Chapter 216 Undercurrent
Bianliang, Xuanming Sect.

Night had already fallen, and inside the headquarters office, which already seemed extremely gloomy, there was already a lot of weirdness everywhere, as if there were some evil spirits hiding in the corners, ready to devour people in the dead of night.

In the dead silence, a tall figure wearing a black hood carefully entered the underground palace inside the yamen, trying his best to avoid the eyes of others along the way, and entered a side hall very skillfully.

As soon as he entered the hall, he bowed deeply.

"I pay my respects to my master. May my master live forever, achieve perfection in his divine power, and unify the world."

If you listen to the voice, you can obviously tell that this person is the Ghost King Zhu Youwen who is powerful enough to call the wind and rain in the capital of Daliang. And at this moment, the scary-looking dwarf with his hands behind his back at the head of the hall is naturally the Hades Emperor Zhu Yougui who is in seclusion under the emperor's order.

However, the Hades, who was supposed to be in seclusion according to the emperor's order, showed up here, and the Ghost King came to meet him cautiously. It was obvious that he had some unspeakable secrets to discuss.

As the Ghost King bowed respectfully, the Underworld Emperor just sneered: "I heard that you were very powerful in the court while I was in seclusion this year."

The Ghost King lifted the hood on his head, raised his head, and smiled flatteringly: "It's all because of the master's majesty. I am just a fox taking advantage of the tiger's majesty..."

"Heh." The Hades laughed sarcastically, his face looking somewhat gloomy, and it was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with the two people's completely different situations.

Considering that he is the biological son of that old dog Zhu Wen, and has founded the Xuanming Sect over the past few decades and made great contributions to Daliang, but in the end, he is just an adopted son who shows off his power in the court, while he can only survive like a nest insect in this dark underground palace.

Even though the ghost king before him was just a puppet that he had replaced long ago, he could not suppress the anger in his heart.

"It's good that you understand. If you want to be a dog, you must be aware of being a dog. Don't think that I am helping you to get to the top just to let you enjoy the good life."

“I will never forget it for even a moment.” The Ghost King bowed his head.

The Hades had his fill of talking, and seemed to have gotten rid of the depression from a year of seclusion. He was in a good mood, so he jumped onto a throne made of a skull at the head of the palace, squinted his eyes and asked in a sharp voice, "Have you given the medicine to the old dog?"

The Ghost King climbed up, and his tall figure knelt down at the same time, and responded with a smile: "At the beginning of this year, because of the incident in Hebei, the old man was very angry, and often had headaches, insomnia, irritability and other symptoms. The imperial physician said it was a heart disease, and more than a dozen people were beheaded. At this time, I took the opportunity to offer the "opium pill" obtained from the Western Regions. As soon as the old man used it, it was just as the Westerner said. It calmed his mind, made him euphoric, excited, and quick to react. So the old man called it a miracle medicine and loved it very much."

The Dark Emperor sneered harshly: "This old dog is only willing to take what Zhu Youwen gives him."

The Ghost King laughed awkwardly, and then immediately complimented, “It is precisely because of this effect that the old man has been taking this medicine regularly in the past six months, and has gradually become dependent on it. At this point, it will be just as the Western Regions man who presented the medicine said. From now on, he will become more prone to rage and unable to judge things like an ordinary person. At that time, the old man will definitely become alienated from the ministers, and the wise master will be able to take advantage of the situation to seize power and ascend to the throne…”

After that, he continued to flatter and laughed: "Besides that, there is also the so-called magical power that I gave him, which was extracted from the Western Regions' Tantric Buddhism. It will make him more obsessed with women, but he will not be able to gain any benefit from it. It will only make his body hollowed out. From now on, the old thing will be manipulated by the master like a puppet and played in the palm of his hand."

The Dark Emperor laughed out loud, and nodded as if everything was under control: "You, my dog ​​slave, have done something that satisfies me."

The Ghost King smiled flatteringly, but did not dare to take credit for it.

Emperor Shan Ming suddenly changed his tone and sneered, "However, I heard that you were close to that loser Cui Yu a few days ago, and you also reported Xiao Yan's mischief? At this juncture, this person is difficult to deal with. I have spent so much time and effort to shape you into Zhu Youwen. How dare you waste the trust of this old dog without my order? Do you really think I have no alternative but you?"

The former's heart subconsciously jumped, but after all, he had been prepared, so he was not panicked, and replied: "To be honest with you, my master, you have been in seclusion every day, so you may not know... Xiao Yan has been conferred the title of Champion Marquis, and has now returned to the capital and is stationed outside the city. The day after tomorrow, the whole city will present a victory..."

The Dark Emperor subconsciously frowned, "How ridiculous! What kind of person is this kid? That old dog is also a boastful person. He really thinks that he can sit firmly on the throne of Daliang by himself. What other victory do he need to offer?"

"Well, I don't know, but according to convention, maybe it's just a way to boast about your achievements in the Imperial Street, which can also make you stand out."

The Dark Emperor first paced back and forth, and then asked, "By offering victory in this way, isn't this just another opportunity for this boy to show off in front of this old man?"

The Ghost King laughed and waved his hands, saying, "Master, you worry too much. Since ancient times, the so-called boasting of achievements has only been so limited. No matter how fancy it is, Xiao Yan can't do anything fancy. Moreover..."

He paused for a moment, then immediately added, "A while ago, Cui Yu suddenly came to me and said that he had looked through the case files and found some clues from last year's case..."

After saying that, he immediately told what he had said to Cui Yu that day, but he never mentioned the private relationship between Cui Yu and Zhu Youzhen. He also more or less concealed some of the connections between Zhu Hanbin and Xiao Yan. He only talked about his guesses about Xiao Yan and the bad captain who died in Caozhou, and the idea that Xiao Yan was behind the case of the abduction and deposed emperor and the death of Li Zhen in Hebei.

But even so, it was enough to make the Hades look even uglier. He jumped off the throne and screamed, "Li Zhen is a man who is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything. I spent so much effort to settle half of the Ministry of Revenue's bad debts for him, and finally promoted him to a position where he could compete with Jing Xiang. But he died in Hebei? And he died in such a cowardly way. It's really ridiculous!"

The Ghost King could only laugh dryly and said, "With these things, no matter how capable Xiao Yan is, this so-called victory tribute is just a formality."

The Dark Emperor first cursed Li Zhen in disgust, and then after hearing this, he paced back and forth, with his hands behind his back, saying: "But this boy is quite troublesome... Last year, I sent Meng Po to Hebei to assassinate this man, but he was already powerful at that time and was in the army. Meng Po was not sure, so she gave up. I didn't take it seriously at that time, but I ended up raising such a big trouble because of this."

The Ghost King immediately responded, "That's right. Master, Xiao Yan is not to be feared. The key is that the Guide Army under his command has reached 20,000 troops, and has even been included in the ranks of the Imperial Guard. This army alone is already a huge obstacle that cannot be ignored in the Imperial Guard. If the master wants to accomplish something in the future, this boy will definitely be the biggest disaster!"

The former glanced at him and said, "Even Meng Po said that this boy is hard to kill. If I don't take action, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with him. Do you have any ideas?"

The Ghost King secretly complained in his heart, the Dark Emperor must have been in seclusion for too long, immersed in evil skills day and night, and only knew how to rely on force. If assassination failed, couldn't he think of other ways? What a fool.

Of course, he only dared to keep this thought in his heart, without any strange expression on his face. He didn't even dare to let the Dark Emperor wait for a moment, so he immediately said, "So, I have been in close contact with Cui Yu recently. Because time was tight, I didn't have time to report it to you, so I reported it to the old man in a hurry. Although my advice has damaged the old man's trust, it has also severely slapped Xiao Yan in the face. This guy has lost trust, and he is like a tiger with broken teeth. From now on, he will have to rely on his master to do whatever he wants..."

The Dark Emperor stood at the head of the hall with his hands behind his back. His short figure stood out in the strangely shaped hall. Upon hearing this, he simply looked down and said, "Continue."

"As long as this boy loses trust, and he has no foundation, he will not be able to gain a stable foothold in the capital in the future, and villains will always find a reason to make trouble. The Imperial Army's food and wages must go through the Chongzhengyuan and the Ministry of Revenue. As long as the master agrees, he can be blocked at will. If Xiao Yan dares to make trouble later, he can easily be accused of being a resentful old man. At that time, the master only needs to clean up Xiao Yan's confidants in the Guide Army, and then win over the remaining generals with kindness. These 20,000 Guide Army will still be under the master's control, right?"

The Ghost King obviously had a plan in mind, and he spoke slowly and unhurriedly: "By then, as long as the old man does not want to use this former Tang surrenderer, no one in the court will dare to protect Xiao Yan. Even Zhu Youzhen will not dare to pull the teeth out of the tiger's mouth. Xiao Yan can no longer stay in the Imperial Guards, let alone take charge of the Imperial Guards. As long as the master is willing to let me use some tricks, I will surely make sure that this guy is exiled to a remote military state. Then, if the master wants to deal with this guy, whether to kill him or use him, it will only be a matter of a word." After saying this, he raised his head confidently, with a look of seeking credit on his face.

But unexpectedly, the Hades did not reward him immediately. Instead, he slowly turned his purple-black pupils and finally fell on the Ghost King's face.

Just this one glance was enough to terrify the Ghost King so much that he broke out in a cold sweat and immediately knelt down: "If the master is not satisfied, I will never mention this matter again."

"No, I am very satisfied." The Dark Emperor sneered and said, "However, you really make me too satisfied. A waste like you can have such a plan?"

The Ghost King shuddered subconsciously, knowing that his recent behavior had made the Underworld Emperor aware of the danger, so he immediately kowtowed and said, "Master, please understand. I am just a lowly slave, how could I have such insights... All these things I said were presented by the staff in Prince Bo's Palace. They were all found by you, Master. If you don't believe me, you can ask them..."

The Hades narrowed his already small eyes, his expression looking even more ferocious and terrifying in the dark underworld fire. His sinister aura frightened the Ghost King so much that he didn't even dare to raise his head.

After a long while, he finally said indifferently, "I don't think you, a dog slave, would dare to do anything. This is a good idea. I approve it. From the information presented to me by Meng Po and the Water and Fire Judge, Xiao Yan can be said to be a man of many tricks, but Bianliang is not Hebei. He can't use any tricks. Once he is on the Xuanming Sect's Book of Life and Death, the only way to end it is death."

"My master is wise, my master is wise..." The Ghost King kowtowed hurriedly, not daring to say another word.

"That's it."

The Dark Emperor had a gloomy face and said with his hands behind his back, "From now on, you have the people inside and outside the palace keep a close eye on Xiao Yan and don't let him get close to the old man. I will take action now."

"Yes, sir." The Ghost King let out a long breath, as if he had just walked through the gates of hell.

Given the arrogant character of the Hades, it was rare for him to say so much nonsense today, especially when he saw the disgusting face of the Ghost King. He no longer had the desire to say more, so he just said one sentence and that was it. The Ghost King carefully reported a few more details before cautiously trying to retreat.

But at the end, he seemed to have just remembered, and suddenly turned around and said carefully: "My lord, there is one thing I forgot to tell you. Since the old man practiced Buddhist exercises, he has lost interest in Taoism. I took this opportunity to suggest that Xiao Yan should raze Longhu Mountain to show his loyalty, and the old man has agreed."

"Longhu Mountain?" Emperor Ming frowned.

The Ghost King said carefully, "It is the Heavenly Master's Mansion... In the past, you personally fought with the Heavenly Master Zhang Xuanling. This sect is the best in Taoism. Although your vitality was seriously damaged and Zhang Xuanling's whereabouts are unknown, he still has a lot of background and is quite tricky. I took the initiative to push it to Xiao Yan..."

"Zhang Xuanling..." The Dark Emperor muttered to himself, and suddenly nodded coldly, "Good, very good, your unintentional action is quite good. I want to see how Xiao Yan will deal with the things that I haven't finished dealing with."

The Ghost King laughed, "After this boy loses his power in the Imperial Guards, he will have to deal with the Heavenly Master's Mansion. Even you couldn't deal with Zhang Xuanling back then, so maybe his disappearance is fake. Maybe he is hiding somewhere. Waiting for him to go there is just courting death."

The Hades' face turned cold: "Get out."

The Ghost King knew that he had spoken out of turn. The Hades had always believed that he was invincible. Back then, he led most of the main forces of the Xuanming Sect but was unable to take down Zhang Xuanling, who was at the Great Heavenly Position. This was already considered a great shame and humiliation by him. He was really too proud of himself and spoke out of turn.

The Hades' one-year seclusion allowed the Ghost King to indulge in the real Ghost King's addiction and cause him to lose some of his composure.

The latter did not dare to say anything more. He slapped himself hard a few times and then said goodbye and left.

But as soon as he turned around, his face turned cold.

Over the years, even though he has been pretending to be the King of Ghosts, he has already developed some cunningness. He is not a fool. When the Hades succeeds, he, who knows too many secrets, will definitely die.

That's why he tried to win over Cui Yu behind the back of the Dark Emperor...

After being a puppet for a long time and being exposed to more things, it will eventually become bolder.

Of course, the Emperor of Hell had no idea what this man was thinking. He glanced at his tall figure and sneered.

For him, the great Emperor of the Underworld, there is no dog that can bite back.

Waste is waste, and in the final analysis, it is waste.

When his magical power is perfected and he crosses the bottleneck of the Great Heavenly Position, he will be able to look down on everyone in the world. That means everyone, including Zhu Wen, Li Keyong, Li Maozhen, and even the real ghost king Zhu Youwen who he had to use all means to imprison. He looked down on them like ants.

This is the confidence brought by powerful skills. It's just a puppet. If you want to kill it one day, it will be as easy as killing a dog.

Thinking of this, he sneered to himself: "Great achievement in Hebei? What a joke... What a joke!"

After saying that, he snorted coldly, as if he had thrown the name Xiao Yan behind his mind. He didn't need to take the name of a person who was going to die eventually to heart.

He came out of retreat not only because of the matter of "opium" being given to Zhu Wen, but also because his Xuantian cultivation had improved. But in addition to that, he had to find the previous chapter of this magical skill, "Jiuyou", in order to continue to improve.

The imprisoned ghost king had tortured him for so many years, so he could definitely not be counted on...

He walked down the hall and shouted in a shrill voice.

"Someone, call Meng Po and the corpse ancestor to surrender. This bitch, I should have a break with her!"

(End of this chapter)