Wei Su looked at the Dao Child of the Mysterious Divine Path Sect before him and clasped his fists respectfully.
"I do not know the current condition of that musician. Would Daoist friend Shen be willing to take a look personally?"
"This time, it was General Li who took action herself. I'm afraid that musician is unlikely to have survived."
"I am of low status, and the Three Calamities Sect merely follows under Great Zhou. I am powerless to interfere. But the Mysterious Divine Path Sect has always shown mercy to the common people, and Daoist friend Shen is the current Dao Child. I believe your words, General Li will heed."
Shen Xingzhu looked at him and nodded slightly.
"Your words are quite reasonable. Thank you for informing me."
Wei Su smiled, raising his voice with righteous indignation.
"I may not have the ambition to aid the world, but I do possess a compassionate heart. I cannot bear to see General Li injuring innocents simply to vent her anger. Such conduct is vile. Especially with the Dao Child of the Mysterious Divine Path Sect present, she should have stayed her hand. This was most unwise."
Shen Xingzhu lowered her gaze and sighed softly.
"I had thought that, as a woman, General Li would not act so ruthlessly. That is why I said nothing. I did not expect that she would instead let the tiger roam free to harm the sheep, committing a great error."
With some guilt, she added:
"I too bear responsibility in this matter. Daoist friend, rest assured, if she has truly harmed an innocent, I shall not stand idly by."
Having received the promise, Wei Su nodded and departed. But the moment he turned around, his heart was already brimming with cold disdain.
He hadn't expected her to break her promise so quickly, and so decisively.
Li Hongling's change in attitude had caught him off guard, though it was not entirely beyond expectation.
Because the Emperor of Great Zhou's ambitions truly did not depend on whether the Elixir of Immortality was found. It was not a task that had to be completed at all costs.
But Li Hongling, on the other hand, should not have shown such calm, she should have shown frustration, impatience.
This woman had a terrible temper. He had seen it many times already. She was absolutely not the type to quietly endure things that went against her will.
Just like with that lowly musician, he had merely given away a steamed bun, and he nearly lost his life because of it.
So, Wei Su had immediately deduced that Li Hongling had lied to him.
She had most likely already found a clue to the Elixir of Immortality, but did not wish to reveal it to him.
Insatiable greed...
Wei Su was growing angry.
She wanted the help of the Three Calamities Sect, but refused to share the Elixir of Immortality?
What kind of ridiculous bargain was that?
The fact that Li Hongling dared to act in this way proved that the Emperor of Great Zhou had tacitly approved, or perhaps even ordered it.
Everyone desires immortality, but only one person can truly possess it.
The Emperor relied on the Three Calamities Sect to destroy Liang, but now feared that the sect would grow too powerful. If the sect's Profound Realm elder, Yan Taiyi, consumed the Elixir, in a few centuries he might become a Saint.
Meanwhile, the Saint known as the Eastern Emperor, worshipped by Great Zhou, was already over three thousand years old, his lifespan nearing its end.
At that time, Yan Taiyi would become the new protector Saint of the nation.
The Eastern Emperor stands alone, but Yan Taiyi has three thousand disciples and a powerful mountain sect behind him.
A Saint from a long-lasting sect, with followers, with a legacy.
The Emperor of Great Zhou would naturally be cautious, and try to contain them.
The logic made sense. But the world rarely followed logic. Everything depended on where one stood.
Wei Su was a man of the Three Calamities Sect. Naturally, his heart leaned toward the sect.
To him, the actions of the Great Zhou Emperor were underhanded.
The Emperor only saw the threat in front of him, but forgot how much the Three Calamities Sect had done, how they had helped him destroy Liang, how many disciples had died for it.
The birds weren't even fully hunted, yet the fine bow was already to be put away?
Outrageous.
Wei Su was furious. But even so, he hadn't exploded at Li Hongling on the spot, nor dared to go to the Heavenly Prison himself.
Because he knew, this wasn't the Three Calamities Sect's territory. This was the palace of the fallen Liang.
With fifty thousand troops forming a battle formation, Li Hongling held the true power.
Wei Su was merely at the Sea-Cleaving Realm. Once the battle formation activated, the power would amplify to the Moon-Embracing Realm. Its combined might would be unstoppable.
However...
Though Wei Su didn't dare act himself, that didn't mean he had no means of counterattack.
This time, it was Li Hongling who had personally handed leverage to the Mysterious Divine Path Sect.
Wei Su laughed coldly in his heart as he walked.
Li Hongling had previously shown nothing but disdain toward the lowly musician, why would she personally interrogate him?
Just to vent?
Huo Hengxuan, the famed Slaughter God, had already been humiliated by her, was that not enough?
So Wei Su was convinced, this musician was the key to the Elixir of Immortality.
Letting Shen Xingzhu get involved was a risky move.
But the Emperor and Li Hongling had underestimated how important the Elixir was to the Three Calamities Sect.
Because Yan Taiyi was also at the end of his lifespan.
The Emperor wanted to gamble and so did they.
If the Mysterious Divine Path Sect discovered the plot, it would be the Emperor who bore the blame, not them.
As long as the Elixir's location could be forced out, everything would be worth it.
...
[You have cultivated Spiritual Sense and seen through the truth of the Heavenly Prison's hidden passage. You have gained the passive ability: "Piercing Insight", You can sense when someone is lying.]
[You killed a mosquito before it could bite you. You have gained the passive ability: "Blood Premonition", A single flicker of intuition may reveal coming danger.]
Chen Kuang glanced at the corner of his vision, at the system status panel, and let out a quiet sigh.
He had waited patiently for two days, and gained two new passive abilities, but the event he had been anticipating still had not arrived.
On the first day, he meditated on "Descent from Tusita Heaven" and succeeded in cultivating his Spiritual Sense, allowing him to perceive hidden depths.
When his vision passed through the wall, he saw the hidden passage filled with gunpowder, with soldiers arranged in perfect order.
And he also saw the massive amount of Spiritual Energy running through the passage, covered in powerful seals.
This was clearly part of the array meant to suppress the great demon.
Compared to that, the Spiritual Energy within his own body was like a drop of water facing the ocean.
To shake such a seal by force was no different than an ant trying to topple a tree.
However... after consulting Huo Hengxuan, he confirmed: If the gunpowder was all detonated, the seal could be destroyed.
But in that instant, he would be the first to die.
Still, as he refined his mastery of "Descent from Tusita Heaven", his cultivation rose accordingly, breaking through two Qi Apertures in succession, now opening the sixth.
On the second day, out of sheer boredom, Chen Kuang caught a mosquito, which should not even appear in autumn, and played with it in his hand before slapping it dead.
This resulted in an unexpectedly useful passive ability.
As for the delicacies...
Most of the gourmet dishes were devoured by the little Slop Bucket Princess.
And the fine wine, all of it went to that old bastard Huo Hengxuan.
Turns out he was a drunkard. For the sake of a few jars of vintage wine, he actually held his temper and gave Chen Kuang detailed guidance on the Wither-Bloom Sword Manual.
From the way his eyes gleamed green, Chen Kuang suspected that if he threatened him a little, the old man might even give him another internal transmission.
But... that would be too immoral.
"Young man, what are you still waiting for?"
Huo Hengxuan looked toward Chen Kuang and said gravely, "It's been two days. The celestial Go board nears its end. The delicacies of the mortal world have been tasted. Even this death row feast has been overly extravagant."
He smacked his lips.
"Such fine wine... must've been from the imperial cellars. To die after drinking that, it's worth it."
Chen Kuang shook his head and smiled.
"I think... this feast is still lacking."
He hadn't delayed these seven days for wine and food.
He wanted to buy time, for that so-called "immortal master" who was excluded from the military tent, to sense something amiss and come seek him personally.
Now, the only apple was in his hand, yet two people wanted it.
And they couldn't even kill him.
So naturally... they could only kill each other.
"But... that immortal master seems a little too cautious."
Chen Kuang sighed in his heart.
If the immortal master never came, then his breakout plan would become ten times more difficult.
He knew Huo Hengxuan had his own plan, but it was likely a death mission meant only to send Liang's royal mother and daughter to safety.
Chen Kuang, on the other hand, wanted to survive.
Fortunately, effort bears fruit.
That evening, in the Heavenly Prison, the flickering candlelight grew dim.
It was the time to refill the oil but suddenly, a draft swept in.
The flame went out and it never relit.
Creak...
The iron door opened. Footsteps sounded, light, soundless. Not the clank of armored soldiers.
Chen Kuang silently smiled.
He intended to carry out a plan like that of "killing three Warriors with two peaches".
And offer up someone's head, for his death row feast.