Chapter 153: Charging In |
A Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual's effectiveness in comprehending the Cosmic Force was five to ten times that of a Superior-grade Martial Arts Manual of the same attribute.
Currently, Su Yuan's comprehension of the Five Elements Power had fully reached ninety-five percent, but the remaining fraction was a severe bottleneck.
Even for Su Yuan, crossing this hurdle without the aid of a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual would take more than half a year of extra time.
In the Shattered Void World, the number of Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals was limited, especially those that could still assist Su Yuan.
Over the past month or two, nearly all of these Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals had fallen into Su Yuan's hands, which was exactly how he had pushed his comprehension of the Five Elements Power to its current height.
Shattered Void World.
Su Yuan's mental will descended, and he stepped out from the highest floor of the Azure Wave Pavilion.
"Currently, there are nine Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manuals in the Shattered Void World, all hidden within the Imperial Palace. These nine manuals have varying effects, and the best one is located..."
Su Yuan gazed toward the Dayong Dynasty's Imperial Palace. With the help of the gray mirror, the distribution of the nine manuals inside the palace was as clear as day to him.
"Pavilion Master."
"Pavilion Master."
Just as Su Yuan walked out, numerous high-ranking officials of the Azure Wave Pavilion hurried over.
"Is everyone here?"
Su Yuan looked at the crowd, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Pavilion Master."
Vice Pavilion Master Yang looked at Su Yuan cautiously. They had all received a notification from the Pavilion Master earlier, which was why they had rushed over.
It was worth noting that ever since Su Yuan became the new Pavilion Master of the Azure Wave Pavilion, he had rarely gathered all the high-ranking officials together like this.
'Has something major happened?'
Vice Pavilion Master Zhushe thought to himself.
Over this period, he had gained a certain level of understanding of Su Yuan—a man who planned strategically and always maintained control over the situation.
"I am preparing to enter the Imperial Palace,"
Su Yuan stated.
As the Pavilion Master of the Azure Wave Pavilion, Su Yuan was never alone in his endeavors.
"Enter the Imperial Palace?"
Vice Pavilion Master Zhushe's heart jolted.
After the previous Pavilion Master's infiltration, he naturally knew what an Imperial Citizen Player aimed to achieve by entering the Imperial Palace.
A Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual.
One of the greatest opportunities in the Shattered Void World.
A Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual had three primary uses.
The first was elevating one's comprehension of the Cosmic Force. This was identical to the function of a Superior-grade Martial Arts Manual, but its effectiveness was five to ten times greater.
The second was allowing the user to independently select the Cosmic Force that best suited them, thereby forming a stable cycle to break through to the post-realm.
The third was shattering the void to ascend.
In the Shattered Void World, if one wanted to shatter the void and ascend, they not only needed their personal strength to reach the absolute limit of the middle realm, but they also needed to comprehend a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual.
A Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual was effectively the qualification for void-shattering ascension.
"Pavilion Master, are you doing this for a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual?"
Vice Pavilion Master Yang asked carefully.
"Yes,"
Su Yuan nodded.
There was no need to hide this fact.
Among the countless Imperial Citizen Players in the Shattered Void World, who wouldn't be desperately yearning for a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual?
However, yearning was all they could do. Currently, among all the player factions, the Azure Wave Pavilion was the only one with any hope of entering the Imperial Palace and securing a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual.
As for the other factions? They possessed absolutely no ability to resist the Imperial Guards stationed within the palace.
"Understood, Pavilion Master."
"What should we do next? Which part of the Imperial Palace are we attacking?"
Vice Pavilion Master Zhushe asked, his tone brimming with excitement.
Compared to a few months ago, the Azure Wave Pavilion's power had expanded several times over, and the number of First-Rank Masters within the pavilion had drastically increased.
"There's no need to attack the Imperial Palace."
Su Yuan shook his head and instructed, "All of you will stand guard at the four main gates of the Capital City."
"We aren't attacking the palace?" Vice Pavilion Master Zhushe was momentarily stunned.
If they didn't attack the Imperial Palace, they wouldn't be able to draw the attention of the experts inside. Wouldn't that massively increase the risk of Su Yuan's infiltration?
At that time, facing the siege of countless experts within the palace, as well as that terrifying Super Grade-1 existence, how was Su Yuan supposed to fend them off?
Up until this moment, Vice Pavilion Master Zhushe's understanding of Su Yuan entering the palace to retrieve the manual was still stuck on the methods used by the previous Pavilion Master.
The experts within the Dayong Dynasty's Imperial Palace could not be fought head-on. One had to use other methods to divert their attention to have any hope of stealing a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual.
"Correct. There is no need to attack the Imperial Palace this time,"
Su Yuan stated calmly.
"Then, by guarding the four city gates, are we supposed to cover your retreat, Pavilion Master?"
Vice Pavilion Master Yang asked tentatively.
"You don't need to cover me. Your mission is to stop the massive army outside the city from entering,"
Su Yuan replied.
As the absolute core of the Dayong Dynasty, the Capital City was naturally surrounded by a massive stationed army.
These troops were the true elites of the Dayong Dynasty, serving as its greatest foundation for sweeping across the Nine Provinces.
As for the Imperial Guards inside the palace? While they were also elite, their numbers were simply too small, totaling only twenty to thirty thousand.
In contrast, the garrison army stationed outside the Capital City numbered in the millions.
An army of millions consisting of battle-hardened veterans? Once they poured into the city, even Su Yuan would find it incredibly difficult to fight them off.
It wasn't that he couldn't defeat them, but rather a limitation of physical stamina.
The physical constitutions of the Imperial Citizen Players in the Shattered Void World were locked at the level of a Level 1 Lifeform.
A body at this stage could not absorb external energy on a massive scale to replenish itself. It would experience fatigue and weakness.
Once trapped in a siege by an army of millions, even with an obscenely high Combat Bonus, one would eventually be bled dry and exhausted to death.
"Stop the army outside from entering the city?"
Vice Pavilion Master Yang looked confused.
During the previous Pavilion Master's operation, the army outside the Capital City hadn't made a single move. "That was then. Things are different now."
Su Yuan shook his head.
When the previous Pavilion Master of the Azure Wave Pavilion made his move, the Dayong Emperor hadn't managed to react in time.
But now?
With his guard raised, the moment any unexpected changes occurred within the Imperial Palace, the Emperor would directly summon the army outside the Capital City to march in and stabilize the situation.
Naturally, Su Yuan had learned all of this from the gray mirror.
It was the specific preparation the Dayong Emperor had made to prevent other Imperial Citizen Players from replicating the previous Pavilion Master's stunt.
"That shouldn't be a problem."
Vice Pavilion Master Zhushe pondered for a moment.
While it was true that an army of millions outside the Capital City couldn't be fought head-on,
By utilizing the Capital City's gates, holding the line for a short while was entirely doable.
As for how they would smoothly take control of the four main gates? Over this recent period, under Su Yuan's meticulous arrangements, the defending troops at the Capital City's four main gates had long since been replaced by their own people.
This infiltration was far more thorough than anything the previous Pavilion Master had achieved. After all, the methods employed by Su Yuan and his predecessor were worlds apart.
"However..."
Vice Pavilion Master Zhushe hesitated briefly before he couldn't help but ask, "If we all head to the four main gates, are you going to infiltrate the Imperial Palace alone, Pavilion Master?"
As soon as those words were spoken,
The eyes of the other high-ranking officials of the Azure Wave Pavilion immediately widened.
Just a moment ago, they had still been preoccupied with the matter of the army outside the city.
"Yes."
Su Yuan gave a slight nod.
He was different from the previous Pavilion Master of the Azure Wave Pavilion, and naturally, the plans he devised were different as well.
Furthermore, having learned their lesson from the last incident, it was impossible for the Dayong Dynasty's Imperial Palace to have its attention diverted by random Imperial Citizen Players again.
"Execute my orders."
Su Yuan waved his hand dismissively.
"Understood."
Although Vice Pavilion Master Yang and the other high-ranking officials were filled with worry, they did not dare disobey his command.
They successively took their leave.
Very quickly,
Under the direct orders of the numerous high-ranking officials,
The massive factional machine that was the Azure Wave Pavilion rapidly roared into motion.
All the experts within the Top Three Ranks of the pavilion were comprehensively deployed to the four main gates.
"What happened?"
"Why was I reassigned to the east gate?"
"I don't know, it's an order from the higher-ups..."
Many Imperial Citizen Players engaged in fervent discussion. They weren't communicating inside the game, but rather through external channels.
"I'm guessing Pavilion Master Wu is launching a massive operation."
"Pavilion Master Wu? Could he be planning to infiltrate the Imperial Palace to steal a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual as well?"
"It makes sense. How could the Azure Wave Pavilion stir up such a massive commotion without the Pavilion Master's approval? And the only thing that could compel Pavilion Master Wu to do this is a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual."
The Imperial Citizen Players conversed rapidly. As players, their perspectives were entirely different from the natives, allowing them to quickly deduce the Azure Wave Pavilion's true objective.
"Wait, that doesn't add up. I know almost all the First-Rank and Second-Rank Masters in the pavilion, and they are all stationed at the four main gates..."
Another Imperial Citizen Player voiced their doubts.
If Pavilion Master Wu truly intended to infiltrate the Imperial Palace, why wouldn't he use the pavilion's First-Rank and Second-Rank Masters to draw the attention of the palace's experts?
"Good point. Is it possible that Pavilion Master Wu plans to infiltrate the Imperial Palace all by himself?"
"Let's just watch. We'll find out soon enough."
While the Imperial Citizen Players debated, they kept their eyes fixed closely on the direction of the Imperial Palace.
Outside the Imperial Palace.
Security was incredibly tight. Armored Imperial Guards continuously patrolled back and forth.
Right at that moment,
A silhouette silently approached the palace wall.
This silhouette was none other than Su Yuan.
Whoosh—gripping his Long Gun, Su Yuan performed a relaxed leap, smoothly vaulting over and landing inside the Imperial Palace.
However, the very instant Su Yuan infiltrated the Imperial Palace,
A crimson game prompt materialized right in front of him.
"You have been placed on the Dayong Dynasty's Red-Tier Wanted Order. All experts within the bounds of the Capital City will be notified and provided with your exact coordinates. Any expert who kills you will receive a reward—"
In the blink of an eye, the entire Imperial Palace, and indeed the entire Capital City, was alerted. Su Yuan's precise coordinates appeared within the field of vision of countless experts.
Su Yuan glanced at the crimson text of the wanted order, yet he didn't show the slightest hint of surprise.
Following the incident with the previous Pavilion Master of the Azure Wave Pavilion, it wasn't just the in-game Dayong Emperor who had drastically heightened his defenses.
Even the game's official publishers had imposed numerous restrictions, which included automatically issuing wanted orders for any player who entered the Imperial Palace without an official summons.
Su Yuan was an even more prominent target of the official developers' scrutiny. The moment he sneaked into the Imperial Palace, not only would he be placed on the wanted list, but it would also instantly be the highest-level Red-Tier Wanted Order.
The purpose of this mechanic was naturally to prevent players from easily obtaining a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual.
"I still have to rely on absolute strength in the end."
This was another reason why Su Yuan hadn't ordered the experts of the Azure Wave Pavilion to attack the Imperial Palace to serve as a distraction.
It simply wouldn't have been very useful. The moment he entered the confines of the Imperial Palace, the Red-Tier Wanted Order would trigger. With his position completely exposed, the experts within the palace were guaranteed to swarm toward him all at once anyway.
"Bring it on."
Su Yuan looked at the massive horde of powerful experts rapidly converging on him from all directions.
Without missing a beat, he gripped his silver Long Gun tightly and slaughtered his way deeper into the Imperial Palace.