Great Sun Profound Scripture Tenth Layer, Phenomenal Art

For several years, to prevent his secrets from being discovered by outsiders.

Several secret rooms had been quietly excavated beneath Marquis Wu Yi's estate. Some of these were used for Wu Huannian to communicate with demons.

Others were used for setting up formations. As one of the thirty-six marquises and princes of Great Shang, Wu Huannian would be discovered the moment he left Chaotian Capital, whether openly or in disguise.

Therefore, his prior agreement with Steward Chu was to escape instantly using the Shrink Ground into Inches formation.

Now that Han Wan'er had been successfully resurrected, Wu Huannian was willing to abandon everything—wealth, status, and official titles—except her.

It was time to leave.

Wu Huannian took out a rattle and immediately summoned his most trusted subordinates, instructing them to bring several chests of money prepared earlier.

The group then proceeded directly to the secret room where the Shrink Ground into Inches formation was located.

However, to everyone's utter astonishment, the moment they stepped through the secret room's entrance, they were met with a scene of pitch-black darkness.

Upon closer inspection, they realized it was all densely packed, layered black moths.

The entire secret room, the entire formation, was completely covered by tens of thousands of these black moths, leaving no gaps.

There wasn't even a place to stand.

Steward Chu's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. Had the Demon Subduing Bureau's influence already reached this far?

"Drive away the black moths and activate the formation quickly."

Above the Marquis's estate, Qin Daorong suddenly put away the wooden box before Ning Xiu could even react.

Qing Luan dove headfirst towards a specific location within Marquis Wu Yi's estate.

BOOM!

A large pit instantly appeared on the ground, and Qing Luan's figure vanished, dissolving into a pool of ink.

As Ning Xiu landed and steadied himself, he saw Marquis Wu Yi and Steward Chu nearby.

"Qin Daorong!" Wu Huannian's expression was one of shock; he had never expected Qin Daorong to appear in such a dramatic, sky-falling fashion.

With the Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Captain from the Demon Subduing Bureau intercepting them, their chances of escaping Chaotian Capital using the formation today had become extremely slim.

"Marquis Wu Yi, as a member of the royal family, you should know the consequences of colluding with demons and falling into depravity," Qin Daorong pointed at the demon beside Wu Huannian. "Everything has come to light. What do you have to say for yourself?"

If caught, the inevitable fate would be imprisonment in the Demon Subduing Prison for severe interrogation. After all information was extracted, an executioner would come to carry out the sentence.

Wu Huannian, being of royal blood, might have a slim chance of survival, but he would most likely spend the rest of his life confined deep within the Demon Subduing Prison, isolated from all contact, and live out his days in loneliness.

Wu Huannian didn't care whether Steward Chu lived or died, but Han Wan'er would absolutely not escape the Emperor's decree of death, meant to provide an explanation to the countless victims.

After waiting for so many years, even falling into depravity himself, how could Wu Huannian bear to see the resurrected Han Wan'er meet such an end?

Even if it cost him his own life, he was determined to secure a path to survival for Han Wan'er.

"Kill them! Steward Chu, you go activate the formation, quickly!" Wu Huannian roared, his eyes red.

As he spoke, his entire demeanor shifted, and a purple phantom figure with a coiled dragon appeared behind him.

Obeying the command, Wu Huannian's most trusted subordinates drew their swords and charged out, splitting into two groups to attack Qin Daorong and Ning Xiu respectively.

Meanwhile, Steward Chu took advantage of the chaos, picked up Han Wan'er, and headed straight for the formation.

The Great Dao spans three thousand li, and the Official Path is a very special existence.

Those who walk this path are all court officials or members of the imperial family.

The Official Path is tied to the destiny of a nation; if the nation's destiny is strong, the path of officials is strong, and if it is weak, they decline.

Therefore, those on the Official Path are bound to the court and must be loyal protectors of the country and diligent officials.

There are only two ways to advance on the Official Path: first, by achieving merit and rising in rank through official achievements; a Ninth Rank official is at the Ninth Rank realm.

A First Rank minister is at the First Rank realm. Advancement depends entirely on the Emperor lending you the nation's destiny.

Second, through the inheritance of noble titles, which are fixed for life and cannot be improved. A title like Marquis Wu Yi, which ranks at Third Rank, was inherited from his father and will remain at Third Rank forever.

Although inherited titles do not allow for increased strength throughout one's life, their advantage lies in the ease of acquiring strength, with no difficulties involved.

Furthermore, reaching First Rank on the Official Path is already touching the ceiling. To advance further, unless the nation is in a prosperous era spanning millennia, it is impossible to achieve.

Therefore, those who walk the Official Path become pawns of the court, subject to the Emperor's control. Unless someone truly lacks talent for cultivation, ordinary people would not choose this path.

Most officials still follow the Confucian Path, or choose one from Martial Arts, Immortal cultivation, or Buddhism.

Looking at the purple phantom figure behind Wu Huannian, with its coiled dragon and four claws.

Five claws for the Emperor, four claws for a Marquis, its aura was indeed imposing.

This was his 'Merit Body'. On the lower three ranks of the Official Path, the Merit Body is azure; on the middle three ranks, it is crimson; and on the upper three ranks, it is purple.

Generally, those on the upper three ranks of the Official Path do not have dragons coiled around their Merit Bodies. This was entirely due to Wu Huannian being of Great Shang's royal bloodline, which manifested as an additional feature.

Seeing Wu Huannian approach, Qin Daorong waved his brush and painted, and a silver-backed white ape instantly emerged from the paper, roaring as it engaged Wu Huannian in battle.

The white ape was about eight feet tall, its entire body covered in a layer of silver like iron, suggesting its defense should be quite good.

Its fists were as large as iron pots, its muscles bulged, and the force of each punch was likely no less than a thousand jin.

Wu Huannian's eyes turned purple. With a flick of his fingers, dragon roars echoed, and he could actually control his Merit Body to fight the white ape.

The white ape's massive fists were easily blocked by Wu Huannian's Merit Body. It was clear that their strengths were not on the same level.

Qin Daorong was not in a hurry at all. His ink brush danced as fast as the wind, and one white ape after another appeared. Once their numbers grew, they began to suppress Wu Huannian.

At the same time, he also managed to intercept all of Wu Huannian's confidantes, preventing them from threatening Ning Xiu.

Ning Xiu, watching from the side, naturally couldn't just stand by and be a spectator. He couldn't get involved in the fight between Qin Daorong and Wu Huannian, both of whom were from the Upper Three Ranks.

However, seeing Steward Chu trying to rush over to drive away the black moths and reveal the true appearance of the formation, Ning Xiu knew he couldn't let her easily activate the formation.

He immediately rushed over with his hammer, intercepting Steward Chu halfway.

"It's you!"

Steward Chu looked at the young man before her. Although she didn't recognize his face, she had a very strong impression of his facial features and build.

Wasn't this the new Demon Subduing Captain she had sent out her three-faced subordinate to hunt down?

She thought that it was precisely because she had let this person go that the Spring Full Pavilion was exposed afterward, and the situation gradually spiraled out of her control.

Steward Chu felt a surge of anger and immediately unleashed a Wood Element Technique at Ning Xiu.

Scorching flames condensed in her palm, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into a fireball, which she hurled at Ning Xiu.

First, it was an earth wall in the Spring Full Pavilion, and now it was a fireball. The Five Element Techniques of the Immortal Path were the most unpredictable.

Ning Xiu swung his hammer with all his might, and the immense force instantly shattered the fireball into pieces.

However, before he could get close, Steward Chu formed hand seals again, conjuring earth walls out of thin air around Ning Xiu.

Branches grew wildly from within the earth walls, wrapping around them tightly.

Although she held new grudges against Ning Xiu, Steward Chu was very clear about what was most crucial at the moment.

After controlling Ning Xiu, she immediately ran towards the formation covered by the black moths.

Within a few breaths, rumbling sounds came from within the earth wall. Even with the layers of branches wrapped around it, it couldn't withstand the force expanding from within.

With a roar, an earth wall exploded, and a tall figure emerged, breaking through the branches.

Hoo!

Ning Xiu grunted, and two streams of hot air immediately puffed out from his nostrils. If he were to take off his Mysterious Silver Lock Armor now, Others would see the Great Sun Golden Mark appearing on his back.

Standing about six feet tall, with a crimson right arm, the Great Sun Golden Mark on his back, and carrying the Weng Jin Hammer, Ning Xiu's appearance at this moment was, to say the least, like a demon king rampaging through the world, an evil king descended.

Having allowed Steward Chu to escape pursuit once using the formation, and having learned from her mistake, Ning Xiu would not make the same error a second time.

Since he couldn't stop her from activating the formation, he would directly destroy it, rendering the formation completely inoperable.

With this thought, Ning Xiu leaped powerfully, raising the Startling Thunder Hammer high above his head and smashing it down towards the formation with all his might.

Steward Chu, who had just burned away a large number of black moths with her fire techniques, turned around and saw this scene. Her face instantly changed drastically.

The numerous talismans on the ground were part of the formation. If they were destroyed, the formation would immediately become ineffective.

At that time, let alone escaping from Chaotian Capital, she wouldn't even be able to escape from Marquis Wu Yi's estate.

Seeing the Startling Thunder Hammer getting closer and closer to the ground, Steward Chu quickly made the ground rise into earth pillars, attempting to block Ning Xiu's attack.

But she had underestimated the terrifying power that Ning Xiu could unleash when he entered the Heavenly King state of the Heavenly King Vajra Art, further amplified by his Internal Energy.

Boom!

The newly formed earth pillars instantly shattered, offering no resistance whatsoever.

The Startling Thunder Hammer continued its descent, smashing directly into the ground and reducing the bluestone slabs inscribed with talismans into countless fragments of various sizes.

Lightning-like cracks spread out from the center of the impact point in all directions, directly shattering the talismans on the ground not far away.

"No!" Steward Chu's eyes widened, her pupils splitting.

Ning Xiu's hammer strike had completely cut off her escape route.

"You can't escape," Ning Xiu said, straightening his back and staring menacingly at Steward Chu.

With the situation having reached this point, Steward Chu's heart turned to ash. She directly abandoned Han Wan'er, placed her hands on the ground, and unleashed her full power.

The entire underground secret chamber roared like thunder. Tree branches broke through the soil and quickly filled the entire chamber.

"Then you'll be my burial!" Steward Chu's face was already ugly due to her disfigurement.

Now, as she unleashed her full strength, all the scars on her face began to crack, and branches sprouted from them, rapidly enveloping her face and entire body.

Furthermore, a large amount of clear water flowed from these wounds, causing the branches to grow wildly and begin to grow uncontrollably.

Swish, swish, swish!

Dozens of branches grew from the ground, piercing Steward Chu's body like spears. Her body immediately began to swell.

Although he didn't know what Wood Element Technique she was using, the aura it emitted made Ning Xiu feel a sense of danger.

He thought about how he had killed several demons in the underground of the Spring Full Pavilion earlier and gained some Universal Proficiency.

Ning Xiu dared not delay, immediately summoning his proficiency panel and allocating the remaining 4800-plus points of Universal Proficiency to the Great Sun Profound Scripture.

This allowed the Great Sun Profound Scripture to advance by another level on the spot, reaching the tenth level.

As soon as the Great Sun Profound Scripture reached the tenth level, the mist-like Internal Energy within Ning Xiu's body began to churn. A large amount of mist-like Internal Energy condensed into liquid, accumulating in his dantian.

The phenomenon of Internal Energy turning into liquid signified reaching Martial Dao Seventh Rank!

Ning Xiu felt an intense heat within his body, as if a fire was burning.

"Cough! Cough!"

The burning sensation in his throat made Ning Xiu cough involuntarily.

To his surprise, white smoke drifted from his mouth, and he coughed out red-hot sparks!

The sparks landed on the ground and instantly ignited the branches, leaving Ning Xiu dumbfounded.

What was going on? Could he breathe fire?

However, he had no time to ponder this. Steward Chu, enveloped by branches, was controlling a large number of sharp branches to fly towards him.

These branches numbered in the hundreds, each as sharp as a spear, with Metal Element energy attached to every single one.

Logically, one should avoid the sharpness of such a combined assault of Metal Element Technique and Wood Element Technique.

But Steward Chu's control over her Wood Element Technique was extensive, leaving Ning Xiu no room to dodge. His only option was to endure the attack with his physical body.

The burning sensation in his throat and nasal cavity intensified, and smoke billowed from Ning Xiu's seven orifices. He was agitated by these sudden bodily anomalies.

Facing the onslaught of branches, feeling annoyed, Ning Xiu clenched the Startling Thunder Hammer and met the attack head-on, swinging the hammer horizontally.

He wanted to see whether his Startling Thunder Hammer was harder or the Wood Element Technique was sharper.

The thick, sturdy branches were instantly smashed away by the Startling Thunder Hammer, but a large number of them still shot towards Ning Xiu's body.

At that moment, five pillars of fire erupted from Ning Xiu's ears, nostrils, and mouth, accompanied by billowing white mist.

Instantly, the flames spread like wildfire, their intensity surging.

The branches Steward Chu had made grow became the perfect fuel.

Ning Xiu, standing at the center of the inferno, was engulfed in smoke and fire, appearing as if a fire god had descended.

As soon as the branches neared Ning Xiu's body, they burst into flames, becoming charred and shriveled.

When they finally struck Ning Xiu's body, they couldn't even break through the Golden Bell Shield and fell to the ground.

"Cough... cough!"

Whenever Ning Xiu coughed, a large number of sparks flew from his mouth. Even a casual exhale was scorching hot.

If Steward Chu continued to rely on her Wood Element Technique, she would be unable to do anything to Ning Xiu.

"The Great Sun Profound Scripture reaching the tenth level has such power, it can almost be considered a divine ability," Ning Xiu muttered to himself, covering his mouth, greatly surprised.

All these anomalies had appeared only after he had upgraded the Great Sun Profound Scripture to the tenth level, and it was clearly inextricably linked to it.

However, now was not the time to investigate this. Ning Xiu glanced at Steward Chu not far away and immediately walked towards her.

Those who mastered the Five Element Techniques could cultivate Five Element Spiritual Roots within their bodies, which was the key to entering the middle three ranks of the Immortal Path.

This person had used Earth Element Technique, Fire Element Technique, Wood Element Technique, and Metal Element Technique so far, but not Water Element Technique.

Ning Xiu immediately became wary. The power of the Immortal Path lay in their ability to combine various Five Element Techniques, unleashing far greater power than a single technique.

Seeing Ning Xiu easily block all the branches, Steward Chu retreated rapidly, unwilling to give Ning Xiu any chance to get close.

Martial artists were skilled in close-quarters combat. Once they closed the distance, even a thousand techniques would be useless.

But Ning Xiu wouldn't give her a chance to create distance and immediately pursued her.

He believed that other Demon Subduing Captains would arrive soon, and to gain Universal Proficiency from Steward Chu, he had to finish this quickly.

Facing Ning Xiu's approach, Steward Chu continuously unleashed her Five Element Techniques, attempting to slow Ning Xiu down.

However, it had no effect. Under Ning Xiu's physical resistance, fireballs, Metal Element energy, vines, and earth pillars were all useless.

As Ning Xiu got within three or four steps of her, a hint of success suddenly appeared on Steward Chu's face.

The large amount of clear water that had been flowing from the scar on her face instantly flew towards Ning Xiu in clumps.

With lightning speed, it coalesced into a large water sphere that completely enveloped Ning Xiu.

"Wood Path Metal Spear!" Steward Chu shouted, and a large number of wood cones imbued with Metal Element energy pierced into the water sphere, stabbing towards Ning Xiu's body.

Inside the water sphere, his flames could not ignite, preventing him from burning her Wood Element Technique. The Metal Element energy would cause the wood cones to instantly pierce Ning Xiu.

This was the combined attack Steward Chu had prepared for Ning Xiu.

However, at that moment, an Weng Jin Hammer flew out of the water sphere, accurately heading towards Steward Chu's head.

Steward Chu dodged quickly, but a figure suddenly appeared behind her, powerfully wrapping its arms around her neck.

"It seems your techniques cannot break through my tough physique."

Crack!

Before the figure could finish speaking, Steward Chu's neck was snapped by the immense force.

[Killed Demon, gained Universal Proficiency +1500]