Kaikang City...
It was one of Clan Zhao's core cities.
In a massive palace in the city...
Zhai Tianfang and the other two former prisoners were lying somewhere.
Their conditions were finally stabilizing after recuperating for two days.
However, all three of them had received utterly despairing news.
Their meridians were practically in tatters, and there was absolutely no hope that they would ever recover their powers again.
"Someone with these kind of powers...definitely had to be a Perfected Person."
Huo Fei's expression was severe.
All three of the wounded brothers were very sure that a eunuch hiding among the royal family had field powers.
It was something that even those halfway into the Perfected Person Realm didn't have.
"Brother, we'll just recuperate here. Head back to the sect and inform the sect master about what has happened to us. A Perfected Person is hiding in the royal palace of the State of Xia. That man is definitely up to something," Zhai Tianfang said through clenched teeth.
He wanted nothing more than to see that wretched person dead.
"Sure." Huo Fei nodded.
He noted that his brother's tone was filled with resentment.
He could relate.
Zhai Tianfang's words made sense as well.
A Perfected Person who was hiding in the royal palace of a mortal nation would definitely be up to something.
"And Old Demon Han...kill him too," Zhai Tianfang added.
"Will do. I'll get rid of him as soon as I return from the sect," Huo Fei replied.
"Brother, be careful. Old Demon Han is very, very good at running away," Zhai Tianfang reminded him.
"Then I shall kill Old Demon Han before I head back to the sect."
He recalled what Old Demon Han was like.
That man had been terrified as soon as he'd come to ask him a question.
The first thing Old Demon Han did after Huo Fei left with the information he was looking for was to cover his tracks. He left as soon as he'd dropped a message to his disciples.
He headed straight for Zhongzhou without stopping.
He didn't care that he had a lot of enemies in Zhongzhou.
Things here were utterly terrifying.
Hiding in Zhongzhou was still a far better choice than hiding in a small place like Nanzhou after all.
Huo Fei looked for Old Demon Han at once, yet he could no longer find the man.
The longer he stayed in the State of Xia, the farther Old Demon Han was able to run away from him.
Huo Fei dared not linger any longer and headed back to the Xuan Sect, after spending two months trying to find Old Demon Han and finding nothing.
...
Li Mu fumbled with that round piece of jade in the underground palace, projecting his mental powers into it.
His mental perception saw a frightening rate of growth after being refined by the piece of jade.
He had only been able to keep his field about three-yards radius in the past, as going farther would cause his field to crumble.
His field, at the moment, had expanded to five yards.
"This well is that deep?"
His perception powers in the past had made him feel as if the well was bottomless.
It remained so even after he became a Perfected Person.
Despite having his perception enhanced, he was still unable to see the bottom of the well.
Liu Ling had found this well by chance.
He only knew that the well was dangerous and nothing else.
...
At the same time, back at the Xuan Sect in the hall of Yuheng Palace...
Huo Fei reported on what he had discovered on his trip to Elder Yuheng.
"Clan Liu is actually insolent enough to kill disciples of the Xuan Sect. I would have been able to do something about it, but given that it was a Perfected Person warrior we're talking about here, I thought it best to inform my brother."
"Wait here."
Yuheng left the palace, fuming.
A furious burst of aura shot to the heavens from the mountain behind the sect two hours later.
All who were training in the Xuan Sect, as well as the ones working and chatting right outside it, turned to look at that mountain.
The burst of aura was terrifying.
It was so strong that they almost felt that they had been crushed to the ground.
"He dared to kill a disciple of the Xuan Sect. He has some nerve."
A voice was heard.
The disciples wore looks of puzzlement.
Their expressions then became those of anger.
The one who dared to kill a disciple of the Xuan Sect shall die!
Who was it?
The entire place was thrown into fury within mere moments.
Countless disciples headed straight for Yuheng Palace, seething with anger.
They all requested to be allowed to avenge their fallen brothers.
"Brothers, that person is a Perfected Person, and the level of his training is right now unclear. There is also no telling what he is doing in a small nation like that."
"Didn't you say that Clan Zhao was siding with us now? In that case, just send us to Clan Zhao. We'll raze the State of Xia before we do anything else."
"Just tell Clan Zhao that we have only one request. All who were involved in the death of my disciples shall die. As for that Perfected Person, I shall deal with him myself."
"How far could a Perfected Person hiding in a mortal nation be? Even if he were to have secrets, I'll make him spill them out."
The sect master was finished talking and began giving orders.
The entire Xuan Sect got to work not too long after.
Countless disciples packed up their luggage and weapons, getting ready to fight in the war of vengeance.
As the liaison with Clan Zhao, Huo Fei brought the disciples to Clan Zhao first.
Elder Yuheng left early to look into the eunuch wearing emerald robes hiding in the royal family.
While the sect master was furious, he was far from having lost his mind.
He was out there to do more than take revenge.
He was also out to establish a mortal nation that was subservient to the Xuan Sect.
The leader of Clan Zhao received Huo Fei's letter.
He almost leaped out of his chair.
"Clan Zhao's days of bowing to others is finally over."
...
Two weeks later in the Imperial Study Room...
The emperor held a mysterious letter in his hand.
It was a letter from Ruirui, who had managed to get it into the emperor's hands through special means.
"What is Clan Zhao up to? Are they going to rebel?"
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
"What do you mean, calm down? They're making all the necessary preparations, amassing funds, and assigning all their own to the territories."
"Your Majesty, the seventh son is still around, right?" Great Friend Yu added.
Hmph~ "Who the h*ll knows what that fellow is up to?"
The emperor deemed that man to be the greatest threat.
"How about we get someone to assassinate him then?"
The emperor frowned.
"Ruirui has only been married for six months, and getting widowed… Get someone to keep a close eye on that guy. If he is really up to something, kill him right away without notifying me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Great Friend Yu left.
The emperor hung his head and thought for a long time.
"Is Clan Zhao really trying to rebel now? Don't they know that the royal family has the protection of Saint-level warriors? Unless…"
The emperor returned to his table, taking out a piece of paper and writing something. He then headed straight for the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
He didn't see the man he was looking for around when he was inside the underground palace.
"Pardon the intrusion, sir."
Regardless if the man was still around or not, he was still compelled to observe the necessary courtesy.
He then left the piece of paper in the place and left.
Hopefully, he would prepare to do something after reading my warning.
...
Someone appeared all of a sudden on a hill outside Mount Yan.
The person was dressed in green and had full, long beard.
The person had an amicable face, yet the fury in his eyes was unmistakable.
That man was none other than the sect master of the Xuan Sect.
Although Mount Yan was standing in his way, yet nothing happening in the capital city seemed to be able to escape his perception.
Elder Yuheng's investigations were over.
He'd found nothing.
He was unable to even tell which palace that eunuch was from.
"Regardless of who you are, what you're doing to avoid your enemies or for some other reason, you've chosen to provoke the Xuan Sect, and, by doing so, you've forsaken your right to live. I'll have you watch your loved ones die one after another right before your eyes."
...
Back at the underground palace, Li Mu dumped the note from the emperor into the well.
"The Xuan Sect, Clan Zhao... What a headache. Fine, you're all here, then just come at me."
He then took a look at the deep well.
"I wonder what I'd be getting into if I were to check in to the well once."
He extended his leg but backed away.
...
In the morning, several days later...
The atmosphere in the Jinluan Hall was tense.
"Anyuan City has been taken by Clan Zhao. They are about to rebel for real."
"Your Majesty, please deploy the troops," a minister advised.
"Report! Urgent report!"
An anxious voice could be heard from outside the hall.
The ministers turned around, one after another.
The report was handed over to Eunuch Yu, who handed it over to the emperor without a second's delay.
The emperor opened the cowhide container and took out the folding memorial within.
He stared at the memorial with his hands trembling.
He was stunned for quite a while by what he had read.
"Your Majesty."
Eunuch Yu reminded him of what he was doing.
"Clan Zhao has killed Lord Ning."
The emperor's lips trembled as he said this with a shaky, seemingly weeping voice.