Chapter 194: After All, I Won

"Six months ago, after the news of the Wu family's sword tomb being destroyed spread, Su Su mentioned Wu Xian to me."

An hour later, five li beyond Tai'an City, waves of elite cavalry surged from all directions—countless riders stretched as far as the eye could see, perhaps two million strong, all advancing toward Tai'an City.

At the center of the army, Xu Xiao gazed up at the familiar city ahead and said coldly: "They say that among the many illegitimate sons of the Wu family in the Sword Mountain, this one showed neither exceptional talent nor innate aptitude for swordplay; under normal circumstances, he would never have reached the top rank in his lifetime."

"But the truth proves Su Su was wrong—or rather, this boy hid himself too well, deceiving every single member of the Wu sword tomb. His scheming is deep, his grudges unforgiving, his heart cruel and ruthless."

"Merely to avenge the cruelty he suffered as a child, he utterly annihilated the entire Wu family, showing not a shred of blood kinship."

"And now, by keeping Su Su alive, he pretends it's merely a threat—but in truth, he intends to pin the blame of regicide and rebellion squarely on me, while he himself stays clean, twisting truth into lies."

"He likely plans to wait until the Western Chu war ends, then install some imperial prince or princess as emperor, and from there, wield the throne to command Liyang, becoming the de facto ruler of all under heaven."

Here, Xu Xiao let out a bitter laugh, his eyes brimming with murderous intent:

"Too bad—he still doesn't understand me, Xu Xiao. In this life, I'm willing to do anything, but I will never become a traitorous rebel. And letting me return to Western Chu? That was his greatest mistake."

"But what do we do about Yi Mu? She's still in his hands—if…"

Beside Xu Xiao, a young man clad in silver armor, holding a spear, spoke with visible concern.

He looked seventeen or eighteen, refined in bearing, his face as radiant as polished jade; his silver-white armor accentuated his elegant stature—he was Chen Zhibao, the eldest of Xu Xiao's six adopted sons.

Though Chen Zhibao had not yet reached adulthood, his monstrous martial talent had already begun to show: two years ago, he defeated the Spear Immortal Wang Xiu with his spear technique "Plum Wine," and his cultivation had long since reached the Finger Mystery realm, making him the strongest warrior in the Beiliang army—only a hair's breadth behind the top two names on the current martial rankings.

At the same time, hearing Chen Zhibao's words, Xu Xiao's gaze darkened, then hardened again.

"No matter what, that man will never spare Su Su. Even if I obediently conquer Western Chu, when I return to Liyang, all I'll find will be the corpses of mother and daughter."

"But now I command three hundred thousand troops—I can storm Tai'an City at any moment and fight him to the death. If he has even a shred of sense, he won't dare fully turn against me now. Only this way can we ensure their safety."

"The only real concern now is whether that man will retreat when faced with overwhelming odds. After all, according to rumors, his martial power is so great that even if he cannot stand against three hundred thousand Beiliang cavalry, if he truly wishes to flee, it won't be difficult."

As he spoke, Xu Xiao's gaze turned to the two men beside him.

One was his personal bodyguard, Xu Yanbing, originally surnamed Liu; his senior brother was the former Spear Immortal Wang Xiu. Few knew that this junior brother possessed far greater talent in spearcraft than his senior.

Thus, though unknown in the martial world, his cultivation had already reached the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, placing him among the top five on the martial rankings.

The other was a short, unremarkable old man, clad in a tattered, worn sheepskin coat, missing an arm.

Yet any veteran martial artist who saw him would be stunned.

For this old man was none other than Li Chungang—the Sword God, the Sword Saint of the Spring and Autumn Thirteen Armors, a once-in-five-hundred-years sword prodigy who had vanished over sixty years ago, said to rival Lu Zu in sword mastery.

Now that Beiliang had yet to be established, and Li Chungang had not yet sealed himself beneath the Listening Tide Pavilion, Xu Xiao had spent great effort to persuade this old sword god to intervene against the world's first martial demon—only thus could they trap him in Tai'an City and prevent him from escaping at will.

"Yi Fu! Word has arrived!"

As Xu Xiao pondered, his other adopted son, Yuan Zuozong, rode up and reported: "Gu Jiantang has returned from Southern Tang with his army—eighty thousand elite troops have reached ten li beyond Tai'an City. They'll join us in roughly one incense stick's time."

"Gu Jiantang?"

Xu Xiao murmured.

Gu Jiantang, like him, was one of the four greatest generals of the realm. Unfortunately, his overly cautious nature had caused his reputation to be overshadowed by mine and Ye Baikui's, yet his command ability was nearly equal to mine. His arrival here was likely the doing of Liyang's ministers.

One, to increase the chances of success; two, to keep me in check—perhaps even hoping for a situation where two parties fight and a third benefits.

Thinking of this, Xu Xiao felt a surge of irritation.

At a time like this, still playing political games? How can we ever restore Liyang's glory if we must deal with these vermin? I might as well declare myself emperor outright.

"They say Gu Jiantang is a true battlefield titan, the foremost swordmaster of the age. His ultimate technique, Fangcun Thunder, can drain the life force of a Land Immortal and even kill the sages of the Three Teachings. Perhaps that's why they sent him—to bolster our chances in this battle."

At that moment, a voice rose from behind them—a thin, middle-aged scholar, pale-faced, as if ravaged by grave illness. Yet no one in the Beiliang army dared underestimate him.

For he was Li Yishan—the Poison Strategist. Among all strategists under heaven, only Huang Longshi dared claim superior cunning.

"Moreover, according to prior intelligence, Liyang has another eunuch, of imperial longevity, whose strength rivals that man's. He will surely join this battle. Also, Wang Xianzhi of Wudicheng is soon to arrive in Tai'an City."

"Even if this second-ranked warrior refuses to join forces against him, we can use him to drain the man's strength. Then, when our elite warriors swarm him, with the Beiliang army surrounding and crushing him—even if he were a heavenly deity descended, he won't escape death!"

"Tsk tsk tsk! Indeed, scholars always have the foulest minds. This net of traps, each link perfectly chained—it's chilling."

Li Chungang stroked his goatee, chuckling with a strange, mocking tone—whether at Li Yishan or at himself for joining the ambush, no one could tell.

"This villain is too monstrous. To ensure absolute success, we must plan thoroughly—it's for the peace of all under heaven. I beg you, Old Sword God, do not take offense!"

Xu Xiao smiled bitterly, fearing this former sword god might refuse to join the ambush and walk away.

Li Chungang sighed: "I thought the world had already been blessed with Wang Xianzhi—that was heaven's favor to martial arts. Yet only forty years later, an even more ruthless one has appeared."

"To be honest, had that Wu boy not been so cruel and bloodthirsty, I truly wouldn't want to ambush and kill such a once-in-a-millennium genius here."

"Old Sword God, don't dwell on it."

The moment Li Chungang finished speaking, a light laugh echoed—sending shock through everyone present.

"After all, when the fighting starts, I won't be holding back either."

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(End of chapter)