Chapter 403: Chapter 121 No Name on the Book of Life and Death
"I,"
The King You entered the great hall, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "agree."
He had arrived just in time to hear Tianxuan’s speech. Originally, he intended to express his stern dissent, seething with indignant energy, but as soon as the Divine Travel Grand Protector arrived with the message, he suddenly relented and voiced his agreement with Tianxuan’s proposal.
"King You!"
Zong Zheng blurted out, wanting to object, but when he met King You’s gaze, he could not actually voice his opposition and merely snorted coldly before sitting back down.
Since King You agreed, it represented that the Yin Law Department and the elders of the Ji Family agreed.
The Princess acted on behalf of the other forces of the Ji Family. With both standing on the same side, it was akin to a unified opinion of the Royal Family.
Seeing this, the Meng Family Patriarch, Meng Jun, truly felt the inevitable trend and realized that it was now impossible for the Eldest Prince to become the Regent and oversee the nation.
At least, it was impossible for now.
"The Princess acting as the Regent is what everyone expects; I, too, agree," Meng Jun said, suppressing the reluctance in his heart and attached a few words of agreement.
’What a pity.’ Seeing how well this old fellow played along, Jiang Li couldn’t help but feel it was a shame.
Ordinarily, at a time like this, if there were an objector, it would have been convenient for the Princess to make an example out of them to establish her authority. Unfortunately, those present were no naive youths effused with vigor; seeing the way the wind was blowing, each of them resigned to their fate and obediently followed along.
They didn’t even make much of a fuss to express their dissatisfaction.
This left Jiang Li quite disappointed.
Meng Family had ties with the Kunxu Immortal Palace, and he had hoped to take advantage of the situation to exact some revenge.
Now that the overall situation was settled, the Princess did not feign modesty or make further excuses, but decisively called for the Divine Travel Grand Protector outside the hall and took over a secret letter.
"Zhang Zhixuan really is impatient."
After reading the secret letter, the Princess sneered and passed the letter to Tianxuan.
Then, after Tianxuan read it, the Princess passed the letter not to King You or any other person, but directly to Jiang Li.
Jiang Li took the letter and quickly read it.
The contents of the letter were much the same as the Divine Travel Grand Protector’s report, with the addition that the doctors of the Taiping Sect were gathering in large numbers in Liangzhou Province. Now, the Taiping Sect’s presence could be seen in the big and small commanderies there.
If the Taiping Sect was planning a rebellion, it was likely to start in Liangzhou.
And if a rebellion were to occur, the sects would be an unavoidable topic, especially the Three Pure Ones Sect. If they could gain the support of the Daoist Lord, it would greatly increase the Taiping Sect’s chances of success.
Although the Taiping Sect also worshipped the Yellow Emperor and belonged to the Three Emperors Sect, which generally wouldn’t see eye to eye with the Three Pure Ones Sect, at present, they shared a similar goal. This was evident from how the Daode Sect and the Upper Pure Sect had secretly assisted the Taiping Sect in the past.
The Taiping Sect called on the Mystic Sect to convene ostensibly to discuss the Dao but in reality to recruit allies, gathering potential allies for what would obviously be the next steps in their plan.
After Jiang Li finished reading, it was King You’s turn.
Meanwhile, the Princess began issuing orders, "The Judge Dao Fruit has been stolen, so our top priority is to sever the connection between Great Zhou’s household registration and it to prevent the use of this Dao Fruit for nefarious purposes. Next, we must prevent the Taiping Sect from networking with other sects and conduct thorough investigations to root out the Taiping Sect’s spies within the court."
"This task will be entrusted to the Gongsun Family Master."
"Inform all the princes of the various provinces and the local officials to strictly prohibit gatherings by the Taiping Sect. Anyone found in breach should be arrested immediately."
A series of commands were all targeted at the Taiping Sect, clearly well-prepared in advance.
Although those present still harbored resentment towards the Princess, they had to admit that these were necessary measures.
"There’s another matter," King You interjected, "The true body of the lawless madman is the reincarnation of the Daode Sect Master, who has independently emerged and now joined the Devil God Sect. The court should issue a decree for a nationwide manhunt to ensure this individual is apprehended."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li immediately found it surprising.
He had indeed planned to throw this big blame on Li Qinglian and was even ready to take action, but he had not expected someone to set it up for him before he even made a move.
With King You’s statement, the blame was firmly placed on Li Qinglian.
The Princess, slightly startled as if she hadn’t expected Li Qinglian to be associated with lawless freedom, nodded and said, "Lawless Freedom has killed the Fourth Prince, attempted to assassinate the Second Prince, and is suspected of attacking multiple officials. He certainly deserves to die."
The subsequent discussions were about how to target the Taiping Sect and stabilize the situation. The Princess roughly settled the matter and then dismissed everyone.
Discussions that would usually ensue for several hours were concluded so quickly today, and when people departed, many hurried away, obviously feeling the urgency.
Once King You left the hall, planning to return to the Yin Law Department, Zong Zheng suddenly stepped forward and called out, "King You, please wait."
King You stopped and asked, "Does the Great Grandmaster intend to ask me why I agree with the Princess acting as Regent?"
"The Princess and the Gongsun Family Master have formed an alliance, and the Gongsun Family Master intends to support the Jiang family’s child..." Zong Zheng said, his expression turning grim.
"But this is the best choice for the moment."
King You interrupted, "The Taiping Sect indeed poses a great threat, and the court does indeed need someone with the power to reorganize at this time. The Princess is the best choice. I also believe that the Gongsun Family Master, who forced the Emperor to relocate, acts with the best interest of Great Zhou and its sacrificial altar at heart."
No matter how much the Jiang family opposed Tianxuan, King You didn’t believe Tianxuan would act against Great Zhou’s interest.
Their political views differed, but their fundamental stances weren’t entirely opposed.
Now that Tianxuan had gained the upper hand, a graceful withdrawal as the losing side was the best option.
"But Cui Jue’s Dao Fruit is gone," the Zong Zheng reminded.
"The loss of Cui Jue’s Dao Fruit might not be certain," King You murmured, "I still suspect that Lawless Freedom and Jiang Li, even Tianxuan, are connected; they coordinated too well. Cui Jue’s Dao Fruit might not have been stolen but taken by Jiang Li and delivered to Tianxuan’s hands. I can’t even be sure that Li Qinglian is Lawless Freedom."
"Does King You still want to issue a warrant for Li Qinglian..."
"Whether Li Qinglian is Lawless Freedom or not, he must be apprehended," King You said indifferently, "If he is, this action could cause discord between him and Tianxuan’s side; if he is not, it could be a mistake that benefits that madman, but it won’t harm us. Whether he is or not, it serves to inform Tianxuan that I am not entirely in the dark and to warn her not to overstep."
How Tianxuan would interpret King You’s move would depend on Tianxuan’s own thoughts.
With that said, King You’s figure faded, and he left the place.
Inside the hall, only Tianxuan, the Princess, Jiang Li, a ghost, and a dog remained.
In front of the Princess, Tianxuan reached out to take a black book and a black jade talisman handed over by Jiang Li.
[Fifth Grade Dao Fruit: Judge · Cui Jue]
[Category: Ghost · Divinity]
[Fitting Conditions: Sixth Grade Ghost Attribute Dao Fruit, conferred by a power]
[Promotion Ceremony: ??????]
[Divine Skills: Underworld Judge, Yin God Body, Book of Life and Death, Add Life to Return to Yin, Rewarding Good and Punishing Evil]
The name of Cui Jue and the name of the Dao Fruit were identical, obviously altered.
This was also a kind of Derivation Method, by changing the name and striving to align with the Dao Fruit’s owner’s actions, to enhance the fusion progress of the Dao Fruit.
However, this method of derivation and fusion seemed to affect a cultivator’s temperament, making it more akin to the character of the Dao Fruit’s origin; whether that was a benefit or a detriment was uncertain.
"Your Dao Fruit’s promotion should involve the Dao Fruit of the Southern Seven Constellations, right?"
While speaking, Tianxuan took out a jade talisman and, together with the one given by Jiang Li, handed both to the Princess.
The black jade talisman contained the Dao Fruit of the Ghost Gold Sheep, and the other talisman, passed on by Jiang Li to Tianxuan, held the Dao Fruit of the Star Sun Horse.
Both belonged to the Southern Seven Constellations, also known as the Vermilion Bird Seven Constellations, which were related to the Princess’s promotion—this was not surprising.
The Princess, without being pretentious, took the two talismans and chuckled, "It was worth it for the palace to help Jiang Li obtain the Divine Farmer’s Cauldron. Tianxuan, if you ever need the palace’s assistance in the future, I will not hesitate to offer it, even if you fancy some young talent from any family."
It seemed she was hinting at something and had not given up the effort to probe Tianxuan.
Tianxuan’s brows immediately furrowed.
"Sister-in-law being happy is what matters," Jiang Li quickly said.
Then Tianxuan’s brows relaxed, but the smile on the Princess’s face vanished.
"Yes, my dear niece being happy is what matters."
Tianxuan replied with a light laugh and then flipped open the black book in her hand.
The pages of the book kept turning, seemingly endless; thousands of pages turned in the blink of an eye, yet the thickness on either side didn’t seem to increase at all.
This was the Book of Life and Death, and also a carrier for Cui Jue’s Dao Fruit, a Fifth Grade Daoist Artifact.
For the time being, the Book of Life and Death was still linked to Great Zhou’s household registration, inside of which were the names of all Great Zhou’s subjects, including nobles. If someone died, the related information would manifest immediately in the book, allowing the holder to confirm the situation.
This greatly facilitated the Yin Law Department’s grasp of the situation of Great Zhou’s subjects, effectively serving the function of a Life Lamp.
"The essence of the Book of Life and Death still lies in Great Zhou’s household registration, which records everyone’s horoscope, and if members of the Royal Family or the Yin Law Department wish to perform Divination on relevant persons, they can simply extract from the household registration or take the Book of Life and Death to do so, eliminating the need for a medium, and so..."
With a gentle swipe, Tianxuan erased a name, "Better erase it."
Jiang Li immediately felt as though he had freed himself from some invisible binding, and the Karma Collection refreshed with a line of text.
[Nameless in the Book of Life and Death, henceforth my own master, deepening the fusion progress of the Dao Fruit again.]
Killing Cui Jue and then Su Li brought Jiang Li considerable benefits. Encountering further fusion of the Dao Fruit, Jiang Li felt the Pure Yang Qi within him strengthen, vital energies surged, and his Dao Fruit abilities became more integrated.
Pure Yang Qi circulated throughout his meridians and suddenly seemed to draw out a strand of Qi, detecting a wisp of Yin Qi. The two interacted with each other, causing a faint fluctuation of Qi Mechanism.
Jiang Li’s gaze shifted slightly, meeting a pair of eyes as bright as the full moon, then his eyelids dropped subtly, avoiding the gaze.