Chapter 383: Old Trickster

Grandpa Mi didn't immediately answer him. Instead, he took a moment to regulate his breathing on the spot, as that momentary burst of power had clearly cost him a great deal.

After a while, his pale face regained some color. Only then did he open his eyes, looking at the dying Wei Dan beside him with a hint of amusement. "Weren't you just repeatedly asking why I didn't use the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture?" he said. "Now, as you wished, I've shown it to you. So, what do you think? Do you regret it now?"

"That was the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture?" Wei Dan murmured, a flicker of realization mixed with deeper confusion. "Does the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture greatly increase a person's power?"

"You only got half of it right." Grandpa Mi's perpetually furrowed brow finally relaxed. Clearly, the crisis that had plagued him for years was now completely resolved, even though he knew he shouldn't say too much and should end Wei Dan's life as soon as possible.

But human nature is like that; sometimes, knowing something rationally is one thing, but emotionally being able to do it is another.

As the old saying goes, 'to return home in glory and wealth but not display it is like wearing brocade at night.'

His current situation was similar; he had always been suppressed by Wei Dan, both in official position and cultivation. Even if Wei Dan had disguised his words well before, the contempt was deeply ingrained.

Now that the tables had turned, if he didn't speak to Wei Dan properly as a victor, how could he justify all those years of suppressed frustration?

"The Phoenix Nirvana Scripture can indeed greatly enhance a cultivator's power," Grandpa Mi continued, "but it requires one condition: the cultivator must be severely injured. The more severe the injury, the greater the enhancement."

Beside them, Zu An suddenly realized. He had been so engrossed in the special abilities brought by "Great Wind" and "Blue Duck" recently that he had almost forgotten this most fundamental characteristic of the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture.

Wei Dan finally understood: "No wonder you were so easily injured before. So you deliberately guided me to injure you, then feigned a dying appearance, leading me step by step into the trap you set."

"As a cultivator, wisdom and strength are equally important," Grandpa Mi said with a hint of triumph. "If I'm not mistaken, you taught me that phrase yourself." Previously, when Wei Dan had said this to him, he had been condescending. Now, Grandpa Mi was the victor.

Wei Dan's eyes were somewhat unfocused. He knew what 'the winner takes all' meant; everything was over now. He mumbled to himself, "Only after Nirvana can a phoenix be reborn. How could I not have thought of that?"

Grandpa Mi clearly didn't want to dwell on these things; he was more interested in getting something meaningful from him. "Besides you, how many people know I'm here?"

A faint smile finally appeared on Wei Dan's face. "Do you think killing me will solve everything? Don't worry, I've already reported the situation here to the Emperor. As long as the Great Zhou Dynasty exists, there will always be people coming after you. Who told you to be so brazen as to snatch something the Emperor values?"

"Just as I thought…" Grandpa Mi frowned, but wasn't overly concerned. He glanced at Zu An not far away; he already had a solution anyway. "By the way, what level has the Emperor's cultivation reached now?"

"Hahaha, I have to admit, the power you displayed in that instant was shocking; even I am far from your match," Wei Dan said, laughing while coughing up blood. "But do you really think that's enough to contend with the Emperor? That would be far too overestimating yourself."

"I would naturally not be so arrogant as to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with His Majesty," Grandpa Mi replied. "However, as cultivators, all of us wish to advance further, so it's quite normal to yearn for higher realms."

"What you say is indeed true," Wei Dan said, though he didn't refute him this time. "However, I advise you not to have too high hopes in that regard. People like you and I are inherently flawed; we are destined not to be able to seek out the true Heavenly Dao. Forcibly pursuing it would only bring trouble upon yourself."

"Not necessarily," Grandpa Mi sneered. He had already found a perfect method for regrowing lost limbs, and a useless person like Wei Dan naturally didn't deserve to be compared with him.

Wei Dan looked at him with some surprise, truly unable to understand where Grandpa Mi's confidence came from.

Grandpa Mi then asked, "How has the Empress been these years?"

"If you ask about other things, I won't answer you at all," Wei Dan said, sighing. "But since you asked about the Empress, I suppose you still have some conscience, remembering her kindness from all those years ago... When our group first entered the palace, we were bullied endlessly until we met the Empress. Her Majesty is truly a kind-hearted person. It's a pity she gave birth to…"

Halfway through, he realized he had misspoken and stopped.

Grandpa Mi, however, had fewer qualms and directly asked, "After all these years, has the Crown Prince's… spiritual wisdom still not awakened?"

Zu An, standing nearby, was somewhat bewildered. *Spiritual wisdom? What the hell was that? Why use that word to describe it? Did she give birth to a monkey?*

Wei Dan shook his head. "Over the years, the Emperor and Empress have sought out famous doctors everywhere and found many rare treasures for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to consume. Although he can't be called exceptionally brilliant, he can barely be considered on par with most ordinary people."

Grandpa Mi snorted. "Born into an imperial family, being merely ordinary is the greatest misfortune, especially when his father is the strongest in the world, and his uncles and cousins are also prodigies. It's truly too strange."

Wei Dan gave a bitter laugh. "Perhaps the previous few generations used up all the spiritual energy."

Zu An's expression beside him was strange. He had previously heard Chu Chuyan mention that the Chu family's current dilemma was whether the next emperor would be the Crown Prince or King Qi.

The Crown Prince's ordinary aptitude had gained King Qi many supporters, but now, listening to these two old palace residents chat, this Crown Prince was not just ordinary; he was practically useless.

At this point, Wei Dan added, "The Empress has worried herself sick over the Crown Prince. In the past two years, she even arranged for him a beautiful and capable Crown Princess. With her assistance, she can somewhat compensate for the Crown Prince's shortcomings."

"Crown Princess?" Grandpa Mi was a little surprised and couldn't help but exclaim, "Time really flies! The Crown Prince was so young back then, and now he's already married."

Wei Dan also sighed with emotion, "Indeed, back then we could still enjoy drinks and talk freely in the palace. Now, we have to fight to the death."

"Alright, reminiscing is over. It's time to send you on your way." Grandpa Mi approached Wei Dan and pointed a finger towards the center of his forehead.

Just then, Wei Dan suddenly pushed out with his uninjured hand, slamming his palm into the other's lower abdomen.

Clearly, he had deliberately spoken so much to accumulate power for this final strike.

Grandpa Mi spat out a mouthful of blood with a *thud*, but that finger still landed on Wei Dan's forehead.

The light in Wei Dan's eyes immediately faded, his eyes turned dull and grey, and his entire body became utterly silent.

Grandpa Mi, on the other hand, staggered back several steps, clutching his lower abdomen and continuously vomiting blood.

Zu An felt a chill in his heart as he watched. These two cunning old men, each more devious than the other, were truly worthy of being good friends from the palace.

By this time, he had already broken open the restraints within his body. However, he made no unusual movements, still pretending to be unable to move an inch, and then asked, "Senior, are you alright?"

Grandpa Mi gave him an exasperated look: "Didn't you see me spitting out so much blood? How could I be alright?"

Rage points from Grandpa Mi +233!

Zu An gave an awkward smile. "You get used to spitting out blood after a while, and besides, Senior's divine power is unparalleled; you'll surely recover quickly."

Grandpa Mi: "..."

After a long while, he finally caught his breath. "How could it be that easy? Wei Dan's dying strike was incredibly powerful. I didn't expect that in my carelessness, I would also be dragged down to perish with him."

Zu An was stunned. "Is it... that serious?"

Grandpa Mi suddenly turned his head to look at him. "Ah Zu, ask yourself, how have I treated you normally?"