Chapter 16 — The Abyssal King Returns

Stepping through the spirit gate, the group set foot on the land of U Minh Giới for the first time after seven long years for Bách Uyên, and for the first time in their lives for Thục Di, Tiểu Yên and Chung Diệu Nga. The scene that appeared before their eyes was completely different from what Thục Di had imagined - not a dark and scary place like the name "U Minh" evoked, but a vast land covered with mysterious mist, majestic rocky mountains rising high into the sky, mixed with lingwood forests emitting a gentle light at night.

"So beautiful..." Thục Di exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise at the magical scene stretching before her eyes.

"This is just the far western border area, much more pristine than the area near U Minh Thiên Cung," Bách Uyên said, his eyes looked around with deep nostalgia. "But it's been a long time since I've breathed this air again."

Chu Bách Thành led the group of people to move carefully through rarely traveled trails, away from the imperial army's guard posts, towards a hidden valley where he had secretly built a small base for the loyal old gods' forces for many years. When the group entered the base, news of the Lord's return spread quickly among loyal people, although it was still kept absolutely secret from the outside.

A series of former officials, who held important positions in the court before being purged by Cố Thanh Vũ or forced to remain anonymous, one after another came to worship Bách Uyên as soon as they heard the news. Some people knelt down as soon as they saw his face, some people trembled speechlessly with emotion, and some people couldn't hold back their tears when remembering the years when the court was peaceful and prosperous under his rule.

"Your Majesty, I am Vuong Dinh Khai. I used to hold the position of Minister of Rites during your time in office." An old man trembled and knelt before Bách Uyên, his voice choked. "For the past seven years, I had to pretend to obey Cố Thanh Vũ to preserve my life, but in my heart I never forgot for a moment my oath of loyalty to the orthodox lineage."

"You have suffered too much because of my absence." Bách Uyên helped each person up, his voice low and full of regret. "I'm sorry for making you live in fear for all these years."

"Your Majesty, there is no need to apologize. As long as you have returned, that is the greatest consolation to us." Another female official replied, her eyes filled with newly rekindled hope.

News of Bách Uyên's return, although kept secret among loyal people, still inevitably spread through unofficial channels, through folk rumors, and through meaningful glances exchanged between merchants along the border. Soon, stories about how the old Master was alive and had returned to reclaim justice began to spread silently throughout the distant lands of the Underworld, arousing a hope that the people had buried during seven years of living under harsh rule.

At the secret base, Bách Uyên along with Chu Bách Thành and the former gods began planning to gather forces carefully, avoiding early alarm so that Cố Thanh Vũ would not have time to have a plan to deal with it. They divided tasks, sent people to sneak into different lands to secretly contact former gods and generals who still remained loyal, and built a widespread network of support before taking any public action.

Thục Di, during her days at the base, gradually became familiar with the way U Minh Giới society operated, and could not help but be surprised by the absolute respect that everyone had for Bách Uyên, a respect that was completely different from the image of the clumsy, simple man she once knew in Vân Khê Trấn.

"Were you really once the leader of such a vast world?" She asked, one evening as the two stood on a high ledge overlooking the valley where hundreds of old gods and soldiers were quietly gathering.

"That's true, but I'm still me, whether in the human world or here," Bách Uyên replied, holding her hand. "I don't want you to look at me differently just because of my name or status. The real me is the person who learned how to hold a hoe and sickle by your side all these months."

Thục Di smiled and squeezed his hand. "I know. But seeing all of this, I understand more clearly the great sacrifice he accepted to protect Tiểu Yên. Giving up all of these things, not everyone has the courage to do it."

A few days later, Diệp Uyên Thanh, with a deep understanding of the court's internal affairs, proposed a bold plan: instead of waiting to gather enough military forces for a direct confrontation, they should find a way to bring evidence of Cố Thanh Vũ's crimes to the still neutral ministers in the court, those who, although not yet daring to openly protest, still kept their consciences, to create pressure from within right at the main palace.

"If we can make the majority of the court's ministers turn their backs on him right in the parliament, he will lose his legitimacy. No matter how much military force he has in hand, it will be difficult to maintain power for long." She analyzed, her eyes full of calculation of someone who had worked in officialdom for many years.

That plan was agreed upon by the whole group, laying the foundation for a confrontation not only with force but also with wisdom and justice, aiming for a complete return, not only to save Tiểu Yên's life, but also to regain justice for an entire world that had suffered for too long under the iron hand of a traitor.

Bách Uyên spent an evening with Chu Bách Thành reviewing the list of ministers still in office, carefully considering who could be trusted, who had completely sided with Cố Thanh Vũ for personal gain, and who had simply resigned themselves to silence for the past seven years out of fear. The list was endless, reflecting a complex political picture that he had never faced when he sat on the throne, when everything seemed much simpler under the absolute protection of supreme magic power.

"Governing a world does not only rely on magic power, but also requires understanding people's hearts," he spoke thoughtfully to Chu Bách Thành. "Perhaps, that is the biggest lesson that seven years of living in the human world has taught me, a lesson that when I was at a high position, I never really understood." Chu Bách Thành nodded in agreement. In his heart, he secretly felt that the Venerable Lord before his eyes, even though he had lost all his magic power, seemed to have become much more mature and profound than the person who sat on the throne in the past.

Tiểu Yên, during her days at the base, gradually became familiar with the new faces. The old gods and soldiers all loved her very much, seeing her as the last treasure of the legitimate lineage that they had been waiting to protect for many years. The girl, even at a young age, gradually felt the weight of her identity, becoming much more mature than other children her age, although her eyes still could not hide the confusion in front of a completely strange world.

"Are you scared?" One evening, Chung Diệu Nga asked while sitting next to Tiểu Yên, braiding her hair before going to bed.

"I'm a bit scared, but with dad, Ms. Thục Di, and grandma here, I feel much less scared," Tiểu Yên replied, resting her head on the old woman's lap. "Grandma, I hope everything ends quickly so we can live peacefully again like in Vân Khê Town."

"I hope so too, child," Chung Diệu Nga replied, her voice was gentle but contained a hard-to-hid anxiety about the dangers that lay ahead.

Meanwhile, Chu Bách Thành and several trusted deputy generals reviewed the entire list of former gods and generals who could be trusted, carefully evaluating each relationship to avoid information leaking out. Even though he was as careful as possible, he still could not have imagined that, within the ranks of the people he trusted, there was someone who secretly informed Cố Thanh Vũ very early, because he was threatened by the dark secrets he held in the past.

But just as those meticulous plans were gradually taking shape, unexpected news came from Chu Bách Thành's spy network, causing the group to completely change their original strategy: Cố Thanh Vũ, through some still unidentified insider source, had learned about Bách Uyên's return much earlier than expected, and he was preparing a cruel preemptive strike that none of them could have predicted the true scale of.