I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

"The Imperial City? This... Junior Brother Zhou, the Seven Sects have an unwritten rule that no disciple of any of the Seven Sects is allowed to set foot in the Imperial City!"

Zhong Weiniang nodded in agreement: "Yes, Junior Brother Zhou, this is to prevent any faction from taking the royal family hostage and disrupting the balance among the seven factions. For hundreds of years, no disciple from any of the seven factions has ever set foot in the imperial city. Trespassing in the imperial city, regardless of the reason, will be difficult to explain to the sect if discovered. At best, they will be punished; at worst..."

This is an unspoken rule in the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom: the imperial city is a symbol of mortal imperial power and a buffer zone for the balance of the seven factions.

Unless the royal family actively provokes the seven factions, the seven factions basically let them do as they please and will never actively interfere in their internal affairs.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jing frowned.

But the sense of "justice" and "responsibility" in his eyes was even more intense.

He abruptly flicked his sleeve, his voice resounding and powerful, filled with unwavering determination:

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible! Fellow disciples, the evil cult is now hiding in the capital, harming living beings and causing great harm!"

Eradicating cults and protecting our fellow practitioners is the inescapable duty of us cultivators!

"How can we stand idly by and watch evil run rampant because of a mere old rule? If we violate the sect's rules by eradicating the cult and incur punishment, I, Liu Jing, will bear all the consequences!"

"We will absolutely not allow any of you to be implicated in this!"

His words were spoken with righteous indignation and resounding conviction, and coupled with his upright and unyielding expression, they exuded a sense of self-assurance.

Zhou Yuan chuckled inwardly.

His face immediately showed admiration, and he cupped his hands in respect, saying, "Senior Brother Liu is truly righteous!"

"To eradicate cults, they risked their lives; they are truly role models for us all! I admire them, junior brother!"

"In that case, let us join our senior brother in completely eradicating this scourge!"

Han Li remained silent, his gaze shifting slightly between Liu Jing and Zhou Yuan.

Inspired by Liu Jing's imposing manner and seeing Zhou Yuan's support, Song Meng and Zhong Weiniang, considering the dangers of cults, had their concerns greatly reduced and nodded in agreement.

"There's no time to lose!"

"Now that we've identified our target, to avoid any unforeseen complications, let's act tonight!"

Liu Jing acted swiftly and decisively, immediately setting the tone.

After making some preparations, the group took advantage of the night to quietly leave the Qin residence and sneak towards the brightly lit and heavily guarded imperial city area in the northern district of Yuejing.

Before long, the towering palace walls came into view, with imperial guards patrolling atop them, but to Foundation Establishment cultivators, they were practically useless.

As the 'leader,' Liu Jing took the lead in using his flying artifact, rising from the ground and silently crossing the palace wall, which was several meters high.

Zhou Yuan, Han Li, Song Meng, and Zhong Weiniang followed closely behind, like ghosts in the night, easily entering this forbidden mortal land.

Inside the palace, there were many halls and corridors. Liu Jing hovered in mid-air, solemnly lowering his voice to confirm with everyone again.

"Gentlemen, as we agreed beforehand, this operation will be divided into two groups..."

We must act swiftly and decisively, simultaneously, catching the enemy off guard!

"Your mission is to lead Junior Brother Han Li and Junior Sister Zhong straight to the palace of the current Emperor of Yue! Your primary task is to safely rescue the Emperor from any possible control or hostage situation by the Black Fiend Sect!"

Only in this way can we prevent the Black Fiend Cult from resorting to desperate measures, such as threatening the Emperor's life to blackmail us, or causing even greater turmoil in the mortal world!

"The other group will be led by me personally, accompanied by Junior Brother Song Meng and Junior Brother Zhou Yuan. We'll strike straight at the heart of the Black Fiend Cult, heading straight for its lair! According to the clues Junior Brother Zhou has gathered, its hideout is likely located in the Cold Palace west of the Imperial Palace or somewhere in an underground passage. We'll be responsible for a frontal assault, killing or capturing the Black Fiend Cult Leader and his core followers, and completely destroying this cult!"

Liu Jing's plan sounded reasonable, with a clear division of labor.

Han Li and Zhong Weiniang exchanged a glance and had no objection.

Zhou Yuan knew perfectly well that the true Black Fiend Cult Leader was Emperor Yue himself, and the current Black Fiend Cult Leader was merely an avatar condensed by Emperor Yue through his cultivation of a secret technique.

But he couldn't point it out at that moment.

Because they cannot explain how they know so much detail.

We can only take it one step at a time!

"Did you all understand?"

Liu Jing's gaze swept over the crowd.

"Understood!" the crowd responded in unison.

"Alright! Let's move out!"

Liu Jing said no more, waved his hand, and took the lead in controlling his magical artifact, transforming into a dim stream of light, carrying Song Meng and Zhou Yuan. They quietly flew towards the palace complex on the west side of the imperial palace. (The phrase "I'm in Huangfeng Valley, and I have an equipment slot!" is frequently used to find resonance.)

Han Li glanced in the direction Liu Jing and the other two had left, then looked at Zhong Weiniang, who was eager to try, and whispered, "Senior Sister Zhong, let's set off too. Be careful."

"Yes! Junior Brother Han, be careful too!"

Zhong Weiniang is lively and excited about the mission to "save the emperor".

The two determined their direction and stealthily made their way towards the most magnificent palace in the center of the palace.

The palace under the cover of night.

Like pebbles thrown into a still lake, the two groups of people created ripples, and an operation against the "cult" officially began...

……

Liu Jing took the lead, along with Zhou Yuan and Song Meng. The three figures flew silently like arrows in the night towards the dilapidated and gloomy cold palace area on the west side of the palace.

However, before they could actually land in the Cold Palace courtyard, but had only flown over the Cold Palace, several urgent and sharp whistles immediately came from below!

Clearly, the Black Fiend Cult was not entirely unprepared. The Black Fiend Cult disciples (mostly at the Qi Refining stage) guarding the interior and outer perimeter of the Cold Palace discovered these three uninvited guests.

"Enemy attack! Over there!"

"Use magic!"

Amidst the shouts, dozens of colorful spiritual lights suddenly burst forth from behind the artificial hill, inside the dilapidated hall, and beside the dry well near the Cold Palace!

Fireballs, ice spikes, wind blades, and poison sand, mixed with numerous low-grade but high-quality throwing knives, forks, and bone spikes, rained down on Liu Jing and his companions in the air like a dense swarm of bees!

Although their power is mostly weak, their sheer number and imposing presence are their greatest strengths.

"Hmph! A mere grain of rice dares to rival the moon's brilliance! How presumptuous!"

Liu Jing, who was flying at the forefront, snorted coldly at the sudden attack, his face full of disdain.

He reacted extremely quickly, flicking his right sleeve, and a snow-white silk handkerchief, embroidered with gold thread and shimmering with light, flew out of his hand.

The handkerchief swelled in the wind, instantly transforming into a light barrier several feet in diameter, as thin as a cicada's wing yet emitting a soft white light. It not only protected Liu Jing himself, but also Zhou Yuan and Song Meng who were following closely behind.

Liu Jing was clearly very confident in this defensive artifact.

next moment.

Various spells and low-level magical artifacts rained down on the white light screen!

"Puff puff puff—ding ding ding—!"

A series of muffled thuds and collisions rang out. The white light on the surface of the barrier suddenly brightened, rippling violently like water, yet remaining as steady as a rock, blocking all the attacks!

Even more surprisingly, some purely energy-based spells (such as fireballs and ice spikes) were deflected or even partially reflected back by the soft white light on the light barrier after they came into contact with it!

"what!"

"My legs!"

"Beware of a rebound!"

A chorus of gasps and screams erupted from the area below, the Cold Palace.

Although the reflected spells were halved in power, they still caught many Black Fiend Cult disciples who were hiding in the shadows and shooting arrows at them off guard, leaving them in a sorry state and in disarray.

"Senior Brother Liu, impressive skills!"

Seeing this, Song Meng, who was flying alongside Liu Jing and preparing to make a move, couldn't help but shout a word of praise, his eyes also showing admiration.

The defensive capabilities of this silkworm-shaped magical artifact are indeed extraordinary.

He no longer held back.

He had already grabbed something in his hand and hurled it at the chaotic crowd below!

"go!"

A dazzling blue light burst forth from his hand, instantly expanding into a giant flying sword three or four zhang long, entirely azure blue, with wisps of blue lightning crackling around its blade!

It was the top-tier magic weapon that Song Meng was used to use – the "Blue Silk Sword"!

The giant sword swept across the sky, its power astonishing!

The Black Fiend Sect disciples below, whose movements had just been disrupted by Liu Jing's counterattack, looked up and saw the terrifying blue giant sword, and all of them paled in horror.

However, unexpectedly, the huge blue flying sword did not strike down directly, but hovered in mid-air.

It emitted a clear and melodious sword cry.

Then, just like a giant wheel, it began to spin at high speed on its own!

This bizarre sight startled the Black Fiend Cult disciples below, who were on tenterhooks and preparing to fight to the death, leaving them somewhat at a loss.

A cold, sinister smile appeared on Song Meng's face. He raised his index and middle fingers together and pointed them at the "Blue Silk Sword," which had transformed into a giant blue disc, while uttering a low growl:

"A World of Silk!"