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Chapter 919: Chapter 918: The Origin of Wang Jingwen

Just as the Third Prince was basking in the satisfaction of having incinerated the repulsive Withered Wood Wolf King with the Heartfire Lotus, he suddenly felt a spine-chilling sense of danger.

"Boom!"

The Third Prince's figure blurred as he deflected the golden arrow with a sweep of his sleeve. However, the blue arrow struck the Heartfire Lotus, and the green arrow severed his connection to the artifact.

The Third Prince was taken aback as the Heartfire Lotus was snatched away.

Ambushed?

In that instant, he realized that his assailant was no less powerful than himself. Who was it?

Focusing his gaze, he saw the Heartfire Lotus in the hands of his attacker.

"Luo Xingchen, you're still alive?" The Third Prince's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Luo Xingchen, holding the Heartfire Lotus, swiftly returned to Zhong Shan's side.

The Third Prince looked at Zhong Shan and his group, and suddenly felt like he had been set up.

This group against him alone, his subordinates all dead, while Emperor Xiang Xiang stood unharmed by Zhong Shan's side.

Was this a trap? A scheme by Zhong Shan?

Impossible. Zhong Shan couldn't be that devious. It had to be a series of coincidences. But how had Zhong Shan and his people arrived so suddenly and joined forces with Luo Xingchen?

Luo Xingchen wasn't killed by Zhong Shan? Of course, Zhong Shan, being only a celestial immortal, couldn't have killed Luo Xingchen. They must have been putting on an act, deceiving everyone in the Wheel Domain.

Everyone had been fooled by them.

"Holy King!" Luo Xingchen respectfully handed over the Heartfire Lotus.

It wasn't until Luo Xingchen's gesture that the Third Prince showed true shock. Luo Xingchen bowing to Zhong Shan?

The dignified head of a dojo, now a subordinate to Zhong Shan?

This scene was far more shocking than losing the artifact.

"Luo Xingchen, you've degraded yourself to this extent. I must have overestimated you before," the Third Prince said coldly, all the while trying to reestablish his connection with the Heartfire Lotus.

Unfortunately, Luo Xingchen's arrow had severed the bond. Although the Third Prince could barely reconnect, he couldn't fully control the artifact anymore.

Seeing the artifact in Zhong Shan's hand, the Third Prince fumed with anger.

But the Third Prince, being the crown prince of the Wuxiang Holy Court, maintained his composure. At least for now, he faced the formidable Luo Xingchen and the unpredictable Zhong Shan.

Recovering the artifact now seemed impossible.

"Seal!" the Third Prince shouted.

In Zhong Shan's hand, the Heartfire Lotus abruptly shrank, its enormous flames condensing into a golden sphere.

"The Heartfire Lotus is sealed. No one can use it now. Zhong Shan, today's humiliation will be repaid a hundredfold. For now, the Heartfire Lotus will stay with you," the Third Prince declared.

After finishing his declaration, the Third Prince didn't linger, disappearing in an instant.

Once he was gone, everyone relaxed a bit.

"Holy King, the Heartfire Lotus was originally crafted by a powerful fire cultivator. Once self-sealed, it's very difficult to use again. It's said that Nianben took eight thousand years to reawaken it," Luo Xingchen remarked regretfully.

Ancient immortal artifacts were extremely tempting, but a sealed artifact was frustrating. Slowly refining it again would take an unbearable amount of time—eight thousand years.

"No matter," Zhong Shan said.

He turned his hand, and the Heartfire Lotus orb vanished.

"What?" Luo Xingchen was incredulous.

It was gone? Such a treasure couldn't be stored in a regular space. How had Zhong Shan done it? Only a Great Immortal or above could solidify their own 'world,' forming a tangible space. Yet Zhong Shan had managed this?

Everyone else was equally astonished. Their respect for Zhong Shan deepened immensely.

Where had the Heartfire Lotus gone? It had naturally been transferred to Zhong Shan's true body through the Emperor's Map.

In the yang realm, Zhong Shan's true body sat in a secluded chamber.

He held the golden orb of the Heartfire Lotus in his hand.

Ba Ji Tian Wei crawled onto Zhong Shan's shoulder, its eyes gleaming as it stared at the golden orb.

Zhong Shan tossed the orb.

"Eeya!"

Ba Ji Tian Wei opened its mouth excitedly and swallowed it, then disappeared contentedly.

Ancient immortal artifacts weren't useless just because they were sealed.

In the yin realm, Zhong Shan returned to Changjing with his entourage.

"Holy King, why didn't you capture Nianben?" Yi Yan asked, puzzled.

"How do you know I could capture him?" Zhong Shan smiled.

"Nianben is not as strong as Luo Xingchen, and the Holy King is stronger than Luo Xingchen. Plus, we have the unpredictable Wang Ku. Capturing Nianben shouldn't be difficult. Yet you let him go. Is it a favor to Nian Yuyou?" Yi Yan frowned.

To Yi Yan, capturing the Third Prince Nianben was essential for dominating the Wheel Domain. If he returned to the south, recapturing him would be much harder.

Zhong Shan smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. My relationship with Nian Yuyou wouldn't involve others. I let Nianben go because I need to unify the Wheel Domain as quickly as possible."

"Huh? I don't understand," Yi Yan said, puzzled. Letting Nianben go would make unifying the Wheel Domain more difficult, not easier.

"Nianben? I need him to help me unify the southern region," Zhong Shan explained.

Zhong Shan's tone made it sound like Nianben was one of his subordinates. Yi Yan knew that wasn't possible—Nianben would never serve the Da Xi. But what did Zhong Shan mean by having Nianben "help" unify the south?

Suddenly, Yi Yan's eyes lit up.

"Holy King, could it be... Is Wang Jingwen one of our own?" Yi Yan was stunned.

Previously, Yi Yan wouldn't have dared to guess that. It was too unbelievable, impossible even. But now, Zhong Shan's meaning was clear. There was only one explanation.

Satisfied, Zhong Shan nodded slightly. "Indeed."

Yi Yan's shock turned into a profound sense of awe towards Zhong Shan.

"Wang Jingwen? A minister of Da Xi? The newly crowned champion of the Wuxiang Holy Court? The Holy King's reach is truly extensive. When did Da Xi acquire such a talent? Did the Holy King plant this seed before the opening of the heavens?"

Seeing Yi Yan's astonishment, Zhong Shan shook his head, "This Wang Jingwen, you know him."

"Huh?" Yi Yan was puzzled.

Know him? Yi Yan rummaged through his memories, trying to match the name Wang Jingwen to someone he knew.

Suddenly, Yi Yan thought of someone.

"Fan Yipin?" Yi Yan was shocked.

"Yes, that's him. Now that I think about it, Wang Jingwen's strategies over the years are identical to Fan Yipin's. It's him!" Yi Yan was increasingly convinced.

Fan Yipin was once the chief strategist under the Crown Prince Daxuan of the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty. He had participated in Zhong Shan's Heaven Collapse plan and later disappeared when the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty fought Da Xi. Some said he died, others that he fled. Yi Yan never expected that Fan Yipin was still alive and even became his colleague.

"Holy King's far-sightedness is truly admirable," Yi Yan said, deeply impressed.

"Before the opening of the heavens, planning for the Great Thousand World was essential. Otherwise, we'd always be on the back foot," Zhong Shan said, shaking his head.

"But I find it puzzling. Fan Yipin was just a mortal at that time. How did he reach the Great Thousand World? After all, back then, the Holy King hadn't yet opened the heavens, and mortals couldn't leave the Small Thousand World," Yi Yan wondered.

"Think again," Zhong Shan smiled.

"Dragon Clan Supreme, Ao Lie?" Yi Yan guessed.

"Correct. It was Ao Lie. Fan Yipin had great courage. He committed suicide in the Small Thousand World, preserving his soul, which Ao Lie then carried out using a magical artifact. He was reborn using secret techniques, becoming the current Wang Jingwen," Zhong Shan explained.

Looking at Zhong Shan, Yi Yan frowned, "Does Fan Yipin have any demands from the Holy King?"

Suicide and rebirth involved great risks. Fan Yipin must have had some deep desire driving him.

Zhong Shan looked at Yi Yan, nodding but not elaborating. Yi Yan felt more at ease, knowing this.

"Now that I know Wang Jingwen is Fan Yipin, many recent mysteries are solved," Yi Yan said with a smile.

"Oh?"

"Several of our top talents in the Da Xi imperial exams didn't pass. I tried to find them later, but they disappeared. I suspect the Holy King sent them south," Yi Yan deduced.

"Wang Jingwen needed capable people to fill key positions," Zhong Shan nodded.

"I understand now," Yi Yan said seriously.

Zhong Shan had revealed this much to Yi Yan to send a message. Zhong Shan had noticed specific strategies targeting Wang Jingwen in Yi Yan's plans. While it was good to relieve the sovereign's worries, some matters didn't need to be fretted over.

This information helped Yi Yan and others know how to better expand Da Xi's influence.

In the Wheel Domain, Zhong Shan aimed to unify the region. Only by securing one area could he watch over the world.

After sending Yi Yan off, Zhong Shan retreated to a quiet hall to meditate.

His main body had broken through, and the Heartfire Lotus had elevated his cultivation from Celestial Immortal Eighth Layer to Celestial Immortal Ninth Layer.

The shadow body also quickly reached Celestial Immortal Ninth Layer.

An ancient immortal artifact, and it only increased one layer? Zhong Shan was slightly conflicted.

Meanwhile, the Third Prince Nianben, who had just left the northern region, was filled with frustration. This trip north had yielded nothing; he lost his artifact and subordinates. Suddenly, Nianben stopped, sensing his artifact. His face changed.

"Roar! Zhong Shan, I swear I will tear you apart!"