Chapter 181: Head South Immediately

Inside the vast hall, all was silent.

A chill wind blew from who knows where, piercing straight to the bone, so much so that a thin layer of frost formed on the floor of the hall itself.

"Your Majesty overstates the matter."

Facing King Qing's inquiry, Zhong Xin's expression remained steady as he stated solemnly, "Who will win and who will lose is not yet known; how can Your Majesty speak so lightly of survival or destruction?"

"Hahaha."

The next second, King Qing suddenly burst into laughter: "Minister Zhong worries too much; I was merely joking for a moment. Let us speak of the front lines instead—which Foundation Establishment experts have died?"

Zhong Xin continued, "One was a rogue cultivator from Jiangbei; besides him, Fairy Fairy Yunhe, the sect master of Panyun Sect, the ancestor of the Zhaoxia clan, and the ancestor of the Yuanchen clan have all been captured alive. Those who escaped returned wounded, appearing so terrified by the Mo Sect that, given time, Zhalong Pass will likely be impossible to hold."

Zhong Xin explained the causes and consequences in detail.

Meanwhile, after hearing the full story, King Qing immediately displayed an expression of rage: "Incompetent fools, bringing shame upon the nation and losing our rights! It seems I must leave seclusion!"

"Issue the order: I shall lead the army in person!"

"With my strength, gathering the power of an entire nation before the battle lines and temporarily holding the position of Great True Person, no matter what demonic head it is, they will be nothing more than someone to be beheaded with a single sword strike!"

"Your Majesty, do not act impulsively."

Seeing this, Zhong Xin hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty is a body worth ten thousand gold, the foundation of the state, not an ordinary person; how can you personally venture into dangerous territory? This absolutely cannot be done!"

"Then forget it."

King Qing smoothly sat back in his original seat; just kidding, he was of imperial noble blood, different from those lowly commoners, so how could he possibly risk fighting powerful enemies?

But if he did not go, who else could?

Thinking of this, he again grasped Zhong Xin's hand and sighed deeply: "Minister Zhong, if I do not lead the campaign personally, who can share my burdens?"

"This humble subject is willing!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhong Xin stated solemnly, "Your Majesty may grant me the Son of Heaven Sword and the imperial tally; let me temporarily hold the position of Great True Person to campaign on Your Majesty's behalf. In this way, even if the army faces danger and the battle is perilous, should an accident occur, it will be this humble subject who dies, while Your Majesty remains unharmed and can select another worthy minister to take my place."

"Would this not hurt you too much?"

King Qing spoke kindly: "Given your merit and fate, temporarily holding the position of Great True Person will likely cause immense consumption; the backlash afterward might ruin the rest of your life."

"To share Your Majesty's burdens, this humble subject would gladly endure even the sweetest poison."

Upon hearing these words, King Qing immediately nodded with satisfaction: "Good! Good! Among all the civil and military officials in the court, only you are a loyal minister, a worthy minister, a virtuous minister!"

"Your Majesty praises me excessively."

Zhong Xin shook his head and said, "This humble subject is merely an upright minister."

King Qing smiled, then changed the topic: "Since you are an upright minister, speak plainly to me: what exactly must be done to deal with Master Chongguang from the Mo Sect?"

"The Jiangdong Dao Court is unreliable."

"That old fossil from the Astronomical Bureau actually claimed my heavenly mandate has ended, that we face strong enemies without and petty men within, and that rather than resisting in a desperate last stand, we might as well surrender early."

Speaking thus, King Qing glanced at Zhong Xin once more.

Despite his disdainful words, he had actually believed three or four tenths of it; otherwise, he would not have just now deliberately used the matter of leading the army in person to test Zhong Xin.

"Replying to Your Majesty,"

Zhong Xin continued, "In this humble subject's opinion, the most urgent task is to thoroughly investigate the entire country; every infant born within the last year must be strictly screened."

"After all, according to the message from the Astronomical Bureau, that Master Chongguang has been reincarnated."

"Now is still early; he is merely an infant. Even if he possesses some supernatural abilities, he will be easy to deal with; the longer we delay, the more dangerous it becomes!"

King Qing nodded: "Of course I know this; I have long summoned many talented individuals to search among the common people, determined to find his reincarnated body."

"Forgive this subject's bluntness, but doing so will likely yield little result."

Zhong Xin shook his head: "That True Person Master Chongguang is said to be a Great True Person of the Mo Sect, backed by a True Person; finding him will be exceedingly difficult."

Speaking thus, a sharp killing intent suddenly permeated Zhong Xin's tone: "Therefore, rather than wasting time searching, it would be better to simply issue an order that all newborn infants be drowned! In this way, no matter how powerful that True Person is, even a skilled housewife cannot cook a meal without rice!"

"Drown all newborns..."

As the words fell, King Qing narrowed his eyes; he was no fool, and of course he had thought of this poisonous scheme himself, yet he could not carry it out.

Because it would make him too hated.

Moreover, drowning newborns was essentially digging at the foundations of the Dao Court system; after all, without newborns, the population would decrease year by year, so what talk could there be of rule?

However, if it were proposed by a minister, then there would be no problem.

Thinking of this, King Qing could not help but smile: "Minister, this suggestion of yours is quite good, but it must be carried out by someone loyal and reliable, who handles matters carefully."

"How about letting you handle it, Minister?"

Without another word, Zhong Xin immediately bowed his head and said, "This humble subject accepts the order!"

"Very good." King Qing nodded:

"For this period, I shall claim illness and remain in the palace, attending to no external affairs; during this time, I leave this matter to you, Minister Zhong. I trust you will not disappoint me."

As the words fell, King Qing sighed inwardly, pitying such a useful talent; afterward, he certainly could not keep him alive. The reason for claiming illness and staying in the palace was precisely to avoid being implicated in the drowning of infants; once Master Chongguang was eliminated, he would naturally "recover" and emerge to set things right.

At that time, he would still be that heroic and wise enlightened ruler.

As for Zhong Xin, he would become the great traitor who exploited his trust to implement chaotic policies and harm the myriad people; his value as a talent would have reached its end.

However, just at that moment.

"Report!"

Suddenly, a report came from outside the palace, followed by an armored soldier who hurried in, holding a memorial, his expression panicked: "Your Majesty... we found him!"

"Found what?"

King Qing's eyebrows rose slightly; he then snatched the memorial from the soldier's hands, fixed his gaze upon it, and instantly froze on the spot, before looking blankly at Zhong Xin.

Seeing this, Zhong Xin also showed a curious expression: "Your Majesty?"

"... ahaha! We found him!"

The next second, King Qing burst into laughter, his face filled with wild joy: "The people sent out earlier have reported back; they have found that reincarnated True Person Master Chongguang!"

Where the clouds meet the sky, at Sacred Fire Cliff.

On a netted bed draped with curtains on all four sides, True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue lay reclining, twirling a strand of black hair between her fingers as she casually surveyed the scene below.

There lay a map.

A great river divided east, west, south, and north, with brilliant stars distributed across the map, one of which sat precisely upon the location of 【Qing State】.

However, until now, this star had remained extremely dim.

Just then, a clear and pleasant voice suddenly spoke: "If Master Chongguang breaks through and then joins forces with the three of us, perhaps we will have hope for the late stage."

"Actually, 【City Wall Earth】 could also work."

True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue smiled, her gaze turning to the map: "I quite like that young man named Duanmu Yuan Tu; his conduct and handling of affairs possess the style of our Patriarch."

"Let us forget it."

"【City Wall Earth】 is in the Pure Land; relying on just the three of us, we cannot produce it. The Pure Land side treats it as a treasure, waiting to establish an earthly Buddha kingdom."

Upon hearing this, True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue snorted coldly: "Just based on that group of bald donkeys?"

"An earthly Buddha kingdom, falsely holding the position of Dao Master—they dare to dream of such things!"

Just then, the dim star on the map gradually began to emit a faint light; though far less bright than the other stars, it had finally begun to shine.

"... t has finally begun!"

Seeing this scene, True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue immediately stopped speaking, her face showing anticipation, before her red lips parted slightly and a voice fell directly toward Jiangbei.

It entered the ears of Lu Yang, who was currently in secluded cultivation at Gaizhushan.

The content consisted of only four words:

"Head south immediately."

(End of Chapter)