Chapter 748: Blooming (Happy New Year!)

The speed at which that light arrived could not be called anything but fast, yet Zhongmeng Zhenren, who was not even a Sword Guest, actually managed to react.

A flicker of electric arc flashed across his body, and then his body veered away at an absolutely incredible speed, as if he had already transformed into an electric current, no longer constrained by his physical body.

But this was merely an illusion; he was clearly still constrained. Just as he darted out, the Gaoyuan Marquis, who had been gripping his hand the entire time, immediately pulled him back. With a *rip* sound, the electric man was dragged back.

The moment he was dragged back, he became grotesque, appearing to deflate as if an inflated ball had leaked air, turning into a shriveled shape. But the next instant, after coming to a stop, he returned to his original state.

However, returning to his original state was of no use; the light before his eyes had already surrounded him, and it looked as if it were about to swallow him whole.

At this moment, Zhongmeng Zhenren shouted loudly: "Lightning, save me!"

Who was he calling to save him?

It couldn't possibly be the State Preceptor who had just been betrayed and trapped by him, could it?

Suddenly, the great hall behind them began to move!

It had been the most ordinary of buildings, its doors, windows, beams, and pillars all inanimate objects, but in this instant, it seemed to gain life and began to heave. Yet it was not the beams or pillars that were moving, but the layer of electric arcs inside that had erupted!

Those electric arcs had originally been quiet, acting as the bars of a prison to trap the Gaoyuan Marquis; they had been as steady and quiet as wood or stone. But in this instant, they proved that an electric arc is, after all, an electric arc—quiet and stability were only temporary; it was, in the end, violent!

Boom!

The roof was blown apart, and countless electric currents swirling with the storm exploded outward. The space was filled with electric current; the currents could be as thick as a large tree or as fine as ox hair, penetrating into the gaps between air molecules to churn, creating a terrifying electric storm in that small space!

The explosion of the storm happened in an instant, and in a flash, the great hall was reduced to ruins. Wood and stone disintegrated into Fragments, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

At this time, a section of the ruins was pushed aside, and a person wrapped in a Daoist robe, charred and tattered, crawled out and transformed into an electric arc, flowing toward the front hall. Although looking incredibly disheveled, he was full of vigor, appearing not to have been injured much.

"Damn you..."

Another piece of the ruins was pushed up, and a handsome youth helped an old woman out; they were also completely uninjured.

After such a massive explosion, they had ended up just listening to the noise.

"Actually missed. This guy is not human." The youth let out a breath and said, "Marquis, I..."

"Azhao, is that you?"

At the same time Tang Zhao spoke, the Marquis also asked.

Tang Zhao had intended to go over to check the situation—whether to continue the pursuit or give up and let the Dao Palace fight among itself—but upon hearing these words from the Gaoyuan Marquis, everything vanished, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

The Gaoyuan Marquis was no ignorant woman who would be unable to believe her life had been saved by a divine weapon descending from the heavens and need to ask if it were a person to feel at ease. Since she asked this, it meant she truly did not know. Or at least, she was not certain.

Because seeing is believing, and hearing is unreliable.

Tang Zhao turned his head and met the Gaoyuan Marquis's gaze, only to see that those eyes, which were usually exceptionally bright, had actually turned pale, as if they no longer transmitted light.

"Marquis, your eyes..."

Have you gone blind?

The Gaoyuan Marquis said calmly: "I am fine." Hearing Tang Zhao remain silent, she continued to explain: "I have not gone blind. It is just that there will be too many places in the future where I need to use my eyes, and the consumption is too great, so I have lowered my vision myself. When it is not urgent, I do not need my eyes anyway."

Tang Zhao's heart continued to sink: This was no better than being blind.

He knew what the Gaoyuan Marquis meant; the Gaoyuan Marquis's eyes could see what others could not, but it required a price—namely, her lifespan.

Tang Zhao had originally thought that only looking into the past and future required consuming lifespan; could it be that using her eyes normally also required it?

Perhaps. Perhaps the Gaoyuan Marquis's eyes were already connected to her sword, were a Dharma Artifact, a Sword Image; they were no longer ordinary eyes.

But the consumption from her normal use of her eyes must have been within an acceptable range, and the Gaoyuan Marquis had never taken measures to restrict herself before. Now that she was not even preserving her normal vision, it was evident she had reached a point where she could not withstand the consumption at all.

Just like a mobile phone that has exhausted its battery, with only the last bit of power left, used to make that one most critical call or send the final message; to maintain the lifeline, there was only the option of shutting down.

The Marquis was truly like a candle in the wind.

In an instant, Tang Zhao felt his emotions were about to explode, as if he had returned to that moment when Jin Wu entrusted his sword to him—that feeling of a familiar person about to be lost forever in the blink of an eye.

No, this was even harder to accept than that; back then he had a premonition early on, but this time, he had been completely unprepared!

Originally, following the Gaoyuan Marquis to Jingcheng was just a trial. The difficulties he had thought of when preparing to set out were only regarding his Senior Sister. Coming to participate in the political affairs of the marquises, he still held a relaxed mood of watching a foreign spectacle, waiting for the Marquis to give him guidance. The Gaoyuan Marquis had also been robust and had planned to take him along to cultivate him slowly; how did it suddenly become like this?

At this moment, his feelings were extremely conflicted.

Emotionally, since the Gaoyuan Marquis had been tormented by Zhongmeng and the others to the point of shortening her life, he should pursue them and make them pay with their lives. But in the Marquis's current condition, even self-preservation was difficult, and she could be in danger at any time; it was truly not suitable to stay long.

After a moment of contemplation, Tang Zhao decided that safety came first; no matter what, he had to move the Marquis first.

Move her where?

Naturally, back to Yunzhou; once back, it would be safe. Let those golden branches and jade leaves and ambitious schemers wade through this muddy water of Jingcheng. Everyone said Yunzhou was a paradise away from the world, so why not go back?

He had thought it through clearly, but the surroundings were changing rapidly.

He saw a bolt of Thunder Light suddenly erupt in the courtyard ahead, the brilliance incomparably magnificent, several times more powerful than the explosion of the great hall just now!

Seeing that even the peak of Zijin Mountain was being swept up, Tang Zhao grabbed the Gaoyuan Marquis's hand and said: "Let's go."

At this moment, the Gaoyuan Marquis's pupils lit up, returning to their usual bright appearance, and she suddenly grabbed Tang Zhao back, saying: "Don't go. He has come out!"

"Who?"

Tang Zhao had just instinctively asked this, but immediately realized he had asked a foolish question. Who else could it be? The State Preceptor.

A Sword Immortal, who had just been trapped and seemed to be of no concern, had now broken free!

At this time, the Gaoyuan Marquis telling him not to move must mean that after breaking free, the State Preceptor had already mastered this space. Moving rashly would not only fail but would also provoke the State Preceptor, inviting disaster.

But would staying here not invite disaster?

He saw, not far away, bolts of Thunder Light descending from the sky, and the weather suddenly turned as gloomy as the bottom of a pot.

Tang Zhao looked up and saw the black clouds overhead pressing down, almost reaching the height of the buildings. This was a hundred times gloomier than the thunderclouds that had shrouded the sky over Jingcheng, having turned completely into the color of thick ink.

In contrast, the dark clouds that had not dispersed over Jingcheng for several days were actually slowly clearing, revealing a bright night sky.

Good heavens, had he superimposed all the dark clouds of Jingcheng over the Dao Palace?

Seen this way, the State Preceptor had already used his full strength.

Tang Zhao watched as the thunder and lightning from the thunderclouds descended, one bolt after another; he could no longer see how many there were, as they had vividly formed a curtain of thunder.

This was a true thunderstorm—a waterfall of thunder like rain.

At the same time, almost the entire peak of Zijin Mountain was covered by the thunder waterfall; however, on Tang Zhao's side, although there was Thunder Light in all directions, a small patch of pure land was actually still being maintained.

Tang Zhao suddenly had a realization: was this what the Gaoyuan Marquis meant when he told him not to leave?

Did he know that the State Preceptor would specifically show mercy to them?

That makes sense; if one would be struck by lightning whether they left or stayed, then how could there be any reason not to leave?

However... why?

Would the State Preceptor really give the Marquis such face at a time like this? That was the State Preceptor who wouldn't even frown if the Emperor died, and for whom killing and destroying sects was as natural as breathing!

Tang Zhao supported the Gaoyuan Marquis, who had returned to his "White-Eyed" state, many thoughts turning in his mind; he realized he truly did not know much about the State Preceptor or the situation.

The Gaoyuan Marquis seemed to know what Tang Zhao was thinking and said, "Because he saw me, he will not kill me. It is not because of friendship, but because of my status; I am a minister entrusted by the late Emperor with the care of his heir. Unless the Emperor issues an order, no one has the authority to kill me. Anyone who kills me is engaging in political struggle, and the State Preceptor does not participate in political struggles, so as long as I remain within the rules, I will not be killed."

Tang Zhao had not thought of this reason; because he was a minister entrusted by the late Emperor, he was protected by the rules and would not be killed by the State Preceptor, just as the Emperor would not be killed by the State Preceptor. This reason was truly... unexpectedly reasonable.

Is this what a Sword Deity who follows the rules is like? Thinking of the plans of Shou Wang and the others, it really is extremely useful if one knows how to use it.

"So you are still a minister entrusted by the late Emperor..."

"I did not actually get to care for the heir; when the Emperor was still young, I was squeezed out by Shou Wang's faction. But because I withdrew voluntarily, they did not tear off the mask of civility with me, so my official titles were not revoked, and the Empress Dowager did not issue an edict to strip me of my power. It turns out to be useful now." The Gaoyuan Marquis even revealed a trace of a smile as he said this.

Tang Zhao thought to himself: Could it be that when you voluntarily stepped back to retain your power and reputation, it was also to maintain this "immunity" from the State Preceptor?

He thought for a moment and then asked, "Since the State Preceptor has come out, can he win?"

At this moment, there were thunderstorms in every direction; that was the power of the State Preceptor. Looking only at the Momentum, this power was so surging that no one in heaven or on earth could withstand it. But the battles of Sword Guests are sometimes not determined by who has the advantage, and sometimes, even in a desperate situation, one can rely on a Sword Technique to turn defeat into victory.

Logically, the State Preceptor was able to break through and counterattack even while being plotted against, and even displayed overwhelming power, so he should be able to turn the tables in one stroke. But Tang Zhao always felt that Zhongmeng Zhenren had set up such a massive trap, turning Jingcheng into a complete mess, killing so many people, with such a large goal, and having an ally with the status of Shou Wang—surely he couldn't be completely unprepared for the final step? Relying on Zhongmeng Zhenren's sneak attack, laughing if he won, and just giving up if he lost?

Wouldn't that make him a huge joke?

The Gaoyuan Marquis said, "I don't know either. But I imagine that since Zhongmeng Zhenren has been plotting for many years, even including me and the State Preceptor in his calculations, he should have an even more powerful trump card, right?"

Great minds think alike.

As Tang Zhao was thinking this, he suddenly saw a gap appear in the center of the thunder waterfall.

He watched with his own eyes as a large gray flower bloomed amidst the blue lightning.

Dear bosses, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Happy Spring Festival to everyone, may your families be happy and everything go as you wish!

Thank you all for your support over the past year. Liren is filled with gratitude and bows to thank you!

Liren is returning to his hometown and will be quite busy for the first few days, so please excuse a three or four-day leave. See you after the New Year! Thank you!