Read Novel Full Chapter 1380: Chapter 1374: The Veiled Department
Chapter 1380: Chapter 1374: The Veiled Department
The strength of the Human Emperor’s bloodline was truly formidable, let alone that of a disciple of Ancestor Lan.
On this day, the Imperial Capital was swept by surging winds and roiling clouds.
The oppressive might descending from the cloudy sky forced the entire Imperial Capital to activate its array formations.
The cultivators of the major factions were thrown into a panic.
For the first time in an unknown number of years, in a place where mighty figures gathered like the Imperial Capital, they actually felt the oppressive might of a battle between powerhouses!
Even though the mighty figures in the sky had already entered a Dao Field, they could still sense the imminent danger to themselves.
Those capable of observing karmic luck could perceive a flag in the cloudy sky, its powerful spiritual force nearly capable of overturning heaven and earth.
A nine-clawed golden dragon adorned the flag. If it were to fall within the Imperial Capital, it would mean absolute annihilation.
They also saw a divination cylinder, with divination slips shaking within it. An auspicious slip bearing the words “supreme fortune” emerged, but whether it truly meant blessing or disaster, no one could tell.
There was also a black hound roaring at the heavens, its fangs and claws seemingly capable of tearing through all things.
Countless puppets, array discs engraved with mountains and rivers, a bright moon rising in broad daylight…
All of this indicated that a massive battle was currently taking place in the Imperial Capital!
In the Imperial Capital, some rejoiced while others worried.
Inside the Immortal Suppression Department, Commander Wu Neng, who deeply loved drinking tea, furrowed his brows as he watched everything unfolding in the cloudy sky, then tightly closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, everything before him had transformed.
This was a vast, white world. Some gathered to drink tea, some played chess against one another, and some teased caged sparrows.
Though they appeared carefree and at ease, most had furrowed brows.
Within this Mahayana realm, it was clear that everyone was worrying about the great battle above the Imperial Capital.
And worrying was all they could do.
Wu Neng walked toward a desk. Before it, someone was holding a brush and painting.
The painting depicted hundreds of cultivators leaping up with weapons in hand above the drifting clouds.
Amidst this inescapable net woven through the clouds was a woman waving a flag like a piece of drifting duckweed. That woman appeared so lonely and helpless.
“Elder Cai.”
Wu Neng cupped his hands toward the old man painting, yet the old man continued to paint.
Even someone like Wu Neng, who was accustomed to being high and mighty, didn’t show the slightest hint of anger.
In the Imperial Capital, there were one Temple, one Pavilion, two Departments, and four Guards.
The Divine Temple stood at the forefront, followed by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
But the only department comparable to an entity like the Immortal Suppression Department, which suppressed immortals, was the Veiled Department.
Its name was hardly pleasant, but even within the Imperial Capital, only the absolute pinnacle factions knew of its existence.
The Veiled Department truly seemed to exist in the forgotten corners of the world.
Furthermore, the Veiled Department was the only faction in the Imperial Dynasty that had risen step by step alongside the Human Emperor when he was still an insignificant figure.
At that time, the Human Emperor was not yet high and mighty, nor did he care for illustrious fame.
Rumor had it that the Zishu family of that era had walked out of a small village, and what they engaged in was the business of assassins.
To this day, no one knew exactly how strong the Veiled Department was.
Wu Neng believed that under the current grand scheme of the Imperial Dynasty, only the people of the Veiled Department could sit as equals with him—who was solely loyal to the Human Emperor—and work together with a united heart.
Then, he was disappointed.
After waiting for a long time, Elder Cai finally responded while continuing to paint.
“Lord Commander, do not seek out this old man. The grand scheme of the Imperial Dynasty has changed; it is Her Majesty the Empress who now dictates the overall situation.”
Elder Cai’s gaze remained fixed solely on the painting.
“Leave it to fate. All of us are leaving it to fate. Her Majesty the Empress wants to capture Li Xinnian to threaten the Li Clan; ruining Her Majesty’s plans will bring us no good either.”
“The Fifth Princess is acting recklessly.
The Southern Frontier is merely a chessboard for the Empress, Ancestor Lan, and the immortals; it is nothing more than a pawn. She is simply bringing this suffering upon herself.”
“It is better to ignore everything and do nothing; that reveals true great wisdom.
Let them fight over it. Perhaps, under this grand scheme of the world, a Great Emperor will lose their life, and our karmic opportunity will have finally arrived.
Then our journey on the Great Dao will not have been in vain.”
Wu Neng’s heart ran cold.
But he quickly felt relieved. He often felt that he was not loyal enough to the Imperial Dynasty and to His Majesty.
Yet every time his divine sense met the numerous Daoist friends within the Mahayana realm, he finally understood why the outside world called him the “Imperial Hound.”
But he also felt this title was incorrect. Compared to these “Daoist friends,” who only sought good fortune and avoided disaster, he was clearly not the animal.
As he turned around, Wu Neng halted his steps, realizing that Elder Cai perhaps wasn’t an animal either.
An aged voice echoed in his ears.
“You see, all things in the world inherently possess their own vitality and chance of survival. You and I standing at the height we are meant to be is what is true.”
Wu Neng turned his head back.
He saw that on Elder Cai’s painting, wind and clouds suddenly surged.
From the shadows of the siege in all directions, black mist rose, and a long spear tore through space, revealing its absolute sharp edge!
Above the Heavenly Palace.
Within the Dao Field was chaotic Great Dao spiritual power, while beneath it lay a land formed by the Dao rhythms of mighty figures from all sides.
The dazzling colors made the ground of the Dao Field resemble radiant, flowing colored glaze.
Spiderweb cracks spread across this glazed surface, the result of clashes between the Dao methods of mighty figures.
Zishu Feng appeared frail and delicate, yet her Dao was incomparably fierce and overwhelming.
Though she clearly stood alone, soldiers materialized around her. Clad in golden armor, they stood nine feet tall, steadfast and imposing.
Wielding spears, sabers, swords, and shields, they bore the respective engravings of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.
These Four Symbols armored soldiers formed an array, manifesting techniques that excelled in both offense and defense.
Every single one of them was capable of battling a Body Integration realm expert!
Beyond them, silver-armored generals led black-armored soldiers into neat formations.
Archers, shieldbearers, spearmen, and cavalrymen organized into cohesive units, forming arrays to cast techniques.
Amidst the tens of thousands of troops, Zishu Feng, clad in green with one hand behind her back, waved the Mountains and Rivers Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Flag.
Enemies approached from all directions: the array discs of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion forming arrays, the unorthodox methods of the Heavenly Light Sect, the Emberwing Guard summoning a suspended forest of spears with a wave of their hands…
The various factions all displayed their divine abilities.
“Fifth Princess!”
Behind Ah Hei stood the cultivators of the Emberwing Guard; this forest of spears originated from him.
Extending his right hand and clenching his fist tightly, he caused the Dao Field to shake violently.
Beneath the glazed ground of the Dao Field, a massive hound phantom roared, instantly obliterating one of Zishu Feng’s silver-armored units.
On another side of the siege stood the Junior Commander of Destiny from the Divine Temple.
The pale-faced ghost shook his divination cylinder, drawing a “supreme fortune” slip.
Instantly, the phantom of a mighty figure manifested a divine eye, erasing yet another silver-armored unit.
Ah Hei attempted to awaken Zishu Feng to her senses with a harsh shout.
“With mighty figures from all sides present, where could the Fifth Princess possibly find a chance to win?”
But the only response he received was Zishu Feng waving the Mountains and Rivers Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Flag once more.
Gritting his teeth, Ah Hei ordered an Emberwing Guard subordinate nearby, “Go, find cultivators from the various factions and enter the Peerless Hall.”
“Commander,” the subordinate asked in confusion, “What are we going to do in the Peerless Hall?”
Watching Zishu Feng struggle within the siege, Ah Hei said in exasperation, “To kill Li Xinnian and Su Chen! What else?!!”
“Yes!”
As his subordinate departed, Ah Hei’s expression turned ugly.
In the current situation, this was the only viable, albeit poor, strategy.
Zishu Feng had come to help the Li Clan members; only if the Li Clan members died would it be possible for Zishu Feng to leave.
As for what the Li Clan might think? Although they were doing a good job in the Southern Frontier, sacrificing those two to save the Fifth Princess was clearly worth it.
“The Fifth Princess… shouldn’t be this weak.”
Watching Zishu Feng struggle in the siege, a trace of confusion flashed through Ah Hei’s eyes.
The warriors of the world were mostly men, becoming soldiers to protect their homes and defend their country, thus giving rise to the Dao of War.
Where the Dao of War exists, one can scatter beans to create soldiers and summon an army with a wave of a hand!
The one who commanded the Dao of War in the world was none other than the Fifth Princess, Zishu Feng.
Back when the Human Race fought brilliantly against the Wu Tribe, emerging victorious in hundreds of battles, they had relied heavily on the Fifth Princess’s Dao of War.
The Fifth Princess was a figure from historical records.
Over a hundred thousand years ago, she was already at the Dao-Glimpsing realm.
Today, over a hundred thousand years later, she was at the Dao-Integration realm.
Although the Mahayana realm was difficult to reach, when witnessing the true form of the Fifth Princess, she did not seem as formidable as the records described.
Just as he was puzzled.
The Junior Commander of Destiny from the Divine Temple let out a cold snort. “To calculate fortune and misfortune, this minister shall cast a divination for the Fifth Princess.”
The divination cylinder beside the Junior Commander of Destiny shook, and a divination slip floated up and landed in his hand.
Looking at the Fifth Princess, who was nearly overwhelmed by the flood-like spiritual power of the cultivators from all directions, and at the hexagram on the slip, he mocked, “Fifth Princess, it is a supreme misfortune slip.”
Another mighty figure’s phantom appeared behind the Junior Commander of Destiny.
The elderly phantom abruptly opened its eyes; its gaze was icy and sinister, like an ancient underworld official staring down at a mortal.
The hundred-meter-tall phantom extended its right hand and flipped its palm downward.
Zishu Feng looked up. Thousands of meters of sinister, calamitous energy condensed into an array above her head, and debilitating black mist descended from the sky.
The phantom spoke, “Supreme misfortune, disaster arrives.”
Seeing this scene, the people besieging the Fifth Princess all changed their expressions.
The Fifth Princess’s Dao of War was formidable, but it also depended on whom she was facing!
Of the major Imperial Capital factions present, which one didn’t possess a formidable inheritance?
These were the Human Race inheritances that had established the Imperial Dynasty during the era of the Wu Tribe’s greatest glory.
This was inherently a situation of the many bullying the few. In truth, many factions, just like Ah Hei of the Emberwing Guard, had held back against Zishu Feng.
No one wanted to kill the Human Emperor’s bloodline; forcing the Fifth Princess away was enough.
But now…
They looked at the array formation in the sky and the divine ability of the Junior Commander of Destiny, their eyes filled with nothing but bitterness.
The position of Junior Commander of Destiny was passed down from generation to generation, mastering the Dao of Fortune and Misfortune.
Whether it was a blessing or a disaster could be decided by him alone.
With this divine ability falling upon the Fifth Princess’s head, it was a catastrophe of ten deaths and zero chance of survival.
In the blink of an eye, the disaster arrived.
The Fifth Princess’s soldiers and her spiritual power began to dissipate.
The cultivators of the major factions from all directions had originally held back their spiritual power, exchanging blows evenly with the Fifth Princess’s immortal soldiers.
But now, they instantly killed the Fifth Princess’s immortal soldiers.
Even the Spirit Treasure in the Fifth Princess’s hand, the Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Flag, appeared dull and devoid of light.
Boundless spiritual power, like a flood, was about to completely submerge the Fifth Princess.
……
Zishu Feng stared at the incoming techniques.
Her expression was utterly calm.
The battle outside the Peerless Hall was no longer about helping the Li Clan.
Just as she had said, this empire had been conquered by their Zishu family, and a portion of it belonged to her, Zishu Feng.
The commoners, the cultivators, the hidden factions before her, and every single person in the Imperial Dynasty had received the grace of their Zishu family—and of her, Zishu Feng!
She remembered her royal father saying that she had always been naive, and telling her to maintain that naivety.
Her master had also said she was naive and outspoken, and that this was a good thing.
These words were not wrong in the slightest.
She was waiting, waiting for her grace to be repaid.
Looking up, she saw only sky-blotting techniques and the laughable hesitation of her besiegers.
Not a single person from her imagination had come to help.
Her field of vision gradually grew dark. The techniques of hundreds of cultivators shrouded everything before her, reducing the immortal soldiers of her Dao of War to ash.
She had never dreamed that within the Imperial Dynasty established by her Zishu family, the techniques of cultivators would act as they did now, transforming into a primordial beast opening its abyssal maw to swallow her whole.
Zishu Feng let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Even her royal father had not come to save her.
Then, she slowly closed her eyes, waiting for the cultivators’ spiritual power to swallow her life and her naivety.
She firmly etched the Junior Commander of Destiny’s sneering face into her heart, resolving to deliver a grand gift to him and everyone present in the future.
Just as Zishu Feng was about to close her eyes, a sliver of light suddenly flashed across her vision.
A spatial rift opened before her eyes.
Black mist, burning like a raging fire, billowed from the rift.
The figure stepped upon a Yin-Yang Fish diagram, holding a silver spear and blocking the nearly world-destroying, dazzling spiritual power.
Resembling an ancient God of War traversing through space and time, the figure was someone Zishu Feng had never seen before.
She gazed at that tall, straight back, momentarily entranced…
Before her myriad thoughts could finish, Zishu Feng suddenly froze.
She slowly lowered her head, looking at the spear shaft pressed against her abdomen, her eyes filled mostly with bewilderment.
A massive force struck her, causing her body to arch violently backward in a nearly folded posture as she was swatted away, instantly tumbling into the spatial rift.
A hoarse voice echoed in her ear, “Daoist Friend, please take care of my child.”
In just an instant, Zishu Feng struggled to raise her head. Her abdomen was in agonizing pain. As the spatial rift gradually closed, her facial muscles twitched.
At the very last moment, she heard the black-misted figure’s dissatisfied murmur, “As expected of Ancestor Lan’s disciple. Sigh.”
“…” Zishu Feng’s initially pale face instantly flushed crimson.
At this time.
Li Wei took a step forward, crossing past the incoming techniques.
As the spiritual power, which was capable of killing a Dao-Integration realm expert, crashed into the Dao Field, the glazed ground shattered with a loud boom.
The air was filled with kicked-up glazed crystal fragments, filling the entire Dao Field with sparkling, shimmering light.
He sensed everything inside the Peerless Hall. If Zishu Feng wasn’t stupid, she should take Xinnian away.
Once that happened, he would have nothing left to worry about.
He surveyed the surrounding cultivators, his gaze ultimately landing on the Junior Commander of Destiny.
“An oral decree from the Human Emperor: None of you Daoist Friends may participate in the affairs of the Peerless Hall. Please withdraw immediately.”
—
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 90 Chapters: Search for “Dark Tea” on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!