Confrontation Before the Imperial City Gate

At this moment, in the residence of the Flowing Cloud Sect in Sky City, the Flowing Cloud Matriarch sat high in the main hall.

Jiang Liu and a group of Grandmaster and Elders of the Flowing Cloud Sect sat below.

"Once this operation begins, your mission is to capture all the Grandmaster of the royal family, leaving none alive, dead or alive," Flowing Cloud Matriarch said calmly.

"Yes!" The people below the hall quickly stood up and responded.

Flowing Cloud Matriarch nodded and said, "Everyone, disperse and go back to rest! Jiang Liu, stay."

The Grandmaster below all stood up, clasped their fists in greeting to Flowing Cloud Matriarch, and then withdrew.

After everyone else had left, Flowing Cloud Matriarch asked Jiang Liu, "How strong are you now? Can you withstand an attack from Peak Grandmaster?"

Jiang Liu stood up and said truthfully, "Sect Master, I haven't fought against Peak Grandmaster since I completed the bone strengthening, so I'm not very clear about it."

"I see!" Flowing Cloud Matriarch glanced at Jiang Liu, and instantly his aura surged. A large hand of Yuan Qi appeared in mid-air and pressed down directly on Jiang Liu.

Jiang Liu rapidly activated the Star Cloud Saint Art, causing his internal energy to emanate from his body, forming an energy shield around him.

"Bang!" Flowing Cloud Matriarch's powerful energy hand slammed onto Jiang Liu's protective shield.

Jiang Liu's protective energy shield trembled several times, but ultimately withstood the impact.

Upon seeing this scene, Flowing Cloud Matriarch exclaimed "Eh!" and immediately became interested, standing up.

She hadn't expected that Jiang Liu would withstand such a casual test.

Although she didn't use her full strength, she still used about 50-60% of her power, and unexpectedly, Jiang Liu's energy shield did not shatter.

Moreover, she attacked suddenly, so it seems Jiang Liu didn't use his full strength.

This proves that Jiang Liu's physical fitness has caught up since he strengthened his bones again.

This is because the vital energy shield is formed by the vital energy emanating from the bones inside the body.

The fact that this energy shield could withstand his attacks shows that Jiang Liu's bone strengthening is probably not much different from that of Peak Grandmaster.

However, the formidable combat power of Peak Grandmaster is not limited to this.

It is important to know that the longer one stays at the Peak Grandmaster, the more proficient one becomes in using Grandmaster Realm martial arts techniques.

That way, one can achieve a more perfect state when exerting their combat power.

In battles between Grandmasters of the Peak Grandmaster, even the slightest mistake could lead to utter annihilation.

Therefore, one must reach the pinnacle of physical, mental, and spiritual energy before being called Peak Grandmaster.

Jiang Liu's physical body has only reached the extreme in terms of bone strengthening; other aspects of his physical body are still far from perfect.

The subsequent attack by Flowing Cloud Matriarch confirmed this.

When Flowing Cloud Matriarch used eighty percent of his power to attack Jiang Liu.

Jiang Liu's protective energy shield shattered instantly, but Flowing Cloud Matriarch was not disappointed; on the contrary, he was quite impressed.

Although Jiang Liu managed to withstand 80% of his own power in the attack, he was already unable to withstand it.

However, don't forget that Jiang Liu's speed is so fast that even Flowing Cloud Matriarch himself couldn't catch his trail.

Therefore, Jiang Liu should have no problem protecting himself in the upcoming battle against the Peak Grandmaster.

The reason they let Jiang Liu participate in the battle was simply to have Jiang Liu cooperate and keep one of them occupied.

It's not about letting Jiang Liu kill him; besides, Jiang Liu also has a Beast Emperor to help him.

Thinking of this, Flowing Cloud Matriarch finally felt relieved.

Then, she nodded to Jiang Liu and said, "You should go back and rest early too!"

Jiang Liu cupped his hands in Flowing Cloud Matriarch, then walked out of the hall and headed towards the courtyard assigned to him.

Upon returning to his assigned courtyard, Jiang Liu saw the Fire-Winged Monkey already sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, practicing his internal energy and regulating his breathing.

Jiang Liu watched this scene and sighed. This Fire-Winged Monkey was becoming more and more monstrous. It had previously comprehended combat techniques, and now it had even comprehended the method of regulating breathing.

Although Jiang Liu had tried to sit cross-legged in meditation before, the Fire-Winged Monkey seemed to be sleeping to him.

Now it can use the cultivation technique, but I wonder where it came from? Could it be Bloodline inheritance?

No wonder the Fire-Winged Monkey are getting stronger and stronger, and they're becoming more and more human-like.

If the Fire-Winged Monkey continues to advance, will it break free from the shackles of the Beast Mastery Art and then go out of control? A shadow fell over Jiang Liu's heart.

It seems I need to improve my strength as soon as possible. If Fire-Winged Monkey advances to the next level before me, I really don't know what the consequences will be.

We can't just kill the Fire-Winged Monkey before it advances to the next level!

For now, it's not that time yet. If there really is such a sign, then we'll have no choice but to take drastic measures.

Jiang Liu calmed his mind and began to slowly circulate the Saintly Sky Art.

Meanwhile, the three Cultivation Pearl in his arms simultaneously opened their restrictions, continuously providing Jiang Liu with the Special Essence Particles needed to cultivate the Saintly Sky Art.

The next morning, after having breakfast, Jiang Liu headed towards the council hall.

When Jiang Liu arrived at the council hall, several Grandmaster and elders were already inside.

Jiang Liu greeted all the Grandmaster and elders, then casually found a seat and sat down.

Not long after, Flowing Cloud Matriarch arrived.

As soon as Flowing Cloud Matriarch entered the hall, he looked at everyone present and said, "Now that everyone is here, let's set off!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu looked around and thought to himself, "Several elders are still missing."

However, Jiang Liu did not ask any questions, guessing in his mind that the elders who did not come must have gone to set up surveillance in advance.

Flowing Cloud Matriarch led the way out of the Sects's residence and headed towards the Central Avenue of the three sects' residences.

As the group from the Flowing Cloud Sect was about to arrive, the people from the Star Moon Sect and Haotian Sect were also almost there.

After the three groups gathered together, under the leadership of their respective sect leaders, they immediately used their movement techniques to fly towards the imperial city.

Before long, the group of nearly twenty people arrived at the gate of the imperial city.

At the same time, at the gate of the imperial city, Dao Fan Shangren led the Grandmaster of the National Preceptor's Mansion.

Jiang Zongquan, along with eight Grandmaster from the Eunuch Bureau and various Minor Grandmaster and Ranked Martial Practitioner from both sides, blocked the gates of the Imperial City.

There were a total of eleven Grandmaster in the Eunuch Bureau. Jiang Liu crippled one, killed one, and the remaining one was the Grand Eunuch Wei Jin, who was probably guarding Jiang Lan's side.

The two commanders of the Tianwu Army, Chen Qianliu and Liu Changxing, led their subordinates at the very back of the line.

Commander Jiang He of the Imperial Guard stood atop the city wall, coldly watching the scene below.

As for the Confucianists, they didn't even dare to show their faces; Gongyang Zhuang had no intention of getting involved.

Although he had previously dealt with the Moonfall Sect, that was only against Jianghu forces. He wouldn't dare to confront the Three Sects this time.

"What is the purpose of so many of you trespassing into the imperial city?" Dao Fan Shangren spoke first.

"Dao Fan, stop talking nonsense and call Jiang Lan out. Tell us clearly about the royal family's collusion with the Bloodfiend Sect," Duanmu Haotian said.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zongquan was immediately enraged. "Duanmu Haotian, how dare you!"

"Insolence? If Jiang Lan obeys, let him be the emperor; if he doesn't, then let him perish." Duanmu Haotian glanced at Jiang Zongquan indifferently and said without a care.

These words immediately created a tense atmosphere between the two sides.