Immortalis

Hong Wan Seven

Ten days later, Yang Wujian donned new robes and once again ascended the Golden Hall where he had nearly lost his life not long ago.

This time, however, he would be facing Tian Ting.

According to the lie he had fabricated that day, over these ten days Yang Wujian had absorbed and refined the spiritual energy contained within the Cicada Molt, and could now glimpse the heavenly way.

And this so-called heavenly way was naturally hidden within the Meteorite Iron he had personally brought back.

Having suffered multiple setbacks from this Meteorite Iron, Yang Wujian knew full well that unlike the Meteor Star which caused instant death upon consumption, this Meteorite Iron was a slow poison. It would gradually erode one's mind, trapping them in their Inner Demon until complete madness, making them believe in the illusions before their eyes—just like Zhuang Tianyou, who could no longer escape the Meteorite Iron's control.

It wasn't until Yang Wujian fully comprehended this chess game that he realized the phrase "to worship longevity, one must possess both Cicada Molt and Tian Ting" was itself an utterly vicious curse.

Even without consuming the Cicada Molt, Tian Ting would gradually drive people mad.

In other words, anyone who believed this lie and willingly entered the game would inevitably face certain death, regardless of their choices.

Even though all members of the Longevity Palace had perished, the chessboard was already set. Though Yang Wujian had replaced Guanri in the game, reversing the disadvantage remained no easy task.

He wondered what illusions Tian Ting would show him this time.

Emperor Yongzhao had designated a separate hall for the Guiding Boy. Yang Wujian entered alone to find the Meteorite Iron Tian Ting he had recently brought back placed before him.

"Your capabilities are not as great as you imagine, Yang Wujian. I previously refrained from informing you that I had replaced Shen Qingshi because I feared you might reveal flaws before the Emperor. Furthermore, if you intend to deceive His Majesty, you must pay some price."

When he had discussed this matter with Cao Zhao earlier, upon hearing his plan to rely solely on acting to deceive the Emperor, the Bi An Envoy found it utterly ridiculous.

Having served in the palace for many years, he had witnessed too many who overestimated their own cleverness.

Emperor Yongzhao was in his prime and had ascended the throne after military turmoil—no foolish ruler by any means. Though he had now fallen into Northern Xiang's trap, this wasn't achieved overnight but through the Longevity Palace's meticulous planning over fifteen years, making the Emperor firmly believe in the Path of Longevity.

Cao Zhao said, "The Emperor believes in longevity, but not necessarily in you. If you casually reveal shocking information, once the Emperor becomes suspicious of you, all previous efforts will be wasted."

Yang Wujian sneered, "Then what do you propose? This Tian Ting is merely an Evil Entity that damages the mind, not something that truly connects to the heavens. Merely sharing a room with this stone while maintaining clarity is challenging enough."

Cao Zhao simply stared coldly at him and replied, "Even if it cannot connect to the heavens, you must still face Tian Ting. Just as when you consumed the Cicada Molt you were but an ordinary man—if you appear too composed, the Emperor will grow suspicious. Similarly, if someone who claims to connect to the heavens behaves like an ordinary person, the Emperor will find it strange. You must appear as mad as that Taoist yet maintain clarity... I will devise methods to restore your sobriety every three hours. This way, at least when facing the Emperor you can remain clear-minded and speak what needs to be spoken."

Easier said than done.

Now, Yang Wujian stood alone in the vast hall.

The Emperor naturally remained unaware that the object in this hall could damage one's mind. Having Yang Wujian come alone was merely to prevent outsiders from glimpsing the heavenly way.This actually saved him a great deal of trouble.

Yang Wujian thought to himself that it was fortunate he was alone; otherwise, he would have had to waste more effort fabricating lies to keep others away from this deadly treasure hall.

Cao Zhao had said that the drug he took would flare up every three hours. Its effects were extremely potent—even the toughest prisoners in Zhaoming Prison would turn pale at the mere mention of its name. Once it took effect, it felt like a hundred claws scratching at his heart, as if his liver and intestines were being torn apart. Because of this, no matter what kind of hallucination he fell into, he would immediately snap back to reality.

If there was one thing the Zhaoming Division and the Longevity Palace had in common, it was their myriad methods of torment.

Yang Wujian couldn't help but grumble inwardly: there were many ways to keep him alert, yet Cao Zhao had deliberately chosen this drug. It was clear he was using his position to settle a personal grudge.

But for now, aside from cooperating with Cao Zhao, he had no other choice.

Just as Cao Zhao had said, they were isolated and without support. The emperor was deeply entangled in this, and the Northern Desert people, having failed in their first strike, were bound to have a follow-up plan. Ever since he had replaced Guanri, Prince Li had remained silent, and it was unclear what he was waiting for.

As Yang Wujian was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a sinister chuckle from a corner of the empty treasure hall.

Who was it?

Yang Wujian immediately grew alert. What he was about to do was a grave crime of deceiving the emperor. If anyone saw through his act and realized he wasn’t truly communicating with the heavens, he would lose his head in an instant.

To investigate, Yang Wujian walked over. However, the shadow that emerged from the darkness instantly made his hair stand on end.

It was Guanri, covered in blood.

His face was deathly pale, and the wound inflicted by the Brightening Envoy that day was still visible on his body. He stared wide-eyed at Yang Wujian and asked, "Why did you ruin my plans?"

Yang Wujian immediately realized this was a hallucination and slapped himself hard across the face. Yet, Guanri’s shadow not only failed to disappear but even drew closer… so close that Yang Wujian could see the blood dripping from his body onto the floor.

In the end, Guanri was almost pressed against him, staring with unblinking dead eyes.

"You are one of us. Datong was never your homeland… Why did you betray the Longevity Palace?"

Guanri’s voice echoed clearly in the dimly lit treasure hall. Yang Wujian’s heart pounded like thunder. He closed his eyes, refusing to look, but the illusion was so vivid that even though he knew it was fake, he could still feel Guanri’s icy breath against his face.

Then, there was a long silence.

Yang Wujian thought the hallucination had finally faded, but when he opened his eyes again, the once-empty hall was now filled with people, surrounding him on all sides.

He gasped sharply and saw Gu Yun and Mingshan standing at the front of the crowd, their bodies drenched in blood. Their eyes were two hollowed-out sockets, and the blood flowing from them fell like tears of blood, drop by drop, onto the ground.

"Wu Jian."

Gu Yun stepped forward, reached out a mutilated, bloodied hand, and touched the side of his face.

"Why did you betray us?"

When Shen Qingshi woke again, she found herself in a jolting carriage.

…How many days had they been on the road?

Gazing at the daylight filtering through the carriage window, Shen Qingshi realized she was still alive and felt momentarily dazed.

It had been ten days since Cao Zhao disguised her as a corpse and smuggled her out of the palace. Shen Qingshi had never expected that the person who dug her out of the mass burial ground that day would be Zhou Huai.It seemed Cao Zhao was well aware that in this world, only Zhou Huai—regardless of the reason—would absolutely never reveal that Shen Qingshi was still alive.

Not only that, as Zhou Jinglei's only son, Zhou Huai also controlled the White Rainbow Tower hidden deep within the bamboo sea.

Since the secret of the Hero's Tomb had been exposed, the White Rainbow Tower had become a notorious danger zone in the martial world. Zhou Huai couldn't even sell it if he wanted to, making it the only place where Shen Qingshi could hide with absolute security.

"Are we almost there?"

Shen Qingshi asked Zhou Huai, who was driving the carriage outside, through the cloth curtain.

Though only a few days had passed, it felt as if they had been separated by life and death. That day at the mass graves, when Zhou Huai saw Shen Qingshi with her hair disheveled, he couldn't hold back and wept bitterly while holding her.

Afterward, to ensure Shen Qingshi completely vanished from the world, they took backroads to the White Rainbow Tower. Along the way, Shen Qingshi disguised herself as a wife afflicted with leprosy to avoid any potential checkpoints.

Yet, for some reason, the journey from the capital to Jiangnan seemed unusually quiet. Upon inquiry, they learned that recent days had brought widespread plague among the common people, with grievances rising everywhere. Many officials had submitted memorials, but so far, there had been no response from the palace.

Zhou Huai lowered his voice: "We're almost there. Just ahead is Green Bamboo Town. Once we reach the White Rainbow Tower, we'll be safe."

Having regained what was lost, Zhou Huai dared not be careless. Even with only a dozen li left to their destination, he still chose to take the small paths. Finally, before nightfall, they arrived at the long-deserted White Rainbow Tower.

Under cover of darkness, Zhou Huai brought the veiled Shen Qingshi into the tower. Only when they reached the underground level did he relax and say, "Qingshi, the tower has been empty for days. It's possible some petty thieves might have gotten in. Stay here for a while; I'll check around to avoid any mishaps."

"Alright."

Shen Qingshi nodded. As Zhou Huai hurried away, the underground area fell silent again. In the dim darkness, Shen Qingshi couldn't help but raise her hand, staring blankly at the lines on her palm as she had done every day these past days.

She was still alive...

Even now, Shen Qingshi found it hard to believe that Cao Zhao had swapped her out at the last moment, taking such a great risk to smuggle her out of the palace.

And Cao Zhao had said that her and Yang Wujian's method would never work. In the end, it might even drag the entire Bi'an Department down to their deaths.

"Yang Wujian..."

Shen Qingshi silently recited this name, remembering the last time she saw him outside Zhaoming Prison.

Across the long corridor, Yang Wujian glanced at her from afar and gently shook his head. Shen Qingshi knew what he meant: don't look back.

She had thought that was their final farewell, but now, not only was she alive, Yang Wujian was too.

The Cicada Molt had been swapped. What Yang Wujian consumed was merely an ordinary pill. Although someone had still died in the furnace, at least she didn't have the Meteor Star inside her.

Cao Zhao said she could leave, but Yang Wujian could not.

Having volunteered for the drug trial, he had become the Emperor's Guiding Boy, destined to remain in the palace to decipher the final chapter secrets of the Longevity Heart Sutra from Tian Ting.

Naturally, once everything was over, the Emperor would never let him live.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingshi felt a dull pain in her chest.

At this point, she had done all she could. As a Cicada Molt, her mere appearance would bring disaster. Thus, she could only hide.But should she hide in this cage forever? Like when she was a child, imprisoned behind bars, seeing neither sunlight nor freedom?

Shen Qingshi closed her eyes and sat quietly in the darkness until a rumbling sound reached her ears. She pricked up her ears and recognized it—the long-dormant mechanisms underground had been reactivated.

After a moment, Zhou Huai hurried back.

"Qingshi!"

"That sound just now..."

"I tried reactivating my father's mechanisms, and it seems to have worked! At least this way, no one else can easily enter, and you'll be safer here."

Zhou Huai hadn't expected his tinkering with the mechanisms to succeed so quickly, his face full of delight. However, when he lifted the candle to illuminate Shen Qingshi's face, he noticed her eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.

"What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking about the last time we were here... Yang Wujian was still with us."

Shen Qingshi's voice was soft, and Zhou Huai felt a tightness in his chest. He was unsure how to comfort her when suddenly, a buzzing sound of flapping wings echoed through the darkness.

What was that noise?

Almost simultaneously, they turned to look. Shen Qingshi, with her exceptional hearing, quickly identified that the sound was coming from the southeast corner.

And they both knew what lay there.

She stood up, her brow furrowed. "It's the Hero's Tomb... that sound is coming from the Hero's Tomb."

"But earlier, Yang Wujian and I set fire to the Hero's Tomb to destroy the Longevity Heart Sutra... Although the cave itself couldn't be completely burned away, the flames were so intense that nothing living should have remained inside."

For some reason, Zhou Huai suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding.

When they had visited the Hero's Tomb earlier, it had been utterly lifeless, with no signs of any living creatures.

Why would there be insect noises after the fire?

And what kind of insect in this world could fear neither fire nor the Meat Well?

At this thought, Zhou Huai's face suddenly paled. He whispered, "Qingshi, I think Yang Wujian and I may have... made a terrible mistake."