Chapter 324

In the void, gazing upon this change, Zhang Jian felt the Purple Star Destiny deep within his life palace blaze forth with radiant light.

A kind of invisible shackle vanished in an instant.

Unconsciously occupying the Purple Star Central Palace, he felt that if he were to enter seclusion for a year or two, his Purple Star Destiny would still have great room for growth.

Yet this change left Zhang Jian somewhat melancholy.

Emperor Jingwu was a wise and capable ruler.

Only his fortune was ill-fated.

To some extent, he too was a victim of the grand plan of the founding ancestor of Great Qian, Wei YuanYang.

……

At this moment, upon the Observatory Terrace, the Ancestor of the Cave God Sect wore robes of deep azure, covered in countless thunder symbols, with thunder roaring all around him; behind him, Emperor Jingwu bled from his seven orifices, while above the heavens, the Golden Dust Ancestor held in his hand a strange horn.

This horn was an ancient spiritual treasure, known as the Azure Dragon Horn, forged by an ancient sage-king from the horn of a true dragon; once activated, it sounded like the roar of an azure dragon, and in ancient times it was used to issue commands and intimidate foreign evils.

The Golden Dust Ancestor used this treasure to launch a surprise attack on Emperor Jingwu; even though the Cave God Sect Ancestor blocked in time, he was still stirred by it, triggering the wound deep within his soul, and collapsed dead on the spot.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

As Emperor Jingwu passed away, a mournful, desolate howl came from his body, and a great black dragon leapt forth from within him—but in the instant it leapt out, it instantly transformed into countless strands of dragon energy that scattered and dispersed.

The dragon soul collapsed.

"Golden Dust!"

Seeing this, the Cave God Sect Ancestor's eyes filled entirely with fury; he also sensed in the dark void that the dense dragon energy entwined deep within his fate had suddenly dissipated by more than half!

Losing most of his barrier, countless evil influences from the depths of the void enveloped the depths of his soul's life palace.

Within the depths of his life palace, threads of golden light flew out, grasping a portion of the black clouds!

But this was only temporary; to advance further, the heavenly tribulation would inevitably increase.

Moreover, the evil influences constantly stirred, tugging at a portion of his primordial spirit; he had to divert part of his primordial spirit's power to condense an avoidance method, to resist them.

In his towering rage, the Cave God Sect Ancestor's face darkened, and billions of startling thunderbolts appeared around him, as if one purple and one blue dragon-serpent of lightning wove together from the void, instantly forming an invisible wave; wherever it passed, the universe was covered with layer upon layer of tumultuous waves of creation and destruction intertwined.

This layer of magnificent divine power continued to appear, enveloping the Golden Dust Ancestor; the Golden Dust Ancestor's brow glowed with a five-colored talisman once more, but this talisman instantly exploded with magnificent divine power, the destructive and creative forces tearing apart the five-colored symbols; in his horror, it struck deep into his flesh, shattering his physical body.

"Golden Dust Senior Brother!"

Seeing this, the Ancestor of the Great Yang's face changed dramatically!

As Emperor Jingwu passed away and the dragon soul collapsed, at this moment not only was the Cave God Sect Ancestor affected, but also many cultivators attached to the Great Qian court.

Some of those heavily burdened by evil influences, when their evil reached a certain degree, even drew down heavenly demons from the depths of the void, and heavenly tribulation descended.

……

Bei Chu, originally riding through Zhongguan

Yin Shi True Person Chao Mu, Huang He True Person, Xing Ji True Person, Ying Huo True Person—at this moment they all felt in the depths of the dark void countless evil influences clinging to them, a portion of their primordial spirit and divine awareness corrupted, their thoughts chaotic; this change made their faces change color.

Even though they had just taken Yuanchi Pass, this change still cast a shadow over the hearts of many primordial spirit true persons.

Chao Mu hastily sent people to contact Haojing City, inquiring about the changes there.

……

Deep within the Blood Sea Grand Formation, it seemed as if countless tumultuous shocks shook the heavens, and the blood-red river was severed by countless Taiji Yin-Yang divine blades.

Qian Hai True Monarch controlled the Golden Man of the Prince of Qian, whose immense destructive power overturned the Blood Sea Grand Formation within.

Yet Qian Hai True Monarch, upon the true form of the Prince of Qian's Golden Man, also changed countenance at this moment; he felt the evil spirits entwined deep within his brow's primordial spirit increasing, actually beginning to suppress his primordial spirit; he must constantly activate the avoidance methods deep within his primordial spirit to form auspicious purple lotuses to resist the evil spirits.

Qian Hai True Monarch faintly felt that during the time he had been trapped, perhaps something had gone wrong in the heartland of Great Qian.

At this moment, he swept his gaze over the surroundings.

After a period of thunderous bombardment, he had gradually become aware of the weakness of this formation.

This formation, though magnificent and vast, did have nodes—though the nodes were quite hidden; one only needed to find the node, follow the vine to the melon, and likewise find the "Blood God Banner" that draws the blood river; then naturally one could escape the Blood Sea Grand Formation.

His thoughts flashed like lightning, but just then, a voice suddenly came from deep within his soul.

"Want to leave right now? The position of the Blood Sea Banner is just to your southeast..."

This cold, indifferent voice suddenly appeared, causing Qian Hai True Monarch's face to change.

……

Zhang Jian activated the Golden Crow Escape Law, directly sending the Pure Bright Daoist and others to Feng Nest Mountain in Fengyang Commandery.

On the mid-slope of Feng Nest Mountain, at this time a flourishing temple observatory had been established.

Many more Daoist temples and shrines had been built here.

The foremost among them were the Kitchen God Shrine and the Mountain God Shrine, both built with extraordinary solemnity and reverence, extremely efficacious; every day, nobles from Fengyang Commandery came to offer incense.

Under the divine protection of the Phoenix Spirit and the Red Flower Lady, Zhang Jian placed the Empress and her entourage here first.

"Empress, you and the two princes should first take temporary refuge in the Mountain God Shrine here; this is a detached estate of my Zhang family—no one will likely find you in the short term!"

At this time, the two princes were already as frightened as a bow-struck bird; though they were only teenagers in their early teens, despite their fine clothes and jade-like food, having received imperial education since childhood, upon hearing this, the eldest prince, Wei Yuan Dao, said:

"Mr. Zhang, will you remain here?"

Zhang Jian comforted: "Your Highness, rest assured—this place is hidden; even part of my Zhang family's core clan does not know of it. You two princes need only rest well; when the situation in Haojing City stabilizes, I, as a humble official, will certainly send people to bring you two back into Haojing City!"

Immediately, Zhang Jian turned his gaze to the Empress, whose face had been pale from beginning to end, who had not spoken a word.

"Empress, you need not worry either; you now carry a child in your womb—no matter what, you must preserve your health, for the young prince, and also for you and His Majesty!"

Zhang Jian's expression remained calm.

Upon hearing this, the Empress's face finally changed slightly; she looked at Zhang Jian, raised her head, and wiped the tears from her eye sockets, saying:

"Brother-in-law, you speak truly—for His Majesty, I will surely nurture this pregnancy well, and will not disappoint the sacrifice His Majesty made for us to create this opportunity!"

"That thought is correct!"

Zhang Jian's expression showed a hint of a smile, and he added: "I will shortly go to seek my mother-in-law, to have her arrange some maidservants for you—'murmur-murmur' will come to attend to you; up on the mountain it is cold and quiet, so someone must attend to you!"

The Empress nodded slightly.

Afterwards, Zhang Jian smiled at the Pure Bright Daoist beside him.

"National Preceptor, do you think my arrangements are appropriate?"

The Pure Bright Daoist nodded and said: "Master Zhang, the Empress and the two princes are temporarily entrusted to the Zhang family!"

A flicker of strange color passed through Zhang Jian's eyes as he suddenly asked: "National Preceptor, are you preparing to return to Haojing City?"

The Pure Bright Daoist's gaze was somewhat forlorn, then he nodded.

"The Cave Mystery Observatory and Great Qian share honor and disgrace together; although His Majesty has already passed, Great Qian still exists. Whether for Great Qian or for the thousands of disciples of my Cave Mystery Observatory, I cannot retreat!"

After speaking, the Pure Bright Daoist paused slightly, then said: "Please, Master Zhang, make preparations. Once we quell the turmoil within Haojing City, we will naturally come to retrieve the Empress and the two princes."

"Of course, as the lifesaver of the two princes, Master Zhang, Great Qian will surely not fail to ennoble and appoint you!"

Zhang Jian merely shook his head.

"Still the old saying: I do not seek a marquisate, but I wish the sea waves to be calm!"

The Pure Bright Daoist spoke with unusual optimism, but Zhang Jian did not feel the same.

He had already communicated with the Slaying Demon True Lord and long known that the three sect True Lords attacking Haojing City today were merely a small part of the various sects. Once the Qianhai True Lord escapes trouble, all sects will act in unison, and the Qianhai True Lord will surely not survive.

And once the Qianhai True Lord is gone, at that time Great Qian's many opponents will likely swarm in, and relying solely on the Cave Mystery Teaching Ancestor may not be able to withstand them. By then, the Cave Mystery Observatory will also struggle to preserve itself.

However, Zhang Jian at this time also needs to return to Haojing City once more.

First, to bring back Qi Yuhua and her child, among others; second, to await developments.

Immediately, Zhang Jian brought the Pure Bright Daoist directly back into Haojing City.

The return was, however, much simpler.

Through his connection with the Yellow Court Blessed Land, he directly locked onto the coordinates in the void and returned in a straight line.

In just a moment, two figures appeared in the courtyard of Zhang Jian's residence.

Even the Pure Bright Daoist was greatly astonished by this feat.

"Master Zhang's Dao arts are truly eye-opening!"

He praised without cease.

Zhang Jian smiled without speaking, only saying: "Just a few minor magical arts from the Qimen school; traveling is thus convenient!"

The Pure Bright Daoist had no intention to linger; after exchanging a few words, he immediately turned and left. At this time, he was worried about the Cave Mystery Teaching Ancestor and also about the many scattered disciples of the Cave Mystery Observatory fleeing in disarray.

Seeing the Pure Bright Daoist depart, Zhang Jian also sent Zhang Fu and others to investigate in all directions, while he himself headed toward the Cave Mystery Observatory, discovering that the great battle in the skies above it had already ended.

He did not know what had actually happened!

……

After returning to the capital, the Pure Bright Daoist hurried toward the Cave Mystery Observatory.

But upon entering the Cave Mystery Observatory, his gaze swept over the surroundings and his face darkened.

What he saw was the once prosperous and lively Daoist observatory now utterly desolate.

Magnificent buildings stood in ruin, the spiritual light of the Daoist palace's protective formations shattered, most having been toppled and collapsed.

His yin spirit's divine sense swept over the storeroom, the alchemy chamber, the transmission hall, and the weapons arsenal—most places appeared as if ants had moved house, spotless and clean.

This change left the Pure Bright Daoist's expression gloomy, yet with a hint of fortune in his eyes. Fortunately, Zhang Jian had warned him in advance, allowing him to take some measures. He had previously collected some precious items that could be moved or carried away from within the observatory; otherwise, this time the Cave Mystery Observatory would suffer devastating losses.

Immediately, he hurriedly flew toward the forbidden ground.

But upon laying eyes on it, merely catching a glimpse of the Pure Bright Daoist was unbearable—the scene inside was too horrific to behold.

At this moment, the void fluctuated, and Zhang Jian stepped out from within it, his form landing. He had already noticed the situation in the forbidden ground, merely glancing at it before his face twitched slightly.

The Four Noble Consorts—Chen, Liu, Lan, Wang—and even numerous concubines and princesses had all died unjust deaths.

The perpetrator's methods were ruthless, directly using sword light to slay all these beautiful concubines.

For some reason, seeing these concubines, Zhang Jian's mind flashed with the image of Liu Xin.

Zhang Jian slightly turned his body away.

He noticed that within the forbidden ground, there were no corpses of male members of the Great Qian imperial clan—it seemed they had all been taken away.

In the distance, the Pure Bright Daoist gritted his teeth and said: "This grudge, the Cave Mystery Observatory will surely avenge!"

The two then searched the Cave Mystery Observatory again and found part of the corpses of its disciples, which made the Pure Bright Daoist's expression unpleasant.

But as he reconnected with the Cave Jade Daoist, Cave True, Cave Xiao, and his own disciples and Infant Daoist using the Cave Mystery Observatory's secret method, the Pure Bright Daoist's complexion improved considerably.

However, this time the Cave Mystery Observatory still lost one elder.

Cave Xuan Daoist had bad luck; upon leaving, he encountered a purple-clad killing star and was given a single sword thrust that 'dismantled' him!

……

Within the imperial palace, Zhang Jian stepped inside, only to see that the palace bearing over four hundred years of wind and rain of Great Qian had been largely destroyed.

Ruined walls and broken walls were everywhere, along with traces of sword and blade slaughter, and a bloody stench.

The four study rooms in the southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast were still burning with flames, belching black smoke; the splendid pavilions, terraces, towers, and painted flying eaves had all become history.

Zhang Jian believed new palaces would still be built, possibly even taller and more splendid, but at this moment he still felt an inexplicable sorrow.

At this moment, wherever Zhang Jian's gaze fell, in his spiritual pupils there were threads of resentment, black energy condensing.

With a wave of his hand, a fierce wind swept through the ruined halls, blowing open part of the palace structures, and many bones were exposed beneath the rubble.

This was largely due to the so-called 'Shun Wang,' whose summoned black-armored puppet soldiers killed on sight, nearly destroying the entire imperial palace.

Zhang Jian stood amidst the ruins, his gaze sweeping over. After a moment, he formed hand seals and silently chanted the 'Pure Soul Blue Lotus Dharma Chant.'

His dharma chant flowed like threads of blue wind blowing through this ruin-filled pavilion, passing through the broken halls, passing through the palace walls, as if shrouding this scorched earth.

Within his dharma chant, numerous hidden souls beneath the ruins gradually were liberated through his chant; figures emerged from the rubble, light amid growing dust, many familiar forms appeared, bowing to Zhang Jian, then vanishing into the Nine Springs Underworld.

As one figure after another was gradually liberated, Zhang Jian lowered the hand seal he held, his gaze fluctuating.

As long as they are mortal, none can escape suffering through rise and fall!

Upon completing all this, Zhang Jian clearly felt that deep within his destiny, the three Son of Heaven destiny patterns suddenly stirred slightly. He glanced toward one direction, then his eyes moved, and he suppressed it.

"It seems there is still something in these ruins that resonates with the Son of Heaven's fate!"

Zhang Jian thought to himself.

At this moment, Daoist Jingming descended from the sky, he also saw this scene, his gaze swept over, his expression slightly stunned, there was some darkness in his eyes, his Dao heart clearly fluctuated, but more so was killing intent and resolve.

Daoist Jingming knew that this time, the Great Qian dynasty was likely in grave danger.

The symbol of Great Qian's dignity, the imperial city, had been completely destroyed, Great Qian's prestige this time had been utterly trampled into the ground by those barbarians, if one wished to fully restore it, it would probably be very difficult.

This would likely also inspire countless ambitious men to harbor aspirations.

But before them, there was still a more important matter: the accession of the new emperor.

But in such an environment, even if there were candidates, Daoist Jingming dared not for the time being summon the two princes.

The Dongshen Guan still had many difficulties that urgently needed to be resolved!

After a moment, Zhang Jian's heart stirred slightly, he looked toward Daoist Jingming and said.

"Daoist Jingming, how is the National Preceptor?"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Jingming sighed and said.

"Our master left us a message; he is currently at Yuanchi Pass!"

Zhang Jian's eyes twitched slightly: "It seems the National Preceptor prepares to wage a decisive battle to destroy Chu!"

This is indeed the last glimmer of hope for Great Qian, 'to rescue' Qianhai Zhenjun, to overturn Northern Chu, if successful it could revive the dragon veins of Great Qian, rebuild the dragon qi barrier, and there would still be a thread of hope to continue the dynasty's mandate!