Upon hearing Chi Liancheng's words, Gu Yifeng raised an eyebrow, surprised that he even knew about the other party's framing.
"It was Chief Steward Changfu who told me that His Majesty meant that I should not be angry and that everything should be left to Your Highness's own fate. If you forcibly break through the Heavenly Prison, you will only die a miserable death on the spot."
As if seeing through Gu Yifeng's thoughts, Chi Liancheng immediately explained, which surprised Gu Yifeng even more.
In this light, the old emperor's plans, or rather his vision, were far more ambitious than Gu Yifeng had imagined.
"Alright, there's no need to dwell on this. I've come here today with another question: Did the Sword Immortal Ruoxu truly pass on his legacy to you?"
Gu Yifeng narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone full of doubt.
It wasn't that he didn't want to believe it, but his experiences over so many years in his previous life told him that most of the rumors circulating outside were just a cover-up.
"Your Highness is indeed worthy of being a member of the Sword Immortal lineage. The inheritance is indeed not on my shoulders. Before the Sword Immortal got married, he summoned me to guard the inheritance. However, the so-called Sword Immortal inheritance is not any object, but bloodline."
"Those who possess bloodline, embark on the path of cultivation, and have sufficient talent can break the seal and obtain the inheritance on their own when they reach the corresponding realm. This is something that those mortals cannot take away."
Chi Liancheng sneered, then slowly revealed the truth.
...
The Imperial Palace, the Second Prince's Residence.
The second prince was looking at the trembling jailer in front of him, his brows furrowed and his expression quite tense.
"Are you sure he went into the later levels of the prison?"
The Second Prince, Gu Ran, asked somewhat uncertainly.
"Yes, yes, I saw with my own eyes that when His Highness the Crown Prince returned from the third floor, the jade pendant on his chest had no luster at all. Only a key that has been forcibly teleported out of the Heavenly Prison after spending a day there would have this state."
A jailer on duty in the prison responded respectfully.
"Besides that, is there any other noise?"
Gu Ran continued to ask.
"Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince sent Commander Qin Shan to deliver a letter to the Right Prime Minister's residence. Afterwards, the Right Prime Minister's office came to discuss important matters with His Highness. However, a soundproof array was set up, so I was unable to eavesdrop."
The jailer quickly replied.
"Alright, here's a gold leaf. If you hear any important information next time, I, the prince, will reward you handsomely."
Gu Ran chuckled twice, tossed the gold leaf aside, and watched as the jailer picked it up and left, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Your Highness, this person..."
Almost simultaneously, a dark shadow quietly appeared behind Gu Ran.
"Let's keep him for now. We'll take care of him when my elder brother gets out of the Heavenly Prison. Right now, let's think about how to deal with my brother. He went to the later levels of the Heavenly Prison and must have seen Chi Liancheng."
"No matter what Chi Liancheng says, you only need to remember one thing: kill him. If I can't get the Sword Immortal's inheritance, he can't get it either."
Gu Ran spoke in a chilling tone, then took out a token from his pocket and handed it to the dark figure behind him, leaning back in his chair and sneering.
...
"I see. I wonder how much strength the old general still retains?"
After listening to Chi Liancheng's words, Gu Yifeng asked a question that he was concerned about. Whether from the perspective of his current situation or the national situation of Dagan, if Chi Liancheng could walk out of the prison unharmed, he would definitely be of great use.
"In terms of strength, I can still handle some minor rats at the Open Mansion Realm without any problem. However, due to the presence of fire poison, my cultivation is reduced to less than one-tenth. I can only fight a maximum of three times a day. If I overdo it, the fire poison will be triggered prematurely."
Upon hearing this, Chi Liancheng responded honestly.
Just as the two were talking, a series of spatial fluctuations came from the fourth level of the Heavenly Prison, as if many people had arrived at the fourth level.
"Your Highness, be careful, someone is coming. It seems they are targeting me. Your Highness should hide."
Chi Liancheng frowned, instantly sensing who it was, and immediately spoke to Gu Yifeng.
"It's alright, General, there's no need to worry. My strength is not what it used to be."
Gu Yifeng did not back down at all upon hearing this, but responded with a cold laugh.
Since swallowing the Crimson Serpent Fruit, his cultivation level has remained unchanged, but his combat power has increased by at least three points. Moreover, after activating the third acupoint of the Devouring Heaven Record, he gained a brand new divine ability: beast transformation.
This move can concentrate spiritual energy in the whole body or any part of it, transforming it into a beast, making it a part of the Taotie, and unleashing one-tenth of the Taotie's power.
Although it consumes a great deal of spiritual energy, once fully unleashed, it is enough to instantly kill any battle between people of the same realm.
After all, this was the first time he had cultivated such a powerful divine ability, and he was quite looking forward to it.
Just as Gu Yifeng was lost in thought, the invaders arrived on the stone island. There were exactly four of them, dressed in black and wearing skull masks, making it impossible to recognize their faces.
"Hehe, I don't believe it even if others don't say it. The prison I've built is no better than a vegetable market. You can come and go as you please."
Gu Yifeng spoke first, his tone full of sarcasm towards the four of them.
"Enough with the nonsense. Today we are acting on behalf of Heaven to end this demon's life. If you step aside, we may spare your life. Otherwise, we will kill you without mercy."
Of the four, one of them was the first to speak, and the murderous intent in his tone seemed genuine.
"You're the one who's talking nonsense!"
Gu Yifeng sneered and, without further hesitation, waved his hand. The external image appeared, and the pale blue Mountain and River Sword was constantly swung. With a wave of his hand, four sword lights flew out, heading straight for the faces of the four intruders.
"Four Spirits Formation! White Tiger Slay!"
The four of them shouted in unison, then simultaneously formed hand seals, instantly creating an array. The phantom images of the four divine beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—appeared. Then, the White Tiger phantom roared and swung out a claw.
A flash of golden light instantly extinguished Gu Yifeng's four sword energies, while the remaining claw-like rays rushed forward.
"Your Highness!"
Upon seeing this, Chi Liancheng immediately shouted and made a move to block the attack, but Gu Yifeng raised his hand to signal him to stop.
"The Record of Devouring Heaven, Begin!"
Gu Yifeng also shouted loudly. Today, he would reveal his cultivation level to the four of them at the same time, and he was determined to kill them quickly. Therefore, he did not hesitate and directly used the Devouring Heaven Record.
The spiritual energy within his body gathered, instantly transforming him into a beast, resembling a gluttonous beast.
The gluttonous beast raised its head, opened its mouth and swallowed the claw-like blade, then gently spat it out, transforming it into golden light and returning along the same path.
Before the Four Spirits Formation could react, Gu Yifeng manipulated the Taotie's original form to rush out and slap down with a claw. The power of devouring was fully activated, and in the blink of an eye, the phantoms of the Four Spirits became much thinner.
The golden light then fell upon the great formation, causing it to shatter with a deafening roar.
The four who had been so aggressive just moments before were now terrified and scrambled to escape toward the entrance. But Gu Yifeng was not about to give them a chance. Taotie leaped up and blocked their path.
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