Volume 1: The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss Chapter 122: The Evil Path

Pucheng remained a bustling city, its prosperity and wealth purchased by the blood and tears of soldiers stationed at the borders. The streets were crowded, and the main thoroughfares were packed with carriages and people. For the mother and daughter, this was their first visit to the capital; if one looked no further than the sights before them, one might believe they were living in an era of peace rather than on the precipice of chaos.

The weather was sweltering. After traveling all day and burdened by worries over the war, Xu Qing felt a sense of fatigue. The young girl, who had been wilted with exhaustion, suddenly brightened, gazing at the surroundings with keen interest.

"The house I borrowed from a friend is in the Inner City," Xu Qing mentioned casually, appearing intimately familiar with the area.

They entered via the main central axis of the Inner City, though the property itself did not sit on the main road. The area was sparsely populated, inhabited mostly by scholars and wealthy merchants. It was quiet, and with a Buddhist temple located outside the city walls—rumored to be frequented by the Empress—the faint, rhythmic chanting of sutras drifted through the air like soothing music, offering a sense of peace.

"This is it."

The courtyard was exceptionally well-located. Xu Qing had prepared for this in advance, spending a considerable sum. While the entrance appeared somewhat understated, Han Keru and her daughter were still filled with trepidation. Xu Qing stepped through the gate first; there were no guards, and Han Keru followed behind him. After walking for a while, they discovered that beyond the outer courtyard lay an inner one. It was quite spacious, yet entirely devoid of people.

The little girl’s eyes widened, and she looked around with intense curiosity, cautiously reaching out to touch the structures.

"From now on, this is our home," Xu Qing said, setting the little girl down.

"Really?" The girl looked at him with joy, then turned to her mother.

"How much did this house cost?" Han Keru asked, looking worried.

"It’s fine. I have money, and I can earn more in the future."

Xu Qing handed her some of his belongings, along with a cloth pouch filled with gold, silver, and copper coins. Han Keru stared at the money, her eyes fixed as if the coins were burning her hands.

"Feel free to look around. Lock the doors; I’m going out for a while," Xu Qing added. "Don’t worry, I won’t go far. I will know everything that happens here."

With his level of cultivation, he was confident that even from thousands of miles away, he could ensure no one harmed them.

*The fate of the world is flowing toward the Jin Kingdom,* Xu Qing mused. *This strange phenomenon seems to have started after the Jin sovereign began his military campaigns. The flow of destiny has reversed! No wonder he has the confidence to vie for the world.*

But why was this happening? Was there someone pulling the strings from the shadows?

In inns and teahouses—the places where gossip and rumors fly thickest—the trending topic was not Wang Chuan’s journey to the great grasslands to slay the Demon Emperor, but the fact that the Jin Kingdom had once again annihilated the Tang Kingdom. What had gained the most fame was the Fourth Prince; it was said that this man, with nothing but his sword, had broken through ten provinces! The Jin army had followed his lead, easily crushing the Tang. He was a late bloomer, and many believed he now possessed the bearing of an emperor. As for who was stronger between him and Wang Chuan, opinions were divided.

...

The house Xu Qing had found was large enough, but compared to the estates of royalty and the wealthy, it was truly just a secondary courtyard, which made it affordable and easy to secure. Yet, even as a secondary courtyard, it displayed elegance and sophistication. It had a front courtyard and a main courtyard, separated by a gatehouse, with a garden in the back. Han Keru had counted carefully: there were twelve rooms in total, arranged according to the four symbols and eight trigrams.

The main building in the center was constructed like a palace watchtower, with a sturdy frame and fluid lines. The enclosed corridors on the upper level formed an archway, a rugged structure that gave off a sense of wild tension. In the back courtyard, there was a pond with a cluster of lotus flowers, fed by a stream of living water where fish swam joyfully.

...

"The Fourth Prince has entered the demonic path? Is this true?"

Within the imperial palace, the Sovereign of Yu asked with a deeply furrowed brow. Recently, there had been too many rumors about the Jin Fourth Prince, and he had spent a great price to obtain reliable intelligence. The rumors claimed that the man, with a single sword, had shattered thousands of enemy troops and breached the gates of the Tang Kingdom single-handedly. He was a world-shaking figure within the royal family! His martial arts were now unfathomable. With the merit of destroying the Tang, he would have a decisive advantage in the struggle for the throne.

"It is absolutely certain," his subordinate reported. "That Fourth Prince has grown this powerful. Back when Prince Wang Chuan returned to the country, the Fourth Prince could still avoid him, but that is no longer possible. A battle between him and Prince Wang Chuan is inevitable. I wonder if Prince Wang Chuan can still deal with him?"

Regardless of their stance, the people of Yu were deeply concerned with anything related to Wang Chuan, especially this.

"It is said that something happened to the Fourth Prince in the south of the Jin Kingdom," the subordinate continued. "Later, he dragged death-row prisoners from the dungeons and extracted their bloodlines to cultivate."

"Extracting bloodlines is the work of the evil path. Has he gone mad? To be so reckless!" The Sovereign of Yu was astonished.

"There are also rumors that this person has been possessed and is no longer the original Fourth Prince, but a powerful demon," the subordinate added.

"Only rumors?" the Sovereign frowned.

"He is desperate to obtain ancient bloodlines and does not hesitate to perform cruel, evil acts, refining them from living people. His current subordinates include bloodthirsty evil beings from the demon race." There was intense hatred in the subordinate's eyes. "Perhaps only Prince Wang Chuan can destroy him. I just hope his mission in the grasslands goes smoothly."

"Even if he and Wang Chuan oppose each other due to differing political views, the most important thing is the intent of the Jin sovereign," the Sovereign said. "But to have bloodthirsty demons by his side... is he not afraid of being condemned?"

Extracting vitality from the blood of living beings—that supreme secret art of the demonic sects was a forbidden technique! Such beings had slaughtered countless lives, and every dynasty had sought to eradicate them. This knowledge was essential for sect lineages and the royal family to teach their descendants, so they would understand the dangers of the world. In the past, many young disciples were even sent out to purge the remnants of these evil cults as training.

"True martial arts legacies are rare in this world today because the Martial Arts Academy gathered all the sects and moved to the Holy Land, declaring that the江湖 (rivers and lakes) were separate from the imperial court. People from that time remembered, and they have gone their separate ways ever since. Over a thousand years have passed, and few in the streets know the truth. Only the royal family or certain great clans possess the ancient records and unofficial histories of those events," the Sovereign said slowly. "Yet, after all these years, martial arts have shown signs of resurgence. Relying only on those few surviving manuals, generations of grandmasters were forged, culminating in the variable that is Wang Chuan!"

"These people have ambition, methods, and courage; they are by no means fools. Some may pretend to be mad, but they study hard, often more diligently than ordinary people. They were only limited by resources. Once they found an opportunity, they finally achieved a breakthrough!"

"But for someone like the Fourth Prince to collude with the demonic path is surely intolerable to the world! And what role does the Jin sovereign play in all this?"

"Prince Wang Chuan going to the northern border to slay the Demon Emperor is the true path of justice! The Jin sovereign and the Fourth Prince are raiding cities and lands and taking pride in it—it is outrageous! Do they not see who is suffering under their blades?" the subordinate exclaimed.

"Throughout the dynasties, have they forgotten the history of barbarian invasions? Think of the blood and tears shed, the people eaten, killed, and used as sacrificial offerings."

Any ordinary person who had read history knew that since ancient times, barbarian invasions were a history of blood and tears. Every time a large-scale invasion occurred, countless people were captured and slaughtered, leaving nothing but bones in the fields and silence across a thousand miles. The border defenses built by the various kingdoms were not mere child's play.

"Monitor the movements of the Fourth Prince closely!"

...

At that moment, Xu Qing’s divine sense drifted across the heavens, wandering with the true yang, and landed upon the Fourth Prince. This being was no longer simple, so Xu Qing hid his presence with extreme caution.

The place where the Fourth Prince resided was an ancient, blue-grey altar. In the center was a massive mass of blood mist, dense and intense, pulsing with a sound like a surging sea of blood.

The Fourth Prince was there, sitting cross-legged, breathing in and out the writhing blood mist. The altar was covered in dense, intricate runes etched into the stone walls, surrounded by refined steel chains and various talismans.

*A sealing technique!* Xu Qing realized at a glance. The power contained within that blood mist was enough to turn the entire mansion into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

The mist stirred slightly, as if sensing a third party, but it was quickly suppressed. The Fourth Prince did not seem to notice. He wore a blood-colored robe covered in runes—clearly a powerful artifact that radiated an ancient aura. The essence of heaven and earth was repelled, and instead, demonic energy flowed around his clothes, refining itself before merging into his body.

It was undoubtedly an evil art. Xu Qing felt an instinctive interest in that artifact. It was curious to find such an existence within the Nine Immortals' territory. The man’s complexion was like jade, but his expression was dark and sinister, devoid of life and emotion. Xu Qing knew a thing or two about the methods of the demonic path. Without thinking, he moved his intent and vanished into the air.

He was confident he could wipe out such an opponent with a single thought, but he feared the "what if." Such an existence was bound to have life-saving measures! Moreover, dealing with the Fourth Prince was easy, but Xu Qing was not certain he could handle the demonic world forces behind him.

Xu Qing had to give up for now; otherwise, it would be disastrous if Han Keru and the others were implicated. When Wang Chuan returned, he would understand the situation.

"Wang Yan, you will meet a miserable end!"

Just as Xu Qing was about to leave, a voice rang out from a corridor ahead. The Fourth Prince, however, ignored it. Xu Qing shifted his divine sense and discovered a series of dungeons nearby, holding many people. They were physically strong, with powerful martial arts far superior to the average person.

"You are mistaken. I am living well, and you are the one who is about to die! Everything you have learned is limited, but I can extract and purify it to help me master my divine skill! This is your final destiny," Wang Yan said, grabbing with one hand. His true energy surged, pulling the man who had cursed him forward.

"What a joke! I may be no match for you, but aren't you also inferior to Wang Chuan? You’ve been hiding from him, haven't you?" The man spat blood and sneered. "No matter how much you practice, it is useless! What is the point?"

"Even this claw technique—you are just imitating him, and you will never be as good as Wang Chuan."

Within the Jin Kingdom, the origins of these people and their connection to Wang Chuan were known to all.

"You will not provoke me!" Wang Yan frowned, his pupils contracting. "When I destroy Wang Chuan, the world will understand. I will prove myself!"

"The Sixth Prince of the Wei Kingdom thought the same, yet he still detoured and acted like a frightened rat when he met Wang Chuan! Haha..." the man laughed maniacally.