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"Things have changed..."

On the streets of Capital City, Mu Hongqing and his companion led their horses, looking around.

The street was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to their past memories.

The Imperial City, although dry and cold, was once the heart of the dynasty.

Merchants from all over the country flocked here, making the morning market extremely bustling.

At this time in the past, vendors selling breakfast would have already been running around with their carts; unlike now, it’s so deserted that not a single person can be seen down the entire street.

Only a few inns had their lights on.

The two picked a random inn to stay in, ordering two servings of flatbread and meat porridge, and asked the waiter to bring them to their room, along with a pot of burning liquor.

"Why do you think that although both places are haunted by spirits, Jiangnan’s climate is so comfortable, yet here it is so cold and gloomy?" Liu Yu rubbed his hands together and asked.

"Yin spirits also differ between resentful and benevolent spirits. In Jiangnan, people live so well that even those who die unexpectedly can find welfare in the underworld, warming people’s hearts.

Naturally, there would be no cold and harsh aura.

But here? How many young lives were lost to construct those Mother and Child Ghost Temples?

How many people died wrongfully in the shadows?

The evil spirits wandering here all fought their way through the Path of Yin and Yang; how could it have the same climate as Jiangnan? "

"Mu Brother holds Jiangnan in high regard," Liu Yu mentioned.

"Anyone who has been there would speak highly of it," Mu Hongqing replied as he picked up his cup of liquor, "If the whole world could be like Jiangnan, the malevolent energy between heaven and earth would be at least halved."

"But that wouldn’t be good for those in power.

.." Liu Yu said, looking out the window with a deep gaze, "Malevolence is key to the resurgence of the Earth Spirit.

This world... those in power live off the suffering of those below.

If most people are devoid of suffering, where would their happiness come from? "

"Chen Qing is too idealistic. He’s making enemies of every terrifying existence between heaven and earth!"

"If that’s the case, why does Your Excellency still want to help Chen Qing?" Mu Hongqing curiously set down his cup.

"I owe Lady Ziyue a favor. I must repay her," said the Duke of Song with a smile as he set down his own cup, "Just this once, and after that, we’re even."

"So that’s how it is..." Mu Hongqing nodded, "What does Your Excellency need me to do? Can you tell me now?"

"Have you heard of the Four Great Ghost Kings?" Liu Yu asked in return.

"I have some understanding..." Mu Hongqing nodded, "The great families have records that during the ancient times when Yin and Yang were imbalanced, resentful spirits crammed in the Path of Yin and Yang would swarm the human world – their only chance to return.

Among those coming from the Path of Yin and Yang, the most fearsome were the Four Great Ghost Kings.

They almost led the resentful spirits to devour the living world. "

"The one collaborating with the Siao Family is King Gui Xiang."

"I’ve heard about that," Mu Hongqing said with a smile, "King Xiang, the youngest of the Ghost Kings but with the most impressive war record. It’s said that he was the only one who almost conquered the Central Plains. Our emperor truly has allied with a formidable being."

"King Xiang is unparalleled in bravery, but his foundation is not deep," Mu Hongqing drew a circle on the table, "The Path of Yin and Yang is as vast as the world of the living; the Evil Ghosts within also have factions. It’s been in chaos for countless years with constant infighting.

The Ghost Kings who fought their way out are beings that have accumulated power over endless ages, each with their most loyal followers.

However, King Xiang is different; his strength lies in personal bravery, and his followers are unruly new Evil Ghosts.

They submit to King Xiang because he is too powerful.

But such Evil Ghosts, given the chance, will turn on their master! "

"Your Excellency seems to have a deep understanding of the Path of Yin and Yang."

"After all, I can go places you cannot," the Duke of Song said with a smile.

In the past, exploring various ancients with Ali and the others, he had come to understand many of the world’s hidden secrets. To a Twilight Successor, no place is too mysterious to reach.

"I suddenly envy Your Excellency’s technique," Mu Hongqing said with a smile, "I’ve always felt that you are the freest person in this world."

"Free?" Liu Yu paused, then laughed and shook his head, "Freedom... what freedom does a weak person have?"

"Indeed..." Mu Hongqing nodded, no longer continuing the topic, and asked about pressing matters, "What brings Your Grace to this place? Do you have a task at hand?"

"To stop an ancient power from taking over the Capital City."

"Ancient power? What is that?"

"It’s something that’s been trying to kill me and Zi Yue!"

"Oh?" Mu Hongqing was instantly bewildered. He had never considered that someone would say such a thing. Was there really something in this world that was constantly trying to kill Lord Song and Lady Ziyue? Could that be possible?

"Ever since I acquired the Twilight Sorcery, I have been on the run from assassins..." Liu Yu said with a smile, "At first, I thought they were after Zi Yue, but later I realized that even without Zi Yue, they would not let me go."

"Targeting a Twilight Sorcerer? They are quite audacious. Aren’t they afraid of retaliation?"

"The premise of retaliation is that you know who they are."

"You don’t know?" Mu Hongqing looked at him in astonishment.

"Even now, I’m not very clear about what they truly are.

" Liu Yu said with a wry smile, "Zi Yue and I have been investigating for a very long time. The mystique of that group exceeds your imagination. The only clue is that these people started laying out their plans since the Sorcerer Dynasty. Later, I sought refuge with the King of Qin, thinking that with the King’s insight, we could surely find the root of those people. But in reality, we couldn’t.

We could only guess that they must belong to some kind of ancient power, and then I began to plan against the ancient. "

"I want to know the truth. I don’t want to be kept in the dark, but the deeper I dig, the more fearful and apprehensive I become.

The intelligence I have about this world has already exceeded the limits of what you can imagine.

Yet, even so, I still have not found out who those mysterious fellows are! "

Indeed, the more Liu Yu knew, the more he realized how fortunate he was to have survived until now. He even knew about the origin of this world, the so-called ’Digital City,’ through his accomplished disciple, but he still had no idea what those people were.

The four great rulers who once controlled this world, it turned out, were all kept in the dark, and he immediately wanted to eradicate the force lurking in the shadows.

Just as Zi Yue said, as long as they were not eradicated, there would be no peace!

"So, if you have no intelligence on them, what will you use to confront them this time?" Mu Hongqing asked, puzzled, "And judging by what you said, that power seems immensely vast. Just the two of us? What can we do?"

"Whether we can do anything, we’ll have to wait and see. Now that the power has finally decided to bare its fangs and come into the open, after being scared for so many years, I have to come out and take a look, don’t I?"

"Does it have something to do with the Heavenly Master Mansion?" Mu Hongqing guessed cleverly.

He had heard about the great assembly of Heavenly Masters, with even his own proud disciple Chen Ying participating. Yundu, which had always kept a low profile, suddenly making such a big move, led him to speculate that Yundu was far from simple, but he never expected it to be so exaggerated.

"The Heavenly Master Mansion is descended from the Sorcerer Dynasty, so of course it has an inextricable connection to them. From the moment they invited all the leaders of various forces, I knew those people were about to make their move."

"Now, the person the Siao Family relies on the most is King Xiang’s Ghost Soldiers.

If they want to control the Capital and completely subvert the existing powers, they must start from there.

.." Mu Hongqing speculated, "So... are they going to target King Xiang’s subordinates?

Is that also why you mentioned the Ghost Kings earlier? "

"Yes!" Mu Hongqing said in a low voice, "I suspect that King Xiang’s subordinates have been infiltrated, and I suspect even more that among the Four Great Ghost Kings, there might be one who has been swayed by that power. It’s impossible to take control of King Xiang’s entire army just by relying on insiders, but now.

.. King Xiang’s elite troops have all been lured to the borders, far from the Capital.

If there’s collusion from both within and without, there’s a good opportunity.

After all... the Mother and Child Ghost Temples have one major weakness! "

"The weakness of the Mother and Child Ghost Temples?" Mu Hongqing’s eyes lit up instantly. "What is it?"