Outside Yangxin Hall.

All the civil and military ministers of Northern Zhou who were present in the Divine Capital have been waiting here for many days.

Since the sudden tragic news of Feng Jiwu three days ago, the Northern Zhou court has been in a state of fear and apprehension, with many harboring the premonition that after years of peace, Northern Zhou is about to experience turmoil once again.

Since Feng Jiwu did not leave behind a prince, many have set their sights on Feng Qiwu, who has been living in seclusion at the Mountain River Academy.

Although there has been no overt contact, covert probing has already begun.

And now, another test or perhaps a different plot has been set in motion.

Among the waiting ministers, suddenly several rushed toward Yangxin Hall, shouting, "Your Majesty, we request an audience with Your Majesty!"

The guards surrounding Yangxin Hall naturally couldn't allow them entry, but to forcefully stop them might cause harm.

These individuals hold positions where even the lowest among them stands in the Great Ming Hall during the morning assembly; harming them would cause significant trouble afterward.

However, other ministers nearby, knowing their intent, stood up and shouted, "Stop, can you bear the consequences if you disturb His Majesty?"

As they spoke, several stepped forward to restrain the ministers breaking into the hall. Compared to the lower-ranked guards, their peers had fewer reservations.

Yet at this moment, the Assistant Minister of Rites, Cai Xukun, leading the charge, suddenly erupted with the Qi Mechanism of the Divine Origin Realm, shaking off the two ministers blocking him and, taking advantage of the guards' brief distraction, directly stormed into the hall.

But once inside, he felt an invisible force heavier than Mount Tai press down, causing him to fall flat on the ground, losing all composure.

"Minister Cai, you're quite hasty, barging directly into Yangxin Hall."

A cold voice came from above, and Cai Xukun, lying on the ground, looked up to see a pair of dragon-patterned golden boots, standing just three feet from his head.

These were Emperor Zhou's boots.

And from the looks of it, Emperor Zhou had been present for some time.

"Long live Your Majesty!"

Seeing this, the outside ministers hurriedly knelt, shouting long live.

Cai Xukun, instead of showing any guilt, displayed extreme joy, prostrating and shouting, "Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!"

"Long live?"

Qing Yu, now in control of Feng Jiu's body, originally had Feng Jiu as his Tribulation Slave, his life essence infiltrated by Qing Yu's Qi Mechanism, and had possessed him multiple times before. Now entering the body was seamless.

Qing Yu chuckled, "You use the words 'long live' well, but why do I feel these words are not meant for me?"

Unexpected words made Cai Xukun instinctively look up, meeting those eyes that seemed to see through everything.

At the instant their gazes met, Cai Xukun felt a chill from the top of his skull to his feet, thinking: 'It's over!'

He realized he had been seen through. When he met Qing Yu's eyes, countless past events and secrets involuntarily surfaced from within him.

He knew he'd failed!

"I didn't expect that within Great Zhou, there'd be such loyal ministers to Daqian. Minister Cai, you've worked hard to endure all these years in our court." Qing Yu smiled faintly.

With Cai Xukun's realm, he had no privacy before Qing Yu. Just a glance and Qing Yu saw through his mind and discovered his secrets.

Cai Xukun was a man of Daqian, following Mu Cangsheng's orders to infiltrate Northern Zhou, three and a half years to be exact.

To achieve the position of Assistant Minister of Rites in three and a half years, Cai Xukun had to be talented. Also, it shows how deeply Daqian had entrenched itself in Northern Zhou.

Cai Xukun's teacher, the Minister of Rites, was his superior. Without the Minister's assistance, Cai Xukun, regardless of his talent, couldn't have achieved his current position in three and a half years.

Northern Zhou's multiple sweeps had captured at least hundreds of spies, and yet they never caught the Minister of Rites, showing his capabilities.

'Mu Cangsheng's plans are truly deep.'

By now, Qing Yu had basically guessed Mu Cangsheng's plan.

Assimilating Feng Jiu with the Human Dao Will and stirring up waves with pre-set hidden threads. His ultimate goal was likely to unify Northern Zhou and Daqian as one, and then with two sides, attack Hou Qian, unifying the Central Plains in one move.

With the ancestor's will in Feng Jiu, the Nine Provinces of Central Plains ultimately fell under the Ji Family's control.

But unfortunately, this plan failed at the very beginning.

What was supposed to be a foolproof first step, with the Human Emperor's consciousness entering Feng Jiu's body, was thwarted by Qing Yu. No one would have thought that the Emperor Martial Art cultivated by Feng Jiu was achieved with Qing Yu's help.

The Human Emperor's consciousness descended, only to find that on Feng Jiu's end, someone else temporarily took the stage. Qing Yu, using the form of the Three Souls Unification, defeated four Human Emperor consciousnesses, preserving Feng Jiu's body.

At the same time, Northern Zhou's Mountain River Dragon Vein was also forcibly seized by Qing Yu.

"Cold Eunuch." Qing Yu called.

"At your service." Cold Eunuch appeared beside Qing Yu like a ghost.

"Take Minister Cai, who is physically in Zhou but serves Daqian, away. And bring the Minister of Rites as well, for a thorough investigation."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Cold Eunuch replied respectfully.

Though Qing Yu spoke calmly, the word "investigation" essentially sealed the fate of Cai Xukun and the Minister of Rites.

Regarding matters of state and family, there is no humanitarianism to speak of. Ninety-nine percent of the two individuals and their followers will eventually have to endure the pain of a soul search.

Qing Yu turned his gaze to the civil and military officials outside the Yangxin Hall and said, "You ministers have been waiting outside the hall for a long time, and it has been hard work. First, go to Yiming Pavilion. After I bathe and change clothes, we will host a banquet to reward all of you."

"It is what we ought to do."

Under the respectful salutes of the ministers, the doors of Yangxin Hall closed once again. However, this time, no one dared to probe further.

Regardless of any thoughts, they must be concealed now, otherwise, they might end up in the Heavenly Prison alongside Cai Xukun.

Inside Yangxin Hall, Qing Yu turned to look at the graceful figure behind the golden pillar and said, "Use the Ice Heart Jade to nurture Feng Jiu's spiritual sense, then use the Returning God Grass as incense to enhance his soul power.

Once I achieve the Tao Realm, I will be able to create his body, allowing Feng Jiu to return to the world."

The Blood Vault has the power of creation, but with Qing Yu's current ability, creating a human is still lacking in proficiency. By the time he reaches the Tao Realm, Qing Yu will be able to perfectly create a physical body to house Feng Jiu's soul.

"Also, you need not worry that I will occupy the lands of Northern Zhou; in the future, these lands will still belong to the Feng Family," Qing Yu paused and continued.

Feng Mingxiao remained silent for a long time, finally leaving only one sentence, "I hope so," before disappearing from Yangxin Hall.

Given the current situation, even if Feng Mingxiao wanted to resist, it was impossible. Furthermore, if Qing Yu wanted to occupy the lands, he could have done so long ago and didn't need to wait until today.

Therefore, Feng Mingxiao could only acquiesce to Qing Yu ruling the vast lands of Northern Zhou in the body of her nephew.

After Feng Mingxiao left, Qing Yu's figure flickered, and he collapsed tiredly onto the dragon throne.

"So exhausted."

The confrontation with the consciousness of the Human Emperor left Qing Yu feeling an unfamiliar fatigue, which even instilled in him an urge to sleep. Since the time he comprehended Nuwa's Blood Tears, Qing Yu hadn't slept for years; now, he felt an overwhelming fatigue.

"Forget it, let one soul rest for now," Qing Yu murmured to himself.

With the rotation of the Three Souls, once the cycle is complete, he can resume cultivating day and night, ceaselessly.

"But the consciousness of the Human Emperor remains a bane in the end..."

························

Ling Province.

Days of war had wearied both sides, and they rested temporarily in a cease-fire.

However, for warriors above the Divinity Realm, the war had just begun.

On this day, an invisible tremor appeared in Ling Province, causing the Lianduan Mountain, the longest mountain range in the world, to tremble incessantly.

"What's going on?"

Yin Tianxia and others rushed out of the valley, looking at the scene as if heaven and earth were quaking, utterly bewildered.

The trembling of Lianduan Mountain is the greatest disaster in the world. The largest active volcano in Ling Province—Purgatory Mountain—began to erupt with lava as well, leaving the state of those on Purgatory Peak unknown.

"The Lianduan Mountain is trembling, and the source is over by Qing Province."

Upon a brief sensing, Yin Tianxia realized the further south they go, the stronger the tremors. Clearly, the epicenter of the tremors lay in Qing Province, or rather, the Southern Border.

"Let's go and see."

The cause behind such significant events was undoubtedly complex, likely connected to the Xinglie's Battle Body. Hence, Yin Tianxia immediately ordered, taking a group of Divinity Realm experts toward Qing Province.

Simultaneously, in the Qing Province, within the Zhen Shan Royal Mansion.

The Great Witch Sacrifice's face changed, "Something has happened in the ancestral land, the ancestral seal—there's been a change for some reason."

"Could it be that the ancestor is about to be born?" Prince Zhen Shan speculated.

"Even if the ancestor is about to be born, it may not necessarily be a good thing," the Great Witch Sacrifice frowned deeply, "The seal was set by the Ninth Generation Emperor. He sealed the ancestral battle body within the Earth Veins, and his intentions couldn't be so simple.

It's very likely he did something to the ancestral battle body."

After pondering, the Great Witch Sacrifice said, "I will return to the ancestral land; you must first halt the army. If the enemy seizes this opportunity to launch a strong attack with Divinity Realm warriors, don't hesitate—release the locust god poison to annihilate Daqian's army."

"Understood," Zhang Huchen nodded.

In terms of the number of warriors above the Divinity Realm, the Southern Border cannot match Daqian. Currently, the Southern Border has the upper hand due to the other side's strongest warriors being unable to assemble entirely, largely owing to the immense deterrence of the Great Witch Sacrifice.

Once the Great Witch Sacrifice leaves, the other side might seize the opportunity to counterattack.

After giving his instructions, the Great Witch Sacrifice promptly left the Zhen Shan Royal Mansion, rushing to the ancestral land of the Southern Border. There, the Xinglie's Battle Body is sealed, and it's also the critical juncture of the Lianduan Mountain, an irreplaceable asset.

If the ancestral land were to be destroyed, the Southern Border would be severed at its root; even if their army captured Ling Province, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

For the people of the Southern Border, deeply imbued with ancestral reverence, the safety of the ancestral land is the utmost priority.

During the flight, the Great Witch Sacrifice glanced northward, considering the son of Emperor Daqian with deep wariness in his eyes.

During this period, although he had consistently suppressed Mu Cangsheng, the Great Witch Sacrifice's apprehension toward this youth grew by the day.

There was always the sense that Mu Cangsheng harbored an exceedingly profound scheme.

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