Chapter 70: Real versus Fake ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ Manual

Xiao Ran really did not stand on ceremony with him. This time, he extracted eight bottles of dragon blood before he became weak and laid almost paralyzed on the ground.

There was still a goofy grin on his face. When Xiao Ran’s eyes met his, the grin widened.

“How’s the recovery of the dragon tendon?” Xiao Ran asked.

“Using elemental demonic energy to nurture is very slow. If I have the help of the Dragon Pearl of the Celestial Demon from the North Sea Dragon Tribe, then the dragon tendon can be reinstated within three days.”

Pow!

Xiao Ran kicked him. “You want me to go to the North Sea to get the Celestial Demon’s Dragon Pearl for you? Dream on.”

He then left the cell,

locked the door and went off.

The Deluge Dragon rolled its eyes and hung its head down in resignation. “You’re so strong, yet so smart. It’s so difficult to trick you!”

In the Hall of Annunciation,

at the Council Chamber,

so many things had happened tonight that Emperor Sheng Wen was woken up from his sleep three times. As the news kept coming, he was becoming more and more furious.

He sat on the Imperial Dragon throne with two old eunuchs standing by his side, who never once left their stations.

His body was squeezed inside the wide dragon robe until it appeared a little bloated on the outside.

Some white hair had grown out at his temples.

Judging by his appearance alone, he had the body of a well-fed person, just like any member from a rich family.

However, now,

his expression was icy cold, and a great pressure emanated from his body. Even the heads of the Imperial Court, whether they were the dukes or the ministers, were present, including the principals of the Four Great Institutes, and the heads of the five powerful law-enforcement departments.

None of them could stand the pressure.

The oppressive gloomy atmosphere spread throughout the hall.

Cold sweat had dampened their official robes. Some of the officials’ legs were even trembling violently.

The Deputy Divine Constable of the God Enforcement Division and the Deputy Superintendent of the Forbidden Martial Guards bowed down with their heads lowered. They each held out half of the ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual and handed them over.

The ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual in their hands was the book that Xiao Ran had replaced.

It looked the same on the outside, but there was not a single word inside.

The two sides fought for a long time over this. Even if they continued, the outcome would be the same. Neither of them would get anything.

If the other departments rushed over and took over the ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual, then their losses would have been greater.

After some negotiations,

they decided to split the book in half for each department.

The God Enforcement Division held the upper half, while the Forbidden Martial Guards held the lower half.

The old eunuch standing to Emperor Sheng Wen’s left was called Eunuch Zhu.

He walked down from the pedestal and took the ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual from the two of them before returning to Emperor Sheng Wen’s side.

He extended his index finger and made a cut with his fingernail. Droplets of blood flowed out and he began to smear them on the pages.

Moments later,

the blood had dried. Not a single word appeared.

Eunuch Zhu respectfully placed the ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual in front of Emperor Sheng Wen and whispered in his ear.

Emperor Sheng Wen’s expression did not change at all. His tone was cold and impassive. “Good! Very good! Look at what you’ve done.”

The two of them mistakenly thought that His Majesty was praising them and looked happy.

The Deputy Divine Constable beat the other guy to it and proclaimed, “Your humble servant here is just doing my job!”

The Deputy Superintendent was not to be outdone and added with a strong dose of sarcasm, “As long as His Majesty orders it, even if it’s as difficult as ascending to the heavens, as your loyal subject, I will naturally complete it without question. Unlike some people who think that just because they have cracked a case, they can sit back and relax without any worries.”

“Is that so?” Emperor Sheng Wen narrowed his eyes.

He then threw the two halves of the ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual in front of them violently.

“See for yourself!”

The two of them were stunned. They could sense that the atmosphere was not right. When they saw the menacing look in Emperor Sheng Wen’s eyes intensify, they panicked, confused and puzzled at the same time.

They both picked up the ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual and took a peek.

Roar!

The thunderous roar from the sudden lightning in the sky scared them out of their souls. They hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed. “I know my mistake! Please forgive me, Your Majesty!”

“Trash! After fighting for so long, you were still completely unaware that you had been fooled.” Emperor Sheng Wen berated.

At this moment, another eunuch walked in from the side door and mumbled something in the ear of the Divine Sword Guard’s Sword Master, Lei Yuantai.

Emperor Sheng Wen gave a stern glance in his direction.

Lei Yuantai quickly stepped forward and with a fist in hand salute, he bowed and reported, “Your Majesty, just now the Young Eunuch brought a message from one of my subordinates, Shen Yiming, saying that the ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual has been retrieved.”

“Do you know the consequences of this matter?” Emperor Sheng Wen asked.

“I know! Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’m not careless like some people, who are still fighting to the death even though they have been fooled.” Lei Yuantai reciprocated the earlier snub with a vengeful riposte.

“Send him in,” Emperor Sheng Wen ordered.

Soon,

Shen Yiming entered the hall briskly. After bowing, he took out the ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual and held it out in his hand.

Eunuch Zhu took the ‘Celestial Varg Guards’ manual away and flipped open the pages, revealing its contents.

His eyes lit up. He glanced at Shen Yiming and Lei Yuantai before placing the item in front of Emperor Sheng Wen.

The general outline was identical, and so was the content inside.

The truth was obvious at one glance.

After a casual glance, Emperor Sheng Wen closed it.

“Your Divine Sword Guards did well this time,” Emperor Sheng Wen praised.

Shen Yiming thanked him excitedly on hearing the praise.

The Deputy Divine Constable and Deputy Superintendent were severely punished. They looked at Lei Yuantai and the others with unconcealed animosity. Lei Yuantai was not afraid at all and glared straight back at them.

After Shen Yiming left, the court consultation continued.

This time the process was fast, and almost all the officials seconded the proposal.

General Li Chengfeng would lead his troops to Moon Gazing Prefecture accompanied by the Forbidden Martial Guards and capture Viceroy Ming back.

If he dared to resist, they would directly suppress him, execute his entire family and all relatives, and confiscate all their possessions.

The court consultation ended.

All the ministers left the great hall, yawning away. They fought a wave of drowsiness as they headed outside.

However, Lei Yuantai had been asked to stay behind.

“How is she now?” Emperor Sheng Wen asked.

The “she” he was referring to was the Eldest Princess, Xia Jing.

In the entire Great Xia, only she had the honor of this title.

Lei Yuantai reported the Eldest Princess’s situation in detail. Emperor Sheng Wen already knew all these things and only wanted to get other information from him. In the end, he was disappointed.

“Did the aftereffects of the forbidden technique erupt?” Emperor Sheng Wen asked again.

“For the time being not yet,” said Lei Yuantai.

There were special records detailing the Eldest Princess’ situation in the Celestial Dungeon.

However, the records omitted the details about Xiao Ran. The incidences of the sequelae erupting in the Eldest Princess and how she almost lost her rationality were never put on record by Xiao Ran.

“You may go.” Emperor Sheng Wen dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

After he left, Eunuch Zhu hesitated for a moment before saying, “It’s been more than half a year. Logically speaking, it’s impossible that nothing has happened.”

Seeing Emperor Sheng Wen frown, he added, “Could it be that Her Highness’s physique is special and can suppress the aftereffects of the forbidden technique?”

Emperor Sheng Wen walked to the entrance of the hall and looked at the dark night sky with his hands behind his back. “It’s good that she’s fine!”

In the rest chamber,

Xiao Ran took out the eight bottles of dragon blood and consumed them one by one. The dragon blood strengthened his body. With the increase in the Deluge Dragon’s skills evolution, the power of its blood also became stronger, allowing his physical body to advance another step. It was now comparable to Level 7 of the Grand Master Realm.

“His regeneration ability is still a little slow. If he was a little faster, his body would have quickly broken through to the Profound Realm,” Xiao Ran said.

He thought of the Deluge Dragon’s last words.

“Was he born of the North Sea Dragon Tribe?”

“I must find out more about them when I get a chance.”

Somewhere in a luxurious palace in the capital city,

in the darkness of the hall, there was no light source. The Bookmaker, who had escaped from the Jade Manor, knelt on the ground, trembling. His forehead was pressed against the ground, and he did not even dare to breathe.

He truthfully reported everything that had happened in the past few days.

At the seat on the pedestal was a young man dressed in a luxurious brocade robe. His face could not be seen clearly. He held a fox in his arms. It had six tails and he was casually stroking it.

“I will give him to you as a reward.”

The fox raised its eyes, and a terrifying demonic aura surged, as if an ancient beast from the primordial era had awakened.

“No…”

The Bookmaker didn’t even have a chance to react before he was swallowed in one gulp.

“You can’t even handle such a small matter, and you still have the cheek to come back?” The young man said scornfully.