Meng Gui followed Ji Xia into the ruler's palace.
Ji Xia sat in the center of the palace on a carved stone chair, gesturing for Meng Gui to sit at a lower position.
Meng Gui took a seat and asked, "I wonder if the ruler is facing any difficulties in cultivation? If there is something I can help with, I will naturally answer without reservation."
Ji Xia shook his head and suddenly asked, "Meng Gui, you've been the Grand Commander of the royal court, managing the kingdom's defense for more than five years now, right?"
Meng Gui was taken aback and replied, "Replying to the ruler, I have grown up within the royal court, and I have held the position of Grand Commander for almost six years."
Ji Xia continued, "A few days ago, I asked you to practice the Dark Dust Manifestation technique. Have you made any progress?"
Meng Gui responded, "The Dark Dust Manifestation technique is a divine-level skill. After studying it for many days, I have not yet mastered it."
Ji Xia asked, "So you've at least grasped the basics? Show me what you can do."
Meng Gui nodded. He waved his right hand, and black smoke rose from behind him, transforming into a smoky hand that opened and closed in front of Ji Xia.
Ji Xia nodded in satisfaction. "Your talent is not low. You only learned the key points of the Dark Dust Manifestation technique from Qing Fu Ren a few days ago, and already, you've achieved this level."
Meng Gui shook his head. "The national master of Zhou Qing has researched the Dark Dust Manifestation technique deeply. With so many key points revealed by you, even with my poor talent, I could still make progress."
Ji Xia said, "You're too modest. Now that I've started my own cultivation journey, I understand the difficulty of this technique."
He extended his palm, and the spiritual energy from the Great Snow Mountain quietly flowed into it. The Hundred Fold Wave method activated, and the spiritual energy surged like a wave, stacking layer after layer, becoming stronger with each layer. After five repetitions, the energy finally ceased to accumulate.
"I've practiced this Hundred Fold Wave countless times, but even now, when the spiritual energy stacks, I still feel a lot of confusion," Ji Xia said, slightly puzzled.
Meng Gui stared in amazement at Ji Xia's palm. He could clearly feel the rich spiritual energy emanating from it.
"Ruler, have you already broken through to the Second Heaven realm?" Meng Gui asked in astonishment.
Ji Xia smiled. "You, grand experts, can easily tell my cultivation level with a sweep of spiritual energy, yet none of you have done so in the past few days. I wanted to show off, but had no chance."
Meng Gui looked even more surprised. He scanned Ji Xia up and down and said, "The ruler's body... it's not something that can be easily examined. If Lord Zai Li finds out, it could be considered a major disrespect."
"But I never expected that in just a few short days, the ruler has already reached the Second Heaven realm. This is truly unbelievable."
Meng Gui's astonishment didn't fade. Just days ago, he had heard that Ji Xia had summoned General Ji Qianqing to the palace to guide his cultivation. Now, in just a short time, Ji Xia had become a Second Heaven cultivator.
Although a Second Heaven cultivator might not be impressive in the presence of experts from the Eight Heavens, the speed of Ji Xia's progress was terrifying. No other kingdom, not even the speed of General Ji's breakthrough after more than six months of training, could compare.
"Ruler, did you take some forbidden medicine?" Meng Gui asked. "Although it can rapidly increase cultivation, it will cause irreparable damage to your body and the Great Snow Mountain. I hope the ruler will reconsider..."
Ji Xia waved his hand and interrupted, "What nonsense are you speaking? Do you not trust the ruler? I've told Ji Qianqing before that I am a once-in-a-lifetime cultivation genius. If she doesn't believe me, that's fine, but why don't you believe me either?"
Meng Gui hesitated for a while and carefully asked, "Ruler, are you saying that your current cultivation is genuinely your own?"
Ji Xia ignored the doubt in Meng Gui's voice and, with a serious expression, said, "Since you've learned the Dark Dust Manifestation technique, I have an extremely confidential mission for you. Will you accept it?"
Meng Gui immediately ceased his hesitation, bent down, and saluted. "Please, give the order, my ruler."
Ji Xia raised him up and said, "Do you know that this mission, if there's even the slightest mistake, not only will you die, but the entire Taicang will face annihilation?"
Meng Gui was shocked and asked, "What mission is so important?"
Ji Xia fell silent for a long time before speaking slowly, "I want you to infiltrate the Zhou Qing country's Chi Yan Mountain and kill every last one of the major Symbolic Figures from Da Fu on the mountain!"
His voice was low, but to Meng Gui, it sounded like a thunderclap. A chill ran up his spine, and his body broke out in cold sweat.
Just moments ago, he had witnessed the terrifying power of the Da Fu experts, and now the ruler was asking him to kill the Da Fu figures on Cang Qing Mountain.
Regardless of whether he could infiltrate Chi Yan Mountain or not, even if he succeeded in killing all the Da Fu people, what would happen afterward?
Could he escape Chi Yan Mountain? After all, there were over 11,000 Zhou Qing soldiers mining the Chi Yan Stones there.
Even a divine-level expert would be unable to escape under the watchful eyes of so many soldiers!
The death of Meng Gui was a small matter. But if the Da Fu country discovered that the culprit was the Grand Commander of the Taicang royal court, the entire Taicang would truly face annihilation.
"Ruler, my life is insignificant, but I truly don't understand the meaning of such an action. Please, enlighten me," Meng Gui asked with some hesitation.
Ji Xia flipped his wrist, and a strange mask appeared in his hand.
The mask was bizarre, depicting a green-faced, fanged monster with two horns on its head, four sharp fangs protruding from its mouth, one of which pierced its tongue, and a nose ring poking through its nostrils. Just looking at it made one feel uncomfortable.
The most disgusting thing was that the mask constantly dripped with thick, foul-smelling liquid, which had already soaked Ji Xia's palm.
[Putrid Ghost Mask - Required Spiritual Seed: 250.
A mask worn by the face-cutters from hell. It allows the wearer to take on any desired appearance (including body form).Once the mask is worn, it is impossible to remove or return to the original form.The wearer will constantly emit a foul, rotting stench.The wearer gains the eerie ability of the Putrid Ghost, allowing them to transform into a flowing swamp of mud.]
This was the mask Ji Xia had been about to exchange for when the godly object drifted into his hands from the first layer of the Decay Tree.
"This mask can make your appearance and form indistinguishable from those of the Zhou Qing people. No one will notice any difference," Ji Xia said.
"But once you wear this mask, you will never be able to remove it. You will forever be a part of Zhou Qing. Will you wear it?"
Meng Gui looked at the mask, which was still dripping with foul liquid, and said, "Is the ruler's plan for me to become a Zhou Qing person, kill the Da Fu people overseeing Chi Yan Mountain, and frame Zhou Qing?"
Ji Xia nodded. "Exactly. Once you've killed them, you can transform into a swamp of mud and escape. As for the aftermath, I will handle it."
Meng Gui thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "What should I become? Should I abduct a suitable person?"
Ji Xia replied, "I sent Yin Ding to the borders of Cang Qing Mountain, where he captured a Zhou Qing hunter from the deep forest. He's been locked up in the deepest dungeon and is personally guarded by Yin Ding. Only I know of this."
Meng Gui nodded, "Since the ruler has considered this carefully, I have no objections."
Ji Xia frowned and said, "You must think it through. I'm not forcing you. If you don't want to, I won't pressure you. We can find another way."
Meng Gui shook his head. "Now that I've mastered the Dark Dust Manifestation technique, a technique only passed down in Zhou Qing, if I take on their appearance and use it, even the Da Fu people won't be able to see through me. It's the best choice. If we look for someone else, it will only waste more time."
Indeed, Meng Gui's cultivation was extremely high. With his Eight Heaven realm, there was no one more suitable than him for this mission.
Ji Xia had considered Yin Ding, but he lacked spiritual energy, and even General Ji could not be considered due to her position.
As for Per Xian, Ji Xia hadn't thought of him when considering who to teach the Dark Dust Manifestation technique.
"But wearing this mask means, strictly speaking, you will no longer be a human. Your appearance, body, and blood will all become identical to the Zhou Qing people, and you will constantly emit a foul odor..."
"Your Highness, why do you think I am a human?" Meng Gui interrupted Ji Xia's words, his tone cold and distant, causing Ji Xia's body to shudder.
Meng Gui slowly removed his mask, revealing what lay beneath.