Great Li Martial God

Zhao Kuang had entertained the fantasy, putting himself in Li Musheng's shoes, imagining what the future would look like if he had Li Musheng's identity and martial cultivation.

But it was nothing more than a fantasy. In reality, he was losing sleep day and night over whether his father was alive or dead, unable to eat or rest in peace.

Even so, what came as a welcome surprise to Zhao Kuang was that when he asked about Li Musheng's whereabouts, the purple-robed Daoist actually gave a nod, "This poor Daoist has had the court's agents searching with full effort. Although the Eighth Prince's party made some attempts to conceal their movements, this is Taixuan City."

"And since their entry into the city was rather conspicuous, following certain traces, we have eventually located their lodgings."

As he said this, the purple-robed Daoist looked at Zhao Kuang, "Though this poor Daoist speaks out of turn, that man is a prince of Great Li, a person of unusual standing and unfathomable martial cultivation. Your Majesty would be wisest to keep well away from him."

At those words, Zhao Kuang showed a thoughtful expression and waved a hand, "The Daoist need not worry. I know what I am doing."

Even so, Zhao Kuang understood in his heart that he did not have many options right now.

When it came to dealing with his father the emperor, beyond Li Musheng, there was truly no one else he could turn to.

Zhao Kuang set down his vermilion brush and rose from the dragon throne, "Please accompany me, Daoist. I wish to pay the Eighth Prince a visit in person."

At those words, the purple-robed Daoist and the elderly eunuch beside him both went briefly blank. The eunuch immediately dropped to his knees, "Your Majesty wishes to leave the palace? This absolutely cannot be done."

"This servant has heard that certain princes and ministers in the court, having learned from somewhere of the rumor that Your Majesty was behind the late Emperor's death, are secretly scheming to move against Your Majesty."

"There are countless eyes in the court watching the palace in secret at this very moment. If Your Majesty leaves and loses the protection of the Great Xuan imperial palace, the danger would be extreme."

Zhao Kuang's eyes darkened, and he let out a cold laugh, "They are nothing but small fry. I am not afraid of them."

Seeing this, the purple-robed Daoist frowned slightly and also spoke to caution him, "Your Majesty has not yet formally ascended the throne and does not yet have full control of the court's situation. This is not the moment for anything to go wrong."

"If Your Majesty truly intends to recruit the Eighth Prince, why not wait a few more days? After clearing away the obstacles at court, there would be plenty of time to seek him out."

At those words, Zhao Kuang swept his gaze over the two of them without speaking.

When he had still been Crown Prince, he might have shown some wariness toward his brothers. But now that he was already sitting on the throne, those people were no better in his eyes than chickens and dogs. He gave them no thought at all.

Even so, very quickly Zhao Kuang simply sat back down in the dragon throne.

He slowly ran his hand across the dragon-head armrest, and the look in his eyes grew increasingly dark.

At the sight, the purple-robed Daoist and the elderly eunuch both showed unusual expressions, clearly unable to read what Zhao Kuang was thinking.

Just then, Zhao Kuang looked up at the purple-robed Daoist and asked suddenly, "Daoist, what do you think, if I were to have all my brothers killed, would that be workable?"

At those words, both the purple-robed Daoist and the elderly eunuch changed expression sharply.

The two of them exchanged an almost imperceptible glance, and each could see the shock in the other's eyes.

The purple-robed Daoist's brow creased sharply, and he immediately spoke to dissuade him, "Your Majesty, this absolutely cannot be done. Setting aside the eternal infamy of killing kin and murdering brothers, each of the princes has no small number of supporters among the court ministers."

"They would naturally not sit by idly in the face of such an act. Hearts would turn against you, the court would be thrown into upheaval, and with the demonic world now gathering in Taixuan City, one misstep could bring the dynasty itself to the brink of ruin."

The elderly eunuch also spoke up, urging Zhao Kuang not to act impulsively.

At the same time, both the purple-robed Daoist and the elderly eunuch were inwardly shaken and uncertain.

Both were Zhao Kuang's most trusted confidants and had been with him even before he became Crown Prince. From everything they knew of him, Zhao Kuang had not seemed like someone capable of such ruthlessness. And yet what he had just said had truly caught both of them off guard.

Zhao Kuang's expression shifted through several changes, then he shook his head slowly, his eyes fixing on the purple-robed Daoist, "Daoist, I should have mentioned to you before, my father, as the cult master of a demonic sect, cultivated demonic arts, and specifically obtained the Soul-Searching Technique from the Demonic Patriarch's legacy."

"I had not thought about this carefully before, but just now it suddenly occurred to me: if my father is not dead, he could use the Soul-Searching Technique to inhabit the body of one of my brothers."

"Then, acting from the shadows, he could have me killed and take back the throne. When I think it through, it is genuinely terrifying, and not something I can afford to ignore."

At those words, the purple-robed Daoist and the elderly eunuch both went momentarily still, then fell into silence.

They needed only a moment of thought to recognize that what Zhao Kuang feared was not without foundation.

Even so, the idea of Zhao Kuang killing every one of his brothers was simply too extreme and too dangerous. Both of them found it difficult to go along with.

Seeing that the two remained silent, Zhao Kuang narrowed his eyes slightly, "Rest assured, I naturally have no intention of openly moving against my brothers. If action is to be taken, it must be done without anyone noticing, from the shadows."

"That way, even if anyone suspects me, they will have no proof."

At those words, the purple-robed Daoist and the elderly eunuch exchanged another look, both of their expressions shifting with unspoken thoughts.

For Zhao Kuang to kill all of his brothers was a truly vicious step, and both of them were deeply hesitant, not daring to make up their minds to serve as his accomplices in such a thing.

Zhao Kuang's gaze moved slowly over the two of them. He seemed to see through their concerns, "You may rest easy. If I want to deal with them, there will be no shortage of opportunities, and it will take very little effort."

As he said this, a hard and ruthless glint surfaced in Zhao Kuang's eyes, "These next few days, all the princes and princesses will be keeping the vigil for my father. It is the perfect time to act."

"A single dose of poison could take care of all of them."

Zhao Kuang let his hand rest on the throne beneath him, then fixed the purple-robed Daoist and the elderly eunuch with a commanding gaze, "You are the people I trust most. This matter I will leave to the two of you. Once it is done, you will be amply rewarded."

At those words, the purple-robed Daoist and the elderly eunuch were silent for a moment, but in the end both bowed together and assented.

"Since Your Majesty has made up your mind, then if this is to be done, it must be done without a single flaw. No word must leak, and not one person must be left. Otherwise the consequences will be endless."

Both the elderly eunuch and the purple-robed Daoist were grave in expression. Zhao Kuang gave a slight nod, "Do whatever needs to be done. Whatever you require, I will give you my unconditional full support."

...

"The Director has been missing for days. I am afraid the worst has happened."

In the hidden chamber beneath the inn, the inn proprietor and a group of Hidden Intelligence Bureau agents all wore poor expressions.

Since the night the Director of the Hidden Intelligence Bureau had disappeared, they had mobilized virtually everything at their disposal over the past few days, but had still come away with nothing.

The only lead they had was that the Director had run into trouble inside the Great Xuan imperial palace.

"We cannot keep going on like this. Perhaps... we should ask the Eighth Prince for help."

Someone suggested with a furrowed brow. Every means available to Great Li's agents in Great Xuan had been exhausted, and still nothing had been found.

The only approach anyone could think of now was to ask Li Musheng, the Eighth Prince of Great Li, to step in.

After all, he had managed to rescue Daoist Qingyu from the Great Xuan imperial palace. Going back in to look for the Director of the Hidden Intelligence Bureau would be well within his ability.

"Asking His Highness the Eighth Prince for help is certainly possible, but my only concern is that even if we do, His Highness will probably not act."

The inn proprietor shook his head slowly. Using appeals to duty and loyalty to move the Eighth Prince seemed unlikely to work.

After all, this was someone who had killed his own brothers and, while Great Li was in dire straits, had simply packed up and come to the Great Xuan imperial capital without a second thought.

All of that made it clear that this Eighth Prince who had grown up among common people had no particular attachment to the Great Li royal family or the Great Li court.

He would naturally have no reason to simply help rescue the Director of the Hidden Intelligence Bureau out of the goodness of his heart.

"Then what are we supposed to do? We cannot just sit here and do nothing."

Someone asked, and the inn proprietor frowned in thought for a moment, then swept his gaze over everyone in the underground chamber, "Making the request to His Highness is something we absolutely have to try regardless. But the first condition is that we must come up with something that would actually make him willing to act."

As he said this, he let out a quiet sigh, "Each of you are the finest agents the Hidden Intelligence Bureau has to offer. You have been gathering intelligence on Great Xuan throughout this imperial capital. Think carefully now, whether any of you have something in hand that might capture His Highness the Eighth Prince's interest."

At those words, the entire hidden chamber went quiet.

After a long pause, every face remained creased with thought, and no one spoke.

After all, whatever might interest Li Musheng was hardly going to be ordinary gold, silver, jewels, weapons, or common technique manuals.

Seeing this, the inn proprietor let out another sigh. But just at that moment, one of the Hidden Intelligence Bureau's agents spoke up unexpectedly, "I actually do have a piece of information that might interest His Highness the Eighth Prince. Though I came across it only by chance, and it may not be entirely reliable, so I am not sure whether it is worth saying."

The inn proprietor's expression shifted, and he immediately waved his hand, "Go ahead and say it. As long as there is even the slightest chance, we have to try."

At those words, the agent hesitated no longer and shared what he knew.

Having heard what the agent said, the inn proprietor thought it over briefly, then gave a nod, "We can try."

...

In a room of the inn, the large black cat lay sprawled on the windowsill, napping.

Li Musheng sat at the table, cracking fragrant roasted melon seeds and chewing them while his mind turned in quiet contemplation.

Throughout the entire room, demonic shadows drifted and swirled, the sight deeply unsettling, as though the room had been transformed into a demonic lair.

The large black cat's round green eyes were half-open and half-shut. The first time it had seen this sight, it had nearly been scared half to death.

It had thought Li Musheng had gone into cultivation deviation and become a full-blown demon lord.

At the time, it had been truly terrified.

After all, if someone as terrifying as Li Musheng truly entered the demonic path and became a demon lord who committed every kind of evil, what then? Who in the world could possibly stop someone like that?

And as an innocent black cat living in closest proximity to him, it would probably be casually slaughtered at any moment.

So it had wasted no time at all, attempting to slip away quietly, but had been caught by Li Musheng in an instant and brought straight back. There was no escaping.

And then the large black cat found that Li Musheng was not about to slaughter it. He wanted to pet it.

At that point, the large black cat understood that Li Musheng was completely fine and had not entered the demonic path at all.

Of course, occasionally when the large black cat happened to catch a sideways glimpse, a thread of the aura of an unrivaled demon lord would momentarily slip from Li Musheng's person.

But even at those moments, Li Musheng was just sitting there as though nothing was happening, cracking his melon seeds, contemplating something no one else could see.

"Haaah..."

The large black cat opened its mouth wide in a yawn and was about to shift into a new resting position.

But at that moment, its ears twitched, and it turned to look outside the window.

Before long, a figure in night-black attire landed noiselessly outside the window, and a voice came from beyond it, "This subordinate is an agent of the Hidden Intelligence Bureau. I humbly request an audience with Your Highness."

At those words, the large black cat's ears moved slightly, then its interest faded entirely.

If the person was not here to cause trouble, then there was absolutely nothing worth paying attention to.

"I am not receiving anyone."

Li Musheng's voice followed at the same moment. He clearly had no intention of bothering either.

"This subordinate has a piece of information that Your Highness may find of interest."

The figure outside the window did not leave, but remained bowed outside and continued to speak.

At those words, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow faintly.

He thought about it for a moment, and rather than immediately sending the person away, he asked, "Go on. What is it?"

The figure outside the window visibly let out a quiet breath of relief, and immediately spoke with respectful care, "This subordinate has heard that Your Highness has some interest in unusual matters, and after extensive investigation, this subordinate has come to know of something here in Taixuan City that may warrant Your Highness's attention."

Hearing no reply from inside the room, the agent drew a steady breath and continued, "Within Taixuan City there is a Daoist temple by the name of Qingxuan Temple. This temple has stood for over a thousand years, predating the founding of the Great Xuan dynasty."

"And throughout Taixuan City there has long been a legend that the Qingxuan Temple is the dwelling of the Heavenly Goddess of the Ninth Heaven, and that within the temple there is a fathomless dark pool, at the bottom of which the Heavenly Goddess lies in slumber."

At this, the agent paused briefly, then continued, "In ordinary times this was nothing more than a vague and intangible rumor, idle talk among the common people. But recently, for reasons unknown, a series of strange occurrences have begun in the Qingxuan Temple."

"Daoist priests inside the temple have observed that on every night of the full moon, the dark pool produces a seven-colored halo of light, and the calm water begins to churn and roll."

"There have even been Daoist priests who heard a woman's singing voice drifting above the surface of the pool at night. But whenever anyone followed the sound and approached the water's edge, they would inexplicably fall unconscious, only to wake the following morning."

At those words, Li Musheng's brow creased faintly from inside the room, "In all likelihood there is someone out there manufacturing all of this."

But the agent outside shook his head, "Your Highness may not know, but the abbot of the Qingxuan Temple is one of the foremost martial world experts of Great Xuan, and even he was affected."

"Moreover, afterward he quietly sought out the Great Xuan Divine Constable to investigate, and not a single trace of human interference or poisoning was found."