Chapter 635: Obtained Without Any Effort

Chapter 635: Effortlessly Acquired

The sky was fully bright, and Tang Wanzhuang had gone to court.

These past couple of days were indeed extremely busy; no one had any leisure time. Just regarding that impostor who had been imprisoned, how to deal with him had not yet been decided. Even Tang Wanzhuang’s own subordinates, like Qin Dingjiang who had once made a move against her, she had no time to consider whether to punish them. With a new dynasty just established, and in such a uniquely special environment, there were far more important matters to discuss at court; these issues didn’t even rank.

If not for the fact that Wanzhuang’s treatment couldn’t wait, yesterday should not have been spent idly outside the window; a full day of ruler and ministers discussing affairs would have been the proper course.

Zhao Changhe found it hard to imagine what emotions would arise when this pair of ruler and minister, who had taken turns sustaining each other through the night, met face to face at court. He felt that their relationships had all slid into an extremely absurd state.

The premise of this absurdity was that Wanzhuang now truly served her lord with her whole heart, placing Zhao Changhe’s interests first. Thus, in Wanzhuang’s eyes, the fact that the new emperor could serve you was a good thing, and even those women of the Four Symbols Sect ought to be subdued.

Zhao Changhe shook his head. Now everyone was very busy, and the most idle person had become himself. To put it nicely, he was holding the fort; to put it bluntly, he was a man of leisure. There was no longer any serious work for him to do. It seemed the only real task left was to subdue the Four Symbols Sect.

This was also an extremely critical juncture for the reform of the Four Symbols Sect. As Tang Wanzhuang had said, their goals were not the same. Now that the new dynasty was just established, they needed to cooperate externally, and no conflicts had yet erupted. But once the situation stabilized, differences might gradually emerge, even planting the seeds for future enmity.

For Wanzhuang, it was the same: because they were your people, she would cooperate. If the reverse were true—if you were their people—then the entire mindset would be different.

The Four Symbols Sect was a demonic sect. Its doctrine was to usher in the Night Emperor’s unified era, both in heaven and on earth, all belonging to the Night Emperor. The sect leader was merely a spokesperson. Even if Xia Chichi ascended the throne, she would only “administer the mortal realm,” like the ancient Azure Dragon, titled the Human Emperor, still subordinate to the Night Emperor as the Heavenly Emperor.

In a sense, Zhuque and Xuanwu viewed the people of the world not much differently from Xia Longyuan. Xia Longyuan saw people as NPCs, while they, aside from their own followers, regarded all others as untrustworthy heretics—either convert or die. That was why they became a demonic sect. This label wasn’t pinned on them by Xia Longyuan; it was determined by their doctrine, and public opinion had long been consistent. The eyes of the world were sharp.

In the past, they hadn’t seemed so demonic because they were weak, because the true number one under heaven had suppressed them, and because the Demon Suppression Division had restrained them. Now that no one was holding them back, what would happen?

Yesterday at the ceremony, when Xia Chichi declared the Four Symbols Sect the state religion, even though everyone knew they were members of the sect and had mentally prepared for such an announcement, the moment it was declared, everyone’s faces inevitably changed slightly, Tang Wanzhuang included. This showed that everyone was deeply resistant. If this issue were not resolved, it would inevitably become a bomb within the new dynasty, exploding sooner or later.

As for subduing the Four Symbols Sect… Chichi was not a problem. Guigui’s temperament meant she didn’t care much about such things, and ever since she accepted the Water Soul and developed her own concept of divinity, her devotion to the Night Emperor had become questionable. So in reality, the focus of the conflict was solely on Zhuque.

Zhao Changhe strolled through the palace, lost in thought, and his feet unconsciously led him to the former imperial consort’s bedchamber.

Although Huangfu Qing had become the Empress Dowager, she hadn’t moved; she still resided in the same quarters. In matters of mortal etiquette and luxury, Zhuque was indifferent. At the moment, the place was bustling with activity, the intricate task of managing the inner palace being no less demanding than court affairs.

“Your Highness…” The palace maids, upon seeing Zhao Changhe, bowed in trepidation: “The Empress Dowager is not here…”

“Not here? With all this bustle, where could she have gone?”

The maids exchanged glances, none daring to speak.

Zhao Changhe tapped his head and realized himself: Huangfu Qing had probably just come here to arrange a bunch of tasks, then hurried out of the palace to the Four Symbols Sect’s headquarters to handle Zhuque’s affairs.

It must be said that the Four Symbols Sect’s development to its current state, and its smooth acquisition of the greatest spoils after Xia Longyuan’s death, was largely due to Zhuque. She truly worked like two people. If it had all been Guigui, the sect would have long ceased to exist…

She was the de facto sect leader.

Since Huangfu Qing wasn’t there, and he didn’t know what to say to these young girls, Zhao Changhe waved his hand in farewell and wandered aimlessly.

As he walked, he unconsciously found himself again at the familiar Ancestral Temple, the battlefield of two days ago.

Old Xia’s corpse had been placed in a coffin, awaiting a grand burial ceremony. He didn’t know where the coffin was now. There were some guards here, mainly because beneath this temple was a secret realm built by Xia Longyuan. That peculiar sky dome was still worth studying—it corresponded to the heavens above and resonated with the mountains and rivers below. Back then, Xia Longyuan had lost control of the mountains and rivers due to qi backlash, rendering his home-field advantage useless. Otherwise, this thing itself would have been a nuclear-level secret weapon.

Moreover, since he had spent a long time here, there should be some special collections beneath the platform. It couldn’t be that he had nothing at all, nor would he have stored them in the imperial treasury—that would be unnecessary. The treasury likely held only ordinary items; the important ones should be here.

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment and went straight inside. With nothing else to do, cultivation was the most important task for him. He hadn’t even studied the page of the Heavenly Book that Old Xia had given him—he had been too busy…

The guards hesitated but did not stop him.

Zhao Changhe’s presence in the palace was extremely unique. No one knew how to treat him. In theory, one could simply regard him as the emperor without issue… No one was bold enough to block him.

He went unimpeded to the lower platform. Standing atop it, he looked up at the sky dome. It still shimmered, its composition unclear. It seemed different from the sunrise and sunset seen in the Spirit Clan’s territory, and also different from the “true sky” in the far east. He couldn’t even fathom its principles.

But it was conceivable that since Xia Longyuan believed this world to be an artificial small world, he must have been exploring in that direction. This sky dome was an attempt to construct his own world. His so-called “imperial realm” was said to be formed by ruling the world, but that might not be the whole story. Ruling the world was just a step; the next should be ruling heaven and earth… Only by walking this path could he have achieved his terrifying strength at the 2.5 level of the imperial realm.

Zhao Changhe suddenly leaped up, reaching out to touch the sky dome above.

The sensation was strange. The point of contact shifted, as if something was flowing. The night-like canopy of the sky was like black brocade, constantly moving.

Wait a moment…

Zhao Changhe’s eyes widened: “Xia Xia, is this Night Quicksand?”

The Blind One sighed: “You should have studied this long ago. What have you been doing these past two days?”