Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 117 Heavenly Talisman Connects to Profound Mysteries, Earthly Talisman Controls Evil Spirits

Inside Yingxian Palace.

Qiu Shenji's body has been delivered; the blood has soaked through the white cloth, revealing an eerie dark red color.

Wu Zetian slowly rose from the dragon throne, raised her hand to signal, and two eunuchs immediately stepped forward and carefully lifted the white cloth covering the corpse.

A collective gasp filled the hall.

Qiu Shenji's body was no longer recognizable as human!
His limbs were twisted at bizarre angles, clearly every joint had been broken; there was a bloody hole the size of a bowl in his chest and abdomen, his heart had been ripped out; his limbs and clothes were covered with marks from sharp blades, as if hundreds of thin knives had shot out from his body, like being slowly sliced ​​to death.

"These injuries look familiar..."

General Tang Xiujing, standing beside Wu Zetian, frowned and said, "It looks like..."

"【Blood Shadow Talisman】."

Shangguan Wan'er spoke respectfully, her expression solemn, and said to the two, "Your Majesty and the General, on the day of the incident at the foot of the Mechanized City, the traitor from the Netherworld Palace broke in. That purple-robed man used the [Blood Shadow Talisman] in an attempt to destroy the Gui Cang Treasure Eye. The Empress Dowager dodged it, and the talisman sank into the bronze pillar. Then, hundreds of blood lines burst out from the inside out, crisscrossing and spreading like a spider web. That's exactly what it looked like!"

"Blood threads bind bones, the talisman's movement turns life to ashes. 'The Divine Talisman Scroll'..."

Wu Zetian walked down the steps expressionlessly, bent down and stared at Qiu Shenji's corpse, her face extremely gloomy: "The [Blood Shadow Talisman] is extremely ferocious. Once it enters the body, the talisman's power moves like a living thing, and sword energy is generated from the bloodline, tearing and ripping until the life force is completely exhausted... They are showing off to me!"

"His Majesty!"

Tang Xiujing suddenly knelt on one knee, his armor clanging loudly. "The Netherworld Palace is so arrogant! They dared to kill a general of the court and then send his body back like this. It is clearly a provocation against the might of Heaven! I request permission to lead troops to wipe out these fiends!"

That's inspiring.

But if they could have been executed, they would have been executed long ago.

The problem is that the enemy is lurking in the shadows, and the place is so vast that it's impossible to find a way to attack them.

Wu Zetian did not respond; her gaze finally fell on the blood-stained package next to Qiu Shenji's body.

"what is that?"

The eunuch opened the package with trembling hands.

Inside was a black token engraved with the words "Netherworld" and a letter.

Shangguan Wan'er stepped forward and took the letter, saying softly, "Your Majesty, be careful, it may be poisoned." She took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and used it as a pad before unfolding the letter.

Wu Zetian asked, "What is written?"

After quickly glancing at the letter, Shangguan Wan'er's expression changed slightly: "Your Majesty, the letter says... says, 'The Wu clan usurped the country, incurring the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people. Today we take Qiu Shenji's head, and tomorrow we will take...'"

She suddenly stopped, not daring to continue.

"Go on."

“...Tomorrow we shall take the head of the wicked empress and return power to the Li Tang dynasty.”

The hall fell into a deathly silence; even breathing could be heard clearly.

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at the emperor's expression.

Wu Zetian suddenly laughed.

The laughter started softly, then grew louder and louder, eventually echoing throughout the entire Yingxian Palace.

"Good, good, good!"

Wu Zetian said "good" three times in a row, her anger and killing intent erupting, filling the room with a chilling atmosphere. She resolutely said, "Add two more decrees!"

Shangguan Wan'er immediately picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and hung the sheep's hair brush on the snow wave paper.

"First!"

Wu Zetian's voice rang out like the clanging of metal: "From this day forth, the 'collective punishment for evil' decree shall be implemented in all prefectures and counties. Wherever the traitors of the Netherworld Palace appear, all martial arts sects, Taoist temples, and Buddhist monasteries within a hundred li must have their leaders and abbots personally go to the government to provide guarantees. If the traitors reappear in that area—the entire family shall be executed, and the ancestral halls shall be razed to the ground!"

Shangguan Wan'er's heart skipped a beat.

The brush tip scraped across the silk with a rustling sound, and the ink marks were as if carved by a knife and axe.

"Secondly, for any traitor listed on the Exterminate Evil List, a reward of a thousand gold pieces will be given for killing one! Killing one of their elders will grant a fifth-rank military rank! Whoever captures the ringleader alive—can replace Qiu Shenji as commander of the Golden Guard!"

Tang Xiujing suddenly looked up.

The position of General of the Golden Guard is a truly important position of the third rank!
"at last."

Wu Zetian said, enunciating each word clearly: "Pass on my imperial edict to the governor of Jianzhou—cut down all the trees in the forest where Qiu Shenji was assassinated! Carve the character 'execute' on every single tree. I want that land to be barren, devoid of any birds or beasts!"

Shangguan Wan'er accepted the order and began writing with lightning speed.

Tang Xiujing sighed inwardly.

If Lu Chenyuan were here, he would probably have to hold back his laughter.

Empress Wu's old habit of changing names has resurfaced—if she can get away with it, she'll change the name to humiliate them, like those who changed their surnames to Hui or Xiao; if she can't get away with it, she'll change the name to get back at them, never admitting defeat. It gives off a vibe of "I'll draw a circle and curse you if I can't do anything to you."

"As for Qiu Shenji..."

Wu Zetian glanced at the corpse on the ground: "Issue an imperial decree: Qiu Shenji annihilated the Buqi Sect, but was defeated at the Netherworld Palace. His merits and demerits cancel each other out. He shall be posthumously awarded the title of Right Guard General, and his son shall be granted the privilege of being appointed as an eighth-rank collator. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices shall bury him according to the rites for a third-rank official."

Shangguan Wan'er's pen paused slightly on the paper. This reward seemed respectable, but it actually concealed a hidden agenda: the Right Guard General was an honorary title, and the Proofreader was an even more leisurely and unremarkable position. His Majesty wanted to both silence the cruel official's accomplices and show that he valued old friendships, but he also did not want the people of the world to think that the court was praising this vicious dog that he originally wanted to kill to appease public anger.

"Yes."

"Tang Qing."

Wu Zetian's voice suddenly softened as she looked at Tang Xiujing: "Eliminating the traitors is of utmost urgency, but the rebels of the Netherworld Palace are elusive. Before that, we need something to assist us—recently, the Songmo Governor's Office has frequently reported that the northeastern barbarians are in turmoil, and a strange event has occurred, which you must already know about."

"Yes."

Tang Xiujing nodded and said, "The clouds and mist above Tianchi Lake on Mount Taibai have not dissipated for seven days. A few days ago, they began to change on their own, sometimes turning into the Eight Trigrams and sometimes into the Nine Palaces Flying Stars. Golden-armored generals with spears are hidden in the clouds, and ethereal celestial music can be heard, as if there are jade palaces hidden there..."

Wu Zetian nodded: "Now that you know the truth, you must have already made your own guesses."

Tang Xiujing pondered for a moment and replied, "It seems to be... the work of a hidden immortal."

Wu Zetian sighed: "In the past, Zhuge Liang cleverly set up the Eight Formations to frighten Lu Xun, but he still needed to build a stone gate. This cloud and mist formation on Mount Taibai, however, uses the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to form its own pattern... Only Gu Yunsheng could do it. He must have hidden the 'Dunjia Scroll' on Mount Taibai!"

Shangguan Wan'er was startled.

Tang Xiujing's expression changed upon receiving confirmation.

Although the Songmo region in the northeast was nominally part of the Wu Zhou dynasty, it was inhabited by various ethnic groups, including the Mohe, Khitan, and Shiwei. While they appeared to be submissive, their true intentions were difficult to discern.

If the "Dunjia Scroll" is truly hidden in Mount Taibai, not only would the various barbarian tribes likely cause trouble, but the Northern Turks, being so close to it, would also be at great risk of losing it, given their recent rise in national strength and the emergence of many talented individuals!
"Jia is the first of the Heavenly Stems, hidden in the Six Instruments; Dun means to conceal one's form and hide one's tracks, and to understand the secrets of heaven."

Wu Zetian recalled the intelligence and said slowly, "The 'Dunjia Scroll' has three wonders. The first is 'Observing the Timing of Heaven'—it can predict the auspiciousness and inauspiciousness of the ecliptic and the changes of Yin and Yang. Back then, the east wind at the Battle of Red Cliffs was calculated by Zhuge Liang using Dunjia. The second is 'Concealing the Killing Intent'—the Six Jia Divine Generals hide their forms, and the Wu Ji Earth Escapes without a trace. Even if thousands of troops pass through, the enemy is still dreaming. The third is 'Measuring the Mysterious Secrets'—the ten-day calculation can reveal all causes. Seeing this moment, one can know three days later; observing this shadow, one can know what is happening a hundred miles away... It is truly a miraculous secret art, and it must not fall into the hands of foreign tribes! I order you to immediately lead 50,000 troops to Songmo to cooperate with the governors of Songmo and Yingzhou to suppress the Eastern Barbarians beyond the Great Wall! There will be people skilled in Dunjia to break the formation."

"Yes……"

Tang Xiujing looked solemn. With 50,000 elite troops and the two major military commands, the forces were sufficient, but he still had a hidden worry.

"His Majesty……"

Tang Xiujing hesitated and asked, "Could this be a trap?"

—This cloud and mist could not have appeared earlier or later, but it just so happens now, when the surrounding barbarians are becoming increasingly turbulent.

— Could it be that the "Dunjia Scroll" has already been obtained by someone else, who deliberately displays its mystique to lure people there, only to capture it all at once!
"..."

Wu Zetian silently turned the ring on her finger; she herself was uncertain.

So far, more than twenty scouts have entered the fog, but none have come out.

Whether they are dead or alive, trapped in the formation, or harmed by others, is unknown!

She can only hope that the "Dunjia Scroll" is still unclaimed.

"After you lead your troops there, first surround the mountain to scout the area, and then make a decision."

"Yes."

"Wan'er."

Wu Zetian looked at Shangguan Wan'er with gentle eyes: "This matter is of great importance. You will go with the general this time. You are proficient in the art of spirit painting and can transmit messages with ink. Although the Black Eagle is fast, it is ultimately no match for the 'Azure Proclamation'. You will personally lead the Kite Guard on this trip and be careful." Shangguan Wan'er had no room for bargaining and respectfully nodded: "Your subject obeys the decree."

……

On the official road twenty miles south of the capital, corpses lay strewn about, and all was silent.

The jailers and guards who were originally escorting Zhou Xing were now all lying prostrate in the dust, with a thin line of blood on their throats. None of them had time to draw their swords.

Zhou Xing slumped to the ground, his hands and feet in heavy shackles. The once imposing and ruthless official was now disheveled and covered in blood.

He stared intently ahead—

In the middle of the official road stood a tall and slender figure.

The man wore a moon-white brocade robe, the hem fluttering in the wind, the jade belt at his waist swaying slightly, and a delicate ivory fan in his hand, painted with plum blossoms braving the snow, extremely elegant. He had a handsome face and smiling eyes, but his eyes were as cold as frost.

—Yan Mingzhu, one of the two luminaries of the Buqi Sect, who recently conspired with Xiao Hanchuan to forcibly seize the "Heavenly Craft Scroll"!
"Master Zhou."

Yan Mingzhu's voice was gentle, yet it sent a shiver down Zhou Xing's spine.

Yan Mingzhu walked slowly closer, snapped his folding fan shut, and gently lifted Zhou Xing's chin, scrutinizing him from side to side as if admiring his disheveled appearance: "How pathetic. When you fabricated those charges back then, did you ever imagine this day would come?"

His gaze swept over the corpses scattered on the ground, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "Wu Meiniang wouldn't even put a decent leash on you, and she's in such a hurry to throw you, this mad dog, out the door?"

Zhou Xing's Adam's apple bobbed as he hissed, "Who...who are you?"

Yan Mingzhu chuckled softly and lightly tapped his face twice with the ribs of his fan: "Yan Mingzhu. You can also call me Liu Jinchou!"

Zhou Xing's pupils suddenly contracted—Liu!

Empress Wang's maternal uncle was from the lineage of Prime Minister Liu Shi!
"I remembered?"

Yan Mingzhu's smile deepened, but his eyes remained devoid of warmth: "Back then, Wu Zetian, in order to obtain the empress's position, falsely accused my aunt of using witchcraft, causing Emperor Gaozong to depose her! She then instructed those two dogs, Xu Jingzong and Li Yifu, to slander my grandfather, accusing him of conspiring with Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang to rebel. In the end, my grandfather was killed, and all his close relatives were exiled to Lingnan as slaves... Of course, I'll settle this score with Wu Zetian, but the one I'll settle with you is someone else~"

Yan Mingzhu took two steps back and waved his sleeve.

Suddenly, Zhou Xing's vision went black, and he felt as if a cold wind was howling in his ears. When he opened his eyes again, the scene around him had changed—it was no longer a road littered with corpses, but a dark prison cell, with the damp air filled with decay and the stench of blood.

Yan Mingzhu casually threw him to the ground, the chains binding him rattling loudly.

"Zhou Xing".

An aged and majestic voice came from the darkness.

Zhou Xing turned around abruptly and saw an old man with gray hair and wearing a purple robe sitting in the shadows in the corner of the cell.

His face was covered by a hideous square mask, the bronze animal patterns gleaming coldly in the candlelight, making him look as sinister and terrifying as a temple statue.

The man slowly raised his hand and removed his mask—

A face that Zhou Xing knew all too well.

Time has etched lines on his face, but it has not diminished his innate nobility.

Beneath his silver-gray sideburns, his eyes remained as sharp as blades, with flames flickering deep within his pupils, like a lion that had been dormant for many years but had not yet aged.

—Li Lingkui, the nineteenth son of Li Yuan, Prince of Lu.

"No, it's impossible..."

Zhou Xing trembled all over, his eyes wide with disbelief, filled with shock and fear: "How are you still alive...?"

Li Lingkui slowly rose, the gold thread patterns on his purple robe flowing like water. He looked down at the once arrogant and cruel official, his voice terrifyingly calm: "Two years... one thousand and forty-one days. I have been in the depths of hell, listening to the cries of those you framed every day!"

Zhou Xing's face turned pale. He staggered backward but tripped over the iron chain and fell heavily to the ground.

"no no……"

A copper coin had appeared between Li Lingkui's withered fingers, the very "evidence" Zhou Xing had used to frame him years ago. The coin crumbled into dust in his palm and fell away.

"You think exile is the end of it?"

Li Lingkui suddenly grabbed Zhou Xing's hair, forcing him to look up at the four walls of the cell—where talismanic light flickered, and countless blood-red characters appeared, densely packed with the names of the dead: King Han Li Yuanjia, Duke Huang Li Zhuan, Princess Chang Le…

"No...it wasn't me! It was Qiu Shenji! It was Lai Junchen! It was Empress Wu!"

Zhou Xing knew all too well what would happen if he fell into the hands of the Li Tang imperial family, and he shook his head frantically, his voice hoarse.

Li Lingkui sneered: "Qiu Shenji is dead, the next ones are Lai Junchen and Wu Meiniang! And you—I want you to live, to live a life more painful than death!"

Sudden.

Zhou Xing's screams were choked in his throat by an invisible force, leaving only gasps and gasps. He saw Li Lingkui's shadow twist and deform on the wall, transforming into countless pained faces—

"From this day forward, their vengeful spirits will haunt your dreams every night..."

Countless shadows, like evil spirits, burrowed into his brain through his eyes and began to devour his consciousness.

"what!!!"

Zhou Xing's heart-wrenching screams echoed in the cell, but no one could hear them.

Yan Mingzhu stood outside the prison cell, gently waving a folding fan, a cold smile curving his lips.

"This is just the beginning, Lord Zhou."

After a long time, the sun began to set in the west.

Li Lingkui walked out of the cell again, putting on the square-faced mask once more.

Zhou Xing was still wailing in pain in his cell.

"Remember to feed me every day."

Li Lingkui said calmly, "The rest is fine."

Yan Mingzhu glanced back and saw Zhou Xing huddled in a corner, trembling and convulsing, tears streaming down his face, as if he were experiencing something extremely terrifying.

His fingernails were already torn to shreds, leaving ten bloody finger marks on the stone ground. He made a hissing sound from his throat, but couldn't even let out a complete scream.

That face, which once struck fear into the hearts of the court and the public, was now twisted beyond recognition. Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyes were bloodshot and almost popped out of their sockets, and saliva mixed with blood dripped from the corners of his mouth, staining his prison uniform.

The weirdest thing is——

His body sometimes swelled up like a drum, and sometimes withered up like a corpse, as if countless wronged souls were tearing at his skin. Fist-sized bumps kept bulging on his skin, which would then collapse quickly, as if something was moving and gnawing in his flesh.

"The Heavenly Talisman connects to the profound, the Earthly Talisman wards off evil..."

Yan Mingzhu clicked his tongue in amazement: "Is this the Earth Talisman [Illusion Demon Talisman] from the 'Divine Talisman Scroll'?"

"Yes. He will live forever in a nightmare, forever fleeing within it, but never able to escape! That's what it means to be unable to live, unable to die..."

After Li Lingkui finished speaking, he glanced at him and said, "You lack comprehension."

Yan Mingzhu immediately deflated, pouting like a student being scolded by his teacher: "You don't have to be so blunt..." He suddenly remembered something, his folding fan "whoosh" unfolded, and he laughed: "I wonder what Wu Meiniang would think if she saw Qiu Shenji's corpse."

What else could she possibly think?

Li Lingkui sneered, "It's nothing more than the same old cruel official tactics. They think they can intimidate the whole world with their iron cavalry. How utterly foolish!"

"To make an enemy of the entire martial arts world."

Yan Mingzhu sighed softly, tapped his folding fan against his palm, and chuckled, "But this is for the best. The tighter she pushes, the fiercer the resistance will be. If she really intends to sever the lineages of various sects, those reclusive old monsters will soon be unable to sit still..."

Li Lingkui's silver-gray eyes gazed northward, as if piercing through layers of palace walls to look directly at that magnificent golden palace.

"Let her go crazy."

The aged voice carried a chilling undertone: "The more insane they are, the more gruesome their death will be!"

Yan Mingzhu smiled knowingly, and with a gentle wave of his folding fan, the candles in the prison cell all went out.

In the darkness, only Zhou Xing's increasingly faint sobs and the eerie runes still writhing beneath his skin remained...

(End of this chapter)