Chapter 331: Meeting Shi Qingxuan Again, the Evil Emperor Relic

Dugu Mansion, Xiji Garden.

This residence was the mansion of the former minister Chen Gong, and it was renovated in the eighth year of the Kaihuang era.

Chen Gong was a trusted aide of Yang Su; though his official rank was not high, he held great power.

If someone with a keen mind were to learn the detailed news of this matter, they might suspect a connection between Xiji Garden and the Yang Gong Treasury.

Of course, Yang Su was powerful back then, and there is no telling how many buildings were renovated one after another, so it might not truly be taken to heart.

In Xiji Courtyard, there are four water wells: east, south, west, and north.

Not long ago, amidst a slight tremor of the ground, the sweet water well on the north side rose by two zhang for no reason, while the other three wells remained completely unchanged.

But all of this was extremely secretive; even the members of the Dugu Clan living in Xiji Courtyard noticed nothing.

The Yongan Canal of Daxing City connects to the North Wei River, serving as a major artery for water supply and transportation for half of Daxing. The river water flowed with a splash, and a figure leaped out from the Yongan Canal.

This person was dressed in black, his entire body bone-dry, and he was toying with a small copper jar in his hand—who else could it be but Yu Liancheng?

"Yang Su's family fortune is truly abundant. If Yang Xuangan had been able to open the Yang Gong Treasury back then, perhaps the outcome would have been different."

Yu Liancheng had just come out of the Yang Gong Treasury, and the water well on the north side of Xiji Courtyard was precisely the entrance to the treasury, while the exit connected to the Yongan Canal.

Setting aside the fake treasury used for deception, the real Yang Gong Treasury consists of four large underground vaults and one small treasury.

Three of the underground vaults contain a large quantity of moisture-proofed weapons and armor. Among them are many powerful bows and hard crossbows, exquisite iron racks, and superior military equipment such as sabers, spears, swords, and halberds; a rough estimate suggests there is enough to arm ten thousand elite soldiers.

The fourth underground vault is a mountain of gold and a sea of silver, storing a large amount of hard currency, primarily gold. Even in troubled times, it is of immense value.

Even with Yu Liancheng's vision and experience, he could not help but marvel slightly; even the treasures in Ouyang Ting's Underground Palace pale in comparison to this.

This is no exaggeration; Yang Su was once said to be able to buy half the empire, and the Yang Gong Treasury was the essence of his lifelong wealth, so it naturally should contain such a vast amount of assets.

Outside the four large underground vaults, there is also a small treasury, which contains peach-wood boxes of various sizes.

One box contains several folded garments and ingeniously crafted masks; clearly, Yang Su had also anticipated a retreat should his rebellion fail.

Two boxes contain rare treasures, dazzling to the eyes, each one worth a fortune.

The remaining five boxes contain various types of weapons; whether it be a saber or a shield, each has a great reputation—they are the legendary divine weapons Yang Su collected throughout his life, treasures that martial artists dream of.

Of course, there were none that caught Yu Liancheng's eye. When the treasures are transported out in the future, they can be distributed to experts like Wanwan and Dugu Feng to enhance their strength.

Yu Liancheng did not return empty-handed from the treasure mountain; he obtained the treasure he came for this time—the Evil Emperor Relic.

That is the copper jar in his hand.

Before he had even returned to the Imperial Palace to deal with the Evil Emperor Relic, a scout reported news to him: Shi Qingxuan had come to Daxing City, and it seemed she had gotten into trouble.

After Yu Liancheng carefully inquired about the news, he leaped into the air, moving like a flickering shadow toward a spot in the Xijiao.

His lightness skill was so brilliant that there was almost no second choice in the world; before long, he arrived outside an octagonal pavilion.

In the octagonal pavilion, a graceful, beautiful figure stood vaguely; with long hair draped over her shoulders, even just from the back, she possessed a strange charm that was elegant, refined, and as ethereal as an immortal.

She was playing a tune on a flute, the sound melodious and filled with an ethereal, clear quality. It was as if she had transformed this quiet pavilion in the mountain forest into a spiritual realm in the empty mountains.

Yu Liancheng closed his eyes and focused, listening quietly with his hands behind his back.

The sound of the flute gradually turned low and finally fell silent. The young girl turned her delicate body, immediately revealing a flawless face, her eyes shining like stars in the sky, seemingly hiding a trace of joy, though it was unfortunately ruined by that big nose; only then did her moving voice ring out: "You came very quickly."

"This is my territory, so news is naturally very well-informed. And since Qingxuan has entered the city, if I, the Imperial Tutor, did not show some hospitality, it would truly be inexcusable." Yu Liancheng chuckled, stepped into the octagonal pavilion, reached out an arm, and removed the big nose from Shi Qingxuan.

Shi Qingxuan stamped her foot and pouted, "You are still as rude as ever."

"Compared to the big nose, I still prefer Qingxuan's original appearance." Yu Liancheng shrugged and asked a question he already knew the answer to: "Why has Qingxuan come to the capital? Is it because you missed me, or do you have ulterior motives?"

Shi Qingxuan gave a delicate snort and used her finger to scrape her fair, tender cheek, immediately leaving a shallow red mark: "So thick-skinned! I came to the capital to ask if you have finished what you promised Qingxuan."

"The matter of merging the Evil King's two personalities into one?"

"Of course, what else could it be?"

"If Qingxuan only came for this, then rest assured; I am already confident in mending the flaws in the Immortal Seal Scroll," Yu Liancheng said with full confidence.

"That's great." Shi Qingxuan's eyes shone with starlike brilliance, and a trace of heartfelt joy overflowed from the corners of her mouth.

When they first met, she thought Yu Liancheng was just boasting, but now the name of the Imperial Tutor resounded throughout the world; he was the most unquestionable top expert outside the Three Great Grandmasters, so his words naturally carried a sense of majesty that could not be doubted.

"If Qingxuan only came for this, then you can rest easy. I will be going now."

After speaking, he turned to leave.

Shi Qingxuan's delicate body swayed, blocking Yu Liancheng's path, and she pouted, looking aggrieved: "Is Qingxuan really that annoying? The Imperial Tutor wants to leave as soon as we meet."

"Because I know you are not telling the truth, Qingxuan, and you have ill intentions." Yu Liancheng looked at Shi Qingxuan with burning eyes, as if they had substance.

Shi Qingxuan's pretty face flushed, and she stamped her foot: "Alright, there are four bad guys who want to deal with me. If you can help me drive them away, I can play a flute tune for you. However, the reason these four guys are looking for me has a lot to do with you, you bad guy."

Just at this moment, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out, filled with a violent and murderous tone.

Immediately following this, four figures drifted over from the distance, their speed extremely fast; they were clearly all first-class experts. They spotted Yu Liancheng and Shi Qingxuan standing in the pavilion and immediately scattered, surrounding them from the front, back, left, and right, blocking all paths of retreat.

The leader was a middle-aged man wearing monk robes but possessing not a shred of compassion. He was not only fierce-looking and hideous, but his aura was also extremely formidable. He was like a moving, living volcano, piling up raging poisonous flames that seemed capable of burning everything once they erupted.

On the left was a woman in colorful clothes, born with great charm; at first glance, she looked like a young girl in her twenties, but looking closely, one would find wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, clearly showing she was already of age.

On the right, a man with a tall and burly build, wearing tight-fitting clothes, a hooked nose, and deep-set eyes, held a pair of huge iron scissors in his hand. Although he wore an imperial crown on his head, his appearance and temperament were hard to compliment, appearing incongruous.

The person behind was the most terrifying; he was extremely tall, with a miserable appearance, a sallow complexion, and a gaunt, skeletal frame, looking exhausted and on the verge of death, as if he might collapse at any moment.

But on his back, he carried a golden, one-legged copper man. Judging by its size, if it were not a fake coated in gold paint, this one-legged copper man would weigh one or two hundred catties.

This man carried a heavy load, yet his toes touched the ground without a sound, as if a feather were falling; his lightness skill was so high that it made one shudder to think about it.

The four of them seemed to sense something; without even looking at Dugu Feng, their eight fierce eyes were all fixed on the copper jar in Yu Liancheng's hand, their gazes filled with cruelty and greed.

Without a doubt, these four great experts were the four disciples of the "Evil Emperor" Xiang Yutian, and theoretically the most legitimate heirs to the "Evil Emperor Relic"—the four great demons of the Demon Sect's Evil Extreme Sect: You Niaojuan, Ding Jiuchong, Zhou Laotan, and Jin Huanzhen.

In the eyes of ordinary people, the martial arts of these four demons were incredibly high. Especially the "Reversed Action" You Niaojuan, who carried the copper man, was ranked as one of the Eight Great Masters of the Demon Sect.

"Eh, why are these four guys all looking at the small jar in your hand?" Shi Qingxuan noticed something unusual, turned her head, looked at the small copper jar, and said in surprise: "Could it be that the Evil Emperor Relic is inside this jar?"

"Correct." Yu Liancheng nodded with a smile: "Qingxuan, you said the reason these four people came looking for you has a lot to do with me?"

"Yes." Shi Qingxuan nodded. With Yu Liancheng by her side, she completely disregarded these four demons: "They don't know where they got the news, but they knew I had met you once, so they assumed I also knew the secret of the Yang Gong Treasury. But how would I know? And I'm no match for these four guys, so I could only lead them to Daxing."

After a silent standoff, Jin Huanzhen coughed twice and said in a charming voice: "Little brother, this Evil Emperor Relic is the sect treasure left behind by our master. If you are willing to give it to sister, sister will give you some sweetness; this can be a win-win."

Yu Liancheng rolled his eyes: "So 'winning twice' means you old woman win twice; coveting the Evil Emperor Relic is one thing, but you've even set your sights on my body."

"You..." Jin Huanzhen's face flushed red with anger, but she vaguely guessed Yu Liancheng's identity, so she dared not strike easily, merely casting her gaze toward the three people accompanying her.

Wearing an imperial crown, "Great Emperor" Ding Jiuchong revealed a trace of a cruel and ferocious smile, opening and closing the giant scissors in his hand twice, causing sparks to fly everywhere: "Kid, see these scissors? If you don't obediently hand over the Evil Emperor Relic, watch out, shall I snip off your head?"

Draped in monk's robes, the short, fat, and sturdy Zhou Laotan said: "Kid, although your martial arts are high, it wouldn't be hard for you to escape while the four of us join forces, but can you protect Shi Qingxuan?"

"Enough!" You Niaojuan let out a cold snort. He was the one with the highest martial arts among the four and could be considered the senior brother, so he possessed quite a bit of authority: "Great Emperor Ding, Zhou Laotan, Jin Huanzhen, this person's martial arts are extremely high. We four brothers must set aside our usual infighting and kill this person first before deciding the ownership of the Evil Emperor Relic."

"Good, Boss You is right."

"True, we four Devils know each other inside and out, and our martial arts come from the same source. With the four of us joining forces, there is absolutely no one in the world who can defeat us."

Watching these eager Evil Emperor's Four Devils, Yu Liancheng finally spoke again: "You... want the Evil Emperor Relic?"

The surroundings fell silent instantly, and then You Niaojuan was heard saying: "Oh, could it be that our friend is willing to give the Evil Emperor Relic to us?"

"Fine, since you want it, then take it!"

Yu Liancheng suddenly tossed the small Copper Jar in his hand toward Ding Jiuchong.

The eyes of the other three lit up, and they immediately unleashed their light-body techniques to snatch the small Copper Jar.

Ding Jiuchong was the fastest; his eyes lit up, and he wanted to reach out and grab the Copper Jar, then immediately unleash his light-body technique to flee.

However, everyone soon discovered something was wrong. Because as the small Copper Jar flew through the air, it actually erupted with a sound like the roaring of mountains and seas, and the air currents swirled, as if it were not a small Copper Jar being thrown, but a massive bronze tripod.

The moment Ding Jiuchong's palm made contact with the Copper Jar, his hand bones snapped instantly, assuming a bizarre, twisted angle. Then the Copper Jar smashed heavily into his body, emitting an incredibly dull thud.

Boom!

Ding Jiuchong's body suddenly expanded, as if unable to bear the weight of the small Copper Jar, and with a "bang," it exploded into a mist of blood. The Copper Jar, however, spun in mid-air, its momentum unabated, and actually pierced through the figures of Jin Huanzhen and Zhou Laotan.

You Niaojuan was the most extraordinary; he let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar while swinging his single-legged bronze man, smashing it heavily toward the oncoming small Copper Jar.

He retreated two steps, stamping prints three inches deep into the ground beneath his feet, his arm still trembling incessantly, feeling as if that previous strike had nearly caused his own meridians to explode.

But what excited You Niaojuan was that the force on the Copper Jar had finally been neutralized, and it fell to the ground. He dared not linger, reaching out to grab the Copper Jar.

Yet the moment his palm touched the Evil Emperor Relic, strange power invaded his mind; terrifying scenes of blood and carnage instantly surfaced in his brain, and sounds as shrill as ghosts crying and wolves howling rang in his ears.

It turned out that the Evil Emperor Relic was not only infused with the True Qi essence of past Evil Emperors, but also contained mental strange powers such as evil thoughts and malicious intent. Accumulated generation after generation, it had reached an extremely dense level. Those with insufficient mental cultivation would likely suffer a mental collapse instantly, turning into madmen who only knew how to kill.

In this regard, the Evil Emperor Relic and the He's Jade had the same effect.

You Niaojuan, this old Demon of many years, barely maintained his sanity and wanted to scoop up the Relic, but he was shocked to discover that this Copper Jar weighed at least a hundred catties. Having already clashed with the Copper Jar once, his True Qi was scattered and his strength exhausted; coupled with the mental strange power invading his mind from time to time, even if he could take the Relic away, he feared his speed would not be much faster than an ordinary person's.

Just as You Niaojuan was hesitating whether to give up the Evil Emperor Relic, his peripheral vision caught a shadow on the ground that seemed to move, and then his field of vision suddenly rose, vaguely seeing a headless corpse, and then he had no more consciousness.