Defying Heaven!

Great Xuan Prefecture.

The city wall is over five zhang high, built of bluish-gray stone blocks, and gleams with a faint metallic sheen in the sunlight.

The city gate was more than three times wider than that of Clear Source County. Those entering the city had to queue at the side gate, where city guards dressed in dark blue leather armor and with sharp eyes would check a palm-sized blue jade token.

"Identity tag." The city guard's voice was dry and harsh.

Qi Yun was in the queue, in front of a man carrying mountain goods who was smiling and handing over his jade token.

The city guard took it, ran his finger across the jade tablet, and the tablet emitted a faint light, revealing a simple image of a man and a few lines of small characters.

The city guards glanced at them and waved them through.

It's Qi Yun's turn.

He did not have a jade pendant.

"Is this your first time in Great Xuan?" The city guard frowned, looking him up and down with his drab clothes and plain face.

"Entry fee: ten taels of silver."

Go over there to register and get a temporary license plate.

You can only stay for one month. After that, you either need to renew your subscription or get out.

Ten taels of silver is enough for an average family in Clear Source County to eat for half a year.

Qi Yun remained expressionless, took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, poured out a few pieces of silver, exactly ten taels.

The registration office was a small stone pavilion, inside which sat an old clerk with a goatee. He asked for my name, background, and purpose.

Qi Yun casually gave the name "Yun Qi," explaining that he had come from "famine-stricken areas in the south" and that his purpose was "to find work."

The old clerk, his eyelids drooping, made a record in a thick book, then took out a rough white stone tablet. His fingertips gleamed faintly white as he carved a few lines on it before tossing it to Qi Yun. "Drip blood."

Qi Yun pricked his fingertip as instructed, and a drop of blood fell onto the stone tablet. It quickly seeped in, and the two faint red characters "Yun Qi" appeared on the surface of the tablet, along with a countdown phantom of "Thirty Days." It was a very crude Divine Soul imprint and a minor timekeeping technique.

"Rules," the old clerk said lazily, "Private duels are forbidden within the city, and especially the clash of Divine Soul is prohibited."

Those who violate this rule will be executed or have their souls captured on the spot by the City Guard Office Enforcement Team.

The West Market has general stores, the East Market has restaurants and pawnshops, and the North District is a noble area, so don't wander around there unnecessarily.

In the shantytowns to the south, no one would even give a second glance if someone died.

"Take care of yourself."

Qi Yun accepted the stone tablet, nodded, and walked through the city gate.

The scene inside the city was completely different. The streets were wide and paved with smooth bluestone slabs, wide enough for four carriages to walk side by side.

Pedestrians were also dressed much more smartly. Occasionally, one could see people wearing brocade robes, jade pendants at their waists, and whose eyes gleamed with a sharp light as they hurried by, often accompanied by guards.

A faint, sandalwood-like or herbal scent filled the air, bringing a sense of calm.

It was a low-grade calming spice that was widely used by wealthy families.

Upon entering the city, Qi Yun casually tossed away the jade token, his figure moving like an inconspicuous gray shadow. After several turns in the streets and alleys, he headed straight for the governor's mansion, a place that appeared exceptionally solemn even in the bustling prefecture, with its high walls and deep courtyards.

The main gate of the mansion was wide and decorated with vermilion lacquer and copper nails.

The stone lions standing on both sides have wide-open, angry eyes, with a faint light emanating from them.

Four guards, clad in fine iron armor and with long swords at their waists, stood with their hands on their swords.

His aura was sharp and his eyes scanned the street in front of the door with keen eyes.

When someone occasionally crosses the pedestrian crossing, they unconsciously lower their head and walk quickly, not daring to look directly at the pedestrians.

Qi Yun didn't stop walking; he headed straight for the gate.

"Halt! This is the governor's residence, a place of serious importance. Unauthorized personnel, please step aside!" the leading guard shouted sharply, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

Qi Yun kept walking without even glancing at them.

But a barely perceptible glimmer flashed across his eyes.

This is not Law Technique, but the powerful Divine Soul will of Foundation Establishment True Person, forged through countless trials.

Although he can no longer use his profound Xuanhuang Law Technique.

However, Qi Yun's cultivation and realm as Foundation Establishment True Person were still profound.

In terms of Divine Soul alone, it is comparable to the [Yin Spirit] realm in this world.

The four guards shuddered, their hands on their swords froze, and the fierce look on their faces instantly turned into blankness.

Qi Yun with ease, as if passing through an empty courtyard, crossing the threshold, and entering the mansion.

The mansion is filled with pavilions, towers, and winding corridors. It is heavily guarded, several times more so than the outside world, with numerous sentries, both visible and hidden, including some guards with vigorous Qi and Blood and energy or those with faint Divine Soul fluctuations.

But under Qi Yun's precise and vast Divine Sense, everyone's location and condition were clearly reflected in his mind.

He was like someone walking through a pre-planned maze, always able to avoid all sight and perception at the most opportune moment and from the most inconspicuous angle.

Occasionally, when there is no way to avoid it, a slight glint in his eyes can cause a hidden stakeout or patrolling guard to momentarily lose their focus and fail to see him.

Soon, he passed through many courtyards and arrived at the courtyard of a separate study at the deepest part of the mansion.

The courtyard gate was tightly closed, and there were fluctuations of Formation Art inside.

Outside the courtyard, two black-clad guards, their presence clearly distinguishable, stood like iron pillars on either side.

However, at this level, they are still somewhat inexperienced when facing Qi Yun.

The study was brightly lit by candlelight.

A man in his fifties, dressed in a purple official robe, with a dignified yet somewhat weary face, sat behind a large rosewood desk, his brows furrowed, as he read through a scroll of secret memorials.

This person had slightly bulging temples, and a deep, composed aura emanated from him.

He was clearly a cultivator with a very solid foundation!

He was none other than Zhao Yuanzhen, the Hundred Spirits Prefecture.

Suddenly, the governor's fingers, which were turning the pages of the secret memorial, paused.

He suddenly raised his head.

In the center of the study, no more than ten feet from his desk, a person had silently appeared!

A young man dressed in coarse gray clothes and with an ordinary face stood there quietly, looking at him calmly.

Who are you?!

Zhao Yuanzhen was shocked and stood up abruptly. His right hand instinctively reached out to strike the alarm array hidden in the corner of the desk.

At the same time, the power of the divine Divine Soul in the Purple Mansion surged, and it was about to issue a long warning cry.

As a cultivator at the Night Wandering Realm, his Divine Soul could already leave his body and roam freely at night. He possessed keen senses, and there were Formation Art and guards both inside and outside the study.

How could this person appear before him without any warning?!

This is no ordinary method!

And just as the governor looked up...

Qi Yun a step forward, shrinking the distance to an inch as he approached the desk.

A large hand stretched out, its five fingers long and slender. It seemed to move slowly, but in Zhao Yuanzhen's eyes, it transformed into an inescapable shadow that enveloped all life, pressing directly towards the top of his head!

Zhao Yuanzhen's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his Divine Soul in the Night Wandering Realm roared madly, trying to leave his body to resist or escape, only to find himself trapped in a thick, heavy, and boundless swamp!

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and even thought became incredibly sluggish.

The opponent did not even use any known methods of Divine Soul attack in this world.

It's merely a higher level of "existential" suppression!

"Ugh--!"

A short, muffled groan, filled with extreme horror and pain, escaped from Zhao Yuanzhen's throat.

Qi Yun's palm was already firmly placed on the top of his head.

There was no dazzling light, no explosive roar.

Only a single, tyrannical, domineering, and incredibly precise Divine Sense, like a bursting dam, ignored all of Zhao Yuanzhen's rudimentary Divine Soul defenses and instantly rushed into his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness.

He quickly flipped through his memories, searching his soul!

Countless images, sounds, and fragments of information flooded into Qi Yun's senses like a torrent:

Three thousand miles southwest of the prefecture Cloud Dream Great Marsh, shrouded in mist year-round, teeming with miasma and plague, a place forbidden to mortals—a fact widely acknowledged.

"A land beyond the reach of civilization"

Thirty-seven years ago, a woodcutter wandered to the edge of a great swamp and saw white jade steps and cranes soaring in the sky. Upon returning, he became mentally unstable and soon died from exhaustion of his Divine Soul.

According to the secret records of the Prefectural Governor's Office, every sixty years, the mist in the Great Swamp would mysteriously disperse on its own, creating a passage that would last for three days. During this time, people with unpredictable auras would occasionally enter and exit. The prefectural government had sent people to investigate, but they had all disappeared without a trace, or returned with hazy memories.

Qi Yun focused on searching all details, map fragments, and rumors related to "Cloud Dream Great Marsh".

There has been no response to the token given by Desolate Halberd True Lord.

Therefore, he guessed that the [Fruition Status] might be too far away from him.

Moreover, judging from the information obtained from Clear Source County, the cultivators that can be contacted in the mortal world have very limited cultivation levels.

The true cultivators seem to have gathered in another region.

This is why he broke into the governor's mansion in search of answers.

No, searching the soul solely with Divine Sense is too inefficient; many distant memories are stuck together and cannot be clearly seen.

Frowning as he perused Zhao Yuanzhen's memories, Qi Yun was about to withdraw his hand.

When the Divine Sense probe swept over an extremely hidden and exceptionally stable corner of the Purple Mansion, it suddenly paused.

That place is not a natural memory zone, but is firmly wrapped and sealed by an extremely exquisite, thin as a cicada's wing yet exceptionally tough divine Divine Soul restriction.

It was hidden so deeply and so cleverly that it almost escaped Qi Yun's Divine Sense scan.

"That's interesting."

A glint of chaotic light flashed in Qi Yun's eyes, and the powerful Divine Sense that was originally preparing to retreat instantly condensed into a needle, stabbing fiercely at the thin, cicada-wing-like restriction!

"Laugh-"

A soft sound that could only be perceived at the level of the Divine Soul.

That exquisite restriction, faced with absolute power and a higher essence, shattered instantly, like rice paper pierced by a red-hot steel needle.

A small sphere of memory light, imbued with special markings, was revealed within.

Qi Yun his Divine Sense to retrieve the scroll and quickly read it.

After only a moment, a strange light suddenly shone in the depths of his calm eyes, growing brighter and brighter!

This memory is not Zhao Yuanzhen's personal secret.

It's about a massive, secretive, and highly hierarchical plan!

A shocking secret orchestrated by the emperors and key ministers of the Great Cang Dynasty, secretly connecting some cultivator forces and ancient Aristocratic Clan dissatisfied with the status quo.

----The "Heaven's Will" manifested in the Azure Gate Realm, establishing rules, suppressing all living beings, especially strictly controlling the upper limit of cultivation, locking away the path to transcendence above the Yang Spirit, regarding all people as straw dogs, using all living beings as resources, and maintaining an unspeakable "balance"----

The secret ancient texts of the Great Cang royal family reveal that the so-called "Heaven's Will" is not an unchanging law of Heavenly Dao, but can be interfered with, weakened, or even replaced!

The "Waking of Insects Plan" aims to accumulate strength, await the opportune moment, mobilize the nation's resources, unite all parties, defy fate, and strive for a truly free and transcendent future for all people!

--Zhao Yuanzhen, as the Hundred Spirits Prefecture and a high-ranking official in charge of the region, was one of the key figures and implementers of the "Waking of Insects Plan" at the local level.--

Qi Yun quickly processed this information, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly, revealing a smile that mixed surprise, amusement, and deeper meaning.

"Good heavens—" he muttered to himself, releasing his hand from Zhao Yuanzhen's head.

Losing his support, Zhao Yuanzhen slumped in the chair like a rag doll, his eyes closed and his breath faint.

Qi Yun stood with his hands behind his back in the study, his gaze seemingly piercing through the roof, directed towards the cold and ruthless "Heaven's Will" in the the Unseen.

"A mere mortal dynasty, with beings as insignificant as ants, dares to commit such a rebellion against Heaven—"

Although naive, this spirit is commendable.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Qi Yun's smile turned cold and sharp.

"This [Waking of Insects Plan] is riddled with flaws and has a very slim chance of success."

However—if I were included, things might change a bit more.

He wasn't trying to help others out of a sense of altruism; he simply saw a golden opportunity.

"Fine."

Qi Yun glanced at the unconscious Zhao Yuanzhen one last time, his eyes indifferent.

"Since you have such a grand ambition and wish to do extraordinary things—"

Then let me, Qi, lend you a hand, and also—borrow your help.