The emperor’s study, Borderless Heavenly Capital:
Gu Hai sat behind his desk and looked at Shangguan Hen standing respectfully before him.
“Your Reverence, are you saying Ao Shun is not the only spy?” Shangguan Hen’s expression changed.
Gu Hai nodded gently. “Hah! We were wrong earlier. All eight of you are our most trusted men. How could you have betrayed us? Now that the truth has come to light, I am certain. It is not that someone betrayed me, but their souls got exchanged. There is no betrayal.”
“It is not Ao Shun alone? Why do you think there is more?” Shangguan Hen asked in confusion.
“Because Ao Shun was not involved in the attempted assassination of Gu Qin and Meng Tai at the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s headquarters. We sent someone to investigate. Ao Shun was in his residence at that time,” Gu Hai said.
“Huh?” Shangguan Hen felt slightly startled. His face sank. “There’s in one more?”
“This person is extremely patient. When we used psychological warfare to pressure you eight at the Three Pure Ones Hall, Ao Sheng could not endure and exposed himself. However, the other spy remained patient. Such mental fortitude surprised us,” Gu Hai said gravely.
“That means it might be any one of us?” Shangguan Hen said with a frown.
Gu Hai nodded.
“Then…why did Your Reverence tell me? Why don’t you suspect me?” Shangguan Hen asked.
“You cultivate the Eight Nines Profound Technique. By the seventh set of nines, your three spiritual souls have already merged with your physical body. There is no way to remove your spiritual souls,” Gu Hai said indifferently.
“Yes! Many thanks for Your Reverence’s trust.” Shangguan Hen inwardly released his bated breath.
“But who could it be among the rest? Does Your Reverence have any idea?” Shangguan Hen asked.
Gu Hai thought for a while before nodding. “I have a guess, but I’m uncertain. That’s why I need you to work with me to investigate.”
“Oh? Who?” Shangguan Hen said in shock.
“Gu Qin!” Gu Hai frowned.
“His Highness the Crown Prince?” Shangguan Hen felt slightly startled.
Gu Hai nodded.
“This official had considered Kong Xuan and Lord Mo. How could it be His Highness the Crown Prince? His Highness was the target of the previous assassination, and he nearly died!” Shangguan Hen said in shock.
“Gao Xianzhi and Ao Shun got injured on the recent military campaign—despite Ao Shun being the spy, right?” Gu Hai countered seriously.
“Huh? However, back then…,” Shangguan Hen said in confusion.
“We thought about all the details. That day, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were sent away from that courtyard in the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s headquarters. Later on, someone laid a ritual array. Meng Tai? He rushed over from outside and did not have the time to plan this. At the very least, he did not have enough time to perfectly coordinate the spies among the officials outside and the situation inside,” Gu Hai explained.
“Meng Tai? Indeed, he did not expect Lord Mo and His Highness the Crown Prince to arrive suddenly, so he could not have planned it.”
“The commotion caused by the officials was well coordinated, which is why we suspect it was preplanned. So, who could have done such a thing?” Gu Hai looked at Shangguan Hen.
“Crown Prince Gu Qin or Lord Mo Yike. However, Mo Yike might not be entirely trustworthy,” Shangguan Hen said with a frown.
“We understand. Mo Yike said Chen Tianshan got someone to lure him out of his residence, preventing him from having an alibi. Qin Zibai does not count. Since we cannot prove his innocence, Mo Yike is a suspect. However, we questioned all the surrounding Embroidered Uniform Guards. Although they had left the courtyard, they still patrolled the surroundings. The Embroidered Uniform Guard’s headquarters is tightly guarded, after all. When the ritual array broke after the attack on Gu Qin and Meng Tai, no Embroidered Uniform Guard saw anyone leave. No one left. Although Meng Tai saw Mo Yike run, the Embroidered Uniform Guards did not see anyone. That means the assassin was still in the courtyard. However, Mo Yike flew in later on,” Gu Hai analyzed.
“Perhaps he used a special method to avoid detection?” Shangguan Hen suggested uncertainly.
“That is the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s headquarters. The headquarters. There should be many Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators. Could he hide from everyone?” Gu Hai asked seriously.
“But…but Crown Prince Gu Qin and Meng Tai both saw the assassin’s appearance. They both saw Mo Yike.”
“Have you forgotten? The Go Dao can use a ritual array to manifest a person for some time. The music Dao can do the same. Although the music Dao laws no longer exist, the music Dao can do the same as the Go Dao—use ritual arrays to manifest a person. Wasn’t there a ritual array outside that small courtyard?” Gu Hai analyzed.
“Ah? The ritual array outside the courtyard?” Shangguan Hen’s expression changed. “Could it have been a music Dao ritual array instead of a sound isolation ritual array? It was used to manifest something like a cloud beast?”
“We guess the same but are uncertain of the details. However, that is the general idea,” Gu Hai said.
“That is to say, Crown Prince Gu Qin first brought a black-robed person into the small courtyard before chasing away all the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Then he laid a music Dao ritual array around the courtyard and waited for Meng Tai to return. That black-robed person was not Lord Mo, just a pretense. Perhaps he killed that black-robed man after doing everything and stored the body in a spatial storage as a spatial storage item cannot store living things. This way, only Crown Prince Gu Qin remained. Finally, he used the music Dao ritual array to manifest a Mo Yike temporarily?” Shangguan Hen analyzed.
Gu Hai did not refute him.
“However, Your Reverence, Heaven has taken away the cultural cultivation laws. It would take many spirit stones and an incredibly complex ritual array to form an expert that could assassinate Meng Tai, right? Could Crown Prince Gu Qin do it in time?” Shangguan Hen analyzed.
“There is no need for too many spirit stones nor to go to that trouble. He just had to manifest a Gu Qin lying in blood and use the music Dao ritual array to change his appearance to look like Mo Yike. Showing Meng Tai all this would be sufficient,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Your Reverence, are you saying it was His Highness the Crown Prince who severely injured Meng Tai? It was all His Highness’s plot?” Shangguan Hen exclaimed in shock.
“We are still not sure. However, if it were as we analyzed, there should be another person’s souls in Gu Qin’s body, and this person is a music Dao expert with a deep understanding of Gu Qin,” Gu Hai said sullenly.
“Your Reverence, what should this official do?” Shangguan Hen asked, his face sinking.
“This is just our guesswork. Also, we need to find Gu Qin’s souls. Otherwise, he will be in grave danger if we startle the enemy,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Yes!”
“Of course, we have to take precautions. If there is a second spy, there could be a third. Don’t mention this matter to anyone after this. Pretend you know nothing,” Gu Hai instructed.
“Yes!” Shangguan Hen answered.
“Your Reverence, what does this official need to do?”
Martial Heaven City, the Wu Imperial Dynasty’s capital:
Sect Master Heavenly Access’s disciples escorted Six Fingers and Ao Sheng as they made a quick return.
The moment they entered the palace, many guards rushed out.
“You bastards, do you not even recognize me?” Six Fingers glared.
“Oh? It’s His Highness the Crown Prince’s trusted aide, Mister Six Fingers. Alright, withdraw!” an official said with a faint smile.
The surrounding guards immediately left.
“Lord Liu, what do you mean? Weren’t you always loyal to His Highness the Crown Prince?” Six Fingers asked coldly. This Lord Liu has always been a yes-man to me. Why is he like this to me today?
“Mister Six Fingers, please watch your words. This humble one is loyal to His Reverence alone and no one else,” Lord Liu said coldly.
“Oh?” Six Fingers’s face sank.
Long Sanqian brought many officials over to his side over the past year or so. These officials were already completely loyal to the crown prince. Why did this change?
“Lord Liu, I want to meet His Reverence! Hurry!” Ao Sheng yelled.
“Huh?” Lord Liu’s eyes narrowed.
“I am Ao Sheng, not Ao Shun. Just report to His Reverence,” Ao Sheng yelled.
Lord Liu frowned slightly but nodded and quickly went in to report.
Lord Liu soon returned. “His Reverence is holding the morning assembly. Just go straight in.”
“Alright.” Six Fingers nodded.
“We will return, then,” Sect Master Heavenly Access’s disciples said.
“Go ahead. We will return soon!” Ao Sheng nodded.
Sect Master Heavenly Access quickly left.
Then, Lord Liu led Ao Sheng and Six Fingers to the assembly hall.
When the two entered, an intense Corpse Energy met them.
Six Fingers’s expression suddenly changed upon seeing the Corpse Energy.
Ao Sheng goggled.
Long Shenwu sat on the throne, and all the civil and military officials before him had black auras.
“Your Reverence, they… Did you turn them into your zombie progeny?” Ao Sheng said in shock.
However, Six Fingers’s eyelids twitched wildly. All the officials became zombies?
Doesn’t this mean Long Sanqian’s efforts in gaining everyone’s support over the past year have been wasted? As zombies, their lives and deaths depend on Long Shenwu’s whim.
Long Shenwu sat on the throne as he smiled coldly at Six Fingers. “Mister Six Fingers, our beloved officials will only be loyal to us now. We already know what you have been doing over the past year or so.”
Six Fingers’s expression changed. “Your Reverence, His Highness the Crown Prince…”
“It doesn’t matter. We do not blame him,” Long Shenwu said indifferently.
After Long Shenwu turned everyone into his zombie progeny, Long Sanqian could not do much, even if he wanted to vie for power.
“Yes!” Six Fingers nodded as he showed a bitter smile.
“Your Reverence, I want to return to my body. Please help me!” Ao Sheng said anxiously.
“Gu Hai found you?”
“Yes.” Ao Sheng explained everything that happened in the Han Nation.
“Your body is in the prison. Mister Six Fingers will help you return to your body!” Long Shenwu nodded.
“Yes!”
Ao Sheng saw Ao Shun in the prison.
Right now, Ao Shun’s spiritual souls occupied Ao Sheng’s body. Ao Shun’s cultivation was sealed, and he was chained to the wall.
“Hah! Haha! Ao Sheng, you have returned? Where are my arms?” the chained Ao Shun snarled.
“Gu Hai chopped them off. Go find him if you want revenge. Humph!” Ao Sheng snorted coldly.
“Mister Six Fingers, my current armless body had its cultivation first sealed by Kong Xuan. Later on, the Mosquito Daoist changed it for his seal. You don’t have to worry about him escaping. Help me exchange bodies with Ao Shun now,” Ao Sheng said with anticipation.
“That’s fine. Master left behind a Soul Connecting String. Stand across each other,” Six Fingers instructed.
“Alright.”
Ao Sheng stood in front of Ao Shun.
Six Fingers took out a guqin with a long spike on each end. One spike stabbed into Ao Sheng’s forehead while the other stabbed into Ao Shun’s.
A taut string was on the guqin.
“Relax!” Six Finger slightly loosened the zither string.
Buzz!
The zither string suddenly trembled, producing a strange sound.
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
Ao Shun and Ao Sheng cried out, their faces distorted in pain. As they trembled, two clumps of blue light came out of their bodies, and each entered the other’s body.
Boom!
With a loud sound, the guqin exploded into powder.
The shock wave knocked Ao Shun’s armless body into the air. Ao Sheng’s chained body crashed into the wall.
With the sudden impacts, the two immediately returned to their senses.
The chained Ao Sheng’s eyes lit up. “Hah! Hahaha! I’ve returned. My spiritual souls have returned to my body. Hurry! Help me remove these chains and undo the seal.”
Rattle! Rattle! Rattle!
Six Fingers removed Ao Sheng’s chains and undid Ao Sheng’s seal.
Now, Ao Shun’s and Ao Sheng’s spiritual souls had returned to their rightful places.
When Ao Shun returned to his body, intense pain overwhelmed him from the loss of his arms.
“Ao Sheng!” Ao Shun looked at Ao Sheng in a rage.
“Men! Chain him!” Ao Sheng shouted coldly.
“Yes!”
Many guards immediately rushed over and chained Ao Shun. Although he did not have his arms and cultivation, they remained cautious.
“Ao Shun, you truly failed at life. Humph! Gu Hai simply does not care about your survival and even chopped off your arms. If not for Little Lin sacrificing himself to save me, your body would have completely turned to mush. Humph!” Ao Sheng said coldly.
“Little Lin died?” Ao Shun roared as his expression changed.
“Humph! I can’t be bothered to speak to you. His Reverence wants your body. You are about to become a corpse. Why waste time on you?” Ao Sheng left with Six Fingers.
“Don’t go! Tell me! How did Little Lin die? Why?!” Ao Shun roared.
“The Embroidered Uniform Guards killed him. It serves him right!” Ao Sheng said coldly as he stepped out of the prison cell.
“Don’t leave! Tell me why?! Ao Sheng! Ao Sheng!” Ao Shun roared in grief and rage.
No guard dared to approach.
Ao Shun roared for a while before finally leaning back bitterly on the wall.
Buzz!
Just then, a mosquito buzzed by his ear.
Incredibly upset, Ao Shun was in no mood to chase a mosquito away.
The mosquito landed in Ao Shun’s ear.
“Prime Ao, Little Lin is not dead. His Reverence only hid him. I am the Mosquito Daoist. His Reverence sent me to rescue you. I have brought your arms. His Reverence gave me a treasure to help you reattach them. Furthermore, I placed the seal on your body, so I can remove the seal immediately and let you out,” the mosquito buzzed into Ao Shun’s ear.
“Huh?” Ao Shun startled, his eyes opening wide.
“Don’t appear too shocked. I’ll remove your seal first. After I reattach your arms, charge out with me,” the Mosquito Daoist said seriously.
“No. Don’t,” Ao Shun said softly.
“Huh? What’s wrong?” the Mosquito Daoist asked in surprise.
You can escape, but you don’t want to?
“Besides me, there’s also His Highness the Crown Prince. The crown prince’s souls were exchanged too. Long Sanqian did it. Find the crown prince’s souls first. Otherwise, His Highness’s souls will be in trouble when the enemy notices,” Ao Shun said anxiously.
“Ah?” The Mosquito Daoist’s expression changed.
