Chapter 351: 357. Chapter 357 Shackles

357. Chapter 357 Shackles

Going to the capital was already in Lin Ke's itinerary.

It's only because of the Hunyuan Sect and his master Li Shuwen that this schedule was moved up.

The capital, at the emperor's feet, a land of utmost goodness, where outstanding talents and extraordinary scholars abound.

As he neared the capital, Lin Ke ceased using instant travel to rush.

Instead, he rented a car, hired a driver, and drove leisurely toward the capital.

Leisurely and carefree, like a tourist wandering around.

After arriving in the capital, Lin Ke spent two days wandering around to familiarize himself with the terrain.

Prepared for any eventuality, should he encounter any trouble or any person leading to a fight, he would know which way to go.

Lin Ke was not arrogant; he did not consider himself invincible now, so he naturally needed to be more cautious.

After making the necessary preparations, and through some intelligence channels confirming the Inner Guard Superintendent's private residence, Lin Ke began his action.

The night was dark and windy, without stars or moon.

Clad in black night attire, Lin Ke moved through the shadows, sneaking all the way to the Inner Guard Superintendent's private residence.

It was a one-courtyard siheyuan, not dilapidated but somewhat aged.

It was not the style of understated luxury, but rather genuine simplicity.

This was quite inconsistent with the Inner Guard Superintendent's status and the rumors of his lavish spending.

But this was indeed the Inner Guard Superintendent's private residence.

It was the kind of place he actually lived in, not for show, nor a smokescreen.

"Friend, if you come uninvited, you are a hostile guest."

Just as he climbed over the wall and entered, the disturbance Lin Ke made was noticed by the Inner Guard Superintendent.

Of course, Lin Ke did this on purpose; he wanted the other party to notice.

"Superintendent, if not for this, I couldn't see you."

Lin Ke stepped out of the shadows and walked openly toward the main hall.

At that moment, the Superintendent also dressed and went out.

The two met in the courtyard.

"This friend looks somewhat familiar."

The Superintendent's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone sinister, and his whole body emanated a chilling aura.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly changed, like an ice cellar, making one's hair stand on end.

"Superintendent, you're joking; we have never met."

Lin Ke was utterly unaffected, calmly replying in one sentence.

"Oh!!! This marquis has remembered."

The Superintendent then drew out his tone, truly recalling where he had seen Lin Ke's figure: "You are the eighth disciple of Li Shuwen, Lin Ke."

Saying this, the Superintendent laughed: "You came to see me late at night, wanting to do something for Li Shuwen, to lift the siege of the Hunyuan Sect?"

"The Superintendent possesses great wisdom."

Lin Ke did not conceal his purpose.

"Hehe..."

The Superintendent gave two cold chuckles, then said nothing more.

This meaning was quite clear.

He wanted to hear what kind of confidence Lin Ke had to dare come find him.

"I have a secret art that can reconnect limbs, with function no different."

Lin Ke also did not beat around the bush, directly offering a condition that no eunuch could refuse.

Think of the sword rain in the martial world: the Turning Wheel King possessed formidable martial power and considerable influence, and in order to become a man again, he stirred up many storms.

Inner Guard Superintendent, how could he be an exception?

"Are you toying with this marquis?"

The Superintendent's whole body exuded killing intent, seemingly on the verge of explosive anger.

If he did not indeed harbor this expectation in his heart, he would have already struck down and killed this nonsensical thing before him that cannot speak.

"Trying this once will tell; why would I need to toy with the Superintendent?"

Lin Ke said, flying out a slip of paper, his body moved and he vanished without a trace, leaving only a sentence echoing in the courtyard.

"If the Superintendent wishes to verify authenticity, he can find a loyal eunuch of the Superintendent to serve as the test subject."

The Superintendent activated his true essence, caught the slip of paper, and saw clearly that what was written on it was a phone number.

But the meaning was that after he made preparations, he should place this call.

"Hmph!"

True essence surged, and the paper shredded into fine particles.

The Superintendent flicked his sleeves, his face full of frost, and walked back inside.

But in his heart he was already considering whom to use as experimental material.

Li Shuwen is a Human Immortal Martial Dao Master, but his eighth disciple indeed possesses many secrets, suspected of having inherited some arcane arts or Daoist arts transmission.

Although it cannot be readily believed, but what if it were true?

If it were effective, to become a man again, would he still need to serve as a dog for Emperor Kangqian?

In earlier years, Emperor Kangqian favored the imperial concubines, yet the Superintendent stood guard every night, watching from the side.

If it was...

The Superintendent didn't know why, but he felt that after sinking for decades, he finally erupted with the blood and ambition inherent in a male's bones.

The concubines in the imperial harem haven't received favor for a long time, ah.

The Kang Qian Emperor is incapable; the Superintendent can take his place.

As long as the limbs are truly connected, it can succeed.

Lin Ke left the Internal Guard Superintendent's quarters, hadn't gone far, when a voice suddenly sounded in his ears.

"Fellow Daoist, wait."

That shout made Lin Ke's steps quicken involuntarily.

It was as if he heard the sound of a summoning death.

But this truly counts as a summoning death's sound, without exaggeration.

Whoever dares to respond to that shout will almost certainly lose their life!

"Fellow Daoist, don't panic; I, the poor Daoist, harbor no ill will, I merely wish to invite you to a chat at the Three Origins Temple."

Lin Ke ignored him completely, his speed increasing even more.

"Jing Xu is my grand-disciple; he mentioned you to me, which is why I invited you."

The person transmitting sound in the dark didn't relent, throwing out an acquaintance Lin Ke knew and had a good impression of.

Setting aside inappropriate associations, Lin Ke turned his direction and headed toward the Three Origins Temple west of the city.

Soon he arrived.

Still climbing over the wall to enter, not using the main gate.

An old Daoist with crane-white hair and a youthful face, extraordinary bearing, wearing a Daoist robe, treading Ten Directions Shoes, holding a horsetail whisk, seated in the Hall of the Three Purities, quietly awaiting guests.

What True Person Jingxu said, the Daoist sect's strict prohibition of Dao arts may not be unfounded.

However, before the prohibition, someone had cultivated, and their cultivation was not shallow, so it could not simply be abolished.

This old Daoist, capable of detecting Lin Ke's traces from afar, possesses profound Daoist attainment and deep cultivation.

Facing this person, Lin Ke felt as if confronting his master Li Shuwen.

"Greetings, True Person."

Lin Ke removed the black cloth covering his face and politely greeted.

"I am the humble Daoist Wuya; I have met you, Young Hero Lin."

The old Daoist returned the salute, lightly waved his horsetail whisk, pointed to the side cushion, and said, "Young Hero Lin, please sit."

Lin Ke sat as instructed and directly asked, "May I ask what True Person Wuya seeks from me?"

Old Daoist Wuya again waved his horsetail whisk: "Nothing else, just hand over these two items to Young Hero Lin."

The two ancient sandalwood boxes on the offering table before the Statue of the Three Purities floated lightly down to Lin Ke's front.

Perhaps sensing Lin Ke's doubt and seeing that he had not received a detailed explanation or convincing reason, it was impossible for him to accept rashly.

Old Daoist Wuya slowly said: "An eminent sage of the Daoist sect left a last instruction: when the three openings of the Valley of the Dead occur, this world will face a great calamity. However, the Heavenly Derivation fifty, avoiding one. The great calamity is not unsolvable. Heaven will itself send down a person who undergoes the tribulation to save this world. These two items are what that sage left behind to aid the tribulation-bearer."

"What does this have to do with me?"

After hearing this, Lin Ke remained unmoved, even finding this tone somewhat disagreeable.

In the world of witches, there is a sage Nostradamus who left a prophecy that stirred the winds and clouds.

In this world, too, there is a Daoist sage who left some last instructions.

Lin Ke truly did not want to become involved in such matters again.

Consequently, his attitude was very resolute; he rose and left, saying, "True Person Wuya, seek another to undergo the tribulation; I have no idle heart to meddle in this."

Old Daoist Wuya had little reaction to this; he simply waved his horsetail whisk, lifted the seal on the two sandalwood boxes, and opened their lids.

Lin Ke, already walking to the hall door, suddenly stalled. At this moment, the shackle harder to sever than karma's thread loosened!

"Damn!"

Lin Ke couldn't help but curse in his heart!

Once again, he was about to fall into someone else's scheme.

After cursing a few times, Lin Ke turned around and looked at the sandalwood boxes.

He saw that each box contained a seal, one seal in each.

Lin Ke walked back to sit beside the cushion, took out the two seals in turn, and examined them carefully.

Upon looking, Lin Ke's face turned extremely strange.

The seal in his left hand was the Yang Binshi Du Gong Seal; the seal in his right hand was the Nine Elders Immortal Capital Seal.

Having both seals in hand, the shackle immediately loosened.

Lin Ke felt intuitively that he only needed to accomplish one thing, fully possess both method-seals, and then he could undo the shackle.

This should have been a joyous occasion.

Yet Lin Ke was not happy at all.

He is a witch from the witch world; how did he, upon arriving in this world, first become involved with human immortal martial arts, and now also with the Daoist sect?

This...

is really hard to evaluate.

Placing the two method-seals back into the box and closing the lid, Lin Ke remained silent for a long time.

"Fellow Daoist, do you have something on your mind?"

Old Daoist Wuya asked softly.

"May I ask the name, Daoist title, and reason that eminent sage left these last instructions?"

Lin Ke did not answer but instead posed a question.

"Of course."

Old Daoist Wuya smiled faintly, "That predecessor bore the surname Zhang and given name Jixian; his daoist name was Xu Jing, and he was skilled in thunder magic."

He paused, then Old Daoist Wuya continued: "Heavenly Master Xu Jing himself claimed to come from the upper realm; visiting here, he foresaw that a great calamity affecting the whole world would occur in this age, and therefore left these two method seals. Heavenly Master Xu Jing said, this is a facsimile seal, yet it also possesses considerable numinous power; those with affinity who obtain it can benefit."

"Obviously, to have affinity with these two method seals, one must undergo tribulation to save the world, right?"

By the time Lin Ke arrived, he could hardly remain unaware that the parallel universe the wizard world sought to reach was truly a universe where cultivation civilization flourished.

Moreover, that parallel universe already had mighty adepts who had long sensed the wizard world's intentions and made elaborate preparations.

All the strange phenomena on this planet were indeed the result of the two civilizations, each at its peak in their respective universes, reaching out to probe each other.

Lin Ke even speculated that the highest echelons of the two civilizations—for example, the wizard world's Supreme Council—had already established contact and mutual understanding.

Those young elite wizards who, together with Lin Ke, were mixed into the trial of Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke under the will of the Supreme Council—perhaps the trials they underwent and the planets they entered—were likewise full of twists and strange phenomena.

"Fellow Daoist, you possess great wisdom."

Old Daoist Wuya voiced his approval.

These words sound somewhat familiar.

Lin Ke muttered to himself slightly, then asked: "True Person Wuya, could you tell me what exactly this great calamity is?"

"This humble daoist does not know."

Old Daoist Wuya's brows also showed a hint of worry: "This humble daoist has observed the stars for dozens of years, wishing to fathom the mystery of the great calamity, yet gained nothing. However…"

"However what?"

"However, the recent actions of Emperor Kang Qian secretly show a tendency toward a great calamity."

"At worst, what Emperor Kang Qian has done will only result in a war affecting the whole world—surely that does not meet the standard of a great calamity."

"What standard do you, fellow Daoist, consider for a great calamity?"

Lin Ke pondered, then uttered a word: "Heaven overturned, earth overturned."

Boom—

Suddenly, a thunderclap rang out from the nine heavens.

It seemed as if the Heavenly Dao in the dark had heard Lin Ke's exceedingly rebellious words and flew into a rage.

Boom—

Thunderclaps followed one after another.

A mass of thunderclouds formed, enveloping the Three Origins Temple above.

Electric arcs crackled, and heavenly might descended abruptly.

Lin Ke raised his gaze; his sight pierced the temple roof, pierced the thunderclouds, and reached the world's barrier.

There was nothing there, yet a will lay coiled.

It could be called the World Will, or the Heavenly Dao.

Old Daoist Wuya, stimulated by this, could no longer keep a tranquil mind, and muttered to himself: "Is this the person spoken of by Heavenly Master Xu Jing who shall undergo tribulation? One word has become prophecy!"

The next moment, Old Daoist Wuya, who had observed the stars for decades without gain, felt an epiphany.

If this world's great calamity is not dealt with properly, it could truly lead to heaven overturned, earth overturned!

What does heaven overturned, earth overturned mean?

The entire planet would be utterly destroyed, devoid of any vitality!

"Hmph!"

At this moment, Lin Ke suddenly let out a voice imbued with anger.

His will was carried through, and a mysterious wave emanated from him, striking the crackling electric arcs of the thunderclouds.

Again, a boom—

The thunderclouds, struck by Lin Ke's angry blow, exploded completely.

The capital was suddenly hit by a torrential downpour.

Within the imperial palace, a side hall was heavily surrounded by the Feather Forest Army.

An old man, bent and frail, as if a gust of wind could snuff out the flame of his life, sat before the alchemy furnace, carefully tending the fire.

Although the alchemy furnace was clearly empty, the old man seemed to be tending a precious treasure.

As if he were truly refining pills.

"Unbelievable, unbelievable."

While adding a piece of sandalwood split for firewood into the furnace's fire chamber, the old man muttered to himself.

"The great calamity is coming."

"This old fogey ought to die as well."

"But before I die, I must get this furnace of pills refined properly."

"Once I have successfully refined this furnace of longevity pills, this old man will die without regret."

The old man was obviously the Director of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, whom the imperial court, aristocratic clans, and the martial world all revere as the foremost expert under heaven.

Though he had not descended from the observation platform for years, he came down to refine pills at the invitation of Emperor Kang Qian.

Although the longevity peach had clearly been eaten by Emperor Kang Qian, the old director seemed to be genuinely refining pills.

And what he was refining was indeed longevity pills.

This medicine can be taken by humans, works for beasts as well, and seems usable for nature and heaven and earth.

Within the Three Origins Temple.

After the thunderclouds dispersed, Old Daoist Wuya regained his calm.

The gaze directed at Lin Ke, however, inevitably carried some unusual emotion.

"True Person, if there's nothing else, I, Lin, will take my leave."

Since it cannot be avoided, let us enjoy it.

Lin Ke waved his hand, stored the two method seals away, and bade farewell.

"Take it easy, Dao friend."

The Boundless Old Daoist made no attempt to detain him, nor did he rise to see him off.

After leaving the Three Origins Temple and returning to the hotel where he was staying under an assumed name, Lin Ke sat by the window, gazed up at the sky, his mood exceedingly complicated.

It is said that worldly affairs are like a chess game, and people are merely the pieces.

Only when one truly feels the unfreedom of being manipulated does one grasp how aggravating it is.

What is it that has caused all this?

Just strength, status, and power.

Yet in the realm of the transcendent, strength is the very foundation of everything.

From standing at midnight until daybreak, until the morning light pierced the darkness and the sun rose, Lin Ke gained an understanding.

Suddenly the golden shackles shattered, and here the jade bonds were torn apart.

Only today do I realize that I am myself.

The Cave Void Realm is attained.