’In this world... someone could actually get within three steps of me, a Grandmaster of Huajin, without making a sound?’
The next second, Eunuch Li’s instincts reacted faster than his thoughts. His hands instantly formed into sharp claws.
A terrifying Huajin power frantically swirled around his ten fingers. This was the skill he had painstakingly cultivated for decades, the very thing he relied on to survive to this day in this man-eating Imperial Palace!
In an instant, his claws shot out like lightning, heading straight for the intruder’s throat, the distance closing rapidly.
Three inches, two inches, one inch. Facing a distance that guaranteed a hit, a cold smirk had already formed on Eunuch Li’s lips.
’Success!’
And then his claws clamped down solidly on the intruder’s neck.
The smile on Eunuch Li’s face froze after just one second.
’Something’s wrong!’ He felt as if his claws had seized a piece of incomparably hard steel!
Moreover, the Huajin he had poured into his opponent’s body with all his might vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea, not even causing the slightest ripple!
At the same time, a series of sharp, crisp cracks echoed from his ten fingers!
His ten fingers instantly bent and fractured! As an indescribable, agonizing pain washed over him, Eunuch Li opened his mouth to scream.
But the intruder’s left hand was faster, clamping down tightly on his neck.
"Eunuch Li, you important men are so forgetful. Have you forgotten me after we parted ways thirty years ago?"
With his neck being squeezed, Eunuch Li was completely immobilized, able only to stare intently at the face before him.
’We met once, thirty years ago?’
A vague memory suddenly flashed through his mind. That year, he was still just a lowly Personal Eunuch serving by the Emperor’s side.
Thirty years ago, he could only stand in the corners of Jinluan Hall. Then one day, a spirited man of thirty walked confidently into the great hall.
The Martial Champion Scholar, Lu Yun! Eunuch Li’s eyes widened. ’It... it’s him!’
Seeing he had remembered, Lu Yun slowly released his grip. "Where is the Celestial Secret Pavilion?"
Given a chance to breathe, Eunuch Li hastily gasped for air.
Then, his eyes darted. He squeezed out the words with all his might: "The... the Celestial Secret Pavilion? I... I don’t know..."
As Eunuch Li spoke, he secretly raised his twisted, deformed hand.
A bolt of Huajin shot out from his palm, striking toward a nearby candelabra.
According to his plan, knocking over the candelabra would cause a commotion and alert more palace staff.
However, an earthy-yellow stream of qi, though released later, arrived first, instantly crushing the bolt of Huajin when it was just half an inch from the candelabra.
Eunuch Li’s expression changed completely. Lu Yun looked at him, his gaze as calm as an ancient well.
"Hmph! You will."
His left hand clamped around Eunuch Li’s neck once again.
This time, the earthy-yellow stream of qi surged madly from his palm, invading Eunuch Li’s body without restraint!
Before long, Eunuch Li’s pupils dilated instantly as a terrifying image appeared in his mind.
Several mountain peaks of immeasurable size descended with a deafening roar from the Nine Heavens!
They crushed down, one after another, frantically grinding away Eunuch Li’s spiritual will!
The pain was ten times more intense than any physical agony, yet he couldn’t even scream.
In the end, Eunuch Li could only watch helplessly as his will crumbled and dissipated, bit by bit, under the crushing weight of the mountains.
An unknown amount of time passed. The candle flame went out, plunging the room into darkness. Eunuch Li lay on the floor, no longer breathing.
Lu Yun pushed open the door and walked out, gently pulling it closed behind him.
’These bootlicking slaves, their minds completely filled with "the Emperor’s boundless grace," are thoroughly ossified. It’s impossible to change them.’
Therefore, Lu Yun had no intention of leaving him alive. If he were to wake up and cause a disturbance, it would be a significant nuisance.
And the one thing he disliked most was trouble. From Eunuch Li, Lu Yun had already obtained what he wanted.
The Celestial Secret Pavilion had been moved long ago. It was no longer in its original location but was now hidden next to the palaces of the Empress Dowager and the Regent Prince, Yin Fusheng.
Nominally, it was a palace that had been vacant for many years, with no one entering or leaving. But underneath, there was a basement.
Only Eunuch Li and a few other high-ranking eunuchs knew about it, because he had personally led the other eunuchs in excavating the underground chamber.
Another hour later, Lu Yun dealt with the last eunuch guarding the basement and finally stood within the hidden, underground Celestial Secret Pavilion.
Surrounding him were huge wooden shelves, arranged in rows and columns, stretching far into the dim depths.
The shelves were filled with books: some new, some old; some thread-bound, some in scrolls; there were bamboo slips and silk manuscripts. Clearly, the accumulated collection of the Yin Dynasty over several hundred years was all here.
Lu Yun’s gaze swept over them. With his current Realm as a Grandmaster of Divine Intent, reading a hundred lines at a glance was a simple matter.
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had already passed by more than half of the bookshelves.
Finally, he stopped in front of one of the shelves.
On the 2nd Floor, there was a thick, yellow book. Several lines of characters were written on the cover in neat, standard script.
It appeared to be a manuscript personally annotated in vermilion by the founding emperor of the Yin Dynasty.
Lu Yun casually picked up the book and opened it. He didn’t know what was inside; he was just browsing randomly.
Then, he saw the information he was looking for.
"The Kunlun Secret Realm is a fissure in the world. Outer Celestial Demons descend, bringing with them Immortal Flesh. Those who consume the Immortal Flesh may encounter Outer Celestial Demons... However, where there is benefit, there must also be a drawback."
Lu Yun’s brow twitched slightly. He continued to read.
Following that was some information about the Zulong Dynasty. The records were very fragmented, but they could be roughly pieced together to paint a picture of that era.
Figures like Emperor Zulong, Overlord Chu, the Tiangong General, and the King of the Western Regions... all peerless badasses who had beaten the Outer Celestial Demons so badly they fled, pissing their pants in terror.
Then, Lu Yun finally saw the part he was most interested in: the introduction to the realms of Martial Artists.
Ming Jin, Dark Force, Huajin—he already knew these realms by heart and merely scanned past them.
Before long, Lu Yun’s gaze fell on the lines describing the realm ’above Huajin’.
"A Divine Intention Master... one who merges qi with will, achieving Divine Will True Qi. This is a Grandmaster of Divine Intent!"
Lu Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly. He looked down at the palm of his left hand.
With a flicker of his thoughts, a wisp of earthy-yellow qi slowly emerged from his palm.
’Divine Will True Qi? So this stuff is called Divine Will True Qi!’
Lu Yun retracted his hand and continued reading, looking for the next Realm after Grandmaster of Divine Intent.
However, the following section contained only a few short lines of text, and it was all just speculation that the founding emperor of the Yin Dynasty had inferred from the legends of the Zulong Dynasty.
"Above Grandmaster of Divine Intent, the Divine Will merges with the heavens... this is the Manifest Saint True Monarch!"
"Manifesting in the mortal world..."
Lu Yun stared at the four words, "Manifest Saint True Monarch," for a long time. He repeated them silently, then quickly closed the book and returned it to its place.
’Manifest Saint True Monarch? Manifesting in the mortal world? What does that mean?’
Lu Yun shook his head and continued flipping through the book. The remaining content was mostly records of the various Emperors of the Yin Dynasty, along with some palace secrets.
Lu Yun scanned through it rapidly, reading a hundred lines at a glance. Only after flipping to the last page did he finally confirm that regarding the Realm above Grandmaster of Divine Intent, the founding emperor of the Yin Dynasty had only been recording hearsay.
Those four words, "Manifest Saint True Monarch," were likely something he had pieced together himself from the scattered legends of the Zulong Dynasty.
As for what this Realm actually was, what powers it held, or how to reach it, the book said nothing at all.
Lu Yun was silent for a moment. Then he closed the book, returned it to its place, and turned to walk toward the exit.
Shortly after, dawn broke. But unlike any other day, Purple Qi City erupted into chaos, both inside and out.
Inside the palace, someone had discovered the body of the Chief Eunuch, Eunuch Li, in the main room of the Inner Harmony Courtyard.
He was slumped on the floor, his ten fingers twisted and deformed, his face deathly pale, and his eyes wide open, clearly not at peace.
Immediately after, someone else discovered the bodies of several guard eunuchs at the entrance to the underground chamber of the Celestial Secret Pavilion, each one killed more cleanly than the last.
Outside, four soldiers from the night watch at the city gate were found unconscious on the ground.
Their spears were still there, and none of their belongings were missing. But they couldn’t be woken up. No matter how their comrades slapped them or splashed water on them, they wouldn’t stir, as if they were in a death-like sleep.

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