Chapter 696: The Cause Behind the Many Demons in the Mortal World

Mo Yuan laughed. "Young Tong was taught by Mister Chen. By seniority, that makes me your martial uncle."

Physician Wenzhu froze. "Martial uncle..."

Mo Yuan chuckled. "Let's walk and talk."

The two headed outside.

Since the topic of his Master had come up, Physician Wenzhu temporarily forgot to ask who the man in front of him actually was.

"Just who exactly is Mister Chen?" Physician Wenzhu asked.

"Mister Chen is Mister Chen," Mo Yuan said.

As he walked, he added, "Speaking of which, I haven't seen Young Tong in quite a few years. Doing the math, he must be in his forties or fifties by now. I expect his hair has already gone white."

Physician Wenzhu didn't know how to respond. He wasn't sure exactly how old his Master was, but it was roughly in his late forties, approaching fifty.

Filled with doubt, he asked, "Are you really my martial uncle?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

Mo Yuan laughed. "When your Master got married, I spent quite a bit of money."

"Then..."

Physician Wenzhu asked, "Where is Master now?"

Mo Yuan shook his head. "How would I know? For years now, he and his wife have been wandering all over. I have no idea where they are."

Physician Wenzhu paused. "Then how did you know about me and my Master the moment you saw me?"

"Intuition," Mo Yuan said.

"What kind of intuition is that accurate?"

Physician Wenzhu frowned, starting to feel suspicious.

Mo Yuan didn't care. He waved a hand. "Believe what you want. Hurry up, I need to come back and drink after chatting with that guy surnamed Yan."

Physician Wenzhu was taken aback. "You are truly bold, sir..."

Mo Yuan glanced at him. "The Human Sovereign has no authority over me, so naturally I don't need to give him any face."

Saying that, he quickened his pace toward the Imperial Palace.

Physician Wenzhu hurriedly followed.

The two arrived at the palace gates one after the other. Physician Wenzhu presented his Token, and after someone went in to announce them, a eunuch came out to receive them.

Mo Yuan found it a bit bothersome but didn't say much. He had heard long ago that there were far too many rules inside the Imperial Palace.

Physician Wenzhu led him to the Imperial Study.

He went inside to announce them, and only after receiving a response did he allow Mo Yuan to enter the Imperial Study.

Upon entering the Imperial Study, Mo Yuan ignored all formalities and sat down with his legs sprawled wide. "Mister Chen is drunk, so I've come in his stead. If you have anything to say, just tell me. If I can't give you an answer, I will relay it to Mister later."

Yan Ruchu looked at the man before him. He had some impression of him; this person had accompanied Mister Chen here before.

Yan Ruchu asked, "Would an Immortal like Mister Chen actually get drunk?"

"If wine doesn't intoxicate, then what's the point of drinking it?" Mo Yuan countered.

Yan Ruchu nodded at this. "There are some matters I wished to consult Mister Chen about today."

"It should be about the Investiture Scroll, right?" Mo Yuan asked.

Mo Yuan had guessed correctly. Since Yan Ruchu hadn't been able to attend in person, he couldn't completely trust the words of the Bureau of Celestial Mandate. He knew his subordinates all too well—they would only report the good news.

Yan Ruchu nodded. "I wonder, was Your Eminence present at the time?"

Hearing this, Mo Yuan paused. "Since you call me Your Eminence, I suppose I should give you some face."

Saying so, he sat up straight, no longer acting as flippant as before.

Yan Ruchu smiled. "You may be at ease, actually."

"I was present today," Mo Yuan said. "I've seen all nine of those who received the Investiture Scroll. Most of them are demons."

"Does Your Eminence feel they are all suitable?" Yan Ruchu asked.

Mo Yuan thought for a moment. "They are mostly fine."

"That Little Beggar isn't from the Buddhist Faction, but he came on their behalf. Those three sticks of incense were offered to seek an opportunity to open a temple. As far as I know, the territory of Great Xiang has yet to accept Buddhist temples. He must have come for this. Although it is a temple for ghosts and gods sustained by incense, and it still lacks an edict from you, the Human Sovereign, it's essentially a done deal."

"There is another one. Did the Bureau of Celestial Mandate mention anything about a True Dragon to you?"

Yan Ruchu nodded. "They mentioned a Dragon Immortal and a True Dragon."

"That was a snake demon pretending to be one," Mo Yuan said. "However, whether she receives the Investiture Scroll or not is up to you. Her goal has already been achieved. All she seeks is a temple for incense."

"Are there others?"

"Only that Evil Phoenix is left, and it's probably nothing good. I heard them say earlier that this phoenix seems to be an ancient evil demon that broke through its seal, and it came this time to seek a chance to save its life."

Mo Yuan detailed these exceptions one by one.

Yan Ruchu listened quietly, mentally weighing the information.

For this Investiture of Immortals Assembly, one aspect lay in those three sticks of incense, while the other lay in the Human Sovereign's heavenly sacrifice. Without the Human Sovereign's heavenly sacrifice, the Investiture Scroll was only half-complete.

As for what the result would be if they lacked the Human Sovereign's Investiture Scroll, Mo Yuan could only hazard a guess.

It likely meant they wouldn't be able to establish a temple.

After careful deliberation, Yan Ruchu mused, "The Buddhist Faction is fine, and if that snake demon can protect these lands, that is also acceptable. As for that Evil Phoenix..."

"It still needs to be replaced."

Mo Yuan originally wanted to offer a suggestion, but on second thought, he just said, "You are the Human Sovereign. You decide for yourself."

Yan Ruchu nodded. "The Bureau of Celestial Mandate has already set the date; it's in just a couple of days. Once the altar is opened for the heavenly sacrifice, the matters of this Investiture of Immortals Assembly will be settled."

Out of curiosity, Mo Yuan asked, "You didn't organize this Investiture of Immortals Assembly solely for your younger sister's sake, did you?"

Yan Ruchu looked at him and nodded. "Indeed."

He quickly explained, "Strange occurrences have been happening repeatedly across the lands. Some people have mistakenly stumbled into the Demon Market, and others have been abducted and devoured by demons. With these events happening so frequently, I had no choice but to take notice."

"A keen eye for detail."

"As expected of an emperor," Mo Yuan said.

Hearing this, Yan Ruchu asked, "But what is the reason behind it?"

Mo Yuan explained, "When Zhao Zhen unified the world, the human dao qi fortune surged. With the surge of qi destiny, some subtle changes also occur in the Mortal World. For example, newborn children will possess greater innate talent than those before them, and immortal affinities will descend into the Mortal World. The root of all this lies in the flourishing of Spiritual Energy. The spiritual entities in the mountains will find it much easier to open their sentience alongside this flourishing Spiritual Energy, and so demons will multiply accordingly."

Yan Ruchu pondered for a long time after hearing this, slowly digesting his words.

"So that's how it is."

Yan Ruchu murmured, then asked, "So does that mean demons will emerge endlessly in the Mortal World from now on?"

Mo Yuan nodded. "Logically speaking, yes. Therefore, this Investiture of Immortals Assembly might not merely be your own idea. Just as you yourself said, in the unseen workings of fate, heaven has its own will."

It was as if Yan Ruchu had suddenly seen the light.

He let out a long breath and said, "Thank you for clearing my doubts, Your Eminence."

Mo Yuan waved a hand. "No need to be polite."