Chapter 1239: Signs of Shattering

Yan Nantian was still somewhat indignant. He simply could not understand how much Tong Nianyi looked down on the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. It was a secondary third-rank post, after all—was it really such a slight to her?

Monk Guangji's excuse was flimsy, but the words had likely come straight from a letter. Yan Nantian understood perfectly well that given Tong Nianyi's temperament, she would never offer such a half-hearted pretext.

Was it her parents?

At that thought, Yan Nantian's indignation seemed to ease.

The Tong family elders likely harbored some resentment of their own.

Yan Nantian asked Monk Guangji about Tong Nianyi's parents. Many years ago, he had ordered an investigation into them, but the results had been poor. They were shrouded in a baffling layer of mystery that left him completely in the dark.

Monk Guangji paused for a moment. "I have had little contact with her parents, but there was a rumor in the early years regarding her mother."

"What rumor?"

"Does Imperial Brother recall the anomaly at the execution ground when that thief Zhao Zhen intended to behead the Jing officials?"

Yan Nantian frowned.

Guangji continued, "That day, peach blossoms drifted through the air, and a sword glare struck like a rainbow. The sight left Zhao Zhen utterly stunned. The name of the Peach Blossom Sword Immortal spread shortly after. That Peach Blossom Sword Immortal is her mother."

Yan Nantian sat up straight, falling into deep thought.

He had thoroughly investigated the changes in this world. At the end of the Jing dynasty and the founding of Xiang, the world's Spiritual Energy had been incredibly thin, and monsters were exceedingly rare. That meant her mother had stepped onto the immortal path a very long time ago.

If that were the case, even he would likely have to address her as a senior.

"What about her father?"

"Her father seems to be nothing more than a mortal."

"Oh?"

This surprised Yan Nantian, and he suddenly felt a flash of disappointment.

After a moment's thought, his indignation completely faded. "Since she is a senior," he said, "I will give them face."

Guangji gave a slight nod. "This poor monk thanks Imperial Brother on behalf of their family."

Yan Nantian waved his hand.

His relief soon gave way to disappointment once more. He had a royal brother right here, yet after all these years, they still had not officially acknowledged their kinship. Was he unwilling?

Or had he simply been too poor of an emperor?

He could only sigh repeatedly, sinking back into his thoughts.

The recent scandal of Grand Secretary Qin colluding with vile demons had caused a massive uproar.

Aside from purging the Imperial Court, his majesty had dispatched the Daoist cultivators of Quanshan across the realm to slay demons, vanquish evil, and cleanse the world.

At the same time, the Demon Market had received an imperial decree ordering them to cooperate with Quanshan in eradicating these wicked spirits.

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Lin felt a severe headache coming on.

All affairs of the Demon Market, large and small, had fallen onto his shoulders now that the Ward Lord, the Badger Demon, had gone into secluded meditation.

With an issue like this landing on his desk right now, Zhao Lin was completely at a loss for how to handle it.

The relationship between the Imperial Court and the Demon Market had never been good.

By dragging the Demon Market into this matter, his majesty was undoubtedly beating the mountain to startle the tiger. This decree was practically an ultimatum.

It demanded they clarify the future stance between the Demon Market and the Imperial Court.

Would they stand united, or would they each serve their own masters?

This was not a decision Zhao Lin could make.

Left with no other choice, he had to go disturb the meditating Ward Lord.

Roused from his seclusion, the Badger Demon listened to the report and fell deep in thought.

Zhao Lin said, "Ward Lord, tearing up all pretenses right now is not a good idea. Today, vile demons run rampant across the realm. Our Demon Market focuses on the Northern Territory, and very few of the monsters in the Southern Domain fall under our jurisdiction. If we go to war with the Imperial Court, some of those demons will inevitably scheme so the fisherman profits from the quarrel."

The Badger Demon naturally understood this logic. He said, "Yan Nantian grew sick of our Demon Market a long time ago. As he cultivates the immortal path, constantly marching forward, his appetite has grown larger and larger. In the past, he was a good emperor. Now, he is not..."

Zhao Lin nodded. "Going to war with the Imperial Court is likely inevitable."

It was only a matter of time.

The Badger Demon asked, "What is your opinion?"

Zhao Lin replied, "Reporting to the Ward Lord, I am currently undecided."

The Badger Demon said, "If you are undecided, then make no decision. Let us be direct. Our Demon Market has never involved itself in the affairs of the Mortal World, so the Mortal World should keep its affairs away from our Demon Market. Reply to Yan Nantian with those exact words."

Zhao Lin's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, but he nodded helplessly.

The dividing line between the Mortal World and the Demon Market was becoming clearer and clearer.

But that was not necessarily a bad thing.

...

And when Yan Nantian received the Demon Market's reply.

His expression instantly turned ice-cold.

"Fools who don't know what's good for them!"

Yan Nantian threw the document aside and closed his eyes. A plan was already forming in his mind. Once he finished purging the realm's vile monsters, this Demon Market would not be able to jump around for much longer.

"To the Imperial Observatory."

Upon arriving at the Imperial Observatory, Yan Nantian met with Wang Yingying.

Wang Yingying was standing in the covered corridor, gazing up at the astrological signs. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned her head. "Has his majesty finished handling his affairs?"

Yan Nantian shook his head. "Not yet. That Demon Market does not know what is good for them. They would rather offend me than be involved in the slightest."

Wang Yingying paused. "That is inevitable. For many years, the Demon Market has rarely concerned itself with the affairs of the Mortal World. Most of the time, they only care about their own small patch of land. They were never a part of this dynasty to begin with."

She paused again and glanced at Yan Nantian. "His majesty should keep the Imperial Seal on his person at all times. Things are tense right now, and wicked demons might slip into the palace to assassinate his majesty."

"The Director worries too much. The Imperial Seal is right here in my sleeve."

"That is good, then."

Yan Nantian naturally was not the kind of arrogant man to make such a blunder. He had always been careful and cautious in his actions. Most likely, the incident with that demonic cultivator all those years ago had deeply affected him, prompting him to act this way.

...

The Demon Mountain had been established, and the demonic path was flourishing.

This holy land, sought after by all demonic cultivators across the world, was hidden within the folds of Sumeru, using an unsealed demonic dragon to lock down the space and evade the detection of heaven and earth.

The demonic cultivators of this world had now united into a single, cohesive force.

Operating under the title of the Demon Mountain Dao Lord, their qi destiny surged immensely.

These demonic cultivators grew increasingly rampant, and their actions became far more coordinated. This alerted the many cultivators of the Cultivation World, primarily because the shift in qi destiny was simply too obvious.

In just these past few years, demonic cultivators had committed numerous atrocities.

Several Immortal Mountains had been attacked and swept completely clean, leaving countless sect disciples dead or injured.

With the Demon Mountain being so massive, who knew how many cultivators resided within it? Not only were resources scarce, but they also lacked the heavens' favor, preventing their qi destiny from rising.

Given that, their only option was to pillage!!

Down in the Underworld, the soul of a deceased cultivator was recounting the changes in the Cultivation World to the person before him.

"The methods of these demonic cultivators are incredibly bizarre, all crooked paths and sinister arts. My fellow sect brothers and I fled for days, but they still managed to find us. The souls of several of my Senior Brothers were completely swallowed by the demonic cultivators. I was lucky enough to hide inside the City God Temple, which is how I barely escaped disaster."

As Manyue listened, she felt surprised.

Was that Demon Mountain the work of the Demon Sovereign?

Somehow, she felt it did not quite seem like his style.

After Manyue finished her questions, she allowed the cultivator to proceed to Reincarnation.

She turned and returned to the front of the Gate of Reincarnation. Zhao Yuqing and Chen Changsheng were still trapped within that Dream Method.

Zhao Yuqing's condition was growing more and more bizarre.

His physical body was even beginning to show signs of shattering.