The Prince Can Do Divination

Chapter 451: Chapter 275: Arresting the Great Nether Empress, A Clue from the Turtle Shell, The Allied Forces at Jiayu Pass

Storm clouds gathered above the Capital City.

High in the sky, a Turtle Shell emitting a black, ghostly glow resonated with the one in Lu Mingyuan’s mind. The resonance produced a host of miraculous visions: Immortal Cranes danced, Martial Xiuxian roared, and purple clouds filled the heavens.

If any Qi Cultivator were to gaze at the sky using the Qi Observation Skill, they would see it filled with golden clouds formed from Destiny.

Lu Mingyuan felt the Turtle Shell stir. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the Great Nether Empress, who wore the guise of Qi Muxue. "What other secrets are you hiding?"

"That’s a question I should be asking you."

The eyelashes of Witch Palace Language fluttered, her gaze profound and inscrutable.

"It seems there’s a good reason you were able to emerge victorious from the Nine Dragons Struggle for the Throne."

"So, we are the same kind of person."

Lu Mingyuan said flatly, "I am nothing like you."

"You came to the Central Plains World for your own selfish desires, coveting the fortune of my Great Yan. I, on the other hand, fight to secure a future for my people for all generations. How could you possibly compare yourself to me?"

Witch Palace Language shook her head. "Perhaps you did learn some things about me from the Grand Thousand Canglan Map, but I must say, that is not the real me."

Lu Mingyuan chuckled, drawing the long saber from his waist and wiping the blade. "Not the real you?"

"You seem exactly the same to me. You’re just as stubborn as you were in the Scroll, willing to do anything to get what you want. I recall telling you that sometimes, letting yourself go is its own form of self-forgiveness."

Witch Palace Language said icily, "Don’t you dare speak to me in that brotherly tone!"

"Do you really think you’re him?!"

"Stop dreaming. You only know a few inside details; you have no idea what actually happened. You’ve spent your whole life in the Central Plains. What right do you have to judge my past?"

"And now you’ve fallen into my hands, yet you still dare to be so arrogant?" Lu Mingyuan said, raising an eyebrow.

Despite the numerous powerful auras converging on her in the Great Yan Capital City, Witch Palace Language remained perfectly calm, as if she had an ace up her sleeve. She looked at Lu Mingyuan serenely and asked,

"I only fell into your hands because of a slight miscalculation. I didn’t have time to review her memories; otherwise, how could you have identified me so easily? I’m just very curious—when did you first realize who I was?"

Lu Mingyuan smiled faintly. "It started when your words began to slander others."

Witch Palace Language sighed for some reason. "The etiquette and order of your Central Plains World are truly a hassle."

"Of all people, you should never have tried to imitate the Empress. She is the one person you cannot touch, and the one person you cannot impersonate," Lu Mingyuan said coolly.

"I had assumed your Empress was a person of firm and decisive character. After all, she was willing to sacrifice her own life to ensure your safety. I never expected that in the eyes of those around her, she would have such a modest and gentle image. It seems my understanding of her was quite off."

Witch Palace Language nodded slightly, her eyes downcast in a faint, mocking smile. "Then go ahead and arrest me."

She wore the face of Qi Muxue, but her originally gentle and virtuous aura was now tainted with a demonic allure and a cunning glint.

She seemed to have no intention of resisting or trying to escape.

This made Lu Mingyuan suspicious, and he couldn’t help but raise his guard.

’Then again, she’s completely powerless to fight back right now. Isn’t she just a lamb walking to the slaughter?’

’Even if she has some trick up her sleeve, I have to take her down.’

"But this body belongs to her. Are you going to kill it too?" Witch Palace Language challenged.

She seemed utterly confident, banking on this one fact.

"Or are you saying you can bring yourself to kill even your own Empress? If you let me go, perhaps you won’t have to suffer through such a difficult choice."

Lu Mingyuan said coldly, "I have my own methods."

"Your methods... surely you’re not thinking of those unorthodox techniques from the Taoist Sect?" Witch Palace Language sneered.

"Then let me tell you, a common Soul Transfer Technique from the Taoist Sect won’t work on our two bodies. Otherwise, our Divine Souls will trigger a restriction and self-destruct!"

Having used Witchcraft to swap their souls, how could she not have left a failsafe?

If Lu Mingyuan were to crudely use a Taoist technique to swap their souls, it would trigger the restriction she had put in place—the Soul Exchange God Prayer Skill. The Divine Soul within the Flesh Body would be eroded by a bizarre Divine Power, ultimately becoming nourishment for the Divine Beings.

The Great Yan Tributors at the side couldn’t help but curse:

"The Empress was actually an impostor! A complete and utter Demoness!"

"The Empress is such a good person! How could she be suffering such torment?"

"This Demoness must be executed!"

For a moment, all the assembled masters were seething with righteous fury.

An extremely dangerous glint appeared in Lu Mingyuan’s eyes. "If you dare, I will make you, and the entire Holy Netherworld, accompany her in death!"

"Make the entire Holy Netherworld her funeral offering? Do you have the power to do that?"

Witch Palace Language’s face was filled with disbelief.

At that moment, Zhao Xuanwu sent a voice transmission from the side, "Disciple, there’s no need to waste words on her. Let’s imprison this Demoness first. We can decide how to deal with her after Great Yan is stabilized."

"The Central Plains have been turbulent lately. It’s best to be cautious."

Lu Mingyuan nodded silently. He knew exactly what turmoil Zhao Xuanwu was referring to.

"Understood, Master."

"Escort her into the Grand Array and place her under confinement. She is not to take a single step out of it."

With a single command, the magnificent and noble "Empress" was escorted into the Imperial Garden before them.

Witch Palace Language snorted coldly as she was taken to a prison specially constructed for her within the Imperial Garden.

Before entering, she glanced at a nearby grand hall, a meaningful look on her face.

The illusionary Grand Array immediately activated, and a faint ripple spread through the space.

"Shall the ceremony continue?"

Taiwei True Monarch, wearing a bamboo hat and a plain white Daoist Robe with wide sleeves, came before Lu Mingyuan. His expression was clear and handsome as he asked the question.

The grand Vice Sect Master of the Taiwei Daoist Sect was now serving Lu Mingyuan, personally taking on duties for him. This was mainly because of the person Lu Mingyuan had become.

"Postpone it for now."

Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment, still shaken and hesitant because of what Witch Palace Language had said.

’If it’s really as she said, and making a move on the Divine Soul will trigger a restriction that causes the Flesh Body to self-destruct... wouldn’t Mu Xue be completely annihilated? Right now, I have to deal with the matter of the Six Kingdoms, and I also have to swap Mu Xue’s and Witch Palace Language’s Divine Souls back. Both tasks will require an immense amount of mental energy. Deciding which to handle first is a vexing problem. Perhaps this is her scheme. The Great Nether Empress came to the Central Plains personally to provoke a dispute between the Six Kingdoms and Great Yan, to stop Great Yan from ascending to the Position of Heaven’s Mandate. Her so-called search for the Divine Pearl was likely just a secondary objective.’ So Lu Mingyuan surmised.

At this thought, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow, his gaze turning to the celestial phenomena of Destiny in the sky.

He leaped into the air and pushed out a seemingly light palm.

Instantly, all the Spiritual Qi within a hundred-mile radius was drawn into his Martial Arts Acupoints, converging into that single, unadorned palm strike.

The golden clouds filling the sky were all scattered by this one blow.

He pushed away the clouds with a single hand, wielding the power to command the heavens.

Soon, a small, black Turtle Shell fell into Lu Mingyuan’s hand, and he caught it between two fingers.

For a moment, all the Cultivators in the Imperial Palace who witnessed this were stunned, looking upon him as if he were a Celestial Human.

Although Lu Mingyuan’s battle with Emperor Yong’an had been witnessed by every Cultivator in the Capital City, and although the tale of him personally defeating the Great Nether Empress in a direct confrontation had spread throughout the kingdoms, it was clear that Lu Mingyuan’s power was not to be underestimated.

Yet now, they seemed to sense that His Majesty’s Cultivation had improved yet again.

Perhaps there was real hope he could break through to the Martial Saint Realm, a feat not seen in a hundred years.

Lu Mingyuan took the small Turtle Shell and, upon examining it, discovered it was remarkably similar to the Golden Turtle Shell in his mind.

He just didn’t know if their effects were the same.

Just from the two Turtle Shells resonating for a short while, Lu Mingyuan had absorbed a great deal of Destiny from the Black Turtle Shell, causing the progress of his "True Dragon Emperor" Fate Grid to surge.

This gave Lu Mingyuan the idea of completely absorbing all the Destiny from the black shell.

But holding it in his hand, the suction force from before was gone.

It had become completely ordinary.

’Could it be that the Demoness has already sealed the Turtle Shell’s power?’

Lu Mingyuan pondered for a moment, then put away the Black Turtle Shell that belonged to the Great Nether Empress, deciding to keep it for the time being.

’Without this, how can she possibly escape the Grand Array?’

Next, he made his way to a grand hall nearby where someone had been settled.

There, he saw Qi Muxue, who was waiting for him.

She stood before a window, looking at her pale hands, her gaze somewhat forlorn.

Hearing Lu Mingyuan enter, she spoke softly:

"Your Majesty, you should focus on other, more important matters for now. You don’t need to worry about me first."

"The affairs of the state come first. My personal gains and losses are nothing compared to the lives of the people of Great Yan."

Lu Mingyuan frowned. "You know everything?"

Qi Muxue nodded. "Since recklessly swapping our souls would cause me to disappear completely, it’s better to maintain the current state of affairs for now."

"That Great Nether Empress is the most outstanding prodigy of the Witch Race in her generation. Her Witchcraft is certainly profound. An ordinary soul-swapping technique from the Taoist Sect can hardly compare to the skills of a race that has passed down the Spirit Communication Skill for a million years."

"This must be hard on you."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but sigh.

For now, Qi Muxue could only walk through Great Yan wearing the face of Witch Palace Language. It was a helpless situation.

The main issue was that Lu Mingyuan didn’t dare to gamble.

’Could the technique Chen Ke found in the ancient texts really break the restriction set by Witch Palace Language?’

’If it failed, Qi Muxue would die.’

That was the heart of his dilemma.

"For now, we should consider how to handle the coming storm of public opinion from the Six Kingdoms. If news that the Demoness is in Great Yan gets out, it will surely provoke questioning from the Song Dynasty."

"What we must do immediately is lock down the news that the Demoness is in Great Yan. I also cannot walk freely in the Mortal World; I must stay within the Imperial Palace. And Great Yan must begin to conscript soldiers and prepare for war."

Qi Muxue had already thought through the follow-up strategies for Lu Mingyuan.

"The Six Kingdoms..."

Lu Mingyuan murmured, repeating the words to himself.

These Six Paths of Celestial Destiny and Fortune were like the sharp Sword of Darma hanging over his head, threatening to fall at any moment.

Just as the divination had said, if he remained idle or tried to delay with schemes, it would not work. He had to take the initiative.

’How should I make a move against the Golden Crow Country?’

Just as Lu Mingyuan was pondering this,

the Black Turtle Shell, which had been lying dormant, began to emit a faint light.

A line of red text appeared before Lu Mingyuan’s eyes.

[Emperor Shaoxing seeks revenge for his two sons and has formed an alliance with the Three Kingdoms. The Six Kingdoms share a common enemy. The armies of the Song Dynasty and the Great Sui Dynasty have already reached Jiayu Pass. A great disaster is imminent.]

Seeing this message, Lu Mingyuan’s eyes widened.

’What is this?’

’Are these things that have already happened?’

’Or things that are yet to come?’

Only at this moment did Lu Mingyuan understand the true purpose of the Black Turtle Shell.

His expression grew complex.

’Could it be that these Turtle Shells are a pair?’

...