Chapter 315 : The Ancestor Emperor Awakens

Chapter 315: The Ancestor Emperor Awakens

Chu Huaixu already had his own decision in mind.

He would choose—to return the favor in kind.

For now, he would simply continue participating in the Eastern and Western Continents’ Grand Competition as usual.

What he wanted… was for their blood to be spilled upon the very ground where Niu Yuanshan’s blood had once stained!

The next day, Chu Huaixu was summoned away by Jiang Zhi.

Since he did not need to participate in the competition anyway, he was rather free for the time being.

And this was also Chu Huaixu’s first time coming into contact with the Sword Sovereign of the Sword Sect and the Heavenly Net of Luo Heaven Valley.

The Sword Sovereign was dressed like a middle-aged scholar, while the Heavenly Net of Luo Heaven Valley looked like an old academic—somewhat like an elderly schoolteacher.

Strictly speaking, though, it was only natural for 【Heavenly Net】 to look like this. After all, Luo Heaven Valley was known as the sect of ten thousand methods; the people there loved researching cultivation methods and techniques.

On the contrary, the Sword Sovereign’s refined, jade-like demeanor made him seem completely different from most sword cultivators, who were typically sharp and arrogant.

Since the representative from Spring and Autumn Mountain had not arrived, Mei Chuxue could only attend this meeting on their behalf.

These people asked Chu Huaixu to describe in detail the situation inside the Imperial Pool.

Chu Huaixu concealed only some of his personal secrets—he even spoke about the Female State Preceptor cultivating 《Bridal Garment》.

Moreover, he did not play any tricks.

When it came to matters involving his own secrets, he simply glossed over them.

It was equivalent to indirectly telling them: this part, I do not wish to speak of—rather than fabricating lies.

After finishing, he glanced at the Sword Sovereign and the others, only to find that the three representatives from the other great sects had all fallen into contemplation, remaining silent.

In the end, it was Heavenly Net who spoke:

“Little Friend Chu, rest assured. During your time in Moon Country, we will ensure your safety.”

He was the eldest present, and also the one with the highest cultivation on the surface, so it was only natural for him to say this.

The Sword Sovereign was indeed powerful, but unlike most sword cultivators, he neither fought nor competed, nor did he seek fame or profit. He appeared detached from everything, indifferent to all matters, and remained largely silent.

After hearing this, Jiang Zhi told Chu Huaixu to leave first.

It was obvious that what followed would be a private discussion among the four of them.

Calling Chu Huaixu here today was purely to let him recount everything personally—and to reassure him.

After all, he was merely a junior in the Third Realm, yet he was now in the Imperial Capital of Moon Country and had inexplicably become the center of a massive vortex.

The Old State Preceptor sought to set things right, while the current Moon Emperor and the Ancestor Emperor had jointly set up a scheme for possession.

What ordinary junior wouldn’t panic?

Most would be scared out of their wits, their nerves stretched taut every single day.

After their discussion, the four would represent Mirror Country of the Eastern Continent to demand an explanation from Moon Country of the Western Continent.

But clearly, this was no longer something Chu Huaixu could participate in at this stage.

Fortunately, he had his own plans.

They would proceed on parallel tracks, without interfering with one another.

As time passed, the Eastern and Western Continents’ Grand Competition had already gone through several rounds.

The Third Realm competition was naturally far more exciting than that of the First Realm.

After all, cultivators in the First Realm had rather limited methods, and the spiritual energy within their bodies was extremely thin.

However, up to this point, the discussions and hype surrounding this year’s competition were noticeably less than last year.

There was no helping it—the Xuanhuang Champion, who embodied countless talking points and cultivated both sword and body, had advanced directly into the top sixteen.

This fellow had first appeared as a body cultivator, then made it so others could not draw their swords, revealed his dual cultivation of sword and body, mastered the 《Dao Canon》, and even triggered Sword Intent…

Who could stir up more waves than him?

And this time, even though he had yet to personally step onto the stage, he remained the central topic of discussion.

After all, the Heir of Prince Rui had publicly accused Chu Huaixu of being a spy for Moon Country.

Although that Steward Niu had cleared his name before committing self-inflicted death, the incident had caused a massive uproar, spreading throughout the entire city.

Every restaurant and tea house in the Imperial Capital had people discussing this matter.

As for those participating in the competition, it went without saying.

Some found the matter inexplicable.

Some believed there was no smoke without fire.

Some thought Qin Xuanxiao’s claims were utterly ridiculous.

But regardless, everyone was waiting for Chu Huaixu—the Xuanhuang Champion—to show himself publicly.

Since emerging from the Imperial Pool, he had not gone out much.

He no longer watched the matches of Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing like before.

This only made the curious even more restless.

They were eagerly awaiting his appearance.

After Niu Yuanshan’s death, many disciples within the Dao Gate still found it difficult to accept.

Moreover, since the incident had occurred in full public view, it felt like a direct slap to the face of the Dao Gate.

As a result, these Dao Gate prodigies were filled with anger.

Whenever they encountered people from Moon Country—especially disciples from Moon Country’s academies—they struck with noticeably greater force.

Although Chu Huaixu did not go to the Martial Arena to watch matches, he still asked Big Ice Block and Little Xu:

“How has Steward Mo been lately?”

The two replied that Steward Mo had been handling various affairs daily, constantly leading teams at the Martial Arena, refusing to rest.

And ever since Niu Yuanshan’s self-inflicted death, no one had seen a smile on Mo Qingmei’s face.

“Whenever it snows lately, Steward Mo seems a bit distracted,” Han Shuangjiang added, having observed carefully.

Since Mo Qingmei treated them as juniors, she also felt some concern for this elder.

Chu Huaixu nodded slightly upon hearing this, saying nothing more.

After thinking for a moment, he asked:

“Has Qin Xuanxiao used the Emperor-level Divine Sense in any recent matches?”

Big Ice Block and Little Xu both shook their heads.

This made the Dead Fox speculate inwardly:

“The Emperor-level Divine Sense may have encountered some issues.”

Otherwise, that day by the Imperial Pool, that series of intimate scenes would not have occurred with the Female State Preceptor who also possessed Emperor-level Divine Sense.

Time continued to pass.

Just as Chu Huaixu had expected, it was not until the Round of 32 in the Eastern and Western Continents’ Grand Competition that the four strands of Emperor-level Divine Sense within Qin Xuanxiao slowly awakened.

Of the ten strands of Divine Sense, four had been lost—greatly injuring the Ancestor Emperor’s vitality.

It was essentially equivalent to half his soul being absorbed by Chu Huaixu using the Accursed Pill.

At this moment, within 【Dao Birth One】, there were two Accursed Pills—one containing Ye Kongxuan’s Four Symbols Spirit Root, and the other containing the Ancestor Emperor’s four strands of Divine Sense. Both were, coincidentally, tied to the number four.

In addition, this Accursed Pill also contained the power of the Imperial Pool, the power of the possession formation, and the abundant Fate of the Nation.

For now, Chu Huaixu did not know whether these things could be extracted.

At present, the Accursed Pill was like a mythical beast that only took in but never released.

But if it could truly be opened…

Then what lay inside would all be treasure!

That night, Qin Xuanxiao was meditating in cultivation.

Upon sensing the revival of the four strands of Divine Sense within his body, he immediately opened his eyes, a trace of wild joy flashing within them.

In recent days, he had gone to observe the matches of Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing.

To his surprise, that cold-faced girl had already reached the Perfection of Sword Intent!

Moreover, she had mastered so many sword techniques that in every match, she could use one that countered her opponent’s attributes, completely suppressing them.

Without the support of the Emperor-level Divine Sense, he no longer had absolute confidence in victory.

“In such a short time, how could she have grown to this level?” Qin Xuanxiao found it unbelievable.

As for Xu Ziqing, up until now, he had only used the Bronze Sword once—and that too with his left hand.

Qin Xuanxiao had no grasp of his true strength.

There was no helping it—the four World Protagonists each had their own cheats and fortunes.

Qin Xuanxiao’s golden finger had temporarily been crippled by Chu Huaixu.

Thus, upon sensing the awakening of the Divine Sense, he immediately exclaimed in delight:

“Ancestor! You’ve finally awakened!”

Soon, the voice of the Ancestor Emperor sounded within his mind.

There was a trace of fatigue and weakness in his tone.

“Tell me—where are Chu Huaixu’s corpse and that bead!”

Hearing his ancestor’s words, Qin Xuanxiao was utterly baffled, unable to stop himself from uttering:

“Hm?”