NOVEL NEXT Chapter 400: The Imperial City of the Qian Dynasty
Chapter 400: The Imperial City of the Qian Dynasty
Xu Lian, along with the thirty-five supreme experts who formed the Thirty-six Heavenly War God Battle Formation, arrived at the Qian Dynasty Imperial City. The once-prosperous capital was now a desolate ghost town. The streets, once bustling with life, were now littered with garbage left behind by fleeing citizens. Not a single soul remained – it was as if the city had been abandoned to decay.
The five Quasi-Supreme Experts of the Qian Dynasty, the new Emperor (the First Prince), the nobles, and the ministers had all fled. The monstrous foundation of the Qian Dynasty had wreaked havoc throughout the world and provoked the wrath of the highest factions. The dynasty’s downfall was only a matter of time.
However, the top-tier factions had refrained from directly overthrowing the Qian Dynasty for three main reasons:
The Foundation Monster: The monstrous foundation of the Qian Dynasty had yet to be eradicated. The top-tier factions were wary of provoking it, fearing its retaliation. If the monster targeted the top experts of a certain faction one by one, no one would be able to withstand such devastation.
Whereabouts of Huangpu Yan : Huangpu Yan, the former last supreme of the Qian Dynasty, was still alive but in hiding. His whereabouts remained unknown. If any faction dared to destroy the Qian Dynasty, Huangpu Yan would undoubtedly seek revenge. Never underestimate a supreme expert with nothing left to lose-once he became enraged, he would become an unstoppable force of destruction. Moreover, Huangpu Yan wasn’t just any low-tier supreme expert; he had reached the mid-tier level. If he decided to systematically eliminate the Quasi-Supreme Experts, Sages, Powerhouses, and descendants of any top-tier faction, no single faction could endure such losses.
Contempt for the Qian Dynasty : Without any supreme experts to defend it, the Qian Dynasty was like a fish on a chopping block-ready to be cooked and served whenever the top-tier factions desired. With no supreme-level threat remaining, the Qian Dynasty posed no real danger to the major powers. Therefore, there was no urgency to act immediately. It was simply a matter of convenience.
“Upon reflection, the Qian Dynasty’s current plight is largely my fault,” Xu Lian muttered as he gazed at the lifeless imperial city, feeling a twinge of guilt.
He had infiltrated the Qian Dynasty and plundered all its Metamorphosis Elixir raw materials, leaving the dynasty without hope for the future. In desperation, the two remaining supreme experts of the Qian Dynasty had launched a surprise attack on the neighboring Liang Dynasty, seizing half of their Metamorphosis Elixir resources. This, in turn, left the Liang Dynasty short of materials as well.
To compensate, the Qian and Liang dynasties joined forces to ambush the Vast Domain, unaware that the Vast Domain had secretly allied itself with the Silver Blood Family, the Wen Dao Sect, and the Violet Cloud Sacred Land. A trap had been set, just waiting for them to fall into it.
As a result, four supreme experts were surrounded by seven others, plunging them into a desperate situation. Huangpu Jun sacrificed himself to allow Huangpu Yan to break free, but the Vast Domain faction pursued them relentlessly. Forced to reveal their hidden foundation, the Qian Dynasty was now on the verge of collapse.
“Although I feel a little sorry for the Qian Dynasty, this chaotic era is merciless. Only the strong survive, and the weak are cast aside. There’s nothing for me to dwell on,” Xu Lian thought as he stepped deeper into the Imperial Palace, ready to confront the monstrous foundation of the Qian Dynasty.
With the peak strength of a ninth-rank supreme expert backing the Thirty-Six Heavenly War God Battle Formation, if they couldn’t defeat the foundation monster, it would only mean that the fate of the Qian Dynasty hadn’t run its course yet.
His strength was his confidence. If Xu Lian had come here alone, he might have felt uneasy. But now that he was commanding the Thirty-Six Heavenly War God Battle Formation, he felt utterly calm. After exposing the secrets of Misty Ghost Mountain and overturning the Poison Dragon Pool, the foundation monster of the Qian Dynasty seemed far less intimidating.
Deep inside the Imperial Palace, silence reigned.
The area was shaded by lush green trees, their leaves carpeting the ground. It was clear that no one had cleaned here in a very long time – it was a forgotten corner of the world.
And yet, during this period, it had become the most closely watched location by powerful beings across the land. Even the attention given to Misty Ghost Mountain and Poison Dragon Pool paled in comparison.
After all, every month, a pair of stone chopsticks would emerge from here and pluck out two supreme experts to devour. The strongest beings in the world were restless, constantly watching this place for any sign of activity.
In fact, during this time, countless methods had been used to investigate this area, but to no avail. It was as if an invisible field shielded the place, blocking all forms of detection and secret techniques.
Now, as Xu Lian advanced with the Thirty-Six Heavenly War God Battle Formation, he could clearly sense the presence of this ancient and mysterious field.
In the formation’s right hand, Xu Lian wielded the Sword of Destruction, while his own divine left arm subtly synchronized with the formation’s left hand, ready to unleash a devastating blow at any moment. With the combined might of the Sword of Destruction and his divine bone, the combat power of the Heavenly War God’s Thirty-Six Battle Formation soared even further. Even entities surpassing the Supreme Realm wouldn’t be beyond his reach.
The eyes of the formation shone like twin divine lanterns, piercing through illusions and scanning every corner of the palace grounds with cold precision.
Yet everything seemed normal – just an ordinary imperial palace.
“This is strange. The Qian Dynasty hasn’t even set up any defenses here. Are they just leaving their foundation exposed?” Xu Lian mused as he searched meticulously for anything suspicious.
He searched every nook and cranny of the palace, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
“So where exactly do these stone chopsticks come from?”
Xu Lian, commanding the Thirty-Six Heavenly War God Battle Formation, stood at the deepest point of the imperial palace, having reached the end of his search without finding anything.
At this moment, the strongest members of the various top-tier factions were observing the Qian Dynasty’s Imperial Palace from countless miles away. However, their gazes were blocked by the invisible field, preventing them from seeing into the depths of the palace.
“Come out!”
Xu Lian grew impatient.
“I don’t have time to play hide and seek with you.”
He decided to rely on brute force once again, just as he had done with Misty Ghost Mountain and the Poison Dragon Pool . No matter how deeply the source was hidden, it couldn’t withstand the sheer overwhelming power.
“Break!”
Xu Lian raised the Sword of Destruction and brought it down with full force, plunging it directly into the ground of the palace’s depths.
Countless blood-red lightning bolts erupted, spreading like crimson dragons tearing through the earth.
The boundless sword intent expanded in all directions, unstoppable and unbreakable, shattering everything in its path.
In an instant.
The entire Imperial Palace was reduced to ashes!
The entire Imperial City was leveled!
When the hidden facade was peeled away, the foundation of the Qian Dynasty was finally revealed.
What appeared was an ancient, weathered stone stele.
The stele wasn’t large, but it bore a line of blood-red characters inscribed in ancient script. Each character seemed to pulse with infinite power, resembling rules, laws, and principles, radiating an overwhelming weight and power.
With the shattering of the invisible field, the strongest members of the various high-ranking factions could now clearly see the scene. Their gazes converged on the stone stele, and they read the blood-red inscription aloud:
“The Great Wheel of Calamity selects; the chosen shall face trial. Those who survive shall inherit eternity; those who fall shall feed the cycle. The stone chopsticks reach out and pluck the destined. This is the will of the heavens, unchangeable and eternal.”
The words sent a chill down the spines of all the spectators. It was clear that this stele was the source of the calamity – a manifestation of an ancient and immutable law.
Xu Lian stared at the stele, his expression grave. He now understood why the Qian Dynasty had fallen, and why the monstrous Foundation had wreaked such havoc on the world. This wasn’t just a simple dangerous place – it was a fragment of a cosmic rule, a mechanism designed to cull and select supreme experts for some greater purpose.
“The Great Wheel of Calamity … So this is its true form,” Xu Lian muttered under his breath.
The revelation left no room for doubt – the founding monster of the Qian Dynasty wasn’t just a threat to be defeated. It was part of a larger system that operated beyond the comprehension of even the highest experts.
But Xu Lian wasn’t one to back down. With the Thirty-Six Heavenly War God Battle Formation at his command and the Sword of Destruction in his hand, he prepared to confront this ancient and terrifying force head-on.
If brute force could dismantle Misty Ghost Mountain and scatter the Poison Dragon Pool, then surely it could also break the chains of this calamitous cycle.
“Let’s see if your so-called ‘Will of Heaven’ can withstand my blade,” Xu Lian coldly declared, raising the Sword of Destruction once more.
The battle to end the calamity – and perhaps reshape the very fabric of this chaotic world – was about to begin.