Chapter 331: What Could We Possibly Have in Mind

"It's gone!"

Shen Yu, who was preparing to rush to the Capital, felt the Hao Ran Qi in the sky vanish and could not help but mutter to himself in a low voice.

He could sense that the eruption of Hao Ran Qi within Chen Xing carried a sense of resolution, as if he had long been prepared to meet his death.

Life and Death had long since become unimportant to him; it was this insight into the terror of Life and Death that allowed Chen Xing's Hao Ran Qi to sublimate once more, blooming with the most scorching and dazzling light at the final moment.

It seemed he had won, but he had gambled his own life to do so.

"Lord Shen? What is it?"

Exhaling a heavy breath, Shen Yu looked into the distance with a touch of desolation, "Lord Chen Xing has likely died in battle!"

"What? Lord Chen, he..." The sudden news left Leng Hanye struggling to accept it for a moment; for such a long time, he had taken Chen Xing as his idol.

When the Imperial Court was at its weakest and most chaotic, and the common people were at their most helpless, this man had used his own shoulders to carry the entire Imperial Court, allowing the people to rest and recover.

With strategies of befriending distant states while attacking neighbors, and dividing and winning over others, he had used immense skill to nearly integrate the martial arts world, suppress all ambitious usurpers, stabilize the internal and external situation, and still earn everyone's respect without resentment.

For over a hundred years, he had labored day after day without pause. Despite being a master, his body had long since become riddled with holes due to his constant worry and sorrow, night and day.

Whether in the martial arts world or the Imperial Court, whether they were enemies or friends and family, everyone could not help but feel respect when mentioning this Lord Chen Xing.

Yet who could have imagined that this man, who had always stood tall no matter how sickly he was, would finally fall one day.

Hearing such news suddenly, Leng Hanye's heart could not be calm for a long time; he wished he could rush to the Capital this instant to see Lord Chen one last time.

However, when he reacted and looked toward Shen Yu, Shen Yu's figure had completely vanished from before his eyes. He had wanted to hitch a ride, so why did he run so fast!

"The Great Array of the Capital has been activated; from now on, the Capital is cut off from the outside world!"

Standing outside the Capital, looking at the city right before his eyes, Shen Yu strode inside.

The activation of the Capital's Great Array and the eruption of Chen Xing's Hao Ran Qi all signaled the terrifying enemy the Capital had encountered.

Shen Yu's Void Power could ignore all Arrays; even one as powerful as the Great Array within the Capital could not block his path.

When he stepped into the Capital, his Super Perception immediately sensed Chen Xing's presence, as well as the terrifying aura rampaging beneath his feet.

At this moment, Chen Xing stood like a statue, unyielding; his figure was withered, yet he seemed to radiate infinite brilliance. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, seemingly carrying a hint of a smile—a smile of relief after success.

It was as if he had not died in battle here, but had welcomed victory here and returned triumphant.

Buried within the earth beneath his feet seemed to be a seal, and Chen Xing's body had completely merged with the seal below. Like a fierce warrior guarding the frontier, standing atop the city wall, he refused to retreat even half a step.

The power of the seal allowed Chen Xing's corpse to remain uncorrupted, while the residual Hao Ran Qi within his body seemed continuous, forever lingering around his form.

Though the person is dead, the will is not broken, the spirit is undying!

This scene before him was even more shocking than the Hao Ran Qi Shen Yu had sensed during Chen Xing's final eruption; it turned out that in three years, Chen Xing had actually polished his Hao Ran Qi to such a degree.

Compared to this, he himself was truly a bit arrogant!

Shen Yu's perception followed Chen Xing's body downward, where a figure with a terrifying aura was trapped within the seal beneath his feet, constantly crashing against it.

Shen Yu could vaguely sense the aura of this figure; it seemed even more terrifying than those he had encountered before.

The Spirit Qi Surge had not yet fully unfolded, and the limits of the World were constantly rising, yet this person's strength was undoubtedly at the very limit of the World, as if they could transcend this limit at any moment.

Moreover, this person's aura seemed to be increasing continuously along with the growth of Spirit Qi.

It was conceivable that even among those old monsters, this person was absolutely in the top tier.

Unfortunately, this person had run head-on into Chen Xing, who had long been prepared to die, and was directly suppressed here.

The figure inside seemed to be desperately trying to find a way to break out, yet remained trapped within. Their escaping power was instead continuously absorbed, turning into fuel for the Capital's Great Array.

This Chen Xing was truly remarkable; he had planned this long ago, using a living old monster as a continuous power source for the Great Array.

Coupled with the fact that the power of the Capital's Great Array could grow stronger as the Spirit Qi Surge increased and Spirit Qi continued to rise, this place would become impregnable.

What a grand scheme, what deep calculations; even in death, Chen Xing could still scheme against someone. He was truly worthy of being the man who once made both the Imperial Court and the martial arts world turn pale at the mere mention of his name!

"My Lord, My Lord!" At this time, many officials were kneeling before Chen Xing, crying out in grief.

Chen Xing had been blocked here by the old man in hempen clothes before he could even leave. Therefore, everything that had just happened had been witnessed by the Imperial officials who were busy working here.

The mere leak of a sliver of the aura from the old man in hempen clothes had already made them anxious and uneasy, and the clash of their two auras had stirred the winds and clouds of heaven and earth, as if they were not mere mortals.

They had never imagined that Lord Chen, who seemed like he could fall ill at any moment, actually harbored such terrifying power within his body.

Although the old man in hempen clothes was eventually suppressed, Lord Chen had also died in battle. The pillar of the Imperial Court was gone, and the reliance they had fully trusted in was gone!

Thinking of this, grief welled up in their hearts, and their wails grew louder one after another.

"Lord Shen!" At this moment, someone finally noticed Shen Yu's arrival. An old official, roughly eighty years of age, walked tremblingly before Shen Yu and handed him a jade pendant.

"Lord Shen, this was a gift from Lord Chen to you. He said he hoped Lord Shen would not let down this talent of yours!"

"Hao Ran!" The two characters on the jade pendant entered his eyes, and at the same time, a wave of Hao Ran Qi rushed toward his face. Shen Yu seemed to see that figure who worried for the country day and night, stroking the jade pendant.

Over these past few years, Chen Xing had been polishing his own Hao Ran Qi, and at the same time, using his Hao Ran Qi to polish the jade pendant in his hand.

After years of nourishment, this jade pendant had long since become a treasure, immune to all techniques and untainted by external evil, and one could more easily comprehend the Hao Ran intent through it.

This gift could not be considered light!

That's not right; with Chen Xing's temperament of thinking of the world in everything, if he had such a good item, it should be used for the world, so why would he gift it to him?

This gift is given to someone; I fear there must be a request behind it!

"My Lord, Lord Chen also once said that if one day he were to die, he had one last ungracious request. He hoped that the Hao Ran Scripture could be used to cultivate the scholars of the world, and he hoped that you could fulfill this!"

As he spoke, this old official, who was at least eighty years old, knelt before Shen Yu and bowed heavily toward him!

"Lord Chen, oh Lord Chen, even in death, you still don't let people have any peace!"

Looking at Chen Xing standing there, Shen Yu could not help but sigh softly. Sure enough, his guess was right; he shouldn't have subconsciously accepted this jade pendant.

Literature is for the poor, martial arts for the rich; there are still few people in this world who practice martial arts. For the vast majority, practicing martial arts requires not only diligence, but resources and talent are both indispensable.

It is difficult to enter the path of martial arts, even harder to advance further, and climbing to the peak is harder still.

The resources consumed just by practicing martial arts are enough to make the vast majority of children from humble families shrink back, and make poor families not even dare to think about it.

But the Hao Ran Scripture is different; it does not require too many resources to sustain. What it nurtures is the Hao Ran Qi within one's chest; what it requires is spirit and belief.

Among the thousands of scholars and billions of common people in the world, there is no shortage of people with such belief. Even if the vast majority might not be able to comprehend the Hao Ran Qi, even if just one more person could, it would make their strength a fraction stronger.

Chen Xing knew very well whose property the Hao Ran Scripture in his hands was, and understood even better the preciousness of such a legendary treasure, which was why he did not speak of it while alive for fear that Shen Yu would refuse, choosing instead to have someone else convey it after his death.

Even in death, this old gentleman was still racking his brains to seek a way of survival for the common people, having arranged his own funeral affairs long in advance.

He schemed against others, and he schemed against himself too; he really is something!

"Whatever!" Waving his hand, Shen Yu sighed helplessly; he had still been tricked by Chen Xing.

However, even if Chen Xing had not left a message, Shen Yu would have done the same; no one understood the Hao Ran Scripture better than him, and only a true gentleman could use the Hao Ran Scripture to comprehend the Hao Ran Qi.

Those treacherous villains who say one thing but mean another, no matter how diligent and hardworking they are, will never be able to achieve anything.

Even if one was once upright and possessed Hao Ran Qi, if one day they fall and wallow in the mire with sycophants, their own Hao Ran Qi will also decline and vanish.

The Hao Ran Scripture cultivates the heart, nurtures the intent, and fosters the spirit; if the heart is not pure and clean, then everything is for naught!

Therefore, Shen Yu was not the least bit worried that someone would learn the "Hao Ran Scripture" and wreak havoc after cultivating the Hao Ran Qi.

The only thing to fear is someone who persists on a path that is not necessarily correct, yet insists on believing it is; such people are the most troublesome.

However, the Hao Ran Scripture came from the System, and since Shen Yu could grant the Hao Ran intent cultivated according to the Hao Ran Scripture, he naturally had a way to break it, so he was not worried at all.

Spreading the Hao Ran Scripture would certainly strengthen their side and save more people, but Chen Xing's method was very annoying.

Looking in the direction of Chen Xing, Shen Yu's original sorrow vanished completely; what a waste of the tears I almost shed. This old fellow is really quite wicked!