Chapter 1229: 18.67 First Grey Star - One truth among the lies.
"Young Master Gu Hen, the ancestor had invited you inside. Please come in and bring your father with you."
Gu Hen went to the Mo Clan with his father and a few trustworthy individuals who had served his family for years, knowing that the problem was their Heavenly Guardian, or else the noble faction would swallow them alive. It now appears that the Mo Clan had anticipated their arrival and welcomed them.
In the main mansion, Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue was waiting for them. Gu Hen and the people with him all lowered their heads to beg him as soon as they saw him.
"Heavenly Guardian Mo, please save my father! Our Gu Clan is willing to pay with anything!" Gu Hen said.
Mo Xinyue sighed when he saw the man, who is already a father himself, lowering his head for his father's sake, which made him recall the past.
In the past, the heir also begged him to save his baby, even after he was thrown in the dungeon, and in his decision at the time, he hated himself because he should have just separated the problems of the adults from the problems of the children, and the current state where their heirs are not coming home would not have to happen.
Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue said, "Place him down and let me see it. But I'm telling you this ahead of time; I will do my best to help him, but I won't guarantee anything."
"Yes. Yes. Please, try your best to save my father."
Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue approached Gu Yan, who had longed turned his voice hoarse until no sound came out of his mouth. He had been shouting for such a long time that it hurt his throat. His body was still covered in a red-gold flame, but this flame only affected Gu Yan for some reason.
Mo Xinyue tried his hardest to extinguish the flame by freezing it. Despite the fact that the flame was shrinking, Mo Xinyue's cold qi output was at full capacity. Sweating appeared on his back and face, indicating how much qi he had been exerting to do so. However, the flame was too powerful, and he could only reduce its effect by half.
A voice suddenly came out from behind them, saying, "To suppress the flame of judgment is a stupid thing to do."
Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue was startled because he recognized the person who had spoken. When all of them turned around, they saw a man dressed in pure white ancient clothing, his silver hair flowing behind his back. His face was half covered, making it difficult for anyone to identify him.
It was not until they noticed the pair of irises that looked familiar that they realized the man was a member of the Mo Clan.
"Why did you come out here, sir?"
Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue was so taken aback by his appearance that he failed to detect the red-gold flame flaring toward him, and its output was quite large; he also yelled as the red-gold flame covered him. Suddenly, he felt a scorching feeling emanating from his soul.
AAAHHHHH!!!
The man wearing white robes is none other than Chaos, who is utilizing Mo Xinyue's own body. He gazed at the screaming Mo Xinyue, his lips twisted slightly in disdain, his expression apathetic, as he has a way of looking down on virtually everyone.
Chaos nonchalantly said as he watched the two men burn. "I told you. Don't suppress it. That's a flame that judges the sins."
"Save... Please save me, my lord!" Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue crawled and grabbed the corner of Chaos' robe.
But the man remains unfazed, staring at them icily while wearing a menacing smile. This scene made everyone shudder. Why does someone so attractive feel so frightening and dangerous?
"Well, since this lord is quite entertained, I shall save you. But when they come to visit for permission to enter the Aurora Glaciers, I want to see them with you. Do you agree?" Chaos asked.
The "them" he refers to are Ye Jieye, Mo Xuejing, and their offspring. Chaos is aware that they require permission from Mo Xinyue, the zone's owner, in order to enter the core region of the danger zone, and that the old man had no intention of letting him meet with those men. As a result, he can only watch them fret over a fire that no mortal could put out.
Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue bore the pain for a bit, as he truly didn't want his grandson to meet this person who stole his body. He is afraid of hurting him further.
Chaos, as if reading his mind, said, "How about I promise not to hurt any of them? I just want to see the children. I don't have any intention of hurting Mo Xuejing and the children."
"You... can't hurt... Jieye... Ye Jieye... as well!" Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue said.
Chaos narrowed his eyes in contemplation and said, "Hmp! Fine. I won't harm any of them. Do you agree now?"
Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue nodded reluctantly, and when Chaos saw this, he smirked and waved his hand, sucking the red-gold flame into his palm and creating a tiny wisp of fire that he sealed in a glass container. Heavenly Guardians Mo and Gu Yan, meanwhile, felt relief as the pain in their bodies subsided, and the sensation of being burned without suffering any injuries horrified them.
Chaos flicked the glass with a red-gold flame at Mo Xinyue and said, "You can return the flame to its owner, though he wouldn't care much about it. You can sell it to his family instead." He then once again left the room and disappeared somewhere. As for the Gi Clan and Gu Yan, Mo Xinyue let them stay for the night.
---
Inside the tower of gods...
King Xingyun and Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle battled their way up to the tower, where they encountered a variety of dangerous monsters, including stone golems, poisonous snakes, wandering ghosts, and even a lich, initially just a few human-shaped skeletons, but as they advanced to higher floors, the number of monsters multiplied.
The number of enemies increased by the number of people who climbed the tower; however, this was only halfway through; at the beginning, the knight who came to check in the tower greatly increased the number of enemies when they caught up with Xingju, which is why the Second Prince used them as cannon fodder to escape with his life. Fortunately, his strength was sufficient to reach the top alone.
Working together, Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle and King Xingyun were able to reach the peak sooner than the second prince, but to Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle's surprise, they were unable to locate the person they were searching for. Additionally, Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle was taken aback to discover that the former enormous throne had the ability to reduce a person's size.
This size gave him a more eerie feeling upon sight, especially when he saw the black cloak man seated on the black throne as if blending with it. His posture looks lethargic, but the aura he keeps emitting screams danger all the way.
Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle stopped the king from approaching the seated figure.
"Don't come near him. Even though he shrunk, this is definitely the man Zang and I met years ago," Lu Wangle said as he stood in front of the king.
With a serious gaze, King Xingyun studied the man on the black throne, but he could not sense any weakness emanating from this being; rather, the dangerous aura he is naturally giving off makes him want to flee, his intuition screaming for him to do so.
He also looked around to see if anyone else was on the floor, but both of them and the man on the black throne were the only ones there, confirming their suspicion that the Second Prince Xingju was no longer in the tower.
Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do next?"
King Xingyun patted Lu Wangle's shoulder and made him stand at his side rather than in front of him. The latter stepped aside as he was asked to.
"Where is Xingju? I know you can hear me," King Xingyun said.
The man atop the black throne smirked, and he lifted his head slightly from his still position, but his face was hidden below the cloak, leaving just his nose and lips visible.
{Human King, why should this lord answer your question? I only listen to the wishes of a chosen few. Unfortunately, you don't seem to fit the criteria for it. Heh~}
Fearlessly glancing at the man in the black cloak, King Xingyun studied him intently, and in the brief space of time that separated them, Xingyun finally realized what had been bothering him all along. No one knows what he is thinking about as he abruptly approaches the man and his black throne.
He said it out of nowhere. "You can't leave this tower. Is Xingju chosen to take your place? That's why you are protecting him so well."
The words of King Xingyun not only stunned Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle but also startled the man on the black throne for a moment, and then they heard him chuckle as if completely entertained.
{Hahaha~ indeed. You are quite different. You observe things so closely, down to the very last details, before making a move. All your actions had a meaning. You approached me just now to watch my reaction. When I move slightly just now, you know that I can move my lower body from this throne.
That was enough for you to reach the truth. You are a good king, but your kingdom isn't worthy of you. After all, being too talented attracts jealousy and envy.}
{The one who stood beside you must be completely cold-hearted, whose heart only beats for you. Under his protection, you remained as pure as a refined jade. But being too pure had its disadvantages as well. It's been awhile since I had such a laugh. As a reward, I will answer one of your questions truthfully. You gauge which is the truth yourself.
Hehe~}
King Xingyun started throwing his questions at the man.
"Where is Xingju?"
{Hm~ He went back home? I think.}
"Did you help him escape the tower without anyone noticing?"
{Help? Heh! Well he indeed asked to be brought outside.}
"What is your name?"
{My name? Hahaha~ you guys already know my name.}
Among the three responses, this one seems to be the most likely truth among the lies, but Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle and King Xingyun could not believe it. How can they know the name of this devil? This answer left these two men dumbfounded. How can they not understand his words?
{You guys aren't compatible to talk with this lord. You can scram.}
Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle and King Xingyun felt their surroundings warp and become weightless with a wave of that man's hand; fortunately, they did not fall from high ground, and the royal knights were able to catch them before they fell all the way to the ground.
"It's your majesty! Catch them! Catch them!"
"How the hell did they fall from there!?"
"I saw it! They suddenly fell from a black portal. I am not seeing things!"
When the medics and healers on call examined Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle and King Xingyun, they found no life-threatening wounds or scratches on their bodies.
The doctors and healers said, "There are no problems with your wounds. They can be healed, your majesty."
"I see. Send someone to escort Heavenly Guardian Lu to the Lu Clan. I need to return to the palace to meet the prime minister," King Xingyun said.
After their brief trip within the tower, Lu Wangle was exhausted. Time in a tower is not the same as it is outside; a day inside a tower is equivalent to a year; a few hours there is equivalent to a few months; in other words, the two of them had been fighting nonstop for a few months.
"Thank you, your majesty. This one shall excuse myself for now," Lu Wangle said as he bid farewell to them.
King Xingyun said, "Good work today. Thank you for showing me the way, Wangle."