Chapter Twenty-One: Negotiations Beneath the Shadow of Oblivion
The inner pavilion of the Third Prince, Zhang Song, was an entirely different world from the noisy grandeur of the banquet outside.
Here, the walls were crafted from Spirit Sandalwood, a rare material that absorbed sound and spiritual vibrations alike. The floor was paved with slabs of Cold Silver Alloy, severing any external spiritual interference. The pavilion was designed to be an informational black hole—whatever was spoken here would never escape.
The Third Prince sat upon his gilded seat, yet his usual arrogance had fractured. He stared at Zhou Fan—who sat opposite him with absolute calm—as though gazing at an unsolvable mathematical paradox. As for Ling'er, she stood behind Zhou Fan like his shadow, barely breathing, fully aware that she was in the presence of the most powerful man in the empire—second only to the emperor himself.
"Who are you?" the prince finally asked, his voice low and laden with immense pressure that made the pavilion's walls groan softly.
"I know Long Xiao. He was a genius, yes—but he followed our rules. He was a number I could add to or subtract from my equation. But you… you are not merely a cultivator. You are an error in the fabric of this world."
Zhou Fan calmly poured himself a cup of spirit tea. Not a single tremor passed through his hand.
"Names and numbers are merely human labels for phenomena, Your Highness," Zhou Fan replied coldly, his golden eye glinting under the dim candlelight.
"I am not an error. I am the correction. Your Heaven's Balance did not shatter because I was too strong—it failed because it was programmed to measure things that possess spiritual mass. As for me… I have deleted the concept of mass from my personal equation."
Prince Zhang Song narrowed his eyes.
"You speak in riddles like an ancient elder fallen from forgotten eras. But let us speak in a language we both understand—interest. You sent me a spiritual message demanding 'negotiations.' What does an infinite variable want from a prince struggling to save a decaying empire?"
Zhou Fan slowly set down his cup.
"I have no interest in saving your empire. I want the core upon which it was built. The Dragon Vein nourishing your capital is not mere terrestrial energy—it is a temporal array sealed beneath the palace, is it not? Your imperial bloodline is stealing time from the continent's future in order to live within an eternal present."
The Third Prince's face drained of color.
This secret was the forbidden heart of the empire—known to only three individuals across the entire continent.
"How do you know this?" the prince demanded, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword.
"Calculations do not lie," Zhou Fan answered calmly.
"The growth rate of your capital is inversely proportional to the stability of the Natural Dao in surrounding regions. You are draining probabilities themselves. I seek access to the Dragon Vault beneath the palace. A missing page from my records—Derivation of Zero-Time—lies at the core of that array."
Prince Zhang Song let out a bitter laugh.
"You want to enter the Dragon Vault? That is suicide. My father—the Emperor—has bound his life to that array. Any interference will kill him instantly and cause the entire city to detonate. Do you truly believe I would allow you to destroy my legacy?"
"Your legacy is already collapsing," Zhou Fan said, rising as he walked toward the window overlooking the illuminated capital.
"The Celestial Elders Council plans to assassinate you on the night of the coming eclipse. They are aware of the array and intend to divide it among themselves. If you stand with them, you will be reduced to a zero in their history. If you assist me… I will teach you how to dismantle your enemies without ever touching them."
Zhou Fan raised his hand, inscribing glowing golden symbols in the air.
They were not energy constructs—but living geometric equations.
"This is the Blind Spot Algorithm. Use it on your personal guards tonight, and you will find that they cannot perceive you even if you stand directly before them. Consider it a small gift—an introduction to my language."
The symbols left Prince Zhang Song utterly stunned. His mind expanded merely by observing them. This power surpassed any sword art or spiritual technique he had ever encountered.
"What do you want in return?" the prince asked, his voice carrying both surrender and intrigue.
"I want an official identity within the palace," Zhou Fan said without turning around.
"I will serve as your Computational Advisor. I require unrestricted access to the Forbidden Imperial Library, and Ling'er is to act as my liaison to the underground information markets—without interference."
The prince looked at Ling'er, then back at Zhou Fan.
He knew he was making a deal with a devil—but in the cultivation world, power was the only truth.
"Very well," Prince Zhang Song said as he stood.
"From this moment onward, you are Advisor Zhou. I will grant you the Black Dragon Medallion, authority surpassing even that of the ministers. But beware—if I discover you are playing a double game, I will burn this city and everyone in it just to kill you."
"Threats are merely noise in my equation," Zhou Fan replied coolly as he exited the pavilion.
"We begin tomorrow. There is a vulnerability in the city's defensive array that we will… expand slightly."
Once outside the palace, Ling'er finally exhaled.
"We succeeded… but you are playing with fire, Zhou Fan. The Third Prince is not someone to be trusted."
"I do not trust him," Zhou Fan said, gazing at the blood-red moon above.
"I simply programmed him. He believes he is using my algorithms to seize the throne—unaware that he has become nothing more than a firewall, shielding me while I drain the very essence of his empire."
Back in his chamber, Zhou Fan retrieved the Lost Ledger of Calculations.
The page that had glimmered faintly the night before was now becoming clearer. It displayed a subterranean map beneath the imperial capital—and at its center pulsed a point of profound blackness.
"The variables are stabilizing," Zhou Fan murmured.
"The imperial capital… it is time for the calculation."