Chapter 1272: The True and False Imperial Seal

When Yu Youyu arrived in the Southern Domain, she once again laid eyes on that familiar face.

Beneath the city wall, Yan Nantian fought fiercely against the demons. He drove his sword into a demon's brow, pulling the blade free in a spray of blood that drenched him.

He let out a roar, but the dying demon managed to rake its claws viciously across him in its final moments.

The strike left a deep, bloody gouge across his chest.

Yan Nantian merely raised a hand to tap a few acupoints to staunch the bleeding before throwing himself into another tide of demons.

Yu Youyu watched the chaos unfolding below, her eyes devoid of their usual radiance. She simply stood there and watched, doing nothing to intervene.

Human strength had its limits, and Yan Nantian was no exception. Against the relentless demonic assault in the Southern Domain, the defenders had to fight in shifts. They either died on the battlefield, or they managed to pull back in time to recover their strength before rejoining the fray.

When Yan Nantian finally retreated into the city and lifted his head, he noticed her eyes fixed upon him.

He met Yu Youyu's gaze and frowned slightly.

Once he passed through the gate, he made straight for the city tower to find her.

Seeing his blood-soaked clothes and the chest wound that still wept fresh blood, Yu Youyu found the sight utterly absurd.

Yan Nantian looked at her. "I remember you," he said. "The Demon-Slaying Sword Immortal of the jianghu."

Yu Youyu cast him a sidelong glance. "I didn't recognize you before, but a trip to Shangjing changed that."

Yan Nantian paused, realization dawning on him. "Whatever you seek me for, just speak plainly," he said directly.

Yu Youyu asked, "Why are you here?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Are you trying to make amends, or what?"

Yu Youyu asked.

Yan Nantian chuckled. "It is laughable to admit, but I really am staying here with some desire to make amends."

"Some? And the rest?"

Yan Nantian thought it over, then shook his head, not quite understanding it himself.

Truthfully, sometimes he couldn't think it through clearly either.

There were always inexplicable things along the path of cultivation. So much relied on fate. He simply felt that he should stay here, and so he did.

"You must want something," Yu Youyu said, "or there is something to be gained."

Yan Nantian stared blankly for a moment. After some thought, he said, "You aren't wrong. Speaking from the heart, there is indeed something I seek."

Yu Youyu no longer wanted to talk to him.

She simply drew her sword. In the blink of an eye, the blade was pressed against Yan Nantian's throat.

Yan Nantian looked at the sword at his throat. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did you come here to kill me?"

"Is there anything left to say?"

Yu Youyu said, "Don't you think you deserve to die?"

Yan Nantian paused. He shook his head, only to nod a moment later.

"I can't tell for certain myself. You could say I do, but there is reason to say I don't. After all, this world did enjoy a period of peace. People only ever remember the bad, never the good. When things are good, they praise you, but when things go bad, there is only the bad, and everything else is forgotten."

Hearing this, Yu Youyu said, "In your early years, you truly were a good emperor."

"Yes..."

Yan Nantian acknowledged this, then said, "But words like that are always followed by a 'however.' It is meaningless, so why waste our breath? If you mean to kill me, you can drive your sword into my throat right now. There is no need to wait."

Yu Youyu looked at him calmly. "The Imperial Seal," she said.

Yan Nantian raised an eyebrow. "You came for the Imperial Seal?"

Yu Youyu said, "You might not be the emperor anymore, but someone else still has to be."

Yan Nantian asked in confusion, "You went to Shangjing. Did you not see the Imperial Seal?"

Yu Youyu said, "You left a fake Imperial Seal in the Imperial Palace. Did you think no one would notice?"

"A fake?"

Yan Nantian's expression immediately shifted. "Wait a moment..."

He said, "When I left, I left behind the true Imperial Seal. How could it become a fake coming from you?"

Yu Youyu pressed her sword a fraction deeper and snapped, "Drop the act! Do you dare claim you didn't take the Imperial Seal with you when you left?"

Yan Nantian took a deep breath and said, "I absolutely did not!"

He said, "From the very beginning, I never intended to return. The Imperial Seal I left there naturally wasn't fake either!"

Yu Youyu put away her sword and drove a punch straight into Yan Nantian's stomach.

Yan Nantian groaned in pain and curled in on himself. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Stop hitting me! I'm not joking with you, nor am I putting on an act to hide the seal. When I left, I most certainly left behind the true Imperial Seal!"

Yu Youyu froze for a fraction of a second, her brow furrowing.

Yan Nantian exhaled, struggling to catch his breath. The wounds on his body had not yet eased, and taking such a punch made him feel utterly miserable.

He braced one hand against the city wall. "Explain it clearly first. What exactly is going on? Why did the seal I left behind turn out to be fake?"

Yu Youyu said, "I saw the person who replaced you with my own eyes. She was holding the Imperial Seal, and I even examined it myself. There wasn't a single trace of qi destiny inside. It was nothing more than an ordinary jade seal."

She paused, then added, "And I fought my way straight into the Imperial Palace to see it!"

Yan Nantian's expression changed drastically.

His gaze met Yu Youyu's.

In an instant, both of their expressions shifted.

"This is bad!"

Yan Nantian thought to himself in dismay.

"Come with me!"

Yan Nantian took Yu Youyu to Daoist Sanyuan's residence.

At that moment, Daoist Sanyuan was drinking tea with Daoist Wuwei of Qingxian Temple. He wore a deeply troubled expression, showing not the slightest hint of leisure.

When the two Daoist priests saw who had arrived, their expressions shifted slightly.

Upon seeing them, Yan Nantian cupped his hands and said, "Priest Sanyuan, Daoist Wuwei..."

Priest Sanyuan nodded, but Daoist Wuwei was somewhat dismissive. It was likely because of Yan Nantian's past actions, so he did not care much for him.

Yan Nantian did not mind too much and simply explained what had just happened.

During this time, Yu Youyu kept her eyes fixed on Yan Nantian. She was still unable to determine whether he was lying or not.

Daoist Wuwei frowned upon hearing this.

His gaze swept over Yan Nantian, and in an instant, a suffocating pressure washed over them.

Daoist Wuwei glared at him coldly and said, "Yan Nantian, do you think this world is not chaotic enough?"

Yan Nantian paused. "Daoist Wuwei, I also never anticipated that such a thing would happen."

Daoist Wuwei let out a cold snort. "The Imperial Seal is lost. You don't go looking for the Imperial Seal, yet you come to find the two of us?"

Yan Nantian opened his mouth, then said, "Please, you two. This matter concerns the survival of the Human Dao. The Imperial Seal cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of thieves, or the consequences will be endless."

Daoist Wuwei merely shook his head, refusing to speak.