txolops Chapter 80 Entering the Palace Late at Night! A Fake Emperor of Yue?
Chapter 80 Entering the Palace Late at Night! A Fake Emperor of Yue?
Lin Chuan thought for a moment, then took out a white jade talisman with the mark of Huangfeng Valley and a warm texture, and handed it to Xiao Zhen.
"If you are willing in the future, once your granddaughter has cultivated to the sixth level of Qi Refining, she can use this jade talisman to go to the Yellow Maple Valley gate and seek the opportunity to join the sect. This talisman is a recommendation token for Foundation Establishment cultivators in my Yellow Maple Valley, and there will be no obstacles."
This can be considered as extra compensation from him, and also a kind gesture.
Xiao Cuier was quite talented, but she lacked connections. The Seven Sects mostly recruited disciples from families of cultivators, making it extremely difficult for independent cultivators to enter their ranks.
Xiao Zhen trembled as he accepted the jade talisman, his eyes filled not only with gratitude but also with an indescribable excitement and hope.
He pulled Xiao Cuier along and bowed deeply again: "Senior's great kindness is something my Xiao family will never forget! Cuier, quickly kowtow to Senior!"
"Alright, no need for formalities. This matter is settled, I'll be going now."
Lin Chuan waved his hand, removed the soundproof barrier, and drifted away, leaving behind the excited Xiao family grandfather and grandson.
---
After leaving Xianyun Restaurant, Lin Chuan found a quiet inn in the East District to stay in.
His main targets—the Black Fiend Cult and the Yue Emperor—require further consideration.
He decided to rest here first and wait for the divination results to be updated the next day so that he could better avoid misfortune and seek good fortune.
The next morning, Lin Chuan sensed the golden light appearing before his eyes right on time.
However, when he saw the contents of the divination, his pupils shrank and his back was instantly covered in a cold sweat!
Today's divination indicates extreme misfortune.
[The divination indicates that tonight you chose to infiltrate the imperial city and eventually found the location of Emperor Yue. Knowing that Emperor Yue was the true leader of the Black Fiend Sect, you chose to attack him and successfully killed him. However, at that moment, you were suddenly restrained by the appearance of Old Monster Qiong.]
"Old Monster Qiong?!" Lin Chuan was shocked and almost cried out in surprise.
This old monster from the late-stage Core Formation realm of the Hidden Moon Sect is incredibly powerful and acts eccentrically. How could he suddenly appear in the capital of Yue Kingdom?
And it just so happened that it was when he personally killed the Yue Emperor?
"Thank goodness! Thank goodness I waited an extra day and looked at the divination!"
Lin Chuan was still shaken.
If I hadn't been able to restrain myself last night and had rashly sneaked into the palace, only to run into Old Monster Qiong, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Given the other party's near-Nascent Soul stage supernatural powers and eccentric temperament, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have a chance to explain before being easily crushed or imprisoned.
He immediately suppressed all his restlessness and decided not to go out today.
They wouldn't even come close to the imperial city!
Stay in the inn and cultivate diligently!
All day long, he was immersed in comprehending and cultivating the "Great Evolution Technique" and the "Spirit Suppression Seal," but his mind always kept a sliver of attention on the outside world, especially the direction of the imperial city.
However, things remained calm.
There were no unusual spiritual energy fluctuations or disturbances reported from the imperial city, as if the "great misfortune" predicted by the divination last night had never happened.
"Strange... Since Old Monster Qiong has appeared in the imperial city, with his cultivation and eyesight, how could he not see that Emperor Yue is practicing demonic arts? Could it be that he discovered it but is too lazy to bother with such a 'trivial matter'?"
Lin Chuan was filled with doubt.
Given Qiong Laoguai's playful, carefree, and impulsive personality, it's not impossible.
Perhaps he was just passing by, found it uninteresting, or thought that the clown from the Demonic Path couldn't cause any trouble, so he simply left?
He wasn't sure, so he could only continue to lie low and observe.
The divination results were updated again the following morning.
[Today’s hexagram is auspicious]
[The divination text reads: Infiltrate the palace... After a fierce battle, kill the Yue emperor.]
[Obtained the relics of the Yue Emperor...]
The divination indicates "moderately auspicious," seemingly foreshadowing a smooth night's operation.
But given yesterday's ominous warning, Lin Chuan dared not let his guard down.
He suspected that the Old Monster Qiong might still be near Kyoto, or that his appearance was somewhat accidental.
He decided to continue to be patient and wait for the right moment to act.
This patience lasted for a whole month.
During this month, he stayed in seclusion, spending his time cultivating and exploring various parts of the imperial city and capital, looking for any traces of activity by other cultivators from the seven sects, or any movements of the Black Fiend Sect.
As a result, everything remained the same.
The imperial city was filled with song and dance, and the Black Fiend Cult was deeply entrenched in its activities. It seemed that none of the seven factions paid any attention to this place.
Old Monster Qiong has vanished without a trace, as if the "extremely ominous" divination of that day was nothing but a dream.
"Perhaps... Old Monster Qiong really was just passing by that day, or maybe he was just wandering around the capital to investigate the death of that late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Hidden Moon Sect that I killed? Given his personality, if he discovered Emperor Yue's little trick, he wouldn't bother with it and would just leave?"
Lin Chuan's speculation gradually leaned towards this possibility.
After all, to an old monster in the late stage of Core Formation with one foot in Nascent Soul, a "Black Fiend Cult Leader" who hides in a mortal palace, cultivates demonic arts by sacrificing mortals with blood, and is at most in the Foundation Establishment stage, is indeed as insignificant as an ant.
Whether to crush them or ignore them depends entirely on my mood.
"We can't wait any longer. Since today's divination is 'moderately auspicious,' and we've been calm for a month, the risk should have been minimized." Lin Chuan finally made up his mind to act tonight!
As night deepens, the city lights begin to illuminate the night.
Lin Chuan activated the Hidden Spirit Technique, concealing his aura to the extreme, like a wisp of green smoke blending into the night, silently crossing the tall palace walls of the imperial city.
Within the imperial city, palaces stood in rows, sentry posts lined the streets, and patrolling guards were clad in bright armor. But to a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, these mortal defenses were utterly ineffective.
His divine sense, like invisible tentacles, quietly listened to the whispers of the occasional passing palace maids, eunuchs, and guards, quickly capturing scattered information about "His Majesty's" whereabouts.
He quickly identified his target—the King of Yue was hosting a banquet in the Hall of State Affairs tonight, entertaining several close ministers.
Lin Chuan quietly crept to the vicinity of the Council Hall.
The main hall was brightly lit, and the faint sounds of string and wind instruments drifted through the air, mingled with the laughter of men and women. Guards stood solemnly outside the hall, the atmosphere seemingly lively yet ordinary.
Like a ghost, he circled around to the back of the main hall, chose a dark corner near the window, and carefully used his divine sense to penetrate the window frame and probe inside.
The scene inside the palace was luxurious: several graceful singers were dancing in the center, while behind tables on both sides sat several richly dressed ministers with fawning smiles.
At the far end of the main hall, on a high dragon throne, sat a middle-aged man dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and wearing a crown.
His face was dignified, but at this moment he was embracing two beautiful and lightly dressed concubines, drinking wine and enjoying the singing and dancing, occasionally flirting with the beauties beside him, and raising his cup to drink with the ministers below.
What a scene of a tyrannical ruler indulging in pleasure and living a life of extravagance.
However, Lin Chuan's brows furrowed slightly. His divine sense carefully swept over the "Emperor Yue" on the dragon throne, and doubts arose in his heart.
"There is no fluctuation in cultivation level... not even the slightest trace of spiritual energy."
Lin Chuan's eyes sharpened. "Moreover... the subtle movements of the facial muscles and expressions seem somewhat uncoordinated."
It's like... wearing an extremely sophisticated, almost indistinguishable human skin mask?
The "Emperor Yue" drinking and making merry in this grand hall is a fake!
Where is the real Yue Emperor now?