Chapter 8

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The next day… 

Hanging Arch Palace.

That was where the Emperor of Zhou managed his daily duties and met with his officials.

Marquis Zhao Kai sat on the rosewood chair. He had a purple crown atop his head and wore a crimson robe with a Shanxuan jade1 pendant by his waist.

That was supposed to be the dress code for a civil court official. However, due to his huge stature, it made him look especially imposing.

Seated in the hall, he was like the towering mountain that supported the heavens.

He gave off an air of authority, as though life and death were within his control.

“Your fist intent is growing stronger, striking fear into all who bear witness to it!”

Seated in the main seat, the Emperor of Zhou put down his brush that was used to process documents.

“It seems the great Zhou Kingdom is going to have another Innate Grandmaster soon. This is wonderful news!”

Marquis Zhao Kai was the brother of the current emperor from a different mother. They were very close.

With that, he had the special rights to be granted a seat in the palace for discussion of state affairs.

Everyone knew that Marquis Zhao Kai had little interest in authority and power. He was deeply obsessed with martial arts cultivation.

He left Tianjing City while he was still a prince to escape from the affairs of the imperial courts and traveled across the Divine Continent’s world of martial arts.

He met with many hidden experts to learn about martial arts, hoping to confirm his theories.

20 years later, in the martial arts tournament at Little Mirror Lake, he bested the three great experts from Heavenly Dragon Temple, Cloud Abode, and Chaos Origin Path, gaining great fame.

On the ranking board that was curated by the Yin Summit Academy, Marquis Zhao Kai ranked 23rd.

Within the Zhou Kingdom’s borders, that ranked him amongst the top as some that could suppress Tianjing City.

“The art of physical violence is petty and insignificant. Your Majesty governs the kingdom and manages the nation, educating our people. That’s the truly respectable and humane path!” Zhao Kai responded respectfully with his head lowered.

“Moreover, it’s not easy to achieve the Innate Stage. I’m not fully confident in myself and still waiting for a suitable opportunity.”

The Emperor of Zhou chuckled. Compared to the intimidating aura of Marquis Zhao Kai, the one seated on the throne appeared fairly normal.

He had white hairs running down the sides of his tired face, appearing rather advanced in age.

“You don’t have to be so reserved. We’re not in the imperial court, nor are we meeting each other as ruler and subject.”

The Emperor of Zhou shook his head, then placed his hands on the table and asked softly, “Us brothers haven’t had a good talk for a long time. I miss my younger days where I listened to you talk about the interesting happenings in the world. Several decades had passed in just the blink of an eye.”

Zhao Kai maintained a respectful attitude. He lowered his head and said, “The etiquette between ruler and subjects must be observed!”

“You’re still as obstinate as ever. Never mind, forget it.”

The Emperor of Zhou smiled helplessly, then pointed at Marquis Zhao Kai who was seated below him, and changed the topic.

“Last night, that phenomenon…did you see it?”

“I saw the phenomenon manifesting and covering the imperial city right as I left the Hanging Arch Palace,” Zhao Kai nodded and replied solemnly.

“I originally thought it was the Crown Prince that broke through his Foundation Establishment Stage and manifested the innate root bone. I only realized that it was not the case later on.”

The Emperor of Zhou frowned deeply. The grand phenomenon of Vast Expanse with Sun and Moon not only attracted the attention of the imperial city. Its news had also reached the various sects within the Zhou Kingdom borders.

“It’s not Zhao’er. I’ve sent people to investigate the matter. He’s still in the Qi circulation stage and has yet to reach Foundation Establishment,” The Emperor of Zhou shook his head.

The Crown Prince Zhao Zhao’s body was invaded by evil Qi when he was young. It damaged his foundations and caused him many delays in his progress in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Zhao Kai remained silent. Since ancient times, only the emperor showed signs involving the sun and moon.

Last night, within the imperial city…

Vast expanses of land were illuminated by the sun and moon.

Unless one had a high position and the ambition to take over the world, it would be impossible to manifest such a grand phenomenon.

For a phenomenon like that to happen while the emperor was in power, the matter needs to be investigated.

“I’ve ordered Chaoen to investigate the matter! That person must be found!”

In the rare instances where the Emperor of Zhou let loose his intimidating aura, the entire hall’s atmosphere turned heavy in an instant.

Although he was not an expert in martial arts, he was blessed with the fate of an entire country, the Imperial Dragon Qi.

His every move exuded the majesty of a ruler that governed the world!

“Cheng’er, Marquis Yang Kezhong, and the 50 thousand troops at the border… We can’t let their deaths be in vain!”

After a moment’s silence, the Emperor of Zhou continued, “However, that damned baldy from the Great Boundless Palace is too difficult to deal with. There are very few people in this world that are capable of going against him!”

The Fifth Prince Zhao Cheng lost his life at Yongxue Pass.

That matter sent the emperor into fits of rage, causing him to break several inkstones.

Zhao Kai voiced his agreement with a solemn expression, “Phags-pa cultivated the divine art of a secret sect and had entered the Innate Grandmaster Stage ten years ago. In the Yin Summit Academy’s monthly assessment, he was acknowledged as the most likely candidate to enter the Human Immortal Stage!

“This man has mastered astrology, Feng Shui, and has some basic understanding of the Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism of Central Plain1. 

“The Yuanmeng Empire bestowed him with the title of Imperial Preceptor. He’s recognized as the living Buddha, perceived above all except the king.”

Hearing Zhao Kai’s words, the Emperor of Zhou sighed.

In recent years, the Yuanmeng Empire had been growing stronger, with the Great Boundless Sect and Imperial Preceptor Phags-pa assisting him.

The fearsome wolf riders were an annoyance due to their frequent harassment of the borders.

This time, they even took over Yongxue Pass.

If they moved any lower, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun would be in great danger.

“Your Majesty, if I manage to reach the stage of Innate Grandmaster, I’ll surely head to Yuanmeng to challenge the Living Buddha Imperial Preceptor to a duel and help the kingdom alleviate this threat.”

Zhao Kai’s face started emanating a strong killing intent.

His condensed mental energy seeped out of his body. For an instant, it sounded like the thunderous roars of iron chariots and thousands of arrows being fired.

It immediately turned the Hanging Arch Palace into a field of bloodshed and carnage.

“It’s good enough that you have such intentions,” the Emperor of Zhou said in a grateful tone.

He had the fate of the kingdom, the Imperial Dragon Qi with him.

He was not afraid of the martial will of some expert of the Spiritual Transformation Stage.

“I heard the imperial tutor pushed for war. He suggested to use all the kingdom’s power and strike straight to their heart, wiping that entire empire on the plain into nothingness.”

The bickering on the imperial court caused the Emperor of Zhou a lot of headaches.

“Since the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, the Rong tribe, the Huns, and the other barbarians had been threatening the dominion of the Central Plain. Later on, the famous General Li Qi from the Yun Dynasty mobilized 30 thousand chariots and 400 thousand infantry to destroy the palace of the Huns, leaving them scared to venture southward for over a decade.

“The right chief minister1 thinks that even an unrivaled general like Li Qi could only intimidate the Huns from expanding southwards. It’s almost impossible to fully wipe them out.

“It’s been two hundred years since the founding of our Zhou Kingdom. If we utilized the resources of three generations and put in everything to mobilize our army, can this threat be removed?”

The Emperor of Zhou’s tone was filled with skepticism when he said those words.

The previous dynasty’s downfall was due to them engaging in wars too readily.

After several major losses, it resulted in the suffering of its people, leading to a rebellion.

With such an example placed before them, the Emperor of Zhou was unwilling to repeat the same mistake.

Zhao Kai’s eyes flashed. Knowing that His Majesty already had the intention for a peace treaty, he stopped pushing the matter. Instead, he asked, “Then the Fifth Prince…”

The emperor waved, then said in a weary tone, “Since the birth of that cursed child, I’ve lost several sons in a row. My heart has long gone numb.”

Zhao Kai was speechless.

Cursed child.

He should be referring to the Tenth Prince who was imprisoned in the cold palace.

“Although the heavens decide on a person’s fate, we can’t fully believe in that,” Zhao Kai advised.

“These days, rumors regarding the Tenth Prince are being circulated all over Tianjing City. I recommend investigating this matter and punishing them severely to clear the Tenth Prince’s name!”

The Emperor of Zhou laughed coldly upon hearing that, then asked, “Clear his name? How much trouble did that cursed child cause? My third, sixth, and fifth sons… All of them died in vain! The Crown Prince even had his body tainted by evil Qi, harming his foundation causing all the delay for him to establish his Dao foundation!”

“If not for him being my flesh and blood, I’d have long—”

Zhao Kai quickly cut him off, “Your Majesty, speak carefully!”

As the emperor, leader of officials, he had to educate his subject and be a role model.

How could he say something so crazy such as killing one’s child that went against one’s morals?

“Forget it. Sometime later, I’ll have that cursed child go watch over the imperial tomb in Tong Province. I’ll feel better not seeing him!”

The Emperor of Zhou waved his hand, declaring it with waning interest.

“I’ll take my leave.”

Zhao Kai got up and bowed respectfully before leaving.

Walking out of the Hanging Arch Palace, he stood on its steps.

He looked in the direction of Jingren Palace, a hint of doubt flashed in his gaze.

“Who could it be?”

…

Eternal Happiness Palace.

Zhao Mu, who absorbed martial arts experience and cultivated Divine Sun and Moon Scriptures, stood in the yard.

His nine apertures were unblocked and greatly benefited his senses.

He could hear the sounds of insects, see tiny objects, and detect what used to be odorless scents within a distance of several dozen feet around him.

A regular person’s movements and changes of expressions could not escape Zhao Mu’s senses.

“The cicada is conscious before the winds of Fall move. The executioner might be coming without notice… Now that I’m at the Unblocking Aperture Stage, my senses are keen. Poison and hidden weapons are ineffective.”

Zhao Mu gained a new insight.

No wonder an Innate Grandmaster could act unhindered and disregard imperial laws.

At that stage, avoiding threats would already be part of one’s nature.

Ambushing with an army and setting traps would be impossible!

“The apertures are unblocked, but the body still has eighty-one acupoints that need to be refined. After that, internal energy will transform into true Qi.”

Zhao Mu was not in a rush. He silently set up his cultivation plans.

With his infamy as the cursed child, not only the emperor was irritated by him, even the eunuchs and maids in the palace would stay away from him, as though trying to escape from a plague.

Only his brother Zhao Yuan, was willing to approach him.

Perhaps it was because of the 12 years he spent in the cold palace, Zhao Mu was used to being alone.

Compared to a lively and welcoming crowd, he instead loved to stay by himself, practice martial arts, read books, and write.

Before he gained his freedom, the Tenth Prince wished for the situation to remain the same.

Undisturbed and at peace.

—