The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 404 - 394: I have 100,000 Resentful Spirits
The Capital City was destined for a restless night.
It was approaching dawn, and the crowing of the city’s chickens was drowned out by the clattering of iron armor.
The news that Consort Shu had been assassinated by Lin Yu of the Shenxiao Sect spread rapidly. Consequently, a vast number of troops were mobilized, unbeknownst to the common folk, to search for the remnants of the Shenxiao Sect within the Capital City.
When the news reached Zhao Jing’s ears, he was dumbfounded.
He had been preparing an ambush on the Shenxiao Sect members in the Heavenly Prison, aiming to capture Fang Yu and Lin Yu, the two most likely to stage a prison break. He had specially requested the help of Enlightened Realm Acolyte Zhao Feng, who was on good terms with him and a supporter of his faction. In times of great need, Zhao Feng would surely exert great effort.
Outside the Capital City, he wouldn’t even think about ambushing Fang Yu or Lin Yu—facing either one of them alone, he would have to flee. But on the grounds of the Capital City, he felt confident again. Having been soundly beaten by Lin Yu the last time, Zhao Feng also harbored thoughts of revenge.
However, they waited all night and ended up with nothing to show for it.
Zhao Jing was beyond disappointment—the intelligence was obviously flawed!
Princess Zhao Lingyu indeed colluded with the Shenxiao Sect, but she was bolder than anyone had anticipated.
"Damn it, I thought she was the one who fell for a trap, but it turns out I was the one ensnared!"
Zhao Jing was full of regret. Now he suddenly realized that Zhao Lingyu might have been aware of his arrangements in the study and had used his plan against him, luring him to set an ambush in the Heavenly Prison while she made a feint and led an attack on the Imperial Palace, killing Consort Shu.
Zhao Jing was well aware of the poor relationship between Consort Shu and Zhao Lingyu, but he didn’t care.
They were just his pawns, as long as they didn’t make trouble normally, he let them be!
Never had he imagined that such an incident would occur tonight.
"The Emperor has been targeted, Consort Shu has been targeted, Your Highness should quickly go to the Imperial Palace to see!"
Zhao Feng’s suggestion was to leave the Heavenly Prison immediately. He had always thought that Lin Yu wouldn’t have any significant cultivation level in the Capital City, which was why he had been waiting like a hunter in the Heavenly Prison. But now, hearing that Lin Yu was rampaging through the Imperial Palace with a sword, Zhao Feng was very frightened.
He remembered again the terror of being dominated by Lin Yu, the fear that came with a gust of wind followed by seven successive slashes. Lin Yu had the power to strike each of them with a single sword thrust, yet she hadn’t. She spared them all, except for Zhao Yuan.
The other acolytes were well aware that Lin Yu had shown mercy at that time.
But returning home in a dejected state, and then with the Emperor’s orders to capture ordinary disciples of the Shenxiao Sect, the acolytes felt fear yet were reassured by the thought of being in the heavily defended Capital City, convinced that Lin Yu couldn’t enter, so they became less worried.
However, the reality was that Lin Yu had already arrived.
Zhao Jing couldn’t fathom why Lin Yu would kill Consort Shu, but Zhao Feng had a rough understanding.
Killing a consort was not of major importance, but it had a significant impact. It must have been the message Lin Yu wanted to convey.
There must have been other acolytes in the Imperial Palace, but they dared not strike at Lin Yu, surely because her cultivation level was chilling to the bone.
Only acolytes truly understand other acolytes.
The ultimate goal for Lin Yu and Fang Yu must be rescuing someone. Since that was the case, they would definitely come to the Heavenly Prison.
Zhao Feng then treated Consort Shu’s death as a warning from Lin Yu and Fang Yu.
Now, there was no way he dared to stay and defend the Heavenly Prison.
Time to slip away!
But pride mattered to a living person; although he feared Lin Yu, as one of the top figures in the Great Zhou Court, maintaining his image was crucial.
He could be frightened inwardly, but on the surface, he must not show weakness.
Urging Zhao Jing to return to the Imperial Palace was a good way out. With Zhao Jing leaving, it was only reasonable for him to follow; it was all perfectly justifiable.
He wasn’t scared at all!
As for Lin Yu, she didn’t have so much time for planning—it was purely a matter of chance. She went to kill the Emperor, and instead, she detected Lin Yun’s presence by Consort Shu.
Of course, it wasn’t because of Lin Yun’s scent that she killed Consort Shu—it was truly because of the foul stench emanating from her.
This was an effect brought about by Lin Yu after acquiring the Gale Sword, possibly also due to the further awakening power of the White Tiger.
She could smell the aura of good and evil on people—those who were good smelled fragrant and made her feel comfortable, while evildoers smelled foul and made her feel disgust and the urge to vomit.
Take Fang Yu, for example, whose fragrance was so pleasant that Lin Yu wanted to get closer to her, even becoming less angry about Fang Yu’s intentions towards Lin Yun.
The Princess also smelled sweet; she had never committed evil, and though a bit cunning, her heart was still pure.
However, she hadn’t done many good deeds, so the fragrance wasn’t strong.
And then there was Consort Shu.
Upon seeing her, Lin Yu almost vomited from disgust—she reeked.
What terrible deeds had this person committed!
Thus, Lin Yu killed without a second thought, swiftly dispatched her and departed, clean and efficient.
Back to the matter at hand, while Zhao Feng had thoughts of fleeing, Zhao Jing was reluctant to leave.
"The Imperial Palace is heavily guarded, the Emperor sits upon the Dragon Throne with the protection of the dragon veins; nothing will happen to him. Perhaps this is a ploy by the Shenxiao Sect, to make us fall into disarray. If we all go to the Imperial Palace, relax the defenses of the Heavenly Prison, they might be on their way to stage a jailbreak!"
Zhao Feng: "..."
"Do you think you’re the only smart one here?"
"Since you’ve seen it all at a glance, what are you doing staying in the Heavenly Prison?"
"Waiting to die?"
"Given this, Your Highness should leave even more so. A child born with a silver spoon should not sit idly by. That Jade Sword Immortal is extremely vicious; if by chance she injures Your Highness, what then?"
"Uncle Feng, with you here, why should we fear them?"
Zhao Jing was resolute and fearless, while Zhao Feng’s face twisted in agony.
If you want to court death, why drag me into it too?
"Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but I am no match for Lin Yu. That Jade Sword Immortal killed Brother Yuan that day precisely because she obtained the Divine Sword from heaven. Not only that, but when the Nine States Cauldron was suppressing her, the White Tiger appeared, and it was for this reason that the cauldron was lost. Your Highness, Lin Yu is not an opponent one can confront with force."
Zhao Jing, of course, knew about the affair with the White Tiger. The commotion at the Shenxiao Sect that day was too great for few to be aware of it.
However, Zhao Jing had his reasons as well.
He looked at the worried Zhao Feng and said calmly, "Uncle Feng needn’t worry. Do you know why the Heavenly Prison was built here?"
Zhao Feng shook his head, and Zhao Jing spoke with grave seriousness, "This involves a major secret of our Royal Family. Only my father and I know of this matter. Uncle Feng, you have always been loyal to the Imperial Court, so there is no harm in telling you."
Zhao Feng: "..."
My heart is saying no!
The Royal Family has many secrets, and although Zhao Feng is of royal blood, he is from a collateral line. Even though he is an Acolyte and holds a high position, he naturally doesn’t know as much as those from the main line.
The more taboo the information, the more dangerous it becomes the more you know.
Yet, Zhao Jing spilled the beans, revealing this secret to Zhao Feng in its entirety.
As it turned out, the Royal Family had built an underground city beneath the Capital City.
This was a colossal project, not the achievement of just one generation of the Royal Family.
The ancestors of the Zhao Family keenly felt that Cultivators were truly terrifying. The top cultivators could go wherever they wished, and if they were displeased, they could easily behead the Emperor—such scenarios were entirely possible.
Feeling deeply insecure, the ancestors of the Zhao Clan began the monumental task of constructing the underground city in response.
The method of building this underground city was not entirely clear to Zhao Jing. After all, it had been passed down through so many generations that many details had been lost to time.
Regardless, once this great project was completed, its effect was immediately apparent.
Enlightened Realm Cultivators in the Capital City could be weakened to no different from a Mortal, while the cultivators of the Imperial Court could receive a significant enhancement.
The reason lay with the underground city, which buried no less than a hundred thousand beings.
Animals such as cattle and sheep used for sacrifices were not included; strictly speaking of human sacrifices, there were no fewer than a hundred thousand.
All of the craftsmen never emerged from the underground city. Furthermore, all the ashes of the Royal Family’s ancestors had been placed in the center of the underground city.
In reality, the force that could suppress cultivators wasn’t just the power of the Dragon Vein, but a combination of the Dragon Vein, Resentful Spirits, the ashes of the Zhao Clan, and so on—different forces were mixed together, creating this unique power.
The Royal Family thus became safer, at least now when the Emperor slept, he only needed to arrange for an Acolyte with comparable cultivation level for protection; assassins wouldn’t dare cause trouble in the Imperial City.
"Beneath this Heavenly Prison lies the burial ground of these hundred thousand living beings. Among them are ten thousand boys, ten thousand girls, ten thousand pregnant women, ten thousand pairs of mothers and children, ten thousand newlywed couples, and ten thousand pairs of fathers and their only sons. The Heavenly Prison is built on this site, drawing on the vengeful energy of these hundred thousand souls as its backbone. This is also the source of power that suppresses the entire Capital City."
Zhao Feng turned completely dumbfounded upon hearing this.
I must be a fake Acolyte!
That the Royal Family would do such a thing—it’s too...
Burying alive is the cruelest of all killings and the one that generates the most resentment. People don’t die instantly but suffocate slowly. During this, they are still alive, enduring immense pain, and pain brings with it hatred.
Moreover, these hundred thousand souls were not chosen arbitrarily.
Ten thousand boys and ten thousand girls being placed first, it turns out, was the least cruel combination.
Ten thousand pregnant women, two lives in one body, both the expectant mothers and their unborn children buried. Newlyweds in the happiest moments of their life, buried alive. Ten thousand pairs of mothers and children, ten thousand pairs of fathers and their only sons...
Zhao Feng felt as if he could see such a scene unfolding before him: helpless pregnant women kneeling and begging for mercy, newlywed men trying to protect their wives, mothers shielding their children beneath them...
Despite being an Enlightened Realm Cultivator, Zhao Feng still felt a chill down his spine.
Humans are the cruelest.
To be fair, his Cultivation Level within the Enlightened Realm was ordinary. Unleashing a killing move in a densely populated area, he could kill a hundred thousand people in about the time it took an incense stick to burn.
He might kill a hundred thousand people without feeling much, yet just hearing Zhao Jing mention the burying of a hundred thousand people made him shiver with horror.
The most terrifying thing was Zhao Jing’s tone of voice. Zhao Feng could not detect any compassion.
Not only that, he seemed somewhat proud, as if he took pride in his ancestors concocting such a genius method.
"The resentment of the hundred thousand Resentful Spirits is suppressed by the Formation of the Heavenly Prison. Along with the Ninety-Nine Panslong Heaven-Connected Formation, the resentment is directed throughout the city, leveraging the power of the Human Race’s Dragon Vein to suppress an entire city. If Lin Yu dares to come, we only need to modify the Formation slightly. The power that suppresses an entire city, if concentrated here at the Heavenly Prison, I’m afraid that Lin Yu, even as a Defiant Heavenly Realm Cultivator, would struggle to escape!"
Zhao Feng felt his mouth grow dry, and couldn’t help asking feebly, "What if the Formation breaks?"
