Chapter 170: Chapter 145: Tripartite Confrontation, the National Preceptor’s Grand Plan, the Heaven and Earth Chessboard

Within Changle Palace.

As the Immortal Artifact, the Sun Crown, began to operate.

The Flesh Bodies of many who had long since perished, even those turned to dust, were restored to their original state.

However, their stray Three Souls and Six Spirits still drifted between heaven and earth.

In the eyes of Qi Cultivators, these intangible things were still visible.

With a wave of his hand, the young Celestial Master sent these Three Souls and Six Spirits back into their masterless bodies.

Most of the fortunate Cultivators whose Three Souls and Six Spirits were still intact were able to return from the dead.

But for the few who were close to the center of the Dragon Crystal’s explosion, not a trace of their Three Souls and Six Spirits remained. Without other Masters, Great Scholars, or High Monks to act as a buffer for their Flesh Bodies, their Divine Souls were utterly annihilated.

Lu Yunqing looked at the White-robed Celestial Master before him, his eyes filled with hope, and pleaded, “Immortal Master, I beg you, please save my beloved consort!”

But Xu Changqing shook his head.

“Princess Consort Ning was at the very center, the person closest to the Manifestation Jade’s self-destruction. If even a remnant of her soul had remained, it could have been summoned back to preserve a sliver of life. But her Three Souls and Six Spirits were completely destroyed. Even the Sun Crown is powerless.”

“The Sun Crown can reverse time, but it cannot reverse Reincarnation. The Three Souls and Six Spirits belong to the domain of Reincarnation, which is governed directly by the Celestial Dao.”

A body of flesh and blood could be restored, a wisp of a remnant soul could be summoned back, but when a Divine Soul has completely dissipated into the world, there is truly nothing that can be done.

Besides, operating the Sun Crown just once consumed a century’s worth of accumulated power from within it.

After using it this one time, Xu Changqing was already drenched in sweat, his Taoist Qi nearly depleted.

He had no choice but to take out an Elixir and swallow it.

Hearing the White-robed Celestial Master’s denial, despair washed over Lu Yunqing’s face.

He had gone from initial disbelief to numb shock, then to the hope that blossomed upon seeing the Sun Crown’s divine power, and now, finally, to complete and utter despair.

The words “utterly grief-stricken” were not enough to describe what Lu Yunqing was feeling.

Lu Yunqing fell completely silent, not making a sound.

As if all life had been drained from him, he stared with dim eyes at the soulless body of Princess Consort Ning at his feet. Her lips were pale and her eyes were closed, but her features still held their serene and gentle grace.

In that moment, scenes from his daily life with Ning Feiyu flashed through his mind: their first meeting at the Confucian Temple, the trivial squabbles in the Prince Mansion, her constant, meticulous reminders.

Lu Yunqing closed his eyes. No one around dared to disturb him. He asked coldly,

“Who did this? How could such a dangerous forbidden object appear at the grand banquet?”

Many of the Cabinet Ministers, along with the most respected figures from the Three Academies, gathered around, pondering the origin of this crisis.

“The intent was likely to assassinate Prince Chongwen, but they didn’t expect His Highness to be protected by a Saint’s artifact.”

“A Dragon Race Manifestation Jade is incredibly precious, a prized treasure even for an Immortal Family. Why would someone use it to self-destruct? What was their goal?”

Many Daoists had already begun performing divinations with their fingers.

Among them, the fastest diviner was, of course, the White-robed Celestial Master, Xu Changqing.

He scanned his surroundings, noticed a clue, and his gaze finally settled on a clay stew pot on the table in front of Lu Yunqing. Inside was a plump, fragrant chicken in sauce.

“A three-thousand-year-old Dragon Race Manifestation Jade was hidden in this pot. It was brought up by a Palace Maid, and then someone undid the seal on the Manifestation Jade. That’s how it self-destructed.”

Xu Changqing said in a low voice.

“Could that Palace Maid have been the Assassin?”

“It’s very likely. Unfortunately, that Palace Maid was serving right next to Prince Chongwen and also died.”

Hearing this, Lu Yunqing turned to the Chief Minister, his face devoid of expression.

Seeing this, Chief Minister Yuan Xuangang ordered coldly, “Take all the Imperial Chefs into custody. Interrogate them at once.”

Soon, all the Imperial Chefs who had participated in preparing the grand banquet were brought forward by the Imperial Guard.

They were all terrified, not knowing what grave crime they had committed, and could only shout:

“Spare us, Your Excellency! Spare us!”

Yuan Xuangang, dressed in crimson robes, possessed a natural air of authority. He said coolly, “Did one of you attempt to assassinate His Highness?”

“We were all wholeheartedly focused on preparing the banquet! How could we have any treacherous thoughts?”

“That’s right! I’m just a cook, how would I dare to make a move against His Highness!”

The Imperial Chefs all cried out about their grievances, wailing and weeping.

Lu Yunqing, however, had no time for such nonsense.

He walked up to a tall, thin chef, placed a hand on the top of the man’s skull, and his Literary Qi surged.

The chef’s face contorted in pain, but he didn’t dare to resist.

At this sight, a chill went down everyone’s spine.

This was Soul Search.

This technique allowed one to view the memories of others and find what one was looking for. There was no need for interrogation, no need to worry about lies. The only drawback was that an ordinary Cultivator could not withstand such a skill; they would be rendered an imbecile for life, completely broken.

This was even more true for these chefs. Most of them were Mortals. How could they possibly withstand a Soul Search? After the search, the person would be ruined.

’Lu Yunqing has always been known for his scholarly elegance. How could he do something like this?’

THUD.

With the sound, the tall, thin chef’s body collapsed to the ground. His eyes were vacant, and drool pooled on the floor. He had clearly been turned into an idiot.

However, it wasn’t over.

Lu Yunqing hadn’t found the answer he was looking for. He moved on to the next one and continued the Soul Search.

Seeing this, many of the Palace Maids and eunuchs felt their hearts tremble and could not bear to watch. The remaining Imperial Chefs were so frightened their legs went weak, their bodies shaking with fear.

This scene did not provoke any of the ministers, Princes, or nobles to intervene.

These were all Mortals, their lives as insignificant as weeds.

The Eighth Prince was in a rage right now, determined to find the killer. On the surface, His Highness appeared calm and unaffected by the Princess Consort’s death, but in reality, who knew how much fury and hatred burned in his heart.

It wasn’t worth it for them to oppose the Eighth Prince, who was currently at the height of his power, over a few Mortals.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep