When his identity was exposed, Shen Zhao merely sighed softly and didn't attempt to conceal it, continuing to focus on carving the piece of wood in his hands.
Song Yanran didn't disturb him, simply watching the man before her in silence.
But her thoughts had long drifted back to her past life.
In her previous life, Di Feijing, along with her own alter-ego Ying Zhaoyun of the Wind and Rain Pavilion, had undertaken a mission to annihilate the Poison King Valley.
During the mission, Song Yanran was unfortunately bitten by a Seven-Colored Cloud Silkworm and her life hung by a thread.
It was Shen Zhao, Di Feijing himself, who, to save her, had dared to use the Heavenly Gang Reversal technique, forcibly transferring the venom from her body to his own.
Though this cost him half his life, he resolutely carried her, still weak from the ordeal, out of the Poison King Valley.
As she felt the warmth and breadth of Shen Zhao's back, she experienced a sense of security she had never known before.
From that moment on, Song Yanran fell irrevocably in love with Di Feijing, vowing that after the mission ended, she would use any means necessary to keep him by her side.
Yet, after the battle at the Poison King Valley, Di Feijing had placed the unconscious Song Yanran back at the Wind and Rain Pavilion and then vanished as if he had evaporated into thin air, never reappearing in her life.
This drove Song Yanran to near madness. She spared no expense, ordering a thorough search of the Central Domain and dispatching people to scour all Nine Realms of Immortal Martial Arts for any trace of her beloved.
Alas, Di Feijing had vanished like a grain of sand fallen into the dust, leaving no trace of his existence.
If Song Yanran had known in her past life that Shen Zhao was Di Feijing, she would have waged war against Yu Xiyan, the woman who abused him, no matter the cost.
*How could she not cherish such a man, and even torture him to death? I can't fathom what she was thinking.*
"Shen Zhao is Chu Liuxiang, and Chu Liuxiang is Di Feijing, yet neither of them is truly Shen Zhao."
Shen Zhao's words pulled Song Yanran back from her thoughts.
"Shen Zhao has always been a single entity. Chu Liuxiang and Di Feijing are merely identities he adopted to achieve his goals."
Song Yanran smiled brightly. "I disagree. In my heart, Shen Zhao and Di Feijing are one and the same—differing only in name and role."
Shen Zhao didn't argue further. Some things only became more awkward the more you tried to explain them to a woman.
Just then, Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird returned from their reconnaissance.
"Your Majesty, you've awakened? We failed to protect you, allowing you to suffer. We beg for your punishment!"
The two loyal guards immediately knelt on one knee before Song Yanran, begging for her punishment.
Song Yanran shook her head. "Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, you have already fulfilled your duties as Imperial City guards. How could I possibly blame you? Rather, I am the one who has implicated you."
Vermilion Bird looked up. "No, Your Majesty. To die for you has been the aspiration of our families for generations."
Azure Dragon added, "Please, Your Majesty, allow us to atone for our failures by helping you eliminate these traitors."
Song Yanran sighed softly. "You have already done more than enough for me and the Dragon Han empire. I truly don't want to see anyone else die because of me. This is a personal vendetta between me and them, and I don't want to drag you into it."
Just as Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird were about to protest, Shen Zhao interjected, "Were you followed on your way here?"
The two guards froze, then shook their heads in unison. "No one followed us. This place is extremely secluded."
Shen Zhao chuckled bitterly and shook his head. "It seems we're in for a tough fight."
Before Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and Song Yanran could understand his meaning, Shen Zhao's gaze shifted to the space behind Azure Dragon. He sneered, "Come out. I've been waiting for you."
As the words left his lips, a burly figure slowly emerged.
"Darba!"
Song Yanran's face paled at the sight of the newcomer. "You're still alive?"
Darba clasped his hands together and calmly addressed Shen Zhao and the group. "I never expected someone to detect my aura so quickly."
Shen Zhao stood with one hand behind his back. "For a sect leader, a top-tier expert with the bearing of a Great Emperor, to resort to such a trick as faking his death... it truly brings shame to the title of Great Emperor."
Darba replied, "It seems you knew I wasn't dead all along?"
"From the moment I learned your corpse was found within your own Vajra Dharma Seal, and that your Imperial-Grade Prayer Beads were nowhere to be found, I suspected this was a carefully laid trap."
"Oh? But how did you discover this? The celestial anomalies accompanying a Great Emperor's demise are common knowledge."
"The timing was wrong."
"The timing was wrong?"
"The celestial anomalies caused by a Great Emperor's death inevitably bring disaster and last for at least seven days. Yet the blood rain that occurred during your supposed death lasted less than half an hour. This completely contradicted my understanding of a Great Emperor's demise."
"So you concluded that the deceased wasn't me? But how do you explain the blood rain?"
"That's even simpler. You swapped your Primordial Art and injuries with a scapegoat, then struck the final blow yourself. This created the illusion of a Great Emperor's death. If I'm not mistaken, the one who died wasn't anyone else, but your most favored disciple, the Golden Sage Venerable, wasn't it? Your golden cicada shedding its shell trick was indeed clever. If I hadn't seen so much in my lifetime, I might have been deceived."
"But if I were to transfer my Primordial Art to him, wouldn't I lose all my cultivation? And why would I do such a thing?"
"You were once close friends with Zen Master Shangzhi of Ten Thousand Buddhas Cliff. He possessed a unique technique called Heavenly Gang Reversal. The brilliance of this technique lies in its ability to transfer all one's injuries to another living being, causing the target's physical condition to become identical to your own. After performing Heavenly Gang Reversal, your injuries would naturally heal completely, and your cultivation wouldn't only remain intact but could even advance further. Since the internal injuries you transferred contained traces of Emperor Realm Dao Essence, harming the Golden Sage Venerable would naturally create a temporary celestial phenomenon. As for your motive, it was arranged by Xuanhao Hongye, wasn't it? The purpose was to ensure you would be responsible for intercepting the Empress if she managed to escape. After all, when I mentioned your death, Xuanhao Hongye showed no emotional reaction whatsoever. How could someone lose their most trusted top expert without even a flicker of emotion? This makes me even more suspicious about whether you're truly dead."
Darba clapped his hands. "Your analysis is very logical. I never expected to find someone as intelligent as you in this world..."
"To see through my scheme at a glance... a pity, for everyone who knows this must die."
Shen Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly. "You think you can truly harm me?"
Darba sneered. "No need to pretend. I've received word that even with your peerless cultivation, you couldn't have survived three palm strikes from a Great Emperor cultivator unscathed. I don't know what method you used to endure this long, but I know your internal injuries are severe. You're no match for me now."
At these words, Song Yanran looked at Shen Zhao with deep concern.
Shen Zhao took a step forward. "Then by all means, try."
"Vajra Dharma Seal!"
Darba held nothing back, unleashing a massive palm strike.
*Boom!*
A deafening explosion echoed as Shen Zhao barely blocked the killing blow, staggering back three steps. The houses behind him instantly turned to scorched earth.
When he finally stopped, his stern expression remained, but a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, his hands trembling slightly. A bead of sweat slid down his cheek and dripped to the ground.
"Ha! Just as I expected! Today, you will all pave the way for the Great Xiongnu's imperial ambitions!"
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(End of Chapter)