Chapter 483
Zhong Lique fainted shortly after she finished speaking.
Mu Mengbai pondered for a long time as he looked at the girl who was exhausted from divining the secrets of heaven. His gaze fell on the fragment of the pagoda that Zhong Lique was still holding tightly in her hand.
“Sister Zhongli, although my divine wooden talisman can keep you from dying, it doesn’t mean it can protect you from being hurt by even a single hair. This time, your soul has been injured, and it will probably take you three to five months to recover.”
Mu Mengbai bent down, grabbed Zhong Lique's hand, and unlocked the Soul-Locking Ring.
I'm finally free.
Mu Mengbai hummed twice, like a happy little dog released from its cage. He thoughtfully cleaned up the divination array in the cave and quietly left.
With the world in chaos, no one will notice him.
He had once been unable to divine Yu Sui's name, so he approached Sheng Fei out of curiosity. Now, having learned the truth from Zhong Li Que, Mu Mengbai had no more attachment to this world.
He could accept whatever the world's fate might be—destruction or rebirth.
Mu Mengbai stepped out of the cave, saw the daylight, and sighed softly, "My not taking sides is the only way the divine tree can protect you."
The overcast sky didn't look like a sunny day.
The young man quickly disappeared into the mountains and forests, leaving no trace.
When the sages of the Water Boat arrived at the Glazed Platform, the remaining fragments had already found their owners. Wei Xizhen looked at Gu Gan and Zou Yexi, who glared at her and said, "Not me! I only managed to snatch one piece!"
"Was it you who did this?" Zou Yexi immediately turned to question Gu Gan.
"Enough with the nonsense, hand over the fragments!" Shan Chen roared.
The two of them refused, even though the other party was a ninth-rate saint. They were unwilling to compromise and fled in different directions.
Upon seeing this, the Crown Prince of Yan also disappeared into the chaotic crowd.
Situ Jin stared at this astonishing scene, speechless. Was he going to watch the water boat capture the World Destroyer, or the person who stole the Floating Pagoda?
Nangong Ming was quickly considering the ownership of all the fragments. Zou Yexi was from the Yan Kingdom, and Gu Gan was on his side. Their goals were the same.
Jiang Fengyu didn't need to say anything.
Tu Miaoyi and Wei Xizhen each have a fragment, so there are still two missing.
Sun Heng wanted to use the Floating Pagoda for divination because it was related to the Strange Fire? His calmness in the face of the World Destroyer was completely different from his previous vigilance; Sun Heng must have found a new way to deal with the World Destroyer.
Could it be a fragment of the Pagoda?
Nangong Ming's heart leaped into his throat. In the midst of this emotional stalemate, he slowly turned around and looked towards the direction of the Communication Institute.
"Your Highness, while you inquire about the fragments, I need to go find someone first."
When Qin Shan returned, he didn't see Zhong Lique. He greeted Nangong Ming and then used his wind manipulation technique to leave.
Nangong Ming did not stop them; Zhongli Que could not be lost.
Following the information given by the divine wooden divination slip, Qin Shan hurried deep into the mountains and forests, where he saw a waterfall.
As soon as he arrived at the water's edge, he realized that the feng shui of this place was excellent, the second best divination location after Liulitai.
Qin Shan entered the cave but found no trace of anyone else. At the end of the cave, a young girl lay unconscious, exhausted.
In the dim light, only the fragments in the girl's hand emitted a faint glow.
Qin Shan paused for a moment, his face, hidden in the shadows, appearing quite complex.
Transporting the fragments of the Floating Pagoda from the Glazed Platform to here would have exhausted all of her power. Qin Shan assumed that Zhongli Que's exhaustion and injuries were caused by the struggle for the fragments.
He collected the fragments and left the cave with Zhongli Que.
Nanjing is not safe these days.
No one can guarantee that those three world destroyers won't suddenly launch an attack.
As for the girl from the Nangong family… Qin Shan looked down at the girl in his arms, but then dismissed the idea when he looked up.
That's a monster chosen by the strange fire since infancy.
Even if Zhongli Que had some friendship with that person when he was young, he still couldn't figure out what the other person was thinking.
Instead, we should try to persuade Nangong Ming.
Just as Sheng Fei said, their blood ties cannot be completely severed because of a name.
Qin Shan was worried that Nangong Ming was unwilling to bow down to his daughter.
When Qin Shan brought Zhongli Que to find Nangong Ming, he was still under the Liuli Terrace, frowning as he listened to the report from Nangong's three departments.
Nangong Ming looked up at Zhongli Que in his arms, and Qin Shan stepped forward and explained in a low voice, "The missing fragment is in her hands."
"...Who else knows?" Nangong Ming's agitated heart was not relieved by this news.
Qin Shan shook his head: "How much is still needed?"
“Three pieces. Tu Miaoyi will have results soon. As for the remaining pieces, one is with Wei Xizhen, and the last one… I suspect Sun Heng took it.”
As Nangong Ming finished speaking, he couldn't help but look towards the Communication Institute.
He finally revealed his guess: "Sun Heng must have discovered a way to deal with the World Destroyer, and it's related to the Floating Pagoda."
If the pagoda is needed to fight the destroyers, can they still break their vow of non-aggression?
Many people will disagree.
As obstacles increase and time drags on, it will be more and more disadvantageous for them.
Nangong Ming looked directly into Qin Shan's eyes and, seeing the other's wavering, said sternly, "We absolutely cannot let more people know about the relationship between the Floating Pagoda and the Destroyer."
Even their speculations cannot be confirmed.
At least not until they completely conquer the Yan state.
“Finding the Eye of the Ruins should be more important than capturing the World Destroyer,” Nangong Ming said to Qin Shan.
Qin Shan said meaningfully, "I hope you can persuade His Majesty just as easily then."
Nangong Ming did not respond.
"Before leaving Nanjing, we must retrieve all the fragments," Nangong Ming said in a low voice. "We absolutely cannot lose to those world destroyers who rely on their strange fire to act with impunity."
The underground of the Nanjing Prince's Palace.
Before divining the heavens and earth, Han Ziyang finally overcame all difficulties and found a way to access the underground palace.
He went alone, silently eliminated the guards of the underground palace, walked through the long and cold passage, and opened the iron gate at the end of the passage.
Han Ziyang imagined that inside the door would be a magnificent, warm, and bright underground palace, filled with countless servants. He imagined his father sitting by the bed, drinking wine and listening to music, indulging in pleasure every day, living a carefree life like an immortal.
But the inside of the door was just as cold and damp as the passageway.
There were no luxurious luminous pearls, only a lonely oil lamp.
The cold stone wall was silent, staring at the soft bed in the room.
The bed curtains fell, obscuring the view inside. The lamplight only illuminated the area around the bed, and the small flame could not provide much light for the person inside.
Han Ziyang held his breath and walked towards the strange bed.
A muffled sobbing sound came from inside, indistinct and unclear. Han Ziyang took a deep breath, his nostrils filled with the damp, cold air.
When he lifted the bed curtains, Zhou Tianhuo illuminated the entire space beside him, and also the face of the man lying on the bed with his limbs bound.
The man's bloodshot eyes widened, and some kind of low-level magic, which made him only able to utter incoherent sounds even with his mouth open, was causing him to stare blankly.
When those eyes reflected Han Ziyang's face, they revealed a look of madness, silently screaming at Han Ziyang: Save me! Save me now!
Han Ziyang then realized that he had guessed wrong.
Ever since Gongsun Qi revealed his true identity, telling him that his father, Han Xiao, had become the consort of Nan Jing and was having children with the princess of Nan Jing every day, wanting to use those children to inherit the Han clan's divine punishment bloodline.
In Han Ziyang's imagination, this cold-blooded man lived a life of debauchery in Nanjing, but he didn't care how miserable his child was living outside, who would be killed at a young age and never have the chance to see the world again.
It wasn't until he entered the dark, damp underground hut and saw Han Xiao, who had lost his freedom and was living worse than a dog, that Han Ziyang's murderous intent dissipated.
Han Xiao was very excited.
In this dark and gloomy place, he was trapped between life and death. He struggled to sit up, opening his mouth wide towards Han Ziyang, but could not utter a complete and clear word.
No one heard his roars and shouts.
Save me or kill me.
Han Ziyang stared at him expressionlessly, and then lowered the bed curtains under Han Xiao's expectant gaze.
This action provoked an even stronger reaction from Han Xiao, who kicked and pounded the bed, creating quite a commotion in the quiet stone house.
Han Ziyang turned and left through the door. Just as he closed it, he heard the woman's cold voice ask, "Did you see him?"
A woman in colorful clothes emerged from the shadows at the back of the passage.
Princess Yu looked aloof and critical as she scrutinized Han Ziyang, who was standing in front of the door.
Han Ziyang looked perfectly normal, showing no sign of panic at being discovered.
“I recognized your identity as soon as you entered the palace and knew you were Han Xiao’s child,” Princess Yu sneered. “I thought you two were father and son, so I deliberately let you in to see him.”
"How could Your Highness possibly believe that there is such a thing as a father-son relationship between a man I've never met?" Han Ziyang asked.
“Blood ties are a difficult thing to define.” Princess Yu approached step by step, her gaze sharp. “Even if you have never met or spoken a word to each other, there are many ways in this world to prove the unique connection between you.”
Han Ziyang's gaze fell on Princess Yu's shoulder, where a Gu worm glowed with blue light. He realized that Princess Yu had discovered his identity through the Gu worm. Han Ziyang thought to himself that if he had known this beforehand, he would have asked Xue Mushi about it before coming.
"I'm just curious," Han Ziyang said.
Princess Yu stopped a few steps away, with two thirteenth-realm masters behind her, who were coldly watching Han Ziyang's every move.
As long as Princess Yu gives the order, these two will cut off Han Ziyang's head on the spot.
What are you curious about?
"I was curious about how this man was doing." Han Ziyang glanced back out of the corner of his eye. "Now that I know he's not doing well, I'm relieved."
Princess Yu raised her eyebrows; Han Ziyang's answer was clearly unexpected.
"The person lying inside is your father. You didn't come here to save him?"
Han Ziyang said, "I don't think he wants to leave."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao felt like strangling him.
Princess Yu was not very convinced by this explanation: "It seems you still don't know why he was imprisoned here."
"The bloodline that created the Legalist Heavenly Punishment," Han Ziyang said without any emotional fluctuation. "Isn't the current Holy Maiden of Nanjing a prime example?"
“You are too,” Princess Yu said, “which is why I cannot let you leave alive.”
Han Ziyang thought it was meaningless. He raised his hands to show that he had no ill intentions: "My purpose in coming to Nanjing was just to see how he was doing. This matter is now settled, and I should leave."
He hadn't forgotten that the people above wanted to divine the cause of the world's destruction today. Regardless of whether they succeeded or not, he couldn't stay in the Nanjing Palace any longer.
Princess Yu did not respond, but stepped back, leaving the remaining time to the two thirteenth-realm masters.
Han Ziyang looked up at the narrow passage, his five fingers clenched into a fist, the aura of thunderstorm was held tightly in his palm. When the two thirteenth-realm masters rushed forward from the left and right, he threw a punch straight ahead.
This punch unleashed tremendous power, instantly shattering the protective aura of the two men. The force of the blow pierced through their flesh and crushed their internal organs. In the blink of an eye, the lightning bolt pierced their hearts, and blood splattered on the spot.
The patterns of the Heavenly Punishment bloodline unfolded on Han Ziyang's body, and the rules of the Five Elements Qi in the area centered on him were altered.
These two masters at the thirteenth realm could only use their protective aura at their fastest speed in front of Han Ziyang. By the time they realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
As Han Ziyang instantly killed the two thirteenth-realm masters, the divination outside also began.
This impossible divination was realized, and its power was beyond anyone's imagination.
Han Ziyang arrived at the entrance of the underground palace, standing in the shadows and looking out at the magnificent sky. He saw the map of the Xuan Gu Continent and the moment when each world destroyer welcomed the arrival of the strange fire.
When everything was revealed, Han Ziyang felt mentally exhausted.
Let's just destroy it.
Like the bright moon, destruction is always easier than salvation.
That being said, Ming Yueqing is still alive.
Han Ziyang raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples, and then suddenly realized that Nangong Sui's name had changed to Yu Sui.
I really can't figure it out.
As Han Ziyang stared blankly at Yu Sui's name on the sky, lost in thought, he suddenly heard the wind chime. He answered the telepathic call and heard Xue Mushi's slightly anxious voice: "Are you in the palace? Can you help me find someone?"
"Who?" Han Ziyang asked knowingly, "Your ex-fiancée?"
Xue Mushi pleaded, "She's waiting at the Glazed Terrace to snatch the fragments, but now that the World Destroyers have been exposed, I can't get there in time."
“I’m a destroyer too, and I’ve been exposed.” Han Ziyang gritted his teeth. “Didn’t you contact Nangong Sui, oh no, Yu Sui?”
"We can't contact her using the 'Listening to the Wind' tool," Xue Mushi said, somewhat frustrated.
It's not that we haven't been in contact, it's that we can't reach them.
Han Ziyang considered that his successful entry into the palace and finding Han Xiao was also due to Xue Mushi's help.
“I’ll go look for someone, but I’m not sure I can find them,” Han Ziyang said. He could probably guess what Tu Miaoyi was going to go through next.
Tu Miaoyi's attempt to seize the fragments will be met with pursuit from the ninth-rate saints still guarding the Glazed Terrace. And since he is the World Destroyer whose identity has already been exposed, he will also be pursued by the ninth-rate saints.
Hopefully, we won't all be caught in one fell swoop.
Xue Mushi said, "I'll be nearby. After you come out, I'll activate the magic array and leave the capital."
Han Ziyang remained silent for a moment, then asked, "And then? Where do you hide? Mingyue Qing has made the world utterly fear the destroyer, Gongsun Qi has gone mad, and I am all alone. You are different, and your ex-fiancée is different too."
"You've heard about the Eye of the Ruins, so if there really is a way to completely destroy the strange fire..."
Han Ziyang paused here, clearly unsure of what to do himself.
If there really is a way to completely eliminate the strange fire, would they be willing to cooperate with Shui Zhou?
Do they really have the courage and the reason to be at odds with the whole world?
Xue Mushi didn't answer immediately. Han Ziyang noticed the person approaching him, so he hung up the telepathic message and left through the entrance of the underground palace.
Not long after Princess Yu left, she learned that Han Ziyang was the Destroyer of Worlds, and her expression immediately turned grim. A palace maid's anxious reminder revealed that the two thirteenth-realm masters had died at Han Ziyang's hands.
If I hadn't left then, wouldn't she have been the one burned to death by the strange fire?
Princess Yu couldn't stop thinking about the consequences, which truly terrified her. After hesitating for a moment, she still set off to the Communications Institute to find He Xinsi.
The Communications Institute was currently surrounded by a dense crowd. Sun Heng was facing off against tens of thousands of Royal City Guards all by himself. Although he had not yet made any major moves, he also showed no intention of leaving.
Zou Yuan stood guard outside the main hall, while He Xinsi and Yu Sui returned to the communications institute. The two stood beside Zou Qian, gazing at the unawakened man in silence.
He Xinsi is not concerned about the secret of Zou Qianzhu's mantra at the moment.
"You should know what it means that I stood up for you, the destroyer of the world, in front of Shui Zhou."
Yu Sui nodded and said, "Your Majesty is different from Elder Sun. You chose to join if you couldn't win."
He Xinsi was stunned for a moment.
He realized then that there was some truth to what he said.
“I cannot allow you to use the Strange Fire in Nanjing,” He Xinsi said again. “Old Sun and I have different ideas. He wants to kill all the World Destroyers and prevent the coming of the World Destruction Prophecy.”
Yu Sui asked, "Isn't Your Majesty afraid of the world-ending prophecy brought about by the strange fire?"
"Hasn't Mingyue Qing already proven that for a different kind of fire to destroy the world, the destroyer must act on its own initiative?" He Xinsi countered. "Was the incident in Zhou Kingdom an act of the different kind of fire that was out of control?"
Yu Sui couldn't answer that question.
Before Mingyue Qing used the strange fire to burn down the Zhou Kingdom, Yu Sui believed that the prophecy of the world's destruction depended on the personal will of the destroyer.
However, recently the strange fire has become uncontrollable.
She could sense a certain calling from the depths of her being.
That power was summoning a strange fire to burst forth from its body.
Seeing Yu Sui remain silent, He Xinsi frowned slightly, realizing that her judgment was somewhat wrong.
“No matter what, the Strange Fire cannot be released on the land of Nan Jing,” He Xinsi said. “You’re right, I don’t want to be enemies with the Destroyers, even if you risk destroying the world. But Shui Zhou has found a way to deal with the Strange Fire, so perhaps we can look forward to it.”
"The Eye of the Ruins, according to Elder Sun, as long as we find the Eye of the Ruins, we can destroy the strange fire."
He Xinsi asked Yu Sui, "Are you willing to extinguish the strange fire?"
"If the strange fire really will bring about the crisis of world destruction..." Yu Sui looked up at the towering mountain range, and scenes of the world flashed before his eyes.
Painful and joyful memories intertwined, yet they did not cause the girl's dark eyes to waver for even a moment.
"Then let's destroy it."
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