novelraw Chapter 1044 - 580: Reporting to Your Majesty, the Rebel Xu Jingtang Has Died at Zhengyang Mountain!
Chapter 1044 - 580: Reporting to Your Majesty, the Rebel Xu Jingtang Has Died at Zhengyang Mountain!
Talking alone?
Zhao Douan was taken aback, suspiciously looking at Zhang, unsure of what he was up to.
Jin Jian and Yu Xiu also paused, reluctant to move, but since their master spoke, they had no choice but to follow Zhong Pan out, albeit reluctantly.
Once the three had left, only the old man and the young man were left in the hall.
Zhao Douan couldn’t pretend anymore, putting on a bold demeanor: "What does the Heavenly Master have to say that can’t be heard by others?"
He was a bit irritated. Although Zhang had helped him solve a big problem this time, being used like a tool wasn’t exactly pleasant.
Zhang Yan Yi looked at him meaningfully and suddenly said, "Do you know why I determined that Xu Jingtang would chase you relentlessly?"
This was a bug in the Old Heavenly Master’s plan, how to ensure that Xu Jingtang would keep pursuing Zhao Douan all the way to Zhengyang Mountain?
Zhao Douan couldn’t figure it out.
Zhao Douan thought for a moment and probed, "Because I am valuable enough, and I always gave him the illusion that he could catch up to me at any time?"
Unexpectedly, Zhang Yan Yi shook his head, his eyes filled with an intriguing look: "That’s possible, but more importantly, if I’m not mistaken, Xu Jingtang is determined to have you. To be precise, he’s determined to have your body."
No, what nonsense is this old man saying... don’t say such things... Zhao Douan tensed up, but then, a sudden flash of insight struck his mind.
Then, Zhang Yan Yi slowly uttered a shocking statement: "To make it clearer, he’s interested in the Dragon Essence within your body."
Buzz...
At this moment, Zhao Douan’s mind went blank, instinctively becoming highly alert, looking at Zhang Yan Yi with wary eyes.
Does this old fellow... know about the Dragon Essence within me? When did he find out? Or is he bluffing?!
Zhang Yan wasn’t supposed to know this secret. The matter of the Dragon Essence should only be known to him and the Empress!
A tingling sensation shot up his spine to his skull, and Zhao Douan almost instinctively controlled his facial expression, confusedly asking: "What does the Heavenly Master mean by this?"
Zhang Yan Yi chuckled, saying: "No need to play dumb in front of me, I have no reason to bluff a junior like you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it, anyway, the people of the world believe that when you summoned the Taia Sword back then, it was the Empress secretly assisting you, no one suspected the Dragon Essence."
Zhao Douan fell silent.
The Old Heavenly Master spoke with certainty, as if he knew long ago. But it shouldn’t be Zhenbao who told him, so when could it have been?
The most likely scenario is still during the Buddhist Tao competition back then, perhaps Zhang Yan Yi had seen through it at that time but pretended not to know.
After a brief silence, he said: "The Grand Ancestor Dragon Essence... I have heard slightly about it, but you must be mistaken, such a divine object should be in the hands of the Empress, not with me. But, senior means that Xu Jingtang mistakenly believes that thing is with me? So, he would rather abandon the Huai River, rather sacrifice his second son’s life, and still insist on capturing me?"
Haha, pretending... you go on pretending... Zhang Yan Yi did not expose him, only said lightly: "Under the blessing of the Divine, Xu Jingtang’s perception would be exponentially stronger."
He didn’t say everything, but the meaning within his words was as clear as day:
As a royal bloodline, Xu Jingtang must be aware of the Dragon Essence’s existence. After acquiring divine power, he could perceive the Grand Ancestor’s legacy sleeping within Zhao Douan’s Qi Sea.
Thus, he persisted in his pursuit... the Old Heavenly Master might have long guessed this and was sure that Zhao Douan could lure the Sorrow God to Zhengyang Mountain.
"Senior..." Zhao Douan questioned: "Putting aside why Xu Jingtang would mistakenly think the Dragon Essence is with me, why are you telling me this? Could you make it clearer?"
Zhang Yan Yi sighed softly, stood up, walked to the hall’s eaves with his hands behind his back, gazing at the scenery beyond the mountains, and calmly said: "No need to think too much, I’m just curious about the Great Yu Grand Ancestor of six hundred years ago, and if the Dragon Essence is not with you, then I guessed wrong. However, if it truly is with you, when you are genuinely facing a life-or-death situation, you probably won’t die with it, hehe... It is rumored that the Dragon Essence is the ’Martial God’ prototype the Great Yu Grand Ancestor spent his life crafting. If it has survived for hundreds of years without disappearing, its level shouldn’t be much weaker than a Divine, and if Xu Jingtang can harness the Sorrow God’s power, why couldn’t the one who houses the Dragon Essence do the same?"
Zhao Douan stared blankly at the old man’s back, deep in thought.
"Alright, now that Xu Jingtang is dead, and you’ve been on the run for several days, you’re probably eager to return to see the Empress. Zhengyang Mountain is a place of peace, I’ve already asked Zhengyang to prepare a room for you, rest here first, and after you’ve rested enough, I’ll send you back to Jingchuan City."
Zhang Yan Yi waved his hand: "As for the cost of the Old Master’s help this time..."
Zhao Douan sneered: "I risked my life to help you fish, you made a significant profit, didn’t you?"
Zhang Yan Yi fell silent, although he loved getting things for free, in his heart, he knew he had indeed profited from suppressing the Sorrow God this time.
Zhao Douan stepped out, just about to leave the courtyard, he suddenly paused, turned back, and calmly said: "Senior mentioned in the hall earlier about Heavenly Daoists aligning with the great path, reminding me of a scholar I once met who spoke similar words, saying, ’At fifteen, I set my mind on learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no doubts; at fifty, I understood the Heavenly mandate; at sixty, my ears were attuned; at seventy, I followed my heart’s desires without overstepping bounds.’"
Leaving these enigmatic words, Zhao Douan turned and pushed the door open, leaving the courtyard.
Zhang Yan Yi stood stunned, pondering over the words, especially the final phrase "follow my heart’s desires without overstepping bounds," his narrow eyes gleaming with light.