Zhao Shi Changyou
Yu Zhu and Jing Xu arrived at the palace.
Zhao Xun led the two inside.
“Uncle Yu, my mother is hosting a banquet. Please come with me.”
Upon arriving at the banquet hall, a woman dressed in bright yellow was speaking to Changyou. She was Zhao Xun's mother, the imperial concubine of the capital.
"Jade Fairy and Immortal Lord Jing have arrived. Please take your seats. We apologize for any shortcomings in our hospitality," said the Empress.
Changyou smiled and said, "I can hardly refuse the Empress's hospitality; how could I possibly be unworthy of it?"
With their senior brother around, the social interactions fell to him, while Yuzhu and the other two simply ate and drank.
Before the banquet was over, someone came looking for the Emperor and Consort, saying that the Emperor had invited them.
"Xun'er, you take Jade Fairy and Jing Immortal Lord for a stroll around the palace later. I'm going to find the Emperor now."
After she finished speaking, she smiled apologetically at Yuzhu and the others, who quickly said that it didn't bother them.
After the emperor and empress left, Zhao Xun looked dejected.
"Ah Xun, the Empress will soon be able to leave the capital," Changyou said.
Zhao Xun nodded and gave a smile. "Uncle Yu, I'll show you and Senior Brother Jing the palace later. The scenery there is quite nice."
Yu Zhu smiled and agreed.
The palace was indeed built in a magnificent and splendid manner, with carved beams and painted rafters everywhere, and exotic flowers and rare plants at every turn.
Upon reaching a pavilion, they were greeted by a man and a woman dressed in fine clothes, followed by their entourage.
When they approached, Zhao Xun greeted them, saying, "Brother Wang, Sister Wang."
Yu Zhu raised her eyebrows slightly; these were the Emperor and Empress's son and daughter.
The man said, "Sister, why didn't you come to our father's ancestral worship ceremony today?"
“My senior uncle from the Yingtian Sect has arrived in the capital, and I am currently entertaining them.” Zhao Xun stepped aside, leading Yu Zhu and the other person out.
"So you are immortal masters from Yingtian Sect. Our apologies for our rudeness." A man and a woman bowed to Yuzhu and Jingxu.
"No, no, it's because of us that we've delayed Ah Xun's affairs."
"In that case, please entertain the two immortals properly, Sister Wang. We must excuse ourselves."
The group left.
"Ahead is the Zhao Clan Ancestral Hall, which records the development of the Zhao clan. Would you like to take a look, Uncle-Master?"
"Let's go take a look."
The marriage alliance between the Baili and Zhao families must have some ulterior motive. Considering the Baili family's pursuit of the Spirit Clan's bloodline and the Immortal Pavilion's research on human bodies, Yuzhu couldn't help but wonder if there was something special about the Zhao family's bloodline.
Upon entering the clan hall, all four walls were covered with portraits.
Zhao Xun: "These are all ancestors of the Zhao family. Some have ascended to the realm of gods, while others died guarding the divine sacrificial array."
Yu Zhu looked around the room at the paintings, but there was no explanation of the special nature of the Zhao family bloodline. She frowned.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Xun asked, "What's wrong, Uncle-Master?"
"Ah Xun, after your clan's bloodline is bound to the Divine Capital's protective formation, is there anything special about it?" Yu Zhu asked, then added, "If it's inconvenient to talk about, then don't."
Zhao Xun smiled and said, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. It's just that if people of the Zhao bloodline stay in the capital, the city's protective formation will have a certain nurturing effect on them."
"I see, then you..."
Yu Zhu stopped talking, but Zhao Xun already knew what she wanted to ask.
Zhao Xun's face darkened slightly. "I did this so that I could take my mother away from the capital. I'm sure my uncle knows about my mother's background. With my younger brother, she won't owe the Baili family anything anymore."
“In the capital, because of her status as an imperial concubine, she has to handle countless affairs, while the emperor and empress can ignore worldly matters and focus on cultivation. I want to take my mother away from the capital.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhu was at a loss for words. "You're so sharp-tongued, always asking questions."
Turning her head, Yu Zhu saw Jing Xu staring at a painting. She walked over and patted him on the shoulder, "What are you looking at so intently?"
Jing Xu smiled slightly, "I think the person in the painting looks a lot like Senior Brother Changyou."
Yu Zhu examined it for a few moments and said, "It really does look somewhat similar."
Zhao Xun came over, looked at the name of the person in the painting, and said, "This is Master's elder brother."
"Hmm? Senior brother's older brother, is Senior Brother from the Zhao family?"
“That’s right. Originally, the Zhao family would send someone to the Yingtian Sect every generation, but for the past few hundred years, because of Master’s excuse, no one from the Zhao family has entered the sect for a long time.”
This year, Emperor Yingtian insisted that someone from the Zhao family must join the clan, and she seized this opportunity to negotiate with her father.
Brother Wang and Sister Wang are both more talented than her. It would be a pity if they went to Yingtian Sect. They can cultivate better if they stay in Shendu.
Yu Zhu leaned closer and saw a line of small characters at the bottom of the drawing: 'Zhao Changqi, perform the sacrificial ritual.'
Previously, when the demons caused chaos, their greatest desire was to occupy the capital city. Once they occupied the capital, they could directly massacre people in the city of the gods, accumulating power for the divine path to the greatest extent possible.
Yu Zhu clasped her hands together and bowed to the portrait.
After leaving the Zhao clan's residence, the group returned to Changyou's residence in the royal palace.
"Ah Xun, thank you for your trouble," Changyou said gently.
"It's my duty, why bother?"
"There's nothing to do now, you may go and find the Empress."
Seeing that Changyou and the others had something to discuss, Zhao Xun left.
Yu Zhu looked Chang You up and down. "So, Senior Brother is also a member of the Zhao family."
Changyou was taken aback. "How can I be considered a member of the Zhao family now? I have cultivated in the Yingtian Sect for hundreds of years, and most of my past life has been forgotten."
Yu Zhu's eyes darted around, "That... is a distant relative."
Changyou chuckled, "More or less." He then asked, "Did you see my brother's portrait at the clan museum?"
The two nodded.
"When the Zhao family members who joined the Yingtian Sect were to perform a ritual to activate the array during the demon invasion, they had to be the first to charge. It should have been me back then, but my elder brother took my place."
Seeing the stunned expressions on Yu Zhu and Jing Xu's faces, Chang You laughed and said, "We've gone off on a tangent. I've found out about the half-demon in Qianzhang City."
"His name is Wu Jun. He once cultivated the spiritual path, but later received the blood of a demon god and became a half-demon. Two hundred years ago, he was injured and hid in the Pingyang County area. His cultivation level is probably similar to that of his master."
“If his cultivation level is similar to that of the sect leader, and the divine path is restarted, he will definitely be able to ascend and will most likely come to the capital,” Jing Xu said.
Changyou: "I'm afraid he might already be hiding in the capital."
“He’s fine in the capital. All the powerful figures from various sects will definitely gather there. What’s there to be afraid of? The only thing to be afraid of is that the Divine Path Restart is a hoax.” Yu Zhu’s eyes were filled with worry. “The Divine Path Restart was a divine decree given by Baili Changsheng. Although there is no conclusive evidence, who else is behind the Immortal Peak Pavilion besides Baili Changsheng?”
Changyou: "Jingshu has personally gone to the Baili Clan to offer condolences and investigate the matter of the Baili Clan Chief's fall. We have also informed the various immortal sects that the Baili Clan Chief may be the mastermind behind the Immortal Peak Pavilion, but since the people of the Immortal Peak Pavilion cultivate both spiritual and demonic arts, we haven't found many, and they are not entirely convinced by us."
Yu Zhu sighed deeply, "This is really troublesome."
"There is a pool in the middle of the Divine Path. When the pool is full, the Divine Path can be reopened. In the past, in order to stabilize the cultivation world, the Divine Path Pool was blocked by a huge rock. Now that the Divine Path is about to be reopened, the Divine Path Pool will probably see the light of day again. Go and take a look."
Changyou looked at the two of them and said, "I need to go and discuss with the Emperor how to deal with the influx of cultivators into the capital."
Leaving the palace, Yuzhu and Jingxu walked on the streets of the capital.
Now, not only in the capital, but throughout the entire cultivation world, people are discussing the restart of the divine path.
Suddenly, a large group of people rushed forward, causing Yu Zhu to stumble. Fortunately, Jing Xu caught her in time.
"What happened?"
Jing Xu stopped someone, "Young Master, what happened up ahead?"
"The Sacred Pond is about to open, and everyone's rushing to see it." The man's face flushed with excitement.
After saying that, the man rushed off without waiting.
Yu Zhu and Jing Xu exchanged a glance and followed the last person in the crowd.
The central square of the capital was packed with people, and even the rooftops of nearby houses were filled with people.
Frustrated, the two found a nearby teahouse, thinking they would wait until the crowd dispersed before going to check it out. However, the teahouse was completely empty, and even the owner had gone out to watch the commotion.
The two sat down at an empty table.
Yu Zhu placed her hands horizontally on the table, rested her chin on her arms, and sighed softly.
Jingxu grasped Yuzhu's hand and gently rubbed it with his thumb. "Senior sister, there's no need to worry too much."
"Of course I'm not worried. If the sky falls, the sect leader and my senior brother will hold it up. I'm just wondering where that black-robed cultivator is and how I can find him."
"We may need to find out the truth about the Immortal Pavilion before we can rush this matter."
Yu Zhu kneaded Jing Xu's fingers and said worriedly, "The divine path is about to open, I'm afraid it will be too late."
"What kind of time is this to be talking about love!"
They didn't even notice anyone coming. Yu Zhu took out Qing Shuang and turned to look. It was Shao Zai Huan.
Yu Zhu held his sword, ready for battle.
"Don't point your sword at me. If it weren't for me, you would all be dead in Bi'an Gorge by now."
Yu Zhu pointed the tip of her sword at the ground. "What do you mean?"
“More than a hundred years ago, someone entered Bi’an Gorge and found me, wanting my blood. He said he would help me break the seal on Bi’an Gorge and accelerate the restart of the divine path. You should already know who he is, right?”
"Bai Li Changsheng?" Yu Zhu asked directly.
“It was him. Not long ago, another person’s soul entered my body. I don’t know what he used, but I couldn’t get rid of him. Not long ago, I forcibly escaped by splitting off half of my primordial spirit, and the person who took over my identity was Baili Changsheng.”
Yu Zhu: "Bai Li Changsheng is not dead, he is inside your body?"
“I suspect he wants to take advantage of the reopening of the divine path and ascend to heaven using my body.”
Yu Zhu was astonished. He had guessed that Baili Changsheng was not dead, but he could not have guessed that Baili Changsheng would ascend to heaven as a demon god. This completely contradicted the Baili clan's respect for the spirit race.
Yu Zhu: "What do you mean by all this?"
"At that time, I hoped that you could destroy Baili Changsheng."
Yu Zhu: "Where are your demon generals?"
Shao Zaihuan gritted his teeth, "They were wiped out by your immortal sect eighteen years ago, didn't you know?"
"Those demon generals in Bi'an Gorge who were drained of their life force..."
"I did it."
Shao Zaihuan readily admitted that their power originally came from him, and since he lacked the strength to escape Bi'an Gorge, he took back the power that had been bestowed upon him.
Yu Zhu's lips tightened. "What about Wu Jun and Zheng Qi?"
A flash of hatred crossed Shao Zaihuan's eyes. "Wu Jun betrayed me. Zheng Qi is the woman under his command? It seems like someone in her family is being controlled by Wu Jun."
"None of these things matter. What matters is stopping Baili Changsheng."
Shao Zaihuan tossed a bronze whistle onto the table. "If you've figured out what to do, blow this whistle and I'll come."
He turned to leave.
"Please wait, sir. Do you know the whereabouts of the magic crystal?" Jing Xu asked.
Shao Zaihuan narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, "Magic crystal? I didn't find it in Bi'an Gorge before, didn't your people pick it up?"
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he said, "In Baili Changsheng's hands, the magic crystal can double the user's power. No wonder I couldn't drive him away. Now Baili Changsheng is even stronger. You should quickly discuss a plan."
After saying that, he turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared.
Yu Zhu was furious. "He's all alone now, and he's so arrogant and ruthless when he asks for our help. No wonder he was betrayed."
Jingxu patted Yuzhu's back gently, "Senior Sister, don't be angry. We need to report this to the sect as soon as possible." Then, he pointed outside the teahouse, "The people outside are starting to walk back. Let's go take a look at the Divine Path Pool."
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