Chapter 69: The Mastermind, a Willing Evil Villain.

Chapter 69: The Mastermind, a Willing Evil Villain.

The words "Foundation Establishment Stage" sounded as insignificant as ants under a tree to the Saints' ears, not even worth a passing thought.

A Saint waved a hand, indicating that the woman imprisoned in the dungeon need not be bothered with.

The Sunrise Dao Master was stunned by this colossal, shocking accusation: "It wasn't me, I didn't do it. I was in dead-seclusion cultivation, completely unaware of what was happening outside..."

Upon hearing "dead-seclusion," the members of the Divine Court couldn't help but smile in understanding.

That meant he had no alibi whatsoever, relying solely on his own word.

The Sunrise Dao Master was left speechless: "I truly know nothing of any Sword Intent or Demon Monkey, and Lord Qianzhu's death has nothing to do with me! I came here today only because..."

He instinctively swallowed the rest of his sentence.

He came today only because he had embezzled the Divine Court's Longevity Elixir? Mentioning that now would be tantamount to digging his own grave.

It would only add fuel to the fire, adding insult to injury.

The Sunrise Dao Master was trapped between a rock and a hard place, his expression turning extremely grim.

Seeing him suddenly fall silent, Emperor Wugu let out a soft, disdainful snort, having already sentenced him to death in his heart.

Standing nearby, He Yingkong's eyes glinted, a murderous intent stirring—this impostor, the Sunrise Dao Master, who had posed as Ghost Lingjun, had taken advantage of his weakened avatar to perform a Soul Search, accessing his past memories from the mortal realm.

Those memories must not be known!

His current wife, Goddess Yuetong, had been pampered since childhood, possessing a spoiled young lady's temperament: domineering, jealous, and prone to unwarranted jealousy. The matter of Zhao Xiufeng had already aroused her doubts.

If this man were to shoot his mouth off about his past in front of his father-in-law, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He had abandoned his wife and daughter. Then he had married into the prime minister's family. But the first thing he did after being recognized by the immortal sect was to ruthlessly exterminate the prime minister's entire household.

Given that history, what would his current father-in-law think?

He Yingkong didn't need to ponder deeply to feel a chill run down his spine.

This Sunrise Dao Master must not be allowed to return alive to the Divine Court for trial.

Delays breed trouble.

Once He Yingkong's mind was made up, he was determined to kill.

He raised his gaze, casting a cool glance at the Sunrise Dao Master.

By now, the Sunrise Dao Master was already like a startled bird, his entire body on edge, terrified and on high alert.

He immediately sensed He Yingkong's undisguised, icy malice.

A buzz exploded in his mind, his heart pounded wildly, and his body alternated between chills and fever. He knew things had taken a terrible turn.

"You... it was you who framed me!"

The Sunrise Dao Master's pupils contracted violently. In his dazed state, he seemed to see a faint shadow of the fake Ghost Lingjun from earlier in He Yingkong. (Fu Yu had intentionally imitated Qin Qianzhu's demeanor.)

He Yingkong chuckled. "Now you're randomly pointing fingers. It seems you're another stubborn one."

Emperor Wugu had grown impatient. "Seize him."

He Yingkong stepped forward with a smile.

The Sunrise Dao Master retreated step by step.

The terror that had been weighing heavily on his chest for so long now completely overflowed. Horrifying thoughts, one more terrifying than the last, involuntarily flooded his mind.

The Divine Court... devours people... refines elixirs...

Torture... torment...

Seeing He Yingkong teleport and press closer, the Sunrise Dao Master felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. He wanted to decisively self-detonate, yet a final sliver of hope lingered.

"The Divine Court is harming me! Master! Master—Master, save me!"

As a Void Treading Realm cultivator, just below the Demi-god Realm, he unleashed his divine sense, striking the seal barrier erected by the Saints with a resounding, reverberating boom.

His master, Little Yuqing, was also at the Demi-god Realm.

If only his master would intervene to protect him, there might still be a sliver of hope.

He just had to hold on until his master noticed something was wrong here. There had to be hope...

His pupils suddenly contracted!

In a flash, the Sunrise Dao Master clearly realized that He Yingkong did not intend to merely "seize him."

He Yingkong's attack was sinister and vicious.

It appeared to be a relentless assault, but every move was aimed at shattering one's very soul.

The Sunrise Dao Master gasped, a single thought ringing incessantly in his mind—He Yingkong, brainwashing, soul-sucking! Brainwashing, soul-sucking!

Countless terrifying images flooded his mind, shattering his mental defenses.

He had seen too many people, too many things.

Having "cooperated" with the Divine Court for many years, he was well-versed in their various sinister methods.

When the Divine Court wanted to kill a cultivator, they simply branded them as followers of an evil path and could then torture and butcher at will. Not to mention the common folk, those at the very bottom, destitute and alone, having sold their healthy lifespan, now in their twilight years with no means to go on living, could only beg the Longevity Hall to take their remaining years in exchange for a thin coffin for burial.

How could that be possible?

The decrepit lifespan of the elderly was worthless. The Longevity Hall was no benevolent bodhisattva; would they kindly handle their funerals? What a joke!

Once they signed the life-selling contract and entered the Longevity Hall, people became expendable materials.

Expendable materials naturally had to be squeezed for every last drop of value—before death, enduring every imaginable and unimaginable torment, either used as medicine, refined for their souls, or dismembered alive. Only after being squeezed dry of all value could they hope for death.

Towards these expendable materials, the Sunrise Dao Master had never felt any foolish compassion.

Until this moment, he finally realized he was no different from those ants. In the eyes of the Divine Court, he, the Sunrise Dao Master, was nothing but a slightly stronger ant.

If he fell into their hands... if he fell into their hands... what would they do to him?

A fate worse than death... a fate worse than death!

The moment He Yingkong's hand reached for the Sunrise Dao Master's head, the Sunrise Dao Master completely shattered.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, the whites suddenly webbed with bursting blood vessels, his expression frenzied as he roared and savagely detonated his primordial spirit!

He Yingkong was momentarily stunned, then comprehension dawned.

"You truly are one of the Evil Cultists."

Evil Cultists, fearless of death, always possessed this kind of desperate, all-or-nothing fighting spirit.

The Sunrise Dao Master's blazing body transformed into a newborn scorching sun.

Terrifying Dao flames roared to life around him, forcing even the sage He Yingkong to temporarily retreat from the onslaught.

Night fell, yet a new sun rose within Ghost Lingjun's mansion.

Far away.

The Foxtail Grass Spirit nervously clutched the Paper Effigy Boy.

"F-f-fighting! M-m-master, w-w-will she really be okay?! I-I-I, should I g-g-go, fight them with everything I've got!"

The Paper Effigy Boy rustled noisily as it was tugged.

Wu He had already seen through its agitation: "Relax, your master is only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, she couldn't cause such a commotion. Not causing trouble is the best help you can give."

The Foxtail Grass Spirit's eyes lit up: "R-r-right, that makes sense!"

Li Xueke mused: "What a brilliant move to drive away the wolf and let the tiger fight! The Ancient Divine Shaman is truly terrifying! Thankfully, I'm on her side! If she were an enemy... tsk tsk tsk!"

Better not to think about it!

Successfully calming the restless Foxtail Grass Spirit, the two men, one grass, and one paper figure settled down, crouching on the roof ridge to watch the tigers fight from a safe distance.

Over there, the spiritual energy eruption grew increasingly violent, illuminating dozens of miles around as if it were daytime.

The Sunrise Dao Master, having detonated his primordial spirit, felt his cultivation level skyrocket rapidly.

At this moment, he harbored a venomous hatred for these Divine Court sages.

Where the "Ghost Lingjun" who had framed him had gone was hardly a mystery.

Who else but these two sages could have set this trap for him today—besides them, there was only one Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator here.

Ridiculous! It couldn't possibly be that Foundation Establishment Stage one!

The Divine Court's actions were truly overbearing. He had only appropriated twenty percent of their Longevity Elixirs, yet they were determined to kill him! Hateful, utterly hateful! With things having come to this, he could only fight these sages to the death!

Before an absolute gap in power, any Artifact or secret technique was merely a paper tiger.

The Sunrise Dao Master let out a bitter laugh, using himself as a blade, throwing his life into a fierce forward assault: "The evils committed by your Divine Court are too numerous to record! Heaven's justice is clear! Heaven's justice is clear!"

He Yingkong lightly retreated backward, secretly sighing in relief.

Detonating his primordial spirit was irreversible; this man was certainly dead—no longer any need to worry about him blabbing and revealing that old story from He Yingkong's mortal days.

He Yingkong's eyes shifted slightly, another scheme surfacing in his mind.

Goddess Yuetong was suspicious and paranoid, always fixating on Qin Qianzhu keeping concubines. This time, it would be better to cleanly eliminate the Sunrise Dao Master and, in the process, perform a self-injury ploy...

"Father-in-law, be careful!"

He Yingkong shouted lightly, the Dao aura around him seeming both solid and illusory, instantly transforming into thousands of candle flames, blocking the space between the Sunrise Dao Master and Emperor Wugu.

Who said candle flames couldn't contend with the sun and moon?

Thousands of bright flames erupted in a blaze, endless soul-intent surging out like a tidal wave. He Yingkong waved his sleeves, clashing heavily with the immense force of the Sunrise Dao Master's detonated primordial spirit!

"Boom!"

Spiritual waves exploded, crashing against the seal the two sages had laid beforehand, causing strange phenomena to arise one after another, the view undulating like waves.

A long time passed.

The scene finally quieted down.

The Sunrise Dao Master's face was ashen, one hand covering his chest as he slumped to the ground.

He Yingkong wasn't faring well either.

He practiced Incantation arts and was not skilled in close-quarters combat, let alone against an opponent who had burned all bridges, completely disregarding the cost.

Having forcibly withstood this spiritual explosion, his handsome face turned pale, a bright red line of blood slowly trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Drip—drop."

Blood fell to the ground. He Yingkong forced a smile, turning to ask: "Father-in-law, are you unharmed?"

Emperor Wugu most disliked this Pretty Boy demeanor of his, knowing full well his precious daughter would be fooled into feeling heartache again, not to mention this act was supposedly to "protect him."

Disgust rose in Emperor Wugu's heart, as if he'd swallowed a fly, yet he had no grounds to criticize. He simply averted his gaze, out of sight, out of mind.

He looked toward the dying Sunrise Dao Master.

In his final moments, the Sunrise Dao Master strained to lift his head, his lifeless eyes staring fixedly in the direction of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, crying out mournfully: "Master! The Divine Court is unjust, your disciple has suffered greatly, I die with eyes wide open!"

The sound waves circled over Yulong City for a long time.

"The Divine Court is unjust—"

"Your disciple dies with eyes wide open—"

"Eyes—wide—open—"

"..."

Emperor Wugu let out a low, cold laugh: "A famous teacher produces a brilliant disciple. What a fine... Xiao, Yu, Qing."

The sage flicked his sleeves and left.

No one remembered an innocent Foundation Establishment Stage female cultivator was still imprisoned in the dungeon.

Fu Yu had to escape by herself.

She arrived leisurely in the courtyard, only to see the green tiles on the surrounding walls had been pulverized into dust by the High-level Cultivator's spiritual explosion, the tree crowns in the courtyard only temporarily maintaining their shape.

She lightly raised a hand.

"Crash—"

The vast mansion seemed to have its roof torn off, leaving only bare, half-height wall stumps, tragically reduced to a rough shell.

Fu Yu lowered her eyes to the floor tiles.

In front of the kneeling corpse of the Sunrise Dao Master lay a drop of blood.

If her guess was correct, this must be He Yingkong’s blood.

Fu Yu smiled, bent down to collect the blood, then stepped into the shadows, one step at a time.

She looked every bit the mastermind, the evil villain.

Meanwhile, in a mortal city.

The monkey show troupe (the Yellow-robed Cultivators) ran into trouble.

The townsfolk were poor. They had toiled all day but barely earned any silver coins.

Of course, they weren’t after such meager earnings. Disguising themselves as a troupe was only to evade the Divine Court's pursuit.

Divine Court cultivators swept overhead several times, truly turning a blind eye to this monkey show troupe.

After all, who could have imagined that the Ancient Demon Monkey, that had even the Sage on edge, would be so skilled at performing monkey tricks?

As dusk fell, Master Sanyuan packed up the stall and led the group out of the city.

Little did they expect that while they successfully avoided the Divine Court, they couldn’t escape corrupt officials.

They were stopped by soldiers.

Master Sanyuan wanted to avoid trouble. He stepped forward with an apologetic smile to negotiate: “Sirs, we’ve toiled all day and really didn’t earn much. This is all we have.”

The monkey pouted, reluctantly handing over the cloth bag.

But the soldiers weren’t having it. “For doing business in the city, the tax is one tael per person.”

Master Sanyuan’s mouth twitched slightly. “This… aside from those with shops, who could earn that much? Not to mention one tael per person—even all of us combined couldn’t earn one tael.”

The shops in this city either belonged to immortal sects, the Divine Court, or at the very least, powerful officials and nobles—and they, of course, paid no taxes.

The soldiers sneered. “Can’t pay? No problem. Take them to Renshou Hall and sell their lives to repay the debt!”

Master Sanyuan: “…”

This was also a taste of the hardships of mortal life.

The Divine Court enforcement team were still nearby. Master Sanyuan had no choice but to signal to the group of yellow-robed performers and follow the soldiers to Renshou Hall with long faces.

Entering Renshou Hall, however, they saw a different scene.

They saw those soldiers, grinning broadly, receive a small bag of silver coins, claiming they had sold “mountain goods.” They linked arms, whooping, and headed off to have fun.

Master Sanyuan frowned. “Mountain goods? What mountain goods?”

“‘Mountain goods’ means you out-of-towners. Sold into Renshou Hall, you become wild game from the mountains—skinned, tendons pulled, to be dealt with as they please. Got it?”

Renshou Hall’s thugs blocked the shop entrance, raised their clubs, and approached menacingly.

“What?!” one cultivator exclaimed in shock. “Isn’t it just selling lifespan? What are you going to do? Is there no law here?!”

The thugs burst into laughter. “Once you enter the King of Hell’s hall, do you still get to cry injustice? Struggle away—the more you struggle, the more we like it!”

The Yellow-robed Cultivators: “…”

The monkey: “…Jie.”

A moment later.

The cultivators sat in the spotless Renshou Hall, sighing.

“The Divine Court is utterly vile!”

Under the dark crimson sky.

Behind the clouds, that hazy, pale “sun” turned pitch black.

On the dragon bone prow sat that tall, slender figure.

He rarely spoke of his deceased wife before.

“Once, she wanted to kill me.”

His tone was calm and gentle, even as he spoke such chilling words.

“I killed the one she loved.”

The Little Tiger Tusk Protector and the Round-faced Protector exchanged a glance, their eyes churning with shock and awe—Wow! What a tale of love and hatred!

Jun Bu Du lowered his gaze, his fingers curling slightly in the air.

The Peach Wood Hairpin was that person’s possession.

He had blasted that person into a shower of blood and blossoms under that tree. There, she took that peach wood hairpin and provocatively put it on.

“She tried many methods, but couldn’t kill me.”

“She thought the wedding would be her best opportunity.”

Everyone thought he cultivated the Path of Emotionlessness. Forging a bond on that path would surely shatter his Dao heart, and that night would be his weakest moment.

A pity. His life was not yet hers to take.

“Gulp!” The two protectors swallowed in unison.

So the Great Shaman had taken her by force back then!

He stood up, smiling faintly. “It’s all in the past. It doesn’t matter.”

What did it matter if she wanted to kill him? As long as she couldn’t kill him, he would make her willingly stay by his side.

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