If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

At the edge of the forest, a luxurious tent stands out abruptly in the darkness, its interior brightly lit.

Zhao Yu leaned back on the soft couch, two scantily clad women from the Sakura Kingdom massaging his shoulders and serving him fine wine. The oppressive feeling brought on by the solar eclipse seemed to be relieved only in this way.

Just then, a blood-red firework exploded in the night sky, its blinding red light briefly illuminating his face.

His hand holding the wine glass froze in mid-air, the expression of enjoyment on his face vanished, replaced by excitement.

"Found it!"

He slammed the wine glass down on the table, splashing wine everywhere.

"Master Hu," Zhao Yu said urgently.

Master Hu appeared silently inside the tent and bowed respectfully.

"His Majesty."

"Go to the signal flare. Once it goes off, you'll find some clues. With the Celestial Master's Taoist arts, finding Zhao Yu's trail will be a piece of cake!"

Zhao Yu's face was full of excitement. Now, he wanted to see which way the beggar would run!

"Your subject obeys the decree." Master Hu was overjoyed and was about to accept the order.

"Um."

Zhao Yu had just agreed, but then, as if remembering something, he quickly raised his hand.

"etc."

Zhao Yu shifted his gaze from Master Hu to Eunuch Hai, and gave the order:

"Tracking and locating the suspects will be handled by Master Hu. As for the capture and encirclement, let Eunuch Hai take full charge."

Upon hearing this, the joy on Master Hu's face instantly froze.

He suddenly looked up at Zhao Yu, only to see the other party's cold avoidance.

Geek!

Master Hu's heart sank.

While tracking is important, the most crucial task is still the capture!

This action clearly showed that Zhao Yu no longer trusted him.

Master Hu's heart sank.

He knew the reason was that after he used that arrow to hit the beggar last time, his disciple turned against him, causing him to soften his heart and not continue the pursuit.

This situation has aroused His Majesty's suspicion.

A sense of humiliation welled up in his heart. He was the abbot of the Taixu Temple, and he had even pledged allegiance to Zhao Yu as soon as he ascended the throne.

For the past three years, she has given almost everything for Zhao Yu, and now she is being treated like this.

But for now, he could only swallow his anger.

"Your subject... obeys the decree." Master Hu squeezed out these three words through gritted teeth and bowed his head deeply.

"Your servant obeys the decree."

Eunuch Hai remained expressionless throughout, his voice so calm that no emotion could be detected, as if the decree he had just received had nothing to do with him.

The two bowed and left the tent.

After walking several dozen steps and completely out of Zhao Yu's sight, Master Hu finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He turned his head to look at Eunuch Hai beside him, a forced smile on his face.

"Eunuch Hai, congratulations. His Majesty truly values ​​you, bestowing upon you this tremendous achievement."

Grandpa Hai wore his usual gentle smile, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm in his words.

"Master Hu, you flatter me. His Majesty has long promised that Taixu Temple will become the state religion of the Great Liang Dynasty. This is the foundation for an everlasting dynasty. What is the merit of a mere capture?"

He paused, his small eyes narrowed slightly, and then changed the subject.

"But those who rule are bound to have many thoughts and worries."

"The Celestial Master was unable to bring the person back last time, which probably caused His Majesty some concern."

These words were like needles hidden in cotton, pricking Master Hu's heart with pain.

Once upon a time, he was the most trusted person by His Majesty's side, but now he has fallen to the point of being suspected.

This huge difference made him feel suffocated.

"You're still the best," Master Hu said, his tone tinged with barely suppressed jealousy. "You're the man the late Emperor left to His Majesty; His Majesty will never doubt you."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Hai seemed to understand something and smiled faintly.

He replied perfunctorily, "It's nothing more than a loyal act, repaying the late emperor's kindness with my life."

"Master, you should act quickly. The most important thing is to relieve His Majesty's worries and clear your name of suspicion as soon as possible."

After saying that, Eunuch Hai said no more.

Master Hu knew that further words were pointless. He snorted heavily, and with a flash, he transformed into a streak of light and sped off toward the direction of the signal flare.

Grandpa Hai stood there, watching Master Hu's figure disappear into the darkness.

The gentle smile on his face slowly faded, his lips gradually turned down, and a hint of coldness appeared in his small eyes.

……

the other side.

Zhao Yu moved swiftly through the forest, the shadows of the trees rushing past him.

Behind them, at least twenty powerful auras relentlessly pursued them, the sound of air being torn apart echoing one after another.

However, his familiarity with the forest far surpassed that of his opponent, and coupled with the formidable defense provided by the "Kun Yuan Body Protection Technique," he was always able to narrowly avoid being surrounded time and time again.

As he walked across a rocky beach, he suddenly stopped and looked up at the cliff above.

Several dark caves hang upside down on the cliff, which are the nests of the Xuan Yin Frost Bat.

Without hesitation, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his entire body rose into the air. The Emperor's Sword was in his hand, and the sword light flashed.

puff!puff!puff!

The three Xuan Yin Frost Bats that had just flown out of the cave were precisely cut down by the sword light. Before their corpses even hit the ground, they were absorbed into his system space in mid-air.

Having done all this, he didn't stop, immediately turned around, and ran in another direction.

Only one offering is needed.

The reverse scale of the earth-dwelling dragon.

According to Shen Miaochu, the place with the most concentrated earth energy in this forest is at the First Line of Sky.

That earth dragon usually resides there.

The moment he changed direction, a feeling of being spied on suddenly arose, like a thorn in his back.

The feeling was fleeting, so quick it was like an illusion.

Zhao Yu's heart sank.

It was Master Hu's Taoist master who made the move!

He's been locked down.

Even so, he still had to go to Yixiantian.

All the materials for the altar are indispensable; otherwise, all previous efforts will be in vain.

……

Before a cup of tea.

Master Hu stood beside the spot where the blood python had died, holding an ancient compass in his hand.

The compass needle was spinning wildly, making a buzzing sound.

He infused a wisp of true energy into it.

hum!

The compass jolted violently, and the needle abruptly stopped, pointing directly in one direction.

On the mirror of the compass, light flowed and gradually revealed an image.

It was a long, narrow canyon with steep, sheer walls on both sides, and only a sliver of sky in the middle. The terrain was treacherous, and the earth's energy was exceptionally rich.

"Found it!" Master Hu's face lit up with joy.

A figure appeared silently behind him.

"Master Hu, how is the situation?" It was Hai Gonggong.

Master Hu turned around, the gloom dissipating and the sun shining, and chuckled, saying with a rather smug air:

"The old Taoist priest has located his position!"

"He wants to go to the First Line of Sky, where the earth veins of this forest converge. Although we don't know what his intentions are."

"But if we set up an ambush there beforehand, we'll definitely be able to capture him in one fell swoop!"

Grandpa Hai nodded.

"We'll arrange the necessary personnel right away."

"Wait a minute, sir!" Master Hu suddenly called out to him.

Grandpa Hai turns around.

Master Hu took a deep breath and said with a hint of embarrassment:

"This beggar is not dead. After all, it was the result of the old Taoist priest's carelessness. I would like to ask you to give me half of your manpower so that I can also participate in the capture."

"This time, I will not let Your Majesty down again!"

He must seize this opportunity to regain Zhao Yu's trust.

Grandpa Hai looked at him and, unusually, remained silent for a moment.

That brief silence made Master Hu's heart leap into his throat.

Finally, Grandpa Hai slowly nodded.

"it is good."