The sheer viciousness of it—a plot designed to obstruct another’s path—sent a chill down Xu Yunfan’s spine, even though he was its beneficiary.
’It seems I was too naive before. I still have much to learn.’
He gave a wry, inward smile. He once thought only the Mortal World was treacherous, but now he knew the games played in the Imperial Court were where the true bloodless killing took place. In a world with a path to the Extraordinary, it was only natural that Extraordinary power would influence the fate of a nation.
With this move, the Taoist Sect had paved his Heaven-Reaching Path, but it had also bound his fate and the Sect’s to a tightrope stretched over a cliff. If he advanced unimpeded, the Taoist Sect could use the Dragon Vein Xuanhuang Qi to turn the tables completely, allowing him to undergo a total transformation and accumulate a vast reserve of True Qi far beyond that of any ordinary Ninth Realm practitioner.
But if he were to fail midway, not only would he have to repay the Destiny he had consumed a hundredfold, but the Taoist Sect’s thousand-year foundation would also suffer a backlash from the Celestial Dao. At best, their foundation would be destroyed. At worst, the entire Sect would be annihilated.
’Master... you really think highly of me, to gamble the entire future of the Taoist Sect on this.’
Xu Yunfan subconsciously tightened his grip on the pair of Shaking Mountain Sea-Suppressing Hammers at his waist. The weapons trembled slightly, as if in response to his turbulent emotions.
Such audacity... it truly made his heart pound.
’In the end, I underestimated the nerve of these old monsters...’
But then again, the Imperial Examination was restricted to those under the age of thirty. And in the entire world, who else besides Xu Yunfan himself had reached the Ninth Realm before thirty?
-----------------
「Jade Capital City, deep within the Great Zhou Imperial Palace」
The dying Empress sat high upon the Dragon Throne. After her outburst, her phoenix-like eyes closed slightly, and she became as still as a statue.
The hall’s gilded Coiling Dragon Pillars cast mottled shadows, slicing her withered face into a mosaic of light and darkness.
Suddenly, her fingertip twitched. On the table, the Everlasting Lamp—fueled by South Sea Merfolk Oil and various rare, life-extending Treasure Medicines—abruptly went out. A wisp of green smoke twisted as it rose, flowing into her body through her nostrils.
’The Kan Li Dragon Transformation Array... It’s already been activated. If this continues... Dear Minister Guo...’
Her eyelids lifted slightly. She looked down at Guo Lang, who was prostrated below, and said slowly, "With this move, the Taoist Sect has left itself no path of retreat. And neither has Great Zhou. Eight hundred years ago, when the Li Ancestor established the Great Zhou dynasty, the Taoist Sect had already begun their schemes. Perhaps it was just a casual move they made back then, a piece placed for the long game. But who could have imagined that I would stir the Spiritual Qi today, giving this Dragon Vein feng shui Array a purpose."
The Empress’s hoarse voice was like a rusty blade scraping bone. Kneeling below, the Supervisor of the Astronomical Bureau trembled violently, his forehead striking the Han White Jade floor with a THUD. "Your Majesty, see the truth! The Earth Vein at the Imperial Examination Hall has changed! A Profound Yellow Qi Pillar has pierced through to the Martial Arts Arenas of the Seventy-Two Districts! This is a sign that the Taoist Sect is forcefully seizing the Dragon Vein!"
The Empress gave a low laugh, her five withered fingers slowly stroking the yellowed Great Zhou Dragon Vein Map on her table.
The mountains and rivers outlined in Cinnabar on the map seemed to resonate faintly with the boiling network of Spiritual Qi deep beneath Jade Capital City.
She had once paid the price of a blood sacrifice across the Sixteen States to forcibly draw the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi up from the Earth Veins and replenish her dwindling lifespan. Although she failed, relying on that Spiritual Qi had allowed her to hold on for a good while longer. And now, the Taoist Sect dared to pull the rug out from under her!
If the Great Zhou Dragon Qi were to be severed, without the nourishment of the Imperial Court’s ley lines, how could she possibly survive?
"That old codger Bi Yuan... he’s even more ruthless than I imagined. Utterly mad. After so many years, I thought he had mellowed with age, but that gambler’s streak is still in his bones."
She began to cough violently, splattering black blood onto her sleeve, but paid it no mind. "Using the Imperial Examination as the board, and that Xu Yunfan as the blade... he’s betting that my Great Zhou’s reign is at its end..."
The Empress’s head snapped up, a blade-like glint of cold light erupting from her murky eyes. "I will show them that this dying old dragon can still bite through a hunter’s throat! I want to see who survives—his Taoist Sect, or my eternal dynasty! Hasn’t Mituo Temple always wanted to spread the Buddhist Sect’s teachings to the east? If they can help me contain the Taoist Sect, I will declare them the National Religion!"
With a wave of her sleeve, she shattered the Dragon Table. Her sharp command echoed through the hall: "Issue my decree! Seal the Nine Gates immediately! Any disciple of the Taoist Sect who enters Jade Capital is to be killed on sight! Furthermore, summon the Celestial Wolf Guard! They will take my Tiger Talisman, coordinate with the Astronomical Bureau, and sever the connection between the Seventy-Two Districts and the Imperial City’s Earth Veins!"
Hearing this, Supervisor Guo Lang of the Astronomical Bureau broke out in a cold sweat, but he dared not hesitate. He immediately prostrated himself, kowtowing as he spoke. "Your Majesty, I implore you to reconsider! The Imperial Examination has already begun! The Martial Arts Arenas of the Seventy-Two Districts are now fully linked with the Jade Capital Earth Vein through the Kan Li Dragon Transformation Array, and the Profound Yellow Qi Pillar is funneling everything into Xu Yunfan. If we forcibly sever the Earth Veins, it will cause the Dragon Qi to collapse and backlash! At best, Great Zhou’s destiny will crumble, its Dragon Vein will scatter, and the dynasty will fall into irreversible decline and wither away. At worst... at worst, the Jade Capital Earth Vein will shatter, and the entirety of Jade Capital will be destroyed!"
At this, Guo Lang pressed his head even lower, his forehead touching the floor firmly.
"Your Majesty, you are bound to the Great Zhou Dragon Qi. If the Dragon Qi dissipates, the consequences... the consequences will be unimaginable!"
The Empress’s gaze was glacial. Her withered fingers dug into the armrests of her Dragon Throne, knuckles turning a deathly white. "Are you saying that I, the ruler of the mighty Great Zhou, must simply watch as the Taoist Sect uses the Imperial Examination to steal my Dragon Qi?!"
Guo Lang swallowed hard and, steeling himself, continued, "Your Majesty, see the truth! This has already become an overt plot. The Taoist Sect is using the Imperial Examination as a shell and Xu Yunfan as its blade. They are betting that Great Zhou would not dare to destroy its own foundation."
"Right now, there are only two paths. The first is to halt the Imperial Examination and suffer the Dragon Vein’s backlash. Great Zhou would fall into an irreversible decline, though if we manage to recover and recuperate properly, we might be able to dominate the world again in a century. Or..."
He took a deep breath. "Or, we can follow the grand and Righteous Dao and defeat Xu Yunfan in the arena! As long as he is defeated, the Profound Yellow Qi will flow back into Great Zhou tenfold, and the Taoist Sect’s thousand-year scheme will be all for naught! Our Great Zhou will usher in another golden age."
The hall fell into a deathly silence. The Empress’s chest heaved violently. After a long moment, she let out a hoarse, cold laugh. "What a fine Bi Yuan... and what a fine Xu Yunfan!"
She rose slowly, her black Dragon Robe stirring as if moved by an unseen wind. "If that is the case, then relay my oral command: Order the Celestial Wolf Guard to secretly eliminate the Taoist Sect’s hidden agents in Jade Capital, but for now, do not touch the Seventy-Two Districts. Also..."
A vicious glint flashed in her eyes. "Send the experts from the palace. Have them pay a visit to Mituo Temple and ask them to send their people. I want to see if this Xu Yunfan is truly invincible!"
Guo Lang breathed a silent sigh of relief. Just as he was about to accept the order and withdraw, he heard the Empress add in a chilling tone, "If Great Zhou falls in this Imperial Examination... Dear Minister Guo, you will present me with your head."
Guo Lang’s scalp went numb with terror. Not daring to utter a single word of protest, he respectfully acknowledged her command.
The Empress’s ruthless decisions instantly unleashed a bloody storm upon Jade Capital City.
The iron-clad cavalry of the Imperial City Department thundered through the streets, shattering the bluestone slabs. In the deeper shadows, the remnants of the Celestial Pivot Start Sect and the Martial Monks of Mituo Temple gathered silently. Clutching the Golden Talismans secretly bestowed by the Empress, they began to hunt down the hidden disciples of the Taoist Sect.
Meanwhile, Xu Yunfan remained completely oblivious to the approaching crisis.
At that moment, Chen Wei, the Nine Realms Qi Cultivation Supreme Grandmaster from the Imperial City Department, saw he could gain no advantage over Bi Sheng. Just then, a message arrived via flying missive, and he let out a cold snort.