Chapter 1377: Understanding Enlightenment

Qiao Er paced slowly upon the sky-bridge.This plank path, swaying amidst the clouds and mist,conjured in him a trance, as if swinging on a childhood swing.His former name was buried long ago.He was called "Qiao Er," meaning "Bridge Two,"because when he awoke, he was hanging beneath the second arch of a bridge in his homeland,thus escaping the slaughter.There is little to speak of concerning the past, save for hatred.He had resided in Linzi for a long time, mostly living a normal life,occasionally venturing out to perform certain deeds.For instance, recording intelligence, spreading rumors, or killing a few individuals...In this city of sin, built upon bones and watered with blood,there were others like him. Of course, he knew not who they were,nor did they know him. The only certainty they shared was that they were not alone.For information was ever circulating.In the heartland of this vast empire, they were secretly building a "home."Information naturally ceased at times, and such interruptions were not uncommon.They occurred during Cui Zhu's assassination of the Emperor, Zhang Yong's weeping before the ancestral shrine,and when Xia State betrayed high-ranking members of the organization.They sought to challenge the established order of this world,and each of them understood well the formidable strength of their adversaries.Their current focus was on Qi, but Qi was merely one of many foes.They would face every kind of hardship.And no hardship could ever make them halt.Interrupted flows of information invariably reconnected swiftly.Especially his line, which was personally re-established in Linziby King Zhao, one of the organization's highest leaders.What immense courage this demonstrated?Why could they achieve so much? Why were they, from the lowest ranks to the highest, unafraid of sacrifice?Because a shared ideal illuminated the path ahead.Qiao Er was always cautious. He did not fear sacrifice,but he feared a sacrifice that held no meaning.He feared that his corpse would not become fuel for the ideal.What joy is there in life, what fear is there in death? Only when burned by the light of the ideal can the past find solace.The last operation was in Yaoguang Quarter.It was originally intended to kill a young Tianjiao, provoke Xie Huaian's emotions,create turmoil, and weave a tempest... It was abandoned due to Jiang Wang's appearance.It was not that he lacked the ability to kill both Xie Baoshu and Jiang Wang simultaneously,but he could not guarantee that during the process, the opponents would make no sound whatsoever...Jiang Wang's control over sound had been clearly demonstrated in the case of Cui Zhu's assassination of the Emperor.Moreover, King Zhao had specifically emphasized last time that Jiang Wang could be a target,but it was best not to actually kill him.With even a sliver of uncertainty, Qiao Er chose to withdraw,remaining dormant until today.He did not fear death, but that matter, that young Tianjiao named Xie Baoshu,was not worth the risk.It was clear that Jiang Wuqi was worth it.To assassinate a palace master in Linzi was truly an unbelievable feat.But precisely because it was unbelievable, few dared to even contemplate such a direction.Because of its impossibility, once successful, the impact it could create would be monumental.Indeed, if they could capture him alive and spirit him away from Qi territory... the benefits would be immeasurable.And it was absolutely worth the risk.To this end, the organization did not mind paying a greater price.Among the four palaces of Changle, Changsheng, Huaying, and Yangxin,currently only Changsheng Palace offered some possibility.Since Jiang Wuqi's naked jade-biting display before the Purple Extreme Palace,the Qi Emperor had not summoned this prince again.Once so close, now so distant.It was known throughout the court and common folk that the Eleventh Prince had lost favor,with an air of "when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter."Those civil and military officials who were formerly close to Changsheng Palacehad been exceptionally low-key during this period.Jiang Wuqi himself traveled lightly, without ostentation,save for his daily ascent to Cloud Mist Mountain to watch the sunrise.Most of the time, he kept his palace gates locked, claiming to be cultivating his character and refusing outside visitors.Today was an excellent opportunity.According to the latest intelligence, the great battle in the Star-Moon Plains had concluded,and Qi's Tianjiao were about to return in glory. The eyes of the entire empirewere focused on them, and attention elsewhere was inevitably somewhat relaxed.Cloud Mist Mountain was, after all, secluded.Even after the assassination at the Gate of Hell, the defense of the entire city of Linzihad been significantly tightened, but it was still not easy to detect anomalies here in time...Furthermore, they had made more than enough preparations for this journey.To put it another way, even if something went wrong, with his strength,he would have time to kill the Inner Mansion realm Jiang Wuqi before the strong experts of Linzi arrived.If he could exchange his life for Jiang Xu's most beloved son, what was not worth it?Thinking that he had the opportunity to cause such suffering to an Emperor like Jiang Xu, Qiao Er felt a thrill.Had Qi slightly defeated Jing State and now become excessively arrogant, believing the world bowed before them?It was time to splash some cold water on them...Thinking thus, Qiao Er raised his eyes to look at the frail prince before him,slowly straightening his back. His stooped figure gradually became erect,and a wisp of cold light danced between his fingers.He walked on the cloud-shrouded, mist-hidden sky-bridge, like a huntermoving towards his trap. And within the trap was today's quarry.To his surprise, Jiang Wuqi was calm.Too calm.Qiao Er was certain his transformation had been observed by the other party,and Jiang Wuqi wasn't distracted.Yet this Eleventh Prince of Great Qi remained so calm.Let alone fleeing or calling for help, he didn't even show signs of slowing down.He still walked directly towards him, face to face.Was there an ambush?A ripple stirred in Qiao Er's emotions.No. If there were an ambush here, that person... could not be unaware.His spiritual sense instantly blanketed the sky-bridge, and indeed, no one else was seen.Overthinking was futile. All matters must be interrogated with the tip of a blade.Qiao Er quickened his pace, the aura of a Divine Arrival expert beginning to surge:"Your Highness, for the sake of your safety, how about you accompany me?"The clouds beside him were like snow, his white fox fur coat also like snow,and the paleness on his face did not yield an inch to the snowy hue.The frail Eleventh Prince of Great Qi, walking on the swaying sky-bridge,quietly sensed the gradually awakening aura of a Divine Arrival expert...Suddenly he sighed, "I have waited for you for too long!"What did that mean?It was only then that Qiao Er was startled by a realization—at some point, the noble scion before him had stopped coughing.And as his thin figure walked on this cloud bridge, he possessed a sense of effortless control over everything.Was this a trap?Who dared to use Jiang Wuqi as bait?!How did he ensure his own safety?A thousand thoughts exploded in his mind. A figure like Qiao Er could, of course,probe the depths and trace the source within the mist. With extreme decisiveness,he flicked his finger, and the cold light that had long been coiled around his fingerinstantly shot out with lightning speed!He struck first! With the cultivation of a Divine Arrival, facing an Inner Mansion realm cultivator,he held nothing back.The clouds ceased to move, the mist no longer surged, the wind did not come,the sky-bridge no longer swayed, and there was no longer any distance between him and Jiang Wuqi.Cloud Mist Mountain seemed to fall silent for an instant.As soon as the cold light emerged, it was upon them.The trail of the cold light, between Qiao Er and Jiang Wuqi,actually created an abrupt void. It began here and ended there.A so-called Divine Arrival expert, within the range of their spiritual sense, is like a deity!"Villain, how dare you!" A sharp voice suddenly rang out, rapidly approaching.Jiang Wuqi was, after all, the Master of Changsheng Palace.No matter how much favor he had lost, he was still a key subject of protectionby the defense forces of Linzi. Thus, as soon as there was any unusual movement on the Cloud Mist Mountain sky-bridge,strong experts patrolling the nearby area immediately rushed over.But... it was impossible for them to arrive in time.At this moment, taking the person away was utterly impossible.For Qiao Er, the optimal outcome was perhaps already lost,but the second-best outcome was close at hand. Killing an Inner Mansion with Divine Arrivalwas merely a blink of an eye.That point of cold light, belonging to a Divine Arrival realm cultivator,appeared so clearly in Jiang Wuqi's eyes. And the voice of the rapidly approachingDivine Arrival Green Badge was still far away.It seemed his life was always caught in exceptionally painful contradictions,forward or backward, both were dead ends.Who could understand his despair, Jiang Wuqi's despair?The point of cold light in his eyes seemed to spread boundlessly.That scene from long ago, it also seemed to be in such morning light,and it also seemed so cold—"Your Highness, from now on, you must not cultivate any further."The speaker was Old Imperial Physician Wen of the Imperial Hospital.Looking across the entirety of Great Qi, no one dared to claim they surpassed him in medical skills.Therefore, his diagnosis was usually the final word.The young prince merely asked, "Why?""Your vital essence is poisoned by cold, increasing with age.The higher your cultivation, the more severe the cold poison.The more you strive, the closer you are to death. As it appears now, Inner Mansion... is the limit.""What if I establish an Outer Tower?""When the starlight tempers the body, that is when the cold poison will erupt.It will shatter your blood and freeze your life; there is no hope of survival.""What if I take a single step to Golden Body and Jade Marrow?""If you reach Divine Arrival, the jade marrow will also be cold marrow.Unless you take a single step to Profound Insight, observing the universe outwardly,understanding yourself inwardly, perceiving reality, only then can you sever the cold poisonand seek longevity.""Then I will take a single step to Profound Insight.""This old subject has something to say, but I do not know if it should be said...""Are you suggesting, Esteemed One, that it is utterly impossible?""While not entirely without hope, the chances of success are exceedingly slim.Without ascending to Outer Tower, how can one reach Divine Arrival?Without experiencing Divine Arrival, how can one attain Profound Insight?Human power is at times limited; this matter is truly difficult!""I have heard that in ancient times there were sages who had mastered a hundred schools,touched upon the extraordinary, and reached the pinnacle in a single step. Is that legend false?""This... This is recorded in historical texts, so it should be true.""Since predecessors could reach the pinnacle in a single step with mortal bodies,why can I, Jiang Wuqi, not take a single step to Profound Insight?"At that time, Old Imperial Physician Wen bowed his head and did not speak, and the Imperial Father...What did Imperial Father say?He remembered...Imperial Father said—"Good! You are朕's Qilin son! One who can achieve what others cannot will surely build an enterprise beyond others' reach!"The memory came to an abrupt halt here.Because that cold light was already close to his brow.Jiang Wuqi, wrapped in a thick fox fur coat, with a pale face, took a step forward.With this step, the world became vastly different!Four points of light simultaneously illuminated the horizon, and the distant starry dome instantly formed four star towers.Jiang Wuqi's hair and eyebrows were actually frosted with ice.Within three steps of him, centered on him, the temperature was terrifyingly low.Even the incoming cold light seemed to be slowed.His pair of eyes, too, suddenly formed icicles, reflecting swirling light.But in the next moment, the icicles shattered, and the frost on his eyebrows and long hairmelted as if meeting a blazing sun.He raised his palm, slanted it before his forehead, and the point of incoming cold lightwas enveloped within the range of his palm. It leaped and danced between his pale, slender five fingers,clearly hissing continuously with terrifying power, yet like a bird in a cage, it could not escape.Qiao Er stood before this frail prince...What he heard in his ears seemed like the incoming tide. It was the prince's blood, flowing like a river or sea!What he saw in his eyes, his eyebrows, eyes, hair, and skin were all faintly gleaming with golden light—it was the Golden Body of a Divine Arrival expert!Right before his eyes, Jiang Wuqi had taken a single step and reached Divine Arrival!The four realms of Outer Tower seemed to have never existed; the Star Towers had just been erected and were already history.The chasm of lifespan between Outer Tower and Divine Arrival seemed merely a small ditch,only worth Jiang Wuqi taking a small step across.Before the step, he was still Inner Mansion; after the step, he was already Divine Arrival.And with a single raised hand, he suppressed his own Natal Artifact!What kind of talent was this? What kind of monster was this?If this person did not die, how could Qi be subdued in the next hundred or thousand years?From this arose shock, and from this arose fear.Qiao Er had long intended to die, and now there was no hesitation.His body suddenly began to disintegrate!His aura surged infinitely, and the overflowing power stirred the sea of clouds into turmoil.Even though his body was constantly disappearing, he gradually gained a terrifying senseof devouring the heavens and swallowing the earth.Cui Zhu had demonstrated it once before the Ancestral Temple,and Zhang Yong had used it again in the Nine Reversion Marquis's spiritual shrine... the Technique of Annihilation and Transformation!A desperate secret technique unique to the Equal State.Only an organization like the Equal State could have so many peoplewilling to gamble their lives with such terrifying secret arts. First kill oneself, then seek to accomplish the mission!A Divine Arrival realm cultivator like Qiao Er, with a lifespan exceeding five hundred yearsand boundless beautiful possibilities, could be highly valued in any force.Yet, when he employed the Technique of Annihilation and Transformation, he did not waver in the slightest.Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!Figures of cultivators ascended into the air everywhere on Cloud Mist Mountain.The terrifying power fluctuations on the sky-bridge stirred the great formation of Cloud Mist Mountain, causing it to react defensively,alarming the extraordinary cultivators in the Heavenly Fragrance Cloud Pavilion,and also alarming those "patrons" who possessed extraordinary power.However, among these people, none could interfere with a battle at the Divine Arrival level."It's the Eleventh Highness!""Who dares to commit murder in Linzi?!"Angry shouts constantly resounded, yet none actually rushed forward to their deaths.A Divine Arrival cultivator in a state of annihilation and transformation—whoever blocked his path would die?Only Jiang Wuqi himself, with a single step to Divine Arrival, blocked Qiao Er's attack,winning time for the strong experts patrolling the nearby area."Your Highness, retreat! Li is here!"Li Youjiu, a Third Rank Green Badge Constable, a Divine Arrival realm cultivator who had just cleared his suspicions!At this moment, approaching from a distance, his Divine Eye opened, instantly like astonishing lightning traversing the void.And before Jiang Wuqi, from the legs upwards, the powerful body of a Divine Arrival realm cultivatordisintegrated inch by inch upon the cloud bridge.Calves, knees, thighs, hips... His body decreased inch by inch,but Qiao Er's aura rose inch by inch. He clasped his fingers together,bringing them before his body. His final strike in life was bound to be brilliant and dazzling.At this moment, Jiang Wuqi made a move.He brought his slender, pale five fingers together in a clasp,and the cold light leaping in his palm was extinguished.It should have been a dagger, but it had already turned to dust,dispersing in Jiang Wuqi's open palm.Jiang Wuqi's hand closed and then opened again, like the process of a flower blooming...Opening simultaneously was an illusory mountain.Wrapped in clouds and mist, with a plank path winding up the mountain, and exquisite pavilions...Precisely Cloud Mist Mountain!The sky-bridge suddenly magnified, revealing within it the frail man wrapped in a white fox fur coat,revealing Qiao Er opposite him, whose body was still rapidly disintegrating,and revealing the Green Badge Constable Li Youjiu, who was flying closer in the air,his Divine Eye already open.This was indeed a blooming flower.The seed of a divine ability, which had been forced to stop due to the cold poison entering his vital essence,had now blossomed after Jiang Wuqi's single step to Divine Arrival!And this Master of Changsheng Palace, who had always been frail,simply flipped his hand, and that cloud bridge, the Equal State Divine Arrival expert on the bridge,and the Green Badge Constable Li Youjiu who had already flown closer, all vanished.Divine Ability, Palm-Sized Universe!