165: The Sixth Son of the Zhao Family

Just as Lin Chuping was busy imparting the God Cultivation Art, Liu Chongshan finally returned from the Netherworld, fanning himself with a triumphant look.

His face was filled with the arrogance of one who was certain of success.

His suggestion to the Netherworld Old Ghost to find the Formation's eye to break it was, of course, not baseless.

***

The passage between the Netherworld and Great Yan was called the "Blood Trail of the Underworld."

This name didn't come from Liu Chongshan, but rather, as he discovered the rift, the four characters "Blood Trail of the Underworld" abruptly appeared in his mind, as if someone had carved them there.

Despite his vast knowledge, Liu Chongshan ultimately suffered from a cultural discontinuity. If Lin Chuping were here, he could have deciphered the profound mystery from the two words "Yellow Springs" alone.

Things like "reaching the Yellow Springs above and below" or "unless we meet in the Yellow Springs."

Simply put, it was a place where the dead resided.

As living beings, one would naturally flee as far as possible, fearing to be tainted by ill-fated Qi.

Unfortunately, the Legacy of this world's people had long been severed.

The people of this world knew nothing about it, including Liu Chongshan in his youth.

He only felt that this rift appeared extremely eerie, abrupt, as if it shouldn't exist here.

Beyond that, Liu Chongshan searched through all the records of Great Yan but found no mention of this place.

It was only at midnight, when moonlight seeped into the cracks of the Old Capital's ruins, that dark red patterns would emerge on the ground, wriggling like blood vessels, as if something wanted to crawl out from within.

Once, Liu Chongshan bravely peered inside. The rift's interior was as black as ink, yet faint sounds of dragging chains and mournful wails could be heard.

That very night, he developed a high fever.

***

Liu Chongshan pulled his thoughts back and glanced at the so-called "Blood Trail of the Underworld." If not for the events that followed, he might never have come into contact with this place again.

Unfortunately, in this world, the most uncalled for thing to exist is "if."

Now, Liu Chongshan had completely taken the "Blood Trail of the Underworld" as his private property, and with his current strength and status, he was fully capable of doing so.

The Netherworld Saint Lord and the Twelve Soul Emperors were nothing more than vicious dogs he had raised.

Anything that entered here was his private property, and all of it had to obey his commands.

Without him, these ghostly things would only be able to stay in that dark, sunless place for eternity.

Unfortunately, the "Blood Trail of the Underworld" was good in every way, except that it couldn't move.

Otherwise, Liu Chongshan would definitely go to Qingzhou with the young emperor to see what kind of background this Lord Chuping had.

"Heh~ It's just another ghostly thing that can only feed on incense!"

This was the fundamental reason why Liu Chongshan disdained Lord Chuping from the bottom of his heart.

Because he usually fed the ghost cultivators in the "Blood Trail of the Underworld" with incense. These things always acted as if they hadn't eaten for eight hundred years, completely lacking table manners.

Just lighting a single stick of incense could trigger fights andRob inside.

Utterly crude!

Not only crude, but also useless. He had nurtured them for so long, yet a mere protective Formation in Qingzhou had stumped them.

***

"Someone, summon The Six Zhao Brothers!"

After giving the order, Liu Chongshan also instructed someone to bring a pot of fine wine.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The person outside the door acknowledged the command and left.

The Six Zhao Brothers were handsome, but each had a birthmark on their forehead, an identical lotus imprint.

It wasn't inherited from their parents, nor was it obtained later from some Magic Treasure; this birthmark was innate.

However, Liu Chongshan preferred to call it a Magic Treasure imprint.

This imprint might fool others, but it couldn't fool him.

A Magical Artifact in the shape of a flower petal, Liu Chongshan couldn't think of one for a while.

Liu Chongshan only assumed that the Zhao family had obtained some Magic Treasure, and since the Magic Treasure imprint appeared on these individuals, the Magic Treasure must have recognized its master.

However, since the people were already in his hands, the Magic Treasure would certainly not benefit outsiders.

In recent years, Liu Chongshan had used both kindness and coercion, constantly striving to strip the Magic Treasure from their bodies.

To claim it for himself.

***

He had people monitor The Six Zhao Brothers for over half a year, even having them tortured, yet still found no trace of the lotus-shaped Magic Treasure.

Even when the Magic Treasure's owner was on the verge of death several times.

Although the attempt to strip the Magic Treasure failed, it led Liu Chongshan to discover something even more interesting: these individuals were immune to any Formation.

To date, every Formation he had tested them against had been defeated!

So, could the protective shield of Qingzhou also be breached this way?

***

Currently, Concubine Lian in the imperial harem was Zhao Hanyi, the eldest of the Zhao family.

The court and common people only knew that the new emperor had an extremely favored concubine, but no one knew that Zhao Hanyi lived a life worse than pigs and dogs.

Yes, although Concubine Lian was highly favored, she did not live in a magnificent palace but was locked in a dark, sunless underground prison, solely to force out the secret of the lotus-shaped Magic Treasure.

To put it nicely, she was called Concubine Lian, but those in the know understood that Concubine Lian lived a life worse than servants and slaves.

And Liu Chongshan was already preparing to squeeze out their last bit of value.

***

The prison door creaked open from the outside, and blinding daylight split into the gloomy cell.

"Concubine Lian, Your Majesty requests your presence."

The guard stood at the doorway, a mocking smirk on his lips, deliberately emphasizing the words "Concubine Lian."

Zhao Hanyi slowly rose, his chains clanking.

Three months of inhuman torment had left him emaciated, yet his eyes remained astonishingly bright.

"Thank you, Commander Wang."

The palace maids and eunuchs in the corridor all lowered their heads and averted their gaze.

Inside the Zichen Hall, Liu Chongshan was toying with a Netherworld Jade Slip.

Hearing footsteps, he didn't even lift his head: "My beloved concubine has arrived?"

"Come quickly and see, I've also invited your family members so you can have a good reunion."

His tone was gentle, yet it sent shivers down one's spine.

Everyone knelt in unison, their foreheads touching the cold golden bricks, their voices extremely submissive.

"Concubine Lian greets Your Majesty."

"Rise. Meeting is fate, but alas, the time for reunion is always short."

Liu Chongshan looked up, without any superfluous words, getting straight to the point.

"I have a task for you all to carry out. Once it's done, you will be free."

"No matter what the task, Concubine Lian is willing to serve Your Majesty."

"Good, Concubine Lian is as loyal as ever."

"I remember you all saying when you first entered the palace that it was a blessing to die in my service."

"I shall send you away shortly."

All of them were terrified but dared not object.

Liu Chongshan watched this scene with satisfaction, tapping his palm lightly with the tip of his fan.

Zhao Hanyi hesitated for a moment, then spoke, his voice carrying a hint of coldness.

"Your Majesty, Concubine Lian dares to ask, what is the purpose of this journey?"

Liu Chongshan particularly loved his cold and sensual voice, and moreover, Zhao Hanyi could sing. His singing was like an oriole's warble, every word a pearl falling onto a jade plate.

It made one feel relaxed.

Zhao Hanyi had suffered greatly for this.

Hearing Zhao Hanyi's voice at this moment, Liu Chongshan felt a momentary reluctance.