Chapter 142 – Night Raid on the Palace—Your Highness, Don't Turn Around, I Am His Majesty

Great Yan Dynasty, Inner Palace.

“Ah!!!”

Accompanied by a sharp scream.

A disheveled imperial consort with pale white eyes, as if possessed by a malevolent spirit.

Continuously attacked everyone and everything approaching her.

Though visibly terrified, several imperial guards nearby still managed to approach and restrain her, limiting her movements.

Yet for some reason, the consort possessed terrifying strength at this moment.

Even when faced with these imperial guards who had trained in martial arts for years.

The consort nearly broke free from their restraints multiple times.

Not resembling in the slightest a frail woman who should lack the strength to truss a chicken.

Witnessing this scene, none of the eunuchs or palace maids dared to step forward.

Even Emperor Ji Yuan of the Great Yan Dynasty stood at a distance.

Frowning as he watched the still ‘raving’ consort, Ji Yuan asked: “Has the Celestial Master’s Mansion not arrived yet?”

Hearing this, a eunuch nearby hurriedly replied: “Your Majesty, please be patient. This servant just sent guards to invite the Celestial Master from the Celestial Master’s Mansion. They should be arriving soon.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ji Yuan said nothing more.

He simply watched the frenzied consort with an expressionless face.

This was already the third such incident occurring in the inner palace this month.

The prestigious imperial palace of the Great Yan Dynasty had now become a haunt for ghosts and monsters.

If this matter were to spread, would the Great Yan Dynasty still retain any dignity?

Just as Emperor Ji Yuan was growing impatient, Qiu Wenguang finally arrived with Lu Chen and the others.

Seeing the unfamiliar faces of Lu Chen’s group.

Ji Yuan’s personal eunuch immediately stepped forward to inquire.

“Celestial Master Qiu, may I ask who these three are?”

Pointing at Lu Chen and the others, Qiu Wenguang introduced: “These three Fellow Daoists are Sword Cultivators from the Eastern Divine Continent. As the local sects were unwilling to accept them, they wished to join the Celestial Master’s Mansion of our Great Yan Dynasty.”

Hearing this, the eunuch first glanced at Emperor Ji Yuan nearby.

Noticing the emperor’s slight nod, the eunuch immediately smiled and said to Lu Chen’s group: “Honored Celestial Masters, please come inside. His Majesty has been awaiting your arrival.”

Lu Chen nodded, then discreetly used his Azure Lotus Eye to observe their surroundings.

As expected, with just one glance he detected the peculiar Spiritual Power unique to Gu Xian within the Great Yan Imperial Palace.

Although this energy was extremely faint – so faint that even Golden Core Stage cultivators might not detect it –

For Lu Chen, who had numerous encounters with Immortal Fiends, discovering it posed no difficulty.

Even before entering the imperial palace, he had already noticed the faint gray mist of Gu Xian hovering above the palace skies.

However, Lu Chen showed no reaction, behaving as if he had noticed nothing.

Following the eunuch’s lead, the group approached Emperor Ji Yuan.

“Your subject Qiu Wenguang pays respects to Your Majesty.”

Qiu Wenguang, possessing only Qi Training Stage Eight cultivation, immediately knelt respectfully before Ji Yuan.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen and the others showed no such reaction, merely nodding slightly toward Ji Yuan.

After all, all three were Direct Lineage Disciples of Jade Void Mountain and Azure Cloud Sect.With their cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Stage alone, they were already entitled to disregard most secular etiquette.

In fact, if anything, it was Ji Yuan who should have paid respects upon seeing the three of them.

Such was the dynamic between secular royal power and cultivators.

Thus, even while concealing their identities, the three had no need to bow to Ji Yuan.

Noticing their reaction, a flicker of displeasure crossed Ji Yuan’s eyes.

But he was no ordinary man after all.

This displeasure was quickly concealed as he smiled and said to Lu Chen and the others, “For the Great Yan Dynasty to gain the allegiance of several Immortals is truly a blessing for our realm.”

“Once this matter is resolved, I shall immediately host a grand banquet to welcome and honor you, esteemed Immortals.”

“Banquet?!”

Shangguan Yunmeng seemed to have missed everything else, latching onto only those two words.

She immediately put on a serious expression and declared, “Rest assured, leave this matter to us.”

“Then I shall trouble you esteemed Immortals.”

“Minor issue!”

Shangguan Yunmeng took the lead, striding directly into the consort’s palace chambers.

But when she entered the bedchamber and saw the consort’s ferocious appearance – features twisted, eyes rolled back white, resembling a Fierce Ghost – her initially confident expression instantly froze.

Though somewhat embarrassing, as a cultivator, Shangguan Yunmeng was genuinely somewhat afraid of the so-called underworld evil spirits!

Seeing her standing frozen in place, Lu Chen shook his head helplessly.

Then his pupils transformed into lotus shapes as he began observing the reality and illusion of this deranged consort.

With the help of his Azure Lotus Eyes, Lu Chen quickly spotted a soul parasitizing within the consort’s body.

Judging by the attire, this Fierce Ghost also appeared to have been a consort of the Great Yan Dynasty.

At this point, the situation was quite clear.

What was happening to this consort was simply a case of being possessed by a ghost.

However, Lu Chen didn’t rush to resolve it, instead turning to Qiu Wenguang beside him and asking, “Can you tell us what happened before?”

Qiu Wenguang didn’t answer immediately, instead looking toward Emperor Ji Yuan.

After some contemplation, Ji Yuan decided to personally reveal the truth to Lu Chen and the others.

“Esteemed Immortals may not know that this matter traces back to my Empress Xiao from six years ago.”

“Empress Xiao was my first empress. We grew up together since childhood, sharing a deep bond.”

“But perhaps because my love was too profound, after Empress Xiao passed away from illness six years ago, my excessive grief caused me to develop a strange condition called Noctambulism.”

“Initially, I would only wander aimlessly within my bedchamber after falling asleep.”

“But gradually, this Noctambulism worsened.”

“To the extent that half a year ago, I accidentally killed one of my most beloved consorts.”

“Out of guilt, I didn’t have her body cremated but gave her a proper burial instead.”

“Yet perhaps her resentment toward me was too deep, for this consort has repeatedly attempted to possess my other consorts, seeking to claim my life.”Regarding this, the Court Preceptor once said that simply finding the consort’s body and performing rites before cremation would resolve this palace disturbance.””

“But for some reason, the consort’s body was secretly stolen and has disappeared without trace.”

“If we cannot find that consort’s corpse, even with the Court Preceptor’s profound cultivation, he cannot completely resolve this matter of the female ghost seeking vengeance.””Esteemed Immortals, do you have any solution to this matter?”

Faced with Emperor Ji Yuan’s inquiry, Yi Hanqing fell into deep thought while Shangguan Yunmeng fearfully hid behind Lu Chen.

After a moment, Lu Chen spoke: “Release her.”

“Ah?!”

The palace guards who had struggled to restrain the ghost-possessed consort immediately showed troubled expressions upon hearing this.

Whether it was Lu Chen’s exceptionally calm demeanor or Emperor Ji Yuan’s realization that continuing like this wasn’t productive, the emperor immediately commanded the palace guards: “Did you not hear the Immortal’s words? Release her at once!”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”

The moment the possessed consort was freed, she immediately lunged toward Emperor Ji Yuan.

To this, Ji Yuan displayed some imperial dignity, showing no intention to evade as he glared at her with wide, angry eyes.

“Halt.”

Just as the consort was about to reach Emperor Ji Yuan, a calm voice came from behind the emperor.

Immediately after, a peculiar talisman cut through the air and landed on the consort’s forehead.

The previously ferocious and frenzied consort instantly froze in place, as if under a immobilization spell.

This miraculous scene astonished not only the relatively inexperienced members of the Great Yan Dynasty court, but even Lu Chen’s fellow sect brothers Meow King and Yi Hanqing were somewhat surprised.

After all, they hadn’t known that aside from his exceptional swordsmanship, Lu Chen also possessed remarkable talismanship.

Had Yi Hanqing and Meow King been disciples of Ten Thousand Talisman Peak, they would have been even more astonished.

Because what Lu Chen had used was no ordinary talisman, but a mystic talisman that had reached the breakthrough realm.

[River Styx Curse: Breakthrough Realm (Cannot be upgraded)]

[Effect: Waters of the River Styx, dwelling of lonely souls. When cast, directly attacks a cultivator’s Divine Soul, reducing their Yang lifespan]

[Special Effect·Underworld: Can reverse Yin and Yang, controlling certain dead objects]

The River Styx Curse was a water-element talisman divine ability that Lu Chen had specifically cultivated to achieve qualitative transformation of his water Spirit Root.

Having later focused on the Sword Path, Lu Chen had nearly forgotten about this divine ability.

It was only upon seeing the female ghost possessing the consort that Lu Chen remembered he still possessed this mystic talisman specifically designed to counter Yin evil entities.

The result unfolded exactly as Lu Chen anticipated.

As the River Styx Curse struck the consort’s forehead, faint shadows began flickering across her body.

This was the River Styx Curse contending with the practitioner behind the ghost for control over the female spirit.

After a brief unseen struggle, Lu Chen snorted coldly.

“Retrieve.”

Under Lu Chen’s control, the female ghost possessing the consort immediately transformed into a mysterious yellow pearl that fell into Lu Chen’s palm.

Witnessing this, both Emperor Ji Yuan and Qiu Wenguang from the Celestial Master’s Mansion were stunned for quite some time.

Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be a female ghost that even the National Preceptor found difficult to handle?

How could this newly arrived Immortal resolve it so effortlessly with a casual move?

Was this new Immortal exceptionally powerful, or was the National Preceptor simply incompetent?

However, this question didn’t linger long in Emperor Ji Yuan’s mind, as his attention had already shifted to the mysterious yellow pearl in Lu Chen’s hand.

“Immortal, does this mean the matter is resolved?”

Lu Chen shook his head and said: “Yes, and no.”

“Ah?!”Emperor Ji Yuan looked at him and inquired, “Why does the immortal say so?”

Lu Chen pondered for a moment before replying, “Your Majesty may not be aware, but this female ghost is not the kind you are familiar with. At best, she is merely a Resentment Puppet, filled with resentment but devoid of a soul.”

“If we cannot find the ghost controller manipulating the consort’s corpse, I can only eliminate this Resentment Puppet each time it appears, but I cannot eradicate it completely.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ji Yuan seemed to have anticipated it and sighed, “The immortal’s words are exactly the same as the State Preceptor’s. It appears the key to the problem lies in finding the ghost controller hiding in the shadows.”

Lu Chen nodded, then cupped his hands respectfully and said, “Your Majesty need not worry excessively, for it takes time for the ghost controller to gather resentment and form a Resentment Puppet.”

“The duration depends on the concentration of Yin Qi in her surroundings.”

“Your Majesty might consider sending people to investigate the mortuaries or burial grounds near the Imperial City. I believe you will surely gain some insights.”

“If there is nothing else, the three of us shall take our leave now.”

“After all, we have endured a long and arduous journey and have not had proper rest since arriving at the Imperial City.”

Hearing this, Emperor Ji Yuan immediately said, “In that case, let the immortals take a good rest.”

“Xiao Guanzi…”

“Your servant is here.”

“Escort the immortals out of the palace properly. If they have any requests, do not report to me—just do your best to fulfill them.”

“Your servant understands.”

Led by the eunuch named Xiao Guanzi, Lu Chen and the others quickly returned to the Celestial Master’s Mansion within the Imperial City.

After selecting several fine residences for Lu Chen’s group, Xiao Guanzi tactfully took his leave.

Once there were no outsiders around, Lu Chen casually tossed several Isolation Talismans around to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on their subsequent conversation.

“Junior Brother Lu, you must already know who is secretly causing trouble within the Imperial Palace, right?”

Upon hearing Yi Hanqing’s words, Shangguan Yunmeng beside them looked utterly bewildered.

How did they suddenly figure out who was causing trouble in the Imperial Palace?

Weren’t the three of them together the whole time? Why did she know nothing about it?

Could it be that while she was lost in thought, Lu Chen and Yi Hanqing had obtained some crucial information?

Though she didn’t understand why Yi Hanqing was so certain that Lu Chen had deduced the truth, Shangguan Yunmeng decided to act as if she understood anyway, lest she appear out of place.

So she immediately put on a ‘cold’ expression, as if she had known all along, perfectly embodying the art of pretending to comprehend.

In response to Yi Hanqing’s inquiry, Lu Chen nodded and said, “Although the Resentment Puppet is elusive, Senior Brother Yi, you are aware that I practice a special pupil technique that allows me to see things ordinary people cannot.”

“So, the moment I extracted that Resentment Puppet, I actually saw its connection to someone within the Imperial Palace.”

Hearing this, the Meow King, who had jumped onto the table nearby, immediately asked, “Then why didn’t you tell the Great Yan Emperor? Don’t you trust him?”

Lu Chen nodded. “He wasn’t entirely truthful with us.”

At these words, both the Meow King and Yi Hanqing fell silent for a long while.

After a moment, Yi Hanqing spoke up.

“So, what shall we do? Storm the Imperial Palace directly, or continue investigating?””I’ve observed that the entire Great Yan Dynasty has at most one Pseudo-core Stage cultivator. With the three of us fellow disciples joining forces, plus Fellow Daoist Yunmeng, a mere False Core is nothing to worry about.”

Lu Chen tapped his fingers on the table before him and said, “No need to rush. My main purpose in coming here is to investigate some secrets hidden in this place.”

“Therefore, before we have complete certainty, it’s better not to act hastily to avoid alerting the enemy.”

Finding and killing the Immortal Fiends wasn’t particularly difficult for Lu Chen.

But if he wanted to make the Azure Cloud Sect believe in the existence of the Immortal Fiends and understand the severity of the problem,

this required Lu Chen to carefully plan and scheme.

After all, in a certain sense, the only difference between Immortal Fiends and ordinary Demonic Path practitioners lies in the Ancient Immortal behind them.

Thus, if Lu Chen wanted the Azure Cloud Sect to take the Immortal Fiends seriously, the best approach was undoubtedly to let them witness the existence of the Ancient Immortal with their own eyes.

Only then would it be sufficient to make the Azure Cloud Sect pay proper attention to the Immortal Fiends.

As for how to accomplish this, Lu Chen already had a plan in mind.

But before that, he needed to make a trip to the Imperial Palace tonight.

Late at night, in the Great Yan Imperial Palace.

“Your Majesty the Empress, the night is deep. Please don’t wait here any longer. It seems His Majesty won’t be coming tonight.”

“We servants have already warmed the bathing pool. Your Majesty may bathe whenever you wish.”

Hearing this, Li Ruomei, the current Empress of the Great Yan Dynasty sitting in the bedchamber, sighed and stood up saying, “Then assist me in bathing and changing.”

“Yes.”

With the help of two personal maids, Li Ruomei soon stepped into the bathing pool and began her bath.

As if noticing something, she suddenly said, “You two may leave now. I’d like to be alone for a while.”

“Yes.”

After the two maids departed, Li Ruomei leaned back in the bathing pool and said without turning her head, “Since the Immortal Elder has arrived, there’s no need to hide anymore, is there?”

Hearing this, Lu Chen immediately emerged from the shadows and approached to a spot not far from Li Ruomei.

In this situation, a random thought crossed Lu Chen’s mind:

“Your Majesty, don’t turn around – I am the Emperor!”

Although the specific circumstances were different, the scene was remarkably similar to that scenario.

Looking at Li Ruomei who continued bathing calmly, Lu Chen said peacefully, “Tell me everything you know, including why you placed a curse on the Great Yan Emperor.”

Upon hearing this, Li Ruomei took a robe hanging nearby with one hand, draped it over herself, and stood up from the bathing pool.

She looked at Lu Chen not far away, a cold smile appearing on her radiant face.

“Immortal Elder… are you sure you want to know this?”

“You should understand that once you learn these things, there will be no turning back.”

As she spoke, Li Ruomei proactively walked toward Lu Chen.

On her delicate fragrance shoulders was prominently tattooed an alluring plum blossom pattern.

“Rather than worrying about turning back, I’m more interested in whether Your Majesty has heard of these three words: Black Lotus Sect.”

The moment these words were spoken, Li Ruomei’s expression instantly stiffened, her pupils constricted, showing an expression of utter disbelief…

(End of Chapter)