Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 313 His Royal Highness

He sped off towards the East Depot.

Shen Tong and Li Song followed closely behind, and thousands of imperial guards surged into the night like a black torrent, the sound of their hooves deliberately suppressed.

At this time, the Eastern Depot's office was also brightly lit, but it was filled with chaos and restlessness.

After news of the tragic death of Wang An, the eunuch, reached the Eastern Depot, the entire depot was left leaderless.

Its internal structure was already complex. Apart from Wang An, the head of the factory, the middle-level officers in charge of patrols and officers in charge of punishments were of equal status and did not have a subordinate relationship with each other. In the past, they relied entirely on Wang An's authority to suppress them.

Now that Wang An is dead, the two immediately began to fight openly and covertly for control of the Eastern Depot. Their subordinates also took sides, and tensions were high within the government office, with signs of internal strife gradually emerging.

Suddenly, a series of orderly hoofbeats came from outside the government office, followed by a loud bang.

The gates of the Eastern Depot were kicked open by the imperial guards.

Xu Long, accompanied by Shen Tong and Li Song, led thousands of imperial guards into the government office. The cold glint of their flying fish robes and embroidered spring knives instantly suppressed the restlessness of the Eastern Depot.

Upon seeing this, all the agents of the Eastern Depot changed their expressions drastically, and their hands gripping their weapons trembled slightly.

When Wang An was still alive, the Eastern Depot firmly suppressed the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Xu Long dared not act presumptuously in front of Wang An, but now...
Xu Long reined in his horse and stood in the center of the courtyard, his gaze sharp as a knife as he swept over the members of the Eastern Depot present. His voice was icy and piercing, without uttering a single wasted word: "His Majesty's edict is here!"

He raised his hand and held up a scroll of bright yellow imperial edict. The moment it was unfurled, the majestic vermilion characters written by the emperor came into view:
"The Guangyuan Temple case is of utmost importance. Commander Xu Long of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is hereby ordered to investigate it thoroughly at all costs. Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"

As the imperial edict was read, Xu Long's eyes flashed with murderous intent: "Now, I will take charge of all affairs of the Eastern Depot. I ask for your cooperation."

The courtyard was deathly silent. The agents of the Eastern Depot looked at each other, their hands holding knives slowly lowering.

The emperor's edict was like divine authority, and Xu Long's reputation for ruthlessness spread throughout the capital. With the eunuch already dead, any resistance at this point would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

Seeing that no one dared to respond, Xu Long said coldly, "Shen Tong, take over the Eastern Depot's prison and archives. Immediately inventory Wang An's relics and the Eastern Depot's warehouses, focusing on finding all clues related to the relics!"

"Li Song, lead the Imperial Guards to take over the defense of the Eastern Depot, concentrate all Eastern Depot agents under guard, and investigate them one by one. Anyone who conceals information will be treated as a traitor!"

"Your subordinates obey!" Shen Tong and Li Song replied in unison, and immediately led their men to take action separately.

The imperial guards, like wolves and tigers, poured into the various rooms of the Eastern Depot, taking over defenses, inventorying files, and guarding the agents. The entire Eastern Depot was instantly brought under the complete control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
-
At this time, in a dilapidated temple dozens of miles away from the capital.

Chen Zhan had regained his human form and was caressing the Buddha relic in his hand.

Wang An did not possess another relic, which is normal. Wang An is not him and cannot draw upon the power of the relic at any time. Even if he obtained the method to activate the relic, he would have to find a secluded place and study it carefully before daring to use it.

Therefore, the relics were most likely placed in a hidden place by the king.

The relic in Chen Zhan's hand was originally a bright white color with blood vessels flowing inside, but now that several people have extracted its power, it has changed its appearance.

Its entire body is blood red.

The reason it was originally a bright white color is because its vital energy and essence were sealed away.

Now the relic has been completely unsealed, and Chen Zhan extracted more than half of its vital essence and blood. The Soul-Slaying Dharma King also mastered the method and used about one-fifth of it at that time.

Now, only one-third of the essence remains in this relic.

It's enough to extend an average person's life by about five years.

However, this essence can only be digested by combining it with a certain cultivation method; those who have never cultivated will immediately explode and die if they try to absorb it.

The windows of the dilapidated temple were long since rotten, and the cold wind, sharp as a knife, swept in the night dew and poured into the hall.

He sat cross-legged in front of the dilapidated shrine, the Buddha relic in his palm was blood red, and its warm touch seeped into his body through his skin, subtly echoing the blood and qi flowing around him.

He had been waiting quietly in this dilapidated temple for two days since the night he killed Wang An at Yunqi Mountain.

Han Tiange and his group still haven't arrived.

Perhaps he's run into trouble, but the world is vast, and Chen Zhan has no way to go out and look for it, nor does he want to.

Looking up at the night outside the temple, the distant mountains were as dark as ink, and the stars were sparse. I had already made up my mind that if I could not wait for anyone tonight, I would give up.

Although he had promised Han Tiange some things, he couldn't wait indefinitely.

A cold wind howled past, carrying the chill of the mountains and forests, but Chen Zhan was completely unaware.

The blood and qi within his body flowed like a surging river, ceaselessly circulating day and night. This not only healed the minor internal injuries he sustained during his fight with Wang An that day, but also gave him a new understanding of his own martial arts.

He closed his eyes, and the image of him transforming into the true form of Taotie appeared in his mind that day.

The feeling was both strange and familiar, as if an ancient ferocious beast was lurking within me, waiting for my blood and energy to be activated so that it could burst forth.

"The path of Qi and Blood Martial Arts has ultimately led to an inhuman path."

Chen Zhan muttered to himself, his tone tinged with helplessness.

Although the human body is exquisite, it has natural limitations and cannot withstand such a massive and overwhelming impact of qi and blood.

The path of Qi and Blood Martial Arts seems to have been predetermined in its evolutionary direction, naturally branching into two paths.

One approach is the "Dragon and Snake Blood Armor," which externalizes blood and qi, condensing it into something resembling a mecha or exoskeleton. Shaped by red mist and protected by scales, it neither alters the human form nor diminishes the power of blood and qi, thus amplifying both offense and defense. It's like donning an indestructible armor over the body, providing external support and enhancement that is flexible, versatile, and capable of both offense and defense.

The other path is the evolutionary direction of "Taowu's True Form," which involves completely unleashing the wildness of its blood and transforming into the form of an ancient ferocious beast.

His body swelled, his form mutated, and his strength, speed, and explosiveness were all enhanced to the extreme. It was as if he had reverted to his ancestral beast form, crushing everything in the most primitive and domineering way.

In this state, qi and blood are completely integrated with the physical body, making offense and defense more pure.

There is only one drawback.
I'm not human anymore.

From his current perspective, the potential of the "Dragon and Snake Blood Armor" is not high. The blood and qi are concentrated on the outside, which will waste a lot of energy. Moreover, he can't think of a way to take it a step further at the moment.

The "Taowu True Form" is much simpler, continuously improving Qi and blood, and deepening the return to one's ancestral roots.

The four ancient ferocious beasts were not limited to this level of power.

With a thought, Chen Zhan raised his hand and a wisp of light red blood energy swirled around his fingertip, instantly condensing into tiny dragon and snake phantoms, and then instantly transforming into miniature Taotie claws and fangs.

The two forms of Qi and blood flowed and switched between the fingertips without any stagnation.

The wind outside the temple grew stronger, and the night grew darker.

As Chen Zhan closed his eyes in deep thought, he suddenly caught a faint sound of footsteps carried by the wind, mixed with indistinct conversation.

"There's a temple ahead, let's go in and rest for a bit." A rough, hoarse voice sounded, tinged with weariness. "The Holy Maiden told us to find that woman. We've searched the capital for so long, covering such a vast area, how can we find her so easily?"

"Who says it isn't?"

Another voice chimed in, its tone full of complaint: "Besides, that woman isn't stupid. Why would she just wait there? Everyone at Guangyuan Temple who's reached the Xuan Realm is dead. Who would dare to provoke such trouble now?"

As the voices drew closer, accompanied by heavy footsteps, three weary figures appeared at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.

All three were dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with curved swords at their waists. Their faces bore the marks of a long journey, and their eyes scanned the temple with wary intent.

The dilapidated temple was already in ruins and not very big. The shrine was crumbling, and the ground was covered with dust and broken tiles. You could see the whole thing at a glance.

The three carefully checked every corner, confirming that there were no signs of hiding or human presence. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief, find a clean rock to sit on, and unload their packs, taking out their rations and water pouches to replenish their strength.

"Speaking of which, the lightness skill that woman used should be a lower-level technique from the Holy Scripture. No wonder she was able to escape from the Holy Maiden," one of them said, taking a bite of his biscuit and speaking indistinctly.

"As the Soul-Slaying Dharma King mentioned yesterday, there was a masked man next to that woman at the time. His martial arts skills were ridiculously high, and he was able to fight Qiongqi Demon head-on without being at a disadvantage."

"The masked man?" Another person raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "Could it be that the masked man who killed Wang An of the Eastern Depot? After all, there were only a few of them at Guangyuan Temple at the time."

“That’s impossible!” the third person immediately retorted, his tone certain.

"If someone in the Persian Holy Church could kill a Transcendent Realm expert, would they need to hide here and there? Even the Holy Maiden wouldn't dare say she could definitely deal with a Transcendent Realm expert."

“That’s true.” The man nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter.

The three of them chatted away, completely unaware that a figure was standing quietly in the shadow of a dilapidated shrine not far behind them.

Chen Zhan had already opened his eyes, and his qi and blood quietly receded, merging into the shadows, as if becoming one with the night.

Han Tiange once said that in the Holy Sect, the Sect Leader is the most revered, followed by the Holy Maiden, and then the Left and Right Envoys and the Dharma Kings, who are of the same rank.

On that day, a group of agents from the Eastern Depot led the Soul-Slaying Dharma King and his companion away, and Chen Zhan did not stop them.

It seems there was a mishap on the way.

Han Tiange almost got arrested.

Chen Zhan felt somewhat helpless; the Persian Holy Church was simply too weak.

If it weren't for the way the Nanyang Holy Church operates, which he really dislikes, he would almost consider cooperating with them.

Chen Zhan pondered for a while and decided not to intervene. His encounter with Han Tiange and the others was purely by chance, and it could be considered a transaction at most. He had already done more than enough by saving them a few times.

If it's right in front of us, it wouldn't hurt to help.

But the thought of secretly following them and investigating everywhere made me reluctant to do so.

Chen Zhan quietly left behind the shrine and, under the cover of night, quickly entered the capital.

In the capital city, there is the Yuanlai Inn.

After parting ways with Chen Zhan outside the town, Ding Baiying and the others returned to the capital to make further plans, and stayed at an inn.

This inn is owned by the Second Prince of the current dynasty.

The Second Prince was the third son of the Wanli Emperor. Because his second son died young, he became the second-ranking prince in reality.

Moreover, the Second Prince's birth mother, Consort Zheng, was Emperor Wanli's most beloved concubine. Because she gave birth to Zhu Changxun, she was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, second only to the Empress.

Emperor Wanli once intended to make him crown prince, which would have violated the ancestral rule of "establishing the eldest son of the legitimate wife as heir." However, due to the strong opposition of the court officials and the intervention of Empress Dowager Cixi, he finally made his eldest son Zhu Changluo crown prince and enfeoffed Zhu Changxun as Prince of Fu.

(End of this chapter)