Chapter 42: I Want to Personally Take the Risk

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: I Want to Personally Take the Risk

Without a word, Xiang Ying led Wan Peng hurriedly to a palace deep within the imperial grounds.

The exterior of the palace was heavily guarded, with countless black-clad guards patrolling the grounds. Atop the walls were mounted heavy crossbows—weapons that had no place within the inner palace. Their cold, gleaming bolts were trained directly on the building, sealing off every possible exit like an inescapable net.

Profound Guards!

Wan Peng’s pupils shrank sharply as he pursed his lips.

The Profound Guards were an exclusive branch of the Forbidden Guards loyal only to the royal family. They existed solely for assassination, and their minimum entry requirement was to be an Innate Master. Despite having served in the Inspection Department for over ten years, this was his first time learning that the Profound Guards were stationed right here in the depths of the imperial palace.

He wondered what these Profound Guards were guarding against, and whether some terrifying entity was hidden inside the palace.

Along the way, the Profound Guards respectfully bowed to the Emperor. Wan Peng kept his head down, not daring to let his gaze wander. He was terrified that seeing something he shouldn’t would cost him his life right then and there.

"Zhong Liang, how has the Prince’s mood been these past few days?" Xiang Ying asked the commander of the Profound Guards, standing outside the palace doors.

Before Zhong Liang could reply, a calm voice drifted out from within the palace. "Brother, I am perfectly fine. What gives you the free time to visit me today?"

Xiang Ying hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open and walking inside.

The expressions of Zhong Liang and the other Profound Guards changed drastically. They hurriedly trailed behind Xiang Ying, each gripping the hilt of their blades tightly as if facing a formidable enemy. Wan Peng kept his head down and followed behind the group.

Just as they entered the courtyard, the voice rang out once more. "Brother, hold your steps. Whatever you have to say, say it from there. If you get any closer, I fear I won’t be able to control myself."

Wan Peng sneakily peeked in the direction of the voice. A middle-aged man dressed in fine brocade, who shared a passing resemblance to the Emperor, sat inside a pavilion. He was sipping tea and playing a game of chess with an old eunuch. Koi fish swam leisurely in the pond beneath the pavilion, while several musicians played the zither just outside it. Had it not been for the heavy crossbows mounted on the walls, the garden would have seemed exceptionally tranquil and peaceful.

Strangely enough, the brocade-clad middle-aged man’s head was bristling with silver needles. Furthermore, his wrists and ankles were bound by massive iron chains. These chains were as thick as an adult’s arm—something so heavy wouldn’t even be used to tether a giant elephant. Yet, these very chains were shackling a human being, with their ends buried deep beneath the artificial rockery in the courtyard.

The middle-aged man in brocade possessed a refined and scholarly appearance. However, with just one glance, Wan Peng could feel a fierce and malicious aura rolling off him. He even detected a faint trace of blood hidden beneath the heavy scent of sandalwood lingering in the air.

Wan Peng was thoroughly astounded, wondering which Prince this man was, and whether the Profound Guards and heavy crossbows were here solely to suppress him.

While Wan Peng was still lost in his thoughts, a tremendous suction force suddenly seized him. His body grew light, and in the very next moment, his surroundings blurred. He had been instantly dragged into the pavilion.

Prince Jin Yi looked him up and down, his sharp gaze seemingly trying to pierce right through him.

Wan Peng was terrified. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t utter a single word. He tried to resist, but the Inner Strength throughout his entire body felt as though it had been frozen solid, rendering him completely unable to mobilize it. The only thing he could still command was that tiny sliver of a Spiritual Seed that Li Ye had injected into his body. However, under Prince Jin Yi’s intense scrutiny, he forcefully suppressed the urge to use it.

He had a sinking feeling that the moment he utilized the Spiritual Seed, his life would no longer be his own to keep.

"Li, what did you see?" Xiang Ying asked.

"The same Demonic Qi as the one inside my body." Xiangli released his invisible grip on Wan Peng and furrowed his brow. "Brother, has a new Demon appeared in this world, or is that Demon Dragon from the Western Regions getting restless again?"

Demonic Qi? Demon Dragon? Wan Peng was completely stunned. He wondered if it wasn’t supposed to be Spiritual Power, and what in the world a Demon Dragon was. In that moment, the world suddenly felt entirely unfamiliar to Wan Peng—so alien that it filled him with a deep sense of dread.

"It really is Demonic Qi," Xiang Ying sighed. "Li, I’m afraid something major is about to happen. It appears a new Demon has surfaced in this world."

"What?" Xiangli asked.

Xiang Ying took out Wei Mingze’s memorial and tossed it to Xiangli. Xiangli caught the scroll and skimmed through its contents in a flash before furrowing his brow. "Higher civilization? Football leagues? Sports lotteries? What in the world are these things?"

"Wan Peng, you will explain the rest of the situation," Xiang Ying ordered.

Wan Peng pursed his lips and recounted everything that had transpired in Weining City in painstaking detail, not daring to conceal the slightest bit of information.

"How is that possible?" Xiangli frowned once the tale concluded. "How could Demonic Qi possibly be bestowed upon others at will?" He suddenly snapped his gaze toward Wan Peng. "After you were imbued with this Demonic Qi, did a tyrannical urge fester in your heart? Do you feel a constant, overwhelming desire to slaughter others?"

As he spoke, a sinister gleam of red flashed across his eyes before vanishing just as quickly.

"No," Wan Peng replied, shaking his head.

"What about the people on the field?" Xiangli pressed.

"On the field, they were practically rabid. Every single one of them looked like they wanted to tear their opponents to shreds. But the moment the match ended, they completely returned to normal," Wan Peng said, trembling. "If I had to point out anything abnormal, it would be that they’re all obsessively trying to figure out how to make a name for themselves so they can strengthen the Spiritual Power in their bodies!"

"Impossible." Xiangli stood up abruptly. A tyrannical aura erupted from his body, causing the massive iron chains binding him to rattle with a loud CLANK CLANK.

Xiang Ying swiftly took a step back, and the Profound Guards immediately stepped forward to shield him.

"Li, calm down," Xiang Ying urged hurriedly.

Xiangli took a deep breath. Retrieving a small porcelain bottle from his robes, he poured out an Elixir Pill and tossed it into his mouth. It took a moment for him to finally soothe his turbulent aura. Sitting back down on his stool, he said, "If this person truly harbors Demonic Qi, Murong Kaixin is absolutely no match for him. Brother, are you asking me to step in and capture him?"

"Li, his actions do not seem like those of a man from our era. Is it possible that what we perceive as a Demon truly comes from this ’higher civilization’? And that this Demonic Qi is, in fact, genuinely called Spiritual Power?" Xiang Ying mused. "Could it be that we simply don’t possess the proper Cultivation Method to wield it, which is why it led to your qi deviation?"

Xiangli fell into a heavy silence. "What do you intend to do, Brother?"

"I plan to personally establish contact with Lord Li and promote this football league across the entire country," Xiang Ying stated.

"You want to personally participate in the league? You want to let Lord Li inject a Spiritual Seed into your body?" Xiangli suddenly interrupted him.

"Li, I want to verify whether this Spiritual Power can truly be controlled at will," Xiang Ying explained. "If it is indeed possible, then the Demonic Qi wreaking havoc inside your body might be tamed as well."

"Brother, you are the monarch of an entire nation," Xiangli warned with a frown.

"It is precisely because I am the ruler of this nation that I must take this risk," Xiang Ying let out a heavy sigh. "The Divine Dragon Sect continues to grow more powerful by the day, and your condition remains incredibly unstable. If that Divine Dragon from the Western Regions ever decides to march south, how is the Chu Country supposed to defend itself?

"Since Lord Li chose to reach out through Wei Mingze’s memorial, it’s glaringly obvious that he wishes to establish friendly relations with the Chu Country. It was just that blundering fool Murong Kaixin who ruined my plans..."

"Murong Kaixin is currently being suppressed by me. Perhaps he’s merely trying to divert the disaster elsewhere," Xiangli scoffed. "Brother, Demonic Qi is fundamentally uncontrollable. I strongly urge you to reconsider this. Furthermore, this Lord Li openly calls himself a Star Thief; clearly, he is no saint."

"Li, we have to try. If Lord Li truly possesses the correct Cultivation Method to harness Spiritual Power, then he has discovered the Path of Immortal. The Chu Country could very well use this to usher in a golden age.

"Moreover, the people of the Martial World are already gradually falling under his control. Once he achieves full dominion over them, he will become an entirely new Divine Dragon Sect. If that happens, where does that leave our Chu Country?" Xiang Ying reasoned.

"Then let me go and slaughter him. We can end this problem once and for all," Xiangli declared with vicious brutality.

"And what if you fail to kill him? What if the bloodshed pushes you past your breaking point and you completely lose control? Once you become a mindless monster, who will be left to suppress you? The Divine Dragon Sect?" Xiang Ying looked deeply at Xiangli and sighed again. "Li, our nation is already teetering on the edge of a precipice. Lord Li might just be our only hope of surviving this deadlock."

Xiangli fell silent.

Xiang Ying paused for a moment before continuing. "The only reason I came to find you today is to tell you this: If I am truly enslaved by another’s control, you are to unleash a total massacre! If the royal family falls, there will be no reason for the Chu Country to exist anymore. When that time comes, I want you to annihilate Lord Li and wipe out the Divine Dragon Sect with him!"