Chapter 47: Chapter 43: Resolving the Military Disaster, Reaping the Fisherman’s Profit

Lu Mingyuan ran through half the Imperial Palace and got a firsthand look at just how chaotic it had become.

Officials in robes of all colors were making their moves. A boundless, golden Literary Qi surged from the Confucian Scholars. With the power of Words and Laws Follow, they spoke Golden Lotuses into existence as the air churned violently around them.

Countless emerald-green roots shot up from the ground, coiling around the saber-wielding soldiers like ferocious pythons in the dead of night and flinging them away.

But in the next instant, a massive wave of Sword Qi sliced the emerald roots in two.

A stern man with a Tiger Talisman at his waist floated in midair, unleashing a boundless Sword Qi as vast as the galaxy. An overwhelming aura of slaughter shot toward the heavens.

He then slashed toward a woman in a green dress holding an emerald flower basket.

Witnessing this, Lu Mingyuan sighed to himself.

’The killing intent of a Sword Cultivator is just too intense.’

’I have to get out of this hotbed of trouble. Right now, the forces of the Eldest Prince and the Third Prince are locked in magical combat. This is an extremely dangerous time.’

’Just a moment ago, the fighting wasn’t this fierce—it was only the sound of clashing weapons. I guess the Cultivators from the Three Academies have arrived. With Middle Fifth Grade Cultivators joining the fray, it has escalated into a contest of Divine Techniques, and both sides are truly going all out.’

’I wonder if the Great Yan Imperial Palace can even withstand this. It might just get torn down completely.’

The night wind swept by, carrying the fragrance of flowers for miles.

“Venerable Elder of Chiyang Mountain, please turn back. You don’t have many disciples; you can’t let them all perish here.”

The stern man’s voice was strangely ethereal as his monstrous Sword Qi pierced the heavens.

The jet-black Flying Sword radiated a terrifying Sword Qi, scouring the empty air in successive waves, like a storm surge crashing against the shore. A shockwave erupted, sweeping out in all directions.

Lu Mingyuan was caught in the blast and thrown back. Fortunately, he was far enough away that he wasn’t seriously injured, only sent sprawling and left dazed.

’A perfect chance!’

He glanced around and, seeing no one, scrambled to his feet to get away from the conflict.

But after only a few steps, he rounded the corner of a vermilion palace wall and came face-to-face with three soldiers in beast-faced scale armor.

’Is this… the Qilin Guard?’

Lu Mingyuan recognized them at a glance. They were the famous Qilin Elite, where every soldier could take on a hundred foes. All of them possessed strength at or above the Third Realm of the Martial Dao, the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm—the minimum requirement to join the Qilin Guard.

His eyes flickered as he slowly activated ’Recognizing People,’ and he quickly realized something was wrong.

’Their expressions… don’t seem very friendly, do they?’

He quickly glanced down at the Imperial Guard armor he was wearing and realized his current identity was that of a palace Imperial Guard.

With a sharp “SHING,” the Qilin Soldiers opposite him drew the Qilin Cross Sabers from their waists. Their movements were incredibly fast, blurring into a series of afterimages as they brought their blades down viciously toward his head.

“CLANG!”

Lu Mingyuan reacted instantly, drawing the Forbidden Army Saber from his waist and perfectly blocking the blow.

The Qilin Soldier in the middle was slightly surprised, not expecting a mere palace Imperial Guard to block a strike as swift as a thunderclap.

Wasting no time, Lu Mingyuan skillfully angled his blade upward. Sparks flew as the two weapons grated against each other. With ample strength in his arm, he launched a forward horizontal slash!

“SWOOSH!”

The chilling blade flashed with a green light, but his opponent dodged with incredible speed—his skills were impressive.

The other two Qilin Soldiers at his sides had already brought their sabers down on him.

In an instant, he felt the vicious efficiency of veteran Qilin Elite. Every slash was deadly and perfectly placed, their movements clean and decisive. They were all seasoned experts of the army!

’Martial Dao Primordial Qi, activate!’

Lu Mingyuan roared inwardly, intending to end the fight quickly and eliminate these three elites with all his might. The blood-red Martial Dao Primordial Qi in his Dantian erupted into a ball of fire that surged through his entire body.

“Fiery Fire Saber Technique!”

His single slash condensed layer upon layer of momentum. Wisps of red Primordial Qi flowed along the blade, as searing as the midday sun and brimming with incredible power.

Lu Mingyuan’s charged strike slammed into the Cross Sabers of the three Qilin Soldiers, creating a deafening crash.

“CRASH!”

The three finely crafted Qilin Cross Sabers instantly shattered into pieces.

The Qilin Soldiers were dumbfounded. They all demanded in sharp voices:

“Is that the Martial Dao Primordial Qi of the Rebirth Realm?! Who are you!”

Though their sabers were broken, the three Qilin Soldiers showed no fear. Instead, they raised their fists and continued to fight to the death. According to Great Yan Martial Law, deserters were to be executed, and their entire families sentenced to hard labor.

Lu Mingyuan knew he couldn’t let his identity be exposed. ’These three soldiers will have to take my secret to their graves,’ he thought. He once again silently mobilized his Martial Dao Primordial Qi. So much of his Flesh Body’s potential had already been unlocked; it was extremely adaptable, his meridians were at peak resilience and as wide as highways. Only his Acupoints remained to be developed. Even so, the power of the Martial Arts he could unleash was still astonishing, far exceeding the typical strength of the Rebirth Realm. Killing a few elites would be easy!

The next second, he shot forward and swung his saber with blinding speed!

“Winter Thunder—Saber Momentum!”

An astonishing power coalesced around Lu Mingyuan, his clothes and armor fluttering wildly. It was as if his entire being had transformed into a saber, his Flesh Body and Primordial Qi merging into one. Guided by ’Momentum’, his Saber Technique erupted with even more terrifying force.

A brilliant saber light tore through the sky, leaving a breathtaking crescent arc in its wake.

The saber light was as fast as thunder, letting out a sharp CRACKLE as it formed a keen blade of Saber Qi. The Saber Qi slammed into the three soldiers’ tough armor. Their Fish Scale Armor, forged from high-grade Black Steel Stone, was sliced open as if it were tofu.

「A breath later.」

Hot blood stained the ground. The three tall figures collapsed, a shocking and gruesome bloody gash left across each of their chests.

Lu Mingyuan sheathed his saber and stood still. He felt an exhilarating rush flow through him, and a new depth of understanding bloomed within his heart. Though the feeling was incredibly satisfying, the hand that held the saber trembled slightly.

It was, after all, the first time he had killed someone.

He didn’t feel nauseous or disgusted, just tense. His hands trembled, and he felt a little dazed.

’If I hadn’t killed these soldiers, they would have killed me.’

’If there’s anything to blame, it’s this palace coup.’

’Now that this military threat has been dealt with, the next part will be much easier. I just need to sit back and reap the benefits like the fisherman in the fable.’

Lu Mingyuan didn’t have time to dwell on it. He shouldered his saber and ran toward the Deep Palace.

He thought as he ran.

That last strike had deepened his understanding of Saber Momentum.

’The books say that all things in heaven and earth possess Momentum. A mountain has the Momentum of a mountain, water has the Momentum of water, wind has the Momentum of wind, and fire has the Momentum of fire… The entire world itself has a Grand Momentum. A truly formidable Saber Technique must possess Saber Momentum. Under its command, the potential of the Flesh Body can be tapped on a deeper level. Upon reaching the stage of Great Success in one’s cultivation, it’s even possible to mobilize the Power of Heaven and Earth to empower oneself.’

’Empowered by Momentum, control over Martial Dao Primordial Qi becomes far more refined. It becomes possible to achieve feats like Armor of Astral and Condensing Astral into Soldiers, which are common techniques for a Martial Artist.’

Lu Mingyuan took several detours, deliberately sticking to deserted paths. Soon, he saw the silhouette of Qingzhu Hall.

The area was as quiet as ever, completely undisturbed.

However, he saw a figure in the adjacent garden who vanished in a flash.

Wary, he didn’t dare approach directly. Instead, he drew the saber from his waist and crept forward slowly.

He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a dazzling golden ball of light suddenly fell from the sky, hurtling toward him.

He focused his gaze and saw that it was a golden character for “Still.”

’It’s a technique of the Confucian Family—Words and Laws Follow.’

If that ball of light passed through his body, he would become completely immobile, as if struck by a Body Fixation Skill.

Feeling he couldn’t deal with it otherwise, Lu Mingyuan had no choice but to take out the Blessed Vermilion Bird Brush he had kept hidden for so long.

He drew a circle above his head.

The cyan Taoist Qi within the Vermilion Bird Brush gathered, shining with a blinding light, and formed a layer of Protective Gang that blocked the golden character.

From the garden emerged a beautiful woman in a moon-blue dress and peach-blossom embroidered shoes. Her temperament was gentle and serene, and her lovely eyes shone with a clear light.

Lu Mingyuan recognized her the moment he saw her.

It was Qi Muxue, the very person who had been evading pursuers all this time.

He had previously asked a member of the palace’s Imperial Guard who the Eldest Prince was looking for, and the answer he received was a quiet, gentle woman.

The first person he had thought of was Qi Muxue.

’After all, no other woman could make the Eldest Prince so desperate.’

’I just never expected she’d be hiding here.’

“You actually chased me all the way here? And you were able to block my ’Peaceful Heart and Calm Breath’?”

Qi Muxue stood ten paces from Lu Mingyuan and frowned.

The Imperial Palace was sealed, so she couldn’t get out and could only hide deeper within. The Eldest Prince was looking for her, and the other Consorts didn’t dare offer her shelter, so she had no choice but to flee to the depths of the Imperial Palace and hide.

She never expected to be found anyway.

“Miss Qi, it’s me.”

To prevent any misunderstanding, Lu Mingyuan pulled off his face mask to reveal his face, intending to explain.

“It’s you? The gentleman from that night?”

Qi Muxue was extremely surprised to see it was Lu Mingyuan.

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten him. During the Lantern Festival, when they were releasing lanterns in the Imperial Palace, she had a chance encounter with the Sixth Prince. The moment their eyes met, she felt a jolt, like an electric shock. The feeling was as unforgettable as it was strange.

Although the Sixth Prince had a poor reputation for his character, she had found him quite agreeable upon their first meeting.

[Azure Fate Grid – Fated to be Seductive, Refinement Level increased to 20%]

A line of text suddenly appeared before Lu Mingyuan’s eyes. Reading it left him feeling a little baffled.

’The Refinement Level increased just like that?’

…..

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