Outside the window, the night was deep and pitch-black.
Crickets chirped tirelessly, completely unaware of the events unfolding around them.
Meanwhile, the three central figures in the Great Xia Dynasty responsible for investigating the shocking case—the three main investigators—
Tantai Zhan, the Grand General of the Imperial Guard; Zheng Zhicang, the Shadow Guard Chief; and Sun Wuyang, the Celestial Eye of the Divine Capture Sect... had all fallen into Xia Wuyang’s grasp. From this point forward, he alone would decide the case’s outcome.
Whoever he named as the culprit would be the culprit. With Emperor Xia’s meager political acumen, he would be completely unable to discern the truth.
Emperor Xia’s three most important chess pieces had quietly been turned, now belonging to Xia Wuyang.
On the grand chessboard, the player with the black stones had already seized the most critical positions and was in the process of capturing even more.
And the Emperor Xia, sitting high in Qianqing Palace, believing he controlled everything, was likely still fretting over his minor physical discomforts, vexed by the wars in the north and south, and agonizing over which woman to take to his bed that night...
He remained completely oblivious that his most trusted eyes and ears, his fangs and claws, and even the sharp sword guarding the capital had all secretly turned their blades, no longer his to command, but his enemy’s.
The Deep Palace was a prison, and the hearts of men were demonic.
This feud, which began decades ago, was now hurtling in a direction no one could have predicted. The final outcome would surpass anyone’s imagination.
White Jade City remained stiflingly hot, and the various plants had all wilted.
The lotuses in Taiye Pool still drooped listlessly, but the chirping of cicadas had lessened considerably, as Palace Attendants had been catching many of them.
Within the Deep Palace, the Netherworld Power in Emperor Xia’s body accumulated slowly, unbeknownst to him. The resulting fatigue and lack of energy grew more pronounced by the day, becoming increasingly severe.
Even he began to suspect he was genuinely overworked. He ordered the Imperial Physicians to increase the dosage of his restorative tonics and underwent multiple thorough examinations, yet they found nothing. He could only blame it on the sheer number of recent events, which were bound to be mentally taxing.
In the Imperial Court, arguments over the northern and southern wars raged on. The calls from the peace faction grew louder as the National Treasury dwindled, while the war faction steadily lost ground.
The subtle schemes among the various Princes and Princesses grew more frequent. As rumors of Xia Wuyang’s impending death and the imminent vacancy of the Crown Prince position grew louder, their covert maneuvering and power struggles became all but public.
Yet all these surging undercurrents seemed to have nothing to do with Wenhua Hall. At least, no one bothered targeting a dying, elder Crown Prince anymore.
The elder Crown Prince continued to live a life of debauchery and nightly revelry, seemingly indulging in one last, wild celebration before his end.
Newly arrived Jiangnan Beauties, enchanting Fox Girls, and charmingly innocent Cat Girls... they all took their turns, their seductive voices echoing through the palace and turning Wenhua Hall into the most decadent—and most despised—corner of the entire Imperial Palace.
The Palace Attendants whispered amongst themselves that the elder Crown Prince wouldn’t last through the autumn, and perhaps not even the summer.
His current indulgence, they concluded, was nothing more than a final, desperate frenzy before death.
No one knew that beneath this absurd facade, the true master of the game was experiencing an epiphany concerning the Great Dao of Yin and Yang.
「Wenhua Hall’s Practice Room. 11:45 PM.」
Xia Wuyang sat cross-legged, his aura as still as a mountain. Within his Sea of Consciousness, however, an invisible storm was raging.
Four hundred and thirty points of Spiritual Power hung like a resplendent Star River, suspended in the void of his Sea of Consciousness.
With the arrival of a new day, his Spiritual Power had increased by another point, reaching the threshold for an epiphany.
Among them, the ten newly condensed points of starlight on the periphery were exceptionally brilliant. They interlinked and spun, forming a tiny vortex that contained a profound Dao-like rhythm, one that seemed capable of pulling a person’s entire Heart Spirit into its depths.
The opportunity for an epiphany, accumulated through his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Supreme Talent, had arrived once more.
This time, however, Xia Wuyang’s focus was not on an Attack Skill, nor the Alchemy Dao, nor even a Cultivation Technique involving Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
It was the Dragon Phoenix Secret Skill, a Secret Technique he had already mastered to the pinnacle of Mortal Techniques and improved upon multiple times—the very technique he had once used as a cover.
After studying it in detail, he discovered its effects were considerable and its potential was extremely high, so he decided to begin cultivating it in earnest.
This art originated from an Ancient Dual Cultivation Method, emphasizing Yin-Yang Harmony and Dragon and Phoenix Harmony. It was originally an auxiliary Secret Technique for cultivation partners to complement and benefit each other while comprehending the Great Dao together, bringing considerable advantages to both parties.
After careful study, Xia Wuyang found its principles profound, far surpassing ordinary Evil Techniques of Gathering and Replenishing. The two were simply incomparable.
Over this period, relying on the Comprehension granted by his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Supreme Talent, combined with frequent "practice" with the beauties around him, he had long since refined the technique to the peak of Mortal Techniques.
Moreover, he had incorporated his own unique insights, making its effects gentler, more concealed, and better suited to his own cultivation system, thereby increasing the benefits for both parties.
However, a Mortal Technique was ultimately just a Mortal Technique, not a Spirit Art.
Its upper limit was confined to the mortal plane. It could not reach the Extraordinary Level, nor did it possess any truly incredible effects.
Now that his Cultivation of Essence, Qi, and Spirit had all entered the Extraordinary realm, his Dao Foundation was established and his horizons had broadened. Mortal Techniques and Arts were of little use to him anymore.
Looking at the Dragon Phoenix Secret Skill again, he realized there were countless subtle points left to be mined and higher-level techniques that could be integrated into it. Such was the advantage of a commanding perspective.
’I’ll use this epiphany to elevate you to a Spirit Art!’
Xia Wuyang’s Heart Spirit sank completely into the profound state of epiphany. He had been preparing for this for some time, and his various accumulations were more than sufficient.
In an instant, countless insights regarding yin and yang, dragon and phoenix, harmony, and life force surged like a tidal wave, completely submerging him.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, an ancient scroll seemed to slowly unfurl, containing a wealth of knowledge and insights from his past life.
He saw the dawn of chaos, the separation of Yin Yang Qi. The clear yang ascended to become heaven, the turbid yin descended to form earth, and the harmony of heaven and earth gave birth to all things... This was the creation myth of Pangu, a story that did not belong to this world.
He saw a true dragon soaring through the nine heavens, embodying Supreme Yang and Firmness. A colorful phoenix perched on a wutong tree, embodying the Extremely Yin and Soft, giving rise to all manner of wondrous phenomena.
The dragon’s roar and phoenix’s cry shook the highest heavens. The Yin Yang Qi attracted, entwined, and resonated with each other, evolving into infinite creation... The sights were fantastical and dazzling, the profundity boundless.
He saw the human body as a microcosm of heaven and earth: the heart, belonging to fire, was yang; the kidneys, belonging to water, were yin. Qi was yang, Spirit was yin. Motion was yang, stillness was yin... When yin and yang were in balance, life flourished. When they were in disharmony, sickness and pain abounded. All these concepts, and countless more, suddenly became crystal clear.
The Dao of dual cultivation was to use one’s own yang to stir the other’s yin, and one’s own yin to harmonize the other’s yang.
Yin and yang would flow and circulate, like the turning of the Heavenly Dao, embodying Eternal Life... Only in this way could one achieve sufficient advancement.
Every detail from his past cultivation of the Dragon Phoenix Secret Skill replayed with perfect clarity, surging through his Sea of Consciousness and bringing him a flash of utter enlightenment.

Comments

Loading...