The next morning, the news of the massacres in the Chi, Zuo and Qin Families was suppressed from spreading, making the incident even more bewildering.
No one knew the number of casualties in the three high clans, nor what sort of fierce conflicts had broken out.
They only knew that a little girl called Xia Zhi had caused the massacres.
Xia Zhi!
A warm and simple name had caused a sensation in the Forbidden City overnight. Although no one knew who she was, that didn’t dampen their astonishment.
She was the only person brave enough to launch killing sprees in three high clans in the past one thousand years.
The most unbelievable thing was that all the rumored descriptions of her formed the image of a little girl!
Why would a little girl do that?
Many people speculated that the incident was related to Lin Xun. After all, everyone in the city knew that Lin Xun was enemies with the Chi Clan, Zuo Clan and the Qin Clan.
It couldn’t be a simple coincidence for Xia Zhi to attack those three powerful clans.While the outside world was widely speculating the motive behind the attacks, the Chi, Zuo and Qin Clans blocked the news from fermenting using the toughest means.
However, the scandal had happened, and it became a signal to the world that there were people who dared to challenge the high clans!
Xia Zhi!
Who was she?
Was she connected to Lin Xun?
Many people were curious.
Only some of the major forces knew that the little girl had an extraordinary background, but they were confused about her motive.
……
The outside world was enveloped in a storm once again, but Qinglu Academy had already resumed its former tranquility. The academy was like a pure, sacred land undisturbed and unaffected by the outside world.
Two days later!
Early in the morning, Lin Xun woke up from meditation. Birds were chirping outside, and sunbeams slanted through the lattice window, bathing the interior of the house in a mellow, warm morning glow.
The fresh aroma of grass and trees lingering in the air and the wisps of spiritual qi lifted Lin Xun’s spirit and refreshed his mind. It had been a while since he felt this comfortable.
As he lay on the bed, he cast his mind back to the scenes before he drifted off and couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “I successfully made a rune armament and alarmed the principal. I believe I have caused a huge enough disturbance this time…”
After pondering for a moment, he leapt out of bed and stretched.
He pushed open the window and was greeted by the warm rays of the morning sun, dancing cranes in the clear sky and their distinctive and pleasant cries.
Ancient buildings were standing tall in the distance, bathed in the morning sun. Occasionally, students in groups of three and two walked past, casting youthful silhouettes.
Soon, Shen Tuo came to visit him. He had heard some movements and knew that Lin Xun had woken up.
“Congratulations, Master Lin Xun, do you know who is the center of attention in the Forbidden City now?” Shen Tuo teased Lin Xun.
“It seems like Elder is in a good mood.” Lin Xun smiled.
However, Shen Tuo let out a sigh. “You’re wrong. I’m in a bad mood.” As he was speaking, he flicked his sleeve and brought out a thick stack of exquisite-looking invitations. All of which were made from the highest quality jade and gemstones. They were no doubt extraordinary.
“Take a look. In just a few days, dozens of forces have sent invitations to you. These are only the ones I have selected.”
Shen Tuo shoved the bunch of invitations into Lin Xun’s hand. “You can take care of them yourself. The imperial family, the high clans, the middle-level clans, the military headquarters, the Rune Master Association headquarters, the Divine Workshop...I can’t afford to offend any one of them. You can make the decisions on your own.”
Lin Xun stared at them blankly. Then, a spark of realization dawned on his face, and he tossed all the invitations to the corner of the room like garbage.
Shen Tuo’s eyes opened wide.
“Elder, don’t look at me like that. They are just invitations. Would the senders treat me as an enemy if I don’t go?”
Shen Tuo sighed emotionally. “Indeed, your identity is no longer the same as before. No one wants to offend you now. Oh, by the way, have you heard of Xia Zhi?” he suddenly asked.
Lin Xun’s eyes narrowed and his heart trembled. “Elder, why did you suddenly mention that name?”
A puzzled look crossed Shen Tuo’s face. “Just a few days ago, that mysterious little girl did something…”
He recounted the rumors of the bloody massacres that took place at the entrances of the Chi, Zuo and Qin Clans a few days ago.
Lin Xun froze. He couldn’t calm the churning feeling in his heart.
Memories flooded his mind. He thought of the first time he met Xia Zhi. He thought of the days they spent together in Feiyun Village. He thought of the little girl’s serious but calm words when they parted in Donglin City. Lin Xun, you can’t die before I come back.
Inexplicably, his heart trembled, and the little girl’s stunningly beautiful and tranquil face appeared in his mind. She was always independent, quiet and aloof. She was very unique as though she was living in another world.
Lin Xun had never thought that Xia Zhi would appear in such a way after two years of absence. Why…why didn’t she come to see me?
“Lin Xun, what’s wrong?” Shen Tuo’s voice rang in his ears and snapped him out of his thoughts.
“It’s nothing. Elder, can you tell me where she is now?” Lin Xun asked after drawing a deep breath.
“I don’t know.” Shen Tuo shook his head.
Let alone him, the vast majority of people in the Forbidden CIty were unaware of the little girl’s origin.
“Black Glory Sacred Hall…” Lin Xun murmured. “Yes, she must be there…”
Shen Tuo suddenly remembered something and said, “Did you say the little girl is from Black Glory Sacred Hall? No wonder, I understand.”
Lin Xun had a feeling that Shen Tuo knew something.
As expected, Shen Tuo stated, “If that little girl is really from Black Glory Sacred Hall, you won’t be able to see her even if you go there.”
“Why is that?” Lin Xun scrunched his brows.
“Because the Black Glory Sacred Hall has vanished as of yesterday.”
“Vanished?”
“Yes, it disappeared with the Castle of Darkness. This is a very secretive matter and only a few people know about it. I only coincidentally learned about it through a conversation with someone else. I heard that it is because the Queen in the Castle of Darkness is going through the first Immortality Tribulation, so she has to isolate herself from the world to avoid any disturbance,” Shen Tuo patiently explained.
Immortality Tribulation!
Lin Xun stood there blankly. He had previously heard that Life Death Stage Kings had to go through a perilous calamity to set foot on the true path of immortality.
The calamity was called the Immortality Tribulation and was rumored to involve the power of the great dao heaven secret. There was only a very slim chance of surviving the tribulation!
Even those with the power of the Life Death Stage King wouldn’t dare to recklessly challenge the tribulation because the consequences were disastrous. If failed, one would perish and be left without a corpse. The terrifying power of the great tribulation would obliterate them from the world and remove all hope of survival!
The most terrifying thing was that the path to immortality was rumored to be perilous. There was a tribulation of life and death with every step!
In other words, one wouldn’t gain immortality after passing the tribulation. Once they set foot on the path of immortality, they were destined to face endless, unavoidable calamities.
“The Dark Night Queen is an existence that sends a chill down countless powerful figures’ spines so many people view her as an enemy in this world. If she has chosen to challenge the Immortality Tribulation, she would no doubt suffer many setbacks.” Shen Tuo sighed.
The Dark Night Queen was a taboo name shrouded in the darkness of the empire for thousands of years. The mention of it made many powerful people turn pale.
Her enemies wouldn’t stand and do nothing if they heard that she wanted to challenge the Immortality Tribulation!
“Fortunately, the power of the Black Glory Sacred Hall has disappeared like it has vanished into the thin air. The Dark Night Queen must have known that many people would want to ruin her chance so she made some advanced preparations.”
Shen Tuo analyzed, “Based on the circumstances, even her enemies likely won’t be able to find any traces of her, let alone you.”
Lin Xun was silent for a moment, and then he finally sighed softly.
He suddenly thought of the reason why Xia Zhi would suddenly appear at the entrances to the Chi, Zuo, and Qin Clans. She knew that she would soon disappear with the Dark Night Queen, so she decided to use the opportunity to help him do something.
“One day, I will bring you back, and no one can take you away from me again then!“ Lin Xun muttered in his heart.
It felt like his heart was being ripped out when he thought of the Dark Night Queen taking Xia Zhi away. He felt powerless, helpless and in despair.
Even though the old man from the Black Glory Sacred Hall had helped him several times, he still couldn’t help from harboring hatred toward them for taking away Xia Zhi!
Lin Xun hated the feeling of being forced to accept fate!
“Lin Xun, what’s going on? Could it be that Xia Zhi is your relative?” Shen Tuo had sharply noticed that Lin Xun had started to act strangely as soon as Xia Zhi’s name was mentioned.
“It’s nothing.”
Lin Xun took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “Oh, by the way, Elder, did you come to find me for something?”
Shen Tuo could tell that Lin Xun didn’t want to mention Xia Zhi again.
He said thoughtfully, “There is indeed one thing that I want to ask you to take care of. The owner of Sky Martial Arena, Zhao Tailai, came yesterday. He is still waiting for you in the academy and refuses to leave until he sees you.”
Shen Tuo couldn’t help but smile wryly. Clearly, he felt helpless about Zhao Tailai’s pestering.
Zhao Tailai?
Lin Xun knew that he had drawn the attention of the influential figure in the imperial palace with the great disturbance he caused.
Otherwise, Zhao Tailai, a cunning old guy, wouldn’t have come to find him on his own initiative.
Lin Xun’s lips curled into a smile. “What a coincidence! I also wanted to see him for something!”
He had promised Third Old Zhu to help him solve his breakthrough problem, and there was a solution to that in the depths of the imperial palace!