Qin Tianxian Was Going to the Ninth Floor

"Looks like my 'filial' eldest son has been doing plenty of scheming behind my back..." His voice carried a trace of cold mockery.

After all, Zhou Jueshi was Ling Tian's maternal uncle.

Li Fan shuddered as he listened, not daring to make a sound. He was afraid that one careless word might bring calamity down on him.

"Pass on my order!" Ling Cangqiong's voice was firm and resolute, leaving no room for argument. "Go to the Hall of Offerings immediately and mobilize two-thirds of the Attendants. Send them to suppress the rebellion at once! Also, dispatch twenty Golden Armored Divine Guards to go with them. There must be no mistakes!"

"And," he paused, "have the Imperial Clan Court join the battle, too! They're members of the imperial bloodline. How can they sit back and watch at a time like this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a token radiating faint pressure appeared in his hand. He tossed it casually to Li Fan.

Li Fan flashed forward and caught it securely. Daring not to slack off in the slightest, he bowed and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Then, not daring to linger, he turned into a streak of light and swiftly left to carry out this urgent order that concerned the fate of the entire situation.

Ling Cangqiong slowly rose to his feet and gazed into the distance, toward the Imperial Mausoleum, a symbol of the imperial family's roots and ancient heritage.

He set off in that direction.

The situation had grown dire. To ensure he could keep this rising tide of chaos under control, he had no choice but to visit the Imperial Mausoleum ahead of time and seek help from the sleeping Ancestors. He would sound them out first; perhaps he could still win their support.

This was the last resort he had no choice but to take.

Inside the quiet Scripture Repository, Chen Lin lounged lazily in a rocking chair, holding a book and flipping through it out of boredom.

The title was rather sensational: Waste Male Sword Immortal Reduced to...

Hmm...

There was another one: Waste Female Sword Immortal Reduced to...

Chen Lin pursed his lips and thought to himself that most of these books had been written by ordinary cultivators who had spent their entire lives failing to fulfill their great ambitions. They'd poured all their fantasies onto the page, indulging in wishful thinking. It was terribly dull.

Though some of the descriptions were spot-on.

Just then, a graceful figure entered his line of sight.

Qin Tianxian walked into the Scripture Repository with light steps and an impassive expression.

An elderly man with white hair and a youthful face accompanied her.

Qin Tianxian walked right up to Chen Lin and said expressionlessly, "Your mission should be over by now."

Chen Lin understood that she was speaking to the Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord, who had disguised himself as Chen Lin.

What a pity...

"Come with me to the Ninth Floor. We have a way to directly break the formation there. Once it's broken, the Imperial Lord will certainly grow suspicious and immediately send people to investigate." A calculating glint flashed in Qin Tianxian's eyes as she spoke in an orderly manner.

Then she fixed Chen Lin with a burning gaze and continued issuing orders. "When those people arrive, activate the Scripture Repository Elder Token and trigger the grand formation. Make sure those guards who rush over never return. If we can also kill a few court officials along the way, all the better."

This was Qin Tianxian's plan.

The formations in the Scripture Repository were terrifyingly powerful, belonging to the Heaven Tier.

A formation of that level could harm experts in the Dharma Aspect Realm.

In this world, formations were ranked much like cultivation techniques and treasures.

Chen Lin slowly shook his head and said bluntly, "I don't think this plan is any good."

He could lounge around in the Scripture Repository and wait for his strength to grow. Life was so comfortable—why would he wade into this mess?

If Qin Tianxian's plan succeeded, he would instantly become a target for everyone, like a rat crossing the street with everyone shouting for it to be beaten. Then he wouldn't be able to laze around in peace anymore.

And if he really attacked them, what if the two of them passed on information about him afterward?

At that thought, Chen Lin came up with a plan.

He decided to secretly restrain the two of them—or, more precisely, leave them unconscious for a while and deal with this trouble first.

Normally, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation. But they'd run into him.

Chen Lin glanced at the old man beside Qin Tianxian and immediately discerned his cultivation.

Sixth level of the Dharma Aspect Realm. He was probably one of the Three Venerables of the Nine Nether Sect.

After all, Qin Tianxian had already been identified as a member of the Nine Nether Sect, so the cultivator beside her had to be from the sect as well.

Hearing Chen Lin refuse, Qin Tianxian froze in place. Clearly, she hadn't expected him to refuse to cooperate, and she sensed that something was off about the person before her.

"Hmm?" Qin Tianxian's brows furrowed slightly, surprise and displeasure flashing in her eyes.

She shot Chen Lin a knife-sharp glare and said coldly, "Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord, you have some nerve, speaking to me like that. I admit, you're exceptionally gifted, and your disguise technique is so masterful that you're a rare talent in the sect."

Her tone abruptly turned even colder, like frost in the depths of winter. "But that doesn't give you the right to contradict me. Back then, you were nothing more than an insignificant ant in this world."

"If the sect hadn't taken pity on you and given you shelter and cultivation resources, how could you have broken through to the Divine Treasury Realm? At the end of the day, you're still nothing but an ant."

"You have no right to contradict me, let alone question the sect's orders!" Qin Tianxian spoke harshly, her eyes brimming with lofty authority.

As soon as she finished, she flashed like a ghost and appeared beside Chen Lin. In the blink of an eye, a skull bell glowing with a faint, eerie light had appeared in her hand.

A cold smile curled her lips. She flicked her wrist, and the Skull Bell rang in a series of clear yet unsettling chimes.

The Nine Nether Sect had always kept hidden ways to control some of its members, though most of those under its control knew nothing about it.

Qin Tianxian could clearly sense that the controlling power aimed at the Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord still lingered in the bell.

So, as far as she was concerned, all she had to do was ring it, and Chen Lin would obediently submit.

She smiled coldly and kept gently shaking the bell. Its eerie sound grew clearer, as if it were burrowing deep into the listener's soul.

But the very next second, the smile on her face abruptly froze, as if she'd been struck by a binding spell.

Chen Lin stood there unharmed. What's more, he stared back at her with a look that seemed to regard her as an idiot.

"You..." Qin Tianxian's expression changed dramatically, shock flashing through her eyes.

Almost before the words had left her mouth, a shadow swiftly swept across her face like a ghost.

Chen Lin had lunged at her with lightning speed, reaching out to grab her before she could react. Everything went dark before her eyes, and a hand came hurtling toward her with a fierce, pressing force.