Chapter 54: Conspiracy

The palace maids were frightened out of their wits and stood there frozen in sheer terror.

In a fit of blazing fury, the senior maid executed several maids on the spot, roaring, "Why haven't you fetched the Primordial Pill yet!"

Li Xuan's fingers moved with the speed of lightning, jabbing swiftly into the vital meridian points on Gong Mo's chest to temporarily suppress the surging, spreading black miasma. Then, pulling apart the boy's robes, he said with an expression of utmost gravity, "Your Royal Highness, do not panic!"

Li Xuan continued, "I need a secret chamber saturated with immense primordial energy!"

Gong Jinglin glanced at Li Xuan and said anxiously, "Follow me!"

Striking out with consecutive palm thrusts, Gong Jinglin knocked the surrounding servants unconscious and rapidly escorted Li Xuan into the secure chamber, declaring, "This is my imperial father's private cultivation chamber. It is completely secure!"

Li Xuan nodded, shattering Gong Mo's remaining garments with a single wave of his palm, and placed the boy directly into the Cauldron of All Things Mother Qi. "Your Royal Highness need not worry excessively," he said. "I will do everything in my power to heal Mo'er!"

Having reassured Gong Jinglin, Li Xuan added, "Would you like to step outside for a moment?"

Gong Jinglin was already beside herself with anxiety; at this moment, the suggestion that she withdraw was simply out of the question.

She firmly refused, "No need!"

Hesitating for a fraction of a second, Li Xuan swiftly stripped off his own garments, appearing entirely bare before Gong Jinglin. Before she could even react, he had already leaped into the Cauldron of All Things Mother Qi.

Channeling primordial energy to summon the dual forces of Yin and Yang, Li Xuan watched as intricate primordial runes branded themselves onto the exterior of the Cauldron of All Things Mother Qi. The ambient primordial energy within the chamber was instantly drawn in, surging like thick mist into the cauldron.

Boom!

A sudden thunderclap echoed through the room. The runes branded upon the cauldron began to blaze, refining the Yin and Yang energies, which were then channeled through Li Xuan's own body to be safely delivered into Gong Mo.

Ah!

Gong Mo let out a heart-rending, agonizing scream. Hearing it, Gong Jinglin knitted her delicate brows together in pain, yet could only watch helplessly as he endured the torment.

Meanwhile, the pressure bearing down upon Li Xuan was immense. Not only did he have to drive the primordial energy to ignite the cauldron, but he also had to continuously convert the dual forces of Yin and Yang.

This was because the Soul-Devouring Curse, compressed into the shape of a black lotus, was far more terrifying than before.

The core of the Soul-Devouring Curse was inextricably linked to Gong Mo's flesh and blood. Should the curse be forcefully eradicated, Gong Mo's vital blood would dry up, causing him to perish instantly. In this world, the only ones capable of eradicating the Soul-Devouring Curse without harming the host's body were legendary saints.

Enveloped in swirling Yin and Yang energies, Li Xuan worked to suppress the curse while simultaneously harmonizing the opposing forces to ensure the smooth circulation of Gong Mo's lifeblood.

An hour slipped by, yet Li Xuan dared not lower his guard for even a split second. The slightest misstep would likely cost him his own life.

Clenching his jaw, Li Xuan channeled the healing arts of the "Qingnang Codex" upon himself while continuously infusing the restorative energy into Gong Mo.

"Huh?"

Li Xuan let out a soft exclamation of surprise, his heart filled with bewilderment.

The healing force released by the "Qingnang Codex" was rapidly devoured by the black lotus core of the Soul-Devouring Curse. Simultaneously, however, the black miasma was diluted, gradually growing fainter.

At the same time, the black lotus core began to writhe, stirring with a faint trace of consciousness as if it were a living entity.

Suddenly, Gong Mo cried out once more, "Elder sister, save Mo'er! It hurts so much..."

Tears welled up in Gong Jinglin's phoenix eyes. Choking back her sobs, she comforted him, "Mo'er, don't be afraid. Big brother will save you!"

Collapsing limply to the ground, Gong Jinglin was crushed by the torment of watching her brother suffer while being powerless to intervene.

She muttered to herself in despair, "Mo'er, don't be afraid. Big brother and sister will find a way to save you!"

Puff!

As the black lotus core of the Soul-Devouring Curse devoured Gong Mo's soul, it also began to encroach upon Li Xuan's soul. A momentary lapse in Li Xuan's concentration caused his vital blood to reverse its flow.

Panicking, Gong Jinglin cried out, "Li Xuan, how are you holding up?"

With his eyes tightly shut and his lips moving silently, Li Xuan chanted the "Holy Emperor Qinglian Scripture." Ancient scriptures rippled like flowing water within the Cauldron of All Things Mother Qi, washing back and forth while branding themselves deeply into the bodies of both Li Xuan and Gong Mo.

Tempered by the cauldron, the ancient scriptures erupted with a brilliant radiance.

The glowing light condensed, enveloping Li Xuan and Gong Mo like a silkworm cocoon.

Suddenly, arcs of lightning flashed wildly. Pitch black within the cauldron, it abruptly discharged blue radiation lasers—remnants of the Black Obsidian Mystic Thunder material left over from the forging of the Sun-Swallowing Eclipse.

Charged with formidable energy, the blue lightning caused the protective light cocoon to slowly blossom like a flower bud.

Simultaneously, a melodious bell chimed like heavenly music, accompanied by the chanting of Buddhist scriptures akin to the primordial chants of creation.

With every chime of the bell, a golden radiance bloomed. Exactly twelve bell tolls rang out, and the auspicious light blossomed twelve times.

That radiant glow opened like a lotus flower, its holy power swirling and rolling like a sea of clouds.

The devouring power of the black lotus core was completely crushed, reversed instead into pure Yin and Yang energies that nourished Gong Mo's body while returning to their pristine origin within Li Xuan.

Roar!

Li Xuan let out a sky-shaking roar. The primordial energy erupting from the cauldron was swallowed whole by Li Xuan, thoroughly refined by the lotus radiance, and poured into his energy reservoir like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

Li Xuan rapidly broke through his bottleneck. A massive surge of energy erupted within him, instantly propelling him from the early stage of the Martial Breaking Realm to its peak, with a lingering sensation of reaching the absolute limit.

Another hour passed. The black lotus core on Gong Mo's back flushed a healthy pink, and the surrounding black miasma shrank into a tight ball. Only then did Li Xuan slowly withdraw his primordial energy.

After a long silence with no movement from within, Gong Jinglin anxiously asked, "Li Xuan, how is it?"

Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes and replied, "We can't very well appear before you stark naked, can we? Bring us some clothes!"

His voice was full of vigor, immediately followed by the sound of Gong Mo's childish, cheerful giggles. The stone in Gong Jinglin's heart finally plummeted back to earth. Her cheeks flushing crimson, she scolded, "Li Xuan, I don't even know what to say to you. Don't go corrupting my little brother!"

Gong Jinglin turned and hurried away. Moments later, palace maids delivered fresh garments. Once the two were dressed, Gong Mo reluctantly allowed Li Xuan to hold his hand as they entered the Grand Princess's palace.

Upon seeing Gong Jinglin, Gong Mo shook off Li Xuan's hand, sprinted into his sister's embrace, and burst into aggrieved tears.

Gong Jinglin cupped Gong Mo's tear-stained face in her hands. "Mo'er, don't cry. You're a brave young man..."

She began to coax him, tickling him playfully, but the little rascal was far from well-behaved and immediately started wrestling and playing uproariously with her.

Unable to fend him off, Gong Jinglin watched as Li Xuan stepped forward, grabbed Gong Mo by the collar, and said, "Little fellow, have you been practicing the cultivation technique I gave you? You're a prince; you must practice diligently, or I'll have to spank your little bottom."

Waving his fists defiantly, Gong Mo broke free, scurried behind Old Liu, and shouted, "Bad guy! Even though you saved me and want me to be grateful, in your dreams!"

He instinctively shook his fists to intimidate Li Xuan.

Li Xuan smiled amusedly, crossing his arms and putting on a mock expression of anger.

Puffing out his chest, Gong Mo declared, "I'm not afraid of you! Even Big Yellow was put in its place by me, and you're not even as tough as Big Yellow!"

Gong Jinglin hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Mo'er, stop making a fuss. If it weren't for Big Brother Li Xuan, you'd be a goner."

Gong Mo's eyes rolled craftily. He let out a heavy "humph" and said, "I know he harbors evil intentions and wants to bully my sister. I'm just protecting her!"

Being young yet precocious, the boy was still holding a grudge over the incident at the pavilion, terrified that his pretty sister would be bullied by Li Xuan.

Both Gong Jinglin and Li Xuan felt their cheeks burn with embarrassment, while Old Liu inwardly blossomed with joy.

Caught committing a "bad deed" in front of a child—if the kid went around shouting about it, how could he ever show his face again? Li Xuan quickly defended himself, "What if your sister *wants* me to bully her?"

Gong Mo tilted his head in thought for a moment before declaring, "Hmph, you're lying! How could sister want you to bully her? Only I get to bully..."

Gong Jinglin's pupils constricted slightly, and she scolded sharply, "Mo'er, hush..."

Catching Old Liu's eye, Gong Jinglin signaled him, and the old man coaxed and tricked Gong Mo out of the hall.

Gong Jinglin bit her lip with a smile. "Mo'er has suffered the torment of the Soul-Devouring Curse since birth, so I've spoiled him a bit..."

Li Xuan shook his head. "Understandable. Children ought to be innocent and carefree..."

He abruptly trailed off. Noting the change in his expression, Gong Jinglin probed, "Is Mo'er's Soul-Devouring Curse truly incurable?"

Leaning forward eagerly, she desperately needed an update on her brother's condition.

Li Xuan nodded. "Did you have Mo'er practice the cultivation technique I gave you earlier? Logically speaking, this relapse shouldn't have been more perilous than the last..."

Resting her chin on her hand, Gong Jinglin sighed helplessly, "Mo'er has been practicing it consistently, and the intervals between his flare-ups had even grown longer. I don't know why this time was so much more dangerous than before..." She lifted her eyes to Li Xuan, filled with bewilderment.

Li Xuan quickly explained, "The technique is completely sound. Could some link in the chain have gone wrong? Or perhaps..."

He dared not finish his sentence. To this day, they still had no idea how the Soul-Devouring Curse had been planted inside Gong Mo in the first place.

A suspicion lingered in Li Xuan's mind: could someone possess such heaven-defying powers that they could manipulate the exact timing and lethality of the curse's flare-ups?

Gong Jinglin gently rested her head against Li Xuan's shoulder. "Speak your mind freely. Between you and me, there is no need to be so restrained."

After a moment of reflection, Li Xuan said, "Could the Soul-Devouring Curse be hereditary? Or perhaps it only manifests in members of the Gong family, exploited by someone with ulterior motives who uses some secret art to trigger its outbreaks..."

Trembling all over, Gong Jinglin bit her quivering lips and stared at Li Xuan in shock. "Li Xuan, have you figured something out?"

Gong Jinglin gently patted her shoulders and said, "Don't be afraid; I'm merely speculating. Didn't you tell me about the bizarre phenomena after the inner palace was built? That's why I thought..."

Sensing that something was deeply amiss, Gong Jinglin hurriedly led Li Xuan into her private inner chamber. "Li Xuan, help me check if I bear the Soul-Devouring Curse as well!"

Li Xuan suddenly found himself feeling awkward. Without hesitation, Gong Jinglin stripped off her outer garments. "Don't be so prim and proper. Don't forget we're betrothed—even if you wanted to right now..."

Cutting her off, Li Xuan raised his gaze. Sure enough, across her smooth, snow-white back lay a faint, intricate circle of lotus-shaped, bizarre primordial runes. Unlike Gong Mo's, unless one looked closely, it could easily be mistaken for decorative body art.

Li Xuan gently traced his fingers over the curse. His intuition told him that the moment someone triggered it, it would instantly devour Gong Jinglin's life and reduce her to a puppet at the mercy of another.

He had a vague premonition that the situation was far more complex than he had imagined. Just what was the ultimate goal of the mastermind behind these malicious plots against the Gong lineage?

"How is it?"

Gong Jinglin asked urgently. This concerned the future of the entire Holy Moon Imperial Court and the lives of four hundred million citizens; once the plot fully unfolded, an unprecedented human catastrophe would be inevitable.

Pulling Gong Jinglin tightly into his arms from behind, Li Xuan comforted her, "Jinglin, it's fine. It seems I just had improper thoughts and wanted to catch an early glimpse of my future wife's supreme charm."

Resting her delicate hands on his arm, Gong Jinglin smiled faintly. "You rogue... were you actually trying to..."

His heart skipping a beat, Li Xuan hurriedly dressed her again. "Not now! After we are truly wed, I'll let you learn what it means when 'fields are worn out from plowing, but oxen never die of exhaustion'."