A Sense of Security

In the blink of an eye, the two fourth-rank experts became lambs to the slaughter.

This is the power of Law Treasure; even if they are flawed, they are not something that ordinary people can resist.

Below the Transcendent Realm, one is utterly powerless against Law Treasure.

Liu Hongmian, Jingxin, and Jingyuan were unfamiliar with the Hun Tian Bao Jing, but after experiencing the bizarre coma of Baihu and Qihuan Danxiang, as well as the opposing team of four experts and the "traitorous" Dongfang Wanqing, their choice was self-evident.

Without any warning, Liu Hongmian unleashed a cross-shaped Sword Qi, feigning an attack, and then, without looking back, dashed away like a lithe female leopard.

She wisely chose to run away instead of taking to the air.

Only by being grounded can a crude martial artist unleash his full speed and use light-footed skills or air-flying techniques. In the eyes of a Daoist Daoist School who can control a sword, this is simply walking into a trap.

Jingxin and Jingyuan also fled separately. They only had one Law Artifact, so they had to run away separately to have a chance of survival.

Seeing this, Chu Yuanzhen immediately issued an order, shouting loudly:

"Li Lingsu, you go after Jingyuan. Miaozhen, go after Jingxin. Hengyuan and I will go after Liu Hongmian."

Although it was his first time dealing with this group, he had already secretly obtained information about Liu Hongmian and the others from Li Lingsu.

Chu Yuanzhen's arrangement was deliberate. Of the three, the martial monk Jingyuan possessed the Vajra Divine Skill and was the most difficult to deal with. Therefore, he sent Li Lingsu with Law Treasure to pursue them, and since he went, Dongfang Wanqing would definitely follow.

The latter, as a martial artist, could restrain the martial monks.

Only Li Miaozhen's side is somewhat unstable, but the Zen master, lacking strong offensive tactics, can't really do anything to her.

As a martial artist, Liu Hongmian was easy to deal with, given to him and Hengyuan.

Hengyuan leaped up and jumped behind Chu Yuanzhen. The two of them rode away on their swords, whistling like the wind.

Liu Hongmian traversed mountains and streams, her silk skirt torn by branches and bushes, but she did not stop for a moment; her mind was filled with only the thought of escaping.

Just moments ago, they were congratulating themselves on being fourth-rank cultivators, easily overlooked "minions," while Qi Huan Dan Xiang and Bai Hu secretly vowed to infiltrate and take revenge.

Little did they know, Xu Yinluo's indifference towards them did not mean he would let them go. His sharp blades, meant to deal with this group of fourth-rank soldiers, had already been drawn in secret.

call out.

A whooshing sound came from above, and Liu Hongmian was startled, knowing that the Daoist School masters had caught up with them.

The mountain had slopes and trees, making it difficult to outrun a Daoist priest who could fly on a sword. Liu Hongmian sped up her run while reaching out to grab a tree branch.

She leaped high into the air, flipped in mid-air, and hurled tree branches at the enemies behind her.

Call out!

The tree branch whistled past, carrying a powerful aura, several times faster than a bow and arrow.

Chu Yuanzhen reached out and grabbed the branch in his hand.

He caught my full-force attack barehanded? Isn't he a Daoist priest? Liu Hongmian's heart skipped a beat.

In the blink of an eye, she heard a rustling sound, and the surrounding green leaves and branches flew up one after another. Then, they were imbued with Sword Qi and formed a magnificent sword formation.

Chu Yuanzhen pointed his fingers like a sword, causing the entire structure to descend.

Puff puff puff.

The falling branches and leaves transformed into a rain of swords, creating numerous craters in the ground. The trees in the forest cracked and snapped as they were struck down by the sword rain.

Liu Hongmian ran through the torrential rain of swords, dodging with a martial artist's premonition of danger, and when she couldn't dodge, she used her physical body to withstand the attacks.

As she walked through the rain of swords, she suddenly stopped. Ahead of her stood a middle-aged monk, his body radiating golden light, his hands clasped together, waiting for her.

Behind him stood a swordsman in a blue robe, proudly standing on the spine of the sword, unrestrained and free.

Fifteen minutes later, the three parties reunited at their respective starting points.

Li Lingsu carried the unconscious Jingyuan on her shoulder and flew back with Dongfang Wanqing on her sword.

Hengyuan carried Liu Hongmian on his shoulder and returned with Chu Yuanzhen on their flying swords.

Only Li Miaozhen had a dark expression, her hands empty.

Seeing this, Li Lingsu got excited, put his hands on his hips, struck a pose like a senior brother, and laughed:

"I'm not trying to be mean, but this damages the reputation of our Heavenly Sect and the status of the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect."

"You let Jingxin escape, a mere cultivator?"

Li Miaozhen sneered:

"It's fine, just use the women around you to fill the numbers."

Li Lingsu changed the subject. "Jingxin is not weak either, a peak fourth-grade expert. It is indeed a bit of a stretch. Junior Sister, you have tried your best."

Li Miaozhen snorted.

Although the Daoist School Golden Core can restrain the precepts, Li Miaozhen's soul-capturing technique, as well as other attacks from the Primordial Spirit domain, are equally effective against the Zen Master.

The Secret Method of the Heavenly Celestial Person heaven and man can be understood by Zen masters through their understanding of precepts and Zen practice.

However, Li Miaozhen's fighting skills are still a level stronger than Jingxin's; otherwise, Jingxin, a peak fourth-grade cultivator, would have already turned around and hunted down the Heavenly Sect's Holy Maiden.

Chu Yuanzhen was not surprised by this, and even expected it, and said with a smile:

"We need not concern ourselves with the fish that slipped through the net; our harvest has already been considerable. Fellow Daoist Li, please trouble yourself to capture Liu Hongmian's Primordial Spirit."

Liu Hongmian's Primordial Spirit was attacked by the Human Sect Heart Sword, and her physical body was subdued by the Hengyuan Vajra Divine Skill. At this moment, she fell into a coma.

But she will wake up soon.

After Li Lingsu extracted Liu Hongmian's soul, Chu Yuanzhen looked around and, seeing that there were no outsiders, took out the fragment of the Earth Book.

Hengyuan, Li Miaozhen, and Li Lingsu then took out the fragments of the Earth Book.

During their exchange, their hearts pounded with fear, knowing that someone was using fragments of the Earth Book to send messages, but they were too preoccupied to notice and ignored it.

"Oh, Number One said the national treasure sword is lost."

After reading the message, Li Lingsu paused for a moment, then asked, "Who is Number One?"

Li Miaozhen glanced at him and said calmly:

"Number one is Princess Huaiqing of the Great Feng Dynasty, a very annoying woman."

Nowadays, the identity of the holder of the Earth Book fragment no longer needs to be hidden.

Except for number eight, who is still offline, everyone else has met in person and become friends.

Number one is Princess Huaiqing?! Li Lingsu pictured an elegant woman in a simple dress, a beautiful woman with a refined and noble air.

He was so heartbroken that he trembled all over.

That scoundrel Xu Qi'an, he actually dared to steal from the very person next door!

Hengyuan asked in surprise:

"Fellow Daoist Li is injured? Why are you trembling all over?"

Li Lingsu spoke with righteous indignation, her face filled with sorrow:

"Because evil people always live on for a thousand years, while righteous people like me are repeatedly persecuted; Heavenly Dao is unjust."

Li Miaozhen pouted:

"Ignore him. He's just regretting losing the fragments of the Earth Book over the past year, letting that Xu guy get there first."

Hengyuan suddenly realized, pondered for a moment, and said:

Even without Lord Xu, His Highness Huaiqing would most likely not think much of Fellow Daoist Li.

Li Lingsu asked expressionlessly, "Master, do you know about the Zen of 'silence'?"

Hengyuan frowned and shook his head, saying:

"This humble monk is a martial monk, not a practitioner of Zen."

Li Lingsu cupped her hands in a respectful gesture.

Chu Yuanzhen steered the conversation back on track, saying, "Should we talk about this or not?"

Hengyuan and Li Miaozhen remained silent; one was indifferent, and the other was too lazy to answer Number One's question.

Li Lingsu was not familiar with Number One, so she refrained from offering her opinion.

So Chu Yuanzhen used his finger instead of a pen and wrote:

[Part Four: The Sword of National Protection is in Xu Qi'an's hands. He just summoned the Dharma Image of the High Ancestor Emperor and fought against the Dharma Image of the Buddhist School Bodhisattva. He successfully repelled the Witch God Sect, the Buddhist School, and the experts from Qianlong City, preserving Quanrong Mountain and the Dragon Qi.]

After replying to the message, Scholar Chu glanced at the prisoners and said:

"The Heart Gu Master and the Tiger Demon are on the verge of death; extract their Primordial Spirit as soon as possible."

These individuals, being fourth-rank experts, are pillars of strength in Qianlong City and possess considerable intelligence.

Li Lingsu nodded, communicated with the Hun Tian Divine Mirror, released the Primordial Spirit of Qi Huan Dan Xiang and the White Tiger, and stored them in the magical Law Artifact that sealed the Primordial Spirit.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Lingsu turned to look at Dongfang Wanqing and said:

"Sister Qing, you should go now."

Dongfang Wanqing said calmly, "Li Lang, come with me back to the East Sea Dragon Palace."

Chu Yuanzhen and the others originally thought that Li Lingsu would say something like, "We have different paths and cannot work together."

Li Lingsu shook her head:

"My trials in the mortal world are not over yet. If I go back to the East Sea Dragon Palace with you, my master will definitely come looking for him. He wants to capture me and take me back to the Heavenly Sect. If that happens, I may never be able to leave the Heavenly Sect in this lifetime."

He told Dongfang Wanqing about Tianzong's attitude towards him and Li Miaozhen.

Dongfang Wanqing didn't believe him and turned to look at Li Miaozhen.

Li Miaozhen hummed in agreement.

Dongfang Wanqing frowned slightly, her usually cold face showing hesitation for a moment, before she said:

"Then I'll stay with you."

Ah, Li Lingsu's eyes flashed, and she cleverly found an excuse, saying in a deep voice:

"I don't want to leave Qing-jie either, but that Xu thief is extremely vicious and narrow-minded. If he sees you, he will definitely kill you, and I am no match for him."

Hengyuan frowned, somewhat displeased, and transmitted his voice to Li Miaozhen and Chu Yuanzhen:

"It seems that Daoist Li Lingsu harbors a deep prejudice against Lord Xu."

How could it not be a deep wound? They were ripped off so badly. But that was just private grumbling; they still got things done actively. Chu Yuanzhen's lips curled into a smile.

It's not deep-seated prejudice, but rather the mutual hostility among lecherous men, much like the mutual disdain among scholars. Li Miaozhen said calmly:

"No, Miss Dongfang, don't worry. That Xu fellow won't bother with you. As long as you haven't done anything heinous and don't have any major grudge against him, you can go to Quanrong Mountain without hesitation."

"Li Miaozhen, you shame of the Heavenly Sect! Are you trying to force me to my death?" Li Lingsu was furious. The two disciples stared at each other, sparks flying.

Chu Yuanzhen, riding a flying sword, broke the secret contest between the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix of the Heavenly Sect, and said:

Let's go back to Quanrong Mountain.

The Sword of National Protection was in Xu Qi'an's hands. He had just fought against the Buddhist School, the Witch God Sect, and the rebels of Qianlong City, protecting the Dragon Qi and Quanrong Mountain.

In the clean room, Huaiqing stared blankly at the fragments of the Earth Book in his hand.

What does it mean to summon the image of the founding emperor?

Have the images of Buddhist School bodhisattvas manifested in the world?

What exactly happened at Mount Quanrong?

A series of questions arose in her mind. The usually composed princess was now filled with curiosity about the battle taking place in the distant Quanrong Mountain.

It was like a stock certificate laid out before her, making her eager to read it.

Huaiqing quickly regained his composure, left the washroom without any expression, and returned to the side hall.

At this moment, the internal meeting of the royal family in the Imperial Study was still in progress.

The princesses and noblewomen sipped tea, ate pastries, and chatted idly, waiting for the meeting to end.

After taking his seat, Huaiqing picked up his teacup, took a sip, turned his head to look at Lin'an, whose face was solemn, and said softly:

"I now know the reason for the unusual activity at the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple."

Lin'an's eyes lit up, and she looked at her suspiciously:

You know?

Huaiqing turned back, looked away, and lowered his voice:

"The Sword of National Protection is in Xu Qi'an's hands. He fought against the Buddhist School, the Witch God Sect, and the remnants of Qianlong City."

The Zhenguo Sword is with that lackey. Lin'an's breathing quickened, and he blurted out:

"What was the outcome? Was he injured?"

Huaiqing calmly retorted, "Has he ever lost?"

A single, casual remark put Lin'an's heart at ease.

What followed was an immense sense of security; all worries and anxieties vanished in that moment.

She didn't even know the specifics or the profound significance behind it, but as long as she knew that he was the one doing it and that he was supporting her, Lin'an felt an unprecedented sense of peace and tranquility.

Lin'an slowly exhaled, letting out all the gloom in his heart.

"I'm going to tell my brother, the Emperor."

Lin'an's eyes and brows regained their liveliness.

Huaiqing glanced at her sideways. "It's your own special way of contacting Xu Qi'an, it has nothing to do with me."

Don't worry!

Lin'an patted her on the shoulder and said with great loyalty.

Huaiqing sighed. If it were any other younger sister, she wouldn't have told anyone about it.

She frankly told Lin'an that, first and foremost, she was considering the big picture. In the current Great Feng, stability was the top priority, both among the common people and in the government.

Secondly, with so many people in the palace knowing about this, it would be difficult to keep it a secret, and it could very well become a reason for the officials to oppose the donation.

Emperor Yongxing, as the ruler of a country, may at most suffer a loss of prestige, but Xu Erlang is doomed.

Lin'an lifted her skirt, stood up, left the side hall, and walked towards the imperial study.

"Your Highness, you cannot go in."

The eunuch guarding the door immediately stopped them, saying with a bitter face:

"His Majesty and the princes are discussing matters; please don't make things difficult for this servant."

Lin'an pointed to the door of the Imperial Study and said with great arrogance:

"Go and report this immediately."

She has matured and become much more restrained now; in the past, she wouldn't have cared about the eunuch's feelings at all.

The eunuch hesitated for a moment, then scurried off to the imperial study.

Lin'an followed his gaze and saw Zhao Xuanzhen, the eunuch beside her emperor brother, peek out, glance at her a few times, give her a fawning smile, and then shrink back.

A moment later, Zhao Xuanzhen personally rushed out, bowing and scraping:

"Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence."

Lin'an nodded in satisfaction; she knew her brother, the emperor, would definitely let her in.

Emperor Yongxing almost never refused her requests.

Lin'an followed Zhao Xuanzhen across the threshold and into the imperial study. On both sides of the scarlet carpet stood a group of uncles and brothers, who frowned as they looked at Lin'an as he entered, their expressions not very happy.

King Li snorted coldly:

"What are you doing barging in when the elders are having a meeting? This is rude of you."

He was both criticizing Lin'an and expressing his dissatisfaction with Emperor Yongxing's indulgence of his younger sister.

Emperor Yongxing took a breath and patiently said:

"In Lin'an, I am discussing matters with my uncles and other elders. Your matter will be addressed later."

A prince waved his hand and instructed Zhao Xuanzhen, "Escort His Highness Lin'an back."

Zhao Xuanzhen looked into the palace and saw that the princess, who had served two dynasties, was still the most favored.

Lin'an ignored everyone and asked:

"Does Your Majesty know the reason for the unusual activity at the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple?"

Emperor Yongxing's face darkened. He glanced at Prince Li and the others, and said coldly:

"It is because of my perverse and perverse actions that I have angered the officials and have been punished by our ancestors."

"I have already promised my uncles that I will immediately issue an edict of self-reproach and spend three days in the ancestral temple reflecting on my mistakes to appease the wrath of our ancestors."

"What does this have to do with my brother, the Emperor!"

Lin'an raised her eyebrows and glared at the princes and dukes on either side.