Chapter 186

Guard the carriage! Guard the carriage!

Among the civil and military officials, someone suddenly shouted, but the silence outside the hall was terrifying—no one answered, and the shouter stiffened and collapsed, turning into a corpse.

In an instant, the hall fell into an eerie silence.

Zhao Haizhen?

A purple-clad eunuch wielding a sword furrowed his brows and said:

You are the sworn brother of Dao Sword Immortal Zhao Zhenzhen, Huang Liang Xian—you actually possess such cultivation!

Zhuang Buran glanced at the five supervisors who were protecting the Ming De Emperor behind him:

Chief Sword Supervisor Jinwei, Chief Incense Supervisor Jinxian, Chief Seal Supervisor Jinyan, Chief Book Supervisor Jinyu, and the head of the Five Supervisors, Jinxuan.

Interesting, Grandfather Jinxuan's Humility Cultivation is even further ahead than your master Zhu Qing's, though he only reached the ninth level back then and still couldn't defeat Li Changsheng.

Even if you cultivated to the tenth level, you'd still be like your master Zhu Qing, stuck in the Half-step Divine Wanderer realm.

Do you think the five of you can protect those you wish to protect?

The Ming De Emperor didn't wait for the five to speak, and with a cold face said:

What a Huang Liang Immortal—looks like Hope City Mountain has given me a scheme to deceive heaven.

The one who will truly descend the mountain and threaten the Heavenly Opening's national fortune has never been Zhao Zhenzhen, but you, Zhao Haizhen.

Hehe, Mingde Emperor Xiao Ruojin, your feigned composure is quite interesting.

Zhuang Buran laughed and said:

"Are you not both angry and afraid now? Why, in such a vast imperial palace, has no one come to rescue the emperor, not even the State Preceptor Qi Tianchen of the Imperial Observatory?"

"It's you who cast sorcery!" Xiao Ruojin's expression changed slightly.

Zhuang Buran chuckled:

"On the road to Heavenly Opening City, I happened to run into your eleven sons; aside from your sixth son Xiao Se, also known as Xiao Chuhe, I simply sent the rest to the Yellow Springs Road—even Xiao Se will henceforth become a true cripple."

"If you are not worried about your throne being unstable, this humble Daoist will rid you of this worry for this life and the next, thereby completely eliminating the strife between father and son, the slaughter among brothers."

He sighed leisurely:

"Everyone, am I perhaps being a little too good?"

The faces of everyone in the hall changed drastically; they felt that the azure-robed Daoist on the throne was utterly unscrupulous, a reckless demon.

Xiao Ruojin trembled all over, the corners of his mouth shaking uncontrollably.

"Traitor, are you not afraid of my iron cavalry trampling Lookout City Mountain?"

Zhuang Buran said slowly:

"Most people fear death; who would dare provoke a great demon utterly devoid of goodness? I think you cannot do it."

"As long as this humble Daoist lives a single day, who in the world would dare to come out and assassinate?"

"Or put another way, if I kill all the world's masters, countless people will realize that for any existence, the slightest lack of respect will bring catastrophic disaster."

As the words fell, a surge of energy burst forth; the five great officials of Heavenly Opening stiffened, collapsed, and died.

As for the others in the hall, they were all cowed by this energy and involuntarily fell to the ground.

"Ye Xiaoying, this humble Daoist cured your daughter's congenital heart ailment, yet you have long harbored treasonous intentions, seeking to drag this dog emperor from his throne and support the son of Xiao Ruofeng to take the throne."

"If that is the case, then let you help me lure the various masters of the jianghu to come rescue the emperor."

"Take the Lone Sword Immortal Luo Qingyang, for instance—he harbors feelings for his junior sister Yi Wenjun, yet she first married the Mingde Emperor, then lived together with Ye Dingzhi for four years, bearing a child with each of them in turn."

"Yet despite all this, his affection for Yi Wenjun remains deep-rooted, and he became the teacher of the son she bore with the Mingde Emperor."

"One would think that upon hearing of a change in the Heavenly Opening imperial palace, this Lone Sword Immortal would surely rush over at once."

"Moreover, there is the Fury Sword Immortal Yan Zhantian, also a teacher of a Heavenly Opening prince, and likewise there has always been the somewhat unruly Dark River."

"This is the foremost assassin organization feared by all in the jianghu; the current patriarch of the Dark River appears quite ambitious and also participates in the struggle for succession."

"You send people to contact them; surely they will come, after all, as jianghu folk they are still top-tier masters."

"To contend with the strongest, to surround and slay an extraordinary being, and incidentally rescue an emperor for a great reward—this is nothing short of killing many birds with one stone."

A middle-aged man in armor below furrowed his brow slightly.

"Do you think your cultivation can compare to that of the once invincible Li Changsheng?"

"Or do you still think that this humble Daoist's solitary strength is unworthy of the title of the world's foremost person?"

Zhuang Buran gave a light chuckle:

"This humble Daoist cares not who becomes emperor; afterward you may invite whomever you wish—even if it is that crippled Xiao Se, that too is acceptable."

"These days I actually grow fonder of making people do what they themselves do not wish to do; if it were earlier years, when my nature carried a somewhat heavier streak of malice."

His tone was leisurely:

"This humble Daoist either ignores things or takes charge of them, caring not for life or death."

The azure-robed youth Daoist flicked his sleeve, and the armored man, namely Ye Xiaoying, flew out of the main hall.

"I give you three days; no matter what you can do, if the persons this humble Daoist desires do not arrive, your daughter—whom this humble Daoist has saved—can also be killed!"

He half-closed his eyes, then said again:

"Remain quiet for three days, cease your clamor, and this humble Daoist will release you all."

Immediately, everyone glanced at each other and began to tiptoe to find a corner to sit.

The Mingde Emperor likewise did the same, alone seeking a corner with a solemn expression, while the officials avoided him as much as possible, fearing collateral damage, and kept their distance.

This is not only due to the intimidating power of the azure-robed youth Daoist above, but also because of the Mingde Emperor's actions over the years, especially the Langya Prince case, which revealed his cold-blooded, heartless tyrant's heart.

After a few hours.

Li Hanyi saw the vast Heavenly Opening imperial palace plunged into eerie silence, a city gate flung open, and could see inside that several imperial guards lay strewn about.

She leapt up, her visage solemn; the guards, eunuchs, palace maids, and miscellaneous workers before her eyes were like wooden dolls and clay figurines, whether standing or sitting, emitting the long, deep snores of sleep.

Upon seeing that the palace interior was not awash in blood, her mind involuntarily relaxed.

Soon after, Li Hanyi entered the Jinluan Hall and saw a very familiar youth Daoist in blue robes sitting with eyes closed on the dragon throne.

"Snow Moon Sword Immortal, your mother is one of the Tianqi Four Guardians, the Azure Dragon Envoy." The Mingde Emperor, as if forgetting something, urgently pleaded for help:

"Quickly capture that evil Daoist!"

Li Hanyi acted as if he hadn't heard, looking at the youth Daoist in blue robes:

"Zhao Haizhen, have you had enough fun?"

This was nothing like words to rescue the emperor; it not only made the Mingde Emperor see stars, but also caused the hearts of the surrounding civil and military officials, which had been suspended, to drop heavily.

"If you don't let go of your obsession, this matter will never end."

"I truly could not dispel my hatred in past years, but recently I have no longer kept it in mind."

"Not keeping it in mind is what is called forgetting; it's merely self-consolation out of helplessness. As for hatred, it only disappears when a person dies."

Zhuang Buran smiled, and Li Hanyi only felt a mysterious force binding him in place.

"Not to mention my cultivation far surpasses yours; just this palace alone has been laid with a formation by me, so please wait a moment."

Three days later, a piece of news shocked the world.

A Daoist came from the west and, upon arriving at the Tianqi Imperial Palace, imprisoned the Mingde Emperor and the civil and military officials inside the Jinluan Hall, waiting for experts from the world to rescue the emperor.

Then someone, Tu Ye Xiaoying, brought forth the Mingde Emperor's edict: anyone who contributes to rescuing the emperor will receive high office and generous rewards, everything they desire.

Countless martial artists from the jianghu rushed to Tianqi City, most indeed for the so‑called rewards, but many simply wanted to witness this grand event.

No one knows how the news spread, but rumor has it that the Huangliang Immortal, long thought to be a literary Daoist on Wangcheng Mountain, flew into a rage for a beauty.

At first he became acquainted with the newly‑entered jianghu Snow Moon Sword Immortal; later, after secluding himself on the mountain to cultivate, when he emerged from retreat he learned that the Snow Moon Sword Immortal's mother, Li Xinyue, had died at the hands of the Beili Xiao clan.

The Snow Moon Sword Immortal Li Hanyi himself seemingly also developed an obsession because of this, and has lived in a hut on Cangshan, unconcerned with worldly affairs.

Consequently, a Daoist kicked open the Tianqi Imperial Palace; aside from the demoted Sixth Prince Xiao Chuhe, whose fate is unknown, all the other princes were slaughtered.

Outside the Tianqi Imperial Palace.

Many experts gathered; of the current five great sword immortals, three were present: the Lone Sword Immortal Luo Qingyang, the Confucian Sword Immortal Xie Xuan, and the Wrath Sword Immortal Yan Zhantian.

The Spear Immortal Sikong Changfeng, together with the Tang Sect, Lei Family Fortress, Anhe, and many other jianghu notables, also came.

The crowd poured into the palace; Xie Xuan, seeing the abnormal state inside, could not help but exclaim:

"As expected of the Huangliang Immortal, he actually made the entire palace fall asleep."

Upon hearing this, many jianghu people reached out to touch the bodies of the fallen guards on the ground; among them were Lei Wujie and others, and they discovered that the guards were asleep like the dead—even pouring inner energy into them had no effect, like a stone sinking into the sea.

Soon after, the crowd arrived outside the Jinluan Hall, and from within a violent, matchless energy suddenly erupted.

The magnificent hall instantly turned to dust; the energy's residual force did not diminish, so those who had come to rescue the emperor or just to watch the spectacle, before they could see who had caused the change in the Tianqi Imperial Palace, were all knocked to the ground.

Moreover, in the darkness there arose an extremely fierce momentum, as if the heavens were pressing down, which kept these people from being able to stand.

They could barely make out, high above, a youth Daoist in blue robes lounging lazily on the throne.

"Hehe, I wonder if the former number one under heaven, Li Changsheng, can match my prestige today?"

A faint voice with a hint of laughter spread:

"Sword immortals, spear immortals, even experts at the half‑step Divine Wander stage—all appear so feeble before a single strike."

"If the jianghu can only reach this point, it is truly boring; no wonder the truly invincible experts under heaven either hide overseas or stay in a corner."

Zhuang Buran rose and stepped down the stairs, only to see a middle‑aged man in a dragon robe in the corner suddenly bleed from all seven apertures, die violently, and collapse heavily to the ground.

"Look, life is just this fragile; to me, an emperor is no different from an ant, and you are the same."

All that could be seen was that with each step the youth Daoist in blue robes took, someone died; he walked six steps in total.

Lone Sword Immortal Luo Qingyang—dead!

Wrath Sword Immortal Yan Zhantian—dead!

Head of the Xie Family, Xie Qidao—dead!

Tang Sect Elder Tang—dead!

Head of the Su Family of Anhe, Su Muyu—dead!

Elder of Anhe, Su Changhe—dead!

These people were either sword immortals, blade immortals, or those capable of poisoning or assassinating sword immortals, and there were even peerless experts at the half‑step Divine Wander level.

Yet all of them perished in the stride of that youth Daoist in blue robes, instantly causing everyone present to feel a chill, their mouths agape, as if they could not believe what was happening before their eyes.

"Killing is like trampling weeds—utterly boring."

Suddenly the youth Daoist in blue robes rose into the air; his aura pulled Li Hanyi along with him, and then a sentence drifted down from afar:

"As a Daoist born a celestial being, I truly do not fit into the vast jianghu; I might as well rest—my proper place is the Overseas Fairy Island."

Two days later.

Snow Moon City, atop Cangshan, a man and a woman stood side by side.

"You said you were going to the Overseas Fairy Island, so why did you bring me back to Snow Moon City?"

"Hanyi, do you know what it means that dragons do not dwell with snakes, tigers do not travel with dogs?"

The youth Daoist in blue robes suddenly struck out, pointing his sword at the white‑clothed woman's brow, and said with a smile:

"I have already imparted to you all the sword Dao techniques I know, hoping that one day you will be able to find me."

"Saying one thing: thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the poor maiden."

Having said that, his form became illusory and unstable, dissipating like mist and clouds without a trace.

(End of chapter)