Invincibility starts when I see the BOSS health bar.

Chapter 991 Accident
The meaning in his eyes was clear—whatever he had seen or heard, everything that happened here tonight had to be kept completely buried. And the best way to keep a secret forever was to make those who knew it dead.

The maids' relaxed expressions were instantly swallowed up by despair once again.

The emperor's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, as if he had never set foot in this desolate place.

Inside the palace, deathly silence returned.

Consort You, who should have been a "corpse," suddenly opened her eyes again, gazing at the old and dim curtains above her head, and murmured softly to herself, her voice filled with utter boredom and an almost cruel curiosity:

"It seems that one death is not enough... What would it take to rekindle your old ambitions? It's really hard to guess..."

Her voice echoed softly in the empty, cold palace, then vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

Only the palace maids outside the palace, about to be silently dealt with, and the entire capital city, about to be engulfed in a true bloodbath due to the death of the Seventh Prince, remain.

……

The first rays of dawn shone through the window onto Fang Yu's face.

His eyelids twitched a few times before he slowly opened them.

A new day has begun.

But the madness of last night seems to still linger in the air of this city.

Even late into the night, faint sounds of commotion could still be heard in the distance: the clash of weapons, shouts, and even the occasional inhuman roar and the muffled thud of collapsing buildings.

All of this foreshadowed an extraordinary night for the capital.

However, as dawn broke, all the noise miraculously subsided into silence.

It was an unsettling calm, like the brief stillness after a storm, or like a predator licking its claws and disappearing after achieving some goal.

"Squeak."

The door was pushed open gently.

Ding Hui walked in carrying a wooden tray with steaming hot porridge and side dishes on it.

She wore no makeup today, and her black hair was simply tied up, revealing an unexpectedly virtuous and gentle temperament that was completely different from her usual fervent study of formations.

She placed the tray on the table, and seeing that Fang Yu was awake, she naturally walked over and reached out to help him up.

Fang Yu looked at her with some doubt. She had just inscribed a formation on his arms last night, so it was rare for her to be so considerate today.

Ding Hui didn't speak, but focused intently on pulling Fang Yu's right arm, lifting his sleeve, and carefully pinching the muscle texture of his forearm with her slender, cool fingers, feeling the subtle and strange energy flow beneath the skin.

"The formation and the body are quite well integrated," she pondered for a moment, her tone as if assessing a meticulously crafted work of art. "Although there are still some flaws, the instantaneous transmission speed of the texture to the formation has not reached the level of Master Ouyang, which is seamless and seemingly innate, but it is already the limit of my current technical level."

Last night, with Master Ouyang's approval and guidance, she successfully inscribed two miniature arrays that enhanced Fang Yu's power into his arms. The process was somewhat thrilling, but thankfully, it ended without serious harm.

To be honest, apart from feeling a bit hot and swollen in his arms right after finishing carving, like the soreness after overexertion, Fang Yu didn't feel too uncomfortable at the moment. However, he felt an "unnatural" feeling as if there was something foreign under his skin, which he needed to get used to.

“Husband,” Ding Hui raised her eyes, her expression serious as she spoke of important matters, “In the next few days, if you experience any unusual changes in your body, whether it’s loss of control over your power, burning of the array patterns, or any other subtle sensations, you must inform me immediately.”

Once she takes action, she always strives for perfection.

Now that the formation has been successfully inscribed, she will closely monitor all feedback and be ready to make adjustments and optimizations at any time.

If she hadn't practiced extensively beforehand, and hadn't received guidance from Master Ouyang, she wouldn't have dared to attempt this on Fang Yu so easily.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly last night.

Fang Yu nodded and got out of bed as instructed.

He walked into the courtyard and subconsciously clenched his right fist.

Instantly, a subtle yet powerful force flowed quietly along the array patterns beneath the skin of his arm, clearly discernible.

With a slight thought and a moment of gathering his strength, he could feel that power instantly being activated and linked into a complete whole, ready to erupt at any time.

His gaze swept across the courtyard, and he noticed that Linghu Xiang was doing her morning exercise in the open space not far away.

She moved with agility, her sword flashing like a bolt of lightning, but out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to be constantly watching the direction of the door.

Upon seeing Fang Yu emerge, her sword practice faltered noticeably. She avoided eye contact with him with a hint of panic, but managed a composed greeting: "Good morning, Diao Deyi." She then resumed her swordplay, though the moves seemed less sharp than usual, carrying a hint of unease and softness.

Ding Hui followed her out and stood under the eaves, arms crossed, looking at Linghu Xiang practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard with a half-smile. Her eyes held a hint of understanding and a touch of mockery, more like the natural and unhurried scrutiny of an "empress" looking at a "those with ulterior motives."

Fang Yu was unaware of the silent undercurrent between the two women.

He took a deep breath of the cold morning air and began practicing his boxing techniques. During the movements, he deliberately activated the array patterns on his arms.

hum!
A power far exceeding his usual strength instantly filled his arms! The wind from his punch howled, even producing a faint sonic boom! He punched the decorative rockery in the courtyard!
boom! !

It wasn't that the boulder collapsed, but rather that the artificial mountain, as if detonated from within, instantly turned into dust under his fist! Smoke and dust filled the air, and fragments of stone fell in a flurry.

Fang Yu withdrew his fist, looking at it with amazement in his eyes.

The boost from this formation entering the body far exceeded expectations!
Even under such normal circumstances, such a significant increase in power is possible; one can only imagine the power it would unleash if fully unleashed!

Thinking of the unknown-level battle in the capital last night, the power fluctuations were so terrifying that he didn't even have the right to get close, let alone provide any help to Qing Yao who might be involved... Fang Yu's desire for power became more urgent than ever before.

However, now that he has lost the protection of his powerful clan, hunting demons in the capital to gain attribute points as before is virtually impossible and extremely easy to expose. This makes him somewhat irritable.

The commotion alerted Diao Xiaohui and Song Zhenrong in the side room.

The two rushed out and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the powder all over the ground and Fang Yu standing with his fists clenched.

As Song Zhenrong felt the lingering powerful energy in the air, his gaze toward Fang Yu became even more awe-inspiring, as he felt that Fang Yu's strength was becoming increasingly unfathomable.

"Lord Diao, you..." Song Zhenrong clicked his tongue in amazement.

"It's alright, I'm just trying out a new technique." Fang Yu waved his hand.

At this moment, Ding Hui spoke up: "By the way, husband, I've made some new progress on my research into Zunnu..."

She seemed to have withdrawn her gaze from Linghu Xiang and refocused on the matter at hand.

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the other room was pushed open, and Zhuge Shi came out yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes.

She had clearly not slept all night; her face looked tired, but her eyes were exceptionally clear and sharp.

With the commotion last night, coupled with the organization's apparent unusual activity, she found it difficult to sleep.

Although she couldn't leave the Ouyang residence to investigate, she remained vigilant at all times, paying close attention to any movements in the outside world. Regarding Fang Yu's recently displayed strength, aside from the somewhat novel and strange method of "array entering the body," the power itself didn't concern her too much. Having witnessed the awe-inspiring power of the "Lord," Fang Yu's current strength, in her view, was far from worthy of her astonishment.

Just then, a steady sound of footsteps came.

Master Ouyang had arrived in the courtyard at some point, and everyone quickly composed themselves and respectfully bowed, saying, "Master Ouyang."

Ouyang Jin simply nodded calmly, his gaze immediately falling on Fang Yu's arms. His eyes seemed to penetrate the clothes and see the faintly glowing array patterns beneath the skin.

He stared at it for a moment before slowly uttering two words: "Not bad."

This simple compliment brought a look of joy to Ding Hui's face. Gaining Master Ouyang's approval was no easy feat.

Immediately, Ouyang Jin turned his appreciative gaze to Ding Hui and nodded, saying, "Solid foundation, precise execution, and the details of the array patterns are handled perfectly."

Ding Hui quickly bowed and said, "It's all thanks to Master Ouyang's excellent teaching."

Ouyang Jin was clearly in a good mood and beckoned, "In that case, come with me. It's time to teach you some more profound techniques of array compression and flesh-blood integration."

Upon hearing this, Ding Hui's eyes shone with a burning light, a testament to her endless thirst for knowledge.

She turned to look at Fang Yu and gestured with her eyes, to which Fang Yu nodded slightly.

She immediately followed Ouyang Jin's footsteps, and the two of them, one in front and one behind, quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Fang Yu watched them leave, pondering the events of the previous night in the capital, and decided to go out and gather some information.

Currently, besides Master Ouyang, he is the only one in the Ouyang family who can relatively easily travel outside.

Diao Xiaohui, Linghu Xiang, and others are obvious targets, and their safety cannot be guaranteed.

"Diao Deyi, I'll go with you." Upon seeing this, Linghu Xiang immediately sheathed her sword and stepped forward, her tone filled with anticipation.

Fang Yu shook his head: "The situation outside is unclear, and there may still be danger. It's safer for you to stay in the manor."

His main concern was that if Linghu Xiang followed, she might become a hindrance or expose him as a target.

Linghu Xiang's eyes dimmed instantly. She pursed her lips and whispered, "Yes... I understand."

She silently stepped aside, her back looking somewhat dejected.

Seeing this, Song Zhenrong opened his mouth to say a few words of comfort, but was stopped by Linghu Xiang's cold and distant gaze, and could only stand there awkwardly.

Diao Xiaohui, standing to the side, looked at Song Zhenrong with some surprise, her eyes flickering as if she were deep in thought.

Fang Yu said no more at this point, straightened his robes, and left the Ouyang residence alone.

The streets seemed no different from usual, with vendors setting up their stalls as usual and pedestrians coming and going as usual.

However, upon closer inspection, one can see that the number of patrolling troops has increased significantly, and they are all elite soldiers with sharp eyes scanning the passersby.

An invisible tension permeated the air, and people's conversations seemed to be hushed up. A sense of impending doom hung over the capital.

Fang Yu hadn't gone far when he keenly sensed that someone was secretly following him.

The opponent's skills were quite superb, and his aura was extremely well concealed. If Fang Yu's perception had not been far beyond that of ordinary people, he would have been almost unable to detect him.

He sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, pretending to be nonchalant as he strolled casually through the streets, while secretly listening intently to gather bits of information.

"Have you heard? It was quite a scene last night..."

Shh! Watch your words! You're asking for trouble!

"It seems... something big has happened at the Xia Prince's residence?"

"Don't guess if you don't know! Get to work!"

There wasn't much useful information, and people seemed to be keeping it a closely guarded secret.

Just as Fang Yu turned a street corner, preparing to turn into a more bustling area, suddenly—

His heart clenched suddenly! It felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand!
A sharp, unpredictable, colicky pain struck!

Suddenly everything went black, and my body lurched forward uncontrollably, almost falling straight to the ground!
Fortunately, the sensation came on quickly and went away just as fast. Almost the next second, the throbbing pain in my heart subsided like a receding tide, and my vision returned to normal.

Fang Yu steadied himself abruptly, frozen in place, his brows furrowed tightly.

What just happened?

He felt something strange in the corner of his eye; it was moist.

Subconsciously, I raised my hand and wiped my fingertips, only to find them stained with a thick, deep... black liquid!
Fang Yu's expression suddenly changed, and his heart started pounding again, this time out of extreme shock and disbelief!
"How can it be?!!"

How could this thing... end up on me?! And at a time like this?!

Meanwhile, deep within the Ouyang mansion, in a quiet room filled with intricate array patterns.

Master Ouyang, who was demonstrating a complex spiritual energy circuit to Ding Hui, suddenly stopped without warning.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of walls, looking towards a certain direction outside the mansion. In his usually calm and unwavering eyes, a rare and complex emotion was revealed, which eventually turned into a long and heavy sigh that echoed slowly in the silent room.

……

The distant border, the Broken Pass.

A chilling wind swept across the Gobi Desert, whipping up clouds of yellow sand.

In the simple yet clean hospital room, Chen Yunyun knelt before the bed, her shoulders trembling violently, sobbing uncontrollably. Tears blurred her vision, dripping onto the cold floor.

On the bed, the gatekeeper of Suichong Pass, Lord Yan Wenxi, who had taught her so much and treated her like a mother, had a peaceful face, but had completely stopped breathing, and his body was slowly getting cold.

The door was flung open, and the lieutenant rushed in, covered in dust. Upon seeing Yan Wenxi on the bed and Chen Yunyun kneeling on the floor, this tough man's eyes instantly reddened, and he knelt down on one knee with a thud, his voice choked with emotion: "My lord...!"

He suppressed his grief and said to Chen Yunyun, "Lord Yunyun... A few days ago, Lord Yan suddenly said he wanted to go out for a walk, and I felt uneasy... I never thought that in the end... Alas! Fortunately... fortunately, you accompanied her on this last journey."

The implication is that Wenxi's passing may have been foreshadowed.

The lieutenant wiped his face, trying to compose himself: "Lord Yun, now that Lord Yan is gone, the duty of guarding the pass... the pass cannot be without a leader for even a day, you..."

Chen Yunyun shook her head vigorously, her voice hoarse but firm: "No... I will not take over. I want to take my master's ashes home, back to the capital. That is her hometown, she always talked about it before she died... At the very least, I want her to be laid to rest there."

(End of this chapter)