White-Robed Chief

He was confident. Even if his martial arts was crippled, he still had the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture. Even if his mind’s void had been severely damaged, he still had the Heavenly Demonic Stone. Even if he lost his life, he had the Life and Death Scripture.

It was natural that he could take risks if he was fearless.

The result was good. His martial arts was not crippled, but his divine power could no longer be used, and his mind’s void was sealed again. It might be temporarily damaged and unable to be used. However, he did not worry and took out the Heavenly Demonic Stone Pillow, raising it to the sky.

The chill entered his mind like a bowl of refreshing juice under the scorching sun.

He fastened the Heavenly Demonic Stone Pillow to the back of his head and took a much smaller Heavenly Demonic Stone, knotting it around his neck. The Heavenly Demonic Stones soothed and nourished his spirit.

With the two Heavenly Demonic Stones together, their effect was amplified. He estimated that it would not take too long to recover.

He noticed that the aura of the Heavenly Demonic Statue was no less powerful than the aura of Enlightened Masters. A single attack from an Enlightened Master might not necessarily win against the Heavenly Demonic Statue.

Moments later, the sound of footsteps rang, and Zhao Xuan and Xu Zhenshan appeared in the waterside pavilion. Their expressions were grim and their gazes were cold.

Chu Li rose and fist saluted.

“Young Lu, you really have guts!” There was a vague smile on Zhao Xuan’s face. “You’re quite sturdy!”

The skinny Xu Zhenshan coldly stared at him with an expressionless face.

Chu Li smiled wryly. “I never thought the inextinguishable golden body would be this strong.”

Xu Zhenshan said coldly, “You’ve violated a prohibitory law of the Inner Mausoleum Protectors!”

Chu Li asked, “What prohibitory law?”

“Didn’t Xiao Hu tell you?” Xu Zhengshan frowned.

Chu Li shook his head.

He knew that the matter was serious and could only grasp onto this straw. One who does not know of his own guilt would be shown mercy.

Xu Zhenshan turned to look at Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan smiled bitterly. “It’s very likely that Xiao Hu is still not completely open with Young Lu… Perhaps he didn’t expect Young Lu to do this either. It’s just like committing suicide.”

“Hm.” Xu Zhenshan nodded slowly. “In that case, I’ll tell you clearly now. We Inner Mausoleum Protectors guard the Enlightened Master’s golden body to prevent anyone from bursting in and damaging it.”

Chu Li interrupted with surprise, “There are people who can damage the Enlightened Master’s golden body?”

“You don’t think there are?” Xu Zhenshan said coldly.

Chu Li hesitated for a moment before nodding. “There is.”

Zhao Xuan smiled. “Young Lu, if it were you, what would you do?”

“I could do many things.” Chu Li said, “I could use hidden weapons or projectiles. The power of the Enlightened Master can prevent masters from approaching, but it can’t prevent hidden weapons from approaching, right?”

“Brilliant!” Zhao Xuan grinned and nodded.

Xu Zhenshan coldly said, “As an Inner Mausoleum Protector, one of the benefits is that you can study the power of the Enlightened Master at a close distance, and enter the Enlightened Master’s Boundary after comprehending the secret of the Enlightened Master. Although you can’t indulge in physical pleasures outside, you can still be unfettered and directly ascend to Grandmaster, break free of the cycle of reincarnation, and gain the lifespan of a Deva.”

Above Grandmasters was another boundary where the Devas lived. They lived for tens of thousands of years, and even if they died, they could return to this world immediately and have the chance to return again. However, ordinary people entered the cycle of reincarnation after death, and may not remain a human in their next life.

Merlin nodded.

Xu Zhenshan said, “However, the Inner Mausoleum Protectors have a basic principle that cannot be violated, which is that they cannot touch the Enlightened Master’s golden body. This is disrespectful towards the former emperor, so those who touch the Enlightened Master’s golden body will be immediately expelled from the Inner Mausoleum.”

Chu Li froze. “Expelled from the Inner Mausoleum?”

“That’s right!” Xu Zhenshan said gravely. “They’ll never be allowed to enter the Inner Mausoleum again.”

“That’s too unjust!” Chu Li smiled wryly. “I didn’t touch the Enlightened Master’s golden body at all!”

Xu Zhenshan scoffed, “It’s good that you didn’t!”

Chu Li suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that there was still a way out for him. He hurriedly said, “Elder Xu, what is my punishment then?”

Xu Zhenshan said, “You’re not allowed to enter the Inner Mausoleum for a year!”

Chu Li expression immediately turned bitter.

He was secretly anxious. Not being able to enter the Inner Mausoleum for a year was fatal.

Zhao Xuan grinned and said, “Young Lu, your injuries haven’t healed yet, so you can recover first. Although it’s a punishment, it’s also for your own protection.”

Chu Li smiled bitterly. “If I can’t enter the Inner Mausoleum for a year, you might as well just kill me.”

“Do you like the Inner Mausoleum that much?” Zhao Xuan laughed. “The Inner Mausoleum is a painful place for most people.”

Chu Li shook his head. “I have the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture which can counter the Enlightened Master’s powerful aura. Besides, the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture improved very quickly, and my cultivation greatly rose. This is a crucial time. How can I not enter the Inner Mausoleum?”

“There’s no helping it. You did something wrong.” Zhao Xuan shook his head.

Chu Li coughed lightly. “Actually, you’re mistaken, Elder Xu and Elder Zhao.”

“Mistaken on what?” Zhao Xuan laughed. Xu Zhengshan glanced at him.

Chu Li said, “I wasn’t thinking of touching the Enlightened Master’s golden body. I only wanted to test the Enlightened Master’s powerful aura. I wasn’t intending to touch the Enlightened Master’s golden body.”

“Hm—?” Zhao Xuan was surprised and looked at Xu Zhenshan.

Xu Zhenshan frowned.

Chu Li hurriedly said, “Of course I know I couldn’t touch the golden body. I just wanted to see how far I could advance. I never thought that the golden body would be so powerful that I couldn’t approach thirty feet around it. I heard people say that Elder Xu is only ten feet away from the Enlightened Master’s golden body. You’re number one in the Inner Mausoleum.”

“You stinky brat, so you knew about that.” Zhao Xuan laughed.

Chu Li said, “Of course I can’t compare to Elder Xu’s five hundred years worth of cultivation, so I merely wanted to see how far I could approach.”

“Really?” Zhao Xuan asked deliberately.

He turned to look at Xu Zhenshan. “Young Lu is so unruly. He really is just a young man with a lively mind.”

Xu Zhenshan snorted.

Both Zhao Xuan and he knew that Chu Li was talking nonsense.

However, there were no holes in that story.

The most important thing was that he had not touched the Enlightened Master’s golden body, so he did not break the prohibitory law.

Zhao Xuan laughed. “See how heavily injured Young Lu is. It doesn’t seem he’ll recover for a few months. That’s the price of being unruly. Why don’t we just drop it? His injuries are punishment enough.”

Chu Li hurriedly fist saluted and said earnestly, “Elder Xu, I’ll be more restrained in the future.”

“Oh, don’t.” Zhao Xuan grinned. “The Inner Mausoleum is becoming more and more boring. It’s rare to have someone lively like you!”

He turned towards Xu Zhenshan, “Isn’t that right, Elder Xu?”

Xu Zhenshan frowned at Chu Li.

Chu Li smiled at Xu Zhenshan. His punishment indeed lay in Xu Zhenshan’s hands. If Chu Li had not touched the Enlightened Master’s golden body, he would be punished according to Xu Zhenshan’s motivations. He could say whatever he wanted.

“…This matter has to be discussed with everyone.” Xu Zhenshan said lowly.

“Elder Xu, what is there to discuss for such a small matter? You can just decide.” Zhao Xu grinned. “It’s not that big of a deal. They won’t have any opinions.”

“…Very well.” Xu Zhenshan shook his head, “This is the only time. Next time, there won’t be a way to bend the rules anymore!”

“Thank you, Elder Xu!” Chu Li was overjoyed.

Xu Zhenshan said, “Next time you touch the golden body, don’t make excuses that you didn’t know anymore. Even if you don’t know, it would be useless.”

“Yes.” Chu Li fist saluted solemnly.

He breathed a sigh of relief. If he had really tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice (TN: An idiom meaning the loss outweighs the benefits), that would be too pitiful and depressing. Thankfully, he was shown mercy.