Chapter 739: Breaking the Deadlock with Force

"Your Majesty."

Wenren Zheng walked into the study and bowed to the Emperor.

"Greetings, Grand Marshal."

Li Fei stood up and bowed to Wenren Zheng.

This was his first time seeing this "God of War" up close; he was tall, with deep-set features and brows like blades.

Li Fei's appearance often made people feel he was full of upright energy, looking like an honest man at first glance.

But compared to Wenren Zheng, Li Fei's "upright energy" seemed less substantial.

Anyone who saw Wenren Zheng for the first time would think he was absolutely a standard soldier:

Resolute! Upright! Valiant!

Wenren Zheng stood there like a towering sacred mountain, reaching straight to the firmament.

This "God of War" was also regarded as the "Wall of the Empire"; as long as he was not crushed, the Great Lan Dynasty would not be crushed!

"No need for formalities, sit."

The Emperor's attitude toward Wenren Zheng appeared more casual.

Although the Emperor's uncle, Qin Mingli, had once sought martial arts advice from Wenren Zheng and regarded him as a "half-master," in reality, Wenren Zheng was younger than Qin Mingli.

He and the Emperor were the same age; he was the Emperor's study companion in childhood, and the two grew up together.

Although it was destined that one would be a lonely man once sitting on that dragon chair, if one were to ask who was the most special person in the current Son of Heaven's heart, it was certainly Wenren Zheng.

The Emperor regarded him as his most trusted confidant and also as half a friend.

"Wenren, I called you here because I want you to take a look at Li Fei."

The Emperor did not hide it and spoke directly to Wenren Zheng, then signaled for Li Fei to inform the other party of his situation.

Thus, Li Fei repeated what he had previously told the Emperor.

Wenren Zheng listened expressionlessly; he first looked at the Emperor, who nodded, and then a pale golden light enveloped Li Fei.

In an instant, the sounds of thousands of troops fighting, the clashing of countless weapons, and the sound of limbs being severed rang in Li Fei's ears.

It was as if he were instantly placed on a battlefield of hundreds of thousands, with a strong, bloody stench rushing toward him!

But soon, all of this vanished as if it were a hallucination.

Li Fei no longer felt anything unusual.

A few minutes later, the pale golden light disappeared, and Wenren Zheng retracted his Martial Dao Domain.

He pondered for a moment and said to the Emperor:

"Your Majesty, I cannot solve this matter."

The Emperor was startled and frowned slightly: "Even you cannot solve it?"

Wenren Zheng explained with a serious expression: "Going into battle to kill the enemy is my strength; healing the sick and saving lives is not something I can do."

After speaking, he glanced at Li Fei: "If the Marquis of Jing'an is willing to abandon his current cultivation and start over, I can take action to help him destroy his Dao foundation, ensuring as much as possible that his roots are not harmed."

"Start over?"

The Emperor shook his head.

He did not know that Li Fei possessed the Ten Thousand Blood Pearl, so he did not think that Li Fei would be completely unaffected if he destroyed his Dao foundation to start over.

Currently, Li Fei was the number one Foundation Establishment realm cultivator in history; if he started over, it was possible he would be far inferior to his current state.

Although Li Fei was still young and had time to slowly start over, the Emperor might not have that much time to wait for another peerless talent to grow up.

"Let's not rush the matter of starting over; Wenren, thank you for your trouble."

The Emperor said to Wenren Zheng.

Wenren Zheng stood up and bowed to the Emperor: "I take my leave."

Li Fei also stood up to thank the Grand Marshal.

After Wenren Zheng left, the Emperor comforted Li Fei:

"Don't worry, tomorrow I will ask the Imperial Preceptor to take a look at you."

Xiang Yunshu had been in closed-door cultivation since returning from the Great Luo Sect, making up for his damaged Dao laws.

To help Li Fei solve his problem, the Emperor did not hesitate to disturb Xiang Yunshu, who was in closed-door cultivation!

In the room, the Third Imperial Prince was looking at a document in his hand while playing with a string of grapes carved from jade.

He was barefoot without shoes, with one foot stepped on the chair, sitting without any proper posture.

If anyone else struck this pose, there would be no elegance to speak of, yet when the Third Imperial Prince did it, it appeared dashing and unrestrained, making people feel that a person like him should have such a posture.

A woman named Xiaohua sat to the side, silently accompanying him.

"Interesting."

The Third Imperial Prince looked at the document in his hand repeatedly, a smile appearing on his face.

A qualified subordinate would certainly cooperate by asking a question at this time, but Xiaohua had no intention of speaking at all.

This was the way the two of them interacted.

If the Third Imperial Prince wanted to speak, she would listen quietly.

If he did not want to speak, she would only accompany him quietly.

"Li Fei returned to Lanling City this time with the Martial Dao Master Qin Zhen by his side. Previously, it was also Qin Zhen who went to Tianshui City to pick him up; why do you think that is?"

The Third Imperial Prince turned his head and asked.

Xiaohua replied without hesitation: "Because Li Fei is injured, and his injuries have not yet healed."

The Third Imperial Prince nodded: "I thought so too at first, but today, not long after Father Emperor summoned Li Fei into the palace, he also summoned Wenren Zheng."

Xiaohua: "Summoned the Grand Marshal?"

The Third Imperial Prince's peach-blossom-like eyes blinked:

"Father Emperor was having a heart-to-heart with Li Fei to build a relationship, so why suddenly summon the Grand Marshal of the Military? Li Fei previously returned to Wu'an University first, with the excuse that he had cultivation problems that needed the guidance of his teachers, and as a result, he brought Qin Zhen to Lanling City the next day. Father Emperor suddenly summoned Wenren Zheng again today... I'm afraid the injuries on Li Fei are not that simple."

"What kind of injury would require disturbing the Grand Marshal?"

Only when talking about these peak figures would Xiaohua reveal her curiosity.

The Third Imperial Prince smiled as he looked at her: "You are wrong; if he were really seriously injured, Father Emperor should have summoned those divine physicians in the Imperial Hospital, not Wenren Zheng. The 'God of War' is good at killing, not at saving lives."

"That's right."

Xiaohua blinked, realizing it, "Perhaps there are cultivation problems he wants to ask the Grand Marshal about?"

The Third Imperial Prince put down the jade grapes he was playing with and sat up straight:

"My intuition tells me that this Marquis of Jing'an is likely in big trouble!"

Late at night, Li Fei was staying in a detached courtyard in the Imperial City.

Although he could not use his internal force and extraordinary abilities now, he could hone his martial arts in the illusion woven by the Dream-Command Order, and he could also study techniques and the path of combining magic and martial arts, so he was still not idle and was concentrating on cultivation in his room.

Suddenly, there was movement outside the main gate.

"Li Fei, I have come to see you."

The Crown Prince's voice entered the room.

Li Fei slowly opened his eyes and stood up to walk out of the room.

"Hahaha, congratulations to you, the number one Foundation Establishment realm cultivator in history!"

As soon as they met, the Crown Prince laughed heartily and patted Li Fei's arm, like a good friend reunited after a long time.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Fei bowed as usual.

"Eh, no need for formalities."

The Crown Prince grabbed Li Fei's arm, "Come, come, come, quickly tell me how you killed that Martial Dao Master; I've been dying of curiosity!"

Li Fei and the Crown Prince walked into the main hall, and after sitting down, Li Fei began to give the Crown Prince a rough account of the situation inside the Tomb of Tianshui.

The content he spoke was similar to what he had said in the Imperial Study during the day, only omitting the part about finally merging with the Tianshui Soul Bone.

After listening to Li Fei's account, the Crown Prince was full of emotion:

"I originally thought Zhu Fenghua was already the limit of the Foundation Establishment realm; I didn't expect you to be able to raise your combat power even further. If you become a Martial Saint in the future, you will definitely have the chance to pull Lin Tianyi down from the throne of the world's number one!"

Li Fei said calmly: "The road must be walked one step at a time; I am still just a Foundation Establishment realm martial artist."

The Crown Prince looked at him: "I heard that Father Emperor summoned the Grand Marshal temporarily today; did you request to see the Grand Marshal?"

Li Fei was not surprised to hear this.

He knew that the Emperor and Wenren Zheng would likely not tell others about his situation, but the news of Wenren Zheng being summoned could not be hidden.

"Yes, I have some cultivation problems I wanted to ask the Grand Marshal about."

Li Fei replied.

The Crown Prince nodded upon hearing this and did not ask further.

After the two chatted for a few more sentences, the Crown Prince took the initiative to stand up and say goodbye.

"Li Fei."

Just as he was about to walk out of the courtyard gate, he suddenly turned to look at Li Fei.

"Your Highness?"

"If there is anything you need help with, remember to tell me."

"Many thanks, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince looked deeply at Li Fei and turned to leave.

Li Fei watched the other party's back and stood at the entrance for a while.

He had a premonition that the problem he had might not be hidden for much longer.

It would be a lie to say Li Fei was not disappointed when he heard Wenren Zheng say there was no way to solve his problem.

Even a Martial Saint could not solve his problem and could only suggest that he restart his cultivation.

Could True Monarch Yunshu definitely solve it?

Li Fei's mindset at this moment was actually somewhat pessimistic.

If True Monarch Yunshu could not solve his problem tomorrow either, then it seemed the only path left was to restart his cultivation.

Once that happened, the news certainly could not be kept hidden.

By then, the whole world would know that he, who had just been called the greatest Foundation Establishment realm cultivator in history, was ruined.

Even with a firm will and full confidence in himself, Li Fei could not help but be affected, his mood somewhat low.

He clenched his fists, stood in place for a while, then turned and returned to his room to continue his cultivation.

Under the night sky, this private residence was brightly lit all night long.

The next afternoon, Feng Cheng personally came to wait outside Li Fei's private residence.

"Marquis of Jing'an, His Majesty requests your presence."

Li Fei followed this imperial eunuch to the Imperial Study once again.

This time, besides the Emperor, Yunshu was also in the Imperial Study, wearing Daoist robes.

Yunshu did not look as aged as he had back at the Great Luo Sect, but he had not returned to his original appearance as a young Daoist either; he now looked to be about forty-something years old.

"Greetings, Your Majesty; greetings, Imperial Preceptor."

Li Fei performed the salutes in turn.

"Li Fei, come."

The Emperor beckoned to Li Fei, signaling for him to come directly over.

"I have specially invited the Imperial Preceptor to help you take a look."

"Many thanks, Your Majesty; sorry to trouble the Imperial Preceptor."

"Hmm."

Yunshu nodded at Li Fei, "Relax your mind and spirit; I will use the Analysis Dao Rule to examine your Dao foundation."

The Dao rule condensed by his natal magic treasure, the 'Luo Heaven Star Plate', was the Analysis Dao Rule, which could see through the essence of all things!

Conducting an investigation with such an ability could naturally discern everything.

Li Fei had previously considered that Yunshu might use the power of Dao rules to investigate—after all, this was something the Emperor had personally requested—so he had not brought the Dream-Like Order with him this time, leaving it in the private residence where he lived.

He followed Yunshu's request, relaxed his mind and spirit, and stood before him.

Clear light shone in Yunshu's eyes, and a grand aura that transcended all things descended upon Li Fei!

Li Fei had perceived this aura more than once; it was the aura of the Great Dao!

Soon, Li Fei had the sensation of being thoroughly seen through; from the inside out, he felt as if he were a piece of glazed glass exposed before Yunshu:

Flesh, bones, meridians, the four types of implants, the Heavenly Water Soul Bone, including the 【Phantom Leaf】 at the center of his brow.

Everything had nowhere to hide.

But the 'Blood Spring' within his dantian was not discovered.

"The Blood Spring is a product of the Ten Thousand Blood Bead; if the Blood Spring was not discovered, it means the Ten Thousand Blood Bead was not discovered either."

Li Fei's thoughts raced.

In fact, before coming, he had considered the issue that the Ten Thousand Blood Bead might be discovered by Yunshu.

The Ten Thousand Blood Bead was not a bead that existed in reality within Li Fei's body, but something bound to his soul.

Therefore, even if Yunshu really used the Analysis Dao Rule to discover the Ten Thousand Blood Bead, Li Fei was not worried that the other party would have any designs on it, because it simply could not be taken away.

Secondly, Li Fei had an inexplicable confidence in the Ten Thousand Blood Bead.

He felt that even a True Monarch like Yunshu might not be able to discover it!

Now, the facts confirmed his guess: Yunshu had not discovered the 'Blood Spring' in his body, let alone the Ten Thousand Blood Bead.

A few seconds later, the clear light in Yunshu's eyes vanished, and he withdrew the Dao rule.

He turned to look at the Emperor:

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Jing'an's problem cannot be solved by relying on pure power. To resolve the imbalance of the Dao foundation, there are only two paths."

Hearing this, Li Fei's spirits lifted.

"Which two paths?"

The Emperor asked.

"The first path: start from the Dao foundation itself, weakening the grade of the Heavenly Water Soul Bone, or strengthening the grade of the remaining four types of implants.

The former requires me to use the Dao rule to analyze it daily; it would take several years, and perhaps I could fundamentally weaken or even break this Heavenly Water Soul Bone.

The latter requires finding four other types of seventh-grade implants that can form a Dao foundation."

Yunshu said calmly.

The Emperor frowned immediately upon hearing this.

The Analysis Dao Rule could analyze the origin of all things; to a certain extent, as long as one was willing to spend the time and energy, Yunshu was almost omnipotent!

But how precious was the time of a True Monarch?

Not to mention that Yunshu still needed to spend a long time in seclusion to repair himself; even if he did not need to heal, would he spend several years doing nothing, consuming the power of the Dao rule every day specifically to analyze the Heavenly Water Soul Bone for Li Fei?

It would be more likely for Li Fei to be the Emperor!

As for finding four other seventh-grade implants, one could tell just by hearing it that this was also unlikely to be realized.

Even if the Emperor were willing to help Li Fei with all his might, the remaining seventh-grade exotic beasts in this world would likely not be enough to gather the four types of implants Li Fei needed.

After all, the composition of a Dao foundation was not that simple; it was not enough to just gather implants of the five attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

"What is the other path?"

The Emperor asked.

Yunshu: "The other path is to break the deadlock with external force."

The Emperor was puzzled: "If external force could break the deadlock, shouldn't you and Wenren Zheng be enough?"

Yunshu shook his head: "It is not the external force of others. Whether it is me or Grand Marshal Wenren, if we take action, we will only end up destroying the Marquis of Jing'an's Dao foundation along with it. This external force refers to the power within the Marquis of Jing'an's body other than martial arts."

Li Fei, standing to the side, had his eyes light up: "Does the Imperial Preceptor mean the power of sorcery?"

Yunshu turned to look at him: "Correct. A portion of the Heavenly Water Soul Bone has already merged into your Dao foundation. To exert influence on this part of the Heavenly Water Soul Bone without damaging your Dao foundation, one can only rely on the power of sorcery, and it must be your own power of sorcery."

Li Fei had a moment of realization.

In the situation where the Heavenly Water Soul Bone and his other four types of implants had merged, trying to use the power of martial arts to influence the Heavenly Water Soul Bone was like asking a person to lift themselves off the ground by pulling on their own hair.

No matter how strong one's own martial arts power was, this was impossible to achieve.

Therefore, one could only rely on external force, and it had to be external force that also came from oneself.

This power was different from the power of martial arts, yet it could merge with one's own martial arts power; only in this way could one exert influence on the Heavenly Water Soul Bone that had merged into the Dao foundation.

This immediately made Li Fei think of dual cultivation of sorcery and martial arts!

Dual cultivation of sorcery and martial arts was never simply practicing martial arts and sorcery at the same time, but rather being able to merge two completely different powers to form a positive influence on each other.

The 【Blood Might God】 that Li Fei created himself was the fusion of mind-spirit power and sorcery power; this was a manifestation of dual cultivation of sorcery and martial arts.

Now, the advice Yunshu gave Li Fei was to have him find a way to merge his sorcery power into his Dao foundation, thereby influencing the Heavenly Water Soul Bone within the Dao foundation.

This kind of thing could only be done by Li Fei himself, because mind-spirit power and virtual thoughts were two sides of the same coin of a person's mental consciousness; only mind-spirit power and virtual thoughts from the same person could merge with each other, and only the martial arts and sorcery of the same person could merge with each other.

This was what Yunshu meant by breaking the deadlock with force!

This 'force' could not come from the outside world; it could only come from Li Fei himself.

"Please, Imperial Preceptor, give me your guidance."

Li Fei said hurriedly.

"It seems you have already thought of it; this is precisely the path you are pursuing: dual cultivation of sorcery and martial arts."

Yunshu said to Li Fei, "Your sorcery cultivation has already reached the Possession stage, but wanting to use power of this level to influence a seventh-grade Heavenly Water Soul Bone is still beyond your reach."

Li Fei was startled: "Does this mean I must first break through my sorcery cultivation to the True Spirit realm?"

Yunshu: "In the fusion of dual cultivation of sorcery and martial arts, the greater the difference in level between martial arts and sorcery, the greater the difficulty of fusion. If you first break through your sorcery cultivation to the True Spirit realm and then turn back to use the power of sorcery to merge into your Dao foundation, the difficulty will be extremely high. Moreover, the difficulty of wanting to break through your martial arts realm afterward will also be extremely high."

Li Fei was stunned.

He immediately thought of Zhu Fenghua.

Zhu Fenghua could have broken through his realm years ago, whether it was his martial arts breaking through to the Master realm or his sorcery breaking through to the True Spirit realm. As long as he wanted to, he could have broken through at any time.

But Zhu Fenghua had always suppressed his realm and not broken through, precisely because once he chose one path to break through, the difficulty of breaking through the remaining path would increase by a great deal.

And wanting to perform dual cultivation of sorcery and martial arts afterward, merging the two powers together perfectly, would also become extremely difficult!

Lin Tianyi took in seven disciples; among the six senior brothers and sisters before Zhu Fenghua, five of them were stuck at this step, wasting decades without being able to cross this hurdle.

That was why Zhu Fenghua wanted to 'ascend to the heavens in one step', breaking through the realms of martial arts and sorcery simultaneously.

But the final result was that Zhu Fenghua was forced to break through his realm; in the end, he still failed to achieve 'ascending to the heavens in one step'.

As for Li Fei, his Dao foundation now had a problem, his martial arts could not break through, and he had even less of a chance to 'ascend to the heavens in one step'.

"The first key node of dual cultivation of sorcery and martial arts is the Foundation Establishment stage, the step of the Possession stage. Next, you break through one of them first; even if you cannot break through the other, you can at least choose to give up and focus on just one path."

Yunshu said to Li Fei, "Your talent is manifested more in martial arts. If, in order to solve your martial arts problem, you end up breaking through your sorcery realm first, then in the future, I fear you will have no chance to regret it and can only choose to focus on the path of sorcery."

This was the point he wanted to remind Li Fei of.

If one broke through the sorcery realm first, it could potentially cause one's martial arts cultivation to remain at the Foundation Establishment stage forever!

"Not to mention that wanting to break through to the True Spirit realm in sorcery is also not low in difficulty. Even if you really break through, your martial arts might also stagnate from then on. In this way, it is actually putting the cart before the horse. Therefore, my advice to you is the same as the Grand Marshal's."

Yunshu looked at Li Fei, saying each word clearly:

"Destroy the Dao foundation and restart your cultivation."

(End of chapter)