I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Under the cover of night, the Temple of Heaven stands majestic and solemn.

The little fox didn't come along; it wasn't appropriate for Zhao Zi'an to bring it on this trip.

He was dressed in a set of night clothes at the time.

He evaded the patrolling guards and moved among the halls of the Temple of Heaven.

He quickly discovered the hidden tricks planted by the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

It was a corner where several spiritual energy fluctuations could be seen.

Zhao Zian reached out and touched it.

This is a low-level formation used to create chaos.

When this formation is activated, it emits a piercing sound.

It then released a burst of demonic energy.

This is enough to cause panic among ordinary people.

"A trivial skill."

Zhao Zian took out the array flags and talisman brush and began to modify the array.

He changed the way the core of the formation operated, so that it would no longer release demonic energy after being activated.

Instead, it absorbs the spiritual energy around it, forming a space.

The starting fuse was changed, detaching it from the unexpected events orchestrated by the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

After that, he set up a new formation in the center of the Temple of Heaven.

This is the Truth Retrospective Array.

This array is usually silent, but it will be automatically activated once there is a spiritual energy vibration or impact.

And it records everything that happens around it at a specific time, forming a retrospective light and shadow.

He knew that Li Shengde would definitely leave someone alive to testify against Murong Qiming.

He will arrange for people to activate these buried formations.

This retrospective array is prepared for these performances.

On the day of the ceremony, the actions of the Duke of Anguo's mansion will activate the retrospective array.

Everything will be recorded.

With everything done, Zhao Zian clapped his hands.

Hide all traces and walk into the night.

……

Zhao Zian returned to the Murong residence.

Avoiding the night patrolling servants, they went straight to Murong Qiming's study.

Upon entering, a sense of oppression immediately hits you.

Murong Qiming was slumped over his desk, his back hunched.

He covered his face with his hands, muttering words of despair such as "It's over" and "It's completely over."

Several memorials were scattered on the desk.

Clearly, he had been searching through the documents, trying to find even the slightest glimmer of hope.

Murong Qingxue stood to the side.

She saw Zhao Zian appear.

"Mr. Zhao!"

Murong Qiming looked up abruptly upon hearing the sound.

"Young Master Zhao, you..."

His swift confession in court exhausted all his energy.

He felt that there was really no way out this time.

Zhao Zian walked to Murong Qiming's side and placed his hand on his trembling shoulder.

"My lord, there's no need for that."

Murong Qiming finally caught his breath and raised his head.

"Young Master Zhao, you don't understand... The struggles in the imperial court are even more intense than the battles on the battlefield."

"Given the current situation, His Majesty has already developed resentment towards me, and Li Shengde is pressing me relentlessly."

"I...I have no way to escape!"

Murong Qingxue stepped forward, looked at Zhao Zian, and asked softly.

"Mr. Zhao, where...where have you been?"

"My father suffered humiliation in court today, and this is how he behaved upon returning home..."

Zhao Zian looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before speaking.

I went to the Temple of Heaven.

His words shocked both Murong Qiming and Murong Qingxue.

"What are you doing at the Temple of Heaven?"

Murong Qiming suddenly stood up, his face turning deathly pale instantly.

Do you know what kind of place that is?

"We're at a critical juncture right now; by acting like this, aren't you just giving them more ammunition against you?!"

He was on the verge of a breakdown.

Murong Qingxue also looked at Zhao Zian with concern.

Zhao Zian remained calm and composed.

"Go and break the deadlock."

He paused, his tone becoming playful.

"Wasn't the Duke of Anguo's mansion planning to tamper with things there? I helped them fix it up."

Murong Qiming and Murong Qingxue looked at each other in bewilderment.

Improve it? Shouldn't we stop it?

"Young Master Zhao, you destroyed those formations?!"

Murong Qiming lowered his voice.

Zhao Zian shook his head.

"Destroyed? That's no fun. I just... made a few minor adjustments."

He walked to the desk, picked up a pen, and sketched a rune on the white paper, then drew a circle of patterns around the rune.

"The Anguo Duke's Mansion has buried a low-level chaotic formation."

"It will emit a piercing noise, release demonic energy, disturb people's minds, and may even lure wild beasts when activated."

"But now..."

His pen tip lightly touched the paper.

"I changed its core."

"It will still activate, but it will no longer release demonic energy. Instead, it will absorb the surrounding spiritual energy to form a temporary isolated space."

Murong Qiming and Murong Qingxue leaned closer to take a look.

"More importantly, I completely decoupled its activation mechanism from the original arrangements of the Duke of Anguo's mansion."

"Even if their people go to the Temple of Heaven, they won't be able to activate it."

"As for who will initiate it... that's beyond their control."

He smiled.

Murong Qiming heard this.

Is this a countermeasure?

"Then, what's the use of this isolated space?"

Murong Qingxue asked curiously.

Zhao Zian put down his pen and his gaze fell on Murong Qingxue.

"Isolation is for security, and also for... closing the net."

He looked at Murong Qiming.

"I have also set up a truth-reversal array that I created in the center of the Temple of Heaven."

"This formation is usually hidden and invisible, but it will automatically activate once it senses a specific spiritual energy fluctuation or a huge energy impact."

Murong Qiming's breath hitched.

"It can capture everything that happens around it within a specific timeframe."

"All of this, including the scene, the sound, and even the fluctuations of spiritual energy, is recorded to form a complete retrospective light and shadow."

"That old fox Li Shengde will definitely send someone to activate those formations himself."

"They will also leave behind so-called witnesses to testify against you."

"And this retrospective array was prepared for their performance."

"At that time, once the people from the Duke of Anguo's mansion trigger the time reversal array..."

"All evidence will be fully recorded."

"Everything will be revealed to the world."

Zhao Zian's eyes were sharp.

Murong Qiming stood there, stunned.

He never imagined that things would take such a turn for the better.

He looked at the young man in front of him.

This isn't a cultivator; he's clearly a prodigy!

"Then... what should I do now?"

Murong Qiming asked anxiously.

Zhao Zian patted him on the shoulder, gesturing for him to sit down.

"My lord, for the next three days, you must continue to play the role of being dejected and desperate."

"The more disheartened and powerless they are, the more they can deceive the Duke of Anguo's mansion."

"Make them feel that you have been defeated and have completely lost the ability to resist."

Murong Qiming's heart skipped a beat; he understood.

Zhao Zian was about to turn the tables on Zhao Zian.

This led Li Shengde to become deeply entangled, believing he had succeeded, thus revealing even greater flaws in his plan.

Although he was still shaken, after all, the stakes were too high, and a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.

"Okay...I understand."

Murong Qiming took a deep breath.

He sat back down in his chair.

He needed to play the role of a utterly desperate loser until the day of the ceremony.

……