96: Chapter 96 Imperial City Rules? The Rules Are the Ones I Step On.

Central Province, Da Qian Imperial City.

As the most prosperous and core power hub of the entire cultivation world, the Da Qian Imperial City was like an ancient giant beast lying dormant on the plains.

The city walls were a hundred zhang high, built entirely from dark gold Demon-Suppressing Stone. Above the city, visible shadows of golden True Dragons circled—that was the Imperial Dynasty Luck gathered from billions of living beings.

Here, there was an ironclad rule: anyone below Soul Transformation must enter the city on foot; violators would be killed without mercy!

"Wow... what a grand place."

Su Qingyu followed beside Lin Que, looking up at the towering city gate. Even as the Young Miss of a top-tier clan, she was a bit intimidated by the foundation of this Imperial City.

"It's grand, alright, but there are too many rules. It has a sour smell of decay."

Lin Que was still shaking his folding fan, dressed in a black robe with dark gold cloud patterns. This perfectly accentuated his temperament, which had become increasingly ethereal yet restrained with extreme dominance after entering the Nascent Soul Stage.

The two had just experienced the life-and-death battle at Luo Lei Valley. Lin Que's four-colored God-Fiend Nascent Soul was currently like a bottomless pit, greedily absorbing the wisps of Dragon Qi leaking from the Imperial City to stabilize his newly broken-through Realm.

"Young Master Lin, are we going straight in?"

Su Qingyu asked in a low voice.

"Of course. I'm here to collect a debt, not to be a thief."

Lin Que strode toward the city gate.

At this time, there was a long queue at the city gate.

The guards were all Imperial Guards wearing silver flying-fish robes, all of whom were elites at the Late Stage Foundation Establishment!

Directly above the city gate hung a massive ancient bronze mirror—the [Heaven-Illuminating Treasure Mirror].

Every Cultivator entering the city had to stand beneath the mirror to be scanned.

"Buzz!"

A beam of green light shot out from the mirror, shining on an Early Stage Golden Core Loose Cultivator entering the city.

That Loose Cultivator immediately let out a muffled groan. His protective spiritual light instantly collapsed. Not only were the contents of his Storage Pouch forcibly scanned by Divine Sense, but his knees also softened uncontrollably, nearly causing him to kneel on the ground.

"Hmph, carrying the Evil Qi of three human lives. But since you're not from the Demon Sect, pay ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones as a 'Qi-Cleansing Fee' and get lost inside!"

A young commander sitting on a grandmaster's chair, wearing a purple-gold python robe, fiddled with two walnuts in his hand and spoke with an arrogant expression.

Great Qian Imperial Dynasty, Little Marquis—Zhao Yan! Cultivation: Peak Golden Core!

"Ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones?! Little Marquis, wasn't the rule one thousand..."

The Loose Cultivator pleaded bitterly.

"Bang!"

Zhao Yan kicked the Loose Cultivator away, making him cough up blood, and sneered, "This Marquis's words are the rules! Not paying? Men, cripple his cultivation and throw him into the dungeon!"

The Cultivators waiting in line were as quiet as cicadas in winter, angry but not daring to speak out.

This was the Imperial City. The Imperial Guards represented the Heavenly Might. Who dared to resist?

“Tsk tsk, this method of amassing wealth is even darker than mine.”

Lin Que led Su Qingyu straight out of the line, not even bothering to queue, and walked directly beneath the city gate.

"Hmm?"

Zhao Yan was already displeased when his peripheral vision suddenly caught Su Qingyu following behind Lin Que.

The ethereal temperament of her Innate Dao Body, even through a veil, instantly made this Little Marquis—who had seen countless women—eyes light up with a lecherous gleam.

"Stop!"

Zhao Yan stood up, pointed at Lin Que and Su Qingyu, and grinned maliciously:

"Who told you to cut the line? Do you not know the rules!"

"Especially that woman behind you. This Marquis observes Devilish Qi on her! Men, take her to the back hall. This Marquis wants to 'personally' perform a body search and inspection!"

Several guards, like wolves and tigers, immediately rushed forward like hungry beasts pouncing on their prey.

Su Qingyu was so scared she hid behind Lin Que.

"Body search?"

Lin Que snapped his folding fan shut, blocking Su Qingyu's path.

He looked up at the **[Heaven-Illuminating Treasure Mirror]** above, which was emitting a terrifying pressure.

Right then, to give Lin Que a show of force, Zhao Yan directly pinched a hand seal, pushing the power of the Heaven-Illuminating Treasure Mirror to its maximum!

Boom!

A beam of blinding green light, ten times thicker than before, crashed down toward Lin Que like a waterfall!

This was not just to forcibly strip away Lin Que's protective spiritual light, but it also carried the **"Kneeling Suppression"** of the Imperial Dynasty Luck! Even an Early Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator would have their knees crushed if caught off guard!

"Kneel for this Marquis!!"

Zhao Yan roared.

However, bathed in the green light, Lin Que not only didn't kneel but even stretched comfortably.

The green light that could even suppress the Void Realm shone on his purple-gold glowing Demon God Body like a gentle breeze over a mountain ridge, not even bending a single hair.

"System, this broken mirror wants me to go streaking and kneel."

"Shove it back for me."

[Detected high-level rule probing/suppression (Heaven-Illuminating Treasure Mirror Max Power)!]

[Includes side effects: Forcible stripping of defense, mental humiliation suppression, forced kneeling and kowtowing.]

[Transfer initiated! Logic restructuring—Reverse Social Death!]

[Locking targets: Zhao Yan and all Imperial Guards present!]

[Multiplier: Super Double!]

"Kneel... firmly for me!!"

Lin Que's eyes turned cold, and he swung his folding fan!

Buzz—!!!

The **[Heaven-Illuminating Treasure Mirror]** in mid-air suddenly let out a mournful cry as if it couldn't bear the load.

Immediately after, the green light that was originally shining on Lin Que actually reflected back at an incredible angle, instantly enveloping Zhao Yan and those hundred-plus Imperial Guards!

"What's going on?!"

The malicious grin on Zhao Yan's face instantly froze.

The next second.

"Riiip!!!"

A dense sound of fabric tearing echoed through the city gate.

Under the dumbfounded gaze of thousands of Cultivators.

Zhao Yan's priceless purple-gold python robe, all the guards' silver flying-fish robes, and even their underwear... in this instant, were all forcibly stripped and blown into flying rags by the mirror's backlash!

Over a hundred naked burly men were thus revealed without reservation in broad daylight!

"Aaaah!! My clothes!!!"

"Marquis! Yours... is so small!"

But that wasn't the most lethal part.

The mirror's **"Forced Kneeling"** attribute, under the System's Super Double multiplier, turned into ten thousand catties of gravity, slamming down onto their naked backs!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Over a hundred shirtless men, including the once-unbeatable Little Marquis Zhao Yan.

Their knees hit the ground in unison, smashing the bluestone slabs! Their upper bodies were pinned firmly to the floor, and toward Lin Que's direction, they began to uncontrollably... kowtow frantically!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The sound of kowtowing shook the heavens and earth, and they even bled from the impact!

The entire scene was dead silent.

Whether it was the Loose Cultivators in line or the passing merchant caravans, everyone was stunned.

The Imperial Guards collectively streaking? And kowtowing to someone in public like pounding garlic?! The sky has freaking fallen!!

"Scoundrel!! You dare use sorcery on this Marquis!!!"

Zhao Yan screamed like a slaughtered pig in humiliation while kowtowing frantically. He was at Peak Golden Core! But under this bizarre rule suppression, he couldn't even self-detonate his Golden Core!

"Sorcery? This is clearly your own Imperial Magic Treasure."

Lin Que waved his folding fan and walked up to Zhao Yan, who was still kowtowing.

He applied slight pressure with his foot, stepping on Zhao Yan's face as he tried to look up, looking down at him from above:

"Little Marquis, I've certainly witnessed the rules of this Imperial City."

"Not only do you like to streak, but you also like to show such great respect."

"You... who exactly are you!! My father is the Great Qian Divine Martial Marquis (Late Stage Nascent Soul)! If you dare humiliate me, I'll execute nine generations of your clan!!!"

Zhao Yan roared frantically, humiliation having completely stripped him of his reason.

"Noisy."

Lin Que applied a little force with his foot.

Crack!

Zhao Yan's nasal bone shattered instantly, and blood sprayed wildly.

"Impudent!! Let go of the Little Marquis!!"

Just then, an angry and shocked roar came from inside the city walls.

Boom!

An extremely powerful Spiritual Pressure soared into the sky.

A middle-aged general wearing black armor and holding a Gentian Bright Silver Spear pounced from the top of the wall like an angry eagle.

Imperial City Garrison General—Tie Xuan! Cultivation: Half-Step Nascent Soul!

The spear in his hand was a Top-Grade Magic Treasure that had once pierced through a Nascent Soul Stage great demon!

"Thief, die!!"

Tie Xuan was in mid-air, man and spear as one, transforming into a hundred-zhang-long silver flood dragon. With a terrifying sharpness that tore through the void, he stabbed straight at Lin Que's forehead! This strike was not only meant to save someone but to kill Lin Que on the spot!

"Young Master Lin, be careful! That's the Imperial City's Star-Shattering Spear Technique!"

Su Qingyu turned pale with fright.

However.

Lin Que looked at that terrifying spear strike, which was enough to instantly kill a Peak Golden Core and threaten an Early Stage Nascent Soul.

He didn't draw the starfall mo dao on his back. He didn't even use the four-colored exotic fire within his body.

He just slowly raised a hand.

"Do the people in this Imperial City all think..."

In the depths of Lin Que's pupils, a violent purple-gold light belonging to a Demon Venerable flashed:

"...that they are very good at fighting?"

Clang—!!!!

A loud bang, like a giant bronze bell being struck, made the ears of tens of thousands of nearby Cultivators bleed and their vision go dark.

Everyone's eyes widened, as if they were seeing the most unbelievable scene of their lives.

In mid-air.

That silver spear dragon, condensed from a Top-Grade Magic Treasure and Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivation... stopped!

It stopped in Lin Que's palm!

Lin Que's fair, slender right hand had caught the spear tip just like that, effortlessly.

The strangling power exploding frantically on the spear tip cut against Lin Que's palm, but not only did it not leave a single scratch, it instead erupted into a long string of blinding sparks!

Catching a Top-Grade Magic Treasure with bare hands!!

"This... this is impossible!!!"

General Tie Xuan, who was charging with his spear, almost had his eyes pop out.

He felt like he hadn't stabbed a person, but an immovable primordial divine mountain! The opponent's Physical Body was simply a hundred times harder than Nine Heavens Profound Iron!

"Top-Grade Magic Treasure?"

Lin Que gripped the spear tip, his lips curling into a mocking smile.

Having devoured the Sky Demon's Left Arm and cultivated the Demon God Body, his physical strength was already approaching Soul Transformation! This kind of scrap metal wasn't even worthy of scratching his itch!

"Give it back to you."

Lin Que's five fingers clenched violently!

Crack!!

Under everyone's horrified gaze, that Top-Grade Magic Treasure spear, famous in the Imperial City, was actually... crushed into a sky full of fragments by Lin Que with one hand!

Immediately after, Lin Que backhanded a slap.

No Cultivation Technique or Martial Skill was needed, just pure physical monstrous strength!

Bang!!!

"Pfft—!"

General Tie Xuan didn't even have a chance to react; the black armor on his chest shattered instantly, and he was sent flying like a cannonball.

He smashed through a dozen stone lions along the way, finally becoming deeply embedded in the hundred-zhang-high dark gold city wall, coughing up blood and fainting on the spot!

One slap.

A Half-Step Nascent Soul garrison general, insta-killed!

At the entire city gate, tens of thousands of people were silent.

There was only the sound of the wind blowing through the scraps of cloth on the ground, and the "thump thump" of Zhao Yan and the others still involuntarily kowtowing.

Lin Que withdrew his hand and brushed off the iron filings.

He stepped over the group of naked guards on the ground, looked up, and his gaze seemed to penetrate through layers of palaces, looking toward the deepest part of the Imperial City—the direction where the Zhengdao Alliance headquarters was located.

"Go and pass a message."

Lin Que's voice wasn't loud, but wrapped in spiritual power, it was like rolling heavenly thunder, echoing through all three thousand six hundred wards of the Da Qian Imperial City!

"Say that the creditor, Lin Que..."

"...has come to the Imperial City to collect a debt!!"