Chapter 821: Kneel

"Please, sit." Yu Liancheng looked at Lianchengbi with a smile, then pointed to a wine jar nearby and laughed: "There are twenty-three types of wine in the villa. I have tasted every single one, and this jar is the most exquisite. I knew you all were coming, so I specifically brought it out to treat you honored guests. It is just that there are quite a lot of people here; whoever among you wishes to drink, please feel free to pour for yourself."

Lianchengbi shook his head and said: "The wine is unnecessary, it is just that I have two small questions I would like to ask Brother Yu."

Yu Liancheng shrugged and said: "Brother Lian, if you have any doubts, feel free to ask."

Lianchengbi looked around the hall and asked: "Is this the main hall of Wanyou Shanzhuang?"

Yu Liancheng nodded.

Lianchengbi continued: "It is said that Wanyou Shanzhuang is the headquarters of the Heaven Sect?"

Yu Liancheng said: "It seems so."

Lianchengbi said: "Brother Yu did not come to attack Wanyou Shanzhuang with us today, but arrived at the villa beforehand."

Yu Liancheng nodded again.

Lianchengbi took a deep breath: "No wonder the Heaven Sect was able to sweep through the Edo in such a short time. I should have guessed, I should have guessed."

Yu Liancheng said: "Guessed what?"

"Guessed that Brother Yu is the Heaven Sect Master."

Lianchengbi said: "Only an unparalleled expert and peerless hero like Brother Yu could build such a massive organization as the Heaven Sect."

Yu Liancheng turned his head to look at Geshu Bing: "Bingbing, Brother Lian is praising you as an unparalleled expert and a peerless hero."

Geshu Bing bowed to Lianchengbi: "I thank Young Master Lian for the praise, but this young woman truly cannot bear such a title."

Lianchengbi frowned slightly: "What does this mean?"

Geshu Bing smiled: "This young woman is untalented, but I am indeed the Heaven Sect Master."

Lianchengbi was slightly stunned, then shook his head: "This joke of Brother Yu's is not funny."

"Unfortunately, this is no joke." Yu Liancheng turned his head to look at Lianchengbi and said calmly: "She is the Heaven Sect Master, and the sixteen people in those coffins are the Elders, Protectors, and so on of the Heaven Sect."

Lianchengbi gave a signal, and immediately his subordinates stepped forward to lift the coffin lids to check the situation inside. Soon, the subordinates finished checking and whispered a few words into Lianchengbi's ear.

Lianchengbi's expression changed slightly. He walked forward to inspect the situation inside the coffins one by one, then sighed: "The Hero of Shanxi, Yan Long; the Divine Blade of Hebei, Xi Dinghe; the Five Elements Dharma King, Bai Shanxing... these are all First-class Experts of the black and white paths, each a figure who dominated their own region. I never imagined that to absolve yourself of guilt, Brother Yu, you would go so far as to kill them and use them as scapegoats."

Yu Liancheng shook his head and said: "Brother Lian, everything I said is the truth. Why do you not believe me?"

"Oh, why should I believe you?" Lianchengbi said: "If these words were spoken by Abbot Tianchan of the Shaolin Temple, or Daoist Yunxu of Wudang, even if I were skeptical, I would still carefully verify them. But Brother Yu was once known as the 'Heavenly Father,' stirring up storms of blood in the Edo with such ruthless slaughter—how can you expect me to believe this?"

"Brother Lian is mistaken. While the sect leaders of Shaolin and Wudang are indeed the pillars of the world, my words are the ones that truly carry the weight of the Nine Cauldrons; you all should believe me instead. After all..." Yu Liancheng's tone was leisurely, and with a flick of his sleeve, the 'Duoqing Sword' suddenly appeared in his palm: "I am the Alliance Leader of the Demon-Extermination Alliance, and you are all members of the Demon-Extermination Alliance."

Upon seeing this sword, Lianchengbi's brow sank.

"Supreme of the Martial Arts, the Duoqing Sword. Command the world, none dare disobey." Yu Liancheng stroked the 'Duoqing Sword' with his fingers. Of course, the real Duoqing Sword was still in the Lu Xiaofeng World; this was just something he had conjured up on a whim: "Since you are all members of the Demon-Extermination Alliance, now that the Sword is here, seeing the sword is like seeing the Alliance Leader. Why have you not paid your respects?"

Lianchengbi's face was as dark as water.

Strictly speaking, he was currently only the acting Alliance Leader. But he had long viewed the position of Alliance Leader as his own, and he would never allow anyone else to touch it.

Before this acting Alliance Leader could speak, one of his subordinates clamored: "The Demon-Extermination Alliance has only one Alliance Leader, and that is Young Master Lian. You, the Alliance Leader, what kind of thing do you think you are?!"

"Hmph, you are a demon yourself, yet you want to be the leader of our Demon-Extermination Alliance."

"Alliance Leader Lian, give the order. Let's wipe out these remnants of the Heaven Sect."

Although this hall was quite large, it contained sixteen coffins, so there was not much room for people to crowd in. A large portion of those present were Lianchengbi's subordinates. Seeing the look on Lianchengbi's face, they guessed his thoughts, and the others followed suit. Everyone drew their blades and swords again, looking at Yu Liancheng with murderous intent.

As long as Lianchengbi gave the order, they would swarm him.

When dealing with such demons, there was no need to speak of Edo rules.

Tianmiao Shangren of the Shaolin Temple pressed his palms together and said: "Benefactor Yu, if you are willing to surrender and return with this old monk to the Shaolin Temple to dissolve your hostility, listening to the morning bells and evening drums, and meditating daily, this old monk can ensure your life is secure."

Hearing this, Lianchengbi's brow furrowed even deeper: "Master, I fear this is inappropriate."

To him, a dead Yu Liancheng was the best Yu Liancheng.

Furthermore, Yu Liancheng's martial arts were peerless; if he were taken back to the Shaolin Temple, he feared the Shaolin Temple would gain a few more supreme arts.

Daoist Liu of Wudang said: "The two of you, let us finish dealing with the remnants of the Heaven Sect first."

"Good." Lianchengbi and Tianmiao Shangren both agreed with this, so their gazes returned to Yu Liancheng.

"Sigh, you disobedient subordinates really shouldn't be treated too kindly."

Yu Liancheng, who had been drinking the whole time, finally set down his wine cup and shook his head, his tone devoid of ripples: "In that case, you had better kneel down to speak!"

"

Boom! Boom, boom, boom!

As these words fell, the void trembled. An invisible pressure descended from the sky, and everyone felt a vast, majestic force, like a mountain or a peak, pressing down upon them. This force was simply too strong, completely beyond human resistance. Their bones emitted a crackling sound like popping beans, and it felt as if their entire bodies were about to be crushed.

Bang, bang, bang, bang... A series of dull thuds followed; this was the sound of knees slamming heavily into the ground, and the floor shattered continuously.

No matter how high their martial arts were, how noble their status, or how fiercely they resisted, at this moment, they all knelt down.

"Some people always need a beating before they are willing to listen." Yu Liancheng shook his head, and a mysterious, unfathomable aura radiated from him, deep as an abyss and vast as the sea, immeasurable.

In this instant, whether it was the people of the Demon-Extermination Alliance, the two experts from Shaolin and Wudang, or even Lianchengbi, they were all terrified to the extreme, their hearts pounding wildly. Many were drenched in cold sweat, with beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolling down their foreheads. What kind of power was this? What kind of terrifying method was this?

It was just a single sentence.

A single aura, and it forced these First-class Experts of the Edo to kneel.

Lianchengbi knelt on the ground, head lowered, his gaze able to see only the shattered floor and the tips of Yu Liancheng's shoes.

"Ah! No, absolutely not, I will never kneel..."

A wave of silent shame and anger surged into Lianchengbi's heart. He gritted his teeth fiercely, frantically driving his True Qi, his entire body's bones rattling as he tried to stand up.

However, he could not shake this immense force in the slightest.

Not even a little.

"Sigh, I originally wanted to discuss this with you properly, but you insisted on pressing me." Yu Liancheng shook his head and looked at one of the men: "You were the one who said earlier that you wanted to skin me and pull out my tendons, leaving me without a place to be buried, weren't you?"

That man trembled all over and hurriedly said: "I... I... spare my life..."

His mind was in chaos, completely enveloped by fear, and he found it difficult to utter a single word. Then, he suddenly felt his vision blur, his perspective rising upward, seeing the crowd kneeling in the hall, and then his vision plummeted, finally catching a glimpse of a headless corpse that looked very familiar.

"Ahhh..."

A series of screams rang out in succession.

After every scream, a head flew into the air, and fresh blood splattered.

Head after head fell, and on the face of every head, an expression of astonishment, terror, and despair still lingered.

The remaining people trembled, terrified that they would be next. Fortunately, the screams came quickly and ended just as quickly.

Moreover, they also discovered that Yu Liancheng was not killing indiscriminately; all those who died were the fellows who had spoken insolently earlier.

So, one must still mind their manners when wandering the Edo.

Yu Liancheng was just about to say something when his heart suddenly stirred; he reached out and grabbed a thin man who was kneeling on the ground.

"Spare me, my lord! Spare me, my lord..."

The thin man's face was ashen, and his body was shaking incessantly.

Earlier, it was this very person searching the coffin who was Lianchengbi's most trusted subordinate.

"That's enough, stop pretending."

Yu Liancheng wiped the thin man's face, and the man's features immediately became lively and beautiful, with an indescribable charm—it was Young Master Xiao.

It turned out that the reason Yu Liancheng had not spotted Young Master Xiao was that Young Master Xiao had disguised himself and infiltrated the Chu-mo Alliance.

"The young master's divine abilities are peerless, and his eyes are like torches; this little woman admires you immensely." Young Master Xiao bit his lip, his pretty face incredibly charming. But the terror in his beautiful eyes could not be erased no matter what.

"I was wondering how you dared to invite a wolf into the house and join forces with Lianchengbi to attack the villa; this must be your trump card. If you wanted to take Lianchengbi's life, it would truly be as easy as turning over your hand." Yu Liancheng looked back at Geshu Bing.

Geshu Bing bowed her head low: "Nothing escapes the young master's discerning eyes, as expected."

And Lianchengbi, kneeling on the ground, turned pale once more.

Now, he finally believed that the mysterious and unfathomable Sect Leader of the Heaven Sect was that seemingly soft and weak little girl.

And this little girl had long since planted a mole by his side, who had even become his most trusted confidant.

A mocking smile tugged at the corner of Lianchengbi's mouth. He had wanted to destroy the Heaven Sect and completely control the Chu-mo Alliance, and had the other party not also wanted to unify the black and white paths? But now it seemed they had both failed. Under Yu Liancheng's absolute suppression of force, all schemes appeared so laughable.

Yu Liancheng looked at Young Master Xiao again: "The ledger Geshu Tian left behind to control the martial arts experts should have fallen into your hands, yet the Sect Leader of the Heaven Sect is Bingbing, not you."

Young Master Xiao said aggrievedly: "Before you left, young master, you trained Sister Bingbing's martial arts, and Sister Bingbing's methods and Zhihui are not a bit inferior to her brother's. I fought her three times, and I lost all three. To stay alive, I could only listen to Sister Bingbing."

Suddenly, his smile bloomed like a flower: "Hee hee, but now it seems all of Sister Bingbing's schemes have gone down the drain; the young master is still the most formidable."

Geshu Bing's pretty face turned cold.

In fact, when Geshu Tian was still alive, the two women had already known each other, were aware of the other's existence, and had even had conflicts.

Yu Liancheng, however, ignored the grievances between the two women and looked at Lianchengbi, saying: "Brother Lian, although you have offended me, I am magnanimous; not only will I pardon your crimes, but I will also pass the position of Chu-mo Alliance Leader to you. I only hope that after you take over as Alliance Leader, you will eliminate demons and defend the Dao for the Edo, and protect justice."

Geshu Bing and Young Master Xiao were both surprised by Yu Liancheng's decision. They knew that this fellow Yu Liancheng was never broad-minded, especially when the other party was not a beauty. Just like those people earlier who only spoke insolently and lost their heads. Yet now, not only did he not kill Lianchengbi, but he even bestowed the position of Alliance Leader upon him.

They knew that once a tiger was released back into the mountains, the future troubles would be endless.

But thinking of Yu Liancheng's methods, which were akin to divine arts, they had nothing to say.

Even if Lianchengbi had the top one hundred experts of the entire Edo join forces, it would be nothing more than throwing their lives away.

They did not know that within these few casual words from Yu Liancheng, Lianchengbi's body had trembled.

All the negative thoughts in his heart were swept away. He recalled his own wolfish ambition, how he had stopped at nothing to achieve his goals, and how many martial arts peers he had harmed, and he felt infinite regret. Then, deeply moved by Yu Liancheng's words, he vowed to be a true Chu-mo Alliance Leader in the future, to eliminate demons and defend the Dao for the world, and to uphold justice.

It was Yu Liancheng's spiritual power, penetrating his body and mind, directly erasing his ambitious and evil side.

As for whether such a Lianchengbi was still truly Lianchengbi, that was no longer within his scope of consideration.

"The Heaven Sect has been destroyed; you may withdraw." Yu Liancheng waved his hand again.

"Yes!" All the martial arts practitioners, dazed and confused, retreated like a tide. In the entire hall, only Yu Liancheng, Young Master Xiao, Geshu Bing, and a floor full of headless corpses remained.

"Young master, where have you been all these years? And just how high has your martial arts reached?" Young Master Xiao could not help but ask.

The scenes that had occurred since Yu Liancheng appeared today were truly mind-shattering.

Yu Liancheng said leisurely: "Beyond Heaven, a Person Beyond Heaven."

"Oh, right."

Suddenly, Geshu Bing clapped her hands and said with a smile like a blooming flower: "Seeing Lianchengbi just now, I suddenly remembered something."

"What is it?"

"I remembered a gift I originally intended to give to the young master."

Yu Liancheng raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? A gift?"

"Just follow me, young master." Geshu Bing took Yu Liancheng's hand and walked toward the depths of Wanyou Shanzhuang.

Originally, with a single thought, Yu Liancheng could have known what Geshu Bing's so-called gift was, but wasn't the sense of mystery part of the gift itself?

Young Master Xiao also followed behind, his charming eyes darting around, and suddenly he gave a crafty smile, as if he had already guessed what the gift was.

The three of them walked further and further into a secluded area, and before long, they arrived at an exquisite pavilion.

Yu Liancheng saw the gift.

It was a gift he had not expected.

The gift was a woman.

A very beautiful woman.

—Shen Bijun.