Chapter 1209: Chapter 54: Emperor’s Book of Celestial Decree, Profound Cyan Imperial Secret (2/3)

——Void Abyss, the Arcane Abyss yet unopened, the stars of time flowing bright, the True Dragon sheds its shape… Gathering the azure waves of the abyss, condensing the essence of the Great Void, transforming into the enactment of the Heavenly Order, holding the pivot of the nine extremes. Thus, commanding the myriad laws of the spirit, with all heavens in the palm, ruling life and death, forging the Imperial Court!

In an instant, An Jing recognized the origin of this secret tome, contemplated, and passed the leaf token to You Ruhui beside her.

She scanned it with her Divine Sense, even more astounded, then looked up at the smiling face of the Virtuous King, “Has the Imperial Court gone mad? Giving out such things?”

“You think it’s precious, but it’s not so.”

The Virtuous King laughed joyfully, finding An Jing’s astonished expression more amusing than anything else.

However, he then initiated a secret exchange of Divine Sense: [An Jing, you might not know, but Ruohui definitely does, because the ‘Mysterious Chen’s Supreme Secret Manual’ is one of the fundamental secret techniques every member of the Emperor’s Blood must cultivate, and the most important one at that.]

[On the other hand, the Emperor’s Book of Celestial Decree is different; it is the original text that only the Town King and the ‘Mysterious Heaven Imperial Lord’ can cultivate.]

“Hmm… indeed extraordinary.”

An Jing nodded slightly, the astonishment on his face still not fully dispelled, but it was not because of the Mysterious Chen’s Supreme Secret Manual, rather due to the essence contained within the secret tome.

“Subdue Evil, truly, there’s an element of the Five Emperors’ True Method in here!”

“Indeed!”

Subdue Evil had merely swept through it a moment ago but had already confirmed the essence of the Mysterious Chen’s Supreme Secret Manual, solemnly saying:

“Qinghua’s Sutra of Salvation, Immortality and Spirit, Mystic Light Purifying World Demonic Spirit Chapter… and another equally formidable secret method of the Dragon Clan, whether it’s the True Spirit Nine Transformations or something else, I know not, yet a uniquely talented individual has gracefully fused the three inheritances, creating their own Dao Rhythm…”

“The Heavenly Sacrifice Emperor Book Dao lies here; the Supreme One bears the weight of the universe, the Returning to the Source bears witness to the Primordial True Fate… The founder of the Great Chen Dynasty was certainly that ‘Great Chen Saint Ancestor Xuantian Sacrifice,’ was it not? Indeed, this is the core legacy he left behind for the Imperial Court!”

“It turns out such is the foundation of the Great Chen Imperial Court! Two Seventh-order Daoist Scriptures, fitting for the Heavenly Ancestor!”

Subdue Evil, not without reason a Sword Immortal of the Dao Court Era, perceived the foundation of the Mysterious Chen’s Supreme Secret Manual at a glance: “It only reaches the Peak of Manifestation, yet its Dao Rhythm is complete, without a Dark Hand, merely halved— Goodness, if this thing were cast abroad, if a genius even slightly less than you were to obtain it, it would suffice to establish their own Great Dao foundation!”

Without a doubt, this was the core legacy the Great Chen Imperial Court intended to covertly offer You Ruhui to study, both as compensation and as an investment because of You Ruhui being a friend of An Jing.

However, it also revealed that the Little Emperor, the current Xuan Mingyu, could no longer afford anything substantial but could only use shareable ‘Great Dao inheritances’ as recompense.

The hand was indeed too weak, betraying the essence of fragility.

“But if not for such weakness, they would not give out such a good thing.”

An Jing was well aware; he did not refuse but instead accepted the token and leaf with interest, his actions smooth and unhurried.

“Then so it is.”

Subsequently, he declared in a loud voice, “An Jing, the Mountain Master of Heavenly Sword Mountain, shall naturally serve as the representative of the Great Chen.”

His voice, like hidden thunder, rolled and spread in all directions, proclaiming his stance.

The Virtuous King sighed with relief, yet before he could show a relaxed expression, An Jing privately transmitted: [Your Highness, let’s not speak in riddles, but the things from the Imperial Court are overly abundant, making my representation unnecessary; surely, you have other tasks in mind as well, no?]

[You’ve guessed correctly]

The Virtuous King’s gaze sharpened, then he continued to sip his drink, transmitting: [As Xuan Guangge, I have no other duties, but as the ‘trusted Town Prince of the North by His Majesty,’ here lies a secret message that requires exchange with both Princess Mingjing and Ruohui]

He turned, looking at the solemn You Ruhui, his tone equally earnest: [Ruohui, the ‘Southern Dipper Life Infusion’ held by your father King Jing, is critical to the safety of the Imperial Court’s foundation. Do you… know where it might be located?]

[Should you inform us, the resistance to King Jing’s exoneration will significantly diminish! Thereupon, you can also return to the Imperial Court with dignity, and the position of Town King is not beyond reach!]

This was not concealed from An Jing, who understood: “The Little Emperor is already making every effort to connect various forces, preparing to resist the Grandmaster and the Grand Governor, is he not?”

The Imperial Court has three immutable Lingxiaos; once seated on the Emperor’s Throne, the Mysterious Heaven Imperial Lord must surely be of the Lingxiao position, while the Civil and Military Emperor’s Throne, carrying Dragon Qi from the mortal realm, must also be Lingxiao.

Yet the Little Emperor’s power only reaches as far as Manifestation, and even if he can constrain the Civil and Military Emperor’s Throne using the Imperial Court’s power, due to the Late Emperor’s passing, the Civil and Military Emperor’s Throne likely also controls a portion of the Imperial Court’s fundamental power, with the Mysterious Heaven Imperial Lord’s power unable to fully dominate officials.

And when the incident with King Jing occurred, the Late Emperor had already passed, with Xuan Mingyu being supported to power by King Jing. Leaving the merits of aiding the dragon aside, the Young Emperor at that time certainly lacked substantial power, implying the mastermind was likely the Grandmaster, Grand Governor, or even officials within the Civil-Military Group.

Now the Little Emperor desires resistance, and King Jing’s past is not only a means of rallying power but a righteous weapon of law and principle, and if I guess correctly about the Eight Directions Heavenly Martial, it should be a suppressive thing like the ‘Four Directions Heavenly Sword’ in Anjing Cave Heaven Technique, holding significances far beyond mere Pure Yang Heavenly Martial, symbolizing the Imperial Court’s authority in the North.

With You Ruhui holding critical clues in this regard, naturally she was seen as a potential ally worth significant investment!

But…

An Jing turned to You Ruhui, who regretfully shook her head, “I don’t know.”

She truly did not know. What You Ruhui carried was the Heaven and Earth Core, potentially holding the key to the Southern Dipper Life Infusion, but she was unaware of the precise clues.

This Heavenly Martial was likely a contingency left by King Jing, but unless unexpectedly, it should be hidden by another group.

For this group, An Jing had an idea as well.

The Virtuous King, tasked with discussing such matters as an envoy, was evidently a core royalist trusted by the Imperial Court.

Though outside of this, he was also aware that as An Jing’s ally, discussions regarding this were necessary, so he continued: “Regarding Heavenly Sword Mountain over there, the Bright Mirror Sect and my Prince De’s Mansion are going to reach a new peak in trade with Dust Li, following the Great Chen’s imperial order from two hundred years ago; the repair work to rebuild the Northern Border and vast Western Mountain Domain will commence, addressing the damages from the Frost Calamity and the War with Dust Li.”

This was a win-win trade, as a resource exchange with an entire Heavenly Sect, drastically accelerating Bright Mirror Sect’s growth and recovery from the Mingjing Nirvana.

Meanwhile, the Virtuous King additionally provided a piece of intelligence: “Your disaster child’s brother recently went to Shenjing with General Gu.”

Aware of the Little Emperor’s trust, it was evident he was now a core member of the royalist faction greatly trusted by the Little Emperor.

Yet besides that, he was also an ally of An Jing, so the Virtuous King continued: “Over at Heavenly Sword Mountain, the Bright Mirror Sect and my Virtuous King’s Mansion have been recognized by the imperial decree to formally establish the Evergreen Wood’s cultivation base within the vast region surrounding the Heavenly Sword Mountain Range.”

This mutually beneficial trade agreement reached new heights post the Recruitment Conquest two hundred years ago between Da Chen and Dust Li, with an array of spiritual plants, resources, and materials flowing continuously to Bright Mirror Sect’s Dust Li location akin to flowing rivers to the sea.

Conversely, on Great Chen’s side, there was also an implicit understanding to rebuild and restore the Northern Border Western Mountain region, repairing the damage left by the Frost Calamity and conflict with Dust Li.

This comprehensive collaboration guarantees the cooperation and rapid recovery of Bright Mirror Sect, defying all odds with the entire resources exchange of a Heavenly Ancestor.

Finally, the Virtuous King presented another piece of information: “That brother of yours, the Child of Calamity, recently went to Shenjing with General Gu.”

An Jing, who was listening intently, nodded slightly: [Rightly guessed]

“””