Chapter 76: The Final Conspiracy

"Puff!" Chu Yun spat out another mouthful of blood, his body uncontrollably falling to one knee. As if sensing his reshaped Dao Heart, the three fragments of the Evil-Suppressing Seal within him erupted with brilliant golden light once again! A fusion force, more intense than any before, erupted, threatening to shatter his very organs! "Chu Yun!" Li Ge and Mo Li's hearts tightened, their hearts, having just let go, instantly rising to their throats. At that moment, the black jade bed, stained red with Chu Yun's blood, suddenly emitted a low humming sound. The ancient and mysterious golden runes on the bed, absorbing Chu Yun's blood, imbued with Taiyi Yuan Qi and the bloodline of the Evil-Suppressing Si, suddenly shone brightly! Rays of golden light shot out from the jade bed, interweaving and tracing across the stone chamber's air, ultimately converging into an incredibly clear, three-dimensional image of light and shadow! The image showed exactly this stone chamber. Two familiar figures appeared within. One was Elder Zhang, dressed in the attire of an elder from the Tianshi Mansion and with a sinister expression; the other was Xuan Chenzi, with his celestial bearing and unfathomable aura! "They... when was this image taken?" Mo Li whispered in astonishment. "That's the function of the jade bed," Chu Yun gritted his teeth, suppressing the excruciating pain. "It records every important event that has occurred in this stone chamber... This was... thirteen years ago!" In the image, Elder Zhang was caressing the black jade bed with a look of greed, his tone filled with flattery. "Brother, this is the last secret stronghold of the Evil Suppression Division. That fool, Chu Jiang, never knew until his death that his most trusted ally would deliver a fatal blow at his most crucial moment." Xuan Chenzi stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if he were merely examining an insignificant object. "Chu Jiang isn't an idiot. He simply places too much faith in so-called 'morality.' His choice to 'return to the origin' is his destiny, and it's also our opportunity." "Brother, you're wise!" Elder Zhang complimented him. "Now that the Evil Suppression Seal is shattered, we have obtained most of Chu Jiang's soul power and essence. It's only a matter of time before we refine and absorb them. It's a pity that those damned remnants desperately drove the other two fragments into the spatial turbulence, and they've disappeared." "That's all right." Xuan Chenzi's voice was calm, yet it radiated a confidence that he was in control of everything. "Those two fragments will eventually emerge in search of their 'host'. I've already laid out the chess game. No matter who gets them, they'll eventually return to our chessboard. All you have to do now is to follow the adults' plan, set up the mechanical city, and contact Shadow...

"puff!"

Chu Yun spat out another mouthful of blood, his body uncontrollably falling to one knee. As if sensing his reshaped Dao Heart, the three fragments of the Evil Suppression Seal within him erupted with brilliant golden light once again! A fusion force more intense than any before erupted, seemingly shattering his internal organs!

"Chu Yun!" Li Ge and Mo Li's hearts tightened, and their hearts, which had just been put at ease, instantly rose to their throats again.

At this moment, the black jade bed, stained red with Chu Yun's blood, suddenly emitted a low humming sound. The ancient and mysterious golden runes on the bed suddenly lit up after absorbing Chu Yun's blood, which contained Taiyi Yuanqi and the bloodline of Zhenxie Si!

Rays of golden light shot out from the jade bed, interweaving and outlining in the air above the stone chamber, and eventually condensed into an extremely clear, three-dimensional picture of light and shadow!

The stone chamber in the picture is exactly this one.

Two familiar figures appeared in the scene. One was Elder Zhang, wearing the attire of an elder from the Tianshi Mansion and with a sinister expression; the other was Xuan Chenzi, with his celestial bearing and unfathomable aura!

"They...when was this video taken?" Mo Li whispered in astonishment.

"That's the function of the jade bed." Chu Yun gritted his teeth, enduring the severe pain in his body. "It can record all the important things that happened in this stone chamber... This was... thirteen years ago!"

In the image, Elder Zhang was caressing the black jade bed with a look of greed, his tone filled with flattery, "Brother, this is the last secret stronghold of the Evil Suppression Division. That fool Chu Jiang never knew until his death that his most trusted ally would deliver a fatal blow to him at his most critical moment."

Xuan Chenzi stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if he were merely looking at an insignificant object. "Chu Jiang is not a fool, he just believes too much in so-called 'morality'. His choice of 'Return to Origin' is his destiny, and it is also our opportunity."

"Brother, you're brilliant!" Elder Zhang complimented him hastily. "Now that the Evil-Suppressing Seal has been shattered, we've obtained most of Chu Jiang's soul power and essence. Refining and absorbing them is only a matter of time. It's a shame those damned remnants desperately threw the other two fragments into the spatial turbulence, and they've disappeared without a trace."

"That's all right." Xuan Chenzi's voice was calm, yet it radiated a confidence that he was in control of everything. "Those two fragments will eventually emerge in search of a 'host'. I've already laid out the chessboard. No matter who gets them, they'll eventually return to our chessboard. All you have to do now is follow the Master's plan. Arrange the Mechanical City, contact the Shadow Pavilion, and guide the new master of the underworld... Remember, everything we do serves the Master's ultimate plan."

"Yes, yes!" Elder Zhang nodded repeatedly, then asked hesitantly, "Brother, can your plan... really succeed? That's... refining the 'One and Only Divine Pill'! Using the Three Realms as a furnace and all things as medicine, this... this is simply..."

"Shut up!" Xuan Chenzi's eyes turned cold, and a terrifying pressure instantly silenced Elder Zhang. "How can you guess your lordship's wisdom? The fact that you and I can participate in this is already a great fortune. When the divine pill is refined, you and I will both ascend to heaven in one step, transcending this world. Isn't this what you and I have always desired?"

"Yes! Senior brother is right!" Elder Zhang immediately lowered his head, and his eyes were replaced by fanatical greed again.

The light and shadow picture came to an abrupt end here and slowly dissipated into the air.

The stone chamber fell into dead silence.

Chu Yun, Li Ge, and Mo Li looked at each other, the color draining from their faces. A chill, even more piercing than when they'd faced the "Ascension Platform" in the crater, rose from the depths of each of their hearts.

Xuan Chenzi...is actually just a chess piece?

Behind him, there is actually a so-called "adult"?

Refining... "the only magical pill"?

Every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting their hearts hard and making them feel suffocated.

"I understand..." Chu Yun slowly stood up from the ground, the excruciating pain in his body seemingly numb. He looked at the black jade bed with an extremely complicated expression. "Xuan Chenzi, including Elder Zhang, they are just executors. The real conspiracy began thirteen years ago, or even earlier."

"That secret compartment..." Mo Li seemed to have remembered something and immediately rushed to the side of the jade bed, pointing to an extremely hidden corner under the bed. "In the previous footage, Elder Zhang's gaze fell here several times!"

Chu Yun and Li Ge stepped forward immediately. As expected, in that corner, they found a secret compartment covered by extremely complex restrictions.

"Elder Zhang's style again, huh, a mere trifle." Mo Li suppressed her shock and extended her mechanical armour. This time, she didn't even need a probe. From her fingertips, she shot several threads of pure spiritual energy, probing the core of the restriction. In less than an incense stick of time, with a soft click, the restriction was broken.

The secret compartment slowly opened, revealing no powerful magical instruments or astonishing secret manuals. Instead, it contained a thick stack of research records made from the hide of an unknown animal, and a half-finished, incomplete diagram of an incomparably sinister and magnificent ritual.

Chu Yun reached out and picked up the stack of research records.

The hide felt cold and smooth to the touch, and the handwriting was indeed Elder Zhang's. But the writing style, the condescending tone that viewed all things as ants and the Three Realms as a chessboard, the tone that was filled with absolute confidence and control, was definitely not that of the sinister but modest Elder Zhang.

This is more like... a true superior is dictating his plan, and Elder Zhang is just a nervous recorder.

The three of them suppressed the turmoil in their hearts and turned the pages one by one.

As the records unfolded, their faces grew paler and paler, and their hearts sank little by little into the cold abyss.

It records in detail every chess piece and every step laid out by that "adult" since the fall of the Evil Suppression Bureau thirteen years ago.

How to use the "Return to Origin Ceremony" of the Evil Suppression Bureau to accurately weaken the seal of the Demon King instead of completely destroying it.

How to hide the broken pieces of the Evil-Suppressing Seal in the Mechanical City to be nourished by the energy of the earth veins; and send the other pieces into the nightmare to be nurtured by the power of the soul.

How to reach a "cooperation" with the new Yama in the underworld and the Shadow Pavilion in the human world, promise them benefits that they cannot refuse, and make them willingly become the gears to promote the plan.

How to initiate the "Blood Moon Transforms the Sky" ritual, using the energy of countless living beings to "ripen" the demon king who is about to break free...

Every step was recorded clearly, with a calm, emotionless brushstroke, as if the author were not plotting a conspiracy to overthrow the Three Realms, but rather documenting an ordinary scientific experiment. And all of them, whether it was Chu Yun, Xuan Chenzi, or even Ying Ge and Xin Yanluo, were merely "materials" in this experiment, expendable and replaceable at any time.

Finally, the three people's eyes fell on the last page of the research record.

There was no long speech on that page, only an extremely crazy "pill recipe" written in blood.

"...Use the blood moon as a 'furnace'."

"...Use the energy of all living things as 'firewood'."

"...Using endless resentment as 'fire'."

"...take the most fundamental 'chaos energy' born from the moment the Demon King breaks the seal and Taiyi returns to the origin, one growing while the other recedes, and the two forces of creation collide and collide. This is... 'medicine'."

"...Using 'the heart of heaven', I make the 'dish'."

"...Use the 'Evil-Suppressing Seal' as the 'guide'."

"...Refine one, unprecedented and unparalleled, capable of transcending the six realms, reshaping the laws, and achieving eternal immortality..."

"…'The Only Divine Pill'."

“Pah.”

The research record slipped from Chu Yun's trembling hands and fell to the ground.

There was no anger or even shock on his face, only a dead numbness.

He finally knew.

The ultimate, real conspiracy hidden behind all the dark scenes.

That person had no intention of ascending to become an immortal, nor did he want to resurrect the demon king, nor did he want to rule the three realms.

He is engaging in the craziest "alchemy" with the whole world at stake!

At the moment when the two most powerful forces collided, namely the Demon King breaking the seal and Chu Yun and others having to perform the "Return to Origin Ceremony", he would use the Mohist "Heart of Heavenly Craftsmanship", a container that could carry all energies, to forcibly steal the "power of creation" that was enough to create the world and reshape all things, and refine it into a "magic pill" for himself that could free him from the mortal body, the six paths, and all the constraints of the laws!

He wants to make himself the new, unique, supreme... "New God"!

"Madman... He's a complete lunatic!" Mo Li screamed in horror and disbelief as she gazed at the insane recipe and the incomplete but still sinisterly grandiose ritual diagram. As a top-tier craftsman, she knew better than anyone how brilliant and feasible this "recipe" was in theory. It was precisely because of this that she felt such immense fear!

"Who is that person...?" Li Ge's voice was so dry that he couldn't make any sound.

Chu Yun did not answer.

He just slowly raised his head, his gaze seemed to penetrate the dome of the stone chamber, penetrate the thick rock layers, penetrate the misty fairy atmosphere of the Tianshi Mansion, and finally fell on the highest, deepest, and most mysterious place in the Tianshi Mansion, the "Observatory" which was said to be only accessible to the Tianshi of all generations.

Although he didn't know the man's name or appearance, he knew that this man was the one who could orchestrate such a flawless scheme spanning thirteen years and calculating all the forces in the Three Realms and Six Paths, the one who could manipulate a powerful being like Xuan Chenzi, the one who could make the Judge of the Underworld afraid to address him by name before his death, and could only use the term "Sir" to hint at him...

There is only one person in the entire Tianshi Mansion.

The great heavenly master who has been in seclusion for many years, not caring about worldly affairs, and is worshipped as a belief by the entire cultivation community.

An unprecedented, suffocating chill and despair, as if freezing even the soul, instantly enveloped the entire stone chamber.

The one they were going to face... was actually him.

Just as the three of them fell into a dead silence of endless despair, Chu Yun's eyes accidentally swept across the back cover of the research record, and his pupils suddenly shrank.

In the lower right corner of the back cover, two words were engraved in very small letters:

"Part 1".