Great Grandmaster

Killing an official, in any dynasty, was an unforgivable capital crime.

Especially under a feudal dynasty, where ranks were rigidly enforced. To offend one's superior was a sin beyond pardon, punishable by death by a thousand cuts, perhaps even collective punishment.

It was a challenge to a dynasty's rule. No monarch could possibly tolerate it.

Song Tonghai had committed such a grave crime, so Chu Zheng's earlier plans had naturally come to nothing.

Once the court's Imperial Envoy arrived and uncovered the truth, the situation would become exceedingly dangerous.

Running away seemed to have become the best option again.

Chu Zheng fell into thought, but soon rejected the notion of fleeing once more.

Leaving now would mean fleeing in fear of punishment. The court would immediately issue a kill order, and it might even alert an Immortal Sect.

The methods of the immortal path were mysterious and profound; they surely had ways to track someone across a thousand miles. Being caught was only a matter of time.

Unable to advance or retreat, Chu Zheng felt as though he were gripping a thornbush, its spikes piercing painfully into his hand.

What could he do to preserve himself and hold out until he entered Spiritual Transformation?

Rubbing his brow, Chu Zheng suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked toward Song Tonghai. He cautiously asked, "May I ask, Patriarch, how powerful is the Phantom Spirit Sect?"

"That is a true Immortal Sect, with countless Supreme Immortals. Naturally, it is immensely powerful."

"How does it compare with Great Zhou?"

"Of course it is stronger than Great Zhou. Great Zhou is, in the end, a mortal kingdom. How could it be mentioned in the same breath as cultivators?"

Song Tonghai was somewhat puzzled. "Why do you ask this?"

The tension between Chu Zheng's brows eased slightly as he said slowly, "Then I suggest that the Patriarch delay for the time being. If it cannot be concealed, you should place righteousness above family and report that Second Miss killed an official before fleeing."

"Hm?"

Song Tonghai immediately frowned. After weighing the words for a moment, he shook his head.

"If we do that, the Government Office may temporarily detain us, perhaps even escort us to the capital. That would be equivalent to entering a dragon's pool and tiger's den, with no hope of escape thereafter."

Song Tonghai understood Chu Zheng's intentions. He meant to use Song Lingqing to pressure Great Zhou. As long as Song Lingqing remained alive, the Government Office would inevitably have some reservations.

Even if they knew Song Tonghai was lying, it would most likely keep them safe for the time being. It was merely an expedient measure, and the court could preserve its dignity as well.

"For now, we can only take one step and look one step ahead. The key lies in the court's attitude."

Chu Zheng sighed softly. In this predicament, the only thing he could think of was to stall—stall until he achieved Hundred Day Spiritual Transformation, then make further plans.

After considering it carefully for a long while, Chu Zheng asked again, "Does the Patriarch know what the relationship is between the Immortal Sect behind Great Zhou and the Phantom Spirit Sect?"

"There is no Immortal Sect behind Great Zhou." Song Tonghai shook his head slightly.

"There isn't?!" Chu Zheng was briefly taken aback.

He had assumed Great Zhou was secretly controlled by an Immortal Sect from behind the scenes. Now, it seemed that was not the case.

"The Zhao Clan has ancestors in every major Immortal Sect, including the Phantom Spirit Sect. When Ling Qing entered the Immortal Sect, I heard this from a Supreme Immortal."

"I see." Chu Zheng came to a sudden realization and felt somewhat more at ease. If that was so, Great Zhou's stance would be more inclined toward neutrality.

Afterward, Chu Zheng and Song Tonghai discussed a few more details before they finally dispersed.

While discussing this matter, both Chu Zheng and Song Tonghai tacitly avoided one question.

What should they do if something went wrong on Song Lingqing's end?

Less than seven days after the Commandery Governor's death, a procession of crimson-armored Iron Cavalry bearing Great Zhou's imperial banners entered Luofeng City in a grand formation, heading straight for the City Lord's Manor.

The Vermillion Bird Divine Guard, one of the Son of Heaven's Four Guards. Only those who had cultivated Internal Qi were qualified to enter the Four Guards. Their Commanders-in-Chief were all pillars supporting the realm, and every single one was a Great Grandmaster of the age.

At noon that day, every Martial Dao practitioner in the city was forcibly taken away by the Vermillion Bird Divine Guard, including everyone from the Song Family.

Inside the main hall, the entire Song Family group was present. An armored man sat behind a desk, his gaze sharp as an eagle's as it swept across the crowd.

The man appeared to be nearly fifty. His features were square and upright, his hair glossy black without a single silver strand, and his entire body exuded vigorous vitality and blood energy.

The Vermillion Bird Divine Guard Commander, Li Mingzhou.

Chu Zheng stood at the back, a gleam flickering in his eyes as he secretly observed for a moment. He could not help but be moved.

He had somewhat underestimated the strength of a Martial Dao Great Grandmaster.

A Great Grandmaster's level of life had already undergone a transformation. They could live for at least a hundred and fifty years, and the Qi within their bodies was terrifyingly powerful, far surpassing that of a Grandmaster.

Judging from the Qi within this Grandmaster's body, he was at least ninety years old. Yet he looked under fifty, still as vigorous as a dragon and fierce as a tiger.

"Song Tonghai!"

Li Mingzhou, seated behind the desk, suddenly let out a thunderous shout. His voice rang like a great bell, shaking everyone's minds into a daze.

"This commoner is here." Song Tonghai slowly stepped forward.

"Where were you when Yuan Xingcai and Luo Wang died?"

"That night, my household had just suffered an attack, and this commoner was injured as well. I should have been treating my wounds." Song Tonghai answered truthfully.

Li Mingzhou examined him before speaking in a deep voice. "Remove your clothes."

Song Tonghai complied, taking off his upper garment to reveal his muscular torso. His body was covered in scars, with several fresh wounds clearly visible.

"You may leave."

After looking twice, Li Mingzhou nodded slightly and waved a hand.

He did not question the others in Song Manor much either, and soon released them.

Had it passed so easily?

No.

Following amid the crowd, Chu Zheng's gaze hardened. For a moment, he could not make head or tail of it.

When Luo Wang had come to the door that day, he had directly taken away the corpses of those black-clad men. Song Tonghai had harbored resentment, and thus killed him. He had both motive and opportunity, and his strength was sufficient. By all rights, he should have been the prime suspect.

Yet this Great Grandmaster believed him just like that? Why?

"You, stay."

Chu Zheng was still deep in thought when a call suddenly came from behind him.

Great Zhou Imperial Capital.

The Great Sun hung low in the west, crimson afterglow staining the walls of the deep palace red, carrying a trace of bone-deep chill.

Within a side hall, the Son of Heaven received Zhao Yunheng, while Zhao Jichang was left waiting outside.

The light within the hall was somewhat dim. Only the Son of Heaven and Zhao Yunheng were present.

Suddenly, the Son of Heaven raised his hand and viciously slapped Zhao Yunheng across the face.

Smack—

The crisp sound echoed through the hall, its lingering reverberation refusing to fade.

"You were too hasty."

The Son of Heaven's expression was slightly cold as he said frostily, "You have taken an interest in the Song Family bloodline and wish to make arrangements for your descendants. That is understandable, but you must know your own limits."

"What sort of person is Song Lingqing? She has a High-grade Immortal Bone, a true Immortal Seed with hopes of entering the Nine Transformations of the Divine Infant in the future. If she obtains some fortuitous opportunity, Great Zhou may well face a change of heaven and earth."

"If she survives the Myriad Sects Hidden Dragon Competition, entering the Dao will be only a matter of days, and Soul Condensation will be close at hand. If you make too great a fuss now, how will you settle things afterward?"

"Imperial Brother, I did not make a move."

Zhao Yunheng shook his head, rather helplessly. "I merely instructed that Luofeng City Commandery Governor to stand by with folded arms and not meddle in other people's business. That was all."

"Jichang is my own flesh and blood. I would not harm him, nor would I have him bring home a resentful woman burdened by an ocean of blood-deep hatred."

"Is that true?"

"If I speak even half a lie, then may I be barred from entering the ancestral mausoleum after death."