Inside the imperial palace.
After issuing the decree to seal off Zangfeng Prefecture and suppress the rebel forces led by Wen Zhai, Wen Xian dismissed the other court officials.
Only the corpse controlled by Huangfu Yan remained, locked in silent eye contact with the emperor.
Wen Xian leaned back in his throne. The folds of fury on his face relaxed slightly, leaving behind only an air of fatigue.
His sinister, bird-of-prey-like eyes stared through the study's window, looking off in the direction of the faraway and unseen Ancestral Temple.
Then, in a hoarse, aged voice filled with weariness, he asked:
"Uncle... why do you think the Saint is helping Wen Zhai? I am the rightful emperor, the orthodox ruler. I represent imperial power. the Yang Kingdom has worshipped her for so many years, shouldn't the Saint be upholding my reign?"
The Censor of the Department of Shennong, Huangfu Yan, was Wen Xian and Wen Zhai's maternal uncle.
His younger sister had been their mother, and this bloodline connection was one of the main reasons why the Department of Shennong remained loyal to the royal family.
Moreover, Wen Xian and Huangfu Yan maintained a close relationship in private.
Wen Xian had even begun referring to himself with the humble "I" (wo, instead of the royal "zhen").
The corpse, cradling its severed head in its hands, also turned to face the window, while narrowing its eyes, it said:
"Your Majesty, Saints are still people.
The word 'Saint' refers to those who transcend the mundane, not those who are flawless."
"If Your Majesty knew the Saint Wangshu's Dao, you wouldn't find her actions strange."
Wen Xian was taken aback. He straightened his posture and said solemnly:
"What is her Dao? Uncle, you've never told me."
Wangshu had remained in seclusion within the Ancestral Temple for years, rarely acting.
Even the royal family of the Yang Kingdom had only the vaguest knowledge of her.
Few in the world knew what her Dao truly was.
Huangfu Yan said calmly:
"Her Dao is Emotion."
"She remains in the Yang Kingdom out of emotion for the Grand Ancestor. This time, if she acted Wen Zhai must've touched something deep within her emotion."
"Her intervention is a practice of her Dao.
It has nothing to do with the Yang Kingdom, or with you, or even with Wen Zhai."
"Besides, she didn't truly take action. She merely granted Wen Zhai a trial."
Then he looked up at his nephew and said:
"This is also a test for Your Majesty."
Wen Xian's pupils contracted as he immediately grasped the implication:
"Zangfeng Prefecture... is the proving ground!"
Huangfu Yan chuckled:
"Or perhaps... the hunting ground."
"Wen Zhai's prey is the Elixir of Immortality. Ours is Wen Zhai."
Wen Xian spoke gravely:
"We must not allow Wen Zhai to obtain the Elixir of Immortality. If he does... Saint Wangshu may act in earnest. And when that happens, who among us can oppose her?"
A Saint is a mountain looming above.
It may shield a nation from wind and rain,
but it can also crush all who stand beneath it.
Huangfu Yan added darkly:
"There is one more matter I had not yet reported. But with recent developments, I must speak now."
He paused, then said:
"The secret realm within the Yongan River has already closed and the one who obtained the 'Reversal Bell'... was not the Department of Shennong."
Wen Xian's face turned black with rage.
If the corpse before him weren't his own uncle, he'd have hurled the nearest heavy object at it.
The Yongan River secret realm was only discovered within the past few months.
It dated back to the era of the Human Emperor.
The realm's source was a mysterious Spiritual Treasure known as the Reversal Bell.
This artifact possessed a powerful Divine Ability, capable of reversing life and death, revealing the Bardo Realm.
In simpler terms, it could recall the soul of someone already dissolved into heaven and earth, summoning it back to the mortal realm for one's own use!
Such an artifact appearing within the Yang Kingdom's borders... the Department of Shennong naturally deployed agents to investigate and take possession.
The flooding anomaly in the area was a direct result of the Reversal Bell's emergence, which had caused all the rivers in the prefecture to flow in reverse.
And this wasn't a normal east-west reversal.
The waters surged upward, from the earth toward the sky!
All of it gathered above the secret realm.
But how could the sky contain thousands of megatons of river water?
Eventually, dikes broke. Dams collapsed and a thousand miles were submerged.
A great calamity unfolded.
Yet the Department of Shennong and the imperial court, seeking to avoid outside interference, suppressed news of the disaster.
No emergency funds were dispatched.
The revelation of the secret realm was hidden away to minimize political impact.
As for the countless civilians killed, displaced, or left destitute?
No matter, just release a few fearsome monsters and let them slaughter indiscriminately.
The common folk would quickly realize who they must rely on.
Who else but the court and the Department of Shennong?
Wen Xian had thought the same.
It wasn't a big deal until now, when despite all their efforts... they'd gotten nothing.
The embarrassment was intolerable.
He forced a smile:
"Uncle wouldn't really joke with me about such things... would you?"
The corpse blinked:
"Of course not."
Wen Xian's voice darkened:
"Then why are you bringing this up now?"
Huangfu Yan said:
"Is Your Majesty not curious... who obtained the Reversal Bell?"
Wen Xian laughed coldly:
"So now you want me to investigate your failures?"
Huangfu Yan replied evenly:
"It was acquired by the orphan of Su Yu."
Wen Xian froze.
The orphan of Su Yu, there was only one:
Su Huaiying, the fugitive princess of the fallen liang Kingdom.
She had entered the Yang Kingdom just a few days ago... and then disappeared.
the Yang Kingdom and Zhou Kingdom had never enjoyed good relations, and with tensions running high, although the Elixir of Immortality might have been linked to her, the truth was unclear.
No one had been eager to aid Zhou by hunting her down.
Wen Xian had thought Ji Chengtian, the emperor of Zhou, was making a fool of himself, searching fruitlessly for the elixir, then losing the only person who might've had it.
Besides, with Lady Liang and Chen Kuang both reportedly dead, what could a three, or four-year-old toddler like Su Huaiying, who lacked even a trace of cultivation, possibly accomplish?
Yet now... to learn she had obtained the Reversal Bell?
That was no small matter.
In fact, it bordered on the absurd.
Never mind the dangers within the Yongan River realm, even the Grandmasters from the Department of Shennong sent there shouldn't have let such a child succeed.
There had to be more to the story.
Wen Xian composed himself and said sternly:
"Uncle, please explain in detail."
Huangfu Yan answered:
"Su Huaiying is accompanied by Zhang Zhizhou, chief disciple of Liberty Mountain.
But... according to our informants, he regards Su Huaiying as his leader and refers to himself as her strategist."
Wen Xian looked incredulous, his brows furrowed:
"Su Huaiying is... what, not yet five?
Zhang Zhizhou may be eccentric, but this... this is absurd."
He speculated:
"Could it be... that the little princess of Liang is a reincarnated sage?"
Huangfu Yan gave a noncommittal shrug:
"Perhaps. But that's not what matters."
"What matters... is that Su Huaiying has appeared outside Zangfeng Prefecture."
Zangfeng Prefecture!
Wen Xian's head snapped up, the realization dawning:
"Her appearance proves... the Elixir of Immortality is not with her."
Wen Xian stood, his bloated body pacing anxiously:
"But entering the Yang Kingdom... She was the only likely carrier of the elixir."
"Who else could it be?"
Huangfu Yan lowered his voice and said:
"I have a theory..."
He paused, then smiled:
"Your Majesty... it seems my guess was correct.
The turning point has already arrived."
From the moment he entered the room, Chen Kuang had noticed something wrong with this "Fine Rain" Elder.
The other demon clan Elders all appeared normal.
But this "Fine Rain," in Chen Kuang's eyes, was someone who had been split into two.
One half of him looked entirely normal. But the other half, was overlaid with a slightly misaligned phantom image.
It was as if this phantom were parasitizing him.
That phantom's appearance, was exactly that of the Censor of the Department of Shennong, Huangfu Yan.
Chen Kuang, naturally, had never met Huangfu Yan before. But Wang Yangbo had. Han Shan and Tong Shi had too.
Through the Evil Karma Phantasms of those individuals, Chen Kuang had gained a detailed understanding of the power structure between the Department of Shennong and the Royal Court.
It was only natural that he had come to recognize this high-ranking, yet previously unmet official.
Huangfu Yan was skilled in automaton arts. His temperament was relatively moderate. He wasn't particularly extreme in his stance toward demons and often turned a blind eye when his subordinates engaged in collaborations with them.
His cultivation was at the Upper Third Grade Profound Realm.
Only now did Chen Kuang truly and viscerally understand just how weak Liang was. The only combat asset it could field was Huo Hengxuan, a mere Grandmaster.
Meanwhile, the figureheads of top-tier factions in Zhou and the Yang Kingdom were at least Upper Third Grade to start with.
Most of the time, Huangfu Yan would appear in the form of puppets. Few had ever seen his true face.
And that was what made him terrifying.
After all, how could you be sure the person beside you wasn't one of his puppets?
Now, through direct action, Chen Kuang had personally demonstrated just how frightening Huangfu Yan's automaton technique really was.
The "Fine Rain" he had just killed, at the moment of death, half of his true form had emerged.
"Fine Rain" outwardly looked like a pale-skinned, delicate scholar, effeminate and soft. But at the moment of death, beautiful blue-green feathers resembling eyes had appeared on his face, and his hands had transformed into sharp talons.
The true form of this "Fine Rain", was a peacock.
But the transformation into his demon form was forcibly cut short, because Huangfu Yan's consciousness had fully taken over the puppet's body.
Everyone present was shocked by the revelation:
One of the most powerful Elders in the Mountain-Sea Alliance, second only to the Alliance Master, was actually a puppet of the Department of Shennong's Censor!
Only Kui's expression was grave, but not surprised.
Chen Kuang looked at "Fine Rain", no, at Huangfu Yan now.
"Was it really so hard to tell?"
He spread his hands:
"Didn't our Alliance Master already have suspicions?"
The other Elders inwardly complained:
Who's "we"? Who said you were one of us? That's some audacity, trying to hitch a ride just like that.
Just a moment ago, you were merely a stranger trying to form an alliance with us.
Now you're talking like you're part of the Mountain-Sea Alliance.
But at this moment, none of them could refute him.
After all, their greatest enemy was right here in front of them.
Unexpectedly, Huangfu Yan didn't immediately respond. It was Kui who first shook his head and said:
"I observed him for a long time. I cross-referenced 'Fine Rain's' origins and behavior with the Department of Shennong's activities. It took me ten full years to confirm that he was a mole."
"But you... identified him in a single encounter."
The face of the childlike Kui was filled with solemn gravity.
"That is difficult and unbelievable."
"...Uhh," Chen Kuang had originally wanted to give credit to Kui and deflect attention from his own abilities.
Who would've thought the Alliance Master would so thoroughly reject his gesture?
Fortunately, Huangfu Yan didn't seem interested in dwelling on the point.
"Fine Rain's" corpse took two steps forward. The neck, still broken, twisted unnaturally back into place. The wounds did not heal; deathly qi rapidly spread, this body clearly wouldn't last much longer.
Huangfu Yan scrutinized Chen Kuang, narrowing his eyes:
"So it really was you."
He sighed:
"That old bastard Mu Zhao really got played by you."
Chen Kuang gave a half-smile:
"Is the Censor here to stick up for the Martial Saint?"
Huangfu Yan replied:
"The Department of Shennong and the Martial Saint Pavilion are not the same path."
Chen Kuang said:
"And what about the Mountain-Sea Alliance?"
Huangfu Yan gave a noncommittal smile:
"There are many like Wang Yangbo. In the end, what the Department of Shennong wants... is a single word: status. Turning a blind eye now and then, that's very easy."
He sighed again:
"But the founding tenets of the Department of Shennong go back a thousand years.
Changing that... won't happen overnight."
Chen Kuang replied:
"I can see that the Censor is indeed inclined to cooperate."
Huangfu Yan said:
"With a great enemy looming, I imagine Mister Chen understands that we are now in the same situation."
Huangfu Yan was well aware: since the puppet he awakened happened to be an Elder of the Mountain-Sea Alliance, he had no path to reconnect with the Department's forces unless he passed through the Alliance.
Since his true body was needed outside Zangfeng Prefecture to stabilize the situation, then if he wished to contest Wen Zhai from within, he'd have to leverage the powers available inside.
Chen Kuang turned and looked at the others in the room.
"What about the rest of you? What do you think?"
Everyone silently turned their eyes to Kui.
Kui looked at Huangfu Yan and said:
"The enmity between the Department of Shennong and the demon race... is irreconcilable."
For the Department of Shennong to abandon its founding mission was close to impossible.
Huangfu Yan smiled:
"Irreconcilable with the demon race, yes.
But with the Mountain-Sea Alliance?"
Kui: "..."
His pupils contracted sharply and in that instant, he understood what Huangfu Yan meant.
Yes. Even within the demon race, there were internal divisions.
The Mountain-Sea Alliance, though opposed to humans, was actually one of the more neutral and moderate factions.
And between factions, there could never be perfect harmony.
They fought not for conquest, but to protect the weaker demons who only wished to live.
And so, they chose enmity with humans.
But there were still some demons who had no purpose at all, who committed brutal killings purely out of malice toward humanity.
Huangfu Yan's meaning was very clear:
The Department of Shennong could not stop killing demons, but they could choose not to kill the demons of the Mountain-Sea Alliance.
This indeed aligned with the interests and demands of the Mountain-Sea Alliance.
But at the same time, it was a transparent trap.
If, by that time, only the demons of the Mountain-Sea Alliance were not targeted by the Department of Shennong, then suspicion would certainly arise among the other demon clans.
At that point, the Mountain-Sea Alliance would become the common enemy of all.
However, even now, the Mountain-Sea Alliance was already beginning to show signs of exhaustion.
Most demons simply wanted to survive in peace and had no desire to become entangled in struggle. The Mountain-Sea Alliance had always been a weak force.
There were indeed not a few like Wu Man who had chosen to cooperate with the Department of Shennong.
If not for this present opportunity, then perhaps... the Mountain-Sea Alliance would not have lasted much longer either.
Kui was silent for a long while, then finally looked up and said, "Agreed."
Huangfu Yan and Kui immediately formed a Soul Contract, laying down several binding terms, thus formally establishing a temporary consensus.
"All right... now that your issue has been resolved, let's take care of my issue."
Chen Kuang clapped his hands.
Everyone's gaze once again focused on him.
Huangfu Yan looked past him and landed his gaze on the dumbfounded Mo Xu, then thought for a moment:
"That's... the one who was chosen by the Martial Saint?"
Chen Kuang said, "Exactly."
"Relying on only us, I'm afraid it'll be difficult to contend with the Jiangnan King's army."
Huangfu Yan raised an eyebrow:
"So... you intend to join forces with the Martial Saint Pavilion?"
This person before him and the Martial Saint Pavilion were sworn enemies... Huangfu Yan had already formed some guesses about Chen Kuang's intentions.
But, so what? As he had already said:
The Department of Shennong and the Martial Saint Pavilion are not of the same path.
Chen Kuang smiled:
"Then I'll be relying on the Censor to back me up."
What he wanted, was for the Department of Shennong to directly testify to Mo Xu's identity as the 'Martial Saint'.
This time, Mo Xu understood, and he was utterly horrified.
He quickly whispered, "I can't... there's no way I can deceive experts from the Martial Saint Pavilion. I, I don't know what I'm supposed to do..."
Chen Kuang simply smiled, meaningfully, and said:
"You'll know."
"When you stand before those people, you are the Martial Saint."
...
Within the Yang Kingdom, there were also members of the Martial Saint Pavilion.
One of them, residing within Zangfeng Prefecture, was known by the nickname "Treading Blood to Seek Plum Blossoms" Cang Xing.
He himself was in the Master Realm, and the Mei Sect he founded was also a fairly powerful force, especially considering that Cang Xing was a body cultivator, and his disciples were likewise trained in physical refinement.
The Mei Sect was located in the mountain range at the edge of Zangfeng Prefecture.
Cang Xing stood on the summit behind the sect, overlooking the prefecture below that was now swept by the army led by Wen Zhai.
Inside the city, half the area was billowing with smoke and engulfed in flames.
Wherever the army passed, those who refused to submit were slain.
Cang Xing had no intention of participating in the Yang Kingdom's internal political strife. Especially now that a Saint had intervened, he had already issued an order to seal the mountain, planning to wait out the storm and reopen later.
Who ruled Yang had little to do with his Mei Sect, why trouble himself needlessly?
But Cang Xing's intentions were destined to be overturned today.
"What?! The Martial Saint has descended?!"
Cang Xing's pupils contracted violently as he looked toward the panicked disciple rushing up to report.
That disciple was drenched in sweat:
"Yes! He's currently outside the sect gate!"
He shook his head again:
"No, not descended in person, it's a Divine Descent technique!"
Cang Xing grabbed the disciple by the collar:
"Are you certain?!"
The Spiritual Energy across all of Zangfeng Prefecture had been sealed. Though Cang Xing was a Grandmaster, his divine sense had been completely cut off, leaving him unable to probe anything.
The disciple nodded repeatedly:
"Yes! It's the Department of Shennong's Censor personally accompanying the descent using a puppet! And the person receiving the descent, is that youth who was previously possessed!"
"I accompanied you to the Martial Saint Pavilion once, didn't I? I saw that youth's face, I wouldn't be mistaken!"
Cang Xing's breath caught.
"The Department of Shennong's Censor... accompanying?"
The disciple nodded:
"Yes. The puppet probably just died recently, its neck is still broken. In this current situation across Zangfeng Prefecture, who else could survive long enough to do this?"
"It has to be the Department of Shennong's Censor."
Cang Xing agreed that the logic was sound and quickly said:
"Lead the way!"
The two of them raced toward the sect entrance.
As soon as they arrived, Cang Xing immediately recognized the youth standing at the front, Mo Xu, the one who had been chosen by Wen Hongsheng as the vessel for Divine Descent.
With just a blink, it was as though he saw the shadow of the Martial Saint.
But the very next second, his brows furrowed, because although the boy stood tall and proud, his posture seemed... nervous?
Beside him, the "Fine Rain" puppet indeed had its neck grotesquely twisted, reducing his suspicion somewhat.
In the absence of Spiritual Energy, such a Divine Ability could only be the pinnacle of automaton arts.
But then, another face appeared nearby, causing Cang Xing's pupils to contract sharply, struck with terror.
"Chen Kuang?!"
To Cang Xing, it felt as if he had seen a ghost.
And it wasn't that far from the truth.
Chen Kuang's name had already been erased from the Martial Saint Pavilion's bounty list. That bounty had been issued by the Martial Saint himself, and later, the Martial Saint had personally confirmed his death.
Yet now, the supposedly dead Chen Kuang... was alive again?!
Chen Kuang, however, showed no surprise. Instead, he furrowed his brow and said:
"Cang Xing, in the presence of the Martial Saint, why do you not kneel?"
"This..." Cang Xing immediately hesitated, his clenched fists trembling.
What was going on?
Chen Kuang sighed:
"Ignorance. You see me alive and well here, do you still not understand the Martial Saint's will?"
He shook his head in exasperation:
"I am a man of the Martial Saint Pavilion!"
Chen Kuang's attitude was so calm, so unwavering, that Cang Xing was caught off guard, his mind spinning at high speed.
The Martial Saint didn't kill Chen Kuang... that couldn't be a failure. It had to be intentional.
That meant the previous bounty, it was all an act!
There could only be one reason why the Martial Saint would orchestrate such a thing:
Elixir of Immortality.
Yes, that was it! Cang Xing's mind clicked.
The Martial Saint wanted to obtain the Elixir of Immortality before Ji Chengtian. So he enacted a grand scheme in secret.
And Chen Kuang... was a pawn in the Martial Saint's hand!
He was responsible for bringing the Elixir out of the palace, working in tandem with the Martial Saint to stage the perfect drama.
That explained everything about Chen Kuang's miraculous exploits along the way.
More importantly, the Martial Saint had once again descended, and at the very moment the Saint of Yang had also made her move!
Cang Xing's heart pounded. It felt like he was watching a monumental game of chess unfold.
He had followed the Martial Saint precisely because of that peerless, domineering aura.
And now, was he finally about to become the Martial Saint's forward vanguard, a part of his great undertaking?
Cang Xing feared missing the moment to pledge allegiance. At once, he lifted the hem of his robe, gritted his teeth, and knelt down:
"Disciple Cang Xing, pays respects to the Martial Saint! This disciple has come late, may the Martial Saint forgive my delay!"
Chen Kuang muttered inwardly...
Even easier to fool than I expected.
No wonder he's such a fanatical worshipper of the Martial Saint.
Meanwhile, Mo Xu was completely dumbfounded.
He had heard of Cang Xing, the sect master of the Mei Sect.
That was a Grandmaster!
A Grandmaster... had just knelt to him, right in front of his eyes!
All it took were a few casual words from Chen Kuang, and this person really believed he was the Martial Saint!
Mo Xu felt there was nothing in the world more absurd than this.
His impression of the Martial Saint Pavilion, and all these so-called "masters", utterly collapsed.
So in the end, these people...
Were nothing but a bunch of fools!
Within Mo Xu's heart, a strange feeling arose, not excitement, but an eerie sense of calm.
He looked down at the kneeling Cang Xing from above, took a deep breath, and said:
"You may rise. One who acts in ignorance bears no guilt."
Unbeknownst to him, within his shattered meridians, those flickering specks of light were beginning to slowly reconnect...