Once silence returned to the prison cell, he let out a long, slow sigh.

He couldn't quite decipher the state of his own heart. Was it grief for the decline of the Great Shang? Or perhaps a secret triumph, mocking the Yuan Chen Emperor for ignoring his unwelcome counsel? He also felt a bitter resentment for those people just now—ministers of Shang, yet with their hearts already turned, even while the Dynasty still stood. Otherwise, why would they fear him enough to rush over in the dead of night to apologize?

“The Yang family offered to get you out of the capital; why didn’t you accept?”

A figure materialized abruptly beside Jin Buhui; it was Su Chen.

“Though the Yang family is the weakest of the Five Great Clans, they are still teeming with power. If they intended to save you, they would have nearly a hundred percent certainty of success.”

“They merely want to send me, Jin Buhui, down south, to fawn over my brother there. How could I let them have their way? That is not the path of friendship—”

Jin Buhui snorted coldly, his expression desolate yet carrying a degree of seriousness. “Tell me honestly, what is the state of the Great Shang now? And what is the situation within the Imperial Capital?”

“What else could it be? All the great aristocratic families have sent their sons and retainers back to their fiefdoms; only three or five people remain in the capital at most. The great academies of the Confucian School are in an uproar. Although the local officials have not yet openly colluded with the Great Qian, they were shaken back by His Majesty’s Five Edicts. However, if the Great Shang continues to decline, it is only a matter of time.”

Su Chen’s smile was laced with mockery. “But rumor has it that Shi Yue has made a move, and the Shi family had already made preparations to intercept at Baicheng Pass. The Great Shang probably won’t fall in the immediate future.”

“The Five Edicts?”

Jin Buhui immediately shook his head again. No matter what was written in Zong Shou’s Five Edicts, it was all irrelevant to him now. A wave of heartbroken lament washed over him.

“If I had known the Great Shang would fall so miserably, I should have left with you back then. Now, I can’t even leave if I wanted to—”

Su Chen fell silent, raising his gaze toward the distance. His divine sense perceived more than a dozen Divine Realm powerhouses locking down this location tightly. Though he did not fear them, his eyes betrayed a trace of helplessness. Although the Great Shang showed signs of collapse, it still possessed considerable underlying strength— With these people present, there was absolutely no possibility of him rescuing Jin Buhui.

As for his own life, Jin Buhui seemed rather philosophical about it.

“Regret is useless now. Judging by your words, the Sword Sect has likely decided to advance and retreat alongside the Great Qian?”

“His Majesty is a sagacious ruler! Now that he dominates the Cloud Realm, my Sword Sect naturally follows in his wake, lending our full support to the Great Qian’s ambition! Even your master’s sect, the Vast Profound Sect, is not immune to temptation?” Su Chen’s sword-like eyebrows flicked up, showing a chilling resolve. “Even if he is not the prophesied Divine Emperor, based on His Majesty’s character and conduct, my Sword Sect can rest assured.”

“His Majesty? He is preparing to claim the Imperial title?”

Jin Buhui was stunned again, then forced a self-mocking laugh. “Given his achievements and the current national strength of the Great Qian, he could have claimed the throne long ago. Very well, please ask Brother Su to convey this message to my sworn Emperor: Jin Buhui, even in death, will not cause him trouble. Also, be wary of the Confucian School, be wary of Master Zhu—”

Su Chen’s heart skipped a beat, instinctively ignoring the first sentence and continuing with mocking words. “The Confucian School? Master Zhu? The Confucian School writes the Spring and Autumn Annals to define the enlightened sovereign image and the flourishing governance of the Great Qian. It is not something they can simply negate at will. I want to see how the hundreds of millions of Confucian scholars in this world will position themselves? Will they still obey that First Sage, Master Zhu?”

The Wine Pool Palace returned to silence deep in the night. All fighting had concluded before noon. After a hasty wrap-up, Kong Yao, leading the majority of the elite troops and the majority of the Dao Soldiers, rushed toward the Min River without delay. North of the Min River lay over ten million Great Shang troops. If the Great Qian intended to conquer the five southern continents, they absolutely could not allow these elite border troops from the Central Plains to escape north of the Henglian Mountain Range. Speed was of the essence in military affairs, so not a moment could be wasted.

As for Zong Shou, he had temporarily regained some leisure. The one hundred thousand cavalry he required could only be mobilized after annihilating the remaining sixteen million Shang soldiers to the north; there was no immediate rush. At this moment, he sat in the main hall, gazing thoughtfully at a jade slip in his hand.

This was one of the relics left by Chong Xuan. As the Grand Preceptor of the Great Shang, his wealth was naturally immense, far surpassing that of cultivators of the same rank. However, it was unfortunate that this man had not brought many worldly possessions with him this time. Among his meager possessions, only this jade slip had piqued Zong Shou’s curiosity.

The jade slip contained a three-dimensional map. What drew his attention was that the terrain depicted closely resembled the tomb of the Qin Emperor’s sub-cairn that he had once ‘visited.’ However, the area seemed to be at least ten times larger. Aside from the ‘main burial chamber’ inside, which was round on top and square below, resembling a complete world, the outer periphery was a labyrinth of countless corridors and passageways. It was dense with formations and studded with traps. Even this jade slip in his hand could not convey everything in detail; many areas were vague.

“The main tomb of the Qin Emperor?”

Zong Shou’s eyes narrowed slightly. He then looked toward the delicate, fair-skinned, and beardless man before him. This was Gao Ruo, one of the favorite eunuchs of the Great Shang’s Yuan Chen Emperor—the Junior Supervisor of Attendants. Yin Yu had been rescued alone by Shi Yue. However, the accompanying ministers were not so fortunate and were all captured. And Gao Ruo was among them.

“Did that Grand Preceptor Chong Xuan know the location of the Qin Emperor’s tomb?”

Gao Ruo’s face was pale and ashen; he bit his lip fiercely, remaining silent. His gaze was coldly resolute as he looked upward, showing no fear.

“You are loyal indeed!”

Zong Shou was not surprised. Since Yin Yu was praised as the restorer of the Great Qian, he naturally possessed sufficient ability to command his subordinates. If he couldn’t command the absolute loyalty of his trusted officials, he wouldn’t have been able to turn the tide back then. It was likely that nothing could be extracted from this man, even under severe torture. Only by direct Soul Searching might they find the memories related to the Qin Emperor’s tomb.

However, Zong Shou hadn't actually expected to learn anything from Gao Ruo by asking that question. It was enough to know that the Yuan Chen Emperor and Chong Xuan were indeed plotting something.

Holding the jade slip, Zong Shou pondered for a moment, then noticed that Zhang Huai, standing nearby, seemed distracted. Zong Shou’s heart stirred.

“Minister Zhang, I know you are a descendant of Zhang Liang from the late Qin and early Han period. Do you know anything about the Qin Emperor’s tomb?”

Zhang Huai’s expression immediately turned serious upon hearing this, then he let out a wry smile. What he had been thinking just now had nothing to do with the Qin Emperor’s tomb; it was about how to persuade Zong Shou to change his imperial title. He had tried to persuade Zong Shou that morning after the hundreds of thousands of soldiers had hailed him with ‘Long live the Emperor,’ but Zong Shou had refused, and he was vexed by his failure. However, regarding the Qin Emperor’s tomb, he actually did know a little. The question was, how did the Sovereign know he was a descendant of Zhang Liang?

“The Qin Emperor always called himself the foremost Emperor under Heaven in the Cloud Realm. How could a mortal tomb satisfy him? No one in the world knows the location of his main tomb, but one of Zhang Huai’s ancestors, after much searching, concluded that the main tomb of the Qin Emperor must be in the Eastern Kunlun Mountains.”

“Eastern Kunlun?”

Zong Shou’s brow rose slightly, musing that it was quite possible. The Western Kunlun Mountain was the foremost giant mountain before the Cloud Desolation Era. However, it was broken by a single blow from a powerful figure at the end of the Cloud Desolation Era. Later, the central Cloud Continent suffered repeated damage, and the terrain shifted; its location now is unknown. Given the arrogance of the Qin Emperor, only a place legendary for its unparalleled majesty would be suitable to inter his imperial body.

“So, the Qin Emperor’s tomb is likely beneath the Cloud Continent now, within the Dark Abyss?”

When the Cloud Continent split back then, many landmasses sank into the sea of clouds. Based on the various ancient texts Zong Shou had viewed over the years, the area where the Eastern Kunlun was located had likely sunk.

This made things difficult; even knowing the location was Eastern Kunlun, pinpointing the exact spot was hard. He couldn’t help but curse the powerhouses of antiquity in his heart. They were truly reckless, shattering a perfectly good Cloud Continent into fragments. However, the collapse of the Cloud Continent began ten millennia ago, ending after a massive upheaval eight thousand years ago, seemingly connected to the battle surrounding the fall of Xi Zi.

“Zhang Huai does not know the exact location now. However, it should not matter; someone once told me that the Qin Emperor’s tomb would emerge in twelve years.” At this point, Zhang Huai’s heart stirred again, and a grave look appeared in his eyes.

“I heard that Chong Xuan, although originating from the Daoist Sect, also received some legacy from the ancient Qi Refiners. The spiritual formations and mechanisms within the Qin Emperor’s tomb back then were all completed jointly by Qi Refiners and Mohist Artificers. It is difficult to say whether this person can enter the Qin Emperor’s tomb ahead of time—”

If that were the case, things would become troublesome. Back then, the Great Qin collected divine metals from across the world to forge the Twelve Bronze Men guarding the Nation. Each one possessed the power to contend against the peak of the Saint Realm. Legend held that the hardness of their bodies was difficult even for the Supreme Realm to shatter. When the Twelve Bronze Men joined forces to form an array, they could even resist cultivators of the Supreme Realm. Thus, the First Qin Emperor, despite being a mere ruler, could suppress the Three Teachings. If such supreme treasures fell into the hands of the Great Shang, it would undoubtedly allow the dynasty to revitalize its national strength. Regardless of whether Chong Xuan’s jade slip was true or false, the Great Qian could not afford this risk.

Without hesitation, Zhang Huai cast a spiritual talisman. The paper burned spontaneously without fire, and Zhang Huai’s expression grew increasingly grim. Before Zong Shou could ask, Zhang Huai spoke up: “That Great Shang Grand Preceptor is likely not dead. The methods of the Qi Refiners are truly astonishing!”

Zong Shou was also shocked. Chong Xuan was struck by the backlash of Heavenly Dao power and his body shattered by the Qilin, yet he was still alive? Could it be some kind of external incarnation? It didn't appear to be one. However, this matter didn't require speculation; he could ask Gao Ruo directly.

“This matter may be related to your Emperor, but I only need to investigate slightly, and I will know the details. If you still have any hope of saving your life, you should not hide anything!”

Gao Ruo hesitated for a moment. Seeing Zong Shou prepare to seize him, clearly intending to Search the Soul, he could only hastily open his mouth: “I don’t know if he still exists. But I heard the Grand Preceptor cultivated a secret technique called the ***Refining Spirit Soul Splitting Method, which allows him to divide his divine soul and manifest dozens of avatars.”