127: Chapter 127 A Deadly Situation

Inside the Armory, there was a hidden world.

Each floor was lined with dense rows of bookshelves, displaying countless Cultivation Techniques and Secret Manuals, ranging from the lowest Yellow Rank Cultivation Techniques to Earth Rank Cultivation Techniques capable of causing bloody storms in the Jianghu; everything one could ask for was here.

Lin Fan did not linger; he walked straight to the stairs leading to the top floor.

When he pushed open the incredibly heavy door crafted from thousand-year-old agarwood.

A unique scent, a mixture of the ink of old books and the passage of time, rushed to meet him.

The space inside the Tongtian Pavilion was not large; one could even say it was somewhat empty.

Here, there were no dense bookshelves, only a dozen or so jade platforms crafted from warm jade.

Above each jade platform, a Jade Slip emitting a faint halo floated quietly.

Each Jade Slip represented a Heaven Rank peerless technique capable of suppressing an era and driving countless Grandmasters to madness!

"Heavenly Dragon Prison-Suppressing Art", "Great Sun Glazed Body", "Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art", "Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin"...

These names, each thunderous and existing only in legends, appeared before Lin Fan's eyes without any warning.

Even with Lin Fan's rock-solid will, upon seeing this scene, his breathing could not help but become rapid.

He forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart and began to carefully sense the aura of each Cultivation Technique.

He knew he only had one chance.

He had to choose the Cultivation Technique most suitable for himself!

However, at the same time that Lin Fan was making a difficult choice inside the Tongtian Pavilion.

Outside the Armory, murderous intent was already hidden, and a dragnet had been cast!

Thousands of Embroidered Uniform Guards wearing black flying fish robes and carrying embroidered spring sabers, along with elite death soldiers drawn from the capital garrison, moved like ghosts, silently surrounding the entire Royal Armory completely!

Leading them were a trusted general under Prince Ying and a foster son of Eunuch Wei; both were Fifth-Rank Great Grandmasters!

"Listen well, all of you!" The eunuch used his feminine, sharp voice to order all the death soldiers, "That Lin fellow used a Cultivation Technique with an evil aura during the palace examination, suspected to be a Demonic Technique! By His Majesty's oral decree, we are ordered to wait here. Once he comes out, immediately take him down, throw him into the imperial prison, and interrogate him strictly!"

"If there is any resistance, kill without mercy!"

He deliberately enunciated the four words "kill without mercy" with great emphasis!

Everyone knew that this so-called "interrogation" was nothing more than an excuse.

Their true purpose was to completely kill this new Martial Champion right outside the Armory!

Then, they would frame him with charges of "Cultivating a Demonic Technique, suffering from Qi Deviation, and committing suicide out of fear of punishment"!

A perfect, flawless fatal trap!

However, what they did not know was.

Just as they were setting up the dragnet.

A larger storm was quietly brewing in the imperial court of the Divine Capital.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Lin Zhengde united with over a dozen imperial censors and high-ranking court officials who had long been dissatisfied with Prince Ying's arrogant and clique-forming behavior, and suddenly launched the most violent and fatal political impeachment against Prince Ying Ji Lie!

"Your Majesty! This old subject has a memorial to submit!"

An old imperial censor with white hair and beard, known for his integrity, held his jade tablet and walked out from the ranks, trembling. His voice was filled with grief and indignation, echoing throughout the entire Imperial Study.

"Prince Ying Ji Lie, as a prince, does not think about sharing the country's worries or serving the monarch. Instead, he indulges his son in committing violent acts and disregards the laws of the country!"

"His son, Ji Xuan, publicly used the forbidden Demonic Weapon of the Southern Border Witch God Sect, [Horn of Ten Thousand Beasts' Rage], during the great state ceremony of the Martial Examination, triggering a beast tide and nearly causing hundreds of our Great Qian's future pillars to die on the spot! This is the first crime!"

"Afterwards, not only did Prince Ying not discipline him, but he also abused his power to mobilize the Imperial Guard to surround the new Martial Champion, intending to commit evil! This is the second crime!"

"How is such behavior different from treason?! I implore Your Majesty to investigate clearly, severely punish Prince Ying, uphold national law, and appease the hearts of the people!"

"This subject seconds the motion!"

"We second the motion!"

For a moment, the imperial court was filled with indignation!

Crown Prince Ji Cheng seized this once-in-a-millennium Opportunity and immediately led all his followers to launch the most violent attack against Prince Ying!

"Father! Prince Ying's actions are indeed inappropriate! Not only has he lost all face for our royal family, but he has also chilled the hearts of Martial Artists across the world! If he is not severely punished, how can we convince the public?!"

In an instant, the entire Imperial Study became the most intense battlefield!

Countless impeachment memorials flew like snowflakes towards the Emperor on the Dragon Throne.

Emperor Ji Wei looked at the nearly one-sided situation below, and his majestic face was filled with "furious rage"!

"Presumptuous! Simply presumptuous!"

He slammed the Dragon Throne, emitting a loud noise!

"Someone! Take Prince Ying Ji Lie down for me! Temporarily detain him in the Imperial Clan Court and await trial!"

"Eunuch Wei!" He cast his cold gaze towards the Inner Court Superintendent who had been keeping his head down, his body trembling slightly, "As the Inner Court Superintendent, your lack of supervision makes you equally blameworthy! From this moment on, confine yourself and reflect on your mistakes! Without my decree, you are not allowed to step out of your sleeping quarters by even half a step!"

"Pass on my decree: immediately establish the Three Judicial Offices, unite with the Imperial Clan Court, and thoroughly investigate this matter! You must give the people of the world an explanation!"

A series of orders, executed with lightning speed!

This sudden political storm instantly "nailed" the two masterminds of the conspiracy, Prince Ying and Eunuch Wei, deep within the imperial palace, making them completely unable and without time to personally command the fatal trap against Lin Fan in the city!

Outside the Armory, the generals and eunuchs responsible for executing the orders fell into complete chaos and hesitation after receiving this series of contradictory and terrifying news.

On one side was the secret order of "kill without mercy" from Prince Ying and Eunuch Wei.

On the other side was the Emperor's imperial decree to "thoroughly investigate and severely punish"!

This... who should they listen to?!

If they stood on the wrong side, it would mean the execution of their entire clan!

For a moment, the originally flawless dragnet, having lost its backbone, showed slight, fatal looseness.

And this precious window of time was the only chance of survival that Lin Zhengde had won for Lin Fan with a high-stakes gamble!

Inside the Tongtian Pavilion, Lin Fan did not know that a monstrous wave capable of overturning the situation in the Divine Capital had been stirred up because of him; all his attention was immersed in the vast sea of Heaven Rank peerless techniques before him.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye; he had sensed almost every Cultivation Technique, but disappointingly discovered that not a single one could perfectly solve all his current problems.

Although the "Heavenly Dragon Prison-Suppressing Art" was domineering, it was inherently in conflict with his own blood Evil Qi; and while the "Great Sun Glazed Body" focused on the Physical Body, it could not solve the fundamental hidden danger of his mixed Cultivation Techniques.

Just as he was disheartened and almost ready to choose a high-level Cultivation Technique at random, a meaningful sentence that Lin Zhengde had said to him before entering the Armory suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Inside the Tongtian Pavilion, there are countless Opportunities. Remember, the most dazzling one is not necessarily the most suitable for you. Sometimes, that stubborn stone forgotten in the corner might be the true, priceless treasure."

A stubborn stone in the corner?

Lin Fan's heart stirred, and he cast his gaze towards the deepest, dust-covered, and inconspicuous corner of the Tongtian Pavilion.

There was only a solitary jade platform, and a Jade Slip was also floating above it.

It was just that this Jade Slip's light was dim and its aura was weak; compared to the radiant Heaven Rank peerless techniques around it, it was like a firefly competing with the bright moon, appearing so ordinary.

Lin Fan walked over as if possessed by a ghost, reached out, and probed the Jade Slip with his Divine Thought.

Hum—!

An ancient, vicissitudinous, and vast amount of information, as if from the very beginning of the Universe's creation, rushed into his mind!

There were no earth-shattering Moves, nor were there world-destroying methods; what it contained was only a profound scripture that seemed simple but contained supreme truths.

"Myriad Dao Unity Art"!

This Cultivation Technique does not Cultivate strength, does not Cultivate the body, does not Cultivate the spirit; it Cultivates the "Dao", it is a "Furnace"!

It claims to be able to "embrace all rivers, smelting ten thousand methods", capable of taking any Cultivation Technique, Bloodline, Evil Qi, or even medicinal power the cultivator possesses, and treating them as "resources" to be thrown into this supreme furnace called "the self", to be absorbed, purified, and fused!

Ultimately removing the dross and selecting the essence, ten thousand methods returning to one, walking a unique, supreme Dao that belongs to oneself, unprecedented and unrepeatable!

Boom!

In Lin Fan's mind, it was as if billions of thunderbolts exploded simultaneously; he was completely stunned!

This... isn't this the most perfect fundamental method he had been dreaming of?!

Not only could it perfectly solve the fundamental problem of him possessing several Cultivation Techniques that could not be fused, but it also provided a supreme possibility to completely solve the sequelae of the "boiling blood powder", and even turn its violent medicinal power into his own strength!

This was the true path to heaven!

"This is it!"

Lin Fan no longer hesitated in the slightest; he immediately sat cross-legged and immersed all his attention into this supreme technique that would change his life!

Three days later, when Lin Fan opened his eyes again, his injuries had long since healed.

Although his aura had not increased in the slightest, he had become more restrained and profound, returning to simplicity.

He knew it was time to leave.

He did not leave through the main entrance, but instead followed the route Lin Zhengde had told him in advance, finding a dust-covered secret door behind a bookshelf in the Tongtian Pavilion.

Pushing open the secret door, there was a pitch-black, deep secret underground waterway that led to an unknown destination.

Lin Fan took a deep breath and resolutely stepped into the darkness.

Half an hour later, at an extremely hidden secret ferry outside the Divine Capital, an inconspicuous black-awning boat was quietly docked at the shore. Big Fool, Wulu, Xu Changqing, Gong Qianxue, and Yue Changkong were all already waiting there anxiously.

When they saw that familiar figure walk out of the darkness safe and sound, a burst of joy like survivors of a catastrophe erupted in everyone's eyes!

"Big Brother!"

"Brother Lin!"

Lin Fan looked at the brothers before him who had fought out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood with him, and a warm current surged in his rock-solid heart. He did not say much, only nodded heavily.

Just as he was about to board the black-awning boat that would take him away from this place of trouble, a man dressed in black, whose aura merged with the surrounding darkness, appeared silently before him; it was a man from the Heavenly Secret Tower, and also a trusted subordinate of the Grand Tutor's Residence.

"Master Lin," the Man in Black respectfully handed over a parcel, "This is some of the items the Grand Tutor has prepared for your journey."

Then, he lowered his voice, speaking in a tone only the two of them could hear: "The Grand Tutor asked me to tell you that you need not worry about Prince Ying anymore. The 'gift' you left behind is already enough to doom him beyond redemption."

Lin Fan took the parcel and nodded. He knew that the handwritten letter seized from the Liu Family, which detailed "Prince Ying colluding with the Southern Border Shaman God Sect to trade forbidden Demonic Weapons," would be the final straw that broke the camel's back for Prince Ying.

He would become the sharpest blade in Crown Prince Ji Cheng's hand, nailing Prince Ying firmly to the pillar of shame!

And he, Lin Fan, would also completely shed his skin to escape the power vortex of this Divine Capital.

"Thank the Grand Tutor on my behalf."

Lin Fan took one last look at the majestic capital city, which remained brightly lit in the night, crouching like a giant beast, a complex emotion flashing through his eyes. Then, he turned and resolutely boarded the black-awning boat.

"Set sail."

The boatman gave a low shout, and the black-awning boat slid silently into the pitch-black river water, quickly disappearing into the endless night.

Within the Divine Capital, an official conclusion was left behind: "Martial Champion Lin Fan, due to being overly ambitious while cultivating a divine technique, suffered Qi Deviation, ultimately exploding and dying, leaving no remains." This was accompanied by an even more intense and cruel court storm, completely detonated by the matter of "Prince Ying interfering in government."

Meanwhile, a true dragon in hiding had already taken the supreme fundamental law, the Myriad Dao Unity Art, which could allow him to transform into a true dragon, along with the monstrous reputation of the Martial Champion that would make any faction green with envy, and returned to his own vast and boundless ocean.

— The Northern Territory, Panshi Land.

A new era was about to be opened there by his own hands!

...

The night was like ink, and the cold river water flowed forward silently.

That inconspicuous black-awning boat, like a withered leaf merging into the darkness, carried a group of exhausted Souls, slowly sailing away from that brightly lit, yet filled with endless murderous intent and conspiracies, number one majestic city in the world.

Inside the cabin, a dim oil lamp swayed gently in the breeze, casting everyone's shadows, making them flicker in and out of existence.

The atmosphere was oppressive and silent.

The joy of surviving a disaster had long been replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion and bewilderment about the future.

Big Fool leaned in the corner of the cabin, his chest wrapped in thick bandages. Although he had saved his life under the nourishment of the spiritual spring essence, the injury from being hit head-on by a Rank 6 Beast King still left his face deathly pale, and even his breathing carried a hint of pain.

Yue Changkong had fallen into a deep coma. Having forcibly activated a secret technique for the team, he was already exhausted, his oil lamp burned out. At this moment, if not for Lin Fan using a trace of pure Internal Energy to sustain his heart pulse, he would likely have already departed this world.

Wulu and Gong Qianxue silently wiped their weapons, which were already covered in notches. The wounds on their bodies were equally shocking; every movement would pull at their muscles, bringing waves of heart-piercing pain.

Xu Changqing sat at the bow of the boat, the feather fan that was always with him now folded away.

He gazed at the gradually blurring silhouette of the Divine Capital in the distance, and for the first time, a hint of undisguisable lingering fear and confusion appeared on his usually calm and composed scholarly face.

Did they win?

Judging by the results, yes.

Lin Fan had won the Martial Champion title, and they had all escaped alive from that desperate situation where death was certain.

But they had also lost almost everything.

Lin Fan's identity as the "distant grandson of the Grand Tutors Residence" had completely vanished like bubbles along with the official conclusion of "Qi Deviation." They had once again become the "Seven Righteous Warriors of Panshi," wanted by the entire Great Qian Dynasty.

The road ahead remained pitch black.

"Brother Gao..." Xu Changqing finally couldn't help but break the suffocating silence, his voice hoarse and dry. "What... what should we do next?"

Yes, what should they do?

This question pressed on everyone's heart like a giant boulder.

Lin Fan, or rather Gao Feng, was sitting cross-legged at the stern of the boat.

He did not answer Xu Changqing's question; all his focus was immersed within his own body.

Although he had won that final battle against Ji Xuan, he had paid a tremendously heavy price.

Actively detonating the residual medicinal power of the "boiling blood powder" and forcibly fusing it with his own Qi, blood, and Evil Qi—this crazy action had turned his body into a piece of porcelain filled with countless cracks, ready to shatter completely at any moment.

At this moment, within his Meridians, three distinct forces were crazily colliding, tearing, and devouring each other.

One was the tyrannical, crimson-gold Qi and blood derived from his own cultivation of the Barbarian God Transformation; this was the Foundation of his strength.

One was the blood-colored medicinal power transformed from the "boiling blood powder," filled with a destructive and violent aura; it was like the deadliest poison, constantly eroding his reason and vitality.

And the last one was the cold, pure, and monstrous Evil Qi he had honed from mountains of corpses and seas of blood; it was like a dormant venomous snake, ready to strike and devour at any moment.

Any one of these three forces would be enough to make an ordinary Rank 4 Martial Artist explode and die. Yet, at this moment, they existed simultaneously within Gao Feng's body, turning his body into the most terrifying and unstable battlefield.

If not for the boundless vitality of the spiritual spring essence constantly repairing his damaged Meridians and Physical Body, he would likely have already become a cripple, just like Ji Xuan.

"Cough... cough, cough..."

A heart-wrenching pain came from the depths of his Dantian. Gao Feng could no longer suppress it and violently spat out a large mouthful of dark red, foul-smelling stagnant blood.

"Big Brother!"

"Brother Gao!"

The people in the cabin were shocked upon seeing this and gathered around one after another.

"I'm fine." Gao Feng waved his hand, signaling them not to be nervous.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. In those deep eyes, there was not a trace of pain or frustration; instead, a brilliant light, unprecedented, ignited!

Because, just in the midst of the most violent collision of those three forces earlier, the Myriad Dao Unity Art seemed to have been triggered by something, autonomously and slowly beginning to circulate!

Hum—!

An ancient, vicissitudinous, and vast mysterious aura, as if coming from the beginning of the creation of the Universe, quietly permeated from the depths of his Dantian.

The scriptures of the Myriad Dao Unity Art, like golden divine runes, flowed slowly within his Sea of Consciousness.

"Heaven and Earth as the furnace, Creation as the craftsman; Yin and Yang as the charcoal, all things as copper..."

"Qi, blood, Spirit Refining, Evil Qi, medicine, poison... all the laws of Heaven and Earth, though paths differ, lead to the same destination, all serving as resources..."

"Using the body as a furnace, smelting all Daos, reversing to the Innate, returning to the Great Unity..."

At this moment, those obscure and difficult-to-understand scriptures seemed to turn into keys, opening a door for Gao Feng that led to a brand-new world!

He was suddenly enlightened and no longer hesitated. He immediately followed the most basic Qi-guiding method recorded in the Myriad Dao Unity Art and began to carefully try to guide the three forces that were violent to the extreme within his body.

This process was undoubtedly painful and extremely dangerous, just like trying to make a fierce tiger, a vicious wolf, and a venomous snake coexist peacefully in the same small cage.

The slightest carelessness would result in the cage being destroyed and death!

Beads of sweat the size of beans instantly seeped from Gao Feng's forehead. His body trembled violently due to the extreme pain, as if he were enduring the torture of a thousand cuts.

But he gritted his teeth tightly, his eyes filled with unyielding determination!

Time passed, second by second.

Everyone in the cabin held their breath, nervously watching Gao Feng, who was trembling all over, with traces of blood beginning to seep from his seven orifices. Their hearts were in their throats.

They didn't know what Gao Feng was doing, but they could clearly feel waves of terrifying energy fluctuations crazily brewing and colliding within Gao Feng's body!

Finally, who knew how much time had passed.

When those three violent forces, under the guidance of the profound method of the Myriad Dao Unity Art, finally managed to achieve a fragile balance, forming a slowly rotating, three-colored vortex.

Gao Feng's body, which had been tense all along, suddenly relaxed.

"Pfft!"

He spat out another mouthful of stagnant blood, but this time, the color of the blood was no longer dark red, but had returned to a normal bright red.

His entire aura, though still weak, now possessed a hint of indescribable roundness and harmony.

"Brother Gao, you..." Xu Changqing looked at him and asked worriedly.

Gao Feng slowly opened his eyes; those deep eyes were brighter and deeper than ever before.

He looked at the brothers before him who had fought their way out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood with him, and finally, a heartfelt, relaxed smile appeared on his face.

"I'm fine."

He paused, took a deep breath, as if he had made an extremely important decision.

"Everyone," his gaze slowly swept over everyone present. "Now that things have reached this point, there are some things I should confess to you all."

"Actually, my name is not Gao Pan."

"My real name is Gao Feng."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole cabin was shocked!

"Brother Gao, this... what is going on?" Xu Changqing's eyes were also filled with confusion.

Gao Feng did not explain immediately; he just calmly narrated his past.

From a refugee becoming the master of the Panshi Stockade in the Northern Territory, to leading his brothers step by step to struggle for survival in this cruel world for the sake of survival and development.

He spoke of the difficulties of the Panshi Stockade, the threat of the Northern Territory barbarian tribes, and that tragic battle to defend Linhuang County.

He also spoke of why he had used the alias "Gao Pan," and why he had traveled ten thousand miles to come to this Divine Capital to participate in this Martial Examination Palace Trial that had a nine-in-ten chance of death.

He spoke calmly, but the blood and fire, responsibility and commitment contained within his words made everyone present feel their hearts stirred and their blood boiling!