The King Zhenbei Army guarded the northern frontier, holding back the barbarians; the King Zhenyao Army was stationed in Dizhou, keeping the Demon Race at bay.
The Divine Guard Army and the Nantian Army were more mobile, roaming the Ten Provinces to quell rebellions. They were the guardians of order within the Imperial Dynasty.
In the Imperial Dynasty's glorious years of expanding its borders, they had also been the vanguard, charging into the thick of battle!
More fearsome still, each of the Four Great Armies possessed a unique Army Formation.
The King Zhenbei Army and King Zhenyao Army had the stronger formations.
Their commanders, King Zhenbei and King Zhenyao, had both reached the ninth level of the Dharma Aspect Realm. They were peerless powerhouses who commanded awe across their respective regions.
Once they activated their Army Formations, their combined strength was enough to rival an ordinary expert of the Cave Reality Realm.
Although the Divine Guard Army and the Nantian Army lacked the trump cards of the King Zhenbei and King Zhenyao Armies—those capable of contending with Cave Reality Realm experts—they could still easily suppress anyone at the eighth level of the Dharma Aspect Realm or below.
Unless the unfathomably powerful Deputy Sect Master of the Nine Nether Sect personally took command, this force was more than enough to handle the situation.
Only then, after hearing Ling Cangqiong's words, did the Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord finally relax completely.
After all, he would have died in this operation. If the Nine Nether Sect found out...
Ling Cangqiong's gaze remained deep and inscrutable as he continued issuing orders. "You should start looking for the Ninth Prince's men now, then disguise yourself and infiltrate them..."
He paused, then added, "That brat Ninth really has some tricks up his sleeve. Looks like he turned Grand Companion, such a key figure, long ago."
The Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord nodded solemnly and accepted the order.
But inwardly, he couldn't help feeling a chill: as expected of an emperor. He had set this whole game in motion so long ago.
Before long, Ximen Qing and the Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord had vanished without a trace, as though they had never appeared.
Almost at the same moment, a shadow silently materialized. It was Shadow One.
"Your Majesty," Shadow One reported in a low, rapid voice, "all signs suggest that the Ninth Prince is highly likely to be the one known as the 'Divine Son.' As for the Divine Maiden, the clues are far less clear. We can't determine her identity for now."
Ling Cangqiong merely gave a slight nod. The result was within his expectations.
"Also," Shadow One continued, "when the Crown Prince was dealing with Cao Tian earlier, the Daughter of King Zhenbei requested an audience and spoke with the Crown Prince in private. Since she was protected by a Heaven Artifact, this subordinate couldn't discover what they discussed."
"And while the Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord was testing Chen Lin, the Crown Prince appeared at the Scripture Repository once again and spoke with Little Anzi and the others..."
At this, a barely perceptible ripple finally disturbed the calm on Ling Cangqiong's face.
He fell silent. His gaze seemed to pass through Shadow One and reach into the distance, into the deeper currents of the power struggle, as he considered the many possibilities.
Without realizing it, the sun had climbed high outside the window. It was already noon. Chen Lin finally stirred from his sleep, feeling much more refreshed.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw that Little Anzi had already prepared the meal. Steam curled from the dishes, while Little Anzi himself was making the most of the spare moment to sit cross-legged nearby and focus on his cultivation.
Seeing how diligently Little Anzi was working, Chen Lin shook his head helplessly and sighed inwardly. That child really was pushing himself to the limit.
He didn't waste time. He quickly wolfed down the meal, then got up and headed toward the Scripture Repository.
In fact, over the past month, quite a few members of the Imperial Family and young disciples had come to the Scripture Repository to borrow martial techniques. Most had only mediocre aptitude and limited knowledge, though, so Chen Lin hadn't paid them much attention.
Now, he went straight to the Sixth Floor of the Scripture Repository.
There were all kinds of martial techniques here, but Chen Lin had his own plans. He had already learned a little of everything. Now, he wasn't looking to master new moves. He hoped instead to find what they had in common, blend them together, and build up a wider range of insights into the Martial Dao.
"Draw!"
[Randomly drawing...] [Draw complete!] [Today's Great Perfection Earth-tier martial technique: Sky Splitting Mountain Breaking Palm]
In an instant, Lin Chen's sea of consciousness was struck like a bolt of lightning as an immense, surging martial intent crashed down upon him!
The mysteries of the Sky Splitting Mountain Breaking Palm poured through his mind like a heavenly river, its endless profundities unfolding before his inner eye—
He "saw" a towering giant, as massive as a mountain, raise one palm to the sky. Its force coursed through its body like a mighty river; its sinews and bones were knotted like a slumbering dragon, and its blood and qi roiled like molten lava. When that enormous palm came crashing down, the whole world seemed to tremble, and mountains crumbled before it!
The palm technique's true meaning flowed through him in an instant. Every twitch of muscle, every movement of inner breath, was imprinted in his marrow with perfect precision, crystal clear.
It was as though he had practiced the technique thousands upon thousands of times. His muscles and bones adjusted on their own to the perfect posture for exerting force, while power enough to split mountains and shatter stone began gathering in his palm.
With the slightest movement of his mind, he gained perfect mastery over the Mountain Breaking Force. At its fiercest, it exploded like thunder from the ninth heaven, sweeping all before it; at its softest, it flowed like a river deep beneath the earth, unending and inexhaustible.
He could unleash or withdraw it without the slightest hitch.
Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes. A flash of light gleamed in them. He casually clenched his palm, and a faint pop rang out as the air compressed and warped around it.
"Not bad."
Feeling the even more surging power within him, he realized that the technique had not only given him a deeper understanding of strength, but had also genuinely strengthened his body.
That was thanks to the True Sun Fire constantly tempering him. Though he cultivated only an Earth-tier cultivation technique, his physical strength had steadily risen until it reached the level of an Earth Artifact.
That meant only an expert with a Dharma Aspect could break through his defenses.
Ordinary attacks could no longer easily destroy his body.
With a plan in mind, Chen Lin didn't linger. He left the Scripture Repository with steady steps.
He turned and looked at Little Anzi, who was nearby.
Little Anzi had already briskly gathered up the scattered bowls and chopsticks. Now he rubbed his hands together and gazed at Chen Lin eagerly, as if waiting for something.
The moment Chen Lin came out, Little Anzi hurried over, excitement and urgency on his face. "Elder Lin, I want to go take a look! Have you heard? Lots of young disciples from the clans and sects around the city are heading to the center. They say they want to see the two Great Sect Masters fight with their own eyes!"
Chen Lin gave a faint nod, his expression unchanged. "Go ahead. But as an elder of the Scripture Repository, I have duties to attend to and can't leave my post."
At once, a smile bloomed across Little Anzi's face, as if he had received the permission he'd been hoping for. He hurriedly bowed. "Yes! Then you rest, Elder Lin. This humble servant will go join the excitement. I'll take my leave!"
Without waiting for Chen Lin to say anything else, he turned and trotted away.
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