Chapter 604: The Love of the Peerless City Reappears in the Human World

Edo.

Imperial City.

The old Dongying Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, admiring the moon, but his mood was quite heavy.

Just as Yu Liancheng had said, he was not willing to submit to a person from the Central Plains.

The old Emperor was ambitious; the reason he had previously been willing to share the realm with Jue Wushen was that he knew the latter's ambitions lay elsewhere, and he had full confidence in his ability to deal with him.

But now, after the battle at the Wushen Absolute Palace, the forces of the Dongying imperial family had suffered heavy casualties. Although the Dongying Emperor could not be considered a lonely man, the experts he could utilize had been wiped out, and those remaining were almost all lackeys. And such lackeys, naturally, could not pose the slightest threat to a peerless expert like Yu Liancheng; other than throwing their lives away, they had no effect.

"Is Your Majesty worried about Yu Liancheng?" Just then, a steady voice suddenly rang out.

The Emperor was startled.

Although the imperial experts had suffered countless casualties, the entire Imperial Palace was still heavily guarded, with a post every three steps and a sentry every five. Furthermore, the Emperor himself was a First-class Expert who boasted he could rival Jue Wushen, yet he had not even perceived someone entering his room. The high level of the newcomer's martial arts was simply beyond imagination.

Among the experts known to the Emperor, only Yu Liancheng could achieve this.

But the person who had come was clearly not Yu Liancheng.

The Emperor turned around slowly. The person standing behind him was a tall, middle-aged man wearing a bronze mask, his entire being exuding the aura of a supreme hegemon. The Emperor had seen this hegemonic aura in Jue Wushen before, but compared to this man, Jue Wushen was like a trickling stream to a vast ocean, or a sand dune to a towering mountain.

"Who are you?"

The old Emperor's heart pounded wildly; he knew he had encountered a supreme expert, but as one who had long held a high position, he remained unflustered, his expression calm, though the hands behind his back were already accumulating the power of the Heaven-Shattering Absolute Hand.

"I am Hayato Tianyin, Master of the Hidden Sword Stream. Greetings, Emperor." The masked man's tone was flat, and his manner and actions showed not the slightest respect for the imperial family.

"Oh, the Hidden Sword Stream? It seems my Dongying is truly full of hidden talents." The old Emperor chuckled, seemingly pleased that Dongying had produced such a peerless expert: "I wonder, what brings Master Hayato here?"

"Heh, as a subject of Dongying, I naturally should share the burden for my sovereign. Your Majesty, how about handing Yu Liancheng over to our Hidden Sword Stream? I guarantee he will be dealt with properly, with no future worries."

Hayato Tianyin's lips curled into a faint smile: "Of course, the Hidden Sword Stream is currently just a small sect in the wilderness; if we act, it would appear illegitimate. If Your Majesty could appoint our members to official positions in the Imperial Court, everything would naturally become logical."

"Oh, is that so?"

Although he heard the other party reveal their true colors, the Dongying Emperor still maintained his royal composure: "But how can I trust you? That Yu Liancheng is a supreme expert who has swept across the Central Plains."

"Empty words are naturally insufficient to gain trust." Hayato Tianyin slowly brought the hands he had held behind his back to his front, palms flat. It was a seemingly ordinary movement, yet it gave rise to a feeling that all the ways of heaven and earth were grasped within his palms: "Your Majesty's Heaven-Shattering Absolute Hand is considered unique; I imagine it has been charged to its peak by now. One try and you will know!"

The composed old Emperor's expression finally stiffened slightly; he had not expected the other party to have seen through his movements. He immediately laughed heartily and said: "Good, let me test Master Hayato's martial arts."

As the last word "arts" fell, the old Emperor tapped his toes, and the ground beneath him shattered. At the same time, the hands he had held behind his back thrust forward violently. This thrust was like a cloud dragon extending its claws, fast beyond belief. And upon those withered hands, muscles were already knotted, containing a power of destruction.

The old Emperor was very confident.

This Heaven-Shattering Absolute Hand, charged over a long period, could even shatter Jue Wushen's Protective Qi Cover, let alone a mere mortal body.

Then, two "bang" sounds rang out almost simultaneously, and the Heaven-Shattering Absolute Hand had already struck Hayato Tianyin's chest. However, Hayato Tianyin's expression did not change. It was as if this strike was merely a breeze brushing his face, not worth mentioning. Then, amidst a cold snort, Hayato Tianyin shook his body.

Boom!

Instantly, a surging and scorching aura erupted from within his body, spreading in all directions.

This aura was simply too strong; the old Emperor could not withstand it at all, immediately vomiting blood and flying backward like a kite with a broken string. As this aura spread completely, it surged like a tidal wave, and the exquisite room disintegrated and shattered amidst a tremor.

"What happened?"

"Assassins, there are assassins!"

"Your Majesty, quickly, protect His Majesty!"

A group of palace guards rushed over. Some helped the old Emperor up from the ruins, while others watched Hayato Tianyin cautiously, swords drawn, guarding against another strike from the assassin.

"Your Majesty, are you satisfied with my strength?" Hayato Tianyin smiled slightly.

The old Emperor was helped up, coughing incessantly, still feeling his True Qi churning within him; that power almost made his whole body feel as if it were about to explode: "Good, I... I agree to your terms."

He understood well in his heart that this Hayato Tianyin was also a man with wolfish ambitions. But things had reached this point, and he had no other choice. Of course, if this Hayato Tianyin and Yu Liancheng could fight until both were severely injured, that would be for the best.

"Heh!"

Hayato Tianyin revealed a smile of absolute certainty: "Your Majesty, rest assured, everything will be left to our Hidden Sword Stream."

The three-day period agreed upon by Yu Liancheng and the Emperor had arrived.

The Emperor stood atop the city wall, gazing into the distance. He had already arranged a banquet in the city, waiting only for Yu Liancheng to drink the poisoned wine, at which point the experts of the Hidden Sword Stream would strike to take his life.

Thinking of this, the Emperor could not help but cast his gaze toward Hayato Tianyin at his side.

The cultivation of this Hidden Sword Stream Master could indeed be described as unfathomable. It was likely that even without resorting to schemes and tricks, he could fight Yu Liancheng.

Furthermore, this time it was not just Hayato Tianyin who had come, but other experts of the Hidden Sword Stream as well; it could be said to be a sure thing.

But the Emperor's heart sank slightly; even if they could eliminate Yu Liancheng, it would be nothing more than driving away a wolf to let in a tiger.

There were simply too many experts in the Hidden Sword Stream, and each of them had strength not below his own.

This time, the members of the Hidden Sword Stream had entered the Imperial Court logically; in the future, they would likely hollow out the imperial family, or even hold the Emperor hostage to command the vassals.

But the old Emperor had no other way, and could only let out a sigh.

"He is here."

Hayato Tianyin at his side suddenly spoke.

The Dongying Emperor focused his Qi into his eyes and indeed saw two figures approaching from afar. One of them was undoubtedly Yu Liancheng, and the girl beside him was likely the Di Er Meng mentioned in the intelligence reports.

But these two did not enter the city, stopping instead about a hundred zhang from the Imperial City. Then, the two seemed to say something, and he saw Yu Liancheng take a jade tablet from his waist, which in an instant transformed into a blade, a large blade. In the Central Plains, it was more widely known as a Guan Gong blade.

Yu Liancheng slowly raised the long blade in his hand high toward the sky, as if to borrow power from the heavens. With a "boom," that violent True Qi escaped from his body as if it were tangible, and this True Qi rapidly transformed into a fiery red, as if a mass of burning flames were wrapping his entire body within them.

A moment later, the flames shot into the sky, stirring the wind and clouds, dyeing half the firmament red.

"He... what does he want to do!?" For some reason, watching Yu Liancheng's actions, the Emperor suddenly felt a sense of unease. But even if Yu Liancheng's martial arts were peerless, the two sides were separated by a hundred zhang, and with this city wall, even if he had a peerless ultimate move, at most it could only collapse the city wall.

Hayato Tianyin did not answer his question.

Because he felt an invincible intent from Yu Liancheng.

An intent that was invincible for all eternity.

An intent that should not have belonged to this world.

He practiced the Ten Thousand Ways of the Forest, and his perception of all things in heaven and earth was the keenest; thus, he had already sensed the flow of the world's energy, as well as a chill that penetrated to the bone.

Although Hayato Tianyin also understood that at this distance of over a hundred zhang, let alone Yu Liancheng, even his master, the Great Master Xiao Aoshi, could not possibly harm him.

But Hayato Tianyin followed the choice of his own heart.

He fled the Imperial City at his fastest speed, not even having time to inform the other experts of the Hidden Sword Stream.

Boom!

At this very moment, the heavens and earth shook violently, and a deafening, thunderous roar arose.

The vast sky was torn apart, and the clouds in the sky were sliced open. The earth was split asunder, and a massive, deep blade mark spread out; wherever the blade mark passed, everything was destroyed. Even the void seemed to have been slashed open, revealing streaks of black cracks. Wind and clouds surged in the sky, lightning flashed, creating a scene of the apocalypse.

Above and below the heavens, all things in existence seemed to be in fear, trembling at this moment.

The hand with which Yu Liancheng held his blade did not move in the slightest.

It was as if he were a clay or stone statue, capable of remaining this way until the world perished.

Or perhaps, in that very instant just now, he had unleashed a world-shaking strike, which was why there was that thunderous, soul-shattering roar, and why there were such astonishing changes.

Still shaken, Hayato Tianyin vaguely sensed that Yu Liancheng had indeed unleashed a strike earlier.

Although he had not seen at all how the opponent unleashed this strike, and no one would ever see it. Because the speed of that slash had surpassed light, surpassed everything in the world.

And compared to this point, what was more important was what exactly this strike had destroyed.

Hayato Tianyin turned his head.

And then he was completely stunned.

He finally understood what Yu Liancheng's strike had slashed away.

——It had slashed away a city.

A prosperous Imperial City.

……

PS: Seeking monthly votes.