“Lord Fang Qingshu, you are suspected of provoking the dignity of the Sky Temple and defiling Dragon God faith. We formally arrest you!”
With that, the four Dragon Temple inspectors stepped forward directly and seized Fang Qingshu’s arms.
In that instant, Fang Qingshu was completely stunned, staring in utter disbelief at the scene before him.
What, what on earth was happening?
And even more bizarrely, those making the arrest were not inspectors from the Sky Temple, nor even from the Yanjing Temple, but from the Zhidu Temple itself.
Fang Qingshu roared, “High Priest Gelie, do not forget, the warrant for arresting Narnier was personally signed by yourself and Lord Rogo.”
Originally, High Priest Gelie had harboured some guilt towards Fang Qingshu, but upon hearing Fang Qingshu still desperately trying to drag him down, rage flared in his heart. He said coldly, “Indeed, the warrant for arresting Narnier was signed by Rogo and myself. But what has that to do with you destroying Sky Priest Guban’s protective medallion? Soren has already brought Narnier to surrender herself at the Dragon Temple.”
At these words, Fang Qingshu was struck as though by lightning.
That villain Soren, that villain Soren, was truly so treacherous and cunning.
He had seen at a glance that Fang Qingshu’s only chance of survival lay in binding Rogo, Gelie, and himself together. So he had acted decisively, entering the royal city of Zhidu one step ahead, completely severing Fang Qingshu from the two men.
Now, Soren had succeeded. Rogo and Gelie had abandoned Fang Qingshu.
The great pit Soren had dug had truly buried the dignified young master of Hidden Continent.
What fate awaited him next? Fang Qingshu dared not imagine, but without question, being abandoned by Rogo and Gelie was merely the first step.
Would his family be willing to stand against Sky Priest Guban for his sake? Fang Qingshu was exceedingly pessimistic!
“Take him away!” High Priest Gelie said.
Then, the four inspectors escorted Fang Qingshu out of the high tower and out of the Zhidu Temple.
Next, under the supervision of several hundred Temple warriors, Fang Qingshu would be escorted to the Yanjing Temple for internal trial.
As for what end he would meet, that entirely depended on the result of this trial. And what result this trial would have entirely depended on what price Hidden Continent was willing to pay to protect him.
But at the very least, everything Fang Qingshu had in the Hidden Yuan Society and the Kingdom of Nu Lang had turned to smoke.
…
At the top of the highest Dragon Tower of the Zhidu Inquisition.
Rogo gazed lingeringly at Fulingxi. He was indeed somewhat covetous of this woman’s beauty and figure, but many concerns prevented him from acting.
This woman’s status was too special, though even she herself did not know of this special nature.
“What matter brings you to see me?” Rogo asked.
Fulingxi said, “In the operation to capture the World-Destroying Demon Emperor, in the demon-suppressing operation, though we suffered some setbacks, most of it was successful. At the very least, the discovery of Ashiluo as a Hell Knight was entirely the credit of our Zhidu Inquisition. For Guban to completely deny us because of one minor setback is most unfair!”
Rogo’s eyes narrowed instantly.
Fulingxi continued, “Lord Huai Bingyi took over all operations to capture the World-Destroying Demon Emperor, yet as the most directly responsible party, he has never contacted me or had any handover with me. This is clearly a display of distrust towards the Zhidu Temple and the Zhidu Inquisition!”
Rogo could not help but smile.
Fulingxi said, “Several months have now passed since Ashiluo’s death, yet Lord Huai Bingyi still shows no progress. I believe he must bear a certain responsibility. And the task of capturing the World-Destroying Demon Emperor and finding that vial of Demon’s Tear from Ashiluo should be entrusted to our Zhidu Inquisition and Zhidu Temple.”
Rogo said, “Fulingxi, do you believe I should join with Gelie and Fang Qingshu to fight against Sky Priest Guban, competing for the initiative in capturing the World-Destroying Demon Emperor?”
Fulingxi said, “Yes. The present situation is already very clear. Whoever finds demon blood has indirectly found the World-Destroying Demon Emperor. And whoever finds the World-Destroying Demon Emperor and successfully captures him will be able to ascend to the seat of Sky Priest. I believe neither you nor Lord Gelie should give up.”
Rogo’s eyes narrowed as he said, “So you believe we should take the initiative to attack, seizing the power to capture the World-Destroying Demon Emperor from Guban’s hands?”
Fulingxi nodded, “Yes. I spent the longest time with Ashiluo, so in searching for demon blood, I have an advantage.”
Rogo gazed deeply at Fulingxi. This woman was truly clever. She had indeed entered into some cooperation with Fang Qingshu.
Instantly, Rogo said in a strange tone, “I already know about Fang Qingshu destroying Guban’s protective medallion. I had not imagined you would actually cooperate with him? You clearly knew he intended to put your son to death?”
Fulingxi’s face trembled, “I am discussing the initiative in capturing the World-Destroying Demon Emperor. This has nothing to do with Soren.”
Rogo sighed, “I must inform you that Soren arrived in the royal city of Zhidu one step ahead of you, and brought his wife Narnier to surrender herself. So though the warrant for arresting Narnier was personally signed by me, it was just and correct. As for Fang Qingshu destroying His Majesty Guban’s protective medallion, that has nothing to do with arresting Narnier, and nothing to do with myself or Gelie either.”
At these words, Fulingxi was as though struck by lightning, her face deathly pale.
Rogo said, “Whether myself or Gelie, we are both in alignment with the Sky Temple. We resolutely obey the Sky Temple’s leadership and hold the noble Guban in the highest respect. We express great indignation at Fang Qingshu’s actions, and have already dispatched inspectors to arrest Fang Qingshu and escort him to the Yanjing Temple for trial!”
Fulingxi was silent for a long time, gazing at Rogo’s face.
She truly had not imagined that Soren would be so cunning, severing Fang Qingshu from Rogo and Gelie. And these two men had shown no mercy in abandoning Fang Qingshu.
Seeing Fulingxi’s ashen, colourless face, Rogo sighed inwardly.
Without question, Fulingxi was formidable. Her entry point was exceedingly sharp, helping Fang Qingshu while leaving no trace of blame upon herself. Her methods were extremely seasoned.
However, her son was even more decisive and ruthless, placing himself in certain death to survive, riding a griffin to bring Narnier to surrender herself and placing Fang Qingshu in mortal danger.
In the end, she, Fulingxi, had once again played the villain for nothing.
“That son of yours, he truly is worthy of being your flesh and blood,” Rogo said. “More fierce than a jackal, more cunning than a fox.”
A bitter smile appeared on Fulingxi’s face, her incomparably beautiful face instantly turning bitter, yet her heart grew even colder!
…
Over the following two days, Soren and Narnier remained within the Zhidu Temple, undergoing questioning by the Inquisition and the Temple.
Two days later, the Zhidu Inquisition released Narnier and Soren!
Yes, released!
Without any public charges, without any public explanation.
However, the Zhidu Inquisition specifically dispatched an inquisitor to follow Narnier, a form of surveillance.
And they ordered that Narnier not leave the territory of the Kingdom of Nu Lang. If her movements exceeded one hundred li, she must report to the inquisitor monitoring her.
This both preserved the dignity of the Zhidu Inquisition and the Zhidu Temple, and fully respected the authority of Sky Priest Guban.
After all, that protective medallion of Narnier’s had been issued by Guban, and all purposes were for capturing the World-Destroying Demon Emperor.
Soren’s adventure of placing himself in certain death to survive was a complete success. Not only did he emerge completely unscathed, but he had also thoroughly buried Fang Qingshu alive!
…
“Father will certainly save me!”
“Hidden Continent will certainly save me!”
Fang Qingshu, being escorted to Yanjing for trial, told himself this again and again.
His broken arm bones had received simple treatment, but he had not rested for several days and nights. He truly looked like a withered corpse.
He was the favoured son of heaven, having received the finest education since childhood. After growing somewhat older, he had entered the Yanjing Temple to study alongside the children of various royal houses.
Though he could not compare to Huai Bingyi and Ji Xiuning studying at the Sky Temple, as the young master of Hidden Continent, after entering the human kingdoms he held two positions: one managing the Hidden Yuan Society, and another as special inquisitor of the Zhidu Inquisition.
Though this special inquisitor was not among the sixteen inquisitors, normally he not only paid no heed to the sixteen inquisitors, but even Grand Inquisitor Rogo treated him with courtesy.
From childhood to adulthood, he had never suffered the slightest setback.
Nearly all the losses he had suffered were at Soren’s hands alone.
The woman he loved had been taken by Soren. Previously, when he had tried to arrest Soren, he had instead received punishment of confinement.
And this time, he had fallen into a trap designed by Soren, nearly suffering catastrophic destruction.
At this moment, he truly relied entirely upon one belief to sustain himself, or he would completely collapse.
“Father will certainly save me, Hidden Continent will certainly save me!”
However…
Before even entering Yanjing, a messenger from Hidden Continent had already arrived.
The Lord of Hidden Continent, his father Fang Zhijing, used the most severe, most disappointed tone to furiously denounce Fang Qingshu’s stupidity and crimes.
Of course, this was nothing. The harsher the scolding, the deeper the love.
But the final sentence utterly plunged Fang Qingshu into despair!
His father Fang Zhijing had stripped him of all positions in the Hidden Yuan Society and removed him from his status as young master of Hidden Continent.
And his younger brother Fang Qingyi had become the new young master of Hidden Continent!
Fang Qingshu knew he had been abandoned by his father!
Whether his father or Hidden Continent, neither was willing to stand against Sky Priest Guban to the death for his sake!
If Rogo and Gelie were added to the equation, Fang Zhijing would be willing to fight Guban.
But without the Zhidu Inquisition and the Zhidu Temple, Hidden Continent alone opposing Guban might not necessarily lose, but it was not worth paying such a great price for a single Fang Qingshu.
So, he had been abandoned!
Gazing at the overcast sky, darkness swam before Fang Qingshu’s eyes, waves of cold running through his body.
“Ah, I hate this so, I will not accept this!”
A miserable cry, a mouthful of black blood spat out.
In the end, Fang Qingshu could endure no longer and directly fainted, unconscious.
…
The Young Lord’s residence in the royal city of Zhidu!
Zhili held the secret letter in his hands, both hands trembling uncontrollably!
Beside him, his wife Fang Qingzhuo, her face haggard and bloodless, her eyes red-rimmed, originally plump, had now lost a full circle of weight!
Reading the letter in his hands again and again, Zhili finally closed his eyes in pain, leaning back in his chair.
How could this be? Why had this happened?
The young master of Hidden Continent Fang Qingshu had taken the field. Grand Inquisitor Rogo and High Priest Gelie had personally signed the arrest warrant!
Arresting Narnier on the grounds of demon blood, and dragging Soren down with her.
This plan had been completely certain of success. A mere Soren had absolutely no possibility of turning the tables.
For this, Zhili had even paid a heaven-shaking price, agreeing to double the size of the Temple Legion. This was completely mortgaging his dignity and power as future king.
Yet Soren had not only emerged completely unscathed, but had thoroughly buried Fang Qingshu alive!
The latest news had already arrived. Fang Qingshu had been sentenced to twenty years of fixed-term confinement for contempt of the Sky Temple and defilement of the supreme dignity of the Sky Priest!
So-called fixed-term confinement of twenty years meant twenty years in prison!
Though with Fang Qingshu’s background, he might not truly serve twenty years, perhaps emerging after ten or so.
But after ten years, things would have changed beyond recognition. Fang Qingshu’s future was thoroughly ruined.
Moreover, his position as young master of Hidden Continent had been removed, replaced by an unfamiliar Fang Qingyi.
Who was Fang Qingshu? He was Zhili’s most loyal ally! One of Zhili’s five pillars!
And now, Zhiwei was dead, Fang Qingshu ruined. Two of the five pillars had already collapsed, and the two most solid and powerful ones at that.
The remaining three pillars were respectively the Tulintuo military family, the Yan Party forces led by Yan Wuji, and the kingdom’s noble group led by Jian Yong.
The Yan Party was too insubstantial, the noble group too slippery and weak.
The only powerful one was the military force represented by Tulintuo, yet even this pillar was tottering.
“Soren, are you man or ghost, demon or devil!” Zhili roared in agony. “Facing a young master of Hidden Continent, a Grand Inquisitor, and a High Priest, you could still turn the tables. Are you man or ghost?”
At this moment, truly no words could describe the shock and horror in Zhili’s heart.
Without question, this great victory would once again spread throughout the world!
Because it was a victory won by trampling upon the Zhidu Temple’s head.
How many of the world’s nobles and feudal lords would secretly abandon him, Zhili, and choose anew which side to stand upon!
“Husband, do not be like this.” Fang Qingzhuo wept, “I will go as soon as possible to invite younger brother Qingyi, to have him come and meet you, to have him continue supporting you with all his might.”
Zhili nodded, then said, “Kneel down!”
Fang Qingzhuo’s face turned pale, pleading, “Husband, I am still injured there. I beg you to wait until my injuries heal.”
Zhili stepped forward, paying no heed, and pressed his wife Fang Qingzhuo to the ground. He tore off her skirt and entered her body with savage ferocity.
Instantly, Fang Qingzhuo’s miserable cries rang out once more.
After being implanted with demon blood, Zhili was completely like a wild beast. That act no longer held any beauty whatsoever, but was completely like terrible torture. Nearly every time, Fang Qingzhuo would lose half her life.
In merely half a month, Fang Qingzhuo, tormented by Zhili, had lost over a dozen jin. The injuries deep within her body had never healed.
…
And at this moment!
Several thousand cavalry escorted Princess Zhining into the royal city of Zhidu!
Zhining held the little baby, lifting the carriage curtain to gaze at the familiar massive city gates. She sighed inwardly, “Zhidu, I have returned; brother, I have returned; Soren, I have returned!”