374: The legendary land immortal! I will end everything!

Chapter 368: The Legendary Land Immortal! I Will End Everything!

Inside the Imperial Palace, fiery flames raged.

With every step Peng Lie took, the golden bricks beneath his feet melted into scalding molten fire.

The crimson Gale Force swirling around his body transformed into nine fiery Dragons, churning and wreaking havoc throughout the vast palace grounds.

The exquisitely carved white marble railings shattered under the high temperature, and the exotic flowers and plants in the Imperial Garden instantly withered and charred.

“Run!”

“It’s the Imperial Grandfather!”

Upon witnessing this terrifying scene, the Imperial Palace’s Forbidden Army threw down their helmets and armor, scattering in all directions.

On the gilded long corridor leading to the Golden Throne Hall, over a dozen guards who couldn’t escape in time were rolling on the ground.

Their armor was scorched red, yet miraculously, their skin remained unharmed.

“Hmph!”

Peng Lie snorted coldly, and the fiery Dragons, as if sentient, avoided the groaning soldiers on the ground.

Though enraged, he consistently adhered to his bottom line of not harming the innocent.

His true target was only one—the monster occupying the Dragon Throne inside the Golden Throne Hall!

“Your Majesty! This Old Subject has come to seek guidance!”

Peng Lie’s thunderous voice shook the palace roof, causing Glazed Tile to fall rattling.

The next moment, his figure moved like lightning, and wherever he passed, the nine fiery Dragons melted a crimson path through the palace walls along the way.

Some Forbidden Army members, unafraid of death, tried to block him but were forced to retreat repeatedly by the terrifying heatwave before they could even get close.

In the distance, Lu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching Peng Lie display his Divine Might.

He deliberately stayed half a step behind, wanting to let this old man, who had been suppressed for too long, properly vent the anger in his heart.

“Boom—!”

With a loud bang, the thousand-pound vermillion-painted main gate of the Golden Throne Hall exploded under Peng Lie’s iron fist!

“How dare you, Peng Lie! Are you, Old Man, trying to rebel?”

In an instant, a furious roar came from the sky, and King Shangwu, Lu Zhanshi, arrived, treading on air.

This Old Prince, the same age as Peng Lie, wore a dark gold python robe, his white hair like halberds, and the golden-yellow Gale Force Dragon shadows around him were as vast as an abyss or a sea.

He reached out and grabbed at the air, actually crushing one of Peng Lie’s fiery Dragons!

“Fire arrows, men!”

“Kill without mercy!!!!”

At King Shangwu’s command, several thousand skilled archers suddenly appeared around the palace walls.

The cold, gleaming arrows were all tipped with “Suiyuan San,” a potent poison specifically designed to counter Martial Dao Grandmasters!

“Lu Zhanshi!”

Peng Lie’s hair stood on end in fury, the nine fiery Dragons behind him intertwining into a shield; he had no intention of giving King Shangwu any Face.

“Are you senile? Can’t you see what kind of thing is sitting on that Dragon Throne!!!!”

“Presumptuous!”

King Shangwu, Lu Zhanshi, was enraged, his white hair standing on end like sharp steel needles.

Hundreds of ferocious golden Dragon shadows flickered within the golden Gale Qi vortex condensed between his palms, tearing and distorting the surrounding air.

“Peng Lie! You damned traitor, how dare you!”

King Shangwu’s voice was like thunder, shaking the nearby palace walls, causing them to crumble inch by inch.

He took a step, and the golden bricks beneath his feet exploded with a roar.

“First, you trespassed into the Imperial Palace Forbidden Ground, and now you dare to speak disrespectfully to His Majesty!”

“If I don’t take your head today, I, Lu Zhanshi, am unworthy of being a Royal Kinsman!”

Peng Lie, however, threw his head back and laughed, the crimson flames around him surging three zhang: “Hahaha, Old Man! Then let me see your strength.”

“Seeking death!”

The two Peak Martial Dao Grandmaster powerhouses confronted each other from a distance, their violent Qi shattering the surrounding palace walls.

Just at this critical moment—

“Royal Uncle.”

A clear, cold voice suddenly sounded between the two.

Lu Xuan, at some unknown point, was already standing in the center of the tense battlefield, his deep purple Dragon robe spotless.

He merely waved his hand gently, and the thousands of poisoned arrows instantly turned into dust in the Void Realm!

“Are you sure…?”

Golden light flowed in Lu Xuan’s eyes, “You want to block My path?”

As these simple five words fell, King Shangwu was struck by lightning, staggering back three steps.

He looked at Lu Xuan in disbelief—was this still the gentle and elegant Crown Prince he knew?

“Crown Prince…Your Highness?”

The weapons in the hands of the surrounding Forbidden Army clanged to the ground, and everyone stared at Lu Xuan as if they had seen a ghost.

Those specially made arrows, touted to be able to break a Great Grandmaster’s Gale Force, turned into dust with a casual wave of the Crown Prince’s hand!

This completely transcended their understanding of a Martial Artist!

“Impossible…”

A Forbidden Army Deputy Commander muttered to himself, “This…this is no longer Martial Dao…”

King Shangwu’s Face was pale, and he suddenly realized a terrifying truth.

Peng Lie’s frantic actions just now were not about abducting the Crown Prince…but rather…

“Royal Uncle’s thoughts are correct.”

Lu Xuan spoke as if he could read minds, his voice carrying an unsettling calmness: “Everything today is at My behest.”

“Crown Prince! Do you know what you are doing?”

King Shangwu, Lu Zhanshi, was furious, his hair standing on end, his voice hoarse and unclear from extreme rage.

He raised a trembling finger, pointing towards the Golden Throne Hall, his eyes filled with disbelief: “That is your Imperial Father! The Sovereign of the Wenjing Dynasty!”

King Shangwu staggered forward two steps, his dark gold python robe rustling in the Gale Force.

His old, wrinkled Face was a mix of anger and heartache: “This Dynasty will eventually be yours, why…why would you commit such a treasonous act?”

He suddenly turned and glared at Peng Lie, his eyes filled with murderous intent: “It must be this Old Man who incited you!”

“These Peng Family people are ambitious and have coveted My Lu clan’s imperial power for a long time!”

As he spoke, King Shangwu’s old tears flowed freely.

He knelt on one knee with a thud, cupped his fists, and pleaded: “Crown Prince! It’s not too late to turn back now! His Majesty is benevolent and will surely forgive you…”

These words were spoken with genuine sincerity, but they only made the golden light in Lu Xuan’s eyes grow stronger.

He slowly walked forward, and with each step, a golden ripple spread across the ground: “Royal Uncle…”

His voice was very soft, yet it made King Shangwu tremble all over: “Do you truly believe that the one on the Dragon Throne…is still My Imperial Father?”

King Shangwu’s pupils constricted violently, his aged Face contorted with anger.

He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles making an unbearable “crack, crack” sound.

He simply couldn’t understand, King Shangwu truly couldn’t understand the Crown Prince’s meaning!

“Absurd! Absolutely absurd!”

King Shangwu’s voice was terribly hoarse, as if squeezed from deep within his chest: “Your Imperial Father is just…just old!”

“It’s the hidden injuries from fighting everywhere in his youth, and now he’s just suffering the backlash!”

As he spoke, tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.

That Imperial Brother, who once dominated the world, was forever a supreme existence in his heart: “Back then, outside the northern border gate, he alone fought eighteen Great Grandmasters of Beiman!”

“When the five Western Regions nations rebelled, he single-handedly slaughtered the enemy chiefs, striking terror into their hearts!”

“These injuries…these injuries were all for the Wenjing Dynasty!”

King Shangwu suddenly erupted, his golden Gale Force surging out like a volcanic eruption.

He glared at Lu Xuan, his eyes filled with heartache and disappointment: “And you…as a son, and the Crown Prince of the Wenjing Dynasty, you actually chose to believe the slanders of outsiders!”

“Is it because you see your Imperial Father is old, that you can’t wait to sit in that position?”

The last sentence was practically roared, the sound waves making the surrounding Forbidden Army members as silent as cicadas in winter.

King Shangwu trembled all over, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

In his heart, the Crown Prince at this moment had already become a power-hungry rebel…

Lu Xuan said no more, merely flicking his sleeve.

In an instant, the world changed color, and winds and clouds swirled!

“Roar—!”

A dazzling golden Dragon shadow roared out from his sleeve, transforming into a golden chain inscribed with profound and mysterious patterns in the Void Realm.

Wherever the golden chain passed, space itself twisted, emitting sounds of unbearable compression.

“This is…?”

King Shangwu’s pupils constricted, and the hairs on his body stood on end; he had never felt such terrifying pressure.

That golden chain seemed to carry the will of the entire world, making it impossible for anyone to even think of resisting!

“Break for this Prince!”

King Shangwu roared, his hair standing on end.

His lifelong cultivation burst forth entirely, hundreds of golden Dragon phantoms soaring into the sky from the acupoints around his body.

Each golden Dragon phantom condensed the essence of his Gale Force, cultivated over sixty years!

However—

“Hiss…”

The golden chain swayed gently, and those seemingly mighty golden Dragon phantoms shattered one after another like bubbles.

King Shangwu’s proud Martial Dao cultivation was simply no match for this chain!

“No…impossible!” His Face was pale, and he muttered, staggering backward.

King Shangwu watched helplessly as the chain moved unimpeded, easily penetrating all his defenses.

Finally…it gently wrapped around his wrist.

There was no pain, no harm, only a vast, star-sea-like will pouring into his Sea of Consciousness.

In an instant, King Shangwu felt the true Divine Might of the golden chain!

That was not a power a human should possess; it was a power from the vast world.

“Crown Prince, you are…?”

“How is this possible!”

In an instant, King Shangwu trembled all over!

The moment that golden chain wrapped around his wrist, a vast, star-sea-like will directly poured into his Sea of Consciousness.

That was not a power a human Martial Artist should possess.

There was no ferocity of Gale Force, no circulation of Protective Aura, but rather…a mysterious rhythm almost like the Heavenly Dao!

“This is…the legendary power of Heaven and Earth that transcends Mortals?”

King Shangwu’s aged Face became extremely shocked and complex!

He could clearly feel that the power contained within the chain completely transcended the Realm of Martial Dao, as if it was constantly expounding the ultimate truths of Heaven and Earth.

“Crown Prince…you…?”

King Shangwu’s voice trembled, his cloudy eyes fixed on Lu Xuan.

At this moment, a faint golden glow enveloped the Crown Prince’s body, and a Dragon-shaped pattern subtly appeared between his brows.

That was not a characteristic a Mortal should possess at all!

An absurd yet the only logical guess immediately surfaced in King Shangwu’s mind: “Land Immortal!!!!”

The moment these four words left his mouth, he couldn’t help but shiver.

That was a legendary Realm that only existed in ancient texts!

Since the founding of the Wenjing Dynasty, no one had ever truly reached that Peak of Martial Dao!

King Shangwu involuntarily knelt on the ground, his aged body trembling uncontrollably.

He looked at Lu Xuan, enveloped in golden light, his eyes filled with unspeakable shock and complexity.

“Transcending the mundane…comprehending Heaven and Earth…”

King Shangwu murmured, his voice trembling beyond recognition.

These descriptions, once only seen in ancient texts, now appeared vividly before his eyes.

Moreover, this person was his own nephew, the future Emperor of the Wenjing Dynasty.

King Shangwu suddenly remembered his Imperial Brother, the once spirited Emperor Zhenwu.

How many late nights had the two brothers talked by candlelight in the Imperial Study, imagining the Realm of the Land Immortal while poring over incomplete ancient texts.

“With the creation of Heaven and Earth…to shape the Meridians of the Physical Body…” King Shangwu gazed at Lu Xuan in fascination, his withered fingers digging deep into the cracks of the golden bricks.

How many years had passed? He had personally watched his Imperial Brother go from hope-filled to gradually despairing.

That Emperor, who once looked down on all heroes, eventually bowed his proud head before the passage of time.

“One who undergoes a complete transformation…is a Land Immortal…”

Old tears rolled down his wrinkled cheeks, and King Shangwu suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

How ironic!

The Realm that they, brothers, had strived their entire lives to reach, was now realized in Lu Xuan, a Junior.

“Imperial Brother…do you see…?” He looked up towards the Golden Throne Hall, his voice choked.

Peng Lie, at some point, had come to his side, also with reddened eyes, and patted his old rival’s shoulder.

The two old adversaries now felt a sense of mutual appreciation—they both knew too well how despairing that chasm was.

Lu Xuan quietly watched the two old men, the golden light in his eyes slightly receding.

He knew better than anyone that this seemingly “half-step” distance was, in reality, the eternal chasm between Mortal and Immortal…

If not for the System’s stat-adding panel, wouldn’t Lu Xuan also be one of the “hundreds of millions” who yearned to pursue the supreme Dao?

“You all need not enter.”

Lu Xuan’s voice was very calm, echoing through the vast palace grounds.

He stepped forward without looking back, his deep purple Dragon robe unmoving in the strong wind.

With each step he took, a golden ripple spread across the ground.

“I will end all of this Myself.”

As his words fell, the golden chain wrapped around King Shangwu’s wrist suddenly shone brightly, gently pushing him to a safe distance.

Seeing this, all the Forbidden Army members lowered their weapons and silently retreated.

Even King Shangwu, a Peak Martial Dao Grandmaster, was powerless to resist; how dared these mere soldiers cause trouble?

Inside the Purple Gold Hall, it was as black as ink, with only a twisted, writhing dark shadow faintly visible in the direction of the Dragon Throne.

Lu Xuan, however, stepped into it without hesitation.

The palace grounds were dead silent.

King Shangwu, Peng Lie…everyone held their breath, watching Lu Xuan’s disappearing back.

They knew—this was no longer a struggle between father and son, but a transition of old and new eras, a change in supreme imperial power.

Regardless of the outcome, starting today, the heavens of the Wenjing Dynasty…were about to change!

Inside the hall, a chilling wind blew, and the faint candlelight flickered, threatening to extinguish. Lu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the hall, the surroundings as dark as ink.

Strangely, the sunlight from outside the hall seemed to be blocked by some invisible barrier, unable to penetrate even a bit.

The entire Purple Gold Hall was as if isolated in another world, with only a few dying lamps casting a dim glow.

“You’ve come…Crown Prince…”

A cold voice suddenly sounded from the right side.

Without turning his head, Lu Xuan sensed Emperor Zhenwu’s silent appearance three steps away.

This “Emperor” had an ashen Face, pale, pupil-less eyes, and the bottom of his imperial yellow Dragon robe was empty.

He wasn’t standing on the ground at all, but eerily hovering in mid-air!