I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

"He Dongtian absorbs my yang energy every day, so his cultivation level should be growing quite steadily!"

Seeing He Dong shyly immersing herself in his commission, Lin Yi wanted to assess He Dong's skill level and also wanted to use the demon-slaying manual to observe her state and see if she was just being shy on the surface but secretly happy.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yi was suddenly dumbfounded.

[He Dong, a female ghost, craves yang energy. Having tasted high-quality yang energy, she finds ordinary yang energy unpalatable. Killing her grants six hundred years of cultivation.]

He Dong's cultivation level has increased by 1,800 years. This growth rate is too fast. The last tribulation of 1,500 years has not even been over for a month!

Are all ghosts so exceptionally gifted?

Or perhaps it's because my yang energy is particularly effective?

Lin Yi was still making wild guesses when he saw He Dong's state...

[Status: Sealed, witnessing her lover's intimate moments with another, she felt resentment and jealousy, and her cultivation continued to grow...]

Ghosts are such unreasonable and eccentric beings; their spiritual power can be improved through cultivation, plunder, and even by generating anger...

But that's no longer the point.

He Dong has already been sealed away, so who is this guy bragging now?

Lin Yi felt a chill run down his spine. What kind of horror story of the year was this?

Based on the information revealed in the Demon-Slaying Manual, He Dong has been sealed away, and it is in this room that we can see what he and "He Dong" are doing.

Because she was merely sealed away, she could only watch, which fueled her growing rage and caused her cultivation to surge.

This is this...

Lin Yi was extremely nervous, after all, his life was in someone else's hands, and if anything went wrong, he would have no happiness for the rest of his life.

Now is when his brain is working at its fastest.

He Dong was sealed away, but there is still another He Dong in front of him, which means that the sealing of He Dong was done by the fake He Dong in front of him.

Why did she seal He Dong away and then impersonate He Dong?

The only possible purpose is to get close to him. The purpose of getting close to him can be divided into two types: one is to plot against him, and the other is to plot against the Demon Emperor's Secret Realm.

Lin Yi felt the latter was more likely, since apart from being handsome, he didn't have any other obvious advantages. As for his personal abilities, not many people knew about them, and the only one who knew his full strength was himself.

However, according to this speculation, since the other party has the ability to seal a Ghost King who has survived three tribulations and then take his place, if they really want to seize the Demon Emperor's Secret Realm, they can take the opportunity to attack Wang Jinxuan instead of continuing to pretend to be He Dong.

This possibility, upon closer examination, can actually be ruled out.

Another possibility that Lin Yi hadn't mentioned, which he ruled out first, was that the Hundred Ghosts Sect might be seeking revenge.

Upon closer reflection, He Dong had already said that with her cultivation level, only the sect leader of the Hundred Ghosts Sect could threaten her. The sect leader of the Hundred Ghosts Sect wouldn't go so far as to personally intervene. Even if he did, disguising himself as He Dong would probably only be to tease him. Since it was just teasing, it wouldn't go to such an extent.

Besides, the leader of the Hundred Ghosts Sect is his master. Even if he is a member of the Demonic Sect, he wouldn't go to such lengths for his disciple, would he?

After much thought, Lin Yi realized that although he had considered many possibilities, none of them seemed plausible.

As time went on, He Dong's skills became more and more proficient, so we will skip over that part.

About fifteen minutes later, the clouds stopped and the rain ceased, and Lin Yi had made up his mind.

In any case, before ensuring He Dong's safety, the fake He Dong must not realize that she has discovered that she is fake, lest she harm He Dong.

At this moment, Lin Yi was also quite annoyed. It was because he thought He Dong was strong enough to protect herself that he separated from her. He never expected that she would encounter a powerful enemy during this time.

I also blame myself for believing He Dong's boasting.

She's always been quite concerned about her image, and I know that perfectly well, so how could I take it seriously?

Now, He Dong is in grave danger, and it's too late for regrets.

All we can do now is try to rescue He Dong.

The first step is to find out exactly where He Dong is.

Was he sealed inside this fake He Dong, or was he sealed in this room?

Lin Yi took Qianhuan Guiji's hand and said, "Dong'er, you've worked hard just now. Speaking of which, we've been staying here for so long, but I haven't been able to properly show you around Xingsha City."

"I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to come back again. How about I take you for a night stroll around Changsha tonight?"

"Okay."

Thousand Illusion Ghost Princess readily agreed, and Lin Yi took her hand and went out the door while observing He Dong's condition.

Sure enough, He Dong was very angry; she could indeed tell what he was doing with the fake He Dong.

Next, by getting close to the fake He Dong outside and seeing if the real He Dong gets angry, one can deduce whether she was sealed in that room or sealed away and carried by this fake He Dong.

While Lin Yi was outwitting and outmaneuvering the Thousand Illusion Ghost Princess, Xiao Se had already gone to the Jingye Division to tell Bao Sanniang and Guan Buping about the Hellish Floating World Painting.

When Guan Buping heard that Wang An might be inextricably linked to this matter, he was completely skeptical. However, with the evidence before him, it was reasonable for him to ask Wang An to return and cooperate with the investigation.

So he had Xiao Se affix his seal, and then had Bao Sanniang affix her stamp, and thus the arrest warrant was issued.

However, this matter did not attract much attention from others. After all, among so many members of the Wang family, only Wang Jinxuan truly stood out.

This only applies to the cultivation circle. As for the imperial court, they no longer have time to care about whether or not there is a demon emperor. Liang Wang's subordinates displayed great power in Xing Sha City, burning the imperial edict with an arrow and kicking away Ao Guang, the imperial guard with a sword.

What's even more outrageous is that he actually said he wanted to "purge the court of corrupt officials," revealing his wolfish ambitions.

Even if it wasn't King Liang who spoke, the expert who could closely protect King Liang's heir was definitely an important figure under King Liang's command, and his words would certainly reflect King Liang's attitude to the whole city.

He's really going to rebel!

When the news reached the capital, it shocked the entire court and the public.

For a time, many of the most trusted ministers in the court gathered at the palace gates, begging for an audience with the emperor, while another group wrote letters to the King of Liang overnight, expressing their intention to surrender.

Fearing the letter would be too slow to arrive and that the King of Liang was moving south too quickly, many people went to great lengths, using their most secret methods, and dispatched their own rare and exotic animals as messengers to hurriedly deliver the letter to the King of Liang.

Just then, King Liang was about to take off his clothes and go to sleep when he was stunned by the successive arrival of messengers.

What's this?

What kind of day is it today? Why are so many court officials trying to defect to me?

It wasn't until he saw the Black Demon's secret letter that he suddenly understood.

This is outrageous!

Who is this guy impersonating him and rebelling against him?!

Chapter 201 Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use? No, Hidden Dragon, Useless

Xiao Zhao felt that Xing Sha City seemed to have a special kind of magic, and recently a lot of strange things had been happening, causing his plans to keep deviating in strange directions.

Xiao Se wasn't killed, and now someone has done that in his name. He can't speak out because many of his own people mistakenly believe he's really going to take action.

"Was this also part of your plan?"

Xiao Zhao's gaze was deep as he looked at the distant night sky. His advisors and subordinates behind him were secretly suspicious, wondering who the "you" the King of Liang was referring to was.

In short, great wealth and prosperity will come tonight.

Among these people is Zhang Yan, the current governor of Northern Xuzhou, who is also the highest-ranking and most important person currently serving the Prince of Liang.

Other states also sought refuge with the Liang King at this time, but due to their assigned regions, they could not be as close to the Liang King as he was. Naturally, Zhang Yan did not want to miss such a good opportunity.

If he wins, he will have rendered meritorious service to the emperor, and it is not impossible for him to be ennobled and appointed as a high-ranking official in the future.

Seeing that the atmosphere was quite right, he stepped forward on behalf of his many advisors and said, "Your Highness, I have heard rumors today that a treacherous official in the court is framing the Crown Prince, claiming that he committed the heinous act of massacring villages and wiping out entire families."

This statement is utterly absurd, yet His Majesty favors his treacherous ministers, completely disregarding the prince's reputation, and has even sent men to arrest the heir apparent. Such absurdity is something I, your humble servant, believe should not be taken lightly.

Now, surrounded by powerful enemies from the outside and plagued by treacherous officials from within, Your Highness, as a pillar of our dynasty, at this critical juncture of survival, you should raise your banner, sweep away the evil, and bring peace to the world. Your humble servant, Zhang Yan, humbly beseeches Your Highness to consider the well-being of the nation, to muster your army, march south, purge the court of corrupt officials, kill Prince Hui, and punish the treacherous prime minister.”

Prince Hui, the emperor's younger brother, was indeed a very powerful prince who was known for his treacherous behavior towards his brother and had a terrible reputation.

The "thief prime minister" in question refers to the current prime minister, Gu Siming.

Unlike Prince Hui, who was a troublesome son, Gu Siming was a pillar of the court and a staunch royalist. He was also the one who advocated weakening Prince Liang's military power and was always at odds with Prince Liang.

Therefore, Gu Siming was also identified as a traitorous prime minister by the Liang King's faction.

After Zhang Yan spoke, the other advisors also knelt down one by one, shouting: "We humbly request Your Highness to go south, cleanse the court of corrupt officials, kill Prince Hui, and punish the treacherous prime minister!"

Their slogans were chanted in unison and full of spirit; it was clear they were eager to try.

In this way, the morale of the army can be mobilized.

Xiao Zhao knew what these people were thinking, but he only looked back south and remained silent for a long time. When Zhang Yan and his subordinates were all feeling uneasy, he finally spoke: "Tomorrow, we will head south."

Everyone was thrilled; they had waited far too long for this day.

It was at this time, in the imperial palace of Jiankang, that the emperor, impatient with the urging of his ministers, finally summoned Gu Siming.

But among all the officials, he only saw Gu Siming.

"Prime Minister Gu, please speak quickly, lest I be delayed in my cultivation."

Seeing Xiao Qian's behavior, Gu Siming was so angry that he almost had a stroke.

"Absurd, absurd! With disaster looming, His Majesty does not consider strategies to fight the enemy, but only cares about enjoying himself. With such behavior, how will you face the late Emperor in the future!"

For Gu Siming to utter such disobedient words, it's clear he was truly driven mad by Xiao Qian.

Xiao Qian was unfazed by Gu Siming's anger, and instead chuckled, saying, "Don't worry, Prime Minister Gu, once I become an immortal, I will live forever and will no longer need to see the late emperor."

"you!"

The logic itself isn't wrong, but it's just so damn infuriating.

Gu Siming was devastated and burst into tears.

Seeing how pitifully he was crying, Xiao Qian felt a pang of sympathy for Gu Siming, who was over sixty and had a full head of white hair.

"Why is Prime Minister Gu in such a state? It breaks my heart. Perhaps... Prime Minister Gu should go home and cry? That way, I won't see it, and I won't feel sorry for him."

Gu Siming had been weeping alone, but upon hearing Xiao Qian's words, he was immediately enraged and said sorrowfully, "Your Majesty, I have failed you. I have failed to make Your Majesty a wise ruler and have failed to restrain Xiao Zhao's wolfish ambitions. How can I face the world?"

Having said that, he rammed his head into a large pillar inside the hall. Xiao Qian reacted a little too slowly, and just as he reached out his hand, Gu Siming crashed into the pillar, bleeding profusely, and collapsed to the ground.

"Prime Minister Gu! Prime Minister Gu!"

Xiao Qian came over to help Gu Siming up and immediately sent someone to fetch the imperial physician.

After a long period of treatment, Gu Siming's life was finally saved, but it only prevented him from dying on the spot; he wouldn't live more than a few days.