"The Sacred Dao Sword… is actually in the hands of the Zhuang clan?"
Emperor Qian Yuan's expression turned cold.
The Sacred Dao Sword wasn't just any divine weapon—it was once the personal sword of the Great Ancestor, carrying immense symbolic weight.
The Zhuang clan secretly keeping it? What were they planning?
"I only happened to hear about it," Yun Liyue said. "I'm not entirely sure. That's why I'd like Your Majesty to probe them a bit."
"Su Jin, summon Noble Consort Zhuang," Emperor Qian Yuan ordered.
Not long after, Noble Consort Zhuang arrived at the imperial study.
She forced a smile. "Greetings to Your Majesty, greetings to Your Majesty the Empress."
Emperor Qian Yuan gave her a glance, then said, "Empress, you speak."
Yun Liyue said, "Noble Consort Zhuang, if you want me to drop this matter, you'll have to give up a treasure from the Zhuang clan."
Noble Consort Zhuang's heart secretly lifted.
The Zhuang clan was rich. What they lacked least were treasures.
She expected Yun Liyue to demand something outrageous. But compared to clearing herself of this crime, it was a small price to pay.
"Please speak freely, Elder Sister. I'm truly remorseful. As long as it's something the Zhuang clan possesses, I'll give it without hesitation."
She made the promise with full confidence.
"Good," Yun Liyue said. "I want the Sacred Dao Sword. Deliver it to Splendid Radiance Hall within three days."
"No prob—"
Halfway through her response, Noble Consort Zhuang's face suddenly froze. "Elder Sister… what did you just say?"
"The Sacred Dao Sword."
Yun Liyue stared directly into her eyes.
Noble Consort Zhuang said, "You must've heard some rumor, Elder Sister. The Zhuang clan doesn't have the Sacred Dao Sword."
Yun Liyue's lips curled in a mocking smile. "Zhuang Wanrong, didn't you just say you were sincere in making amends? That you'd give anything your clan could produce without hesitation?
So what, not even a few breaths later, you're already swallowing your own words?"
Noble Consort Zhuang replied, "I am sincere. But only if it's something the Zhuang clan actually has. And I'm telling you the truth—we don't have the Sacred Dao Sword."
The Zhuang clan's possession of the sword was a tightly guarded secret, known only to a few top elders.
She didn't believe Yun Liyue had any real evidence.
Yun Liyue smiled and turned to Emperor Qian Yuan. "Your Majesty, what do you think we should do now?"
Emperor Qian Yuan's face darkened. "Zhuang Wanrong, do you really think I don't know whether your clan has the Sacred Dao Sword or not?"
Noble Consort Zhuang's face went pale.
She hadn't taken it seriously when it was just Yun Liyue pressing her.
But now that Emperor Qian Yuan spoke so confidently—it clearly meant he already knew the truth.
Of course, it could still be a bluff.
But she didn't dare gamble on that.
If Emperor Qian Yuan didn't know before, maybe there was a chance. But if he did know, and she kept denying it, trying to fool him, that would be a direct insult to his authority.
And Emperor Qian Yuan wasn't some figurehead emperor—he held real power.
Even with the Zhuang clan's deep roots, they couldn't survive his wrath unscathed.
Maybe not annihilation, but a deep wound was likely. Something that would truly shake the clan's foundations.
That thought made her break into a cold sweat.
She forced herself to speak. "Your Majesty, perhaps I misremembered. I'll have to consult with the clan elders to be sure."
"I'll give you three days," Emperor Qian Yuan said.
After leaving the imperial study, Noble Consort Zhuang rushed away.
Soon, she summoned her mother to Radiant Sunlight Hall.
When she brought up the matter of the Sacred Dao Sword, the old madam's expression changed drastically.
This wasn't something she could decide on her own. She immediately rushed back to the Zhuang clan estate in the capital.
"His Majesty actually knows the Zhuang clan holds the Sacred Dao Sword?"
"How? That secret should be known only to a handful of us!"
The Zhuang clan elders looked grim.
Then their gazes turned toward one another, filled with suspicion.
"Could it be… someone among us has secretly defected to the emperor?" the Grand Elder asked.
"I swear it wasn't me!"
"That's exactly what someone guilty would say!"
"Whoever did this is out of their mind. The Zhuang clan has stood tall for thousands of years because we've always remained neutral. Tying ourselves to any one emperor is dangerous!"
One elder after another voiced their concern.
But the seed of doubt had already been planted. And now, everyone was silently on guard.
"Set all that aside for now. If His Majesty knows about the Sacred Dao Sword, we can't keep hiding it."
"Since Noble Consort Zhuang made such a big mistake, we need to offer something big to soothe the Empress's anger. Now's the time to give up the sword."
The elders quickly reached an agreement.
Three days later—
Yun Liyue received the Sacred Dao Sword.
Even Emperor Qian Yuan visited Splendid Radiance Hall to see it for himself.
"So this is the Sacred Dao Sword?" he said. "Doesn't look that special to me."
Although he knew the sword was extraordinary, it wasn't enough to make him fight with the Empress over it.
After all, the sword had been offered as an apology gift from the Zhuang clan to Yun Liyue.
More importantly, its symbolic value outweighed its actual power.
The royal treasury already had divine weapons of similar caliber.
He could restrain his greed.
Yang Cheng chuckled to himself.
If Emperor Qian Yuan knew this was actually the Human Emperor Sword…
He probably wouldn't be able to hold back.
Once Emperor Qian Yuan left, Yun Liyue turned to Yang Cheng. "Cheng'er, you're the Crown Prince. I'll give this sword to you. But you're still too young, so for now, you can only meditate on its Dao resonance. Don't swing it around carelessly."
"Understood, Mother." Yang Cheng nodded.
[The host has bypassed countless True God sentries and successfully seized the Human Emperor Sword from the hands of the Heaven's Mandate Emperor. This feat defies all expectations.]
[Congratulations to the host for completing another epic-tier mission. The road to reversal shines even brighter.]
[Blood of Emperor Suiren has been issued. Would the host like to claim it now?]
"I'll claim it later," Yang Cheng replied inwardly.
Late at night, with no one around—
"Claim the reward."
A drop of blood, seemingly ordinary, appeared before Yang Cheng.
All rewards from the system were sealed off from external perception, so even the Human Emperor's blood didn't cause any abnormal phenomena.
The drop of blood floated toward Yang Cheng's forehead and merged directly into it.
Normally, trying to fuse with the Human Emperor's blood would've been extremely difficult.
But since it was a system reward, all incompatible elements had already been purified in advance.
That meant this drop of blood didn't trigger any rejection—it was as if it had always been his own.
And the Human Emperor's blood was unimaginably powerful.
A surge of energy rampaged through Yang Cheng's body.
His flesh and blood were rapidly transformed and strengthened.
Soon, he realized he couldn't fully absorb all the power within that single drop.
Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the Sacred Dao Sword.
The sword trembled in his hand.
It had sensed the Human Emperor's bloodline within him.
Then the immense energy of the blood rushed into the Sacred Dao Sword.
The blade immediately awakened and began restoring itself using the power of the blood.
By dawn, the Human Emperor's blood had fully merged.
Yang Cheng's physical strength had reached the peak of the Martial Master level.
The Sacred Dao Sword had also fully revived—becoming once again the Human Emperor Sword.
The Human Emperor Sword was highly intelligent.
With just a thought from Yang Cheng, it suppressed its aura and disguised itself to look like the Sacred Dao Sword again.
No one except Yang Cheng could see through the disguise.
After that, Yang Cheng went about his usual routine—waking up, eating, and heading to Autumn Water Courtyard at the proper hour.
Just before dinner, he made his way back to the palace from the courtyard.
On the way back—
Looking out at the crowd on the street, Yang Cheng felt a deep sense of contentment.
In his past life, after becoming the Demon Lord, he was either killing or on the run.
He couldn't step foot in any of the great cities.
Even if he did enter one, he had to leave quickly.
It had been hundreds of years since he'd properly experienced the bustle of everyday life.
Because of that, even though the street scenes were ordinary to most of the capital's citizens, he couldn't get enough of them.
Ding!
[The host has encountered Lin Shu on the street—an incredibly rare opportunity.]
[Lin Shu is Yang Xiu's most trusted subordinate, commander of the Shadow Guards, and known as the "Empress of the Dark Night."]
[With Lin Shu around, no plot or scheme can touch Yang Xiu.]
[The host must find a way to sow discord between Lin Shu and Yang Xiu, or even convince Lin Shu to betray him and join the host's camp.]
[This is an achievement task. The lower Lin Shu's favorability toward Yang Xiu and the higher her favorability toward the host, the greater the achievement value.]
[Note: Lin Shu is a Yang God realm powerhouse and a ruthless killer. Due to the high difficulty, the host is granted a five-year time limit.]
[Mission reward: Heaven-Earth Spatial Domain (ranging from 100 zhang to 100,000 zhang in diameter).]
Heaven-Earth Spatial Domain?
Yang Cheng's eyes lit up.
In his past life, even as the Demon Lord, his own spatial domain was only 3 zhang across.
But now the system's version started at 100 zhang and could reach up to 100,000 zhang!
And this mission—was truly interesting.
Lin Shu?
He knew her all too well.
Back then, Yang Xiu had already become the Heaven's Mandate Emperor and didn't bother dealing with Yang Cheng personally.
Most of the time, it was Lin Shu's Shadow Guards who confronted him.
Those Shadow Guards had caused him no end of trouble.
And now Lin Shu was here? On this street?
He hadn't even noticed her earlier.
In fact, he didn't learn of her existence until a hundred years later.
At once, Yang Cheng started scanning both sides of the road, searching the crowd intently.