Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

Flanked by her female guards, "Princess Yuzhen" Qii Wanyan headed toward Yangxin Hall.

"Halt!"

An armored Imperial Guard commander, weapon in hand, led his men to block their path.

"Daoist Yuzhen."

"By order of His Majesty, no one is to approach Yangxin Hall without a decree. This includes princes and princesses."

"Wan Liang," Qii Wanyan said solemnly.

"I have obtained a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, which can extend one’s life and cure all ailments. Do you intend to stop me from saving my Father Emperor?"

"You worry too much, Daoist," the Imperial Guard commander said, shaking his head.

"I am merely following orders. Besides, all medicine has its risks. Since you have acquired this Spiritual Medicine, Daoist, why not hand it over to the Imperial Hospital? Let the Imperial Physicians verify its effects before presenting it to His Majesty. That would be the safest course of action."

"Insolent!" Qii Wanyan roared.

"My Father Emperor is gravely ill, and the situation is critical. How can there be time for delays?"

"If you cause a delay in my Father Emperor’s treatment, it is a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of your clan! Now, step aside and let me in."

With that, she tried to force her way through.

"My apologies." The Imperial Guard commander’s expression was cold and stern as he stretched out both arms, blocking her path resolutely.

"I am just following orders. Please don’t make this difficult, Daoist, or I will be forced to commit an offense against a superior!"

Even now, he still addressed her as ’Daoist,’ an obvious reminder of her status.

You are already a renunciant, no longer an Imperial Princess.

"Wan Liang!"

Qii Wanyan’s pretty face was ice-cold.

"Do you have any idea what you’re doing?"

"My Father Emperor is gravely ill, yet you forbid anyone from visiting, isolating him from all news. Are you trying to trap a dragon?"

"No!" The Imperial Guard commander’s face changed drastically.

"I am only following orders."

"Following orders?" Qii Wanyan snorted coldly.

"Everyone knows the state of my Father Emperor’s health. The Crown Prince is locked in the Celestial Prison, and the Third Prince is away suppressing bandits. This should be the time to summon the officials and decree his final will, yet you are the one preventing anyone from getting close. Your intentions are treasonous!"

"Furthermore..."

"If no one else is allowed in, why was Princess Consort Yii able to enter last night?"

"Speak!"

"Are you forging an imperial decree?"

"I’ve been wronged!" Sweat beaded on the Imperial Guard commander’s forehead as he repeated,

"I am just following orders."

’He knew the Seventh Princess was difficult to deal with, but in the past, she was merely arrogant. Why is she so sharp-tongued today? Moreover, her gaze seems to possess a special, magical power that can see into one’s heart, making it impossible to meet her eyes.’

"Step aside!"

"I can’t!"

"SHING!"

The guards on both sides drew their blades. Instantly, the two groups faced off, the tension ready to snap.

"SHUFFLE SHUFFLE..."

Just then, troops began to arrive one after another. Some stood with the Seventh Princess, Qii Wanyan, while others sided with the Imperial Guard.

As more and more people gathered, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

* * *

「Meanwhile.」

A dozen or so figures silently infiltrated the Forbidden Palace.

The real Qii Wanyan moved like a phantom, landing without a sound. Her ears twitched slightly as she cast a satisfied glance behind her.

’Well done!’

’She actually managed to draw away so many of the Imperial Guard. It seems letting Li Ningxue impersonate me was the right choice.’

"Your Highness."

A eunuch whispered,

"This way."

"Be careful. Some of the Imperial Guard and Dark Guards will not have left their posts. We must not alert them."

"Mm," Qii Wanyan nodded.

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Zhou."

"Your Highness is too kind," Eunuch Zhou said, shaking his head.

"This old slave owes his life to you, Your Highness. When I entered the palace, I swore that I would be willing to go through fire and water for you."

"Shh..."

"Someone’s coming."

"It’s one of ours." Qii Wanyan’s beautiful eyes flashed as she stepped out from the darkness and called out to the newcomer,

"General Liu."

"Your Highness." Liu Shao, the newly appointed Commander of the Imperial Guard, sheathed his weapon and knelt on one knee.

"This subordinate pays his respects to Your Highness."

Eunuch Zhou looked on in surprise. He never would have thought that General Liu, who had been gaining so much prominence recently, was actually one of the Seventh Princess’s people.

"Rise." Qii Wanyan made a lifting gesture with one hand.

"Take me to see my Father Emperor."

"Yes." Liu Shao acknowledged, rising to his feet and adding a warning,

"Your Highness, the closer we get to Yangxin Hall, the more Dark Guards there are. We won’t be able to stay hidden for long. You must be prepared."

"I know," Qii Wanyan said with a calm smile.

"I only came today to see my Father Emperor. Surely such a small matter won’t cause a huge commotion, will it?"

Liu Shao shook his head.

Right now, anyone approaching Emperor Chong’an would cause an uproar, let alone the Seventh Princess, who was plotting for the legitimate line of succession.

As soon as word got out, there would definitely be people who couldn’t tolerate it.

*

*

*

「Deep within the Imperial Palace.」

An old man with a wrinkled face, clad in a gray robe, slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon Yangxin Hall from a distance.

"Qii Wanyan..."

"How can a woman be the Emperor?"

"And why not?" someone else replied.

"A previous dynasty had a female Emperor. Though her methods were ruthless, one has to admit she did a fine job during her reign."

"There are few under the heavens who can infiltrate this place so silently." The old man turned slowly, his turbid eyes landing on the newcomer.

"You are Ouyang Chengxuan, the Sect Leader of this generation’s Celestial Intent Sect?"

"I am." A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar strolled out from the darkness, clasping his fist in his palm in a salute.

"Senior, I have long heard of your great name. We finally meet."

"Senior?" The old man’s eyes looked dazed.

"I had forgotten. I have already lived for more than one hundred and sixty years. I fear there is no one left in this world of my generation."

"I’ve grown old..."

"So old I’ve forgotten my own name, but I have never for a moment forgotten that the Royal Family’s surname is Qii."

"The Seventh Princess is also named Qii," the Celestial Intent Sect’s Leader, Ouyang Chengxuan, said, strolling closer.

"Why can’t she be the Emperor?"

"A woman must eventually marry," the old man said, shaking his head.

"A married daughter is like spilt water. The next generation might not bear the name Qii, and that would violate the clan rules."

"Besides..."

"The Celestial Intent Sect has always sought to undermine my Daqi Dynasty. Your presence here proves you’ve thrown in your lot together. I naturally cannot allow her to succeed."

"The older one gets, the more stubborn," Ouyang Chengxuan sighed.

"I, for one, think Qii Wanyan is quite excellent. Not only can she be the Emperor of Daqi, but she can also be the Sect Leader of the Celestial Intent Sect."

"Hm?" Hearing this, the old man’s expression grew even more grim.

"Qii Wanyan is the Demon Sect Saintess?"

"Then it is even more out of the question!"

Shaking his head, his figure suddenly vanished from the spot, reappearing in front of Ouyang Chengxuan in the next instant.

His five skeletal fingers clenched into a fist and smashed forward violently.

"BOOM!"

An explosion tore through the empty air.

The mere aftershock from the stirred air caused the entire hall to tremble violently, sending dust raining down.

Ouyang Chengxuan’s body shattered into countless fragments.

’Fragments?’

The old man’s eyes looked dazed for a moment, then filled with understanding.

"Celestial Demon Illusion Body Technique."

"Correct."

Ouyang Chengxuan’s figure appeared behind him, his expression grave.

"Senior’s Nine Dragon Tyrant Fist is truly extraordinary. The Tyrant Fist user from the Lingnan Yuee Family is like a child before you."

"I’m starting to regret taking this job."

As a fellow Sumeru Realm expert, he had originally thought that even if he couldn’t defeat this old monster of the Qii Family hidden deep within the palace, the gap between them wouldn’t be that large.

But Ouyang Chengxuan had clearly underestimated the accumulation of over a hundred years of his opponent’s cultivation.

The key was...

Fist Intent!

The old man’s Fist Intent seemed to be connected to the Qi of the entire Imperial Palace’s Earth Vein. His every move carried an extremely terrifying might.

’If that fist were to land on me... even a Sumeru Realm expert would be unable to withstand it.’

’Fortunately, this old monster has likely lived for too long. His reactions are slow, and his awareness is sluggish, as if he’s gone senile.’

"Come!"

"Let me see which is stronger: the Celestial Intent Technique of the previous dynasty’s Royal Family, or your Qii Family’s True Martial Scripture."

"SWOOSH!"

Streaks of light flickered, and afterimages multiplied.

In an instant.

Ouyang Chengxuan split into more than ten afterimages, each one executing a profound Martial Skill as they all rushed toward the old man in the center.

"BOOM!"

The roar of the collision echoed throughout the entire Imperial Palace.

* * *

「Great Compassion Temple.」

A clean-shaven Monk with a pale face suddenly opened his eyes, softly chanted a Buddhist mantra, and rose into the air.

A faint golden light streaked across the void, heading straight for the Imperial Palace.

Just as he neared the Imperial Palace, the Monk abruptly stopped. Golden light enveloped his body as he looked up.

"Xuan Chengzi?"

"It is I."

An old man wearing a Daoist Robe with a longsword on his back descended from the sky, calmly blocking his path.

"Master Yixing, you and I are both people of the cloth. Why must you involve yourself in worldly affairs?"

Xuan Chengzi of Tianwen Mountain.

He was one of the top three figures in the Daoist Sect today. He had attained the Sumeru Realm decades ago, and his longsword was invincible.

And the Monk Yixing was the most talented monk from Dachan Temple in a hundred years. He had not yet reached sixty years of age, but had already attained the Sumeru Realm.

Both were top-tier experts in the current era. Their meeting here was clearly not by chance.

"Amitabha Buddha." Yixing placed his palms together.

"If you were truly free of worldly attachments, Daoist, why would you stop this humble monk? The conflict between Daoism and Buddhism is, in the end, unavoidable."

Compared to Xuan Chengzi, he was still ’young,’ so calling himself a humble monk was not an exaggeration.

"Wrong!" Xuan Chengzi shook his head.

"Monk, the Daoist Family seeks freedom and speaks of destiny; we have little interest in universal salvation."

"I came here only because I owe that girl, Qii Wanyan, a favor. You, on the other hand, are driven by attachment."

"Attachment?" Yixing smiled faintly.

"I prefer to call it a great vow."

"Attachment, great vow, it matters not." Xuan Chengzi sighed and slowly drew his longsword.

"Today, allow me to witness the skill of Dachan Temple’s most outstanding High Monk of this generation."

"Amitabha Buddha." Yixing lowered his head as the golden light around him intensified, eventually forming a golden Buddha.

The Buddha’s eyes were wide with fury, appearing as the Venerable of Angry. It clenched its five fingers into a fist and punched toward Xuan Chengzi.

Martial Arts Will!

The will of a flesh-and-blood body solidifying from the ethereal to manifest a martial divine image—this was an ability unique to the Sumeru Realm.

It could also be called ’Divine Techniques’.

"VZZZ..."

The longsword in Xuan Chengzi’s hand rang out, letting out a sharp sword hum. Then, a flash of Sword Light tore through the sky.

The night seemed to blaze with sudden, brilliant light.

* * *

"Kill!"

"Protect the Emperor!"

"Rebellious subjects and traitors, kill them all!"

"..."

Not far from Yangxin Hall, groups of Imperial Guards and Inner Guards were locked in a bloody struggle, making it impossible to tell friend from foe.

"Get out of my way!"

"BANG!"

A barely visible shadow flashed past, and several figures were sent flying.

The eunuch Qu Shang’s face was grim. He knocked aside those who blocked him and sped toward Yangxin Hall at an astonishing pace, his Cultivation, hidden for many years, erupting without restraint.

"SWISH!"

Suddenly, his vision went dark as a person blocked his path.

"Eunuch Qu, why are you in such a hurry?"

"You are..." As one of the head eunuchs who also commanded certain special Inner Guards, Qu Shang was extremely well-informed and recognized the person in an instant.

"Daoist Ziju of Baiyun Temple!"

"The very same," Zhu Ju said with a faint smile.

"I am surprised that Eunuch Qu has heard of me."

"Hmph..."

He raised an eyebrow, a divine light flaring in his eyes. The Soul-Stabilizing and Soul-Slaying Divine Light shot out, foiling the other’s plan to bypass him.

"Eunuch Qu, you are the host here. Is it not a bit rude to be in such a hurry to leave when a guest has arrived?"

Zhu Ju spoke slowly and unhurriedly, but warning bells were already ringing in his heart. He could sense a dangerous aura from his opponent, which meant the man was extremely powerful.

’No wonder!’

’No wonder Qii Wanyan asked me to intercept him.’

In the void.

Invisible Qi Forces collided, and their Martial Arts Wills clashed from a distance. Locked by each other’s auras, neither could easily escape.

"It seems the Seventh Princess refuses to give up, after all." Eunuch Qu took a deep breath, his eyes bursting with intense killing intent.

"If you want to stop me, let’s see if you have what it takes!"

Vajra!

The Imperial Palace was full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.

Yet very few people knew that Eunuch Qu Shang, a man famous for his literary pursuits, was actually a Vajra Realm Martial Saint.

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