Inside the palace, Emperor Zhou caressed the cold armrest of the dragon throne, attempting to calm the turmoil within his heart.
Not far away, Hong Canshang stood tall, his figure reminiscent of a sturdy pine tree, as calm as ever. However, a lingering air of gloominess lingered between his brows.
"Before this confrontation, old fellows like Jihe and Yun Zhongqi were probably planning to take advantage of Su Yi's defeat. Who could have imagined that Su Yi... would actually win?" After a long while, Emperor Zhou sighed softly. "And not only did he win, he did so splendidly and effortlessly, without sustaining any injuries. I'm sure Jihe and Yun Zhongqi must be disappointed."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze towards Hong Canshang, his interest piqued. "National Teacher, what do you think Su Hongli is thinking at this moment?"
Hong Canshang shook his head. "Su Hongli is no longer the same person he used to be. I can't fathom his thoughts."
Pausing for a moment, he pondered and continued, "But one thing is certain. Su Yi's strength displayed today on Jiuzi Mountain exceeded Su Hongli's expectations, making him take it seriously."
Emperor Zhou nodded and asked further, "Then tell me, when May 4th arrives, between father and son, who do you think will have the last laugh?"
Upon hearing this, Hong Canshang's pale golden eyes turned towards Emperor Zhou as he replied, "Your Majesty, if you stand on one side, that side will have a greater chance of victory."
Emperor Zhou sighed softly and said, "If only things were that simple."
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience," a high-pitched and respectful voice sounded from outside the hall.
"Let him in," Emperor Zhou said, glancing at Hong Canshang. "You see, this matter has even stirred up those old fellows."
Hong Canshang remained silent.
Before long, a young man dressed in a gray robe, with a handsome and jade-like appearance, entered the hall and respectfully bowed. "Son pays respects to the Emperor!"
The young man had a dragon-like bearing and a phoenix-like grace. His hair was tied up in a topknot, exuding elegance and uniqueness.
He was none other than the Crown Prince, Zhou Zhiqian.
He was a prince shrouded in mystery within the imperial family. This was because he had been sent to Mount Hidden Dragon for cultivation since childhood and had rarely appeared or walked in the world during these years.
"Finally, you are willing to come and see Us," Emperor Zhou's gaze became complicated.
This eldest son had been noticed by the Hidden Dragon Sect even when he was still in his infancy. They recognized his exceptional talent and innate extraordinariness, seeing him as a promising candidate for cultivation.
Thus, before he was even a month old, Zhou Zhiqian was taken away and brought to Hidden Dragon Mountain, where the members of the sect resided, to cultivate.
Twenty-five years passed in the blink of an eye.
During these years, even Emperor Zhou, as his father, had only seen Zhou Zhiqian on rare occasions.
Now, as he looked at his dignified and elegant eldest son, who remained silent, Emperor Zhou couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness in his heart.
This was the barrier between them.
Despite being father and son, their meetings felt distant, as if they were sovereign and subject.
"Speak, why have you come?" Emperor Zhou asked.
Only then did Zhou Zhiqian speak, "Reporting to Father Emperor, the Grand Elder requests your presence at Hidden Dragon Mountain."
Emperor Zhou squinted his eyes and asked, "What does the Grand Elder want?"
Zhou Zhiqian fell silent.
Emperor Zhou coldly snorted, "As my own flesh and blood, are you afraid to even tell me about such matters?"
His expression grew gloomy, and his anger erupted, casting a heavy and oppressive atmosphere in the hall.
However, Zhou Zhiqian seemed oblivious, maintaining a calm demeanor. "I dare not overstep my bounds in the face of the Grand Elder's instructions."
Seeing that Emperor Zhou was about to say something else, Hong Canshang interjected, "Your Majesty, do not press the child. Since the Grand Elder has invited you, it would be best for you to personally go and find out."
Emperor Zhou let out a long sigh and waved his hand. "You may go. Inform the Grand Elder that I will see him in one hour."
Zhou Zhiqian saluted with clasped fists and turned to leave.
From beginning to end, he adhered to the etiquette of a loyal subject. However, in Emperor Zhou's eyes, it caused a subtle pain in his heart.
"To pursue cultivation and enlightenment, must we sever the bonds between father and son? How can such a merciless path exist in this world!" Emperor Zhou exclaimed indignantly.
Hong Canshang spoke softly, "Your Majesty, compared to Su Hongli and Su Yi, this father-son pair is not as bad."
Emperor Zhou paused for a moment, self-deprecatingly saying, "I must admit, there is one thing about Su Hongli that I truly admire. He dares to kill his wife and even his own son, displaying a level of cruelty and ruthlessness that surpasses me as an emperor."
Hong Canshang said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, what you should be concerned about now is what those Hidden Dragon members of the imperial family are planning."
Emperor Zhou sneered, "What else could it be? Naturally, it's for the sake of Su Yi's matter! If my expectations are correct, they must have set their sights on the fortuitous encounter he possesses!"
Hong Canshang inquired further, "Then how will Your Majesty decide?"
Emperor Zhou rose from his dragon throne, his gaze profound. "In the eyes of the world, I am Emperor Zhou, the ruler of Da Zhou, with immense power and prestige. But who knows that above me, there is a heavy mountain pressing down?"
His voice carried a tinge of resentment. "If not for this mountain, why would I have been trapped in the realm of Innate Martial Ancestor for twenty years?"
Pointing behind him to the dragon throne, his tone turned icy. "They told me that once I sit on this chair, I must abandon the idea of pursuing cultivation and enlightenment."
"They also told me that using the faith power of sentient beings to cultivate will inevitably affect the prosperity of Da Zhou and trap the imperial family of Da Zhou in the faith power of sentient beings."
His eyes grew deep, tinged with hatred. "Yet, during these years on Hidden Dragon Mountain, they have been practicing using the faith power of sentient beings day and night!"
"And it's not enough; they even want me to act as their puppet and help them gather cultivation resources from all over the world!"
The countenance of the Emperor of Da Zhou turned terrifyingly grim. "To exhaust the wealth of Da Zhou and drain the faith power of sentient beings to support these Hidden Dragon members and fulfill their pursuit on the path of the Great Dao... Isn't this an insatiable greed!?"
The sound reverberated through the hall.
Hong Canshang remained silent.
He knew this was Emperor Zhou's lingering concern, a thorn embedded in his heart since the day he ascended the dragon throne, accumulating to this day.
After a moment, Emperor Zhou took a deep breath, and his eyes flickered. "If they want to meddle, then let them meddle!"
In that instant, a thought flashed through Hong Canshang's mind:
"When two quarrel, the third benefits."
...
Songfeng Villa.
A banquet was in progress.
Zhenyue King Mu Xi, Puyi, Jiang Tanyun, Lu Changfeng, and others were in attendance, toasting and enjoying the atmosphere with Su Yi. The mood was harmonious.
But in the presence of Su Yi, each of these individuals, who had a formidable reputation in Da Zhou, subconsciously treated him with sincere respect from the depths of their hearts.
Today's battle, for others, would be a shocking event capable of shaking the world.
However, for those who stood on Su Yi's ship, it undoubtedly proved that their choices back then were correct!
Indeed, within the Jade Capital City, there were still many immensely powerful beings who regarded Su Yi as an enemy. But Mu Xi and the others were no longer as worried about Su Yi as they had been before!
During the conversation, Su Yi learned that after practicing the "Profound Yin-Yang Scripture" he taught, Mu Xi was only one step away from reaching the realm of a land immortal.
Naturally, this was a joyful event.
The banquet concluded late into the night.
Mu Xi and the others took their leave.
Su Yi returned to his room, sat at his desk, and held the ancient Silver Snow Sword, lost in thought.
During his duel with You Tianhong on the peak of Jiuzhi Mountain, he had sensed an unusual fluctuation of a precious treasure.
That subtle fluctuation was extremely secretive, as if attempting to uncover the secrets within him.
Fortunately, this attempt failed. It was shattered and dissipated by the aura of the Nine Hells Sword, which resided in his divine soul.
Although it was a minor incident, it made Su Yi alert and aware that someone had tried to probe the secrets within him on Jiuzhi Mountain today!
"Is it him..."
Su Yi recalled the scene several days ago, when he confronted Su Hongli from a distance beneath Qingqi Mountain outside the city.
At that time, someone had concealed themselves and used secret techniques in an attempt to probe his aura.
And today, a similar incident occurred!
The probing power, however, came from an extremely mysterious precious treasure, even causing the Nine Hells Sword to react and respond immediately.
"If it truly is the person by Su Hongli's side, I'm afraid he is already suspicious that I have hidden cards up my sleeve," Su Yi pondered.
The world believed that Su Yi possessed immense fortuitous encounters; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to possess the power to kill a land immortal with his cultivation at the Grandmaster realm.
This perception was naturally quite ridiculous.
However, if it were said that he indeed had fortuitous encounters, it would be true.
With his accumulated cultivation experience of a hundred thousand years in his previous life and his mastery of various extraordinary scriptures, he could effortlessly trigger bloodshed and chaos on this vast continent.
Unfortunately, these wisdom, past experiences, and fortuitous encounters could never be taken away.
And among all the hidden cards he possessed, the Nine Hells Sword was probably the most significant!
This mysteriously originated divine sword was something he had been unable to decipher even during the peak of his previous life.
Back then, his senior disciple, Vimala, believed that Su Xuanjun relied on this sword to attain enlightenment and gradually become the supreme ruler of the vast wilderness.
His junior disciple, Qing Tang, believed that the sword held immense fortuitous encounters and was the most precious treasure on Su Xuanjun's person. For this reason, he did not hesitate to open the coffin left behind by Su Xuanjun after his reincarnation, just to obtain the sword.
Regrettably, they were both unaware that even their idolized self at that time had failed to unravel the mysteries within the sword...
So far, Su Yi could only be certain of one thing:
Each of the nine divine chains suppressed by the Nine Hells Sword had a significant origin!
When he cultivated the "Free Transformation Scripture," he had captured the aura emitted by those nine divine chains, and each one was completely different.
The existence of the Nine Hells Sword was to suppress these nine divine chain seals!
In addition, every time Su Yi achieved a true transformation in his cultivation, the Nine Hells Sword would resonate and produce peculiar power fluctuations.
These extraordinary powers could merge into his cultivation, causing the most profound changes in the essence of the Great Dao at the moment of his breakthrough.
For example, when he refined the profound essence of the Great Dao, such as the "Hidden Meridians," in Shuzhou's Shu Shi Residence, a world-shaking phenomenon occurred due to the fusion of his aura with the Nine Hells Sword.
At that time, it seemed as though starlight and galaxies were descending upon the mortal world!
That event allowed Su Yi to refine an unimaginable "Hidden Meridians," surpassing his initial expectations completely!
Because of this, Su Yi arrived at a conclusion:
The existence of the Nine Hells Sword can help him refine the most profound essence of the Great Dao during his breakthroughs in cultivation!