Chapter 249

Equipment Card!

Inside is a precious jade.

It is precisely the ancestral treasure lost by the Xu family, the Yunshen Jade!

No one knows who had carried this jade.

In the end, after many twists and turns, it ended up in Chen Mu's hands.

With the Yunshen Jade, I can attempt to break through to the Earth Altar realm!

Although it is best not to enter the Earth Altar realm before entering the Qilin Armory.

But that is because confirming your Martial Dao path makes it easier and more advantageous for building the "Divine Bridge" and advancing to the Earth Altar realm.

Everyone's Martial Dao path is different.

Even those who follow the Sword Dao have essential differences.

The Sword Dao is a great path.

Its branches and side paths include Flame Sword Dao, Ice Sword Intent, Gale Sword Dao, Lei Ting Sword Dao, Killing Sword Dao…

Different insights lead to entirely different ultimate paths.

Chen Mu has not yet determined his future Martial Dao path.

But he possesses the complete cultivation technique left by the Tianhe Sword Sovereign: the Tenth Layer of the Tianhe Scripture, which details the relationships between technique, true qi, realm, and the Martial Dao!

Therefore, Chen Mu does not need his Martial Dao path to assist his breakthrough to the Earth Altar realm.

After checking the second card, he will need it even less!

Memory Card!

For the second card, Chen Mu used his dual focus to unlock the Memory Card, "watching" the lifetime memories of Qi Sanyuan, a disciple of the Hidden Sword Palace, who, through years of seniority and unwavering loyalty to Liang Tianzong, spent over a century to finally break through to the Earth Altar realm and become an elder.

And Qi Sanyuan's breakthrough to the Earth Altar realm occurred exactly two years ago!

The Memory Card fully records his sensations, circumstances, and transformations during his breakthrough to the Earth Altar realm…

Chen Mu "browsed" through these memories, effectively gaining a preemptive understanding of the insights required to break through to the Earth Altar realm!

Diyuan Pill, Yunshen Jade, Qi Sanyuan's Earth Altar breakthrough memories, the guidance of the Tenth Layer of the Tianhe Scripture.

The timing has arrived!

……

……

Boom—boom—boom~

Iron hooves shattered the quiet of the official road as a thousand-man military force, radiating a chilling aura of slaughter, marched into Zhenzhouzhoucheng.

Under everyone's gaze, they surged straight toward the Jing'an Wang Fu.

Upon reaching the Wang Fu's gates, without orders, the thousand soldiers swiftly spread out, nocks drawn, blades unsheathed, surrounding the entire estate with no escape.

"Guard every gate—let no one escape!"

Zhao Fuzhou's voice was cold as he gave the order.

"Yes!!"

The thousand soldiers responded in unison, their roar echoing down the street.

This sudden scene turned the once bustling Jing'an Wang Fu into cold water thrown into boiling oil—instantly erupting into chaos.

Screams, running footsteps, and the shattering of vessels filled the compound.

"Quick… quick, report to the Prince!"

"Rebellion! Rebel troops are here!"

"I'm not from the Wang Fu! Let me out! Let me out!"

"…"

The Jing'an Wang Fu plunged into utter chaos.

In a courtyard inside the compound, Wu Youting burst out of his chamber, disheveled, his face still clouded with the haze of drunkenness and irritation from being disturbed.

"What's all this noise? Do you want to die?!"

"Shut up! Shut the hell up!"

"…"

Kicking, striking, cursing, Wu Youting reached the main gate.

When he saw the gleaming blades and military armor outside, his drunkenness vanished instantly—he snapped awake, overcome by overwhelming terror.

"Re… rebellion? You're staging a rebellion?!"

"Attack! Kill these rebel soldiers!"

Wu Youting staggered backward, screaming in false bravado, ordering his few loyal guards forward.

Yet against the elite troops of the Jiangnan Circuit, this resistance was like a mantis trying to stop a cart.

The few guards were instantly cut down; Wu Youting himself was knocked flat by a single palm strike from a Captain at the peak of Primordial Realm, his limbs dislocated with brutal efficiency.

"Aaaah~~!"

Wu Youting writhed on the ground like a crab with broken legs, letting out a piercing, bewildered scream.

"I am the Wang Shizi! You dare touch me! You'll all die! You'll all die!!"

Wu Youting screamed as soldiers bound him tightly with ox-hide ropes and stuffed a rag into his mouth.

No more shouting—only struggling. His face revealed utter confusion and bone-deep terror; he could not fathom how, in a single night, the Wang Fu's world had collapsed.

In stark contrast was Wu Youqing.

Already fully dressed, standing calmly beneath the courtyard corridor, as if waiting long for this moment.

Facing the surging soldiers, Wu Youqing showed no surprise or panic—even raised a hand to stop his trusted subordinate from instinctively drawing his blade.

"All of you, put down your weapons."

Wu Wu Youqing's voice was calm and even, carrying a resigned indifference. He voluntarily extended both hands, allowing the soldiers to bind him. His gaze swept over his second brother, who was also struggling and cursing, and a trace of complexity flashed in his eyes, but it quickly subsided into silence.

And at the center of the incident, the Jing'an Wang, Wu Jianqing, also appeared very calm.

One might even say indifferent.

Dressed in everyday clothes, not wearing his Wang Jue robes or crown, accompanied by two palace attendants, he slowly walked out of the main hall of the Wang Fu.

His gaze swept over the chaotic courtyard, over his fallen youngest son, over his calm eldest son with bound hands, over his second son who was panting and panic-stricken, and finally settled on Zhao Fuzhou and Chen Mu outside the gate. His eyes were like an ancient well, without a ripple.

No questioning, no cursing, no unwillingness, not even the slightest flicker of emotion—as if all of this before him had nothing to do with him.

He merely glanced at it lightly, then calmly walked toward the specially-made prison cart inscribed with sealing array patterns, allowing the soldiers to step forward and clamp heavy shackles on him, and calmly stepped up.

From beginning to end, Wu Jianqing maintained a nearly eerie silence and composure, as if all of this had long been within his expectations.

"He had long anticipated this moment?"

Chen Mu watched Wu Jianqing being escorted away by the troops, spoke softly, and asked, "This fellow knows Your Majesty won't do anything to him?"

"Obviously so."

Zhao Fuzhou said calmly, "As long as his mother is still alive, Your Majesty won't take his life. However, the title of Jing'an Wang—he can forget about that."

"Will the Jing'an Wang title be inherited by Wu Wu Youqing?" Chen Mu transmitted via true Qi. "After all, this eldest Young Master provided the lead in time."

"Most likely."

Zhao Fuzhou also transmitted via true Qi, "Wu Wu Youqing can also be considered to have rendered merit. Even if he doesn't inherit the 'Jing'an Wang title,' other rewards won't be lacking."

"That's true enough."

Chen Mu pondered and nodded.

Wu Jianqing, in order to extend the life of his strongest arm, Liang Tianzong, artificially manufactured "Blood Locust Stones," carrying out killings numbering in the hundreds, directly or indirectly causing the deaths of several thousand people.

If this news spread, it would not only slap the face of the Wu imperial clan, but also make all the jianghu forces of Jiangnan Dao hate the government!

The impact was extremely vile.

Wu Wu Youqing provided the lead in time, sparing future trouble. By every reason of sentiment and principle, rewards would not be lacking.

This point was probably also the reason Wu Wu Youqing, after deliberation, chose to "place duty to justice above family ties"!

……

The Jing'an Wang Fu was sealed, and the Jing'an Wang, Wu Jianqing, was put on the prison cart.

The Hidden Sword Palace, which had been passed down for several hundred years, was suddenly raided, and everyone was taken away.

These two events, without any warning and occurring almost simultaneously, instantly blew up Zhenzhou!