Chapter 484 462: The Storm Gathers, the Great Tide Approaches

Pei Yuhang had just sat down before Prime Minister Liu when the Prime Minister asked, "Fellow Daoist Pei, do you happen to know the new National Preceptor recently appointed in our Great Zhao..."

...

...

「In the Zhao Kingdom's Imperial Palace.」

Clad in a black Profound Robe, Ji Shenyun sat cross-legged, suspended in mid-air.

Her eyes were slightly closed, her long, raven-feather lashes casting faint shadows on her porcelain-white skin. With each even breath, streams of mystical white qi flowed around her like roaming dragons. At times, the qi would condense into the shape of a lotus flower; at others, it would scatter like a sky full of starlight.

Standing to the side like a servant, the Emperor of Zhao gazed up at the otherworldly scene. A flicker of obsession first flashed in his murky eyes before transforming into an overwhelming, intense envy.

His withered fingers stroked the cuffs of his Dragon Robe and his Adam's apple bobbed, yet he dared not make a sound, terrified of disturbing the "Immortal's" Cultivation.

Only after leaving the hall did he look out at the blood-red setting sun. His chapped lips twitched as he murmured, "Eternal life... the Great Dao!"

As he mumbled these words, a greedy light couldn't help but fill the Emperor of Zhao's eyes.

Unfortunately... Ji Shenyun had told him that he possessed no soul or true body and was thus unable to cultivate the Dao.

To do so, he would have to leave this false world.

'The real world...'

He thought to himself, letting out a nearly inaudible sigh.

'I am the Celestial Emperor of a nation. I should have been born noble, possessing everything. But one day, an Immortal from beyond the heavens descended and told me it was all fake. How could I possibly accept such a fall from grace?'

'I must transcend this place! I must become an Immortal!'

The Emperor of Zhao took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions within him.

"Your Majesty, you missed the morning court session again today. Were you listening to the National Preceptor's teachings once more...?"

An old, stooped-back eunuch beside him offered the reminder in a low voice, his wrinkled face plastered with a cautious, fawning smile.

The Emperor of Zhao snapped out of his reverie, his brow knitting in annoyance.

Ever since learning of the real world, he no longer held a shred of attachment to this false realm.

'Since it's all fake, what meaning is there in the rise or fall of the Great Zhao?'

'So what if this kingdom perishes? Sooner or later, I will transcend this world anyway!'

"So what if I don't attend court? Are all the officials useless? Must I handle every single thing myself! If something comes up, just have Prime Minister Liu deal with it."

The Emperor of Zhao said irritably, waving his hand.

He turned, flicking his sleeves, the embroidered dragons on his Dragon Robe looking particularly sinister in the twilight.

The old eunuch scurried to keep up. His murky eyes darted about before he put on another fawning smile and said:

"If Your Majesty does not wish to attend court, so be it... But tomorrow is the Founding Day celebration. The commoners are all hoping for a glimpse of their Celestial Emperor, and the ministers have already prepared the parade procession. Your Majesty, if you would consider..."

The Emperor of Zhao mulled it over for a moment before nodding.

"Very well. Tomorrow, I shall parade through the Capital City and proclaim the two-hundredth anniversary of our Great Zhao's founding!"

Following behind the Emperor of Zhao, the old eunuch felt fine beads of sweat break out on his forehead. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Emperor agree.

Ever since His Majesty had suddenly appointed a Daoist Nun as the National Preceptor, he felt that the Emperor he had watched grow up had become a complete stranger. His temperament was volatile and unpredictable, to the point that even he could no longer fathom it.

'Could it be... that some evil entity is truly bewitching His Majesty?'

The old eunuch pursed his lips, recalling Prime Minister Liu's earlier insinuation.

「Meanwhile, at the west gate of the Capital City, a grain convoy was slowly entering.」

As an ox-cart laden with rice passed a dark alley, a petite figure darted out like a swift cat. With a WHOOSH, she vanished into the alley's shadows in the blink of an eye.

Only after the grain convoy had moved on did the petite figure poke her head out.

She looked like a filthy, ordinary little beggar.

But if Pei Yuhang had been there, he would have recognized this little figure as none other than a disguised Little Yueqiu!

The girl's grimy face was taut with determination. Only her crimson eyes, shining with astonishing brightness, were fixed on the magnificent, glittering palace in the center of the Capital City.

"Tomorrow is the day I kill you, you Dog Emperor!"

Little Yueqiu muttered viciously.

The next moment...

RUMBLE RUMBLE~~

A loud growl echoed from Little Yueqiu's stomach.

Her shoulders slumped instantly as she rubbed her empty stomach.

The girl pouted, her nose wrinkling cutely. 'I haven't eaten in two days. Well, things being as they are, I should probably eat first.'

Little Yueqiu decided to sneak into the Treasure Food Pavilion, the best restaurant in the Capital City, to fill her belly.

'With my skills,' she thought, 'I can definitely slip in for a full meal without anyone noticing.'

...

...

Outside the private room on the top floor of the Treasure Food Pavilion, the evening sun's last rays filtered through the carved wooden balustrade, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the floor.

Su Ziheng leaned against a crimson-lacquered pillar in the corridor, his gaze fixed on the tightly shut, ornately carved wooden door.

The four young guards beside him were as tense as drawn bowstrings. One even pressed his ear against the door, only pulling back slightly when he heard the soft clink of a teacup from within.

They remained on high alert, ready to storm the room at the slightest hint of trouble.

In fact, they would have rushed in long ago if Prime Minister Liu hadn't kept calling for maids to deliver fruit and tea to the room.

'After all, hasn't this meeting gone on a bit too long?'

'An entire day...'

More than once, Su Ziheng even began to suspect that Prime Minister Liu had already fallen to Pei Yuhang's sword.

"Who is that white-robed Swordsman, anyway? Why has the Prime Minister been meeting with him for so long?"

The youngest guard asked, looking at Su Ziheng with curiosity.

Su Ziheng, however, suddenly raised a hand to signal for silence. Everyone instantly straightened their backs—

The creak of a wooden chair came from within.

As the door to the private room swung open, everyone held their breath.

Though it wasn't their first time seeing him, Pei Yuhang's otherworldly handsome features still struck them with a sense of disbelief.

"Ziheng."

Prime Minister Liu's excited voice drifted from inside the room. Su Ziheng rushed in, only to find the portly Prime Minister staggering into view.

"Ziheng, quickly... prepare a room for the Upper Immortal."

"Also, gather all of my retainers tonight. Remember, not a word of this must get out!"

"We are going to... eradicate a Demon Fiend for the Zhao Kingdom... and go down in history!"

A strange light danced in Prime Minister Liu's eyes, and his lips trembled with excitement!

Outside, Pei Yuhang listened to the Prime Minister's instructions while glancing up at the sky over the Imperial Palace.

He could sense unseen Spiritual Qi gathering in a funnel-shaped vortex high above the Imperial Palace.

The turbulent Spiritual Qi, swirling into a massive vortex, was ultimately devoured greedily by some entity deep within the Imperial Palace.

'This world is false, so it's impossible for true Natural Spiritual Qi to exist.'

'The Spiritual Qi Ji Shenyun is absorbing now is the Cultivation from my eldest disciple, Qing Yueqiu!'

'No wonder that old monster has been holding back, not actively seeking out Yueqiu and me... It turns out she doesn't have much Primordial Qi herself and has been hiding in the Imperial Palace to gather her strength.'

Pei Yuhang gave the Imperial Palace a profound look, a glint of gold flashing in his pupils.

'That's the resonance from the Golden Sun Divine Seal I placed on the Curse Seal.'

'It seems that after the Curse Seal transformed into Ji Shenyun and invaded Qing Yueqiu's Sea of Consciousness, the Golden Sun Divine Seal I branded upon it didn't disappear. Instead, it has remained with her this whole time.'

At this thought, Pei Yuhang breathed a sigh of relief.

'If not for the Golden Sun Divine Seal I placed on her, which has been hindering Ji Shenyun's recovery, she probably would have already drained all of Yueqiu's Cultivation by now!'

'Still, even though the Golden Sun Divine Seal makes it harder for that old monster to absorb Yueqiu's Cultivation... so much time has passed. She must have recovered a significant portion of her power.'

'Tomorrow, the score will be settled... Anyone who dares to harm Yueqiu, I will make you pay the price!'

Pei Yuhang gripped the hilt of his sword, his normally placid Heart Lake churning with rage.

Even as he stroked the hilt, the cold steel beneath his fingertips doing little to soothe the inferno of rage burning in his chest.

He was rarely moved to true anger by anyone. Shang Miaoyan had been one, but now, Ji Shenyun had completely supplanted her, becoming the one person he loathed above all others.

At least Shang Miaoyan had targeted him directly, rather than touching his "reverse scale"—the people he cherished most.

'Dare to harm Yueqiu?'

An icy glint flashed in Pei Yuhang's eyes. The Sword Qi around him surged silently, and the very air seemed to freeze for an instant.

—Then be prepared to pay the price!