Chapter 330: Chapter 224: Jiang Shan Takes Action, the Demise of the White Lotus Ancient Sect, Ceding the Relic, and Public Opinion in the Imperial Capital

"He took my Hell Bone Claw and actually survived."

Duanmu Lian was astonished. Even an ordinary Twelfth Realm expert would be severely wounded and collapse, if not have their body and soul obliterated, after being struck by the Hell Bone Claw.

And that Lin Xiangyun was clearly still far from the level of a true Twelfth Realm expert.

He had only barely reached the Twelfth Realm by stacking the power of the Combined Attack Formation.

This only proved that a Martial Artist’s defense was truly heaven-defying.

A powerful Flesh Body was no mere boast.

Among the many Cultivation Techniques, the Martial Dao offered the greatest enhancement to one’s Flesh Body.

"Die."

Duanmu Lian once again condensed a blast of Finger Force. Rings of Yin Sha Qi flowed down his arm, gathering at his fingertip before transforming into a powerful beam.

It manifested through the massive Dharma Aspect behind him.

’If the first strike failed, then I’ll just use a second.’

BANG!

A thunderous TWANG rang out, causing nature’s spiritual energy to tremble violently.

"Do not create more slaughter."

An ethereal Buddha’s Voice echoed.

A golden Palm Technique descended from the heavens. A majestic, giant palm swooped down from mid-air and collided with the Bone Claw Mark.

BOOM.

The white claw launched by the Dharma Aspect was instantly blasted apart, dissipating into a bloody mist.

The White Lotus Sect Leader screamed, the pain nearly causing him to plummet from the sky. He was incredibly frustrated. With his strength, a single claw could severely injure an ordinary Twelfth Realm expert, yet he was completely unable to contend with this White-robed Monk.

’This can only mean one thing,’ he thought. ’This person’s Cultivation is higher than mine. He’s at the Peak of the Twelfth Realm.’

Seeing Jiang Shan single-handedly suppress the formidable Duanmu Lian, Lu Mingyuan felt a sense of admiration.

’Another master. This Crown Prince really has a lot of experts by his side.’

Duanmu Lian’s defeat intensified the Corpse-Driving Elder’s killing intent. ’If I can take the Crown Prince hostage,’ he thought, ’I might be able to escape unscathed.’

And so, the Corpse-Driving Elder pointed a finger to the sky. A beam of Finger Force a meter in diameter shot out, piercing through the military formation of the surrounding Great Yan Imperial Guard. A torrent of blood rained down from above.

He transformed into a streak of light and sped toward Lu Mingyuan.

Luo Ying immediately noticed the Corpse-Driving Elder’s intentions.

But the Corpse-Driving Elder had anticipated her move and tossed out several pellets of green mist from his sleeve.

From within the mist, numerous ancient corpses with rotting faces and bodies covered in long fuzz emerged.

Their strength was not insignificant; they were all refined from the corpses of powerful experts.

They were no match for Luo Ying, but they would have no problem holding her back.

Luo Ying could only watch helplessly as the Corpse-Driving Elder approached Lu Mingyuan step by step.

Her eyes filled with worry.

’The Crown Prince can’t die in front of me,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, how will I ever become the leader of the Endless Pavilion?’

Watching the Corpse-Driving Elder arrive before him, Lu Mingyuan’s expression remained calm, devoid of any worry.

"You’re courting death."

An indifferent voice suddenly reached the ears of everyone present.

Seeing that someone was trying to assassinate the Crown Prince of Great Yan, the two Imperial Experts who had been observing from a distance could finally no longer sit still.

A nine-foot-tall man clad in Golden Battle Armor threw a punch with each hand. Profound Yellow Qi coursed through the air as a vast Holy Will surged above the courtyard, transforming into two separate Martial Dao Phenomena: a red Martial Xiuxian and a Golden Qilin.

The terrifying Dharma Bodies formed by the two Auspicious Beasts instantly slammed the Corpse-Driving Elder into the ground.

Immediately after, a jet-black Thousand Mechanism Umbrella, adorned with eighteen trailing Profound Pearls, flew out. Though it was merely an Iron Umbrella, it had the power to blot out the sun and clouds.

It not only instantly pinned the Corpse-Driving Elder in place but also locked down the surrounding space, preventing any escape via spatial means.

The moment the two of them made their move, Lu Mingyuan got a sense of their approximate strength.

’They’re definitely top-tier masters.’

Everything was over in a matter of breaths.

The two were captured.

"Your Highness, how should we deal with these remnants?"

Grand Commander Lin Xiangyun gave Lu Mingyuan a military salute.

"Take them all to the dungeons to await interrogation!"

Lu Mingyuan said seriously.

The capture of these two officially signaled the fall of the White Lotus Ancient Sect.

Elsewhere, they might have become an extremely threatening force, but before Great Yan, they could be suppressed with a single hand.

By the time Lu Mingyuan stepped out of the Drunken Flower Tower, a considerable number of Imperial Guard had already gathered.

The area was packed, a dense and crowded sea of soldiers.

An Assistant General, dressed in a white robe over Profound Tiger Armor, rode up to Lu Mingyuan on a Dragon-Scale Horse, a breed unique to Great Yan. He slowly dismounted, his white robe fluttering behind him, cutting a dashing and heroic figure.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

The man looked ashamed as he bowed to Lu Mingyuan.

"This humble general is guilty! I failed to detect the disturbance here in time and allowed Your Highness to be alarmed!"

"And you are...?"

Seeing the man’s self-reproach, Lu Mingyuan realized he didn’t recognize him.

"This humble general is the Nine Gates Governor, Zhang Hu."

Only after he announced his name did Lu Mingyuan understand the man’s identity.

The Nine Gates Governor stood guard over the Imperial Capital. His Military Officer Title was General Zhao Wu, making him one of the Court’s four Grand Generals, and he was in charge of the thirty-six city gates both inside and outside the Imperial Capital. While Zhang Hu might sound like a mere gatekeeper, a less-than-glamorous position, his authority was anything but small.

The garrison, security, and access to the Capital were all under this Grand Governor’s command.

For Zhang Hu to become the Nine Gates Governor at such a young age, it surely wasn’t his true age. His Cultivation couldn’t possibly be low.

’I just don’t know which faction he belongs to.’

Lu Mingyuan waved his hand. "No matter. Fortunately, with everyone’s help, the traitors have all been captured."

"All that’s left is to clean up the aftermath."

Seeing all the disciples of the White Lotus Ancient Sect being taken into custody, Luo Ying also breathed a sigh of relief.

A powerful sense of anticipation welled up within her.

’Now, as long as I seize this opportunity while the White Lotus Ancient Sect has lost its power, I can firmly grasp control of the Endless Pavilion!’

Amidst the bustling crowd, the other three Maids also relaxed.

They had been walking on thin ice while guarding Lu Mingyuan, terrified that something might go wrong. If anything happened to the Crown Prince, they wouldn’t escape unscathed either.

Once the danger had passed, Lu Mingyuan sent them away and led Jiang Shan to the side.

"Your Highness, what is...?"

Jiang Shan didn’t know what Lu Mingyuan intended and looked at him with confusion.

Without a word, Lu Mingyuan pressed a pearl into Jiang Shan’s hand.

Jiang Shan’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the pearl in his hand. It was made of pure golden bone, as sacred and radiant as a Luminous Pearl.

"A Buddha’s Relic. Please keep it safe for me for a while."

Lu Mingyuan said, taking a deep breath.

"Has Your Highness run into some kind of trouble?"

Seeing his demeanor, Jiang Shan quickly guessed something was amiss and asked.

"It’s complicated to explain, but this pearl should be safe with you."

Lu Mingyuan had no intention of explaining further.

Jiang Shan didn’t press the matter and silently accepted the Buddha’s Relic for safekeeping.

Seeing him take it, Lu Mingyuan relaxed considerably.

’According to the divination, I should be gaining support from all sides now, right?’

’How else can I explain my current situation?’

Lu Mingyuan wondered.

However, things were not as simple as he had imagined.

The matter of the White Lotus Ancient Sect had come to a close.

When the news broke, an uproar swept through the Imperial Capital. Many in the Court were shocked, having never imagined that the White Lotus Ancient Sect had already infiltrated the city.

A great disaster had been narrowly averted.

Although the case was closed, the discussions about the current Crown Prince did not stop.

Some believed that while the Crown Prince had rendered a great service by taking down the White Lotus Ancient Sect, his act of "acting first and reporting later" had displeased countless officials. There was too much procedure to deal with afterward, and a pile of complaints flooded in, mostly from the Nobility and Noble Families of the Capital City.

There was no shortage of talk that he treated the officials as if they were nothing.

Some began to question whether Lu Mingyuan was qualified to oversee the country.

Some in the Imperial Court even argued that Lu Mingyuan’s methods were extreme and that he was completely unworthy of the position of Crown Prince. They claimed that the recent auspicious phenomena were merely a coincidence, occurring because Great Yan’s Fortune was at its peak and the Holy Emperor’s health was improving.

Three days passed. The underworld of the Imperial Capital remained a chaotic mix of good and evil. The voice of the Infinite Faction grew louder, and many branches of the Endless Pavilion that had been under close surveillance suddenly and inexplicably vanished.

Consequently, the Three Academies reopened the major case file on the Endless Pavilion and revived the investigation into Prince Jin’s Mansion.

It was as if an invisible hand was manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

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