Chapter 10 — The Abyssal King Returns

Deep underground, beneath the foundations of U Minh Thiên Cung, there exists a little-known dungeon, where those who Cố Thanh Vũ listed as dangerous to his power are kept. In the darkest damp cell, Nhiếp Bách Khương, Bách Uyên's only cousin still alive in the royal family, lived for nearly seven years under the glimmering light of a torch hanging in the hallway, his body was thin and emaciated but his eyes still remained steadfast and unyielding.

Seven years ago, when news of Bách Uyên's death on the border spread throughout the court, Nhiếp Bách Khương was the only person who dared to stand up and question the authenticity of the incident, pointing out unreasonable points in the war report submitted by Cố Thanh Vũ. He requested an independent investigation, and even openly doubted the motives of the Right Prime Minister who had just been appointed Regent so conveniently.

Just three days later, he was falsely accused of treason, with fake evidence so elaborately staged that even the most neutral officials in the court did not dare to speak up in defense. He was immediately imprisoned, stripped of all titles, and since then, no one in the court dared to mention his name, for fear of implicating themselves and their family.

Cố Thanh Vũ considered carefully before ordering detention instead of immediate execution: killing a popular prince with questionable evidence was like creating a martyr hero himself, fanning the flames of resistance that he had not yet had the strength to extinguish in the first days of his power. Keeping him in the dark, letting him gradually forget and languish over the years, is both safer for him and a silent warning to anyone who still intends to speak up.

"Sir, today is still moldy bread and cloudy water as usual." A prison guard threw a wooden tray through the bars, his tone disdainful. "I heard there's been a change up there lately. Lord Regent is very preoccupied with something. You'll probably just lie here and wait until your bones rot."

Nhiếp Bách Khương did not respond, just quietly picked up the moldy cake, his eyes looking out into the darkness at the end of the dungeon corridor. Over the past seven years, he has learned to keep silent, hide all his emotions, just to exist and wait for an opportunity that he himself is not sure will ever come.

He remembered the days of freedom, when he and Bách Uyên were two children growing up in the royal family, practicing martial arts together, reading books of saints and sages together under the strict tutelage of the elders. Bách Uyên at that time, although carrying the responsibility of inheriting the position of Venerable Lord, never showed any distance from his cousin. On the contrary, he always treated Bách Khương sincerely and considered him as a blood brother. Because of that sentiment, when the rumor about Bách Uyên's mysterious death spread, Bách Khương could not sit idly by and watch the truth be buried, even though he knew the price to pay could be his life.

"If there is a next life, I will still choose to speak up like that," he whispered to himself in the damp darkness, his voice hoarse because he had no one to talk to for a long time. "I'm just sorry, I don't know if I'll still be alive until the day the truth is revealed."

Even though his body was weakened by lack of food and sleep for many years, his spirit was never broken. Every day, he set himself simple energy exercises, trying to maintain what little magic power remained in his body, in case an opportunity arose, he would still have enough strength to act and not just be a breathing corpse lying waiting to die in a dungeon.

Up there, in the main hall of Huyền Khương, Cố Thanh Vũ was presiding over the daily court meeting, where the ministers had to kneel and report on all matters big and small as if he were truly the rightful owner of the highest throne. In recent years, he has become more and more bold in demonstrating his authority, even building a new seat, just one step lower than the vacant throne, as a hidden declaration of his true ambition.

"Your Excellency Regent, this year's southern border region has had poor harvests and people are starving. Please reduce taxes so that people can make a living easier." An old mandarin, trembling on his knees, spoke, his voice filled with concern for the people.

"The tax was set to maintain the army to protect the border, it cannot change national policy because of a small crop failure," Cố Thanh Vũ replied coldly, without any hesitation. "If the common people cannot afford to pay taxes, let the locality find a way, it is not the court's business."

The old mandarin bowed his head, not daring to say more, knowing that objecting would only bring disaster to himself. Over the past seven years, countless righteous mandarins have been purged, demoted, or imprisoned just for daring to speak out against Cố Thanh Vũ's harsh policies, causing the entire court to gradually become a silent collective with their heads bowed, with only a few remaining who dared to maintain their conscience.

After the court meeting, Cố Thanh Vũ retreated to the back palace, where a trusted subordinate was waiting to report on the search situation from Ảnh Vệ.

"My lord, Hắc Diệu's team has narrowed the search scope to the area near Vân Khê town in Lam Vu Nation. The residual magical power seems to emanate the strongest from that area, especially after the recent night of the Black Moon Eclipse." The subordinates reported, bowing their heads respectfully.

Cố Thanh Vũ frowned, a vague unease arose in his heart. If Bách Uyên and his daughter are indeed still alive, residing in such a specific place, eliminating them will be much easier than having to search throughout the vast human world. But at the same time, he was also afraid that, if this news reached the ears of the old gods who were still loyal to the old lineage, especially Chu Bách Thành who was under house arrest at the border, things could get out of his control.

"Order, increase border surveillance, don't let anyone leave Chu Bách Thành's camp without permission." He ordered, his voice filled with caution. "At the same time, urge Hắc Diệu to speed up the process. I want to have results as soon as possible. The more you hesitate, the more variables there will be."

"Subordinates obey." The subordinate bowed his head and retreated, leaving Cố Thanh Vũ alone in the vast back hall. His eyes stopped on the empty throne in the distance, where he had longed to sit on for many years but never dared to do so, because he knew that lacking royal blood, a direct usurpation of the throne would cause the entire court and common people to rebel.

"As long as we can eliminate the last bloodline of the Nhiếp family, we will have enough time and title to slowly build a new bloodline, legitimizing our own power," he muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with the cold cruelty that had been carefully hidden for seven years under the guise of a minister devoted to society.

He walked to an ebony cabinet covered with mother-of-pearl hidden in the corner of the back hall, where no subordinates were allowed to enter, unlocked it with a secret hand seal that only he knew, and took out a black stone token engraved with strange runes - the only thing left from the night he installed the Nether Extinct Fate Contract on the newborn baby in the past, used to sense the status of the contract, and in case of necessity, forcibly activate it remotely without waiting for help. natural Black Moon Eclipse cycle. For the past seven years, he had never had to touch it, because he was confident that the contract itself was enough to complete the mission according to the predetermined cycle. But now, when the possibility that the child was still alive had become a real threat, he clenched the command card in his palm so tightly that the runes burned into his skin, telling himself that if all other measures failed, this would be the last card to ensure that his life's plan would never collapse.

Meanwhile, in a hidden corner of the palace, news of Ảnh Vệ narrowing the search scope also spread to the ears of the few remaining old gods who were secretly supporting the old lineage, who still kept secret contact with Chu Bách Thành's camp through a meticulously built communication network over many years. That news was transmitted that night, bringing both hope and extreme fear, because if Ảnh Vệ found Bách Uyên before loyal people could come to support, the consequences would be irreversible.

Far away from the dungeon, that very night, a young palace maid who was trusted by Diệp Uyên Thanh before leaving the palace, quietly brought a portion of leftover but still edible rice through the back door, giving the prison guard, who also secretly sympathized with Nhiếp Bách Khương, a small amount of money in exchange for his mercy, helping him have a little more decent food than his usual moldy cake. It was one of the few humane connections left in the midst of a royal court that had been enveloped in fear, a small ray of light proving that, no matter how brutally Cố Thanh Vũ ruled, people's hearts were not completely extinguished.

"Sir, take care of your health. I hear something big is about to happen. Maybe luck will come to you soon." The prison guard leaned close to the bars and whispered meaningfully before hastily leaving, afraid of being discovered.

Nhiếp Bách Khương clenched his fist around the cake he had just received. His eyes flashed with a ray of hope that he had not dared to allow himself to feel for a long time. Perhaps, somewhere out there, what he has sacrificed over the past seven years is finally about to be rewarded.

He sat with his back against the cold cliff, closed his eyes, reminiscing about the face of Bách Uyên in the past, about the afternoons when the two brothers rode horses together around the royal garden, discussing how to govern the country and the people, about the ambition to build a peaceful and prosperous U Minh Giới for all generations to come. He wondered if Bách Uyên was really alive, would his cousin still be able to keep his old ambitions, after all these years of having to live in hiding in a strange world.

"No matter what, we have to live to wait for that day." He told himself, his soft but determined voice resounding in the quiet dungeon space, like an oath to himself.

The entire vast world, from the magnificent main hall to the damp dungeon, from the border barracks to the distant paths of humanity, is quietly moving along the same fateful axis, towards a small town called Vân Khê, where a small family is still trying to find some peace in the midst of an upcoming storm whose true scale they have not yet fully anticipated.