Chapter 508 - 285: Ghost Emperor’s Secret (2)
Chapter 508: Chapter 285: Ghost Emperor’s Secret (2)
"I remember, on that day outside Celestial Secret Valley at Luochun Manor, you told me that the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns couldn’t move; they have another battlefield altogether.
"Any rash action could possibly stir a torrential blood rain...
"Let me ask you, does the Profound Emperor’s current stir have anything to do with this?"
"Yes... and no."
You Zong continued scratching his head:
"What you said is too significant. In fact, any slight movement by the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns nowadays is related to that matter.
"However, this disappearance of the Profound Emperor is indeed tied to a crucial issue.
"It concerns... a life."
"The Ghost Emperor?"
Chu Qing suddenly looked up.
You Zong was also stunned:
"How do you know?"
"The Ghost Emperor is dying..."
Chu Qing said silently:
"So the Profound Emperor hasn’t gone missing after all. He may very well be in the Southern Domain now?
"Is he in the South Ridge, or in Lingbei?"
"..."
You Zong’s forehead veins throbbed:
"How do you know something happened to the Ghost Emperor?"
Chu Qing saw his anxiety and did not hide it, explaining how Prince Mu sought him and what Prince Qi had arranged in Blazing Hall, explaining everything thoroughly.
You Zong grinned:
"Ah, I see, that explains it...
"Prince Mu indeed has a crafty plan.
"However, it seems that Prince Xue has a different opinion... otherwise, she wouldn’t have appeared before you so rashly.
"Initially, I was worried that killing Prince Xue was certainly a significant achievement for you.
"But the status of the Twelve Saint Kings of the Celestial Evil Cult is extraordinary. The death of Prince Xue would surely cause an uproar.
"It’s hard for you to remain unstained, yet I didn’t expect such entanglements behind it all.
"Perhaps, in the short term, your dangers will be intercepted by Prince Mu... because your value has increased.
"Yes, within a year’s time... you probably won’t be sought after again until you complete this wager. If you still refuse by then, the Celestial Evil Cult will certainly unleash a massive retaliation against you."
Chu Qing remained silent.
You Zong raised an eyebrow:
"Not afraid?"
"Not afraid."
Chu Qing spoke calmly:
"If they want to come, then let them come."
You Zong looked at Chu Qing and sighed long:
"Back in front of Celestial Secret Valley, I already admired your gallant spirit as a young hero.
"Hearing it again now, it naturally reminds me of the stories from my youth in the Martial World... Alas, the older I get in the Martial World, the more cautious I become.
"Time is no longer on my side."
"...Speaking of which, I have another question."
Chu Qing looked at You Zong:
"What are you doing at Ding’an Hall?"
"Grand Hall Master Wang Fang of Ding’an Hall has a questionable identity. The current situation of the Ghost Emperor is related to this person."
"Tell me more specifically."
Since Chu Qing was already informed, You Zong didn’t continue to hide it, but when it came time to speak, he hesitated:
"This matter can’t be explained in a few words...
"All you need to know is that Modo, the Ghost Emperor, despite the many rumors of darkness surrounding him, is a man, not a ghost, and is also a man of deep passion.
"He has had two wives in his lifetime..."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute..."
Chu Qing quickly waved his hand:
"A man of deep passion yet has two wives? If he weren’t passionate, wouldn’t he have a harem?"
"The Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns indeed."
You Zong gave Chu Qing a sidelong glance, thinking he was being naive:
"Although it isn’t like the Great Qian Dynasty of old, creating three palaces and six courts, having a harem is quite normal, isn’t it?
"Even among common merchants and wealthy families, having three wives and four concubines is common... let alone those who stand at the top of the Martial World and the nation?
"Of course, if you insist on calling someone deeply passionate, then Shang Qiuyu is the prime example. I’m telling you, Shang Qiuyu was willing to marry into his wife’s family just to marry her.
"After marriage, he was thoroughly controlled by her, even though he has world-shaking Martial Arts prowess, he couldn’t do a thing to his wife who knew nothing about martial arts.
"It’s truly laughable!"
"His wife... her last name wouldn’t be Shepherd, would it?"
Chu Qing asked the question unexpectedly.
You Zong didn’t realize the slip, instinctively asking:
"How do you know?"
So Shepherd Boy was indeed Shang Qiuyu’s daughter!!
Chu Qing hadn’t forgotten Shepherd Boy, who nearly got caught after stealing the Chaotic God Saber in Divine Blade City.
At that time, Chu Qing felt that Shepherd Boy’s identity was extraordinary; he later had several speculations.
He always felt this girl was likely the daughter of one of the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns.
But among the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns, none had the last name Shepherd... so his guess went unresolved.
However, no matter how much he wracked his brain, he couldn’t have imagined someone like Shang Qiuyu marrying into a family.
So, Shepherd Boy took her mother’s surname!
This... this is incredible.
You Zong didn’t realize he had divulged a secret, and seeing Chu Qing remain silent, he continued speaking about the Ghost Emperor:
"After his first wife died, he doted on his second wife increasingly.
"He thought with the Ghost Emperor’s protection, the two of them would live a long and loving life without mishap.
"But, fate is unpredictable, and trouble is unexpected.
"Someone wanted to deal with the Ghost Emperor, and failing to beat him, they targeted those around him.
"In a moment of carelessness, the Ghost Emperor’s second wife was abducted and ultimately thrown into an absolute land..."
"Thrown away? Into an absolute land?
"Just like that?"
Chu Qing furrowed his brows, considering the Ghost Emperor’s prowess; what kind of absolute land wouldn’t he walk through effortlessly?
"How is it just like that?"
You Zong sighed:
"Have you ever heard of the Abandoned God Valley?"
Chu Qing nodded slowly:
"It’s rumored that exceptional individuals have compiled a list of the world’s absolute lands. Currently, it stands as the ’Ten Abysmal, Nine Terrifying, Thirteen Astonishing,’ with Abandoned God Valley being the top of the Ten Abysmal!
"It’s the number one absolute land in the world!"
"You’re certainly precise in your words..."
You Zong blinked:
"You’re aware it’s the currently discovered? Yes, the world is vast, but human capabilities are limited; it’s impossible to discover every corner.
"The Abandoned God Valley is indeed the top absolute land among those discovered so far.
"Legend has it, this place is the Land of the Forsaken by the gods.
"Within the valley lies another world, but ordinary people cannot enter through normal means.
"Even the absolute array surrounding the Abandoned God Valley leaves everyone at a loss.
"Even if one’s Martial Arts prowess is unparalleled and capable of world destruction, it’s still difficult to break through by sheer force...
"In theory, throwing the Ghost Emperor’s wife into this place means she likely has died.
"But the Ghost Emperor couldn’t accept such an outcome, so he wanted to go to Abandoned God Valley to save her."
"So, he wants to break the array?"
Chu Qing frowned:
"But where would he get the method to break the array?"
"The Celestial Essence Chess Manual!"
You Zong said solemnly:
"There’s a rumor, though no one knows its origin, that if you can find the Celestial Essence Chess Manual, you can use ’a single move to Celestial Essence’ to break open the absolute array outside the Abandoned God Valley, thus entering the valley.
"This incident with the Ghost Emperor happened too abruptly; Shang Qiuyu thought there must be something strange about it and wanted to stop the Ghost Emperor from acting recklessly.
"However, by the time he took action, the Ghost Emperor was already searching for this Celestial Essence Chess Manual.
"Eventually, he obtained the chess manual from Ding’an Hall..."
"So he’s... at this moment, he should be in the Abandoned God Valley?"
"Normally, yes."
You Zong said:
"But outside the Abandoned God Valley, the Ghost Emperor is nowhere to be seen."
Chu Qing fell silent; the absence of the Ghost Emperor outside the Abandoned God Valley... Wang Fang had said he handed the Celestial Essence Chess Manual to the Ghost Emperor, and now You Zong’s statement aligns with that.
So it means there’s something wrong with the chess manual.
After obtaining this manual, the Ghost Emperor faced additional problems, preventing him from heading to the Abandoned God Valley.
Instead, he went elsewhere...
And considering Wang Fang’s suspicious identity and his ties to the Celestial Evil Cult.
This all reeks too much of conspiracy.
You Zong said seriously:
"The Ghost Emperor’s situation is strange; I dared not alert the enemy, so I secretly infiltrated here... trying to find some clues or traces.
"Speaking of which, why are you here?"
"I’ve come to kill Wang Fang."
Chu Qing replied nonchalantly.
"What!?"