Chapter 84 The Rift Between Immortals and Mortals

Most of the aurora in the night sky had dispersed, though remnant spiritual energy still flowed slowly over Zhaoge like a river of pale gold.

Half the city's commoners had been startled awake.

Cries, shouts, and the barking of dogs blended together in the streets.

Three squads of the Forbidden Guard were deployed simultaneously, sealing off the three streets surrounding the Chen Manor.

The leading commandant held up a torch to survey the area, his face turning pale.

The floor tiles were cracked from the Chen Manor's main gate to the end of the street, shattered into fist-sized chunks. Roof tiles lay scattered across the ground like a rain of stones had fallen.

Yet there were no scorch marks, no bloodstains, and no residue of any weapons or Magic Treasures.

It was like a silent earthquake that had come and gone.

They could find nothing.

The commandant wrote a report of the scene and sent it into the royal palace overnight.

—

The Royal Bedchamber.

Emperor Yi sat by the Dragon Bed, not lying down.

His hands rested on his knees, his fingertips still trembling.

He had seen it with his own eyes.

That golden dharma wheel suspended in the firmament—its patterns were as clear as if they were etched into his retinas.

And that power—pressing down from all sides. It wasn't murderous intent, nor was it a threat; it was a form of order.

It had 'fixed' him to his seat.

A Human King who possessed Zhaoge and commanded the Great Shang had been fixed to his chair by an eighteen-year-old youth.

In that moment, he had even forgotten to breathe.

It wasn't suspicion.

It was fear.

Emperor Yi lifted his hand to look at his fingers.

They trembled so much he couldn't keep them still against his knees. He clenched his hand into a fist, his nails digging into his flesh, only managing to suppress the shaking once he felt the pain.

Chen Yuan was no chess piece.

He never had been.

He was someone who could treat the entire city of Zhaoge as a chessboard.

An announcement came from outside the palace doors.

"The Grand Preceptor requests an audience."

—

When Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong entered the hall, he had not yet removed his armor, and the neighing of the Ink Kirin still echoed outside the palace walls.

He knelt on one knee and gave a brief report.

"There was a private duel between cultivators in the city; they have been dispersed. Both parties were not subjects of the Great Shang, but rather a dispute between passing Loose Cultivators."

"I inspected the area with my Heavenly Eye and found no major damage or civilian casualties."

Emperor Yi stared at him.

"What about Chen Yuan?"

"The Chen Manor is closed. I scanned with my Heavenly Eye; Chen Yuan is sitting quietly in his room and has not stepped out."

Emperor Yi did not speak.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong did not speak either.

Both knew what the other was saying. And both knew what the other was leaving unsaid.

Emperor Yi waved his hand, and Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong withdrew.

The moment the palace doors closed, Emperor Yi slammed his hand onto the imperial desk.

"Summon the Commander of the Secret Guards!"

—

The Commander of the Secret Guards arrived within seven minutes and knelt in the hall.

Emperor Yi asked only one thing.

"The surveillance records of the Chen Manor for tonight."

The Commander of the Secret Guards pressed his forehead to the floor.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the four Secret Guards on duty at the Chen Manor tonight all fainted."

"After waking, their memories from the third quarter of the Hour of the Dog to the end of the Hour of the Pig are a total blank. They have no recollection of how they fainted or for how long."

Emperor Yi's hand stopped in mid-air.

Four people. Fainted at the same time. Lost their memories at the same time.

It was as clean as if someone had used a knife to excise that period of time from their minds.

"Useless."

A teacup smashed against the floor tiles, shards splashing before the Commander of the Secret Guards' knees.

—

The Chen Manor.

The bamboo building had mostly collapsed, the remaining frame barely holding up.

Chen Yuan sat cross-legged under the old locust tree in the backyard, using a remnant stone platform as a meditation cushion.

Daluo Early Stage magic power circulated through his Meridians. Its texture was entirely different from the Taiyi Peak—heavy and steady, every strand like forged refined gold.

But his Meridians were riddled with hidden injuries.

His magic power had surged too quickly during the forced Breakthrough; three of the Twelve Primary Meridians had developed fine cracks, and among the Eight Extraordinary Vessels, the Chong and Dai Vessels were significantly congested.

Activating the Shanhai Chessboard had only added insult to injury.

At least five days.

It would take five days to return to a combat-ready state.

A cool, gentle hand pressed against his back.

Yunxiao's magic power seeped in from her palm, advancing slowly along his Meridians, stopping at every hidden injury to meticulously repair it.

Her touch was extremely light, as if she were afraid of hurting him.

But the laceration on her thumb webbing was still seeping blood.

That was the price of taking the Heaven-Turning Seal head-on.

Chen Yuan did not open his eyes. He placed his right hand over the back of hers, pressing down on the wound.

"Tend to your own first."

Yunxiao did not answer, and her magic power did not stop.

Bixiao squatted at a gap in the perimeter wall, holding three Restriction talismans in her hand, slapping them down one by one onto the edge of the ruins.

With every slap, a layer of light as thin as a cicada's wing unfolded, shrouding the entire Chen Manor.

"There. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary residence; even spiritual energy fluctuations won't show up."

—

Before dawn.

Huang Yuerong arrived at the street corner of the Chen Manor on horseback with two personal guards, only to be stopped by the Forbidden Guard.

She took one look at the shattered tiles and cracked floor tiles across the street, and her expression darkened.

Her spear rested across her horse's back, its cold light flashing.

"Step aside."

The Forbidden Guard commandant recognized the face of the Female Guardian General, glanced at the spear, swallowed hard, and stepped aside to let her pass.

The main gate was sealed. Huang Yuerong dismounted to force her way in, but a hand reached out from the shadows of the side wall and grabbed her wrist.

It was Bixiao.

"Use the side door. Don't let anyone see you."

Huang Yuerong was pulled through a small door concealed by illusions, stepping over broken bricks as she entered the backyard.

She saw Chen Yuan sitting under the old locust tree with Yunxiao acting as his Protector, and then looked at the ruins all around.

She asked nothing.

Bixiao pulled a pot of tea from her sleeve and handed it over.

Huang Yuerong was taken aback for a moment. She took it.

She took a sip.

Bixiao turned back to continue setting up the Restrictions. Her back was tense, but she didn't say any more biting words.

—

After sunrise, Qiong Xiao returned from the city.

The smile was gone from her face.

"It's spreading through the city."

She squatted before Chen Yuan, her voice low.

"Three teahouses started spreading the same thing at once—that the Guardian Qilin conspired with the Eastern Yi, and the Immortals have sent punishment. The speed of the rumors is wrong; it's like someone is pushing them from behind."

Chen Yuan opened his eyes.

"It's not Emperor Yi."

"Emperor Yi wouldn't bring matters of the Immortal families into the open. That would be equivalent to admitting the disturbance over Zhaoge was real, and the dignity of imperial power couldn't handle that."

He paused.

"It's a trap Yin Pobai laid before he left."

Qiong Xiao grit her teeth.

"That six-word note was a direct strike, and the rumors are a hidden one. The man is gone, but his poison remains."

Chen Yuan did not respond.

He was thinking of something else.

The three words Guangchengzi had shouted as he retreated.

Gu Ziyuan.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong had been present. His Heavenly Eye had been fully open.

It was impossible for him not to have heard those three words.

Given Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong's personality, he wouldn't press the issue immediately, but he would certainly investigate.

Once he found the connection between Gu Ziyuan and the Jie Sect, and matched it with the lotus seal on Chen Yuan's chest—

The wall between 'Chen Yuan' of Zhaoge and 'Gu Ziyuan' of the Jie Sect had already developed a crack.

—

Nightfall.

The Imperial Study.

Emperor Yi finished reviewing the last memorial and set down his brush.

The candle flame flickered twice.

He picked up the marriage decree and looked at it for a long time.

He set it down.

It wasn't out of softheartedness.

It was because he was now uncertain what would be triggered by pressuring a man who could shake Zhaoge.

He took his brush and wrote a second secret decree.

He handed it to the Secret Guard waiting outside.

"Deliver this to Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong. Under the pretext of investigating the private duel in the city, conduct a thorough investigation into Chen Yuan's true identity."

"The deadline is ten days."

The Secret Guard took the order and departed.

Emperor Yi leaned back in his chair and looked out the window.

The moonlight was cold and clear.

A streak of light flashed across the horizon. It wasn't golden, but a soft, warm light carrying an aura of compassion. It came from the west.

It wasn't Guangchengzi's light.

It was deeper and more ancient than that.

As Emperor Yi watched the light, he suddenly felt as if it were 'looking' at him.

That sensation of being watched lasted only a breath before the light vanished at the edge of the sky.

Emperor Yi gripped the armrests, his knuckles turning white.

—

The Chen Manor.

Yunxiao crushed a Jade Slip in her hand.

The fragments fell through her fingers, scattering into powder.

The second message from the Sect Leader of Tongtian.

Four words.

Prepare with all haste.

She looked at Chen Yuan, who was closing his eyes to regulate his breath under the old locust tree. The warmth of the magic power from when she was smoothing his Meridians still lingered on her fingertips.

A solemnity never seen before appeared in her eyes.

The wind was rising.