Ximen Qing's words were cut off by the sudden remark, and his pupils contracted sharply.
Chen Lin's words struck his mind like a bolt of thunder—his opponent actually knew that Black Tortoise had been gravely injured!
Black Tortoise's injuries had been kept extremely secret. He had been discovered by chance by soldiers on night patrol, and the news had been strictly contained. Only after Ling Cangqiong flew into a rage and ordered a thorough investigation had it become known—and Black Tortoise was still unconscious.
"Could it be... the First Prince's people?" Ximen Qing cried out in shock. When had the First Prince gained such a terrifying force?
But before his shock could settle, his vision blurred.
Chen Lin moved faster than he could imagine. With a single grab, he had already seized Ximen Qing by the throat!
A feeling of suffocation hit at once. Ximen Qing was both shocked and furious. His Primordial Pill and Dharma Aspect power instinctively tried to circulate, but they were trapped in a mire, completely beyond his control!
Impossible! How could this be? His opponent was clearly only a hundred or so years old... Unless... this wasn't the real person at all!?
"So it seems you acted on your own. That saves me quite a bit of trouble." A look of understanding appeared on Chen Lin's face. His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.
"Let go of me!" Ximen Qing's eyes were bloodshot. He gasped for breath, his voice twisted with fury. "This is the Imperial Palace! You wouldn't dare!"
But as Ximen Qing roared, a terrifying pattern—indescribable, like an ancient rune—suddenly flashed deep in Chen Lin's eyes.
The pattern vanished in an instant. Chen Lin remained calm as he spoke, but his voice seemed to carry a strange magic, threading its way into Ximen Qing's mind:
"From this day forth, you belong to me. Back then, I personally arranged for you to enter the palace and helped you climb step by step to your current position..."
His words were gentle, yet struck Ximen Qing's sea of consciousness like the most direct of commands.
Although Ximen Qing was also in the Dharma Aspect Realm, the gap between him and Chen Lin was like the chasm between heaven and earth.
His eyes flew wide, his pupils contracting violently. In the next instant, the fury and terror drained away, replaced by a hollow, vacant stare.
He began to murmur, his voice faint as a mosquito's, as if confirming a fact he had long since forgotten.
Chen Lin turned his wrist slightly and let go. Ximen Qing staggered, then steadied himself. His eyes had changed completely.
The art of control was nothing more than a trifling trick. At Chen Lin's current level, he could only use it on someone in the Dharma Aspect Realm for a short time. At most, the other man would recover the memories that had been altered after three months.
But that was enough.
At last, Ximen Qing raised his head. A trace of confusion lingered in his eyes, but above all, there was respect. He bowed. "Greetings, Master."
Chen Lin smiled with satisfaction and waved a hand. "Tonight, you discovered nothing. You may leave."
Ximen Qing obeyed and withdrew.
Once everything was done, Chen Lin returned to the familiar rocking chair and closed his eyes to rest.
Night deepened. He waited quietly for midnight to arrive.
After who knew how long, the first clear chime of a bell rang out. The sky was faintly brightening; it was the stroke of midnight.
Chen Lin opened his eyes, a glimmer of anticipation in them.
With a thought, he began today's draw.
With the martial skills and cultivation techniques he had previously exchanged for and the ones Ling Tian had given him, he had five Heaven Tier manuals in total!
Any one of them would be enough to take him a step further on the path of cultivation.
"Draw."
[Random draw in progress...] [Draw complete!] Today's Great Perfection Heaven Tier Martial Skill: Nine Nether Sky Palm
Before the words had even faded, a vast flood of insight surged into Chen Lin's mind.
He felt his sea of Spiritual Sense turn upside down, abruptly transforming into an endless, shadowy void.
In this silent void, nine pitch-black palm seals, each steeped in the breath of death, slowly took shape and emerged.
Each palm seal seemed to have existed since time immemorial, containing a wholly different Netherworld truth, like nine gates leading to different abysses.
The first palm was called "Yellow Springs Pull"!
At its center, a massive vortex of reincarnation turned slowly, radiating a soul-seizing pull.
Even the mere brush of its palm wind was enough to extinguish life in an instant. Anyone struck would have their Divine Soul forcibly dragged into the vortex; within three breaths, their flesh would wither and their body and spirit be destroyed!
The ninth palm was called "Nine Nether Annihilation"!
This was the pinnacle of the nine palms! When all nine palm seals merged, a miniature apparition of the Ghost Gate, symbol of death and finality, would crash into view at the center of the palm!
Once this palm was unleashed, space within a hundred-zhang radius would twist, instantly transforming into a true Netherworld domain. Heaven and earth would lose their color, and every living thing would perish!
In the blink of an eye, Chen Lin had completely mastered this Great Perfection Heaven Tier Martial Skill.
The Nine Nether Sky Palm was not only terrifyingly powerful; its eerie, domineering aura, which devoured all things, made him feel that it was a demonic martial skill.
But that did not matter. Demonic or righteous, it all came down to obtaining greater power.
At the same time, deep within the Imperial Palace, Emperor Ling Cangqiong was raging, his face livid. In broad daylight, within the Imperial Capital, someone had dared to gravely injure Black Tortoise, Commander of the Imperial Guards! This was outrageous!
What enraged him even more was that Black Tortoise had been trying to intercept that mysterious Shadow Assassin!
Now Black Tortoise lay gravely injured, his life hanging in the balance.
Had the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group discovered something and intervened halfway?
At the thought of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, Ling Cangqiong's gaze grew even more sinister.
It had to be them! And the ones who had struck were likely those three deputy leaders!
All three deputy leaders of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group were experts at the sixth level of the Dharma Aspect Realm, while their leader had reached the ninth!
They had the strength to gravely injure Black Tortoise.
"Damn it!" Ling Cangqiong slammed his fist onto the imperial desk, consumed by fury.
"Since you dared to touch my people, don't blame me for showing no mercy!" He gave a cold snort, murder gleaming in his eyes.
"Shadow One!" he called in a low voice.
"Your Majesty." A shadow silently appeared in the hall. It was Shadow One.
"Send word at once. Have the local Governor mobilize elite troops and head for the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group's den!" Ling Cangqiong's voice was cold and resolute. "You and the First Guardian will go with them."
"Remember, carry my imperial decree. It is enough to cow the usual riffraff of the ninth level of the Dharma Aspect Realm!"
Shadow One nodded without a word. His figure turned transparent once more, and he vanished from the hall like a ghost.
After Shadow One had left, a cold curve formed at the corner of Ling Cangqiong's mouth. He muttered, "Shadow One and the First Guardian are both on the move... Ninth Brother, you'd better hurry..."
Morning came. Sunlight pierced the clouds, yet could not dispel the gloom hanging over the Ten Provinces.
The Blood Wolf Mercenary Group sensed the movements of the Governor's army.
When the Shadow Assassin brought back the recording of Black Tortoise Commander's confession, the entire Blood Wolf headquarters erupted in fury.
The Blood Wolf Mercenary Group struck without hesitation, ambushing and gravely injuring the vanguard.
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