"Surely Old Senior Tang wouldn't believe such an outrageous claim, would he?"
Tang Manqing sighed heavily.
"Heavens!"
Liu Yue exclaimed in disbelief. "Is Old Senior Tang truly that convinced by that swindler surnamed Gu? Even if he were the real Monarch, he likely couldn't stand against the Three Thousand Great Daos. What on earth is going on with Old Senior Tang?"
"I'm starting to suspect whether my Great-Grandfather has grown senile in his old age, or if that fraudster used some despicable method to bewitch his mind. Otherwise, how could he possibly believe such nonsense? And... do you know what? That damned swindler even claimed that when Fairy Su Hua was in the Great Northwest, she wasn't intentionally shielding him—she genuinely believed he was dead."
"Fairy Su Hua is renowned throughout the world. In her previous life, she was the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, and in this life, she's an emissary of the Nine Heavens. With her experience and insight, if she says someone is dead, then they're truly dead. How could she possibly have believed that fraudster was dead?"
"Do you know how that swindler explained this? If I tell you, it'll shock you to death. That damned swindler said he accidentally conceived and nurtured two ancient taboos, which summoned the Sacred Judgment of Heaven and Earth."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yue and Lin Xiang'er were instantly stunned, even doubting whether they had misheard.
"The... the Sacred Judgment of Heaven and Earth?"
"That's right. The most terrifying legend among the legends of Heaven and Earth—the Primordial Gate, the Profound Yellow Bell, the Wrath of Heaven and Earth... that Sacred Judgment."
"Good heavens!" Liu Yue was utterly dumbfounded, and Lin Xiang'er's face was also filled with shock.
After a moment, Liu Yue regained her composure and said, "Old Senior Tang couldn't... couldn't possibly believe such utterly preposterous nonsense, could he?"
Tang Manqing felt like crying but had no tears. Just thinking about this matter made her utterly distraught. "That's exactly why I suspect my Great-Grandfather is either senile or has had his mind bewitched by that swindler using some method."
"Didn't you try to probe the old master's condition at the time?"
"I did. My Great-Grandfather's consciousness is clear, his thinking and logic are normal. There are no signs of bewitchment—at least, none that I could detect."
"If the old master's mind isn't bewitched and his consciousness is clear, how could he believe the nonsense spouted by that swindler surnamed Gu? Could he really be senile?"
"Probably. I've heard that the longer people live, the duller their minds become, gradually turning into a kind of senile dementia. Could my Great-Grandfather really have grown senile?"
"That seems unlikely. Throughout history, while many old seniors couldn't withstand the ravages of time and gradually became senile, it was mostly due to isolation from the world or years of secluded cultivation. Old Senior Tang has been guarding the mausoleum, rarely entering seclusion. He's practically cultivating while engaging with the world—he couldn't possibly have become senile."
"If my Great-Grandfather isn't senile and hasn't been bewitched, then why would he believe the swindler's nonsense?"
This question, Tang Manqing didn't know the answer to, Liu Yue didn't know, and Lin Xiang'er certainly didn't know either.
"Right now, the relationship between our Yanluo royal family and the Immortal Dynasty is so tense. And this fellow is causing trouble everywhere under the Monarch's name, yet my Great-Grandfather remains utterly convinced of his identity. What worries me even more is that my Great-Grandfather wants him to step forward and deal with the Immortal Dynasty... I truly don't know what to do..." Tang Manqing's worries were also Liu Yue's worries.
The relationship between the Yanluo royal family and the Immortal Dynasty was tense.
The relationship between their Chizi Head and the Immortal Dynasty was equally tense.
If that fellow surnamed Gu kept committing misdeeds under the Monarch's name, the Immortal Dynasty would surely use it as a pretext to act against Chizi Head.
"Manqing, what do you plan to do then?" Lin Xiang'er asked with a faint smile. "Your visit today probably isn't just to vent to us, is it? You must have thought of a plan, right?"
Tang Manqing smiled wryly. "Xiang'er, you really understand me."
"Manqing, have you really thought of something?"
"Since my Great-Grandfather is so convinced of his identity, I don't plan to try persuading him anymore. I can only take action against that swindler surnamed Gu. To prevent the situation from worsening further, I want to trap him temporarily and wait until Fairy Su Hua arrives before deciding what to do."
"Trap him? How would you trap him?" Liu Yue frowned, speaking cautiously. "Manqing, I advise you to abandon this idea. That fellow surnamed Gu's strength is unfathomable. You might not be his match."
"Of course, I can't do it alone. That's why I came to discuss it with both of you. With the strength of the three of us, surely we can trap him?"
"I think it might be a bit of a stretch," Lin Xiang'er said. "Manqing, back at Linglong Mountain Villa, the power of his voice alone scattered the minds of hundreds of people. Both you and I were no exception. Even the ancient Earth Immortal, Elder Wei, couldn't stand steadily in front of him. Even if the three of us join forces, I'm afraid it would still be... very difficult."
"That's right," Liu Yue also advised. "You mustn't act impulsively. At the Mountain-River Branch, I witnessed with my own eyes how he wiped out nearly a hundred people from the Mingyu Branch with a wave of his hand. Among them were prodigies like Lian Hao and many ancient Earth Immortals. Even Tan Tong and over ten other Chixiao members from the Mingyu Branch couldn't stand steadily in front of him. Even if the three of us join forces, we might not be his match."
"I've never been able to understand it. He clearly looks like he has no cultivation at all, appears utterly weak, so how can his strength be so formidable?" Lin Xiang'er wondered. "I heard it was the same when he was in the Great Northwest. It's as if he possesses some indestructible Absolute Body and an unstoppable Absolute Force."
"Xiang'er, do you believe that too?"
"I don't believe it, but he seems to be exactly that. At least, that's how it appears."
All three of them had heard the legends about the Absolute Body and Absolute Force.
Legend had it that the Absolute Body was hailed as the pinnacle of physiques—indestructible, immovable by Immortals or Demons, unshakable by Heaven and Earth.
Legend also had it that the Absolute Force was hailed as the pinnacle of power—unstoppable, capable of shaking the heavens above and quaking the earth below.
However, legends were just legends.
No one had ever seen them.
Throughout history, neither in ancient nor primordial times had they appeared.
They didn't exist among the billions of worlds, nor within the Three Thousand Great Daos, nor anywhere between Heaven and Earth.
"If he truly possessed the Twin Ultimates, it would be impossible. I think..." Liu Yue pondered for a moment. "Don't forget, he fused with a remnant wisp of the Monarch's consciousness. Presumably, his physical body also encountered some miraculous opportunity, which is why it became so powerful."
After saying this, Liu Yue turned to Tang Manqing and advised, "Manqing, I know your worries and understand them. But relying solely on the strength of the three of us to trap him is truly a difficult task."
"Do you think I would make a blind decision if I weren't confident?"
"Hmm?" Liu Yue and Lin Xiang'er exchanged glances, unsure what Tang Manqing was hinting at.
"Take a look at this." As she spoke, Tang Manqing raised her hand, and a violet-blue rope appeared in her palm. Seeing this rope, Liu Yue exclaimed in shock, "Is this... the Empress's Immortal-Binding Rope?"