Chapter 700

The strange sight before them left Rites Pei Zongti and Bai Chenshan standing frozen on the spot.

Confucianism emphasizes "exhaustively investigating the principles of things" and "attaining knowledge through the study of phenomena."

The Earth Master lineage focuses on observing shapes and trends, discerning the Qi of Gang and Sha, and the direction of dragon veins.

Yet, all their accumulated knowledge could not explain the scene before them.

Not only that, but gazing at it for a long time caused their Yin souls to fall into a bout of dizziness.

Prince Prince Prince Luchuan, who was beside them, had seen such things before; he was the first to regain his senses and said in a deep voice, "We are inside the Chongwen Gate, aren't we?"

Rites Pei Zongti closed his eyes and nodded, saying, "That's right, it's just past that caravan street."

Upon hearing this, Prince Prince Prince Luchuan immediately raised the jade tablet in his hand high.

In an instant, a wild wind swept the three of them forward.

Unlike Li Yan, who had to wait, the Yin souls of the three actually flew directly over the Chongwen Gate.

With a flicker, they saw the caravan that was constantly cycling on the street.

With another blur before their eyes, they saw the place where the peach tree and the statue of the fierce god Wang Mu were worshipped.

At this moment, the place was already a scene of devastation.

The ancient city wall was covered with holes left by the roots of giant trees; whenever the wind and sand blew past, the city wall would repair itself.

But in the blink of an eye, those holes would spew black mist and appear once again.

And the altar that previously housed the stone statue of the fierce god Wang Mu had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a huge, charred pit that looked like obsidian.

"There really is a problem!"

Prince Prince Prince Luchuan, who had been calm just a moment ago, was now filled with horror, "What evil method did they use to be able to destroy this mystical realm?"

Seeing the two men's confusion, he said with a trembling voice, "This is the first time such a thing has happened. Follow me quickly!"

Without wasting words, he raised the jade tablet high again.

The Yin souls of the three drifted rapidly toward the depths of the "Nine Gates Yin Ruins."

The space inside was layered and overlapping, bizarre and grotesque.

There were even scenes of ancient ancestors hunting.

Fragments of time from thousands of years seemed to be twisted together, a sight that made Rites Pei Zongti and Bai Chenshan tremble with fear.

With another blur before their eyes, the three arrived in yet another space.

This place was arranged exactly like the Taimiao altar, with not a single ritual of the Grand Sacrifice missing, and pieces of jade artifacts were suspended in mid-air.

Even the knowledgeable Rites Pei Zongti swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He saw ritual vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and sacrificial vessels from the Tang and Song dynasties, all of which were divine artifacts used for national sacrifices in various dynasties.

Any one of these items, if thrown into the outside world, would trigger a slaughter among the Mystic Sects.

But here, they seemed like worthless trinkets, placed everywhere.

Of course, Rites Pei Zongti did not dare to move them randomly.

He could see that these sacrificial vessels were suspended in mid-air not because they were useless, but because they were supporting this special space.

As for Bai Chenshan, he pushed up his glasses and looked around, his face full of obsession.

"You two."

Prince Prince Prince Luchuan said in a deep voice, "This is the most important secret of the Great Xuan."

"The national sacrificial artifacts here were obtained when the Great Xing Dynasty and the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom were annihilated. They are used to set up this place and must not be moved. If it weren't for the fact that something had gone wrong, no one would have been allowed in. Please be careful with your words and actions after you leave."

After speaking, he raised the sacrificial vessel in his hand again and chanted the "Great Xuan Prayer for Heaven and Earth" in a loud voice.

The national sacrificial artifacts from various dynasties around them began to rotate, and clouds and mist surged in the air, with light and shadows swirling.

But as the clouds and mist swirled, a dragon shadow surged and grew larger and larger.

The two men then discovered that the dragon shadow was actually composed of the shadows of large and small mountain ranges.

The Kunlun ancestral vein, the towering Taihua, the nine bends of the Yellow River, the surging Yangtze River...

The essence of the spiritual energy of various famous mountains, great rivers, veins, and water systems intertwined and gathered in the void, finally forming a majestic giant dragon that spanned heaven and earth, its head and tail nowhere to be seen!

If Li Yan were here, he would recognize that this was the Great Xuan dragon vein, a spiritual projection in the interlayer of the Dharma Realm.

"This is..."

Bai Chenshan almost pulled out his beard.

"This is the Great Xuan dragon vein."

Prince Prince Prince Luchuan introduced, "The previous Great Xing and the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom confronted each other across the river, both using experts to set up layouts. After our Great Xuan rose, they secretly made many moves. Back then, it was Master Sanfeng who took action to connect the northern and southern dragon veins."

"But Master Sanfeng was an exiled immortal with profound Daoist techniques; to this day, no one can understand them."

"The reason His Majesty asked you two to come is to see if there is anything wrong with the dragon vein."

He had one more thing he didn't say: after such a big incident, the Emperor didn't even dare to trust him.

Although the two men couldn't understand the layout of this place either, they still searched carefully.

Soon, they discovered something unusual.

On this illusory giant dragon composed of mountain and river spiritual energy, near its waist and abdomen close to the capital, there were clearly several patches of black and red turbid Qi.

Like rotting mold, it was growing and spreading from the center of the Imperial City.

Even a fool could see this situation.

"Something really did go wrong!"

Bai Chenshan looked around, stroked his beard, and frowned, "Although I am not clear about it, I can see that this place should be connected to the Taimiao national sacrifice formation, maintained by national sacrificial artifacts and supported by incense sacrifices. Logically speaking, if something went wrong, the outside world should have been able to detect it..."

Prince Prince Prince Luchuan's face was ugly, his chest heaving, and he closed his eyes and said, "There is a traitor in the Imperial Clan Court who is helping the evil people cover it up."

This was the situation he least wanted to see.

After this incident, the Emperor would definitely take drastic measures against the Imperial Clan Court.

Even though he was loyal to the Emperor, he didn't want to see this situation.

Rites Pei Zongti was also a shrewd person; seeing that something was wrong, he immediately changed the subject, "Let's record the location of the incident first. His Majesty is still waiting."

The three fell silent, all staring fixedly at those decaying areas, calculating the positions...

…………

Inside the Taimiao main hall, the atmosphere was equally stagnant.

The royal sorcerers of the Imperial Clan Court held sacrificial artifacts to maintain the formation, all bowing their heads in silence.

They were all filled with anxiety in their hearts.

It would be fine if there was nothing wrong inside, but if a problem really arose, a storm would descend.

One of the sorcerers had sweat on his forehead, and his eyes were gradually becoming bloodshot.

Rites Pei Zongti, who was in the mystical realm, suddenly felt a chill.

And inside the Taimiao main hall, that sorcerer suddenly raised his hand, smashed the sacrificial artifact to the ground, then leaped out and slapped Rites Pei Zongti's head with his palm.

"Xiao Bojin, what are you doing?!"

The surrounding sorcerers were immediately anxious.

But that royal sorcerer would no longer listen to their nonsense, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Swish!

Just at this moment, in the darkness of the main hall, a figure arrived in an instant like a ghost, like blue smoke.

It was Zhao Wujiu, the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

His eyes were cold, and he arrived after the sorcerer but acted first, raising his hand to block the top of Rites Pei Zongti's head, and then twisted his hand back.

Crackle~

A crisp sound of bone cracking rang out, and the royal sorcerer's arm was directly torn off.

Without waiting for him to speak, Zhao Wujiu had already pressed his head down.

Bang!

With a light tremor, the sorcerer fell to the ground and passed out.

Zhao Wujiu glanced at him indifferently, "Whose family does this person belong to?"

A sorcerer in yellow swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "He belongs to the family of Prince Fengguo, Xiao Huainan."

Under the Great Xuan Dynasty's enfeoffment system, Princes of the Blood and Commandery Princes held hereditary titles.

Both titles were passed down permanently, with one son inheriting the original title in each generation, and they were enfeoffed with large cities.

They were the main targets of the Emperor's policy of weakening the feudal lords, gradually taking back power from military authority to local governance.

As for the remaining descendants of Commandery Princes, those who did not inherit the title had to have their titles lowered generation by generation.

For example, if the son was a General of the Town, the grandson would become a General of the Auxiliary, all the way down to a Lieutenant of the State.

And a General of the State was also one of them, not really having the authority to lead troops.

Xiao Huainan was the tall, thin old man who had helped others excuse themselves that day.

"It must be him, he was the one who stopped us from entering to investigate that day!" The short, fat old man waiting outside the formation was terrified and immediately began to shift the blame.

"Xiao Huainan..."

Zhao Wujiu, the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was thoughtful, "It must be Prince Changliu. It seems he still holds a grudge."

As soon as these words were spoken, many people in the main hall lowered their heads, not daring to answer.

Prince Changliu was the sixth younger brother of the current Emperor, Xiao Qixuan.

He had failed in the struggle for the throne and was placed under house arrest, dying in depression, and his descendants also had their titles stripped.

Unexpectedly, he had actually defected to the evil people.

The news quickly reached outside the Taimiao.

Emperor Xiao Qixuan's eyes were cold, "Don't let a single one go!"

"As you command!"

Jiao Wanbao, the Grand General of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, immediately cupped his hands and left.

At the same time, the three people in the main hall also woke up.

"Pfft—!"

Rites Pei Zongti was the first to open his eyes, suddenly spitting out a small mouthful of blood, and said with lingering fear, "The Taimiao has been tampered with. Check the sacrificial artifacts."

In fact, without him saying it, everyone had already seen it.

Following the sorcerer's smashing of his own jade artifact just now, several of the spirit tablets worshipped above the Taimiao immediately developed cracks, and the lacquer peeled off.

"Good... a good pillar of the Imperial Clan!"

Emperor Xiao Qixuan also walked in and saw the scene before him.

His voice was not loud, but every word was like a knife, carrying bone-deep murderous intent and disappointment.

"Issue the decree!"

"The Mystic Priests, the Commandant's Office, and the Imperial Clan Court are to thoroughly investigate the residence, confidants, and all past movements of Xiao Huainan!"

"All those involved are to be arrested together!"

"Tell those three masters to immediately surround and kill the evil people! I don't care if they are in seclusion or traveling; before sunrise, the evil atmosphere in the capital must be cleansed!"

"Pei, take my tiger tally, mobilize the elite of the Firearm Battalion, and seal off the relevant area streets according to the clues!"

"Within a radius of three miles, entry is allowed but exit is not! If you encounter evil people, kill them without mercy!"

"As you command!"

An atmosphere of murderous intent instantly enveloped the inside and outside of the Taimiao.

Under the cold moonlight, deep within the Imperial City, the silent, dormant power began to awaken.

…………

The sky gradually brightened, and the morning light slanted onto the roof.

"This is delicious, bring another plate!"

Inside the Rouyuan Post House, Li Yan and the others were eating.

They knew clearly that this postmaster was mostly responsible for monitoring them; once last night's incident broke out, it would be even harder to leave.

But no matter what, the food at the Rouyuan Post House was definitely tasty.

The celadon bowls were filled with thick stir-fried liver, the garlic-infused gravy coating the trembling pig liver and large intestines, steaming with salty and fresh mist;

The bamboo steamers were lined with golden chestnut flour buns, and the milk-white kidney bean rolls next to them revealed the dark patterns of red bean paste;

The crispy fried dough rings in the coarse pottery plates were dipped in sesame paste diluted with boiling water, and then paired with a spoonful of golden-red, translucent diced pickles...

Although simple, they all revealed a sense of refinement.

The group finished without sleeping, eating until the table was full of leftover plates.

"So fragrant, leave some for me..."

The door of the guest room creaked open, and it was Kuai Dayou, who had woken up, smelling the aroma and walking out while holding onto the wall.

This kid had a good physique; having just escaped danger, his appetite had already opened up.

He didn't stand on ceremony either, snatching the bean rolls from Sha Lifei's hand and stuffing them into his mouth along with the stir-fried liver.

Li Yan wasn't in a hurry; after wiping his hands with a towel, he waited while drinking hot tea.

When he was full and was clutching his wound and grimacing, Li Yan finally spoke, "What exactly is going on with the Rabbit Lord?"

Seeming to be in a good mood, Kuai Dayou was no longer in that hanging-dog attitude, picking his teeth with a bamboo toothpick and saying, "What else could it be? I owed someone a favor."

"I have a junior uncle whose young son fell ill, and it only got better after begging for a Rabbit Lord incense sachet to wear to ward off bad luck."

"The temple keeper asked me to refine hairy monkey Yin soldiers to protect the Dharma, and I agreed out of a moment of soft-heartedness. Who knew I would be entangled from then on..."

"The Rabbit Lord received incense from the common people and wanted to save the children, so I could only help..."

Li Yan said thoughtfully, "You don't know the situation inside?"

"I don't know."

Kuai Dayou shook his head, "I was only responsible for setting up the altar. Once inside, it was under the command of the Rabbit Lord. If I had known it would cause such trouble, how could I not have made any preparations?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "Who is the temple keeper of the Rabbit Lord?"

The Rabbit Lord is a folk god, and the incense in the capital is flourishing and very responsive.

It's one thing to save those wronged child spirits, but someone must have been in command to take action outside to save him.

"It's a wretched old man who calls himself 'Nameless'."

Kuai Dayou sucked his teeth and cursed, "He was also the one who asked me to refine the hairy monkeys. Damn it, he tricked me, I definitely won't let him off lightly!"

"'Nameless'..."

Li Yan frowned slightly, suddenly remembering that "Old Ghost of the Capital."

Just as he was about to continue questioning, Luo Mingzi suddenly rushed over and said in a deep voice, "There really is a problem."

"I heard that something happened at the Taimiao, and the Emperor is furious and has issued a decree to surround and kill Kong Hui and Zhao Qingxu with all his might."

"How could it be that simple!"

Sha Lifei curled his lips, "Those two are elusive; I'm afraid they can't even find the people."

Luo Mingzi shook his head hurriedly, "This time it's different. Their layout in the capital has been exposed. Several National Preceptors will take action to measure their position with the Mystic Sect's divination techniques. It's best for Brother Yan to go with me to summon the Yin Office troops to suppress and kill them."

Li Yan frowned slightly, "They have Dharma treasures; summoning Yin Office troops might not be able to catch them."

"Don't worry." Luo Mingzi looked outside.

"The three great masters of the capital are all going to take action. You can just happen to broaden your horizons."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up one after another.

…………

The Imperial decree exploded like thunder in the Forbidden City, but when it fell on the three places of quiet cultivation in the capital, it only stirred up ripples in the deep pool.

Outside the Imperial City, deep in a small alley in the southwest, a three-courtyard Sihe Academy had a low-key facade.

The mottled vermilion gate was inlaid with copper nails the size of a bowl.

A black wood plaque hung above the lintel, with the two characters "Stop Conflict" carved in intaglio.

The blue brick floor of the front courtyard was like a mirror, a half-withered ancient locust tree leaned against the old wall, and fish swam in a large vat below.

In the courtyard, a man was kneeling on the ground.

His figure was as sturdy as a reef, a ferocious anchor tattoo was tattooed on his neck, his cheekbones were high, and a slanted knife scar on his left forehead disappeared into his mottled temples.

If people from the Jianghu path in the capital saw this, they would definitely be shocked.

This person was none other than Luo Gongsheng, the leader of the Iron Anchor Society, one of the three major gangs in the capital.

But at this moment, this gang boss was kneeling on both knees, not daring to raise his head, holding a pitch-black broken anchor high with both hands, the anchor tip hanging upside down pointing at his own heart, and said hoarsely, "Master, the disciple has failed."

"Doing things in the capital is restricted everywhere, Wang She was a person arranged by the Prince Yan's butler..."

Halfway through, he hurriedly changed his words, "Of course, the disciple also has the responsibility of negligence."

And in the shadows under the eaves, a burly old man was sitting steadily in a grand master's chair, reading a book while drinking tea.

Although he was already old and white-haired, under his black short jacket, one could still see bronze-colored muscles, board ribs, and sinews, just like a temple statue.

Seeming to be engrossed in reading, he tapped the rosewood armrest with his fingertips.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

It seemed light, but the muffled sound was like a heavy hammer beating a drum.

The leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard fell rustlingly, reflecting the cold sweat on Luo Gongsheng's forehead, which crawled like a reptile.

The person above was none other than one of the ten great masters of the Divine Land, the president of the Great Xuan Divine Fist Society, Huo Yin!

(End of chapter)