Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Behind Ji Mingyuan, Shen Mengyun slowly stepped out, her longsword dragging on the ground.

She lifted her head, her gaze calmly fixed on Ji Mingyuan, then turned to stand beside Ji Minghao.

This action caused a commotion among the Golden Armor Forbidden Army in the hall.

These Forbidden Army troops all obeyed Shen Mengyun’s orders.

Because Shen Mengyun came holding the command to mobilize the Forbidden Army.

And half of the Capital’s Forbidden Army was under the command of General Shen Xiao.

Witnessing this scene, Ji Mingyuan merely smiled faintly, as if he had anticipated it all along.

"What does Miss Shen mean by this?" he asked.

Shen Mengyun didn’t respond, but Ji Minghao took over the conversation: "Fifth Brother, there’s no need to pretend. Mengyun was mine from the very beginning, as was General Shen. I knew all along that you let General Shen mobilize the Forbidden Army to assist you in your plans."

"So Shen Mengyun was your woman!" Ji Mingyuan looked at Ji Minghao, his gaze sharp, thus saying: "The Forbidden Army’s actions today were all due to your secret orders! Seventh Brother, Ninth Brother, Twelfth Brother, all died at the hands of the Eighth Brother?!"

Saying this, Ji Mingyuan clenched his hands, anger in his eyes.

"Why pretend in front of me, Fifth Brother?" Ji Minghao spoke, slowly advancing forward.

In the next moment.

He took out a Tiger Talisman from his robe, holding it high, its gilded surface gleaming brightly in the sunlight.

"Forbidden Army, heed my command!" His voice was clear and steady, penetrating throughout Chengqian Palace, "Fifth Prince Ji Mingyuan, in order to seize the position of Crown Prince, has been engaging in fratricide, poisoning Seventh Prince, setting fires to kill Ninth Prince, sending assassins against Twelfth Prince, and now leads troops to encircle my Chengqian Palace with nefarious intentions! Such treachery against the nation and fratricidal acts, according to Daxia Law, must be deemed treasonous!"

The instant his words fell, Chengqian Palace was enveloped in an incomparably profound silence.

Those Golden Armor Forbidden Army troops, who were previously obeying Shen Mengyun’s orders to surround Chengqian Palace, exchanged bewildered looks.

Previously they followed the Tiger Talisman’s mobilization to surround Chengqian Palace, surrounding Chengqian Palace again.

Now, the master of Chengqian Palace, Eighth Prince Ji Minghao, similarly held the Tiger Talisman.

With the display of the Tiger Talisman, the ranks of the three hundred Golden Armor Forbidden Army shifted quietly after a brief hesitation.

The blades originally pointed within Chengqian Palace gradually redirected towards the palace gates, aiming at Ji Mingyuan standing there.

Ji Mingyuan stood in the center of the palace gates, faced with the menacing blades directed at him, yet he suddenly began to laugh.

"Eighth Brother, quite the crafty means you possess." He clapped slowly, his face showing no signs of panic, "So it turns out, from last night onwards, everything has been within your calculations. You had Shen Mengyun feign allegiance to me, entice me to act, use my hand to eliminate Seventh Brother, Ninth Brother, Twelfth Brother, and finally, in the name of righteousness, bring me to justice."

He shook his head with a light laugh: "In this way, you not only removed all competitors but also gained a reputation for ’meritorious service in quelling rebellion’ and ’noble conduct over kin.’ Should you ascend the Imperial Throne, you can claim the moral high ground, untouched by criticism, avoiding a bad reputation, as all the blame would fall on me!"

Ji Minghao’s expression remained calm: "Fifth Brother jests! I merely did what had to be done, to stop you from further harming our brothers, and to uphold the dignity of the Imperial Family."

"Such a righteous act!" Ji Mingyuan’s laughter grew cold, "But Eighth Brother, do you know that I have long known of Shen Mengyun’s affection for you, the love in her eyes was not hidden from my sight! Knowing that Shen Mengyun loved you, why did I still cooperate with you?"

Ji Minghao frowned slightly.

"Beicang King, Divine Might King, please step forward to preside over the situation!" Ji Mingyuan turned to face the palace gate entrance, respectfully saluting the front.

In the next moment.

Just then, from outside the palace walls, came the sound of heavy, uniform footsteps.

The sound rolled like thunder, each step causing the ground to subtly tremble.

On the walls enclosing Chengqian Palace, suddenly appeared a densely packed force of Black Armor soldiers.

They wore dark armor, their faces covered with black iron masks, revealing only their piercing eyes.

Each held a twelve-foot-long halberd, its blade glinting with a dark cold light under the sun.

Even more chilling was the imposing aura exuding from these Black Armor soldiers.

This indicated that these Black Armor soldiers had truly experienced the baptism of war through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Mystic Sky Army!!!" Shen Mengyun’s pupils shrank suddenly, her fingers gripping the sword turning pale.

This army was the most elite corps in the Great Xia, without a doubt.

They were the solid foundation of Divine Might King Li Tianwen.

Each one of them was a Martial Arts Strongman.

There are no shortage of grandmasters.

On the palace wall, the Black Armor soldiers parted like a tide, and two figures slowly emerged.

The person on the left, about fifty years old, wore a dark python robe, a jade belt around his waist, his face square and upright, his eyes refined, exuding the dignity of one long in power.

This person was the Beicang King, one of the two Alien Kings of Great Xia’s Northern Territory, guarding against the barbarian invasion.

He was also a Martial Arts Strongman of the highest caliber, adorned with the honorific title of supreme strongman.

The person on the right, about forty years old, had eyebrows like swords, exuding authority without anger, and merely by appearing, gave a sense of blending into the world.

If there were top strongmen present, they would instantly recognize,

this was the state of unity between the divine and the human, a connection between man and the heavens.

Such a state is the realm of communicating with the Heavenly Dao, allowing heart spirit exchange with it, a state of high comprehension of the universe.

The two stood atop the high wall, overlooking the confrontation below in Chengqian Palace.

"Greetings, Beicang King! Greetings, Divine Might King!" The soldiers inside and outside the palace knelt on one knee uniformly, their voices like thunder.

Ji Mingyuan curled up a smile at the corner of his mouth and bowed his head to the palace wall: "Greetings, Beicang King, Greetings, Divine Might King."

With the appearance of Beicang King and Divine Might King,

behind the Beicang King appeared a handsome man, who was none other than the Heir of Beicang King.

He had come from the north with Beicang King and stayed in the Royal Capital for quite some time.

At this moment, the air in Chengqian Palace seemed frozen.

The appearance of the Mystic Sky Army made the Golden Armor Forbidden Army, shaken by the Tiger Talisman, again come to a halt, caught in a dilemma.

Ji Mingyuan’s smile deepened, he turned to the solemn-looking Ji Minghao on the steps, his voice carrying a hint of amusement: "Eighth brother, you think only you can scheme? The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. This struggle for the Imperial Throne has never been child’s play."

Ji Minghao’s face darkened, his fingers clutching the Tiger Talisman tightened slightly, turning knuckles white.

He looked at the Beicang King and Divine Might King on the palace wall, and at the silent as a mountain Xuan Armor Army behind Ji Mingyuan, his heart slowly sank.

Shen Mengyun instinctively stepped forward half a step, shielding Ji Minghao, her long sword held horizontally, eyes filled with anxiety.

"Father!" she murmured softly.

The next moment.

From the end of the long street outside the palace gate came a steady and clear sound of footsteps.

Those footsteps neither rushed nor lingered, yet each step seemed to tread upon the heart.

Everyone turned their gaze and saw a middle-aged man in a dark golden robe, with a full beard, approaching step by step.

His determined face, though not armored, naturally carried an iron-blooded dignity forged from battlefield trials.

He was the Great General who controlled the military power of the Capital, holding command over the army—Shen Xiao.

Seeing Shen Xiao’s appearance, many soldiers within the Golden Armor Forbidden Army showed renewed spirits, their eyes full of excitement.

As the Forbidden Army, they recognized the Tiger Talisman but not the commander.

But Shen Xiao was different.

Most of them were old subordinates of Shen Xiao, governed by him for many years, and his arrival invisibly provided them a backbone.

Shen Xiao walked straight into Chengqian Palace, slightly nodded at the two Princes on the palace wall as a greeting, then scanned the crowd, finally resting his gaze on his daughter Shen Mengyun, a flicker of complexity in his eyes but quickly shifting to calm.

He moved beside Ji Minghao, standing shoulder to shoulder with Shen Mengyun, and though silent, his position was clear.

Ji Mingyuan raised an eyebrow slightly but wasn’t surprised, only calmly said: "General Shen is finally willing to appear. Yet, is the General’s action representing the Shen Family, or yourself?"

Shen Xiao’s voice was deep and resonant like metals clashing: "Why should I explain my actions to the Fifth Prince? The Eighth Prince is the legitimate heir, talented and virtuous, possessing the spirit of the late emperor. Today’s events, right or wrong, the world will judge. As a minister, it is my duty to uphold the rightful Imperial Family."

"What a defense of legitimacy!" from atop the palace wall, Divine Might King Li Tianwen suddenly spoke.

His voice was not loud but clearly reached everyone’s ears, carrying a peculiar rhythm, resonating with the surrounding atmosphere. "General Shen’s loyalty and bravery are well known to me. However..."

His gaze was sharp as he looked at Shen Xiao: "The struggle for the Imperial Throne is a matter of the Ji Clan, a whetstone for the future Monarch. By tradition, figures of our status may secretly influence but must never descend personally to overpower others. This is the balance, the boundary. Is the General’s personal presence today to enforce the outcome through Martial Arts Divine Skills?"