About forty to fifty years ago, the Divine Repository Cult appeared, leaving traces only within the Heavenly Origin Dynasty. It was said that a certain cultivator had once dreamed of the Divine Repository Venerable, and from the Venerable learned the secret of the Divine Repository Power.
Upon waking, that man founded the Divine Repository Cult, became its Cult Master, gathered followers, and spread the method for gaining the Divine Repository Power. The Cult’s teachings claimed that every human body possessed hidden repositories. If one could excavate them, attaining immortality and carefree freedom would be but a trivial matter.
However, cultivators lacked the knowledge and experience to find their own repositories. Fortunately, the Divine Repository Venerable had passed down a method, saying that the Heavenly Dao operates by constant rules and leaves a single thread of chance. One could use another’s life to open their own Divine Repository Power.
Yet this kind of secret belonged to the Heavenly Mystery and could not be easily spread. Only believers of the Cult could know it, and killing others would damage one’s harmony with the heavens—each person could kill no more than a thousand lives. That was all the information the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion possessed about the Divine Repository Cult.
Nowhere in their records did they mention the Power of Virtue. It made sense. If they had known that the Divine Repository Power and the Power of Virtue were one and the same, there would have been no need for Jiang Li to ask—they would have already told him.
After all, the Power of Virtue was the Heavenly Dao’s recognition of a cultivator’s deeds—meaning, if this connection held true, the Heavenly Dao itself was encouraging killing! The hidden implications behind this were enormous. Whether from the Dao Sect or the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, both traces pointed toward the Heavenly Origin Dynasty.
Jiang Li was naturally going there himself, and he also suspected that the secret mentioned by the Long Family Patriarch, the Grand General, was related to this Divine Repository Cult.
Jiang Li had originally considered visiting Yu Yin to ask her about the matter, but knowing that she was currently gathering strength for her Tribulation Transcendence Stage breakthrough, it would have been unwise to disturb her—so he let the thought go. At this moment, the atmosphere in the Heavenly Origin Imperial City was tense and oppressive.
Even cultivators uninterested in politics had heard that the Heavenly Origin Empress had failed in her attempt to cross the tribulation and had suffered internal injuries. The Imperial Physicians were helpless.
Even the pill-refining elders invited from the Dao Sect’s Pill Refining Peak had shaken their heads repeatedly, saying her internal wounds required quiet rest and that she must not be angered or agitated. The Heavenly Origin Empress took the advice and went into seclusion to recuperate in the Nurturing Heart Hall, delegating state affairs to her ministers.
The former Heavenly Origin Royal Clan realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Empress had been arrogant, sparing their lives in the past, and now was the time to make her pay for that arrogance—to drag her from the imperial throne, trample her beneath their feet, and vent years of humiliation.
They began their scheming—building connections, contacting various powers, aligning with court officials—determined to overthrow Yu Yin’s rule in a single move. Even Che Wu, the Grand General who had long guarded the border, had returned to the capital with his army, claiming that the conflict with Great Zhou was now confined to small skirmishes and posed no threat.
However, everyone knew that the Empress had not given any command for Grand General Che Wu to return to the capital. It was an action decided by the ministers themselves! No one knew if this was secretly by the Empress’s design, or if the ministers had acted on their own.
A cultivator at the Union Stage who had slain countless people—his death could shake an empire on the verge of rebellion. The once-peaceful Imperial City, long known as one of the most orderly among the Heavenly Origin Dynasty’s cities, was now in chaos.
In the streets, the Ministry of Justice investigated murders, the Grand Tribunal hunted killers, and sometimes, the two sides even clashed and swapped duties. Their responsibilities were completely muddled. Jiang Li stood quietly in front of the Grand General’s Mansion.
Around him, officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Grand Tribunal bustled in and out, investigating a fresh murder. The victim’s name was Che Wu, position—Grand General. Preliminary judgment placed the time of death one hour earlier.
Che Wu had been killed in a single strike, soul destroyed on the spot. The murderer was unknown, but from signs at the scene, the killer must have been someone Che Wu trusted. One hour ago…
Jiang Li had encountered an elder from the Divine Repository Cult. The Ministry of Justice supported the former Royal Clan; the Grand Tribunal stood with the Empress. Both sides suspected the other of sending an assassin, probing each other with guarded words, but neither could uncover the truth.
Jiang Li stepped into the mansion, gazing silently at Che Wu’s face. Terror, confusion, disbelief—expressions as vivid as life itself, just like countless other dead men Jiang Li had seen before. He could not discern much, but that didn’t matter.
There was one family he knew specialized in such investigations.
“Got time now?”
Jiang Li arrived at the Great Zhou Imperial Palace and saw Ji Zhi reviewing memorials while swallowing a Dao Sect-produced Refreshing Pill.
“Never mind, don’t answer that,” Jiang Li said, meeting Ji Zhi’s weary gaze.
He already understood why Ji Zhi’s cultivation could never progress beyond the Spirit Transformation Stage. He was too busy to cultivate.
“Do you have any idea how many problems arise from a temporary decree about spirit treasures?”
Ji Zhi said irritably. The memorials in front of him summarized the outcome of the policy’s trial runs in several cities—its adverse effects, countermeasures drafted by the ministers, and each one systematically overturned and corrected by Ji Zhi’s own notes.
“Say it. What did you come for?”
“Good news,” Jiang Li said with a faint smile.
“The Grand General, Che Wu—the one who’s been harassing your Great Zhou border— he’s dead.”
Ji Zhi froze.
“When did this happen?”
“An hour ago.”
“You came all the way here to tell me this good news?”
Ji Zhi didn’t believe for a moment Jiang Li was being kindhearted.
“That’s right. Also, I want you to help me find out who the killer is.”
Ji Zhi rubbed his eyes and sighed.
“Lately, to ensure the decree’s effects are optimal, I’ve used my double pupils too many times. You can see my eyes are almost blind. I’ve still got a mountain of decrees to handle. If you’re not in too much of a hurry, wait ten more days for me to recover, then I can help investigate.”
“If you can’t wait,” he added, “you can ask Ji Kongkong to help.”
Jiang Li remembered Ji Kongkong, the adorable little girl—Ji Zhi’s youngest daughter, the Nineteenth Princess of Great Zhou.
“She’s only seven or eight, right? Around the third layer of Qi Refinement? She can use Time Tracing already?”
Jiang Li asked, incredulous. Mentioning his youngest daughter made Ji Zhi’s face beam with pride.
“You don’t know, do you? My little Kongkong wasn’t born in human form—she was born as a little white fish! Exactly like our ancestral records say. She only took human form at three years old. Her talent in the Dao of Time is even greater than mine, almost matching our ancient forebear!”
If that were true, Ji Kongkong’s future would indeed be limitless. Before Jiang Li went to find her, Ji Zhi anxiously warned, “You must protect my daughter! If she loses even a single strand of hair, we’re done being friends!”
Before Ji Zhi could regret sending him, Jiang Li had already taken flight, heading straight for the Princess Residence. At that moment, Ji Kongkong was floating in a small pool, holding a book. She followed the text’s instructions, transforming into a tiny white fish the length of a finger, cultivating her comprehension of the Dao of Time.
“Mmm… sure enough, it’s easier to sense in fish form… Oh! Uncle Jiang!” she cried excitedly when she saw Jiang Li landing nearby.
The maid immediately rushed forward, covering the view with a cloth as the young princess changed back into her human form. Jiang Li tactfully turned his back. When she had finished dressing, the little princess once more looked exquisitely adorable.
“This is the book you use to study the Dao of Time?”
Jiang Li asked, receiving her permission to pick it up. He thought perhaps he could learn something from it as well. Then he opened the first page—and saw a line written by Ji Zhi himself: “Brother Jiang, put it down.
You won’t learn it.” Ji Kongkong reminded him sweetly from the side, “Father wrote that sentence on every book related to the Dao of Time.”
(End of Chapter)