Early the next morning, Li Guanqi bid farewell to Ling Daoran and set off for the Xuantian Dynasty.
Having already completed his errand, he intended to ask around about recent developments in the Xuantian Dynasty as he traveled.
Yet as he passed through various villages and towns along the way, almost everyone who spoke of the dynasty mentioned General Li Ren.
They also spoke of the general's son, Li Shenzhi, who had already displayed the makings of a commander at just fourteen years of age.
Furthermore, the recent dynastic conflicts had been triggered by proactive provocations and declarations of war from the Xuantian Dynasty itself.
Originally, the Xuantian Dynasty, the Dashi Dynasty, and the Lion Dynasty had stood in a tripartite balance, keeping one another in check.
Over the past two years, however, the Xuantian Dynasty had repeatedly stirred up border skirmishes.
Li Guanqi frowned slightly as he sped toward the Xuantian Royal City.
He had a feeling matters were not as simple as they appeared.
Why had the Xuantian Dynasty, which had always prioritized stability and defense, suddenly developed such boundless ambition?
It was thoroughly bizarre. Li Guanqi recalled discussing mortal dynasties at the foot of the mountains with his grandfather.
Grandfather had once remarked that throughout history, most rulers who held sway over the court thought only of preserving their realm, not expanding their borders.
Unless, of course, they were born with monstrous ambition.
Not until night fell did Li Guanqi spot the magnificent Xuantian Royal City in the distance.
Yet as he drew near the outskirts, he found the city eerily silent.
Hardly a flicker of torchlight could be seen; the entire city was swallowed in pitch darkness.
The silence cast a heavy, suffocating weight over the surroundings.
Looking at the towering, shut-fast city gates before him, Li Guanqi felt an immediate sense of foreboding. He took out the shadow-casting stone he had prepared beforehand and tucked it inside his robes.
Scaling the wall near another gate, he cleared the hundred-foot-tall wall in just a few bounds.
Yet the moment he vaulted onto the ramparts, he discovered soldiers patrolling along them in great numbers.
Fortunately, he had concealed his presence carefully from far away.
Taking cover behind a watchtower, Li Guanqi changed into night clothes.
Using his divine sense, he slipped past several patrol squads in succession, leaped down from the wall, and vanished into the night against the base of the stone.
The dark clouds were exceptionally heavy tonight, blotting out the light of the full moon.
Li Guanqi made his way steadily toward the center of the city, and a faint clamor gradually reached his ears.
As he drew closer, however, the noise swelled into earth-shattering battle cries!
Taking advantage of the shadows, Li Guanqi stealthily climbed onto the roof of a tavern.
Several dozen zhang away in a wide thoroughfare, a massive manor stood brightly illuminated.
Thousands of soldiers had surrounded the residence, their torches flickering in the night.
Even from this distance, he could smell the thick stench of blood hanging in the air.
His sea of consciousness hummed as his divine sense surged forth like a stream.
Upon the manor's plaque, two characters were inscribed in bold, sweeping strokes: "Li Manor"!
Li Guanqi's heart leaped. He murmured inwardly, *Could this be that boy's house? The general's manor?*
As his divine sense spread outward, he soon spotted an imperial carriage drawn by nine fine steeds.
Beside the carriage, mounted on a tall stallion, sat an otherworldly, refined middle-aged man.
Next to the man stood a sallow-faced youth with a hollow, unsteady aura.
When he laid eyes on this youth, Li Guanqi's heart gave another jump.
He had distinctly sensed this youth's aura back at the Drunken Flower Pavilion!
He carefully withdrew his divine sense, wary of alerting them.
To his perception, the middle-aged man beside the imperial carriage was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Recalling what had transpired at the Drunken Flower Pavilion, the blade-wielding youth Li Shenzhi must have run up to the third floor looking for this very person.
The outer walls of Li Manor were now lined with armored archers.
In the courtyard, dozens of silver-armored soldiers brandishing sabers formed a protective ring around Li Shenzhi and another resolute-faced middle-aged man.
Suddenly!
Li Ren sank his qi into his dantian and roared furiously, "Your Majesty! What crime has Li Ren committed that you would personally come to exterminate my entire clan?!"
The occupant of the carriage offered no answer.
His blood surging, Li Ren bellowed again in rage, "Answer me! What crime has Li Ren committed?!"
The otherworldly man sneered. "Li Ren, you colluded with the Lion Dynasty and plotted treason!
"Today, in the name of the Sovereign, I strip you of your military tally and execute your entire clan as a warning to all!"
Inside the manor, Li Ren laughed out of sheer fury, leveling his saber straight at him.
"Tang Chongqing! You despicable scoundrel!
"If you wish to frame someone, you will never lack an excuse!
"Your Majesty! If you believe Li Ren's merits outshine the throne, I would gladly surrender my military tally and retreat to the mountains!
"Yet if you cannot see the true villain by your side, you will commit a catastrophic blunder in the days to come! Your Majesty!"
Li Ren's eyes were bloodshot as he raged against the man named Tang Chongqing.
From inside the carriage curtains, however, after a long silence came a heavy sigh.
"Execute them."
"Your Majesty!"
Following Li Ren's roar of despair, all the soldiers atop the walls drew their bows into full moons.
The warriors inside the manor bore expressions of grim determination, ready to fight to the death.
One soldier said through gritted teeth, "General! It is that dog of an Imperial Preceptor who wants you dead today!
"We will protect you and the young master with our lives!"
Tang Chongqing barked, "What are you waiting for?! Li Ren colluded with a foreign state and is a traitor! Exterminate the entire clan at once!"
Young Li Shenzhi's eyes nearly split with rage. Over a hundred people in the manor had already fallen, though fortunately his father had been vigilant enough to secretly escort the women out of the city beforehand.
Li Shenzhi said heavily, "Father, there is no use trying to persuade the Sovereign anymore.
"To my eyes, the Sovereign's mind was bewitched by that villain long ago!"
Perched on the roof, Li Guanqi finally understood what was happening.
A cultivator from the mountains had meddled in a mortal dynasty!
This was a cardinal taboo in the cultivation world!
*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*
A relentless whistle of tearing air rang out as hundreds of arrows rained down upon the defenders of Li Manor.
Li Ren's heart was already chilled to the core, but his eyes turned razor-sharp in an instant. He roared, "Form a shield wall and fall back into the courtyard!"
*Clack! Clack!*
Dozens of soldiers immediately raised their shields, interlocking them into an airtight, ironclad ring.
Then their feet shifted rapidly, retreating into the courtyard in the blink of an eye.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Arrows hailed down, yet all slammed into the shields, which were angled slightly to deflect them, leaving the soldiers virtually unharmed.
With a wide wave of his hand, Tang Chongqing snarled viciously, "Kill them all!"
A massive wave of soldiers surged into the courtyard brandishing spears and sabers. In an instant, blood splattered and severed limbs flew.
Right at that moment, thunder suddenly rumbled across the sky, followed by a torrential downpour.
Far down the street, a figure clad in white robes walked forward at a measured pace.
As he walked, Li Guanqi spoke softly: "One of the cultivation world's cardinal taboos: cultivators from the mountains must never interfere in mortal dynasties.
"Do you... confess your guilt?"
Origin energy surged within Tang Chongqing's body, keeping the pelting rain from touching him in the slightest.
A cold gleam flickered in his eyes as he sneered, "Where did an ignorant little brat like you come from? Who are you to preach about my affairs?"
Tang Chongqing raised a finger, and several hundred soldiers behind him tightened their grips on their weapons.
As his arm dropped, Tang Chongqing roared, "Kill him!"
*Rumble!*
Chapter 59