Chapter 143 – Investigating the Black Lotus Sect Altar's Location

Li Ruomei had no idea where Lu Chen had heard the words “Black Lotus Sect.”

After all, she herself had only learned about the Black Lotus Sect’s situation more or less by chance.

Uncertain of Lu Chen’s origins, Li Ruomei had no intention of being completely honest with him.

Instead, she played dumb, saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Daoist. But if you don’t leave now, I will have to call for help.”

Lu Chen wasn’t overly concerned by Li Ruomei’s threat.

First, he wasn’t worried about being discovered.

After all, what appeared here now was merely one of his Heretical Avatars.

If someone were to enter, he could instantly dispel the Clone.

Second, he didn’t believe Li Ruomei would dare to scream.

Because if such a situation arose, Li Ruomei had no idea what would happen to Lu Chen.

But she herself would undoubtedly be exposed for using the Ghost Control Technique, revealing that she had repeatedly attempted to kill Emperor Ji Yuan.

The fate awaiting her then would be far more terrifying than death.

In the bedchamber, Empress Li Ruomei, seeing that Lu Chen remained unmoved even after her words, realized she might have no way to deal with him.

At this thought, Li Ruomei sighed deeply and said, “Daoist, why must you press me so relentlessly?”

Lu Chen replied calmly, “I only need to know what you understand about the Black Lotus Sect and why you cursed the emperor. That is all.”

Li Ruomei gave him a deep, complex look, her expression speaking volumes.

Her two greatest secrets were precisely these, and yet he claimed he only wanted to know these two things.

If she hadn’t witnessed Lu Chen’s miraculous skills during the day, Li Ruomei might have already fought him to the death by now.

After weighing the pros and cons, Li Ruomei reluctantly gave in.

“Fine, Daoist, which would you like to hear first?”

Lu Chen found a nearby armchair and sat down, saying calmly, “Start with the reason you cursed the emperor. I noticed during the day that the Resentment Puppet relentlessly pursued the emperor mainly because you left a Talismanic Incantation on him.”

“This way, no matter when the Resentment Puppet gathered, it could immediately locate the Great Yan Emperor, even if you were by his side at the time.”

“Thus, as long as you stayed with the emperor when the Resentment Puppet gathered and showed no sign of cultivation, outsiders would naturally be unable to see through your true capabilities. A truly multifaceted plan.”

“And yet, I was still discovered by you, Daoist.”

Li Ruomei sat down opposite Lu Chen and poured a cup of tea.

Looking at the tea before him, Lu Chen suddenly shook his head.

The next moment, the tea in his cup instantly burst into purple flames.

Along with the purple flames came the crackling sound of an insect burning and a charred chicken-like smell.

Lu Chen lightly tapped the rim of the ceramic teacup, producing a crisp clinking sound.

“Your Majesty, do not test the limits of my already scarce patience. If there is a next time… it won’t be as simple as a warning.”

Watching the Gu Insect she had secretly planted be so easily killed by Lu Chen,

Li Ruomei immediately understood that this Cultivator before her was anything but ordinary.Because her Gu insects were specially bred, not only were they difficult to detect with the naked eye, but they could also shield themselves from a cultivator’s spiritual power perception.

An ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator would absolutely fail to notice their presence.

Yet Lu Chen was able to detect them immediately.

This indicated that either Lu Chen was extremely cautious by nature and never carelessly drank tea offered by others, or he possessed exceptional perception, or perhaps he had cultivated some special divine ability.

Whichever it was, it was undoubtedly not good news for Li Ruomei at the moment.

Because it meant she couldn’t dismiss Lu Chen with just a few words.

Having no other choice, Li Ruomei ultimately decided to be honest with Lu Chen.

In the face of absolute strength, all flashy tricks were meaningless.

“Does the Daoist know of the Wu Tribe south of the Great Yan Dynasty?”

Lu Chen nodded, as he had made thorough preparations before coming to the Great Yan Dynasty.

He had a general understanding of the cultivators and factions within the Great Yan Dynasty, and the Wu Tribe happened to fall within the scope of his knowledge.

In fact, this tribe had left quite an impression on him.

Because the people of this tribe were skilled in manipulating Gu insects and turning them into part of their own power.

However, if Lu Chen remembered correctly, the Wu Tribe no longer existed within the Great Yan Dynasty.

Over a decade ago, the Great Yan Dynasty had dispatched troops to suppress the southern Wu Tribe.

That battle had nearly wiped out the entire Wu Tribe within the Great Yan Dynasty, with only a few escaping to the neighboring Great Wei Dynasty.

As if recalling something, Lu Chen said, “So you are actually from the Wu Tribe, and the reason you cursed the emperor is to seek revenge?”

Li Ruomei did not refute this. A flash of venom crossed her eyes as she lowered her voice and said, “Back then, that old emperor listened to some evil Daoist’s words, claiming that our Wu Tribe possessed a Gu insect called the Longevity Gu.”

“In order to obtain this Longevity Gu, he didn’t hesitate to besiege our ancestral lands with hundreds of thousands of troops.”

“I was lucky enough to avoid that genocide because I was out playing that day.”

“The reason I’ve endured humiliation all these years is to make that damned emperor taste the fear and terror I felt back then.”

Lu Chen neither approved nor disapproved of Li Ruomei’s actions.

After all, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth was a universal principle regardless of which world one was in.

Beyond Li Ruomei’s reason for cursing the Great Yan Emperor Ji Yuan, what truly intrigued Lu Chen was how she had become involved with the Black Lotus Sect.

Because he could sense a faint trace of Ancient Fiend Power emanating from Li Ruomei.

This was the fundamental reason why he had spent so much time here.

He needed to find the Immortal Fiends hidden within the Imperial City, locate the Buddha Mother Statue they had set up, and find a way to resolve both issues.

So far, apart from detecting a trace of Ancient Fiend Power within the Imperial Palace, Lu Chen had not found any presence of Ancient Fiend Power elsewhere outside the palace.

From this, it seemed likely that the Immortal Fiend was hiding within the Imperial Palace.

Lu Chen just hadn’t managed to pinpoint its exact location yet.

“Tell me about your connection with the Black Lotus Sect.”Li Ruomei pondered for a moment before speaking: “Initially, I didn’t know there was such an eerie cultivator organization as the Black Lotus Sect within the Great Yan Dynasty. I only discovered their existence after arriving at the Imperial City.”

“My interactions with them have actually been quite limited, because our dynasty’s State Preceptor is the Black Lotus Protector.”

“The few times I’ve had contact with the Black Lotus Sect were actually during their demon exorcism rituals for Your Majesty.”

Upon hearing Li Ruomei’s explanation, Lu Chen gave her a deep look.

He seemed to be implying something.

Faced with this, Li Ruomei had no choice but to brace herself and pretend nothing was unusual.

Lu Chen didn’t expose her either, instead asking casually: “Do you know where the Buddha Mother Statue worshipped by the Black Lotus Sect is located?”

Hearing that Lu Chen even knew about the Buddha Mother Statue, Li Ruomei completely lost her composure.

How does this cultivator before me seem to know more about the Black Lotus Sect than I do!

Seeing Li Ruomei’s strong reaction, Lu Chen calmly said: “Tell me the altar’s location, and we’ll consider this matter settled.”

Empress Li Ruomei’s expression shifted between cloudy and clear for a long time before she finally spoke…

(End of Chapter)