Chapter 938: Those in My Way Shall Die

"So it seems I have no choice?"

Ling Feng lifted his gaze, staring directly at the Empress Dowager. Once hailed as the most beautiful woman in the empire, she now appeared to him as nothing more than a venomous spirit cloaked in silk.

She had taken advantage of Yan Cangtian's lingering affection and twisted it into a weapon.

"Naturally, you have a choice." The Empress Dowager smiled faintly, her phoenix eyes narrowing. She lifted a delicate cup of tea and brushed aside the leaves floating at the surface. "I have given you

The Profound Art of Acupuncture and Moxibustion

, just as promised. You are free to leave. I won't stop you. As for your master, he may remain here a little longer."

"

Oh?

Is that so?"

Ling Feng let out a slow breath and shifted his gaze toward Yan Cangtian. After a long moment of silence, he gave a slight nod.

"In that case, Empress Dowager, I bid you farewell."

"What? You—" The Empress Dowager had just taken a sip of tea and nearly choked. She slammed the cup onto the table, her voice rising in disbelief. "Ling Feng, are you serious?"

She stared at him, unable to believe his sudden change in attitude.

Moments ago, he had seemed like a devoted and loyal disciple. Now he was turning his back and walking away without a second thought?

"Of course." Ling Feng gave a slight smirk. "Since you and my master are old friends, why would I stand in the way of your reunion? I'm sure he'll enjoy your company. Someone like me is hardly necessary."

He tilted his head. "So I'll take my leave. May the two of you enjoy your time together."

With those words, he turned and began leaving.

"Stop!"

Rage surged through the Empress Dowager. Never in her life had she been toyed with like this.

"What's wrong? Does the Empress Dowager's word count for nothing?" Ling Feng glanced back with a mocking smile.

"So you refuse to yield until disaster is upon you. Do you truly believe I will not harm your master?"

She seized a dagger from the table and strode toward Yan Cangtian. A cold glint flashed across the blade as she thrust it toward his chest.

In the blink of an eye, a powerful hand clamped down on her wrist. The dagger clattered to the floor.

The Empress Dowager stared at Yan Cangtian in disbelief. "You... you..."

"Release Her Majesty at once!"

The maids screamed in alarm as hidden experts leapt from the shadows, weapons drawn and surrounding Yan Cangtian.

"Enough."

The Empress Dowager took a steadying breath. Her face betrayed no emotion. After a long pause, she turned her gaze on Ling Feng, her voice laced with venom.

"To think I would be outmaneuvered by a mere youth."

"I always believed that no matter how much you changed, you still remembered our past." Yan Cangtian's hand tightened around her wrist. His voice was filled with sorrow. "But I was wrong. It seems I was the only fool still holding onto those memories."

The woman before him was no longer someone he knew.

The Empress Dowager bit her lip as pain surged through her wrist. Though her bones twisted under his grip, she made no sound. Her voice came soft and low.

"Big Brother Yan, no matter what you believe, I never intended to kill you."

"Still pretending?" Yan Cangtian's voice had turned cold. "I've had enough of your lies."

"Master, now you see what kind of person she truly is."

Ling Feng shook his head. Everything that had just taken place had been a carefully staged act. Even Yan Cangtian's supposed poisoning was nothing more than part of the plan he and Ling Feng had devised. Their true purpose had been to expose the Empress Dowager's real nature once and for all.

The night after the Royal Sword Team's final match, Ling Feng had gone to Yan Cangtian in secret. He knew the Empress Dowager would never hand over

The Profound Art of Acupuncture and Moxibustion

willingly. She would resort to underhanded means, and his master would be her target.

That was why Ling Feng had given the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Silkworm to Yan Cangtian in advance, to guard against any attempt by the Empress Dowager to poison him. After all, with Yan Cangtian's strength, capturing him head-on would have been no easy task. Poisoning, on the other hand, was a tactic often favored by a venomous woman like her.

Yan Cangtian had never been poisoned. He had only played the role.

And when the dagger was raised against him, whatever feelings remained were crushed beneath her own hand!

From that moment on, they were strangers.

"What a cruel reality."

Yan Cangtian let out a bitter laugh and flung her hand away. "Yan Ning, from this day forward, all ties between us are cut. We are finished."

With a sweep of his sleeve, he strode to Ling Feng's side. "Come, we're leaving."

"You think you can come and go as you please?"

Yan Shuying stepped forward, her teeth clenched in fury. She signaled the maids and guards. "Seize them!"

Boom!

With one strike, Yan Cangtian blasted a guard into a mist of blood. His aura surged, filling the hall with the terrifying might of a Human Emperor.

He turned to face the Empress Dowager. His voice roared through the hall, shaking the pillars. "Anyone who dares stand in my way shall die!"

The Empress Dowager trembled slightly. After a moment of silence, she raised her hand.

"Stand down."

"But Your Majesty—"

"I said stand down."

Yan Shuying flinched and took a step back. The hidden guards vanished without a trace.

"

Hmph!

"

Yan Cangtian gave the Empress Dowager one final, icy glance. Without looking back again, he walked out of Cining Palace with Ling Feng at his side. Neither of them hesitated as they left the imperial grounds.

Once they were gone, the Empress Dowager collapsed onto a nearby divan. Yan Shuying rushed to her side.

"Grandma Empress Dowager, why did you—"

"Not a word of this leaves this hall!"

The Empress Dowager exhaled slowly. Her face had aged in an instant, as though ten years had passed in a moment. This was her greatest failure.

"Yes..."

Yan Shuying held her tongue. She dismissed the servants and stayed behind to accompany her.

"Leave me. I want silence."

"Yes..."

After a reluctant nod, Yan Shuying exited and closed the doors behind her.

Inside the empty hall, only the Empress Dowager's hollow laughter remained.

"Gone... everything is gone...

Hahaha

...."

...

Outside the Imperial Palace.

Ling Feng clutched

The Profound Art of Acupuncture and Moxibustion

with quiet joy. In the end, the scheming Empress Dowager had outwitted herself.

If Yan Cangtian had truly been captured, Ling Feng would have copied

The Art of Chaotic Divinity

for her. Without the Emperor's Bloodline, however, the manual would have been worthless. Her greed had cost her everything.

Yan Cangtian, however, remained silent. Rather than returning to Tianwei Academy, he brought Ling Feng to a solitary mountain west of the capital. There, the two stood atop a cliff beneath the cold sky.

His hair, once deep black, had turned stark white.

Ling Feng looked at his master's back and thought of his own suffering. They were alike, both scarred by the past.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Without a word, he stepped forward and stood beside him at the edge of the cliff. Together, they faced the wind.