Ling Cangqiong's Ambition

Chen Lin watched the Black Robed Man vanish into the distance, a meaningful curve lifting at the corner of his lips as he murmured, "Ling Xiao... interesting."

He gently shook his head, but his mind was already calculating at high speed.

Though he was only at the Core Pill Seventh Layer now, he could easily suppress an expert at the Divine Treasure Realm First Layer. He was quite satisfied with that strength.

Of course, he also knew that the gap between realms ultimately existed. As one's cultivation rose, the difficulty of challenging opponents above one's level would only grow greater.

Still, challenging above one's level in the early stages of a realm was not particularly difficult.

Forget it. Time to rest. This little matter had better not truly disturb my sweet dreams. He smiled faintly to himself.

With a flicker of his body, Chen Lin landed steadily back in the Rocking Chair. He closed his eyes to rest and soon drifted into sleep.

Meanwhile, after the Black Robed Man left the Scripture Repository, a pair of eyes watched him from the shadows.

As night deepened, the lights of Tianyan City's most prosperous Pleasure District blazed brightly, and the clamor soared to the heavens.

Phoenix Heaven Tower, the city's foremost Money Pit, was even more crowded and lively. Countless heavily made-up women leaned against carved windows or stood before the doors, soliciting customers in soft, coquettish voices.

Amid the fragrance of rouge and powder, the Black Robed Man quietly shed his disguise and revealed his true face. He walked straight into Phoenix Heaven Tower's rear courtyard and arrived at the private room of the Courtesan Hua Qingwu.

Hua Qingwu reclined sideways on a soft couch, her makeup exquisite, though her gaze carried a hint of sharpness. She glanced at the man before her and asked flatly, "How was it? Did you get it?"

The man shook his head helplessly and showed Hua Qingwu his injuries. "Inside the Scripture Repository... there was an expert guarding it."

His voice was low, carrying a trace of bitterness that was hard to detect.

Hua Qingwu's delicate brows furrowed as doubt filled her heart at the sight of his injuries. "You encountered an expert, yet you still came back unharmed?" Before she could finish,

"Miss! This is bad!" An Old Wet Nurse stumbled and crawled in, her voice frantic. "Outside... outside, the Imperial Guards have surrounded our establishment!"

Hua Qingwu's face instantly turned deathly pale. She whirled toward the Black Robed Man and roared, "Bastard! Did you forget to clean up your tracks? No wonder we were exposed so quickly!"

In truth, the appearance of the Imperial Guards had no direct connection to the Black Robed Man. It was merely an unfortunate coincidence of timing.

But Hua Qingwu was burning with rage now, nearly ready to tear the man apart on the spot.

Yet escaping was the urgent priority.

She forcibly suppressed her Killing Intent. Her eyes sharpened as she prepared to preserve her strength and seek an opportunity to break through the encirclement.

"Old thing, go! Release all the Moles we buried throughout the city. Have them stir up some chaos and draw away the Imperial Guards' attention!" Hua Qingwu shouted harshly at the Old Wet Nurse, her gaze sharp as a blade.

Then she abruptly turned around, her icy eyes locking onto the Black Robed Man. She spat out her threat word by word. "And you! If I cannot escape today, not a single member of your family will live!"

Before her words had even faded, she ignored the two of them and swiftly began mobilizing every force at her disposal, dealing with the arrangements for her escape.

Almost the moment Hua Qingwu gave the order, several corners of Tianyan City suddenly erupted into turmoil.

Several Cultivators with sinister auras swept through the streets. Amid shrill screams and the stench of blood, several pedestrians instantly fell dead.

These sudden attacks by Evil Cultivators were like stones cast upon the Water Surface, instantly stirring ripple after ripple throughout the city. They drew away most of the Imperial Guards' attention and created a precious opportunity for Hua Qingwu to break through the siege.

Deep within the Imperial Palace, all was silent.

Imperial Lord Ling Cangqiong sat upon the Dragon Throne atop nine tiers of jade steps. His slender fingers rhythmically tapped the armrest, producing crisp sounds.

At his side stood a silent black shadow—it was his first shadow guard, Shadow One.

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"Your Majesty, Phoenix Heaven Tower has been sealed," Shadow One reported in a low, hoarse voice devoid of emotion.

Ling Cangqiong nodded slightly, his gaze profound. "How are things progressing between my Second Son and the Yantian Sect?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Second Prince has officially become a Core Disciple of the Yantian Sect. He will return to the capital before long to contend with the Crown Prince for the position," Shadow One reported succinctly.

"Ha ha ha!" Upon hearing this, Ling Cangqiong suddenly burst into loud laughter, a complicated meaning lurking in it. "Good! As expected of my son!"

When his laughter subsided slightly, he asked again, "What about Shen Changqing? Whom does the Heaven Suppressing Division intend to support?"

Shen Changqing was the Sect Master of the Heaven Suppressing Division, commanding Heaven Suppressing Divisions across the realm.

"Shen Changqing has stated that the Heaven Suppressing Division will support the Ninth Prince."

"Shen Changqing, that old bastard!" A cold glint flashed through Ling Cangqiong's eyes as he sneered. "Just as expected, he harbors no good intentions. He wants to use this to stir up internal strife. We must settle accounts with them properly!"

He drew a deep breath. There was a trace of weariness in his voice, but also an unquestionable resolve. "And those Imperial Uncles, each one harboring their own petty schemes and secretly colluding with foreign states. Those Marquis Families also have their own designs."

"Oh, right." Ling Cangqiong suddenly remembered something and lightly tapped the jade armrest with a finger. "Investigate Fifth Prince's Wind and Rain Tower thoroughly. Do it cleanly, then find an excuse to dump the filth onto the Crown Prince. Make certain the Heavenly Origin Sword Sect completely takes a side."

A cold calculation flashed in his eyes. He intended to sweep away every potential threat—along with the Forces behind the Crown Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the other powers holding great authority.

Power had to be completely centralized in the imperial court!

He wanted to turn the entire Great Yan Imperial Dynasty into a chessboard controlled by him alone.

Once the overall situation was settled, he would slowly deal with Xinghui Academy, gather all the world's supreme arts into his own hands, and establish an academy loyal only to the imperial clan.

Those so-called geniuses, those so-called bloodlines, should all burn for the imperial clan and serve his grand ambition!

When that time came, he, Ling Cangqiong, would be the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty's true first emperor!

"And one more thing," his tone shifted, carrying unquestionable authority. "Transmit my decree: from this day onward, the Edict of Grace shall be implemented. Every Vassal King granted a fief must divide that fief among all his children, with the legitimate eldest son presiding over an equal division. All fiefs shall be allocated from their existing territories and may not be expanded further."

"Once the sons reach adulthood, they shall immediately proceed to their allotted fiefs and assume their titles. The Vassal Kings must hand over all governing authority and tax revenues, without delay or concealment."

Standing in the shadows, Shadow One listened expressionlessly to every word. He bowed deeply, his voice hard as iron. "Your command shall be obeyed."

"I shall become the first Imperial Lord, surpassing every emperor of the past—even the Founding Ancestor!"

The voice was low and hoarse, as though squeezed from the depths of his soul, echoing through the empty palace hall.

Ling Cangqiong was not proclaiming this to anyone. He was murmuring to the void, to the beast that had lurked within his heart for so long. Every word seemed to burst from between clenched teeth, carrying an almost mad obsession.

The calm in his eyes was instantly ignited by a blazing yet icy flame. It was not joy, but Killing Intent.

It was the determination to reach the summit at any cost—to crush every stone blocking his path, even to personally topple the towering walls that had once supported him.

The emperors of past generations?

The Founding Ancestor?

Their achievements might indeed have been illustrious, but they belonged to the past after all.

What he wanted was not to stand upon their shoulders, but to trample them, together with their magnificent accomplishments, beneath his feet and become a new, singular, unsurpassable marker.

He wanted to become the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty's eternal Imperial Lord!

The Crown Prince could remain Crown Prince for a few hundred years... or a few thousand.

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