Chapter 327: Chapter 223: The Mastermind of the Endless Pavilion is Actually the Crown Prince?

The Steward from the White Lotus Ancient Sect was also sent flying. He crashed to the ground like a scarecrow, a bloody, cup-sized hole pierced through his chest by Lin Xiangyun.

Carrying his Battle Spear, Lin Xiangyun led a tide of the Imperial Guard into the Drunken Flower Tower. He roared, "All of you, stay put! Dare to obstruct the Imperial Guard’s search for traitors, and you will be killed on the spot."

Duanmu Lian’s figure flickered, transforming into a gust of sinister wind that knocked Luo Ying aside. She appeared before Lin Xiangyun, unleashing the terrifying pressure of the Twelfth Realm as she spoke:

"Who is causing trouble?"

Below the Dragon Gate, Lin Xiangyun was considered a top-tier combatant. But faced with a true Great Power, he was still suppressed to the point where he could barely breathe.

An icy, sinister power flooded his body, causing the flow of his Martial Dao Primordial Qi to slow.

Just then, Lin Xiangyun waved his hand and gave a command to the standard-bearer beside him.

"Form the array!"

The soldiers, whose dark armor resembled fish scales from afar, all raised their spears high and sacrificed all the power within them.

The condensed power of the thirty-thousand-strong army converged entirely upon Lin Xiangyun.

His cultivation temporarily soared from the Eighth Realm straight to the Twelfth Realm.

He felt the pressure on his body vanish. A searing power surged from behind him, neutralizing the sinister, cold energy.

Huo Hongling, clad in her Phoenix Flame Armor, strode in through the main gate. She said, "Is the White Lotus Ancient Sect so stubbornly defiant? To so blatantly oppose the Court... are you seeking annihilation?"

Duanmu Lian’s eyes narrowed. She sneered, "No wonder the Great Yan Imperial Guard dares to barge into the Drunken Flower Tower. It seems you have the Champion Marquis backing you."

Huo Hongling shot Duanmu Lian a sidelong glance, then waved her arm and commanded, "All soldiers, on my order! Search the premises! Be thorough, and do not let a single traitor escape."

"You..."

Duanmu Lian clenched her fists, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

In the end, however, she did not try to stop them.

’If I keep stopping them, they’ll surely brand me a traitor. With the Champion Marquis’s influence, she could mobilize enough power to wipe out every single branch of the White Lotus Ancient Sect in the Central Imperial City.’

The Corpse-Driving Elder, seated calmly in the center of the main hall, stared at the proudly standing Huo Hongling and smiled faintly. "I am quite curious," he said. "If you fail to find any rebels today, how will you explain yourself?"

Huo Hongling ignored him, however, simply nodding to Lin Xiangyun.

Duanmu Lian’s eyes hardened. A flash of killing intent flickered deep within her pupils before vanishing. Ultimately, she said nothing more and endured it.

Lin Xiangyun immediately ordered the Imperial Guard to begin the search.

The Imperial Guard’s search methods were quite savage. They tore down some of the buildings within the Drunken Flower Tower and even dug three feet into the ground in some places. In the process, they inadvertently destroyed more than half of the Arrays in the manor.

In the end, they found no traitors at all—only a few members of the Nobility carousing in the rear courtyard.

Furthermore, the nobles were all disturbed by the Imperial Guard’s search and made their displeasure quite clear.

As a result, the Imperial Guard had no choice but to withdraw from the manor’s rear courtyard.

Lin Xiangyun shook his head at Huo Hongling, his expression one of utter helplessness.

Lu Mingyuan and Huo Hongling exchanged a look from across the courtyard, both of them baffled.

"Hahaha!"

At that moment, Duanmu Lian let out a triumphant laugh.

"I told you it was all a misunderstanding."

"Our Drunken Flower Tower was ambushed and besieged by the Eastern Palace for no reason at all. Many people died here, including numerous young maidens. Don’t you think you should make amends for that?"

Lin Xiangyun’s brow furrowed.

’If this really is a misunderstanding...’

’...then the charges against me will be severe.’

’Mobilizing troops without cause or authorization is grounds for being stripped of my post.’

However, just at that moment, an oppressive wave of power swept across the heavens and the earth.

Vast, ethereal Buddhist hymns echoed in the sky above the Drunken Flower Tower.

The pitch-black night sky brightened in an instant. Twelve Buddha Beads hovered in midair, emitting an immeasurable golden radiance before suddenly smashing downward.

Each ray of Buddha’s Light coalesced into the image of a Buddha, carrying with it a Merit Power that only a True Buddha could unleash.

"Amitabha Buddha."

The chant preceded his arrival. Jiang Shan flew into view, seated cross-legged upon a Golden Lotus.

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