Chapter 140: Purple Qi

Chen Yuyun.

The illegitimate son of the Emperor of Chen.

He is the one who stole his own destiny.

Li Guanyi's expression was calm, suppressing the restlessness of his essence, qi, and spirit; he and Ye Buyi, Zhou Liu, and others had seen the palace guards escorting a man approaching—this boy, about fourteen or fifteen, had clear, refined features, slender long eyebrows, large eyes, and sharply defined cheekbones.

He seemed to carry a majestic, sharp aura.

The boy immediately noticed Li Guanyi, asked those around him, then learned the identity of the Gold Guard, and immediately strode forward; the palace guards' armor was dark brown, plain in hue, incomparable to the opulent grandeur of the Gold Guard.

He smiled, and when he did, a small patch of gray-white appeared in the pupil of his right eye.

"The hero of the Gold Guard."

"Young and fiery, yet causing His Majesty no small amount of trouble."

His second sentence carried a sharp edge; he extended his hand as if to shake Li Guanyi's, smiling: "I hear you also intend to participate in the martial contest—looks like you plan to bring glory to our Chen state."

Warriors often shake hands to test strength; Li Guanyi lifted his gaze and extended his hand coldly.

Indeed, Chen Yuyun's hand instantly unleashed tremendous force, aiming to humiliate the Gold Guard—but suddenly he realized his power surged into the boy's body like a mud ox sinking into the sea, meeting no response whatsoever.

The next instant, a vast force erupted.

Chen Yuyun's face froze; his body was thrown off balance.

Li Guanyi raised his foot and delivered a direct kick to Chen Yuyun's side waist.

Armor clanged; Chen Yuyun's body twisted midair, avoiding most of the kick's force—such movement and transformation was clearly not military Wu Gong, but unmistakably a martial arts masterpiece of the Jianghu; Chen Yuyun smiled faintly: "So, the hero of the Gold Guard is only this…?"

Crack!!

The crisp sound froze the smiles on the guards' faces.

Zhou Liu nearly cursed, then burst into loud laughter; Chen Yuyun's body was light and agile, slightly lifted—Li Guanyi raised his right hand, swung it back, and smashed a massive open-palm strike directly onto Chen Yuyun's face.

The explosive power of Dragon Tendons and Tiger Marrow reached its absolute limit.

One could almost see Chen Yuyun's body sway in midair before crashing into the nearby rockery; in the sudden silence, Chen Yuyun, who had just appeared calm and composed, crawled out from the shattered stones, his helmet fallen to the ground, face flushed crimson, eyes blazing with fire.

This slap did not cause great physical damage.

But for a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy, its psychological destruction was explosive.

Especially since Zhou Liu was laughing heartily in perfect accompaniment.

Chen Yuyun's expression twisted slightly; he gripped his sword and bit out: "I'll kill you!" The palace guards stepped forward in unison; Zhou Liu and Ye Buyi simultaneously drew their weapons; both sides advanced, as if ready to clash at any moment.

Li Guanyi lowered his gaze; he sensed a shift in qi.

The bronze tripod was violently humming.

From Chen Yuyun's body came a peculiar resonance, and then pure destiny flowed like water toward Li Guanyi—without hesitation, without any technique or method, destiny itself behaved as if it were meant to do so.

It was meant to surge into Li Guanyi's body.

The bronze tripod hummed, naturally absorbing this destiny from Chen Yuyun, vast and boundless; Li Guanyi lowered his gaze—he seemed to understand what was happening—

Destiny… is flowing backward?!

Li Guanyi activated the Qi-Seeing Technique.

The aura of an emperor is known as the noble blue of human Dao, favored by Heaven; yet now, Chen Yuyun's destiny—a vast expanse of pure blue, brilliant and boundless like the clear sky—contained within it a single point of pure purple, like the sun blazing overhead.

Blue-purple qi—the noblest of human destiny.

It seemed that over these years, though Emperor Chen had never publicly acknowledged Chen Yuyun, he had granted him immense support; had Li Guanyi not possessed the Qi-Seeing Technique passed down by Master Siming and the aid of the bronze tripod's qi, he might never have perceived that single, transcendent streak of purple within the pure blue destiny.

And now, as Chen Yuyun drew near to Li Guanyi—

This destiny, already vast and supremely prosperous, suddenly trembled, then—as if a basin met a tripod—the water it held naturally drained downward, ultimately returning to the tripod.

The pattern was thus.

This vast destiny surged toward him; Li Guanyi's bronze tripod absorbed and expelled it like a river—pure blue noble qi converged and was entirely swallowed; Chen Yuyun stared fixedly at Li Guanyi, wondering why, before meeting this young Gold Guard, he had intended to maintain good relations with him.

He was destined to become a Great Emperor!

He would be the wise and enlightened sovereign who ushered in a great golden age.

But upon seeing Li Guanyi, a feeling of dread and fury arose within him; and when that dread reached its peak, it transformed into a primal, overwhelming instinct to make this man vanish utterly.

Under such nearly instinctual emotion—

All his years of experience, admonitions, and teachings vanished like smoke.

His bloodshot eyes fixed on the boy; then a faint voice came: "Stop."

Chen Yuyun's body froze instantly; he gasped for breath, his anger suppressed; he sheathed his sword and turned to bow: "Teacher…" Li Guanyi's hand left his weapon, watching the newcomer.

Dressed in plain cloth, yet his bearing was noble, radiating inherent dignity.

He appeared to be only in his forties, walking calmly; a mountain-like aura steadily pressed forward; Li Guanyi felt an unmistakable aura of power—the suppression of a supreme martial master.

Ye Buyi said: "The Sixth Grandmaster of the world."

"Master of All Weapons, Qu Zai Shi."

The Sixth Grandmaster...

Li Guanyi recalled the words of Chen Chengbi:

"What realm is he?"

Ye Buyi said: "The pinnacle of the world—he can wield any divine weapon. His exact realm is known only to those of his level. Rumor says he has reached the ultimate mastery of all weapons: holding a sword makes him the supreme swordsman; gripping a halberd makes him the peerless general."

Qu Zai Shi regarded the palm print on his disciple's face, then looked at Li Guanyi:

"What a temper."

Zhou Liu said: "You can't count it that way—this brat provoked us first."

"So, the disciple of a Grandmaster can ignore reason?"

Qu Zai Shi nodded: "Well said."

"But the disciple of a Grandmaster can ignore reason!"

He suddenly stepped forward, his aura surging into a vast sea, about to crash down—Li Guanyi gripped his sword, and just as the master was about to strike, a loud laugh rang out; it began near the palace gate, Zhu Que Gate, but by the next words, it came from a hundred meters away.

The man seemed to have crossed the entire palace in an instant.

"Hahaha, Qu Qu Zai Shi, you old bastard, you've finally shown up!"

"What kind of thing is it to bully children?"

Qu Qu Zai Shi's hand was nearly upon Li Guanyi and the others when another hand clamped down on it—Chen Chengbi, dressed as a martial artist, stood behind Li Guanyi and Ye Buyi, excitedly saying: "I've been waiting for you a long time, hahaha! You're here—are you itching for a fight?"

He winked at Li Guanyi, then turned to Qu Qu Zai Shi with boldness.

"Forget these kids—I'll keep you company!"

"Come, taste my technique—Kunlun Palm: White Serpent's Roaring Wave of the Snowfield!"

Chen Chengbi's figure surged forward in an instant, palm descending, qi swirling like tidal waves—clearly the same qi transformation he'd mentioned while idly chatting with Li Guanyi by the water, now capturing three or five tenths of the surging wave's essence.

Qu Qu Zai Shi frowned and said: "Chen Chengbi."

"I have no interest in playing with you."

Chen Chengbi roared with laughter: "You have no interest? I do!"

He launched his attack—Qu Qu Zai Shi was a master, but this old man had been a famed prodigy of the Imperial Guard Estate in his youth, with nearly a century of pure Yang Virgin Boy Cultivation—he could not be underestimated. Qu Qu Zai Shi shifted his body, and in an instant, their figures vanished from everyone's sight.

Only from a distant horizon came a series of muffled thunderclaps.

Accompanied by Chen Chengbi's booming laughter and Qu Qu Zai Shi's cold voice.

"If you want to fight, then I'll play along!"

Immediately, violent tremors nearly whipped up a gale, sweeping clean all clouds from the heavens; they fought as they moved, vanishing into unknown distances. Zhou Liu watched the sky's turmoil and gasped: "I knew Tianxia Sect masters were powerful, but not this much..."

"Yet, Old Master Chen is always joking and laughing."

"Is he really this strong?"

Zhou Liu couldn't help but envy him: "Next time I'll bring him some fine wine—could he teach me even a little?"

"Just two or three moves of this Martial Path Realm would be enough for me."

Ye Buyi felt the same envy, yet remained calm, first saying:

"Among the world's supreme masters, there are barely a handful. Old Master Chen was a regular on the Famous Heroes List since youth, but later returned to the palace and left the martial world—how strong his Wu Gong truly is, who knows?"

"Though he's certainly not as strong as the top five masters led by the Sword Madman, compared to this sixth master, even if inferior, he won't fall quickly."

"But this is because Old Master Chen has peerless talent, trains daily, and maintains his pure Yang body unbroken."

"How many people in the world can possess such Wu Gong?"

"Even their Wu Gong, facing an army led by a General on the Divine General List, is helpless—only the great war formations are the core of this age. Top martial artists come and go freely, yet cannot stop a hundred thousand troops!"

Zhou Liu's envy slowly faded; he scratched his head and said:

"If I never marry, never have children..."

"My father will really beat me to death."

"Forget it, forget it—Wu Gong is too hard to master. I'll study the Military School's ways." Ye Buyi soothed his friend's mood, then noticed Li Guanyi and Chen Yuyun over there; Chen Yuyun had calmed down—he didn't know why, but facing Li Guanyi, he always lost his composure.

He said coldly: "Fine, Li Guanyi—you'll also participate in the Great Sacrifice's duel."

"We'll settle it then!"

They left. Li Guanyi's gaze was cold. At that moment, the bronze ding violently rang out—he reached out, then withdrew his hand; within the bronze ding, qi-destiny flowed like Jianghe.

Li Guanyi stared at Chen Yuyun over there.

Chen Yuyun's qi-destiny had flowed to Li Guanyi, yet he stood within the imperial palace.

His head's qi-destiny had begun to recover again.

It seemed he drew replenishment from the Chen royal house—after all, a nation's realm spans ten thousand li, its qi-destiny vast, not easily diminished.

For a great nation that had just seized three hundred li of the Western Regions, its qi-destiny blooming like brocade, even a tiny fraction was already mighty. And now, this change in qi-destiny stemmed from Emperor Chen stealing Li Guanyi's fate-destiny—this cause and effect, this sip and swallow, was truly wondrous.

Li Guanyi lowered his gaze, seeing the qi-destiny within the bronze ding.

Completely full.

Li Guanyi pondered—Chen Yuyun, by stealing his qi-destiny, had formed some bond with him, like water in a dish, ultimately destined to return to the ding. He exhaled, his expression still calm, bid farewell to the others, and returned to the Archives Chamber.

Chen Yuyun removed his armor and returned to his residence.

Qu Qu Zai Shi soon returned; this sixth master of the Tianxia Sect still carried his dignified bearing, his expression placid—the battle that had shaken the heavens clearly left him unharmed. Seeing Chen Yuyun, he merely said: "Why were you so uncontrolled just now?"

Chen Yuyun gritted his teeth.

"I don't know—I just feel uneasy and agitated whenever I see him."

Qu Qu Zai Shi said: "You are the Son of Heaven's son—you are the future Son of Heaven."

"Your father used peerless treasures to summon me to guide you, yet you cannot even control your own breath—if so, before the Great Sacrifice, you will never reach the Heavy Realm. The Sword Saint's grandson will surely break you!"

Chen Yuyun exhaled. "Fine..."

He calmed himself: "Good. I am the Son of Heaven's chosen—I must win."

He clutched the jade gem to his chest, reinforcing himself:

"I am born with Qisha seated in my fate."

"My father sought for me the highest rank in the Ziwei Dou Shu fortune chart—the supreme combination: Ziwei and Tianfu in the same palace, merging into Zifu, surrounded by Wenqu, Wenchang, Zuofu, and Youbi as assistants."

"Zifu in unison, wealth of ten thousand bushels; Qisha seated in fate, commanding military power!"

"I was born to be rich and noble!"

Qu Qu Zai Shi said: "But your fate chart holds one more thing."

He spoke slowly, word by word:

"Your fate carries a Sha. Unless you transform the 【Sha】 into 【Quan】, your fate will shatter."

Chen Yuyun said: "I will not lose!"

He declared: "I will become the new Emperor!"

Chen Yuyun gripped his sword and said:

"The world is vast; my vision will not be confined to Jiangzhou in this Chen state. Beyond Chen, there lies a vast martial world—with the Western Regions, the heroic lands beyond the passes, the Turkic steppes, the Central Plains of the Ying state, and above all, the Middle State, the nominal sovereign of all under heaven!"

"Li Guanyi is merely a stepping stone for me!"

"When I ascend to the Supreme Throne, who will even remember who he was?"

"I will become the greatest under heaven, surpassing all others, becoming the son my father can be proud of. I will sit upon the Emperor's throne and etch my name into history. I have heard the Xue family has a granddaughter, born with an exalted destiny, destined to marry a hero of the world, noble beyond measure."

"She will be one of my wives!"

Chen Yuyun's eyes burned with ambition.

Qu Zai Shi did not particularly like this nominal disciple.

Every extraordinary stroke of fortune Chen Yuyun had experienced was arranged by the Emperor, and this Sixth Grandmaster could see in his eyes a suppressed, almost mad possessiveness—as if, having lost everything, he craved to possess all things. Yet he knew that even if Chen Yuyun became Emperor, he could never marry into the Xue family.

The Emperor sought to be remembered in history as a sage monarch.

His wife must be from the Xue family; his descendants must also marry into the Xue family.

This would leave a stain—even the faintest—and he would erase it clean.

Qu Zai Shi looked at Chen Yuyun with disdain.

This boy was like a man consumed by desire—greedy, fiercely possessive, and profoundly insecure; more like a thief raised in a stifling environment, his nature warped, than a true Imperial Prince.

All Tianxia Sect Masters were proud by nature, and Qu Zai Shi did not accept this man.

He was unworthy to be my disciple; teaching him Wu Gong was merely a transaction.

Yan Xuanji, Chen Yuyun suddenly burst into joy: "Hm?!"

"My fortune has stirred!"

"Since ancient times, fortune flows like water; when it moves, great opportunity arises. Master, for this grand sacrifice, I shall lead."

Within the Juan Sect's Jinwu Guard chamber.

Li Guanyi's spirit struck the bronze tripod, its interior brimming with fortune.

Purest azure.

And within that pure azure,

at last, a thread of the most exalted purple emerged.

Li Guanyi lightly tapped the vessel, thought for a moment, then tilted the bronze tripod slightly—the fortune poured down, a vast purple aura carrying something indescribable, ethereal and shifting, supremely noble—

As the purple aura of fortune entered Li Guanyi's body,

his normally stable Six Void Four Union Divine Art suddenly trembled.

It underwent a massive transformation, just as the day he had thrown Hou Zhongyu's scroll into the flames and revealed its true form—now, the Six Void Four Union Divine Art within him began a new path of circulation.

In that instant, Li Guanyi immediately recognized what it was.

Imperial Purple Qi!

The Six Void Four Union Divine Art had reacted.

Was this the Chen state's true Imperial Art?!

Fuck, Grandpa, what the hell did you pass on to me?!

Aren't you afraid your father will kick open his coffin lid and climb out?

Li Guanyi's scalp prickled as the art within him merged directly with the purple qi.

Ding ding ding.

The window was tapped; Chen Chengbi's cheerful voice came through:

"Kid, what are you doing?"

"Hm?!!!"