Chapter 284 - 233: Pinnacle of the Imperial Palace, A Lone Battle Against the Guardian Grandmasters

Chapter 284: Chapter 233: Pinnacle of the Imperial Palace, A Lone Battle Against the Guardian Grandmasters

Martial God Temple.

Yan Hao, who was meditating cross-legged before the divine statue, suddenly opened his eyes. He then saw Dong Zhenlei, seated opposite him, do the same. The two exchanged a glance before Yan Hao chuckled lightly.

"It seems today’s court assembly is quite lively!"

Dong Zhenlei stood up and said calmly, "Let’s go. I was thinking we’d go meet this kid in a few days, but since he’s come to us, we should at least give him a proper welcome."

Yan Hao nodded. The two then leaped out of the Martial God Temple, arriving before Taihe Palace in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Wu Liangchen sensed two figures approaching at incredible speed. Yet he showed no alarm, standing calmly atop the upturned eaves, letting the biting wind whip the corners of his robes.

Below him, the court assembly in the main hall continued. Prince Jing, Yan Jun, was pressing his advantage, having already backed the Empress Dowager into a corner with no escape.

But all of that combined was less important than the two figures now appearing before him.

"The Protector Grandmasters?" Wu Liangchen spoke first.

"Hahaha, that’s right. We are the Protector Grandmasters of Great Yan. And you must be Wu Liangchen. Well, well, a true hero emerging from the younger generation. It’s quite enviable!" Yan Hao said with a laugh.

Dong Zhenlei simply gave a slight nod and introduced himself. "Dong Zhenlei."

Both Yan Hao and Dong Zhenlei appeared to be in their forties or fifties, with unremarkable features. Dressed in identical attire, they looked like brothers at first glance.

The only difference was that Yan Hao was slightly shorter.

"You two didn’t suddenly appear here for this court assembly, I presume," Wu Liangchen said calmly, while silently circulating his Qi and Blood, bringing his body to its absolute peak condition.

Although he sensed no killing intent from them, Wu Liangchen dared not let his guard down while facing two renowned Martial Arts Grandmasters. He was prepared to retreat at a moment’s notice.

After all, he might not be able to win a fight, but if Wu Liangchen wanted to leave, truly no one in all of Great Yan could stop him.

As if sensing Wu Liangchen’s wariness, Yan Hao smiled and said, "Your Excellency needn’t be so tense. My brother and I certainly didn’t come for this bullshit court assembly. In fact, once you reach our level, secular power becomes meaningless."

"We came for two reasons. First, to meet the new rising star of the martial path. Second, we have an important matter we’d like to discuss with you."

"Oh? What matter?" Wu Liangchen asked, his guard remaining up.

’I don’t buy that nonsense about having no ill intent.’

’Besides, I’m sure these two have secretly prepared their own defenses as well.’

"It’s about the path forward after the Grandmaster realm," Yan Hao said calmly.

Wu Liangchen was stunned. "What?"

He had every reason to be shocked. He had learned from Gu Yi that, at least within Great Yan, no one knew what the path beyond the Grandmaster realm looked like.

Otherwise, Gu Yi wouldn’t have stagnated for decades, only to end up mentally twisted from the frustration.

Yan Hao was very satisfied with Wu Liangchen’s reaction.

’No Grandmaster could possibly remain calm after hearing that.’

He smiled. "You heard me right. The cultivation path beyond the Grandmaster realm."

Wu Liangchen fell silent.

’I don’t quite believe it.’

’If these two had really found the path, they wouldn’t be here wasting their breath on me. They’d have found a place to break through long ago.’

"You seem skeptical. Are you wondering, if this path were so easy to find, why did Gu Yi meet such a fate?" Yan Hao suddenly asked.

"That’s right!" Wu Liangchen looked up at the two men, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"I don’t believe you. Even if you did find the path, why would you tell me?"

Wu Liangchen wasn’t naive enough to believe these two would be so kind as to share a path they had struggled to find, and for free, no less.

’After all, if they were so generous, Gu Yi wouldn’t have been driven mad from sheer frustration.’

Yan Hao and his companion had anticipated this response from Wu Liangchen.

After all, no one who becomes a Grandmaster is a fool.

"I’ll be honest with you, brother. It’s because we’re getting on in years. Our cultivation level masks it for now, but our Qi and Blood is ultimately not as vigorous as a young man’s. And for the path we’ve found, vigorous Qi and Blood is the number one requirement for success," Yan Hao explained.

"So you came to me?"

"Yes. You are the most suitable candidate. First, you’re young, when your Qi and Blood is at its most vigorous. Second, you’ve only recently ascended, so your preconceptions about the martial path are not yet deeply ingrained. This will be a great help for the road ahead," Yan Hao said.

"And what’s my part in this? What do I have to give?" Wu Liangchen immediately shot back.

’There’s no such thing as a free lunch, especially not for something this valuable.’

"It’s simple. After you succeed, you just need to give us a hand," Yan Hao said with a smile.

"It’s that simple?"

"Correct. It is that simple. You don’t need to be so suspicious. After all, at our level, everything else is trivial. Only this is of utmost importance. We have no ulterior motives, you can rest assured," Yan Hao vowed.

But Wu Liangchen knew things were never as simple as Yan Hao made them sound.

’These two are definitely hiding something from me.’

So he refused without hesitation.

"There’s no need!"

Yan Hao, who had already prepared his next argument, was stunned. Even Dong Zhenlei, who had been silent all this time, was visibly startled.