Chapter 162: Buried in the Sword (1/2)
Zhao Changkong’s pupils dilated and he stared at Qing Buyi, unsure of what to say. The thing that’d appeared in Dusk Province’s ancient tomb a thousand years ago was too powerful for even the emperor to handle. It’d been listed as a taboo as a last resort.
Qing Buyi’s sudden revelation was, therefore, utterly incomprehensible to the prince.
“The twenty-four facets’ imperial courts have a far more tenuous rule over the world than their ancient predecessors.” Qing Buyi straightened himself, placing both hands behind his back. “People like us have no love for the endless chaos of the near past, which is why we begrudgingly follow Nephrite Major’s rules for the moment. Chen Xiao and I aren’t nearly as nice as Duskwater’s Mo Yi, though, and we won’t put up with being wronged.
“Your conspiracy with Qing Quan made my little brother suffer, so I disallowed you from becoming the celestial emperor. If Zhao Fengyang hadn’t listened, I would’ve helped Chen Xiao exterminate your clan.” Qing Buyi patted Zhao Changkong on the shoulder. “You should feel lucky that what you did can be fixed. Otherwise, you’d already be a corpse.”
His aura began increasing in intensity as he spoke, shifting from the peak of august to golden, then arcane, then peerless immortal, until he finally stopped at peak peerless immortal level. There were signs that he would break through even that, but the skies remained completely calm. The eyes that had slain Dongling Yuhuang didn’t appear.
Zhao Changkong finally believed Qing Buyi’s words.
“You must be thinking that the eyes only show up for dao immortals, right?” Qing Buyi laughed.
Pop!
His cultivation reached the dao immortal realm, but everything remained just as peaceful as before; there was no restriction anywhere in sight.
Zhao Changkong took a step back. Qing Buyi, the Qing Clan’s eldest son, the dandy famous for mischief and skullduggery in Nephrite Major… was a dao immortal!
“If you’re still wondering whether Chen Xiao and I can follow through on our threat, don’t. The world is a vast place far beyond your imagination, and the current laws are quite fragile. They’re far from enough to keep all of us in line.” Qing Buyi gently patted Zhao Changkong’s cheek, then gradually disappeared into nothingness.
Left alone, the despondent prince stood in place for a very long while. Qing Buyi hadn’t killed him only because he was the current emperor’s son. Qing Buyi and Chen Xiao were still following the rules, fragile as they were.
“Is all this really worth it? Just for an accursed spirit root…?” he murmured to himself.
……
The mixture of virulent toxins inside Qing Han’s body inflicted anguish beyond imagining. The youth lay completely still in bed, almost like he’d sunk into a coma. Empress Myrtlestar had used a certain method to put his consciousness to sleep, or the inhuman suffering would’ve crushed his mind in an instant.
“Do not blame yourself. You have already done very well.” Myrtlestar cast a violet haze over Qing Han’s body, covering and protecting it. “The suffering he is going through is immensely torturous, but it is a trial that may prove beneficial in the end. Qing Han has a great deal of unrefined connate elemental energy within him, which the ravaging poisons will help him refine and absorb. The result will strengthen his body, and, in fact, he might even obtain an immortal constitution because of this.”
“Mm.” Lu Yun nodded a little.
“Someone is coming.” Myrtlestar turned into a purple wisp and took refuge in the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals. The formations Lu Yun had set up hadn’t managed to stop the person that was approaching: a tall, broad-shouldered youth who walked with a powerful stride.
“So you’re Lu Yun, eh?” Qing Buyi asked, looking the other up and down. Though he’d seen the young governor during the tournament, it was the first time they’d come face-to-face.
“Yeah.” Lu Yun nodded.
“I’m Qing Han’s big brother, Qing Buyi,” came the reply. “You’ve done very well. Chen Xiao and I very much approve.”