Biochemical Martial Arts: Supreme Heavenly Venerate

Fang Ranran returned to her residence and found her maternal grandfather, Linghu Mingde, leisurely fishing in a pavilion in the backyard.

"Grandfather!" Fang Ranran deeply admired the unflappable composure of her grandfather, but at the same time, she was filled with deep shame, "I have failed in my mission this time. An unexpected change occurred at the station—"

This was in the back garden of the residence, and there were no servants around, so Fang Ranran still addressed him as "Grandfather."

"No need to explain," Linghu Mingde gestured with his hand and chuckled lightly, "So a person named Yu Wendan accused the old man of something? I am already aware of the incident at the station. Jin Bolong truly has a fierce and dominating style of doing things, aiming straight for the lethal points. I underestimated him."

Fang Ranran's face turned pale, "Grandfather, the new commander doesn't plan to file a case for now. He intends to send Yu Wendan to the Imperial Censor for the Heavenly Demon Test in two days. Could it be—"

"We must not act rashly," Linghu Mingde's eyes tightened slightly, "Jin Bolong's men are watching us. The more we do now, the more mistakes we make."

He let out a light chuckle again, "Looking at how Commander Lin has handled everything so comprehensively, leaving no room for criticism, such a young man, yet he is a shrewd and experienced official. How easy would it be for us to tamper with anything under his watch?"

Fang Ranran unconsciously bit her lower lip.

She also felt that this Lin Twelve was not easy to deal with, and it was precisely because of this that she was even more worried about the future of Linghu Mingde and the Linghu family.

Fang Ranran knew that tampering with the Heavenly Demon Test was very dangerous, but it was the only method she could think of.

Then her delicate body trembled as she heard Linghu Mingde say leisurely, "You go back today and make a clone with those two classmates of yours."

"Grandfather!" Fang Ranran realized Linghu Mingde was very pessimistic about the future prospects of the 'Zhao family.'

And creating clones was a tactic often used by those with other bodies to fake one's death and escape. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

"It's just a precaution, not as serious as you think," he said.

Linghu Mingde secured his fishing rod and, with hands clasped behind his back, walked over to the window sill, "Your grandfather has been working for several hundred years; it's not something Jin Bolong can overturn so easily. Whether I, Linghu Mingde, am a Heavenly Demon or not is up to those above, not below. It all depends on what the Emperor and the First Divine Envoy think."

His career was closely linked to these two individuals. In his early years, he had made friends with the Emperor who was then the Prince and had exerted great efforts when the Emperor ascended the throne. At the same time, Linghu Mingde had deep ties with the First Divine Envoy and had collaborated numerous times. Over the past few hundred years, he had laid many groundwork and held many weaknesses and flaws of these two people.

Linghu Mingde was confident that before a fish dies or a net breaks, he could make those two pay a price.

"Don't worry, even if the worst comes to the worst and Zhao family's foundation cannot be preserved, I am confident that I can ensure your complete safety," he added.

However, Linghu Mingde then raised his hand to touch the white beard under his chin and sighed with a hint of regret, "It's just a pity that I am now old and weak, my life nearing its end. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be Jin Bolong. Even the Emperor and the First Divine Envoy might not be beyond a fight—"

By this point, Fang Ranran had already understood that Linghu Mingde was prepared to sacrifice himself.

Her eyes reddened, "Grandfather, why speak of giving up so lightly? I've heard scholars say your 'Five Decays of Heaven Man' is the result of a spiritual toxin called 'Linghuan,' which has led to the transformation of your body. As long as the toxin in your body is removed, you can live at least another hundred years. They say that as reproductive technology advances and research goes deeper, there will eventually be a way to fix the defects in your prosthetics."

For first-generation hybrid practitioners like Linghu Mingde to reach the eighth realm was extremely rare.

This was because the first-generation prosthetics they implanted had too many defects, preventing them from progressing further.

"Remove the toxin?"

Linghu Mingde let out a self-mocking laugh, thinking how even his child, Ranran, could be so naive.

What kind of person was Linghuan? He was the vice-chairman of the 'Deity Illumination Realm,' and one of the people most likely to breakthrough to the 'Longevity Realm' or even enter the 'East Abyss' within the Earth Federation.

There are people in the world who can remove Linghuan's spiritual toxin, and Huang Fuqing was one of them who could do so back in the day.

But that scholar Huang has died! His body hangs in the Demon Suppression Forest hundreds of miles away.

And now, within the Earth Federation, the two people who are skilled in both biotechnology and prosthetics, and who also have an understanding of various mental illnesses, are currently under the control of the 'Immortal Society.'

※※※※

The next morning, Lin Rui followed Meng Weiyun to the imperial city of Luojing.

The imperial city of Luojing was vast in area, reportedly extending over 50 miles in the south, north, east, and west, and spanning an area of 650 square kilometers.

Aside from the imperial palace, the six departments of the court, and various government offices, there were also the divine envoys' courts.

The Divine Envoy's Palace was located behind the imperial palace, and it was said that behind the court of the First Divine Envoy, there was a stairway leading to the divine palace in the heavens.

Lin Rui was quite busy today; he had to first pay respects to his mentor, and then pay a visit to the Emperor.

According to Meng Weiyun, the Emperor might not be pleased with him, but Lin Rui could not be disrespectful to the Emperor.

These necessary formalities had to be observed.

Afterward, he would also have to meet with the Commander of the Imperial City as well as the First Divine Envoy.

The Commander of the Imperial City, appointed by the Emperor, was Lin Rui's nominal superior and wielded considerable power, in charge of the 'Imperial Dragon Guard' deployed throughout the city.

The First Divine Envoy was the real controller of the Imperial City, holding the reins of the Celestial Official system.

This individual also presided over the 'Divine Envoy's Oversight' and was considered the counterpart to the cabinet of the Great Song dynasty.

In Lin Rui's view, this 'Divine Envoy Surveillance' bore some resemblance to the 'Directorate of Ceremonial' of the ancient Ming dynasty on their Earth Federation. The first Divine Envoy corresponded to the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, while the second and third Divine Envoys were equivalent to the eunuchs in charge of the imperial writing brushes.

However, they did not take orders from the emperor, but from 'God'.

Every political decision made by the emperor and the cabinet required the approval and the red stamp of the 'Divine Envoy Surveillance' to be legally valid.

This was the reason why the three Divine Envoys held such great power in both the court and the field.

It is worth mentioning that the emperor himself was also a member of the 'Divine Envoy Surveillance.' He and a rotating alternate Divine Envoy each had one vote, adding up to a total of five votes together with the three Divine Envoys.

Whenever there was disagreement on political matters within the Divine Envoy Surveillance, the decision would be made through a vote by the five members.

Therefore, although the emperor of the Great Song was recognized as the supreme ruler, the true master of this vast Eastland continent was still that entity from the East Abyss.

After paying respects to these superiors, Lin Rui was next required to visit the Great Song's 'Divine Dragon Hall' to undergo the conferred 'Dragon Talisman of National Protection.'

This was why the historical commanders of the Assassins' Bureau, despite holding minor ranks, could possess substantial authority and counterbalance those senior officials.

Within the 'Divine Dragon Hall,' there were twelve ninth-level Emperor Dragons of the Realm and three tenth-level Emperor Dragons of the Realm designated for national defense.

Together, they would help concentrate the 'Dragon Talisman of National Protection' within Lin Rui's Primordial Spirit, ensuring his safety while suppressing his soul, freeing him from the influences of any foreign spiritual power and illusions.

The 'Dragon Talisman of National Protection' could also suppress fate, rendering all stargazers incapable of detecting traces of their destiny, endowing it with various divine mysteries.

Lin Rui, as the commander of the Assassins' Bureau, would also represent the will of these warrior dragons.

Furthermore, Lin Rui could summon the projection of any warrior dragon of national defense or protection at any time.

The projection of any one of them possessed the formidable combat strength comparable to the pinnacle of the seventh realm.

Within the scope of Luojing, Lin Rui could even summon these warrior dragons to come in person.

This was what Lin Rui looked forward to the most; he was about to gather enough Soul Power points to exchange for the Imperial Flame Battle Dragon. After all, who would complain about having too many trump cards in terms of combat strength?

Moreover, the defensive capability of the 'Dragon Talisman of National Protection' was extremely strong. It was said that ordinary seventh-realm beings had difficulty shaking the Dragon Talisman.

This artifact was also of great help in cultivation, especially during 'Dragon Transformation,' where the 'Dragon Talisman of National Protection' could significantly suppress deformities in the dragon body.

Thus, the former commanders of the Assassins' Bureau all transformed into dragons in a very short time and reached the pinnacle of the sixth realm!

As Lin Rui's group entered the gates of Luojing City and proceeded along the imperial road towards the Imperial City, the passing crowds could not help but glance at them sideways.

"Isn't that the new commander of the Assassins' Bureau?"

"That should be the one. I heard that the commander arrived in the capital yesterday and is staying at the inn in the southern part of the city."

"That's the Heavenly Official Meng Weiyun! The third Divine Envoy's disciple. And the young man standing beside her must be her junior brother. The fellow looks quite young."

"He doesn't seem to have a high level of cultivation, just about the fifth realm."

"Which generation's commander of the Assassins' Bureau ever had a higher cultivation than that? If their cultivation exceeds the sixth realm, they can't inscribe the 'Dragon Talisman of National Protection' into their Primordial Spirit. However, all previous commanders had high combat strength. I wonder how this one will fare?"

Lin Rui ignored these speculations and continued to look forward with anticipation at the towering Imperial City that now came into his field of vision, standing majestically in the middle of Luojing. But at that moment, Meng Weiyun's gaze suddenly turned sharp with an incomprehensible look of surprise.

"Assassins!"

Her battle dragon suddenly materialized behind Lin Rui and his companions.

Just as Lin Rui had guessed, her battle dragon had indeed broken through to the seventh realm, covered in dark golden patterns, even showing hints of purple.

Not only had this battle dragon ascended to the seventh realm, but it still maintained a status beyond that of an imperial rank, with signs of progressing even further.

It swung a blow to the side, creating a whirlwind of dust. A giant warrior dragon, eight zhang tall, materialized and slammed violently into civilian homes nearby, leveling a large swath of buildings.

Meng Weiyun, swift as lightning, flew 200 zhang away: "Armor-Piercing at the Twelfth Speed!"

She sensed that not only was there a mage of the eighth realm conducting a ritual there, but there were also eight 'Sixth Realm Heavenly Tiger Crossbows.'

If Meng Weiyun didn't deal with this mage and the crossbow turrets, Lin Rui and the others would surely die.

Hearing this, Lin Rui and Ji Xueying did not hesitate to retreat to the side of a carriage.

With a wave of their hands, the giant wooden box on the carriage shattered with a bang, and the two 'Heavenly Demon Dragon Armors' inside came to life as runes and breathing indicators began to glow, and the cockpit doors swung open.

At that moment, a piercingly sharp sword light slashed towards Lin Rui.

"Die!"

The assassin's eyes were filled with deep hatred and the utmost intent to kill.