Faced with Saren Agu’s question, the Supervisor smiled faintly and replied calmly:
“I’m only confident in myself.”
Saren Agu shook his head slightly. “My disciple is not as arrogant as you. Let’s change the bet. I wager that Xu Qi’an will undoubtedly die today.”
The Supervisor had no objections and said, “The stakes will be your shepherd’s whip and my Celestial Mechanism Plate.”
Saren Agu laughed, “Why not!”
As their words fell, it seemed that based on this bet, some sort of rule was established between them in the unseen realm.
…
The physique that a Third-Rank martial artist prided himself on was pierced through the heart by a sword. The wound’s flesh wriggled, unable to heal immediately.
That sharp sword intent corroded the vitality of flesh and blood, delaying the healing of the wound.
A mere unranked miscellaneous cultivator swordsman could burst forth with such terrifying sword intent… Prince Huai’s face twitched as he endured the pain.
Anger, jealousy, and killing intent were all present. As well as a hint of fear he was unwilling to admit.
If Chu Yuanzhen could deliver a second sword strike, a third, or even more sword-intent attacks, he might just capsize in this gutter today.
“Heavenly Sect’s Holy Maiden, Azure Dragon Temple’s warrior monk, Chu Yuanzhen, Southern Frontier’s barbarian woman…”
Prince Huai shouted fiercely, “After killing Xu Qi’an, none of you will escape. Even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I will kill you all.”
Displaying his malicious nature and tendency to hold grudges, he no longer wasted time chasing these “insects” but rushed towards the Southern Garden at full speed.
…
The Southern Garden was already in ruins.
The earth was devastated, mountains collapsed, and forest fires raged, yet the sky was overcast, threatening a downpour at any moment.
This wasn’t because their battle had disrupted the stability of the elements; martial artists didn’t have such fancy abilities. All these anomalies came from Emperor Zhende.
The Second in the Dao path was called “Tribulation Crossing,” and its purpose was to condense a Dharma Body. Dao Dharma Bodies had four powers:
Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire!
Therefore, high-level Dao practitioners at the Tribulation Crossing stage had initially mastered these four elements.
If one reached the First-Rank Terrestrial Immortal, operations like turning stone into gold and casually altering material elements would be effortless.
Xu Qi’an was trapped in a chaotic area. Fierce winds cut his face like blades, slowly eroding his Vajra Divine Skill. The special effect fire ring at the back of his head was almost blown out.
The surrounding forests occasionally spewed tongues of flame, trying to calcine him.
Beneath his feet, the earth’s gravity increased exponentially, attempting to rob him of his agility.
But most troublesome were the dazzling sword lights his opponent wielded, and the flying swords that darted about like fire and lightning.
The Human Sect’s sword-controlling technique combined with the Mind Sword was the most vexing combination.
After Shen Shu awakened, the fusion of their divine consciousness made them less fearful of Zhende’s spiritual attacks.
But they were still harassed and unable to defend against everything.
Being in close quarters with a martial artist meant death, but the preparations of peak experts from various systems usually included life-saving measures.
Zhende’s Yang Spirit rode the fierce winds, sometimes in front, sometimes behind, like a ghost.
“Is this all you’ve got?” Emperor Zhende stood atop the wind, looking down at Xu Qi’an below, sneering:
“If this is your only level, then I’ll do you a favor and send you to meet Wei Yuan.”
As he spoke, a figure darted through the air, his upper body bare, revealing knotted muscles. On his chest was a horrifying hole, the flesh slowly wriggling, difficult to heal.
His aura was not even comparable to Xu Qi’an-Shen Shu.
The Northern Garrison King!
“It’s a pity that my battle power was worn down by a few insects. Otherwise, killing you would be as easy as turning over my palm.”
At this moment, the Northern Garrison King and Zhende merged. With the Third-Rank Prince Huai in the lead, terrible power swept across heaven and earth. The aura shook the nine heavens, dispersing the clouds above, and reverberated through the nine abysses, making the earth rumble.
The ruler of Yan Country, Nurhaci, a dual-system Fourth-Rank peak, was called the strongest among those below the Third-Rank.
Then, how powerful must Emperor Zhende be, cultivating both Dao and martial arts, at Second-Rank and Third-Rank?
Powerful enough to be nearly invincible below the First Rank.
If the Northern Garrison King’s state hadn’t fallen from peak Third-Rank, the word “nearly” could be removed.
“I am unrivaled here!” Zhende said leisurely. At this moment, he seemed to have withdrawn his malice, calm and confident, like a high and mighty god.
Unrivaled? The corner of Xu Qi’an’s mouth turned up.
…
At this time, the Imperial Palace had become a complete mess.
The civil and military officials who had earlier been startled by Xu Qi’an like frightened beasts originally intended to flee the palace, but they were a step too late. The palace gates were tightly shut, guarded by the imperial army, allowing no one to enter or leave.
The officials were furious, stepping forward to question and berate the guards.
The imperial army didn’t comply, even drawing swords to intimidate the officials. After all, they were following the orders of His Majesty and the cabinet to guard the palace gates.
The officials had no choice but to return to the Hall of Golden Chimes, only to be surprised to find that everything was calm here, as if nothing had happened.
The gathered officials stood in the great hall, their expressions wooden, looking less like the small group at the pinnacle of the dynasty’s power and more like a group of childless old people with no prospects in life from an outer city wellness center.
“What happened? Where is His Majesty? Where is that traitor Xu Qi’an?”
“Lords, say something!”
“Lords, please say something quickly!”
At this point, disregarding formalities, the officials swarmed into the hall.
What could they say?
The ministers, secretaries, censors, and others, including the nobles and royal clan members bound to the imperial family, all had their minds in a fog at this moment.
It wasn’t because Xu Qi’an had stormed the palace. That Xu dog dared to chop down even a duke, so no one was surprised when he rebelled.
What truly confused the officials was Xu Qi’an’s words: “Former Emperor Zhende.”
And Emperor Yuanjing’s response: “You know my identity.”
The son is the father, and the father is the son?
“His Majesty, the former emperor…” a censor mumbled, “teleported out of the palace with Xu Qi’an.”
The influx of officials broke the silence, and a buzzing sound began to rise. Xu Qi’an had single-handedly stormed the palace, cutting down the imperial guards who tried to stop him and disappeared from the Hall of Golden Chimes with His Majesty.
“We can’t just wait like this. We need to leave the palace and rescue His Majesty.”
“But His Majesty’s order was for us to wait here.”
“That’s not right. His Majesty is the ruler of the country. It doesn’t make sense for him to have the palace guards and imperial army stand by while he fights the enemy himself.”
“This order is indeed strange, not reasonable…”
Could there be fools among those who attend the morning court?
In the crowd, Qin Yuandao suddenly screamed, “The handwritten order is fake! It’s fake!”
He didn’t bother with the civil officials but looked towards the grandmasters and nobles: “Quickly, have someone open the city gates, mobilize the five camps of the imperial army, and rescue His Majesty.”
Whether the handwritten order was real or fake, Qin Yuandao had to define it as fake. For him, His Majesty’s life was more important than anything else, because if His Majesty met with misfortune, he wouldn’t live long either.
Therefore, mobilizing the army and martial artists to rescue His Majesty was the best choice, even if the handwritten order was truly left by His Majesty, he absolutely wouldn’t admit it now.
Qin Yuandao glared fiercely at the nobles: “Don’t you want the merit of protecting His Majesty?”
The nobles and royal clan members were tempted.
Immediately, someone walked out of the Hall of Golden Chimes, crossed the square, passed over the Golden Water Bridge, and headed towards the Meridian Gate.
The Meridian Gate was tightly closed, and the imperial guards had moved deer fences to block the way.
An earl strode forward, shouting, “Open the gate immediately, gather men, and come with us to rescue His Majesty.”
The imperial guards ignored him. They only listened to the emperor, and a handwritten order stamped with the imperial seal and the cabinet’s seal was more effective than anyone’s words.
Another earl approached aggressively: “Open the gate!”
The imperial guards still didn’t respond, and their hands moved to their sword hilts.
A prince pointed and berated: “Open the gate at once!”
When a royal clan member joined in, the imperial guards began to waver, explaining, “His Majesty ordered that no one is to leave.”
“You fools, that’s fake! His Majesty has been teleported out of the palace by the rebel Xu Qi’an. If you don’t open the city gates and something happens to His Majesty, your entire clan will be executed,” Qin Yuandao stepped forward and threatened.
The imperial guards behind the deer fences looked at each other, wavering even more.
…
Outside the crowd, Prime Minister Wang turned to the lords beside him and said calmly:
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, now is the time for you to step forward.”
The Crown Prince squinted at the chaotic scene at the Meridian Gate, shaking his head, “The lords have already resolved it. The city gates will open soon, and the imperial army will rescue Father Emperor.”
Prime Minister Wang said quietly, “I’m telling you to close the gates properly. No one is to leave.”
The Crown Prince was startled and exclaimed, “Prime Minister, what do you mean by this?”
“Does the Crown Prince know that His Majesty is no longer in the palace?”
“I know.”
“Does the Crown Prince know that Xu Qi’an intends to commit regicide and rebel?”
“Hmph, that boy is outrageously bold.”
“Doesn’t the Crown Prince think this is a good opportunity?”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince stepped back several paces, looking at Prime Minister Wang as if he were mad.
“His Majesty is over fifty, with thick black hair, and his Dao cultivation is superb. While you, Crown Prince, are twenty-six this year. How much longer will you wait? Until your youthful head turns white? With His Majesty’s current condition, his Dao cultivation successful and life extended, how long will Your Highness sit in the Eastern Palace, year after year, do you see any hope?”
Prime Minister Wang spoke frankly, “You’ve been Crown Prince for over a decade. Have you grown attached to the position? With His Majesty’s current state, successful in Dao cultivation and extending his life, Your Highness in the Eastern Palace, year after year, do you see any hope?
“You’ve sat on the Crown Prince’s seat for over a decade. Will you sit for another decade? Will Your Highness still have a chance then? Even if you ascend the throne in the future, how many years will you be able to sit on the dragon throne?
“My words from the bottom of my heart may be offensive, but they are all for the Crown Prince’s benefit. Your Highness, please think it over carefully.”
The Crown Prince’s expression changed rapidly, his lips trembling. His eyes showed wild joy, excitement, bewilderment, fear, timidity, and determination… The complexity in his gaze was astounding.
He seemed to have made some decision, gritting his teeth and steeling his heart, he strode quickly towards the Meridian Gate.
“All of you, shut up!” The Crown Prince shouted, interrupting the nobles and royal clan members’ offensive, and also giving the imperial guards a breather.
Everyone turned to look, their gazes focusing on the Crown Prince.
One wrong step now, and he might fall into eternal damnation… Thinking of this, the Crown Prince gritted his teeth even harder and said in a deep voice:
“How dare you gather riotously at the Meridian Gate? What propriety is this? Father Emperor has ordered that no one is to leave the palace.”
Qin Yuandao hurriedly said, “Your Highness, the handwritten order is fake.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes flashed fiercely, “Nonsense! Can’t the lords recognize Father Emperor’s handwriting? Can’t you recognize the imperial seal?”
Looking at the Crown Prince, the lords seemed to understand vaguely.
No one spoke further, a tacit understanding.
Emperor Yuanjing had cultivated for twenty years. How many people had silently longed in their hearts for a new emperor to ascend the throne?
…
In the capital, although the city gates were closed, it didn’t greatly affect the majority of citizens who didn’t need to leave the city. Instead, it was the commotion outside the palace gates this morning that left people wide-eyed and deeply impressed.
Constable Xu threw a head over the palace walls, and one man with one sword stormed into the palace.
And the words he shouted before, especially “When a commoner’s anger erupts, blood will splatter five steps, and the world will be draped in white mourning clothes,” had already spread through countless mouths.
“What a foolish ruler! Cutting off supplies for a hundred thousand troops, colluding with treacherous officials to frame loyal subjects. With such a foolish ruler, how can Great Sui not perish?”
“This, this is truly unbelievable. It’s not that I don’t trust Constable Xu. It’s just, you know, that Wei Yuan is the head of the Night Watchmen’s Office.”
“What do you mean by that? Is Constable Xu the kind of person who would falsely accuse the emperor of personal grudges?”
“That’s right, if Constable Xu says so, it must be true.”
Overall, the common people still trusted Xu Qi’an. The court and Emperor Yuanjing had deeply hurt the hearts of the capital’s citizens in the Chu Province massacre case.
But the emperor was still the emperor, the ruler of the country, with a lofty position. The entire Great Sui belonged to him. It was indeed somewhat unreasonable and hard to believe that the emperor would do something like privately communicating with the enemy.
“There was no movement afterward. We waited outside the city for a long time, only to see the city gates close. We didn’t see Constable Xu again.”
“After Constable Xu killed his way into the city, there was no news. I hope he hasn’t met with misfortune.”
“Let’s wait and see. Although I trust Constable Xu greatly, this matter is too significant. Let’s wait for further developments… I still can’t believe His Majesty would do such a thing. He is the emperor after all.”
In the streets, teahouses, brothels, and anywhere people gathered in the capital, this was the topic of discussion. There were believers and skeptics alike. All were watching, waiting for the truth to emerge.
…
Zhende no longer feared close combat with Xu Qi’an. The chaotic fierce winds enhanced his speed. While his afterimage remained, his true body had already reached Xu Qi’an’s back.
A martial artist’s sense of danger allowed Xu Qi’an to detect the anomaly behind him in advance, but Emperor Zhende’s soul roar was even faster.
With over a dozen magical artifacts damaged beyond repair during the battle, he could only launch a spiritual attack against this crude martial artist in this primitive way.
Faced with a Second-Rank Tribulation Crosser’s mental assault, the martial artist momentarily froze.
The Northern Garrison King’s unparalleled fist intent erupted, smashing into Xu Qi’an’s chest.
Dong!
A sound like a great bell echoed through heaven and earth.
Xu Qi’an was sent flying backward. In the process, he reached out his palm towards the pursuing Emperor Zhende and said in a deep voice:
“No killing!”
No effect.
“Turn back to shore!”
No effect.
“Compassion in your heart!”
No effect.
The Buddhist precepts did not affect a Second-Rank Daoist expert.
Shen Shu was just a severed arm. Besides the precepts, he could perform very few Buddhist spells, especially not the Arhat Fruition or Buddhist Dharma Body – this arm simply couldn’t do those.
Ding ding!
Two sword lights abruptly struck Xu Qi’an, creating sparks. The power wasn’t great because these were Mind Swords.
The Mind Sword kills the soul.
But this time, the Mind Sword was ineffective because Xu Qi’an had clasped his hands together and crossed his legs in a sitting position while flying backward.
Buddhist Sixth-Rank: Zen Master!
When Buddhist monks assume this posture, they become impervious to all techniques.
Zen Sitting Skill.
Zhende approached like a ghost, pressing his hand against Xu Qi’an’s head. In a push and retreat, the surrounding scenery became a blur. At one point, Xu Qi’an’s back slammed into a hard object.
It was the city wall.
Zhende, pressing Xu Qi’an’s head, had pushed him back to the capital in one go.
The entire city wall trembled, and formation patterns lit up on the wall, neutralizing the terrifying impact force.
If border fortresses had formations, how could the capital not?
Dong!
Xu Qi’an headbutted Zhende, sending the emperor flying.
Zhende gracefully slid back, his fighting spirit high.
Last time in Chu Province, this man had consumed a quarter of a Blood Pill, using a secret technique to burn his essence blood and forcibly raise his strength to the Second Rank.
This time, there was no Blood Pill for him to burn, unless he burned Xu’s essence blood.
But he could completely choose to retreat, fully utilizing the advantages of Daoist magic to outmaneuver him, waiting for Xu Qi’an to exhaust his essence blood before returning to reap the head.
The situation in Chu Province couldn’t be replicated.
Moreover, although this evil thing under Sangbo was a Buddhist, he didn’t possess Buddhism’s true core abilities (Arhat Fruition, Bodhisattva Dharma Body), and Xu Qi’an was just a martial artist. The two men’s abilities overlapped.
In contrast, he was proficient in both martial arts and Dao, a perfect dual system.
Sword lights kept striking him, creating dazzling sparks, but in terms of physical body, this guy was invincible. Even the Human Sect’s sword techniques couldn’t cause him much harm.
After being sent flying by the headbutt, Zhende didn’t immediately counterattack.
He pointed his fingers like a sword towards the sky and said, “Sword Control!”
Soon, a buzzing sound came from within the city, like a vast swarm of locusts approaching.
The soldiers on the city wall were still immersed in the sudden “earthquake” from earlier. Mustering their courage to look down, they realized it was Constable Xu fighting someone.
The opponent was a bare-chested, muscular middle-aged man. The low-ranking soldiers had never seen Prince Huai’s appearance, so they couldn’t recognize him.
Now, hearing the buzzing sound, they turned their heads and were dumbfounded.
In the city, countless iron swords floated in the air, converging towards the outside of the city.
Their numbers were vast, like a locust swarm, impossible to count.
“Im-immortals…” the soldiers stammered, looking up.
The capital was not short of experts. Many had already sensed the energy fluctuations outside the city. When the scene of ten thousand swords filling the sky appeared, those people could no longer restrain themselves. They rose into the air from various places or leaped across rooftops, rushing towards the outer city.
Among these experts attracted by the battle, a small portion came from the outer city, while most came from the inner city and imperial city.
Did he deliberately push me back to the capital to have the five camps of the imperial army intervene and increase his chances of victory? Xu Qi’an’s ears twitched slightly, hearing the angry buzzing of the “iron weapons.”
Ten thousand swords filled the sky, converging above Emperor Yuanjing. They were like well-trained soldiers, each taking its place – some becoming sword hilts, some sword bodies, some sword tips…
A giant sword, sixty zhang long, was slowly taking shape.
The common people in the outer city only needed to look up to see half of a terrifying giant sword protruding from the distant city wall.
On the city wall, martial artists disregarded the rules and climbed up, standing on the wall and walking to watch this scene.
They were first awed by this terrifying giant sword, then remembered to look at who possessed such divine ability.
When they did look, they were shocked.
“Prince Huai?!”
“Northern Garrison King!!”
Exclamations arose.
By now, more martial artists had arrived, climbing the city wall and hearing the cries of surprise.
Prince Huai?
Wasn’t Prince Huai dead? Didn’t he die in the Chu Province massacre case?
The latecomers, confused, landed on the wallwalk, crowded near the battlements, and looked down at the figures below the giant sword.
“Prince Huai?!”
They were dumbfounded.
“Is it Prince Huai, or is someone in disguise? Why is he dueling with Constable Xu? How did Constable Xu become like this? Wait, since when could Constable Xu fight on par with Prince Huai?”
Someone stuttered.
Xu Qi’an’s body was pitch-black, with a flame ring floating behind his head, his aura majestic and fierce, like a god or demon.
If not for recognizing that sword and face, no one would have recognized him.
The people around him remained silent, unable to answer. Whether it was the authenticity of Prince Huai’s identity or the bizarre scene of Constable Xu facing off against Prince Huai, these questions were clearly beyond their understanding.
At this moment, several high-ranking martial artists who had rushed from the imperial city, retainers of certain noble houses, said quietly:
“Don’t you remember? This morning, Constable Xu berated His Majesty, declaring he would make the world mourn in white. He’s rebelling.”
Hearing this, the martial artists who didn’t know the truth looked at each other in confusion:
“Ah, that did happen. I didn’t believe Constable Xu’s words, but now seeing Prince Huai back from the dead, I’m suddenly not so sure.”
“I heard from my master that Prince Huai was dismembered by a mysterious expert that day, dying a thorough death.”
“What’s going on? Duke Wei died in battle, Constable Xu is rebelling, Prince Huai is possessed…”
“Let’s ask directly!”
Someone suggested, then leaned against the battlements and shouted down:
“Constable Xu, what exactly has happened? Who are you fighting? Is it Prince Huai? Was what you said at the palace gates this morning true?”