Chapter 426: It Turns Out So

The tree trunk was slender, and its branches and leaves were not particularly lush, yet it was the thickest tree within a two-mile radius.

Two hundred years ago, of course, there would have been no trees here.

"Go up," came the command.

The two swiftly ascended the tree, climbing to the very top to observe the corner tower.

Fortunately, the first floor was lit. Through the window, they saw a person wearing a tall crown seated at a table, lightly tapping the tabletop with their fingertips.

Though his attire had changed and he was no longer in military uniform, He Lingchuan recognized him at once: it was King Yuan!

This entire palace city belonged to him. Why would he secretly meet someone in a corner tower in the dead of night? What couldn't be said in his own hall or study?

Sir Shao quickly approached, knelt, and saluted: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Rise," King Yuan said, standing and taking a few steps himself. "Is your father well?"

As he stood, He Lingchuan's eyes widened.

In the previous illusion, King Yuan had gone to battle, firing a gun from horseback and wearing a sword at his waist. This time, however, he carried a ring-pommel saber. The ring was adorned with a flood dragon's head!

Although the decoration on the hilt couldn't be perfectly lifelike, an ox head and a flood dragon head looked similar at first glance. But those two straight, undivided horns, those protruding dragon eyes, and the hilt, the quillons... He Lingchuan was intimately familiar with every detail. Without even needing to see the blade, he could determine it was Fusheng—or rather, Fusheng's predecessor!

Before the broken saber was shattered by him, it had looked exactly like this. Although it was slightly modified later through the blade-planting method, he had held the broken saber for several months and was familiar with every inch of it; he could not possibly be mistaken.

Why was Zhong Shengguang's saber on King Yuan?

After his initial shock, He Lingchuan suddenly recalled what Sun Fuling had said: King Yuan's nephew was Commandant Zhong's schoolmate and close friend, and had given Commandant Zhong a valuable saber. At the time, he had vaguely guessed that this saber was Fusheng, but with the beauty before him, he hadn't given it much thought. Now, seeing it at King Yuan's waist, He Lingchuan suddenly remembered the historical period this illusion depicted, which seemed to be several years before Zhong Shengguang took charge of the Coiled Dragon Wasteland.

This meant the valuable saber was first in King Yuan's possession, and only later became Zhong Shengguang's personal weapon. Chronologically, one passed to the other.

However, it was said this saber was given to Zhong Shengguang by King Yuan's nephew. He Lingchuan's gaze shifted to the person named Shao: Was this King Yuan's nephew?

"Father has a new prescription, but his condition shows no improvement. The imperial physician said he might... only have half a month left."

King Yuan paused, and softly said, "Is that so? Even he is failing now."

"Among my brothers, your father was the healthiest as a child; he couldn't drown in water or fall to his death from a tree. We had the deepest bond. At your age, we vowed to deliver the people from suffering. Yet..."

Fu Shanyue tilted his head slightly, somewhat puzzled: "Were the people of Yuan living in dire straits back then? Surely not? Compared to other nations outside Beijia, weren't the people of Yuan happy?"

"You're asking me?" He Lingchuan eyed the man with disdain. He hadn't done his own research and was asking a stranger instead.

Fu Shanyue rubbed his nose.

"If I had surrendered to the gods and taken the elixir of immortality, though I would be controlled by them like other demon kings, the people of Yuan would not have suffered this catastrophe," King Yuan said softly. "I wonder if what has happened today can be considered contrary to my original wishes?"

Shao Jian immediately said, "We would die without regret."

King Yuan's moment of reflection seemed to last only an instant. He stood up and paced twice before saying, "Shao Jian, I summoned you tonight for an urgent matter."

Being addressed by his given name, Shao Jian immediately bowed his head to listen respectfully.

"You will depart tomorrow morning for Xiluo."

Shao Jian was startled, and despite the impropriety, abruptly looked up: "Your Majesty?!"

"Not allowing you to attend your father's final rites goes against filial piety. But this matter is extremely urgent, and you are the only one who can handle it."

Shao Jian's expression shifted, showing surprise, resistance, and sadness.

King Yuan slowly said, "This matter is more important than your life, your father's life, my life, and the lives of all the people of Yuan!"

Shao Jian was stunned. After his chest heaved a few times, he lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Please give your command, Your Majesty!"

King Yuan took out a black box and placed it on the table, then unbuckled the valuable saber from his waist and placed it beside the box.

"Take these two items to your close schoolmate, Zhong Shengguang."

Hearing this, He Lingchuan's breathing grew shallow. So, this was how the valuable saber came into circulation!

Shao Jian, however, looked bewildered. King Yuan motioned for him to rise, then personally opened the box slightly, allowing him a brief glimpse inside.

"Isn't this... could this be?" Shao Jian's face changed dramatically, and he then looked around nervously. "Your Majesty, it's not suitable to display it here!"

King Yuan said calmly, "Don't panic. At least five layers of barriers are set up here, and wind-bearing beasts are on the roof for lookout. I also used a trick to obscure karma."

Shao Jian stared intently at the black box. "Is this the Great... Great...?"

"The Grand Square Pot."

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through, but nothing else was disturbed except the two men's clothes and hair.

King Yuan pressed his hand on the box. "My Yuan nation suffers this war, and more than half of it is due to this. But it must never fall into Beijia's hands, or all living beings in the world will face catastrophe and be plunged into endless suffering. There will be no more cultivators, no more monsters."

He paused, then added, "News came from the north this evening: Dayan Pass has fallen."

Shao Jian closed his eyes and lowered his head. It was terrible news.

"With Dayan Pass fallen, it's only a matter of time before the enemy reaches Thousand Star City." King Yuan looked at his valuable saber again. "These two items must be entrusted to someone trustworthy."

Shao Jian swallowed, feeling the weight of the task. "Why Zhong Liyao?"

Zhong Shengguang, courtesy name Liyao.

"After Thousand Star City and I fall, Beijia will certainly dig three feet deep to find the Grand Square Pot. They won't miss any clue related to me or the Shao clan." The evening breeze rustled King Yuan's robe. "Zhong Shengguang is a foreigner. He only came to Yuan during his studies and visited the palace, but he has no connection to me. Students like him are found in every country, every year, in large numbers. They won't suspect him."

"Furthermore, I've only had two deep conversations with Zhong Shengguang, but we hit it off immediately and have secretly exchanged letters over the years." The firelight made King Yuan's face flicker with changing expressions, yet his voice was firm. "His ideals are the same as ours. I thought then that if our cause failed, this person could inherit our legacy."

He patted Shao Jian's shoulder. "You are a good boy, but you cannot bear the weight of these two items."

Shao Jian thought for a moment, then said quite frankly, "Zhong Liyao is a man of great foresight, with a will as firm as rock and metal. What's rare is that he is unyielding yet knows how to adapt. He is indeed an excellent choice to entrust such treasures to. Your Majesty is right, I am not as capable as he is."

"The valuable saber is for him. As for the Grand Square Pot—" King Yuan said gravely, "I've tried no less than three or four hundred methods, but I cannot destroy it. Tell Zhong Shengguang to keep trying; he must destroy it! Otherwise, the Beijia nation will always find a way to get it, no matter where it is."

He sighed deeply. "It's laughable that in my youth, I didn't believe in evil, thinking I could use it to fight against the gods, thinking I wouldn't follow in the footsteps of those before me. Only now has it been proven that this thing can only be a source of disaster, leading to untold suffering."

*Snap!* A branch beside He Lingchuan broke. He had unconsciously tightened his grip upon hearing this.

Fu Shanyue shot him a reproving glance. It was fortunate that this was only an illusion. If they were truly eavesdropping on a king's conversation and dared to make a sound, the two would have to start fleeing.

Of course, the illusory King Yuan did not react to He Lingchuan's movement. He continued unperturbed, "Ha, my failure was due to misplaced trust. You must tell him to take heed."

With that, he sighed softly, "There is also a letter in the box; he will understand once he reads it."

Shao Jian stepped forward to take the box and the valuable saber.

King Yuan, however, caressed the scabbard for a moment before withdrawing his hand. "Take them."

Shao Jian took the two items and was about to bow and withdraw when King Yuan added, "Leave as soon as you've handed them over. Do not let anyone connect you with Xiluo. Heavenly gods can deduce karma. Keep this item with you; it can obscure heavenly secrets and render them helpless."

With that, he handed over another object, about half a finger in size, which seemed neither jade nor bone.

Seeing this, He Lingchuan unconsciously pressed his hand to his chest. Wait, was what King Yuan took out the divine bone necklace? Although its form was different, the material looked exactly the same! So the three-piece set he had obtained had all originated from King Yuan at once?

Shao Jian respectfully took it, turning it over and examining it. "What is this?"

"This is made from the pinky finger bone left by the deity Mitian in the human world."

"Deity Mitian?" Shao Jian murmured. "No wonder."

He carefully put away the divine bone, then knelt down and kowtowed three times to King Yuan, saying mournfully, "Your nephew is leaving. Please take care, Uncle King! I entrust my father to you."

King Yuan nodded and waved him away. "Go, and be sure to deliver it."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure quickly blurred.

Under the gaze of He Lingchuan and Fu Shanyue, the corner tower, the palace walls, and the entire magnificent Thousand Star City vanished into the darkness. It turned out to be a dark cloud drifting from the horizon, blocking the moonlight.

With no more show, Fu Shanyue jumped to the ground, shaking his legs. "What was that just now, a royal secret?"

There was no reply, no movement. He looked up and saw He Lingchuan still clinging to the tree, as if in a daze.

"Hey! The show's over, aren't you coming down?"

Only then did He Lingchuan awaken as if from a dream and jump to the ground. "Oh, what did you say?"

"Why didn't this part of the illusion appear before?" Fu Shanyue asked curiously. "And why did it appear tonight?"

He Lingchuan pointed to his own nose. "You're asking me?"

"Is there anyone else here? I saw you thinking so seriously, I thought you had some clue."

He Lingchuan was dumbfounded. "What clue could I possibly have?"

Fu Shanyue murmured, "What is the Grand Square Pot, and why does Lingxu City absolutely need it?"

"Whatever it is, its whereabouts are unknown anyway." He Lingchuan's mind was in turmoil, though he forced a smile. "Yuan is gone, Xiluo is gone, where else can we look for it? It's no longer important. Besides, wasn't this over two hundred years ago?"

Fu Shanyue, however, hissed and looked at his waist. "How come I feel that the saber King Yuan gave away looks a bit like the one you wear?"