Chapter 1168 - 353: Father

Shen Hanyi stood quietly in front of the coffin, her fingertips gently caressing the cold jade casket.

Lu Yaoyao and Shen Yunzhou held their breath as they stood by, their breathing so light it was barely audible.

"Situ Jiuyao..." Shen Yunzhou whispered an explanation to Lu Yaoyao.

"A fourth-level Array Master of the Celestial Fate Sacred Dynasty, my sister’s enlightenment mentor in the path of array formations, an Elder of the Wind Erosion Ancient Sect..."

Lu Yaoyao nodded slightly, her gaze falling on Shen Hanyi’s tense profile.

Those usually cold eyes now showed a gush of emotions, as if thousands of feelings were churning beneath layers of ice.

But at this moment, another concern lingered in her heart.

Her father had vanished without a trace after visiting the Seventh Prince, and now, when she came, they sent people to follow her and embedded secret marks in the jade scrolls.

Everything he said and the information revealed felt like a meticulously woven net.

Her most trusted second mother, the Ninth Princess, might also be a part of this conspiracy?

She recalled a sentence her father once told her: "The human heart is like the Nine-Bends Yellow River, appearing to have a common source, but secretly filled with countless undercurrents."

The Seventh Prince had gone to such great lengths; did her father and Senior Brother Gui know the inner details?

Could they have already been secretly plotted against, heavily injured, and fled?

And now, was the Seventh Prince using her as a bait to catch them all in one sweep?

This thought had just emerged, making her heart even more anxious.

"I need to go to the border first." After a long while, Shen Hanyi suddenly spoke, her voice like it was laced with ice.

With a wave of her hand, the jade casket turned into a stream of light and disappeared into her sleeve.

Lu Yaoyao bit her lip, "I... want to stay in the Imperial City to find Zhou."

"I’ll stay with Miss Lu!" Shen Yunzhou quickly declared, sneaking a glance at his elder sister’s face, afraid that her displeasure might result in her using the "Ice Silence Technique" on him.

Inwardly, he was secretly happy—finally an opportunity not to follow this living Yama!

Whenever there were others around, she at least held her demeanor, but when it was just the two of them alone...

Thinking of this, Shen Yunzhou shuddered involuntarily.

Shen Hanyi’s gaze was as sharp as a knife, slicing across Shen Yunzhou’s face, making the back of his neck go cold.

"Don’t cause me any trouble."

These five words were squeezed out through her teeth, each word wrapped with icy shards.

"Sister, don’t worry!" Seeing that his elder sister agreed, Shen Yunzhou nodded vigorously, thumping his chest repeatedly, "We’ll be on our best behavior waiting for you to come back!"

Soon after, Shen Hanyi seized the time to leave and headed straight for the border...

Lu Yaoyao also didn’t dare trust anyone now and was preparing to secretly search for clues in places her father had once appeared.

Shen Yunzhou, of course, accompanied her all the way; after all, he was at Divinity Transformation Realm Perfection.

...

Soon, news about a white-haired Spirit Severer causing havoc in the Royal Array Hall spread rapidly throughout the Imperial City.

"Have you heard? Yesterday, a white-haired female cultivator broke into the Array Hall alone, and even Prince Xuanyuan Shuo was severely injured by her!"

"Is that true?"

"Absolutely true! I just came from there; the entire hall is in ruins now."

...

In teahouses and inns, this astonishing upheaval had become the hottest topic.

Curious onlookers flocked to investigate, only to find the once-majestic Array Hall now reduced to mere rubble, with royal guards cleaning up the scene with dark faces.

"Tsk tsk, the Xuanyuan Family has been really unlucky these past years."

"First, the Chief Eunuch was mysteriously slain by a Spirit Severer in the street, and now even the newly built hall has been destroyed."

"Who on earth is this white-haired female cultivator..."

Just as everyone was fervently discussing this matter, a few days later, an even more explosive piece of news broke out like a thunderclap—

The long-hidden true identity of Mr. Ji was completely revealed!

It turns out that Nangong Xiongba, who appeared to have reconciled with Mr. Ji, had already discovered his origins a year ago and had even ventured alone to the other party’s sect for revenge!

That sect turned out to be the Taiqing Sect located in the Eastern Domain of Lingyun Mansion!

Who would have thought that within the Taiqing Sect were hidden three Spirit Severing experts, none of whom were recorded among the seventeen Spirit Severers of the Holy Martial Dynasty.

Nangong Xiongba’s attempt to steal the chicken failed, instead losing his rice, as he was severely wounded by the three Spirit Severers and now fled with only a seven-colored primordial spirit.

No wonder Mr. Ji possesses astonishing combat strength and shows no fear even when facing the Spirit Severing family, having such a powerful backing.

A sect with three Spirit Severers is indeed astounding, something even the Holy Martial Dynasty has never witnessed.

This matter further enraged the Imperial Family.

The trouble should not extend to the family, yet Nangong Xiongba outwardly negotiated peace, but in secret committed such despicable acts.

The Imperial Family immediately dispatched troops to encircle the Nangong Family to demand an explanation, though Nangong Xiongba has yet to return and is presumably still recovering somewhere.

The Imperial Family solemnly declared they would capture Nangong Xiongba and give Mr. Ji an explanation.

This action is quite thought-provoking.

After all, neither noble families nor sects fall under the jurisdiction of any dynasty, let alone Spirit Severing families.

It seems the Xuanyuan Family is intent on allying with Mr. Ji, even at the cost of breaking some rules.

And Mr. Ji, whose real name is Zhou Qing, has a Great Perfection Cultivation in the Divinity Transformation Realm, reputedly under fifty years old, truly a peerless genius.

Unfortunately, no portraits of him have spread, but a large number of cultivators have already set off for Lingyun Mansion to gather intel, although the back-and-forth journey takes four to five years, leaving many eagerly impatient.

...

In a certain inn, hearing everyone’s discussion, Lu Yaoyao’s expression suddenly changed dramatically.

She never expected a prestigious Spirit Severer would stoop to ambushing the Taiqing Sect, truly despicable to the extreme.

In the middle of devouring his meal, Shen Yunzhou blinked curiously: "Doesn’t your Taiqing Sect only have those two female Spirit Severers? When did another one emerge?"

Lu Yaoyao remained silent.

If her guess was correct, the third Spirit Severer is most likely Canglong Taoist, the former sect leader in the Grotto Heaven Forbidden Area.

Previously, when the Ghost Emperor Secret Realm of Spirit Skull Mountain appeared, her father had implicitly mentioned this matter to her.