Chapter 412 - 376: Imperial Petition

Chapter 412: Chapter 376: Imperial Petition

While Gao Changhe reeled with shock and uncertainty inside the Tuo Dragon Pearl, the situation outside had undergone a cataclysmic shift in a flash.

Chen Li’s Primordial Spirit leaped out and hovered in mid-air. A clear light flowed around it, making it look like a divine being.

His gaze was like a torch, instantly seeing through the facade of the White Tiger manifested by the Water-Participating Ape’s Primordial Spirit.

’He can actually draw on the Power of the Constellations, communicate with the Heaven and Earth Laws ahead of time, and forcibly manifest the Slaughter Law of the White Tiger?’

Chen Li was inwardly surprised.

For an ordinary Guiyuan Pass Cultivator, even manifesting a Law with their Primordial Spirit was extremely difficult, let alone sensing the Heaven and Earth Laws.

Yet this person had used a Secret Technique to draw upon the White Tiger Seven Stars Power and manifest the Rule Runes in advance. Although it wasn’t a true Dharma Aspect, he had touched its threshold. His talent was astonishing.

However, that was all it was.

In Chen Li’s eyes, the countless silver runes swirling around the massive White Tiger lacked any fundamental connection or integration. Though each contained a sharp Geng Metal Slaughter Rune, they were like a scattered mob—seemingly formidable, but their power was dispersed and fragile.

This kind of forcibly enhanced power had a massive flaw.

It was all show and no substance.

With a thought from Chen Li, a boundless golden light erupted from the eyes of his Primordial Spirit.

Streaks of even more complex and profound golden runes, condensed from pure Dao Patterns, began to flow around his Primordial Spirit.

He grasped at the void, and the Qiankun Ruyi Staff appeared in his hand. Without any flourish, he brought it crashing down.

"Useless trash!"

The White Tiger, manifested from the Water-Participating Ape’s Primordial Spirit, let out an unwilling roar upon seeing Chen Li’s Primordial Spirit so quickly escape Gao Changhe’s interference.

Seeing that its opponent wasn’t giving it any time to draw in more Geng Metal starlight to strengthen itself, the White Tiger went completely berserk, cutting off the starlight and pouncing at Chen Li.

The giant tiger, formed entirely of platinum runes, opened its cavernous mouth, wide as a mountain, intending to swallow Chen Li’s Primordial Spirit whole.

White Tiger Devouring God!

Facing this terrifying strike, Chen Li neither dodged nor evaded. The staff in his hand carried an indescribable, majestic force as it chopped down toward the giant White Tiger’s head.

"Break."

He uttered a single, dismissive word.

BOOM...!!!

With a silent concussion, the massive White Tiger Primordial Spirit violently exploded.

It burst into countless scattered silver specks of light and shattered rune fragments, like a brilliant shower of starlight.

At the center of the dissipating silver light, a Primordial Spirit with a face identical to the Water-Participating Ape’s was exposed. Its aura was incredibly weak, its face filled with pain and horror as it shot back toward its physical body.

"Trying to run?"

The gaze of Chen Li’s Primordial Spirit turned cold. He formed a sword-finger and pointed from afar at the fleeing Primordial Spirit.

Silent Extinction Finger!

A faint, almost imperceptible halo of golden light, carrying an aura that could pierce the void and extinguish all things, instantly crossed space and tapped into the Water-Participating Ape’s Primordial Spirit.

The Primordial Spirit froze abruptly. Its light dimmed completely before it finally turned into a faint streak of light and barely managed to merge back into its physical body below.

As for the Water-Participating Ape’s body, which had still been fighting, its movements came to a sudden halt, and the light in its eyes was completely extinguished.

Then, as if it had lost all support, it crashed stiffly to the ground with a THUD, kicking up a cloud of dust, unconscious.

Chen Li’s Primordial Spirit returned to his body. He then pointed several more times from a distance, sending the Finger Force of his Vein-Severing Soul-Breaking Finger into the man’s major acupoints, completely sealing his physical body’s qi and blood as well.

All of this takes a while to describe, but from Chen Li’s Primordial Spirit Emergence to defeating the White Tiger and sealing the Water-Participating Ape, everything happened in the space of two or three breaths.

It was unimaginably fast.

At this moment, inside the Tuo Dragon Pearl, Gao Changhe’s Divine Embryo was still reeling with shock and uncertainty in the small world.

Suddenly, the surrounding space rippled. Chen Li’s Primordial Spirit descended into the space, its indifferent gaze sweeping over Gao Changhe’s purple Divine Embryo.

Before Gao Changhe could react, an irresistible, immense force wrapped around his Divine Embryo and forcibly threw him out of the Tuo Dragon Pearl.

Gao Changhe felt the world spin. The next moment, his Divine Embryo had returned to his physical body.

An intense daze and the sensation of his Divine Soul being torn gave him a splitting headache.

He snapped his eyes open. Before he could see his surroundings clearly, let alone process what had happened, he saw Chen Li standing not far away, pointing a finger at him through the void.

A finger seemed to emerge from nothingness—silent, yet fast as lightning, pointing directly at his glabella.

A faint, almost imperceptible halo of golden light appeared, carrying a strange aura that could pierce the void and extinguish all things.

Silent Extinction Finger!

Gao Changhe’s vision went black. Without so much as a grunt, just like the Water-Participating Ape, he collapsed unconscious, his state of life or death unknown.

The dust settled.

On the official road, only fallen, broken trees and a ravaged ground remained.

A moment later, the sound of rustling footsteps approached.

Li Xinghe and Du Runian, who should have fled long ago, along with Bai San, who had returned from the Commandery City with Du Runian, cautiously approached while escorting a now-unbound Luo Pingyuan.

Seeing the scene, Du Runian stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Greetings, Patriarch Chen."

Chen Li nodded slightly. His gaze swept over Du Runian, then glanced at the somewhat nervous Li Xinghe beside him.

The so-called ambush in the Commandery City was, of course, arranged by him.

Liu Zongying and Elder Zhan had acted, in coordination with Zhao Yuanhong, to stage a play of "Governor and County Captain Ambushed and Forced to Flee."

As for Li Xinghe, he had given Zhou Shuwei a great deal of trouble in the past. Later, when he saw both Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei break through to become Divine Hall Grandmasters, and with Zhao Yuanhong clearly favoring the Chen Family, he grew terrified. He took the initiative to find Zhao Yuanhong and pledge his allegiance, willing to be of service to atone for his past offenses.

So Chen Li had planted him as a mole as well.

"Good work."

Chen Li said flatly, his gaze finally landing on the weakened but complex-eyed Luo Pingyuan. "Magistrate Luo, long time no see."

Luo Pingyuan took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Chen Li, his words sincere. "Thank you for saving my life, Senior. Pingyuan will never forget this kindness and will certainly do everything in my power to repay you."

Chen Li asked, "Magistrate Luo, your Martial Arts have been crippled, and you are no different from an ordinary person. How do you intend to repay me?"

Luo Pingyuan was taken aback, clearly not expecting Chen Li to be so direct.

He pondered for a moment, a trace of determination appearing on his pale face. "Senior, forgive my bluntness. I have my own speculations about the Chen Family’s affairs. Your family’s greatest predicament right now is not these two men, but the Court. As long as the Court doesn’t give up, the investigation into the Chen Family will be endless..."

He looked at Chen Li’s unchanging expression and continued, "Pingyuan is untalented, but I may have a plan. If it succeeds, it could help the Chen Family escape this vortex, or at the very least, temporarily shift the focus away from your family."

"Speak."

Luo Pingyuan’s gaze shifted to the unconscious Gao Changhe and Water-Participating Ape on the ground, his eyes burning with bone-deep resentment and hatred. "I am a Seventh Grade Official of the Court, the Magistrate of Mirror Mountain County. According to the laws of the Court, unless I have committed one of the ten heinous crimes, such as treason or abandoning my post, not even the Duke of England, wielding a Royal Decree Banner, has the right to torture me, let alone cripple my cultivation and imprison me in secret. What these two have done is trample upon the laws of the nation."

He looked at Chen Li, his gaze fiery. "If you are willing to hand these two over to me, Senior, Pingyuan will, with this broken body, personally travel to Kyoto, strike the Petition Drum, and file an imperial petition to bring their crimes directly to the Emperor’s ears!"

Chen Li shook his head. "I cannot give you these two men. You can try this path, but your chances of survival are slim to none."

Luo Pingyuan gave a carefree laugh. "My cultivation has been crippled, my future is cut short. But this grudge must be avenged. Even if it means death!"

Chen Li snorted. "Let’s talk about something more practical. The Jiang Family robbed my silk shop and injured my Guest. How does Magistrate Luo intend to compensate me?"

Luo Pingyuan was stunned, then gave a bitter smile. "Pingyuan will deliver the compensation as soon as possible."

...

On the official road, a carriage jolted along.

Gao Changhe’s consciousness struggled to surface, as if rising from a bottomless abyss.

Waves of tearing pain shot through his head, as if countless steel needles were churning inside his skull, forcing a suppressed groan from his lips.

He struggled to open his heavy eyelids, and it took a long while before his vision barely returned.

A powerful sense of disorientation enveloped him.

’I... I’m not dead?!’

’Chen Li didn’t kill me? How is that possible!’

’Why would he spare my life?’

Immense confusion and the relief of surviving a catastrophe tangled together.

He slowly sat up. The movement aggravated his internal injuries, and a coppery, sweet taste rose in his throat.

Forcing down the discomfort, he yanked open the curtain of the carriage window beside him.

By now, the sky was already bright.

On the driver’s seat, two familiar figures sat with their backs to him, steadily driving the carriage.

It was Li Xinghe and Du Runian.

The two seemed to hear the movement in the carriage. Du Runian turned around, his face plastered with his usual smile. "Hall Master, you’re awake? It’s been a bumpy ride; you’ve suffered. Would you like some water to wet your throat?"

Li Xinghe also turned at the sound and offered a waterskin.

Everything seemed so normal, as if Gao Changhe had merely taken a short nap in the carriage out of exhaustion.

But how could Gao Changhe possibly be in the mood for water right now?

His eyes were fixed on the two men. "Last night... what exactly happened after I passed out?!"

Du Runian’s smile stiffened slightly. He said cautiously, "Reporting to the Hall Master, the specific situation... this subordinate and Dean Li aren’t very clear either. We didn’t dare to get close at the time, so we could only hide far away. About an hour later, when everything went quiet over there, we finally dared to sneak back and investigate.

"We saw you, Hall Master, unconscious on the ground amidst the wreckage. We were afraid for your injuries and didn’t dare to linger, so we quickly helped you into the carriage and traveled through the night, hoping to return to the Commandery City as soon as possible before deciding what to do next."

Gao Changhe frowned and pressed, "What about the Star Monarch? And Luo Pingyuan, where is he now?!"

Li Xinghe chimed in, "Hall Master, to be clear, when we arrived, there was no sign of the Star Monarch. As for Magistrate Luo, we truly don’t know. Perhaps he was abducted by the villains?"

’No sign of him?’

’Luo Pingyuan was under your watch the entire time. If you don’t know, who does?’

Gao Changhe could no longer suppress the rage in his heart. He sneered. Since he couldn’t get the truth by asking, he would interrogate them directly.

His eyes hardened as he prepared to activate his Power of the Divine Soul.

However...

The next moment, a resounding tremor that only he could hear rang out.

Gao Changhe convulsed violently, his face instantly turning as white as a sheet.

His Divine Embryo, at some unknown point, had been wrapped in layers of fine, pale-gold runic chains, sealing it tight.

His Divine Soul was sealed!

A chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, instantly freezing him solid.

"Hall Master?"

"Hall Master! What’s wrong?!"

On the driver’s seat, Li Xinghe and Du Runian saw Gao Changhe’s face suddenly turn deathly pale, his forehead instantly beaded with cold sweat, looking like he was about to collapse. They quickly stopped the carriage and asked anxiously.

Gao Changhe snapped his head up, staring intently at the two faces filled with concern just a short distance away.

A terrifying, despairing thought bored into his mind, making him feel as if he had been plunged into an icy cavern, cold to the bone.

’Du Runian... Li Xinghe...’

’Could these two be moles for the Chen Family as well?!’

Gao Changhe’s vision swam with black spots, and his chest felt so tight it was about to explode. Only a single, absurd, and desolate thought echoed madly in his mind.

’Fuck... in this entire, vast Liyang... from top to bottom... is there a single goddamn person I can trust?!’