Chapter 570

Li Yi had been cultivating quietly in the Wuji Palace for nine days.

His strength had reached the third layer of the Five Qi Realm, and all twelve major acupoints were completely filled. His strength had now reached a peak state, and he had opened forty-eight acupoints, which meant that reaching the fourth layer of the Five Qi Realm was also promising. However, time was limited, and the environment outside seemed to no longer allow him to continue cultivating like this.

"Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard requests an audience with True Person Taiyi for an urgent matter."

A woman wearing armor, with a precious sword hanging at her waist and eyes shimmering with a faint golden light, walked into the Wuji Palace at this moment. Her strength was not weak; she had actually crossed that barrier during this period and become an evolved being of the Soul Realm.

One must know that Li Yi was only at the Spiritual Power Realm.

To be able to achieve such accomplishments in this world, this woman could be considered to have boundless potential.

Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard felt the changes in the energy of heaven and earth around her at this moment. She was somewhat surprised in her heart, because the energy of heaven and earth that had been shrouding the entire Wuji Palace for days had begun to dissipate slowly today for some unknown reason. It seemed as if True Person Taiyi had known that something would happen today and had voluntarily stopped his cultivation.

However, there was no one in the empty main hall.

After waiting for a moment, Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard called out again: "Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard, by His Majesty's decree, requests an audience with True Person Taiyi."

As soon as she finished speaking.

She saw that the entire Wuji Palace had begun to be filled with golden auspicious clouds at some unknown time. These clouds quickly covered the ground, reflecting the surroundings in a brilliant, golden light, as if one had suddenly entered a celestial palace, giving people an unreal feeling. Moreover, the auspicious clouds were not illusory objects but could be stepped upon; they were soft and comfortable, yet extremely tough.

Amidst the auspicious clouds covering the ground, a man was seen wearing red jade and purple gold armor, his eyes shining with light, draped in lightning, holding the Qi of Dragon and Tiger, walking forward with large strides on the golden auspicious clouds.

Just the aura rushing toward her made Wang Ning, as a Golden Pupil Guard, tremble all over, her soul seemingly about to leave her body. A sense of awe born from the heart arose spontaneously, as if the person in front of her was not a human at all, but a naturally sacred being, definitely not of the common sort; his life essence was already different from ordinary people.

If she had not seen it with her own eyes.

She would never have believed that there was such a person in this world.

"Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard pays respects to True Person Taiyi."

Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard suddenly came to her senses. At this moment, she knelt down involuntarily, as if kneeling to this person was only natural, without any dissatisfaction or hesitation; it seemed it should have been this way.

The life level difference was too great, and the mysteries within could not be explained in a few words.

"Rise." Li Yi's voice was calm, as if it had the power to soothe the heart. He asked: "Why does His Majesty seek me?"

The Golden Pupil Guard did not rise but remained kneeling. She took a letter from her bosom and held it up with both hands: "His Majesty's letter is here; I ask True Person Taiyi to read it personally."

Li Yi took it and opened it to see that there were no extra words, only one sentence: "Xiao Yi, break the mountains and destroy the temples, tonight."

Tonight?

He remembered that tomorrow was only the tenth day. If they acted tonight, it was clearly to have him leave the capital early, so as to avoid getting involved in the imperial court and disrupting this operation of breaking mountains and destroying temples.

"I am aware of this matter. You may return to report." Li Yi said.

"Reporting to True Person Taiyi, His Majesty has ordered that this subordinate and the other nineteen Golden Pupil Guards are all under the True Person's command." Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard said.

Li Yi asked: "What is your name?"

"This subordinate is Wang Ning."

"Twenty Golden Pupil Guards? How many Embroidered Uniform Guards are there?" Li Yi said.

Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard said: "This subordinate does not know about this matter; Commander Yang Ling of the Embroidered Uniform Guard should know."

"Then let Yang Ling come over." Li Yi said.

"Yes, True Person." Having received the order, Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard immediately stood up respectfully and left.

After a short while, a man wearing a flying-fish robe walked into the main hall. As soon as he entered, his heart also trembled. He then took a few quick steps and hurriedly knelt on one knee: "Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Yang Ling pays respects to True Person Taiyi."

"How many Embroidered Uniform Guards has His Majesty prepared for me?" Li Yi said, getting straight to the point.

"Reporting to the True Person, including this subordinate, there are three thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards in total." Yang Ling said immediately.

Li Yi said: "Is there any plan?"

"There is a map; I ask the True Person to review it." Yang Ling hurriedly presented a map.

After Li Yi took it and opened it, he saw that the map was very large, containing the mountains and rivers of the world. Moreover, every place was marked with powerful incense-fire deities and monsters entrenched locally, and even the locations of some Yin Sons of Heaven were noted. Clearly, for today's matter, his father had not collected intelligence and done his homework in vain.

"Very good. I give you two hours to prepare. As soon as the sky darkens, depart immediately, follow me out of the capital, and begin... breaking mountains and destroying temples."

He folded the map, the contents already memorized.

Evolved beings had always possessed the ability to never forget what they had seen.

"I will strictly follow the True Person's order." Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Yang Ling said respectfully.

"After you are fully prepared, come to the front of the Wuji Palace main hall to await orders." Li Yi said.

Wang Ning of the Golden Pupil Guard also received the order and left.

After the two left the main hall, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although True Person Taiyi had not displayed his divine might from beginning to end, standing in front of such a person made it hard not to be terrified.

The two did not communicate but left separately to attend to their own affairs.

About an hour later, squads of Embroidered Uniform Guards gathered from all parts of the imperial city and assembled in front of the Wuji Palace. Although the number was not large, these were the elites cultivated by the Shenwu Emperor, and their strength had basically reached the Spirit Perception Realm.

Nearly three thousand evolved beings of the Spirit Perception Realm—it must be said that the hardship and courage required to achieve this were not something ordinary people could possess.

As long as they were given time, these Embroidered Uniform Guards would continue to break through and evolve, condense souls, and enjoy incense-fire offerings; then, the incense-fire deities of the world would face a nightmare.

However, to achieve this, at the very least, they would still need to lie dormant for seven or eight years.

Shenwu Emperor Li Jiye could not wait, and Li Yi could not wait either.

And the movement of batches of Embroidered Uniform Guards naturally could not be hidden from many people's eyes. The first to discover the abnormality was Crown Prince Zhao Jing. When he heard the guards on duty come to report, he was shocked. However, when he walked out of the palace, he saw squads of Embroidered Uniform Guards passing by the Donggong.

"So many Embroidered Uniform Guards all went to the Wuji Palace?" Zhao Jing felt a inexplicable panic.

He had recently felt that his father and True Person Taiyi were plotting some major event, so these nine days had been calm and peaceful, with nothing happening. Until today, when he saw so many Embroidered Uniform Guards, he could be certain.

Something major was truly about to happen.

"Could it be related to the Yin Son of Heaven ordering the execution of True Person Taiyi?" Zhao Jing had also received similar news, saying that the Yin Son of Heaven was dissatisfied with True Person Taiyi and planned to strip True Person Taiyi of his title of Imperial Preceptor at tomorrow's morning court session and deal with him.

He had thought that True Person Taiyi was doomed, and even his father could not protect him. He had not expected a change to occur today.

"Get a ladder; I want to go up to the roof to take a look." Zhao Jing ordered immediately.

Soon, servants brought a ladder.

Zhao Jing climbed onto the palace roof in a hurry and looked toward the Wuji Palace again, his pupils shrinking abruptly.

Squads of Embroidered Uniform Guards, carrying cloth bags on their backs and precious swords at their waists, stood in neat rows in front of the Wuji Palace. Counting carefully, there were actually three thousand of them. Moreover, from the patterns embroidered on these Embroidered Uniform Guards, it was not hard to see that these were elites at the company commander level, each one capable of fighting and winning. Let alone three thousand, just one hundred placed on the battlefield could immediately break formations, kill enemies, behead generals, seize flags, and sway the victory of a major battle.

Now there were three thousand in front of the Wuji Palace; he feared his father had even brought out his bottom-line assets. What was this for?

Zhao Jing could not imagine, but he already felt that a storm was coming, and it was today.

He felt panicked at this moment, his heart cold.

It was not because of these three thousand elite Embroidered Uniform Guards, but because he, the Crown Prince, did not even know about such a major event, and his father had not leaked a single bit of news to him. Was he really not worthy of his father's trust? Or was he, the Crown Prince, just a figurehead, and the true Hidden Crown Prince was that True Person Taiyi?

The words his fourth brother, Zhao Rui, had said that day involuntarily surfaced in Zhao Jing's mind.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible." Zhao Jing's face was livid, his teeth gritted. He immediately climbed down from the roof and roared: "Donggong guards, are you all here?"

"Here." The guards responded hurriedly.

"Follow this Crown Prince." Zhao Jing endured his anger.

He wanted to go find True Person Taiyi and ask clearly what on earth was going on.

Soon, a squad of fifty armored soldiers escorted Crown Prince Zhao Jing toward the Wuji Palace.

But before they could get close, they were stopped by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, please stop. His Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed to enter the Wuji Palace." Two Embroidered Uniform Guards stood at the only path and stopped Crown Prince Zhao Jing.

"This Crown Prince wants to pay respects to True Person Taiyi. Is it possible that even I cannot go to the Wuji Palace?" Zhao Jing asked seriously.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard said expressionlessly: "Yes, His Majesty's oral decree: no one is allowed to approach the Wuji Palace, including the Crown Prince. Crown Prince, please return; do not violate His Majesty's decree."

Zhao Jing's mouth twitched. He had not expected that he did not even have the qualifications to enter the Wuji Palace.

Looking at the palace where the Embroidered Uniform Guards were gathering not far away, he felt for the first time that he was not important in this imperial palace, or one could even say he was dispensable. He had no qualifications to participate in true court affairs.

But why.

Why was it that True Person Taiyi?

"Go." Carrying a full heart of humiliation, Zhao Jing did not dare to force his way in and had to turn and leave.

He did not doubt for a moment that if he forced his way in, he would definitely be taken down by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and escorted to his father within half an hour. At that time, not only would he lose all face, but he would also anger his father and be severely punished.

At this critical juncture, Zhao Jing did not dare to cause trouble.

Although he was unwilling, he was not stupid; he knew what could be done and what could not.

"Write a memorial to the Yin Son of Heaven; this Crown Prince must find out what on earth is going on." Zhao Jing thought to himself.