Chapter Forty-Seven: The Bomb

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Wen Yuan had already memorized the route through muscle memory; even if everything ahead was pitch black, he could still navigate the path. The statues themselves had become markers; he grabbed Shang Luo and turned toward the roadside.

At the stairwell entrance, beneath the last statue, a white lion crouched. At that moment, the bomb fell above them.

The cataclysmic blast rumbled through the black fog. The sound had been frequency-lowered, yet Shang Luo still staggered underfoot. Without hesitation, Wen Yuan hoisted him up.

The aftershock of the explosion continued to spread; the building overhead had suffered structural damage. Though it had not collapsed, the ceiling and floor of the corridor were cracking. Steam pipes and gas lines hissed within the walls, yet the bombardment showed no sign of ceasing.

Bomb after bomb detonated above. Each explosion brought the sound closer.

"Damn..." Wen Yuan’s legs weakened from the latest blast; the ground shook so violently he could barely keep his balance.

With a tremendous crash, the floor above was pierced by a massive object; an armor-piercing shell had shattered through the level and smashed into the floor.

The enormous shell was as large as a small car. Its casing was crafted using advanced welding techniques, each seam resembling dragon scales. Sunlight and flames streamed through the hole the shell made, illuminating the dragon-scale welds into a brilliant rainbow hue—colors so deep and strange they rivaled the famed iridescence of the Yao Bian cup, a true artifact’s mark.

“This is... a flamethrower bomb from the Imperial Guards!”

Once triggered, intricate mechanisms within would spray a fuel-laden cloud explosive. Two tons of this could ignite a fireball reaching 2500°C, sweeping across the equivalent of four football fields with a lethal radius. Even cultivators at the Qi Refining stage stood no chance of survival against such a devastating bomb.

Scenes flashed before Wen Yuan’s eyes. He began reviewing his life... but realized there was little worth recalling; many memories had been erased. The only significant thing he could remember was submitting experiment reports.

This life was pitiful beyond words.

He stared at the bomb, the image frozen at this moment. He never imagined this would be the final scene of his life.

A fierce gust of wind blew, making it impossible to open his eyes... but there was no intense heat.

“Hm?” When he opened his eyes again, a black figure stood before him with its back turned, extending a jade-like right hand toward the bomb. A second hole opened in the ceiling; the figure stood within the shaft of sunlight. Darkness was dispelled once more; this time, no fire was needed to see clearly.

After casting a spell on the flamethrower bomb, the jade-like hand gradually darkened, revealing a black military glove glowing faintly beneath the light.

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Turning around, the military coat fluttered slightly in the dust but remained unstained. The rank insignia on the collar shimmered golden even in the shadows.

“Who struck with the Five Thunders? About an hour ago.”

“It was me...” Wen Yuan raised his hand.

...

“Ah...” Shang Luo slowly opened his eyes, a hand brimming with spiritual energy appearing before him, radiating a gentle white light. A strong dizziness and ringing in his ears swept over him, then vanished in an instant.

“It’s nothing. You’re untrained, so the ear pressure caused that brief dizziness. I’ve corrected it for you,” a calm voice whispered directly into his ear, calming his frail nerves.

“Thank you... who are you?”

“This is General Bai Feng, one of the four great generals of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, my master’s superior and the commander of the Southern Town Embroidered Uniform Guard. General! This is my first time meeting you! I’m so excited!”

“Not the first time. We met when you were five years old. Why haven’t your memories fully returned yet?” He reached out and placed a hand over Wen Yuan’s head. “The spiritual energy has helped replenish you; you lost quite a bit just now. Rest well after this, and eat more fairy roots. It’s impressive you still remember me... By the way, where is your token? Your father’s token?”

Wen Yuan shook his head.

“So you used a resonating token to cast Five Thunders... what a pity. If I had arrived sooner, this disaster could have been avoided. Listen carefully, there’s urgent business involving the Foundation Establishment Pill. Lu Huaiyang sent a message to the capital. After emergency discussions, we reported it to the Emperor, who then reported to the Dao Ancestor.”

He paused, stunned by the gravity of the news:

“The Dao Ancestor wishes to see you.”

Wen Yuan gasped: “The Dao Ancestor!!! The Dao Ancestor wants to see him? But the Dao Ancestor...”

“Yes.” General Bai Feng nodded. “The Dao Ancestor never meets anyone except the Emperor himself. No one, not even past Emperors, have ever seen the Dao Ancestor’s true form or heard his teachings. Even we are barely considered his disciples by transmission; all his orders come through the Emperor’s sacred words. You will be the first person outside the Emperor to ever meet the Dao Ancestor.”

“Huh?” Shang Luo was stunned.

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He had thought he could “hide in plain sight,” find a place, and refine the Foundation Establishment Pill at leisure.

Now everyone who needed to know already knew.

“So it’s entirely because of the Foundation Establishment Pill?” Shang Luo asked.

“Most likely, but no one knows the Dao Ancestor’s intentions. The formula is written down, but no one has ever actually refined it. We suspected Lu Huaiyang might have misread it but reported anyway, just in case. The Dao Ancestor’s reply came faster than ever; he immediately issued an edict through the Emperor, ordering you to return to Jade Capital at once.”

“But the Foundation Establishment Pill is gone.”

“No big deal. It wasn’t meant to be consumed anyway—wait, you didn’t eat it, did you? When did you eat it?” General Bai Feng’s expression tightened, eyes fixed on Shang Luo as if fearing those words.

“No.” Shang Luo pointed to the statue beside him. “She ate it.”

Only then did General Bai Feng notice the statue before him. He placed his hand on its head...

“I see, so that’s how it is.” As he withdrew his hand, a faint smile appeared.

“Boy, your name is Shang Luo, right? Your fate has arrived.”

“Huh?”

“This place isn’t safe to linger. Let’s go up first. Once upstairs, don’t move. I’ll come find you soon.” General Bai Feng drew out his token, tapped it a few times with his thumb, then slipped it back.

With a thunderous “bang,” dust swirled as a soldier dropped down, kneeling to cushion the fall right next to Shang Luo, the impact shaking the ground like a several-hundred-kilogram bomb had landed.