Kamimine

Chapter 36 The Proud Stone Lion
"His third crime is not a crime at all; it is a merit, making him a great contributor to Qiuchi Kingdom."

Su Youqian recounted the story in detail.

"My Tiger Hill was invaded by the Demon Tree, and our ancestors fought against it with all their might. The Grand Marshal also knows something about this. Now, there is also a strange beast from Mount Meng invading."

"At the critical moment when the Great Meng City was in peril, when life and death were at stake, Brother Liu stepped forward, fought against the Demon Tree, repelled the beast tide, and saved the lives of millions in the Great Meng City. What crime has he committed?"

"The claim of seducing demons is completely fabricated. The Su family can vouch for it, and the Grandmaster's Mansion can also vouch for it."

"Young Master Ye, don't you think so?"

Han Qi snorted coldly, looking at Ye Yitian with indifferent eyes.

Ye Yitian remained silent, his fiery gaze fixed on Liu Chengfeng.

He wondered why Liu Chengfeng, who possessed the cultivation level of the Treasure Mountain Divine Treasury, could control the Demon Tree when Lady Chen was controlled by it. This made no sense.

Ye Yitian remained silent, which made Ye Yiqing secretly anxious, and she tugged at his sleeve.

"This is true."

Finally, Ye Yitian reluctantly admitted to the matter.

"The old matriarch is troubled by the demonic tree, so what means does Liu Chengfeng have to deal with it?"

Ye Yitian was not giving up and stared at Liu Chengfeng.

"Well, it's very simple. My brother Liu is exceptionally talented. He saw the flaws and weaknesses of the Demon Tree at a glance. By exploiting its flaws and controlling its weaknesses, we can defeat it."

"I want him to answer, it's not you."

When Ye Yitian's power was at its peak, the flames were oppressive, like a volcano, making people dare not approach.

Ye Yitian is powerful and invincible among the younger generation in Qiuchi Kingdom.

“Young Master Ye comes on behalf of the Grandmaster’s Mansion, and I come on behalf of His Majesty. His Majesty is in seclusion, and I will make the decision. Young Master Ye, do you have any complaints about my answer?”

Su Youqian wasn't afraid of him and puffed out his chest.

Ye Yitian's expression turned cold, and flames leaped as he, a third-level Divine Treasure Guide, became far more powerful than Su Youqian.

The raging flames made it hard for some people to breathe.

"Silence, let's continue the trial."

Han Qi's cold voice was like a piercing blade, causing Su Youqian and Ye Yitian to both back down.

"I have finished speaking. All three charges are unfounded. On behalf of the royal family, I hereby grant a pardon."

The three judicial departments will jointly conduct the trial, and the royal family has already expressed its stance.

"The three charges are not valid."

Ye Yitian said coldly, her aura overwhelming.

"Demon Slayer Division, no objections."

Han Qi's final statement surprised both Ye Yitian and Su Youqian.

They were originally supposed to join forces against the Demon Slayer Division, but to their surprise, Han Qi didn't object.

All three judicial departments unanimously agreed that Liu Chengfeng was innocent.

The joint trial by the three judicial authorities ended so simply, it was all just a formality, and the defendant, Liu Chengfeng, didn't even have a chance to say a word.

"Take care of yourself—"

Ye Yitian wasn't stupid either. He gave Liu Chengfeng a cold look and then left.

"Hey bro, you're free now."

Su Youqian leaned over and winked at Liu Chengfeng.

Liu Chengfeng smiled, not surprised at all. Nangong Renshe also breathed a sigh of relief. The matter was over just like that.

"Don't forget your promise. If it can't be dissolved, then this marriage is done."

Just as Su Youqian was feeling smug, Ye Yiqing poured cold water on him, causing Su Youqian's face to fall.

"If you can't solve this, I'll be the first to take your head!"

Ye Yiqing, with her haughty demeanor, fixed her eyes on Liu Chengfeng with a cold glint in them.

"It's definitely possible, it's definitely possible. My brother has unparalleled talent, brother, there's definitely no problem, right?"

Su Youqian immediately patted his chest to Ye Yiqing assuring her, but he himself wasn't really confident.

"That would be best. Come to the Grandmaster's Mansion tomorrow."

Ye Yiqing snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Ye Yiqing left, and Su Youqian immediately perked up.

"Hey bro, to celebrate your newfound freedom, let's go for a drink and have some fun. The girls in the capital are gorgeous..."

As he spoke, Su Youqian's eyes lit up.

"Don't forget, you still have to solve the Divine Tablet tomorrow. If you can't solve it, you'll have to marry Princess Ye."

Liu Chengfeng's cold water had dampened Su Youqian's spirits, and he lost all interest in having fun.

Liu Chengfeng promised Su Youqian that he would go to the Grandmaster's Mansion the next day to unlock the Thunder and Fire Divine Board for the Grand Marshal, and instructed Su Youqian to bring him a pot of Golden Wind and Jade Dew Wine.

"Brother, this is top-quality wine, it's hard to find."

"Can't find it?"

"Hey, don't worry, leave it to me. Where is this place? This is the capital."

Su Youqian patted his chest and guaranteed.

Although Su Youqian is unrestrained and unconventional, he is still very reliable in his work.

Liu Chengfeng is innocent and free. The Su family has a palace in the capital, and Su Youqian invites Liu Chengfeng to live there.

Liu Chengfeng refused and decided to move back to the Demon Slayer's compound.

"Are you addicted to being a prisoner?"

Su Youqian didn't understand. Han Qi only glanced at Liu Chengfeng and didn't chase him away.

The next day, Su Youqian brought the Golden Wind and Jade Dew Wine, and they set off for the Grandmaster's Mansion.

"Let's go somewhere first."

Liu Chengfeng did not head straight for the Grandmaster's Mansion, but instead went to find the stone lion first.

The capital of Qiuchi Kingdom is vast, prosperous, and has millions of residents, including many cultivators.

The entire capital city is filled with thousands of buildings and crisscrossing streets, creating an extraordinary atmosphere. Cars and horses flow like water and dragons, with all kinds of vehicles on the ground and in the sky.

Liu Chengfeng rode in Su Youqian's carriage and went out.

Su Youqian remained true to his dissolute lifestyle, accompanied by beautiful women and a large motorcade.

Finding the stone lion was not difficult; Liu Chengfeng quickly located its position by sensing and tracking celestial bodies.

The stone lion stands outside the city gate of the capital. It is a guardian stone lion, more than ten meters tall, lying there with an imposing presence.

This stone lion has stood outside the city gate for who knows how many years. It is mottled, gray and black all over, covered with mud, and even overgrown with weeds.

This is merely a decoration outside the city gate; no one would pay any attention to this stone lion.

Liu Chengfeng arrived with the Golden Wind and Jade Dew wine, bowed and kowtowed to the stone lion, and sprinkled the wine on it.

"It's been so long since I've had this. I miss it, I miss it so much."

The stone lion finally spoke. Liu Chengfeng sat down beside the stone lion and only then did he realize that the stone lion was facing the direction of Yunmengze.

"Why did you say the sun is rising, senior?" Liu Chengfeng voiced his doubts. It was early morning, and the sun had already risen.

"That sun is not this sun."

After drinking Liu Chengfeng's wine, Shi Shi's attitude improved considerably.

"The sun over Yunmengze—"

Liu Chengfeng was startled, thinking of the strange phenomena in Yunmengze.

"You've got some knowledge, kid, you know there's a sun in Yunmengze."

What would happen if the sun rose?

Yunmengze not only has a sun, but also a moon, and corpses surround the sun and moon in worship.

"Or, the ghosts that wander through the Ghost Palace may one day be reborn."

"The Ghost Palace, the Black Emperor?"

"How do you know about the Black Emperor?!"

This time, it was Shishi's turn to be surprised.

"It's like I've seen it in a dream."

How could Liu Chengfeng explain this? He could only try to gloss over it.

"Hmph, if you've ever seen the Black Emperor in your dreams, he'll kill you in those dreams too."

"Powerful to this extent?"

Liu Chengfeng was startled; he had experienced the Black Emperor's divine power before.

"Are you waiting for the sun to rise, senior?"

"I want to drink Reiki; I haven't had it in a long time."

The stone lion did not answer, but only said this.

"The underground spiritual vein dojo has a spiritual pool as large as a lake. Senior should be able to drink from it."

Liu Chengfeng didn't know how strong the stone lion was, but he estimated that it should be able to absorb spiritual energy if it wanted to.

The stone lion snorted coldly.

"The Fire God General has an agreement that he can only watch over the Cloud Mist Marsh and cannot absorb spiritual veins, unless the royal family draws spiritual energy to nourish it."

The timid voice of the ancient tree echoed in Liu Chengfeng's mind.

"Too talkative—"

The ancient tree, like a little girl, immediately shrank back.

"You're not royalty, let's go."

The stone lion's haughty appearance clearly indicates that it wants to drink spiritual energy.

"It's not that there's no chance; I just happen to be going to the ancestral hall."

"What are you going to do?"

"The Divine Board for Resolving Thunder and Fire".

"That's easy, I sealed it myself."

The stone lion scoffed, displaying an arrogant demeanor.

"The ancestral hall of Qiuchi Kingdom was bestowed by our predecessor?"

Upon hearing this news, Liu Chengfeng was surprised. He had heard from Su Youqian that the ancestral temple of Qiuchi Kingdom had been sealed for thousands of years.

“A bunch of useless people, drinking spiritual energy every day, but they don’t seem to improve. They’re annoying to look at, so I sealed them off.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Chengfeng thought to himself, "It must be because it's greedy and can't drink. In its shame and anger, it sealed off the ancestral hall."

"Did the senior release the seal?"

Liu Chengfeng probed and asked.

"Hmph, a bunch of useless trash. If they keep sealing it off, it'll fall into ruin. Go and unseal it, no need to rush."

Su Youqian, who was waiting on the side, also felt something was strange. Liu Chengfeng brought wine, but he didn't drink it himself. Instead, he gave it to a stone lion and muttered something under his breath.

Unaware of the situation, they thought Liu Chengfeng was possessed by an evil spirit.

"Go to the Grandmaster's Mansion."

Liu Chengfeng stayed with the stone lion for a while before getting into the carriage. Su Youqian didn't ask any questions and headed to the Grandmaster's Mansion.

The royal palace of Qiuchi Kingdom is located in the center of the capital, the Grandmaster's Mansion is in the west of the capital, and the Demon Slayer's Division is in the east of the capital.

From the Demon Slayer Division to the Grandmaster's Mansion, it spans the entire capital city.

Before even reaching the Grandmaster's Mansion, one could feel an aura permeating the air, as scorching as the sun.

Liu Chengfeng could sense the underground dragon vein dojo in an instant; this was the foundation of the Qiuchi Kingdom.

"The spiritual vein training ground is in the Grandmaster's Mansion?"

Liu Chengfeng looked at the Grandmaster's Mansion in front of him. The Grandmaster's Mansion was huge, with towering buildings, flying eaves and high walls, and an imposing aura.

The entire Grandmaster's Mansion is surrounded by hundreds of buildings, with the ancestral hall located at the very center.

It is indeed surprising that the spiritual vein training ground of Qiuchi Kingdom is not located in the royal family, but in the Grandmaster's Mansion.

"Back then, the ancestors of the Su family and several brothers followed the God of Fire. Later, they retired and returned to their hometown, establishing the Qiuchi Kingdom with the Bayu Mountains as its base and the Yunmeng Marsh as its source..."

Su Youqian and Liu Chengfeng talked about the history of Qiuchi Kingdom.

The founding ancestor of Qiuchi Kingdom was a divine general who retired to his hometown and established Qiuchi Kingdom.

At the time of the founding of the nation, the Fire God personally drew heavenly thunder, condensed earthly fire, planted crow nests, built a Taoist temple, and established ancestral halls.

The dojo was built by the Fire God himself, which gives the dojo in Qiuchi Kingdom a fire attribute.

This is also because the cultivation techniques of Qiuchi Kingdom's ancestors and several brothers all involved controlling fire.

Later, the founding emperor of Qiuchi Kingdom, out of consideration for his brothers, gave up the fire-attribute spirit pool, drawing upon the energy of the water marshes and distributing it to the spiritual veins.

A second sacred pool was built inside the ancestral hall.

From then on, the royal family of Qiuchi Kingdom possessed the Water Spirit Pool, while the virtuous and noble families possessed the Earth Fire Spirit Pool.

The Grandmaster's Mansion was built on the temple grounds, and those who held the position were descendants of many virtuous and noble families.

“Thousands of years ago, the ancestral hall was sealed off. Although the spiritual energy still exists, everyone is greatly suppressed, especially the Grandmaster’s Mansion, which is more affected.”

How could it not be big? The Grandmaster's Mansion is right next to a spiritual vein dojo. If the Ancestral God Shrine hadn't been sealed off, the spiritual energy would have directly nurtured it, making cultivation faster.

"With the opening of the ancestral hall, the Grand Marshal will benefit the most, as his cultivation method requires the earth fire the most."

Liu Chengfeng understood why Grand Marshal Ye Ziyang had agreed to Su Youqian's request.

The fire-attribute spirit pool was personally built by the Fire God General. It carries the power of the God General. Once the ancestral hall is opened, his cultivation will surely be twice as effective.

"So you want to unlock the Thunderfire Divine Plate?"

Liu Chengfeng glanced at Su Youqian.

"Hey bro, go ahead and solve it. It's none of my business anyway. If the sky falls, isn't it His Majesty who's going to hold it up? I just want to be a rich kid who can make a living off others."

Su Youqian has no sense of being an heir to the throne; he just wants to enjoy life.

(End of this chapter)