Early the next morning, Li Guanqi bid farewell to Ling Daoran and set off towards the Xuantian Dynasty.
On his journey, having completed his mission, he decided to inquire about the recent affairs of the Xuantian Dynasty along the way.
However, as he passed through some villages and towns, almost everyone mentioned General Li Ren when speaking of the Xuantian Dynasty.
And there was the general's son, Li Shenzhi, who at the age of fourteen already showed remarkable military talent.
The recent strife within the dynasty was precisely due to the Xuantian Dynasty's own provocations and declarations of war.
Originally, the Xuantian Dynasty, the Dashi Dynasty, and the Xiongshi Dynasty formed a tripartite balance, each checking the others.
But in the past two years, the Xuantian Dynasty had been continuously instigating border wars.
Li Guanqi's brows furrowed slightly as he hastened towards the Xuantian imperial city.
He felt that things might not be as simple as he understood them to be.
Why would the Xuantian Dynasty, which had always focused on stability and defense, suddenly become ambitious?
This was very strange. Li Guanqi had once discussed the dynasties below the mountains with his grandfather.
His grandfather had said that those who controlled the court through the ages were mostly content with defending their cities, not expanding their territories.
Unless they were born with great ambition.
It was nightfall when Li Guanqi saw the majestic Xuantian imperial city from afar.
However, as he approached the city, he found it eerily silent within.
Even the fires were hard to spot, and the city was engulfed in darkness.
The silent atmosphere made the entire city feel oppressively somber.
Looking at the towering, tightly shut gates, Li Guanqi had a bad feeling and took out the prepared Shadow Capture Stone and placed it in his chest.
He climbed up another city gate, and in a few leaps, he had crossed the thirty meters city wall.
But as soon as he leaped onto the wall, he discovered that there were many patrolling soldiers around!
Fortunately, he had been careful to conceal his presence from a distance.
Hiding behind a watchtower, Li Guanqi changed into a set of night clothes.
Using his Divine Sense to avoid several patrols, he leaped down the city wall and disappeared into the night.
The clouds were especially thick tonight, obscuring the moonlight.
Li Guanqi slowly approached the city center, and gradually, the sounds of commotion reached his ears.
But as he drew closer, the noise turned into thunderous shouts and the clamor of battle!
Taking advantage of the darkness, Li Guanqi stealthily climbed onto the roof of a tavern.
He saw that three meters away in a wide alley, a grand mansion was brightly lit.
Thousands of soldiers surrounded the mansion, their torches flickering in their hands.
Even from a distance, he could smell the blood in the air.
His sea of consciousness buzzed, and his Divine Sense flowed out like a stream.
Above the mansion's plaque, the characters 'Li Mansion' were written in a dragon-and-phoenix dance!
Li Guanqi's heart skipped a beat, murmuring to himself, "Could this be the young man's home? The General's Mansion?"
As his Divine Sense spread, he quickly spotted a dragon-drawn carriage pulled by nine fine horses!
Beside the carriage, atop a tall horse, sat a middle-aged man with the bearing of an immortal.
Next to the man stood a young man with a pale complexion and a weak aura.
Li Guanqi's heart jumped when he saw the young man, for he had sensed this young man's presence at the Drunken Flower Pavilion!
He carefully withdrew his Divine Sense, not wanting to startle the snake.
In his perception, the middle-aged man beside the dragon-drawn carriage was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Recalling the scene at the Drunken Flower Pavilion, that young man with the sword, Li Shenzhi, must have been the one who went up to the third floor looking for him.
The walls of the Li Mansion were now lined with armored archers.
Inside the courtyard, dozens of soldiers clad in silver armor, wielding long swords, surrounded Li Shenzhi and another resolute-looking middle-aged man.
Suddenly!
Li Ren, with a deep breath in his pubic region, shouted angrily, "Your Majesty! What crime have I, Li Ren, committed to warrant you personally ordering the extermination of my entire family?"
The person inside the carriage did not respond to Li Ren.
Li Ren, with blood rushing to his head, shouted again, "Answer me! What crime have I, Li Ren, committed?!"
The immortal-like man scoffed and said, "Li Ren, you conspired with the Xiongshi Dynasty, plotting rebellion!"
"Today, I shall take your military token on behalf of His Majesty, and execute your entire family as a warning to others!"
Hearing this, Li Ren laughed in fury, pointing his long sword at the other man.
"Tang Chongqing! You are nothing but a despicable villain!"
"Where there's a will to condemn, there's always a charge to be made!"
"Your Majesty! If you think I, Li Ren, am a threat to your power, I am willing to relinquish my military token and retire to the mountains."
"But if you fail to recognize the true villain beside you, I fear you will make a grave mistake one day! Your Majesty!"
Li Ren's eyes were bloodshot as he furiously berated the man known as Tang Chongqing.
However, after a long silence, a sigh came from within the carriage.
"Execute!"
"Your Majesty!!!"
As Li Ren roared in indignation, all the soldiers on the wall drew their bows to full crescent.
The soldiers in the courtyard were ready to face death!
A soldier said solemnly, "General! Today, that treacherous national advisor seeks to doom you!"
"We will protect you and the young master at all costs!"
Tang Chongqing shouted, "What are you waiting for! Li Ren has colluded with the enemy and is a traitor! Execute his entire family immediately!"
At that moment, Li Shenzhi's eyes were filled with fury. Over a hundred people had already died or were injured within the mansion, but fortunately, his father had the foresight to quietly send the women out of the city.
Li Shenzhi said solemnly, "Father, there's no use in persuading His Majesty anymore."
"In my view, His Majesty has long been bewitched by that villain!"
At this point, Li Guanqi finally understood what was happening.
It turns out that a cultivator from the mountains was meddling in the affairs of the dynasty below!
This was a great taboo in the Cultivation World!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A continuous barrage of arrows flew towards the people of Li Mansion!
Li Ren, his heart filled with despair, suddenly had fierce eyes and shouted, "Form a shield formation and retreat into the mansion!"
Crack, crack!
Dozens of soldiers immediately raised their shields, forming an impenetrable wall.
They quickly retreated into the mansion, barely taking any damage as arrows clattered against their shields.
Tang Chongqing waved his hand, his face twisted with ferocity as he ordered, "Kill them!"
A large number of soldiers with swords and spears rushed into the courtyard, and in an instant, blood splattered and limbs flew.
But just then, thunder rumbled in the sky, followed by a downpour.
In the distance, a figure in white slowly approached.
As he walked, Li Guanqi said softly, "One of the taboos of the Cultivation World is that mountain cultivators must not interfere with the dynasties below."
"Do you admit your guilt?"
Tang Chongqing's energy surged within him, the pouring rain unable to wet his clothes.
His eyes flashed coldly as he said, "Who is this ignorant child, to speak so boldly of matters that are none of your concern?"
Tang Chongqing raised his finger slightly, and the soldiers behind him gripped their weapons tightly.
With his arm falling, Tang Chongqing shouted, "Kill him!"
Boom!
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas