Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 175 Questioning
Before dawn, in the capital region.

Suddenly, a dark purple lightning bolt tore through the sky from the northeast, like an ancient thunder dragon breaking free of its shackles, its scales and claws tearing the sky and splitting the dark night in two.

Where lightning struck, the sea of ​​clouds boiled like bubbling oil, and the hundred miles of mountains and rivers surrounding the capital were instantly plunged into a ghastly white. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the golden tiles of the imperial capital in the intense light.

The sky was cleaved apart by lightning, and the Soul Map hung in the crack, its patterns flowing with starlight and judgment.

Countless people were startled and looked up at the sky, only to see a figure standing tall in the heavens, his black robes fluttering, surrounded by lightning like a star ring.

Behind that person, a soul map slowly unfolded.

The five elements of thunder souls resounded in unison, their soul diagrams forming an array, rising from the heavens and reverberating in human consciousness.

The Nine Rings Thunder Orb, originating from the core of the Soul Diagram, slowly rotated, pushing outwards layer by layer, like the wheel of heaven inverted upon the mortal realm.

The Soul Map illuminated the entire capital city as if it were daytime, with rolling lightning, like burning blood or dragons and snakes, spreading along the golden palace ridge, illuminating the roof tiles inch by inch, and reflecting on the blue bricks strand by strand.

On the palace walls, the dragon patterns carved for centuries twisted and deformed under the lightning, as if they were about to break free from the walls at any moment.

Lightning pierced through the earth, causing the soul vein array foundation beneath the street to vibrate and hum. The array monument, which had been dormant for a hundred years, emerged with a blue light, like a ghost or god awakening.

Even the birds in the sky seemed to be struck by lightning, falling one after another, their wings charred black, crashing into the square in front of the palace like raindrops.

Further down, the lightning illuminated the people.

On the streets, the people were as pale as paper, feeling as if the soul images in the sky were like thunderous eyes, staring intently at everyone.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar, like a divine bell falling from the heavens, shook the nine gates of the capital city.

At the very center of the Soul Diagram, the sixth lightning bolt had not yet taken shape, but a "vow" rose from the center of the Soul Diagram, piercing through heaven and earth.

Children cried out on the spot, and the elderly prostrated themselves in prayer, their hands clasped together, murmuring:

"Divine punishment has arrived... This is divine punishment..."

Some young martial artists lost control of their consciousness due to the shock, their faces contorted and their eyes bulging out. They ran wildly and shouted in the street, finally crashing into the stone statue in front of the Soul Tower pillar, their blood splattering several feet away.

Even lower-level martial artists bled from all seven orifices, collapsed at the street corner, and trembled as they kowtowed repeatedly.

"A Soul Diagram? That's a Soul Diagram!"

"How is that possible? Someone can draw a picture in the sky with their soul?"

Exclamations of surprise echoed throughout the city's major martial arts families, military headquarters, imperial court, and alleyways.

Not only martial artists, but even those who had never practiced martial arts felt a stinging sensation on their skin and their hair stand on end, as if a thunderbolt was about to split the city in two.

They looked up at the soul diagram, feeling as if a mountain was pressing down on their hearts.

Those patriarchs who once sat high in their halls, coldly observing the Xie family's unjust case, and those court officials who were used to living by the rules and always talking about "destiny," all had their faces change drastically, their souls trembled, and their teacups fell to the ground without them even realizing it.

A military commander muttered a curse:
"He's insane... This man is insane! He actually dares to use his soul to suppress the capital! Does he really think the Great Qian Dynasty has no powerful figures to protect it?"

The head of a martial arts family suddenly stood up, his face ashen:

"The Marquis of Wu's residence... Xie Chengjun's crazy son-in-law, he really dares to come!?"

An elderly man in a neighborhood whispered in a trembling voice, tears glistening in his eyes:

"The Xie family of Marquis Wu was wronged, and no one dared to speak out... Now, finally someone dares to stand up for Marquis Wu."

The street vendors, laborers, and children carrying water initially thought it was just another unusual celestial phenomenon, until an old woman, trembling, looked up at the sky and murmured:
"This is not a celestial phenomenon, it is a vow... it is someone who is seeking justice for the fallen family."

She paused, gazing at the figure in the soul painting, her voice low and deep, yet like a heavy bell striking the heart:
"Don't kick someone when they're down—you never know if the embers of that ruined family might give rise to someone who will rise to greatness."

At that moment, hundreds of thousands of people in the city realized for the first time:

Perhaps, this person really can turn this filthy world upside down.

This dynasty has not listened to the truth for too long, nor has it seen justice for too long.

The powerful and wealthy speak of right and wrong, the imperial court decides life and death, and martial artists regard commoners as dust. Even the air is filled with the atmosphere of exploitation and oppression.

They have long been accustomed to walking with their heads down, to living in silence, and to attributing all injustice to fate.

But when that soul diagram tore through the sky, they looked up for the first time and saw someone—not for power, not for profit, not for ascending the throne.

He came against the entire imperial city, treading the heavens, just for a woman who had been humiliated to the point of being insignificant.

A long-lost longing suddenly arose in their hearts.

It wasn't against gods, nor against imperial power.
Rather—if someone truly has to break this world, may that person be him.

They wanted to see a court no longer filled with lies, a palace no longer silent with wronged souls, and a life no longer burdened with blood and tears.

They want a world where people are no longer forced to bow down.

The Soul Map hung high, and the nine-patterned lightning track slowly rotated in the clouds, making the entire capital region seem like an execution platform.

As the lightning swept across the city, countless high-level martial artists changed color. Some martial artists from aristocratic families even knelt down on the spot, their minds reverberating, and they dared not raise their heads.

Within the imperial city, an extremely clear thunderous sound emanated from the Soul Map, reaching the ears of every martial artist, regardless of their cultivation level or social status, like a judgment from the heavens:

"Xie! Cheng! Jun! What! Crime! Has he! Committed?!"

The five words were like five death knells, first striking down with Chu Ning's original, cold, iron-like voice, then being magnified by the Soul Diagram into a rolling thunderstorm, and finally exploding in the sea of ​​consciousness of the officials, like the laws of heaven engraved on a cloud stele.

Immediately afterwards, the first layer of soul pressure descended!
Nine chains of lightning erupted from the core of the Soul Map, piercing the Soul Tower in the city like a spear thrown by a celestial being.

The Soul-Suppressing Stone at the top of the tower cracked in response, and blue smoke rose into the air, condensing into a wailing ghost face—the wronged souls that had been devoured by the formation over the past hundred years, now manifesting their wailing amidst the lightning.

The elders of each sect and faction all changed their expressions drastically, feeling as if an invisible hand was pressing down on their chests, even slowing down their spiritual consciousness.

"He's setting up an array. He's using the Soul Diagram as a base to lock down the entire capital?!"

Before they could even react, the second wave of soul pressure descended!
The five elements of lightning slowly rotated in the air, and began to connect and intersect with each other, as if forming an inverted lightning array.

"This is... Thunder Soul Locking Realm?" a master of sorcery murmured.

In that instant, the sky over the entire capital region seemed to tilt, with clouds rolling like curtains and lightning flashing like knives.

High-level martial artists knelt down one after another, while many low-level martial artists vomited blood on the spot, their sea of ​​consciousness trembled, and their primordial spirit became unstable.

The third layer of soul pressure is broken!
In the center of the lightning array, a pale golden lightning mark slowly cracked open from the core of the soul diagram behind Chu Ning, like a "bell of accusation" being completely tolled.

"Boom!"

The sound was not in my ears.

In the sea of ​​consciousness.

In my mind.

It exploded heavily on the very foundation of every martial artist's soul.

Before the imperial palace's Tianji Hall had even convened its court or the morning bell had rung, strange phenomena began to appear atop the golden palace.

The sea of ​​clouds surged, and the thunderous imagery formed a curtain, reflecting on the golden tiles of the main hall, making the golden light of the entire hall pale in comparison.

The soul pressure crashed down, even causing cracks to appear on the gilded auspicious beast atop the imperial tier, its aura trembling as if war drums were beating in the heart.

Prince Duan burst into the palace, skipping the court rites, and went straight to the central courtyard, his robes fluttering, and lightning flashing in his eyes:
"Immediately activate the National Defense Array!"

Before the words were finished, the officials in the hall rose to their feet, some in surprise and others in fear.

"A protective array? Why!?"

"Who dares to arbitrarily block the imperial palace?"

"Could it be Chu Ning from the Marquis of Wu's mansion... He actually—has come?"

The dragon-patterned jade talisman in Prince Duan's arms cracked with a "crack," and he kicked the messenger violently.
"Activate the formation! Otherwise, before Chu Ning can break through the gate, all these nobles in the hall will be crushed into mincemeat by the soul pressure!"

The dragon-shaped eye on the gilded pillar burst open with a "poof," and stone chips mixed with gold dust fell down.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the hall, causing the souls of all the officials to tremble.

A sixth-rank martial artist, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, suddenly groaned, his face turning pale, and he immediately knelt down, panting heavily.

"I...I can't suppress the soul wheel anymore!"

Immediately afterwards, the souls of several civil officials with weaker cultivation levels became chaotic, while low-ranking military officials held onto the imperial pillars to prevent the palace from collapsing. Throughout the hall, the officials who had been sitting high up all lowered their heads and fell silent.

—His soul was so powerful that even high-ranking officials before the emperor were as insignificant as ants.

Yan Changjun, the head of the Secretariat and Minister of Rites, forced himself to sit up. His face was pale, and his fingers trembled slightly in his sleeves, but he pretended to be calm.

"Chu Ning... wasn't he temporarily settled in the Northern Territory? Now that the Thunder Soul has appeared, could it be—that the intelligence from the court is wrong?"

Prince Duan replied coldly:

"It's not that the intelligence was wrong."

"They were sent by the imperial court as a 'test stone,' but they couldn't even withstand his use of the sword."

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was silent.

Outside the main hall, the lightning had not yet dissipated, and the sky was as red as blood.

Grand Tutor Hu Jingshan spoke sternly:
"A mere martial artist dares to press his way into our capital and disturb our imperial city. Is this an attempt to force the emperor to abdicate?"

At this moment, Xu Yun, the oldest imperial tutor, slowly opened his eyes, and lightning was reflected in his pupils.

He spoke, his tone calm yet deafening:
"It was not a coercion."

"Yes—asking the heavens."

The courtiers were astonished.

"The Soul Wheel is formed on its own, and the Soul Diagram is solidified in the void, not for power, not for position, and not for enemies."

He came only for one vow.

"What he wants to ask is not the emperor's decree, nor the principles of the court."

"He asked—is there still one person alive in the dungeon of the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Duan felt a chill run down his spine, and sweat beaded on his sleeves. All the officials in the hall paled, and some whispered:

"It really is... for Xie Mingli?!"

Just then, an even heavier soul pressure descended again, causing the jade tiles on the roof of the palace to tremble, and the soul light to pierce straight into people's hearts.

A vice minister of the Ministry of Justice who had participated in the conviction of the Xie family suddenly changed his expression. His soul trembled, and he muttered to himself:

"If the Xie family is truly innocent... then wouldn't we be..."

Before he could finish speaking, his face suddenly turned deathly pale, his soul jolted, he coughed up blood, and staggered to the ground.

He glanced around and noticed that several senior officials were avoiding him like the plague.

—Internal strife has begun, and there are too many people who might share the burden of past cases with him.

No one spoke again in the hall.

They were afraid, not of Chu Ning, but of the fact that they had once stood on the "wrong side".

"Absurd!" someone shouted angrily, trying to hide their fear. "Does a woman give them the right to march straight into the capital and crush the emperor's soul? Where is the law? Where is the emperor's authority?!"

Xu Yun slowly raised his head and looked at the lightning on the soul map:

"You can choose not to care."

"But the sky has already responded to him."

As soon as he finished speaking, thunder roared outside the hall, as if the entire Heavenly Palace was shaken slightly by the sound of the impeachment.

Without further hesitation, Prince Duan said sternly:

"Activate the power seal and forcefully activate the defensive formation!"

The golden-armored guards swiftly presented the ancient bronze seal. The seal of national protection ignited with light, and a streak of azure soul energy shot into the sky, pointing directly at the soul map.

Nine black iron pillars burst forth from the ground, the dragon-locking chains wrapped around the pillars snapping taut, and the surging blue light formed a giant net.

Countless weeping faces are projected online—clearly a national defense array forged from the souls of disgraced officials.

The moment the formation was complete, Prince Duan whispered, a chill creeping into his eyes:
"Immediately deploy the Imperial Guards, seal off all six gates, and prevent them from entering even an inch."

The imperial guards' order to seal the gates flew out from the inner palace; before the sun had even risen, the imperial restrictions were already in place.

At that very moment, outside the palace, beneath the Taihua Gate, a young martial artist dressed in a green robe, with a cultivation level of only the middle tenth rank, gazed at the summit of the Soul Map from afar.

He held the testing sword in his hand, his fingers trembling.

But he still walked up the city wall, knelt on one knee, and slowly kowtowed to the soul map.

The warrior in the green robe planted his long sword in the ground and knelt down on one knee into the snow.

As he looked up, lightning flashed into his pupils, and he saw his younger sister, who had died young, in the patterns of the soul diagram—she had died under the hooves of a noble family that year, and the government only said, "It was her fate."

Hot tears melted the ice: "Please... shatter this man-eating 'fate'!"

A bystander shouted angrily, "Are you crazy? That's someone who dares to suppress the imperial palace!"

He replied in a low voice:
"That's also... the only person who still dares to ask 'Is she still there?'"

On both sides of the long street, some people remained silent, while others knelt down.

The light of the soul flickered slightly.

The will of Heaven is not in the palace.

North of the capital lies the Soul Mirror Prison.

This is the deepest and coldest place in the imperial palace.

Thirty-nine layers of restrictions, sealing off divine sense, severing vital energy, and draining bloodline and soul power, not only make it difficult to cast spells, but also prevent soul jade and soul contract from penetrating even a trace of information.

Its original intention was not to imprison people, but to "dry out" living people and turn them into a kind of "soul weapon embryo" that could be used to refine souls.

This is the Mirror Prison.

What is being imprisoned are not prisoners, but wills and souls that are gradually being worn down into mere "tools".

The chill of the Mirror Prison is a 'nothingness' that can freeze even time, sucking away not only the soul fire, but also the memories of 'life'.

Xie Mingli was sealed inside the deepest part of the Soul Mirror.

It was an ancient mirror, soaked in blood and forged from the stone of ancient wronged souls.

She was imprisoned there for half a month, enduring the slow operation of the "Frosty Soul Extraction Array" every day, her soul fire being stripped away bit by bit, until she could no longer even dream of color.

If it weren't for her exceptional physical constitution and unwavering resolve, she would have already collapsed here.

She lay there quietly, her face as pale as snow, with a bloodstain between her brows like a fallen plum blossom, silently frozen on her brow bone.

Her skin had turned pale and bluish due to the loss of her soul for many days, and her lips were bloodless. It was almost impossible to tell that she was once a noble lady from a prominent family, the envy of the entire capital, and the pearl of the Xie family.

Her consciousness was already blurred, her soul fire was so weak that it seemed it would be extinguished by a gust of wind, and her body did not move at all, as if it would completely collapse at any moment.

At this moment, deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, the last wisp of soul began to loosen.

She could neither hear nor perceive time.

The seventh layer of the Frost Soul Array was operating, drawing away her last remaining soul fire.

Where the soul's breath and the array patterns merge, hallucinations begin to appear.

She seemed to see her father kneeling in a pool of blood, telling her word by word, "Live."
Then it seemed as if I saw my mother's spirit departing, turning back with a smile, saying, "Don't wait anymore."
Then, she saw herself—wearing a phoenix robe, standing on the golden steps, head bowed, eyes lowered, slowly bidding farewell to the boy who had promised to "return":
"He... won't be coming."

The sea of ​​consciousness collapsed, and the light was completely extinguished.

She didn't even have time to grieve.

She just felt a little cold.

But at that very moment, her eyelashes trembled slightly.

It was a subtle movement that shouldn't have occurred anymore.

It was like a ripple on still water, extremely light, yet it rippled through the entire sea of ​​consciousness.

A faint light rose from the deepest part of consciousness.

That's neither reason nor the instinct for survival.

That was... an attraction drawn to the extreme by sheer stubbornness.

It was like being in a cold, muddy swamp when something hot tugged at your heartstrings.

"Ning... Brother... Brother."

She didn't actually utter that sound, it didn't even reach her lips, it was just a call from the deepest part of her soul.

It has no language, no light, no magic.

But that wisp of thought, like a soul light traversing nine layers of icy prison, passed through thirty-nine seals, crossed hundreds of miles of thunderclouds, and landed in someone's sea of ​​consciousness.

She didn't know if he could hear her.

But she knew—if she only had one voice left in her life, the one she would want to call out to would still be him.

That was one day half a month ago when she was "summoned by special decree".

An imperial edict bearing the "Imperial Seal of the Son of Heaven" was delivered to the Mirror Prison by an eunuch. Its tone was polite to the point of being gentle, yet between every word lay an unquestionable decree.

"Xie Mingli, at Chenshi the next day, His Majesty will summon you to Fenghua Palace and order you to enter the palace to pay your respects, tidy your appearance, and not be disrespectful to the Emperor."

The soul locks of the Mirror Prison were not removed; instead, an additional layer called "etiquette" was added.

Six palace maids, accompanied by imperial attendants, entered the prison area to help her change clothes, apply powder, and comb her hair. She did not refuse, nor could she refuse.

Her body was already weak, and her consciousness was intermittent, but she still used her true energy to seal her meridians in order to "stabilize her body and demeanor."

The palace maids felt neither hatred nor respect for her, treating her merely as an object to be carved on a jade platform.

As ordered by the Emperor, smooth every inch of skin, mix blood color, apply rouge to the corners of the eyes, and draw out the luster of the lips.

She donned the "Phoenix Shining Robe," a custom-made imperial garment, with light gauze pleats, cloud brocade collar, and clothes that clung to her body like mist.

Her body was originally slender and exquisite, but due to the extraction of soul power, she lost the roundness of a young girl, instead showing a clear bone structure and a cold and aloof feeling.

Her eyebrows were like fresh snow on distant mountains, her eyes like the autumn moon over a cold pool, and her lips were pale, yet they could not hide the composure and coldness in her bones.

Her hair was as black as ink, styled into a ceremonial cloud-like bun adorned with hairpins, revealing the curve of her neck and her fair skin, which seemed to reflect the light of the soul.

Her long dress trailed on the ground, her waist was slender enough to be encircled by one hand, and beneath the layers of gauze, her eyes rippled gently and her snow-white skin was faintly visible. There was not a trace of seductive charm, yet she was so captivating that one could not look away.

She is not dazzlingly beautiful; she is like a snow lotus on a glacier, blooming more beautifully and captivatingly in the colder it gets.

“With such a face, no wonder His Majesty…” a palace maid murmured softly, but no one dared to continue.

And so, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she was carried onto the phoenix carriage and transported to the foot of the heavenly steps.

Above the golden palace, ninety-nine white jade steps are covered with unswept snow, and a cold wind howls.

But she stopped in her tracks.

"Why don't you climb the steps?" The eunuch leading the way frowned, his tone already showing impatience.

She didn't answer, but just stared at the towering steps, her gaze as cold as iron in the snow.

This wasn't the first time she had stood here.

Three years ago, the Xie family was framed by Prince Duan. She knelt for three days and three nights below this Heavenly Steps, begging His Majesty to pardon Xie Chengjun and spare the Xie family a chance to survive.

No one responded, no one asked.

Now, she has been brought here in full regalia, and is being asked to ascend the steps that only the powerful and wealthy are worthy of treading, in a manner of "respect and worship."

(End of this chapter)