Chapter Thirty-Five: Collapse

Tao Xian was a martial arts fanatic. In order to join the Martial Academy, he had fallen out with his master and had not returned to Yandu City for several years.

However, when the White Cloud Taoist Temple inevitably walked towards its final end and his master left with severe injuries, he chose to depart alongside his master once again.

It was not merely an escort mission, but rather leaving together with his master, and staying in Daqing together!

Abandoning his status as a disciple of the Bright Moon Pavilion and leaving behind his comfortable environment, Tao Xian did this this time to repay his master's kindness and to follow the calling of his own heart.

Although he was naturally gifted, there was still a considerable gap between him and the top ten young experts, and a chasm as vast as heaven and earth separated him from Chen Fan.

Naturally, he was not enough to attract too much attention.

In fact, the influence of the Infernal Gate in Yandu City had already fallen. Although the other four sects and two pavilions had torn off their friendly facades, they were not driven to hunt them down to the death, so the two of them were naturally safe.

A few days later, the people from the Pure Crystal Sect began to take over the disciples and foundations of the White Cloud Taoist Temple.

Watching the White Cloud Taoist Temple being taken over by the Pure Crystal Sect, Chen Fan felt a heavy melancholy in his heart, yet he knew clearly that even with his current strength, he could only rely on the protection of the Martial Academy to avoid retaliation and was utterly incapable of safeguarding the White Cloud Taoist Temple.

Even though he was already growing at a rapid pace, at this very moment, Chen Fan still felt his own weakness and powerlessness.

……

Several days passed.

The original site of the White Cloud Taoist Temple now bore the plaque of the Pure Crystal Sect.

Disciples such as Lin Shiyu still chose to stay behind. After all, for them, securing the protection of a sect was no easy feat!

Moreover, they were still practicing the "White Cloud True Art".

Naturally, ordinary core disciples could at most master the first six levels of the True Art.

If they were to break through to the Grandmaster realm and wished to progress further in the future, they would need to obtain the approval of direct disciples like Chen Fan before being granted the subsequent levels of the "White Cloud True Art".

Chen Fan stood in the courtyard holding a long sword.

He had already refined the spirit sword and heart-protecting mirror bestowed upon him by his master.

Although it was merely a lower-grade spirit sword, the boost it gave to Chen Fan's strength was far beyond a mere ten percent increase.

"If I had possessed a weapon of spirit-grade back then, a single Lightning-Slaying Sword would have been enough to kill that Chen Feiteng!"

He shook his head, gently stroking the sword's blade.

The difference between a top-grade treasured weapon and a lower-grade spirit weapon was only a fine line, yet the actual combat effect differed by a massive margin.

Sharpness and resilience were only one aspect; it could also provide some special amplification effects to true essence!

"My master didn't tell me the name of this spirit sword, so I shall call you Cloud-Climber Sword."

On one hand, this was a tribute to the White Cloud Taoist Temple and his master; on the other hand, it expressed Chen Fan's soaring ambitions.

Chen Fan did not linger in Yandu City for long.

He took out a portion of the wealth given to him by his master, asked Ye Wushuang to help settle Xiaoxi and her mother, and then set off alone once again toward the prefecture city.

This time, he neither traveled alongside his senior martial brother Zhang Fan nor asked Ye Wushuang to escort him.

It was not that he distrusted Ye Wushuang, but rather that his high-profile actions during his days in Yandu City would inevitably draw the attention of others.

The fewer people who knew of his departure, the more absolute his safety could be guaranteed.

As the master of the Pure Crystal Sect, Ye Wushuang would become entangled in far too many complications if he were to leave.

Chen Fan's lightning intent was advancing at a high speed every single moment. Moving at full tilt, it took him only a few hours to reach the prefecture city!

Upon returning to the Martial Academy and confirming his safety, he finally sent a letter to Yandu City to inform Ye Wushuang of his departure.

……

Meanwhile, as Chen Fan was leaving Yandu City,

Liu Ze, the Nineteenth Prince of Daqian, escorting Fan Lin, the lord of the Azure Python Army, had crossed seven or eight commanderies. Along the way, having endured countless attempts by self-organized rescue forces, they finally arrived at the imperial commandery.

They were now a mere thousand miles away from the imperial capital!

By this time, virtually no one dared to intercept them anymore.

Holding a golden spirit sword radiating powerful vital energy, Liu Ze looked thoroughly disheveled, accompanied only by a high-ranking eunuch at the Grandmaster realm.

This Grandmaster eunuch was currently keeping tight custody of a prisoner—Fan Lin.

Fan Lin's shoulder blades were pierced with shackles that suppressed the condensation of true essence, and he was bound in heavy chains, looking extremely wretched. Yet, there was not a trace of bitterness on his face as he calmly looked at the Nineteenth Prince:

"If His Highness wanted my life, it would take no more than the stroke of a sword. Why go through so much trouble and travel such a long distance..."

A forced smile squeezed onto the Nineteenth Prince's face:

"General Fan jests. While the damage caused by the demon chaos in Qinghe Commandery is severe, the judgment is not mine to make. Everything will be left to my Imperial Father to decide, and I believe my Imperial Father... will not execute General Fan either."

However, Fan Lin's face was full of mockery and disdain:

"Little Nineteenth, you are still far too timid. Back when your Imperial Father was the Crown Prince, he wielded the Emperor's Sword and cut down a martial artist at the tenth tier in a counter-killing, yet you don't even dare to execute someone like me at the ninth tier..."

"How could I possibly compare to Imperial Father?" The Nineteenth Prince's mouth twitched.

He was ranked nineteenth, with eighteen elder brothers and sisters above him and a whole string of younger brothers and sisters below him. He was neither the most favored nor possessed the highest martial prowess, and his mother's family background was not the most prominent either.

Although he had been bestowed the Emperor's Sword, naturally he could never compare to a reigning Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was supported by the aura of the imperial dynasty, allowing his martial arts cultivation to progress much faster.

Of course, even though the Nineteenth Prince's cultivation had not yet entered the Grandmaster realm, wielding the Emperor's Sword still allowed him to slay a ninth-tier martial artist.

Naturally, being able to slay meant executing an opponent when they had lost all ability to resist, rather than truly being able to fight an expert of that level in a one-on-one duel.

Yet even if he was capable of executing Fan Lin, he did not dare to make a move.

Fan Lin was not only the lord of the Azure Python Army, but also the brother-in-law of the current Empress!

Liu Ze had only dared to move against Fan Lin by following his Imperial Father's orders, but in recent days, his Imperial Father had ceased sending any further commands.

Furthermore, it was common knowledge that his Imperial Father had contracted a strange illness and was critically injured.

How could he possibly dare to act rashly?

Instead, the eunuch beside him raised a single hand and tightly gripped the shackles piercing Fan Lin's shoulder blades: "How dare you show disrespect to His Highness!"

Enduring the intense pain in his body, Fan Lin merely sneered.

Witnessing this scene, the Nineteenth Prince hurriedly stepped forward, his mouth twitching: "Eunuch Wang, it would be better to treat General Fan with a little more courtesy."

This prince was living a truly aggrieved existence.

The three of them continued onward, when suddenly, Liu Ze's expression changed drastically. The golden long sword radiating formidable power in his hand began to tremble violently.

A mouthful of blood spewed from his mouth.

"The backlash of the imperial aura... This is..."

Terror surfaced on his face.

The golden sword in his hand trembled continuously before suddenly shattering, dissolving into golden light that dissipated into the air.

The Emperor's Sword was forged through a special method, condensing the dragon aura of the Son of Heaven!

The Nineteenth Prince Liu Ze only felt a wave of profound loss wash over his heart, and then looked blankly in the direction of the imperial capital.

Suddenly, a flash appeared in Fan Lin's eyes: "The Emperor's Sword has shattered. Could it be..."

At that very moment, a blinding bolt of lightning suddenly cleaved across the clear blue sky.

"Something huge has happened."

……

Amidst rolling green mountains shrouded in clouds and mist.

On a soaring peak accompanied by drifting white clouds.

Within a magnificent palace.

An old man sat cross-legged on a futon, his eyes closed, swaying his head back and forth.

Suddenly, he gave a start, and the horsetail whisk tucked into his sleeve fell to the ground.

His expression abruptly changed as he stood up.

A flash of red light streaked past, and a youth standing unsupported in mid-air suddenly materialized before the old man.

The old man's expression shifted slightly, and he hastily bowed his head in deep respect: "Exalted Sovereign..."

The youth enfolded in the red light lowered his gaze slightly: "I am going to make a trip to the Western Wasteland."

The old man was stunned: "The Western Wasteland? Is it for those demonic brats in the Myriad Demon Ridge? The Millennium Pact of the Myriad Demon Ridge is still a long way off. They are merely a few troublemaking demon kings and a handful of suicidal beasts; how could they possibly warrant a personal move from the Exalted Sovereign?"

The youth shook his head: "You do not understand. The little Emperor of Daqian is dead; some people are bound to lose their composure. I can turn a blind eye to the strife of mortals, but those beasts must not be allowed to stir!"

"The Emperor of Daqian is dead?!" The old man's expression instantly turned immensely complex.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and finally, he smiled bitterly and shook his head.

The death of the Daqian Emperor signified far too many things. It would trigger a chain reaction not only among the beasts of the Myriad Demon Ridge, but across all the surrounding sects and nations of Daqian as well...