Luo Xing had a relatively deep impression of Zhao Chengyan. After all, that day when so many princes and princesses came up to chat him up, Zhao Chengyan was the only one who wanted to spar with him.
And also…
It was Zhao Chengyan who made Luo Xing realize that the function of [Sword Catch] was a near-conceptual-level skill that guaranteed a 100% bare-handed sword catch.
So Luo Xing’s impression of him was far deeper than that of the other princes. Even later, when he started to suspect the Tianyan Royal Family, Luo Xing never chose to suspect him.
After all, how could a simpleton who only ever thought about practicing his sword do something like that?
He had even suspected the crown prince, who was busy to the point of exhaustion every day, but he never thought of suspecting Zhao Chengyan.
Yet…
It was this very person that Zhao Chengzhou told him about…
“Are you sure?” Luo Xing felt a bit incredulous. “Your second imperial brother? Zhao Chengyan?”
“It’s understandable that you don’t believe me, Immortal…” Zhao Chengzhou smiled bitterly. “At first… I thought I might have mistaken him…”
After all, Second Prince Zhao Chengyan was universally acknowledged in the palace as someone without schemes or ambition, with only a devotion to the sword.
But the truth was, that night, he watched helplessly as Zhao Chengyan walked up to him and said with a chilling smile:
“Eighth brother… were you frightened?”
Zhao Chengzhou really suspected that someone was impersonating his second brother at the time…
After listening to Zhao Chengzhou’s account, Luo Xing’s face turned extremely grim…
Setting aside whether this plot existed in the original novel, just as a modern person who had immersed himself in countless novels, hundreds of TV dramas, and thousands of movies, how could he have failed to think of Zhao Chengyan?
Were the ancients really this intelligent?
What happened to the idea that modern people could outsmart the ancients?
“And then what?” Luo Xing asked darkly. “How did you end up as Zhao Chengyan’s accomplice after that?”
Hearing Luo Xing’s question, Zhao Chengzhou was silent for a long time before slowly saying:
“I… he promised me…”
“Promised you what?”
“Promised me…”
“Wait!”
At that moment, Luo Xing suddenly stopped in his tracks and reached out to block Zhao Chengzhou.
“Immortal? What’s…”
Zhao Chengzhou asked in confusion, then looked up. His eyes went wide, his face turned pale, and a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
Before them was a huge hollow, like a palace carved from rock.
In the center of this “palace” was a stone pool filled with a dark red liquid. The liquid was gently churning, and every bubble that rose seemed like an evil breath.
Around the stone pool were piles of white fragments like small mountains, among which were many intact skulls…
Human skulls…
“Ugh—”
The stench in the air was thick enough to drip oil, and the already frail Zhao Chengzhou vomited on the spot.
Although Luo Xing didn’t react as violently, his face was equally pallid, and the hand holding the Spirit Sword trembled uncontrollably…
If nothing unexpected, those fragments were all pieces of human bones.
And the things in that pool…
Did he even need to guess?
This hellish scene staggered Luo Xing greatly. Neither before nor after his transmigration had he ever witnessed such a terrifying sight…
So…
Those missing people…
Those mortals with spiritual roots…
After they were captured…
Were they all…
The dual assault of sight and smell churned Luo Xing’s stomach, and the associations in his mind almost made him lose his grip on the sword.
Looking at the pool full of blood plasma and the surrounding piles of bone fragments, Luo Xing seemed to hear countless heart-wrenching wails and laments in his ears…
“What… do they really want to do…”
Luo Xing muttered tremulously.
“What does Zhao Chengyan want…”
Just as Luo Xing was shocked by the scene before him, the churning, viscous blood pool suddenly began to boil.
Luo Xing pulled Zhao Chengzhou behind him to protect him, then tightened his grip on the Spirit Sword and stared intently at the boiling blood.
A figure slowly rose from the blood pool. Thick plasma clung to his sturdy body, and some unknown dark red fragments kept falling off him.
Although his wet, long hair covered most of his face, Luo Xing recognized at a glance that the person in the blood pool was none other than Second Prince Zhao Chengyan.
But now, he was completely different from the Zhao Chengyan Luo Xing had seen before…
The Zhao Chengyan in his memory was straightforward, honest, with no hidden schemes.
But the Zhao Chengyan now gave him a feeling as chilling as a hellish ghost…
At that moment, Zhao Chengyan slowly opened his eyes. Viscous plasma dripped from his eyelashes.
He first glanced at Luo Xing, then looked at Zhao Chengzhou, who was panting heavily and pale as paper. He chuckled hoarsely:
“Eighth brother, oh Eighth brother… in the end, you couldn’t hold out until the last moment…”
“Shut up!”
Although his body was shaking uncontrollably, Zhao Chengzhou pointed at Zhao Chengyan and roared:
“If… if I had known you were capturing people to do such heinous things! I would rather risk my life! I would have reported you!”
He was filled with regret now, deep regret…
If he had reported Zhao Chengyan earlier, would so many people not have died?
But why hadn’t he done it?
Because Zhao Chengyan had promised him that as long as he didn’t tell anyone, after everything was over, he would not only help his mother’s name be cleared but also make those who framed her pay and teach the father emperor, who had wronged her, a lesson.
Zhao Chengzhou didn’t want to agree at first, but seeing how Zhao Chengyan could bring people into this Moonfall Palace without anyone noticing…
He believed him.
But back then, what did Zhao Chengzhou think?
He thought Zhao Chengyan was secretly building a power base. The people sent into the well were his personal guards, his strength for a coup. Once he forced the emperor to abdicate and ascended the throne, he could clear his mother’s name…
That was what he thought then.
Until now…
Looking at the piles of bones and the blood plasma almost overflowing the pool, Zhao Chengzhou felt like a sinner of the ages.
“Zhao Chengyan!”
Luo Xing raised his sword and pointed at him.
“What are you doing! Why are you capturing these people! Why are you treating them so cruelly?!”
“Is that so strange?”
Zhao Chengyan slowly walked out of the blood pool, a thick sneer on his face.
“To achieve a goal, one stops at nothing. Isn’t that an immutable law since ancient times? Immortal Luo, if you don’t understand such a simple truth, how can you cultivate the Dao?”
“What are you doing all this for?!”
“For what?”
Zhao Chengyan gritted his teeth.
“Naturally, to change this damned fate that was determined for me from birth!”
“I’m asking you—”
Luo Xing tightened his grip on the Spirit Sword, his eyes full of anger.
“Why should he be the crown prince just because he was born earlier! Why can these lowly peasants with spiritual roots cultivate the Dao! While I have nothing!”
“I can’t compete for the throne! I can’t cultivate the Dao! Why?! Just because of so-called heavenly destiny?!”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.