"I do not care about glorious achievements."
After hearing Phoenix's words, a vicious glint appeared in the Empress's eyes. Her voice was ice cold as she said, "I care only about the present. How can the dignified Son of Heaven be manipulated like a puppet?"
Then.
The Empress looked at Phoenix and said.
"Have the Shadow Guard hasten their actions. The next batch of Martial Artists in the Heavenly Human Realm must be cultivated as soon as possible. You may act at your own discretion in all matters of life and death."
"Your command shall be obeyed!"
Having received the Empress's orders.
Phoenix hurriedly left the Imperial Palace.
Within the vast palace hall.
The Empress stood alone, gazing up at the starry sky as she murmured, "So what if the world is drenched in blood? Better that I betray the people of the world than let the people of the world betray me!"
Imperial Observatory.
After several days of treatment, the Devil Master's body, which had previously been grievously wounded to the point of collapse, had recovered nearly ninety percent.
Even the Devil Master found this hard to believe. His injuries had been far too severe, yet Ren Xiaoyao had forcibly healed him with heaven-defying medical skill.
As for Ren Xiaoyao.
The Devil Master naturally harbored countless questions.
Ren Xiaoyao's combat strength and Ren Xiaoyao's medical skill both surpassed the Devil Master's understanding.
No matter how much he thought about it, the Devil Master could not understand how a seventeen-year-old youth could possess two such heaven-defying methods at once.
Yet the Devil Master knew his place.
He was merely Ren Xiaoyao's servant. No matter how many doubts he had in his heart, he did not dare ask even half a question.
However.
The Devil Master naturally did not know.
What he could see of Ren Xiaoyao.
Was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Ren Xiaoyao would not let anyone know his true combat strength.
That included Li Chunfeng and the Devil Master before him.
After all, keeping a low profile was the eternal law of survival.
Only by holding enough trump cards in one's hand.
Could one face any sudden crisis.
At that moment.
Ren Xiaoyao looked at the Devil Master and asked.
"Devil Master, did you ever have contact with my mother, Luo Mengshen, in those years? Logically speaking, you should have been figures of the same era."
"Your mother was far too mysterious. I had little contact with her, though I indeed heard Luo Mengshen's name in those days."
The Devil Master nodded and said.
"It was said that the key person behind the Empress's rise to power was precisely her. It was also because of this that Luo Mengshen successfully established Facing Heaven Pavilion, becoming practically half an emperor of Great Gan."
At this point, the Devil Master shook his head and said.
"But I have always had a question. Luo Mengshen was such an incomparably brilliant woman, so why did she marry Ren Xuanji? And not even as his principal wife, but merely as a concubine. I truly cannot understand it. Given their status at the time, Ren Xuanji was far from worthy of Luo Mengshen."
Upon hearing the Devil Master's words.
Ren Xiaoyao became thoughtful.
From the perspective of a modern transmigrator.
There seemed to be one explanation.
For why Luo Mengshen had married beneath herself to Ren Xuanji.
And that reason.
Could also explain why Ren Xuanji loathed Ren Xiaoyao so deeply.
However, Ren Xiaoyao did not say it aloud. Instead, he looked at the Devil Master and asked, "The outside world claims that my mother died of illness. Do you think that is true?"
"That is naturally impossible."
The Devil Master shook his head.
"I am certain that, at the very least, Luo Mengshen was already a Martial Artist of the Heavenly Human Realm in those years. Those in the Heavenly Human Realm were free from disease and calamity. There must have been something suspicious about her death. Dying of illness was likely only an excuse."
At this point.
The Devil Master recalled a past event and said.
"After news of Luo Mengshen's death from illness spread, the Empress seemed to have encountered an assassination attempt. Although she fortunately survived, she was said to have been severely wounded. For a full half year, she did not attend court or involve herself in state affairs."
"And I seized that opportunity to break free from the Imperial Court's control, changing from an undercover agent of the Imperial Observatory into the Sect Master of the Demonic Sect."
Recalling those years.
The Devil Master naturally felt endless emotion.
When the time came, even heaven and earth lent their strength.
For him to complete his transformation from undercover agent to Devil Master.
Timing, location, and human harmony had all been indispensable.
Ren Xiaoyao nodded as well.
Then he asked the Devil Master about Qianqiu Pavilion.
Yet even the Devil Master.
Knew very little about Qianqiu Pavilion.
He had merely heard that such a holy land existed in the martial world. Over a thousand years, the rise and fall of countless dynasties seemed connected to Qianqiu Pavilion.
Ren Xiaoyao could only let the matter rest.
He told the Devil Master to continue gathering intelligence on Qianqiu Pavilion.
At the same time, he had him prepare some medicinal herbs for him.
Ren Xiaoyao had already understood most of the theoretical knowledge of alchemy. He planned to begin refining some pills in his spare time.
The Devil Master naturally obeyed Ren Xiaoyao's orders.
Although some of the medicinal herbs Ren Xiaoyao required were extremely precious.
And were practically impossible to obtain even with a thousand gold pieces.
For the Devil Master, whose strength in the Heavenly Human Realm had recovered.
Obtaining these medicinal herbs.
Was not particularly difficult.
After the Devil Master left.
Ren Xiaoyao cultivated quietly for three days. Three days later, Li Chunfeng, who had escorted Bai Su and Yao Luochen to Great Zhou, returned to the Imperial Observatory from outside.
When Li Chunfeng saw Ren Xiaoyao.
He spoke of what he had seen and heard on this journey to Great Zhou.
Great Zhou and Great Gan were neighboring states.
Their national strength was similar, and their territories were nearly equal in size. Thus, Great Zhou and Great Gan often went to war along the border.
Five years ago.
Great Zhou launched a surprise attack on Great Gan and seized Youzhou, Great Gan's border city. At the time, Ying Huai led the army and went on campaign in the Son of Heaven's stead, recovering the lost land.
It was precisely because of this.
That Ying Huai was promoted to Pavilion Master of the Imperial Court.
His power overshadowed both court and country.
After speaking of Great Zhou.
Li Chunfeng mentioned another strange matter.
While passing through Youzhou.
Li Chunfeng had passed through a small town.
He had intended to rest there for a night, only to discover that every one of its thousand-plus residents had died unnatural deaths.
The entire town had already become a ghost town.
Li Chunfeng instinctively believed that the town had been destroyed by bandits.
After all, the borderlands had always been in utter chaos.
Yet after a brief investigation.
Li Chunfeng found that this was not the case.
Those who had slaughtered the entire town were the garrison troops under the Youzhou government.
This garrison had originally been ordered to suppress bandits. Yet the bandits were difficult to find, so in order to submit a report and obtain rewards, they killed innocent people and claimed them as bandits.
This thoroughly enraged Li Chunfeng.
He secretly took action and wiped out all over two hundred Youzhou soldiers.
It counted as giving an explanation to the innocent townsfolk who had died in injustice.
However.
Li Chunfeng discovered that the matter was not so simple.
Under normal circumstances, if government garrison soldiers were killed, all of Youzhou would have been placed under martial law. The Youzhou Governor would certainly cast a heavenly net, dig three feet into the ground, and find whoever had acted.
After all, attacking and killing government garrison soldiers.
Was equivalent to rebellion.
It was a heaven-defying crime.
If it was not handled properly.
Even the Youzhou Governor would be dismissed from office and thrown into prison.
Yet in this matter.
The Youzhou Governor did not intervene.
Instead, he handed it to the Shadow Guard directly under the Empress for discreet handling.
It was only then.
That Li Chunfeng discovered.
The land of Youzhou was filled with the Empress's Shadow Guard. They seemed to be carrying out some incomparably important mission.
However, Li Chunfeng did not interfere any further.
After all, it involved the Shadow Guard directly under the Empress.
The implications were too great.
Ren Xiaoyao sighed as well.
He vaguely had a feeling.
That Great Gan was not far from descending into chaos.
Human lives seemed increasingly like blades of grass.
Not worth mentioning.
Several days later.
Ying Huai also came to the Imperial Observatory.
He found Li Chunfeng.
Getting straight to the point, he directly asked whether it had been Li Chunfeng who acted in Youzhou and killed over two hundred Youzhou soldiers.
Li Chunfeng did not conceal it and nodded directly. "I have always been unable to tolerate injustice. I killed those over two hundred soldiers with a clear conscience."
Ying Huai stroked his beard and said.
"Chunfeng, I did not seek you out because of this matter, but because of another. When you passed through that slaughtered town, did you notice anything strange about the corpses of its people?"
Upon hearing Ying Huai's words, Li Chunfeng frowned and recalled.
"Now that you mention it, there was indeed something strange. The corpses of those thousand-plus people were all eerily pale, as though every drop of blood in their bodies had been drained clean. I was consumed by anger at the time and did not notice this detail. Looking at it now, something is gravely wrong!"
After hearing Li Chunfeng's words, Ying Huai's expression grew exceedingly grave as he said.
"Li Chunfeng, have you ever heard of a martial art in the martial world that can extract a person's vital blood in an instant?"
"I have heard of it before."
Li Chunfeng continued.
"Twenty years ago, a figure called the Blood Demon appeared in the martial world. He cultivated by devouring Martial Artists' vital blood, stirring up countless foul winds and bloody rains throughout the martial world, leaving its people panic-stricken."
"Later, it was said that Luo Mengshen took action and killed the Blood Demon. It was also through that Battle to Suppress the Blood Demon that Facing Heaven Pavilion made its name, while that demonic art completely vanished from the martial world!"
After hearing Li Chunfeng's words, Ying Huai's face became incomparably unsightly. He looked utterly lost and murmured.
"If that is so, then most of the clues fit together. But... why would she do this?"
Immediately.
Ying Huai no longer remained at the Imperial Observatory.
He hurriedly left Fulong Mountain.
Ren Xiaoyao watched Ying Huai's back view depart.
He only felt that in that instant.
Ying Huai had aged countless years.
The essence, energy, and spirit within his body seemed to have been drained dry in an instant. Even his steps became unsteady.
Seeing this scene.
Ren Xiaoyao let out a faint sigh.
He knew that Ying Huai had likely fallen into an enormous whirlpool.
Yet Ren Xiaoyao could not help Ying Huai with anything. Everyone had their own life.
The one thing Ren Xiaoyao could guarantee.
Was that, at the final moment.
He would keep Ying Huai safe.
After all, Ying Huai's feelings for Ren Xiaoyao.
Were sincere and true.
Without the slightest falsehood.
Late at night.
The Devil Master quietly arrived at the Imperial Observatory as well.
He brought Ren Xiaoyao the alchemy ingredients he needed.
At the same time, the Devil Master brought news from the Capital City.
"Toward evening, Ying Huai, the Pavilion Master of Facing Heaven Pavilion, sought an audience with the Empress. For some unknown reason, the two had a fierce quarrel. The Empress flew into a towering rage; if not for her misgivings about the Facing Heaven Pavilion behind Ying Huai, she would likely have seized him on the spot!"
The Devil Master spoke.
"But even so, Ying Huai is probably finished. The Empress's eyes cannot tolerate even a grain of sand. This Pavilion Master of Facing Heaven Pavilion is likely destined for a dim end!"
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