How was it done?
In the desolate courtyard, quiet under the autumn sky, on the second floor of an ancient building that had stood battered but unbowed through six hundred years of wind and rain,
Zhao Douan and Xu Zhenguan stood facing each other, rely a step apart.
A beam of sunlight, filtering through a break in the clouds, happened to settle right between them.
Through the central axis of the armory, the wide-open double doors divided the stone tablet within the room, bisecting it and the world in two.
"Your Majesty... please quell your anger."
Zhao Douan, feeling the gentle yet oppressive weight of a sword's edge on his shoulder, t her gaze sincerely and earnestly, making no attempt to dodge or hide, his deanor open and selfless.
At this distance, with a flick of her wrist, Xu Zhenguan could easily decapitate him with the sharp Taia Sword.
Perhaps, by the ti his head fell to the ground, there wouldn't be a drop of blood on the blade.
But...
As an Empress of the "Fake Celestial" realm, if she truly wished to take his head, why would she bother with a sword?
At this mont, Zhao Douan was possessed by the spirit of a shadow emperor.
First, he spoke these words respectfully to the Empress, and then he leisurely recounted the prepared script he had:
"Today, without Your Majesty's permission, I rashly ddled with a Divine Artifact... this is my first cri."
"Assuming the identity of a Tributor of the Imperial Family, I trespassed in the arena, attempting to emulate the late Emperor's era, yet provoked the Heavenly Master to intervene... this is my second cri."
"I committed the heinous act of deceiving the Emperor, securing treasures of the Imperial Dynasty without promptly reporting them... this is my third cri."
Zhao Douan articulated each word clearly, confessing his faults before he was held to account by the Empress.
Then, slowly lifting his hand, he used two fingers to lightly grasp the sword blade pressing down on his shoulder, not to push it away, but instead, drew it closer to his neck, and spoke bitterly:
"I am fully aware of my grievous mistakes, Your Majesty, and I will have no complaints about how you choose to punish .
This head upon my shoulders, had Your Majesty not favored in the past, would have been lost when chasing Zhuang Xiaocheng, and my present glory is all thanks to Your Majesty's grace. If Your Majesty wishes to take it back now, I am ready to offer it up."
Saying this, he closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate as if ready to face death without flinching.
"..."
Xu Zhenguan didn't move her sword-holding hand, her face betraying a hint of exasperated irritation beneath its forced dignity, unwilling to truly execute him.
After a mont of silence, Zhao Douan, who had closed his eyes ready to face death, suddenly felt the pressure on his shoulder lift, accompanied by the Empress's voice, seemingly amused despite her anger:
"What a grand gesture of accepting death. Do you really see as the kind of tyrant who would wantonly kill her loyal servants?!"
Whew... the first hurdle is passed...
Zhao Douan silently sighed in relief, internally applauding his own tactics, and hurriedly opened his eyes.
He saw the Empress turn away, standing poised facing the distant layers of the armory buildings, leaving him with the view of her cold, aloof profile.
The Taia Sword, an invaluable artifact of the Royal Family, was now casually thrust half an inch into the ground, as if it were just a worthless piece of scrap tal.
"I dare not, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Douan bowed deeply.
His mind flashed through scenes from television dramas, where officials would prostrate themselves fully on the ground, but as the Great Yu Dynasty had no such custom of kneeling, he refrained.
"Dare not? I find 'daring' to be quite an understatent for you."
Xu Zhenguan's gaze turned frosty, a cold smile playing at her lips:
"Just now I asked you a question, and you dared not to answer. Instead, you tried to force my hand with the threat of your death. I'm curious, who taught you this? Surely not Sun Lianying? Or Yuann Li?"
The two who were unjustly implicated in so unknown corner suddenly shuddered...
Zhao Douan humbly bowed:
"Your Majesty, I was just answering your question."
Xu Zhenguan paused, frowning slightly:
"What do you an... You're referring to deceiving the Emperor, securing treasures without presenting them?"
She suddenly rembered the third admission of guilt he had recited earlier.
"Your Majesty is wise," Zhao Douan replied:
"Before today, I had never touched the Taia Sword, let alone summoned it at will. The fact that I could do so relied entirely on a treasure."
A treasure?
What do I not know of that could... Xu Zhenguan's mind was rife with confusion:
"What treasure? Where is it?"
"It lies within ," Zhao Douan said, pointing to his lower abdon.
"Absurd talk..."
Xu Zhenguan's eyes flicked toward his waist, a flush of embarrassnt crossing her fair face for a heartbeat before realizing her misunderstanding, now filled with shock and confusion:
"Are you talking about the Qi Sea in your Dantian?"
"Exactly!" Zhao Douan didn't beat around the bush:
"I humbly request that Your Majesty, with your profound cultivation, establish a barrier to isolate us, to prevent anyone from spying on any disturbances here. I will then present the treasure for Your Majesty to see, and all will beco clear."
"... Granted."
Though Xu Zhenguan found the request odd, her curiosity was too piqued.
With a wave of her hand, a small seal flew to the rooftop.
As it gently spun, it cast down an invisible barrier, isolating the entire courtyard.
Ensuring that, no matter how great the commotion here, it would not be heard from outside.
Zhao Douan, seeing enough groundwork laid, slapped his Dantian forcefully and exhaled deeply!
Boom!
In that mont, a flash of golden light appeared in his Qi Sea, and from within the liquid True Qi, the dormant Dragon Essence awakened and was audibly expelled from his mouth.
The half-foot-long, ethereal, dragon-shaped "god" appeared, and imdiately, dark clouds gathered above the small courtyard, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder.
The illusory golden dragon let out a majestic roar, swiftly soaring, circling around the top of the building!
In an instant, fierce winds roared, and within the armory building, all five floors, five images on stone walls, flickered with a responding glow.
For the first ti, a look of shock and dismay crossed Xu Zhenguan's otherwise calm and dignified face!
Unable to maintain her imperial composure, she gripped the railing, craned her slender neck, and her phoenix eyes widened, fixated on the circling illusory dragon in the sky.
In disbelief, she exclaid, "Dragon Essence?!"
The legendary Dragon Essence left by the Grand Ancestor Emperor from his lifetis of cultivation!
The very sa Dragon Essence that every ruler of the Great Yu Royal Family, throughout the ages, had sought after!
The sa Dragon Essence she had turned the Imperial Palace upside down searching for, sensing its presence repeatedly yet never finding!
Without the need for further discernnt, with her level of cultivation, she could tell from a re glance and a profound sense of connection, the origin of this entity.
"This... is this the treasure you spoke of?!"
Xu Zhenguan stood in the wind, suddenly turned her head, and stared at Zhao Douan in disbelief.
Mr. Zhao wore an innocent expression,
"Your Majesty, I also wasn't very clear about what this thing is, but it seems to be a rather valuable treasure, I guess."
Valuable treasure? Haha!
Xu Zhenguan almost laughed in irritation. The Dragon Essence itself wasn't particularly powerful, and it might not be considered precious to those outside the Xu Imperial Dynasty.
But for the Imperial Family, how could it be simply described with the words "valuable treasure"?
In her view, this was an artifact left by the Grand Ancestor Emperor, far more important than the Taia Sword.
At that mont, she was extrely relieved that she had arranged a powerful barrier earlier. Otherwise, the ergence of the Dragon Essence would have definitely attracted the attention of Zhang Yan Yi and Master Xuan Yin.
Yet, even so, she urged him,
"Put it away!"
Zhao Douan was stunned for a mont, then said earnestly,
"I dare not. It should rightfully be returned to its original owner. It would be best if Your Majesty put it away."
Xu Zhenguan had a stern face and a dangerous gaze,
"I'm telling you to put it away, talk again after."
It was as if a little person inside the Empress was roaring in fury.
Hadn't she tried? But when she subtly reached out several tis earlier, the Dragon Essence would not even glance her way.
"Oh... okay."
Zhao Douan nodded obediently, opened his mouth as if to swallow, and at that mont, the swirling Dragon Essence turned into a stream of golden light and entered his mouth, settling back into the Qi Sea within.
Simultaneously, Zhao Douan turned pale.
With such an entrance, the restored vital energy in his dantian was devoured by the Dragon Essence, nearly ninety percent of it, before it reluctantly coiled up and fell into slumber.
This truly wasn't a weapon he, as a lowly cultivator in the Divine Chapter Realm, could wield casually.
Zhao Douan suspected that even if he were fully prepared and summoned this thing to aid in battle, he wouldn't last more than ten seconds before being sucked dry into a husk.
This further solidified his intention to offer it up to the Empress
—because not only did he need to provide a reasonable explanation today, but also because, after advancing to the Divine Chapter Realm, he clearly sensed that, beneficial as it may be, the artifact was not without its dangers.
It wasn't that the Dragon Essence was harmful to him, but rather it was a "Gold Devouring Beast," sothing entirely beyond his current ability to control.
Instead, it could bring trouble.
In the Jizhao Temple that day, the white statue of the Bodhisattva seed to have perceived sothing amiss.
Therefore, after much deliberation, he decided to present the Dragon Essence, in exchange for greater trust from the Empress.
And as the Dragon Essence fell into slumber, the clouds above dissipated into nothingness.
All around fell back into silence as if everything that had just happened was an illusion, the only exception being the barrier that remained.
"Your Majesty?"
At this mont, Zhao Douan noticed the Empress's piercing gaze, which seed a bit frightening.
He couldn't help but step back, feeling an ominous threat much like a respectable lady being eyed by a libertine young master.
The fairy-like Empress took a deep breath, as if to calm her turbulent emotions.
After a long ti, Xu Zhenguan cald down and stared deeply at the traitorous official before her, saying,
"I need an explanation."
Zhao Douan imdiately began to explain.
In his story, it was his own cultivation of the Martial God Map that gradually deepened, with the depiction of the Grand Ancestor Emperor becoming increasingly vivid.
Especially last ti, after spending a night with the Empress in the Primordial Ancestor Temple within the palace, he woke up noticing sothing different.
But at the ti, thinking it was rely progress in his cultivation, he didn't give it much thought.
Until a few days ago during his ditation, in the "small town below the green mountain," the Grand Ancestor Emperor spoke to him, revealing the Dragon Essence, and said that he would give him the Taia Sword and teach him "how to open the heavens."
Upon waking, he had entered the Divine Chapter Realm and found this item in his Qi Sea...
Well, this explanation was half true and half false, hiding the matter of the secret passage beneath the Primordial Ancestor Temple.
Mainly because it was sothing that couldn't be spoken of—if he did, it would an that Zhao Douan had concealed the Dragon Essence instead of offering it up, and that would have been a real betrayal of the Empress.
"So, the Grand Ancestor Emperor said those words at the end of the Martial God Map and presented you with the Taia?"
Xu Zhenguan listened quietly and expressionlessly inquired.
"Yes," Zhao Douan nodded, then added hastily,
"However, I refused sternly at the ti, the Taia Sword is the Imperial Family's treasure. How could I, an outsider, dare to covet it?"
Xu Zhenguan stared fixedly at him and suddenly asked,
"In the beginning, when you first started practicing the Martial God Map, how far were you from the mountain's peak? Mr. Hai said you weren't far from the foot of the mountain. You lied at that ti, didn't you?"
Zhao Douan felt enormous pressure under her gaze, bracing himself,
"I did indeed conceal more from Eunuch Hai."
Yes, he admitted to withholding information from the old eunuch but not from the Empress.
Xu Zhenguan was not surprised, and continued,
"I expected as much, for you to have such fate, you must possess extraordinary talent. So, how far exactly were you from the summit that day? Did you make it halfway up the mountain?"
Entry into the Martial God Map, the closer one's starting point to the peak, the higher the compatibility with the "Martial God."
The Empress herself began at the halfway point, which was already a remarkable feat.
Zhao Douan hesitated, then honestly said, "More or less."
Xu Zhenguan, becoming displeased, "More or less how much? I want to hear the truth!"
Zhao Douan expressed difficulty, "A bit higher than halfway up."
Xu Zhenguan clenched her fists inside her sleeves, feeling a sense of being outdone, but fortunately, this fellow was still at a level comparable to hers,
"How much higher?"
"A section higher."
"And how high is 'a section'?"
"About... right on the mountaintop."
"..."
"..."
In the distance.
In the courtyard of the armory, the old eunuch in a python robe sat in a rocking chair, glancing towards the depths, sensing that nearly invisible barrier.
He muttered softly,
"Young man, what words are still being kept from others."
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