Chapter 231

Ji Tianrui was already dead, dead in the Miao territory fifteen years ago.

His struggle before death, his plan to plant the bug on the Emperor and be reborn in another way, also failed.

Because he did not know that before he took action against the Emperor, Yin Ruihua had already betrayed the Chengzu Emperor and handed the cultivation method to the Emperor. As a result, the Emperor's martial arts far exceeded his expectations.

Thirty years ago, Ji Tianrui entered the Ming Sect. For the following fifteen years, he stirred up the Jianghu, his momentum was unmatched, and he finally provoked the imperial court to take action against him.

No matter how genius he was, he could not withstand the foundation accumulated by the imperial court for over a hundred years, possessing dozens of retainers, and was gradually forced into a corner, unable to turn around.

So he appeared in the Miao territory, drawing away the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the imperial court's retainers; he also sent two groups of subordinates to Shuntian Prefecture.

One group was a decoy to attract the imperial court's attention and was beheaded by Li Miao; while the other group was his true goal—led by a Heaven-Man level expert, carrying the bug that stored Ji Tianrui's realm and nature, intending for him to "come alive" on the Emperor's body.

It was precisely because his realm was stored in the bug and brought to Shuntian Prefecture that he died so easily in the Miao territory fifteen years ago.

Seeking life in death, breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats, he bet everything.

Yet he still failed.

Li Miao's choice to lie low for twenty-seven years was correct; Ji Tianrui was a warning. The water in this Great Ming was far deeper than it appeared on the surface.

He was indeed talented and could be called calculating, but one wrong step ultimately led to a handful of yellow earth. He did not fail because of talent, nor did he fail because of intelligence, but he failed because he "knew too little."

Killing Yang Lixuan, seizing the Ming Sect, forcing away the Yang family, and massacring the elders of the Ming Sect to foster his own cronies, he lost the channel to know the secrets of the founding of Great Ming, which was why he dared to appear in the Jianghu and ultimately provoked the imperial court's encirclement and suppression.

By the time the imperial court's retainers killed their way to his eyes, he could no longer turn back, and these secrets benefited Ji Tianrui.

If Li Miao had "floated" when he achieved the Heaven-Man level, he would likely have ended up just like him.

Just as Li Miao was twisting his fingers and pondering, the Emperor's gaze finally swept onto his face.

"Hmm?"

For the first time, the Emperor made a sound of surprise.

"Who are you?"

Regarding Li Miao's identity, he had thought of many possibilities: a Heaven-Man level expert hidden by a large Jianghu sect, a Xiaoling Guard, a backup hidden by the Chengzu Emperor among the imperial clan; even if Li Miao were a monk from Shaolin or a Daoist from Wudang, he would not feel strange.

No matter whether he recognized Li Miao or not, he would not feel the slightest bit of surprise.

But only this feeling—familiar, yet truly unable to remember—truly made him feel surprised.

"Your Majesty has a noble person who forgets things."

Li Miao smiled.

"Didn't we just talk about what happened fifteen years ago? Has Your Majesty still not remembered me?"

Li Miao smiled mischievously and touched his heart with his hand.

"This loyalty of this subject is truly chilled."

"This subject is exactly the one who, fifteen years ago, because of the Ming Sect matter, was rewarded by Your Majesty with a Flying Fish Robe. Didn't Your Majesty praise me for being 'brave in handling affairs' back then?"

"?"

Who?

Fifteen years ago?

I even rewarded you with a Flying Fish Robe?

The Emperor frowned and pondered for a moment, only then vaguely remembering a young figure.

Ji Tianrui's plan back then was indeed dangerous, and he almost fell into the trap, but he also obtained his witchcraft arts. For a time, his heart was surging, so he rewarded people generously.

One of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commanders killed the "decoy" group sent by Ji Tianrui to Shuntian Prefecture alone. Zhu Zai, because of his hard work and great merit, specially brought him to the Imperial presence.

He only glanced at that young man at the time.

His appearance was outstanding, and a twenty-year-old first-rate expert could be considered outstanding. It was a pity he was from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and had no Heaven-Man level inheritance, so he was ultimately not worth using.

He rewarded him with a Flying Fish Robe, promoted him to a Thousand-Household, and that was the end of it.

It was just that the Emperor did not know that after he moved his gaze away, the young man secretly lifted his head and smiled disdainfully at him, only to be kicked by Zhu Zai, which made him lower his head again.

From then on, Li Miao never appeared in the Emperor's line of sight again.

If Zhu Zai hadn't submitted a memorial a few days ago to promote him to a Commander, the Emperor really wouldn't have remembered someone like Li Miao.

But now that he really remembered, the Emperor felt as if he had swallowed a fly.

I just promoted you to Commander a few days ago, and you want to be a rebel? And "I chilled your heart?"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn't even have a Heaven-Man level expert, and you have always been in Shuntian Prefecture, neither having handled any major events nor having contacted any major figures, so where did this martial arts come from?

"Who are you? What is your background?"

The Emperor pondered.

"Wudang? Shaolin? Western Regions? Or does that old thing Zhu Zai actually hold the backup left by the Chengzu Emperor, and you obtained it?"

Li Miao smiled mischievously.

"I won't tell you."

A flash of anger crossed the Emperor's face.

"Heh, fine."

"Kill you, and I will sweep away Wudang, Shaolin, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard together!"

"No matter where you learned your skills, I will clear you and your origin together, and there will be no more future trouble."

The words were finished.

What remained was only life and death.

Swish!

In an instant, heaven and earth changed!

Li Miao's eyes blurred, and when he came to his senses, he found that the scenery around him had changed.

Blood lines seeping from the cracks in the bluestone slabs intertwined like snakes, flags several yards high were inserted diagonally in the center of the plaza, the faded flag surfaces wrapped around a headless corpse, and the bits of flesh hanging from the broken neck moved like maggots, eroding the flag surface into honeycomb-shaped holes.

A few steps away, a serrated hook blade was inserted diagonally, with half a lung hanging from the blade edge, swaying gently in the wind.

And lifting his gaze, at this moment, the plaza was already full of decaying weapons and withered corpses.

Heaven-sent talents, divine monks, demonesses, Daoist priests.

Swordsmen, boxing masters, heroes, demon kings.

It was as if all the Heaven-Man level experts swallowed by the Emperor over these decades had appeared here. Their commonly used weapons were all eroded by blood energy and decayed, losing their past luster, piled up under their feet like trash.

Li Miao turned to look at his side.

Ji Tianrui also appeared here and exchanged a look with him.

"Jizhao?"

"That's right."

"As expected."

Li Miao turned to look at the Jianwen Emperor.

"Your Majesty, it's up to you."

The Jianwen Emperor nodded, lifted his hand, and slowly clenched it into a fist.

He struck out with a punch!

Bang!

As if shattering a glass curtain, the void shattered.

The half of the plaza where Li Miao and the others stood had turned into the Hall of Supreme Harmony. And on the opposite half, it was still a sea of corpses and blood.

Half was a magnificent hall, half was a hell of rotting bones and flesh.

After a blur in his vision, the Emperor slowly walked out from that sea of blood and walked toward Li Miao and the others.

When his footsteps crossed the dividing line, that crimson dimness slowly climbed onto the pillars of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The window lattices slowly turned white, revealing bone joints; the lamp flames flickered, illuminating the blood gushing from beneath the ground.

"Union of four paths."

The Jianwen Emperor said slowly.

"The cultivation of the Life technique is already perfect, and so is Jizhao."

"With Nature and Life combined, my Jizhao cannot block him. If he walks to my front, this illusion will be completely under his control, and by then my mind will be damaged, and I will have no strength to fight him."

Li Miao smiled.

"So, is it a positional battle?"

"Yes."

The Jianwen Emperor said.

"Because of the struggle between me and him, the illusion is not complete, half-true and half-false. What you see is both his mind and his physical body."

"Force him back to the edge of the illusion, and I will win. By then, his Jizhao will be useless, and the threat will be greatly reduced."

"I will provide support; you two go!"

(End of Chapter)