Chapter 1130

Hearing Ying Zheng saw Hearing Zhang Han speak thus, his face darkened terrifyingly, and he questioned directly.

"What?"

The faces of all the important ministers present changed drastically at once.

Only Prince Zichu, upon hearing that Zhou Jingcheng was still alive, was both shocked and somewhat delighted.

After all, Zhou Jingcheng had once been his beloved son.

Yet it was only because of his own indulgence that the latter went down the road of no return in rebellion.

Now Hearing Ying Zheng says he is still alive—could it possibly be true?

"Your Majesty, who provided Your Majesty with this intelligence?"

Li Si was the first to ask. Back when Zhou Jingcheng rebelled, Li Si was not yet Chancellor.

The Chancellor at that time was the famous powerful Chancellor of Great Qin, known as the 'Zhongfu'—Lü Buwei!

Among Great Qin's folk legends, Hearing Ying Zheng was not Prince Zichu's son, but Lü Buwei's!

It was precisely because of Zhou Jingcheng's rebellion that Lü Buwei was implicated.

In the end Zhou Jingcheng died by self-immolation, and Lü Buwei, suspected by Hearing Ying Zheng, thus lost his position as Chancellor.

Only then did Li Si gradually get his chance, and ultimately became the Great Qin Chancellor—second to one, above ten thousand.

Now hearing that Zhou Jingcheng, the one at whose rise he himself had begun his ascent, was not dead, Li Si was actually the first to react.

"Who provided it, you need not concern yourselves with. What I want to know now is—what on earth are your Black Ice Terrace and Net of Heaven good for?"

Yingzhengzhe Society was truly somewhat angered now.

After all, although the whereabouts of Despair Shanzhuang were unknown, Manghuang Mountain was at least within Great Qin's territory.

Some nonsense Great Zhou treasure appeared over there, which even drew Kumojhi of the Tubo State to come.

Yet Great Qin, as the host, seemed to have received not the slightest bit of information.

Isn't that strange?

"Your Majesty, please forgive us…"

Wei Liao, who was in charge of Black Ice Terrace, immediately knelt to the ground just like Zhao Gao, begging Hearing Ying Zheng's pardon.

"Whether guilty or not, I do not care now. What I most want to know now is exactly what happened over at Manghuang Mountain.

And whether Zhou Jingcheng is dead or alive!"

Hearing Ying Zheng was extremely annoyed, yet still held back his anger, and directly gave these intelligence chiefs a direction.

Wei Liao and Zhao Gao understood, and immediately said in unison,

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Your minister will go investigate at once, and will give Your Majesty an answer as soon as possible."

"I only give you half a month. In half a month, I need to know Zhou Jingcheng's true situation."

Hearing Ying Zheng did not wish to say more, and turned his gaze once more to Hearing Zhang Han,

"Immediately dispatch the Shadow Guard, conduct a full investigation of all ministers at court, and be sure to clarify whether any of them have been in secret contact with Zhou Jingcheng."

Back when Zhou Jingcheng rebelled, quite a few ministers at court had secretly colluded.

Now Zhou Jingcheng already has a force like Despair Shanzhuang, and is still stirring up trouble in secret—yet Hearing Ying Zheng has not received a single bit of news.

Clearly, among Great Qin's court ministers, there may already have appeared moles for Zhou Jingcheng.

That is how this news was pressed down so tightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Hearing Zhang Han also realized the Yan Zhongxing of the problem, and immediately cupped his fist in acceptance of the order.

"Enough! Li Si stays; the rest of you, go attend to your duties at once!

However, tonight's matter must not be leaked to the outside in the slightest.

Violators will be cut down without mercy!"

Hearing Ying Zheng was also somewhat weary. Zhou Jingcheng returning from death was indeed an enormous threat to his imperial authority.

After all, that flash of delight in Prince Zichu's eyes just now had still been caught by Hearing Ying Zheng.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

At this, all the important ministers, except Li Si, withdrew.

"National Preceptor, do you know of Chiyou?"

After the Great Qin important ministers had all gone out, and only the topmost-level powerhouses of Great Qin remained in the imperial study, Hearing Ying Zheng slowly voiced the question in his heart.

Zhou Jingcheng's resurrection and plot to usurp was certainly a great worry in Hearing Ying Zheng's heart.

But what Hearing Gai Nie had said—what Hearing Ying Zheng cared about even more—was Chiyou.

Or rather, the legendary Jiuli Tribe of the ancient times!

Just one Lu Li Tribe already possessed a Chiyou Demonic Treasure.

Judging from Zhou Jingcheng's performance, the power of this demonic treasure was clearly extraordinary.

Then in the other eight Li tribes, might there be other demonic treasures, or even stronger ones?

And what exactly was the Lu Li Tribe's demonic treasure?

On what grounds did Zhou Jingcheng believe that, having obtained this demonic treasure, not only would Great Qin's Jiangshan change hands, but even the Qinglong Society would not be taken seriously?

The powerhouses of Great Qin, hearing this—including Prince Zichu—felt slightly taken aback.

They had originally thought that Qin Huang kept them here to discuss how to pursue and suppress Zhou Jingcheng.

Who would have thought that the matter discussed had nothing at all to do with Zhou Jingcheng.

"Your Majesty."

Great Qin's Chief Guardian State Worshipper—that is, Great Qin's National Preceptor Yin Zhong—was startled upon hearing this, and then said,

"The legend of Chiyou, among the folk, does indeed seem to be merely legend.

"But in our Water Moon Grotto-Heaven, this legend seems to have truly existed."

"What?"

"Chi You really existed?"

Everyone, including Hearing Ying Zheng and Prince Zichu, was startled all at once.

That Yin Zhong came from the mysterious Water Moon Grotto-Heaven was already known to all the world.

Only, as for what Water Moon Grotto-Heaven actually was, Yin Zhong did not say, and the people of Great Qin likewise did not know the details.

At this point, when Chi You was mentioned, Yin Zhong slowly said,

"Water Moon Grotto-Heaven is one of the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, and originally belonged to the Tong clan.

According to the secret records of the Tong clan, the Tong clan's arts, combined with General Long Teng's Dragon God Art, when cultivated together,

can achieve the body of a Demon God!

This Demon God, based on this old man's many years of analysis, is most likely what Chi You meant."

"What? This…"

Hearing Ying Zheng and the others were truly shocked.

They had never expected that Yin Zhong would publicly speak of such a personal secret.

Even less expected that the Dragon God Art, combined with the Tong clan's arts, could reproduce the body of a Demon God!

When Yin Zhong first came to seek refuge with Great Qin, it was precisely by transforming into a black dragon.

By all accounts, that was precisely the Dragon God Art!

Yin Zhong, moreover, originated from Water Moon Grotto-Heaven and was well-versed in the Tong clan's lore.

Even the Tong clan's secret records, he had been able to read.

Hearing Ying Zheng and the Great Qin strategists had long since speculated that Yin Zhong most likely came from the Tong clan.

Now Yin Zhong had publicly stated once more that the Tong clan's arts combined with the Dragon God Art could reproduce Chi You's Demon God body.

This left Hearing Ying Zheng and the others standing dumbfounded on the spot for a long while.

After quite a while, it was still Hearing Ying Zheng, whose courage far surpassed others, who was the first to react.

Without concealment, he asked directly,

"Then has the National Preceptor already achieved the body of a Demon God?"

"Not yet…"

Yin Zhong did not mind, and instead said with a wry smile,

"I'm not afraid Your Majesty and the rest will laugh at me—I do indeed come from the Tong clan, and I have also learned the Dragon God Art.