The number of minions that the Book of the Dead can control is definitely limited, otherwise, a necromantic plague would have already appeared in Yanjing. However, a group of absolutely loyal and powerful subordinates is enough to prove its value.

Digging up the freshly deceased Chief Minister, Marshal, and General to make these once-famous and powerful figures serve you, using their wisdom and even connections to develop influence... The National Relief Association's rise to power in Yanjing owes much to Qin Xiao, these former Glory's Four Guards members.

Le Yu suddenly wondered, if the president of the National Relief Association resurrected the former emperor, wouldn't they be able to seize the nation directly?

Maybe the emperor's corpse is too difficult to steal... Moreover, if the emperor suddenly emerged from the coffin, everyone would surely suspect a ghost!

Even though it only revealed the tip of the iceberg, the power of the Book of the Dead still amazed Le Yu. No wonder it can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Holy Sword's Glory as an Absolute Divine Weapon. This ability to distort life and death is no less potent than the ultimate force of the Holy Sword. If there were no limit to the number of resurrections, Glory might have already raced into the era of stars.

Le Yu glanced at another book on the table, which was the "Chronicles of the Grand Ancestor" that Qin Xiao read the other night. That night, he vaguely implied the four Absolute Divine Weapons corresponded to the Grand Ancestor's four brothers. Naturally, Le Yu wouldn't forget after waking up from a bout of meditative trance, so he read through it over these past few days.

However, the records of the Grand Ancestor's four brothers are pitifully scant, to the point where the three brothers really appear like mere brothers. After the Grand Ancestor gathered a following, his brothers vanished from history, as if they never existed. In the Grand Ancestor's youth, the three brothers mainly served as followers, tasked with highlighting the Grand Ancestor's prowess.

Incidentally, the "Chronicles of the Grand Ancestor" is actually a mythical novel, filled with various mythological plots, like fairies offering themselves, holy light protection, wielding winds and rains, summoning meteors, treasure hunting in ruins, enemies' children turning over a new leaf, the Grand Ancestor kneeling and causing a statue to collapse… It contains all the classic plots you can think of in feel-good literature. In a series of events, the Holy Sword even appears rather ordinary.

Le Yu could understand; using mythology to enhance the narrative of 'Celestial Mandate' is a conventional maneuver for all feudal rulers. Not to mention in the past, if Ming Shuiyun really becomes emperor in the future, rumors like Qin Le Yin being a crimson star descending from the heavens to protect its master might also surface…

Among the many myths about the Grand Ancestor, there is one where all four brothers experienced together. It was said they accidentally stumbled into a fairyland while playing, where the deities found them interesting and decided to set them trials, promising to fulfill their wishes should they succeed.

The Grand Ancestor was, naturally, magnificently righteous: "I wish to have the power to uplift humanity!"

The wishes of the three brothers were very selfish, seemingly to highlight the Grand Ancestor:

"I wish for my mother to come back to life."

"I wish to live well."

"I wish to escape this demon-infested land."

The deities scolded the three brothers harshly for their selfishness, praised the Grand Ancestor's saintly demeanor, and then that was it.

Indeed, the trials and the wishes were not mentioned later, it seemed almost like celestial entrapment without accountability. In this book, similar plots that borrow others' baseness to underscore the Grand Ancestor's virtue are abundant, so Le Yu initially didn't pay much attention. However, since the details concerning the three brothers were exceedingly scarce, Le Yu naturally focused here.

He had some speculation, but it didn't hold much weight. Over the millennia, many seeking the other Absolute Divine Weapons have certainly not overlooked this clue, yet the only currently manifested Absolute Divine Weapon remains the Holy Sword, proving they haven't found them either.

Clatter!

The Mechanical Ladder rose up, and Le Yu turned the remaining pages of the Book of the Dead back into an iron bracelet and wore it. Suddenly, he remembered something, and replaced a painting on the wall with another that was similar but had slight variations.

"The second round of the game starts now, targeting the Blood Essence Stone."

As soon as Ming Shuiyun descended, she went straight to the point, sitting across from Le Yu and glancing around. With a flick of her tail, Le Yu knew what she was thinking and said, "Yan Yi isn't here."

Ming Shuiyun pouted her lips enough to hang a kettle, snorting without hiding her discontent at all.

Le Yu had already told her about his deal with Yan Yi. She wasn't against it but did increase the frequency of her visits as if worried Yan Yi would devour Qin Le Yin while she was absent. As for Le Yu's earlier mention of a fiancée, she didn't even ask, treating it as if it didn't exist.

It seemed she planned to clear all obstacles after ascending the throne, dreaming that becoming emperor would allow her to snatch men at will.

Occasionally, she would gaze upon Qin Le Yin with an infatuated look, a 'I shall possess your body' expression. As for Qin Le Yin's heart, she wasn't worried at all—with the contract signed, Qin Le Yin's heart was already hers, or so she believed.

Although somewhat disgruntled at becoming a trophy, the determination born from love was admirable, so Le Yu let Ming Shuiyun treat him as magical material. After all, it was common for a master to be seen as material by their student; Le Yu had also regarded a black-silk donned English teacher similarly... Having had similar experiences, Le Yu wasn't worried, knowing that once Ming Shuiyun meets more handsome men, she'd realize that Qin Le Yin is just an ordinary punk.

"Just as I thought."

Le Yu wasn't very surprised when Qin Yueshi picked up a book from his desk, glanced at it, and asked, "You knew already?"

"I could somewhat guess," Le Yu said. "Have you read the notice on the bulletin board? There's actually a big question in there: why exactly does the holder of the Blood Essence Stone insist on entering the Imperial Academy when Spirit Condensing Pills don't profit there."

"But now that the game has started, it proves everything is just a game."

"What do you mean? Tongue-twister?" Qian Yuya asked.

Le Yu briefly explained matters concerning the National Relief Association and the Sword Holder, saying, "Actually, the target of the Spirit Condensing Pill isn't the Imperial Academy, but the Sword Holder. The President of the National Relief Association threw out the Blood Essence Stone as bait placed at the Imperial Academy, which actually provokes the Sword Holder. Now that the Sword Holder has sent us in response... this is a game between the Sword Holder and the National Relief Association, and we are just pawns."

"Last time, the National Relief Association defeated the Sword Holder. This time, they've brought out the Blood Essence Stone as leverage, seeking to win more."

While Le Yu was explaining, Li Ying, bored, was looking around. When she saw the painting hung on the wall, she passed by but suddenly felt something was off, turning back to stare at the painting.

"Hmm? Is this the work of some famous artist?" Noticing Li Ying gazing at the painting, the nearby Kui Nianruo also took a careful look. It was a mundane portrait, depicting the back of a woman, and Kui Nianruo couldn't discern anything special about it.

"Nothing, I was just casually looking," Li Ying shook her head but then curiously sidled behind Qian Yuya, occasionally casting frightened glances at the painting on the wall.

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