Chapter 163: Brother Kun Gets Played (Part 2)

This is the story of the Primordial Sovereign Sword Emperor!
A legendary figure of Taijing! And a towering titan across the entire Eastern Nether!
He just wanted to hear how this great figure had climbed to the peak, stepping over how many skeletal remains, showing no mercy even to his own teacher.
"Yuanhao, that was a blemish in my life, but with your appearance, Ye Kun, that blemish matters no longer, for after all, I have witnessed what I wished to see."
Ye Kun did not interrupt, listening attentively, though senior, one does not heap praise quite so lavishly when telling a story.
If this continued, Brother Kun would be floating on air.
"Throughout the ages I have waited, human strife has never ceased, until someone built a cultivation academy around me. Watching those children sweat and toil on the sandy grounds, I felt a sense of comfort, as if I were seeing old friends, and the urge to protect them took root."
"As time passed, this cultivation academy came to regard me as a sort of... a sort of..."
"Hitman and trainer of hitmen," Ye Kun added helpfully.
The ancient ginseng tree paused, then chuckled, "Now that I think about it, indeed so, very true."
"Yuanhao was one of those children back then. Having lost his parents at a tender age, he was utterly destitute and alone, cultivating desperately just to stay alive. He was the spitting image of a character from a storyteller's tale."
"In those days, Yuanhao would secretly run over to me and weep, complaining of his lack of courage, of his cowardice in failing to avenge his parents, hating his own weakness. Who knows what I was thinking at the time, but I began to guide him."
At this, Little Ma said with bitter resentment, "Actually, from the very beginning, that damned little Yuanhao was plotting against Teacher! And Teacher was merely kind-hearted."
"Very well, Ma, none of that matters anymore. By the way, those creatures were rescued by me; they were still very weak back then, and after growing stronger, I simply had them serve as sparring partners," the ancient ginseng tree emphasized.
"Yuanhao's cultivation progressed rapidly. I must admit, he was a person of extraordinary talent, but he had suffered from a lack of love since childhood. From the very moment he stepped out of the cultivation academy, I sensed that I had unleashed someone crueler than a demonic beast upon the world, and what is more, I had nurtured him myself."
"Soon, Yuanhao carved out a sphere of influence in the outside world, and many years later even attained the realm of a Sword Emperor, bestowing upon himself the title of Primordial Sovereign Sword Emperor. His renown echoed throughout the entire Eastern Nether, yet everyone within the cultivation academy knew that he still had a teacher like me—a demonic teacher! A teacher whose power surpassed his own!"
"Had word of this leaked out, it would likely have dealt a devastating blow to his reputation, for humans and demons are mortal enemies."
"Therefore, from that time onward, Yuanhao began to return to visit me, to speak with me. Perhaps I was feeling sentimental back then and did not think too deeply into it, so I assumed human form to meet with Yuanhao!"
At this point, the emotions of the ancient ginseng tree fluctuated. To be betrayed by someone you trusted was an agonizing, soul-crushing torment.
"He knew that my true form had no weakness to exploit, and that only by taking human form, with my cultivation severely diminished, combined with the Soul-Capture Wine he had prepared, could he ensure foolproof success, giving him at least a fighting chance to defeat me."
"To teach the disciple and starve the master—how true that saying is. True to form for someone I taught, under equalized strength, I was defeated!"
"Why didn't he kill you, but sealed you away instead?" Ye Kun asked in puzzlement.
"Because during my drunken stupor, I happened to mention the Divine Sword. Greed overtook him, but since I refused to hand it over, sealing and coercing me was his only option."
Ye Kun was dumbfounded. It was actually because of the Divine Sword! A divine sword that even a Sword Emperor coveted! He asked again, "How did he coerce you?"
"He built Ankang Prefecture around me. First, to keep me under surveillance, and second, to force me into surrendering the Divine Sword. He knew my weakness."
"What weakness?"
"I cannot bear to watch the people around me die," the ancient ginseng tree sighed.
Ye Kun's expression grew solemn. Never had he imagined that the person he idolized would be so ruthlessly vicious.
When he returned, he would throw those books straight into the cesspool.
"He built Ankang Prefecture into a capital second only to Taijing. As the population grew steadily larger and more prosperous, I was helpless. When he returned for the final time to demand it, and I still refused, he placed a strange sealed entity deep beneath the earth. At first, I thought nothing of it, but later I discovered that this sealed entity was actually devouring the surrounding soil!"
"In the beginning, I was able to contain it, but with the seal weighing upon me, I could not sustain it indefinitely. For nearly a thousand years, I have had to rely on this method just to hold up Ankang Prefecture above my head!"
Ye Kun finally understood! Why there were so many tree roots deep underground—they were all there to prop up Ankang Prefecture hanging above!
"Teacher has exhausted his own life force!" Sister Zhu said indignantly. Humans were truly no good! Teacher had sacrificed far too much for humanity!
"Wait a minute, didn't Yuanhao die? Why on earth would he do all this?"
Little Ma scoffed disdainfully, "I might believe the sky is falling, but that beast Yuanhao would never bear to die!"
"Ye Kun, you severely underestimate the temptation of the Divine Sword. Every single figure who stirs the winds and clouds on the Profound Moon Continent is a wielder of a divine sword. Yuanhao is waiting... Perhaps your entry this time was arranged by Yuanhao, only you are unaware of it. The Fire-Blazing Spider wiping out your water bead was also meant to keep Yuanhao from seeing it."
Upon hearing this, Ye Kun's complexion shifted drastically. He had actually been used! And used by the Primordial Sovereign Sword Emperor!
Just when had it all begun?! At what point had he been manipulated by the Primordial Sovereign Sword Emperor?!
No, if he hadn't come inside, how could the man's objective be achieved?
Why did he have to take the examination? Because he was expelled from Anjing Academy. Who expelled him?
Pei Qian!
The reason? The Pan Pingping murder case!!!
What triggered the Pan Pingping murder case? Because of Younger Brother and Ba Wanqing!
Ba Tai!
And the key! Why did he happen to purchase the key at the pleasure house? How had he factored that step into his calculations?
How could he possibly have known that Younger Brother would go to a pleasure house?!
Upon second thought, Ye Kun realized it might have been improvised on the spot, or perhaps he had been given a seamless opportunity that would arouse no suspicion—an auction!
That would certainly require someone to cooperate, wouldn't it?
That woman, Lady Ziyan? Or perhaps the silver-robed man who had impersonated him?
Afterward, taking the key to see the prefect—for many years, the academy director had merely gone through the motions. Who was it? Who had demanded that he take the examination?
Ye Zhao! And there seemed to be that Lord Zhang as well, though Lord Zhang merely concurred, while Ye Zhao was the proposer.
Ye Kun's mind was in turmoil. It seemed everyone was a suspect!
If the ancient ginseng tree had not brought this matter to light, he would probably still be completely oblivious to the fact that he had been plotted against!
Completely unaware!!
"Senior, don't you know everything that happens in Ankang Prefecture? Do you not know who deliberately arranged for me to enter?"
"Ye Kun, Yuanhao was able to become a Sword Emperor because his scheming is unimaginably deep. He managed to deceive even me with his actions, so how could he leave behind any clues? However, Yuanhao should currently be in some room within Ankang Prefecture, anxiously awaiting news of you. Since the outside world does not know your situation and dares not descend rashly, this presents an opportunity for us."