Chapter 909: Information

Li Huowang scratched his hair, looking at Xuanpin in front of him with a headache. He had been talking for ages, but it was all in vain. If she weren't his daughter, he would have lost his temper long ago.

"Sui Sui, pay attention. This isn't the time to be distracted. Elder Po Da'er's head has already been opened by the Fangsian Dao sect leader!" He walked over and firmly shook his daughter's shoulders.

He had gone to such great lengths to travel to Tianchen, precisely for the information inside Po Da'er's head.

"Oh, really? That's great. Let's go then." Xuanpin's tone was incredibly calm, as if they were merely going out for a meal.

Seeing that Xuanpin had finally snapped back to reality, Li Huowang quickly pulled her along, rushing towards the Surveillance Department outside.

The Great Liang Surveillance Department was underground. In the past, Li Huowang had always been on edge every time he came, fearing others would discover he was a Xinsu. But now, things were completely different.

Li Huowang and Li Sui hurried along, and everywhere they went, people bowed their heads and made way for them.

The Celestial Prison of the Surveillance Department was located on the lowest level. By the time Li Huowang arrived with Li Sui, everyone else who was supposed to be there had also gathered, filling the place.

All the highest authorities of Great Liang were now concentrated in this dark and damp prison, their gaze fixed on the head resting on the table, immersed in a vase – Po Da'er's head.

This was a masterpiece of the Zhengde Temple. Po Da'er no longer needed limbs; just a head was enough.

An old Daoist priest with white hair and a scraggly beard stood opposite Po Da'er, forming a hand seal with one hand and murmuring incantations towards his brow.

Li Sui tipped her chin towards Gao Zhijian, then spoke to the Daoist in purple robes, "Everyone's here. Please repeat what you said."

The Daoist nodded, then immediately turned and bowed to Gao Zhijian, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Tianchen has many things to report. Where would you like this old minister to begin?"

Sitting on the dragon throne, Gao Zhijian pondered for a moment before asking, "How many soldiers and generals does Tianchen have?"

"None."

"Hmm?" Gao Zhijian's eyes widened slightly.

"Tianchen doesn't even have a court, so naturally, there are no soldiers or generals," Li Huowang interjected from the side.

"All their military strategists are bandits, mountain brigands, and highwaymen. Don't let their appearance fool you; their strength is considerable. The group who tried to steal my sword last time were these very bandits."

"No court? Does that mean Tianchen doesn't even have an emperor?" the blind National Preceptor of Great Liang, standing nearby, asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

The Fangsian Daoist shook his head and continued, "There is no imperial family. However, Tianchen has a venerated figure. This old minister learned from his mind that this venerated figure's word is law in Tianchen; no one dares to disobey him. The pursuit of revenge against the Unborn Old Mother was also proposed by this person."

"'A venerated figure'? What is this person's name?" Gao Zhijian clenched his fists. He finally understood the nature of their opponent this time.

"His surname is Zuoqiu, given name Yong – Zuoqiu Yong. Po Da'er only saw him once from a distance; his status wasn't high enough to speak with Tianchen's venerated figure."

"Hmm..." Hearing the name, Gao Zhijian fell into thought. "Then, what is this person's strength?"

"Ah." The Daoist glanced at Po Da'er's head and replied again, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this person (Po Da'er) doesn't know. In his view, Tianchen's venerated figure is unfathomable and has never been seen in action."

"His strength must be considerable. According to the records in Po Da'er's mind, it's highly likely that even the Unutterable Army is under his command. It's possible this person is the 'heavenly noble' who betrayed the Unborn Old Mother."

Li Huowang's words brought a trace of confusion to Gao Zhijian's face. "Brother Li, what is the 'Unutterable Army'? And what is a 'heavenly noble'?"

After giving Gao Zhijian a brief explanation, Li Huowang spoke again. "Everything before was orchestrated by Zuoqiu Yong's people. He and his forces are the main perpetrators this time. It's safe to say that the plan to deal with the Unborn Old Mother was his idea from the start."

"Although this fellow isn't an emperor, his word probably carries more weight in Tianchen than an emperor's."

Gao Zhijian's expression was grim. Their opponents this time were actually people who could touch the Heavenly Dao. If it came to a fight, it would be another bloodbath. This trouble was no less significant than the previous Legalist Sect incident.

Not only Gao Zhijian, but everyone present shared the same thought, and the atmosphere immediately became heavy.

"Your Majesty, don't panic. It hasn't come to that yet. They can't seize Li Huowang's sword right now, so they can't cross over for the time being," Xuanpin reassured Gao Zhijian.

Gao Zhijian's expression improved slightly upon hearing this, but Li Huowang's face grew even gloomier.

He reached back and drew the Spinal Sword from his back. "There's more than just one Heart-Coiling in Great Qi, like Zhuge Yuan. While they're trying to take mine, they're also sending people to find solutions elsewhere."

"From Po Da'er's memories, even if they can't get my sword, it won't be long before they find other Heart-Coilings."

Li Huowang's words immediately weighed like a stone on everyone's hearts. If before they had merely been watching from the sidelines, now Great Liang was already on the verge of being engulfed in flames.

And upon hearing this, Li Sui finally understood why her father had been so anxious just now, and what he meant by the sky falling.

Gao Zhijian thought, his brows furrowed, then looked at Li Huowang with a glimmer of hope. "Brother Li, you were able to hold off Tianchen in Great Qi by yourself before. As long as you are here, they surely won't find it so easy to cross over."

"Rely on me? Just me alone?"

Gao Zhijian nodded. "Brother Li, previously, whether it was the Dice or that Yu'er God, none of them were your match. This time, they might not be able to defeat you either."

For Gao Zhijian, regarding Li Huowang, whether it was during their journey or after he became emperor, as long as Li Huowang was present, no matter how great the difficulty, he felt at ease.

Li Huowang looked at him with a strange expression. "What are you thinking? Did you forget what I just said? The Unborn Old Mother was dismembered by those people from Tianchen!"

Although he had gained a small advantage earlier by using the Doumu avatar, Li Huowang showed no complacency. He knew very well what he was truly up against this time.

Li Huowang pointed to his own chest. "Do you think the Unborn Old Mother was more powerful back then, or am I more powerful now? Don't forget, they still possess the Unborn Old Mother's Heavenly Dao!"

As soon as these words were uttered, silence fell. The atmosphere became even more somber, and everyone pondered how to break the deadlock.

After a long while, Huangfu Tiangang, the National Preceptor of Great Liang, spoke. "There's no need to fight them to the death. They only want to deal with the White Lotus Sect, not annihilate the world like the Legalist Sect."

"Since they want the White Lotus Sect, why don't we just give it to them?"

With a whoosh, Xuanpin appeared behind Li Huowang, her wide red Daoist robes unfurling as she held him tightly.