Chapter 1451 - 52: Trial_2
This is the Future Throne Lord; even if my life is required, I can only give it.
"Alright. Isn’t he still alive?"
Jiang Huang was not very patient.
She coldly spoke, "How did you find that Ancient Box earlier? Speak honestly."
"?"
Mao Que was dumbstruck.
"Mao Que."
Venerable Chi Lu sighed softly and squatted down, trying to make his voice sound gentle and amiable: "Don’t be afraid. This is a lord who has come from afar from the Heavenly Phoenix Palace. As long as you obediently answer this lord’s questions, I guarantee you won’t be harmed."
"A lord from the Heavenly Phoenix Palace..."
Mao Que swallowed.
In these few fleeting moments.
A myriad of thoughts swept through his mind. Although he lived suppressed for many years, he has been cultivating since he was a Little Demon, one step at a time. Mao Que’s only somewhat decent trait was being able to "seize the right moment" and having a tad bit of "cleverness."
There are many influential figures in the Heavenly Phoenix Palace, but one so young and so powerful is exceedingly rare.
His Master is under the command of Chi Fu Dragon Lord.
Those young nobles have to give Chi Fu Lord some respect.
Even his master, a figure of stature, was so humble, the identity of this red-clad girl was evident.
This is the Future Throne of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace.
The Secret Box I obtained from the Ancient Dragon Court actually caught the attention of the Future Throne Lord?
As this thought emerged, Mao Que realized something even more terrifying... that the Throne Lord’s Soul Search on him seemed to have failed. Although Jiang Huang’s strength is incredibly formidable, if she had seen the images in his Soul Sea, she wouldn’t be interrogating him like this now.
Clearly.
Jiang Huang does not know what happened in Show Forest.
"Lord..."
Mao Que quickly knelt down, prostrating himself, and said with terrified sincerity: "What does the Lord wish to know?"
"Idiot."
Without waiting for Jiang Huang to speak, Venerable Chi Lu gave Mao Que a kick in irritation: "How did you obtain that Secret Box? Speak truthfully!"
"I..."
Mao Que’s mind had never turned so fast in his life.
He knows very well.
Right now, the Throne Lord of Heavenly Phoenix Palace personally interrogates him.
Either he finds a way to cover up what happened in Show Forest or discloses everything about the Ancient Dragon Court.
The former.
May be exposed.
But what happened in Show Forest can still be patched up somewhat.
If Jiang Huang and his Master learn about his involvement with the Ancient Dragon Court... his life is likely not to survive until tomorrow.
"Lord, I picked it up from Broken Buddha Cliff."
Mao Que took a deep breath, made up his mind, and said earnestly: "Earlier, a Demon Spirit under my command received a soul scroll. I don’t know who sent it, but it invited me to ’Broken Buddha Cliff’..."
He truthfully recounted the matter of going to Broken Buddha Cliff.
"..."
Jiang Huang listened expressionlessly.
Venerable Chi Lu was filled with terror; he hadn’t asked much when he took the Secret Box, not imagining there could be such a matter.
However, afterwards.
Mao Que slightly altered the story’s direction; he didn’t expose the two mysterious lords of the Ancient Dragon Court, only saying he found the Secret Box in the forest and thought it might be a good clue, thus presented it to his Master.
This story, though suspicious, could still pass.
"Bastard, who was the letter carrier?"
Venerable Chi Lu spoke coldly with a sullen face: "Why didn’t you mention this point?"
"Disciple does not know who the letter carrier was either."
Mao Que wore a troubled expression: "Also, Master... you didn’t ask about these things..."
Such a neat shifting of blame.
Facing Jiang Huang’s indifferent gaze, Venerable Chi Lu sweated profusely, yet couldn’t utter a word.
If only he hadn’t taken the credit earlier.
Now, the matter of the Path of Destruction was replete with peculiarities.
If investigations lead to some strange conspiracy, he’d be finished.
"Alright."
Jiang Huang withdrew her gaze and calmly said: "Take me to Broken Buddha Cliff, to see where you picked up the Secret Box."
...
...
"Mao Que handed the box to Venerable Chi Lu; aren’t you afraid of causing trouble?"
In the dilapidated temple.
In front of the Buddha throne, the light and fire glowed faintly.
Xie Xuanyi sat in the wheelchair, undressed halfway, revealing his chest. Nourished by the Undying Spring, the originally shocking wound had gradually healed, but it still bore sinister blood lines, interwoven like a spider web. Ao Ying crouched in front of the chair, gingerly tending to these wounds.
Several days passed.
The burning force of Karmic Fire showed no sign of stopping.
She cleaned the charred flesh bit by bit.
"Trouble..."
Xie Xuanyi closed his eyes, tilted his head, and gently laughed, "Venerable Chi Lu was never the trouble..."
"I know, the real trouble is Heavenly Phoenix Palace."
Ao Ying furrowed her beautiful brows, seriously saying, "Venerable Chi Lu wouldn’t randomly investigate the ’White Paper Ashes.’ If Chi Fu Dragon Lord heads south, this clue certainly won’t escape him. By then, what Mao Que must face is the investigation by the Yang God Venerable."
Grass snake gray line, the hidden thread stretches a thousand miles.
No matter how small the sign, it’s still a sign.
If Heavenly Phoenix Palace wants to investigate, they will certainly trace it back to Mao Que, and by extension, our side will also be exposed.
"You’re worried Mao Que will betray us."
Xie Xuanyi slowly opened his eyes, glancing slightly downward, meeting the demoness’s upward gaze.
"Yes."
Ao Ying didn’t hide this concern.
She lowered her voice and said, "Ultimately, we can’t be seen... If he exposes us, what then?"
She never trusted outsiders.
Moreover, the two parties only met once. A Great Demon like Mao Que could betray Lushui Cave Heaven, so he could betray us too.
"Mao Que may be a minor figure, but he’s not foolish; he surely knows that exposing the Ancient Dragon Court would mean his death."
Xie Xuanyi remained calm.
"Are you so sure?"
Ao Ying still felt uneasy.
"How Mao Que chooses is actually irrelevant."
Xie Xuanyi lightly chuckled, "Under high pressure, Dao Heart collapses. I’ve seen this many times; he certainly can choose ’confession,’ but some things, once spoken... People outside won’t believe..."
Ao Ying paused, finally understanding Xie Xuanyi’s meaning.
Indeed...
The Ancient Dragon Court, even if you trace back eight hundred years, never existed.
Even if Mao Que reveals the truth, who would believe him?
Even if someone does, who would associate the Ancient Dragon Court with Xie Xuanyi?
"There’s no need to worry for now. Just watch how things unfold."
Xie Xuanyi spoke soothingly, offering comfort.
During the meeting in Show Forest.
He had made ample preparations.
A wisp of Sword Qi directly sealed Mao Que’s Divine Sea, eliminating any possibility of "Soul Search." If Heavenly Phoenix Palace truly detects this "breakthrough point," to obtain the truth they must interrogate personally, which for Xie Xuanyi, this examination is not just a trial for Mao Que, but also for the Ancient Dragon Court’s test of Mao Que.
In this world, nothing is truly free; fate secretly marks the price.
That drop of Dragon Blood is not easy to claim.
For Mao Que, this is a once-in-a-lifetime Great Creation, a great opportunity. It is indeed so, but only by surviving this trial and demonstrating loyalty to the Ancient Dragon Court... will there be subsequent cooperation.
Set foot wrongly.
And it means death.
Of course.
Whether Mao Que passes the trial or not, to Xie Xuanyi, it doesn’t matter.
Because he had successfully sent out that Secret Box.
If he guessed correctly, the person behind this large-scale search in Lushui Cave Heaven is likely Chi Fu Dragon Lord. Given Chi Fu’s meticulous mind, this seemingly cryptic Secret Box clue will certainly serve greatly!
Because...
Within this box is the "Path of Destruction" that Xie Xuanyi found in the Ancient Tree Cave Heaven!
He pondered for a long time.
He and Xuan Jin and Cheng Er merely had a brief encounter.
To "use a borrowed knife to kill," one needs a close cause-and-effect related item.
But luckily...
Back then, the Ancient Tree Cave Heaven’s dome piled up with a massive amount of "Path of Destruction," Xuan Jin took away part of it.
This Sword Dao genius of Heavenly Phoenix Palace, though talented, but compared to himself, still falls short.
Xie Xuanyi introspects and finds these Dao Intents difficult to digest. Even after Harmonization and promotion, he spent a vast amount of time to digest most of the "Path of Destruction," still leaving some residue today.
Xuan Jin, even more so.
Even if this guy successfully advances to Yang God, some Dao Intent residue will definitely remain.
Therefore...
The "Path of Destruction" in this Secret Box is the sharp sword of Heavenly Dao cause and effect aimed at Xuan Jin!