Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 738 Am I right?

The Grand Princess's beloved disciple must be referring to Sun Qingzhu, right? Chen Xuan immediately realized what she meant after she finished speaking. Having met her several times, he wouldn't suffer from amnesia at this moment.

Putting everything else aside for the moment, the fact that the black-robed group dared to abduct Qin Ruyu and bring her here, along with many young and beautiful women of extraordinary backgrounds, and even threatened to harm Sun Qingzhu, the beloved disciple of the Grand Princess Song Yuzhi, a Grandmaster-level expert, is quite audacious. It's hard to say whether their confidence and audacity stemmed from their strength or their terrifyingly powerful status.

How dare you! Those are Qin Ruyu and Sun Qingzhu!

At the same time, the group that had come with Guo Qingxue and the others quickly approached Chen Xuan. Perhaps because they were unsure of the situation, or perhaps because Chen Xuan had arrived first, or perhaps because of his strength, they all gathered around him.

"Greetings, Mr. Chen," Sun Qingzhu said, bowing with her hands clasped. She looked extremely anxious, clearly wanting to say a lot, but the occasion was not appropriate for excessive small talk.

This is the imperial mausoleum. As the disciple of the Grand Princess Song Yuzhi, how could Sun Qingzhu not see what was going on here? Anyone who dared to trespass on the imperial mausoleum and disturb the late emperor would be sentenced to death anywhere. In addition, not long ago, a large number of women disappeared in Yucheng at the same time, including her good friend Qin Ruyu. Each and every incident was too shocking to hear. But at this moment, she had to force herself to calm down.

Along with them came Shi Wang, the deputy commander of the Jade Flower Eagle Hall stationed in Jade City, and several other innate masters. Although they did not know Chen Xuan, they had heard of him to some extent. Seeing Sun Qingzhu's attitude, they also bowed respectfully. The other martial arts masters did the same.

Strong people earn respect wherever they are, regardless of age. Those brainless people who disregard the strong or even provoke them to their faces are always a minority.

As I said before, now is not the time for pleasantries. Chen Xuan nodded slightly to everyone, then looked calmly at the black-robed figure on the giant spider opposite him and asked, "So what does this cowardly gentleman intend to do?"

"Haha, as the saying goes, once or twice is acceptable, but not a third or fourth time. I've given Young Master Chen the chance, more than once, but he refused repeatedly. He saw what he shouldn't have seen, so I can only leave you here forever. What a pity," the other party said, shaking his head with great regret.

That regret wasn't feigned; his words revealed a genuine desire to bring Chen Xuan into his camp, but Chen Xuan clearly wasn't interested.

Chen Xuan had no time for empty talk. He smiled and said, "So let's fight and see who has the bigger fist. Either you beat me to death here, or I beat you all to death. Um, I'm not very educated, so my words might be a bit crude. I hope you won't mind."

Saying things like "it all depends on your ability" is meaningless. In the end, it comes down to fists. At this point, why fights break out for no reason, and what hidden reasons there are, are all things to be discussed later.

As he spoke, a glint of glistening snowflakes flashed in Chen Xuan's eyes. At this point, there was no need for words; just do it. Now, he didn't have many opportunities for real combat, and he didn't even know where his limits were. Even without the slightest leak of his aura, everyone in the underground palace under the dome felt a chill in their hearts, as if the entire world and their souls were about to be frozen and still. It was a chill from the instinct of life, but in reality, there was no real feeling.

Chen Xuan didn't bring any weapons with him this time, so he decided to use the Snow Cold Heaven Palm Technique to play around with his opponent. This palm technique doesn't emphasize extreme destructive power, and he's not worried about collapsing the underground palace. Besides, he had already used it briefly in the passage before, so he didn't plan to change his martial arts. To him, they were all pretty much the same, as all the martial arts he cultivated had reached their peak.

The person opposite him was not one to waste words either. His black robes fluttered slightly, and an aura of dominance that could dominate the eight wastelands surged forth, indicating that he was about to make a decisive move.

However, at this moment, another problem arose. Chen Xuan and the man in black robes seemed to tacitly agree to stop, and their auras instantly subsided, as if the tense standoff from a moment ago had never existed.

The difference was that a hint of amusement flashed in Chen Xuan's eyes, while the other party seemed to have known this would happen and was cooperating with someone. However, apart from Chen Xuan, no one else present could notice it.

From among the crowd brought there, Qin Ruyu exclaimed, "Sister Qingzhu, what are you doing here? Quick, let's go! They're not good people. You must leave this place immediately. Don't worry about me, or you'll be in danger! Oh, Young Master Chen, you're here too! If possible, I beg you to take Sister Qingzhu away from here!"

The tone was a mixture of surprise and astonishment, despair and bitterness, along with resentment and helplessness. The voice was weak, as if the person was about to die, and it was the posture of someone making their final arrangements in a desperate situation, which would make anyone feel sorry for them.

However, Chen Xuan, who roughly guessed what was going on, twitched at the corner of his mouth. He was so embarrassed that he almost dug out a three-bedroom apartment on the spot. Damn, that sounds like good tea. He really wanted to go up and slap her twice.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone on Chen Xuan's side except for him changed color. Only then did they notice Qin Ruyu. Almost all the people who could come here were innate masters with extraordinary knowledge. They all recognized Qin Ruyu. If they didn't even know her, they wouldn't need to stay in Yuhua Kingdom. If they accidentally offended her, they would be inviting a huge disaster upon themselves.

Before anyone could react, the black-robed figure on the giant spider's back spoke again, turning to Chen Xuan with a mocking tone: "Since you've all come here, and it's such a coincidence, you all want to know why you captured so many young and beautiful women, right? You won't be satisfied until you find out, so I'll let you die knowing the answer. It's very simple: to feed this big treasure at my feet. Don't let its size fool you; it's actually very docile and obedient. It only likes to eat young and beautiful women; tender skin and flesh are its most delightful delicacies!"

During the conversation, no one, including Chen Xuan, knew how he communicated with the giant spider beneath his feet. At the same time, apart from Chen Xuan, no one could react in time. Threads of spider silk, invisible to the naked eye, shot out from the giant spider's tail, seemingly able to stretch infinitely, and shot towards the hundred or so beautiful women. In the next instant, they were about to wrap them up in cocoons and pull them down to hang them from the spider web.

Others were caught off guard, but Chen Xuan was not among them. Regardless of the other party's purpose, it was impossible for him to ignore it, both morally and logically.

A glimmer of snowflakes flashed in his eyes again. The feeling of freezing one's soul vanished in an instant. He flicked his finger in the air, and a beautiful snowflake the size of a fingernail shot out from his fingertip. In an instant, it split into hundreds of snowflakes, not only precisely severing the spider silk, but also freezing and shattering it into dust, allowing the women to escape from being bound by the spider silk.

It all happened so fast, so fast that almost no one could react, or even know what had happened before it was over. In an instant, Chen Xuan and the man in black robes had completed a 'silent' confrontation. While doing this, Chen Xuan said wryly, "So it turns out you were raising a Gu worm. I didn't realize it at first, and I suffered from my lack of experience. Luckily, I'm experienced. With my preconceived notions, I didn't even consider the Gu worm aspect because the spider was too big. Who says Gu worms can't be that big? It's just that your method of feeding the Gu worm is a bit special. It doesn't eat flesh and blood, but bloodline and consciousness. Tsk tsk, now I roughly understand what you guys are trying to do. Ah, sorry, as I said before, I'm not well-educated, and my language is crude. Don't mind me."

Whether it was because Chen Xuan's move was too swift and interrupted the spider's actions, or because he had hit the nail on the head, the black-robed man opposite him experienced a momentary fluctuation in his aura, which vanished in an instant, and then returned to calm, but became much more solemn. He chuckled in a deep voice, "Hehe, it seems that Young Master Chen knows quite a lot. What a pity, then I can't let you live any longer!"

Guo Qingxue, who was standing to the side, had not yet recovered from the joy of meeting Chen Xuan. Her head was still under Chen Xuan's big hand. She was shy but did not pull away. At this moment, she was not thinking about anything. She did not even seem to feel how dangerous the current situation was. She had confidence from somewhere. She felt that the sky would not fall when she was by Chen Xuan's side. Watching him talk eloquently and calmly, her eyes were overflowing with admiration and love.

She's no longer the naive girl who would panic at Chen Xuan's mere words a few months ago. She's figured things out a lot lately, understands her own feelings, and knows that the man she's chosen is doing important things, so she should just stay quietly by his side and not cause any trouble.

The others all had solemn expressions, but their eyes were somewhat blank. They felt that Chen Xuan and the others seemed to be talking about something extraordinary, but they couldn't figure out the specifics no matter how hard they tried.

In this kind of situation, no one else should have the right to interrupt. However, whether due to personal relationships or social standing, someone couldn't help but speak up at this moment.

Sun Qingzhu shouted anxiously and angrily at the people opposite her, "No matter who you are or what your purpose is, release Yu'er immediately! Do you even know who she is? If you have any problems, come at me! Don't hurt Yu'er, or even the Heavenly King himself can't save you!"

"How dare you! You audacious trespass into the imperial mausoleum and disturb the spirit of the late emperor! Your crimes deserve the execution of your entire family! Surrender now!" Shi Wang roared angrily, his whole body trembling, whether from anger or excitement, it was hard to tell. If he could handle this situation well, a promotion and a raise would be just around the corner. Of course, there was also the possibility that he wouldn't live to see that day, and whether he would even see the sun rise was another matter entirely.

They were forced to speak due to their identities and positions, but neither of them were fools. They spoke but did not act rashly. As for the others, they were even more at a loss and some even regretted coming here. Damn it, they shouldn't have joined in the fun out of curiosity. No matter the reason or the outcome, stepping into the imperial tomb was a capital offense. They didn't know if they would have any chance to make amends.

"Sister Qingzhu, hurry up and go! Don't worry about me. I'm going to die soon anyway. Maybe dying here is a relief," Qin Ruyu, who hadn't even realized that Chen Xuan had 'saved' her, shouted desperately. She was already weak and breathless, which was heartbreaking to see.

Where else would they put on this performance? Chen Xuan knew perfectly well that she was the key; otherwise, the black-robed man on the other side, who was most likely her grandfather, wouldn't have cooperated with her.

Ignoring her for the moment, he said with a flicker of interest, "Before this, I really only had a vague understanding, but now, I roughly guess what's going on. Let me sort it out first. I really didn't expect that someone would actually refine the Soul-Devouring Spider King into a Gu worm. The original Soul-Devouring Spider King wasn't like this. It was fed by you for many years and underwent multiple molts before turning into a snow-white color. After your reminder, I've realized what that thing is. As I said before, that thing can devour bloodlines and spiritual consciousness, rather than directly consuming flesh and blood. That's why so many girls' corpses were used as fertilizer."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Then you, or rather someone else, refined it into a Heart-to-Heart Gu, linking lives together, so it can be controlled through consciousness. I've never seen a Heart-to-Heart Gu before, but I know a little about it. Once successful, it can be used to devour and nourish itself through the Gu worm. So, the mother can obtain the bloodline and even the mental memories of others through the Gu worm's devouring. To put it bluntly, she can completely become anyone she has devoured, whether it's memories or bloodline habits. Without actively revealing it, there's no way to tell the difference. This method is too vicious and evil, almost lost, yet you've mastered it. Well, the world is too big. Who dares to say that something so vicious yet desirable would be lost? It will always be secretly mastered in some corner... Tsk, what exactly do you want to do? Let me guess, hiss... you want to usurp the throne, right?"

As he said this, Chen Xuan was filled with emotion, thinking to himself that Liu was indeed worthy of the title. He had one foot in the realm of human immortals and had experienced so much over the past few hundred years, leaving him with so much useful information.

When Chen Xuan finished speaking, the people on the other side remained calm, but Chen Xuan's group was completely stunned. They were so shocked that their heads were almost buzzing. What? A plot to seize the throne? How did this get to this? Is this something we can listen to or get involved in? Don't scare me, it'll kill me!

Realizing this, it seems that having had countless women over the years is no big deal anymore.

clap clap clap...

Within the quiet and oppressive underground palace, the sound of clapping suddenly rang out. The black-robed man on the back of the giant spider suddenly laughed, "Young Master Chen is truly a rare talent. It's a real pity we're not on the same wavelength. But his imagination is certainly rich enough."

"I was right, wasn't I?" Chen Xuan said with a smile.

The other party neither admitted nor denied it, and then asked with great interest, "Young Master Chen, how did you come to this conclusion?"

However, Chen Xuan was often unreliable and wouldn't follow the other party's lead. He scratched his butt and continued, "The Heart-Binding Gu, the Soul-Devouring Spider King devours bloodlines, spirits, and memories. It needs to be able to withstand the backflow of too much bloodline and spirit memories to nourish the mother body, which makes the mother body extremely weak. That's the digestion process. This method can completely transform the devoured bloodline and spirit memories into anyone who has been devoured. During the process, the mother body also grows, so it can withstand devouring stronger people. So the result is obvious. In the entire Jade City, or even the Jade Flower Kingdom, is there anyone more worthy of devouring than the Grand Princess Song Yuzhi? Once we devour her and become her, with a little manipulation, usurping the throne will be a piece of cake. It's truly a brilliant method."

At this point, Chen Xuan said with great admiration, "Right, Miss Qin Ruyu? You're still putting on a show for someone else. All this nonsense is just to buy time. If you get arrested, the world will be shaken. How can the Grand Princess Song Yuzhi sit still? She's already on her way. The plan is to wait for her arrival and take them all down at once, and then you'll become her and quietly steal the country. Am I right?"

"You... Young Master Chen, Sister Yu'er... what's going on? I don't understand at all!" Sun Qingzhu was completely dumbfounded.

She did care about Qin Ruyu, that's true, but she wasn't brainless. However, she really couldn't accept it right now... (End of Chapter)