True Son of Heaven

Li Fan originally planned to fly out of the Three Enclosures immediately, avoiding the gaze of various forces in the Jingji, and then directly leap onto the membrane to capture the hacker. However, he was stopped at the city gate.

"Where is Lord Yu going?"

Originally, Li Fan didn't want to bother with these gatekeepers, but to his surprise, the female general in military uniform who stepped forward was Xu Luoyan from Songshan. Li Fan had no choice but to give her some face and exchange a few pleasantries.

"Oh, it's Xu Xianniang. Long time no see! I was just taking a stroll outside the city. Why is the city under lockdown again? Do we need Tiger Tally to get in and out now?"

Xu Luoyan smiled and stepped forward to greet him. "Lord Yu, please don't joke. How could I dare to stop you? It's just that there have been many things happening in the capital lately, so I'm being cautious. By the way, did you leave the city alone? I was ordered to arrest a wanted criminal. I wonder if you've seen him..."

Li Fan shook his head immediately, "I've never seen him, I haven't seen Xinling Gong recently."

Xu Luoyan maintained her smiling face. "I wasn't asking about the Conquering West General, but the Chariot and Cavalry General. I wonder if you've seen him recently?"

"Chariot and Cavalry General?"

Li Fan was also taken aback by the question. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that he did know the position of Chariot and Cavalry General. It was the highest-ranking military officer in the court below the Grand General, and in theory, the leader of the Immortal Army faction. However, since the Grand Tutor was now in power, the position of Chariot and Cavalry General had long been sidelined by the Guardian General. He had not been authorized to establish his own government and hold the imperial insignia. The military power inside and outside the Jingji was in the hands of the Grand Tutor Manor. It seemed to be a nominal title given to some relatives of the imperial family.

"Are you referring to the Dong family's carriages and horses? I paid them a visit, but unfortunately I was out attending a banquet. It was their eldest son who came out to greet me, left the gifts, and then left. What happened to him? Did he offend the Grand Tutor?"

Seeing that Li Fan seemed genuinely unaware and was even fiddling with his fingers, trying to elicit information from her, Xu Xianniang smiled.

"It's just a small misunderstanding. The Grand Tutor invited the Chariot and Cavalry General to a banquet at his residence. Since Marquis Yu has never met you before, I won't bother you any further."

With a wave of her hand, the imperial guards waving their military flags, opened the great formation, and released the city gates from their restrictions.

Has the Emperor truly been lost? Or has the death of many high-ranking officials, including the Minister of Works, reignited the power struggle among the court's elite? Or is the plan this time to remove the Chariot and Cavalry General and Cavalry, promote the Guardian General further, and completely take control of the Immortal Palace, with the Grand Tutor preparing to leave the mountains to become the head of the Songshan Great Yi Dao?

It's still too early to be certain of the Grand Tutor's scheme, but seeing that even a social butterfly like Xu Luoyan, who's in charge of social interactions, has donned military attire to guard the city gates, it seems that Songshan is truly facing a shortage of trusted men.

However, Li Fan had no time to concern himself with the internal strife between the Immortal Palace and Yuntai Peak. He could tell that the Grand Tutor was a cautious man and probably didn't want to broadcast the entire calamity live for everyone to watch. He had been waiting in the Three Palaces for half a day without triggering any plot events, and the inside information he got was actually from Sarilang. This Divine Cult was like Fourth Department sieve, leaking information everywhere. Who knows how many people in the world already knew that 'the Emperor was lost,' while those under the Emperor's nose were still kept in the dark.

So Li Fan didn't linger with Xu Luoyan and the others. He left the city and, after confirming once more that the hacker signal being tracked by the system was moving rapidly, immediately jumped over.

After landing, Li Fan used the Blood God Child to disguise himself as a 'Devil Sect Dharma Protector' while scanning and calculating with his Divine Sense. Finally, he found the target in the nearby river.

This is a tributary valley of the Gen River. On the south bank of the river basin, there is a village where people gather, and there are also fortified villages of local powerful families.

At first glance, Li Fan could tell that there were at least three Divine Transformation in the village, releasing their true qi and confronting each other. There were also seventeen or eighteen Nascent Soul Stage and Golden Core cultivators, who were obviously cannon fodder sent by various forces and were fiercely fighting each other. They were probably all looking for someone and had run into each other, so they were testing each other's organizations.

The villagers were also dragged into the battle with the cultivators, resulting in countless deaths and injuries, with corpses strewn across the fields.

The system probed again and confirmed that there was a continuous signal radiation emanating from the fortified village, indicating that the hackers were using the company equipment in the village to connect to the network.

Having found the location, Li Fan immediately used a hand seal to become invisible, attempting to use earth magic to sneak into the village and steal people.

No sooner had he entered the village than he felt a sudden tremor in his heart. He immediately dodged, only to be struck in the face by an unparalleled palm strike, forcing him to emerge from underground!

There's a master underground!

As soon as Li Fan showed himself, the three Divine Transformation who had been confronting each other reacted, realizing they had almost been ambushed. They immediately attacked together, unleashing fire dragons, talismanic light, and sword rain, relentlessly bombarding Li Fan!

Li Fan transformed into a beam of light, circling the field and pulling them out of the village. The three Divine Transformation cultivators instinctively rose and flew into the sky in pursuit. But Li Fan suddenly changed his move, unleashing a backhand attack with the Tai Sha Sword Rainbow, catching the three Divine Transformation cultivators off guard and killing them completely. One was beheaded, and two had their arms severed. In one move, they were severely injured and fled in all directions.

Li Fan was too lazy to chase after these good-for-nothings. He glared at each of them, gave them the Heavenly Book Magic Puppet gift pack, then put away his sword rainbow, stood still in the air, and raised his hand to Pifeng Biyue- Covering attack.

The hidden master unleashed a terrifying palm strike, taking a tenth of Li Fan's power head-on. The overwhelming power roared and exploded like a mountain collapsing and the earth crumbling, instantly leveling the entire village. The True Immortals and Mages who were fighting were all blasted away and shattered by the shockwave. Some were directly swept into the palm force and turned into mincemeat, while others suffered internal organs ruptured and head injuries. Some were lucky enough to escape to a distance, but seeing this, they knew that the battle was now between Divine Transformation stage cultivators. Staying any longer would only result in being crushed like ants, so they immediately fled into the mountains to escape without looking back.

"This is the palm technique of Emei!"

"Good eye. Take another serious palm strike from me!"

The underground expert, realizing he could no longer hide, emerged, revealing himself to be a small, masked man. However, Li Fan, possessing the ability to see clearly even when blind, was easily fooled and immediately recognized him as the Dachangqiu from the Ziwei Yuan!

Now that they were exchanging blows, he was completely open and honest, locking his Divine Sense in place. He was not fooled by the disguise of the Bone Shrinking Technique. So he unleashed another palm strike, this time adding 30% more power. At the same time, he also unleashed more than two hundred Qiankun Flying from his sleeve. The overwhelming sword mist mixed with Dao power rushed towards them with the force of a collapsing sky! This was to show respect for the strong!

"Boundless mountains and seas--!!"

The old eunuch Dachangqiu, possessed unparalleled skill and could have easily dodged Li Fan's powerful attack. However, he was clearly wary of the 'Emperor' hidden beneath his feet and connected to the network. Therefore, he neither dodged nor evaded, but instead let out a long shout and unleashed tens of thousands of palm strikes in an instant. He not only completely absorbed Li Fan's palm force but also dispersed all the Flying Dragon Sword energy without missing a single one!

"Sword Rainbow!"

Li Fan knew there was no room for mercy against such a renowned expert, so he unleashed a sword rainbow that swept down, with the Tai Sha Sword Qi hidden within the Twin Dragon Sword Mist, aiming straight for the old eunuch's head!

"Heaven and earth share the same wind!"

However, the old eunuch also sprang to his feet! His bones and muscles cracked and popped, tearing flesh and skin, leaving him covered in blood, but his power surged dozens of times! The myriad palm strikes he had unleashed with a mere gesture instantly converged, coming from all directions to block the dazzling light of the sword rainbow. The palm winds even stirred up a violent storm of qi, causing the sword rainbow to be reversed and turned upside down! He actually managed to forcefully engulf Li Fan's Tai Sha Sword Rainbow in the gale!

The palm wind, enveloping the Tai Sha Sword Rainbow, resembled a black dragon caught in a net! It roared violently, struggling to break free! The sword energy swept and raged like a tornado, leveling and annihilating the surrounding villages, fields, hills, trees, mountains, and riverbeds, turning them into barren land! After struggling for several breaths, the Sword Rainbow finally broke free from the binding force of the wind and flew into the sky, as if it had been sent flying by the old eunuch's raised hand!

What kind of kung fu is this?! It's so damn awesome!

Li Fan was also a little dizzy for a moment. This was the first time he had ever seen a move that could directly confront the Tai Sha Sword Rainbow! It was quite impressive!

The old eunuch landed on the riverbed that had been swept away by Jian Lan, and said with his hands behind his back,

"This is the Nine Yin Sword Technique."

But Li Fan could tell that this guy had really put in a lot of effort in that last move. It was rare to find someone who could hold their own against him, and he didn't want to take advantage of the situation. So he transformed into a bloody shadow and drifted over with the wind.

"Why isn't the eunuch living a life of leisure in the palace? What is he doing sneaking off to a place like this?"

The old eunuch said frankly,

"To protect the emperor."

Li Fan paused for a moment, then said, "What emperor? Isn't the one in the Ziwei Yuan doing just fine? Aren't you going to abandon him?"

The old eunuch looked up at Li Fan and said, "This man is the true emperor. Anyone who plots against the emperor will surely suffer divine retribution!"

Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

'So that's how it is! The hacker logged in with player privileges! That old eunuch must be the company's firewall protecting VIPs!'

Damn, I knew it! So, are we still going to kill them or not?

"Kill him! That guy's uploading data! Do you want your warships to jump on our side?!"

Alright! Let's finish this quickly!

Li Fan immediately turned hostile, "Hahaha! I've been wanting to transcend tribulation for ages! You dog eunuch! Die--!"

Another Tai Sha Sword Rainbow!

A black comet streaked across the sky and struck Dachangqiu head-on!

The old eunuch used the same trick again, shouting "Heaven and Earth are one!" and with a push of his hands, he unleashed ten thousand unparalleled palm forces, directly clashing with the sword rainbow!

But this time Li Fan changed his tactics.

Since even the Sword Rainbow Palm Technique can't harm this highly skilled old eunuch, then let's break him with brute force!

A blood-red shadow burst forth from the sword rainbow! Ignoring the opponent's palms slamming into his body, he raised his hand to grab the old eunuch's abdomen and then his crown chakra!

Ghost Hand!

As expected of the company's designated firewall, Dachangqiu let out a shrill howl and unleashed a tremendous force, actually breaking free from the gravitational pull of the star core and freeing his hand. He used one hand to protect his forehead and the other to grab Li Fan's pulse point, clashing palms together with Li Fan's!

In that instant, the two of them unleashed their full power, and the burst of their aura was like a raging wildfire, instantly evaporating the surrounding puddles and melting the sand and gravel on the ground! The suddenly changing energy field was like a vortex, first breaking away the sand and dust, and then attracting the surrounding airflow into the vortex, gathering around the two of them!

"Damn! You're pretty strong, old man!"

Upon seeing that his claws were about to be pried open, and that his Qiankun Dao Body was clearly unable to withstand the old eunuch's grip and was being torn to pieces, Li Fan's expression changed. He took the Blood God Child covering his face into his mouth, and his whole body turned into a phantom as he activated his Tai Su True Body!

Da Changqiu also shouted angrily, "Sixty-fold Gang Fist--!"

In that instant, the loose riverbed could not withstand the changing gravity and pressure, and collapsed and exploded instantly. The sand and gravel under their feet were shattered, rolled and broken, and were blown apart by the power of the Dao, forming a deep pit like a meteorite crater!

"Ha! A mere sixty layers!"

"Eighty-Fourfold Divine Fist--!"

Li Fan immediately shut up. Gangquan increases strength exponentially, especially for those who cultivate martial arts to achieve enlightenment. The stronger the body's martial arts parameters, the greater the bonus at each level. Moreover, Gangquan is not the kind of genius martial art that relies on talent and comprehension. It requires accumulated training and a strong body developed through long-term practice.

Of course, if you have to follow suit, Li Fan can do it, but his problem now is that he can't contain the Taisha Star Core. If he fires the Gang Fist randomly, he will self-destruct. But if he doesn't fire it...

"Ah--One Hundred and Twentyfold Divine Fist--!!"

The old eunuch's skin was completely rotted away by the soaring blood-red aura! His face was like that of Blood Ghost! He grabbed Li Fan's hands and pushed him away little by little!

"Twenty-Eightfold Ink Mountain Fist --!!"

Li Fan couldn't care less about anything else. He also increased his strength to regain the balance. Damn it, if he got punched like that, he would definitely lose control!

"One Hundred and Eightyfold Divine Fist--!!"

Who would have thought that the old eunuch had been hiding his true abilities? At this moment, he suddenly increased his strength and almost tore Li Fan in two!

It was a close call, because at the moment of exertion, the old eunuch's right hand, whether due to an old injury or a lack of proper training, couldn't withstand the immense power of the Gang Fist and suddenly exploded into bloody foam! The Dachangqiu was also momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting this to happen at all!

However, in such a top-tier battle between Divine Transformation Realm experts, such a low-level and foolish mistake was simply too fatal.

Li Fan, of course, wouldn't let this opportunity slip by, and unleashed a punch that struck the Dachangqiu Chamberlain squarely in the chest, creating a gaping hole and sending him flying hundreds of feet away!

"Die--!"

Seize the opportunity, strike while the iron is hot! Take his life!

Li Fan unleashed a flurry of attacks with his Tai Sha Sword Rainbow! Before landing, he had cleaved the Dachangqiu into eight pieces, decapitating him!

Li Fan's mood improved slightly.

Damn, I almost messed up! How could a hundred-plus-strength fist withstand his full-force Ghost Hand? Logically, it shouldn't be able to resist the fact that his true form has absorbed so much matter, right?

Li Fan figured that he hadn't truly unleashed the full power of the Tai Sha Star Core, and it seemed he needed to improve his Ghost Hand technique.

Regardless, having managed to eliminate Dachangqiu without serious incident and with the system tracking him, Li Fan didn't spend much time digging out a nuclear shelter from the ruins of the fortress and finding the hacker from the Chain Network who was hiding in the bio-pod healing his wounds.

Ha, you know what, aside from being only at the Golden Core stage and having its nose and ears cut off, it really does look exactly like that 'stamping robot' on the throne. It's probably another clone vehicle.

"Should we just kill him? Won't that attract the company's attention? Should we seal him with illusion magic as well?"

'Just kill them. The company's already noticed something's wrong with this world; the deaths of a couple of outsourced workers are normal.'

'These hackers, to avoid getting lost in the virtual network, must have left wake-up programs and memory backups in other worlds. Actually, that local manager surnamed Zhang probably also has a similar fuse program, but since he's here on a long-term business trip, the frequency of checks won't be as frequent as with outsourced personnel.'

Since that's the case, Li Fan flicked his finger, and the Blood God Child flew out and melted into the hacker's flesh and blood. The surrounding hardware servers and databases were also destroyed in a few blows, resulting in physical destruction, thus completing this side quest.

Then Li Fan calculated the situation of Qin Jiu and Yue Po with his fingers.

Huh? Didn't Qin Jiu already reach the Core Formation stage? He's seriously injured again? But he's not in mortal danger. Tsk, this won't do... he got this badly injured fighting just two bandits... He needs more training...

Moon Spirit... Oh, Moon Spirit came out of North Mang Mountain, but it must have stolen something good. Because the divination showed 'extreme misfortune'...