Cheng Zhihai left, and no one knew where he had gone.
After Cheng Guang stepped out of the secret chamber and left the hall, he looked up at the sky. There was still a faint glimmer of gold spreading across the heavens, and the surrounding clouds, bathed in that golden light, were tinged with a layer of gold.
“Princely Heir.”
Qing Luan, who was waiting outside, hurried to meet Cheng Guang as he emerged, her expression filled with worry as she asked, “How did it go?”
Cheng Guang knew what Qing Luan meant—she was asking whether he had managed to deceive them.
Cheng Guang nodded slightly, “It was passable, I guess.”
After saying that, he looked again at the golden brilliance in the sky. He felt that his own bloodline might be even more powerful than he had imagined, especially after seeing the shock on Cheng Zhihai’s face, which convinced him even more of this point.
After gazing for a long while, Cheng Guang patted her shoulder, “Let’s go, it’s time to head back.”
Seeing this, Qing Luan didn’t ponder further. After all, she had no idea how Cheng Guang had managed to deceive Cheng Zhihai. She had just seen Cheng Guang looking up at the sky.
Could that golden radiance bursting in the sky have been created by the Princely Heir?
Qing Luan was somewhat bewildered, not understanding why treating an injury could result in such an extraordinary phenomenon.
……
At another location in Duke Zhen’s Mansion.
Cheng Zhihai took out a Different Treasure named the Yin Yang Stone from the box, which could be used for long-distance communication. Duke Zhen Guo had the master stone, and several subsidiary stones were distributed to various important people in the mansion, one of which was in Cheng Zhihai’s hands.
Although Cheng Zhihai had been fully involved in the affair of stripping the imperial bloodline from its royal descendants and implanting it into Cheng Guang, he did not know nearly as much about the secrets of the royal bloodline as Cheng Shiyuan did.
Now, the Bloodline Stone test had revealed such an astonishing phenomenon, something beyond Cheng Zhihai’s understanding.
He manipulated the Yin Yang Stone, attempting to contact Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan.
A stream of Qi was inputted into it, causing the Yin Yang Stone to tremble lightly, with mysterious ripples spreading from it.
In just a moment, the Yin Yang Stone ceased trembling, and a voice, full of vitality yet slightly aged, transmitted out.
“Zhihai, what is the matter that you contact me so suddenly?”
Cheng Zhihai quickly responded, “Father, Guanger’s injury has healed!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the air itself seemed to quiet down a notch.
The Yin Yang Stone floated up and down slowly, only after a moment did a somewhat heavy breathing sound emerge.
“His injury has healed, which means that the bloodline’s rejection has disappeared, and my grandson is now able to cultivate Spirit Dao, right?”
Cheng Zhihai nodded slightly, “It should be so, but there’s something very strange.”
Cheng Shiyuan’s voice was strained with barely contained delight and excitement, “What’s strange?”
Cheng Zhihai quickly said, “Father, I just tested Guanger’s bloodline with the Bloodline Stone. The royal bloodline is categorized by concentration and normally shows only seven colors, but the Bloodline Stone just now revealed a gold color!”
“Gold?” Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan, was taken aback.
“Yes!” Cheng Zhihai nodded emphatically, his eyes trembling, “The Bloodline Stone seemed unable to withstand Guanger’s bloodline and shattered directly. The gold color turned into a phenomenon, shooting straight into the sky!”
“If I hadn’t used my powers to intercept some of the energy forcibly, I’m afraid the entire Capital City would have been shaken!”
After finishing, Cheng Zhihai quickly asked, “Father, do you know what it means for the Bloodline Stone to reveal a gold color?”
As soon as Cheng Zhihai’s words fell, there was no immediate response from the other end.
Instead, there was a long silence.
No response came for a while.
Cheng Zhihai didn’t rush and waited patiently. He knew that his father was checking on it.
Though the Bureau of the Lamp was the most powerful intelligence organization in the Great Zhou, when it came to understanding the royal family, he was far less knowledgeable than his father, Cheng Shiyuan.
A good while passed.
Cheng Shiyuan seemed to open his mouth, hesitating for a long time, not knowing what to say, and then finally spoke hoarsely, “Gold…”
“Tens of thousands of years ago, it is said that during the God Emperor’s era in the Great Xia, the direct bloodline of the God Emperor, when placed on the Bloodline Stone, would show gold.”
“Tens of thousands of years have passed, the direct bloodline of the Great Xia’s God Emperor has diffused across who knows how many generations. Even direct descendants couldn’t possibly show gold…”
“What exactly is going on?”
Cheng Shiyuan had been responding to Cheng Zhihai’s questions, but towards the end of their discussion, he found himself lost in confusion.
Always composed, not even the collapse of Mount Tai could disturb the usually unflappable Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan. Yet, in his voice now, there was an undeniable undertone that suggested he doubted life itself.
If Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan, exhibited such behavior, then Cheng Zhihai was even more overwhelmed.
Upon hearing the title of God Emperor of Great Xia, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his mouth opened wide in sheer disbelief.
“The God Emperor of Great Xia?”
“Guanger couldn’t possibly have the bloodline of the God Emperor of Great Xia…”
“Of course not,” Cheng Shiyuan said emphatically. “The God Emperor of Great Xia has become a legend, his bloodline dissipated over tens of thousands of years, how could it possibly have been preserved to this day? Perhaps there was an anomaly with the Bloodline Stone…”
“After all, the royal bloodline within Guanger was something we forcibly seized. It’s possible that there were some errors during the integration process, leading the Bloodline Stone to malfunction.”
Cheng Shiyuan offered a somewhat reasonable explanation.
Even though Cheng Zhihai still felt that something was not quite right, he did not continue to dwell on it.
After all, the fact that Cheng Guang had royal blood in his veins was good news, and the hidden dangers within him had been eliminated, which was even more cause for celebration.
The heavy stone that had long been weighing on Cheng Zhihai’s heart finally came to rest.
“Father, now Guanger can cultivate the Spirit Dao…”
“Mm, you should push him as much as possible, but on the surface, continue to focus on Martial Cultivation, and only in secret, concentrate the main effort on the Spirit Dao. Don’t reveal it too early.”
“Although I do not care about the opinions of the world, the impact of this matter is still too great.”
Cheng Zhihai nodded in understanding. “Father, are you aware of the methods for cultivating the Spirit Dao?”
Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan, couldn’t help but curse, “How could I possibly get my hands on those cultivation methods? Ask your wife.”
Cheng Zhihai embarrassingly scratched his head, showing none of the dignity of someone of high rank in front of Cheng Shiyuan, “Father, what you’re saying… You also know about Yuemei’s situation. She’s been sworn to secrecy, forbidden to reveal any secrets about the royal family to us, and that includes the methods of cultivating the Spirit Dao.”
Cheng Shiyuan was unconcerned about this, “The royal bloodline has been taken care of, so how could there be no way to obtain the methods for Spirit Dao cultivation?”
“You handle it yourself. There’s no rush at this moment; just be cautious.”
“For the time being, let Guanger focus on practicing Martial Cultivation. It’s not important for him to achieve great success in Martial Cultivation, as long as he looks the part on the outside. When we acquire the Spirit Dao cultivation methods, then you can shift the focus to that.”
Having said this, Cheng Shiyuan sighed softly, “Now more than ever, I feel that to advance beyond the Realm of Heavenly Humans, the royal bloodline is essential for breaking through. Even though I’ve practiced Martial Cultivation to its peak and am but a step away from that legendary realm, I still cannot find the path.”
With those words, Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan, ended the communication through the Yin Yang Stone.
The Yin Yang Stone that floated in midair slowly descended and landed in Cheng Zhihai’s hands.
Cheng Zhihai tucked the Yin Yang Stone away, his demeanor became solemn and austere, and he turned to glance at the mural on the wall.
In the mural, an elder stood before countless Demon Beasts, his expression serene, seemingly smiling in the face of them.
One man, against ten thousand enemies, showing not the slightest fear.
This was the number one Martial Cultivator of Great Zhou, the Duke of the State.
Looking at the portrait of his father, Cheng Zhihai stood up and left the room. There were matters concerning Cheng Guang that needed to be attended to.
After leaving the room, his figure faded into the void, disappearing in an instant.
The next second, he appeared within the courtyard of Cheng Guang.
At that moment, under the pavilion in the courtyard, Cheng Guang was jesting and conversing with Qing Luan, unaware of his presence.
Cheng Zhihai was about to step forward when he suddenly felt his foot touch something.
He paused and looked down.
To his shock, he saw a piece of paper half-buried in the dirt.
It read—
The Grave of Cheng Zhihai.
Cheng Zhihai’s complexion changed.
And so did his grip tighten.
His fists clenched.