Chapter 55 Clues
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Jinglin Gong’s entire body burned with heat, emitting soft, whimpering murmurs. Li Xuan had intended to continue his earlier “rough and wild” demeanor, but he restrained the impulse within his heart and gently brushed Jinglin Gong’s delicate nose, saying, “Lin’er, how much power does an imperial minister like me truly have?”
Jinglin Gong turned, raising her dainty fists playfully, casting a shy glance at Li Xuan, and teasing, “You say how much power you have, but my own power isn’t much either!”
Li Xuan took her words out of context and replied, “At least the Forbidden Palace is my home. Is it not alright if I stroll around and take a look?”
Jinglin Gong took a deep breath, calming the surging passion in her heart, and said, “Except for the ancestral grounds, you may go anywhere else you wish!”
Her brows arched with spring’s grace, her autumn-like eyes shimmering, she warned, “You’re the only man in the entire palace. Don’t go gallivanting about with other women. If I find out—”
Waving her delicate fists while warning Li Xuan, she cast a coquettish glance before hastily departing.
Li Xuan was somewhat dazed. This was a gentle haven, a place of prosperity and delight. Were it not for the pressing circumstances, he would have gladly spent his life wandering through this garden of blossoms.
Yet, reality was cruel. The Jinglin Gong of today could still display the tender affections of a woman, but once his power was firmly established, she might no longer depend on him so fully or entrust herself so completely.
“Lin’er, as I feared, you too are afflicted by the Soul Devouring Curse. How am I to help you?”
Li Xuan himself was entangled in malice. Now even powerful practitioners of the Spirit Communion realm had set their sights on him. The might of the Night Emperor’s Mandate forced him to tread carefully, hoping that their influence had not yet infiltrated the imperial court.
However, matters were far less optimistic than Li Xuan hoped.
The Regent Prince’s Mansion!
“Preposterous! That little wretch from the Li clan dares to humiliate me so!” Regent Prince Gong Ao thundered in rage. Everyone present was so terrified that not a breath was drawn. The hall was a scene of utter chaos.
Gong Ao swept his sleeves angrily and roared, “Begone from my sight!”
Suddenly, a shadow silently appeared in the corner, accompanied by a ghostly chuckle.
“The Regent Prince is so enraged. If this reaches the ears of the new emperor, it surely won’t bode well.”
The eerie voice seemed to originate from the depths of hell, chilling and dreadful.
“Impertinent! I command an army of millions—”
The Regent Prince’s fury was uncontrollable, like a rampaging beast ready to lose its mind at any moment.
At that moment, the sinister voice sounded again: “A mountain nine fathoms high cannot be undone by a single collapse. Endure for now. I do not believe those children can break free from the Buddha’s Five Finger Mountain.”
The black shadow slammed a palm upon the table, emanating a surge of primal energy that rivaled the Regent Prince’s own.
Muttering, Gong Ao said, “Indeed, a mountain nine fathoms high cannot be undone by a single collapse. I shall endure for now!”
The figure in black vanished, leaving behind a pair of piercing eyes that closely observed the direction of the Forbidden Palace.
Li Xuan strolled leisurely, unaware that he had arrived before the gates of the Infinite Void Sacred Hall.
The Infinite Void Sacred Hall housed every manuscript ever compiled since the founding of the Holy Moon Imperial Court’s Daoist lineage, encompassing all knowledge imaginable.
Before each new emperor ascended the throne, they would inevitably come here to peruse these volumes, drawing wisdom from the ancients to inaugurate their reign.
Thus, the Infinite Void Sacred Hall surely held the secrets Li Xuan sought.
As he slowly approached, the ground beneath him underwent a startling transformation. Mysterious primal energy runes ignited, and the silhouettes of past masters gradually materialized.
“Bold one! How dare you trespass the Infinite Void Sacred Hall! What crime shall you be punished with?” the spectral figure thundered, its entire form radiating terrifying primal energy fluctuations.
Li Xuan’s mind trembled, but he answered firmly, “I am the new emperor’s consort, personally appointed by the late sovereign. How dare you block my path!”
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Li Xuan pressed forward, but was repelled by an inexplicable force.
The spectral figure replied imperiously, “Even as the new emperor’s consort, you cannot break the rules. If you can decipher the primal energy rune formation, you may come and go freely. Otherwise, not even Jinglin Gong herself may enter.”
Li Xuan looked up and recognized the primal rune formation. Though ancient, it was not so obscure as to leave no trace.
However, as the runes ignited, a dragon’s roar echoed. The image of the Dragon Emperor flashed and vanished, replaced by a colossal Bagua array enveloping the Infinite Void Sacred Hall.
Li Xuan smiled faintly. “The Bagua All-Phenomena Primal Rune Formation! Does it think it can block my steps?”
He stepped onto the runes. As his primal energy surged, the glowing runes extinguished.
His eyes sharpened as he stepped forward again, the runes dimming one by one, clearing a path along the stone steps.
Li Xuan strode forward with determination, following the trail left by the fading runes, swiftly ascending.
When he pushed open the hall’s massive doors, the spectral guardians of the Infinite Void Sacred Hall bellowed in unison, “We respectfully welcome the imperial minister!”
Their thunderous voices nearly startled Li Xuan into a tumble.
He awkwardly turned with a smile and stepped inside, immediately tripping headfirst, yelling, “So this is the trap!”
Like a wild dog catching its tail, Li Xuan scrambled to his feet, disheveled. The first thing he saw were neatly arranged files and records from successive dynasties.
The documents were impeccably clean and well-preserved.
Examining closely, Li Xuan saw no signs of recent cleaning. It seemed these archives had been compiled not long ago, still faintly fragrant with the scent of ink.
Uninterested in the mundane, Li Xuan skimmed rapidly until his gaze settled on the “Secret Sect Archives.” The volumes were yellowed with age, sealed by ancient primal energy runes.
These files likely recorded all manner of folk secrets and palace intrigues since the founding of the Holy Moon Imperial Court.
“This is it!” Li Xuan exclaimed.
He took down one volume from the Secret Sect Archives and was about to open it when large characters suddenly materialized: “Summoning Fierce Secret Sect!”
Li Xuan understood immediately, murmuring, “These are secrets from the era of Emperor Zhaolie!”
Eagerly, he opened the volume. Primal light burst forth as fierce energy flames ignited.
He quickly summoned primal energy to form a rune, extinguishing the flames, then sighed, “What nonsense is this?”
Flipping through the damaged scroll, a striking line caught his eye: In the first year of Zhaolie, the imperial capital was chosen at Kunlun Ruins. Strange celestial phenomena occurred; luckily, a Source Master Zhang Tian... The Forbidden Palace was completed amid black mist that spread, blotting out the sun and sky... Ghostly figures appeared within the palace... whereabouts unknown...
“Alas!”
Li Xuan sighed deeply, immensely disappointed. “Such precious secret scrolls ruined—truly fate is against me!”
From the records, thousands of years ago, the Holy Moon Imperial Court and several prominent clans were located at what is now a desolate ruin in the Kunlun Mountains.
The capital was established due to a Source Master surnamed Zhang.
This suggested a deep connection between the Holy Moon Imperial Court and the lineage of Source Masters.
Li Xuan cautiously opened the Taiwu scroll.
During the Taiwu era, a plague struck the palace... royal heirs fell gravely ill... the imperial physicians were helpless... the dynasty faced doom...
In the Hongyuan era, ghostly apparitions reappeared within the palace, infiltrating the underground...
In the Tianyuan era, the crown prince suffered a strange transformation and entered...
...
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The Holy Moon Imperial Court recorded ten emperors, each reigning for several centuries. Strangely, the secrets made no mention of their abdications, and with the Zhaolie scroll destroyed, the others were also incomplete—quite suspicious.
However, all ten volumes mentioned a mysterious incident in the palace, strange happenings suppressed by successive emperors.
Li Xuan immediately recalled that after the late emperor passed the throne to Jinglin Gong, he retreated to the ancestral grounds, taking ancient scrolls with him. The situation unfolded too abruptly.
His thoughts surged like a tide but were tangled and unresolved.
However, the Soul Devouring Curse within Gong Mo must be related to those eerie palace events. Yet, the ten emperors’ legacy spanning thousands of years made no mention, even in fragments, of the matter.
“That’s impossible!”
Li Xuan murmured, “The Gong family, wielding the Dragon Emperor's bloodline, established the Holy Moon Imperial Court with overwhelming strength. How could they fail to detect even a trace of such bizarre incidents?”
He focused on the secret scrolls, carving a primal energy rune into them. As the lost words reappeared, a terrifying aura surged forth, directly assaulting Li Xuan’s soul.
Clasping his head, he staggered backward. Without his body-tempering technique protecting his spirit, his soul would have shattered.
Spitting a mouthful of blood, after several breaths he recovered, murmuring, “Indeed, this is no ordinary matter!”
The outcome of this trip confirmed Li Xuan’s suspicions: an immense, unseen hand manipulated the Gong imperial family.
He recalled Jinglin Gong’s words: except for the ancestral grounds, the rest of the palace was open to him. Clearly, the ancestral grounds were no ordinary place.
Having just arrived, Li Xuan knew it was not yet the time to venture there. Instead, he found himself missing his old father-in-law, who, even in his dire illness, uncovered so many secrets.
Li Xuan began to grumble about his father-in-law, realizing that Jiang Qingyue’s warnings had merit.
“Better to return to tender moments with my Lin’er!”
As Li Xuan departed, a ghostly black shadow appeared, its crimson eyes dripping with murderous intent.
Yet, leaving was no simple matter. One primal energy rune after another appeared, blocking his path.
Li Xuan smiled wryly, “Child’s play, just a bit more effort.”
He stepped onto the runes, forming seals with both hands. One by one, the primal runes were imprinted upon the void, carving a path through. Calm and unhurried, he departed.
By then, the sun was setting, casting the most beautiful crimson glow—the twilight before nightfall.
Li Xuan arrived at Jinglin Gong’s palace and entered directly, deploying his signature skills to tend to her, leaving her thoroughly relaxed, sweat fragrant and shining.
Jinglin Gong narrowed her phoenix-like eyes and said, “Li Xuan, where did you learn these techniques? Could it be that because of the Li family, you’ve been frequenting pleasure quarters?”
Having lived deep in the palace, Jinglin Gong had long heard of such tricks, especially since these methods were passed down through the palace and among the aristocratic elite.
Li Xuan chuckled and bowed, asking, “Then shouldn’t I be rewarded?”
Jinglin Gong’s exhaustion vanished at once. Sitting upright, she said sternly, “How dare you ask for rewards! I am your greatest reward. You’ve seen enough, eaten enough tofu. What more do you want?”
Li Xuan sat beside her and asked, “Upset?”
Jinglin Gong turned her head away shyly, cheeks faintly flushed, “No. I am the new emperor. Who else dares to make me suffer but you?”
Though stubborn as a dead duck, Li Xuan had heard on his way over that Regent Prince Gong Ao had rebelled. The eastern region was flooded, disaster zones stretched south of the great river, everywhere was filled with suffering.
This matter should have been handled by the Ministry of Revenue’s disaster relief funds, but Regent Prince Gong Ao shifted the blame onto Jinglin Gong, petitioning for imperial judgment, clearly pushing her into the storm’s eye.