Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Only by stepping into the Half-step Celestial Spirit Realm could one continue to cultivate.

Otherwise, recklessly absorbing the Dragon Gang Qi from the world would only throw one's True Qi into disarray and result in self-injury.

To refine Gang Qi, one first had to condense their body's True Qi to its absolute limit until it transformed into Gang Qi.

Without any hesitation, Ling Fei began his seclusion for Qi Refining and Gang Transformation.

...

The uproar from Ling Fei killing the Dongyang Crown Prince thus subsided.

However, the Imperial Capital was now experiencing another significant shockwave.

First, the Empress was punished by the Celestial Emperor.

The Celestial Emperor had originally intended to strip her of her title, but the court ministers argued that the Empress's actions were understandable and such a punishment was too severe.

It could easily damage the Royal Family's public image.

Thus, the Celestial Emperor did not depose her.

However, after this incident, the Empress and the Ninth Prince had clearly begun to fall from grace.

"Damn that Ling Fei! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in this mess!" The Ninth Prince was seething, but he dared not make a move at this moment.

Otherwise, if the Celestial Emperor found out, his dream of becoming the Crown Prince would be nothing more than a fantasy.

Even for revenge, he had to wait for this storm to pass.

Furthermore, the Celestial Emperor personally investigated the Xiling Ruins.

There, in a patch of the Void, the Celestial Emperor's Dharma Aspect materialized. With a stir of his Heart Spirit, it seeped through the Seal to continue probing everything within.

An Array within the Ancient Tomb created an isolating barrier, making it difficult to probe.

'An Ancient Coffin!' Exerting his full power and using the True Dragon Seal, the Celestial Emperor finally saw the Ancient Coffin within the ruins.

'I never thought the corpse of an Ancient Evil Demon like this would exist within my Empire. This is a grave threat!' His brows furrowed deeply at the thought.

From within that Ancient Coffin, he sensed an aura that filled him with dread.

The Realm that Evil Demon had reached before its death was so high that even he felt a sense of dread.

'But this Array seems damaged. It shouldn't be able to revive.' After careful observation, the Celestial Emperor breathed a slight sigh of relief.

'Still, this place must be sealed. It would be disastrous if other Evil Demons got inside.' At this thought from the Great Tang Emperor, his Dharma Aspect transformed and issued a proclamation to the world, forbidding anyone from entering the Xiling Ruins. The sound waves, like a voice from the heavens, rolled out and instantly reached every province and prefecture of the Great Tang Empire.

As the voice spread, he also took action, drawing out everyone who was training within the ruins.

Afterward, the Celestial Emperor took out a Holy Decree, gathered the fortune of heaven and earth, and manifested a True Dragon to seal the entrance to the Xiling Ruins.

With that, outsiders could no longer enter.

To get inside, one would have to break his Holy Decree.

This way, anyone who tried to enter would inevitably alert him first.

"The Celestial Emperor is restricting access to the Xiling Ruins? What could be there?" This immediately sparked countless rumors and speculation.

However, since the Celestial Emperor had given the order, no one dared to disobey.

The rolling sound waves even reached Ling Fei in his seclusion.

'The Celestial Emperor is restricting entry to the Xiling Ruins. Could he have discovered the Ancient Coffin?' At this thought, Ling Fei's expression grew solemn. 'The Great Tang Emperor's power is truly heaven-reaching.' He felt a profound sense of awe for the Emperor's strength. In the eyes of people like him, such a figure was no different from a Divine Spirit.

It was no wonder the people of the Empire were filled with reverence whenever they spoke of the Celestial Emperor.

'Still, it's a good thing the Celestial Emperor discovered the Ancient Coffin. That should prevent any future disasters.' Ling Fei quickly put the matter out of his mind.

Four days later, Shangguan Wan'Er and Elder Zhou arrived at the academy.

Shangguan Wan'Er entered the Imperial Palace, but after only a brief exchange of pleasantries with the Celestial Emperor, she left.

As for Elder Zhou, the Ninth Prince no longer dared to hold him under house arrest; he had been released when Shangguan Wan'Er was retrieved.

Upon returning to the academy, Shangguan Wan'Er headed straight for Ling Fei's quarters.

Ling Fei came out of his seclusion to meet her.

After learning what had happened at Celestial River Academy, Shangguan Wan'Er felt her heart pound with fear, and she was utterly furious with the actions of the Marquis of Eatern.

"These Dukes are such bullies, throwing their power around!" Shangguan Wan'-Er's face was cold and severe.

If Elder Ling hadn't rushed over, Ling Fei would be dead.

"It's a shame I couldn't get an audience with the Celestial Emperor and save you sooner." Shangguan Wan'Er's face was filled with self-blame.

"You did your best, and that's enough. The rest was out of our hands," Ling Fei said, not at all concerned.

'With the Empress in the way, how could Shangguan Wan'Er have easily gotten an audience with the Celestial Emperor?'

"As long as you're okay, that's all that matters," Shangguan Wan'Er nodded.

"This must have been hard on you," Ling Fei said, his gaze full of affection as he looked at the stunning woman before him.

"I just rushed around a bit. Compared to what you went through, it was nothing," Shangguan Wan'Er said, shaking her head. At the same time, she felt a wave of helplessness wash over her. "If only we were strong enough..." She sighed again, filled with emotion. If you weren't strong enough, you couldn't even protect yourself.

Take this time, for instance. She had been placed under house arrest by the Ninth Prince, completely unable to help Ling Fei, capable only of worrying herself sick.

"As long as we work hard, we will become powerful," Ling Fei said.

"In three months, the major Sects will come to the Empire to select talented disciples. Are you interested in joining one?" Shangguan Wan'Er asked suddenly.

"If the opportunity arises, of course I would," Ling Fei said.

"Good. Then let's work hard together, join one of those Sects, and begin a new chapter of our Martial Arts journey," Shangguan Wan'Er said, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Deal!" Ling Fei grinned.

"It's a deal!" Shangguan Wan'Er gave a knowing smile and held out her slender hand for Ling Fei to slap in agreement.

"It's a deal!" Ling Fei slapped his palm against hers.

...

In the days that followed, Ling Fei remained in deep cultivation, diligently working on his Qi Refining and Gang Transformation.

During this time, Shangguan Wan'Er would come to visit him. The two would discuss swordsmanship and Martial Arts under the moonlit, flower-filled sky.

After several discussions, Shangguan Wan'Er was thoroughly impressed by Ling Fei's talent.

Although this junior of hers had only recently encountered the Sword Dao, he had already grasped Sword Intent and developed his own understanding.

If he continued at this pace, he would soon catch up to her.

"Only by specializing in the sword and pursuing it to the extreme can one achieve greatness. As for you, while you don't solely cultivate the sword, you can specialize in the Mysticals of Martial Arts. Pursue them to their extreme, then integrate them completely. You can still forge your own path." Shangguan Wan'Er didn't object after learning that Ling Fei cultivated several Mysticals of Martial Arts.

In her view, everyone had their own Martial Arts path to walk.

However, the underlying philosophy was the same: specialize in your path, and pursue it to its absolute limit.

As long as one persevered, they would eventually reach the pinnacle.

'Specialize in the sword, pursue it to the extreme? Specialize in Martial Arts, pursue it to the extreme!' Shangguan Wan'Er's words sparked an epiphany in Ling Fei.

At that moment, his own path became much clearer.

"Ling Fei, what is your dream?" Shangguan Wan'Er asked suddenly, her long eyelashes fluttering as she gazed at the young man before her.

"My dream?" Ling Fei's heart stirred at her words. He looked up at the distant moon and murmured, "When I was young, my dream was to become a Divine Guard and find a way to heal my adoptive father's injuries. But now I know that healing his injuries is far beyond the abilities of an ordinary Cultivator."

"As for my dream now... it's to get stronger. I want to be an expert as powerful as my adoptive father. I want to control my own destiny and stand at the pinnacle of Martial Arts so that no one can ever bully me again. Only then can I protect my family, and only then will my adoptive father not have to work so hard and worry for my sake," Ling Fei said.

"Get stronger to protect your family," Shangguan Wan'Er murmured, nodding slightly.

"What about you?" Ling Fei turned and asked her.

He was quite curious about this celestial beauty, who was always so cool and aloof.

"Me?" Shangguan Wan'Er was taken aback. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she too looked up at the bright moon hanging above the pavilion.