Chapter 49: Using the Dynasty’s Destiny to Resist?

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Using the Dynasty’s Destiny to Resist?

Li Xun stumbled back to the Government Office. Just as he was about to return to his room to rest, he noticed a silhouette in the courtyard, seemingly waiting for him.

"Mr. Xu, you’re not asleep yet?" Looking at the figure, Li Xun cupped his hands slightly, appearing highly respectful.

The man before him was Xu Liang, the Taibu of the Yu Dynasty. He had accompanied them from the Central State and was a highly formidable Feng Shui Master. Xu Liang’s Martial Dao cultivation had reached the Venerable Third Realm, and he possessed an absolute mastery of Feng Shui Mysterious Arts. He excelled at seeking good fortune, avoiding disaster, and divining locations.

Li Xingchao would not have invited Xu Liang out if their main purpose for this trip wasn’t for that ruin.

"Crown Prince." Xu Liang turned and cupped his hands slightly toward Li Xun before saying with a solemn expression, "While we were in the Central State, this old minister divined that your trip to Fenglin Town would be fraught with danger."

"Mr. Xu, with my father and you here, and with Xun’Er having reached the peak of the Martial Master realm myself, what danger could there possibly be?" Li Xun replied, somewhat unbothered.

Xu Liang shook his head slightly. "Crown Prince, you must understand that there is always someone stronger, and a sky beyond our own. The Martial Venerable realm is not the absolute pinnacle of the Martial Dao." As he spoke, his brows suddenly furrowed. Staring intently at Li Xun, he asked, "Where did you go today, Crown Prince?"

Li Xun paused slightly, asking in confusion, "Mr. Xu, what’s wrong?"

Xu Liang’s expression was grave. "This old minister observes a faint aura of death looming over you, Crown Prince. This is not a good omen. Please follow me; allow me to perform a divination for you."

Three pieces of ancient, smooth Turtle Shell Armor were tossed onto the ground. Staring at the pattern revealed by the Turtle Shell Armor, Xu Liang’s aged face grew unusually grave. Putting them away, he immediately looked up at Li Xun. "Crown Prince, please tell this old minister exactly where you went today."

Hearing this, Li Xun grew somewhat anxious. "Mr. Xu, you should tell me the results of the divination first!"

Xu Liang sighed and said in a deep voice, "The divination shows that an unseen, mysterious force is devouring your fortune, Crown Prince. Over time, you will be plagued by endless bad luck, and it could even lead to your wrongful death!"

"Devouring my fortune..." Li Xun froze slightly before breaking into a playful smile. "Mr. Xu, please speak freely! As a peak Martial Master Martial Artist, I’m rather open-minded about life and death. Those guys truly have methods that are impossible to guard against."

Unaware of the truth, he had already linked this matter to those Shamans and their bizarre techniques. The methods of the Shamans were unfathomably mysterious. Although he didn’t feel anything unusual at the moment, it was better to be cautious since he had already fallen victim to it. He quickly asked, "Do you have a way to break it, Mr. Xu?"

"This old minister will try." As Xu Liang spoke, a surging force suddenly erupted from his body. He extended his hands, formed a strange hand seal, and thrust it toward Li Xun.

However, the moment his hand seal touched Li Xun’s body, a terrifyingly immense power suddenly materialized out of thin air!

BOOM!

An explosion echoed through the void, and the bizarre necklace worn on Xu Liang’s chest shattered instantly!

SPURT!

Xu Liang coughed up a massive mouthful of blood. His body was launched backward by an invisible force, slamming heavily onto the ground.

"Mr. Xu!" Seeing this, Li Xun quickly dashed over to help him up.

"COUGH, COUGH..." Xu Liang opened his eyes, his aura withered. He coughed violently a few times, his face filled with absolute horror.

Just as he was about to use his Divination Arts to investigate who had targeted Li Xun, that power had abruptly appeared! He could sense that the force had been weakened by ninety-nine percent by something at the critical moment. Yet, even facing that tiny remaining fraction, Xu Liang still felt it was as vast as a god and impossible to resist. If it weren’t for the millennium-old bone artifact necklace around his neck helping to offset most of the impact, he would absolutely be dead right now!

"Crown Prince... This old minister is incompetent..." Blood continued to trickle from the corner of Xu Liang’s mouth, and his lifeforce was gradually fading.

Li Xun hurriedly pulled a purple Elixir from his robes and shoved it into his mouth, using his own strength to help dissolve the Elixir.

"What happened!?"

"Xun’Er, Elder Xu!"

The commotion had clearly alarmed Li Xingchao and Yun Jin, who were staying next door. The two rushed over in a panic. Seeing the severely injured Xu Liang, Yun Jin immediately pointed her Jade Flute, channeling a stream of vibrant green True Qi into his body.

With the combined effects of the Elixir and Yun Jin’s assistance, Xu Liang’s waxen, paper-like face finally regained a hint of color.

"Elder Xu, what happened?" Li Xingchao asked with concern. He had been cultivating in his room when he suddenly sensed an utterly terrifying power manifest above the Government Office. Under the suppression of that power, Li Xingchao couldn’t even muster the thought of resistance. Yun Jin had felt the exact same way.

Xu Liang struggled to stand, weakly recounting what had just happened to them. Hearing his words, Li Xingchao looked at Li Xun with a solemn expression. "Where exactly did you go today, and who did you meet?"

Li Xun did not dare hide anything. He detailed his whereabouts for the day and offered his own speculations. "Father, I believe those Shamans must have set up a trap at the place where Wang Ergou died!"

Li Xingchao didn’t dare make a definitive judgment on the matter, so he could only look toward Xu Liang.

Xu Liang pondered for a moment before saying, "That is indeed a possibility. The Shaman lineage has bizarre methods; utilizing the terrain to lay down a trap is not particularly unusual for them."

As a Feng Shui Master, Xu Liang possessed similar abilities. However, judging from the power just now, the cultivation of the person who set the trap was simply far too terrifying! Xu Liang was even beginning to doubt if a Shaman possessing such power could still be considered mortal.

"Elder Xu, what should we do now?" Li Xingchao asked grimly. Li Xun was his only son and his pride. All of his current schemes were paving the way for Li Xun. If this trap couldn’t be broken, his son would more than likely meet with an untimely end. Wouldn’t all his past efforts have been in vain?

Xu Liang mused for a long while before suddenly looking at Li Xingchao. "This old minister remembers that Your Highness possesses a Life Token bestowed by His Majesty."

Li Xingchao nodded repeatedly, pulling an exquisite gold and jade-inlaid Jade Token from his robes. Under the moonlight, the Jade Token actually emitted a faint fluorescence.

Xu Liang took the Jade Token, glancing at it before saying, "This Life Token can connect with the fortune of our Great Yu Dynasty. Wear it, Crown Prince. Even if that person possesses heaven-defying abilities, it is absolutely impossible for them to single-handedly contend against the entire Great Yu Dynasty."

Li Xun accepted the Jade Token and looked at his father. Seeing him nod, he immediately hung the Jade Token around his neck.

Meanwhile, in a room within Fang Xu’s courtyard, Fang Xu felt somewhat confused as his consciousness observed the second acupoint vortex appearing before him.

He wondered, "Did I just break through? Where is the supposed acupoint barrier?"

Having cultivated until midnight, he had finally completely refined all the energy within the Inner Acupoint. He had originally planned to gauge the strength of the second acupoint’s barrier first, adjust his condition, and then break through in one fell swoop. However, when his consciousness arrived at the second acupoint, he didn’t encounter any barrier at all—he broke through directly!

"How bizarre..."

Muttering to himself while looking at the pale light of dawn breaking on the horizon, Fang Xu was just about to get out of bed when he suddenly sensed a subtle fluctuation from the virtual panel deep within his consciousness. He immediately checked it.

"Huh! It went up!?"

In the friends list on the virtual panel, the "Life Value" behind Li Xun’s name had actually changed to 78%!

He thought, "It was clearly 75% when I added him as a friend last night. How did it become 78% now?"

In contrast, the "Life Value" of his other six friends had already dropped to 18%. If it continued to decrease at this rate, it was estimated that all six of them would die violent deaths within ten days.

After studying it carefully but still failing to figure out what was going on, Fang Xu simply got out of bed and walked into the courtyard. He washed up simply, cooked some rice in a pot, and then headed straight toward the Government Office in town.

Li Xun had ordered him yesterday to arrive early and wait for him, threatening his life if he was late. Bowing his head in the face of death wasn’t something to be ashamed of.