The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

The environment here is relatively safe, protected by the rules of the commune. Generally, petty thieves dare not cause trouble here, which can minimize interference at the critical moment of breaking through to the Earthly Rank.

Inside the quiet room, Jiang Xuan sat cross-legged, cleared his mind of distractions, and began to fully circulate the "Myriad Paths Devouring Heaven Technique" and the "Minor Underworld Divine Art".

Guiding the spiritual energy within his body, which was already at its peak, he launched a final assault on that solid barrier.

A surge of powerful energy coursed and roared through his meridians, filling the quiet room with a spiritual aura.

……

Inside Juxiang Inn, Lu Shaoyun, who had been well taken care of by Li Tianbao at the Shidingzhai branch for several days, had recovered considerably from his injuries.

But the fear and resentment in his heart grew stronger day by day.

He was unaware that he had been targeted by the Chi family and had become evidence in Chi Cangmei's eyes that the Lu family had "ulterior motives," and he was still dreaming of revenge.

But the thought of Jiang Xuan's elusive methods and cold eyes sent chills down his spine.

He was worried that Jiang Xuan had actually been secretly monitoring him to see if he was being honest.

Therefore, in order to show their "obedience" and "grievances".

He would deliberately go to Jiang Xuan's empty room every day, beat his chest, and wail and cry.

"Jiang Xuan! You demon! You deserve to die a horrible death!"

"Come out and kill me if you dare! Give me the antidote!"

"I, Lu Shaoyun, will haunt you even in death!"

"Waaah... I want to go home..."

He performed with great emotion, tears streaming down his face, attempting to numb the possibility of surveillance with this "grief and indignation" performance in exchange for a glimmer of hope.

His clumsy performance, however, was interpreted differently by the man in the straw hat who was secretly watching him.

"Chief, Lu Shaoyun is crying and making a scene in front of Jiang Xuan's room again."

"Hmph! What a convincing performance! It seems they really are in cahoots! Lu Shaoyun is using a self-inflicted injury ruse to try and mislead us, covering for Jiang Xuan!"

The man in the straw hat sneered repeatedly, becoming even more convinced of his judgment.

And so, several days passed.

The atmosphere outside Huanglong City grew increasingly tense. The forces mobilized by the Chi family and five Ziying warships were already in place, and an invisible net was slowly tightening, waiting for Jiang Xuan to appear.

Until this day, the man in the straw hat listened to his subordinates' reports on Lu Shaoyun's daily routine "performance".

He suddenly stood up abruptly, his face turning extremely pale!

"wrong!!"

He growled.

“Jiang Xuan hasn’t shown his face since he entered the inn! Even his meals were delivered to the door by Lu Shaoyun under the pretext that he was in a bad mood, but Lu Shaoyun ate them all himself! Our people who infiltrated the inn as servants have never actually seen Jiang Xuan!”

A chill instantly shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head!

The man in the straw hat finally realized that they might have been tricked!

Jiang Xuan may have already left Juxiang Inn!
As for Lu Shaoyun... that idiot, he was probably used by Jiang Xuan as a decoy to draw fire!
"Quick! Find a way to confirm if Jiang Xuan is still in the room! Hurry!"

The man in the straw hat roared angrily.

A waiter from the inn found Lu Shaoyun, who was sitting uneasily in his room, acting suspiciously.

He was handed an unsigned secret letter, which someone had paid him a large sum of money to deliver.

Lu Shaoyun opened the letter with a puzzled look, and his face turned deathly pale after just one glance!
The handwriting on the letter was messy yet forceful, and the content made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

“Lu Shaoyun, I’m using you as a decoy to draw attention and help me escape. You’re not poisoned, so take care of yourself. Just a heads-up, because of your previous actions, the enemy has mistaken you for one of my accomplices, and trouble is brewing. If you want to live, quickly seek help from your father; perhaps he can save your life. —Jiang Xuan”

"It's fake! It must be fake! He's trying to fool me!"

Lu Shaoyun was initially incredulous, then a surge of furious anger at being tricked welled up inside him. He violently tore the letter to shreds and threw it to the ground.

"I'm not poisoned? How is that possible!"

He must be trying to trick me into going out so he can kill me to silence me!

His sense of relief and anger didn't last long before the door was kicked open with a bang!

Li Tianbao, the manager of Shidingzhai in Huanglong City, rushed in with several cold-faced guards and, without saying a word, went straight up and pinned Lu Shaoyun down!
"Uncle Li! What are you doing? Let me go!"

Lu Shaoyun struggled and shouted.

Li Tianbao looked at Lu Shaoyun, his face no longer showing the respect and enthusiasm he had before, only a solemn and helpless expression. He said in a deep voice.

"Young Master Shaoyun, you've gotten yourself into a huge mess! Do you know who Jiang Xuan is? He's a wanted criminal that the Chi family of the Forbidden City is willing to use warships to hunt down! You've gotten involved with him and the Chi family has mistaken you for an accomplice!"
The Chi family has now issued a formal interrogation to my Lu clan, taking a hard line! The patriarch is furious and has ordered me to immediately apprehend you and escort you back to the Forbidden City for further judgment!

Lu Shaoyun was completely stunned!

The Chi family? A warship pursuing them? The clan's fury?
This barrage of information left him dizzy and disoriented!

Only now did he truly understand what Jiang Xuanxin meant by "exploitation" and "turmoil"!
Not only was he made a target to draw fire, but he also got himself into huge trouble!

"He...he really didn't poison me? He slipped out of the room a long time ago?"

Lu Shaoyun collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, his heart filled with endless regret and fear.

He finally realized that he had fallen into Jiang Xuan's scheme from the very beginning, becoming a complete pawn and a clown!
……

The man in the straw hat who had sent someone to investigate returned with news that infuriated him.

"Chief! Jiang Xuan's room is empty! We found a newly dug, short tunnel under the floor leading to an alley behind the inn! The exit is on the main street, but all traces have long since disappeared!"

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

The man in the straw hat was trembling with anger, feeling like a monkey being played for a fool!

He suppressed his anger, his eyes filled with ruthlessness.

"It's alright! He can't have gone far, Xiao Mu!"

A slender young man with exceptionally bright eyes stepped forward in response.

"leader!"

"Your 'Six Senses Sensing Technique' is best at tracking auras. Immediately use this place as the center and search for any clues that Jiang Xuan might have left behind!"

The man in the straw hat gave the order; this was his last hope.

"Yes!"

Xiao Mu accepted the order and immediately closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring slightly and his ears twitching gently, as if sensing subtle fluctuations in the air that ordinary people could not detect.

The man in the straw hat simultaneously sent a message to the troops that had already been deployed outside the city.

"The target may have escaped the inn. But most likely, they haven't left the city yet, or are hiding within it. Everyone be on high alert. Keep the outer perimeter of the blockade loose, but the inner perimeter tight. If any suspicious targets are spotted, kill them without mercy!"

After giving the order, the man in the straw hat dared not delay any longer and immediately left Juxiang Inn with his men.

His biggest worry now is that Jiang Xuan has already realized the inescapable net outside the city and has used the past few days to slip out of the encirclement using some special method!
...At this moment, Jiang Xuan was no longer in Huanglong City.

He used the advanced disguise techniques he learned in the Blood Killing Camp to not only change his appearance.

Furthermore, by adjusting muscles, controlling breathing and gait, he completely changed his breathing and mannerisms.

He disguised himself as a simple-looking country boy.

He mingled with the early morning crowds leaving the city, carrying a small bag on his back.

With his head down, he walked steadily along the official road, looking no different from the ordinary young men who were heading to the Forbidden City to make a living.

The seemingly rigorous checks at the city gates were rendered ineffective by his ingenious disguise and went unnoticed.

Walking on the bustling official road, Jiang Xuan felt a sense of peace.

He would occasionally think of Lu Shaoyun, whom he had used, wondering if that guy had realized what had happened.

He felt little remorse; he had chosen his own path.

If Lu Shaoyun hadn't harbored malicious intentions and been arrogant and domineering, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

I've already warned him; if he still chooses to court death, then I can't blame anyone else.

"Next, it's time for the Chi family and Xu Qianjing's 'surprise'."

He knew the capabilities of the Chi family and Xu Qianjing well, given that they were able to deploy a large force outside Huanglong City.

This suggests that the forces they can mobilize are far beyond imagination, and they may indeed have several thousand elite troops.

Sure enough, about ten miles from Huanglong City, the official road ahead encountered a problem.

There were about fifty cultivators dressed in uniform black outfits, who had set up roadblocks.

They were checking passing merchants and travelers, and their attitude was quite tough.

From the depths of the Mijiang River on both sides of the road, a faint murderous aura emanated, clearly indicating that more people were lying in ambush.

What made Jiang Xuan's gaze sharpen even more was that there were several tiny black dots hovering in the sky.

It was "Wind Shadow Harrier" who was in charge of reconnaissance.

The enemy has sealed off this only route like an iron barrel.

Jiang Xuan was on guard, pondering whether to force his way through or find another way.

Suddenly, a series of rapid hoofbeats and footsteps came from behind.

He glanced back and saw another group of about twenty black-clad cultivators rushing towards them.

The leader was a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a sinister face.

Just as the two groups were about to meet, the sinister man's gaze swept over the crowd waiting in line for inspection.

A strange, blood-red light suddenly appeared in his eyes!
He twitched his nostrils like a hunting dog, as if searching for some special scent in the air.

The next moment, his bloodshot pupils suddenly locked onto the seemingly ordinary and honest young man in the crowd—Jiang Xuan!
"Target spotted! Take him down!"

The sinister-looking man let out a sharp roar and pounced on Jiang Xuan like lightning!

He had clearly practiced some strange secret technique that enhanced his sense of smell or perception, and saw through Jiang Xuan's disguise!
"Exposed!"

Jiang Xuan was startled.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and fired several crossbow bolts that were already nocked, aiming straight for the sinister man's face and chest!

The sinister-looking man moved with uncanny skill, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow; the crossbow bolt only tore his clothes.

But this delay has bought Jiang Xuan valuable time!
Jiang Xuan stomped his foot hard, cracking the ground, and instead of heading towards the roadblock, he rushed towards the dense forest on the side of the official road!

The complex terrain there is more suitable for maneuvering!

"Enemy attack!"

"The target is there! Chase after it!"

"Send signal!"

The black-clad cultivators immediately erupted in chaos, and a sharp whistle rang out.

Countless figures emerged from behind the roadblocks and from the forests on both sides of the river, chasing after Jiang Xuan!

Furthermore, seven or eight cultivators who were nearby directly blocked Jiang Xuan's path as he rushed towards Senjiang, their swords drawn and flashing with cold light!

"Anyone who stands in my way will die!"

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Xuan's eyes, and the [Flowing Light Battle Blade] on his back was instantly drawn, its blade light sweeping across like a bolt of lightning!
"Pfft! Crack!"

Amidst screams, the seven or eight cultivators blocking the way...

The man and his weapon were severed with a single blow, and limbs and blood splattered everywhere!

Jiang Xuan's momentum did not diminish, and he instantly rushed into the edge of the Senjiang River!

The moment he stepped into the forest, a strong sense of crisis suddenly descended upon him!
He keenly sensed that at least a hundred powerful auras were closing in on him at an extremely fast speed from the depths of the Mijiang River ahead!

Behind them and to the left and right, even more enemies had blocked their retreat!
In just a brief moment of pause, Jiang Xuan was already surrounded!
Hundreds and thousands of black-clad cultivators surrounded him from all directions.

Among them were many auras of the Earthly Realm, and even a few terrifying Heavenly Realm pressures hidden in the crowd!

Swords and blades flowed like a river, and murderous intent soared to the heavens!
"Jiang Xuan! Surrender and you may be allowed a complete corpse!"

A seemingly powerful cultivator at the peak of the Divine Realm shouted sternly, waving his command flag at the same time!
"kill!"

Countless spiritual attacks poured towards Jiang Xuan, who was located in the center, from all directions!

Arrows, blades, sword energy, flames, ice spikes... attacks of various attributes intertwined to form a devastating net of death, determined to completely engulf him!
Faced with this terrifying siege that could instantly annihilate any cultivator at the Earthly Realm, they were caught off guard.

Jiang Xuan's expression was unusually calm, and a cold smile even appeared on his lips.

"Perfect, I'll use you guys to test my skills."

The immense spiritual energy within him, emanating from his newly advanced Earthly Martial Realm cultivation, erupted with a deafening roar!
A power several times purer and more vast than when he was in the Human Gang Realm instantly filled his limbs and bones!
His body shone with a brilliant azure spiritual energy, as if it had condensed into a tangible flame!
Faced with the overwhelming attacks, Jiang Xuan neither dodged nor evaded, but gripped the [Flowing Light Battle Blade] tightly with both hands, pouring all the surging power within his body into the blade!
The profound meaning of the perfect fusion of the "Nine Shaking Heavens Collapse Dao" and the "Star Gathering Style" appeared in his mind. This style finally reached its perfection after he broke through the Earth Gang Realm!

"Star-Gathering Style - Eternal Night Galaxy!"

He let out a low shout and slashed out with his sword!

There was no earth-shattering noise.

But at that moment, the entire world seemed to suddenly darken!

Centered on Jiang Xuan, the area within a hundred feet seemed to be instantly dragged into the eternal night sky!
In that "night sky," countless dazzling "stars" suddenly lit up, then fell in all directions, trailing brilliant yet deadly tails of light!

Those were not real stars, but rather the destructive energy manifested when Jiang Xuan's sword intent and spiritual energy were condensed to their extreme!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

The "Star" collided with the incoming spiritual attacks, instantly shattering them! (End of Chapter)