Chapter 1247: Entering the Palace

Chapter 1247: Chapter 1247: Entering the Palace

"Tch!" Pei Yan spat the pig’s trotter bone by the table, picked up a napkin to wipe the grease from the corner of his mouth, then shook his head and said, "Of course I don’t actually want to see the Immortal Palace ruined. The two women who really control this place wouldn’t allow me to do that either. But how far this is going to be pushed isn’t up to me—it depends on how those sects choose to respond. I imagine the sects that are clean will know better. When the time comes, if some idiot really wants to stick his neck out and play the early bird, I don’t mind killing a chicken or two to scare the monkeys."

The people in the investigation team were still inside the room wolfing down a battle meal in preparation for the fight that might break out tonight, while just a wall away the world was undergoing earth‑shaking changes thanks to Pei Yan’s string of orders. Residents of Luocheng who had just finished dinner and were still enjoying the bustling night market suddenly found heavily armed soldiers dashing past them in squads. Soon afterward, Luocheng’s eight city gates all went into lockdown—only entry allowed, no exit. At the same time, the patrolling Marquis Wu began driving the strolling crowds home and announced that a curfew would be enforced tonight.

Curfew? How many years had it been since anyone in Luocheng heard that word? As the curious crowd was driven home by the Marquis Wu, they couldn’t help glancing at the direction the soldiers were heading in—it was the Immortal Palace! It was actually the Immortal Palace! Since when were the Six Guards’ soldiers allowed to enter the Immortal Palace? Something big must have happened!

Those with some sense had already sensed that things were going wrong and panic was starting to spread. Others were completely at a loss in the face of these sudden changes, some even flying into a rage. By the time Feng Tianhe led his Disciples and Wang Wenze out of the investigation team’s station, squads of Divine Martial Guard soldiers who had received orders were already shuttling back and forth along the main street of the Immortal Palace. With the cooperation of the Embroidered Robe Envoys, they took control of the Immortal Palace, clearing idle Loose Cultivators from the streets.

The Immortal Palace was not entirely populated by people from the Six Mansions of the Immortal Palace. There were Disciples of other sects visiting friends, people from various regions who had business to report at the Immortal Palace, and even tourists—so long as your cultivation realm was at least above the Human Dao Realm and you carried a greeting post from a major sect, you could tour the non‑core areas of the Immortal Palace.

Now these people had really run into terrible luck. They were ordered to state which sect they belonged to, and anyone whose background couldn’t be clearly verified was all thrown into custody to be thoroughly interrogated later. Among them were plenty of experts of considerable strength, but even a fierce tiger can’t stand against a pack of wolves. Faced with the murderous Divine Martial Guard soldiers, anyone with half a brain knew what would happen if they resisted. Though they were disgruntled and kept threatening with their mouths, their bodies were very honest: they let the soldiers wrap their limbs with a simplified version of the Immortal Binding Rope, then seal their meridians, and were afterward carried off like bundles of zongzi to a courtyard temporarily requisitioned by the Embroidered Robe Envoys for holding prisoners.

Those without backing, no matter how strong they were, could only choose to submit and be captured. But Disciples of the various Immortal Palace sects who did have backing were not going to swallow this so easily. The scattered Disciples, afraid of being outnumbered, were quickly subdued, but the Immortal Palace also had Immortal Palace Guards formed from sect Disciples! Once they discovered the commotion, the Immortal Palace patrol squads rushed to the scene, and when they saw what was happening in front of them, their eyes instantly went red. Since when could the Six Guards’ soldiers—who were usually bullied by them—strut into the Immortal Palace and arrest people? Were they trying to overturn the heavens?

They completely ignored the Divine Martial Guard soldiers’ attempts to persuade them to lay down their weapons and return to their sects to await punishment, and instead confronted the Divine Martial Guard soldiers in the street. The Divine Martial Guard soldiers, for their part, were now riding a tiger and had no idea what to do at this moment.

A Captain who had just received his orders came by on patrol, saw the situation here, and bellowed, "What the hell is going on! Zhao Zhichuan, what is this mess, why haven’t you cleared the street yet?!"

"Captain Liu, the Immortal Palace Guards refuse to listen and are facing off with us! We..." Zhao Zhichuan clasped his fists in salute to the Captain, then shot a look at the Immortal Palace Guards confronting them at the front of the formation, his tone troubled.

Crack! A sharp sound rang out as the whip lashed against thick iron armor. Captain Liu, whip in hand, jabbed a finger at Zhao Zhichuan and cursed, "Do you not understand the Grand General’s military orders? Anyone who dares defy the lockdown order—kill! Damn it, we’ve let these bastards ride on our necks and boss us around all these years, and now that we’ve got a chance to set them straight you’re still shrinking back? Zhao Zhichuan! Zhao Zhichuan! I see you don’t want that First Brigade Brigade Commander position you just got! If you don’t want it, I can replace you! I’m asking you: can you take care of this or not?!"

"I can!" Zhao Zhichuan, who had just taken a whip, not only didn’t get angry; after receiving the Captain’s explicit order, he flexed his fists in excitement and was just about to give the command when an old voice rang out.

"Hold it!"

At this critical moment, Feng Tianhe happened to arrive with his people. Captain Liu took one look at the old man who had shouted and immediately knew his cultivation far surpassed his own. Another glance at his clothes, and he understood that this was an Elder of the Mo Sect of the Immortal Palace. Although he himself had orders and so had nothing to fear, when faced with someone of this level he still had to show proper respect. With that in mind, Captain Liu waved to halt his subordinates’ actions, clasped his fists toward Feng Tianhe, and politely said, "May I ask who Senior is?"

"Feng Tianhe of the Mo Sect." Feng Tianhe, who in the past would always puff himself up when reporting his name, now looked like a defeated rooster. He only lifted his eyelids toward Captain Liu and replied with clear helplessness.

"So it’s Elder Feng! I don’t know if Senior has received the orders from above; we are acting under command..."

"Alright, alright!" Before Captain Liu could finish, Feng Tianhe waved a hand and cut him off impatiently. "I was right next to your Grand General when he took the order. I don’t need you to teach me what happened! I’m not here to stop you. Let me go over and talk some sense into those Immortal Palace Disciples. Worst case, I’ll take my own Disciples back to the sect for discipline, will that do? I imagine you soldiers don’t really want to blow this up either, turn it into a bloody mess with casualties on both sides, do you?"

Captain Liu was stunned for a moment at Feng Tianhe’s words, then came to his senses and nodded repeatedly. "But of course! Of course! Senior is truly reasonable and understanding! No one wants to lose their life in some pointless in‑fighting with those from the same side. But a military order cannot be disobeyed! Since Senior is willing to resolve this, we naturally have no reason not to cooperate."

With that, Captain Liu pointed his whip at the front of the formation and shouted, "All of you, clear a path! Blind fools! Make way for the elder! Elder Feng, please!"

Feng Tianhe didn’t stand on ceremony. He led his people through the parted military formation and came to stand before the Immortal Palace Disciples. The Mo Sect Disciples in the crowd brightened the moment they saw their Elder appear. One entry‑level Mo Sect Disciple stepped out from among them to the front and began to complain, "Elder Feng, these people are so bold, they actually dared to..."

Smack! Before he could finish, a resounding slap landed heavily on the Disciple’s cheek. The blow was so fierce it spun him three full times on the spot before he finally managed to regain his footing with the support of the companions behind him. A huge palm print was stamped across his face; his molars had been slapped loose, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth. He hadn’t even felt the pain yet. Just clutching his face, he stared in confusion at Elder Feng before him—who had always been amiable and kind within the sect—utterly unable to understand what he had done wrong to provoke such fury, to the point that the Elder would strike him in public in front of so many people.