As Qin Zhonghai slashed downward with his blade, his footing gave way beneath him and his body lost its support, causing him to plummet straight down. While falling through the air, he feared someone might launch a sneak attack, so he spun his blade skillfully and executed “Fire Cloud Eight Directions” to protect his vital points around his body. Then he raised his blade and struck at the cave wall – with a clanging sound and flying dirt and sand, the wall was already carved with a deep fissure by his strike, and his downward momentum immediately ceased.

Qin Zhonghai hung on the cave wall like a bat, looking down. Suspended in mid-air, he could not see Yang Suguan’s figure, thinking that this fellow must have fallen ahead of him and might have already reached the bottom of the cave. Qin Zhonghai spat and thought to himself: “These turtle sons from Shaolin Temple can’t win in martial combat, so they resort to playing dirty tricks. If such third-rate schemes could trap someone surnamed Qin, wouldn’t that be looking down on this old man?”

Seeing that this cave was more than ten zhang deep, not knowing what ambush lay below, he was about to climb back up when suddenly a thought struck him. He recalled the strange smile that Yang Suguan had shown before falling into the cave, as if he had something to tell him. Qin Zhonghai suddenly understood and thought to himself: “Well I’ll be! No wonder this fellow was putting on airs about representing his master in battle. Looking at his ghostly expression, he was purely trying to lure me into a trap, single-mindedly wanting to lead this old man into this ghost cave!”

He snorted, wanting to find Yang Suguan and get things straight. He loosened his grip slightly and his body plummeted rapidly downward. Along the way he struck the cave walls to control his descent, his falling momentum alternating between fast and slow. In an instant, his feet touched solid ground – he had reached the bottom of the cave.

If enemies were lying in ambush in the cave, this would be the perfect moment for a surprise attack. The moment Qin Zhonghai’s feet touched solid ground, his body immediately rolled forward. He unsheathed his blade and made nine consecutive phantom strikes, creating a sheet of blade light and flames that protected all his vital points.

Having executed “Fire Greed Nine Continuous Slashes,” Qin Zhonghai used the firelight from his blade to clearly assess the situation around him. He saw that the cave was roughly eight chi in circumference, with dim yellow twilight visible overhead. The cave was about twenty zhang deep and appeared to be naturally formed.

Dirt and sand continued falling from the collapsed cave ceiling, striking his head quite painfully. Qin Zhonghai dodged to a corner and exhaled, calculating that he was now in the belly of the mountain behind Shaolin Temple. Qin Zhonghai looked around and shouted loudly: “Yang Suguan! You damned pretty boy brought this old man here – what the hell do you have to say? Speak up clearly!”

After shouting for a while without hearing any response, Qin Zhonghai looked ahead and saw a tunnel entrance. His suspicions deepened as he thought: “How strange. If Yang Suguan had something to say, with no one else here to eavesdrop, he should come out and explain himself. Why hasn’t he shown his face after all this time?”

While pondering this, he suddenly heard faint sounds from deep within the tunnel, like footsteps approaching. Qin Zhonghai strode forward and in an instant saw a human figure flash through the tunnel before disappearing in a moment. This person’s movement technique was incredibly fast, like a demon or ghost – if not for Qin Zhonghai’s exceptional alertness, he might not have even noticed.

July first – the ghost gate opens, and eighty percent of the demons and spirits from the underworld have come out of their lairs. Seeing this shadow truly like a ghost or demon, an ordinary person would have been paralyzed with fear, crying for father and mother. But Qin Zhonghai had always been an audaciously fearless madman – seeing this ghostly figure was like seeing scallions floating in soup. He scratched his head and thought: “This shadow moves impossibly fast – it’s probably that bald thief Tianjue. What exactly are this master and disciple pair plotting? Could it be that knowing they can’t defeat me individually, they want to join forces to finish this old man off?” Wanting to see things clearly, he wore a cold smile and spat a glob of phlegm on the ground before striding forward with large steps.

Qin Zhonghai had deep confidence in his martial arts. With his incomparably fierce blade technique, even if the Eighteen Arhats surrounded and attacked him together, he could retreat with composure. Thus he deliberately ventured deep into the tiger’s den – first to investigate the situation clearly, and second to see if there was any chance to rescue Qian Long. If he could succeed smoothly, that would be the ultimate joy.

Walking deeper into the tunnel, he found the passage dark and airless, quite stifling. From that natural cave outward, the path extended continuously without end, showing the massive scale of this construction. Qin Zhonghai reached out to feel both walls – his hands touched thick moss, indicating this tunnel had been excavated long ago and was definitely not newly built.

Qin Zhonghai shook his head and thought: “What exactly is this tunnel used for? Could I have inadvertently entered some forbidden place?”

Since ancient times, Shaolin Temple had maintained close ties with the imperial family. When Emperor Taizong of Tang visited Shaolin, he had excavated an extremely magnificent mountain road. Judging by the scale of this tunnel, without the court mobilizing civilian laborers to help, it would be impossible to accomplish with just the strength of several thousand temple monks.

Being in a dangerous place, he had no mind for wild speculation and quickened his pace, rushing downward.

After traveling a hundred chi, he suddenly saw the path ahead fork into two staircases, one left and one right, each extending downward into the depths, but he didn’t know where they led. Qin Zhonghai was a man who used his right hand for everything – eating, defecating, everything with the same hand. Without thinking, he stepped onto the right staircase. As his foot came down, he suddenly heard a “click” sound that echoed strangely in the spacious tunnel.

The paths of human life are often chosen in an instant. Sometimes, looking back on past events after circumstances have changed, one realizes that crucial decisions were made unconsciously. Qin Zhonghai was startled and pulled his foot back, suddenly feeling somewhat hesitant about which staircase to take.

Since mastering his skills and leaving the mountain, Qin Zhonghai had acted decisively and never feared anything. Even when his leg was broken and he wandered the jianghu as a cripple, he had never been afraid or timid. This sudden hesitation surprised even himself. He shook his head and thought: “Qin Zhonghai, oh Qin Zhonghai, what great scenes haven’t you witnessed? How is it that the higher your martial arts become, the smaller your courage grows?”

He laughed coldly and thought: “Damn it, this old man is looking for Left Military Advisor, so I’ll go left. Fuck!” He channeled his true qi through his meridians to protect his vital points and confidently walked down the left staircase.

The staircase wasn’t very long – only about a hundred steps. Qin Zhonghai frowned as he walked, not seeing any particular mystery. Soon he was standing in another tunnel. Qin Zhonghai raised his head and suddenly saw a human figure before him. Greatly startled, Qin Zhonghai raised his blade to protect his vital points and shouted: “Who’s there?”

After calling out twice, the tunnel filled with echoes, but the person didn’t respond. Qin Zhonghai was puzzled and walked forward a few steps, suddenly seeing a painting.

Hanging on the tunnel wall was a portrait depicting a man in military dress. He appeared to be around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, with thick, slanted eyebrows and very handsome features. But this man seemed to have some sorrowful matter on his mind – his hands were clasped together, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes, gazing fixedly ahead. Qin Zhonghai found this painting remarkably lifelike, especially the eyes, and couldn’t help looking at it several more times.

Qin Zhonghai thought: “Who is this fellow? Why is he painted here? Could this be his damn memorial portrait?” He walked closer and looked carefully, suddenly seeing several lines of text. Qin Zhonghai read: “In early years, who knew the world’s hardships? Looking north from the Central Plains, spirit like mountains. One memorial truly made his name eternal – through a thousand years, who can match him?” Qin Zhonghai was not well-read and didn’t know these four lines were excerpted from Lu You’s “Book of Indignation.” Given the sorrowful and indignant expression of the man in the painting, it was fitting to pair it with such sorrowful and indignant poetry. He gaped for a long time, then looked at the signature and saw: “When poverty comes, integrity appears. Zhu Yang mourns the Grand Commander of the Western Expedition at Mount Song. Rough draft, first month of the Jiyou year.”

Qin Zhonghai jumped up, looking at the figure in the painting and exclaiming in shock: “Father!”

The Grand Commander of the Western Expedition, surnamed Qin and named Baxian, granted the title Marquis Wude – this man was undoubtedly Qin Zhonghai’s biological father. Qin Zhonghai had never seen his father’s appearance before, so suddenly seeing it now filled him with both shock and joy. He stared at his father’s portrait and touched his own thick eyebrows, thinking: “This old man’s eyebrows are thick like two black caterpillars – turns out I got them from father. Heh heh, we father and son really do look alike.”

He chuckled, remembering what Fang Zijing had told him. At that time, his master had given instructions that Monk Tianjue wanted to meet with him. Qin Zhonghai glanced at the painting and smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth. It seemed eight or nine chances out of ten that Monk Tianjue had hung this painting here, intending to use his father’s image to stabilize his mental state.

Qin Zhonghai relaxed and turned to look at the signature again, suddenly seeing the two characters “Zhu Yang.” Qin Zhonghai thought: “What a Qian Long military advisor – turns out he’s also skilled in painting. With such masterful brushwork, he must be a scholar too.” Looking at the painting’s date, it was completed in the first month of the Jiyou year, which by calculation would be twenty years ago.

Qin Zhonghai thought again: “This Master Tianjue has gone to such great lengths to invite this old man to Damo Academy – what exactly is he planning? He’s not going to make me eat vegetarian food and chant Buddha’s name, is he?” From Zhu Family Village to the three great battles just now, Monk Tianjue had never appeared in person. Although Qin Zhonghai had never laid eyes on this divine monk, after fighting his way here, his respect and awe for this divine monk had grown. But seeing his mysterious behavior, with all its secretive and evasive aspects, he was just like those big shots Liu Angtian and Jiang Chong.

While looking, suddenly his neck felt wet as if water drops had fallen on his clothes. Qin Zhonghai didn’t pay it much mind – being in the mountain’s belly, he expected mountain springs to flow through, making the cave somewhat damp and stuffy. Just as Qin Zhonghai was about to leave, another water drop fell, this time landing on his face.

Qin Zhonghai casually wiped it away, but when he looked at his hand, he suddenly jumped up – his hand was covered in fresh blood! Greatly alarmed, he looked up and took a sharp intake of cold breath, stepping back.

He saw fresh blood splattered across the tunnel ceiling – a large patch of blood stains covered the wall and ceiling. The blood color was still fresh, dripping down along the cracks in the walls. Qin Zhonghai was secretly astonished, not knowing where this blood came from. Could it be Yang Suguan’s blood? But when he had drawn his blade earlier, he had been careful and hadn’t injured him. Besides, this fresh blood was sprayed so high – unless there had been an intense battle here, how could this pool of blood have flown up to the tunnel ceiling?

Qin Zhonghai’s heart trembled with fear, knowing he couldn’t guess the truth, so he could only continue along the tunnel. But walking along, the blood stains dripped continuously along the way. The bleeding person must have been severely injured, possibly even in mortal danger. The more Qin Zhonghai looked, the more his heart palpitated. An inexplicable sense of foreboding arose, and he hurriedly pursued the trail.

He walked along the passage and after turning a corner, no longer saw blood stains. Qin Zhonghai breathed a sigh of relief. After walking forward for a while longer, he suddenly saw a stone chamber ahead with a spacious layout. Lamplight flickered dimly inside, apparently indicating someone’s presence. Qin Zhonghai was both shocked and delighted, knowing that Monk Tianjue must be just ahead. He slowed his pace and walked forward carefully.

The moment his front foot entered the chamber, the lamplight before him extinguished. Seeing the chamber plunged into darkness, Qin Zhonghai couldn’t help being startled. Just as he was about to retreat, he suddenly heard a thunderous crash behind him – a wall had fallen, blocking his escape route.

Qin Zhonghai was greatly alarmed and immediately drew his steel blade, slashing left and right around his body. The blade edge struck the stone wall behind him repeatedly with continuous clanging sounds, but the stone wall proved extremely thick and couldn’t be broken through in a short time.

Having harbored suspicions all along his journey, Qin Zhonghai immediately roared: “Damned demons and monsters, show yourselves quickly! This old man will fight you right now!”

Before his words finished, lamplight flickered before him, revealing a small chamber. Qin Zhonghai stepped back and saw a stone table on the ground in front of him. Inside, against the wall, a man sat on the kang with his back to the wall, covered in fresh blood with disheveled hair. An oil lamp was placed diagonally beside the man, its dim yellow light casting the man’s shadow long and dark on the stone wall, making it look even more like a demon.

Everything in Damo Academy was pervaded with strangeness, inspiring secret dread. Seeing this man’s hair reaching his shoulders, Qin Zhonghai’s heart grew even more uneasy as he thought: “This place is so eerie – how did this guy who looks neither like a ghost nor human appear? This old man better be careful.”

Qin Zhonghai raised his steel blade and was about to shout when suddenly his ears erupted in severe pain – a harsh scraping sound with sharp tones pierced directly into his eardrums. Qin Zhonghai was greatly alarmed and quickly stepped back, but the sound had already disappeared.

Qin Zhonghai’s heart tightened, knowing this was the technique of transmitting sound into secrets. It seemed to come from the person before him. Unable to guess this person’s identity, Qin Zhonghai immediately roared angrily: “You mysterious creature, who exactly are you? Are you that old thief Tianjue?”

That person had no intention of responding, just facing the stone wall without speaking or answering. Qin Zhonghai spat and said sternly: “I’ll count to three – if you don’t turn around, don’t blame this old man for killing from behind!” He shouted “one” but before he could count “two,” he had already struck, using the so-called principle that “war allows no deceit,” intending to use “Fire Greed Phantom Wind Slash” to kill his enemy.

Suddenly a sound arose in his ears – it was a sigh. But this voice was much gentler than before, not as sharp as earlier. Qin Zhonghai stayed his hand and said coldly: “What are you? A demon?”

The voice in his ears was very low, saying: “Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is who you are. Only by understanding why your father died can you know what you’ll fight for in the future. Do you know that the fate of the world rests entirely on your single thought?”

Hearing him mention his father and thinking of the painting he’d seen outside, Qin Zhonghai was suddenly overjoyed: “You… could you be Zhu Yang?” In those days, Nucang Mountain was at its peak, famous throughout the world. Countless heroes from the three mountains and five peaks came to join them. The mountain stronghold’s leader was naturally Qin Baxian, and the second-in-command was the mysterious and unfathomable grand military advisor “Qian Long.” The so-called “Left Dragon Right Phoenix with Five Tigers below” – as long as this Left Dragon military advisor returned to the stronghold and joined with the “Imperial Bestowed Phoenix Feather” Azure Robe Scholar to jointly manage stronghold affairs, Nucang Mountain’s prosperity would be assured.

Just as Qin Zhonghai was about to step forward for recognition, he suddenly saw the person before him raise his head and burst into loud laughter. This time he wasn’t using the technique of transmitting sound into secrets – the laughter shook the stone walls with echoes reverberating, as if hundreds of people were laughing in unison, causing heart-palpitating unease. Qin Zhonghai’s face turned pale as his mind raced. This place was the underground of Damo Academy – if this person wasn’t “Qian Long,” then he must be “Tianjue.” Looking at his martial arts skills, could he possibly be Yang Suguan?

Qin Zhonghai was filled with shock and suspicion. He channeled his internal energy and shouted loudly: “Answer me – who exactly are you?” This shout was like a mad dragon’s roar, the force of his qi creating air currents in the chamber that suppressed countless laughing voices, but the rebound made his own ears buzz.

That person gave a light whistle and took a book from his bosom, tossing it backward. Qin Zhonghai reached out to catch it and looked down, suddenly seeing nine characters in regular script illuminated by lamplight: “Secret Memorial on Bandit Suppression, Jingtai Year Fourteen.”

Seeing these nine characters in regular script, Qin Zhonghai’s mind immediately buzzed and he staggered back several steps, gasping: “You… it’s you…”

Qin Zhonghai not only recognized this mysterious figure but had actually fought with him before – this person was precisely the black-clothed masked stranger who had killed Liu Jing!

At that time in Wenyuan Pavilion, after a bloody battle, the Jingtai Year Fourteen Secret Memorial was completely seized and destroyed. Qin Zhonghai, ordered to protect the memorial, had fought a great battle with a masked stranger. Later, Liu Jing met his tragic end and died in the suburbs, also at the stranger’s hands. Now this person suddenly produced a lost secret memorial – if he wasn’t that mysterious figure, then who could he be?

Qin Zhonghai gritted his teeth, his face full of indignation. His great defeat in Wenyuan Pavilion, and three months later Liu Jing’s poisoning and death, were all caused by this nameless stranger. Not only that, when he had rushed to the Qin family mansion, little did he know that like the mantis stalking the cicada, Jiang Chong was already lying in ambush behind? If the masked stranger hadn’t killed Liu Jing and still been watching him, how could he have lost his guard and been captured?

Qin Zhonghai had fought this person many times and had always suffered crushing defeats. But now his divine martial arts had reached great completion – he was among the top figures in the martial world and had no reason to fear. Wanting to avenge Liu Jing, he instead suppressed his anger. He took a deep breath, grasped his blade handle, and said coldly: “You killed General Manager Liu, didn’t you?”

In the complete silence, that person still had his back to him and didn’t respond.

When facing a great enemy, panic and fear are most taboo. Being in a dangerous place, Qin Zhonghai immediately calmed his mind and carefully considered the causes and consequences. He thought: “Before General Manager Liu died, his final words mentioned that there was still a group of people lying in ambush in Beijing. It seems eighty percent certain it’s this thief before me. Damn it, no matter how supernatural General Manager Liu was, he couldn’t have known this dog was hiding in Damo Academy…”

Qin Zhonghai said grimly: “Friend, give me your name! This old man’s blade never kills nameless people.” With his power concentrated, the steel blade immediately burst into flames and red light.

That person sighed and said quietly: “Luo Tong Luo…” Qin Zhonghai exclaimed in shock: “Luo Tong Luo?”

Before his words finished, ghostly blue light floated up before that person, followed by a blue silk ribbon slowly extending from beside him, winding and stretching. With a buzzing sound, that ribbon stood straight and rigid like a long spear beside the man.

In the dim chamber, the ghostly blue light flickered. That weapon was soft as silk yet hard as iron – it seemed this person’s identity was strange, his background mysterious, and even his weapon was unlike anything ever seen.

Qin Zhonghai angrily said: “What Luo Tong Luo? Stop being mysterious – speak clearly, damn it!” He shouted twice but the person paid no attention. In his great anger, Qin Zhonghai was about to strike and kill.

Just as Qin Zhonghai stepped forward to execute Phantom Wind Slash, suddenly there was a clear ringing sound and a blue light shot forth, instantly reaching three chi before Qin Zhonghai’s face before stopping motionless. This blue light came so fast it nearly pierced his right eye. Qin Zhonghai’s face showed terror as he remembered the legendary divine weapon from jianghu tales. He stepped back and said in a trembling voice: “Divine Sword Dragon Seizer?”

A blue star flashed and suddenly a thin crack appeared in the ground, one cun wide and one chi long – apparently this crack was his answer.

That person, with his back to Qin Zhonghai, slowly stood up as blade after blade emerged before him. The sight was extremely eerie.

Qin Zhonghai was both shocked and angry, hurriedly stepping back. He had fought this strange stranger many times and suffered great defeats each time. Seeing the strange weapon now, he knew this stranger’s martial arts had made great progress and would be even more troublesome than during their previous encounters. After retreating several steps, his back had unknowingly hit the stone wall.

With no retreat possible and no escape available, cold sweat poured down Qin Zhonghai’s entire body as he knew today’s prospects were grim.

That person held the iron core with blade edges swaying restlessly before him. The low voice spoke again in his ears: “Don’t be afraid. I have no intention of killing you today, nor will I harm you in the future. Confining you in this stone chamber now is to preserve your life and safety. You must believe this.” That person had used full force when speaking earlier, making it sound doubly harsh. Now his voice was low and slow, apparently intending to calm Qin Zhonghai’s mind and show he had no intention to kill. Hearing this person’s tone gradually become gentle and seemingly quite friendly toward him, Qin Zhonghai nonetheless found the situation truly perilous and had no time for deep thought, only concentrating on finding a way to escape.

That voice seemed to know Qin Zhonghai’s thoughts and said: “You needn’t rush to leave. I still have matters requiring your assistance – first listen to what I have to say.” Qin Zhonghai was stunned and asked back: “Requiring my assistance? What do you want to do?”

That voice paused, then said grimly: “I invited you here today for two purposes – first, to borrow the name of Qin Baxian, and second, to borrow your honorable mountain’s thirty thousand troops. If you would agree, great things could be accomplished. What are your thoughts?”

Qin Zhonghai exclaimed in surprise. This strange adversary before him had extremely strong martial arts and was definitely not a kind person, yet his identity remained impossible to guess. If he claimed to be Monk Tianjue, why did he have hair and why wouldn’t he reveal his identity? If this person was Qian Long, that made even less sense – if he was his father’s trusted veteran minister, why would he meet him with weapons drawn? Besides, having been confined in Damo Academy for years, how could he steal memorials and kill Liu Jing? Qin Zhonghai was filled with confusion and said bewilderedly: “You… you want to borrow my mountain’s troops? What exactly do you want to do?”

The voice in his ears disappeared, and he heard the person before him chuckle softly: “I want to restore the dynasty.”

Hearing his straightforward answer, Qin Zhonghai instead stammered and said in a trembling voice: “You… you want to restore the dynasty? Restore… restore whose dynasty…”

That person shouted loudly: “Emperor Wu Ying!” With that, he threw back his head and laughed uproariously.

This laughter was tremendously shocking, the sound waves rolling forth and shaking the chamber until heaven and earth trembled, as if the earth dragon was turning over and the empire was about to change hands. When that person stopped laughing, he declared loudly: “Qin Baxian died in crushing defeat, Liu Jing’s political coup failed – no one succeeded. Qin Zhonghai, combining your strength with mine, great things can be accomplished!”

Qin Zhonghai was dumbfounded. He blankly recalled various events, blinking his eyes. In that instant, as if seeing something absurd, he too burst into prolonged laughter. He laughed joyously, laughed until he stumbled, laughed until tears squeezed out. It was like a complete rout, impossible to suppress.

That person heard his mad laughter and asked grimly: “What are you laughing at?”

Qin Zhonghai raised his steel blade and laughed loudly: “I’m laughing that your fart is loud but doesn’t even have a smell! Dead turtle bastard, listen well! This old man doesn’t care who you are! Since you killed General Manager Liu and caused this old man to be imprisoned and suffer, you’re my enemy! Now I can’t kill you fast enough, yet you actually want to make a deal with me – go die!” In his great roar, all fear vanished and his steel blade once again burst into raging flames.

That person said coldly: “Wrong, wrong – you’ve got it backwards, right and wrong unclear. Look at what you’re holding.”

Qin Zhonghai gave a cold laugh and glanced down, seeing his right hand holding the steel blade while his left hand held a booklet – precisely the memorial he had used earlier to identify this person’s identity: “Secret Memorial on Bandit Suppression, Jingtai Year Fourteen.”

That person’s tone was calm: “Your father labored his entire life, running about solely for this matter. After you read the memorial, you’ll naturally understand the court’s right and wrong, good and evil, and will agree to my request.”

Qin Zhonghai extremely hated this person and immediately interrupted his speech, cursing: “You skulking creature, this old man absolutely won’t agree – what can you do about it? Kneel down and kowtow?”

Suddenly there was cold laughter as six cold lights all shot forth, swaying around that person. In the ghostly dim darkness, that person’s voice was cold as frost as he recited six dharma names one by one.

Luo Tong Luo, Di Li Che, Yan Fu Ti, Da Wei De, Pu Ti Tian, Ni Li Ye…

As the six dharma names rang out one by one, blue light enveloped the figure. That person seemed like an eight-armed divine Buddha as blade after blade of blue steel rotated and twisted according to their dharma names, like a peacock spreading its tail. That person gripped the iron core and solemnly looked up to heaven, saying coldly: “Don’t force me to act. I’ve never liked killing people, but once I must act…”

Qin Zhonghai chuckled and finished the second half of his sentence for him: “I’ll never show mercy!”

That person seemed to know Qin Zhonghai’s stubborn character and slowly stood up, saying: “I’ll advise you one last time. Whether you and I fight or make peace concerns the fate of the world. Your father spent his life running about for Emperor Wu Ying – what loyalty and righteousness that was! Once you’ve read the secret book, you’ll know the court’s right and wrong, good and evil…” Qin Zhonghai interrupted his speech, throwing the secret book on the ground and roaring angrily: “Bullshit! You dog bastard, turn around and face this old man! I don’t care about any right or wrong, good or evil – this old man has decided to rebel and even the Heavenly King can’t stop me! Whether Wu Ying or Jingtai, in this old man’s eyes they’re all shit!”

Hearing the mad roaring and shouting, that person suddenly took a deep breath. He no longer concealed his appearance and turned around to face Qin Zhonghai.

The blue light filling the chamber made that person’s face appear even more sinister. Seeing that person’s features, Qin Zhonghai couldn’t help but tremble violently as if struck by lightning.

“It’s you!”

“It’s me.”

This great enemy who had stolen the memorial before and poisoned Liu Jing after, causing him to be imprisoned and exiled, was actually him?

Qin Zhonghai bit down hard on his teeth. Why Liu Jing had suffered crushing defeat… why Tianjue had strongly invited him up the mountain… now all had answers. It turned out he had long been firmly grasped by someone, just like a chess piece on a board. His facial muscles twisted with extreme gnashing hatred, yet his expression also contained endless sorrow.

Qin Zhonghai lifted his head and gripped his steel blade tightly, his beard bristling as his expression became like that of a demon king. He said in a deep voice: “Why?”

That person shook his head: “No reason. Life has many unavoidable circumstances that one cannot decide for oneself.”

Qin Zhonghai threw caution to the wind and suddenly burst into loud laughter, shouting fiercely: “Well said!”

Fang Zijing had once said that when you encounter your life’s mortal enemy, you’ll be able to master that move:

“Raging Fire Burns the City!”

Qin Zhonghai raised his blade over his shoulder and roared to heaven: “No need for more words! Shaolin’s third battle begins now!”

In grief and anger, his rage shot up three thousand zhang. His internal power surged like startling waves overturning rivers, the true qi of the Six Yin-Yang Meridians circulating with the momentum of a hundred rivers flowing to the sea. In an instant he had executed the final stance of the Fire Greed Blade. Though this move’s power was magnificent, its name had only four characters. The demon said: “Raging Fire Burns the City.”

That person nodded slightly and no longer spoke. The Dragon Seizer blade edges spun like discs – though this formation appeared complex, its name also had only four characters. The Buddha said: “Six Paths of Reincarnation.”

Jingtai Year Thirty-three, July first, the dynasty’s final day. After this battle, the Zhengtong Dynasty would soon begin…