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    Edict of Peace 105

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    Chapter 105: Ancient Azure Moon, Supreme Encounter

    A violent ripple stirred in Li Guanyi’s heart.

    His gaze turned cold, but the tempering of ten years spent fleeing had finally allowed him to control his emotional fluctuations. At this moment, his first thought wasn’t of his own destiny, but of Murong Qiushui.

    Could his aunt’s Law Physique seal have been the work of this sorcerer?

    Could this sorcerer have stolen his destiny and poisoned him?

    This would explain why his mother had to sacrifice a third of her primordial spirit, transferring the Azure Luan Bird to him, ultimately leading to her death in the flames within that palace.

    The thought made Li Guanyi’s hand, clutching his sword hilt, tremble almost uncontrollably.

    A martial artist should possess a measure of ferocity and killing intent.

    This murderous aura surged within Li Guanyi’s chest, yet he suppressed it fiercely. His right hand gripped his sword, his fingers turning pale, the sword remaining silent, not even a whisper of sound.

    The court lady seemed finally persuaded by the sorcerer, Hou Zhongyu.

    Her tone softened. “At least tell me who it is?”

    Hou Zhongyu said, “The crown prince is the Regent King’s offspring, and Chen Kingdom’s top general, the peerless Mo Ke Wuliang Xiao Wuliang, was a hero who rose with the Regent King. If I tell you, who knows if Xiao Wuliang might silently kill His Majesty’s illegitimate son?”

    “I’ll tell you this,” he continued. “His Majesty values this child greatly. Even if you kill him, His Majesty would only make a Xue family member his crown prince, and he would absolutely never side with Empress Dantai.”

    The court lady shuddered.

    She gritted her teeth. “The destiny of the Tai Ping Gong’s son was given to His Majesty’s illegitimate child?” The sorcerer burst into laughter. He pointed at his brow, saying lightly, “That memory, I’ve already severed it.”

    “To survive in this palace, knowing too much is not a good thing.”

    “As for how I found the illegitimate child, I have other means. Don’t test me, young lady.”

    The court lady ground her teeth in anger.

    This old sorcerer, having lived through generations of emperors, was extremely opinionated, but his ability to survive so long showed his shrewdness and cunning. She said, “…Fine. I will prepare everything you need.”

    “Leave it here?”

    “Of course not! If we’re discovered, we both die.”

    The sorcerer said, “I require the stone gall and Mountain Marrow from famous mountains and great rivers; the Qi of the Wu Earth element. Only the earth lives long and never dies. The so-called stone gall and Mountain Marrow are part of the imperial essence of the Jiangnan dragon vein. If His Majesty knew of our transaction, he would be furious.”

    The court lady breathed out. “Fine. I’ll deliver the portion I’ve already obtained to our agreed-upon location: the stone cave deep in the stream beside the third pavilion in the Imperial Garden. The key is the number on page three, line seven of the *Jingjin*, *Yichen* calculation manual.”

    Hou Zhongyu smiled subtly. “Thank you for your trouble. How much Mountain Marrow?”

    The court lady coldly replied, “As you said, from the main peak of Nanyue Mountain.”

    The sorcerer then laughed uproariously, clapping his hands. “May you live as long as the pines of Southern Mountain, may the Qilin (Chinese Unicorn) live for eight thousand years, may the Changchun tree live for ten thousand years! Qilin blood, Southern Mountain Marrow—while not granting immortality, prolonging life by several decades and greatly increasing one’s cultivation is not difficult.”

    “My Ancient Azure Moon elixir only needs this Mountain Marrow.”

    “Excellent, excellent!”

    Li Guanyi, within the array’s eye, memorized the exchange location and the key.

    He possessed an exceptional memory; he never forgot anything he saw.

    Though his heart was seething with killing intent, he remained unusually calm, memorizing the key flawlessly.

    The sorcerer smiled and dismissed the court lady. Then, casually tidying his things, Li Guanyi suppressed his killing intent and controlled his Qi. This old man’s depth was unknown; in any case, he was only a first-rank martial artist.

    A third-rank or higher sorcerer like this one, with his unpredictable and bizarre methods, was beyond his capabilities.

    Li Guanyi decided to go straight to Old Xue.

    With such a seasoned and resourceful elder, there was no need for him to act alone.

    If it weren’t for the close friendship he had with Old Xue, he wouldn’t dare tell him what he’d heard. This information, whether to the aristocratic families, the emperor, the empress, or the Xue family, would be a death sentence for any ordinary person.

    Even Li Guanyi, without their previous frank exchanges, wouldn’t dare speak.

    The young man suppressed his rage and killing intent.

    The sorcerer picked up some bottles and jars, putting them away.

    At that moment, Li Guanyi suddenly grew alert.

    A chill ran down his spine.

    Ignoring concealment, he took a sudden step to the side, his right hand gripping the heavy sword of the Jinwu Guard, sweeping out with a powerful slash. The scabbard sent a jade bottle flying, shattering against the corner wall.

    The liquid splashed out, instantly corroding the pavilion, causing it to collapse with a thunderous roar.

    Li Guanyi’s pupils constricted, his hair standing on end.

    He saw the sorcerer standing there, smiling slightly and bowing. “This Jinwu Guard, I wonder when you arrived and how much you heard?”

    A thousand-year-old fox meeting a ghost!

    These old fellows are really difficult to deal with!

    Li Guanyi couldn’t help but curse inwardly, his nerves taut. Facing the sorcerer’s probing, his mind raced, instantly finding a glimmer of hope. Instead of fear, he coldly rebuked, “Hou Zhongyu, just as His Majesty said, you know quite a bit.”

    The smile on Hou Zhongyu’s face faltered.

    “Were you sent by the Emperor?”

    Li Guanyi sneered, brushing his battle robe. He strode forward, his bearing majestic and commanding. “I am the nephew of Imperial Concubine Xue, imperial kin, yet I suddenly find myself stationed here in Qilin Palace. Didn’t you ever wonder why?”

    “If it weren’t for His Majesty’s orders, with my family background, how could I be here?!”

    “If it weren’t for His Majesty’s approval, how could I enter this world’s number one 奇阵 (extraordinary formation)?”

    That second sentence stopped Hou Zhongyu in his tracks.

    Yes.

    This profound array was created by Si Wei, the second-in-command of the Yin-Yang School’s foremost experts, in his thirties. Hou Zhongyu himself had spent ten years mastering it. It could trap and kill; even a celestial beast like the Qilin, said to live for eight thousand years, could not escape.

    Yet the young man before him showed no fear.

    Could it be that everything was under the Emperor’s watchful eye?

    That everything had been discovered?

    His expression turned ugly; the situation made him suspicious.

    Li Guanyi loudly rebuked:

    “Your deeds are known to His Majesty!”

    “I was sent to secretly watch you!”

    “But in consideration of your past merits, I’m giving you a chance. I hope you’ll turn back and present the elixir of immortality to His Majesty!”

    A look of dejection appeared on Hou Zhongyu’s face. He whispered, “Yes, His Majesty only wants immortality…”

    “Therefore, he tacitly allowed my actions, allowed you…”

    His dejection suddenly changed. He flung a jade bottle at Li Guanyi. Simultaneously, Li Guanyi sprang into action, dodging to the side and drawing the Jinwu Guard’s hand crossbow.

    A 墨家 (Mohist) creation, it fired three bolts at once.

    Made of mixed iron, these bolts could pierce armor within a hundred paces.

    In an instant, both attacked, almost simultaneously.

    Seeing the poison corrode iron and cause the palace pillars to collapse, Li Guanyi’s face turned pale. The sorcerer, seeing the three bolts embed themselves in the nearby iron tripod with a dull thud, also paled; neither side intended a peaceful resolution.

    Li Guanyi decided he had to kill.

    Hou Zhongyu also realized that even if it was the Emperor’s order, he had to kill. Seeing the boy’s ruthlessness, the sorcerer’s face trembled, and he cursed:

    “Little bastard!”

    Li Guanyi retorted:

    “Old beast!”

    He threw the crossbow.

    With his powerful physique, this throw was no weaker than the bolts.

    Hou Zhongyu, with incredible agility, dodged the throw.

    But Li Guanyi had already closed in, wielding his heavy sword in an upward slash. The White Tiger’s aura surged, a golden light emanating from the Jinwu Guard’s heavy sword, accompanied by a muffled tiger roar; a golden sword qi spun out.

    Hou Zhongyu’s face changed. “A double-rank martial artist?”

    “A fifteen-year-old double-rank martial artist?!”

    He retreated, his body almost parallel to the ground, his toes just grazing the floor.

    He slid backward three meters with incredible grace, leaning against the wall.

    Evading the sword qi, the attack struck the wall, causing the entire room to tremble. Up to this point, Li Guanyi had cultivated military martial arts; he had never seen such ethereal and nimble martial arts.

    But military martial arts focused on instantaneous explosive power.

    There were no fancy techniques, only overwhelming force.

    He closed the distance instantly.

    Li Guanyi knew his opponent was a triple-rank sorcerer; creating distance would be disadvantageous.

    His only chance was to close the distance.

    The situation had its ups and downs.

    The downside: Li Guanyi, for concealment, hadn’t brought his Jinwu Guard halberd.

    The Jinwu Guard’s weapons and armor could withstand sword and blade qi and were exquisitely made.

    The upside: they were in a palace.

    Hou Zhongyu couldn’t easily create distance.

    Li Guanyi closed in, his sword tip on the ground.

    A powerful upward slash.

    The White Tiger roared.

    [卷涛 (Juan Tao)]!

    The sword qi exploded, like a sweeping wave, engulfing the area.

    He launched his attack with a Divine General’s technique.

    The sword hummed, cutting through the sorcerer, severing him in two.

    But Li Guanyi’s face froze.

    He felt no contact with flesh and blood.

    The enemies prepared by General Xue never employed such methods. After five hundred years, three hundred of which were chaotic, the sorcerer’s life-saving skills likely exceeded those of General Xue’s era.

    Li Guanyi instantly understood.

    The severed qi dispersed, revealing a straw man on the ground, bound with red rope, with a painted face and birth date on its back.

    The sorcerer’s aversion technique and substitute death.

    It wasn’t the sorcerer.

    It was witchcraft.

    Li Guanyi instantly reacted, his gaze icy. Using the Yin-Yang school’s Qi-viewing technique, he instantly locked onto his true target, his right foot stamping down as he charged forward. The *Jade Arm Divine Bow Technique* surged, his sword like a spear, thrusting forward.

    The surging energy caused surrounding pages to fly up, as if under immense pressure, falling down, creating a suffocating weight.

    [催山 (Cui Shan)]!

    Hou Zhongyu calmly retreated, his hands clasped, chanting,

    “Lin Bing Dou Zhe, Jie Zhen Lie Qian Xing!”

    The Nine Character Mantra of Taoism.

    Li Guanyi felt a force land on him, his movements slowing, as if sinking into mud. Hou Zhongyu smiled, retreating, “Halberd-bearer, can you still get close?”

    He calmly picked up his crossbow.

    Biting his finger, he smeared it on the crossbow bolts, muttering incantations. Li Guanyi saw blue electric light shoot out from the bolts; thunder roared, and hairs on his temples were pulled up by the constant bolts of lightning that struck pillars and flowerpots.

    The collapsing pillars and shattered flowerpots showed the power of the voltage.

    This was the power of a triple-rank sorcerer.

    Hou Zhongyu said calmly, “They say martial artists in armor are invincible.”

    “But I prefer martial artists in heavy armor.”

    “Gold conducts thunder. With this Five Thunder Technique, I’ve killed countless unruly martial artists. Conveniently, after you die, I’ll pin the Qilin matter on your Xue family, teaching you a lesson.”

    He pulled the crossbow trigger, thunder roaring.

    Li Guanyi’s movements were slow, but he still stepped forward.

    The surrounding sounds suddenly fell silent.

    Qilin Palace seemed to transform into a body of water; his step created ripples that spread out. Only the young man’s calm voice was heard:

    “White Tiger in the heavens, body in the Qilin.”

    “Vermilion Bird to the south, palace to the north, Four Symbols circulate, I am in the center.”

    The thunder suddenly dissipated.

    Surprise flashed across Hou Zhongyu’s face for the first time.

    He saw the boy with his fingers extended. Li Guanyi’s black hair fell over his temples.

    “Four Symbols Seal Spirit, Command!”

    The restraints on Li Guanyi vanished. Hou Zhongyu said, “I understand formations, but I’ve studied this one for decades; ten years to master, then perfection. You’re barely of age. How can you defeat me?”

    He activated his array.

    “Array, turn!”

    The previous fight became a battle of formations, but this was just as dangerous as real combat. Immediately, Li Guanyi found himself at a disadvantage.

    But Hou Zhongyu’s face gradually turned ugly.

    He suddenly discovered that the boy was exceptionally clever.

    He could learn from a single example.

    Whose disciple was this?!

    However, their cultivation base differed by decades, Li Guanyi’s inner energy eventually falling short. The Four Symbols technique was exhausted; he couldn’t overcome his opponent, who was two ranks higher.

    His eyes swept over a stone stool. He used a deft kick to send it spinning towards Hou Zhongyu. Hou Zhongyu, a non-martial artist with a weak body, didn’t want to take that hit.

    Li Guanyi ran, using his shoulder pads to smash through a wooden door, the array shifting, entering the flawed node Zu Wenyuan had mentioned. These seven nodes formed a hidden room.

    Li Guanyi gasped, his face pale, his inner energy depleted.

    The stone room was simple, containing only a large tripod, with flames constantly burning below.

    Hou Zhongyu suddenly panicked: “You, how did you know!”

    “Get out!!! Hurry, I won’t kill you, just go!”

    “Go!”

    Li Guanyi’s inner energy dissipated, he gasped for breath; on his shoulder, the Xuanwu Law Physique appeared.

    Just as when he had discovered the *Tiger Roar Bone Forging Technique*.

    The Xuanwu Law Physique descended upon the tripod.

    Li Guanyi made up his mind, walking over, Hou Zhongyu frantically cried, “Stop!”

    “I beg you, please, don’t touch it!”

    Li Guanyi said, “You don’t want me to touch it?”

    “Then kneel and beg me!”

    To his surprise, the previously composed sorcerer immediately knelt, repeatedly kowtowing.

    “Please, don’t touch it, I beg you, little ancestor.”

    Li Guanyi paused; the Xuanwu Law Physique had already opened the tripod, a fragrance wafting out, Li Guanyi’s exhausted Qi rapidly recovering.

    Inside was a pool of liquid.

    Li Guanyi felt an irresistible temptation, his throat moving, Hou Zhongyu crying out curses, unable to enter the occupied nodes. Li Guanyi couldn’t leave, and his opponent couldn’t enter, but if this continued, Li Guanyi would inevitably lose.

    If he could use this opportunity to break through…

    Li Guanyi, seeing the Xuanwu Law Physique, gritted his teeth, lifting the small tripod and drinking the liquid.

    The only sound was Hou Zhongyu’s frenzied scream:

    “No, my Ancient Azure Moon Immortal Elixir!!!”
    (End of Chapter)

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