The next day—
"Right, let's head for the palace gates. For the time being, I don't feel like turning everything into hell just yet. After all, spirit Qi should be used conservatively—if those weapon spirits can do the heavy lifting for me, why shouldn't I let them?"
All dressed in winter coats, the group of five stands outside of the courtyard gateway—giving off the impression that they are simply heading out for a casual weekend trip.
Pressing a hand to his face, Qing Ming Yang asks—
"Senior, does this mask really work?"
Pasted over the group's faces are recognition inhibiting masks.
The mask itself is transparent, and it feels as if it isn't there in the first place. The main function of it is to prevent others from recognizing the wearer.
As it is only a quality-of-life item from the gacha system, it does have its limits.
For one, it is ineffective on Foundation Establishment realm practitioners. Similarly, if the wearer encounters someone—who knows them extremely well, it is also rendered ineffective.
"Guess we'll find out."
Shrugging his shoulders, Long Hua adds—
"Surnamed Qing, the reason those two weapon spirits were after you—it's because of your life bound treasure. Apparently, it's the weapon that the silver one's father had as a Relic."
"Ah?"
Hit in the head by this piece of news, Qing Ming Yang widens his eyes, as he asks—
"So basically, my brother killed her father, and now she wants me dead?"
Ignoring the question, Long Hua replies—
"The black one's relationship with the silver one's father is… I guess, mentor and student? In any case, their names are Ye Chen and Li Xue."
"…"
Recalling what Bai Wen had said—regarding how the Leng Bing Realm is just another creative method to turn living practitioners into resources, Lin Yu Heng suddenly realizes just how harsh those words truly are; as he remarks—
"To us, these weapon spirits are just tools, but to them—we're basically monsters that robbed them of their friends, parents, and children."
"…"
Thinking of the same, Qing Ming Yang frowns.
As someone who had lost his parents at an early age, he can understand the feelings of someone who had gone through the same experience.
However, compared to Li Xue, Qing Ming Yang at least had a caring elder brother by his side—when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Disregarding whatever Qing Ming Yang and Lin Yu Heng might be feeling, Long Hua remarks—
"I don't know anything about that surnamed Li's mother. In any case, it hardly matters much. These people all had a practitioner life. During that life, surnamed Li and her father may have been individuals—who were at each other's throats for all we know?"
"Ah that's…?"
Snapping out of his empathetic state, Qing Ming Yang twitches an eye in response to Long Hua's crudeness.
"Now that I think about it, with the way the Leng Bing Realm was originally structured—that could have really been the case…"
Recalling how the Leng Bing Realm's outer domain was originally meant to hold native souls of the Everlasting Spirit Realm in them, while the inner domain was meant to hold the souls of foreigners—Lin Yu Heng twitches his lips.
According to historical records, which are held by the Ling Yuan family, some of the practitioners that had participated in that war from eons ago did become irredeemable criminals—as for their crimes, that remains unclear.
"Right, let's move along."
...…
The journey to the imperial palace's gate wasn't anything on the eventful side.
For the most part, the five kept themselves to the roofs of buildings throughout their journey there.
Along the way, they did encounter a few weapon spirits fighting their peers, or were being chased after by lamellar armored ghosts.
As the gate appears within eyesight, the group slows their advancement, and continues to walk on the roof of a building.
"Hmm."
Eventually, they see a large crowd up ahead.
Sweeping a gaze through this gathering, the streets are completely filled with people, hence portions of them are forced to situate themselves on the roofs of other buildings.
"…"
Glancing at the gates, which are littered with cracks in its red paint, Long Hua turns his attention to the two stone soldiers.
These kneeling masses of stone are about six meters in height—if they were to stand on both feet. Cracks are present throughout their bodies, which have portions of it missing.
In terms of appearance, these stone soldiers are basically an enlarged version of the lamellar armored ghost with a more impressive set of armor.
"Senior, magic arrays are carved throughout those stone soldiers' bodies."
"Indeed."
Nodding in response to Lin Yu Heng's remark, Long Hua turns to the walls of the imperial palace.
Attempting to climb these damaged walls and enter in that manner—it isn't possible, for there is an invisible barrier around the skies of the palace.
As for the person, who is currently making an attempt to do just that in front of the onlooking crowd—
"Ack!"
As soon as the individual places a hand onto a glazed tile of the wall, the former is immediately thrown backwards by an unknown force.
Crashing onto the ground in a miserable manner, the individual ends up shattering all the bones in their body.
Had the individual not been capable of utilizing their Weapon Spirit True Body state, they would have died instantly.