Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

The man in black turned into an ice sculpture.

Ling Fei slowly withdrew his long sword.

Gazing at the lifeless man, he took a deep breath.

If Yiyi hadn't recovered a sliver of her power and gained her Shuttle Divine Techniques, Ling Fei would have undoubtedly died from such an expert's ambush.

'I wonder who this person is,' Ling Fei mused, then walked over.

With a wave of his hand, the ice encasing the man's waist shattered.

A Waist Token was revealed.

Ling Fei took it.

The front of the Waist Token was engraved with eight words: "Serving Heaven and Accepting Destiny, Gift from the Celestial Emperor."

On the back were the two words "Li Yunshan."

"Li Yunshan?" Ling Fei's gaze shifted as he removed the man's conical hat.

When the conical hat came off, a vaguely familiar face appeared before Ling Fei.

'It's him, that Guard Commander.' Ling Fei's gaze hardened.

'It seems the Major Clans still refuse to give up.' After a moment of thought, Ling Fei pocketed the Waist Token, summoned his Golden Eagle, and flew away.

Although he had dealt with a Primordial Pill Realm expert, Yiyi's spatial travel could only take them a hundred meters at a time.

If many experts were present, they could still be killed.

Therefore, this was no place to linger.

At this point, Ling Fei just wanted to leave as quickly as possible, so he paid no mind to the Imperial City's regulations.

Only in a crowded area would he be truly safe.

...

As the Golden Eagle flew, Ling Fei's Heart Spirit scanned their surroundings.

Fortunately, the rest of the journey was uneventful.

Soon, he reached a bustling district in the city.

The Golden Eagle's flight overhead caused an uproar.

"Who's that? Daring to ride a flying beast in the Imperial Capital!" many people exclaimed in astonishment.

"That's Ling Fei, the genius from Celestial River Academy."

"Oh, so it's him. No wonder he's so brazen in the Imperial Capital. I heard he was summoned for a private audience with the Celestial Emperor!" As word spread, the patrolling Iron Guards who had intended to intervene all retreated. Ling Fei's name was now known throughout the Empire; never mind them, not even the geniuses from the various Clans dared to challenge him.

And so, Ling Fei returned without incident to the residence where the students of Celestial River Academy were staying.

"Ling Fei, you're back!" Shangguan Wan'Er, Shangguan Qingmu, and the others rushed to greet him as he arrived.

"Weren't you at the Imperial Palace? Why did you return on an eagle?" Vice Dean Zhou asked, his face full of surprise.

"I was ambushed on the road," Ling Fei said.

"What?!" At his words, everyone was alarmed and immediately ushered him into a parlor to learn more.

"I killed him with the Magic Sword my adoptive father left me," Ling Fei explained briefly.

Of course, he didn't mention that he had only escaped thanks to Yiyi's Shuttle Divine Techniques.

Yiyi's Divine Techniques were his greatest trump card.

"Thank goodness you're safe." Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

How could an ordinary person possibly survive an ambush from a Primordial Pill Realm expert?

"Li Yunshan is Marquis Yun's brother, so it's not surprising he would make a move," Shangguan Hong said. "You should avoid going out for the time being. The Four Major Sects will arrive tomorrow. Once you pass the assessment and head to a Sect to cultivate, you won't have to deal with so much trouble."

While you're here, there's no guarantee that more Primordial Pill Realm experts won't come after you.

"These people are far too audacious," Shangguan Wan'Er said, her expression cold.

"I will report this to the Celestial Emperor," Han Beihai said, his gaze hardening. "A deterrent from the Celestial Emperor should keep the others in line for a while."

"That would be for the best," Ling Fei nodded.

If no one stepped in to deter them, the constant assassination attempts would be a huge hassle.

...

"What? He failed?!" Inside the Imperial Palace, the Ninth Prince was aghast. "How could he have failed? Wasn't Li Yunshan supposed to handle it personally?"

"Ling Fei must have used some treasure his adoptive father left him to kill Commander Li," a nearby Guard at the Primordial Pill Realm speculated.

The Thousand-Faced Daoist was not present.

He rarely entered the Imperial Palace, preferring to meet secretly with the Ninth Prince at his residence outside the palace grounds.

The Celestial Emperor was wary of people from the Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World, so their presence in the Imperial Palace would cause too many complications.

"Where is the Thousand-Faced Daoist?" the Ninth Prince asked.

"At the residence outside the Imperial Palace," the Primordial Pill Realm Guard replied.

"Come with me. We're leaving the palace," the Ninth Prince commanded.

He then left the palace at once.

"Your Highness, there's no need to worry. We failed this time due to a lack of preparation. Now that we have a better understanding of his capabilities, we'll be sure to succeed next time," the Thousand-Faced Daoist said calmly from a secret chamber within the Ninth Prince's residence.

"That's true," the Ninth Prince nodded slightly.

"Your Highness, there is no need to be anxious. The assessment is almost upon us. When the time comes, you will enter the Forbidden Land... If our plan succeeds, why would you need to worry about eliminating this boy?" the Thousand-Faced Daoist said in a low, bewitching voice.

"You're right. I was being too hasty," the Ninth Prince agreed.

...

"Whoever touches Ling Fei shall be killed without mercy!" Upon learning of the assassination attempt on Ling Fei, the Celestial Emperor flew into a rage. His voice thundered, the sound waves rolling across the entire Imperial Capital.

This was a Holy Edict, its sound reaching every corner of the city.

'Father actually issued a Holy Edict!' The Ninth Prince was shaken to the core when he heard the voice.

'Thankfully, I wasn't directly involved. If the Celestial Emperor were to truly investigate, he might have found some clues leading back to me. That would have ruined our great undertaking,' the Thousand-Faced Daoist thought, secretly relieved.

"It's a good thing we followed your suggestion, Daoist. Otherwise, Father would most likely have traced this back to me," the Ninth Prince said, a lingering fear in his heart.

"Your Highness, don't worry. His Majesty is just putting on a show for Elder Ling," the Thousand-Faced Daoist said. "We'll proceed as planned."

"Very well. I'll leave everything to you, Daoist," said the Ninth Prince.

...

Ling Fei, meanwhile, was perfectly calm.

He chatted with Shangguan Wan'Er and the others, asking about the Four Major Sects.

"The Four Major Sects will arrive tomorrow, and the assessment should be in three days," said Shangguan Wan'Er. "Don't worry. Once you become one of the Key Disciples, no one will dare to move against you openly, even if the major Clans have their own people within the sects. All we need to do now is focus on our cultivation."

"If they insist on coming after me, then let them come," Ling Fei said with a casual air.

He had now entered the Celestial Spirit Realm, Yiyi had reached the Primordial Pill Realm, and she possessed the Shuttle Divine Techniques.

With their combined power, ordinary people could no longer pose a threat to him.

Even if these factions had stronger experts, as long as he and Yiyi continued to improve, they would eventually surpass them.

In that way, the crisis would resolve itself.

So Ling Fei didn't dwell on it. His only thought was on how to grow stronger.

「The next day.」

Lights flashed outside the Imperial Capital as an ink-black Flying Boat streaked across the sky. It carried several men and came to a stop in the air just outside the city.

A giant sword was engraved on the prow of the Flying Boat.

These men were all dressed in ink-black robes. They stood tall, a sharp glint in their eyes.

"The Beiming Sword Sect is here!" a guard on the city wall exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

SWOOSH!

Another Flying Chariot streaked across the sky, heading in their direction.

The Flying Chariot was drawn by two Colorful Simurghs and engraved with motifs of ten thousand flowers. These patterns shimmered with light, emitting a floral fragrance.

As the Flying Chariot approached, it seemed as if ten thousand flowers were blooming in its wake, their petals dancing in the air.

"It's the people from the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers!"

Following behind the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers' Flying Chariot, another Flying Boat streaked across the sky.

This Flying Boat was engraved with a tripod furnace, and standing upon it were several men in long robes.

"It's the Lingyun Sect!" The Imperial Capital guard's eyes brightened. "That just leaves the Great Sun Thunder Sound Temple."

The guard had barely spoken when a Buddhist chant echoed. In the distant sky, a monk whose head glowed with golden light suddenly materialized.