21: Chapter 21 The Power of Double Pupils: Seeing Through the Entire Court

A finger descended from the sky.

It crushed the Array Formation Realm Elder.

It suppressed all the Disciples of the Ziyang Holy Land.

This scene left an unforgettable impression on everyone present.

The news spread rapidly throughout the entire capital.

This incident shook the imperial court, and for a time, hearts were filled with panic.

As the other protagonist of the incident, Prime Minister Wei Yong woke up in his own estate.

"Prime Minister! You have finally woken up!"

The steward and several confidants by the bedside burst into tears upon seeing him open his eyes.

Wei Yong suffered from unbearable headaches. He propped himself up on the bed, his eyes unfocused, unable to concentrate for a moment.

The final scene before he lost consciousness flashed through his mind.

That golden finger.

That incomparably powerful Aura.

He couldn't even muster the thought of resisting.

"I... How did I get back?"

His voice was hoarse, and his throat was parched.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, the Imperial Guards from the palace brought you back. They said that the Retired Emperor, in consideration of your status as a veteran official of three dynasties, has spared you this time."

The steward answered cautiously, his voice trembling slightly when he mentioned the words "Retired Emperor."

"Retired Emperor."

Wei Yong muttered these three words, and the color instantly drained from his face.

He was no fool.

Having been scared unconscious in public, he was likely nothing more than a clown in the eyes of that mysterious Retired Emperor.

His heart trembled.

What kind of existence was that exactly?

With a casual flick of a finger, he crushed an Array Formation Realm Elder of a Holy Land to death.

Such strength likely already surpassed the Array Formation Realm, reaching the legendary "Marquis" Realm.

How could a remote and barren Mortal Dynasty possibly have an expert of the Marquis Realm guarding it?

This defied logic!

He searched his mind for information about that Retired Emperor, but only found labels like "nearing the end of Lifespan," "recluse," and "royal mascot."

Fear constantly assaulted him.

After the extreme fear, a sense of Luck and unwillingness emerged.

"Perhaps that Senior expert was just passing by and left after making one move?"

"Yes, that must be it! If the Great Xia truly had such an Immortal figure, why would it have been bullied by the Black Wolf Dynasty for so many years?"

"I have spent decades building my influence, with students and subordinates throughout the court. How could I let myself be thrown into chaos because of this ethereal show of force?"

Wei Yong staggered to the table, poured a cup of cold tea, and drank it in one gulp.

With the cold tea in his stomach, his chaotic mind cleared up a bit.

He decided to lie low for the time being.

As long as that existence did not strike again, he, Wei Yong, would still be the Prime Minister whose word was law in this court!

Zhaoyang Hall, quiet room.

Spiritual Qi turned into white mist, swirling around Li Xuan.

With the Ziyang Elder suppressed, he completed the sign-in task, obtained the Divine Ability "Double Pupils," and his cultivation stabilized at the first level of the Marquis Realm.

The Marquis Realm was the true starting point for transcending the mundane.

Experts of this realm could cover a thousand miles with their Divine Thought. Within their Domain, their words became law, and with a single thought, they could invoke the power of heaven and earth, moving mountains and filling seas; it was no longer a power that mundane forces could resist.

Li Xuan opened his eyes.

Runes seemed to flow within them, deep and unfathomable. This was the Double Pupils.

He moved his mind slightly.

Hum!

The world before his eyes changed.

The walls of the palace blurred in his eyes, and the layered architectural structures became transparent.

He "saw" a young eunuch hiding behind a rockery slacking off, and saw two palace maids whispering about which concubine was more favored.

He saw his grandson, the Emperor Li Zhan, pacing back and forth in the Imperial Study in panic.

Li Xuan's gaze lingered on Li Zhan for a moment.

In the vision of the Double Pupils, a mass of Qi hung above everyone's head.

For ordinary palace servants, it was grayish-white, thin and dim.

As the Son of Heaven, Li Zhan's Luck should have had a Golden Dragon of Fortune coiled around it, magnificent and imposing, but at this moment, his Golden Dragon of Fortune was listless, with strands of black Qi coiled around its body, dim and lusterless.

"Good grief, he's the Emperor, and he's almost about to be subjected to Possession."

Li Xuan couldn't help but shake his head.

His gaze continued to penetrate the palace walls, spreading outside the palace towards that massive capital city.

At this moment, the entire Great Xia capital, this giant city housing millions of people, became a detailed sand table in Li Xuan's eyes.

The bustling traffic on the streets, the noise and clamor in the taverns, the trivial matters of the common people—everything was visible from a bird's-eye view.

But this was not the true power of the Double Pupils.

Li Xuan moved his mind slightly.

"Analyze the imperial court; loyalty, treachery, good, and evil, all enter my eyes."

Boom!

The vision changed again!

Those civil and military officials who were originally just points of light in his eyes were now endowed with new attributes!

He cast his gaze toward the Prime Ministers Estate.

Deep within the estate, Wei Yong, who had just steadied his mind, had his image completely changed in Li Xuan's vision.

[Name]: Wei Yong [Position]: Prime Minister of Great Xia [Cultivation]: Mortal [Loyalty]: -100 (Mortal Enemy) [Luck]: Black with purple, in the form of a flood dragon-python, opposing the national Dragon Qi, with a wisp of obscure blood-colored Devilish Qi coiled at the Foundation.

[Relationship Network]: With him as the center, scarlet threads spread out like a spider web, connecting to all directions of the capital.

Li Xuan's gaze followed the scarlet threads.

The Ministry of War.

[Name]: Wang Chong [Position]: Minister of War [Cultivation]: Mortal [Loyalty]: -85 (Wei Yong's die-hard crony) [Luck]: Crimson red, connected with Wei Yong's black-purple Luck.

[Relationship Network]: Multiple red lines point to several powerful generals in the army.

Anle Prince's Estate.

[Name]: Li Cheng [Position]: Prince of Anle (Royal clansman) [Cultivation]: Mortal [Loyalty]: -70 (Fence-sitter, leaning towards Wei Yong) [Luck]: Pale gold, but mostly contaminated by black Qi.

[Relationship Network]: The threads not only connect to Wei Yong but also have ambiguous gray threads with several concubines and eunuchs in the palace.

One high-ranking official after another.

One royal relative after another.

Their loyalty, hidden cultivation, secret relationships, and even the various colors of Luck representing their fortune above their heads, all turned into clear data under the Double Pupils, visible at a glance.

Li Xuan frowned slightly.

He had originally thought Wei Yong was just a powerful official; although he had many cronies, he could just slowly weed them out.

But looking at it now, these were no mere cronies.

This was clearly a poisonous web that had already wrapped around the entire Great Xia imperial court and was rotten to the core!

Ministry of War, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Personnel... Among the Six Ministries, the heads of four of them had loyalty levels that were red, representing hostility!

In the Imperial Guards, several deputy commander-level generals had a deep red relationship with Wei Yong; they were absolute die-hards!

Even two princes who usually seemed indifferent to the world and only knew how to indulge in pleasure had intricate ties of interest with Wei Yong!

"In the entire imperial court, out of ten people, seven are rebels, and two are fence-sitters."

"This Great Xia is truly a complex stage."

Li Xuan let out a soft laugh, but his eyes revealed a coldness.

He finally understood why his grandson's Luck was so decayed.

Being covered by such a net, being drained of blood every day, it was a miracle he had survived until now.

Just as Li Xuan was preparing to retract his Divine Ability and think about where to start, his gaze inadvertently swept over the Imperial Kitchens and suddenly fixed on something.

An anomaly.

It was a young eunuch responsible for purchasing supplies, with a low status, whose cultivation didn't even reach the Acquired Realm.

He was the kind of character you couldn't find if you threw him into a crowd.

The Luck above his head was a dusty grayish-white, so weak it could be ignored.

Everything looked normal.

But under the Double Pupils.

Li Xuan saw a wisp of extremely obscure black-red Devilish Qi within his grayish-white Luck!

This wisp of Devilish Qi was very faint; if not for the Double Pupils, even the Divine Thought of a Marquis Realm expert would find it hard to detect.

Li Xuan immediately became interested.

How could a small purchasing eunuch be tainted with Devilish Qi?

He focused his mind to analyze the Origin of this wisp of Devilish Qi.

The Devilish Qi was passively acquired, not something this person had actively Cultivated.

It was like a "beacon."

Or perhaps a "pass."

Li Xuan followed the "source" of this wisp of Devilish Qi, exerting the full power of his Double Pupils.

His gaze penetrated the Void Realm.

Finally, it locked onto a familiar place in the capital.

The Prime Ministers Estate!

In his vision, a hundred feet beneath the ground of the Prime Ministers Estate, there was a secret chamber shielded by layers of Formations!

In the center of the secret chamber, a statue that was entirely blood-red with a twisted and terrifying face was being worshipped.

A wisp of pure and evil Devilish Qi, millions of times denser than that on the purchasing eunuch, was rising from the statue, entangled endlessly with Wei Yong's black-purple flood dragon-python Luck.

The Origin of the two types of Devilish Qi was exactly the same!

Li Xuan understood.

So that was it.

This Wei Yong seemed loyal and honest, but not only was he a powerful official, in secret, he was actually acting as a lackey for a Devil Head?

That purchasing eunuch must be the spy Wei Yong had planted in the palace, or perhaps the channel responsible for delivering some "special items" to him.

"That's rather interesting."

Li Xuan closed his eyes, cutting off the chaotic information.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest, calculating.

Originally, he only intended to help his good-for-nothing grandson, let him sit firmly on the throne, so he could peacefully sign in, take concubines, have children, and become stronger.

Now, he had changed his mind.

A Prime Minister colluding with the Demonic Path, a corrupt and unbearable imperial court.

Like lice on a beautiful robe.

It was annoying to look at.

Since he had seen it, he would just clean it up.

Li Xuan developed a murderous intent.

He raised his head, his gaze penetrating the palace hall, landing on his grandson, the Emperor, who was still pacing anxiously in the Imperial Study.

It was time to send a "butcher's knife" sharp enough to this desperate puppet.