Chapter 815: Passing of the Emperor

"This is... the shifting of Dragon Qi, the True Dragon dies tonight?!"

Aaron stroked his chin: "The Emperor received my Pear-Fire Jujube and is in good health; it certainly wasn't a sudden illness... That means, was he murdered?"

"Do the Civil Officials really have such guts?"

He thought for a moment and cast a hex in his heart; it was indeed 'Great Ominous'!

"Something really happened!"

Now there was no more doubt, and he began to consider countermeasures.

"Although the Emperor is dead, there are still princes, but unfortunately the oldest is only seven or eight... Even if the Grand Empress Dowager is brought out to act as regent, the imperial government will still be controlled by the Gu Ming Ministers!"

"Then... they will start settling old scores, and I will be the one in trouble..."

But the Grand Empress Dowager is also very old, and according to the last testament, she appointed three Gu Ming Ministers to preside over the funeral arrangements for the late Emperor.

"What others give you, they can naturally take away just as easily..."

A man in black holding a crossbow was pierced directly through the eye socket by a steel needle, which shattered his brain; he fell to the ground, and even his brains flowed out!

Hundred-Step Flying Sword, peerless in the world!

Once the Sword Control Technique is unleashed, there are no more enemies within a radius of thirty-three zhang!

"This... is this Sword Control?"

The Emperor accidentally fell into the water at night and passed away by dawn...

It was a gift from the Emperor, and he usually liked to fiddle with it, so he took it along this time.

The night curtain was dim, and suddenly several sounds of thunder rang out.

"Kill!"

"Master?"

In the darkness, screams continued to ring out.

A lantern gradually approached in the dark night; it was none other than the purple-bearded, purple-robed Zishi Zhenren!

He held a lamp in one hand and an oil-paper umbrella in the other, sighing heavily: "Fellow Daoist truly understands Heavenly Secret; once you knew the True Dragon had fallen, you immediately fled... and killed over a dozen dead soldiers from the army. This decisiveness is truly unparalleled in the world! It is only a pity that you are not of my Daoist Gate..."

Vegetable Market Entrance.

Aaron scanned the crowd and asked deliberately.

But at this very moment, several steel needles and flying swords had already pierced through his vital points, including his hands, feet, and heart!

Especially the sharpness on his body, which made Aaron's eyelids jump: "A top-tier swordsman? A Grandmaster of Swordsmanship?"

Aaron laughed: "It is not easy for the Daoist Gate to cultivate top-tier swordsmen. If I kill these three, I wonder how many your Chongming Dao will have left?"

"You've said so much nonsense, isn't it just because you covet my Daoism?"

"Who exactly are you?"

"Off with his head, off with his head!"

"Kill a man every ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles..."

The Imperial Decree is gone; although the Qi Points earned in one go previously are still there, one can forget about extracting a portion of Qi Points from the Imperial Court's Qi Luck bit by bit every day in the future.

Aaron found it quite interesting, then flicked his long sword, and the blood was instantly washed clean by the rain.

"Minister Jia has fallen, and he was actually executed directly? In our Great Song, punishments do not extend to high officials; this is surely too much..."

To be honest, he also felt that his master might have been bragging, failed to refine the pills, and was preparing to run away.

Accompanied by the threat, Xiaoyu also let out a low growl.

The rain curtain merged with the night curtain, and a dozen men in black suddenly appeared in front; they remained silent, suddenly drew their blades, and coordinated to kill their way over.

"Ziyang Thunder..."

"Among the three Gu Ming Ministers, Tong Jing goes without saying, and the other two Civil Officials are also at odds with me... Alright, I have no allies at all."

If it weren't for the fact that Aaron still had a fierce tiger by his side, he would have been ready to call for help and report to the authorities.

"The city gates are already closed at this hour; I must shake off the surveillance as soon as possible, find a safe place to hide... and then leave the city immediately when the gates open!"

At this time, the entrance to the street had long been gated, but fortunately, the Great Song was weak in military affairs and the armaments had long been neglected, so this gate was not high, and Xiaoyu jumped over it directly.

Then, a light, drizzling rain began to fall.

This group of people, in groups of three, surrounded him from all sides, making it truly difficult to resist.

Aaron, being prepared for danger in times of peace, had long since planned his retreat.

The blades in their hands were Hundred-Refined Long Sabers; although they were not standard military issue, this Army Formation and the stern aura were quite obvious!

'Except for the military, gangs cannot raise such swordsmen!'

The entire Jingshi was in mourning, with singing, dancing, entertainment, and public drinking prohibited...

"Sigh... even a life-saving grace cannot withstand the enemy's enticement?"

'It seems... some military bigwig is willing to forgo the Pear-Fire Jujube and the Longevity Pill just to take my life?'

At this moment, his heart stirred, and he cast another hex for her.

Although it is natural for a favorite official to be in trouble once the Emperor dies, this was too fast, and even more ruthless!

From this, it can be seen that those three Gu Ming Ministers are not kind people!

Amidst the clamor, Jia Yan and a few other unlucky ones were brought onto the platform with disheveled hair; the executioner gave a loud shout, a flash of blade light, and they were directly decapitated!

The onlookers cheered loudly; after all, this treacherous official had indeed done nothing good and had instead caused public grievances to boil over.

Rainwater mixed with blood dripped from its fine fur, forming a pool of blood on the ground.

"Haha... feeling aggrieved?"

After the excitement, the crowd watching the execution gradually dispersed.

Aaron didn't even think about it and called out: "Xiaoyu!"

The Imperial Court cannot keep all the city gates closed just to catch one demon Daoist!

And as long as the city gate opens, Aaron is confident he can kill his way out!

"To think there is such Daoism in this world?"

And this might be a great catastrophe for the entire Chongming Dao!

"Go ask in the Underworld!"

"And a high official at that! It's actually Jia Yan!"

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!

Amidst the splashing of countless blood, that iron hairpin pierced directly through his glabella, thoroughly ending the life of this Chongming Dao Daoist!

Only a few crisp sounds were heard as several long blades flew out, some still attached to arms.

Roar! Roar!

Furthermore, they all had Talismans on their bodies, which were burning one after another, clearly having gained the enhancement of Daoism!

"Swordsmen cultivated by the Daoist Gate? Guardian warriors?"

These three supreme swordsmen attacked simultaneously, faintly carrying the flavor of a Three Talents Army Formation, and the danger was ten or a hundred times greater than being besieged by the death-sworn blade-men before!

After all, the human body has limits in this world; Aaron and these three swordsmen had all reached their limits, and what followed was merely a contest of eyesight, insight, experience, courage, and coordination...

In a single thought, the true 'Sword Control Technique' was activated!

Only a streak of black Light was seen darting back and forth, and those three swordsmen had only just rushed forward a few steps before they inexplicably fell, dying with their eyes wide open!

"Seven Cultivations, Hundred Spirits, Azure Heaven, Yellow Springs, Moon Goddess, Sun Goddess... Go!"

Aaron sighed and slowly drew his long sword.

Zhenzhu, however, bit her silver teeth: "This servant is willing to follow the Daoist, to the ends of the earth."

These three people wore coir raincoats and bamboo hats, and the sword scabbards in their hands were ancient and simple, clearly not ordinary items.

This naturally alarmed the other servants; Kou San and Zhenzhu rushed over and, seeing Aaron packing up the Emperor's rewards, could not help but look at each other in dismay.

"The Underworld?"

Zishi Zhenren's beard and hair bristled in anger, and he let out a roar.

And the Imperial Court would not care at all about the casualties of a mere thousand people!

No matter how you calculate it, Aaron is the one losing out!

Aaron, however, stopped smiling; his expression was solemn as he watched the three people walking over, clutching their swords in the rainy night.

This Daoist is a ruthless and murderous master; Qian Tianru and Xiahou Ying are ironclad proof of that!

Such a person might not be of much use in an Army Formation, but in street assassinations and duels, they are invincible.

Even if he masters the Sword Control Technique and can perform the Hundred-Step Flying Sword, if they take advantage of the terrain, Aaron would not fear even a thousand people, but it would still be somewhat dangerous.

Swish! Swish!

Seeing Aaron resolve the three of them in an instant, the remaining blade-men looked at each other, directly abandoned Xiaoyu, and rushed toward Aaron, swinging their blades in succession!

They were all death-sworn soldiers from the army; once they attacked without defending, any martial arts master would find it a headache.

Aaron calmly drew his long sword, his figure suddenly flying out, breaking through the rain with one strike, lighting up a white Light in the dark night, looking like a bolt of thunder!

Crack!

"Very good."

Zishi Zhenren widened his eyes, staring at the Black Iron hairpin that had stopped an inch from his glabella, various expressions flashing across his face.

Aaron stood with his sword sheathed and sneered at Kou San and the remaining servants: "This True Monarch is leaving tonight. You may go report to the officials tomorrow morning; that is your duty, and this True Monarch will not blame you... but if you report it tonight, then you are this True Monarch's enemy!"

Looking at the proclamation on the notice board stripping him of his title, Aaron sighed faintly.

Kou San immediately knelt, kowtowing repeatedly, fearing he would follow in Zhenzhu's footsteps.

The three blade-men in front of him only felt their wrists tremble, their long blades flying out of their hands, and then red dots appeared on their vital points such as their glabella, neck, and heart, and they just fell down like that.

Zhenzhu was even astonished: "Master... you..."

Why is the act of running away so practiced?

Could it be that he knew long ago that the Longevity Pill could not be refined? Had he planned this long ago?

"Enough nonsense... This True Monarch is preparing to run; who among you is willing to follow?"

On the other side, Xiaoyu pounced valiantly, biting several blade-men to death, but its body was also slashed with many wounds, its tiger eyes blood-red—it was truly a trapped beast fighting!

"The target is tough, attack together!"

"At such a critical moment, one must be decisive! At the very least, one cannot let one's tracks be exposed to the enemy's eyes!"

A flash of purple Qi appeared on Zishi Zhenren's face: "Fellow Daoist, feel free to try!"

"That is very good."

"The Emperor has returned to the heavens, and there is this thunderstorm; there really is Heavenly Human Induction in this world..."

Aaron nodded, mounted Xiaoyu, and left the True Monarch's mansion.

The White Tiger roared, the wounds on its body healed instantly, and it was full of spirit again.

Among the servants in this mansion, how many were spies from the Imperial City Department or other factions?

'To be practical... even if I were to surrender, I might not necessarily die; I might just be imprisoned and forced to refine pills for a lifetime... but I absolutely will not accept such an outcome.'

That iron hairpin sword also landed on his hair bun, and one fine needle after another flew back, arranged neatly in front of him, and were all gathered into his bosom.

If all Daoists were like this Xulingzi, then what would become of the Dragon Qi in the world?

"Master, what are you saying?"

Bang!

Zishi Zhenren's corpse fell to the ground, and a glimmer of spiritual Light went straight to the Underworld.

And facing three against one, defeat is certain!

This is also why Daoists of this world cannot compare to the system!

The ceiling of the extraordinary is not high; by using the many to overwhelm the few, one is invincible in battle!

"Fortunately, I am not a person of this world. Fighting me with swords? Then let me show you what true Swordsmanship is!"

Envy, jealousy, shock, resentment, regret, pity...

Just as Aaron was about to let Zhenzhu ride the White Tiger, he suddenly caught a strange fragrance on her.

At this moment, Xiaoyu finally arrived at Aaron's side, her voice filled with sobs.

With every word Aaron spoke, a steel needle emerged from his robes and vanished into the surroundings.

A swordsman drew his sword from its sheath, also piercing the curtain of rain with a single strike, carrying a majestic momentum.

The eldest prince ascended the throne before the spirit tablet, but since he was not yet an adult, the Grand Empress Dowager ruled from behind the curtain.

Aaron picked up a Yellow Jade Ruyi; the Ruyi was bright yellow in color, the jade texture was warm and moist, and the carving was extremely exquisite—clearly a rare treasure that could be sold for a good amount of silver.

Aaron, however, only felt delighted; he took out a few dates and fed them to Xiaoyu.

Boom!

Aaron sneered, seeing the lightning on Zishi Zhenren, knowing that this Daoist still wanted to put up a desperate fight.

"As expected, things snatched by oneself are the most reliable."

Above Aaron's hair bun, a black, shiny iron hairpin suddenly flashed, piercing into the air and emitting a sound of breaking through the void!

Pfft! Pfft!

Seeing this, Aaron couldn't help but laugh: "Where is Zishi? Come out!"

Under his wielding, the blade seemed to possess Spirituality; within three feet, not a drop of rain could enter!

It was actually him secretly using the 'Sword Control Technique' to augment his own sword style, directly entering the realm of the extraordinary and saintly!

Clang! Clang!

Roar! Roar!

Several days later, a world-shaking piece of news spread throughout Jingshi.

"Where does the True Monarch intend to go? How would we dare to obstruct you?"

He recited a poem slowly, his figure gradually merging with the curtain of rain...

Have there been few such Daoists throughout history?

Zhenzhu's face was filled with panic, but she saw a flash of green Light before her eyes, and her head flew up.

A group of scholars who loved to watch the excitement and feared no trouble discussed it heatedly.

For example, being tricked into the palace, then the palace doors closing, armored soldiers swarming out, coordinating with bows and crossbows—then one would be dead for sure!

Or when fleeing, failing to escape the city gates in time, resulting in the Jingshi city gates being sealed and a city-wide search—in that case, no matter how many he killed, he would eventually be finished!

Aaron wore a bamboo hat to look at the notice posted by the government:

"Hmm... it has a bit of the flavor of a 'self-reproach edict', actually issuing a total denial and even putting out a wanted warrant for me, this demonic Daoist?"

Then, another streak of Sword Light flashed by!

Those black-clad swordsmen and death-sworn soldiers who were besieging him clutched their throats one after another and fell down unwillingly.

When it came to the art of killing, Aaron was a hundred times better than them!

Not to mention, he still had the trump card of the Sword Control Technique!

Of course, at this time he still held back, not using Daoist Technique to control the sword, only appearing like a supreme swordsman of the secular world!

Not to mention that the coordination at this moment was perfect, making Aaron feel as if he were dueling a giant with seven hands and eight feet, with various attacks coming from incredible angles simultaneously; failing to block any single blade meant death!

The next instant, Aaron sheathed his sword and exhaled.

"Woo-woo!"

Zishi Zhenren looked at Aaron, vaguely feeling that the Chongming Dao had made a grave mistake.

"Great Ominous? It seems this strange fragrance is a tracking clue?"

It is just a pity... they have already become enemies.

Kou San retreated a step without leaving a trace.

Just as he struck with his sword, two swordsmen beside him also attacked; one's sword style was like ten thousand flowers blooming, bright and indescribably beautiful, while the other was like an antelope hanging by its horns, leaving no trace to be found.

A rainy night, rapid movement, killing...

A snow-white tiger immediately let out a roar, ran out from the garden, came to Aaron's side, and affectionately rubbed against his trouser legs.

"It seems... this power structure of the Gu Ming Minister coordinating with the inner court should be quite stable. Tong Jing has truly risen to power; after all, he controls the military power of the Imperial Guard... With a young ruler and a suspicious nation, it seems he can still be glorious for a long time?"

Thinking of the military swordsmen that night, Aaron narrowed his eyes slightly.

(End of this chapter)