Chapter 1812: Tease

Hua Changdeng had never seen such a brazen Ancient Sword Cultivator.

His original intention was to give Xu Xiaoshou a final message, but he hadn't expected that this guy would seize the moment of his softness and escape!

Before leaving, he even flung some mud at Dao Qiongcang of Gan Shi.

Hua Changdeng did not know how Xu Xiaoshou had learned the "Thirty-Six Forms of Heavenly Mystery: Great God Descending Art."

After performing this art, Hua Changdeng surprisingly couldn't even detect where Xu Xiaoshou had fled to immediately.

"Guidance, oblivion, memory..."

These three traces of the Dao coexisted, and in the final analysis, they could be summarized as one word: "Intent."

However, Hua Changdeng was not particularly skilled in this "Intent."

He cultivated the Intent of the Sword Ghost, but only the offensive aspect of Intent, which was suitable for frontal combat.

When it came to the "deviousness" or "trickery" of Intent, he truly couldn't compare to that sneaky little mouse.

But it didn't matter if he couldn't figure it out.

The only thing Hua Changdeng knew was that Dao Qiongcang would not be so brazen as to cause trouble in Yunshan Imperial City and become his enemy.

Therefore, when he surveyed Yunshan Imperial City, searched for anomalies, and finally found a trace of ancient sword art near Yunshan Holy Palace, Hua Changdeng knew that the little mouse must have swapped places with him and gone to the main hall.

He immediately rushed back to the main hall.

But upon landing, not only were the elders' reactions strange, but the word "again" was baffling.

Even the entrance of the main hall gave off a peculiar feeling...

"It's empty, as if something is missing?"

Hua Changdeng didn't pay much attention. After forcefully summoning the elders with his Saint power, he got straight to the point and asked:

"Who cast the Illusion Sword Art?"

Around Yunshan Holy Palace, there were residual traces of the Illusion Sword Art, and the sword art realm was extremely profound. Others might not have noticed, but Hua Changdeng saw through it at a glance, his gaze scrutinizing the elders.

It was too strange!

Among these old fellows, someone had secretly cultivated ancient sword art to this level? What for? To make a stunning debut? They were long past that age!

"Illusion Sword Art..."

The elders who had gone and returned, and then returned again, were also confused by their Patriarch's words. Someone hesitantly said:

"No one used the Illusion Sword Art?"

No?

Hua Changdeng only trusted his own eyes.

He didn't ask a second time, only swept his cold gaze over everyone.

The elders were drenched in sweat, feeling a heart-pounding sensation of being targeted by a jackal. Clearly, no one was lying, yet everyone felt that they were mistaken, that they must have lied.

In the end, to Hua Changdeng's surprise, the elders actually looked towards Hua Zhiyao, who was not considered the head of the elders.

And Hua Zhiyao, without hesitation, stepped forward, his face solemn, and bowed, saying:

"Patriarch, truly no one used the Illusion Sword Art. Weren't we just discussing the ancestral stone carvings?"

Ancestral stone carvings?

Hua Changdeng was stunned for a moment.

The "we" in Hua Zhiyao's mouth clearly referred to more than just the elders. As he spoke, his hand gestured between himself and the elders, clearly including himself in the "we."

But...

"When did I discuss ancestral stone carvings with you all?"

Hua Changdeng glanced at the main hall. The only thing he had discussed with the elders earlier was the allocation of the Wurao Imperial City. But halfway through the discussion, he had gone out to catch the mouse.

"Haha, Patriarch seems a bit forgetful today?"

Hua Zhiyao suddenly seemed very familiar with him, even daring to laugh awkwardly, as if playfully rebuking him for something.

Yes!

Hua Zhiyao was being sarcastic. He was rebuking the Patriarch for first forgetting his name, and now forgetting about the ancestral stone carvings, which was quite naughty.

"Scheme!"

Hua Zhiyao smiled, finally spitting out only one word, his expression meaningful, trying to help the Patriarch remember something he hadn't forgotten.

Hua Changdeng fell silent.

His silence made the elders present feel a chill in their hearts.

Hua Zhiyao keenly sensed that something was wrong. His face twitched twice, and he forced himself to remain calm.

He squeezed out another smile, extended both hands, and bowed, pointing to where the ancestral stone carvings had been, saying with a chuckle:

"Patriarch, look here!"

Remember, quickly remember! This just happened, less than a quarter of an hour ago. The Patriarch is quite humorous today, haha...

Hua Changdeng silently looked over.

He stared for a moment, his pupils suddenly trembling a few times, his face moved.

He finally realized why, when he returned to the front of the hall again, he felt it was much more spacious.

By the side of the main hall door, there was originally a stone tablet, inscribed with "The Dao is boundless, stopping is appropriate," left by the Hua clan ancestors.

Now, the stone tablet was gone!

All that remained was a stone impression the size of a millstone. The stone impression was very clean, with a distinct difference in color from the steps in the front courtyard, but one would only notice the anomaly when deliberately paying attention...

Hua Changdeng opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.

He looked at the stone tablet impression, then his incredulous gaze turned to the elders.

The elders looked expectant, more than ten gazes equally focused, and they didn't speak, just watched and waited with expectation. It was as if they were all waiting for him, the Patriarch, to give some conclusion to some problem.

Hua Changdeng couldn't wait for an explanation, so he looked back at the impression. This time, he couldn't hold back and asked with some emotion:

"Where is the stone tablet?!"

The elders all looked at the impression again, their faces normal, even with smiles.

Hua Zhiyao narrowed his eyes even more, and chuckled in response:

"Exactly, Patriarch, where is the stone tablet?"

—Who are you being playful with?!

Hua Changdeng was so angry he almost drew his Hunt Ghost and cleaved Hua Zhiyao in front of him with one sword. His murderous intent burst forth, and he roared:

"I asked, where is the stone tablet!"

With a boom, the Yunshan Holy Palace erupted with thunder.

The elders, affected by the Saint Emperor's aura, staggered back. Hua Zhiyao's face finally showed terror, and he stamblingly said:

"Patriarch, the stone tablet, it was thrown in!"

Hua Changdeng's mind went blank for a moment, and he unconsciously repeated, "Thrown?"

"Oh no, sent, sent in!"

"Sent where?"

"To the Space-Time Fragments, Patriarch, what's wrong with you?" Hua Zhiyao said, righteous and severe!

What's wrong with me?

I'd like to ask, what's wrong with you, Hua Zhiyao!

Hua Changdeng suppressed his murderous impulse, knowing that something strange was between them. He suppressed his anger and asked, "Who told you to throw... to send the ancestral stone carvings into the Space-Time Fragments?"

"You did!"

Hua Zhiyao pointed at himself as if it were obvious, muttering something completely inaudible. Finally, he drew the long sword from his waist, lightly sliced it through the air, then held the air above the stone tablet's impression with both hands, and tossed it into the air with a chuckle.

"Just like that, I followed your instructions. Didn't you say you wanted to catch a traitor?" Hua Zhiyao fully replicated everything that had just happened, looking at the Patriarch with some doubt.

Fake?

Haha, that's not possible. In Yunshan Imperial City, who would dare impersonate the Patriarch...?

"Huh?"

Hua Zhiyao's thoughts froze, his eyes widened, and cold sweat began to pour from his body.

"Hmm?" Hua Changdeng said nothing, his lips sealed, only a nasal sound.

With a thud, Hua Zhiyao trembled all over, his knees suddenly slammed heavily onto the ground. He was like a corpse drained of blood, prostrate on the ground, pale.

"No, no, impossible..."

When Hua Changdeng looked up, his cold gaze fell upon the elders behind Hua Zhiyao. The elders simultaneously sensed something, and one by one they cried out in fear, trembling.

Thump, thump, thump!

Before long, more than ten elders all knelt before the main hall.

Only now did everyone in Yunshan Holy Palace, including Hua Changdeng, realize that the word "again," the seemingly true "Illusion Sword Art," and the "Patriarch" who had returned and then returned again...

It wasn't that the Patriarch had returned once before.

Instead, the Patriarch who had returned earlier was a fake Patriarch, and if nothing else, it was the little mouse the Patriarch was chasing!

Hua Changdeng was silent.

His silence was deafening.

At this moment, his chest was filled with the most surging murderous intent he had felt in thirty years, almost wanting to cut down everyone in front of him with one sword.

He had a thousand words to say.

He wanted to condemn, curse, erupt.

But he knew deep down that the fault wasn't with these blockheads, it was with habitual thinking and Xu Xiaoshou's unfathomable supernatural abilities, the fault was his own.

But why...

He had countless "whys" he wanted to ask.

Why couldn't they tell it was fake? Why did they still obey when he said to throw away even the ancestral stone carvings? Why couldn't they just wait a little longer...?

There were no whys anymore!

Hua Changdeng pressed his sword, took a long breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and calmly looked at the group of elders kneeling before him.

He was silent for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice:

"Hua Zhiyao, go to the Hall of Punishment yourself and receive your punishment."

Thump, thump, thump!

Hua Zhiyao, who had belatedly realized, was frantically kowtowing.

He almost broke his forehead, blood flowed down the steps in front of the hall, and tears streamed down his face. He choked, unable to utter a word, "I, I..."

An elder behind him, with a crying voice, spoke for Hua Zhiyao: "Patriarch, he is the elder of the Hall of Punishment."

Hua Changdeng was expressionless: "Judge yourself, condemn yourself, stamp the seal yourself, and receive the punishment yourself."

Thump, thump, thump!

Hua Zhiyao was still kowtowing, his heart seemingly thumping in his throat. He mumbled incoherently, "Oh, I..."

An elder asked miserably on his behalf:

"When will he receive his punishment?"

Hua Changdeng tightened his grip on the sword:

"Now, immediately, right away."

This was a capital crime! Losing the ancestral stone carvings, how could he possibly survive?

Hua Zhiyao's face was bathed in blood and tears. While kowtowing, he drew the long sword from his waist and held it to his neck.

"No! No!"

The elders rushed forward, some holding Hua Zhiyao back, others pleading with Hua Changdeng, all of them in tears.

They felt sympathy for his predicament. If Hua Zhiyao was gone today, when it came time for reckoning later, everyone present who hadn't opposed throwing away the ancestral stone carvings would be guilty. The Patriarch wasn't without anger; he just hadn't had time to deal with everyone yet – Hua Zhiyao couldn't die!

But Hua Changdeng's heart was like iron, and he said expressionlessly:

"Last words."

Hua Zhiyao's sword was held to his neck, and the elders couldn't even hold him back. His neck was already bleeding. At this moment, his lips were trembling, and the luxurious life he had lived flashed through his mind. His thoughts became hazy and confused.

He was disoriented. His so-called last words were nothing more than what he had sought throughout his life but failed to obtain. So, at the moment of his death, in a daze, Hua Zhiyao, by some strange impulse, uttered:

"I have no last words, I just want to ask one question..."

"That, Patriarch, can I still go to your mansion tomorrow at midnight?"

The elders were stunned, then their faces turned to horror.

What are you saying, Hua Zhiyao? Do you want to die faster, do you want the Patriarch to be even more ruthless?

Hua Changdeng was also stunned, and then suddenly burst out laughing in anger. At this moment, he could only sigh in admiration for Xu Xiaoshou's transcendent Dao-level guidance of Intent.

"Bang!"

Hua Changdeng delivered a flying kick.

Hua Zhiyao, prostrate on the ground, knowing he had misspoken, had the long sword in his hand kicked directly into his neck, and he was thrown into the air.

A streak of blood cut across Tingdao Peak, and he was instantly slammed into the Space-Time Fragments ten thousand miles away, unable to even let out a wail.

No one dared to catch Hua Zhiyao.

The atmosphere at the main hall entrance dropped to freezing point. Everyone was trembling, walking on thin ice.

Hua Changdeng closed his eyes heavily: "Where did Xu Xiaoshou go?"

Xu Xiaoshou?

Only then did everyone realize the name of that little mouse. But the elders for a moment couldn't recall who this damned rat was that had played the Yunshan Holy Palace elders like puppets in his hands? They just had some vague impression, that they had heard this name somewhere...

It didn't matter! They would gather information about this person later!

Someone immediately spoke up and responded, "Wurao Imperial City! He asked for Hua Zhiyao's identity token, he must have fled to Wurao Imperial City."

Hua Zhiyao...

It was Hua Zhiyao again...

Hua Zhiyao, death is not enough to atone for his sins!

Hua Changdeng rarely had such a strong urge to kill. He even wanted to personally scatter Hua Zhiyao's ashes. But after calming down, he knew deep down that if he truly killed Hua Zhiyao for this, it would be letting Xu Xiaoshou succeed.

But...

He couldn't kill him, yet he couldn't let it go. This dilemma was even more painful than the tide of swords he suffered in the Ghost Buddha Realm. To put it vulgarly, it was even worse than having a mouthful of shit smeared on him!

"Click..."

Hua Changdeng's fingers clenched, making a cracking sound.

He mocked my Yunshan, stole my ancestral stone. If I don't kill this child, I am not worthy of being a Saint Emperor.

He stood with a cold expression, silent, and swiftly sped towards Wurao Imperial City, clutching his sword.

"Patriarch..."

The elders behind him were still prostrate. Seeing this, an old man subconsciously got up, took out a courtesy book, and seemed about to say something.

Before he could speak, he was pulled back by the person next to him, slammed heavily to the ground, and then almost beaten to death by the other elders.

"Just follow up later! What kind of etiquette are you emphasizing at a time like this? Are you trying to kill us all?!"

Han Palace Imperial City.

On the path leading up from the mountain road to the front hall reception room, the Han Palace clansmen were whispering:

"It seems a very important person has arrived!"

"Yes, judging by his clothes, he must be from Yunshan Imperial City, probably an elder, a Half-Saint!"

"His face is so dark, he's not saying a word, and his aura is terrifying. Is something big about to happen?"

"I don't know, but if they want trouble, how dare people from Yunshan come to our Han Palace Imperial City? Isn't that like trying to hit a stone with an egg? Laughable, laughable!"

"Hmph, I think so too, but he probably doesn't have good intentions. He didn't even show Elder Yue Gongkui any respect, not saying a word. I heard he directly asked to see the Patriarch!"

"What? So audacious? What's his status, and what's the Patriarch's status? Which Patriarch does he want to see, the old Patriarch or the young Patriarch?"

"I heard it's the old Patriarch..."

"He's dreaming! A mere elder! It would be different if the Yunshan Saint Emperor came himself!"

"I don't know..."

The reception room of Han Palace Imperial City did indeed welcome an uninvited guest today.

Yue Gongkui, dressed in grand attire, was impeccably courteous. He accompanied the Yunshan envoy from the foot of the mountain to the reception room at the summit, yet he failed to glean any hint of the envoy's purpose for this visit.

"Go, go, you all disperse."

He waved away the maids in the reception room, leaving only himself and the envoy. After personally pouring hot tea for the envoy, he sighed deeply and said:

"I say, Brother Zhiyao, you and I are old acquaintances."

"Yet you've had a dark face all this way. Did I, Yue Gongkui, mistreat you? Just say something, give me some information. What is Yunshan's attitude exactly?"

"We were friends since childhood, climbing trees and raiding bird nests together. Walking from the foot of the mountain to the summit, you didn't even glance at me. Anyone who didn't know would think we were strangers, meeting for the first time today! Haha, haha..."

"Come, Brother Zhiyao, have some tea, have some tea..."

Hua Zhiyao's face was as dark as ink, not even sparing the tea a glance. He pulled out an identity jade tablet, engraved with "Punishment" on one side and the "Yunshan" emblem on the other, and slammed it heavily onto the red wooden table. His Saint power surged, and he shouted loudly.

At that moment, everyone inside and outside the reception room, from the mountain top to the mountain foot, heard this shout, which contained a hint of anger:

"I, Hua Zhiyao, Elder of the Hall of Punishment in Yunshan Imperial City, am entrusted by my clan's Patriarch today to visit the Han Palace Saint Emperor."

"The Patriarch said he will only wait for one quarter of an hour. If the Han Palace Saint Emperor does not personally come to see me within that quarter, I will immediately return to Yunshan."

"As for Han Palace, you will bear the consequences!"

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