Chapter 291: Sacrifice

At this moment, the monk was in the imperial garden not far away, ostensibly admiring the scenery, but actually laying out a maze formation.

He saw Qilin running over, raised an eyebrow suspiciously, and asked, "What happened?"

"Something terrible has happened! My senior sister is missing!" Qilin panted, "Pei Di is missing too!"

The monk's expression tightened upon hearing that.

"What's going on? Your illusion isn't working either?!" Qilin asked anxiously.

The monk withdrew his inner energy, thought briefly, then grabbed Qilin and left: "Let's go find someone."

"Where should we look?" Qilin asked, "Do you have any leads?"

After walking a while, the monk stopped, leapt onto the high point of the palace gate, Qilin followed behind, anxiously looking down: "Can we see from here? The person must not be outdoors!"

"These past few days, have you felt anything odd about your senior sister?" the monk asked.

Qilin: "Does her lack of appetite yesterday count?"

The monk looked at him: "Of course it does!"

"Isn't it normal for a pregnant woman to lose her appetite? I just didn't notice…" Qilin bit his lip in self-reproach.

The monk: "Where did the Nine Thousand Years go?"

"I told him his senior sister was missing, and he ran off—who knows what mischief he's plotting!"

"Which direction did he run?"

"Let me think."

"Think faster."

"Don't rush me!" Qilin strained to think for a moment, then pointed west: "There!"

The monk glanced that way and said, "Let's go."

The two arrived at the west side, which was vast—the inner palace, where all the concubines lived.

"I don't think we can get in." Qilin said, "Do you have any good way to sneak in?"

The monk looked at Qilin and smiled: "Naturally."

At the same time, Mu Yuanzhi stood at the edge of the altar, unaware of the danger she faced, stepping up one by one; beside her, Pei Di did the same, step by step, dazedly ascending.

This altar lay underground, dark and sunless, with strange patterns drawn on the ground; eleven people were bound around it—exactly the victims of the previous serial murder case.

Someone had stolen them back from the government office.

The altar, heavy with yin energy, was clearly meant for a cruel sacrifice.

The two lambs awaiting slaughter were oblivious to their fate, walking toward their designated sacrificial spots.

The leader of the altar gazed at his handiwork, his heart full of anticipation.

It would be ready soon, ready any moment.

He saw Mu Yuanzhi and Pei Di standing at the positions he had ordered, and he broke into a smile.

At that moment, the heavy doors suddenly boomed, and the whole space shuddered.

They came this fast?

He turned to face the doors.

Another earth‑shaking boom rang out, the doors collapsed with a crash, dust and earth flying!

As the sky‑filled dust settled, an expected figure appeared.

"You've come, my beloved minister." Yingxu Tianzi smiled warmly.

The Nine Thousand Years glanced at the altar and said, "Surely it is Your Majesty."

"Didn't you already guess this, my beloved minister?" Yingxu Tianzi tilted his head, "But you didn't stop me."

"It's because I couldn't figure it out."

"My beloved minister, you're so clever—how could you be puzzled? It truly baffles me." Yingxu Tianzi smiled helplessly, "Or perhaps I am just a little bit smarter than you."

The Nine Thousand Years' gaze finally shifted from Pei Di and Mu Yuanzhi back to the emperor: "Your Majesty, what are you doing? Could you give an explanation to this dull subordinate?"

Yingxu Tianzi's smile began to turn weary: "My beloved minister, you won't forget that since I was young I've been diagnosed with various congenital ailments? The imperial physicians dare not say it, so I had jianghu quacks and fangshi speak, and they all claimed I wouldn't live past twenty."

"Those jianghu quacks are unskilled, and the fangshi are even more deceitful—Your Majesty need not believe them."

"Then tell me, how long can I live?" Yingxu Tianzi threw the question to the Nine Thousand Years, "Or perhaps I won't die of illness, but at your hand, my beloved minister."

His expression gradually darkened.

The Nine Thousand Years narrowed his eyes and said, "I harbor no such intention."

"Oh? Is that so?" Yingxu Tianzi laughed, "Are you content to remain merely the Nine Thousand Years, without adding another line?"

"I truly do not wish to ascend the throne—it would be illegitimate, and the noble officials and commoners would not accept it. Why would I bother with thankless tasks? Your Majesty, you're right, aren't you? You must have seen the Zhou dynasty change hands and misunderstood; but remember, the realm of the Great Zhou still bears the surname Pei."

The Nine Thousand Years said.

Hearing these words, Yingxu Tianzi's face not only didn't improve—it worsened; he snorted coldly, "You make me live each day in terror, treading on thin ice!"

"I have said I harbor no divided heart."

"Then go die!" Yingxu Tianzi's expression turned ferocious, "Only your death will let me rest easy!"

The Nine Thousand Years said nothing, crossed his arms, his gaze filled with pity, making Yingxu Tianzi even more furious.

This person seems forever the master strategist—yet he's already capsized!

He is about to gain immense power!

Yingxu Tianzi turned and swiftly flew onto the altar, approached Mu Yuanzhi, and asked the Nine Thousand Years with a smile, "Tell me, should I kill her first, or Pei Di first?"

Seeing the Nine Thousand Years still silent, he grew more enraged: "Don't even think of coming up—if you approach this altar, I'll instantly kill Mu Yuanzhi and Pei Di!"

"Do you think I would care about their life or death?" the Nine Thousand Years chuckled.

"If you don't care about Pei Di, you wouldn't have saved him time and again—you see him as reminiscent of your childhood, and I know this." Yingxu Tianzi declared firmly, "You'd better not test my limits, or he will surely die."

"If I don't save him, he will still die."

"Yes, so you must choose to first kill Mu Yuanzhi, then try to save Pei Di?" the Infant Void Emperor said, the short dagger in his hand had already pressed against Mu Yuanzhi's neck.

As one of the sacrificial victims, Mu Yuanzhi still felt nothing about the dire situation before her; her gaze was empty as she stared ahead, blinking mechanically.

"Actually, it's quite good; dying like this she feels no pain or awareness. This kind of death is something many people cannot envy; just thinking about the fear before death and the pain of the dying process makes one's heart tremble." the Infant Void Emperor said.

It is obvious that he often fantasizes about his own death, thereby feeling deep fear.

"Your Majesty, why did you choose these two people?" the Nine Thousand Years asked.

"Are you stalling for time?" the Infant Void Emperor chuckled, "But I won't be so foolish as to fall for that. After I finish the sacrifice, I'll tell you—before you die, I'll give you a quick end, satisfying your curiosity."

"Your Majesty seems to be underestimating the people of Great Zhou."

"You mean that monk? It doesn't matter; he simply doesn't know that I already placed a hypnosis on him long ago, that's all." the Infant Void Emperor said indifferently.