Chapter 149 Second Miss of the Ancient Capital, I've already told you, you…
Shen Qiongzhi, Gong Xin, and Zhu Jing searched for a long time but found nothing unusual near the capital. Feeling a bit bored, Shen Qiongzhi saw a village ahead and said to the other two, "Let's go to that village and ask a local if there's anything strange happening near the capital lately. It's better than searching blindly like this."
Gong Xin and Zhu Jing both thought her words made a lot of sense, so the three of them entered the village and happened to see the villagers gathered in the square in the center of the village, seemingly listening to someone speak.
The three of them also went over, and saw a tall, slender figure standing in the middle of the crowd. He was no ordinary person, but a god.
“Immortal Venerable Qingyuan!” Shen Qiongzhi recognized the face first. “Isn’t this the pretty boy god who was pampered by Sister Tianjiao back then?”
When Shen Qiongzhi died, Qingyuan was only a Celestial Lord, so she didn't know that Qingyuan would later be exceptionally promoted to God-Emperor by Lin Shen, becoming the Wind and Rain God to replace Gong Xin. However, Qingyuan's status as God-Emperor seemed to be low, both in the Heavenly Realm and the mortal world.
His first temple after being conferred the title of God was abandoned due to the appearance of demonic energy. After that, he disappeared for a considerable period of time, to the point that people almost forgot about him as the God.
At this moment, Qingyuan was speaking to the crowd about what Yuli God Venerable had said in his Heavenly Voice. Qingyuan explained that all of this was originally a conspiracy between Yuli God Venerable and Gongxin God Venerable. In order to seize the position of Heavenly Venerable, Gongxin God Venerable wanted to completely ruin Mobei's reputation, so he fabricated all sorts of evil deeds and forced them on Mobei.
In short, this statement is a complete distortion of the truth, placing all the blame on Gong Xin, while Mo Bei is completely whitewashed, innocent and pitiful.
Shen Qiongzhi felt her blood rush to her head. She pushed through the crowd and rushed in, wishing she could slap Qing Yuan across the face. However, someone was faster than her. Zhu Jing had already drawn his Ghost-Slaying Blade and rushed forward, delivering a vertical slash to Qing Yuan's face.
The villagers were frightened away, and just as the Demon-Slaying Blade was about to touch Qingyuan's head, Qingyuan suddenly vanished into thin air, causing Zhu Jing to miss his target.
Zhu Jing's eyes burned with raging anger. She had been the Immortal Lord Zhu Jing for many years, hiding her identity and cultivating diligently, all for the sake of one day exposing Qing Yuan's true colors. Unfortunately, too many things happened afterward, and she never had the chance to take revenge. Now that her nemesis had met again, she could no longer control the killing intent in her heart.
“This is Qingyuan’s clone.” Gong Xin walked to the place where Qingyuan disappeared and came to this conclusion.
Zhu Jingdao said, "I guess he probably created more than one clone, just to travel around various villages and towns, distorting and reversing the Heavenly Warning left to the world by the God of Yuli before his death, in order to salvage Mo Bei's reputation."
Gong Xin nodded and said, "That's right. If we can quickly reverse the rumors and win back the worshippers, Mo Bei's lost divine power will recover as quickly as possible."
Shen Qiongzhi said irritably, "Then what should we do? There are so many villages and towns near the capital, at least a hundred or so! What's more, the Heavenly God can travel a thousand miles a day. His clones may not only be scattered throughout the capital region. We can't just go and search for them one by one just to stop him from talking nonsense!"
Zhu Jing calmly replied, "There's no need to search for them one by one. Just find his true identity and kill him."
Shen Qiongzhi's eyes widened slightly. She found it quite surprising that Zhu Jing, with such an innocent face, could utter such harsh words. She thought she was even more adorable.
"Since Qingyuan can create clones, so can we. We can use our clones to find each other's clones, and once we find Qingyuan's true body, we can use telepathy to communicate and gather together to deal with the situation." Divine Venerable Gongxin quickly came up with a solution.
Shen Qiongzhi didn't understand the art of creating clones, so it was the Divine Venerable Gong Xin who gave her a live demonstration. She seemed to have an exceptionally high talent for magic; once she mastered it, she was eager to try it out. "Let's have a competition among the three of us and see who finds it first! And by the way, the winner can make a request of the loser!"
So the three of them split up and searched village after village, encountering no fewer than dozens of Qingyuan clones.
...
Yun Tianjiao and Zhiwei received a message from Gongxin God Venerable, informing them that Qingyuan God Venerable was using his clone to spread rumors and distort the truth among the people, trying to reverse Mo Bei's reputation.
Fortunately, the two couldn't see anything unusual outside the city, so they decided to enter the city at night. Although it was a bit risky, they had three companions outside the city, so they could easily help each other if anything happened. It was much safer than the time in the main city of Jiangzhou.
This is the former capital of Yunchi Kingdom, and the place where Yun Tianjiao grew up. Compared to Xuanxiao Sect, this place is more likely to evoke her emotions.
Back when Yun Tianqi was in power, although he was unreliable, the capital was still a prosperous and bustling city. But now, it is in complete disrepair, with even the bricks of the main city gate tower broken, clearly indicating that it had been through war and had not been repaired.
Since Shen Hengzhen's death, the people on the throne in the capital have changed hands many times. The one who is currently in power is said to be a distant relative of the Shen family, who has been separated from the main branch for countless generations. He has barely maintained the balance of power among the various factions by relying on the former prestige of Prime Minister Shen and the slight blood ties with the Shen family, and has temporarily become the nominal ruler of the world.
As soon as Yun Tianjiao entered the city, he sensed something was wrong. It was already curfew time, but there were still many pedestrians on the streets, especially many of them, who were imperial guards wearing armor and carrying weapons.
These imperial guards were posting imperial edicts street by street, leaving no stone unturned, whether it was the main street or the alley. Every time they posted one, they would shout loudly to call on nearby residents and merchants to come and see, regardless of whether people had turned off their lights or gone to bed.
Yun Tianjiao and Zhiwei exchanged a glance and went to the nearest posting location to carefully examine what was written on the imperial edict. It turned out that it was almost identical to what Qingyuan had spread, both of which were to clear Mo Bei's name and at the same time shift all the blame to Gongxin God Venerable.
It must be said that even with frequent dynastic changes, the credibility of imperial edicts and official documents in the capital region was still extremely strong. After reading the imperial edicts, many people questioned the warnings of the God of Yuli and were more willing to trust the God of Joy whom they had worshipped for generations.
“This imperial edict was just issued. Do you think Mo Bei might be in the palace right now?” Yun Tianjiao asked Zhiwei.
Zhiwei said, "The probability is extremely high."
Yun Tianjiao was undecided whether to immediately go to the palace to confront Mo Bei, as she was now wary of him.
Zhiwei noticed her hesitation and said, "Right now, every moment is when Mo Bei is at his weakest. As Qingyuan goes out to 'clear his name,' more and more worshippers will change their minds, and his divine power will gradually recover. The longer it drags on, the harder he will be to deal with."
Yun Tianjiao looked towards the direction of the palace, which was still the palace built by the founding emperor of Yun Chi Kingdom, the place where she had lived for nineteen years. However, at this moment, it lay prostrate in the night like a giant beast, making her uneasy.
“You’re right.” Yun Tianjiao finally made up his mind. “The sooner we fight Mo Bei, the better.”
So the two immediately sneaked into the palace.
The Changyang Palace, where the emperor once resided, has now been renamed "Zhaohui Hall." It's understandable that palaces from the previous dynasty would be renamed when dynasties change, and Yun Tianjiao didn't think much of it. However, she was stunned when she passed by her former bedroom.
The plaque hanging high above still bore the three characters "Changle Hall".
"Is Your Highness the Princess surprised?" A pleasant young voice sounded from behind.
Yun Tianjiao and Zhiwei acted in perfect unison, one striking out with a vajra pestle while the other formed a protective barrier by making hand seals.
Mo Bei simply extended his index finger and made a circle, easily dissipating the power of the Vajra Pestle. But that was all. He glanced at the protective barrier set up by Zhiwei with a hint of amusement and did not launch an attack.
Yun Tianjiao was shocked. When they fought Mo Bei last time, his cultivation level dropped rapidly because of Yu Li's Heavenly Sound warning. Even if he was still capable of fighting against two of them, he should not be able to do so easily.
However, Mo Bei ignored the shock in their eyes. He looked up at the plaque of Chang Le Palace and continued talking to himself: "This place has changed dynasties several times, and all the palaces have changed their names, but Your Highness's former residence still retains its old name. Does Your Highness know why?"
...
This was the thirty-seventh clone of Qingyuan that Zhu Jing had encountered. She was both annoyed and exhausted. She exchanged messages with Gong Xin and Shen Qiongzhi and learned that they had also not found Qingyuan's true form.
Zhu Jing left the village and set off for the next town. The moonlight remained cold and clear, as bright as jade, completely unaware of the earth-shaking changes in the Three Realms. The moon today seemed no different from the moon hundreds of years ago.
Since ascending to immortality, Zhu Jing has always been a loner. These past few days, she has been traveling with others and has gradually gotten used to having companions by her side. Walking alone again feels a little strange.
The weeds rustled against her ankles. Zhu Jing carried the Demon-Slaying Blade on her back, a gift from her elder sister for self-defense. It had been so long since she had traveled alone in her female form that, in a daze, she felt as if she had returned to the days after her sect's destruction, when she wandered the world alone.
"Second Miss".
Suddenly, someone called softly from behind, just like the scene of their reunion years ago.
Zhu Jing stopped and slowly turned around, seeing Qing Yuan's surprised expression.
"It really is the Second Miss! I thought I had mistaken her for someone else..." Before Qingyuan could finish his sentence, he felt a chilling gust of wind rushing towards him, which startled him so much that he hurriedly dodged.
Qingyuan's talent in cultivation was mediocre to begin with. If he hadn't relentlessly pursued Yu Siran back then, he probably wouldn't have even reached the Nascent Soul stage before dying of old age. Later, he ascended to godhood with the help of a single immortal herb from Elder Xiyuan. After becoming a god, he caught the eye of Yun Tianjiao, who used the method of smashing incense offerings to elevate him from Venerable to Immortal Venerable. As an Immortal Venerable, he continued to curry favor with the worshippers, and later ingratiated himself with Lin Shen, who promoted him to God Venerable through an exception. It can be said that he almost never relied on his own abilities along the way, so when faced with Yu Siran's all-out attack, he was actually somewhat unable to withstand it.
"Second Miss, listen to me. There are other hidden stories about what happened back then. It was not my intention to betray you!" Qingyuan had been hiding all the way, and was almost hit by the Demon-Slaying Blade several times.
Zhu Jing ignored his nonsense and continued hacking away, determined to tear Qing Yuan to pieces.
"Second Miss, as you know, before I joined the sect, I made a living by interpreting characters using the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams. I once interpreted your fate and knew that you were destined to die. So when we went back to avenge the sect leader and his wife, I thought, since you were destined to die anyway, it's not unreasonable for me to use your life to exchange for an opportunity to ascend, right?"
Zhu Jing finally stopped being expressionless. She stared wide-eyed in shock, unable to believe that there could be such a despicable and shameless person in the world. As a result, she swung the Demon-Slaying Blade even more forcefully.
Qingyuan fled in a sorry state, and the two of them, one running and one chasing, soon entered a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides.
Qingyuan stopped running. He slowly turned around, looked at Zhu Jing, and gave him an ambiguous smile.
"Second Miss, I've already told you, you're destined to die, why don't you understand?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
