Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

Outside the capital city of Qian, golden lightning danced wildly in the air like a giant python.

The fifth-order "Nine Heavens Profound Thunder Protector Array," personally set up by the founding emperor of the Great Yuan Dynasty, is currently absorbing the earth's spiritual energy accumulated over thousands of years by the Great Yuan Dynasty at an almost visible speed.

Nine golden thunder dragons, each hundreds of feet long, roamed across the light screen, their roars deafening, completely protecting the capital city.

The stench of blood from the destruction of Dayuan City had not yet dissipated, and the severed limbs of 100,000 Xuanjia soldiers on the plains outside the capital silently testified to the previous carnage.

On the deck of the warship, several Golden Core elders of the Divine Sword Sect looked solemn.

"Supreme Elder," a living elder beside Grand Elder Zhao Wuji whispered, "this Nine Heavens Profound Thunder Formation has triggered the thunder veins beneath Qianjing, its power comparable to a fifth-order formation. If we force an attack on the city, even with fourteen Heavenly Demon Great Fiends clearing the way, we sect disciples and the scattered cultivators we've gathered will likely suffer heavy casualties."

Chu Chang stood at the bow of the boat, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Broken Dust Ancient Sword.

He could sense that this fifth-tier grand formation was not only defending against external enemies, but also subtly suppressing the restless ancient aura deep beneath the palace—the aura belonging to the relics of an ancient sword immortal. At this moment, the faint fluctuation of the Tongyou stage deep within the palace was at a critical moment of breakthrough, like a blazing sun about to explode.

"Pass down the order: the three armies shall temporarily retreat ten li and set up camp."

Chu Chang spoke calmly, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Surround them without attacking. I want to see how many days the Great Yuan royal family can hold out with this formation that consumes tens of millions of spirit stones."

"yes!"

As Chu Chang issued the order to retreat, the once menacing Divine Sword Sect warships and the countless martial artists scattered across the mountains slowly withdrew, setting up camp on the wasteland and hills ten miles away from Qianjing. Countless bonfires were lit under the night sky, resembling a giant dragon of flames that tightly surrounded Qianjing.

On the city wall, watching Chu Chang retreat, the Yuan Dynasty's imperial guards couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. However, inside the Golden Palace, Qian Yuanzi's face grew even more gloomy.

For the capital of a dynasty, a siege is a more deadly, slow and painful process than a direct attack.

After the news of Chu Chang's temporary retreat of ten miles spread, all the major cultivation sects and families in the Great Yuan Dynasty were completely shaken.

They realized that the fall of the Great Yuan Dynasty was only a matter of time. This young Supreme Deacon of the Divine Sword Sect was incredibly powerful. He not only had a puppet army composed of a peak Purple Mansion cultivator and thirteen Purple Mansion and Golden Core cultivators, but he was also a decisive and ruthless leader.

In an instant, those second- and third-rate sects that had originally been taking a wait-and-see attitude, as well as the various regional cultivation families, all prepared their most precious resources and rushed to Chu Chang's camp overnight.

They did not come to serve the king, but to surrender.

"The Sect Master of the Green Wood Sect presents three stalks of the third-grade spiritual herb, the Nine-Leaf Orchid, and one fourth-grade healing elixir, the Hundred Herbs Blood-Clearing Pill!"

"The Lord of the Fire Valley presents one hundred catties of Earth Fire Essence Gold and three fourth-tier Fire Nine-Turn Pills!"

"The Wanbaoge Great Yuan Branch presents a bottle of fifth-grade fire-attribute earth vein essence and ten top-grade spirit stones!"

In the main camp, the Divine Sword Sect disciple in charge of registering the gifts read until his throat was dry, his eyes filled with wild joy.

These resources, which the major sects usually regard as their lifeblood, are now piled up in the Divine Sword Sect's warehouse like free garbage.

The most precious gift came from Medicine King Valley, the largest secluded alchemy sect in the Great Yuan Dynasty.

The Medicine King, Master Gu Gu, came in person. This alchemy master, who usually treated even Emperor Qian Yuanzi with deference, was now in Chu Chang's tent with an attitude that bordered on obsequious.

"Venerable Chu, this is the Nine Apertures Opening Pill, the treasure of my Medicine King Valley, which has been sealed for three hundred years."

The Valley Master of Medicine King Valley respectfully presented a jade box carved from ten-thousand-year-old warm jade, saying, "This pill is a fifth-tier, initial-stage divine pill, made from the embryos of nine fifth-tier spiritual herbs, supplemented with Dragon Blood Grass, and refined over forty-nine days by three peak Purple Mansion elders of my valley. It has miraculous effects on breaking through the bottleneck of the Tongyou Realm, as well as widening the meridians and condensing magical power. I have heard of your unparalleled divine skills, Venerable One, and have come to offer this as a tribute, only hoping that after the fall of the Great Yuan Dynasty, you will protect the lineage of my Medicine King Valley."

Chu Chang opened the jade box, and in an instant, a rich, almost tangible medicinal fragrance filled the entire tent.

A perfectly round, dark golden pill with nine natural gas pores lay quietly inside, with faint dragon roars emanating from within.

"very good."

Chu Chang's lips curled slightly upward: "I accept the sincerity of Medicine King Valley. As long as Medicine King Valley behaves itself in the future, you will have a place within the Great Yuan Empire."

"Thank you, Venerable One!" The Medicine King Valley Master felt as if he had been granted a pardon and withdrew with profuse thanks.

Chu Chang closed the jade box, a fiery glint in his eyes.

His current cultivation level is at the late stage of the Tongyou (Purple Mansion) realm. Although he can dominate the Great Yuan with the Chaos True Essence and the "Heavenly Demon Puppet Technique", when facing the royal emperor who is about to break through to the Tongyou realm, as well as the unknown ancient ruins, his cultivation level is naturally better the higher it is.

"Everything is ready. Tonight, I will break through to the peak of the Tongyou realm."

…………

…………

…………

Inside the camp, several layers of defensive and isolation formations were set up.

Chu Chang sat cross-legged in the void, surrounded by boxes of top-grade pills, earth vein essences, and mountains of spirit stones presented by various sects.

"swallow."

Chu Chang opened his mouth and inhaled.

boom!

The fifth-tier "Nine Apertures Opening Pill" instantly transformed into a blazing golden dragon, flowing into his mouth.

At the same time, the mountains of top-grade spirit stones and spirit marrow around them exploded under the pull of the chaotic true essence, turning into an extremely pure spiritual energy storm that frantically poured into Chu Chang's body.

[The Chaos Creation Technique, activate!]

Within Chu Chang's dantian, the gray chaotic divine furnace spun wildly.

The violent medicinal power of the Nine Apertures Opening Pill attempted to run rampant the moment it entered his meridians, but under the powerful suppression of the Chaos True Essence, it was instantly assimilated and tamed, transforming into the purest gray energy.

Crackling sounds!

Chu Chang's bones, flesh, and meridians emitted crisp sounds under the baptism of this enormous energy.

His meridians were forcibly expanded several times over, and the gray mist in his dantian gradually condensed, eventually turning into a viscous liquid like mercury.

That's a precursor to the transformation of the primordial chaos essence from a gaseous state to a liquid state or even a solid state!

Late stage of the Profound Realm...

Peak of the late stage of the Profound Realm...

The Great Perfection of the Profound Realm!!!

The void around Chu Chang's body began to distort slightly as it could not withstand the pressure.

The Chaos Divine Seal between his brows shone with dazzling light. What was originally just the outline of a broken sword became much clearer at this moment, faintly revealing the supreme sharpness of an ancient sword cultivator.

However, Chu Chang did not stop.

He used his divine power to squeeze the medicinal effects and the surrounding spiritual energy to their limit, repeatedly assaulting the barrier that represented the "Peak of the Netherworld Realm".

Click.

It was as if the crisp sound of porcelain cracking echoed in my mind.

Boom!

A terrifying gray wave of energy suddenly spread out from Chu Chang's center. If it weren't for the great formation blocking it, this attack would have been enough to flatten the mountains within a radius of several miles.

Chu Chang slowly opened his eyes, and in the depths of his eyes, a scene of stars being destroyed and chaos being created flashed by.

The Peak of the Profound Realm!

At this moment, the true essence within him was more than ten times stronger than that of ordinary cultivators of the same level. Even without the aid of puppets, he was confident that he could single-handedly kill a peak Purple Mansion cultivator, and even fight head-on against a half-step Netherworld expert!

"The Great Yuan royal family, your trump cards are utterly insignificant in my eyes."

Chu Chang felt the surging power within his body and muttered to himself in a cold voice.

…………

…………

It was late at night, and the night air was cool and still.

In the wilderness camp, apart from the rogue cultivators and disciples of the Divine Sword Sect who were responsible for patrolling, most people were meditating and cultivating.

Suddenly, several faint, almost imperceptible ripples appeared in the void above the camp.

Five eerie figures, dressed in tight black clothes, with no spiritual energy fluctuations, and whose heartbeats and body temperatures were completely erased by a secret technique, silently passed through the warning array surrounding the camp.

The "Shadow Guards," assassins of the Yuan Dynasty's royal family.

These five individuals were all at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm, practicing the most cruel "Shadow Transformation Demon Art" of the Great Yuan royal family. By stripping away their life force and soul, they transformed into intangible shadows, skilled in delivering a fatal blow. After paying a heavy price, Emperor Qian Yuanzi of the Great Yuan finally used this trump card, which he rarely employed, attempting to relieve the siege of Qianjing by assassinating Chu Chang.

Five dark figures moved swiftly through the shadows of the tents, without making a sound.

A moment later, they arrived outside Chu Chang's central command tent.

The leader of the Shadow Guards gave a signal with his hand. The five of them simultaneously circulated the last of their death energy, pushing the "God-Breaking Cones" in their hands to their limits. These God-Breaking Cones were forged from extreme northern cold iron and tempered with potent poison, specifically designed to pierce a cultivator's protective true essence and soul.

"kill!"

There was no roaring, no unnecessary movements.

boom!

Almost simultaneously, the five tore through the tent, transforming into five black lightning bolts that pierced Chu Chang, who was sitting in the center of the tent, from five different tricky angles.

The five God-Slaying Cones gleamed with an eerie, ghostly green light in the night, instantly blocking all of Chu Chang's escape routes!

"We succeeded!"

A hint of joy flashed in the Shadow Guard leader's eyes. The enemy had been careless; they hadn't even assigned those fourteen puppets to provide close protection.

However, when their God-Piercing Cone was only an inch away from Chu Chang's throat and dantian, it could not advance any further.

A large gray hand materialized out of thin air, like a giant steel clamp, firmly fixing the five people and their magical artifacts in mid-air.

Chu Chang remained seated cross-legged, without even opening his eyes.

"The technique of creating shadows is indeed quite sophisticated."

Chu Chang spoke calmly, his voice carrying supreme authority: "But if the Great Yuan Emperor wants to assassinate me, he is underestimating me."

"Damn it! Retreat!"

The leader of the Shadow Guards was terrified and attempted to use his demonic powers to transform into a shadow and escape.

However, to his horror, he discovered that the surrounding void seemed to have solidified into pig iron at this moment, and the chaotic true essence within his body became extremely difficult to circulate under the terrifying pressure of Chu Chang's realm.

This is... the absolute domain of the peak of the Profound Realm!

"Since you're here, stay."

Chu Chang opened his eyes and flicked his finger.

Five streaks of gray chaotic flame shot out and instantly landed on the five Shadow Guards.

"Aaaaaah!"

A piercing scream finally rang out in the silent night sky. The gray flames, like a malignant sore, were not only burning their flesh but also frantically devouring their vital essence and soul.

Chu Chang slapped the Shadow Guard leader on the head.

[Heavenly Demon Soul Searching Technique!]

A flood of fragmented memories surged into Chu Chang's mind. A moment later, Chu Chang withdrew his hand, while the leader, in despair, turned into a wisp of black smoke, his soul and spirit annihilated.

From the leader's memories, Chu Chang obtained two extremely important pieces of information.

First, the retired emperor has indeed reached a critical period for breaking through to the Tongyou realm, and it is expected that he will break through the barrier by the morning of the day after tomorrow at the latest.

Secondly, Emperor Qian Yuanzi of the Great Yuan Dynasty has secretly contacted the "Ten Thousand Swords Mountain," a fourth-grade sect located in the Tianqian Domain, which is a larger force behind the Great Yuan City. He is trying to lure the wolf into the house by giving up the underground ruins in exchange for Ten Thousand Swords Mountain killing Chu Chang.

"Wan Jian Shan Yao..."

Chu Chang stood up and dusted off his sleeves.

"You've got quite an appetite. It's just a pity you won't have the chance."

He stepped out of the tent. The sky was dotted with stars, and the distant capital city of Qianjing looked like a giant prison in the lightning.

"Lin Wuwen, gather everyone."

Chu Chang looked at the golden array light screen and coldly gave the order:

"No need to wait until the day after tomorrow. Order the army to breach the city and annihilate the Yuan dynasty at dawn tomorrow!"