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The night had grown deep.
The inner city of the Imperial Capital was quiet, with almost every household tightly closed, silent.
Some residents near the imperial palace could faintly hear the commotion inside.
It’s obvious someone has intruded into the palace, causing a large number of Imperial Guards to respond. The situation is serious.
Ordinary people wouldn’t dare get involved. If they do, they might be labeled as rebels and face grave consequences.
However, a few people chose to take action.
Like Hai Siyuan.
At this moment, he and Li Changshi are hurrying under the night sky, already arriving beneath the royal palace.
Since it is likely that Qiao Shuanggui is the one who intruded the palace to rescue his father Hai Wuya, how could Hai Siyuan just stay home?"Be careful," Li Changshi said, holding a small carved Stone City in his hand, cautioning Hai Siyuan.
"The palace is heavily guarded, with skilled individuals and the Imperial Guards stationed inside. Anyone who invades the palace will face serious consequences, even a superb martial artist like the Eight-armed Heavenly Dragon."
Li Changshi’s words stopped abruptly.
As they approached the imperial city, they saw the palace walls collapsed, and a human-shaped gap appeared in the thick gates.
It was silent and deserted around, with only a few Imperial Guards carrying the bodies of fallen soldiers.
"We are lucky, someone drew the attention of the Imperial Guards away for us," said Li Changshi.
Sneaking into the palace was a difficult task for them, but now with the palace walls collapsed and the guards scattered, it was not difficult for them to enter the imperial city with their skills.
Li Changshi caressed the Stone City in his hand, feeling emotional.
This Stone City is a relic left behind by the former Earth Sword Immortal, and it serves no other purpose than being a pocket cave.
At this moment, in Li Changshi’s hand is the Stone City, where over two hundred old soldiers are inside.
As long as they can enter the imperial palace, it means that over two hundred old soldiers have also entered the imperial palace.
….
In front of the Golden Palace.
The white jade dragon steps had crumbled, and two "bodies" were lying at Yan Shenji’s feet.
One, with charred black skin, was Qiao Shuanggui.
The other was a Great Dao Sect cultivator with a split golden core named Dao Ke.
The bright moon still shone high in the sky, the dark clouds that had covered the sky had cleared slightly, allowing the white moonlight to shine through the clouds onto the two "bodies".
Dark clouds rolled and some pairs of eyes were looking down towards the palace.
The cultivators of the Great Dao Sect usually didn’t fight alone, this time it was led by the golden core cultivator Dao Ke, but there were other cultivators lurking in the sky with him.
"Senior Brother Dao Ke, is he dead?" other cultivators couldn’t help whispering.
"That man who claims to be the emperor of Great Yan is suspicious… no, it’s his sword that’s suspicious."
"That clearly doesn’t belong to ordinary martial power…. Is it the so-called power of fate?" someone whispered.
"Human Emperor Sword was the personal sword of the founding emperor of Great Yan in the past, revered as a symbol of the nation for nearly three hundred years, hence exhibiting the power of fate…"
"It’s all because of the Xuantian Sect back then, insisting on worshiping gods, conjuring forth the Human Emperor Sword, thereby transforming the elusive dynasty’s fate into tangible national power, possessing the ability to conquer?" The gazes of the cultivators pierced through the clouds and landed on the sword in Yan Shenji’s hand.
Yan Shenji just taught a lesson to Emperor Yonghe.
He said, "Under the heavens, there can be no land that is not ruled by a king, and on the edge of the land, there can be no subject who is not a vassal of the king."
Therefore, as a cultivator of the Great Dao Sect in Great Yan, Dao Ke displayed an arrogant attitude when meeting the emperor, even standing on air without descending from the sky, which was highly disrespectful.
In front of Yan Shenji, cultivators cannot overstep their bounds, hence losing the ability to fly in the sky, even being oppressed by external forces, their knees almost buckling.
"This is not martial arts at all." Elder Qingyi also appeared in the clouds.
He wasn’t originally outside the imperial palace, but upon sensing Dao Ke’s death, he swiftly arrived here using his teleportation technique. At this moment, his gaze was deep, as he decisively said:
"With the Heavenly Edict in his mouth… this is how the founding emperor of Great Yan, who holds the Human Emperor Sword, demonstrates his imperial power."
With the Heavenly Edict in his mouth, whatever the emperor says becomes the law, deciding the life and death of his subjects with just a word.
"However, this powerful invisible force, though strong, is not entirely unbeatable."
"Dao Ke lost the ability to fly in the sky, but he resisted the pressure to kneel before earthly emperors."
"Moreover, such ability comes at a price, as my spiritual sense detects a slight weakening of the invisible force on that sword, clearly indicating some consumption," a cultivator said.
This statement brought some relief to the other cultivators.
As for Yan Shenji’s second lesson… it made Elder Qingyi more wary.
He noticed that, under that sword, Dao Ke’s cultivation was temporarily regressed by several hundred years, reverting back to the time of just forming a Golden Core.
Keep in mind that a Dao Ke at the fifth layer of the Golden Core level has accumulated magical power that is several times that of a newly formed Golden Core cultivator.
Yan Shenji’s sword weakened Dao Ke’s power by about fifty to sixty percent, leaving his mana pool nearly empty.
Even though Dao Ke’s cultivation level and techniques were still there, the power of his Dao had greatly diminished, which allowed Yan Shenji to easily cut through his thunder spell with a single sword strike.
As a Nascent Soul Elder, Elder Qingyi’s knowledge and insight surpassed that of other cultivators, and in his eyes, this signified a terrifying truth:
In this era, Immortal cultivators need the worship of the people of the Great Yan Imperial Court to advance their cultivation to some extent.
Yan Shenji, holding the Human Emperor Sword, could directly reduce the Immortal cultivation of a Golden Core cultivator Dao Ke by sacrificing the fortune of a nation with a single sword strike.
This was a troubling development.
The Immortal Gate feared Emperor Yonghe, who possessed the Human Emperor Sword, and didn’t want to confront him directly, so they created a King Qin in an attempt to establish the Earthly Immortal Kingdom.
Now, with the appearance of the founding emperor of Great Yan, the situation became even more complicated.
It was clear that the founding emperor of Great Yan, wielding the Human Emperor Sword, was a much more formidable figure than Emperor Yonghe, who also wielded the Human Emperor Sword, and they lacked understanding about this individual.
The only thing they were grateful for was…
"Although the Human Emperor Sword is powerful, it cannot be used casually. Every time it is unsheathed, it consumes the national luck of the Great Yan Imperial Court," a cultivator spoke up.
"This mortal dynasty has long been in turmoil. Even if the founding emperor were to come back to life, how many more years can it endure?"
"How many cultivators can the national luck power on this Human Emperor Sword slay?"
After listening, Elder Qingyi glanced at the cultivator speaking, only smiling faintly.
"You see through it so well. How about… you go first?"
The cultivator was left speechless.
Cultivators are individuals in the human race with extraordinary talent and spiritual roots. They are usually clever and intelligent, naturally understanding the principle of not being the first bird to stick out their neck.
Yan Shenji currently holds a hunting spear, with limited bullets. However, who would be willing to be the first bird in this situation?
Several cultivators were discussing on top of the clouds, completely unnoticed by the people below.
However, they occasionally glanced at Yan Shenji, which subtly caught his attention.
He looked up to the sky, but all he saw was dark clouds covering the sky, no one in sight, and Yan Shenji’s face turned cold:
"Dao Ke has died." He pointed to the body of Dao Ke under his feet, saying slowly:
"If the Great Dao Sect wants to talk, they’d better send someone who speaks human language."
The dark clouds remained motionless, no sound or movement, as if it was only Yan Shenji talking to himself.
But this gesture caught the eye of Emperor Yonghe behind them, leaving him dreamy and fascinated.
After recovering from his shock, he belatedly felt a burst of joy in his heart.
What Yan Shenji did just now was very simple.
One is through words, and the other is through actions.
Teaching the usage of the Human Emperor Sword.
Revealing one’s own profound martial arts skills.
"Ancestor is truly remarkable… My patience and waiting have paid off." Excited, Emperor Yonghe also asked:
"Since the ancestor is so remarkable, why care about this dying Qiao family member?"
"My enemies are the Great Yan Royal Family and the Great Yan Imperial Court, they are definitely inhuman—"
"Shut up." Emperor Yonghe was interrupted by Yan Shenji before he finished speaking.
Actually, Yan Shenji wasn’t very satisfied with his descendant.
But after all, this generation’s emperor is a blood relative many generations apart. What more could he do?
"Child, do you know when was the last time I saw such a courageous assassin entering the palace with my own eyes?"
"….Forty-five years ago, during the time when Eight-armed Heavenly Dragon was in the top three of the martial arts world and entered the palace?" Emperor Yonghe asked.
Yan Shenji shook his head.
"Was it a hundred years ago when the renowned martial artist Blood Prince entered the palace?"
Yan Shenji shook his head again and said softly:
"This happened nearly three hundred years ago."
Three hundred years?
Emperor Yonghe was taken aback.
The Great Yan Imperial Court has been established for over two hundred years, almost three hundred in total.
The first emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty should be over three hundred years old this year.
About three hundred years ago, during the late Great Zhou Dynasty, was it in the past when the emperor was young?
"I was the one who assassinated the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the palace that time, do you understand?"
The concept of cherishing talents often reflects older individuals seeing a glimpse of their past selves in the young people.
Yan Shenji said emotionlessly:
"Qiao Shuanggui is the second immortal martial artist on earth besides me, perhaps even older than me, maybe already three or four hundred years old?"
Although there are descendants of the founding emperor in this world, it has been many generations apart.
Qiao Shuanggui, although a stranger, and Yan Shenji are the only two mortal martial artist immortals in the world. They may not be of the same generation, but they have lived in the same era.
But Qiao family members who live even longer have a willingness to sacrifice themselves?
This made Yan Shenji feel many different things.
The second elder? Three or four hundred years old?
Before Emperor Yonghe could react, he saw the blackened body of Qiao Shuanggui on the ground suddenly open its eyes, cough softly, and slowly get up from the ground.
"Just a fatal injury, nothing serious."
The golden core cultivator, Dao Ke, was caught off guard by the sudden attack of his thunder technique, which hit him right in his weak spot and was too fast to evade.
The thunder technique went straight into his body, almost instantly breaking his heart pulse.
The key to his survival was not luck, but that he mastered Wu Qizheng’s Shape Changing Skill.
For ordinary people, it is easier to treat external injuries than internal injuries inside the body.
The same punch can cause different injuries depending on where it lands.
Hit on the hand, hit on the groin, or punch through the chest to make your heart beat differently.
As a martial artist using the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, Qiao Mu has a lot of experience in healing internal injuries using the Shape Changing Skill. There are probably very few people in this world who can match him.
"Why do I fight, why do I die?" Qiao Mu stood tall, his charred skin quickly wriggling as new flesh grew out, pushing apart the charcoal-like dead skin.
He stretched his muscles and as time passed, his physical condition gradually improved, but his energy and blood were also consumed as a result.
"I just think… someone like Hai Wuya shouldn’t die like this, that’s all," Qiao Mu said calmly.
"Hai Wuya? What does this have to do with him?"
"You came for Hai Wuya, not for–"
Yan Shenji and Emperor Yonghe both looked puzzled and exchanged a glance.
Finally, Emperor Yonghe probably explained the situation, and Yan Shenji understood the cause and effect.
"Hai Wuya?" Yan Shenji frowned.
"For an old man on the brink of death, with one foot in the grave, to barge into the palace?"
"I have only heard of someone acting out of love for a woman, never for an old man."
He turned his head to look at the mess in front of the Golden Luang Palace, feeling it was absurd.
"The Wuji Association, with a plot to assassinate the Emperor, is naturally a rebellious party and should be executed," Yan Shenji said.
"As a 2nd rank senior official and Minister of Rites, Hai Wuya secretly colluded with the rebels, using the power of the Wuji Association to covertly spread a martial arts technique called the ‘Xumi Mountain King Sutra’ in Jiu Province."
Yan Shenji turned to look at Emperor Yonghe, who remained silent.
In fact, from the perspective of the Great Yan Emperor, even just conspiring with the rebels through the Wuji Association as a high-ranking official like Hai Wuya was a crime punishable by death. The specifics of his actions would only determine the manner of his execution.
"Let’s not discuss what crimes Hai Wuya committed," Yan Shenji stared into Qiao Mu’s eyes and asked again.
"He is already on his deathbed, there’s no way to extend his life even if you manage to rescue him from the palace… Have you thought it over, Qiao Shuanggui?"
Young people sometimes act impulsively.
But as they grow older, when they reach middle age, the impulsiveness fades away, and they start weighing the pros and cons, gaining a broader perspective… This is almost instinctual for every adult.
Qiao Shuanggui was even older than Yan Shenji, showing that he had surpassed the impulsive age.
Since weighing the pros and cons, why still enter the imperial palace?
Qiao Shuanggui at this time was clearly dying, looking much worse than Hai Wuya he was trying to save.
"Sometimes in this world, there are fools who act recklessly without considering the consequences, trying to move mountains at any cost. You might want to ask Hai Wuya why he, a high-ranking official, would force himself into the heavenly prison for thirty years, leading himself to a dead end like now."
Qiao Mu said, "Every choice comes with a price. He has his price, and I have mine."
The price for ordinary people entering the imperial palace is death.
Qiao Mu will not die.
The price for him is to have a longer and more boring dream than an ordinary person’s lifetime.
But ordinary people wouldn’t dare to enter the palace.
After careful consideration and understanding the price he had to pay, he still persisted… This was the martial arts heart he developed after walking out of a dream that lasted for several lifetimes.
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