"Hahahaha! How can an immortal fall into a trap as well? Can't you manage even the most basic foreknowledge or turning calamity into fortune? Or could it be that this path of yours was flawed to begin with..."
The King of Ji had only gotten halfway through his sentence when an invisible slap struck him across the face, sending him spinning through the air. He crashed through folding screens and display shelves before slamming hard against the wall.
With a muffled grunt, the king spat out two bloody teeth and then burst into hearty, joyous laughter.
Cangwu seized the King of Ji and lifted him up, enunciating each word with venom: "Do not think that just because I cannot kill you, you can run wild! I may not be able to kill you, but I can torment you for a very, very long time."
The King of Ji chuckled. "This king still possesses the modest ability to end his own life. Why don't you simply imprison me and set an obedient double upon the throne? Wouldn't that spare you the headache? Care to give it a try?"
Cangwu's face turned foul in the extreme. Immortals had historically maintained the deepest wariness toward the monarchs of the Nine Kingdoms, avoiding contact with them whenever possible. Everyone speculated that the Martial Ancestor had laid countless contingencies, perhaps one of which was to safeguard the dignity of their royal houses.
Having slapped the King of Ji in a fit of rage, Cangwu already regretted it deeply.
Suppressing his fury with effort, he said, "You desire longevity, and I wish to complete my appointed task. There is no conflict between us, so there is no need for things to be this way. From today onward, I will grant you the dignity you are due. How about that? If you truly have no desire for longevity, then consider this unsaid."
The King of Ji wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. Saying nothing, he struggled to climb to his feet. A slight flick of Cangwu's distant sleeve brought the king upright, and the injuries across his body mysteriously healed by nearly half.
A dark gray medicinal pill floated before the King of Ji.
"What is this?"
"A Soul-Expelling Pill, consider it compensation for you. Once consumed, it can obliterate a reincarnated soul and allow the physical vessel to birth an original soul of its own—effectively equivalent to returning the body to its former owner. You may give it to your favorite child. If a reincarnated soul has possessed him, you can wipe it out and send it into the cycle of reincarnation."
"At what cost?"
"A severe bout of illness, followed by three years of frailty," Cangwu replied.
The King of Ji snatched the pill and stowed it away, asking with a smile, "Are there more?"
Cangwu said crossly, "Do you think such an immortal pill, capable of destroying a reincarnated soul without harming the vessel's original spirit, is easy to obtain? It requires karma as a catalyst to refine. And in total, I have obtained only three strands of karma suitable to serve as such a catalyst!"
The King of Ji said, "I will cooperate fully. When our great undertaking succeeds, could you grant me one more?"
Cangwu hesitated for a moment before nodding reluctantly.
Only then did the King of Ji walk to the doorway of the Imperial Study and call out, "Someone come and clean up inside."
With bowed heads, supervising eunuchs and palace maids filed in one after another, none daring to speak or look astray for fear of laying eyes on something they should not.
Meanwhile, the King of Ji walked deep into the palace, soon stepping into an exquisitely magnificent hall. Inside sat a boy as fair and delicate as carved jade, quietly reading a book.
At the sight of the boy, affection surfaced on the King of Ji's face as he walked over. The boy hurried to his feet, bowed, and addressed him as royal father. His voice was clear and melodious, his bearing elegant, bringing delight to all who beheld him.
Noticing the bruises and cuts on the king's face, the boy said in astonishment, "Royal Father, what happened to you? Should I summon the imperial physicians?"
The King of Ji offered a warm smile. "Your father ascended above Immortal Heaven and suffered minor injuries only to secure this pill. Swallow it, and it will improve your bone structure."
Delight lit up the boy's face. He took the pill and was about to swallow it when the King of Ji stopped him. "This pill must be taken with strong liquor."
Drawing a flask of strong liquor from his sleeve, the king handed it over. The boy placed the pill into his mouth, took two large gulps of liquor, and washed it down. Within an instant, a flush of crimson rushed over his face, as though he were thoroughly drunk.
He swayed, his vision blurring, only to suddenly realize that tears were streaming down the King of Ji's face.
"Royal Father, you..." The boy broke into a violent fit of coughing, vomiting a large mouthful of black blood.
Staring dumbfounded at the black blood on the floor, the boy's expression suddenly turned unimaginably sinister, as though another person's visage had surfaced across his face. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "Vile creature! How dare you harm this sovereign?"
Tears poured ceaselessly from the King of Ji's eyes, yet his expression remained tranquil. He said, "My ancestors, you should have died long ago. Why cling so stubbornly to the mortal world and insist on harming my son? Now even the cycle of reincarnation is denied to you. Are you satisfied?"
The boy's features twisted violently. Beneath the youthful face, an ancient, withered countenance seemed desperate to burst forth, yet it was trapped fast within the vessel, unable to escape by any means.
The two faces alternated repeatedly until the ancient countenance forced its way out, squeezing the boy's features into a corner in utter agony. Realizing there was no hope of survival, the ancient face broke into hysterics, spewing curses that were venomous, insidious, and foul.
The King of Ji simply stared at the boy's compressed face, now shrunk to the size of a fist, listening silently to the curses. Several breaths later, the cursing gradually died away. The boy's body stiffened completely, and several trickles of clear fluid ran from his nose and ears.
His face remained fixed in that grotesque duality.
Only then did the King of Ji remove his outer robe, gently wrap it around the boy's body, and gather him into his arms. Then he called out, "Men!"
Several figures in black appeared without a sound, kneeling before the king.
"An assassin breached the palace and murdered the Crown Prince. The supervising eunuchs and maids of the Eastern Palace failed in their duties. Execute them all!"
The figures in black dispersed like ghosts. A dozen shrill screams rose outside the hall, followed by total silence.
Cangwu materialized soundlessly, glancing at the boy's corpse in the King of Ji's arms. Frowning slightly, he said, "I suppose that too is a choice... Cooperate well from now on. For now, we must first wipe out the rebels under the Spear Saint of the Great Desolation; we cannot allow his power to swell."
"No more playing along?"
Cangwu said, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Right now, we must strike him with thunderous force."
The King of Ji said, "This king's military tallies are all in your hands. Fight however you wish. Why bother asking me?"
Cangwu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Henceforth, I will notify you of every major decision. The deployment along the front line is complete. I am heading to Guantun County now to see what actually occurred there. Care to come along?"
***
By the banks of the Ningshui River, several hundred thousand imperial troops were encamped, resting. A giant eagle plunged down through the clouds and landed in the military camp, delivering an official dispatch stamped with the seal of the military tally into Xiao Jingyuan's hands.
Opening the military order, the old general's eyes widened sharply. He read it several times and verified that the aura on the grand seal of the military tally was genuine before ordering the camp struck to cross the river on the spot.
The currents were rapid here and the ferryboats were in short supply, making the crossing exceptionally difficult. Floating in the sky, a cadre of dharma idol and Dao Foundation officers merely watched with folded hands. In the eyes of these imperial commanders, assisting mortal soldiers was beneath their dignity.
Xiao Jingyuan's brow furrowed tightly as he bellowed, "Every officer is to pitch in and assist the crossing! Anyone who slacks off will be executed under military law on the spot, no matter who his father is!"
Even after the order was passed down, the army's progress remained sluggish. Many officers dragged their feet with bitter reluctance, putting on a half-hearted show.
Enraged, Xiao Jingyuan executed three Dao Foundation cultivators who moved the slowest despite their influential backing right on the spot. Only then did the remaining officers abandon all negligence and exert their full strength. With Dao Foundation cultivators propelling them, a ferryboat could cross the river within the time it took an incense stick to burn.
Upriver, the rebel forces began crossing as well.
Less than a hundred li from the Ningshui River, beside a patch of woods, stood an unusual camp where the forces of the Spear Saint of the Great Desolation were stationed. The camp was quiet, the surrounding sentries showing no reaction whatsoever. Most of the soldiers had removed their armor and were asleep. Several thousand auxiliary infantrymen were guiding surrendered rebels and imperial soldiers, teaching them how to feed the horses and maintain horse barding.
Lantern light still shone from several tents in the main encampment. Four adopted grandsons, along with four deputy generals of the army and Chen Daolin, were gathered around a map, studying their next strategic moves. Wei Yuan had returned to Guantun County over the past two days to handle administrative affairs, leaving them in temporary command of the army. Yet everyone knew that the dharma idol cultivator sitting quietly to the side without uttering a word was the true master.
At this moment, two massive armies—one from the south and one from the north—were advancing swiftly, their spearheads aimed straight at the camp. With their military qi completely cloaked by consummate methods, the generals inside the camp remained entirely oblivious.
Chapter 1046