Chapter 239: An Outer God Infiltrates the Mortal World

“Good! Though you dwell far from the imperial court, you are still capable of discerning the subtle currents within the halls of power.” Kong Changqing gave a slight nod, the approval in his eyes growing even stronger.

“You guessed correctly. The Right Chancellor saw through the strange circumstances surrounding this young man long ago. This absurd arrangement was deliberate from the beginning. It was a trap designed to lure the target into walking straight into it.”

“Oh?” Li Shun’s expression shifted slightly.

“Speaking of which, you are from Dongshan. Back when Shentu Xin set fire to the Imperial Mausoleum, you happened to be inside the Imperial Mausoleum as well?” Kong Changqing suddenly changed the subject.

Li Shun calmly nodded. “Indeed. However, my cultivation was shallow at the time, so I failed to notice anything unusual happening around me. It was only later, after that treasonous proclamation spread throughout the world, that I finally pieced together what had happened.”

“That was because the Imperial Mausoleum was covered by unfathomable restrictions. Even after being reduced to ruins by the flames, it could reverse and reset itself in an instant, restoring everything to its original state.” As Kong Changqing spoke, he carefully studied Li Shun, his words carrying a hidden implication.

Li Shun responded perfectly. His face revealed a timely look of sudden realization.

“So that’s how it was... No wonder.”

Seeing no flaw whatsoever on Li Shun’s face, Kong Changqing withdrew his gaze and continued explaining.

“When Shentu Xin burned the Imperial Mausoleum, his body of rebellion should have been erased completely along with the ashes of the Imperial Mausoleum during the forced reset of heaven and earth, reduced to nothing but smoke and dust.”

“But in truth, he did not truly perish.”

“Within the supreme formation of the Imperial Mausoleum, a copy of the karma associated with his former existence still remained imprinted there. So long as one was willing to pay an exorbitant price to forcibly turn the years of the Imperial Mausoleum back to that particular day, he could be recreated from nothingness.”

“However, an act capable of overturning heaven and earth in such a manner comes with a price so immense that it is practically inconceivable. To expend such a foundation merely to resurrect a madman who had committed treason and rebellion would simply not be worth it.”

“Moreover, His Majesty had already issued an imperial decree ordering the outer sections of the Imperial Mausoleum to be dismantled. The power of the great formation consequently shrank dramatically, and now only protects the central burial mound. Naturally, there was even less reason to expend so much effort resurrecting a traitor.”

“Originally, the matter should have ended there.”

Kong Changqing's voice suddenly stopped.

Li Shun immediately seized upon the crucial point.

“Then what exactly happened that caused the Right Chancellor to change his mind?”

Kong Changqing did not answer directly. Instead, his expression turned solemn. He raised two fingers like a sword and wrote two characters in the air with an air of utmost secrecy.

[Outer God]

The characters remained for only a brief moment before silently shattering like illusory bubbles and dissipating without a trace.

Yet the instant those two words appeared, the temperature in the room seemed to plunge to freezing point.

The atmosphere became deathly silent and murderous.

It was as though, within those dark shadows untouched by the light, some indescribable and terrifying existence truly had followed these two words and cast its gaze upon them.

Li Shun's pupils contracted sharply. His body instinctively tensed, and he leaned backward slightly.

He swept his gaze around and discovered that Kong Changqing had already established restrictions throughout the surrounding area.

Only after confirming that they were safe did he lower his voice and ask with a hint of carefully controlled tremor, “That Sun Lang... actually became connected to an Outer God?”

“Wasn't he personally examined by the Great Siming beneath Mount Dai earlier? Didn't she confirm that everything was fine?”

Kong Changqing gave a cold snort.

“The Great Siming's attainments have reached the realm of supreme, and heaven-defying and her methods are beyond comprehension. Naturally, she detected that strange and concealed aura the very first moment she examined him. However, rather than expose him and act against him on the spot, she went along with the situation and made another, far more profound plan.”

“You should understand that the pollution and corruption caused by an Outer God can manifest in several completely different forms, depending on the symptoms it produces.”

“The vast majority are like the five people you saw that day. Their rationality collapses, and they become mindless puppets of the Outer God. Or they completely betray their former selves, body and soul submitting to the Outer God and becoming emissaries who spread its calamity.”

“Yet beyond these, there is a third kind, the most concealed and the most lethal.”

“The infiltrator.”

“In such beings, the traces of the Outer God's corruption are buried to an extreme degree, becoming so faint that they are almost impossible to detect. It is even entirely possible that the corrupted individual himself remains completely unaware of his own transformation.”

“The will of the Outer God is like a dormant poisonous seed, lying hidden within the deepest reaches of their flesh and subconscious. It merely waits for some particular opportunity to arrive before erupting in its most complete form.”

“Under normal circumstances, once such an infiltrator appears, it means...”

At this point, Kong Changqing's expression had become solemn beyond words.

“That indescribable existence beyond the heavens is plotting to use the body of the corrupted host to accomplish something earth-shattering in the mortal world.”

Li Shun's brows knitted tightly.

“If the court has already seen through his sinister intentions, why doesn't it simply strike with overwhelming force, suppressing and eliminating him on the spot?”

Kong Changqing shook his head.

“Once an Outer God has cast its gaze upon this world, it will not easily give up. Fortunately, the Great Siming detected the signs immediately this time. But if we forcibly kill Sun Lang, we may temporarily sever the Outer God's connection to him. Yet who can guarantee when it will once again cast the power of its corruption into some other corner of the world?”

“When that happens, it will be like snow falling into water. Trying to find it again among the vast sea of humanity would truly be like searching for a needle in an ocean.”

“Rather than allow that to happen, it is better to confine him beneath the court's watchful eye and keep him firmly within its control from the very beginning.”

Kong Changqing spoke each word with deliberate emphasis.

Li Shun immediately understood.

“So the Right Chancellor has set up this entire situation, and the civil and military officials of the entire court are putting on a performance?”

After a moment, Li Shun seemed to suddenly awaken from a dream. He asked somewhat uneasily,

“Why, then, would Senior tell me about such an important matter?”

Kong Changqing smiled meaningfully.

“This is a personal secret decree from the Right Chancellor himself. This grand performance requires you to personally step onto the stage and enter the trap.”

“Me?!”

“After the Hundred Schools Grand Gathering ended, during the period when all the disciples were detained at the estate for isolation and investigation, that Sun Lang remained taciturn and exceptionally vigilant. From beginning to end, you were the only person he ever took the initiative to seek out. He even struck up a conversation with you.”

“The court has yet to determine the exact reason behind this. But it is obvious...”

Kong Changqing stared deeply into Li Shun's eyes.

“The will behind him is very interested in you.”

Li Shun's heart suddenly jolted upon hearing this.

He did not pretend to remain calm. Instead, he naturally allowed a trace of barely concealed fear and disbelief to surface.

“Interested... interested in me?!”

Kong Changqing waved his hand.

“Don't worry. The Great Siming examined you as well. Since you show no signs of having been corrupted by an Outer God, that means you can be trusted.”

Only then did Li Shun breathe a sigh of relief.

“If this performance woven by the Right Chancellor remains completely empty, it will inevitably arouse his suspicion. Therefore, we need someone suitable to draw his attention.”

“And that person is you!”

Kong Changqing explained with utmost solemnity.

“Besides that, Shentu Xin is also an important part of the plan.”