Chapter 293: BREACH!

With a loud shout, Li Guanyi rode up on his warhorse; the deer, which had just been cornered by Chen Dingye and Jiang Wanshang, now faced a cliff ahead, with armored soldiers closing in on both sides.

Chen Dingye and Jiang Wanshang both wielded Xuan Military Bows; even without invoking their Manifest Forms, each arrow carried tremendous force—yet a single arrow split all three mid-flight.

The crimson, ink-black, and azure arrows fell together to the ground.

The arrowheads buried themselves into the earth.

The deer, terrified, suddenly surged with unexpected strength, leaping high into the air, using its front hooves to rebound off the massive rock, clearing it entirely and vanishing into wider terrain.

The surrounding armored soldiers, all scions of noble families from various states, knew full well what this divine, magnificent deer represented; they dared only barely block its path, but not dare wound or kill it.

For a moment, the deer escaped.

Jiang Wanshang paid it no mind, laughing heartily: "Men! Don't let this divine deer slip away! Head ahead, surround it—treat this as a battlefield drill. Think of the deer as a fleeing general!"

The hundred soldiers under him roared their assent and galloped ahead.

They turned this autumn hunt into an opportunity for troop training.

Chen Dingye waved his hand dismissively; Captains Ye Buyi, Zhou Liu, and others also rode toward the divine deer. Both men saw the fallen arrows, then watched Qin Wu Hou, clad in crimson battle robe, approach wielding a divine weapon.

They were of similar age, all caught within the great tides of this world.

Yet utterly different from the day they drank together.

A dreamlike sense of unreality settled over them.

Zhou Liu slapped Ye Buyi on the shoulder.

Under these circumstances, neither dared greet Li Guanyi; they simply rode off. Li Guanyi arrived on horseback; Jiang Wanshang grinned at the battle bow in Li Guanyi's hand: "Fine bow. Fine archery."

"If I'm not mistaken, this bow is the Divine Weapon—Po Yun Zhen Tian Bow—that once carried Xue's Divine General across the land, three arrows quelling the grassland plague?"

"May I see it?"

Li Guanyi said: "You've got leisure to spare."

He raised his hand and tossed the divine weapon toward Jiang Wanshang. Jiang Wanshang laughed, caught it, and instantly golden light rippled across the Po Yun Zhen Tian Bow—the weapon trembled as if resisting.

Jiang Wanshang said: "A true divine weapon!"

He hurled it back to Li Guanyi.

Once, Li Guanyi didn't even possess a single treasure-grade blade.

Once, this divine weapon would have been his death sentence.

Now, holding it in hand, it felt perfectly natural—no unease, no wrongness. He had become worthy of it. Across the vast world, no one with greed or envy would dare reach for him.

The Heavenly Strategy Supreme General, Qin Wu Hou, wielding a divine weapon—that was only right.

You plan to take this divine weapon from a five-tier brat?

That's swallowing bear's heart and leopard's gall.

Neither Jiang Wanshang nor Li Guanyi paid Chen Dingye any heed. Chen Dingye's gaze remained cold and calm, fixed on Li Guanyi, yet he spoke no pleasantries—only said faintly: "Since you two won't chase the divine deer, I'll go ahead."

Jiang Wanshang said: "So eager? Hahaha—that deer won't escape."

"Qin Wu Hou, come along?"

"Let's duel again today—see who claims the divine deer in this autumn hunt?"

Li Guanyi nodded. He had no desire for idle talk.

The warhorse galloped forward, its battle robe flaring; Jiang Wanshang said calmly: "Youth truly brims with vigor—but this deer won't die by your hand."

"Go!"

Jiang Wanshang followed close behind.

In an instant, hooves thundered like rolling drums, banners flew, commanders and captains in battle robes and hunting attire chased the divine deer as it leapt across cliffs and streams. Ji Zichang watched from afar, and for a moment, it felt as if he were witnessing tales from ancient history.

Too bad—those were already buried relics of the past.

Li Guanyi's gaze was calm. His quiver held only twenty arrows. He saw each noble scion—and recalling his late-night chat with Ji Zichang, knew many among them deserved death.

Some corrupted the court. Others oppressed the people.

The corpses of peasants driven to hang themselves were still cold when songs and dances resumed; gold and silver stolen from the common people's chests were melted into threads and woven into their lavish hunting robes.

Li Guanyi gripped the bow, drew the string—ordinary bows suffer severe damage when drawn empty.

But the Po Yun Zhen Tian Bow's string was nothing but supremely condensed inner Qi.

Li Guanyi drew the bow fully; inner Qi surged.

A sound like a shrieking bowstring exploded.

A resonant hum.

No arrow had been loosed—yet over a dozen men felt their spines chill, spurred their mounts, and fled hundreds of meters in an instant. Turning back, they saw Qin Wu Hou approaching—and their faces darkened.

Gao Yingju gritted his teeth, snarling: "Li Guanyi! A petty man risen to power!"

"How audacious!"

His companions hurried to calm him:

"Third Brother, say no more—this Qin Wu Hou is fierce-tempered, wielding immense power, commanding fifty thousand helm-wearing troops. Just days ago, he drove Grandmaster Ji Daochun to suicide; three days ago, he killed Ji Yunqing and his grandson."

"His momentum is at its peak. Don't provoke him."

These noble clans had learned wisdom.

Gao Yingju said: "So what if he wields great power?!"

"He won't dare kill me here, under everyone's eyes! A tyrant minister, a wicked minister—I spit!"

He had the nerve to speak thus of Li Guanyi. Though the Gao clan wasn't among the top-tier houses, it stood just below the millennia-old clans. Raised in silk and jade, he trained in both civil and martial arts—but had grown arrogant.

The Son of Heaven and the noble clans were the fundamental law of this world. Talent varies; the noble naturally tower above the base, the gifted guide the ungifted, the virtuous instruct the vulgar.

Where is the logic in placing Bai Yu on the ground while burying dirt and stone beneath it?

Li Guanyi is merely returning the casket and keeping the pearl.

"Hmph. Whatever. Let's hunt this deer."

Gao Yingju fell silent, gripping his bow and arrow, and said to those beside him: "Didn't your ancestors say it too? This hunt, though framed as chasing this deer, is far from simple."

Shen Yuting fell silent, sighing: "Indeed."

"This is the Son of Heaven's prey. The Son of Heaven's prey is the whole world."

"Li Guanyi has already earned a terrible reputation. We must choose between Chen or Ying."

The great clans and imperial kin had long informed all their descendants of the importance of this autumn hunt; now they stood in direct opposition—some aiming to help Chen Dingye claim the deer, others determined to aid Ying Wanxiang's success.

To claim this deer was merely a metaphor for seizing the world; they used this event to covertly signal their allegiance—even if they failed to actually kill the divine deer, they could still demonstrate loyalty.

And Li Guanyi… ha, the imperial kin never forget a grudge.

Arrogant dominance?

As long as the imperial kin remain unextinguished, their next moves will be countless!

So long as you cannot slaughter every last member of the imperial kin, they will seek revenge. Even now, while you ride high and the great clans dare not move against you, there will come a day when you fall from grace, a day when you are ruined—and then the imperial kin will rise.

Wait and see!

The time has not yet come.

What a grand autumn hunt.

Countless warriors and soldiers displayed their might, banners flaring, war drums and hoofbeats never ceasing, roaring in a circle around the deer, yet none dared strike—churning dust into thick clouds, thunderous noise but feeble rain.

They could only use this method to drive the deer toward Chen Dingye and Jiang Wanxiang.

A minister cried out: "Your Majesty, the opportunity has come!"

Jiang Wanxiang laughed loudly, drew his bow, his white hair bound by a jade crown, clad in a black robe embroidered with a prowling tiger, mounted on his warhorse, he loosed arrow after arrow—his archery was awe-inspiring; the First Divine Archer of the World, Third Divine General Gao Xiang, had been his childhood friend.

When Jiang Wanxiang came to the Central Plain to intercept a wedding, it was the young Gao Xiang, standing atop a tower, shooting arrows to cover him; though later the two became bitter enemies, Jiang Wanxiang's archery had been taught by Gao Xiang.

Now he wielded it again, still breathtaking, drawing cheers from the soldiers.

Arrows fell like rain—twenty of them, descending from above, landing precisely around the divine deer, enclosing it. The deer, a spirit creature, sensed the martial aura of soldiers and the majesty of kingship, terrified into stillness.

It leapt into the air—and in that instant, Jiang Wanxiang drew his warbow to its full extent, firing a single arrow that spun, trailing a streak of light, poised to pierce the divine deer.

Then came a sharp crack.

Another arrow struck Jiang Wanxiang's arrow dead center.

The two arrows aligned, then fell together—and the deer slipped away. Jiang Wanxiang's bold smile faded slightly as he turned to Chen Dingye, who had fired that arrow, and said discontentedly:

"Chen's Lord, your archery is… interesting."

"But your conduct is dishonorable."

"You don't shoot yourself—why do you always block me?"

Chen Dingye replied calmly: "This deer is pursued by all the heroes of the world."

"Yet you speak as if you've already claimed it as your own."

The moment "Lord of Ying" and "Lord of Chen" were spoken, those around them were stunned into silence—not a murmur remained, only breaths and the soft tread of hooves.

Jiang Wanxiang and Chen Dingye's titles, within the orthodox Central Plain, were merely non-imperial kings.

Yet no one dared speak them so directly.

Except themselves.

Jiang Wanxiang said: "Fine. Come!"

Chen Dingye replied: "Let's see your skill."

The two exchanged over twenty arrows—each one colliding midair, snapping, exploding into cascades of sparks—yet one final arrow spun outward as Li Guanyi charged his warhorse toward the divine deer.

Jiang Wanxiang and Chen Dingye drew their warbows—and in an instant abandoned each other, the final arrow aimed straight at Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi, with his back to both arrows, seemed to see them as if with eyes, leaping into the air.

He twisted his body, right hand grasping his warbow, left hand extending—casually, his left palm glowed faintly with white jade luminescence, catching both arrows in a single motion.

She spun her body, right hand gripping the battle bow, left hand extending with casual ease, a faint glow of Bai Yu's glazed light shimmering across it—just one motion, and she caught both arrows in her palm.

Qin Wu Hou sat backward on his steed, nocked both arrows onto his bow.

Drew the string fully.

In one motion, the two arrows spun toward Jiang Wanxiang and Chen Dingye!

This clash surpassed even the prior arrow duel in silencing the crowd.

Chen Dingye drew a longsword and split the arrows apart.

Jiang Wanxiang raised his spear, flicked it once, deflecting the arrows; he then slapped his forehead and roared with laughter: "I nearly forgot—there's still someone here, younger than us all, who also seeks this deer!"

Jiang Wanxiang raised his long spear, flicked it once, and deflected the arrow; he raised a hand to his forehead and burst into loud laughter: "I almost forgot—there's still someone here younger than all of us, also chasing this deer."

"No arrows left? I'll test your skills myself!"

Jiang Wanxiang, fired by spirit, spurred his steed forward—its hooves trampled fire, blazing like a torrent of flame as he charged, raising his spear to strike Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi's palm flicked—the Cloud-Shattering Heaven Bow dissolved, transforming into the Tiger-Roaring War Spear.

He twisted his wrist and thrust the spear forward.

The spear met Jiang Wanxiang's weapon with a sharp clang.

Chen Dingye sneered, seized a nearby horse lance, and charged in, gathering momentum before swinging down toward Jiang Wanxiang's back. Jiang Wanxiang swerved, thrusting the butt of his spear backward.

The hundreds, even thousands gathered to hunt the divine deer scrambled to retreat; banners flared as three riders surged outward—though they were sovereigns, they now fought as warriors. The young captains from noble families shouted loudly, rallying the imperial majesty.

Emperor Ji Zichang watched with envy: "Truly formidable."

"The Son of Heaven's autumn hunt is meant to display martial prowess—I am inferior to them."

The civil officials still stood nearby; Wen Lingjun, clad in a robe embroidered with subtle Fire Qilin patterns, gazed from afar at the lonely young monarch beneath the canopy, sighed, turned his eyes from Ji Zichang, and fixed them on the three riders charging across the hunt grounds.

They had no fear: Chen Dingye had the last surviving elders of Chen's two great libraries; Jiang Wanxiang of Ying had the First Divine General Jiang Su; as for Li Guanyi—the Sword Madman, though aged, still lived.

No one feared one would suddenly kill another.

This was merely a contest of skill, a trial of martial valor.

Just as in the age before the Red Emperor, over a thousand years ago, when feudal lords vied for dominance, some lords sought to display their Wu Gong by lifting heavy tripods with brute strength—only to be crushed to death by the very thing they could not bear.

In this chaotic age, a ruler's Wu Yong and boldness are the foundation of his power.

To display Wu Gong, to project might.

The autumn hunt is meant to remind the next Son of Heaven of this truth.

Never lose Wu Yong.

Feng Xiao said: "I wonder who will win."

He came here to steal imperial wine.

Wen Lingjun replied softly: "It doesn't matter who wins or loses."

This is merely to tell the world—

Who is the hero with such audacity, such courage, worthy to contend for the realm!

Wen Lingjun gazed at the last Red Emperor there, sighing inwardly: Ji Zichang, the Red Emperor, should have been the true protagonist of this autumn hunt—but now he must watch three others perform this act.

The three men competed in skill, not in earnest fury, merely displaying their Wu Gong as they moved from one place to another; the divine deer trembled in fear, and these three men—who did not use bows—chased it from behind, while thousands shouted and roared behind them, their voices like thunder.

The divine deer grew even more frantic in its flight.

Just like this chaotic world.

Ahead lay a sheer cliff, a waterfall plunging from the heavens like a white silk ribbon, crashing onto green stone, spraying countless droplets like Bai Yu beads.

Jiang Wanshang laughed loudly: "Enough, enough, enough! Today is enough! Come!"

"The final arrow—let us see who shall prevail!"

He hurled his weapon away.

Immediately, a general from the State of Ying caught it; Chen Dingye did the same.

Li Guanyi's mighty Tiger Roar Sky Piercing Halberd transformed once more into the Po-Yun Zhen-Tian Bow; all three drew their war bows in unison, locking their arrows upon the leaping divine deer. Though merely an autumn hunt, it symbolized a celestial mandate to be proclaimed to the world.

Soldiers in the army needed such things—the notion that great fortune was on our side.

The people of the realm needed this too.

Jiang Wanshang and Chen Dingye stared at their final target, then drew their war bows, arrows fixed upon the divine deer. The deer cowered in terror, and every eye turned to the arrows in the hands of these three men.

At that moment, Li Guanyi suddenly turned his bow—and on the Po-Yun Zhen-Tian Bow, he nocked more than a dozen arrows at once!

He spun around, the arrows aimed directly at the imperial clan and noble scions.

In that instant, their faces twisted with fear, confusion, disbelief.

Li Guanyi's Nascent Soul locked onto those individuals Ji Zichang had marked for death.

The bowstring's vibration exploded.

In an instant, more than a dozen arrows shot forth together!

Blood rained down. The heads of the various branches of the Ji clan, the Huangzu Sect, were slain. Blood instantly splattered across the ground; the eighteen men toppled from their horses, crashing to earth—their blood, nurtured by brocade and jade, soaked into the earth.

A stunned silence.

These men had their own positions, their own good and evil.

These men had their own understanding.

Li Guanyi had his too.

Let us kill each other.

In an instant, the stench of blood surged; all around fell deathly silent. Gao Yingju turned ashen.

This man truly dares to kill in public!

Li Guanyi turned toward Ji Zichang.

Thus, the various branches of the imperial clan could no longer constrain Ji Zichang—those so-called uncles and grandfathers who treated him as a puppet. Ji Zichang gave him thirty million taels of Bai Yu; Li Guanyi gave him one final, unshackled, glorious moment.

A gift for a gift.

Audacity met audacity.

As for the autumn hunt…

Li Guanyi turned his back to the shattered cliff, raised his hand, and caused the divine weapon to dissolve into light.

The divine deer leapt over the cliff, its form graceful—two arrows flew through the air to strike it, when suddenly a torrent of flame erupted skyward, as if the falling waterfall had been boiled!

Boom!!!!!

Vast sheets of flame surged toward the heavens.

White steam rose thickly.

Forming a bridge spanning the two shattered cliffs!

The two arrows melted instantly. The deer was not struck by arrows—but still let out a cry of agony, already dead, not by arrows, but by a strange beast.

The beast wore crimson scales, its head crowned with dragon-like horns, its feet treading flames, stepping upon the bridge of fire-born vapor, each step trembling with a chilling aura of slaughter.

With one shake of its head, the magnificent divine deer fell beside Li Guanyi.

The beast halted behind Qin Wu Hou.

Its originally gold-red pupils had fully turned golden; when it opened its mouth, one could glimpse within its throat a terrifying, molten-like presence. With each breath, white mist swayed.

Fire Qilin!

Chen Dingye and Jiang Wanshang fell silent, staring at the divine deer beneath Li Guanyi's feet and the Fire Qilin behind him. Li Guanyi reached out to stroke the Qilin, then looked at the seventeen slain heads of the imperial branches—the so-called "elders" who had treated the current Red Emperor as a puppet, a plaything.

Li Guanyi said: "Truly a vile beast."

Li Guanyi seized the deer. Already, attendants had spurred their horses far away, clutching a crimson banner bearing the Fire Qilin cloud pattern of Li Guanyi, galloping wildly and shouting: "Qin Wu Hou, Kai Fu Yi Tong San Si, Tian Ce Shang General Li Guanyi has hunted the divine deer!"

"Qin Wu Hou, Kai Fu Yi Tong San Si!"

"Tian Ce Shang General!"

"Li Guanyi has hunted the divine deer!"

With this triple cry, Emperor Ji Zichang sighed in relief, a faint, weary, helpless, self-mocking smile on his face.

Even if he regarded Li Guanyi as his closest friend, his friend's rise had come at the cost of trampling on the faces of the Red Emperor and himself to step into the world.

Even though Ji Zichang was already considered a man of broad mind.

His heart still ached.

The crowd surrounded Li Guanyi, Chen Dingye, and Jiang Wanxiang as they arrived; pale-faced imperial clan members staggered forward, wailing: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this traitor has killed—killed our ancestral grandfather, killed my uncle…"

Ji Zichang was first stunned, then a flicker of satisfaction flashed through his heart.

Good that he killed them!

Good that he killed them!

Li Guanyi stood before Ji Zichang and said: "This deer is a vile beast indeed—gorgeous in appearance, its antlers large and sharp. Seventeen men like Marquis Zhao, Marquis Wu, met their end, crushed by these antlers."

Seventeen Third Heaven martial cultivators killed by a deer?!

Who would believe that?

The imperial clan youth shouted in protest: "What are you—" but before he could finish, he saw Jiang Wanxiang laughing; the Great Emperor of Ying declared cheerfully: "Qin Wu Hou is right—it was indeed the deer that killed them."

Chen Dingye said: "Indeed."

Thus, the remaining thousand—including aristocratic scions and imperial clan members—lowered their heads, all agreeing Li Guanyi spoke truth, even thanking Qin Wu Hou for slaying the deer and avenging the seventeen.

The imperial clan youth's face froze as he stared at Qin Wu Hou standing there, behind him a thousand banners snapping in the wind, the Fire Qilin pacing beside him; he stood there as if heaven itself had collapsed—yet in broad daylight, he had slain seventeen imperial elders, and now it was all swept away with a single word?

In that instant, including Ji Zichang, Gao Yingju, and the younger generation of aristocrats and imperial clan, they finally understood what "great tide" meant—and what this man meant when he said, "I am the great tide."

This is the great tide of the coiled dragon soaring into the sky…

Even though everyone knew this statement was false, no one dared speak it.

Ji Zichang sighed inwardly.

Then he saw Li Guanyi raise his hand, seize the divine deer, lift it with both hands, and place it before Ji Zichang; Ji Zichang froze as the young Li Yishi smiled at him: "Today, by fortune, I hunted this deer."

"The Son of Heaven's autumn hunt brings peace to the four seas."

"It must be offered to Your Majesty!"

Ji Zichang blinked, looking at the boy, recalling their first meeting—when this fellow had taken his fruit wine, saying he would give him a gift.

Ji Zichang laughed bitterly, paused, then burst into loud laughter.

What a gift!

He thought to himself.

The Son of Heaven's final autumn hunt retained its last dignity—Li Guanyi was not like those others; this "minister" had, before his own rise, granted Ji Zichang and the Red Emperor's line their final face.

On this day, the Son of Heaven hunted the deer!

A grand banquet was held for the feudal lords, aristocrats, and all officials, each granted rewards.

On the fifth day of the seventh month, autumn of the tenth year of Tianqi, the autumn hunt ended; the four seas were at peace, granaries full, the Imperial Academy debated the Dao, martial artists dueled in the wilderness—unparalleled elegance filled the realm; no wars stirred across the empire, years passed in harmony, days in peace; the Emperor hosted a feast for all officials, all left delighted.

The next day.

The Ying state attacked Chen.