Seeking Truth with a Sword

Chapter 721 - 651: Betrayal

He Siping’s action of standing next to Li Shan caught everyone in the hall by surprise. Prince Xu pointed at He Siping with shaking hands, stammering, "You, what are you talking about?"

"If I’m not mistaken," He Siping disregarded Prince Xu and continued speaking to Li Si, "when His Majesty gave the Jade Pendant to the Crown Prince, he must have solemnly instructed never to transfer, lose, or misplace it. Unfortunately, Your Highness, you couldn’t hold on until the end and were disturbed by external factors."

By this point, even the slowest to catch on realized something was amiss. A princess trembled as she shouted, "He Siping, are you committing treason?"

"I have never considered myself a person of Yu Country; how can there be talk of chaos?" He Siping smiled and shook his head, completely ignoring the fact that his ancestors were all commoners from Guanzhong.

"...Li Shan," Li Si slowly turned his head to look at his brother—who was supposed to be his closest trusted subordinate, friend, and confidant—and felt betrayed. His voice hoarse, he asked, "You too?"

Silence pervaded Zichen Palace. Li Si clenched and unclenched his fists, overcome with a bitterness beyond words. Suddenly, he understood everything.

Li Shan, in charge of the ironway operations, could easily bypass restrictions by City Gate Guards and other entities, smuggling people from Taihao Mountain into the city to lie in wait. And He Siping, as the promising East Palace Middle Officer, a Minister of Dragon, had access to a wealth of secrets, secretly aiding Gong Jinghao and others. Gong Jinghao’s earlier raid on the palace, the coercion, and even the killing of princes and princesses, were all a play staged for Li Si’s benefit—all to seize the Ink Jade left by Lian Xuanyao.

CLANG— Yan Lin, who had kept silent all this while, suddenly erupted. He placed his sword across the neck of a woman in palace attire, pulling her quickly back while sternly warning, "Don’t move! Or I’ll kill her!"

The sword’s edge gently cut into her jade-white neck, and blood immediately seeped out. However, Wu Guifei, the beautiful concubine—or rather, Li Shan’s mother—showed no fear, only looking at her son with immense satisfaction.

"Sigh." He Siping sighed softly, slightly raising his hand.

HUM! A tile on the roof of Zicheng Hall, without any warning, eroded into a tiny round hole. The purest Haotian Divine Light descended from the heavens, pouring through the hole and forming a thread-like beam. This beam instantly pierced through the top of Yan Lin’s head, leaving a similar tiny hole on the surface of his skull.

Candle Cloud! Not only had He Siping secretly cultivated the Haotian Divine Technique without anyone’s knowledge, but he had also reached the Candle Cloud Realm.

"Heh..." Before Yan Lin could utter the sound brewing in his throat, his eyes went dull and listless. His hand loosened, the longsword dropped, and his body collapsed backward onto the floor, blood heated to a boil pouring continuously from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

The stench of blood spread across the floor, seeping into the tile crevices. Suddenly, the entire palace floor lit up.

Not just Zichen Palace, but also the Administration Hall, Han Yuan Hall, and Yanying Hall glowed with light, one by one, as if stones striking a pond had caused ripples to spread outward.

The dazzling light also dispersed the shroud of blood mist, clearing the sky over the Great Ming Palace and revealing dragon shapes weaving through the clouds.

"There’s been a change at the Imperial City." He Siping squinted, immediately realizing a complication had arisen in the direction of the Secretariat, causing the link between the Spiritual Energy of the two places to be re-established and gradually awakening the Prohibitions of the entire Great Ming Palace.

Fortunately, with the Ink Jade in hand, the minimum objective has been achieved. He Siping waved his hand, scattering Haotian Divine Light that transformed into Light Sabers, piercing the hearts of his former colleagues who were closing in. Then, with a backhanded gesture, he summoned a fierce wind that pushed Wu Guifei and Li Si next to Li Shan.

Li Si tried to resist but was immediately hit by four beams of Radiance in his collarbone and ribs, Sealing his Qi Sea.

"The people from the Academic Palace may arrive at any moment. Take the Crown Prince away first, and proceed as planned," He Siping briefly instructed. Li Shan nodded, turning to wave at the Sky Dome.

The Azure Dragon in the high sky slowly approached, its tail descending to rest in front of Zichen Palace. Chains and shackles were already attached to the Dragon’s tail. Li Shan pushed the Crown Prince into the shackles and then, with his mother, climbed onto the Dragon’s back, patting its Dragon Scales.

The Azure Dragon affectionately grunted, lifting the three of them into the air and flying off to the south.

"Phew." He Siping heaved a sigh of relief. What a pity. The Dragon bred by Li Shan is proud by nature and only recognizes Li Shan himself, unwilling to carry unrelated people. Managing to take Wu Guifei and Li Si was already pushing its limits. Otherwise, I could have taken more imperial successors as hostages. I’ll have to do it myself.

He turned to look at the pale-faced princes and princesses in the hall, his gaze finally resting on the youngest few.

Since they’re all hostages, naturally, the younger they are, the more convenient they are to hold.

"Princess Guanghua, please..."

His words were abruptly interrupted by a sharp cry, like the chirping of birds, as Chai Cuiqiao suddenly raised her hand. Hundreds of talismans flew from her sleeves, slapping towards He Siping’s face.

These talismans, made by Li Ang with top-quality materials, were of various designs and specialized for Chai Cuiqiao’s protection. At this moment, they exploded in one go, instantly sparking a dazzling array of colors too bright for the eyes to bear.

"Go now!" Chai Cuiqiao shouted. Under the effect of a Wind Talisman, she took off with Li Leqing and Princess Guanghua, flying toward the rift in the dome of Zichen Palace.

BOOM!! Haotian Divine Light descended from the heavens, blocking Chai Cuiqiao’s path.

"Trying to escape?" He Siping’s eyes were slightly red, his face somewhat gray with remnants of burn marks. He said coldly, "If these talismans had been detonated by your master himself, you might have stood a chance. Unfortunately, you lack knowledge and skill. You didn’t unleash the full power of the talismans."

Accompanied by extra emphasis on the word "power," he clenched his fist. Haotian Divine Light slammed the three back to the ground, the sound of bones breaking clearly audible.

"He Siping!" A roar echoed through the heavens. He Siping’s expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he turned to face the south, raising his arms crossed in front of him. Haotian Divine Light layered upon itself, constructing a seven-layered shield, ornate and sturdy.

CLANG— A Flying Sword pierced through the sky, drilling into the shield with such speed it seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

The cacophony of clashing gold and iron was deafening. He Siping was pushed back by the tremendous force; six of the seven layers of the shield shattered, leaving only the last layer barely holding.

Looking in the direction from which the Longsword had come, He Fanshuang could be seen standing on the roof of Qifeng Pavilion in the distance, veins bulging on her forehead, her eyes nearly splitting with rage.

With a powerful stomp, the palace roof exploded. She, like an arrow released from a bow, burst into Zichen Palace and closed in on He Siping.

Without any questioning or negotiation, He Fanshuang punched the sword hilt, driving the Longsword through the last layer of the shield. Using the Sword as a medium, she poured out Sword Qi.

BUZZ BUZZ— Sword Qi rampantly crisscrossed, making the already dilapidated great hall even more ruinous.

Within the swirling cloud of dust, He Fanshuang’s eyes were bloodshot as she held the Sword against her brother’s neck and growled, "Why?!"