Chen Du responded, turned and left the alchemy room, walking straight out of the courtyard.
A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo grove, brushing against his clothes.
He did not immediately set off down the mountain, but returned to the Bamboo Courtyard first. With a gentle flick of his fingertips in the void, the laws within his sea of consciousness trembled slightly, and undercurrents flowed slowly deep within his soul, intertwining to form a ring.
He silently concealed his Dao power to the extreme, completely sealing away the vast aura of the Thirteenth Tier, like a deep pool, revealing not a trace of terrifying power.
Even if an ordinary cultivator stood before him, they would only sense the power of a shallow and ordinary cultivator, and would have no chance of glimpsing his true strength.
Xuanwei stood at the entrance of the alchemy room, watching Chen Du's departing figure, a hint of worry hidden between her brows, but she did not say anything more to persuade him.
He knew that Chen Du's mind was made up, and he also knew that this trip down the mountain would not only involve facing the prince who had rebelled and the Barbarian Kingdom army, but also the black hand hidden behind the scenes by the Xuanwu Divine Hall. There was danger lurking everywhere, and every step was fraught with peril.
As he approached the mountain gate, the Qingfeng Temple disciples guarding the gate bowed to him upon seeing that he was about to leave.
"Senior Brother Chen Du, are you going down the mountain?"
"Yes, I'll go down the mountain."
Chen Du responded faintly, his gaze sweeping down to the vast, dusty landscape below.
In the distance, a faint layer of blood-red haze shrouded the horizon, the malevolent aura born of war, which he could still keenly perceive even from tens of thousands of miles away.
With a single step, his figure suddenly became ethereal. Instead of taking the usual mountain path, he vanished into the clouds, transforming into an almost invisible faint shadow, and sped towards the Capital.
Above the sky, a sea of clouds surges and rolls.
As we sped along, the scenery below gradually changed.
Many of the previously peaceful villages and towns are now closed, and there are no pedestrians on the roads. Occasionally, one can see refugees with their families, fleeing south. Their cries and lamentations drift up on the wind and reach Chen Du's ears.
The closer one gets to the Capital, the stronger the murderous aura of war becomes.
Abandoned supplies, broken weapons, and uncollected corpses were scattered everywhere along the official road, leaving the area in ruins.
Zhao Yuan Lang's army marched south, and the prefectures and counties along the way surrendered without resistance. The few cities that dared to resist had already been trampled by the iron cavalry.
When Chen Du entered the Capital, the fighting at the city gates was nearing its end.
The rebel army of the thirteenth prince and the allied forces of the Barbarian Kingdom broke through the north gate and poured into the city like a tide. The imperial guards defending the city suffered heavy casualties and could only fight and retreat, gradually shrinking towards the imperial city.
The long street was littered with wreckage. Broken swords and spears, shattered arrows were scattered about, and corpses lay strewn across the road. There were imperial guards who had fought to the death, rebels who had died in a frenzy, and many innocent civilians who had no time to escape and were caught in the crossfire.
Chen Du walked slowly among the corpses, his Qi-Concealing Technique pushed to its limit, his aura so suppressed that it was almost imperceptible, like a silent phantom, and no one along the way noticed his presence.
The heavy main gate of the imperial city had already been smashed open, leaving a jagged gap. The rebels rushed in through the breach.
Chen Du mingled with the chaotic crowd and silently entered the heart of the imperial city, heading straight for the inner palace.
The further in you go, the more intense and piercing the sounds of clashing weapons, roars, and screams become.
The remaining imperial guards retreated behind the last palace wall, desperately defending themselves. The rebels erected ladders and frantically climbed up the wall, where close combat ensued, and blood flowed continuously down the blue bricks.
Avoiding the devastating battlefield, Chen Du followed the directions marked by Calamity Warning signs in his memory and headed straight for the Taiji Hall —the grand hall where emperors of past dynasties held court.
Outside the Taiji Hall, the Thirteenth Prince's personal guards surrounded the hall in layers, making it completely impenetrable.
The palace doors were tightly shut, but suddenly the old emperor's hoarse, grief-stricken voice echoed clearly across the clamor of the battlefield, "Zhao Yuan Lang! You've gone mad! You've colluded with the Barbarian Kingdom, letting wolves into the house! How can you face the ancestors of the Zhao family?!"
Outside the palace, the thirteenth prince rode atop a magnificent steed, his silver armor gleaming coldly, his face hard and unyielding.
Several Barbarian Kingdom stood side by side behind him, each with a burly build and a fierce, menacing look on their faces.
Hearing the angry curses from inside the hall, a faint sneer appeared on his lips. His voice was calm, each word carrying into the hall. "Father, save your energy. I was forced into this situation."
He dismounted and slowly took two steps toward the palace gate. His voice was not loud, but it was extremely penetrating. "My eldest brother is the crown prince. When he ascends the throne, the first thing he will do is to settle scores with us brothers. My second brother has been deposed, my fifth brother has been imprisoned, and my seventh brother died mysteriously."
Father, you allow the Crown Prince to push you further and further. Others may think it's because you favor the Crown Prince, but I understand that you have no other choice! In the imperial family, sitting on this throne, no one can remain uninvolved. Everyone has to pay the price, even my elder brother, that Crown Prince, he paid the price for it too!
A long silence filled the hall. After a moment, the old emperor's hoarse, weary voice slowly broke the silence, filled with boundless desolation. "You... you're confused! My indulgence of the Crown Prince was never my true intention. I was forced into this situation. In this power struggle within the palace, everyone has to pay a price. Even your own elder brother has already borne a heavy burden! I'm not dead yet! What's your hurry!"
"Your Majesty, I cannot wait any longer," the Thirteenth Prince said calmly. "Father, please open the door, and I will come in and speak with you properly. If you do not open it, I will have no choice but to have someone break it down."
He raised his hand and waved, and the guards behind him carried a thick battering ram toward the palace gate.
Just then, the palace doors suddenly opened from the inside.
The old emperor stood behind the door, wearing a rumpled dragon robe, his hair disheveled, his crown askew, and a short sword clutched in his hand.
He was followed by only a dozen or so eunuchs and palace maids, all of whom were ashen-faced.
The old emperor, holding a short sword, its tip trembling, pointed it at the thirteenth prince. "You... you dare!"
The thirteenth prince looked at him, shook his head, and waved his hand behind him.
The guards swarmed forward.
But they stopped after taking only two steps.
There was an extra person in front of the palace gate.
A young Daoist priest, dressed in a faded old robe, had delicate features and a slender build, and looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.
He stood before the old emperor, facing the thirteenth prince's personal guards, his expression calm.
The thirteenth prince narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
Chen Du looked at him and said calmly, "Qingfeng Temple, Li Xuan."
The thirteenth prince was taken aback for a moment, then sneered, "Qingfeng Temple? That remote mountain Daoist temple? You, a mere Daoist priest, dare to block my path?"
He didn't bother with pleasantries and waved to his guards. "Take them down."
A dozen or so guards rushed forward at the same time.
Chen Du didn't move. With a wave of his hand, all the guards froze halfway, their knees buckled, and they all knelt on the ground.
The thirteenth prince's smile froze, and the Barbarian Kingdom generals behind him also changed their expressions, subconsciously taking a step back.