Chapter 457 - 431: Refrain from Greed, Act with Caution, Winds of the World

"Combat Record: With overwhelming superiority, killed a veteran Late-stage Divinity Transformation Cultivator possessing Celestial Pride-level combat strength. Actual combat strength qualifies for the Celestial Pride List. Combat record assessed as Profound Level. Ranked eighty-second on the Celestial Pride List."

After the announcement was read, a hush fell over the crowd below the list.

Then, a burst of discussion erupted: "Innate Third Transformation, mysterious origins, carries a blade on his back? This Lu Bell is a Blade Master, but his primary Martial Technique on the Celestial Pride List is actually not a Sword Technique, but a Finger Technique?"

Someone immediately said, "His blade must be like the black coffin on Mang Mountain’s Yin Xunyi’s back—never drawn lightly. That’s why there’s no record of his blade on the Celestial Pride List!"

This explanation seemed plausible.

But then, someone laughed and said, "Yin Xunyi is ranked thirteenth on the Celestial Pride List, while this guy is only eighty-second. With such a huge gap in rankings, how can you even compare them?"

This laughter quickly spread through the crowd of onlookers, and in an instant, everyone was laughing.

These people lingered by the list year-round. Although their own strength was meager—more than half of the Martial Artists among them couldn’t even reach the Innate Realm—they had spent so much time staring at the list that they had, for some reason, grown to look down on the Celestial Prides in the lower half of the rankings.

It was an amusing irony that anyone not in the top sixty, or even the top fifty, would be looked down upon by these "well-informed" onlookers.

Lu Bell’s new appearance on the list made a splash, but not a very big one.

The onlookers lit the Communication Talismans of their respective factions, instantly transmitting the news of the new change to the Celestial Pride List.

Capital, Imperial Palace.

Weiyang Palace, Spirit Nurturing Hall.

It was dusk, and heavy snow had blanketed the magnificent palace in white. Inside, however, it was as warm and cozy as a spring day.

Wisps of Dragon Saliva Fragrance burned in the hall, suffusing the entire palace with a strange, sweet scent brimming with Spiritual Qi. Faintly, it seemed as if a Divine Dragon was coiling through the air, soaring and dancing within the hall.

All sorts of strange phenomena flickered in and out of sight.

The palace servants stood in small groups, their heads bowed. Each one kept their eyes lowered, so quiet they were almost unnoticeable. They were clearly accustomed to the various phenomena in the great hall and paid them no mind.

After the court session today, the Emperor had kept several of his close ministers in the Spirit Nurturing Hall to play Go. The quiet, crisp clicks of the stones on the board filled the hall, creating an atmosphere that was both relaxed and lively.

Although His Majesty the Emperor had reigned for one hundred and thirty-three years, and his authority had grown ever more formidable in recent years—to the point where almost no one dared question his absolute decisions—

aside from his despotism on certain major issues, His Majesty had, on the contrary, become far more approachable than he used to be.

Take playing Go, for example.

In the past, when the Emperor wanted to play, almost no one dared to win against him. Now, however, he actually preferred it when someone did.

Of course, this had to be a genuine victory, won through real skill.

For a genuine victory, the Emperor was often generous with his rewards. These rewards could be so lavish that even Second or Third Grade Officials would be tempted.

After court sessions, His Majesty the Emperor would often keep a few ministers behind for casual conversation and recreation.

Sometimes they would play Go, sometimes they would paint, sometimes they would fish, and sometimes they would hunt...

In short, with all these leisurely activities, the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant. Compared to thirty years ago, His Majesty could now truly be called a monarch who cherishes his ministers.

But one should not assume that everyone had grown lax just because His Majesty the Emperor’s temper had improved. In fact, it was quite the opposite: the better his temper, the more cautious everyone became.

Of course, they were cautious when necessary, but they also knew to relax during casual conversation when the mood was right.

Mastering this balance was quite an art in itself.

Take today, for example. His Majesty had chosen two officials to play Go with. He first won a game, then lost one.

When he lost the second game, His Majesty laughed heartily, conceded the game, and rose to his feet, saying, "Excellent! That was a brilliant game. A reward is in order!"

The man who had won the game was none other than the Third Grade Red Robe official who had personally gone to view the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List the last time it changed.

The Emperor addressed him as "Mr. Lou."

A look of delight appeared on Lou Xiyong’s face as he thanked the Emperor for the reward.

The Emperor then began to chat idly. He asked, "Mr. Lou, some time ago we spoke of searching for Mo Yinghuai. Is there any news of him now?"

A look of shame crossed Lou Xiyong’s face. "Your Majesty, Mo Yinghuai’s Immortal foundation was completely destroyed back then. We don’t know how he managed to restore his Cultivation, but now, not even the divinations of Wenxing Pavilion can find a trace of him.

Celestial Master Zhang seems to be considering submitting a memorial to request using the Dynasty’s fate to divine his location!"

The Emperor frowned. "It has reached the point of using the Dynasty’s fate? Have the various Dragon Palaces been contacted to search for Mo Yinghuai?"

Lou Xiyong replied, "They have all been investigated. Mo Yinghuai has not appeared in any body of water."

At this point in the exchange, Lou Xiyong turned the question back to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, although the Demon Race is clamoring for us to hand over Mo Yinghuai, the Dynasty’s prestige cannot be violated. Are we... truly going to find Mo Yinghuai and deliver him to the Demon Race?"

The Emperor smiled amiably and said, "Ah, Mr. Lou, are you taking Mo Yinghuai’s side?"

This sentence made Lou Xiyong straighten his back.

However, he showed no obvious signs of nervousness, as he knew very well that the current Emperor disliked seeing his ministers appear anxious before him.

Lou Xiyong cupped his hands, a slightly bashful smile on his face. "Your Majesty, though I am old, I still have a bit of passion left in me. Regardless of what Mo Yinghuai did a thousand years ago, his assassination of Lu Wen this time has boosted the morale of our Human Race. Privately, I feel a certain admiration for the man.

"After all, although Mo Yinghuai is an outcast of Kunshan, he is not a traitor to the Great Zhou. Your Majesty, in my opinion, while he may be unable to advance to the True Immortal realm, with his combat strength, he might yet serve a greater purpose among the Celestial Immortals.

"Since Your Majesty is summoning all the heroes of the realm to court, why not include Mo Yinghuai in that summons? Having been abandoned by Kunshan and without a place to belong for a thousand years, he may well be looking for some stability."

These words struck a chord with the Emperor, immediately drawing another long laugh from him.

The Emperor pointed at Lou Xiyong and said, "Ah, Mr. Lou, you truly live up to your reputation as a Great Scholar who cherishes talent. Your fame is well-deserved."

Lou Xiyong quickly replied, "It is all because Your Majesty knows how to appoint the right people, loves the people as his own children, and treasures talent immensely. We ministers are merely following your lead, which has fostered this atmosphere of valuing talent throughout the court."

Speaking of cherishing talent, the Emperor casually remarked, "On the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List, our Human Race now holds a significant advantage. Of the top ten on the Celestial Pride List, seven are Human, and six of them have come to court for an audience. That leaves only the third-ranked Song Zhao. I wonder what she is like. It is a shame that We have never had the chance to meet her."

The Emperor had summoned Song Zhao about twenty days ago.

But to this day, there has been no news of Song Zhao receiving the edict.

In fact, ever since that last battle where she successively killed the Twelve Great Demons, Song Zhao had all but vanished from the Nine Provinces!

’What exactly does Song Zhao intend?’

’Her lack of response, her failure to appear—this was a major problem.’

The Emperor didn’t need to spell the issue out. His mere mention of it was enough to make everyone present grow solemn.

Lou Xiyong hurriedly added, "Your Majesty, Song Zhao has not been seen for over twenty days. We ministers have a private speculation. We believe that in her last battle against the Twelve Great Demons, Song Zhao might have... suffered injuries! It is highly likely she is still in seclusion, recuperating."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is that so?"

Lou Xiyong cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, no matter how formidable Song Zhao is, she was facing the Twelve Great Demons, and a Demon Venerable was even among them. I later asked Yun Liuguang, and he also said that if he himself had faced such an assassination attempt, he would have found it extremely difficult to escape unscathed."

The Emperor picked up a Go stone and began to tap it gently against the board.

He sighed. "Tushan Jing killed a Celestial Immortal of our Human Race without suffering a scratch, yet when one of our Human Race’s Celestial Prides kills a Demon Venerable—a feat of fighting above their level—it is an incredibly difficult struggle. In the future, when Penglai appears, even if our Human Race holds seven spots, I fear we may not truly have an absolute advantage.

"My dear ministers, do any of you have a good solution for this matter?"

This question, however, silenced all the ministers in the hall.