Xiang Yingshou asked, “Has there been any message from Chaosheng?”
Otherwise, how would her junior sister have known about the situation on the Path of No Return? It was a pity that the Nine Provinces Daoist had an unspoken understanding with them. If they wanted the cinnabar sand, they would have to fight for it themselves—having a real person from the sect step in would be too undignified.
Lian Rusu shook her head. “No.” There had been no trace of Xie Chaosheng since she entered the Path of No Return. She wasn’t worried, though. There were plenty of Taiyi Sect cultivators stationed there. If she truly encountered an insurmountable difficulty, she would seek help from the Taiyi Sect cultivators.
Xiang Yingshou showed a look of understanding and didn’t press further. She gazed at Lian Rusu and let out a wistful sigh before turning to leave. Among their group of senior and junior sisters, Lian Rusu was the youngest. Her talent stood out even among the geniuses of the Taiyi Sect, unrivaled by any. Before their esteemed master had plucked the Dao Fruit and ascended, she had left a decree for her junior sister to succeed as Sect Master. Her junior sister was perfect in every way, except when it came to dealing with people—she could be rather worrisome in that regard.
But that couldn’t be helped. It was related to a divine ability her junior sister had comprehended called the Heavenly Eye Peering into Red Dust. Even now, she hadn’t fully mastered it. Once someone glimpsed her true form, she could peer into their hearts. This ability was profoundly advanced, but they all believed that peering into people’s hearts was no good thing—those stray thoughts that couldn’t be neatly divided into good or evil might pollute her junior sister’s flawless heart of glass. After being isolated from the mortal world for so long, her junior sister had naturally grown accustomed to avoiding people.
Lian Rusu watched Xiang Yingshou leave. Once her figure vanished, she took out the Tianyan Mirror again.
There was still no word from Xie Chaosheng, and after the Fellow Daoist Shangshan left a “good night,” she had gone silent too.
Under the moonlight, the pines and cypresses rustled in the mountain breeze, sounding like the roar of waves.
Feng Qing crawled out of the cave, concealing the entrance thoroughly before turning back to Li Ruoshui, who was immersed in her Tianyan Mirror. “What are you doing?”
Li Ruoshui looked up at Feng Qing. “I’ve discovered that the Empire’s West King has gone missing.”
Feng Qing let out an indifferent “oh.” There were plenty of Nine Provinces Daoists who hid away for all sorts of bizarre reasons—maybe she owed debts.
Li Ruoshui continued, “I plan to trick that Golden Core Cultivator away.” The power struggles in the Empire were fierce, and with West King Rong Man nowhere to be found, it was an opportunity to exploit.
Feng Qing perked up a bit. “How?”
Li Ruoshui gestured with a “look” and pointed to the message she had sent.
Feng Qing took out her Tianyan Mirror and read aloud in a low voice, “‘Shocking! Shocking! Shocking! Two Empire kings head to the Path of No Return one after another—for what?’. For what?” Feng Qing was baffled. East King Rong Ji was indeed on the Path of No Return, but hadn’t they just said Rong Man was missing? How had she come here?
Li Ruoshui said, “Keep reading, and you’ll find out.”
Feng Qing huffed and continued scanning the post Li Ruoshui had made. Rong Ji had probably come for the cinnabar sand nine times out of ten, but as for Rong Man—who knew where she was.
Yet in the article, both had appeared on the Path of No Return for a common purpose: to seek the Empire’s Imperial Seal, a treasure symbolizing the supreme authority of the Human Emperor Dao, lost for thousands of years just like the Ying Di Wang!
Feng Qing asked, “What’s this Imperial Seal? I’ve never heard of the Empire having such an artifact.”
Li Ruoshui stood up, hands behind her back, and said calmly, “The world is vast and boundless, but human knowledge is limited. Who can claim to know everything?”
It was good that she hadn’t heard of it—the Imperial Seal was something Li Ruoshui had made up entirely. But if she made it sound mystical enough, someone would believe it. After all, those few shared no trust between them. Once they learned of the “Imperial Seal,” they might suspect the others had received the late emperor’s favor and thus knew some secret from thousands of years ago.
Li Ruoshui urged Feng Qing, “You’re always in the Dharma Realm—post it quickly and build up the hype.” But as soon as the words left her mouth, Li Ruoshui felt it wasn’t quite right. For one, Feng Qing’s credibility was on the brink of collapse. For another, she had a grudge with the Empire, so they might not believe her. With a shift in thought, Li Ruoshui turned her gaze to Yao Changliu and gave her a charming smile.
Yao Changliu, who had already boarded this pirate ship, didn’t refuse. She actually wanted some wood-attributed cinnabar sand too. Unlike Feng Qing, she didn’t have a notorious reputation on the Tianyan Mirror, but being squeaky clean also meant no one paid attention to her posts. Yao Changliu figured she could turn it into a “bounty post.” Feng Qing said “don’t” and immediately operated on her Tianyan Mirror.
Under the post, Feng Qing wrote: “Imperial Seal? What’s that? How could the Empire have something like that?”
“Would I not know the Empire’s treasures? Fake, fake—they got the Mandate of Heaven? With faces as big as basins and brains as deep as abysses?”
Li Ruoshui chimed in: “Fellow Daoist Feng Qing, you’re on the Path of No Return, right? You’re not after the Imperial Seal too, are you?”
Feng Qing: “…” She glared at Li Ruoshui and muttered, “Why did you expose my location?”
Li Ruoshui raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Someone was bound to find out eventually.” Better to drag Feng Qing into it as if she were monopolizing the “Imperial Seal”—she was exactly the type to do something like that.
Feng Qing’s name couldn’t attract fellow Daoists, but it drew a horde of creditors. Amid the barrage of trash talk aimed at her, someone finally noticed the “Imperial Seal” and began speculating wildly. Those three Empire cultivators practiced the Human Emperor Dao, and after the emperor’s fall, they had tried year after year to wield the Emperor Sword Ying Di Wang, but none succeeded. If there really was an Imperial Seal, wouldn’t that let them wield imperial authority temporarily?
“I saw the East King’s group arrive in grand force on the Path of No Return, with a Golden Core Real Person protecting the way.”
“The West King hasn’t been at court—where is she now? Could she have gone incognito to the Path of No Return?”
In the Tianyan Mirror’s Dharma Realm, discussions about the Empire gradually heated up, mixed with jokes about their power struggles, as cultivators eagerly awaited the drama.
In Azure Wood Canyon.
Rong Ji also saw the discussions on the Tianyan Mirror. His expression sharpened, and his first thought was of Rong Man’s strange actions lately. During the struggle for the throne, the kings shouldn’t leave the court for anything, lest others seize the advantage. But Rong Man was different—she spent little time at court, and even his spies didn’t know what she was up to!
“The late emperor favored her the most—could he have told her something we don’t know?” Rong Ji’s face changed. If the Imperial Seal was real and Rong Man had obtained it, that meant she had inherited the imperial mandate—what would become of his efforts?
The Golden Core Real Person said, “Your Highness, I’ve never heard of this Imperial Seal before. It’s probably a lie.”
Rong Ji replied, “But what if it’s not?” He couldn’t take the risk.
As he discussed it with the Golden Core Cultivator, a name flashed brightly on the Tianyan Mirror. It was a message from his confidant in the Empire, reporting unusual activity at the South Prince’s Mansion—seemingly, they had dispatched a Golden Core Cultivator toward the Path of No Return!
“Rong Luo’s people are on the move,” Rong Ji said.
“Shall we summon allies from the East Prince’s Mansion?” the Golden Core Real Person asked.
“No, that would be too slow.” Rong Ji shook his head, his face grave. “Real Person, I must trouble you to make the trip!”
The Golden Core Cultivator frowned. “This subject is ordered to protect Your Highness’s safety—”
Rong Ji said confidently, “The ruin spirits near Azure Wood Canyon have been cleared out. This is a Heart Fixing Realm training area—even if Heart Fixing Realm ruin spirits or cultivators come, I and the others can handle them.” He had now reached the Heart Fixing Second Layer of the Heart Fixing Realm. The cinnabar sand in Azure Wood Canyon was extremely beneficial to him, but the matter of the Imperial Seal, true or false, had to be investigated.
Seeing the Golden Core Cultivator still hesitant, his face darkened, and he said coldly, “That’s an order!”
At this point, the Golden Core Cultivator had nothing more to say. If he left, only four guards would remain. Their realms ranged from Heart Fixing Second Layer to Third Layer, so there shouldn’t be much danger. The Golden Core Cultivator gave some instructions to the guards, bowed to Rong Ji, and immediately turned into a streak of escaping light, flying toward the supposed location of the Imperial Seal as indicated on the Tianyan Mirror.
In a cave in Azure Wood Canyon.
Sensing the Golden Core Cultivator’s aura disappear, Li Ruoshui, Feng Qing, and the others emerged from the cave.
Li Ruoshui let out a breath of relief.
That old coot was pretty easy to fool.
“There are still five Heart Fixing Realm auras left. Fellow Daoist Feng Qing, can you handle three?” Li Ruoshui placed her high hopes on the sword cultivator.
Feng Qing’s eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath.
Did she have that kind of skill?
Feng Qing slowly raised one finger and wagged it in front of Li Ruoshui.
Li Ruoshui’s eyes lit up. “You can take them all by yourself?”
Feng Qing’s face darkened. “One.”
