The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 439 True Intention
boom!
The emperor punched An Qisheng in the chest!
A deafening explosion erupted just inches away, and a powerful gust of wind swept outwards!

The ethereal Yingzhou Celestial was blown away by a strong wind. He regained his senses in mid-air and, without looking back, ran forward with all his might until he joined the arriving worshippers and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The worshippers surrounded the celestial beings from Yingzhou.

Ruan Mei rushed over and carried Zhu Shoujing on her back.

The emperor's gaze swept over them, and he flicked his sleeve.

Zhu Shoujing forced a smile and said, "Let's go!"

The worshippers breathed a sigh of relief and, carrying the celestial beings from Yingzhou, fled at top speed.

Today's battle finally made them clearly understand the vast difference between themselves and the four celestial beings who cultivated both body and spirit. It was a chasm that neither injuries nor numbers could bridge, a danger that could kill anyone caught in the aftershocks. As for Li Miao, who had injured An Qisheng to such an extent, they could no longer even begin to guess just how strong he was.

They had no right to stand by and watch this battle, just like the Battle of the Imperial Mausoleum and the Battle of Wanggongchang.

A short while later, the figure disappeared into the distance.

The emperor stood atop the roof, warily watching the ruins left by An Qisheng, who had been sent flying backward.

His punch failed to break through the protective aura.

An Qisheng was not injured.

He hid in the ruins and dust, quietly watching the emperor, searching for his weakness.

Only three days have passed since Li Miao began sparring with the emperor, and the emperor's martial arts skills have only recovered to about 50-60% of their previous level. Even against An Qisheng, who is still recovering from serious injuries, he is not confident of victory.

The outcome of today's match is still uncertain.

A short while later, footsteps finally echoed from the ruins.

The broken roof beam crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust on the ground. An invisible protective aura transformed into giant claws, parting the path ahead. An Qisheng slowly stepped out and looked at the emperor.

Their gazes met.

In the next instant, the world transformed!

Without any warning, the emperor instantly unleashed his own illusion, dragging An Qisheng into it!
In the illusion of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, An Qisheng's eyes instantly regained their clarity. He first exchanged a glance with the emperor on the dragon throne, then looked around. After carefully observing the surroundings, he spoke for the first time.

"Where did you get your Silent Illumination Technique?"

The emperor did not answer.

An Qisheng didn't seem to expect a reply and continued speaking to himself.

"This is also your first time fighting someone who has cultivated to another level of sexual cultivation, right? Don't you find it strange that you were able to drag me into the illusion so easily? We are both celestial beings who have cultivated both body and mind, and my accumulation of sexual cultivation is far deeper than yours."

The emperor frowned.

Indeed, compared to "Xuanlan", "Jizhao" seems too mystical, no longer like a martial art, but more like a divine technique described in some kind of storybook or classic.

Moreover, the suppression of other celestial beings by "Silent Illumination" seemed far too effective. Apart from Li Miao and Emperor Jianwen, who had also cultivated "Silent Illumination," even An Qisheng, who had accumulated power for a thousand years, was dragged into the illusion without any resistance.

This is obviously not normal.

"In the past thousand years, I have only seen two people who have attained the state of Tranquility and Illumination."

An Qisheng stood with his hands behind his back and spoke slowly.

"One of them is you."

"The other one is called Zhang Sanfeng."

"Bodhidharma should have also attained enlightenment, but I have never met him."

"Do you know why?"

An Qisheng opened his arms and said in a deep voice.

"Because since a thousand years ago, only two of the three realms of spiritual cultivation have been recorded in the martial arts world. The loss of 'Silent Illumination' predates the unification of the world."

“Aside from Zhang Sanfeng and Bodhidharma, no one has achieved ‘silent illumination’ in the past thousand years. Even if someone has paved the way, it couldn’t be someone as mediocre as you.”

“In this world, there is only one person who can cultivate the Silent Illumination Technique and create a technique that even a mediocre person like you can master—the one who gave me the Profound Illumination Technique, my master, who is also the River Elder you speak of.”

An Qisheng abruptly withdrew his arms and looked intently at the emperor.

"So, you are my junior brother." The emperor sneered.

"You dare to call yourself my senior brother?"

An Qisheng shook his head.

“I know you’re not in the right state right now. Although Miao Gu techniques are a minor art, they are still methods that have been passed down from a thousand years ago. Even a thousand years ago, there were still stronger people who fell victim to them because of their unpredictable and difficult-to-defend nature.”

“You’re just being misled right now, junior brother. That’s why you think Li Miao is important, and that’s why you’re against me. This isn’t what you truly want.”

"Have you ever felt disgusted? These baseless likes and dislikes, these emotions, forcefully occupy your heart, forcing you to do things you shouldn't do and protect people you shouldn't protect."

An Qisheng patiently and skillfully guided him.

Actually, there was no conflict between us.

“Li Miao is the one who stole your world, bewitched your mind, and forced you to become my enemy.”

"And all I want to do is find our master."

"so--"

He stretched out a hand toward the emperor.

"Come on, stop fighting for your enemies."

"Your rational mind can surely understand that abandoning Li Miao and cooperating with me is the best choice."

“Junior brother, suppress your emotions. You are a celestial being who cultivates both body and mind. Gu techniques can only change your emotions, not your reason. You understand that I am right.”

"I will take you to Ji Tianrui to remove the Gu spell from your body."

"Find your true self and regain your freedom."

An Qisheng spoke with genuine sincerity. Compared to his previous silence, his long speech to the emperor seemed truly heartfelt. He looked at the emperor, anticipating his reply.

The emperor remained silent for a while.

"Ah."

He chuckled.

"Well said."

"If I were just awake, I might actually be fooled by you."

An Qisheng frowned.

The emperor said with a cold laugh.

"The very foundation of Yingzhou's millennia-long heritage lies in your schemes to seize the bodies of your own descendants, erase their minds, and control their freedom. If you treat your own offspring this way, how can you possibly be kind to any of your fellow disciples?"

"Besides, what is our true intention?"

The emperor punched himself in the chest.

"My true heart is my true heart. If I am affected by the Gu spell, it means I have a false heart. If I go to Ji Tianrui to remove the Gu spell, it means I have a false heart replaced by an external force. What difference is there between the two?"

"Silent illumination is an illusion of the true mind. If I am a false mind, then you might as well look at the illusions around you, and see where there is even a trace of falsehood!"

"All I know is that I want to kill you right now because you hurt Da Li. This is my true feeling and my heart at this moment!"

The emperor suddenly stood up.

"Moreover, I have come to realize something."

"If you were absolutely certain of defeating me, you wouldn't be spouting this nonsense."

"Avoiding war, that's the real reason you've been spouting so much nonsense."

The emperor slowly walked down the steps.

"Today, if I win, you die; if you win, I die!"

That's all!

(End of this chapter)