Chengmingâs face darkened, but his tone remained calm, "He is still who he is. I should have realized long ago. If he could do it the first time, he could do it the second. To him, if he wasnât the one to open the path for the Imperial Dynasty, succeeding doesnât matter. Heâs always been like this, always."
Ye Yixian asked anxiously, "Great Venerable, what should we do, what are we going to do?"
Ye Chuxuanâs figure loomed larger and larger in his mind. It was as if no matter what he did, he would ultimately fall before that silhouette.
Chengming looked at Ye Yixianâs bewildered and terrified demeanor, and scolded him angrily, "Pull yourself together!"
The voice roared like thunder into Ye Yixianâs mind, causing him to shiver all over and snap back to reality.
Chengming said, "There is still a way. The Imperial Gate is still in construction; we can still stop it." He looked towards the direction of the Li Palace.
Ji Wenruiâs eyes widened, "What are you going to do!"
"Iâm going to stop Ye Chuxuan. You all find a wayâ" Before he finished speaking, suddenly, a massive aura surged from the north of Celestial Balance Upper City. This aura shot into the sky, then disappeared.
Chengming moved swiftly, disappearing from where he stood and soon returned with a woman.
It was Zhao Qi.
Chengming demanded, "What happened in the Soul-Devouring Abyssal Prison!"
Zhao Qi was petrified with fear, her eyes covered with terror, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Infuriated, Chengmingâs spirit flooded directly into her Purple Mansion, but immediately he frowned. This womanâs soul was extremely filthy, not knowing how many people she had been with. He endured this filth and read through the events in the Soul-Devouring Abyssal Prison.
Then, his pupils shrank suddenly, "The Soul-Devouring Abyssal Prison...was devoured by the void?"
"What!" Ji Wenrui and Ye Yixian were astounded. They knew well that Fan Wubing was still inside and hadnât come out.
Misfortune never comes singly.
Hundreds of people rode on the surging force, sweeping in from afar, surrounding the entire Little Li Palace. Li Jin stepped out into the air, announcing, "By decree of Your Majesty, I am here to capture the three most wicked accomplices Fan Wubing, Li Ying, and Chengming!"
After speaking, he offered no explanation and gave the order, "Go!"
The Dragon Guard surged forward.
Ji Wenrui shouted, "Who dares! This is the Little Li Palace!"
Li Jinâs expression remained unchanged, "Those who resist will be executed without mercy."
Ji Wenrui was furious, "Have we completely torn the facade? Li Jin! Do you dare claim this is the decree of Your Majesty?" He could hardly believe that His Majesty would issue such a decree. The discord between the Great Li palaces was unprecedented and shocking in the history of the Great Li.
Li Jin repeated once more, "Those who resist will be executed without mercy!"
Ji Wenrui was boiling with rage, and immediately prepared to unleash a killing move. Ye Yixian stood in front of him, calmly looking at Li Jin, "You want to control me, right? Fine, Iâll go with you. Letâs not escalate this." He least wished for a bloody incident.
If that indeed happened, all they had worked for would be in vain.
Li Jin looked at Chengming, the latterâs gaze was as sharp as a sword, causing him to involuntarily shiver. Even when Chengming was confined in Shilong Lane and couldnât use his Dao, he wasnât an opponent even for a single move, let alone outside. Yet he still strongly insisted, "Great Venerable, please come with us."
Chengming seemed absorbed in thought, then, after a moment, he said with a determined gaze, "Alright!"
...
"Where is this place..."
Li Ying gazed at the vast starlit sky that was almost suffocating. The dense stars revolved in the firmament, tracing long arcs. Their every trajectory, every movement, together constituted the Circulation Dao. This endless great spiral, so magnificent, so enrapturing.
Suddenly, she saw a giant dragon, its whole body scarred, carrying the weight of Great Li, challenging the starry sky.
Failure, falling, rising, and challenging again...a cycle repeated over and over, unwilling to give up.
Fan Wubing asked, "Is it beautiful?"
Li Ying was moved, "Is that the Dragon of Destiny of Great Li?"
"Yes."
"No wonder, no wonder..." Li Yingâs face looked forlorn, almost struggling to breathe, "So Ye Chuxuan cut off the path to the Imperial Dynasty in this way...by pulling the core Dragon of Destiny away from the nationâs fortune and confining it in the Soul-Devouring Abyss." She gritted her teeth, "How could he be so cruel!"
"What does that Dragon of Destiny signify?"
Li Yingâs expression was bleak, "The Dragon of Destiny represents the spirit of a nation, the collective will of the people, carrying everyoneâs hope. Itâs a spiritual object that is born when the beliefs of everyone in a country converge at a single point. This Dragon of Destiny was born when Great Li aspired to become an Imperial Dynasty three hundred years ago."
"So you mean, Great Li actually became an Imperial Dynasty. But the Dragon of Destiny was removed, the peopleâs will couldnât gather, their hope had no place, hence the failure?"
Li Ying squatted on the ground, biting her lips, her eyes suddenly reddening, her nose tingling, her voice took on a thick nasal tone, "Everyone in Great Li worked towards the path to the Imperial Dynasty for so long, sacrificing so much, and so many resting places have lost their glory. They succeeded, yet this is the outcome. So...what was the point of all our effort?"
"Sister Ying, donât cry. I have no time to comfort a crying woman," Fan Wubing preferred not to deal with it.
Li Ying gritted her teeth, "Iâm not crying! I wonât cry in front of you, you annoying brother!" She stood up, staring unblinkingly at the Dragon of Destiny, "Look. It wants to leave here! That is the peopleâs will, the shared hope of everyone in Great Li. This hope pushes it to return to Great Li! So even though itâs all scarred, it keeps on storming forward!"