Dream Picking Records

Chapter 385 Emperor Xia passes away

"Does this count as...passed?"

Wang Xiao glanced at the slightly silent clouds and shared the same question with everyone else. He judged that the intensity of the thunder tribulation had increased dramatically with the appearance of the Thunder Phoenix, and the transparent figure must be the strongest punishment yet. Preventing any further consequences, he continued to refine the Dao within his body, his aura steadily rising.

"Boom!"

The clouds roared again, and Wang Xiao watched with relief. The thunder tribulation's energy had been exhausted, leaving only a roar with loud thunder and little rain.

The sky gradually cleared, allowing Wang Xiao to concentrate more peacefully on refining his energy and healing his injuries. Feng Tingyun and the Emperor breathed a sigh of relief, their worries finally at ease. They waited patiently outside the mountain without disturbing him.

After a long while, Wang Xiao stretched his body and took a deep breath. His eyes shone brightly, his spirit clear and full. He judged that he must have reached the third level of Heavenly Fate in one leap, and he still had plenty of Dao energy waiting to be refined. The only regret was that as he engulfed the figure, a vague aura dissipated.

"Congratulations, Brother Dao, you have made further progress!" Yu Changzhou and Zhu Xiaoyu congratulated Wang Xiao who came out of the mountain.

Feng Tingyun flew to his shoulder with dancing hands.

"Thank you." Wang Xiao smiled in response. He rubbed Feng Tingyun's head and asked the Emperor: "Your Majesty, what happened?"

When the Emperor Ming heard him ask, he answered directly: "Emperor Xia passed away, and Xia Daoling was suspected of treason and was arrested and imprisoned."

"What!?" Wang Xiao and Feng Tingjun were very surprised. He didn't expect such a thing to happen.

"Where is my big sister?" Feng Tingyun asked anxiously.

"He's talking about Xia Qingling." Wang Xiao explained to the somewhat confused Emperor Ming.

"She wasn't mentioned in the news, so she should be relatively safe," Emperor Ming said. "The incident happened suddenly, and I only learned of the news before you underwent your tribulation. To avoid distracting you, I withheld information. What are your plans now?"

"I understand that Xia Daoling and the others have a close relationship with me. I want to return to Daxia first."

The Emperor nodded and then asked Yu Ling to arrange the teleportation array.

"Well, if it's anything else, I can help. But the succession of the throne is not something I should interfere with."

"I understand that other countries are not allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of a country. You don't have to make things difficult for yourself." Wang Xiao shook his head.

Soon, the teleportation array was ready, and Wang Xiao and Feng Tingjun said goodbye to the others.

Before leaving, Emperor Ming warned, "Emperor Xia is a meticulous thinker. From what I know of him, he must have a backup plan. Keep an eye out for it. If you can find it, your problem may be easily solved."

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty. I will keep it in mind."

Wang Xiao knew that Emperor Xia was in poor health and had a hidden illness, but he had met him in person and it was impossible for him to die so early from illness. There must be something fishy going on.

……

In the imperial city of Daxia, the guards at the city gate were the same as usual, and nothing seemed to have changed.

In order to conceal their identities and just in case, Wang Xiao turned into a rough uncle, and Feng Tingjun turned into a fat boy with a red face.

Feng Tingyun strongly suspected that he intended to take advantage of her, but in order to save the big sister, he endured it.

The two men entered the city without encountering any obstacles, which was much smoother than they had imagined.

"You two stay here."

Suddenly, someone called out to them from behind. Their hearts tensed, and they were ready to fight at any moment.

"Brother!" Wang Xiao was overjoyed after seeing the two men's faces. "Why are you here?!"

"Something unexpected happened in the court, and we guessed that you would come, so we waited here for a while." Taoist Qin replied.

Wang Xiao felt a warm feeling in his heart, and soon he came to his senses. How were the two of them recognized?

"Junior brother, although your transformation skills are powerful, they are still not enough compared to us. After all, you are my senior brother." Taoist Pei said proudly.

"Don't listen to his boasting. Didn't we give you two dolls? We sensed you through them."

"Hey, Lao Qin, can you not expose me? How can I establish my prestige as a senior brother like this?"

Wang Xiao felt much less nervous watching the two of them bickering.

"By the way, brothers, have you heard any news during your stay?"

"Let's go to where we live first and talk slowly." Taoist Qin led the way, and soon they arrived at an inn.

Inside the room, Daoist Master Qin revealed everything they knew. According to them, Xia Daoling was suspected of murdering Emperor Xia and had altered the imperial edict to make him the successor.

Wang Xiao immediately denied it: "Xia Daoling is definitely not that kind of person. Someone must have framed him."

"In addition to the national teacher surnamed Pan, there were also two princes and nobles who supported him who witnessed this matter with their own eyes. The case has been concluded." Taoist Qin said calmly.

Wang Xiao sat in his chair in silence for a long time. He recalled a time when Emperor Xia had a deep discussion with him about who would be the most suitable heir to the throne. Emperor Xia had favored the seemingly mediocre Xia Yuling. Could it be that Xia Daoling had murdered his father and altered the imperial edict over the issue of the throne, plotting to usurp the throne?

"Two senior brothers, do you know where he is being held? I want to go and ask him in person." Wang Xiao stood up and said.

"Of course, if you want to go we can try."

"What do you mean by try? Is there any place that we brothers can't go?" Taoist Pei patted his chest and promised, "Let's go, I'll let you see him tonight!"

At night, in the Great Summer Prison, the guards at the gate were all top-notch, but they seemed inadequate in front of Wang Xiao and his men. They easily overpowered the guards and slipped inside. In the deepest reaches of the prison, they successfully located Xia Daoling. He was tied to a stone pillar, his cultivation sealed, his limbs bound with chains, and his scapula pierced by a hook.

"Brother Daoling."

"Wang Xiao? Why are you here?" The weak Xia Daoling was deeply surprised to see him.

"I heard about your situation and came here immediately. What happened?"

"Well, my father passed away and passed the throne to Xia Yuling, but he and State Master Pan colluded with each other. I couldn't bear to see Great Xia fall into their hands, so I tried to tamper with the will, but they caught me red-handed."

"The fact that they are in a group should not be hidden from Emperor Xia's eyes, but why did he make such a decision?" Wang Xiao was extremely confused.

"Maybe he doesn't want to see us fighting for the throne..."

Wang Xiao thought about it. If the throne was passed to Xia Daoling, Master Pan would certainly not let it go. They were so powerful that they might even kill people to silence them. In this case, passing the throne to Xia Yuling could indeed reduce a lot of bloodshed, but what about the future of the country?

"We'll talk about other things later. Let's get you out first."

Wang Xiao was about to take action when Xia Daoling quickly refused.

"No, the Heavenly Prison is guarded by the Xia Yu Emperor Sword. If you forcibly destroy it, it will trigger its passive defense. You should leave quickly. If you wait too long, their people will find out. I also have a secret, so nothing will happen for a while."

"You... take care of yourself, I will definitely find a way to get you out." Wang Xiao looked at the injuries all over his body, most of which were caused by torture.

Xia Daoling slowly shook her head. "I know you won't listen if I tell you to leave it alone. Be careful, and also, help me take good care of Qingling."

"Don't worry, I will keep her safe."

Not long after Wang Xiao and the two Taoist priests left, a figure appeared quietly in front of the prison door.

"Haha, he really came."

"You're not dead!" Xia Daoling raised his head suddenly after hearing the whisper of the person who came.

"How could I die? He's the one who deserves to die! As for your secret, haha, it's probably hidden on Xia Qingling."

"What do you want to do!?" Xia Daoling struggled frantically, his eyes red, almost wanting to eat him.

"Don't worry, I didn't do anything to her. I even let her escape from the imperial city on purpose, so she can never come back. As for you, I will let you live to see the day when I rule the world! Haha, hahahaha!"