Chapter 251

Ji Tianrui's words were complex, but mostly she was using things Li Miao knew to corroborate her claims, proving that what she said was not false.

Summarizing, there are actually only three conclusions.

First, Heaven-Man experts were not rare before the founding of the Great Shuo.

Second, the two sets of Nature cultivation methods both have unknown origins.

Third, the person who gave the method to the Jianwen Emperor may also not wish for Heaven-Man experts to appear in the world.

Li Miao raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He had indeed felt that the waters of the Great Shuo were deep, but he had not expected them to be this deep.

Today, having solved the Emperor's problem, he thought he could be carefree from now on. He had not expected Ji Tianrui to immediately add a major complication.

One can imagine that if this person who gave the method to the Jianwen Emperor truly exists, it means that he is at least not lacking in Nature cultivation methods.

Yin Ruihua could use this to extend his life, living from the founding of the Great Shuo until now; this person is likely still alive as well.

As for his realm… it should not be below the Emperor's.

"Sigh…"

Li Miao sighed.

"Sect Leader Ji has truly prepared a big surprise for me."

Ji Tianrui smiled beautifully.

"Is Lord Li blaming me?"

"No, I should thank you."

Li Miao said.

"Worrying now is better than dying in ignorance later."

"However, speaking of now, I do have two questions I want to ask."

Ji Tianrui reached out a hand.

"Please speak, Lord Li."

"The question you asked at the very beginning, asking if I remember my past life, what did that mean?"

Ji Tianrui chuckled.

"I wanted to know if Lord Li is my fellow traveler or my enemy."

"In other words, I was testing whether Lord Li is the person who gave the method to the Jianwen Emperor."

"Hmm?"

Li Miao frowned.

"What does Sect Leader Ji mean?"

Ji Tianrui chuckled.

"Lord Li, you can avoid the Five Decays of Heaven-Man, and you can also resist the Jizhao Illusion of the Jianwen Emperor and the Emperor."

"Of course I would suspect that you have a method for cultivating Nature in your hands."

"It is not strange to suspect that you are the person who gave the method to the Jianwen Emperor, is it?"

Li Miao raised his eyebrows.

"Then what does that have to do with whether I remember my past life?"

Ji Tianrui said in a leisurely manner.

"Western Region martial arts are different from those of the Central Plains, and many are strange. Among them, the Western Region Tantric Sect has the method of a Living Buddha's reincarnation."

"I have verified Lord Li's life story many times, and it is definitely not fake, so I naturally thought of this."

Li Miao sighed deeply in his heart.

Ji Tianrui is not his "fellow countryman"; this sigh was both a sense of relief and a slight disappointment.

"Sect Leader Ji is quite imaginative; what if I were lying to you?"

Ji Tianrui shook her head with a smile.

"No, if you were truly that person, the moment I asked that question, you would have killed me directly."

Li Miao realized.

"This is the reason you said that based on my answer, you might tell me everything, or you might fight me to the death."

"Yes."

"I see."

Li Miao pondered for a moment and continued.

"The second question, I understood everything you said, but you still have not answered my initial question."

"What, exactly, do you want?"

"Does Lord Li want to ask about my true heart, or does he want to ask what result I am seeking with all these plans?"

Ji Tianrui smiled beautifully.

"Both."

"Then we must start from 'Heaven-Man experts' again."

"Lord Li, do you think that besides you and me, there are other Heaven-Man experts in the Jianghu at this time?"

Li Miao said without hesitation: "Yes."

"At the very least, Shaolin and Wudang must have them."

After the conversation with Ji Tianrui, Li Miao already understood the reason why there were no Heaven-Man experts in the Jianghu.

The Heaven-Man inheritance was taken away by the founding Emperor.

Not every genius is a hero who can open their own path; without inheritance, and even without knowing the concept of Heaven-Man experts, many experts who could have cultivated to the Heaven-Man Realm could only helplessly stop their steps at the Peak Realm.

But Shaolin and Wudang must still possess Heaven-Man inheritances.

"Not just them, Lord Li, not just Shaolin and Wudang."

Ji Tianrui smiled.

"Many major sects that existed before the founding of the Great Shuo have survived the suppression of several dynasties, and they all have their own means of avoiding disaster."

"Some sects hide in the mountains and wilderness, not walking the Jianghu at all; some hide the seeds who have the potential to become Heaven-Man experts within their mountain gates, preventing them from appearing in the eyes of the imperial court from the very beginning; others have left the territory of the Great Shuo entirely, looking forward to the Great Shuo collapsing so they can return to their homeland."

"That day, I led people to attack Shaolin, and I did not dare to approach the direction of the Scripture Library at all; what is hidden there are experts not inferior to you and me."

"Whether for the sake of their sect or their own safety, they dare not appear in the Jianghu."

"All of this is because of the Great Shuo."

Ji Tianrui said slowly with a meaningful smile.

"Tell me, do they resent it?"

Of course they would resent it.

Practicing martial arts is a bitter task; the vast majority of people cannot derive pleasure from the practice itself and can only treat it as a means to seek fame and profit.

Think about it, if you were a genius qualified to become a Heaven-Man expert, and you happened to have a Heaven-Man inheritance. You practiced bitterly day and night, finally bringing your martial arts to a level that surpassed all experts in the Jianghu.

Yet you found that you could not obtain anything.

You could only hide in the mountains and wilderness, avoiding the pursuit of the imperial court while watching those mediocre people in the Jianghu who were far inferior to you enjoy the fame and profit that should have belonged to you, grinding your teeth in hatred.

This resentment is enough to burn one's heart and lungs dry.

"Based on my calculations from the inheritances of the previous dynasty, there are at least five to ten Heaven-Man experts in the Jianghu today. And there are at least five sects that secretly possess Heaven-Man inheritances but dare not bring them out to cultivate."

Ji Tianrui grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the fruit and placed them on the table one by one.

"As for the sects hiding in the mountains or overseas, there is no way to investigate. Perhaps their inheritances have been broken, or perhaps they are far more prosperous than those in the Central Plains."

"These people are all waiting for an opportunity."

Ji Tianrui had a meaningful smile on her face.

"An opportunity to return to the Jianghu."

"An opportunity for the Great Shuo to show signs of fatigue."

————————

Yang Lizhang lifted the cloak covering his face and straightened his back.

The Yang family's physique, far exceeding that of ordinary people, made him immediately stand out in the crowd.

Zhu Zai, who was observing the surroundings, immediately noticed him, looked him up and down, and frowned.

"The Yang family!"

He immediately turned his head.

"Lord Zhu! They are here!"

Zhu Shoujing was already on high alert inside the palanquin; hearing Zhu Zai's call, he flashed out of the palanquin and locked onto Yang Lizhang at a glance.

"You really dare to come; are you not afraid of death?"

He reached out and drew his twin blades.

Yang Lizhang moved forward slowly, his true energy surging throughout his body.

The surrounding Jianghu people changed color in unison, terrified by the vigorous true energy of these two that exceeded their cognition, and instantly cleared the area, fearing they would be caught in the middle.

But the Jianghu people's nature of loving to watch the excitement kept them from leaving; they all stood in the distance, craning their necks to watch.

————————

"Lord Li asked me what I want."

Ji Tianrui put down her teacup, stood up, and looked at the sky.

"From the time I could remember, I was tortured by my mother with countless witchcraft and Gu arts; after she finished, she locked me in an extremely small and dark box."

"There was a crack above that box. Every time at the hour of Mao, when the sun rose, a beam of light would shine through this crack."

Ji Tianrui extended a hand and placed it in front of her.

"I held this beam of light in my hand, shook my palm, and made all kinds of shadows inside the box to play with."

"If my mother tortured me too severely and I could not move, I would curl up in a corner of the cage and watch the dust dancing in the sunlight, looking like snowflakes."

"Although at that time, I had never seen real snowflakes."

Li Miao frowned and did not speak.

"But one day, my mother moved the box to another place. From that day on, I could never see that beam of light again."

"That day, a fire suddenly seemed to rise in my heart, roasting me so I could not speak or move. I reached out to smash the box, and did not stop until my hand bones were broken."

"That fire is called anger."

"I will never be trapped by anything again."

Ji Tianrui suddenly turned to look at Li Miao and smiled beautifully.

"The Miao King cannot, the Ming Sect cannot, the Great Shuo cannot."

"That person who gave the method to the Jianwen Emperor cannot either."

————————

Clang, clang, clang, clang!! —

A series of sounds of metal clashing erupted, shaking the eardrums of the surrounding Jianghu people until they were almost bleeding.

This was a battle that far exceeded the cognition of the Jianghu people.

Zhu Shoujing unleashed his twin blades, instantly slashing dozens of times at Yang Lizhang's arms, erupting with countless sparks.

The experts of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Xiaolingwei were also looking for Yang Lizhang's flaws on the side, shooting arrows at every vital point on his body.

No matter how refined one's hard-body technique is, places like the crotch, ears, and eyes cannot be trained.

Yang Lizhang ignored the offensive that almost severed his arm and did not defend against the containment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Xiaolingwei experts at all.

Puchi.

Blood splattered everywhere; an arrow found a gap and directly blinded one of his eyes.

"Stop him!"

Zhu Zai shouted sternly.

But Yang Lizhang still stepped forward, step by step, firmly approaching the palanquin.

————————

"What do you want to do?"

Li Miao stood up, his true energy surging, and slowly approached Ji Tianrui.

Ji Tianrui drew the soft sword from her waist and said with a light smile.

"Rest assured, Lord Li. The people you care about will not die today. The Emperor will also not be harmed."

"The only one who will die is the last Yang family member."

She slowly retreated.

"Lord Li, when you were fighting my Right Envoy on Mount Tai, I was actually watching you nearby."

"Four-Hour Battalion Commander, your method of avoiding the Five Decays of Heaven-Man can only be used for four hours a day, right? Now there is only half an hour left."

"If I am determined to leave, you cannot keep me."

"You stayed to keep an eye on me, but I stayed to keep an eye on you as well."

Li Miao said word by word.

"What exactly are you planning?"

Ji Tianrui smiled.

"In every dynasty, whenever there is chaos, the imperial court's control over the Jianghu weakens, which is the time for Heaven-Man experts to emerge. And those experts who were stuck at the Peak Realm, as long as they obtain a Heaven-Man inheritance, also have the opportunity to advance to the Heaven-Man Realm."

"I want to ignite the fire in the hearts of all Heaven-Man experts in this world. I want to make them dare to walk into the Jianghu, make them fight, and make them boil the entire Jianghu."

"The person who gave the method to the Jianwen Emperor does not wish for Heaven-Man experts to appear in the world; only in this way can he be forced out."

"Invisible chains cannot be cut."

"Only by cutting this last chain can I truly walk out of the cage."

The intriguing smile on Ji Tianrui's face suddenly faded, and then the corners of her mouth slightly curled into an imperceptible arc.

Li Miao stopped his steps.

Since meeting Ji Tianrui, she had always been smiling, whether playful, mischievous, or bright, all extremely vivid, but Li Miao just could not feel a trace of humanity in it.

Yet this smile of hers, which could barely be seen, made Li Miao feel that this was her only sincere smile.

"Lord Li, you and I are both people who have been locked up. I was locked up for fifteen years, and you were locked up for twenty-seven years."

"Today, you and I joined forces to cut a chain, but there is still another chain that has not yet surfaced. You and I may have the opportunity to join forces against the enemy in the future."

"You and I are actually fellow travelers."

Ji Tianrui seemed to suddenly remember something.

"By the way, I have a small gift for you."

"Your foster daughter was not a child collected by the Great Witch, but a failed product of the Miao King when he was making me, and was rewarded to that Great Witch as material for researching Gu arts."

"If you really want to talk about it, she can be said to be my sister."

"Although she is a defective product and cannot practice martial arts, in terms of talent for witchcraft and Gu arts, she may not be inferior to the Miao King."

"You can give her the Miao King's notes I gave you. In the future, it might be useful to you."

————————

Zhu Zai withdrew and retreated.

Boom!!!

In front of him, the palanquin exploded, revealing the unconscious Emperor inside.

Zhu Zai glanced at the Emperor, confirmed that he was not injured, and then looked up, staring fixedly at the tall figure not far away.

This is the end.

Yang Lizhang's blood had almost run dry; he looked at the Emperor with his only remaining eye, and then shifted his gaze to the Jianghu people not far away.

He suddenly laughed wildly.

"Hahahahahaha!!"

"Did you see it! You all saw it, right!"

"This is the Great Shuo! This is the Emperor you fear to your very bones!"

"Wudang, Shaolin! You are so afraid that you don't even dare to leave your mountain gates! You are all cowards who have failed your ancestors! You don't dare!"

"But my Ming Sect dares!"

"My Yang family dares!"

"Dare! To! Be! The! First! In! The! World!"

The surrounding Jianghu people recognized the Emperor inside the palanquin at a glance and were immediately terrified. They could no longer care about competing for the remnant pages of the Wedding Dress Divine Art and fled toward the city gate in a swarm.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and Xiaolingwei wanted to intercept them, but it was difficult to stop them all, and they could only watch helplessly as most of the Jianghu people fled toward the city gate.

Swish, swish, swish, swish! —

Zhu Shoujing struck with hatred, his twin blades erupting with large splashes of blood on Yang Lizhang's body.

Thump.

Clatter—

Yang Lizhang's left arm fell to the ground, and a huge opening appeared in his abdomen. He raised his hand to cover his spilling internal organs and staggered backward.

Yet he was still laughing wildly.

"My Yang family is exterminated today! But the name of my Yang family will be carved into the hearts of all of you! One day when you overturn the Great Shuo, remember! It was my Yang family that struck the first blow!"

"Ancestors! Did you see it!"

"The injustice of the Great Shuo killing you, your unworthy descendant has avenged it for you!!!"

"My Yang family—"

Puchi.

The head flew up, and the headless corpse fell with a thud.

This was the agreement between Ji Tianrui and him, and this was the condition for the Yang family to give up the revenge for Yang Lixuan's death and cooperate with her—Ji Tianrui would create an opportunity for him.

An extremely slim opportunity to allow Yang Lizhang to land this punch toward the Emperor's palanquin.

The Yang family followed one after another, and at the cost of their clan's extermination, they finally grasped this sliver of opportunity.

Yang Lizhang was dead.

But his voice and what he did today had been firmly remembered in the hearts of the Jianghu people.

And it would spread throughout the world.

Not far away, an extremely young figure looked at the Emperor inside the palanquin, his teeth clenched.

"Your Majesty…"

He reached into his bosom, where there was an imperial decree stamped with a great seal. It was the decree the Emperor gave him this morning after feeling that the Embroidered Uniform Guard no longer needed to exist.

A Jianghu person ran past, bumped into his shoulder, and brushed off the hood covering his face, revealing a young, cold face.

The young eunuch named Liu Jin took a deep look at Zhu Zai, blended into the crowd, and turned to leave.

The imperial decree in his bosom unfolded a corner, revealing two words.

"Eastern Depot".

————————

A cold wind suddenly rose, blowing across the vast Jianghu.

Wudang.

The Wudang Sect Leader walked into an extremely hidden cave behind the mountain and stopped.

"Grandmaster, something happened to the Emperor; the Ming Sect did it."

The old man sitting cross-legged on the stone bed seemed not to hear; he was in rags, his eyes closed, his appearance withered, and his shoulders were covered with dust.

He seemed to have fallen into a nightmare, various painful expressions constantly flashing across his face, now angry, now sorrowful, now dejected, his mouth muttering to himself.

"Sigh…"

The Wudang Sect Leader turned and left.

Only the old man's muttering echoed in the cave.

"Primordial leads the Zhou Tian, transforms the changes of Zhou Tian, transforms me into a king… Primordial leads the Zhou Tian, transforms the changes of Zhou Tian, transforms me into a king…"

Shaolin.

Yong Jie walked into the Scripture Library, told the old monk sweeping the floor to himself the news from Shuntian Prefecture point by point, and then turned and left.

After a long time, a light sigh came from the Scripture Library.

"An age of great contention… I do not know how many will die, how many will perish…"

"My Buddha, have mercy…"

Bashu, Huguang, Dali, Western Regions…

The news of Yang Lizhang assassinating the Emperor spread with the footsteps of the Jianghu people who fled the capital that day.

In the mountains and wilderness, in the marketplace, above the waves of the sea, and even outside the territory of the Great Shuo, countless eyes suddenly opened, staring fixedly at the Great Shuo that was pressing down on their heads.

They seemed to see a crack suddenly open on the seamless cage.

Following these countless opened eyes—

Since the founding of the Great Shuo, the Jianghu, which had been asleep for over one hundred and seventy years, slowly awakened.

(End of chapter)