26: Divide and conquer plan

[This man is exactly Emperor Xiao Rui. His eyes are bloodshot, staring daggers at you.]

[You sneer: "Emperor Xiao Rui, His Majesty has long known of your whereabouts and has specifically ordered me to take your life."]

[A flicker of fear flashes in Emperor Xiao Rui's eyes.]

[Before he can react, you twist your wrist, snapping his neck directly. He widens his eyes and dies on the spot.]

[You glance at the corpse, strike out with your palm, and release an explosion of Qi; the body instantly bursts into a cloud of blood mist.]

[Nearby passersby see this and scream in terror: "Murder! Someone's been murdered!"]

[The commotion immediately draws the attention of the Martial Arts Academy.]

[But you don't care at all—the Medicinal Pill is in hand; even if you aren't a match for them, you can still retreat unscathed.]

["Insolent! How dare you commit murder in front of the Martial Arts Academy?!" An angry shout comes from inside the academy.]

[A figure flies over and lands steadily in front of you—it is none other than Xiao Tianci!]

[His gaze is icy as he stares at the jade pendant left on the ground, seemingly recognizing the identity of the deceased.]

["Who are you, Your Excellency? Why did you kill a member of my imperial clan?!" Xiao Tianci asks in a cold voice.]

["Rebellious traitors deserve to be executed by all. Does Prince Xiao intend to shield him?" You deliberately lower your voice and laugh hoarsely.]

["Hmph, it is not your place to deal with him!" Xiao Tianci's gaze is like a knife, staring fixedly at you.]

["What, does Prince Xiao want to spar a few rounds?" You remain smiling.]

["Since you are courting death, don't blame me for being impolite!" Before his voice fades, his figure flashes, and he strikes at you with a palm.]

[You smile and lean back, instantly activating the Shadowless Steps, leaving a trail of afterimages in place.]

[He recognizes your movement technique, and his eyes narrow slightly.]

[This Shadowless Steps is a High Grade Cultivation Technique of the Martial Arts Academy, and he knows most of the people who have learned it.]

[Taking advantage of his moment of distraction, you immediately unleash the Dragon-Elephant Palm, the wind from your palm whistling out with a phantom image of Qi.]

[He quickly leaps away to dodge, and after seeing you use the Dragon-Elephant Palm, a flash of surprise crosses his eyes.]

[But he quickly calms down and sneers: "Using my Martial Arts Academy's martial arts against me? Naive!"]

["Vajra Indestructible!" He shouts violently, and a golden light radiates from his entire body.]

["Bang!" Your Dragon-Elephant Palm strikes his body, but only produces a dull thud, leaving him completely unscathed.]

["Damn it!" You curse inwardly; this defensive Cultivation Technique is definitely a top-tier one.]

["As expected of the number one expert of the Yan Dynasty; I fear no one of the same rank can break this defense." You click your tongue inwardly.]

[With Xiao Tianci being a Great Grandmaster Late Stage, combined with the top-tier defensive Cultivation Technique Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, the title of number one expert is well-deserved.]

[You immediately soar into the air and fly towards the imperial palace.]

[He pursues relentlessly, and you fight until the heavens and earth are turned upside down inside the palace. The energy from your clashing Qi blasts the palace into ruins, and those imperial guards who cannot dodge in time are directly pulverized into meat paste.]

[You discover that he has completely seen through your Shadowless Steps, countering you perfectly.]

[Fortunately, you still have the Soaring Dragon Steps, which allows you to dodge his killing blows narrowly every time.]

[But the gap in strength is evident, and after a quarter of an hour, you can no longer hold on.]

[This old thing actually knows three top-tier Cultivation Techniques: the invincibly defensive Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, the ghostly Subtle Steps of Ling Bo, and the killing move Formless Divine Art.]

[You know that a prolonged fight is disadvantageous, so you exert all your effort into your movement technique and "whoosh," you slip away.]

[Xiao Tianci watches the streak of light as you escape, frowning and muttering to himself: "Could it be that the Emperor is not dead?"]

[Seeing that he didn't pursue, you breathe a sigh of relief; it seems he doesn't know that what you stole was the heaven-plundering pill, otherwise he would have likely pursued you even if it cost him his life.]

[Through this exchange, you judge that Xiao Tianci's three top-tier Cultivation Techniques have not yet reached Perfection, otherwise you would not have lasted ten moves.]

[You also confirm that Xiao Tianci is a Great Grandmaster Late Stage.]

[If you hadn't been cautious and careful, and were only testing him, you would likely have been in great danger.]

[You secretly calculate that even if you Cultivate to the Great Grandmaster Perfection, you cannot kill him in a one-on-one fight; you must find other Great Grandmasters to join forces.]

[However, during this fight with an expert, you discover you have gained a few unique insights into your self-created martial arts.]

[The fourth year,]

[After traveling through various cities, you quietly return to the Yan Imperial Capital.]

[The previous great battle with Xiao Tianci caused a huge uproar in the Imperial Capital.]

[However, the imperial court announced to the public that the palace was being renovated, concealing the fact that Great Grandmasters had fought.]

[Your purpose for returning is simple: you must secretly join forces with other Great Grandmasters, so you have to risk returning.]

[You believe that other Great Grandmasters have the same idea as you—otherwise, those people wouldn't have made so many moves in previous simulations.]

[However, you haven't caused any trouble recently, only focusing on Cultivating in a small courtyard.]

[Upon reaching the Great Grandmaster Realm, the method of Cultivation changes—not only do you need to comprehend Cultivation Techniques and Cultivate your character, but you also need a Heaven And Earth Treasure called "earth vein spiritual milk."]

[Now, when you Cultivate, you must operate your Mind-Cultivation Technique to guide your Qi, letting the Qi circulate through your Meridians and Acupoints; for every cycle completed, your cultivation increases slightly.]

[If you Cultivate with the aid of "earth vein spiritual milk," the effect is directly doubled!]

[But this treasure is truly too hard to get...]

[Without its assistance, your Cultivation speed is frustratingly slow!]

[The fifth year,]

[Besides Cultivating, you also specifically seek out Xu Lingshan's tea stall. Whenever you encounter a Bottleneck in your Cultivation, you go to her tea stall to drink tea and relax.]

[This day, you sit in front of the tea stall as usual, and Xu Lingshan smilingly brings over a cup of new tea: "Brother Chen, try the green tea I brewed according to the method you told me."]

[You take a sip, frowning at the bitterness: "This is too bitter."]

[Xu Lingshan covers her mouth and giggles: "It is a bit bitter, but it is very healthy."]

[Just as you are chatting and laughing, two gorgeously dressed young men walk over.]

[The leading man stares straight at Xu Lingshan: "Little beauty, will you accompany us to Wangyue Tower for a drink?"]

[You recognize at a glance that these are Fang Chen and Song Zhanpeng.]

[You calmly put on your mask and stand in front of Xu Lingshan: "Get lost, or die."]

[Fang Chen laughs arrogantly: "Do you know who this young master is? My father is the current Duke!"]

["What a coincidence, I am from the Imperial City Guard!" You sneer and raise your hand, striking with a palm.]

[Before your voice fades, you strike with your palm, and Fang Chen's head instantly explodes, his headless corpse crashing to the ground.]

[Song Zhanpeng is scared pale, his legs trembling.]

["Get lost!" You shout coldly, and he finally comes to his senses, scrambling away.]

[You turn around, take out a bag of silver, and shove it to Xu Lingshan: "Quickly take your parents and leave the Imperial Capital; go to White Emperor City in the Jin Dynasty."]

[Without waiting for her answer, you have already disappeared from the spot.]

[That afternoon, the Imperial Capital is placed under martial law.]

[People from the Dukes Residence surround the Imperial City Guard to demand an explanation.]

[To your surprise, the Imperial City Guard actually accepts responsibility for the matter and hands over a scapegoat who "committed suicide out of fear of punishment."]

["This was someone trying to sow discord; this traitor committed suicide during interrogation," the Imperial City Guard explains.]

[You click your tongue inwardly: "Cold Dustless is worthy of being the Commander of the Imperial City Guard; his methods for solving problems are truly brilliant."]

[You originally thought your plan to sow discord was flawless, but you didn't expect him to resolve it so easily.]