Spirit-Suppressing Grass was a bane to both celestials and demons. It only grew in thousand-meter-high snow mountains, guarded by top-tier snow pythons. The grass was hard to harvest, disintegrated on contact with fire, and was incredibly difficult to refine. Given Bai Shuo’s low spiritual power, she had studied every life-saving herb she could, and Spirit-Suppressing Grass was legendary.
“Wait, who could possibly poison you?” Bai Shuo paused, narrowing her eyes. “Was it the Yiren King?”
Hua Hong remained silent, and Bai Shuo suddenly spoke up. “Hua Hong, why were you banished from the Foreign City all those years ago?”
Hua Hong squinted at her. “Why do you care?”
“It’s not like I want to dig up your family’s old scandals. But the Yiren King has captured all the celestial and demon disciples attending the Wu Tong Martial Banquet. My senior brother’s life is also in your father’s hands. They’re trapped by an array set by him, and only you can break that wicked array. How can I know whether I can trust you?”
“Believe me or don’t; it’s up to you.” Hua Hong scoffed, chewing her blade of grass, giving Bai Shuo a dismissive glance. “If you don’t trust me, then just leave.”
Hua Hong seemed completely indifferent about the captured disciples. Bai Shuo cursed herself inwardly for her naivety. Hua Hong had only stayed by her side to protect Fan Yue, and since no one from Hao Yue Hall was captured, she wouldn’t care in the slightest if the rest of them perished.
Bai Shuo bit her lip, glancing at Fan Yue behind her, and suddenly whispered to Hua Hong, “How would you feel if I screamed for help right now?”
Hua Hong’s eyes widened as she glanced at Fan Yue, her face darkening. “Bai Shuo, you wouldn’t dare!”
The Yiren King didn’t know Fan Yue’s identity, and he wouldn’t spare a single celestial or demon disciple who entered the Foreign City tonight. With his godly power not yet fully restored, meeting the Yiren King now would mean certain death for Fan Yue.
“Why wouldn’t I? At worst… I’ll die with him.” Bai Shuo pressed her lips tight, not daring to look back.
Sorry, Mumu, but A-Zhao must not die. I have to save him.
“You…!” Hua Hong had never encountered someone as shameless as Bai Shuo in her centuries as a spirit.
Not far away, Fan Yue observed Bai Shuo in silence. He seemed to understand, yet also seemed oblivious. His gaze fell, hiding his expression.
“I’ll do it…” Bai Shuo closed her eyes, preparing to scream.
“I’ll destroy the core of the Locking Spirit Array.” Hua Hong’s voice cut her off.
Bai Shuo’s eyes flew open, watching as Hua Hong turned away. In the moonlight, her figure looked a bit lonely.
The Locking Spirit Array? That was the Foreign City’s only means of safety and stability in the three realms. Why would Hua Hong, the Yiren King’s daughter, destroy it?
“Yiren are born with blocked spiritual meridians, making them unable to cultivate spiritual energy. Therefore, the title of Yiren King is not inherited by lineage, but by wielding the Yiren King’s Sword,” Hua Hong explained, continuing before Bai Shuo could ask further.
“When the Twilight Sovereign established the Foreign City long ago, he forged a sword from Eastern Sea mystical iron and bestowed it on the first Yiren King. The sword can only be drawn by a power of immense strength, so the city established a rule: every generation, whoever among the young can pull out the Yiren King’s Sword will be the new king.”
Hua Hong went on, “But power isn’t so easily contained by a mere sword. Although the Foreign City has been isolated for a thousand years and is a desolate outpost shunned by the three realms, ambition for power still festers. The Hua family has held the throne for over five centuries, but this generation may be the last.”
“Why?” Bai Shuo asked.
“Because Hua Lin was born frail and has no ability to draw the Yiren King’s Sword.”
Hua Lin? Bai Shuo blinked, quickly realizing that Hua Lin was probably the current Yiren King—Hua Hong’s father. But that didn’t make sense; the Yiren King had cultivated to the peak of the supreme lord rank, only a step away from becoming a demigod. How could someone naturally weak achieve that?
“In addition to the Hua family, which has held the throne for centuries, another family, the Mei, has stood by them, charged with protecting the Foreign City. The Mei family has produced generations of warriors, but in this generation, Old General Mei had only one daughter, named Han. To secure the Hua family’s rule, the former Yiren King struck a deal with Old General Mei.”
“What sort of deal?”
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