Chapter 471: Great King

A person suddenly broke through the city wall and exited the city. The Swordsmen of Jianchi, who were just retrieving their hidden swords outside the wall, were startled. Only after recognizing the young man's somewhat unfamiliar face did they feel relieved. They had initially thought their Sect Master, considered one of the top three swordsmen of the current era, had been defeated and driven out of the city. For this full mobilization from Jianchi, a small group followed Li Yibai to Kuai Xue Villa, while the main elite force secretly accompanied the Sect Master. Nearing this city, they began to pass around a portrait. The Sect Master had been concise: "Kill without mercy upon seeing the person in the picture." Several mounted swordsmen nearby quickly encircled the area, and as the unique sword-flicking secret art of the Sword Sect echoed, more swordsmen galloped towards them upon hearing the signal. The person from the portrait, now close by, seemed severely wounded. He struggled but couldn't stand, instead sitting on the ground. His face was emaciated, and his complexion was dark, clearly showing the pitiful signs of his soul, vital energy, and spirit fluctuating violently.

Ignoring the Jianchi swordsmen who were closing in, he propped himself up with fisted hands, his gaze fixed on the brocade-robed old man on the other side of the city wall's breach. The old man, accustomed to a life of luxury and high position in the world's foremost capital city, possessed immense authority. The difference in their presence, inside and outside the city, immediately revealed their disparity. In the dim light, Liu Haoshi, a man of imposing stature comparable to the young men of the North, slowly emerged, giving all the Jianchi disciples the suffocating sensation of breathlessness. Only the most skilled swordsmen among them managed to halt their mounts' retreat; most swordsmen involuntarily moved backward with their horses. Liu Haoshi sneered inwardly. This young man had been cunning and secretive for over twenty years, even managing to escape Tai'an City alive last time. Yet, carried away by arrogance, he made one foolish mistake after another, ultimately leading himself to his doom. If he hadn't blocked for that female demon earlier, Liu Haoshi could have combined forces with Song Nianqing's perfectly timed Earth Immortal sword strike, severely wounding the new Sect Master of Zhulu Mountain. If this young man had been smarter, he would have decisively fled the city earlier, letting Luoyang stall him and Song Nianqing. Though it would have been a near-certain death, there would still have been a slim chance of survival. Since this boy wasn't trying to escape death, Liu Haoshi wouldn't be polite. Over a distance of four or five *li*, Liu Haoshi, a Heavenly Phenomenon realm master, not only shattered the abundant vital energy the young man desperately used to protect his body but also seized the opportunity to eliminate the root cause. Using his acute Heavenly Phenomenon perception, he directly ripped the half-opened Golden Lotus of the Great Huangting from the young man's dantian. This was an unexpected windfall, a joy so immense that even the seasoned Liu Haoshi couldn't help but laugh uproariously at the sky. It was truly a case of finding what he sought without even trying! Years ago, the encirclement and killing of that female sword immortal in the capital had failed, leaving him restless ever since. Now, not only was Xu Quezi likely nearing his end, but if he could also eliminate this young man, who should have died in infancy, he would truly have no more worries. The Nanyang Liu clan, which revered him as an ancestor, might even surpass others and become a newly risen powerful aristocratic family after the chaos of the Spring and Autumn period. As Liu Haoshi walked from inside the city to outside, from the moment he extracted the Golden Lotus, the foundation of the Great Huangting, he secretly worked without pause. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, continuously made subtle gestures, completely shredding the vital energy surging around the young man, preventing it from coalescing into a new state.

In Tai'an City, the two great masters were Han Diaosi, operating openly, and Liu Haoshi, operating in the shadows. Though their identities and methods differed greatly, they shared one striking similarity: both disdained the codes of martial ethics and were extremely pragmatic, much like the political tactics of the "Green-eyed Deer" Zhang Julu. Liu Haoshi was never indecisive due to his senior status, nor did he become careless when victory was assured. Watching the young, white-haired man's vitality gradually fade under his deliberate gestures, Liu Haoshi's eyes burned with an intense heat, as if he had just uncorked a jar of fine wine aged for over twenty years and gulped it all down in one go—what exhilarating satisfaction!

Xu Fengnian struggled to stand, but Liu Haoshi, observing coldly, delivered an ethereal kick that seemed to strike his face, sending him tumbling several yards backward. Liu Haoshi continued to advance. Each step, seemingly light, actually stirred the cosmic phenomena, heavily trampling on Xu Fengnian's body and his chaotic vital energy. Liu Haoshi calmly said, "That malevolent spirit which helped you wreak havoc in Tai'an City, the one that devoured the Purple-Gold Qi Luck of Dragon Tiger Mountain's first Heavenly Master at Spring God Lake, is now full and uneasy, not yet fully digested. It's currently at a weakened juncture, during its yin-yang transition. Since you intended to rely on it as your trump card against me, you should have dutifully avoided my edge and acted obediently like a grandson. Why did you still take that blow from me for the woman of Zhulu Mountain? Even if you had endured a few more incense sticks' worth of time, it would have been better than this current situation, where it watches you suffer alongside it, powerless to do anything but hide and constantly channel cultivation into you in a futile attempt to extend your life, while I stamp on you, and on its spirit, with every step. Though I have killed countless people in my life, including numerous renowned masters, and teamed up with that 'Human Cat' to suppress the Liyang martial world, this is my first time so casually brutalizing a fellow Heavenly Phenomenon realm master. Truly interesting."

Liu Haoshi advanced step by step. With each stride, a dull thud echoed around Xu Fengnian, raising a cloud of dust.

Liu Haoshi stopped, stomped heavily, and Xu Fengnian's body immediately sank into a large pit. The Jianchi swordsmen, who had already moved away, only saw a blood-soaked hand at the edge of the pit, still defiantly inching outwards. The inherently cautious Liu Haoshi transmitted a secret message, smiling faintly: "I heard that you, the Prince of Beiliang, traveled alone to Beimang, killing along the way, even cunningly causing the deaths of Xie Ling and Fifth Ho. Upon returning to Liyang, in that ambush at Iron Gate Pass which impacted the capital's situation, even Yang Taisui died by your hand. You must be incredibly intelligent. So, after all your calculations, why would such a clever mind deliberately get kicked by a donkey? For a female demon from Beimang, with whom you have no familial ties, have you abandoned your hereditary title as the King of Beiliang? Have you given up on Beiliang's 300,000 iron cavalry?" Liu Haoshi twisted his foot. Blood splattered from the hand reaching out of the pit. The aged Heavenly Phenomenon realm master, with a sinister grin, asked a third question in a venomous tone: "Have you even abandoned avenging your mother?!"

Each breath brought bone-piercing pain. Xu Fengnian could barely hear anything but his own heavy breathing. Liu Haoshi's three questions vibrated his eardrums and struck his chest like clanging bells. Xu Fengnian had not dared to sever his spiritual connection with the Crimson-Robed Malevolent Spirit, not because he feared death, but because he feared Xu Ying would act recklessly if uncontrolled, which would only lead to her dying before him. After breaking through the wall and falling to the ground, he harbored a hidden intention: hoping to use others' power to temper the Purple-Gold Qi Luck within Xu Ying, thereby both buying time and allowing Xu Ying to recover her realm earlier. Unexpectedly, Liu Haoshi was incredibly cunning and devious. Every step he took contained profound secrets, harming the core but not the surface, truly living up to his reputation as the oldest "old tortoise" in the Heavenly Phenomenon realm. Xu Fengnian turned over, lying flat in the pit. He forcefully severed his spiritual connection with Xu Ying, looking up at the hazy sky, his vision blurred.

Ever since he took up his saber again, as long as he decided what he wanted, he would proceed cautiously, step by step. Fearing death and valuing his life, he resorted to all means, cultivating both his saber and sword. After reaching the first level of Vajra, he accidentally achieved Great Vajra, then pseudo-Finger Profound, and pushed himself into pseudo-Heavenly Phenomenon by risking all his qi luck. He stumbled his way up, falling back in realms repeatedly, gaining some things, losing others, without even time to feel complacent. Now, looking back, he realized he had accomplished many feats in these past few years that he wouldn't have even dared to imagine before he began cultivating. Xu Fengnian slowly closed his eyes, recalling a saying from Xu Xiao: "No one is destined to die from the start, and no one is immune to death."

A picture he had desperately tried to recall since Spring God Lake, but never could, suddenly flashed in Xu Fengnian's mind. The disoriented Xu Fengnian was instantly immersed, as if he were inside the scene. It was a bountiful autumn season, with golden wheat ears stretching as far as the eye could see. A gentle breeze rustled. On a small path, a woman walked ahead, her slender hand lightly brushing over the expanse of wheat, leaving an unforgettable silhouette. The body Xu Fengnian inhabited, for some unknown reason, surged with a heroic feeling that the Great Qin dynasty's destiny was surely to last for ten thousand generations. "Xu Fengnian" looked down, holding a heavy stalk of wheat. He suddenly looked up, and the woman happened to turn her head. Just as he was about to see her face clearly, the image instantly shattered, and everything vanished with the wind. He reached out to grasp her, but the harder he tried, the more futile it was. In his ears, he heard only two words, their accent and tone seemingly very unfamiliar, yet paradoxically as if he had heard them countless times.

Huang Longshi, who had clearly been dead drunk, slowly opened his eyes. The candlelight flickered, occasionally making faint sounds like popping soybeans. His daughter was long gone. The old man sighed inwardly. After being expelled from Shangyin Academy, he had spoken countless seditious remarks to the emperors, ministers, and prime ministers of the Spring and Autumn states throughout his life. Yet, they loved to listen, captivated. But the daughter he had finally found, with whom he was willing to speak sincerely, didn't like to hear his ramblings. Huang Longshi poured himself a bowl of wine, took a small sip, and picked up a piece of very flavorful braised carp with his chopsticks. Of a hundred flavors, spice comes first; without it, there is no taste. This time, he had acted as a matchmaker between Zhulu Mountain and Western Chu, serving as an intermediary. Cao Changqing became a guest official for Zhulu Mountain, and Zhulu Mountain provided money, people, and effort for Western Chu's restoration. All this busy work was merely to delay the Zhao family's eventual unification of the world. Huang Longshi knew that everything he had done in his life was simply to "follow the trend."

Huang Zhentu, Wang Mingyin, Xuanyuan Dapan, Li Chungang, Yang Taisui, Han Shengxuan, Song Nianqing... and adding Liu Haoshi, Zhao Huangchao, Gu Jiantang, and others who likely wouldn't have a good end. Counting them on his fingers, it seemed as if the older generation of Liyang's martial world had scattered and died overnight.

After the Central Plains achieved peace and stability, Huang Longshi had guided the world's fortune into the martial world. It seemed lively, a boiling cauldron, but it was merely a case of pulling up seedlings to help them grow and draining the pond to catch all the fish.

The imperial court, with its flourishing imperial examinations and sole reverence for Confucianism, became increasingly structured, while the struggling martial world gradually descended into silence.

The common people gained peace.

Huang Longshi took off his sable cap, glanced at the sunflower stalk lying on the table, and said with a bitter smile, "My dear girl, why do you get involved in such excitement? I was still hoping someone would be left to sweep my grave on Qingming Festival in the future."

A young girl rushed out of Shenjiafang, her raven hair adorned with a slanted hairpin.

Outside a small, insignificant city on Liyang's vast map, Luoyang freed herself from Song Nianqing a little faster than Liu Haoshi had anticipated.

This slight difference, usually negligible, was enough to overturn everything here.

Throughout history, among the so-called Sword Immortals who achieved the Land Immortal realm, very few wielded the 'Sword of Immortals'. Many Sword Immortals only had one sword strike or technique reach the Earth Immortal realm in their entire lives, just like the Sword Immortal Wei Cao from the previous dynasty, whose body was hung on a mountaintop by Liu Songtao a century ago. Song Nianqing's sword strike surged forward relentlessly. In Liu Haoshi's view, even Wang Xianzhi and Tuoba Pusa would find it troublesome to face; it would undoubtedly require slow effort to break such a powerful and resilient attack. Song Nianqing's sword had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Liu Haoshi, having long been immersed in the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, knew that if he personally encountered it, he would only be able to retreat again and again. Back in Tai'an City, that woman forcibly entered the Land Immortal realm and managed to retreat completely by relying on a single sword strike that was half-delivered and half-withdrawn, demonstrating the supreme majesty of an Earth Immortal's sword. Song Nianqing's unexpected sword strike, which directly broke through two realms, undoubtedly yielded significant gains for Liu Haoshi, but also caused great suffering to Xu Fengnian and the white-clothed woman. Originally, in Liu Haoshi's plan, once he detected Luoyang's presence, he would have to fish in troubled waters. Whether killing or severely wounding Xu Fengnian upon entering the city, he would only strike once and then retreat, absolutely avoiding prolonged combat. Liu Haoshi admitted he had no chance of winning against Luoyang, who could merge heaven and earth into a single sword line.

That had been his assessment when encountering her before. But for her to willingly take the full brunt of Song Nianqing's sword, Liu Haoshi no longer felt the disparity in victory was so great.

The white-clothed woman abandoned the formidable power of her sword that merged heaven and earth, sweeping to Xu Fengnian's side, her eyes dark and unreadable.

Liu Haoshi, whose fingers were secretly making gestures within his sleeves, sneered, "Luoyang, the Fourth-ranked demoness in the martial world, acting so recklessly?"

Luoyang, her back to Liu Haoshi, remained silent.

On the city wall, a vivid crimson robe finally appeared. The malevolent spirit, with five arms, clutched its head, gripping both sides of its face, its sharp nails drawing blood. It was in too much pain to utter a sound.

In the city, the bloodied Song Nianqing stumbled to the ground, trembling as he reached out. With great difficulty, he took off his severely damaged cloth shoes, gently cradling them in his arms, and then died there in the martial world.

One of the green fish that had been Luoyang's constant companion had already dissipated amidst the city's sword qi. Another long-whiskered red fish, also brought from the Great Qin Imperial Mausoleum, materialized. Luoyang broke off all its dragon whiskers, which quickly melted into the blood vessels in her palm.

Liu Haoshi suddenly shook his sleeves with both hands.

The white-clothed Luoyang's back seemed to suffer a heavy blow. After violent shaking, she remained standing, slowly exhaling a continuous stream of golden-yellow mist. She softly said, "No more waiting. What you left me eight hundred years ago, I return to you today. From this day forward, there will be no more Empress Luoyang of Great Qin in this world. As for you and her from now on..." Luoyang bit her thin lips, ceased speaking, and allowed the vital energy, repeatedly agitated by Liu Haoshi, to impact her back with full force. She expelled centuries of accumulated profound cultivation, which transformed into a golden-yellow mist, enveloping Xu Fengnian's entire body.

Liu Haoshi's expression drastically changed, and without hesitation, he began to retreat backward.

"Xu Fengnian" slowly rose, his eyes golden-yellow. He stretched as if to challenge heaven and earth, then quietly looked at the white-clothed woman before him. His voice was rich and mellow: "Luoyang?"

The woman's figure gradually became ethereal, beginning to dissipate in the wind. Tears streamed down her face, yet she smiled as she bent and smoothed her sleeves, just like their first meeting eight hundred years ago, when he had not yet become emperor, and she had not yet entered the palace, still in the fields. With a tender voice that the demoness Luoyang could never utter, she softly called out, with a myriad of emotions, "My King!"