novelraw Chapter 308 : Glowering Coldly at a Thousand Accusing Fingers
Chapter 308 : Glowering Coldly at a Thousand Accusing Fingers
Chapter 308: Glowering Coldly at a Thousand Accusing Fingers
Within the Imperial Capital, inside the Imperial Pool.
Through Spiritual Vision and Spiritual Hearing, every word spoken and every action taken by Qin Xuanxiao was completely seen and heard by Chu Huaixu.
Many things suddenly connected together.
He was not a fool—anyone with even a bit of intelligence could guess that this was the handiwork of the Ancestor Emperor, and could infer his purpose in doing all this.
What Chu Huaixu had not expected, however, was that the Founding Emperor—who had been heroic for a lifetime and left countless legends in the Xuanhuang Realm—would resort to such methods.
It seemed that, in his eyes, the dignity of Moon Country was not important.
The turmoil this matter would stir up afterward, the people who would die, and the chain of consequences between the two nations—none of it mattered.
Yet, upon careful thought, for a man who had achieved the founding of a nation… could such things truly matter?
Or rather, for a “ghost” who had already been dead for several hundred years yet sought to return to life, what in this world could possibly be important?
“What he wants is perhaps merely an 【identity】.”
“Through Qin Xuanxiao, through Old Niu, he wants everyone to know that I, Chu Huaixu, am a man of Moon Country.”
If he truly succeeded in Possession, then within this body would naturally reside the Divine Sense of the Sovereign Emperor.
For a person of Mirror Country to gain immense benefits within the Imperial Pool—甚至 absorbing the Divine Sense of the Sovereign Emperor, along with a portion of Moon Country’s national fate contained within the formation—this was inherently unreasonable.
If it were only the Divine Sense of the Sovereign Emperor, it might still be forcefully explained.
But if a few strands of national fate were added on top of that, it would essentially become irrefutable proof.
As long as there was a superficially reasonable 【identity】, that was enough.
After Possession, the Ancestor Emperor could naturally control this body and then declare to the outside world that he was willing to remain in Moon Country.
What could the Dao Gate do if they refused to release him? What could even the entire Eastern Continent do?
As long as things appeared justified on the surface, Moon Country could act accordingly and forcibly keep him.
Admittedly, in terms of overall strength, the Eastern Continent was slightly superior to the Western Continent.
But this, after all, was the Imperial Capital of Moon Country!
“What I need is merely time.”
“Through 《Bridal Garment》, the two strands of Origin Power, and the many contingencies I have left behind—”
“It will not take long before I recover my cultivation at the Ninth Realm Perfection.”
“And at that time, I may even touch upon the legendary realm above the Ninth Realm!”
He would still be the number one person under heaven!
Still the strongest in the world! Still invincible beneath the heavens!
Under the backdrop of the approaching Heaven-and-Earth Calamity, everyone would have no choice but to unite under him.
At that point, what did acts like Possession matter? Even if exposed, so what?
— I am the grand scheme!
Aside from this, the Ancestor Emperor truly needed Chu Huaixu to have even a fleeting moment of mental instability.
“This child’s mind is far too steady.”
“He does not feel fear at all!”
Others might think Chu Huaixu possessed exceptional mental fortitude, but with the Ancestor Emperor’s discernment, he could see that the boy’s Sword Intent was somewhat unusual.
“Coupled with that special power seated within his Sea of Consciousness, and the Dao Seal bestowed by the Dao Ancestor…”
“Without an opening to exploit, this is truly troublesome!”
“What I want is perfect Possession!”
Before this, the Ancestor Emperor had already believed he was giving him high regard, yet even with so many preparations, he had still underestimated him.
Even now, Chu Huaixu’s mind remained steady.
The Ancestor Emperor knew he was not afraid of his identity being exposed.
If Chu Huaixu feared that, he would not have acted so fearlessly before Qin Xuanxiao back then.
But it did not matter.
The real show had only just begun.
“Mu Bingjiu, before you now lie two paths. You have two choices.”
“But no matter which one you choose, Chu Huaixu will undoubtedly die today!”
At the Martial Arena, all eyes converged upon Niu Yuanshan.
Those who did not know him only saw a man with a standard square face, thick brows, and big eyes—an upright and honest appearance that gave off a sense of reliability.
Just by his looks and bearing alone, he seemed almost perfectly suited to being a spy.
“Who is this guy?”
“I see an Steward’s waist token hanging from him.”
“Truly, appearances can deceive. He looks quite proper.”
“Hah, he’s got the face of a good old man.”
People from the Eastern Continent naturally held no goodwill toward such hidden spies, inwardly cursing and wishing to kill him immediately.
As for the people of Moon Country in the Western Continent, they could not understand why His Highness the Heir of Prince would suddenly bring such a dark matter into the open, and at such a timing.
Wasn’t this making it known to the entire world?
Although planting spies was nothing unusual, once exposed publicly, people of the Eastern Continent would inevitably mock them for underhanded tactics.
Thus, even the people of Moon Country did not look kindly upon Niu Yuanshan, speculating whether something had gone wrong with these spies—something serious enough that the Royal Family had no choice but to act this way.
And yet, the ones whose hearts truly collapsed were the members of the Dao Gate.
“Niu Yuanshan?”
“How could it be Niu Yuanshan!”
Chu Yinyin, who rarely involved herself in sect affairs, was utterly shocked.
Nangong Yue appeared much calmer, though her brows still furrowed slightly.
As for the Dao Gate disciples, they found it even more unbelievable.
“Steward Niu!” many could not help but cry out.
The rules of the Dao Gate differed from some other sects—no matter how talented a disciple was, they all had to begin as outer disciples and advance inward through merit, without exception.
Which meant that every Dao Gate disciple present was quite familiar with Niu Yuanshan.
In everyone’s memory, he was truly a Willing Ox of the Dao Gate.
All the dirty and tiring work fell upon him; he treated every disciple with warmth and kindness, working diligently year after year without change.
Whenever someone encountered a problem and needed to report to the outer management, most people’s first instinct was to seek Steward Niu.
—Reliable, steady, easy to approach.
If one were to ask which person in the outer management they respected most—
The first place would undoubtedly be Niu Yuanshan!
He treated the sect’s disciples like juniors, and they treated him like an elder.
Thus, when he slowly rose to his feet, many people even felt:
“What kind of joke is this?”
As Old Niu stood up, his expression remained unchanged.
There was not much surprise in his heart.
He did not even know what he would face next.
Yet, his heart was incomparably calm.
Perhaps it was due to years of training within 【The Organization】, or perhaps for other reasons?
Niu Yuanshan even felt a sense of relief, as if his entire life had been waiting for this very moment.
But when the cries of the Dao Gate disciples came from behind him, when those disbelieving shouts of “Steward Niu” reached his ears, the expression on his aged face changed for the first time—and his eyes shifted instantly.
As mentioned before, Old Niu could call out the name of nearly every outer disciple.
So much so that, just by listening to the voices behind him, he could identify who was speaking, and their faces would appear in his mind.
Each voice was like a blade.
Strangely, at this moment, no one was even accusing or cursing him aloud.
Yet it was precisely these disbelieving voices that felt like knives!
They were slicing Mu Bingjiu into a thousand cuts.
Until the Steward beside him, Mo Qingmei, spoke in a trembling voice:
“Senior Brother Niu…”
Niu Yuanshan’s entire body trembled.
He did not even dare turn his head to look at her.
Such a good woman—so many years of affection.
Mu Bingjiu.
Are you worthy of it?
On the high platform, Qin Xuanxiao continued to act according to the instructions of the Divine Sense of the Sovereign Emperor.
“Mu Bingjiu, why are you standing there? Come up.” He looked down coldly from above.
Mu Bingjiu turned and began walking toward the platform.
“Senior Brother Niu!” Mo Qingmei called out again, her tone different from before, filled with foreboding.
But Mu Bingjiu’s steps did not pause in the slightest.
Only when he brushed past her did his Adam’s apple move slightly, as if words were stuck in his throat—yet in the end, he said nothing.
Even if he had uttered “I’m sorry,” those three words would have been far too light compared to her years of affection.
He walked onto the platform, standing where everyone could see him.
Qin Xuanxiao, like a puppet on strings, continued carrying out the Ancestor Emperor’s will.
But in truth, this heir of imperial lineage had long planted a seed in his heart—and now, he actually felt a sense of pleasure.
“You dog slave, do you know the gravity of your sins?”
“Kneel.”
Mu Bingjiu felt no ripples in his heart upon hearing these words.
There was neither humiliation nor anger.
He had been raised within 【The Organization】 as a death soldier. His life had been given by the Royal Family—he was nothing more than a hound of the court.
A servant kneeling before his master—this was only natural.
When Qin Xuanxiao had come to the Dao Gate, he had already paid his respects.
And on that day, he had even felt excitement and fervor in his heart.
At this moment, he was Mu Bingjiu.
Mu Bingjiu could kneel.
Mu Bingjiu should kneel.
Even if he now stood before tens of thousands, even if countless gazes were fixed upon him.
Those of 【The Organization】 had carved the word loyalty into their very bones.
Mu Bingjiu was, after all, a cultivator at the Third Realm Perfection.
His five senses were far sharper than ordinary people.
Standing on the platform, he could still hear the discussions below.
Among them were curses, contempt, disgust…
To call it being pointed at by a thousand people was already an understatement.
Yet on his thick-browed, big-eyed face, there was only calm.
After leaving the Dao Gate’s ranks, with each step he took toward the platform, his heart grew calmer.
The face remained the same, yet his demeanor and aura had changed.
It was as if he had once again become the rising talent within 【The Organization】.
Indifferent. Cold.
Even when accused by thousands, he responded with the same cold detachment.
Mu Bingjiu turned to face Qin Xuanxiao. Hearing the command to kneel, he replied, “Yes.”
But before kneeling, he suddenly froze for a moment.
Then, he raised his right hand and forcefully tore off the Steward’s waist token hanging at his side.
Holding it with both hands, he turned toward where Nangong Yue and Chu Yinyin were seated.
Then, channeling the Spiritual Energy within his body, he let it slowly float toward Elder Nangong.
Mu Bingjiu could kneel. Mu Bingjiu should kneel.
But Niu Yuanshan could not—and should not.
After doing all this, Mu Bingjiu finally bent both knees and knelt heavily to the ground.