Raising the Furnace to Shatter the Sky, a Prince Blocks the Way

Hearing this, Flying Leopard looked at the Copper Furnace with a worried expression and complained, "Even if you say so, the other party is still a deity. Putting aside everything else, he is elusive and unpredictable. Who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve? With my level of skill, I'm afraid..."

"Alright," a gruff voice interrupted, "No need to feign distress. With your cultivation at the Fourth Tier of the Third Realm of cultivators, you are more than capable of rivaling Fourth Grade deity, while that deity who tried to seize the fire is only Fifth Grade."

Flying Leopard scratched his head and chuckled, "That's true, but the supernatural Divine Ability of gods are mysterious and can turn the rotten into the miraculous. A slight mistake could lead to utter destruction. I'm just taking precautions. Besides, the gods have the Heavenly Court behind them; a single move can have far-reaching consequences."

A deep, muffled voice came from the Copper Furnace again. "Don't you also have Law Treasure? In terms of trump cards, you might not lose to that god. Besides, if we really had to fight, it would just be to snatch back the furnace fire, not to exterminate that god. The Heavenly Court has no time to concern itself with such trivial matters! You Daoists these days are truly spineless, so afraid of gods."

"It's not fear, but fear of getting into trouble and being questioned by my senior brothers." Flying Leopard shook his head helplessly.

The voice continued, "Very well, I know your plan. I will lend you a hand when the time comes, and after it's done, I will lead you to my master's cave abode. However, you must promise me that you will kill those two ghosts. Not only did they sneak into the cave abode, but they also took it upon themselves to control me when my consciousness was clouded. They must not be let go."

Upon hearing this, Flying Leopard was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. "Of course, Brother Lu, you can rest assured! Leave this to me!" At this moment, he was all smiles. However, from beginning to end, he was the only one there, and Flying Leopard spoke to the Copper Furnace the entire time.

Then, a voice came from the furnace again—

"Although this god is gone, I can still vaguely sense traces of the furnace fire in the south. However, since you are worried that the god still has trump cards, this furnace has a way to help you advance to a higher level, though not to the Fourth Realm. But you will still gain something. After all, reclaiming the furnace fire is of utmost importance and cannot be delayed. That god seems to have already begun refining it..."

With that, one person and one furnace, he then used his Light Escape and soared into the sky!

Meanwhile, in the Netherworld, at the Yin-Yang Pagoda.

In the hall on the second floor of the tower, a Sixth-Rank Deity was reporting to the Prefect: "Prefect, we received a message from the Xiaojinglin Land Deity, saying that a fierce battle had taken place, but it has now subsided. However, a Daoist priest came later, and we don't know what he's up to."

The Prefectural Judge, gazing at the ball of light before him, replied without looking up, "Daoists? They were probably drawn there by the fluctuations in Spiritual Qi during the battle. But, Fire Sovereign and the others finished their business? When did it subside?"

The reporting deity replied, "About the time it takes to eat a meal."

"Hmm?" The magistrate looked up, his face full of doubt. "So much time has passed, and Feng Zhen hasn't sent back a single message? Whether or not he captured the Ghost Mother, he should at least..."

Before he could finish speaking, a figure flashed across the ball of light before him, drawing his attention back. Within the light, the scene of the four floors of the tower was revealed. A figure materialized as light and materialized within it.

"Feng Zhen is back, why isn't Wu Fan with him?"

The figure that emerged from the ball of light was none other than Feng Zhen, the Child-Giving God. As soon as he appeared, his gaze fell on the Seven-Gate Paper. Then he sat down cross-legged, remaining silent and still.

"Hmm? What is he doing?" The Prefect raised an eyebrow, narrowed his eyes, and watched for a while. He then waved his sleeve, dispelling the radiance in front of him, before getting up and walking out of the hall, heading towards the fourth floor. "Feng Zhen's actions are far too blatant."

Time flies, and more than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye. There are less than two months left until the end of the year.

Qiu Yan's scholar clone, after more than a month's journey, has now arrived at Xuankou Pass, located in the north of the Shannan Circuit.

Xuankou Pass is called a "pass," but it cannot compare with the formidable passes on the frontier. It was simply an expansion of a small town with reinforced walls. Once you pass through this pass, you are in the territory of the Eastern Capital.

However, as Qiu Yan and his companions entered the town, they sensed something amiss; the entire town was shrouded in a tense atmosphere.

Cultivators are very sensitive to emotions and energy. The three of them were puzzled. Looking around, they saw that all the pedestrians on the road had stiff expressions and were walking in a hurry. Some people saw Qiu Yan and his group and noticed Qiu Yan's scholar's attire. Their expressions changed slightly, and they dared not look at him for long before quickly retreating.

"Strange! Very strange! The people here seem a bit afraid of our young master." Watching the pedestrians retreat around him, Dai Guo scratched his head and muttered, "However, this place truly lives up to its reputation as the Eastern Capital's bulwark; the entire town is filled with a tense atmosphere, and the defenses are incredibly tight."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Hu Qi said warily. "When you and I traveled south, we passed through here. Back then, the town was bustling with people and merchants; it wasn't like it is now."

This town, located on the outskirts of Xuankou Pass, is called Xuankou Town. Backed by a river, it is a transportation hub where merchants often stop. However, upon returning to this place today, Hu Qi did not see any merchants or caravans in the town, which puzzled him.

Qiu Yan nodded and said, "That's right. Even if there are soldiers guarding the checkpoints, it's impossible to be on high alert all the time. Otherwise, it might backfire and create panic. This place is close to the Eastern Capital, so why would the atmosphere be so tense? There must be something fishy going on here."

As he spoke, he recalled the reactions of passersby when they saw his outfit, and his doubts grew stronger.

"Forget it, let's get through the checkpoint first." Shaking his head, Qiu Yan took the package off his shoulder, took out the documents, held them in his hand, and then headed towards the checkpoint. But after taking only two steps, he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps in front of him, followed by a group of people blocking his way.

"Hmm? What do these soldiers mean? Why are they blocking the road?" Dai Guo frowned as he looked at the group of people in front of him.

They were stopped by a group of officers and soldiers, dressed in red and blue military uniforms. The leader had a stern expression and very thin lips, giving people a feeling of harshness, coldness, and unsmilingness.

Seeing this, Qiu Yan remained calm and stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, saying, "Gentlemen, I am Qiu Yan from Jiannan, and I am going to Eastern Capital for further studies. This is my document; please take a look."

The leader walked over, his gaze sweeping over the document in Qiu Yan's hand. Seeing the words "successful candidate in the imperial examination," his brow twitched slightly. He then looked the three men up and down, before coldly snorting, "Take them back first and verify their identities!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding soldiers rushed forward to seize Qiu Yan and the other two.

"Wait!" Qiu Yan frowned. "What does this soldier mean? I have official rank and documents to prove it. Arresting someone indiscriminately like this is against the law!"

"The law?" The leading officer sneered. "I arrested you because of the law. If you are innocent, you will be released. But if you are connected with rebels, that's another matter."

"Traitor? What traitor? My young master is the top scholar of Jiannan!" Dai Guo exhaled fiercely, glaring at the approaching soldiers, radiating a fierce aura that intimidated everyone present.

"The top scholar of Jiannan Circuit?" Upon hearing this, the leading officer sensed Dai Guo's imposing aura and his eyelids twitched. "Do you have any proof?"

"What's so great about this?" Hu Qi stepped forward and said, his muscles trembling, which also intimidated the soldiers around him. He and Dai Guo protected Qiu Yan, one in front and one behind.

"In that case, the three of you may wait here for a moment while I go and report." The man clasped his hands in a salute, gave a few instructions, and then turned to leave.

"Outrageous!" Dai Guo was furious. He stomped his foot and was about to rush forward, but Qiu Yan held him down with one hand.

Then Qiu Yan said, "We are newcomers here, let's observe the situation first."

"This young master is quite sensible. Please..." The officer, who had been given instructions, said with a smile and led Qiu Yan to a tavern in town.

"Young master, please don't be angry. That's just how Chief Wang is; he doesn't know how to speak properly." The soldier's attitude changed once he learned that Qiu Yan was a top scholar in the provincial examination.

Qiu Yan laughed and said, "Not at all, it was just a verbal dispute. Do you think I would hold a grudge over a couple of unpleasant words?"

"No wonder he's a talented scholar who passed the imperial examination with top honors; he certainly has a broad mind," the soldier complimented.

Qiu Yan followed up, saying, "But what exactly happened? Why are even passing scholars being investigated and arrested? Isn't that going too far?"

"Who says otherwise?" The officer, deeply resonating with this sentiment, poured out his grievances. "Everyone else would avoid this matter like the plague, but only Wang Tou, being so upright, accepted the order. After interrogating the captured scholars, most were released, but inevitably some harbor resentment. If they gain a future, they will surely seek revenge."

After shaking his head and saying a few words, the man suddenly changed the subject. "However, it's also Huang Yan's fault. He had no choice but to write a rebellious poem in the Eastern Capital and incite a popular uprising, which alarmed the Prince and led to the current situation. You tell me, if we can't afford to offend the scholars, can we afford to offend the Prince? We officials have it tough too!"

"Anti-poems? A popular uprising? What exactly happened? How did it alarm the prince? Which prince?" Qiu Yan was puzzled and wanted to ask, but suddenly a thought struck him, and he stopped talking and turned to look at the door.

Da da da!

Outside the door, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly sounded, approaching from afar, causing the floor and tables and chairs in the restaurant to tremble slightly.

"Huh?" Hu Qi and Dai Guo also noticed this and suddenly stood up from their seats, staring at the door. Then they saw a group of armored soldiers pouring in from outside.

The leader was a burly man with a full beard. After entering the tavern, he glanced around before finally fixing his gaze on Qiu Yan's table. He asked in a gruff voice, "Are you Qiu Yan from Jiannan Circuit?"

"Exactly!" Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes and stood up from his chair.

The burly man with the thick beard waved his hand. "Take him down!"