Yefutidaolu

Chapter 435 Drawing the Sword Before the Palace
The official in charge of ceremonies was terrified. His face turned deathly pale, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his forehead pressed against the cold ground, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

He could almost foresee the scene of divine wrath and thunder descending in the next moment!

However, since even the emperor had not spoken, he could not make any move. But such blatant and treasonous words were like dancing on the edge of a knife, no, like jumping off a cliff!
However, the anticipated natural disaster did not occur. The world remained unchanged, the pearl hung serenely, and the ancient bronze walls gleamed with a calm golden light.

The sky wouldn't fall if someone commented on the emperor's appearance.

In reality, there was no natural disaster.

The sky won't fall if someone makes a comment about the emperor.

Gao Jian stood there straight, his gaze fixed unabashedly on the supreme being in front of him.

It was a man who looked equally young, sitting on the edge of the huge bed, his posture even somewhat casual.

His appearance was indeed as Gao Jian had said; it was quite ordinary, not handsome, and without any particularly striking features. It was the kind of face that would be hard to spot in a crowd.

Only his well-tailored everyday clothes embroidered with dark gold dragon patterns, and the deep-seated sense of privilege and serene majesty cultivated from his long-term position above millions of others, silently proclaimed his identity.

His eyes were calm, like two ancient wells, unfathomable, reflecting Gao Jian's figure and the faint light of the ancient bronze palace.

The emperor simply looked at Gao Jian calmly, his face remaining completely unmoved by the almost provocative comment.

"Is that so?" the young emperor said calmly. "Most people say I have the appearance of a dragon."

"Do you like this evaluation?" Gao Jian asked almost immediately afterward, his tone as natural as if he were chatting with a friend.

The emperor seemed to think for a moment before slowly saying, "I don't know how I resemble those snakes."

“Besides, you have an interesting way of speaking,” he continued, his gaze still fixed on Gao Jian, “but you’re too arrogant.”

He paused, his tone still calm, yet carrying a condescending analytical quality: "But considering your age and your level of cultivation, arrogance is to be expected. I am tolerant of others."

He acknowledged the merit of his insightful opinion and demonstrated his magnanimity.

“However,” he changed the subject slightly, as if making casual conversation, yet with an undeniable air of authority, “that’s too arrogant, and that’s not a good thing. We still need to give him a little nudge.”

"Is that so?" Gao Jian raised an eyebrow, asking without any fear, "Then how are you going to teach me a lesson?"

The emperor looked at him, a faint, almost playful smile seemingly flickering in his usually calm eyes: "I hadn't thought of that yet."

The answer was unexpected, carrying an almost shameless honesty.

Upon hearing this, Gao Jian smiled, a smile that carried his unique blend of seriousness and unruliness: "Then Your Majesty, please allow me to be arrogant for a while, until you have your idea."

After saying this, he looked calmly at the emperor.

A brief silence filled the bronze hall, broken only by the faint glow of the luminous pearls and the suppressed breathing of the master of ceremonies.

Then--

"Ah……"

"Ha ha……"

First, the emperor let out a low chuckle, and then Gao Jian laughed as well. Their laughter rose from low to high, eventually turning into a hearty and unrestrained roar that echoed through the mysterious and ancient palace, dispelling the previous solemn atmosphere and leaving the kneeling official completely dumbfounded, utterly unable to comprehend this scene that was beyond his comprehension.

As the laughter subsided, the emperor looked at Gao Jian, the scrutinizing look in his eyes fading slightly, replaced by a deeper, more indescribable meaning.

“Insightful,” he exclaimed, his voice regaining its composure. “You are quite amusing. I hope you will continue to amuse me in the future.”

"Really? Are you laughing at your mother?"

Gao Jian's smile vanished abruptly, replaced by a cold, resolute expression!

Before he finished speaking, he had already drawn his sword! The last inch of sharpness on the rusty blade burst forth with a chilling light. A sword light, imbued with the essence of life and death and carrying the intent to sever everything, swept towards the emperor, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, like a black lightning bolt tearing through the void!

He attacked the emperor!

This was not an impulsive act. In that brief moment of eye contact and conversation, Gao Jian, with his powerful divine will and the keen insight of the "Heart Lamp Illuminating Shadows Sutra," had already perceived a fatal weakness in the emperor!

This seemingly calm and composed supreme being was actually seriously injured, with a particularly severe wound that almost damaged his very essence!

This trauma weakened his control over the external world to an alarming degree, perhaps to the point where he could barely intervene and could only passively maintain it.

His conversation with me just now probably exhausted most of his energy; it was a performance he was putting on by sheer willpower.

Since that's the case, why not strike while the iron is hot and finish him off? At the very least, force him to reveal his true colors!

Without a doubt, this is a reckless act, utter madness! This is the imperial palace, the other party is the supreme ruler of the Divine Dynasty, this is an unforgivable crime punishable by death, a great disrespect that would implicate nine generations of one's family! By doing this, Gao Jian is tantamount to placing himself in opposition to the entire Divine Dynasty.

But he still unleashed that strike without hesitation!

He was confident he could survive and test the emperor's true worth.

Then--

Just as the blade, imbued with destructive power, was about to strike the emperor, the emperor, who remained seated motionless, calmly raised one hand, his fingers slightly spread. "Buzz—!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion of power, but countless strange phenomena appeared out of nowhere in front of the emperor!
Those were countless phantoms of houses, palaces, and pavilions, layer upon layer, stretching endlessly. They were not fixed, but changed and combined at will, appearing as soon as he thought of them, as if he could create all things with a thought!

These palaces are crystal clear, as if cast from glass and precious jade. Countless precious bells hang around them, emitting clear and mysterious heavenly sounds as the strange phenomena change. The light and color are dazzling, and thousands of auspicious rays illuminate this ancient bronze hall, making it extremely magnificent and surpassing the limits of human imagination!

If one obtains the Mysterious Elixir of the Three Palaces, the Great One Flowing Pearl will be secure in Kunlun.

The towering pavilions, arranged in twelve rings, are filled with real people from top to bottom.

Jade halls and crimson palaces are all mysterious palaces, the celestial sphere and jade balance are as beautiful as orchids and bamboo.

Gazing at the boy sitting cross-legged, I wonder whose child is beside me?

Where did this person go to enter Niwan? Thousands upon thousands of them are connected to each other.

One by one, ten by ten, like towering mountains, clouds and jade flowers, chivalrous ears.

The Red Emperor, Huang Lao, and their own souls, along with the Three True Ones Fu Xu and Fang Jin.

The five dou (a type of ancient Chinese divination vessel) shine brightly, representing the seven elements, while the sun and moon fly freely throughout the six directions.

In the capital city, at the center of heaven and earth, the face, soul, and spirit all coexist.

This magnificent and boundless phenomenon, containing supreme Taoist mysteries, is not an illusion, but a manifestation of substantial power!
Gao Jian's pupils contracted sharply. He clearly felt that the seemingly ordinary aura within the emperor's body had, at this moment, become like a primordial beast that had been unleashed from its seal!

The three gates of essence, qi, and spirit are no longer simply opened, but completely connected! The nine orifices in the body are no longer independent energy nodes, but perfectly integrated with the three gates, forming a vast, seamless, and flawless internal circulation system!
This is no ordinary Twelve Realms Great Perfection!

This is a sign that the shackles of the twelve realms have been broken, and the inner world has been melted down from scattered acupoints into a single furnace, transforming into a real and complete world that can be manifested outwards!
Thirteen Realms! A genuine Earth Immortal!
The emperor of the Divine Dynasty was undoubtedly a celestial being!

The foundation of a true immortal is actually to integrate the three gates, nine orifices, and twelve realms into one, connecting the inner world and transforming the many separate orifices into a complete place that can contain and manifest such magnificent phenomena!
The magnificent palaces that appear before us, like a celestial kingdom descending, are a true projection of the emperor's fully refined inner world!

The sharp blade light that Gao Jian possessed was enough to kill ordinary ninth-realm cultivators and threaten earth immortals. When it slashed into this vast palace spectacle, it was like a mud ox entering the sea. It only stirred up ripples, which were then gradually eliminated and swallowed up by the endless palaces and pavilions and the flowing Daoist charm and immortal light. It failed to harm the emperor in the slightest!

The emperor remained seated, and gently pressed his raised hand forward.

Instantly, the myriad palace phenomena seemed to come alive, carrying the weight and laws of the entire "world," slowly pressing down on Gao Jian! The speed was not fast, but it carried an irresistible and inescapable force of heaven and earth!

Takami stood there, sword in hand, his expression extremely grave. He felt an unprecedented pressure, as if he were fighting against a real world!

However, deep in his eyes, besides solemnity, there was also a hint of... just as expected, a sharp glint.

It was forced out!

The magnificent and dazzling inner world phenomena pressed down with immense force. The layers of palaces, thousands of real people and phantoms, and the flowing sun, moon and stars seemed to want to crush and assimilate Gao Jian and the space he was in!
However, Gao Jian remained standing in place, his figure as upright as a pine tree. He did not even make any blocking or dodging movements, but simply watched the terrifying phenomenon that was enough to make any earth immortal take a serious look at him.

The next moment, the strange phenomenon completely "covered" Gao Jian without any hindrance.

However, the anticipated scene of flying blood and scattered souls did not occur.

The vast palace and the dazzling celestial light, upon touching Gao Jian's body, seemed to pierce through an illusory projection, or as if separated by an insurmountable invisible glass. Although the power was immense and the light completely engulfed Gao Jian, it failed to cause him any substantial harm or change!
Gao Jian's robes remained unmoved, his hair was not disheveled, and even his breathing remained steady. He felt as if he were in an incredibly realistic holographic projection, with those world-destroying powers within reach, yet existing on two completely different "levels" from him.

A more precise feeling welled up in Gao Jian's heart—the separation of life and death!
The emperor is like someone from another world! He is indeed an immortal being, and he does possess extraordinary abilities, but he has little influence over the real world!

The emperor is trapped! Trapped in some kind of "phase space" state! Although his inner world is incredibly powerful, almost evolving into a world of its own, there seems to be an insurmountable barrier between his body and the main world.

This prevents him from fully and directly applying the power of his inner world to reality. It's like a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water—visible and tangible, yet separated by an insurmountable barrier!

This also explains why he was so badly injured and had such a weak control over the outside world—because most of his strength and mental energy were probably used to maintain his own existence, fight against the state of being "isolated", or was struggling to "anchor" back to reality!

But I'm different!
A sharp glint flashed in Gao Jian's eyes. His strike just now had not been in vain!
The rusty knife, imbued with the power of life and death, and transcending the ordinary, seemed to have penetrated that "glass" to some extent, truly touching the very essence of the emperor's inner world! Even if the damage caused was negligible, a new causal connection had been successfully established through the act of "attack and being attacked"!
In that instant, the emperor, who was sitting upright on the edge of the bed, suddenly shuddered!
For the first time, a clear ripple appeared in his usually calm and still eyes! He felt that the "frosted glass" that had always separated him from the real world, the barrier that prevented him from clearly perceiving and intervening in reality, had become briefly clearer because of this external, forced "connection"!
Although it was only a tiny sliver, it was like seeing a ray of dawn in endless darkness for him!
"Escort!!!"

Almost at the same moment Gao Jian's sword flashed, dozens of terrifying auras erupted from the shadows and void surrounding the bronze hall! Like lurking prehistoric beasts suddenly awakening! Sword light, magical treasures, supernatural powers, fist intent... all kinds of attacks containing destructive power swept towards Gao Jian from all directions, each reaching the power of at least the twelfth realm, weaving together a net of absolute killing, determined to instantly crush this audacious traitor into dust!

The entire bronze hall hummed under the impact of this force, and the light of the luminous pearl flickered violently!

however--

At this critical moment, the emperor suddenly raised his hand and made a gesture.

That was a clear and resolute "stop"!
"Om-!"

An invisible yet supreme will instantly enveloped the entire arena. The dozens of terrifying attacks that had already reached halfway and were about to engulf Gao Jian were abruptly halted, as if a pause button had been pressed!

The energy radiance solidified in the air, the magical artifacts hovered, the sword light stiffened, and everything came to a complete halt less than three feet away from Gao Jian, demonstrating that these imperial guards had reached a state of perfection in their control over power and their absolute obedience to the emperor's orders.

Inside the main hall, an extreme, suffocating silence descended.

Gao Jian remained standing there, unharmed, calmly looking at the emperor.

The emperor looked at him, and slowly lowered his raised hand. He looked down at his palm, and felt the long-lost "clear connection" with reality brought about by Gao Jian's single strike. An extremely complex and indescribable expression appeared on his face.

He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but in the end it only turned into a single word filled with endless感慨 and scrutiny, his gaze once again fixing on Gao Jian:
"you--"

(End of this chapter)