472 Chapter 472
The news that Qingyang and Shuizhou had come and were waiting outside the palace gates also reached the Five Delusions Palace.
The Four Directions Heavenly Array has been locked, and Zou Yuan and the others cannot get out.
"His Majesty's condition is unclear; we cannot let them know," Qiu Hua said angrily. "These people all have ill intentions."
Zou Yuan said, "They can't get in; they can only wait outside."
"Just say that His Majesty is still under interrogation."
Yu Yuan promptly released the message.
The screen inside the room was still dripping blood, and the shadow reflected on it was a towering tree.
The previously lifeless withered branches climbed upwards and twisted into a huge tree canopy, and the abundant five elements brought vitality to the whole room.
Countless aerial roots hang from the thick, outstretched branches, from which tender buds and shoots sprout and bloom into clusters of fragrant white flowers.
Yu Sui could sense that He Xinsi, who was on the verge of death, was being forcibly pulled back to the human world by a force.
He Xinsi's pale face regained some color within the Tree of Life, and his paused breathing resumed. His consciousness returned, and his first breath was already contemplating how Yu Sui had managed to kill him.
"Killing me would have far worse consequences than killing your mother."
A man's deep, weak voice echoed in the room.
Yu Sui smiled after hearing this, her words tinged with mockery: "The saints of Taiyi are right outside the palace gates right now. Do you think they will notice the power of the earth's core here? Rather than letting Sun Heng and the others discover this secret, you might as well tell me sooner rather than later. Maybe I can help you cover it up."
He Xinsi slowly opened his eyes and saw the girl standing in front of him. A vibrant red color was reflected in his pale pupils.
Those extremely dark eyes were looking at him with curiosity and focus, without the slightest fear or terror, nor any murderous intent.
Just like at the beginning, He Xinsi did not sense any killing intent from Yu Sui, which is why she ended up in this situation.
Is this person's heart too pure, or their strength too profound?
He Xinsi looked at the quiet Yu Sui and couldn't help but smile.
His laughter grew louder and louder, turning into unrestrained, boisterous laughter.
Feeling refreshed and relaxed, He Xinsi hadn't experienced such a wonderful feeling in a long time.
Facing the person before him, he no longer needed to be vigilant, suspicious, or on guard, because the other party had already broken through his most powerful magic and knew the deepest secret in his heart.
Yu Sui asked him, "Is this the power of the Earth's core?"
"The most direct way to solve the problem you raised was to kill me, and you accomplished that so easily. Amazing."
He Xinsi's laughter was hearty and cheerful, completely different from the composed, profound, and unfathomable demeanor she displayed in the palace.
Yu Sui squatted down to look at him and asked, "What are you so happy about?"
The girl's puzzled look pleased He Xinsi even more.
"How did you manage to kill me?" He Xinsi retorted.
Before Yu Sui could answer, he answered himself, "No, let me guess first."
“The fatal wounds were to my heart and head. You cut off my head at the same time, and destroyed my internal organs as well.” He Xinsi exclaimed in amazement. “In the formation, I couldn’t sense any killing intent at all. If you had even the slightest intention to kill, I could have stopped you.”
“When you entered the Four Directions Heaven-Reaching Array, I sensed your joy and curiosity. I knew you deliberately allowed yourself to be captured by Li Jinshuang, and I also knew you entered the palace to investigate the power of the Earth's core. But I never expected... that you would dare to kill me, and even succeed.”
He Xinsi could guess the methods Yu Sui possessed: Divine Mechanism, Yin-Yang Twin Fish, Breath of Earth, and various other techniques from different schools of thought. He could even think of how to counter these methods, but in reality, it was over before he even had a chance to act.
This struck He Xinsi as incredible, yet also wonderful and exciting.
His dull and monotonous life finally encountered vibrant colors.
He Xinsi looked at Yu Sui. At this moment, Yu Sui was not a specific person in his eyes, but a symbol that shook his soul.
"Can you tell me what kind of low-level magic killed me?"
"Shouldn't you be the one answering my questions now?" Yu Sui propped her head up with one hand and looked at him.
"Let's be fair, one question for each person," He Xinsi said sincerely. "Which school of ninth-rate techniques is it?"
“It’s a low-level skill from my family,” Yu Sui replied with a smile.
He Xinsi was taken aback for a moment, then realized: "Is this a school of thought you created yourself, or is it recorded?"
“It’s my turn,” Yu Sui didn’t answer. “How wide is the range of the Earth’s core power here?”
"The entire Nanjing Prince's Palace," He Xinsi answered readily.
He acknowledged the existence of the Earth's core power. Beyond Taiyi, there exists such a mysterious and powerful force, yet the world remains unaware of it.
"How long have you been practicing your unique Nine Streams Technique?" He Xinsi asked again.
Yu Sui thought for a moment: "Five years old, six years old?"
She smiled nonchalantly, saying, "I can't remember."
Did it start when you were a five or six-year-old child? He Xinsi asked incredulously, "You are indeed a genius, but how did you manage to deceive your father's Asura Eye?"
Yu Sui's eyes held a sly smile: "I was indeed a person of the Ping Shu school before, so he wasn't wrong."
He Xinsi quickly realized that what had fooled Nangong Ming was not her strength, but her mind.
However, such a truth is even harder to bear.
Could a five or six-year-old child think of these things?
"Is there any difference between the core power of Nanjing and that of Taiyi?" Yu Sui asked.
He Xinsi said, "If a sage of Taiyi is willing to discuss this issue with me, perhaps I can tell you more."
The implication was that he couldn't be sure how the core power of Nanjing differed from that of Taiyi.
"Why were you chosen by the power of the core of Nanjing?" Yu Sui asked again.
He Xinsi: "These are two separate issues."
Yu Sui: "You just asked two questions, and I answered them both."
He Xinsi smiled and said, "You've asked two questions that I can't answer."
He breathed slowly, a smile on his face: "According to records, the power of Taiyi's core will only select those who have reached the Saint Realm within the Xuan Gu Continent to go to Taiyi and protect it."
"The answer I can give you is that you must break through to the Saint realm and reach the Saint realm to have a chance of being chosen by the power of the Earth's core."
"Do you want to be parasitized by the power of the Earth's core?" He Xinsi asked Yu Sui in return.
Does he think the relationship between the Earth's core power and the saints is like that of parasites?
"Dean Shen said that the existence of the Earth's core power is related to the light core of the ninth-rate sorcerers, but he never said that the saints were parasitized by the Earth's core power."
“The power of an intangible thing to attach itself to a tangible thing and thus manifest its form is parasitism.” He Xinsi was like a loving elder, patiently teaching her beloved juniors. “Just as a strange fire parasitizes humans and releases its energy, those who are parasitized are called the destroyers of the world.”
Yu Sui asked, "You used the strange fire as a metaphor, does that mean the power of the Earth's core is related to the strange fire?"
He Xinsi replied, "You haven't answered my question yet."
"Of course I want to, otherwise why would I come looking for you?" Yu Sui said, half-jokingly.
“You look very healthy and don’t need the power of the Earth’s core to prolong your life,” He Xinsi said.
Yu Sui frowned, finally realizing something was wrong: "You're relying on the power of the Earth's core to prolong your life, but you don't look very healthy."
When Ou Rushuang was surrounded and killed by Zou Qian and several other saints in the mirage, she was repaired by the power of the earth's core and acted as if nothing had happened, which was completely different from He Xinsi's serious illness.
“Didn’t Shen Tianxue tell you that I almost died at her and Pei Daiqing’s hands?” He Xinsi said with a hint of regret. “It was at that time that the power of the earth’s core parasitized my body, saving me from death. But it was too late. If I had been chosen by the power of the earth’s core before I was seriously injured and on the verge of death, its repair ability would have allowed me to return to my peak condition, instead of just being able to stay alive like this.”
“This looks more like regression than restoration.” Yu Sui thought of Zou Qian and Wan Guiyue from the Twenty-Four Sages of Taiyi.
Both of them were saints chosen by the power of the Earth's core, possessing the ability to mobilize this power and greatly enhance their strength. However, Zou Qian was unable to use the Earth's core power to break the Heart-Piercing Curse, and Wan Guiyue was unable to cure her body, which was being devoured by the Orchid Poison.
“When you are chosen by it, it restores you to your original form.” He Xinsi smiled after hearing Yu Sui’s words. “Perhaps you are right. The immortality ability of the Earth’s core is not restoration, but rather allowing a tangible object to revert to a moment before its death.”
If that's the case, then we have to act when our senior brother is in good condition, otherwise we'll end up like He Xinsi, dying from a serious illness.
Before that, the senior brother still needs to break through to the Saint realm.
He Xinsi seemed to see through Yu Sui's thoughts and said meaningfully, "With your talent, breaking through to the Saint realm is only a matter of time, but I'm not sure if you have enough time."
Yu Sui did not reply.
"Is it my turn to ask questions now?" He Xinsi asked again, "If you started practicing your unique techniques at the age of five, why did you keep it a secret from your father?"
Anyone who isn't an idiot should know how important such talent is to the Nangong family.
A five-year-old child should still be immersed in the desire for their parents' love, so how could they actively guard against their parents distancing themselves from them?
"What is your relationship with your parents like?" Yu Sui asked in return.
"Shouldn't you be the one to answer my question first?" He Xinsi said with a smile.
Yu Sui stared at him without saying a word.
Defeated in the stalemate, He Xinsi took the initiative to answer: "My relationship with them is perhaps better than the world guesses."
“You have many brothers and sisters. I’ve heard that no matter how well parents treat each other, no matter how well they hide it, there’s always one child they favor most in their hearts.” Yu Sui then asked, “Are you one of them?”
He Xinsi laughed loudly, "I don't really want to bring up painful memories from the past. Little girl, do you really want to be the child your parents favor the most?"
Yu Sui shook his head, a mocking smile curving his lips: "Even a cruel, tyrannical, and autocratic person like His Majesty was once bound by parental love. But for someone born with knowledge, it is impossible to regard Nangong Ming as a father."
The man was not a representation of the father, but a symbol of danger.
"Those who are born with knowledge... I see!"
He Xinsi's gaze towards Yu Sui suddenly turned frenzied, hiding an indescribable excitement and shock.
For him, Nangong Ming's thoughts were unimportant, because everyone already knew them.
But no one knew what Yu Sui was thinking.
Upon learning the answer, He Xinsi couldn't help but laugh again. Never before had the secrets of the He clan made him feel so excited. Only the person in front of him was too interesting, a rare find in this world.
He Xinsi was unable to leave the Nan Jing Palace. He spent more than twenty years there in a dull and boring life, becoming cruel and bloodthirsty. His only pleasure was watching the people around him struggle in fear and grow more and more afraid of him every day.
Whether it's family ties or friendships, one day they all turn into fear and estrangement, and then everything becomes boring.
He couldn't help but think about Yu Sui's life trajectory before that.
From the time she was born until she returned to live in the Qingyang Prince's Mansion, a young child dealt with Nangong Ming and other shrewd and ruthless adults every day, hiding behind the scenes without revealing the slightest clue.
Addictive thinking.
He Xinsi wanted to ask for more details to support his own conjectures and simulations, but Yu Sui didn't really want to talk to him.
"If you're willing to tell me more, I'll tell you everything you want to know." He Xinsi showed goodwill to Yu Sui, his face regaining its color, making him appear extremely devout.
Yu Sui realized that He Xinsi was the kind of person who valued the spiritual world highly. He couldn't stand a dull "world," whether it was his own or someone else's.
The other person is currently engrossed in her story of "being born with knowledge".
"I want to know everything about the power of the Earth's core," Yu Sui asked in a low voice. "What is its connection with the oath of no war and the destruction of the world by strange fire? The Four Directions Heaven-Reaching Array in the Royal Palace is also a manifestation of the power of the Earth's core, right? The so-called key to mastering the Four Directions Heaven-Reaching Array is the power of the Earth's core."
He Xinsi was once again amazed by Yu Sui's keen insight: "You are the first outsider to discover the secret of the magic array."
"Although all things in the universe are embodied by the five elements, what is born naturally and what is caused by humans are different. Everything within the magic array, including flowers, plants, rocks, and even some of the life forms, is controlled by humans."
Yu Sui turned to look outside, her gaze passing over Zou Yuan and the others guarding the outside, and landing on the Wang Jun guards standing on the palace wall in the distance.
"Your younger brothers are trying to curry favor with you in order to inherit the throne. One minute they want the Heavenly Punishment bloodline of the Legalist school, and the next they want the viper to evolve into the Dao Gu worm body."
"But I never expected... that you would have both of these things."
He Xinsi looked at Yu Sui with a smile on her face, as if admiring a masterpiece of nature.
"How do you prove it?" he asked.
"This place is like Taiyi. There was a saying that the islands of Taiyi were created by the saints of all ages using the power of the earth's core. The power of the earth's core changed the terrain, weather, and laws of survival in Taiyi."
"The Legalist Heavenly Punishment Bloodline can alter the rules of techniques. The Taoist Dao Gu Insect Body can transform insects into human forms. With the support of the Earth's core power, these two abilities are enough to change the world. Therefore, the buildings and terrain within the royal palace can remain unchanged for hundreds of years, or disappear overnight."
“You’re right. Even if Dean Shen and Dean Shen were together, they wouldn’t be your match within the Four Directions Heaven-Reaching Formation.”
Yu Sui looked back at He Xinsi with a calm expression, completely unaware of how shocking her earlier speculation would be if it were revealed.
"Over the years, saints from the six kingdoms have come and gone, but none of them could see that there was a Heavenly Punishment Transformation Rule and a Dao Gu Insect Body within the Four Directions Heavenly Array, yet you, a little girl, have seen it."
He Xinsi couldn't hide the smile on his face and the joy in his heart. He had finally found someone he could reveal these secrets to.
Yu Sui looked at him as if he were a prisoner.
A genius trapped in the Nanjing Palace for decades by the power of the Earth's core, unable to go out into the world.
Yu Sui shook her head: "Dean Shen had already guessed it. She told me that the Four Directions Heaven-Reaching Array is just like the power of the Earth's core."
"She tricked me out of the power of the Earth's core, but she never guessed that I would be subjected to Heavenly Punishment and the Dao Gu Insect Body." He Xinsi sneered lightly, "My fortune and misfortune are all caused by her."
Because of Shen Tianxue's death, He Xinsi was able to be parasitized by the power of the earth's core. However, because she was reborn by the power of the earth's core, she could no longer step out of the Nanjing Palace.
“I heard that the Four Directions Heaven-Reaching Array was maintained by the Sixth Generation Saint. I’ve calculated the timeline, and it seems to have appeared around the same time as the prophecy of the Strange Fire destroying the world.” Yu Sui pressed on, “If the Four Directions Heaven-Reaching Array is related to the power of the Earth’s core, then it has existed for far more than a few hundred years. The claim that it was created and maintained by the Sixth Generation Saint is also a lie. Perhaps your Southern Jing royal family knew from the beginning that the power of the Earth’s core existed in more than just Taiyi.”
He Xinsi closed her eyes, seemingly thinking about how to answer Yu Sui's question.
After resting quietly for a while, He Xinsi spoke slowly:
Before answering your question, you should know that Nanjing is the birthplace of the oath.
According to records, the kings of the six kingdoms made a vow in Nanjing and shattered the pagoda that represented the vow, scattering the pieces across the continent.
He Xinsi reached out her hand from among the vines towards Yu Sui, the tender green branches stretching forward as if extending an invitation to Yu Sui.
His eyes were full of sincerity and goodwill.
Yu Sui slowly stretched out her hand, and when her fingertips touched the tender green branches, the world before her eyes suddenly changed.
She stood beside a huge black altar, below which was a dense crowd of people. The armies of the six kingdoms looked up at the altar with solemn expressions.
A black wind howled, causing the flags of various countries to flutter loudly.
Many people also stood on the altar. Six people dressed in black and gold python robes stood in the very center, surrounded by twelve ninth-rank saints. They made hand seals and whispered with their heads bowed.
The incantations and spells dispersed with the five elements, then gathered again in the green and white disc at the center of the altar.
Yu Sui then discovered that the altar floor was carved with countless black and gold characters and incantations, with slender vine-like patterns along the edges. As the chanting of the Ninth-Rank Saints sang, the characters shimmered with a rose-gold light, creating an atmosphere that was mysterious, dangerous, and magnificent.
Those incantations were ancient and sacred; she had seen them before on fragments of the pagoda.
The kings of the six kingdoms reached out towards the disc in the altar, and wind blades sliced through their palms, dripping bright red blood that stained the disc.
Amidst solemn chanting, thunder roared like a dragon's cry, sweeping across the wind blades and blood as a crimson thunderbolt descended. With a crisp sound, the disc shattered and flew into the air.
Yu Sui's heart stopped at the sound of the cracking sound. He subconsciously looked up and saw the seven blood-stained fragments flying in different directions under the dark clouds overhead.
The fragments flew and tumbled, and Yu Sui's pupils reflected the blood-stained fragments, one side showing characters and the other showing patterns.
When all the fragments are pieced together, the patterns resemble a painting or a map.
Yu Sui's gaze followed the falling fragments, but after turning around, she found herself in a fiery inferno.
"After the oath between the six kingdoms is broken, will the prophecy of the world being destroyed by the strange fire come true?"
I still vividly remember the divination scene my senior brother performed that night.
The burning flames engulfed the fishpond.
Yu Sui saw the fragments of the pagoda that had fallen into the sea of fire.
They got the answer.
The oath was broken, and a strange fire descended upon the world.
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