Houtian Gang Qi

The following days.

After bypassing Dangyang City, Lin Fan led the two women onward, stopping and starting as they headed toward King of Linzi's City.

The mountain road was rugged, and the carriage jolted terribly.

The two women stayed inside the carriage while Lin Fan drove alone.

With a casual flip of his hand, four cloth bags appeared. They were the belongings left behind by the dead disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect.

There was not much inside the bags. All together, they contained only several thousand taels of silver, one or two flying swords, and one or two cultivation manuals.

Lin Fan casually picked up a booklet. The words "Flowing Cloud Spirit Gathering Art" were written on its cover.

After skimming through it, he realized that it was the cultivation art for the low-level disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect. Its function was similar to that of the Blood Demon Sect's "Low-level Demonic Arts."

"The cultivation arts of orthodox sects also contain Dual Cultivation, but they aren't as brutal as the Blood Demon Sect's. They merely draw a suitable amount of yang essence and yin essence without harming the life of the Dual Cultivation partner."

Lin Fan pondered this and spoke.

He had already cultivated demonic sect arts, so cultivating this manual would be useless. He placed it aside.

Lin Fan then picked up the second booklet, "Houtian Gang Qi."

A single glance made his eyes light up.

"Function of 'Houtian Gang Qi': condense protective gang qi, which can resist damage to a certain extent; cultivation requirement: above the third grade of the Meridian Condensing Realm."

"I happen to be lacking a defensive technique. This art was practically tailor-made for me."

With a thought, Lin Fan immediately communicated with the panel.

Would you like to consume thirty years of lifespan to pre-emptively advance "Houtian Gang Qi" to the Entry Level?

The next second, a line of text floated into his field of vision.

Without hesitation, Lin Fan said, "I agree to the pre-emptive advancement."

An insight into "Houtian Gang Qi" suddenly surged into Lin Fan's mind.

At the same time, a strange scene appeared. A youth resembling Lin Fan sat cross-legged, his Internal Breath slowly circulating through his body along a unique route.

He inhaled and exhaled, and the aura around his body abruptly surged. Then, a faint azure light appeared out of thin air on the surface of the youth's hands.

"That is gang qi!"

Lin Fan narrowed his eyes.

He immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating his Internal Breath according to the youth's movements.

No one knew how much time passed. When Lin Fan's body suddenly trembled, a faint azure light also slowly emerged from his palm.

Delighted, Lin Fan immediately fetched a flying sword and stabbed it toward his right palm, which radiated gang qi.

Crack!

The next second, the flying sword exploded with a bang. The gang qi in his palm dimmed, but his entire hand remained completely unharmed.

"The defensive power is quite strong. The only problem is that it consumes a great deal of Internal Breath."

Lin Fan could feel that he had lost ten percent of his Internal Breath, but it was still within an acceptable range.

He quickly summoned the attribute panel to inspect his changes.

Name: Lin Fan

Lifespan: 1295

Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit

Realm: Meridian Condensing Realm (Fourth Grade)

Arts: Advanced Demonic Arts (Minor Achievement), Blood Convergence Art (Greater Achievement), Talisman Secret Manual (Entry Level), Sword Manipulation Art (Entry Level), Houtian Gang Qi (Entry Level)

"With this defensive technique, my strength has increased considerably."

A smile appeared on Lin Fan's face.

Leaving the demonic sect this time was fraught with danger, but for him, it also seemed to be a rare opportunity. Risk and reward went hand in hand.

They traveled eastward for many more days. It was not until half a month later that the carriage finally entered the eastern border.

Because of his keen perception, Lin Fan could detect the surrounding situation even from some distance away. This allowed him to avoid numerous bandits and raiding armies in advance along the way, sparing him plenty of trouble and danger.

According to Wang Yuyao's reminder, they were not far from King of Linzi's City. There was only one day of travel left.

That day, the carriage proceeded as usual, but Lin Fan suddenly pricked up his ears. He vaguely caught the words "King of Linzi" from not far away.

He slowed down, concentrating his mind as he listened to the voices in the distance.

The voices grew increasingly clear. Someone was discussing, "Ever since the Treacherous Minister helped the rebel seize the throne, the entire Great Jin has fallen into chaos. Now that King of Linzi has successfully returned to King of Linzi's City, we must assist His Highness in eliminating the Treacherous Minister and the rebel."

"Once we wipe out the army sent by the Usurper Emperor, King of Linzi will surely lead us in attacking the imperial city."

"Exactly. King of Linzi survived a great calamity and is bound to enjoy good fortune afterward. Moreover, the heir is wise and mighty. Leading the Black Armored Army, he has held off the imperial army without falling behind. He can certainly turn the tide against the wind."

"I don't think he can merely turn the tide. He may even have a chance of competing for the Supreme Throne. I heard that the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect has already formally pledged its support to several princes."

"With the support of that transcendent cultivation sect, the Usurper Emperor's momentum is spent."

Lin Fan remained silent. It seemed that the situation in King of Linzi's City was not as chaotic as he had imagined.

King of Linzi had already returned to King of Linzi's City, and the heir of King of Linzi was leading troops in battle against the army sent by the New Emperor of Great Jin. Judging from these people's discussion, King of Linzi's forces even seemed to have the upper hand.

If that was the case, King of Linzi's City still posed considerable danger to Lin Fan.

King of Linzi was a Feudal Prince. The fact that he had returned to King of Linzi's City and risen again this time might truly mean that he had the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's support behind him.

Lin Fan had originally intended to send the two women directly into King of Linzi's City, but now it seemed he had to be more cautious.

Once they entered King of Linzi's City, his situation would become extremely dangerous.

As for his relationship with the two women, it was actually more a matter of mutual benefit.

His eyes shifted slightly as his thoughts raced. Before long, he had formed a plan.

The next day.

The gates of Linzi City.

"Stop!"

A soldier shouted sternly.

As his voice fell, the swords and bows behind him all aimed at the approaching carriage.

The person driving the carriage was a stunningly beautiful woman.

Looking at the gates of King of Linzi's City, a barely concealed excitement showed between her lovely brows. She called out, "I am King of Linzi's younger sister, Princess Anyang Wang Yuyao. Which of you dares to stop me?"

The soldier was stunned upon hearing this.

Hadn't most of King of Linzi's family been sent into the demonic sect by the New Emperor? He was deeply suspicious of Wang Yuyao's identity, but his own status was too low for him to act on his own. Besides, there happened to be an important person familiar with Princess Anyang at the city gate.

He softened his tone and said cautiously, "Stop first. If you truly are Princess Anyang, someone will naturally recognize you. Please wait patiently while I report this."

Wang Yuyao nodded slightly and stopped the carriage.

They were already at the city gates. There was no need to hurry for this one moment.

Not long afterward.

A tall, burly man wearing heavy armor strode over.

A large number of armored soldiers followed behind him.

When the man saw Wang Yuyao on the carriage, he suddenly froze. Then his tiger-like eyes widened as he shouted, "Aunt..."

He was both shocked and delighted. His loss of composure left the many accompanying soldiers staring dumbfounded.

In front of everyone, the heir of King of Linzi had always appeared as a decisive and ruthless great general. He rarely revealed such an expression.

"An Shi!"

Wang Yuyao was also extremely excited. She had finally seen her own family again.

Her emotions surged. It was as if she were standing in a dream, with an unreal feeling washing over her.

The aunt and nephew recognized each other, both crying tears of joy.

After a moment, when their emotions had calmed somewhat, the heir of King of Linzi suddenly said coldly, "Aunt, are you saying that the demonic sect brat left you outside the city gates and departed on his own?"

Wang Yuyao nodded lightly.

"Come with me."

The heir's expression darkened, and killing intent shot from his eyes.

Wang Yuyao was startled, but she quickly understood and instinctively stopped him. "He must already be far away. Don't go after him."

"Aunt, he's a bastard from the demonic sect. The people of the demonic sect are vicious and evil. If we let him escape, he'll surely bring disaster to the region."

The heir hurriedly explained.

Wang Yuyao shook her head, her expression complicated. "He treated me very well. If you still heed your aunt's words, don't take anyone to pursue him."

She felt some hatred toward Lin Fan, but she also felt some attachment. She did not want Lin Fan to be killed.

Although Wang Yuyao was merely a woman, she had enjoyed King of Linzi's favor in the royal city and possessed considerable influence.

Moreover, the heir had a good relationship with her, so he did not dare defy her wishes.

"Forget it. I'll listen to you, Aunt. But if I encounter him again, you must not plead for him."

The heir had no choice but to say this.

Of course, he knew very well how difficult it was for a cultivator to survive in this mortal world. It was not only because spiritual energy was scarce, but also because the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect was currently dealing with the Blood Demon Sect.

Even if he spared that man, it would not be long before someone from the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect found and killed that demonic sect brat.

Under the heir's personal arrangements, Wang Yuyao and Zhou Wanqing, who was inside the carriage, were escorted into the city.