Weiyang Palace, inside the Empress's bedroom.
Song Yanran was pale-faced and sat cross-legged on the bed, surrounded by a misty aura.
After a long while, she suddenly opened her phoenix eyes and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
This sudden turn of events left Song Yanran looking somewhat bewildered.
With her immaculate body and top-tier ninth-rank Emperor cultivation, she was virtually immune to all poisons. How could she possibly be poisoned?
At the same time, Song Yanran felt the spiritual energy in her body dissipating at a visible speed, which caused her long-dormant Dao heart to panic.
"How could this be? I had already refined and cultivated the Imperial Supreme Heavenly Scripture to its peak."
Logically, the internal energy should never have dissipated, so why? Could it really be caused by this poison?
When exactly was the poison inflicted? Could it be...?
Thinking of this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Song Yanran's eyes.
After sighing, I decided to take a stroll in the Imperial Garden first.
Too much has happened lately; she needs to sort things out.
Meanwhile, after obtaining the information he wanted, Shen Zhao quickly left Weiyang Palace.
This matter involves too much; if it were to explode, the entire Longhan Celestial Empire would likely be set off at the Empress's wedding ceremony.
He needed to find a place to process this news, identify potential partners, and begin planning to turn the situation around.
In fact, Shen Zhao could have simply run away and avoided getting involved in this mess, but he knew that if he let it go this time, it would be too late to make amends later, let alone abandon the project.
Walking down the street, one sees crowds of people coming to witness the Empress's wedding ceremony.
Their faces were filled with oblivious joy, unaware that a great calamity was about to befall these innocent people.
"My Lord..."
A soft call pulled Shen Zhao back to reality.
Not far away, Ji Bingyan was leaning against a teahouse, dressed in peasant clothes, and looking in our direction.
The two exchanged a glance, then went straight into the teahouse and found a corner to sit down.
"Master, we have found out who the deceased emperor was."
Who is it?
"Darpa of the Vajrayana School."
Shen Zhao was shocked to hear this. Darba was a fourth-grade Great Emperor, the strongest Great Emperor in the entire Xiongnu territory besides the Xiongnu King, and now he was dead just like that.
"Has anyone been identified as the perpetrator?"
“Darba died under his own unique Vajra Mudra technique, and it is initially suspected that he committed suicide.”
"Suicide? Impossible!"
Without saying a word, Shen Zhao immediately rejected the possibility.
Those who can elevate their cultivation to the Great Emperor realm must have endured the hardships of the past years; how could they possibly end their lives by suicide?
Therefore, Shen Zhao did not believe Ji Bingyan's judgment at all.
Ji Bingyan nodded as well: "Master, I don't believe it either, but when I found Darba's body, there were no obvious traces of a second person around."
Furthermore, the examination of his body revealed severe internal injuries sustained before his death, leading to the initial assessment that he may have succumbed to his deteriorating injuries and committed suicide.
"Darba was seriously injured?" Shen Zhao frowned. "You mean he fought a Great Emperor before he died?"
Only a Great Emperor-level expert could harm someone at the Great Emperor realm, though other methods cannot be ruled out.
However, for those who have reached the pinnacle of martial arts cultivation, conventional methods of relying on external forces are generally of little use.
Ji Bingyan: "Yes, but the fatal blow was caused by the skull being shattered by the powerful Vajra Palm force."
"In the entire world, only Darba himself can bring the Vajra Sect's martial arts to such a level; there is truly no one else."
Shen Zhao: "When did Darba die?"
"Just this morning, when the celestial phenomena changed."
"Um……"
Shen Zhao fell into deep thought. Seeing this, Ji Bingyan carefully poured Shen Zhao a cup of coarse tea.
Looking at the steam rising from the teacup, Shen Zhao suddenly asked, "Do you think it's possible that Darba had a second person with him before his accident?"
"Master, I have thoroughly investigated the area. Apart from Darba, the cave where he died..."
The other person's presence had been absent for at least four hours, but Darba died two hours later; the two times didn't match up at all.
"Have you noticed anything else unusual?"
"Any other unusual things?"
Ji Bingyan pondered for a long time, then shook her head blankly: "It seems there's nothing unusual."
Shen Zhao poured the coarse tea onto the tea tray, then filled his own cup and said, "I've heard that Darba has a string of imperial-grade Buddhist beads."
In his early years, when Darba was seeking Buddhist scriptures, he met the Venerable Master Shangzhi of Wanfo Rock and they became fast friends. The two debated Buddhist scriptures late into the night, explaining their understanding of the Dharma.
Finally, Zen Master Shangzhi gifted Darba a string of consecrated Buddhist prayer beads that he carried with him. These beads possessed a certain spiritual power, and when Darba's cultivation reached the Emperor Realm, they also advanced to the Emperor Rank.
To express his deep friendship with the Venerable Master Shangzhi, this string of prayer beads accompanied Darba all day long and would never leave his side. Have you ever seen if this string of prayer beads is still in his hand?
Ji Bingyan's pupils contracted, and she instinctively stood up, wanting to kneel before Shen Zhao.
But Shen Zhao grabbed her wrist first: "You've been reborn, yet you're still so clumsy."
"If you weren't paying attention, you weren't paying attention. Why make yourself uncomfortable in front of so many people? If you keep doing this, don't follow me anymore."
"My lord, I was wrong. Please don't hate me. I just didn't expect to overlook such an important clue."
"So that means the string of prayer beads isn't on him?"
"No, Darba has no imperial aura. If he did, I would have already obtained it."
Shen Zhao then released her hand: "So, you still think Darba committed suicide?"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
