Minglong

Chapter 290 Academy
Xu Tong was simply trying to gather as much intelligence as possible before the entire group withdrew from the capital, but he wasn't just making hasty decisions out of desperation.

Faced with the three men's sarcastic remarks, Xu Tongping responded calmly:

"Master Qixia has been in seclusion for a hundred years and is unable to return to the world. Bodhisattva Yu Nian has already passed away, and Ye Sheng should be living in seclusion in Qilin Cave. He cannot leave easily, especially around the time when the power of heaven and earth is most restless."

"Therefore, in the years before the Jiazi era and in the years since, the Corpse Ancestral Mausoleum has only been guarded by its descendants. Among the three sect leaders, the emperor, and Ye Sheng's successor, there must be someone who knows the exact location."

"In order to prevent the Corpse Ancestor Mausoleum from being directly lost due to an accident involving the first person in the know, another person is needed to be able to dispatch manpower to defend it in time, or to notify Ye Sheng if Qixia Zhenren is unable to leave seclusion. Even if he does not know the location of the Corpse Ancestor Mausoleum, he should know the location of the Qilin Cave."

"It's now certain that Wei Wuyi and Patriarch Sikong know nothing. Of the four of you—Monk Wuxin, Lu Wuzhen, His Majesty, and Mr. Fan—at least two possess clues..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao De pondered for a moment:
"What if the Corpse Ancestor's Tomb is in the Qilin Cave, and Ye Sheng is the only one guarding it?"

Xu Tong shook her head:

"The Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum is designed to isolate the energy of heaven and earth to prevent the suppressed creature from recovering; while the Qilin Cave is where the power of heaven and earth is strongest, almost all-pervasive, so the two places cannot be placed together, and it is difficult for Ye Sheng to guard both places at the same time."

"As His Majesty said, Lu Wuzhen is in the eye of the storm as the supervisor, and is targeted by the evil sects everywhere. Even if his heart is as firm as iron, he cannot completely avoid the possibility of leaks after a hundred years. So it is very likely that he is just bait for us."

"Of the remaining people, there are only the monk Wuxin, the emperor, and Ye Sheng's direct disciple. Two of the three of them each possess a top-secret message."

Xu Tong looked at Fan Li and Zhao Xiao as she finished speaking:

"Now, assuming that Monk Wuxin has a secret, then either the Emperor or Elder Fan must still know the location of the Corpse Ancestor's Tomb or the Qilin Cave. I think Elder Fan is the most likely to know, but we cannot rule out the possibility that Monk Wuxin and the Emperor have communicated."

"Now that things have come to this, I hope you two can disclose this in time. I am an old friend and relative of both of you, and I do not want you to lose face, especially His Majesty."

Fan Li shook his head and smiled upon hearing this analysis:
"You're just speculating. Even if Ye Sheng can't leave the mountain, he's not dead. He's had enough years to teach a disciple to carry on his legacy. Take Xie Jinhuan, for example. Haven't you noticed that his calligraphy and martial arts are very similar to Ye Sheng's? Isn't it safer for him to hold the secret than for us to hold it?"

"Xie Jinhuan is only nineteen. Even so, it's impossible that no one else took care of her for the past few decades. Even if the two of you really don't know, we've identified who definitely does, which will make things much easier in the future."

As Xu Tong finished speaking, he raised his three-foot sword and pointed it at Zhao Xiao:
"I do not wish to resort to extreme measures, Your Majesty..."

Snapped--

Before he could finish speaking, a loud explosion, like metal shattering, suddenly rang out from inside the hall!

Huangfu Qi was still observing Fan Li's reaction when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Zhao De, who had been cowering beside him, suddenly turned into a ferocious demon. He picked up a jade chessboard weighing dozens of kilograms with his right hand, and his whole body seemed to instantly unleash tremendous power, directly slashing it at Xu Tong's forehead!

The jade chessboard shattered in mid-air, and fragments of jade flew into various parts of the underground palace.

Crackling...

Zhao De then swung his fist and lunged forward, but unfortunately, his figure came to an abrupt halt halfway through.

bang~
Xu Tong gripped Zhao De's throat with one hand, wiped his forehead with the hand holding the sword, and noticed the bright red blood. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Moving like thunder, with strength surpassing nine elephants, yet showing no signs of superhuman abilities, you have lived up to my arduous search for your bloodline. Have you just woken up, or have you been pretending not to know?"

Zhao Xiao was stunned to see his foolish son display the skill of a 'Great Qian Chess Saint' right from the start, then grabbed his arm and angrily said:
"Let go!"

Zhao De's eyes flashed with rage after being gripped by the neck, then turned blank. Only when his neck was released did he angrily shout:
"I'm speaking out of rage! If you want to kill, go kill Mr. Fan. What does my father know about you pointing your sword at him? Your behavior is like a slut teasing an old man and hiding from a brute, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. If you've got the guts, go point your sword at Xie Jinhuan..."

His tone was both fierce and cowardly, and he was eventually pulled back behind Zhao Xiao.

Judging from their speech, Xu Tong knew it wouldn't make much difference whether they were awake or not. She then took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from her forehead.
“I’m just making an example of him, not killing him to scare the others. In that case, I’ll ask Mr. Fan first: if His Majesty knows any clues, it would be best to give them a heads-up in advance, so that his subordinates don’t suffer in vain.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Tong raised her hand and pressed it against Fan Li's forehead.

Fan Li tried to get up, but her body was controlled, and then her soul began to tremble, falling into a thousand layers of illusion.

A surge of malevolent energy rose into the hall, only to be blocked by the heavy doors...
-
The other side.

Boom——

The clouds surged and churned, leaving a trail across the night sky.

The boatmen on the Huai River had just heard the commotion and looked up when the night sky had already cleared up, and it was difficult to see any trace of people.

Xie Jinhuan sped towards Luojing at full speed, unleashing his full physical power to the point where his blood and qi were surging, even turning the scenery below into an illusion.

Just now in the mountains, Ghost Wife sensed that the Emperor was in danger, but Ghost Wife needed to rely on Sister Bu's physique to deal with Bu Qingya. He and Bing Tuozi were running back very slowly with the three of them, so he had to turn back at full speed to check the situation first, leaving Bing Tuozi to watch over them.

The fact that the soul imprint could be triggered indicates that the emperor encountered a very dangerous situation. However, according to the ghost, he did not die on the spot, so he did not know the specific situation in the capital. He was also secretly speculating along the way:
Could it be that Lu Wuzhen and Wei Wuyi got into a fight, and Lu Wuzhen, in a desperate move, stormed into the palace?

Shang Lianbi and Yang Huaxian stepped in...

……

Since he couldn't take A-Piao with him and wasn't sure about the emperor's current situation, Xie Jinhuan could only focus on increasing his speed.

As they arrived at the territory of Jingzhao Prefecture, the afterglow of the city appeared at the end of the Huai River. Xie Jinhuan breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that there was no blood-soaked sky or raging fire burning the city. He quickly arrived at the sky above the capital and scanned the area. He saw that the city was under curfew and many constables were patrolling the streets, but there was no chaos as one would expect after an assassination attempt on the emperor. He could even see several celestial officials chatting together.

?

Xie Jinhuan looked slightly puzzled and then sped toward the palace. Halfway there, he saw that the Eight-Sided Bright Pagoda of the Imperial Observatory had become a nine-cornered structure, and a long crack had appeared in the square where the Guardian Qilin had been crouching.

The crack was not a natural collapse; it was very regular, and from the sky it looked like a knife mark, two zhang wide and several zhang deep, revealing the brightly lit underground palace below.

Several celestial officials were walking outside the tower, carrying various treasures from the treasury. A noblewoman in a palace dress was standing inside the gap in the Eight Directions Tower, looking inside at a huge white jade Bagua platform. The screen was black, and craftsmen were urgently repairing it.

Sa——

Xie Jinhuan flashed to the side upon seeing this. Because the commotion was so great, Tie Fengzhang and the others were so frightened that they thought Wei Wuyi had returned to kill them. They all drew their weapons and looked up in fear.

Zhao Ling was also startled, but when she looked up and saw Xie Jinhuan floating outside the tower, her surprise turned to delight.
"You're back? Wei Wuyi rebelled just now, destroyed the Tongming Pagoda, and stole the Xiangwang Decree and the Imperial Scripture. Sect Leader Lu has gone after him. The capital is fine."

Seeing that the landlady didn't seem bothered, Xie Jinhuan felt much relieved and looked around the tower: "Where did Sect Leader Lu chase after them?"

Zhao Ling shook his head: "I don't know. The Eight Directions Brightness Pagoda is broken. Nobody knows the situation outside the Jingzhao Prefecture. We can only send Mr. Mu and the others out to search. Coal Ball has already gone out."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinhuan became worried that Lu Wuzhen had fallen into an ambush. He had originally intended to go out and search for him, but just to be on the safe side, he decided to ask first:
Where is His Majesty?

Zhao Ling gestured towards the palace not far away:

"I took refuge in the Xuanwu Hall, with Cao Fo'er and several gentlemen by my side."

"His Majesty was just assassinated by Wei Wuyi?"

"No, Wei Wuyi snatched the things and ran away. Father didn't even get a good look at him before... wait?"

Before Zhao Ling could finish speaking, she found herself being swept up in a hug and carried away as if she were being abducted, leaving her puzzled:

"what's wrong?"

Xie Jinhuan sensed something was wrong. The emperor wasn't a coward. How could Wei Wuyi's robbery and escape from the Imperial Observatory have frightened the emperor to the point of triggering his soul imprint?
With these thoughts in mind, Xie Jinhuan embraced Zhao Ling and quickly entered the palace. They could see several Red Scale Guards standing outside a palace behind them, as well as celestial officials patrolling outside the palace. The palace door was open, and inside were steps leading to the underground.

Xie Jinhuan ignored the celestial officials who tried to block his way and went straight in. He followed the deep tunnel to the heavy palace gate, only to find it closed and unable to hear any movement from inside. He pounded on the gate, but the sound was like hitting an iron wall, and there was no response from inside.

As a member of the royal family, Zhao Ling had received training in how to avoid danger and knew the intricacies of the Xuanwu Hall. At this moment, she quickly walked to the palace lantern on the side of the hall entrance, rotated it several times, and then activated the internal formation with her qi:
"Father?"

To prevent being harmed by thieves using spells, the Xuanwu Hall was equipped with a soundproof array. However, once the mechanism was activated, the sound could be heard inside the hall. If there was no danger, the barrier would be activated to respond, but after the two waited for a while, there was no movement inside.

Xie Jinhuan's heart sank to the bottom upon seeing this, and he quickly drew his Heavenly Mace to attempt a forced demolition.

Boom boom——

But when the two maces struck, the heavy palace door remained completely still, demonstrating its astonishing defensive capabilities.

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan quickly pondered and took out the Yellow Qilin Seal. As he gathered his qi and controlled it, the Qilin spewed out blazing true fire from its mouth, which gathered into a line and spewed towards the palace gate.

woohoo...

The Blazing True Fire is the purest flame in the world, capable of melting immortal artifacts. Even when facing a heavy palace door, it's as easy as a knife cutting through butter, and its speed is not slow.

Tie Fengzhang and several celestial officials arrived at this time, only to find no response from inside the hall. Their faces turned pale, and unable to help, they could only call out:

"Mr. Xu? Eunuch Cao?"

"What's going on?"

"Quickly find a way to inform Sect Leader Lu..."

woohoo...

Xie Jinhuan ignored the noise around him, burned through the palace door with the Yellow Scale Seal, drew a semi-circle along the gap, and then slammed his shoulder directly into the palace door.

Boom——

A crescent-shaped gap immediately appeared below the palace gate.

Xie Jinhuan flipped over and entered, picked up the Heavenly Gang Mace and looked around the hall, only to see that the floor was covered with broken jade, and the bookshelves next to the wall had been moved, revealing a narrow passage for emergency escape.

Cao Fo'er stood there, bathed in golden light, like a golden statue, with a slightly trembling golden cone stuck in her neck.

On the chair next to him, Fan Li, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, leaned back with his hands hanging down, his robes soaked with sweat, his eyes vacant, and he showed no reaction to the crowd.

Zhao Xiao, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, lay on the chessboard next to him, his face ashen, as if he had been poisoned.

"Father?!"

Zhao Ling rushed into the hall and saw this scene. He turned pale and quickly rushed to the front.

To prevent accidental poisoning, Xie Jinhuan pulled Zhao Ling back and carefully examined her neck with his fingers. He could see that her body hadn't suffered serious injury, but the poison was gradually spreading towards her heart meridian. It appeared to be a slow-acting toxin, but it was extremely persistent; he couldn't even use his internal energy to remove or block it. If she didn't receive immediate treatment, it would surely be fatal. He urged her hastily.
"Go quickly and summon the imperial physician."

Ji Shiqing, as the demon advisor of the Danwang Mansion, had already arrived. Seeing Xie Jinhuan examining the Emperor, he turned to check on Fan Li:
"The Three Corpses Transform into Nightmare... This is a technique used by ghost cultivators. It uses the resentment of those who died unjustly as a catalyst to make the opponent experience countless deaths and tribulations in an illusion..."

Tie Fengzhang and the others had heard of this evil technique, which made people repeatedly experience their deepest fears until their minds and bodies collapsed. Because it was a unique method of ghost cultivators, it was extremely malevolent when used, but the aura was obviously blocked by the Xuanwu Palace. Even if the victim's body was unharmed, their will was completely destroyed, and they would basically go crazy and would have a hard time recovering.

Although the situation was very serious, the emperor's life hung by a thread, and the crown prince had disappeared without a trace. There was simply no time for anyone to care about Fan Li and Cao Fo'er.

Just as everyone was frantically searching for someone to help, Ji Shiqing, who was about to check on Cao Fo'er, suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged. Turning around, he saw that Fan Li, whose eyes were empty, had actually moved slightly before she murmured weakly:

"Academy...academy..."

"Mr. Fan?!"

Ji Shiqing quickly turned around to look, his eyes filled with disbelief. After all, according to the book, no one who was directly destroyed by this curse could regain their senses.

Although Xie Jinhuan didn't understand the meaning of these words, he knew that for Fan Li to be able to utter those two words in his current state, he must be relying on an extremely strong will to sustain his last wisp of consciousness. And this was clearly no small matter. He immediately stood up.
"Go to the Lin family and bring Zisu over. She should be able to detoxify. I'll go to the academy to check on her right away."

Having said that, he vanished from the hall in a flash.

Zhao Ling also realized that there might be a problem with the academy, and urged:
"Go quickly and summon all the imperial physicians. If any experts return, have them go to the academy to provide assistance."

"Yes……"

……

(End of this chapter)