Xue Meng stood there in a daze for a while before he suddenly regained his senses. He shouted angrily at Mei Hanxue, “You dog, who are you calling stupid?!”

     Xue Zhengyong pulled him back, “Meng-er!”

     “This person called me stupid!”

     “Okay, okay, you heard wrong. Hanxue clearly didn’t say anything.”

     “That’s because he whispered it in my ear!”

     While they were making a ruckus, Jiang Xi was checking the wounded and evaluating the situation. After doing this, Jiang Xi ordered everyone to rest where they were for a while to recover from their wounds or meditate.

     There was nothing else they could do; their fiercest fighters had depleted their combat power. It was as if the bow hadn’t been fully drawn and the arrowheads had been dulled. If they rashly continued to move forward like this, they might not be able to handle any more surprises.

     After giving these orders, Jiang Xi walked over to Nangong Si, “Nangong Si, I have something to ask you.”

     “Please speak, Sect Leader Jiang.”

     Jiang Xi did not say anything. Instead, he glanced at Ye Wangxi.

     Nangong Si said, “She doesn’t need to leave.”

     “It’s better if she does.” Jiang Xi lowered his gaze as he spoke, his eyes falling on Nangong Si’s chest, where his spiritual core was located.

     After Ye Wangxi left, Jiang Xi sat down next to Nangong Si, “What about your spiritual core? Do you intend to hide it from her?”

     Nangong Si’s eyes dimmed for a moment, “I don’t know how to tell her yet.”

     “Are you afraid she’ll dislike you because of this? Actually, you’re overthinking it. Miss Ye isn’t—”

     “No.” Nangong Si suddenly interrupted Jiang Xi’s words, “I’m not afraid she’ll dislike me. I’m just afraid she’ll be sad.”

     “...” Jiang Xi was silent for a moment, seemingly prickled by the inexplicable arrogance in Nangong Si’s bones. He sneered, “You sure are confident.”

     “Sect Leader Jiang is wrong. I’m not confident, I’m trusting her.”

     Jiang Xi could hear the stubbornness in his tone, so he said lightly, “You are now a tiger that has fallen to the bottom of the sun, yet you still talk to me in such a manner. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll cause trouble for you in the future?”

     “You won’t.”

     Jiang Xi paused, “Does that mean you trust me?”

     “Along the way, I’ve also learned what kind of person Sect Leader Jiang is.” Nangong Si said, “That’s why I said those words to you before when I thought I was going to die.”

     “...” Jiang Xi had been looking at Nangong Si the whole time until he brought up this matter. He looked away, “Now that you’re still alive, are those words still true?”

     “Yes.” Nangong Si said, “Once I defeat Xu Shuanglin, I will explain it clearly to everyone.”

     Jiang Xi did not continue speaking. It was only after a long while that he said, “Nangong Si, it’s a pity that I could not see Rufeng Sect flourish in your hands. Otherwise, you would have been considered a worthy opponent.”

     Nangong Si answered very calmly, but there was also a vague hint of pride in his voice, “Sect Leader, you’re wrong. I’ve been fortunate enough to learn the best of Rufeng Sect.”

     It was very rare for Jiang Xi not to refute others, or ridicule them. It was even rarer for him to admire or agree with others. But this time, he remained silent for a long time and didn’t try to deny Nangong Si’s words. Finally, he said, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. I have something more important to ask you.”

     “...I know what Sect Leader wants to ask.” Nangong Si stroked Naobaijin, who was lying in his quiver. The faewolf was injured, and there was a cut on its forehead that was still bleeding, “But why Mount Jiao suddenly lost control and went against the Grand Sect Leader’s wishes is something I don’t know about. I don’t think it’s possible either.”

     Jiang Xi said, “There’s no trace at all? Think about it again. Did Rufeng Sect have any secrets related to this mountain?”

     Nangong Si shook his head and said, “No. From generation to generation, the Nangong family only knows that Mount Jiao obeys the orders of their family’s heir. But the first in command must always be ancestor Changying.”

     “Absolutely no one else?”

     “Absolutely not. The first master the dragon spirit recognizes is the Grand Sect Leader, and that will never change.”

     Jiang Xi’s eyes clouded over, his face becoming more and more hostile as he reached an impasse, “How did Xu Shuanglin do it?”

     “I don’t understand either.” Nangong Si suddenly paused. Jiang Xi thought he had thought of something, and turned to look at him, only to find that he was staring at a person in the distance. Jiang Xi followed his gaze, and saw Nangong Liu peeling an orange.

     Nangong Si had been trying not to look at his father, who had been turned into a pawn. However, when he saw him, his expression unconsciously became extremely painful.

     Jiang Xi was actually around the same age as Xu Shuanglin and Xue Zhengyong, but because of the difference in mental cultivation methods, he still looked young and handsome. However, this had nothing to do with his state of mind, which hadn’t been youthful for a long time. When he looked at Nangong Si, he was unable to bear it any longer, and said, “Don’t look anymore.”

     “...”

     “Don’t look anymore.”

     It seemed to take all the strength Nangong Si had left to tear his gaze away from his father. When he lowered his eyes, his shoulders seemed to tremble slightly. Finally, he buried his face in his palms, but he couldn’t hide the choked-up feeling in his voice.

     He murmured hoarsely, trying to change the topic, “I also don’t understand how Xu Shuanglin did it. That’s the demonic dragon spirit tamed by the Grand Sect Leader…”

     But his shoulders trembled more and more violently.

     Jiang Xi remained rigid, his expression very blank. But in the end, he finally reached out and patted Nangong Si’s shoulder. He seemed to want to comfort Nangong Si, but had never comforted anyone before.

     In the end, he only said dryly, “It doesn’t matter. Everyone has their own fate. Although you and your father are in this situation now, you were once father and son. Look at me; I’m in my prime, but I don’t have any children. Think about it.”

     After saying this, of course Nangong Si ignored him. He himself also felt that his words were so dry that saying them seemed worse than saying nothing at all.

     Jiang Xi stood up, feeling a little awkward, “I’m going to take a look elsewhere. You rest for a while. We’ll continue moving forward later.”

     “...”

     “By the way, what’s up ahead?”

     Nangong Si said in a muffled voice, “The Dragon Soul Pool.”

     “What’s it for?”

     “That’s the blood pool used to worship the evil dragon’s spirit.” Nangong Si said, “The spirit of the evil dragon sleeps in the pool, and every year the people of Rufeng Sect worship it.”

     Jiang Xi frowned when he heard this. Finally, he said, “I hope nothing else happens over there.”

     Everyone rested in the front hall for a little less than half an hour. The wounded, and those who had used up too much spiritual energy, gradually recovered with the help of the healing cultivators.

     Jiang Xi looked left and right at the two extremes of “good” and “evil” made by Xu Shuanglin, and his brow furrowed even more.

     What was Xu Shuanglin going to do with such a useless thing that had no battle prowess? Was it for show?

     Hearing Nangong Liu, who had been turned into a chess piece, call him “His Majesty,” it seemed that Xu Shuanglin thought of himself as the emperor, and treated these Zhenlong chess pieces, who were divided into black and white, good and evil, as his subjects.

     He looked around and finally arrived in front of Nangong Liu. Nangong Liu was sitting on his bamboo basket and slowly peeling oranges. Jiang Xi paused for a moment, then suddenly leaned over and asked the question he had asked him before, “Can you take us to His Majesty?”

     Nangong Liu still gave the same answer as before, “His Majesty has his own matters to attend to. How can he be seen so easily?”

     “...” Jiang Xi flicked his sleeve and said in a displeased manner, “You’re useless. A good-for-nothing is just a good-for-nothing. Whether you’re alive or made into a chess piece, you’re still a good-for-nothing.”

     After being scolded by him, Nangong Liu shrank back and hugged his orange basket with a cowardly look. After a while, he actually burst into tears, “Why are you so fierce? I’m useless. I’m just a good-for-nothing piece of trash anyway, so what can you do even if you’re fierce towards me?”

     His crying and wailing was so loud that it attracted the attention of the people around him.

     By now, Chu Wanning was almost done meditating. He frowned and said, “This Nangong Liu is so strange.”

     Mo Ran asked, “Why?”

     “I can’t say.” Chu Wanning said, “I feel that this person is Nangong Liu, but something is wrong with him. He doesn’t seem to be the Nangong Liu I know.”

     Mo Ran looked over. Jiang Xi was glaring at Nangong Liu with a livid expression. Nangong Liu was sobbing, and occasionally rubbing his eyes with his hands in frustration.

     “...” Mo Ran watched this behavior and indeed felt that something was wrong. It was an indescribable contrast, as if he was looking at a child with a middle-aged man’s head. It gave him goosebumps.

     Suddenly, Mo Ran froze for a moment, and muttered, “A child…”

     “What?”

     Mo Ran abruptly turned his head, and asked, “Shizun, do you think he looks like a child?” As he spoke, he glanced at Nangong Liu for a while. Seeing that Nangong Liu was actually blowing his nose with his sleeve, he said, “...A five or six year old child.”

     When he said this, Chu Wanning looked again. Sure enough, it was true. Although Nangong Liu still looked like he was in his forties, his every move revealed a kind of naïvety and childishness.

     Chu Wanning muttered, “Could it be that Xu Shuanglin did something to him, so that his memory was only retained until he was five or six years old?”

     Mo Ran said, “Shizun, please wait for me. I’ll give it a try.”

     “How are you going to try?”

     Mo Ran didn’t answer. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he walked to Nangong Liu’s side and picked up an orange. He offered it to him, and said tentatively, “Don’t cry, eat an orange.”

     “I won’t eat it. I’ve already eaten. This is for His Majesty.”

     Mo Ran placed the orange back into the basket and asked, “Who is His Majesty?”

     Jiang Xi asked, “What’s the use? Didn’t I already ask him this question a long time ago?”

     Sure enough, Nangong Liu said, “His Majesty… His Majesty is His Majesty, who else could it be?”

     Mo Ran wasn’t discouraged, and instead asked a second question, “Alright, His Majesty is His Majesty. Since you’re so loyal and understanding, His Majesty will definitely be very happy when he finds out. Oh right, I’ve been asking you about His Majesty, but I haven’t asked you yet. Little brother, what’s your name?”

     Huang Xiaoyue was impatient. He sneered at the side and was about to say something when Jiang Xi stopped him, shaking his head. He also faintly felt that something was wrong.

     Nangong Liu, who was holding a basket of oranges, looked at Mo Ran for a while before timidly saying, “My name is Nangong Liu.”

     Mo Ran smiled and rubbed Nangong Liu’s head. He asked calmly, “Let’s introduce ourselves. My name is Mo Ran. I’m 22 this year. What about you?”

     “I, I am five years old…”

     “...”

     For a moment, there was complete silence.

     Although Nangong Liu’s reply wasn’t loud, everyone around them had been quietly looking in their direction, so his fearful “I am five years old” was like a clap of thunder breaking through the sky and exploding in the hall.

     Almost everyone was stunned.

     If it weren’t for the tense situation, many people present would have laughed out loud until tears flowed down their cheeks. Five years??

     Three years ago, if they were asked to believe that the Sect Leader of the world’s number one sect would cower beside a basket of oranges and mutter, “I am five years old,” these people would probably rather believe that pigs could climb trees.

     However, at this moment, Nangong Liu had clearly said those words. The group was dumbfounded. They stood stiffly in place and looked at each other, wondering what the hell was going on.

     Jiang Xi stepped forward and said sternly, “What do you do in this palace every day?”

     Nangong Liu quickly retreated behind Mo Ran. He tugged on Mo Ran’s sleeve and said, “Big brother, I don’t want to talk to him. This uncle is so fierce…”

     Jiang Xi: “...”

     Nangong Liu was older than him. He had never dreamed that there would be a day when Nangong Liu would call him uncle.

     Mo Ran also couldn’t stand it. If he really was a five year old child, it would be fine. However, the person who pulled at him was a man with wrinkled eyes. The corner of Mo Ran’s mouth twitched as he coughed and comforted, “Alright, alright, you don’t have to worry about him. Then let me ask you, what do you do in the palace every day?”

     Jiang Xi’s eyes widened. At this moment, he admired Mo Ran a bit. This guy wasn’t bad. How could he tolerate this?

     “I pick oranges every day and wash them clean. After that, I carry them on my back to His Majesty, and wait for him to come out and eat them,” Nangong Liu said. “His Majesty likes to eat oranges the most. He can eat an entire basket of them every day. At the foot of the mountain, there used to be a type of tree that only bloomed, but did not bear fruit. His Majesty said it was boring, so the trees were all replaced by orange trees. I also think orange trees are good. The fruit is sweet.”

     He rambled on and on, and suddenly, his eyes dimmed, “It’s a pity that His Majesty hasn’t been in good health these days. After picking a basket of oranges, he can only eat half of them…”

     Jiang Xi grasped the key, “His Majesty hasn’t been well lately?”

     Nangong Liu was very vengeful. He pouted and puffed up his cheeks, “You’re annoying. I’m not talking to you.”

     Jiang Xi held himself back for a moment, but he couldn’t. He quickly turned his head and covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

     Huang Xiaoyue asked with concern, “What’s wrong, Sect Leader Jiang?”

     “Don’t talk to me.” Jiang Xi frowned in disgust. He refused to look at the giant child Nangong Liu, who was squatting there with a pout, “I feel a bit fucking sick.”

     Mo Ran asked, “What’s wrong with His Majesty’s health?”

     “It’s… It’s just that he always coughs, and all he coughs out is blood. He’s also very skinny, yet refuses to eat. Many parts of his body are rotten…” As Nangong Liu spoke, his tears dripped down like a pillar had been broken. He began to cry mournfully, “I’m so worried about him. If he’s gone, what should I do? After that, no one will play with me, talk to me, or feed me oranges.”

     “...And he still feeds you oranges?”

     But, from what they saw last time at Rufeng Sect, Nangong Liu and Xu Shuanglin had a blood feud between them. It was already a miracle that Xu Shuanglin didn’t allow his brother to die from the lingchi fruit. But now he’s feeding him oranges? He couldn’t even imagine it.

     Jiang Xi fell into deep thought, and muttered, “Many parts of his body are rotten…”

     Xue Zhengyong said, “It sounds like the backlash of the Zhenlong Chess Formation?”

     Mo Ran was also clearly aware of this. The Zhenlong Chess Formation was one of the three forbidden techniques. If the caster didn’t have enough spiritual energy, and forcibly manipulated the chess pieces too many times, his body would slowly begin to fester.

     When he first started to practice the technique in his previous life, his body had also festered, starting from his toes. At that time, he was afraid of being discovered by Chu Wanning, so he stopped, and never dared to act rashly again.

     Later, he created the Shared Heart Formation, so he could continue to use it. And then he became Emperor Taxian-Jun. His spiritual power was so abundant that he could control thousands of horses and troops without the need for the Shared Heart Formation. But the necrotic little toe on his left foot could never be restored.

     Mo Ran couldn’t help but feel strange. The zombies outside were all controlled by the Shared Heart Formation. Only the corpses that could move freely in the hall were completely controlled by Xu Shuanglin’s spiritual power.

     Since Xu Shuanglin couldn’t control so many chess pieces, why did he do something that didn’t make up for the losses?

     Trapped here, it was useless to think too much. Jiang Xi said, “Let’s move forward.”

     The door to the Dragon Soul Pool also required a machine to open, but this machine was not broken. After it was activated, the doors inlaid with the Seven Stars Array immediately rumbled. The stone door shrank into the wall, and the middle hall of Rufeng Sect’s ancestral temple slowly revealed its appearance in front of everyone.

     It was a hexagonal, enclosed chamber. The walls were cold and damp, and there was a solid sculpture of a soaring dragon at the ceiling. Its muscles and bones were clearly defined, and its eyes were wide open in anger. The dragon held an oil lamp in its mouth. It was unknown what kind of oil was lit inside, but the light it emitted was a deep blue.

     In the center of the hall, there was a pool of bubbling blood-red foam, steaming from the heat.

     Nangong Si said, “This is the Dragon Soul Pool. The demonic dragon’s spirit is sealed in this blood pool."

     Some people wanted to get closer to take a closer look, but Nangong Si said, “Don’t look too much. This pool is filled with evil qi. If you stare at it for too long, you will lose your mind. Let’s go.”

     The group was led by Nangong Si past the blood pool. They entered the corridor behind the central hall. Although it was dark and there was no light, Mo Ran could feel that they were walking uphill.

     After walking for an incense stick’s time, Nangong Liu stopped. In front of him was a door that was narrower than the previous one, but it was decorated with jewels and ornaments.

     “After this door is opened, we’ll reach the exit of the passageway after walking for a short time,” Nangong Si said. “After we leave this place, we will reach the last part of the Heavenly Palace, called the Soul Summoning Platform. Xu Shuanglin should be there.”

     Huang Xiaoyue suddenly asked, “Are there only these few places in Rufeng Sect’s Heavenly Palace? The front hall, the Dragon Soul Pool, and the Soul Summoning Platform?”

     “That’s right.”

     “Are there any secret places?” In a moment of impatience, he almost said “treasure chamber.” Fortunately, he reacted in time, “I mean, Xu Shuanglin could also be in a secret place.”

     Nangong Si gave him a long, meaningful look. That kind of gaze made Huang Xiaoyue feel somewhat uneasy. Finally, Nangong Si said, “Let’s go to the Soul Summoning Platform first.”

     To open this final door, they needed the blood of the Nangong family. Nangong Si smeared his blood on the eye of the dragon engraving on the stone door. The mechanism on the door clicked and began to rotate. Then, they heard a faint sigh.

     Huang Xiaoyue was frightened, “Who was that?!”

     Then, he pointed at Nangong Si and said, “You little rascal. You’re not playing tricks, right? Are you trying to trick us?”

     Nangong Si said indifferently, “If Huang-daozhang doesn’t believe me, it’s not too late to leave. Sit in the main hall and wait.”

     Of course, Huang Xiaoyue didn’t want to, but before he went in, he was careful. Along the way, he found that all the important doors required the Nangong family’s blood to open. The legendary treasure chamber must be the same. So, before Huang Xiaoyue entered, he intentionally wiped his hand over the dragon’s eye and secretly stained it with Nangong Si’s blood…

     All of a sudden, an empty voice rang out in the pitch-black passageway.

     “Who is it?”

     Huang Xiaoyue had a guilty conscience. He was so startled that he almost jumped up in fright. The others also looked around.

     Nangong Si said, “I am the seventh generation disciple of the Rufeng clan, Nangong Si.”

     “Wang Li… respectfully welcomes… Master…”

     After the voice slowly uttered these words, it returned to silence.

     “Wang Li is the name of the demonic dragon.” Nangong Si said to Jiang Xi, “Sect Leader Jiang, please.”

     Jiang Xi looked at the passageway in front of him. About a hundred feet away, there was a white light emitting from the passageway. Presumably, that was the Soul Summoning Platform. Jiang Xi took a few steps forward. Suddenly, the empty voice sounded again.

     “Wang Li… respectfully welcomes… Master…”

     “What’s wrong with this dragon?” Jiang Xi frowned, “It said the same thing twice?”

     However, Nangong Si’s expression had already changed. He immediately turned his head to look in the direction of the Soul Summoning Platform, where the light suddenly flickered slightly. Before he could see clearly, he heard a hissing sound. Immediately after, a flood of light surged into the sky.

     Nangong Si’s pupils suddenly shrank, and he shouted sternly, “Run!”