Chapter 146

After pacifying Zong Zhong Ming, Zong Zi Heng still had one more thing to do - to prepare for the moving of Zong Ming He's grave.

More than once in his rage, Zong Zi Xiao threatened to dig out Zong Ming He and Shen Shi Yao and turn their bones into ashes. No matter how much he hated Zong Ming He, he was his father after all. The dead had already died. Even for the sake of the Zong Clan's dignity, he still had to maintain the dignity of the late emperor. Besides, he did not want Zong Zi Xiao to commit any more sins.

This matter must be done in secret, and not a word must get out. After Zong Zi Xiao leaves for Fenglin continent, he will ask Xu Zhi Nan to help him.

Xu Zhi Nan was still in the palace. When Zong Zi Heng was about to find him to discuss this matter, he ran into Li Bu Yu halfway.

"Emperor." Li Bu Yu looked surprised to see him, but after noticing Zong Zi Heng's red eyes, he frowned slightly, "What's wrong, Emperor?"

Zong Zi Heng couldn't hide it in time, so he had to say, "The wind is strong and it's confusing my eyes."

Li Bu Yu's gaze darkened, "It’s not Zong Zi Xiao making things difficult for Emperor again is it?"

Such concern only made Zong Zi Heng feel embarrassed. He coughed lightly, "Have you seen Xu Zhi Nan? I have something to discuss with him."

He could not summon Xu Zhi Nan or Li Bu Yu alone. He had to get permission from Zong Zi Xiao. Because today is a ritual day, many people have many things to do in the palace, so he was able to take the opportunity to go and find Xu Zhi Nan.

"I saw him not long ago, but now I don't know where he went. If the Emperor has anything, I can pass it on to him."

Zong Zi Heng was also worried that he would not be able to find Xu Zhi Nan: "That’s alright too. You can tell Xu Zhi Nan that Zong Zi Xiao will soon depart for Fenglin Continent, and after Zong Zi Xiao leaves, have him come and see me in the palace immediately."

"Yes." Li Bu Yu gazed at Zong Zi Heng, his heart tingling with pain, "Emperor, I know you have many compulsions. Don't worry, we will save you from your suffering as soon as possible."

Zong Zi Heng's heart was startled, "Do you guys have a plan?"

"Immortal Lord Xu and I have already secretly lobbied many immortal sects. The immortal cultivation world will definitely unite. It won't take long."

"There is one more thing that I need you to do for me." Zong Zi Heng sighed heavily. Outsiders shouldn’t be involved in this matter, but he did not dare to leave Wuji Palace without permission. If Zong Zi Xiao found out, he did not know what kind of censure he would receive.

"Please speak, Emperor."

"Bu Yu, when you return to Mount Shu, move my mother's grave to another place."

Li Bu Yu was surprised.

"Caution is necessary for this matter. Do not let anyone know."

"Why?"

"I am worried that ... Zong Zi Xiao will treat her with disrespect."

Li Bu Yu arched his hand, "I understand. I will do it when I return. Then, where should it be moved to?"

"Zhangyang. That is my mother's hometown. You go and ask around in the local area about the location of the Shen family’s ancestral graves. The older people should know about it."

"Yes." Li Bu Yu looked unblinkingly at Zong Zi Heng's handsome face and said eagerly, "Bu Yu is willing to serve the Emperor loyally. If it is inconvenient for the Emperor to do so, just tell me what to do."

Zong Zi Heng said warmly, "You have already helped me a lot. Bu Yu, thank you." What happened at Mount Shu back then was a nightmare that he would never wake up from. If it wasn't for Li Bu Yu helping him to clean up the mess and pleading for him, he would never have been able to get out of it. In his heart, he was very grateful to Li Bu Yu, who had always treated him with respect since his early youth. However, he was also instinctively repulsed by the fact that this man had witnessed the darkest side of him. In fact, it was not that he did not want to face Li Bu Yu, it was that he did not dare to face the past.

Li Bu Yu smiled and said, "It is fortunate that I can share the Emperor's worries."

---

During the day, Emperor Kong Hua was busy all day with the ancestral rituals, and at night, Emperor Kong Hua was being ruthlessly violated in his own imperial bed.

The ritual robe and crown, which were worn with the assistance of three palace people, were so complicated that Zong Zi Xiao couldn’t even take them off for a long time. He completely lost his patience, and he simply lifted up his clothes, tore off his underpants and thrust in violently.

Zong Zi Heng was done until his whole body became weak. His two long legs hung helplessly from the Supreme Demon's arms as he endured the wild torment, while whimpering and trembling uncontrollably at the same time.

The coronet, a symbol of the 9 and 5 reign supreme, was thrown to the ground, and Zong Zi Heng's long, black and shiny hair was scattered like splashed ink, glistening as his body moved. His disheveled clothes hid half of his pale flesh, which was flushed with heat.

The candlelight from the five-stemmed lotus lamp above his head danced brightly, while Zong Zi Heng's vision gradually went out of focus, but in that blur, the face of the man pressing against him and demanding crazily remained clear. As if to see this man clearly, he did not need eyes but only his heart. His nostrils were filled with the stench of stale wine, orchid scent and lust, and he was almost drowning in it.

Zong Zi Xiao finally released deep within him, wrapping his arms tightly around him from behind and refusing to withdraw.

"You, you get out." Zong Zi Heng slowly came back to his senses and pushed against Zong Zi Xiao's arm in embarrassment.

"I don’t want to." Zong Zi Xiao kissed his sweaty neck and chuckled, "I wish I could stay in there for the rest of my life."

"Bastard ..."

"Big brother." Zong Zi Xiao said softly, "I'm going to Kunlun tomorrow. Say, do you think I should take you with me?"

Zong Zi Heng's heart jumped, but he didn't dare let Zong Zi Xiao see how flustered he was.

"If I take you there, Wuji Palace will be empty, and it's not appropriate. But if I don’t bring you along, what should I do if I miss you?” Zong Zi Xiao stroked his big brother's tight waist and belly and smiled lazily, "Without you, it will be hard to sleep alone."

"Didn't you say that you would be back soon?" The tone of Zong Zi Heng's voice was flat and unmoving.

"Mm, I won't waste too much time on her. If she won't give me the ice crystal, I can take it myself.

"Do you really think that with the ice crystal, you can refine the core you want?"

Zong Zi Xiao narrowed his eyes, "If the ice crystal doesn't even work, then I can only ..."

"Only what?" Zong Zi Heng did not turn around. He did not dare to look into Zong Zi Xiao’s eyes at this moment.

Zong Zi Xiao kissed his big brother's shoulder, "If I say that I have never taken a human core, would you believe me?"

"..."

"It's true that I slaughtered the Wuyun Sect and dug up the golden cores of all the Wuyun Sect cultivators, but I have never eaten a single human core." Zong Zi Xiao said slowly, "I don't really care what the world thinks of me, but I want you to know."

"Why?"

"I am highly gifted and have always looked down on the demonic cultivators who steal cores. Not to mention that the first time I left the palace, both of us almost died at the hands of the core thieves, so I have always had a deep hatred for them." Zong Zi Xiao laughed coldly, "Before he died, Lu Zhao Feng dug out his own core and gave it to me with his own hands. He thought that he could make up for the sins he committed. I wouldn't let him atone for his sins. I trampled that core with my own feet in front of his face."

Zong Zi Heng felt a shiver run down his spine, both at what Zong Zi Xiao said and the deeper meaning behind those words. He said, "Why are you telling me now?"

"It just suddenly came to me. Big brother, do you believe me?"

Zong Zi Heng was silent for a long time and said, "I believe you." He believed that even if Zong Zi Xiao did not take the human core, he should still have the cultivation level he had today.

This time it was Zong Zi Xiao's turn to be silent. He spoke again, but said something that creeped out Zong Zi Heng: "Big brother, do you know that taking the core can actually be done without harming people's lives?"

"What do you mean?" Zong Zi Heng's voice trembled a little.

"In the past, people who had their cores stolen had died. Most of them were silenced or seriously injured and bled to death. If the technique was done properly and the treatment was timely, the person would not actually die."

"What are you trying to say?"

Zong Zi Xiao felt the mood swing of the person in his arms, and a guess suddenly came to his mind. Could it be that Zong Zi Heng actually knew about the Absolute Human Emperor as well?

This suspicion made his heart jump.

Zong Zi Xiao hugged his big brother even tighter. The two of them so close to each other, yet a thousand gulfs seemed to separate them.

"Let’s sleep." Zong Zi Xiao said softly.

Zong Zi Heng's eyes were wide open and redness filled his eyes.

---

Zong Zi Xiao had left early in the morning, and as soon as he left, Xu Zhi Nan came to the palace.

Zong Zi Heng first asked about Qi Meng Sheng: "You went to persuade her, but it didn’t work in the slightest? It's not time to get tough with Zong Zi Xiao yet."

Xu Zhi Nan said, "Don't worry, Emperor. Meng Sheng is stubborn but not stupid. She said she wanted to test Zong Zi Xiao’s capabilities and she would know when to stop."

Zong Zi Heng frowned, "Zong Zi Xiao once broke the Chunyang Sect's Vajra Formation solely using The Eighteen Horsemen of Yan Yun, and had also beaten Wuliang Sect into submission, what else does she want to try?"

Xu Zhi Nan was slightly embarrassed as he said, "She has never fought against Zong Zi Xiao, so she wasn’t convinced. Zong Zi Xiao still needs her and will not kill her for the time being. She has already made up her mind, so let her deal with it herself."

Zong Zi Heng shook his head.

"What is the reason for the Emperor summoning me to the palace?"

That night, the two of them went to the Zong Clan's cemetery, where Zong Zi Heng unsealed the spell and found Zong Ming He's tomb.

They each manipulated a dozen puppet talismans, causing a group of guards from the Wuji Palace to dig the tomb in complete unconsciousness.

At dawn, Zong Ming He's coffin was finally dug out. Zong Zi Heng intended to hide him in the back of the mountain, and then replace Zong Ming He with a corpse that had been prepared long ago.

Zong Zi Heng was really uncomfortable in his heart, so he could only have Xu Zhi Nan open the coffin and replace the corpse.

"Hmm?" Xu Zhi Nan suddenly made a puzzled sound.

"What's wrong?" Zong Zi Heng's heart tightened.

"This ..." Xu Zhi Nan said, "Emperor, you'd better come and take a look."

Zong Zi Heng, who was originally standing far away, had no choice but to walk over. He looked at the white bones wrapped in brocade and fancy clothes and felt nothing but chills all over his body.

"Emperor, look at the bones of his hands." Xu Zhi Nan lifted the sleeve of the corpse’s robe.

Zong Zi Heng took a deep breath and looked down. The corpse bone's fingers were slender, and did not look any different, but that was the biggest difference. He staggered back a step, his face whiter than the moonlight tonight.

Those were not the hands of a swordsman. What adult swordsman would have hands with completely undeformed finger bones?

"The remains of the late emperor, has anyone else ..." Xu Zhi Nan wanted to say but stopped.

Zong Zi Heng felt his hair standing on his body. His jaw dropped, and he couldn't get over his shock for a long time.

Who had touched Zong Ming He's remains?

Who had touched Zong Ming He's remains?
Back then, when Zong Ming He was badly injured by him on the Eight Trigrams Platform, and while he was recuperating, Shen Shi Yao killed Zong Ming He and then killed herself. He had to carry it all in order to protect the Zong Clan's reputation. Then he was nearly besieged by Wuliang Sect and it was Li Bu Yu who saved him. Li Bu Yu, together with Xu Zhi Nan and Qi Meng Sheng, weighed the pros and cons with the sect leader of Wuliang Sect so that he could sit on the throne of the Human Emperor. Finally, he took Zong Ming He's coffin back to Daming to bury.

Many of the people from Wuliang Sect might have switched Zong Ming He's corpse.

But why, and where did the real Zong Ming He go?!

----

Edited on 2 May. 21 (Emzie)

 

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