The Imperial Palace.
"Your Highness, the Great Emperor has retired for the night. What business brings you here so late?"
As the King of Different Surname arrived before the sleeping quarters of the Great Emperor of Fengdu.
An old eunuch hurried forward and said respectfully, "Can whatever it is wait until morning?"
The King of Different Surname, full of grievance, said, "Please inform His Majesty, Liu Gonggong, that this subject has urgent matters to report."
"This concerns the dignity of the Gao clan."
"It concerns the life and death of all people under heaven!"
Liu Gonggong was greatly alarmed.
He never expected the King of Different Surname to say such words.
Whether it was the dignity of the Gao clan.
Or the life and death of all people under heaven.
These were not trivial matters.
"Your Highness, please wait a moment. This old servant will go and see the Great Emperor." Liu Gonggong hastily turned and entered the sleeping quarters, informing the Great Emperor of Fengdu of the situation.
A moment later.
Liu Gonggong emerged and said respectfully, "Your Highness, you may enter!"
"Thank you, Liu Gonggong!" the King of Different Surname said, offering his thanks, and then entered the sleeping quarters.
Upon seeing the figure behind the screen.
He knelt on the ground with a thud, his eyes already streaming with tears as he looked up. "This old minister, Gao Xi, pays his respects to the Great Emperor. I beg His Majesty to uphold justice for my Gao clan."
"Your Highness, please rise." a slightly lazy voice sounded. "Offer the King a seat!"
Liu Gonggong immediately brought a stool.
The lazy voice sounded again. "What grievances do you have, Your Highness? You may inform this Emperor."
The King of Different Surname, his face full of wronged emotions, replied, "Replying to His Majesty, this old minister has been investigating the whereabouts of the remnants of the Anti-Heaven Cult for years."
"Five days ago, this subject learned of the location where the leaders of the Anti-Heaven Cult were gathered."
"So I dispatched my son, along with fifty temple guardians from the clan, carrying the Emperor's Sword to Xuanwu Island."
"Hoping to annihilate the remnants of the Anti-Heaven Cult in one fell swoop and uproot them completely."
"To resolve this persistent threat for all people under heaven, and for His Majesty."
"But I never would have imagined."
"That the Gao family's guardians and my son would be no match for the enemy."
"Not only was my son killed."
"But even the Emperor's Sword is missing."
"Losing the Emperor's Sword is a grave offense, and this old minister dares not shirk responsibility."
"These past few days, this old minister has been searching for the whereabouts of the Emperor's Sword."
"This old minister cannot fail His Majesty's grace, and must find the Emperor's Sword no matter what."
"And just before."
"This old minister found the lost Emperor's Sword at the Imperial Tutor's residence."
Before the Great Emperor of Fengdu could speak.
Liu Gonggong gasped, "Your Highness, speak with caution! Speak with caution!"
He knew.
What it meant to find the Emperor's Sword at the Imperial Tutor's residence.
It meant that the Imperial Tutor was a member of the Anti-Heaven Cult.
Even if not.
He had close ties with the Anti-Heaven Cult.
Not to mention.
Secretly possessing the Emperor's Sword was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of kin!
The King of Different Surname knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, "Every word this old minister speaks is true. I implore His Majesty to investigate and avenge my son!"
A cold voice came from behind the screen, "Send a message to the Prime Minister and tell him to come quickly!"
"Yes!"
Liu Gonggong's face turned sallow.
He realized.
That the world might be about to change!
Even though the Imperial Tutor held an extremely high position.
And was once the Great Emperor's teacher.
Both secretly possessing the Emperor's Sword and colluding with the remnants of the Anti-Heaven Cult.
These were crimes that heaven could not tolerate!
Even if he was the Imperial Tutor.
No one could save him.
------
Dazhao Temple.
The Imperial Tutor stood with his hands behind his back.
Standing before the main hall.
He looked down at Chen Nan from a height, exuding an aura of being superior and in control of all living beings.
Upon hearing Chen Nan's question, a disdainful smile appeared on his face. "I must admit, your strength is far greater than I had imagined."
"But..."
"It is still far from enough to kill me."
Chen Nan asked with a smile, "Is it because of that entity within you?"
The Imperial Tutor frowned. "You can sense its existence?"
"I investigated your life history," Chen Nan said. "After you failed the imperial examinations nine times, your life trajectory changed, as if you received guidance from an expert."
"I cannot help but suspect that there is another soul within you."
The Imperial Tutor laughed heartily. "You are quite intelligent. In fact, are we not both the same in this regard?"
"Do you dare to say you did not receive guidance from an expert?"
Chen Nan had investigated the Imperial Tutor.
Likewise.
The Imperial Tutor had investigated Chen Nan.
Knowing that he was once an obscure and useless son-in-law of a prominent family.
He had endured much humiliation at the Leng family.
Even the servants did not pay him any mind.
For some reason.
He suddenly became enlightened.
And rose step by step to where he was today.
Therefore, he concluded.
That Chen Nan also had another soul within him.
"Is it Yue Shan guiding you?" the Imperial Tutor asked.
Chen Nan replied, "He is already dead."
"Then who exactly are you?" The Imperial Tutor's brows furrowed tightly.
Chen Nan replied, "I am me!"
"Impossible!" The Imperial Tutor snorted coldly. "I do not believe an ordinary person could grow to his current state in just one year."
"Never mind."
"None of this is important!"
"What is important is that after today, you will no longer be you."
"However."
"I have a question before that."
Chen Nan said, "Please proceed."
"What did you say or do to the King of Different Surname? Or what transaction did you make?" The Imperial Tutor's eyes turned furious. "Why did he dig up the ancestral grave of my Zheng clan?"
Chen Nan smiled and said, "He kindly invited your Zheng clan's ancestors to bask in the sun. This is clearly a good thing, why are you so angry?"
"You are seeking death!"
The Imperial Tutor became enraged, gradually losing his patience with Chen Nan.
The next second.
A sacred Buddha light appeared behind him.
A Buddha image, about ten meters tall, appeared behind him.
The Buddha image sat cross-legged, with its eyes lowered.
Its face was full of compassion.
Just one glance.
Gave off a powerful aura.
As if mortals were seeing a god.
Making one want to kneel and worship.
Chen Nan's breathing became heavy.
He never expected.
That the aura of this Buddha image would be so powerful.
Making him feel as if his physical body was about to split apart.
"Acala?" Di Ting, who was fighting with Puzhi, let out a piercing shriek.
Although it could hear sounds from all three realms.
It had never heard.
That the intention of Acala actually existed within the Imperial Tutor.
"Amitabha!"
Upon seeing Acala manifest.
Puzhi, who was fighting Di Ting, also stopped his attack.
His eyes were filled with tears.
He clasped his hands together.
And knelt down with great piety.
He was the previous abbot of Dazhao Temple.
Now that he saw Acala manifest.
How could he not kneel?
Seeing the other party stop fighting and kneel devoutly, Di Ting's eyes were filled with shock. "This is unacceptable!"
Taking advantage of the situation to strike a fatal blow.
It did not let go of this golden opportunity.
Opening its monstrous maw.
It devoured Puzhi, who was crying out in agony, while Puzhi was worshipping Acala. Then, it turned its gaze to Acala. "Seeing your believer die before your eyes, what are your thoughts?"
Acala slowly opened its lowered eyes.
Its gaze was indifferent, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Like an invisible blade, it inexplicably instilled a strong sense of unease.
It looked at Chen Nan and uttered a long Buddhist chant, "Benefactor Chen, you have a karmic connection with my Buddha. Why not lay down your butcher's knife and turn to the righteous path?"