There Was a Demonic Aura in the Palace

"Your Majesty, King Zhou, this humble Daoist senses a demonic aura in the Royal Palace..."

As Di Xin was lost in thought, Yun Zhongzi saw him looking somewhat dazed and spoke up again.

It was easy to imagine how anyone would react if a person suddenly appeared before them and, without warning, said, "There's a demonic aura here. I've come to help you exterminate it." Whoever it was would probably find it hard to accept at first.

He thought that was exactly what was happening with Di Xin.

How could he know that Di Xin had learned there was a fox demon here several days before him?

The dazed look Di Xin wore now was merely because he was thinking about how to respond.

To Di Xin, this was an opportunity. He could get rid of Daji without lifting a finger, making use of Yun Zhongzi's power.

What's more, Yun Zhongzi was a major figure in the Chan Sect, and his master was none other than the sect leader, Primordial Lord of Heaven.

As it happened, he was on the same side as Goddess Nuwa. Later, they had both helped King Wu of Zhou attack King Zhou.

Since their own people were the ones to act, surely no one would suspect him, would they?

Still, Di Xin asked with some hesitation, "Daoist, what does demonic aura look like? How can you tell?"

That was also the normal reaction one would expect from an ordinary man. If a stranger came along and casually claimed someone was a demon, and he simply let the stranger do as he pleased and eliminate them, that wouldn't be foolishness—it would be idiocy.

What if he claimed Empress Jiang was a demon?

What if he said his two sons were second-generation demons?

Di Xin was perceptive enough to think of these details.

Yun Zhongzi stroked his black beard. "Demonic aura has neither form nor substance. Ordinary people cannot see through it, and even most Qi Cultivators are unable to detect it. Fortunately, this poor Daoist possesses the divine ability of the Heavenly Eye, so I can discern it. The demon is in Your Majesty's bedchamber, causing chaos in the palace and bringing misery to the people. The harm she poses is considerable. She must be eliminated at once."

"Is what the Daoist says true?"

Di Xin's eyes widened, his expression one of disbelief. He had long wondered why Yun Zhongzi, a member of the Chan Sect, had come to Chaoge to help eliminate Daji.

Was it because he didn't know about Nuwa's plan?

Or did this man truly have a compassionate heart?

"Option One: Ask Yun Zhongzi to help subdue the demon and eliminate Daji. Quest reward: One Spirit Pill worth ten years of cultivation."

"Option Two: Refuse to let Yun Zhongzi enter the palace to subdue the demon. Quest reward: One Spirit Pill worth five years of cultivation."

Just then, two options suddenly appeared before Di Xin's eyes.

After glancing over them, Di Xin knew for certain what he ought to do.

The key was how to say it!

Yun Zhongzi replied, "My Dao Heart is steadfast, and I have always kept compassion in my heart. If I hadn't discovered this, why would I have ventured into the mortal world and disturbed the peace of the Royal Palace?"

Di Xin suddenly smiled. "I've never met you before, Daoist, so naturally I can't simply take your word for it. You seem to be an otherworldly expert. For all I know, you might even be able to turn people into demons. How could I let you enter the palace and kill someone based on your word alone?"

Yun Zhongzi gave a gentle smile. "I had no wish to incur the sin of killing. Since Your Majesty has your doubts, then you may do as you see fit. This sword... I leave it to Your Majesty."

As he spoke, a wooden sword appeared out of thin air in the Daoist's hand.

"You may hang this sword in your bedchamber. Within three days, the demon will be brought to justice, and the truth will be revealed to all."

As soon as he finished speaking, Daoist Yun Zhongzi dissolved into a streak of white light and vanished into thin air, leaving only the wooden sword floating before Di Xin.

Di Xin reached out and took the wooden sword. It was extremely light in his hand, and the scent of pine spread through the air.

Why wouldn't the system let Yun Zhongzi kill Daji?

Was it because of Goddess Nuwa, or was it worried Su Hu might take the opportunity to rebel?

Or was it both?

Now that he had the wooden sword, what should he do with it?

Was he really supposed to hang it in his bedchamber?

One question after another filled his mind.

Di Xin knew very well that now was absolutely not the right time to kill Daji. Whether it was Goddess Nuwa or Su Hu, neither would be easy to deal with.

And now that he was already on guard against Daji, she wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble in the short term.

Still, it would be unreasonable to disregard Yun Zhongzi's words entirely.

Very well!

With a thought, Di Xin took the Pine Wood Sword in hand and walked into his bedchamber.

"Great King, Great King, Noble Consort Su is drunk."

As soon as he appeared, Gun Juan, Daji's personal palace maid, hurried toward him. Her gaze then fell on the wooden sword in King Zhou's hand. She sniffed a few times and asked, "Great King, why have you brought pine wood into the palace?"

"Is there something wrong with that?" Di Xin asked, feigning confusion.

Gun Juan replied glibly, "Great King, I once heard a folk saying that getting near pine wood can make a woman barren. If a woman hoping to conceive is exposed to the scent of pine, she might never have children. I don't know if it's true, though."

"Oh, so that's what it is. That Daoist nearly harmed me."

Di Xin answered aloud, but secretly sneered. In just a few days, Daji had trained Gun Juan to this extent.

Clearly, Gun Juan had become Daji's mouthpiece, sent to stop him from bringing the sword into the palace.

No wonder he had seen her from afar when he left the Central Palace. She had been the fox demon's spy, there to sound out the situation.

It seemed Gun Juan would have to be added to the list of people to eliminate. In the original Investiture of the Gods, it had been this very palace maid who colluded with Daji and caused Empress Jiang's death.

Though killing intent had already risen in his heart, Di Xin showed not the slightest hint of it. He smiled at Gun Juan and even pinched her cheek. "Little Beauty, you've done a great service today. Thanks to your warning, Noble Consort Su might otherwise have been left without children. I'll reward you with twenty taels of gold. Also, go tell Noble Consort Su that since she's drunk, she should get some rest. I'll take my leave for now."

With that, Di Xin glanced toward the bedchamber's main hall and turned to leave.

The singing and dancing continued there, but Daji was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed the sword was indeed extraordinary. Even from that distance, Daji could sense its surging killing intent and had hidden herself.

Once outside the palace, where no one was around, Di Xin secretly sent the Pine Wood Sword into his system storage. Then he headed toward the Imperial Study as if nothing had happened.

It was still a scene of bustling activity. Many Imperial Guards had found tools for breaking stone, and were slowly chipping away at the Extraterrestrial Meteorite.

The meteorite was extremely hard. No matter how much effort the Imperial Guards put in, each strike could only chip off a few tiny fragments.

After watching for a while, Di Xin casually picked up a few fragments and strolled over to the Branch Palace Tower.

He dismissed the attendants, took out the fragments, and examined them carefully, but found nothing unusual.

He squeezed them hard in his hand. With several faint cracks, the meteorite fragments, which had looked so solid, crumbled into more than a dozen pieces.

"So this is the power to transcend mortal limits!"

Di Xin's heart surged with delight.

Right, he almost forgot...

He steadied his breathing and took two Spirit Pills from the system storage.

One was worth two years of cultivation, while the other was even more remarkable, worth a full five years.

Di Xin tossed them both into his mouth and swallowed them.