Chapter 987 - Entwined
Well, calling it coincidence at this point was more than a little nonsensical but to see the fates of these three people that were now tied together by the threads of destiny unfold right in front of one's eyes was a little transcendental.
Right now Jin Wang was primarily looking for one thing, a way into the secret vault left somewhere deep inside the prison eons ago by the Emperor.
It held numerous resources but more importantly information, information that Jin Wang needed to know to execute the final stage without a hitch. And he did not have a lot of time to get things right since the cultivators were making their way to the city of Argham.
There were far too many variables in the equation to just wing it so this was extremely important.
And after spending almost 150 hours mapping out each and every dark corner of the prison that could possibly hold the vault he finally found its location but alas, it could not be opened so easily.
He had concluded the master key for the vault must be something, or someone in this case, that the Emperor would know Jin Wang could definitely have by his side by this point in time. And the one constant that fulfilled that requirement was Hao Xuan himself.
It would also explain why the Emperor put so much emphasis on protecting Hao Xuan and meddling with his fate since his body and mind would be used to open the vault.
'It was all a part of his plan.'
But to bring him to the vault he first needed he needed to have Hao Xuan up on his own two feet. And that was a 2-pronged strategy requiring him to first deal with Mr. Hyde and then bringing Hao Xuan's consciousness back fully intact.
For the first part he needed someone that was completely in tune with nature and could use that connection to conjure an ancient spell of Jin Wang's own creation which would temporarily seal all spiritual entities like Mr. Hyde.
For the second part, he needed a strong telepath that could enter Hao Xuan's segmented mind and bring him back, all of him. The problem was that as things stood, the solutions to both these problems were the two girls he should not be anywhere near to for the time being.
Ma Jiang was the nature-attuned spell caster and Princess Ceni was the only one with telepathic abilities and they would have to work together if this was to succeed.
Jin Wang chuckled lightheartedly muttering under his breath, "Quite an ironic turn of events, isn't it? Did the future change because of them or was it always going to be this way?"
Princess Helena obviously didn't know the full context so she could only stand idly by.
Jin Wang turned around to leave but paused for a moment to inquire about the current situation.
"How are the preparations coming?"
"As well as one can expect. We have cleared out a large section in the back and are bringing in the women and the children first."
"What about the other clans? Did you hear anything from them?"
"The human leadership is non-existent right now but we have some communication with the barbarians. Grandmother said our gates will be open to any who seek shelter so we've come to an understanding. They are bringing most of their young and weak to stay within the city until it's all over."
"Their matriarch says she wants to see the situation for herself before agreeing to anything so she will try and talk to the invaders on her own terms."
Disheartened by what he was hearing Jin Wang could only shake his head at the foolish undertaking.
"That will never work. To negotiate with someone you must have something the other party wants. There is nothing she can give them that they can't take by force. Why would they talk to a savage?"
Surprisingly, Princess Helena agreed with him.
"I am also of the same mind. We are already stretched far too thin and with grandmother as she is, there is no one to take control from the older generation."
"Hoh, are you not her successor? You're already doing what you were meant to from the beginning, what you were born to."
"I am but not everyone sees it that way, at least not yet. The elders think I am far too inexperienced to be leading at a time like this so they constantly bicker and fight with me at every point. I thought if the barbarian matriarch could join my side it would at least calm their nerves and give me some legitimacy but..."
Jin Wang glanced at the surroundings and noticed quite a few prying eyes in the shadows, keeping a watchful eye from a distance. The corner of his lips arched into a smile.
"No matter the time, no matter the place, there will always be rats trying to get a spot on the table in times of turmoil. It's better to stomp out such absurd ideas before they fester," he mumbled to himself.
"Sorry?"
"Ah, nothing. Can you gather the elders? Especially the ones that are getting in your way?"
"I...can but-"
"Bring them outside of the city. Tell them they need to see firsthand what's happening."
"But what will that achieve?"
"Trust me, just get them out of their safety net."