Chapter 215

In the next three days, Zhou Ke drew ten thousand elite troops from the prince's mansion, specifically tasked with searching the imperial capital.

The imperial capital was empty, yet filled with many houses, shops, and roads; even so, three days were not enough to search it completely.

However, after two days of peace, on the third day Zhou Ke's elite troops suddenly lost over a thousand men in a single night.

"I saw it myself at the scene; they were all killed by a single strike. The murderer is extremely brutal and very likely the person you are looking for." Zhou Ke said to Chen Yi He and the royal ancestor.

"Are you sure it's a blade mark?" Chen Yi He asked Zhou Ke excitedly.

"Mm." Zhou Ke confirmed.

"Then where is he now?" Chen Yi He asked again.

Zhou Ke shook his head, "It's impossible to trace his whereabouts."

The royal ancestor said to Chen Yi He, "From Zhou Ke's description, one can see that this person's blade technique is profound; a single strike can kill over a thousand, and he must not be underestimated. Likewise, though I won't claim my divine sense is the best in the world, it ranks among the top three. For the mere imperial capital, a single sweep would let me sense everyone, yet this person can evade my divine sense, showing his cultivation is certainly not inferior to mine. Yi He, your feeling is correct; this person is no ordinary one!"

"I want to go to the scene and take a look, to see the blade marks on their bodies." Chen Yi He said to Zhou Ke.

Zhou Ke glanced at the royal ancestor, his face showing difficulty.

The royal ancestor again said to Chen Yi He, "The urgent priority is to quickly raise your cultivation; speed is essential in warfare. In the remaining one and a half months, you must train diligently here!" His tone was decisive and firm, evidently giving Chen Yi He no room to retreat.

Chen Yi He could understand the royal ancestor; indeed, he now doesn't have that much time to attend to other matters.

He had entered the Fifth Heaven for over half a month; in these twenty-plus days, no matter how hard he tried, how earnest he was, no matter how much help the royal ancestor gave, his cultivation showed no progress at all, and even seemed to have a tendency to retreat back to the Fourth Heaven.

The royal ancestor frankly said, having lived to this age, he had never seen anyone's cultivation regress; Chen Yi He was the first such person he had seen. In the first few days he wasn't that anxious, but seeing Chen Yi He remain stagnant and even regress, he gradually became anxious as well.

"You are the unequivocal cultivator of the Longevity Scripture; why has this situation arisen?" the royal ancestor asked Chen Yi He, "Is there any discomfort in your body?"

Chen Yi He really wanted to give up the demon inside him who calls himself the "King of Loulan," but after thinking it over he let it go, for even if he did, what would it change? The royal ancestor could not help him in the slightest.

"Perhaps I'm not suited to just sit still like this; I need a challenge, a great battle." Chen Yi He calmly said to the royal ancestor.

The royal ancestor looked at Chen Yi He worriedly and said, "A challenge is fine, but I fear you might die at the enemy's hand, and then all our efforts would be wasted."

"Heh, if I can't even defeat an ordinary opponent, what right do I have to stand before the Son of Heaven?" Chen Yi He laughed and retorted.

Indeed, those words further strengthened Chen Yi He's resolve. He even rose directly from the mat and said to Zhou Ke, "Prince Zhou, lead the way; I might be able to help."

Zhou Ke glanced at the royal ancestor, seemingly receiving his assent, then said to Chen Yi He, "Alright, I'll take you there."

Giddyap! Giddyap! Giddyap! Just as Chen Yi He and Zhou Ke were preparing to set off, the sound of horse hooves came from beneath the Sutra Pavilion.

"Who is it? Daring to come to the imperial capital at this time and head straight for the palace?" Zhou Ke asked.

Chen Yi He, however, seemed to know something, saying, "I should know who it is. Let's just wait a bit longer."

Not long after, Gao Di Chun went up the stairs with a "Thud! Thud! Thud!", stood at the stairwell, scanned around, saw Chen Yi He, opened his arms wide, and strode straight toward him.

Chen Yi He embraced Gao Di Chun, this old brother, and said, "Long time no see, are you well? Are the brothers well?"

Gao Di Chun laughed "Hahaha!", slapped Chen Yi He's shoulder, and said laughing, "We're all fine, you've become much sturdier!" Afterwards, he realized there were still two people present and hurriedly bowed to them.

Zhou Ke, a proper prince, seeing that the visitor's cultivation was low and his clothes ragged, merely gave a slight smile out of respect for Chen Yi He's sake.

Needless to say, the royal ancestor, being an ancient being, could not possibly bow to a junior; he simply waived the ceremony.

"I summoned you this time to find you and your brothers a good place, so that when the world falls into great chaos, you won't end up homeless among the ruins." Chen Yi He said to Gao Di Chun.

How could Gao Di Chun not understand? "I came alone this time, and I have already arranged everything for the other brothers." Thus, Gao Di Chun recounted in full what he and his brothers had done in West Gate City.

Gao Di Chun utterly failed to notice that the two strangers beside him had darkened faces, especially after he and his brothers had overturned the government office—a mighty deed.

Bei Du, all belongs to the Great Zhou Dynasty; the Heavenly Peace Continent, all belongs to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Even the small West Gate City belongs to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Well done, you care for the people! Really well done!" Chen Yi He praised Gao Di Chun, "Our side's Jianghu Grand Alliance is rising, and your side's Tiger Dragon Gate is not lagging behind either!"

"Hahaha! From now on there will be no Tiger Dragon Gate; if you don't despise us, we are all brothers of the Jianghu Grand Alliance! Yi He, you have no objection to this, right?" Gao Di Chun laughed loudly at Chen Yi He, saying, "Originally I didn't plan to come to the imperial capital this time, but I was afraid that delaying this matter would chill my brothers' hearts, so I came specially to confirm with you."

Chen Yi He scratched his head embarrassedly and said to Gao Di Chun, "I trust your ability, but this time concerns the lives and safety of all the people under heaven; I cannot stand by and watch the brothers of the Tiger Dragon Gate die."

"Yi He, you're being distant!"

"That really isn't the case."

"Then don't refuse; although we are only over three hundred people, we occupy the whole West Gate City, and with just your nod we can hang up the five big characters 'Jianghu Grand Alliance'!"

"Alright, but we must not slaughter innocents; I entrust this to you, and you are worthy of my trust." Chen Yi He said to Gao Di Chun. He also ignored the two men beside him whose faces had darkened.

"Thank you, Chief Alliance Leader!" Gao Di Chun was so excited he almost knelt down, but Chen Yi He managed to stop him in time!