Chapter 99: Secret News Emerges

The Azure Luan soared through the sky, the Imperial City in sight.

The closer one got to the center of the Imperial City, the more vast and majestic the Imperial Dragon Qi that suppressed the eight wildernesses and ruled over all spirits became, permeating the air like a substance, making one feel awe, and even the circulation of spiritual power was faintly suppressed. Below were endless, magnificent palace complexes, with flying eaves and arched beams, all showcasing the prosperity and majesty of the Tianyuan Imperial Dynasty. The patrolling guards had bright armor and strict discipline, their auras fierce.

Under Wang Gang's guidance, Saintess Yun Yao landed on the huge square in the outer court area of the Imperial City. Palace attendants were already waiting there. Lin Xuan stepped down from the Luan's back, and Saintess Yun Yao shrank her size again, landing back on his shoulder, her blue-gold eyes curiously examining this core place of human power.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, please follow me; the Imperial Lord is waiting in the 'Nurturing Heart Hall'." Wang Gang said solemnly, leading Lin Xuan through layer after layer of heavily guarded palace gates and long corridors.

Along the way, the formations and restrictions were layered, and it was unknown how many experts were hidden in the dark. Lin Xuan swept his spiritual sense slightly and could sense no fewer than ten Late-Stage Soul Formation or even peak auras, and in several places, the auras were as obscure as an abyss—they must be Spirit Transformation cultivators sitting in town!

"The foundation of the Imperial Dynasty is truly unfathomable." Lin Xuan felt a secret chill in his heart, becoming even more cautious.

The Nurturing Heart Hall was not the main hall for morning court, but a relatively quiet palace, with an elegant environment, often used by the Emperor to summon close ministers or handle confidential official business.

The palace door opened, Wang Gang stopped outside the door, bowed and said: "Imperial Lord, Lin Xuan has been brought."

"Come in." A peaceful yet supremely majestic voice came from inside the hall.

Lin Xuan tidied his robes and stepped inside.

The light in the hall was soft, and dragon saliva incense that calmed the heart and spirit was burning. The furnishings were simple and atmospheric, without too much luxury. A middle-aged man wearing bright yellow casual clothes, wearing a jade crown, looking about forty years old, with sun, moon, and stars seemingly flowing in his eyes when he opened and closed them, was standing with his hands behind his back in front of a huge map of the country.

His aura was restrained, as if he had merged with the luck of the entire Imperial Dynasty, and standing there, he was like the center of this world. It was the current Lord of the Tianyuan Imperial Dynasty—Huangfu Tianji!

Beside him stood an old eunuch with a hairless face, deep eyes, and an aura as silent as an ancient well. Lin Xuan could not see through his cultivation at all; he was definitely an existence above the Spirit Transformation stage!

"Junior Lin Xuan, pays respects to the Imperial Lord." Lin Xuan cupped his hands and performed a standard flat salute between cultivators, neither humble nor arrogant.

Huangfu Tianji turned slowly, his gaze falling on Lin Xuan. That gaze seemed to be able to penetrate all disguises and reach the origin. Lin Xuan immediately felt an invisible pressure shroud his whole body, as if the weight of the entire Imperial Dynasty was pressing down, wanting to make him bend his knees and submit.

But the Chaos Dao Seed in his dantian vibrated slightly, and a misty Dao rhyme originating from the beginning of the primordial chaos, transcending all Daos, flowed naturally, quietly dissolving the magnificent Imperial Dao pressure into the invisible. He stood straight, looking calmly at Huangfu Tianji.

"Hmm?" A trace of imperceptible surprise flashed in Huangfu Tianji's eyes, which then turned into appreciation. "Truly a hero among the young. I have heard your name for a long time, and seeing you today, it is even better than the reputation. No need for formalities, sit."

He pointed to the sandalwood chair beside him.

"Thank you, Imperial Lord." Lin Xuan sat down calmly. Saintess Yun Yao on his shoulder also stood quietly, not showing the slightest fear because of being in the Imperial Palace.

"This Azure Luan of yours is not bad." Huangfu Tianji glanced at Saintess Yun Yao, seemingly seeing through her past injuries and current state. "Those people in the Star Palace are becoming more and more out of bounds in their actions."

Lin Xuan's heart moved; the Imperial Lord indeed knew about the Star Palace and the Azure Luan.

"It was just a coincidence that I saved her," Lin Xuan said lightly.

Huangfu Tianji smiled slightly, no longer dwelling on this, and asked instead: "Lin Xuan, do you know why I summoned you here today?"

"Junior does not know, please enlighten me, Imperial Lord." Lin Xuan said.

"First, it is because you defeated Ye Chen on the Dao Discussion Platform, raising the prestige of our Imperial Dynasty's younger generation." Huangfu Tianji's tone was peaceful. "That child Ye Chen is arrogant and proud; suffering some setbacks is a good thing. It is not easy for you to reach this point as a loose cultivator; I am very pleased."

"Imperial Lord is over-praising; Junior was just lucky," Lin Xuan said modestly, but he knew in his heart that this was definitely not the main purpose.

"Second," Huangfu Tianji's tone changed, his gaze becoming deep, "it is about your 'Dao', and... the 'variable' you brought."

Lin Xuan's heart tightened, knowing the main topic had arrived.

"The Chaos Dao is rare since ancient times, holding the power of life and death, evolving all things. Ancient books record that the last time the Chaos orthodoxy appeared in the world was before the distant 'Heaven-Cutting Era'." Huangfu Tianji said slowly, his words shocking. "And the appearance of every Chaos successor means the opening of a huge era of change; it is a catastrophe, and also a rebirth. You are the 'variable' of this era."

Lin Xuan listened silently; this information vaguely coincided with his previous guesses.

"Does the Imperial Lord know of the 'Primordial Dao Ancestor'?" Lin Xuan asked tentatively.

A flash of light appeared in Huangfu Tianji's eyes: "Naturally I know. Primordial Dao Ancestor was the last brilliant Chaos Dao achiever at the end of the Heaven-Cutting Era, and also... one of our human sages. Unfortunately, in the final battle, the Dao Ancestor's whereabouts became a mystery, and his orthodoxy was cut off with it. Since you can inherit Chaos, you must have a deep connection with the Dao Ancestor."

He paused and continued: "Do you know why the Star Palace wants to attack the Azure Luan? And why they are so concerned about you, a Chaos successor?"

"Please enlighten me, Imperial Lord."

"Because of the 'Star Tower' and the 'Abyss of Ruins'." Huangfu Tianji's voice lowered a bit. "The Star Palace has guarded the 'Star Tower' for generations. It is rumored that this tower is related to the stability of the star core of this realm, connecting the stars of the heavens. And the 'Abyss of Ruins' is the magic abyss left over after the ancient Heaven-Cutting War, sealing great terror inside, and its magic energy can corrode the foundation of the Star Tower. In the past thousand years, the Abyss of Ruins has moved frequently, the Star Tower is unstable, and the Star Palace is exhausted for this. Seizing the Azure Luan's origin might be one of their extreme means to try to stabilize the Star Tower."

"And the Chaos Dao, because of its characteristics, might have the ability to restrain or even purify the magic energy of the Abyss of Ruins. This is the reason why the Star Palace and some other factions are so concerned about you. Whether they want to use you, or... fear you."

Lin Xuan's heart suddenly opened up! So that was it! The Star Palace hunting the Azure Luan and paying attention to him, the root cause all pointed to that mysterious "Abyss of Ruins"!

"The Imperial Lord told Junior these secrets, I wonder..." Lin Xuan looked at Huangfu Tianji.

"I told you these things because I hope you understand the whirlpool you are in." Huangfu Tianji's gaze was like a torch. "The Imperial Dynasty needs stability. Whether it is the Star Palace, the Abyss of Ruins, or other black hands in the dark, none of them want the Imperial Dynasty to fall into turmoil. As a variable, if you can stand on the side of the Imperial Dynasty, it is naturally a good thing. But if you act too cruelly and bring about uncontrollable consequences, I cannot sit idly by."

In his words, there was both an intention to recruit and a warning.

"Junior acts according to my own principles. If people don't offend me, I won't offend them." Lin Xuan responded calmly. "As for the Imperial Dynasty, as long as it doesn't touch Junior's bottom line, Junior is also willing to maintain the order here."

He did not explicitly agree to defect, but he also indicated that he would not actively become an enemy of the Imperial Dynasty.

Huangfu Tianji looked at Lin Xuan deeply, knowing that this child had a firm will and was by no means someone who could be easily controlled. He nodded: "That is good. I see you today, one is to tell you these secrets so you know what is going on; second, there is one thing, perhaps we can cooperate."

"What thing?"

"Three months later, at Star-Falling Lake in the northern suburbs, the 'Star-Gazing Platform' on the outskirts of the Starfall Mystical Realm will appear." Huangfu Tianji said something shocking, directly pointing out one of Lin Xuan's biggest secrets!

Lin Xuan's pupils shrank, but his face remained calm: "The Imperial Lord is well-informed."

"The Imperial Dynasty has stood for ten thousand years and has its own foundation." Huangfu Tianji said lightly. "The Star-Gazing Platform is a holy place for observing stars and deducing heavenly secrets in ancient times, and there may be clues about how to deal with the Abyss of Ruins left inside. I want to send someone to go with you to explore this secret, are you willing?"

Lin Xuan's thoughts turned. Cooperation with the Imperial Family had advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that he could use the power of the Imperial Family to deal with the obstruction of the Star Palace or other factions that might appear; the disadvantage was that his actions would be constrained, and secrets might be shared.

But since the Imperial Lord had already pointed it out, if he refused flatly, he feared it would cause a rift.

"Yes." Lin Xuan pondered for a moment and agreed. "However, how to act must be led by me. The information obtained can be shared with the Imperial Dynasty, but if it involves the secret of Chaos inheritance, I am afraid Junior cannot disclose it."

"Yes." Huangfu Tianji agreed readily. "At that time, I will send the Third Imperial Prince Huangfu Hao to go with you. He is familiar with all the factions in the Imperial Capital and can also represent the Imperial Family. You can discuss the specific details yourselves."

Let Huangfu Hao go with him? Lin Xuan understood in his heart that this was cooperation, but also a kind of supervision.

"Junior obeys the decree."

After talking for a while and asking some questions about Lin Xuan's cultivation and his views on the Imperial Capital, Huangfu Tianji signaled that Lin Xuan could withdraw.

Leaving the Nurturing Heart Hall and walking out of the Imperial City under Wang Gang's escort, Lin Xuan looked back at the majestic palace walls, his heart surging.

The Imperial Lord's words solved many of his doubts, but also brought greater pressure. The Abyss of Ruins, the Star Tower, the Heaven-Cutting War, the mission of the Chaos successor... a more magnificent yet more dangerous picture was slowly unfolding before him.

And this cooperation with the Imperial Family, whether it was a blessing or a curse, was still unknown.

"Three months, Star-Gazing Platform..." Lin Xuan took a deep breath, his eyes becoming incomparably firm.

No matter what the road ahead was, he only had to hold the sword in his hand tightly and, relying on the Chaos Dao, slash out a path to the sky that belonged to him!

He stepped onto Saintess Yun Yao's back, the Azure Luan let out a long cry, carrying him into a blue rainbow, and disappeared into the sky above the Imperial City.

Inside the Nurturing Heart Hall, Huangfu Tianji stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the direction Lin Xuan left, and said to the old eunuch beside him: "Wei Ban, what do you think of this child?"

The old eunuch Eunuch Wei's voice was sharp but steady: "Unfathomable, a variable without a doubt. The ancient purity of his Dao rhyme is something this old slave has only seen once in his life. If he can be used by Your Majesty, it is the fortune of the Imperial Dynasty; if not... I fear he will become a great disaster."

Huangfu Tianji's gaze was deep: "Whether it is a great disaster or not, it still needs to be observed. Pass down the order: for Lin Xuan, prioritize winning over and appeasing, and temporarily slow down all hostile actions. Also, let Hao'er prepare well; this trip to Star-Falling Lake is also a fortune and a test for him."

"This old slave obeys the decree."

Deep in the Imperial City, the undercurrents remained, only because of Lin Xuan's arrival, the flow had quietly changed. ===== CHAPTER 100 =====