Chapter 378: Profound Edict, Part 2

Who had the courage to fight again?

‘So be it!’

Zhen Chuyang was no fool, and neither was Fang Rui.

Even in his current state, he wasn’t certain he could break the Nine Luminaries Qianyang Locking Heaven Array. Even if he could, it would take a significant amount of time. The Wuzhou State Magistrate’s Office would certainly not sit idly by.

Indeed, Fang Rui was far more wary of the Wuzhou State Magistrate’s Office than the so-called Half-Immortal Zhen Family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen the Zhen Family as the means to acquire volumes five and six of the Primordial Scripture.

‘I’ve probably alerted the Wuzhou State Magistrate’s Office by now. I need to leave quickly!’

Fang Rui took one last deep look at the Zhen Family estate, then summoned his seven thousand Tribulation Demon Cyan Eagles into the sky. They swept across Wuzhou State City like a colossal black cloud.

…

The huge commotion Fang Rui caused at the Zhen Family’s estate was audible throughout the entire city, and the State Magistrate’s Office was no exception.

“Governor, judging by the commotion, it must be Masters fighting.”

The aide chuckled. “I wonder which Half-Immortal Family is fighting the Zhen Family. A classic case of dog-eat-dog.”

“Indeed!”

Governor Fan nodded. “It’s one thing to watch the Zhen Family make a fool of themselves, but rules are rules. For another Half-Immortal Family to act so brazenly in our Wuzhou State City… they need to be taught a lesson!”

…

‘Almost there! Almost there! I’m almost out!’

Fang Rui looked at the city gate not far away and sped up again.

Just then—

BOOM!

From the direction of the State Magistrate’s Office, a pillar of Qi Fortune light shot toward the heavens. It traversed space, projecting a brilliant illusion of mountains and rivers. The mirage contained great, flowing rivers, majestic mountain ranges, common folk tilling and weaving, and all manner of insects, fish, birds, and beasts…

As light pulsed through it, the illusion rapidly solidified. It became like a small, real world that locked onto Fang Rui and came crashing down.

‘This is… the Wuzhou Prefecture’s Super Grade Secret Treasure, the Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers Map?!’

‘During my Divination in the Void Realm Space, it didn’t seem all that powerful. But in a direct confrontation, consuming a massive amount of Qi Fortune to become fully activated… its power far surpasses even that of the True Monarch’s Profound Intent from earlier.’

Fang Rui’s thoughts raced, his expression extremely grave. He formed a hand seal and activated his Soldier Dao Secret Technique.

“Rise!”

The hundred-zhang Divine Eagle illusion appeared once again. Powered by the Chaos Dragon Pearl Origin and infused with immense Spiritual Essence and Spiritual Power, it solidified in an instant and charged headlong into the miniature world.

RUMBLE!

Amidst a continuous explosion like rolling thunder.

The hundred-zhang Divine Eagle—a convergence of the aura of slaughter, Spiritual Power, and Spiritual Essence—let out a mournful cry and shattered like a mirage.

The force of the impact created a backlash. In the formation behind Fang Rui, his seven thousand Tribulation Demon Cyan Eagles plummeted from the sky like rain. The injured were too numerous to count, and more than a thousand of the Tribulation Demon Cyan Eagles exploded in mid-air.

However.

The miniature world of light and shadow, which had seemed so real, also shuddered and shattered. It lost most of its form, becoming dim and illusory.

“Vanish!”

Fang Rui let out a sharp cry. With a flick of his sleeve, an indestructible Golden Pearl shot out as a streak of light.

It was none other than the Taiyi Golden Pearl!

This Lifebound Magical Treasure had only one effect: to return all to chaos.

—When defending, it annihilates the enemy’s attack, returning it to nothingness; when attacking, it blasts the enemy into chaotic nothingness.

As chaotic light swirled, the mountains and rivers shattered, and the light and shadow were extinguished. This strike from the Super Grade Secret Treasure, the Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers Map, was utterly obliterated.

SWOOSH!

Fang Rui caught the humming Taiyi Golden Pearl as it flew back. An unnatural flush appeared on his face, the Half-Immortal Dharma Aspect behind him dimmed and collapsed, and the Energy State Flowing Cloud Cyan Simurgh beneath his feet exploded.

“SCREEE!”

At this moment, the Purple Feathered Crane, which had been waiting outside the city to provide support, whistled through the air, caught Fang Rui, and soared into the sky.

Behind him, the Tribulation Demon Cyan Eagles that had just fallen—the uninjured and the lightly wounded—cried out and took to the sky, following him away.

…

「Wuzhou State Magistrate’s Office.」

“This is impossible!” Governor Fan slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet.

“Governor, what happened?” the aide asked quickly.

“I failed to stop him!”

Governor Fan took a deep breath, his face still etched with shock. “Consuming a massive amount of Qi Fortune, the fully activated Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers Map delivered a blow almost on par with that of a True Monarch. Yet he blocked it relying only on himself and that Beast Driving Army Formation Method.”

“This person is probably not far from becoming a True Monarch. No wonder he had the confidence to cause trouble here in my Wuzhou Prefecture!”

“A True Monarch?!”

Hearing this, the aide’s face also showed extreme shock. He naturally understood what that meant: the absolute pinnacle of individual combat power in this world!

After a long moment, he sighed wistfully. “I wonder which Half-Immortal Family such a character comes from?”

“Who knows?!”

Governor Fan sneered. “These Half-Immortal Families, each one hiding their secrets. Their foundations truly run deep!”

Indeed, they never once suspected that Fang Rui wasn’t from a Half-Immortal Family.

Because this world simply lacks the conditions for an unaffiliated Super Grade expert to arise.

“Such important intelligence must be reported urgently tonight. Prepare to activate the Ten Thousand Miles Communication Array!”

“Yes, sir!”

…

After leaving Wuzhou State City, Fang Rui rode the Purple Feathered Crane all the way out of Wuzhou before finding a deep mountain, carving out a cave, and sitting down to meditate and recover.

Afterward, he took stock of his remaining Tribulation Demon Cyan Eagles.

“Hiss…” Fang Rui sucked in a sharp breath. “Out of seven thousand Tribulation Demon Cyan Eagles, I lost nearly two thousand. That’s almost thirty thousand Tribulation Points gone!”

“And I myself suffered minor injuries. It’s a good thing I raided the Zhen Family Scripture Pavilion and got volumes five and six of the Primordial Scripture. Otherwise, this would have been a huge loss.”

“The Divination before the mission predicted ‘great fortune, minor peril.’ How true it was.”

Fang Rui sighed.

“I miscalculated. The one thing I didn’t expect was that a Super Grade Secret Treasure, when fully activated with a massive amount of Qi Fortune, could unleash power comparable to a Profound Domain True Monarch in a direct fight.”

“If a Super Grade Secret Treasure is this powerful, then what kind of might would a truly activated Innate Supreme Treasure itself possess?”