bookbashuk Chapter 162 The Eroded Information
Chapter 162 The Eroded Information
Chapter 162 The Eroded Information
Hongzhong's expression was even more solemn than when she left. She said she had only found the message left by Xuanji, but had not found Xuanji himself.
[When you ask her what she discovered, Hongzhong only tells you that a great battle of the Purple Mansions once took place west of the Imperial City, and it is now in ruins.]
Hongzhong took something from her bosom. It was a green fragment, which she told you was a fragment of Xuanji's protective magic weapon, the Xuan Turtle Mirror.
Your heart sank; you couldn't understand why this great battle had broken out. Previous simulations had never shown such a significant deviation.
[You asked Hongzhong if Xuanji had left any other messages. Hongzhong nodded, her hands forming a hand seal, and a wisp of extremely faint gray energy emanated from her fingertips, disappearing into the fragment of the Xuan Turtle Mirror.]
The fragment trembled slightly, projecting several lines of incomplete and fragmented text, most of which had been forcibly erased, into the void.
Jin Xing — There's a trap; Zhao Family — No, Li Xuance — There's a problem; Qingchi Immortal Sect is out; Zhengyang Immortal Sect — Dao Sect —
The handwriting is blurry and distorted, the information is fragmented and vague. You look at it with complete bewilderment, unable to understand why only half a sentence was left.
You suddenly realize something is wrong. The mystery wasn't just half a sentence left behind; other important information had been erased by some special means.
But right now, the only clear clue is that name that harbors hostility towards you, Li Xuance.
This "brother" you previously overlooked seems to be far more crucial than you thought.
You must suppress all your emotions and refocus your attention on the palace. You must get close to him and tear a hole in him.
Just as you were about to leave, Hongzhong's expression suddenly changed drastically. She abruptly pushed you aside, then turned around, unleashing her full crimson magic power as she faced the night sky.
However, a seemingly insignificant finger strike silently pierced through the hastily erected magical barrier and the protective magic artifact she was fully activating, precisely striking her between the eyebrows.
[Hongzhong's body stiffened, and the light in her eyes quickly dimmed. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but only a thin line of dark red blood escaped before she collapsed limply, lifeless.]
[A mid-Foundation Establishment stage assassin from the Listening Rain Pavilion was killed in a single blow! The attacker's strength is unfathomable!]
Your pupils constrict, your heart nearly stops. There's someone else in the room, someone you don't know has appeared yet.
He was an elderly man dressed in dark linen clothes, with gray hair. His face was ordinary, his body thin and frail, like any other elderly person one might see on the street.
He didn't attack you immediately. Instead, he walked slowly to the table, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea that had already gone cold, and sipped it slowly.
Throughout the entire process, he did not emit the slightest fluctuation of magical power.
Yet it gives you an even more suffocating sense of oppression than when facing the three leaders of Zhenyang Tower.
You know, the other party must be a True Immortal of the Purple Mansion Realm.
"Li Qingyi," the old man finally put down his teacup, his voice hoarse and calm, "the young master of Tingyu Pavilion, the third prince who has been living among the common people for twenty years. Tsk, two identities, both quite troublesome."
You forcefully suppress the urge to escape, knowing that there is absolutely no way you can get away from this person.
You take a deep breath, force yourself to calm down, and ask the other person's identity.
The old man looked up at you, seemingly somewhat surprised that you could remain calm.
He said he was the gravedigger and told you that Tingyuge's reach was too far.
The Pavilion Master of Tingyu Pavilion shouldn't have sent you, and you certainly shouldn't have revealed your princely identity and brazenly entered the imperial city.
Now that things have come to this, you have no choice but to inquire about more information. You immediately ask if the Zhao family's affairs are related to them.
He only answers you: The path to the Purple Mansion is paved with bones. What is the life of an entire clan compared to the path to immortality?
Moreover, the Zhao family, backed by the Daoist sect, secretly colluded with the Qingchi Immortal Sect and the royal family, playing both sides and courting death.
You looked bewildered. You hadn't seen the Qingchi Immortal Sect in the previous simulations, and you thought they had nothing to do with Jin Xing's scheme.
I never imagined Qingchi was just hiding his true intentions so well.
This old man in hemp clothing was very generous to you, and even told you that your identity as the third prince was itself a kind of original sin.
Especially since you've become involved with Tingyu Pavilion, your crime is compounded.
You are completely bewildered, as the other person never finishes their sentence, only saying half of it.
If you weren't weaker than your opponent, you'd really want to beat this riddle-maker to death.
The old man in hempen clothes looked at you with regret in his eyes. He couldn't help but sigh, "You already know enough. Some secrets, knowing them is a path to death."
"What a pity, a sixteen-year-old Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator, the chosen successor of the Listening Rain Pavilion Master, should have had a much brighter future."
The old man in hemp clothing raised his withered finger and pointed at you.
Your body surged with sword energy, and before you died, you gained a deeper understanding of the "True Explanation of Swordsmanship".
The sword energy you dispersed into your eight meridians has now gathered in your dantian to form an invisible sword embryo.
Your entire body surged with sword energy, merging into a single strike that surpassed the limits of sword refinement.
The old man in hemp robes looked at you with surprise and admiration. It was just a pity that the Purple Mansion was still just the Purple Mansion.
With a gentle tap of his fingertip, the sword strike, surpassing even the power of internal energy, shattered with a deafening roar.
[A bloody hole has appeared between your eyebrows, and your pupils are dilated.]
Before you died, you heard the old man in hemp robes mutter to himself: "The golden nature is about to be formed, and the curtain is about to rise. Ling'er has already entered the Daoist sect. The royal family, the Zhengyang Immortal Sect, and the six sects are all just supporting roles."
The real competition takes place at a higher level—unfortunately, you can't see it.
[You're dead. Rewards are being calculated.]
Who exactly is this tomb keeper? And who erased the information left behind by Xuanji?
"Jin Xing is deceitful," Li Qingyi murmured.
Why is Jin Xing suspected of being a fraud? The missing information prevented Li Qingyi from making any rash judgments.
Is the Zhao family wrong?
What's wrong with the Zhao family again?
Is there something wrong with Li Xuance?
If Li Qingyi remembered correctly, in the previous simulations, Li Xuance had been completely outmaneuvered by her.
What exactly is wrong with him?
The only clear piece of information is that Qingchi Immortal Sect has been eliminated.
Li Qingyi frowned. Could it be—because Qingchi was eliminated, Xiyue was forced to return to the sect?
After thinking about it, Li Qingyi felt it was very likely.
As for the Zhengyang Immortal Sect and the Dao Sect that followed.
He was completely baffled even though only one name was mentioned.
Li Qingyi realized that, at present, it seemed that the only way to deal with the problem was to start with Li Xuance.
He couldn't find anyone from the Zhao family, and Ling'er was currently at the Dao Sect.
He had no chance of getting in at all.
Li Qingyi got up and walked towards the outside of the cave.
Hong Zhongzheng wholeheartedly protected him.
Seeing Li Qingyi emerge, Hongzhong asked, "Young Master, how did it go?"
Li Qingyi said calmly, "I have an idea. Let's go to the capital."
Hong Zhong nodded and led Li Qingyi to the imperial city.
The key to breaking the deadlock still lies within the imperial city.
This time, however, Li Qingyi does not intend to reveal his identity as a prince.
He came up with a more reliable solution.
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