Chapter 407: Punishment (Third Update)

The fallen leaves accumulated on the ground before Emperor Jiawen suddenly flew up!

A disc, much smaller than the one atop the mountain peak, appeared before his eyes!

Not only was it smaller in scale, but even the patterns upon it were far simpler.

A strange pattern emerged in the palm of Emperor Jiawen's hand, slowly descending onto that disc.

Accompanied by a faint humming sound, the disc finally began to rotate slowly!

Emperor Jiawen rejoiced

"It's open!"

Elder Ye also breathed a sigh of relief.

Emperor Jiawen became increasingly cautious; only when the disc slowly opened from the center did he hold his breath and step inside!

Elder Ye followed closely behind!

The figures of the two quickly vanished!

A moment later, the surroundings fell silent once more.

Seeing that the disc was about to close, Rong Jin, who was hiding in the shadows, immediately rushed forward!

How could he miss such a golden opportunity!?

Fortunately, his movements were fast enough that he entered before the disc closed!

As soon as he stepped in, he felt a stone slab beneath his feet, and the surroundings instantly plunged into darkness.

A sense of relief actually rose in Rong Jin's heart.

While it was difficult to see the surroundings clearly like this, it also prevented him from being discovered by Emperor Jiawen and Elder Ye ahead.

Emperor Jiawen was one thing, but Elder Ye possessed formidable strength; a moment of inattention could lead to exposure.

He had come here in secret this time, so naturally, he did not dare to make a grand spectacle.

Once discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Only after he obtained that supreme treasure would he have a bit more confidence.

Rong Jin waited in place for quite a while. Only after the footsteps of the two ahead gradually faded and he was certain they had moved a sufficient distance did he finally lift his foot.

Despite being unable to see anything, he had listened to the movements of the two earlier and realized that this seemed to be a downward staircase.

Rong Jin groped around both sides for a while, wanting to hold onto a wall or something to walk, but a sharp sting soon came from his palm.

He was startled, only then realizing that there was indeed a wall beside him, but it was embedded with sharp nails!

His hand had been accidentally sliced, and blood flowed continuously.

Helpless, he could only tear a strip of cloth haphazardly from his hem and wrap his injured hand tightly.

Now, he did not dare to touch anything nearby casually and could only descend more cautiously.

At the same time Emperor Jiawen and the others entered the Imperial Mausoleum, Chu Liuyue, standing in the center of the lake, saw this scene through a mirror surface of the pyramid.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting that the Imperial Mausoleum would have another entrance.

However, Emperor Jiawen arrived a bit later than she had anticipated.

She and Mu Qinghe had been here for some time; for Emperor Jiawen to only arrive now, and from this remote entrance at that?

She, of course, did not know that Emperor Jiawen and the others had waited in vain atop the mountain for a long time, finally managing to enter through this path with great difficulty.

For some reason, although the path they were traveling was clearly pitch black, Chu Liuyue could see every scene within it clearly, even seeing Emperor Jiawen's nervous and hurried gaze with perfect clarity.

Chu Liuyue's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Elder Ye behind him.

She rubbed her brow, feeling a slight headache.

She wasn't worried about Emperor Jiawen coming, but for Elder Ye to show up as well...

This was going to be a bit difficult.

She couldn't let them reach this place...

As Chu Liuyue thought this, she suddenly saw Rong Jin following behind them.

She arched an eyebrow.

This man actually came too?

And it looked as though he had followed them stealthily...

It made sense; he had recently been under house arrest at the Crown Prince's manor, so naturally, he couldn't let Emperor Jiawen discover his presence here.

What was he doing joining in on this commotion...

Chu Liuyue's mind raced, and a bold suspicion surfaced in her heart.

Could it be—that secret of his was related to the Imperial Mausoleum!?

Previously, Rong Zhen had mentioned that Rong Jin was a "Child of Destiny," and because of this, the Empress placed great importance on him, devoting all her energy to him and placing high expectations upon him.

When Chu Liuyue first heard this claim, she had been quite dismissive, until she saw everything that happened in Seven-Corner Alley.

The Empress clearly cared much more about Rong Jin's so-called "Child of Destiny" status than imagined, and had made many preparations for it, even going so far as to use such cruel and ruthless methods just to help Rong Jin increase his cultivation.

Unfortunately, they were discovered before the timing was ripe.

Now, for Rong Jin to come here regardless of the danger... only this reason could explain it.

Chu Liuyue casually scanned Rong Jin; this noble Crown Prince had clearly suffered quite a bit along the way and looked very disheveled.

Suddenly, Chu Liuyue's gaze narrowed as she looked behind him, seemingly seeing two more figures.

He wasn't alone!?

Soon, Chu Liuyue saw the appearance of those two clearly.

The person in front was none other than Situ Xingchen!

Following behind him was an old man dressed in black robes; because he wore a hood, only half of his face was visible, appearing to be an elderly man.

Chu Liuyue had never seen this person before.

But on the surface, this old man was clearly one of Situ Xingchen's people.

Chu Liuyue stared for a while and quickly discovered that Rong Jin seemed unaware of the existence of the two behind him.

Situ Xingchen and the other man were also following very cautiously, their every word and action clearly aimed at avoiding detection by Rong Jin.

They were... stealthily following Rong Jin inside?

This was getting interesting.

Chu Liuyue couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.

Emperor Jiawen and Elder Ye in front, Rong Jin in the middle, Situ Xingchen and the old man at the rear—they had actually entered in such a sequence.

She truly wondered what kind of expression they would make if they saw her standing here right now.

*Click.*

A faint sound suddenly came from the silver pyramid.

Chu Liuyue's heart tightened, and she immediately looked over, but she found nothing unusual.

The small pyramid still floated quietly in mid-air, as if that sound had merely been an auditory hallucination.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

She shouldn't have heard that sound for no reason...

But after waiting for a while, no other movement came.

Chu Liuyue had no choice but to set it aside for the moment and look back at Mu Qinghe.

This look, however, immediately made her heart race wildly!

She saw that Mu Qinghe, kneeling on the ground, had actually raised the long sword in his hand once again!

However, this time, the tip of his blade was aimed at his own neck!

—Mu Qinghe was actually going to commit suicide!?

Without thinking, Chu Liuyue shouted

"Stop!"

As if he had heard her, Mu Qinghe's movements suddenly froze, and a trace of disbelief gradually surfaced in his eyes.

That sound just now... although blurred, the tone was exactly like that person's...

He immediately looked around, but there was nothing except for the tightly entwined green vines.

Mu Qinghe gave a bitter smile, and the long sword fell limp from his hand.

If she were still here and knew that instead of dying on the battlefield, he had chosen to take his own life, she would likely be extremely disappointed, wouldn't she?

Even he hadn't expected that he would be trapped here, and even harbor thoughts of ending his life.

But... it was simply too painful!

He admitted, he was afraid.

Every day, every moment, he was undergoing that terrible torture, living a life worse than death.

He wanted to pick up the sword again, but found his entire body trembling violently.

Even if it was an auditory hallucination, he felt as though he could not disobey her command.

After a long time, he closed his eyes, tears sliding from the corners of his eyes, and murmured in a low voice.

"Your Highness, is this... the punishment you have given me?"

(End of Chapter)