Chapter 297 - 239: A Grandmaster’s 200-Year Lifespan, the Overseas Secret Realm

Chapter 297: Chapter 239: A Grandmaster’s 200-Year Lifespan, the Overseas Secret Realm

"Of course, thirty years after he set sail, the emperor of Great Yan was his grandson. By then, everyone assumed he must have died in the depths of the ocean."

"But unexpectedly, right at that moment, a letter forwarded by Folangji merchants was delivered to the Great Yan emperor of the time. It caused a tremendous uproar, and it’s even the reason the Martial God Temple was built," Yan Hao said.

"So, what exactly did the letter say?" Wu Liangchen asked solemnly, despite already having his suspicions.

"Just as you suspect, the letter described how he had long since arrived at a secret realm overseas and was doing well. But it also included a strange text. After all the Grandmaster Martial Artists of the Great Yan Dynasty studied it, they concluded that this text held the secret to the path beyond the Grandmaster Realm."

"You can imagine the shock this sent through the Grandmaster Martial Artists of the Great Yan Dynasty. They immediately gathered to study the secret document together."

"The emperor of Great Yan specially allocated funds to build this Martial God Temple right inside the imperial palace. On the surface, it was to commemorate the founding emperor’s great achievements, but its true purpose was to solve the mystery."

"Then why didn’t they succeed?" Wu Liangchen asked.

’If the secret document was real and they had successfully deciphered it, then after all these years, someone should have broken through to the next realm by now.’

’But the reality is that in Great Yan today, Grandmasters are still the pinnacle. People like Gu Yi even died from sheer frustration, having no path forward.’

Yan Hao shook his head with a bitter smile. "I don’t know. The Grandmasters in the Martial God Temple later had a violent conflict, and the original secret document was destroyed in the chaos."

"What was passed down were transcribed copies. Even so, generations of Guardian Grandmasters never stopped studying them, but they always came up empty-handed... until they came to us!"

After hearing Yan Hao’s explanation, Wu Liangchen took a deep breath and quickly began to sort through his thoughts.

The amount of information was just so immense that Wu Liangchen had to think it all through carefully.

’First, I can be sure that Yan Hao probably isn’t lying. This whole story fits together perfectly. Not only does it explain the origin of the Martial God Temple, but it also resolves a question that’s been nagging at me.’

’How could the Martial God Temple possibly recruit so many Martial Arts Grandmasters?’

’Although Great Yan offered extremely generous terms, Grandmasters are already at the apex of this land. People who reach that level are, without exception, the cream of the crop; they would never be swayed by mere material wealth.’

But now, after hearing Yan Hao’s words, it all clicked for Wu Liangchen.

’A secret manual sent back by the founding emperor from an overseas secret realm, containing the future path of martial arts.’

’The temptation was so great that no Grandmaster could possibly resist it.’

’So, this story is most likely true.’

’And considering the offer Yan Hao and Dong Zhenlei made to recruit me... the next question was obvious.’

"You’ve found the next path recorded in the secret document?" Wu Liangchen asked in a low voice.

Yan Hao nodded, then shook his head.

"You could say we found it, and you could also say we didn’t."

"In truth, from the moment this secret document arrived in Great Yan, people have never stopped trying to interpret it. I suspect the great conflict in the Martial Temple was also caused by different interpretations of this very document."

"So the path we found has likely been discovered and attempted by other Martial Artists before."

At this, Yan Hao’s expression became very candid. "But we didn’t know if this path was actually viable, so we didn’t dare try it ourselves. It wasn’t until we heard about you that we decided to lure you in... and use you as a test subject."

"So this path you’re planning to take is related to one’s Qi and Blood, and age?" Wu Liangchen sharply caught the key information in Yan Hao’s words.

"That’s right. After careful calculations, we discovered that for this path to have a higher chance of success, it’s best to attempt it when one’s Qi and Blood are at their most vigorous."

Saying this, Yan Hao sighed. "But we never expected such a drastic turn of events before we could even implement the plan."

He looked down at Dong Zhenlei’s body. "Zhenlei and I had known each other for decades. I thought we would walk this path to a new realm together, or at the very least, die on the way to the overseas secret realm. I never imagined we’d fall into a trap and that he would die to the firearms of those bastards from the East Sea."

Hearing this, Wu Liangchen raised an eyebrow slightly. "So how did you fall into this trap?"

Yan Hao gave a bitter smile and pointed a finger at the incense burner in front of the statue.

"I had my doubts before, but after returning to the main hall, I suddenly figured it out. Those people from the East Sea must have found a way to monopolize the palace’s incense supply and added some kind of unknown toxin to the burning incense."

"The toxin must be some sort of slow-acting poison. You can’t detect anything unusual at first sniff, but it accumulates over time. We were poisoned without even realizing it. It doesn’t normally show any symptoms, but once triggered by a specific catalyst, it immediately activates the toxins in the body, obstructing the flow of Qi and Blood."

"That’s why Zhenlei’s death was so infuriatingly pathetic."

A thought struck Wu Liangchen. "If what you say is true, then the East Sea people’s infiltration of the Great Yan palace is not a recent development?"

"Heh!" Yan Hao looked up at Wu Liangchen. "You’re a smart man. Haven’t you noticed how strange and bizarre today’s events have been?"

"The security for this enthronement ceremony was incredibly tight. The guards inside and outside the palace formed an impenetrable perimeter. And what was the result? The East Sea people somehow snuck in an entire squad, even bringing cannons with them, without anyone noticing. Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards who were supposed to be defending the palace were wiped out without firing a single arrow. Who could possibly achieve that without collusion from the inside?"

Wu Liangchen fell into silent contemplation.

Just then, Yan Hao reached into his robes, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to Wu Liangchen.

"This is the path that Zhenlei and I spent years of painstaking research to find. You can try the method recorded on it. I can’t guarantee success, but I can guarantee that I’m not deceiving you."

Wu Liangchen was slightly taken aback. He didn’t reach out to take it, instead looking at Yan Hao with a meaningful gaze.

Seeming to notice the doubt in Wu Liangchen’s eyes, Yan Hao laughed freely. "Don’t be like that. To tell you the truth, this battle has damaged my foundation. Although my strength won’t change much in the short term, it’s now completely impossible for me to ever break through."

"Even my lifespan will be affected. In ten years at most, I will die from the decay of my Qi and Blood. So, I’ve come to terms with these things. You saved me once, so naturally, I must repay the favor. As for whether this thing can help you, that’s your own business."

Wu Liangchen gave Yan Hao a long, deep look, then reached out and took the paper.

"Alright. Then I will test this future path for you!"

"And I will also drag out the mastermind who poisoned you and get your revenge!"

"Whether you do those things is up to you. I don’t care anymore. After all, Zhenlei is dead, and I have no heart to say more. I just couldn’t bear to let the fruits of our hard work be buried for nothing, which is why I’m telling you."

Yan Hao said faintly, then bent down, picked up Dong Zhenlei’s body, and turned to leave.

Wu Liangchen watched him walk out of the grand hall. Then, with a single leap, Yan Hao disappeared among the overlapping rooftops of the Capital City.

After a long while, Wu Liangchen put the paper away and turned to leave the now-empty Martial God Temple.

Meanwhile, the entire Imperial Capital was in an uproar over the explosion.

Nearly all the powerful dignitaries and court officials had been wiped out in one fell swoop, leaving only the small fry.

But these people now looked toward the imperial palace with a mixture of panic and excitement, vaguely seeing an opportunity for their own advancement.

But no one dared to act rashly, for no one knew what the situation inside the palace was.

And just as all eyes were on the palace, Wu Liangchen returned to the front of Jiaotai Hall.

At the same time, He Chang’an slowly began to wake up.