Chapter 554

On the way back from the northern border wilderness to look for Old Master Hu and the others, Wu Tie spent a long time.

This was enough for the Yin-Yang Daoist to march straight in and return to Anyang.

When three deities, Linghu Qingqing, and four Linghu clan Elders came rushing forth with furious anger, Wu Tie smiled and waved at everyone, then vanished outright.

In the next moment, Wu Tie was already standing in a forest less than a hundred li from the East Estate's main gate. After exchanging nods with the Yin-Yang Daoist, Wu Tie smiled and waved his hand; the Yin-Yang Daoist shot up into the sky and disappeared in the snap of a finger, while Wu Tie, hands behind his back, stepped on a wisp of clear wind and swiftly departed.

He did not return to the East Estate, but went straight to the Three Provinces Hall inside the Nine Winding Creek Hall.

In the Three Provinces Hall, Wu Tie saw Sima Wuyou.

On a small reading platform, beside a small desk, left and right, Sima Wuyou and his son Sima Xian, the two Grand Emperors of the present-day Divine State of Jin, wore identical long robes and sat cross-legged in almost the same posture, calmly turning the pages of ancient, discolored scrolls.

Wu Tie had no hesitation; he took out the heads of Old Master Hu, Hu Tu, and their six sons, lining them up neatly in a row on the ground.

Then he produced six black, semi-translucent jade bottles, covered thickly with talismans, countless electric lights coiling around them; the divine fetuses of Old Master Hu and his six sons, imprisoned in the bottles, emitted shrill, miserable screams, constantly striking the bottles, yet the bottles made them squeak in agony.

This is what Wu Tie obtained from the Qimen Dunjia—a side branch of the demonic path called the 'Little Six Ren Yin Demon Seal,' specially targeting all kinds of spiritual bodies, soul bodies, ghost bodies, eerie spirits, etc., and possessing an extremely powerful restraining effect on divine souls and divine fetuses.

Zhuge Dongming said clearly in the Qimen Dunjia transmission: whether it be the orthodox path, the demonic path, or even the demonic way, heretical way, ghost way, or lawless, heaven-defying nonsense, in short, the 'Dao' has no right or wrong; it is the human heart that determines right and wrong. As long as the human heart is upright, all the 'Dao' in heaven and earth can be used to do good and follow the orthodox path.

Thus Zhuge Dongming's Qimen Dunjia takes a slanted sword, employing many demonic, heretical, demonic, and ghostly methods; he is one who has seen through worldly affairs and human hearts, seeking only maximum efficiency and greatest benefit.

The Little Six Ren Yin Demon Seal is immensely powerful, worthy of being called a specific remedy for dealing with divine souls and divine fetuses; to find something stronger in the world for restraining divine souls and divine fetuses is truly hard—one would be lucky to find three or five such schools.

Thus Wu Tie unhesitatingly employed this method, tormenting Old Master Hu and his sons until they wailed miserably; the vital energy of their divine fetuses was constantly worn down, their breath growing faint, as if they were about to be beaten back from divine fetus state to divine soul state.

"It seems, Minister, you've had another stroke of luck?" Sima Wuyou looked at Wu Tie, laughing heartily.

Sima Xian, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes and quietly sized up Wu Tie. Interestingly, Wu Tie had earned merit on the southwestern front, been promoted, and been enfeoffed as Duke of Yuzhou, concurrently holding the post of Colonel of the East Estate; after all these years, Sima Xian had still never met Wu Tie face to face.

One must say, the Divine State of Jin is rather odd, showing signs of decline; many court regulations have become corrupt.

"Yes." Wu Tie then spoke the remarks he had prepared on the road, in detail.

It was nothing more than Linghu Qingqing leading a large group of clansmen and followers, scouring the northern border wilderness for heavenly and earthly treasures, hoping to overthrow the Sima clan; unexpectedly, myriad deities descended for no reason, intending to besiege the Great Dragon King Ao Chi.

As it turned out, Ao Chi had set an ambush; together with eighteen primeval deities, he slew more than twenty of the descended deities in a single battle and severely injured all other divine spirits.

Wu Tie also frankly told Sima Wuyou and Sima Xian that Ao Chi and his companions had also fallen, and from the remains of a fallen primeval deity, Wu Tie had obtained several fine treasures, among them a demonic path secret canon, the 'Little Six Ren Demon Classic,' and also a demonic path body-tempering secret treasure, the 'Little Six Ren Illusory Phantom Secret Body.'

Wu Tie took out the three-pronged double-edged blade that had slain Old Master Hu and his six sons, placed it upright on the ground, then let out a low, deep call; black vapor faintly spewed from his whole body, and from within him emerged a wholly transparent figure resembling a skeletal frame, its surface bearing a crystalline bodily structure, emitting a grim demonic aura—a strange bodily form.

Ao Chi and two handsome youths entered meditation and passed away; they handed over all the relics of the nineteen primeval mighty existences to Wu Tie.

Besides the relics of those nineteen individuals, the descended beings that they had slain and severely injured were also stripped of countless good things by them, and these treasures were likewise left to Wu Tie.

Among the relics of one such primeval mighty one was this 'Little Six Ren Illusory Phantom Secret Body.'

Just like the Five Elements Divine Light of the Peacock Bright King that Wu Tie obtained in the southwest, this secret body is likewise a divine artifact tempered to the extreme by that primeval mighty one, possessing immense power and wondrousness beyond compare.

Even a congenitally underdeveloped infant, if his body is fused with this secret body, can be granted power comparable to the peak of the ninth level of the Nine Turns Mystic Art.

The cultivation of the ninth level of the Nine Turns Mystic Art varies from person to person; though the technique is the same, the manifested strength differs greatly. At the same realm, practitioners of the Nine Turns Mystic Art also exhibit enormous disparities in strength among themselves.

But there is no doubt that the peak of the ninth level of the Nine Turns Mystic Art, even for the feeblest practitioner, definitely reaches the high tier or even the peak of the divine realm.

Thus this Little Six Ren Illusory Phantom Secret Body can enable a weakling incapable of trussing a chicken to become an absolutely powerful existence in the divine realm. Put plainly, it is an built-in inner armor of overwhelming power and utterly without drawback.

Wu Tie gazed solemnly at the astonished Sima Wuyou and Sima Xian: "This blade is unsurpassably sharp; with a single strike it shattered all the protective secret treasures of Linghu Gu and his five evil offspring."

"And this secret body is marvelously wondrous, granting your servant supreme power comparable to that of a divine spirit; this is what enables your servant not only to slay the crowd of treacherous ministers and rebels, but also to bring back their heads and divine fetuses smoothly."

Wu Tie looked at Sima Wuyou and Sima Xian: "Your Majesty, your servant was ordered to infiltrate the Fox Tail to gather intelligence… Originally, this mission was far from successful, but as for understanding the Fox Tail, who could know it better than Linghu Gu? So your servant brought him back, thinking this would be far more useful than your servant floundering about outside."

Sima Wuyou and Sima Xian stared dazedly at the secret body before Wu Tie, which swayed like a ripple of water.

After a long silence, Sima Xian asked softly: "Minister Huo Xiong, aren't you afraid that I… might suddenly take a fancy and demand this primeval secret treasure of yours, the Little Six Ren Illusory Phantom Secret Body?"

Sima Wuyou stared at Wu Tie without blinking, watching the slightest change in his expression.

Wu Tie laughed loudly, his eyes equally unblinking, and with a face of loyal and righteous devotion, righteousness reaching the heavens, he said: "Your Majesty, what are you saying? Your servant's loyalty to Jin and to you is clear as day… Everything your servant has is your grace; everything your servant has belongs to you. If Your Majesty has any request of your servant…"

Wu Tie gave a light cough, his body swaying slightly, and the Little Six Ren Illusory Phantom Secret Body lightly detached from his person and flew toward Sima Xian.

"Having heard that Your Majesty was severely wounded by the rebel faction, your servant thought Your Majesty needed this secret body to restore cultivation and awe the court. Therefore, your servant…"

Wu Tie bore an upright aura swirling about him; in his words, the fervent zeal of loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country was such that even someone as seasoned as Sima Wuyou could detect no hint of falsehood or pretense.

Seeing the secret body lightly float before him, Sima Xian suddenly sighed and firmly nodded at Sima Wuyou: "Father Emperor, just as in the past, your insight remains remarkably keen; it is a blessing that our Jin has a loyal minister like the Duke of Yuzhou… This secret body grants the Duke of Yuzhou such formidable power in the divine realm… If only it had come ten years earlier…"

Sima Wuyou said lightly: "But now, myriad deities have descended; heh, who knows what Linghu Qingqing promised them."

He lightly tapped his fingers twice on the desk and murmured: "I know, I know… Back then your elder brother offended them, and in their hearts the Divine State of Jin has become unreliable."

"Merely, they dwell high above, beyond the heavens; wanting to directly intervene in mortal affairs is difficult, extremely difficult… Thus for many years they have only been able to continually use Linghu Qingqing and Gongyang Sanlü to weaken our Jin imperial clan… Until today, they have finally exhausted their schemes and revealed their daggers, unable to restrain themselves from selecting new lackeys and preparing to strike."

"However…" Sima Wuyou smiled and said lightly: "As your worthy son said, having a minister like the Duke of Yuzhou, loyal to the state, brings me considerable relief… This shows that the fortune of our Jin remains enduring…"

Wu Tie felt his face grow a bit hot.

"Loyal to the sovereign and serve the country?"

Heh!

"Is he a loyal subject of Jin?"

Heh!

Such a heavy treasure as the Little Six Ren Illusory Phantom Secret Body—if this were Wu Tie's hidden trump card, he could hardly possibly offer it to Sima Xian. But with one hundred and eight Canghai Divine Pearls in hand, this secret body, though marvelous, cannot compare to those pearls.

Using a secret body as payment, to explain why he could slay Old Master Hu and his six sons, why he could escape safely back, and at the same time demonstrate his utter loyalty—when all these benefits are added together, what is a single secret body?

Sima Wuyou and his son were overthinking.

Wu Tie is not so much loyal; it's just that he truly does not hold this secret body dear. After all, his wealth now is vastly different from before.

After a moment's contemplation, Sima Wuyou and Sima Xian glanced at each other and then nodded in unison.

Sima Wuyou lightly pushed the secret body, pushing it back before Wu Tie, then lightly waved his hand: "As a ruler, one cannot reward ministers by seizing their treasures to satisfy oneself; under heaven, there is no such principle."

"This secret body, minister, keep it carefully and make good use of it; do not let outsiders learn of it again… As for Linghu Gu and his sons, you may keep them here. Hmm, minister, you may withdraw; later, an edict will naturally be sent to the East Estate."

After a brief silence, Sima Wuyou smiled and nodded at Wu Tie: "Duke of Yuzhou, you have done well, done very well. However, since you have not revealed your true appearance before Linghu Qingqing, let it be that these days you have simply been hiding in the East Estate cultivating, without leaving."

"Hmm, in the future… there are still many places where Jin will rely on you; minister, please continue to strive." Sima Wuyou and Sima Xian both smiled brightly.

Wu Tie also said nothing more; he took the secret body into his person, picked up the three-pronged double-edged spear lying on the ground, bowed to the two Grand Emperors, then turned and left the small reading pavilion.

When Sima Wuyou, Sima Xian, and the others saw Wu Tie leave, their faces instantly turned extremely grim, even vicious and ferocious.

They lowered their heads, looking at the six semi-transparent black jade bottles Wu Tie had placed on the ground, and at the same time let out a sinister 'hehehe' chuckle.

Especially Sima Xian, his body trembled uncontrollably; he gave a strange laugh, rose to his feet, stepped to the jade bottle containing the spirit fetus of Old Master Hu—that is, Linghu Qingqing's eldest son, Linghu Gu—and snatched it up.

"Linghu Gu, Linghu Gu, do you still remember… remember me?" Sima Xian's body shook violently; he was so agitated that his big teeth clacked together, making a crisp 'kaka' sound.

Inside the bottle, Linghu Gu let out a hysterical scream, throwing all his strength against the bottle in an attempt to escape.

But where could he possibly run?

"Do you still remember what happened back then?" Sima Xian looked at Linghu Gu with a ghastly, gentle smile and said softly, "Back then you betrayed your elder brother, you brought people and stabbed him in the back; the pregnant elder sister‑in‑law was gravely wounded by you and nearly died, and my two nieces… they almost perished. Hehe, only after six thousand years did they barely survive and be born."

"You even slaughtered the Eastern Palace— that alone would be bad enough—but do you still remember my first son?"

"My elder brother is the Virtuous Prince; he's busy with state affairs, and the elder sister‑in‑law only managed to conceive with difficulty. But I am different—I am the world‑renowned Carefree Prince. While I was still a prince, my elder brother had not yet fathered a child, whereas I already had a whole litter of children rolling all over the ground."

"But my favorite eldest son… my heir… merely went to the Eastern Palace to play, and you cut him down with a casual slash!"

Sima Xian gave a 'keke' laugh: "Later, Linghu Qingqing said you were dead, said you were dead, heh… but I didn't believe it—I've been searching for you all these years, haven't I? Look at you—once a graceful, wind‑like youth, now you've turned into a dead fat pig!"

"You're actually afraid too, aren't you?"

"Anyway, it doesn't matter—I've abdicated, letting that brat Sima Fa become the God Emperor, so I have plenty of time to play with you properly, slowly, at leisure."

Inside the study of the Three Ministries Hall, Sima Xian's laughter shook the roof tiles until they trembled.

After an hour, an edict flew out from the imperial capital; Sima Fa, who had been on the throne for a long time, finally issued his first genuine, substantive edict since his accession, one concerning state affairs.

Previously, Wu Tie had been demoted from a first‑rank Duke of Yuzhou to a first‑rank Marquis of Yuzhou on a pretext fabricated by Linghu Qingqing; now he was restored to the rank of first‑rank duke, and Sima Fa specially permitted him to use the ceremonial guard of the imperial princes of the Great Jin Divine State.

Even before the civil officials of the Great Jin's Rites Hall could straighten out this absurd edict with Sima Fa, the entire military establishment was stunned by the second appointment in the edict, thrown into utter confusion—mixed up, dazed, and smoking from all seven orifices.

Sima Fa believed that the Duke of Yuzhou, Huo Xiong, was loyal to the sovereign and the state, the foremost loyal subject under heaven; without the Duke of Yuzhou guarding An'yang and the imperial capital, Sima Fa would hardly be able to rest or eat… Therefore, Sima Fa appointed the Duke of Yuzhou, Huo Xiong, as Supreme Commander of the Great Jin Imperial Capital's Armed Forces, placing him in charge of the Four Gardens Forbidden Troops, the Twelve Guards Forbidden Troops, overseeing the defense of An'yang, also overseeing the 124 prefectural armies surrounding An'yang, and commanding the Great Jin's largest expansion army, the Divine Might Army.

This extraordinarily bizarre edict floated lightly out of the imperial capital, instantly shaking An'yang up and down; countless commanders and generals stared agape, speechless.

It is said that countless elite commanders leapt up and shouted in unison, "This is a chaotic order!"