35: Chapter 35 Changes

Su Qing spoke as she walked. "In three months, the sect has undergone a total transformation."

"The Sect Head spent two months purging the Law Enforcement Hall. Of the seventeen people on the list, fourteen were sidelined—transferred to the Teaching Hall, sent on external procurement missions, or sent to the Xuantian Sect to report for duty. The remaining three couldn't be moved."

"Liu Chong, Qi Refining Level 6, former Deputy Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall. Zheng Yuanqing, Qi Refining Level 5, Deacon of the Teaching Hall. Zhao Ping."

"Zhao Ping wasn't crippled?"

"The day the Sect Head made his move, Liu Chong raided the dungeon and rescued him."

Lu Chen didn't speak. Zhao Ping—the round-faced Disciple who had said, 'Senior Sister Su told me to take care of you.' He had fled.

"Last night, the three of them acted simultaneously. Liu Chong took the Restriction Token left behind by Elder Sun, Zheng Yuanqing set fire to the Teaching Hall, and Zhao Ping led men to ransack the Pharmacy. Old Zhou was injured."

Lu Chen's footsteps paused for a moment. Then he continued walking.

"Is Old Zhou alive?"

"He's alive. But he's getting on in years, and his injuries are not light."

Lu Chen nodded. He didn't care—he was just confirming. Old Zhou being injured was an objective fact. There was no worry, no anger. It was the same as when he confirmed Qian Youwei's death.

"And the Sect Head?"

"A Restriction was struck into his Dantian. The Sect Head is suppressing it with his spiritual power, but he can't hold it back for long. There are only two solutions—either Elder Sun herself removes it, or the caster of the Restriction dies."

"Where are they now?"

"The Law Enforcement Hall. Liu Chong has occupied it, claiming that you forged the ledgers and that the Sect Head is colluding with outsiders. Not many believe it, but it's enough for them to hold their ground. All three are inside."

Su Qing looked up at him, waiting for him to ask about their forces, the defenses, or the Sect Head's plan.

He didn't ask.

"You're going? Alone?"

"Alone."

"What is your cultivation level?"

"Qi Refining Level 5 Peak."

Su Qing's expression changed. Three months ago, when Lu Chen entered the tower, he was at Level 4 Qi Refining with his Dantian thirty percent full. Three months later, his Dantian was ninety-three percent full, only half a step away from Level 6.

"The fourth and fifth floors of the Inverted Tower—what is inside them?"

"The fourth floor is 'Self'. The fifth floor is 'Truth'."

Lu Chen said no more.

By the time they reached the entrance of the Law Enforcement Hall, the sky was pitch black.

The gates were tightly shut. Four deacons stood guard at the entrance. Lu Chen continued walking forward.

One deacon drew his sword—"Halt!"

Lu Chen didn't stop.

He didn't draw a weapon, nor did he circulate his spiritual power. He just walked forward, step by step. The spiritual power of a Qi Refining Level 5 Peak seeped out from his Dantian—from every pore of his skin. The deep golden light was suffocating in the night.

The four deacons retreated. The strongest was at Qi Refining Level 3, and the weakest had only just entered the Qi Refining stage. Like rabbits seeing a tiger, their legs went weak.

"Open the door."

His voice wasn't loud. There was no anger, no Killing Intent. The door opened; the deacon's hand was shaking.

Lu Chen walked inside.

Liu Chong stood at the end of the corridor. He had a square face with a short beard and wore a dark robe, holding a black token in his hand. Zheng Yuanqing and Zhao Ping stood behind him.

"Lu Chen. As expected, you didn't die."

"As long as you're still alive, I won't die."

Liu Chong laughed. "Qi Refining Level 5, walking in here alone against two people with higher cultivation than you—are you stupid, or just not afraid of death?"

"The Restriction Token. Give it to me."

"On what grounds?"

"The Sect Head needs the Restriction released."

"What does the Sect Head's life or death have to do with me?"

"It has nothing to do with me either," Lu Chen said. "But the Restriction must be released. You are in the way. So I came."

Liu Chong raised the token. Runes floated up, like a swarm of black insects swimming through the air.

The Restriction was struck down.

A chain of black runes coiled toward Lu Chen's wrist. Lu Chen reached out and grabbed it—he caught it. The spiritual power of his ninety-three percent full Dantian poured into his fingers, and the runes struggled in his grip. It was very strong against the Level 1 Qi Refining Qin Wu, but against a Qi Refining Level 5 Peak—it was not enough.

He closed his fingers. The runes shattered, turning into glowing powder that fell to the ground and extinguished.

Liu Chong's expression changed.

Before the second rune chain could be launched, Lu Chen was already in front of him. He moved in a straight line, not fast, but each step caused deep golden light to splash across the stone floor.

"One last time. The token."

Liu Chong gritted his teeth. He poured all his Qi Refining Level 6 spiritual power into the token, and the third Restriction was unleashed—a wall of black runes, pressing down in its entirety.

Lu Chen raised his hand. A single punch.

Deep golden light exploded from his fist. He compressed the spiritual power of his ninety-three percent full Dantian into his fist and then released it. The rune wall cracked from the center, the fractures spreading—like a sheet of ice being smashed through.

It shattered.

Liu Chong spat out blood. The token slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground. He fell to his knees—the spiritual power had backlashed, leaving the caster of the Restriction seriously injured.

Zheng Yuanqing turned to run. Lu Chen kicked him in the back of the knee. His face hit the ground.

Zhao Ping didn't run. He stood in the corner, his round face expressionless. He looked exactly the same as he had three months ago—harmless and honest.

"You didn't make a move," Lu Chen said.

"There was no chance." Zhao Ping pulled his hands out of his sleeves—they were empty.

"Why? From the very beginning, it was you. You led me into the Danding Sect and watched over me—everything."

Zhao Ping was silent for a moment. "Elder Sun said you wouldn't live long."

"And what do you think?"

"You're already dead." Zhao Ping's gaze was calm. "On the fourth floor of the Inverted Tower, 'self-oblivion'. The person who came out is not you. The old Lu Chen would still care about Qian Youwei's death, Qin Wu's freedom, and Old Zhou's injuries. Now—you don't care about anything. The one standing before me is another person entirely."

Lu Chen kicked him down.

It wasn't heavy. Just enough to make his face hit the ground.

Three remnants. One kneeling, one lying, one prone.

Lu Chen picked up the token. The token was burning hot—the heat of the Restriction. He gripped it, but he couldn't feel it.

He tucked the token into his robe.

"Su Qing."

Su Qing stood at the door. She had been standing there the whole time, from the moment Lu Chen went in until he came out; she hadn't left.

"Have the Sect Head's people come and take them away. I have the Restriction Token."

"And you?"

"I'm going to see the Sect Head."

The Sect Head lay in the quiet room. Blood seeped through the white cloth on his chest. At his Dantian, a mass of black light was writhing—the Restriction was gnawing inward like a worm.

Seeing Lu Chen, he opened his eyes. His gaze was still clear.

"The fifth floor?"

"The fifth floor."

The Sect Head stared into his eyes for a long time. They were eyes without any ripple of emotion.

"You saw Li Xuanyi."

"I saw him."

"I always wanted to know, but I didn't dare go in." The Sect Head coughed, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. "The fourth floor is self-oblivion—those with a sense of self fear losing it, while those without one do not. I am not as good as you."

Lu Chen placed the Restriction Token by the bed. "Liu Chong has been dealt with. Your Restriction—is it released if the caster is killed?"

"Yes. You didn't kill him."

"It didn't occur to me."

The Sect Head closed his eyes. He looked much older than he had three months ago—his hair was mostly white, and his wrinkles had deepened.

"People from the Xuantian Sect will come. They need an obedient Danding Sect, not a clean one."

"How long?"

"Half a month at the earliest."

"That's enough."

"Enough for what?"

"To go to the Loose Cultivators Alliance. To find the sixth Finger Bone."

The Sect Head opened his eyes. "It's in the Loose Cultivators Alliance?"

"The clues are." Lu Chen stood up. "The Ancestral Master left a sentence on the wall—the other Finger Bones are scattered where his Disciples went. The Loose Cultivators Alliance, the Hehuan Sect, the Xuantian Sect, and Qingniu Ridge."

The Sect Head was silent for a long time. "You are walking Li Xuanyi's path."

"It's different."

"How is it different?"

Lu Chen looked down at the white line on his left wrist. "He didn't have a line."

He turned and walked out of the quiet room.

Outside, it was spring. The air smelled of grass and flowers. He couldn't smell it. He couldn't feel the temperature of the wind or the warmth of the sunlight. But he saw the leaves moving, he saw the light shimmering on the stone slabs, and he saw Su Qing waiting at the bottom of the steps.

He walked down.

tianxuan calendar, 19th Year of taiping, Spring.

Lu Chen, Qi Refining Level 5 Peak. Dantian ninety-three percent full.

The fourth Finger Bone is in his hand. The fifth is also in his hand.

The clue to the sixth—the Loose Cultivators Alliance.

Compassion—empty.

Sense of pain—gone.

Sense of touch—disappearing.

The line is still there.

Next—the Loose Cultivators Alliance.