The Curtain Falls

The four-colored aurora blazed dazzlingly, washing down like a cloud of spiritual light. Its power had reached the very peak of the Primordial Spirit Realm, coming infinitely close to the Dao Palace Realm!

"I never expected the four royal manors to have such a terrifying trump card. In the entire Eastern Desolation, power at this level could make them invincible below the Dao Palace Realm!"

"No-even upon reaching the Dao Palace Realm, those who cultivated this inheritance would be among the strongest in that realm."

The four-colored aurora was reflected in Ling Yun's eyes, and he was utterly awestruck.

Ever since King Chen had begun coveting the ancestral mausoleum, Ling Yun had wondered at what made the royal manor so extraordinary. Ordinarily, even if the Ling Kingdom had been powerful a thousand years ago, it should not have been enough to make the evil cultivators who had staged a comeback wary.

After all, the present-day Ling Kingdom could be said to have no Dao Palace-level power guarding it at all.

But after learning part of the truth, he could already guess that the royal manor possessed a hidden power capable of opposing, and even inspiring profound fear in, those at the Dao Palace Realm.

Forbidden Heart!

That was what the mysterious object was called in King Chen's memories.

Now, the terrifying power unleashed by the four kings joining forces made him realize with a shock that it was not just the Spirit King's Manor-the four royal manors, and perhaps even the entire Ling Kingdom, held great secrets!

Surely only people at the Spirit King's level knew these secrets.

The history of the Ling Kingdom known to most others began a thousand years ago.

A thousand years ago, seven Dao Palace Realm mighty figures had divided and claimed territory across this land, establishing the Ling Kingdom. The strength of those seven Dao Palace Realm mighty figures had been unfathomable; every one of them had been a terrifying existence at Dao Palace Realm Perfection!

That force had been utterly unstoppable in the Eastern Desolation. Even the Divine Desolation Sect, foremost among the five great forces, had fewer mighty figures at Dao Palace Realm Perfection than the Ling Kingdom had possessed a thousand years ago.

Thinking of it now, Ling Yun found it even more incredible.

The four royal manors' inheritances seemed to share a common origin, and when united, they could unleash power at the utmost limit. Did these inheritances from the seven Dao Palace Realm mighty figures of a thousand years ago hold an even older secret?

Where had those seven powerhouses from a thousand years ago come from? Why, possessing such terrifying power, had they willingly established a force in a remote corner of the Eastern Desolation rather than join the other five great forces?

Why had the evil cultivators in the records of those chaotic times always eyed the Ling Kingdom like tigers stalking their prey?

Ordinary people knew nothing of these secrets.

Nor were they qualified to know.

Ling Yun was certain that, with the evil cultivators emerging, these secrets would unfold before him one by one like a scroll in the near future!

High in the heavens, the four-colored holy light finally dispersed, the clouds between heaven and earth cleared away, and bright moonlight fell upon the land.

The four kings stood in the air, their auras weak.

Clearly, using such a method was still far too taxing for those at the Primordial Spirit Realm.

As for where Leng Yue and Xue Yue had stood, their figures had vanished, and not even a trace of their auras remained.

"Everyone, thank you for your help this time. There are matters I must attend to at the manor, so I shall take my leave."

At last, the Spirit King looked at the other three with a complicated expression and cupped his fists in salute.

The Mystic King, Azure King, and Light King gave the Spirit King a long look and returned the salute.

They all knew that this might be the last time they would see one another.

The Spirit King could no longer suppress the poison at all. It could be said that there was no turning back the heavens.

"Third Elder, sorry for the trouble, but please return and give His Majesty a full account of everything that happened at the manor. Be sure to remind His Majesty to be careful; what lies ahead is uncertain."

The elder nodded in agreement, his expression grave.

The four Primordial Spirit Realm experts finally went their separate ways, but countless people in Myriad Phenomena City continued to talk, showing no sign of settling down.

Many had witnessed the great battle at the Spirit King's Manor with their own eyes, and for a time, all sorts of accounts circulated.

The Spirit King's face suddenly turned pale, and black blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, a horrifying sight.

"Your Highness!"

Madam Wang, Ling Fei, and the others crowded around him. Seeing the Spirit King's condition deteriorate rapidly, they were frantic with worry.

"At once, come with me to the Royal Mausoleum!"

But the Spirit King shook his head. Ignoring his own injuries, he urgently gave the order.

"The... Royal Mausoleum?!"

Madam Wang's face stiffened. The others' expressions also turned strange, and they all fell silent.

"What happened?"

An ill feeling rose in the Spirit King's heart, but there was no time to delay. He used his Spiritual Yuan to lift Madam Wang and several core members and headed for the Royal Mausoleum.

"Fei'er, you tell me. What happened?"

On the way, the Spirit King looked calmly at Ling Fei beside him and asked in an unreadable tone.

Ling Fei looked at the Spirit King's plainly calm face, yet felt such immense pressure that he could not even raise his head, and his back broke out in a cold sweat.

"Speak!"

The Spirit King's tone suddenly sharpened, frightening Ling Fei into a full-body tremble.

"Your Highness!"

Madam Wang suddenly called out.

The Spirit King instantly turned his gaze on her.

Madam Wang, however, showed no fear.

"Some time ago, a scoundrel crippled Ling Yun's cultivation, so I sent him to the Royal Mausoleum to recuperate."

She dared not let Ling Fei bear the blame, and she understood that the Spirit King was already angry, so she could only state the facts as briefly as possible.

"Something terrible has happened!"

The Spirit King flew into a rage and swept his sleeve. Within a few breaths, they had reached the foot of the Royal Mausoleum's mountain.

"Father, it was me! I couldn't stand Ling Yun, so I had my mother do it."

Ling Fei's eyes reddened, and he fell to his knees.

The Spirit King ignored him and instantly swept the entire Royal Mausoleum with his spiritual sense.

"There are no signs that the formation has been tampered with. It seems that scoundrel doesn't yet know the secret within the Royal Mausoleum."

The Spirit King breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately afterward, his heart rose into his throat again.

"Where is Yun'er?!"

After searching all around, the Spirit King could find no trace of Ling Yun.

During the battle, he had sensed fluctuations of an unfamiliar aura coming from the Royal Mausoleum, so he had hurriedly used his trump card to end the fight, afraid something had happened there.

But now there seemed to be nothing wrong with the Royal Mausoleum, while Ling Yun was nowhere to be found.

"Wh... what?"

Madam Wang's heart immediately sank. Ling Fei was so terrified that he trembled all over, kneeling on the ground and not daring to rise.

Suddenly, the Spirit King noticed a lifeless body.

He took the others and teleported to the corpse.

Seeing the overturned trees and scorched earth around it, everyone looked horrified.

"King Chen!"

The Spirit King looked at the dead man's ghastly face, a sense of absurdity rising in his heart.

"There's also a Primordial Spirit Realm aura."

Sensing the aura lingering on King Chen's corpse, the Spirit King felt an inexplicable chill.

"Your Highness, the bloodstains over there seem to be... the young lord's."

A man spoke up.

He was the manor's Second Master, and his cultivation was among the highest beneath the Spirit King's. After looking around, he hurriedly reported to the Spirit King.

The Spirit King led the others over and sensed it for himself. His heart had already sunk into an abyss.

"Someone invaded the Royal Mausoleum. I fear the young lord has been killed."

Another man spoke.

Madam Wang and the others had long since stripped Ling Yun of his status as young lord, but no one dared mention it before the Spirit King, as though Ling Yun were still their young lord.

When those words fell, the Spirit King seemed to lose all strength, his face filled with anger.

"King Chen! King Chen!"

He roared aloud. Though he still did not know exactly what had happened at the Royal Mausoleum, he had a strong intuition linking it all to King Chen.

"Nothing..."

"Still nothing..."

The Spirit King searched the Royal Mausoleum with his spiritual sense as he looked through every part of it.

"His cultivation was crippled..."

"Who in the Royal Mausoleum cared?"

The Spirit King's heart was filled with loss and guilt. Even he, always stern and composed, could not stop his tears from falling.

Madam Wang and Ling Fei had long since turned pale, and their hearts churned like overturned rivers and seas, filled with bitterness.

I... I didn't mean to get Ling Yun killed, either.

That was what they thought.

But Ling Yun's death was closely tied to them.

"Return to the manor and give me a clear account of everything, one thing at a time."

The Spirit King held his emotions in check and spoke in an icy voice.

The group left together.

A long time later, a white-robed figure appeared atop the Royal Mausoleum. Looking at the Spirit King's Manor in the distance, riddled with damage, he stood motionless for a long time, a dazed expression on his face.

"I still can't reveal myself now. This is the best way."

"Just consider me dead."

"When I'm strong enough to fear no one in the Eastern Desolation, I'll personally give you an explanation."

Ling Yun murmured softly.