Chapter 677: Secret Talks in the Palace

Actually, there was one more thing He He Lingchuan didn't say: The Immortality Drug case had been exposed for over a month; did State Preceptor Qingyang really have no counter-measures? Bai Bai Ziqi's spearhead had been aimed at her for a long time; did she look like someone who wouldn't act? In this situation, what was State Preceptor Qingyang going to do?

While the Chi Yan people were withdrawing from the Qinggong, Fu Fu Shanyue didn't forget to send a goshawk to fly into the high sky to inquire about the latest situation on Heavenly Heart Island.

At this time, the crowd gathering toward the Qinggong was getting larger and larger; everyone stretched their necks, all wanting to eat a big melon.

In the past month, the melons that exploded in Profound Spirit City were sweeter than the last.

But the Tiangong Guard suddenly besieged the Qinggong? This was absolutely the most outrageous one this year—no, the most outrageous in nearly a hundred years! Especially since the Immortality Drug case had been fermenting for a month, everyone basically understood the cause and effect.

If they could find some fierce material today, wouldn't the warm bed at night be lively?...

Heavenly Heart Island, Lingxiao Palace.

State Preceptor Qingyang stood behind the door; the messy footsteps outside came and went, and someone argued loudly again.

She looked up at the high palace wall; a branch of late osmanthus extending from above had withered by more than half, still having lingering fragrance.

Looking up again, it was a piece of sky the size of a palm.

The sunlight was already slanting at this time, unable to shine through this deep-well-like courtyard.

State Preceptor Qingyang remembered that the first time she entered the palace at the age of twelve, she also stood here, also looking at that piece of sky above.

The sky had never changed.

But the osmanthus tree hadn't grown tall at that time and couldn't reach in.

Over one hundred and seventy years, passed in a snap.

So fast.

She sighed faintly.

The movement outside the door stopped at some point, and the footsteps also went away.

After a while, the door was pushed open, and a palace woman whispered: "State Preceptor, please this way."

She closed the door and led State Preceptor Qingyang inside.

Although it was late autumn, the plants along the way were sparse, and the greenery was lush, not seeing half a bit of desolation.

This palace woman had a head of silver hair, and her shoulders were a bit hunched forward, but State Preceptor Qingyang followed behind her and said: "Xiao girl, long time no see."

The palace woman turned her head and saw her just passing through a cluster of white wood incense; it was truly a beauty and fragrance reflecting each other.

Although looking closely at State Preceptor Qingyang, there were a few light lines at the corners of her eyes.

"You don't have to worry; even the Tiangong Guard wouldn't dare to run wild in the Ganquan Palace!" The palace woman said seriously, "This is the safest place in the world."

State Preceptor Qingyang sighed: "Unexpectedly, one day I would seek shelter here."

"The Emperor said long ago that if you have anything, you can come here and wait for him." The palace woman said, "It's just a pity that the Emperor went to Xushan in the afternoon and is not in the palace, otherwise he could preside over the overall situation for you!"

State Preceptor Qingyang muttered to herself: "Overall situation?" I'm afraid the general trend is set.

She understood in her heart that the Heavenly God finding the Emperor at this time was to cut off her retreat.

But, no matter how arrogant the Capital Cloud Envoy and the Tiangong Guard were, they couldn't break into the palace and turn it upside down, right?

She had fought in the first half of her life and planned in the second half, contributing everything to Profound Spirit, only to exchange for a promise from the Emperor: no matter how the political situation changed, she would definitely be able to see the Emperor in Ganquan Palace.

The palace woman asked her to enter the warm pavilion, took a brocade quilt, and went to serve hot tea and snacks, and then said: "You just wait here; if you are tired, you can take a nap. The Emperor went to Xushan in the afternoon and will be back before dusk at the earliest."

State Preceptor Qingyang asked her: "Is there an incense burner?"

The palace woman was startled: "Oh, yes."

She didn't know where she found a small incense burner and a handful of red incense.

"Thank you."

The palace maid shook her head: "What are you saying. Fifty-five years ago, if not for you picking me up from the snow, I wouldn't be in this world. If you have any needs, just speak."

After handling these, she backed out and closed the door lightly before leaving.

State Preceptor Qingyang closed her eyes to rest for a while, went to the small garden outside the hall for a walk, confirmed that it wasn't monitored, and then returned to the warm pavilion and closed the door tightly.

She lit seven thin incense sticks, inserted them into the incense burner, and placed the incense burner toward the east.

The door gap was very small, and the autumn wind could hardly blow in; the smoke column went straight up.

State Preceptor Qingyang knelt down and recited words in her mouth.

The smoke column above the incense burner paused slightly, rose to a certain height, and then pressed down, condensing without dispersing.

After about half a quarter of an hour, the smoke gathered into a gray mass, actually slowly forming a human face.

The features of this face were very blurry, barely having two eyes and a mouth.

Afterward, a majestic voice sounded:

"Where are you?"

"Lingxiao Palace." State Preceptor Qingyang stopped praying, "I rushed here after you notified me. Bai Bai Ziqi led the Tiangong Guard to head straight to the Qinggong; who authorized this?"

"Your Profound Spirit Saint Venerable!" The voice said, "It didn't even discuss it with us, directly issuing an edict."

Even with psychological preparation, State Preceptor Qingyang's face still turned pale. After all, being stared at directly by the big BOSS felt very bad: "We didn't have time to talk in detail earlier. You said earlier that Bai Bai Ziqi left the city on the day the Grass Sea hunt opened; was it to find Kong Kong Jiaxiang in Chi Yan?"

The voice gave a hum: "Right, to his hometown Yangshui. But Bai Bai Ziqi never reported this clue, nor did he report his itinerary, causing all the gods to be kept in the dark."

Or rather, what Bai Bai Ziqi was guarding against was them!

"He is truly loyal to Profound Spirit."

State Preceptor Qingyang frowned: "Kong Kong Jiaxiang, it's impossible for him to still be alive."

"Then what Bai Bai Ziqi brought back, could it be a dead person? No, no, he didn't report it to the Profound Spirit Saint Venerable like that. Not only is he a living witness, but he also has material evidence in his hand."

"I sent Lu Lu Qingzhou to handle the aftermath of the Green Lotus Temple. Lu Lu Qingzhou watched Kong Kong Jiaxiang take poison and die, and only then did he set fire to the Green Lotus Temple." State Preceptor Qingyang's face was solemn, "The fire started from Kong Kong Jiaxiang's room; he couldn't have seen it wrong."

"Could it be that the one surnamed Lu lied to you?"

"Lu Lu Qingzhou was loyal to me; there is absolutely no possibility of betrayal." State Preceptor Qingyang shook her head slowly, "Besides, he died suddenly at home a few days ago; it should be the Autumn Palace that took action."

The voice said: "Perhaps Kong Kong Jiaxiang faked his death and deceived your disciple."

State Preceptor Qingyang didn't speak.

After all, she didn't handle this matter personally; she wasn't at the scene. Even if Lu Lu Qingzhou reported back to her afterward, did he miss some details?

"You said Kong Kong Jiaxiang died; then who is the living person Bai Bai Ziqi found?"

"Perhaps it's a fake."

The voice let out an 'Eh': "A fake? If you were sure he was fake, why didn't you stay in the Qinggong to confront him? Why did you run straight to Lingxiao Palace?" And running out without looking back, this didn't look like State Preceptor Qingyang's consistent style at all.

"You think Bai Bai Ziqi is easy to fool? Catching such an important witness as Kong Kong Jiaxiang, would he not verify his identity?" State Preceptor Qingyang smiled bitterly, "Kong Kong Jiaxiang was caught in his hometown; so many relatives and friends in Yangshui could prove he was the person himself, and I estimate Bai Bai Ziqi would also find some clues in Profound Spirit City. Conversely, if he hadn't determined that Kong Kong Jiaxiang was ironclad evidence, how would he dare to lead troops to bomb my Qinggong?"

"Besides, even if I confronted Kong Kong Jiaxiang, would Profound Spirit City believe him or me? Who would judge the truth or falsehood of his words?" What was true and what was false, only she knew. But how would others believe her? "Lu Lu Qingzhou, who could prove Kong Kong Jiaxiang was dead, died suddenly himself. So this Kong Kong Jiaxiang is real."

Whether Kong Kong Jiaxiang was real or fake didn't matter; the existence of "Kong Kong Jiaxiang" itself was what mattered.

His testimony, his evidence, must be true.

Frost Leaf found this person Kong Kong Jiaxiang, or "made" this person; the game between them had already been decided.

The voice didn't care about the evidence itself; it only wanted to know one point: "You have indeed been nailed down and can't overturn the case?"

"Perhaps."

The smoke was also very straightforward, rolling twice and then about to dissipate.

"True Monarch Tongming!" State Preceptor Qingyang suddenly spoke, "If I am imprisoned and tried, you won't be able to run either."

A voice came from the smoke again, with three parts of annoyance: "Are you threatening me?"

"I know the Myriad Zhan Heaven has a divine object called the Touchstone; I'm afraid I won't pass it, and I will tell the fact that you privately sent me divine blood."

Besides pulp beads, there was another indispensable medicine primer for refining the Immortality Drug, and that was divine blood.

If you couldn't get divine blood, filling the room with pulp beads would be useless.

Clearly, the Emperor and the Tiangong were both clear about this point. Once State Preceptor Qingyang was taken, she would definitely be interrogated about the source of the divine blood.

State Preceptor Qingyang knew that the Myriad Zhan Heaven's Touchstone divine technique was used to judge the truth or falsehood of testimony, and it was very easy to use.

By then, wouldn't True Monarch Tongming, as an accomplice, be exposed? True Monarch Tongming laughed loudly: "You worry too much! The Myriad Zhan Heaven just used this divine technique, and even had unexpected changes in the middle, so the consumption was extreme; it couldn't be used a second time in three to five months!"

State Preceptor Qingyang was startled: "Unexpected changes?" Could it be that True Monarch Tongming had done something? But hearing that the Myriad Zhan Heaven divine technique was temporarily sealed, she also breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Myriad Zhan Heaven tested the kid surnamed He beside the Chi Yan Crown Prince and didn't get a satisfactory result."

The kid surnamed He? He Xiao?

State Preceptor Qingyang was greatly surprised. He Xiao had indeed added obstacles to her layer by layer; if not for such a person killing his way in, Xi Yunhe wouldn't have been able to expose the Immortality Drug case even if he had the heart.

This youth indeed had some ability, but the Myriad Zhan Heaven actually used a divine technique on him? As a State Preceptor, Qingyang knew many inside stories, such as the Heavenly God wanting to use a divine technique in the human world; that had to pay an extremely high price.

The barrier between the two worlds wasn't a joke, and the laws weren't easily bypassed.

This price wasn't just paid by the Heavenly God, but even Profound Spirit City had to pay.

And it was still the Myriad Zhan Heaven's signature big skill; this was definitely not something that could be easily cast.

What secret was hidden on that youth that even the Heavenly God was willing to spend great effort to test? Of course, State Preceptor Qingyang was currently unable to take care of herself, and this thought only flashed by, so she said to True Monarch Tongming: "The attitude of other gods toward my case might not be so firm, right?"

"You know, even if most gods don't care, as long as a small part insists, you won't escape the prison!" True Monarch Tongming said coldly, "You don't have to think about biting me back; I won't admit it."

"Which war isn't flowing with blood? My subordinates just killed a few weak monsters; the crime is actually light or heavy." State Preceptor Qingyang said seriously, "I want to ask you to say a few good words for me in front of the gods."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 678 =====