veins bulging as a cold killing intent surged behind his eyes:
It seems the recent method of rooting out spies was far too lenient. A more ruthless purge is needed!