Chapter 1856: Tensions Rising

King Yan did not immediately target Zu An. Instead, he looked at Yan Xuehen. "Fairy Yan, during the great changes at Mount Zi, Li Changsheng of your sect was not in his original palace, and he has been missing ever since. Do you have any explanation for this?"

Yan Xuehen calmly replied, "My senior brother and I have always been independent, so I don't know his whereabouts."

"Is that so? Then where have you been all this time, Fairy, and why did you emerge from the secret realm?" King Yan asked with a smile. It was usually difficult to even speak with Yan Xuehen, but now he had a legitimate opportunity to converse, and she couldn't refuse. That feeling was truly satisfying.

Yan Xuehen frowned slightly. "I simply sensed an anomaly on Mount Zi at the time and came to investigate. Suddenly, a powerful suction force emerged from the sky, pulling me inside. Naturally, I ended up in that secret realm. That's all."

Zhao Yuan, standing nearby, spoke up, "At that time, the entire Golden Summit was sealed by the True Yang Sect's mountain-protecting array. None of the numerous civil and military officials could ascend. How did you manage to go up?"

"How should I know? I just happened to get up there," Yan Xuehen replied, her expression still calm.

"Fairy Yan, if you continue to be uncooperative, don't blame us for taking coercive measures," King Yan said sternly. She was too beautiful and had too high a reputation over the years, so his attitude towards her was naturally different from his attitude towards Guan Chouhai. However, given that it involved regicide and assassination of the emperor, he dared not be careless.

"Among the Daoist sects, who doesn't know that Wang Wuxie of the True Yang Sect is her lapdog? It's not surprising he told her about some secret passages," a voice, seemingly eager to stir up trouble, rang out.

Yan Xuehen glared fiercely at the speaker, but she felt somewhat helpless.

King Yan and Zhao Yuan looked in the direction of the voice, seeing an ordinary-looking woman. "Who are you?" King Yan asked. The woman immediately turned her face away, clearly not intending to answer.

Yun Jianyue was not afraid of offending them. Firstly, Zu An was here. Secondly, King Yan already had a cooperative relationship with the Demonic Sect. Had she known earlier that King Yan was guarding the place, she wouldn't even have needed to disguise herself.

King Yan's expression darkened, and he was about to react when Zu An spoke. "King Yan, General Zhao, long time no see."

Both King Yan and Zhao Yuan narrowed their eyes, scrutinizing him with an enigmatic smile. They had been intentionally ignoring him because they knew this young man was the most troublesome. They hadn't expected him to approach them first.

"Ah, it's Administrator Zu," King Yan sneered. "No, wait, perhaps I should address you as the Regent King of the Demon Race?"

"Naturally, the human race remains dominant here," Zu An replied calmly, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm in King Yan's words.

"Human race dominant?" Zhao Yuan suddenly scoffed. "On the day of the Heaven Worship Ceremony, you mysteriously disappeared from surveillance and later appeared on the Golden Summit. I now strongly suspect you were involved in the original assassination plot, or perhaps even one of the masterminds."

The women nearby frowned slightly. This man seemed hostile towards Zu An; things were going to be difficult.

Zu An replied unhurriedly, "Assassination? General Zhao, do you truly believe anyone in this world could assassinate His Majesty?"

Zhao Yuan's breath hitched. "Of course not. His Majesty's divine skills are unparalleled; who in the world could be his match?"

"Then what are you worried about? Why are you even investigating?" Zu An spread his hands.

"There are always some creatures in this world who are not afraid of death and dare to face His Majesty's might," Zhao Yuan said coldly. "Previously, Prince Qi led a plot, contacting experts from the Daoist and Buddhist sects to assassinate the Emperor. Now, it seems the Demon Race must also be added to the list."

Xie Daoyun's heart tightened. This clearly pointed to Big Brother Zu's identity as the Demon Race's Regent King. If he were implicated, the outcome would surely be dire.

"Big Brother Zu has nothing to do with this assassination! I can vouch for him!" Xie Daoyun's small face was flushed. Her upbringing had always trained her to be a proper noble lady who rarely spoke untruths. Yet, ever since she met Big Brother Zu, it seemed she often did, and always for his sake... Thinking of Big Brother Zu's deceitful nature, she wondered if this was a case of "near pitch, black pitch."

"Miss Xie of the Academy?" Zhao Yuan's expression faltered. "According to our recent investigation, you were responsible for checking the safety of Mount Zi's array, yet such a significant oversight occurred. Your own suspicion is undeniable. Do you still have the inclination to vouch for others?"

Hearing this, Xie Daoyun's face paled. She was more concerned about bringing disaster upon her family, knowing how many people were in it.

At this moment, Zu An stepped in front of her. "General Zhao, why bother scaring a young lady? An array of that magnitude on that day was certainly beyond her ability to inspect beforehand."

Zhao Yuan knew he was speaking the truth, but with such an incident occurring, someone had to take responsibility. "That's why I'm asking everyone to return for investigation. I hope you won't make this difficult for me." As Zhao Yuan let out a cold hmph, the surrounding Tiger Guards placed their hands on their sword hilts, as if ready to strike at any moment. The atmosphere instantly became tense.

Zu An, however, didn't even spare those men a glance. Instead, he stared at King Yan and Zhao Yuan. "After all this time, you've only been concerned with finding scapegoats to silence the world's gossip. But I haven't seen you express any concern for the Emperor's safety."

King Yan's heart skipped a beat. He clasped his hands towards the sky and said, "We are naturally concerned about His Majesty's safety. My family, even my wife and children, pray day and night for him. It's just that we are currently investigating..." Mid-sentence, he looked at Zu An's calm, composed demeanor and suddenly had an idea. "Could it be that you know His Majesty's whereabouts?"

"Of course, I do," Zu An replied.

At this, King Yan, Zhao Yuan, and everyone else's expressions changed. "Where exactly is His Majesty right now?"

Zu An pointed behind him. "He's in the secret realm we just emerged from."

"Where is he then? Why hasn't he appeared?" King Yan and Zhao Yuan asked urgently.

"He naturally... *cough cough*, passed away inside." Zu An almost let slip the truth.

"What!" Upon hearing this, everyone else on the Golden Summit turned pale. For so many years, Zhao Hao had been a god-like presence in their hearts. Although there had been an assassination attempt on the Golden Summit and he had subsequently disappeared, no one doubted that he would soon return as a monarch. Now, learning that Zhao Hao was dead, many felt as if the sky had fallen.

"Did you harm His Majesty?" Zhao Yuan asked, his voice trembling as he looked at Zu An.

Chu Chuyan and the other women exchanged odd glances, thinking that this man had guessed surprisingly accurately.

"Are you crazy? Do you think I have that kind of power?" Zu An retorted irritably.

Zhao Yuan gave an awkward laugh, also realizing his reaction had been a bit absurd and no one would believe it if he said it aloud.

Then Zu An continued, "Oh, and by the way, before His Majesty passed away, he entrusted me to assist in governing and to support the Crown Prince in ascending the throne as the new emperor."

Chu Chuyan and the other women's eyes widened instantly. This fellow truly spun lies without consequence! It was clearly him... If the Emperor's spirit were in heaven, he might be angered back to life.

King Yan and Zhao Yuan also had strange expressions. Handing the throne to the Crown Prince was expected. But for him to assist in governance...

"Does Administrator Zu have any proof for these words?" King Yan said gravely, though his tone had become more polite.

"The situation was critical at the time; there was no time to leave written proof," Zu An scoffed. "What, does Your Royal Highness mean to imply I'm falsely transmitting an imperial decree?"

Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes. *Aren't you, though?*

Zu An pondered silently. He could actually produce the Human Emperor Seal, which would be more convincing than anything else. But that item was a treasure, and once brought out, it would likely have to be handed over. So, he decided to keep it for now and see how things developed later.

King Yan's expression shifted. Although he thought as much, he dared not admit it aloud. "Administrator Zu, you misunderstand. It's just that this matter is truly incredible, so we need to investigate the full story before drawing any conclusions."

Zu An's face darkened. "What, do you still intend to detain and interrogate me?"

"This..." King Yan and Zhao Yuan exchanged glances, recognizing the apprehension in each other's eyes. No one could be sure if he was telling the truth or lying. While it was logically unlikely that the Emperor would appoint someone with a demon race background to assist in governance, what if Zu An was the only one beside the Emperor at that moment, and there was no one else to turn to? Furthermore, Zu An held the identity of the Demon Race's Regent King. It wouldn't be wise to truly kill him like this, especially now that the Emperor was gone. Wouldn't that give the Demon Race a reason to seek retribution?

Just then, another set of orderly footsteps echoed. Another group of soldiers ran over, and the two leading generals called out from a distance, "It's Administrator Zu!"

The two were none other than Zhang Zijiang and Wang Bolin, deputy generals of the Imperial Forest Guard.

"Brother Zhang, Brother Wang!" A smile also appeared on Zu An's face. He never expected them to still acknowledge him under these circumstances. One must know that he was currently in a vortex of public opinion, whether as the Demon Race's Regent King or as a suspect in the assassination case; ordinary people would not dare to associate with him.

Zhao Yuan's face darkened. "What are you doing here? You're still in a period of atoning for your crimes by rendering meritorious service!"

Zhang Zijiang said with a smile, "We heard Administrator Zu has returned and came specifically to see him. General Zhao, don't worry, we'll soon return to our patrol." Despite saying this, he and his subordinates did not move an inch.

During this time, both of them had endured enough scorn. Because of the Emperor's incident, the Imperial Forest Guards, who were initially responsible for security, had become scapegoats. If it weren't for the temporary need for their military strength to help suppress the Nine Daoist Sects, this group of people would probably have been imprisoned long ago. Even if they atoned for their crimes, they would still face dismissal and investigation afterward. Having worked hard their entire lives to reach this point, who would be willing to give up? Given the circumstances, they naturally had to seize the opportunity to turn things around. They had been somewhat despairing earlier, but upon learning that Zu An had returned, they immediately found their backbone. After all, in this matter, the Imperial Forest Guards and Zu An were like grasshoppers on the same rope.

Seeing the Imperial Forest Guards seemingly in subtle opposition to the Tiger Guards, Zhao Yuan's face darkened. If a real conflict broke out, the situation would likely be uncontrollable. Although Zu An appeared to have no cultivation, who knew if he was using some ability to hide it? Moreover, Yan Xuehen was clearly on his side, and the power of a grandmaster was already significant. Not to mention Chu Chuyan, Lou Wucheng, and other Daoist masters, plus Xie Daoyun, who represented the National Academy's influence. There were also those two ordinary-looking women, clearly disguised, whose aura fluctuations indicated considerable strength. If a real conflict were to erupt...

Just then, another group of people arrived on the Golden Summit. Both Zhao Yuan and King Yan's hearts stirred; no matter whose side they were on, they were enough to break the current stalemate.