[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-peace-decree":3,"chapter-the-peace-decree-the-peace-decree-chapter-56":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Peace Decree",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2328231,4553,"Chapter 56: The Supreme Master","the-peace-decree-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>The assassin, his face covered by a leaden mask and temples streaked with white hair, immediately sensed something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was now far beyond the region where Yue Qianfeng had sealed off Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gripping his weapon tightly, a crimson aura rose from his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A technique modeled after a Manifestation took shape as a blood-red, ferocious wolf crouched beside him, its gaze coldly scanning the surroundings: “Good, good—this musical resonance moves the Manifestation. I never expected there to be a master here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those with profound internal cultivation can kill with a leaf or a flower.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Daoist saying that the Primordial Spirit is supreme also holds true for music—string tones like swords, cleaving mountains and parting seas, all within a single melody. But tell me, which master has come today?! I am unworthy, but I beg to test your skill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he paced slowly, his immense aura swirling within, eyes cold and sharp as they swept the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He planted his right foot beside a massive boulder; the wind blew, and tree branches swayed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The qin melody suddenly shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trees to his left trembled violently, branches falling straight down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaves drifted down, landing beside the boulder—the assassin exploded upward, moving like lightning, shattering the stone, crushing the three pale yellow spring flowers beside it into mud, then lunging instantly toward the source of the music.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his arm to block—the sword’s cry was shrill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like touching a blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swung his blade with the flow, and a murderous aura coalesced into a blade of light that tore through the sky—but it was instantly severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood-red Fanglang blade-light dissolved midair, its cut surface smooth and clean; the musical resonance’s air-blades continued unbroken. The assassin’s cheek stung—he bled. His gaze remained cold, yet burned with fierce killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had lived long enough, as an assassin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant he had faced countless types of opponents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally including such so-called sages—neither martial, nor Daoist, nor Confucian, nor Buddhist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stomped into empty air—the void trembled, his body closing the distance rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Xue Daoyong or Yue Qianfeng, he was inferior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But compared to those who cultivated qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, he was far stronger!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His foundation belonged to one of the Hundred Schools; his specialty was concealing his form and Qi, then striking with sudden, lethal force. He knew that if qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting were cultivated to the highest level, combined with Primordial Spirit power, they could produce wondrous effects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet such masters had one weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Close combat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within three feet, the martial cultivator knows no restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man slashed wildly with his blade, cleaving through the endless air-blades; the shattered residual Qi tore apart trees, boulders, and earth around him, leaving chaos in a path stretching miles. Then his eyes brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he saw a woman’s figure—she sat upon a green stone. The assassin’s blood surged—he used a forbidden technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His speed surged again, ignoring the barrage of air-blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman raised her qin to block the slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assassin gripped his blade with his right hand, pressed his left palm hard against its back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Qi surged once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve lost!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood sprayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A head flew upward, then landed on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The headless assassin, as if committing suicide, had used his own blade to sever his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood there, holding his blade, staggering slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head lay on the ground, still smiling—the leaves he had seen finally drifted down, settling upon him, then his body collapsed heavily, kneeling beside the boulder. The pale yellow flowers beside the stone, which should have been shattered, were now stained crimson with blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind brushed the leaves, their sound echoing like a qin melody, serene and lingering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The melody had not yet ended—it had already ended in stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him lay traces of sword and blade; yet in his perception, the trees and earth he had shattered remained as intact as before. His weapon was stained with his own blood—he had never once stepped beyond this forest-enclosed clearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The qin melody, gentle and distant, faded away entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first segment of the qin piece ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventy-third assassin of Southern Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Died by his own hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi charged into the circle of five, ducking low to evade crossing swordlight, then stomped the ground, twisting his body to explode upward, the hilt of his blade slamming into one man’s abdomen, contorting his face. Li Guanyi followed through with a slash, forcing the others back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade’s edge was tyrannical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five assassins had assumed their strength far surpassed the boy’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in battle, they realized—without their prized entry techniques, unable to unleash their arcane moves—they felt strangely unaccustomed to this close-quarters combat. Their bodies had been refined by Qi, surpassing the boy’s—that was their confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now they found it was not so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tigers and elephants are stronger than humans—but they are not their match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strength alone cannot decide victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swung his heavy blade with the Eight Blades of Pojun, stirring a ring of wind that forced away their weapons, then leapt like a butterfly—though wielding a heavy blade, he moved as light as a curved saber. His feet danced, the blade kissed the throat of one assassin like the wind—blood sprayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assassin who could cleave blade-light now clutched his throat, staggering backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately sealed his meridians with internal Qi, then pulled out silver needles to block the flow in his neck—enough to save his life, but his Qi was crippled, unable to exert force; any further exertion would cause blood to erupt instantly, killing him outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly recalled his master’s first lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Gong is the art of defeating an enemy with minimal effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is the way of the weak overcoming the strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi gripped his blade, his muscles relaxing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Break their formation, crush their momentum!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To bolster our own spirit—The Military School: “On the Battlefield.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi cast Xue Shen’s military teachings from his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not know why, at this moment, that phrase surfaced—why it drove him to immediately exhaust himself, targeting one assassin first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood there—and in that instant, the other four assassins hesitated to approach. That natural, battlefield-honed sense of control, forged through countless battles and life-and-death struggles, gave them a false sense of security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were not facing a boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before them, for a fleeting moment, stood a general who had rolled through endless battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assassin skilled in concealing Qi was exposed in the sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He faced head-on a general who knew no restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An irrational fear surged—the leader crushed it, hissing: “Form the array! Even if he is a born general, he cannot kill all five of us without paying a price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They charged with nimble footwork; Li Guanyi, though he crippled one opponent immediately, plunged into brutal combat—when strength was roughly equal, numbers mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy changed tactics: no longer reckless, they paired off, using their superior lightness to strike and flee instantly. It was effective. Li Guanyi had only battlefield footwork—he lacked their agility and explosive short-range attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gradually, wounds appeared on Li Guanyi’s body, staining his blue robe red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for some reason—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the suppressed entry Qi within him, or the star-force continuously integrating into his body—the Qi stagnating where struck dispersed, and hidden, unabsorbed star-force surged anew from the wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi felt no pain—only a numb, itchy sensation. Combined with the stagnation of Qi inside, it stirred a primal urge to destroy something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the assassin, slightly reassured, lunged forward with lightness—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seemingly sluggish boy suddenly exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heavy blade swung in a full circle—the timing was so precise, it was as if the assassin had deliberately offered his waist to the blade. Both opposing forces converged on the three-hundred-fold forged blade, instantly severing the assassin at the waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assassin’s eyes held a flicker of shock—his final thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He read our attack rhythm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How is that possible?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy spun, sweeping his blade to repel the attackers, wiped blood from his face, and raised his brow slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled as Xue Shen had: “Second.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Shen used “second,” “third” to disrupt Li Guanyi’s mind—now he unconsciously did the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waist-severed assassin crawled on the ground, screaming in agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy spun and drove his blade through the man’s throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hand rested on the hilt, his gaze fixed on the enemy—calmness overcoming aggression. Perhaps from facing too many foes in the secret realm, he recognized this killing style: it came from a branch of the Mohists, descended from the Warrior-Mohists, now reduced to pure assassins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi had faced their patriarch—the assassin who once tried to kill Xue Shen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten thousand changes, one root.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the remaining three assassins froze in shock, Li Guanyi flicked his wrist—the heavy blade suddenly flew from his grip. Everyone froze. The next instant, the leader’s scalp prickled: “Spear! He’s going to seize the spear!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi’s training under Xue Shen kicked in—he snatched the abandoned spear instantly, his wrist flicked once, and the spearhead swept out a wide arc. When he held the long weapon, his mind relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing is far better than a blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the court banned it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He charged forward, the spear sweeping a chilling arc, instinctively mimicking Xue Shen’s technique—horizontal sweep to repel, then twisting his body, the spear arced high and came down like a blade, heavy and brutal. The move drained immense strength—but Li Guanyi felt exhilarated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One assassin was forced to his knees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi twisted the spear’s butt, driving it forward like a drill—piercing straight through his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he gripped both ends of the spear, tensing his body sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spear shaft was elastic—the tip tore open half the assassin’s neck. As he fell, the spear’s reach already engulfed the other two, forcing them back. Long weapons have both high ceilings and high floors—and in this Qi-suppressed environment, close combat was invincible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flickering shadow flashed before Li Guanyi’s eyes; he instinctively struck out to block it, but failed to fully stop it—his shoulder jolted as a crossbow bolt spun into his flesh. Thanks to his reflexive use of [Crimson Wolf Defense], the bolt didn’t pierce through, only embedding itself in the muscle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assassin, his throat slit yet still clinging to life, stared blankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi reached out, seized the bolt, and snapped off its exposed tail end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hurled the crossbow’s body to the ground, his gaze sweeping the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His commanding aura erupted naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader’s heart turned cold; he cursed inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is this a thirteen-year-old boy?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The officials have deceived me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About the time of one incense stick’s burn, the fighting here finally fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi’s hands were drenched in blood; he gasped for breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five assassins lay dead all around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first had his throat slit by Li Guanyi’s initial strike; the second was cut at the waist; the third was speared to death; the fourth was killed when Li Guanyi found an opening; the fifth wore soft armor—after Li Guanyi’s spear broke, he lunged into the man’s embrace and stabbed him through the heart with his aunt’s short sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the first one, whose throat had been slit, remained alive—somehow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was also the one who had just fired the crossbow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi snapped his limbs, intending to interrogate him for the information he needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi exhaled. The White Tiger and Crimson Dragon lay quiet within him. He bore many wounds. He reached out, broke off the second and third crossbow bolts. His spear was shattered; crossbow bolts were hard to defend against—except for the one already lodged in his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d also been hit by a bolt in his leg and another in his abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One could only say, the Crimson Wolf Defense of the Tielei Prince was truly formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had blocked all of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he should have been in agony, the Breaking Formation Melody surged rapidly. With each breath, Li Guanyi exhaled air that felt scorching. When the battle ended and his spirit relaxed, a wave of internal Qi stagnation crashed over him—he lost strength, collapsed onto the ground, his meridians swollen and aching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could no longer suppress it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Primordial Qi began to gather again—it was time to break through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, he must hold back. There was still the survivor—he needed to ask about the events ten years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the boy’s vision, a familiar figure emerged—Xiang Yaoguang, hooded, stepped forward, knelt beside him, and placed her crossbow on the ground. Her silver hair, at that moment, brought Li Guanyi instant peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Yaoguang gripped his hand, her voice calm as flowing water: “This heart is pure; this body has fought a hundred battles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are about to enter the realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive me for not intervening just now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do not worry—the life star of the one who left has already dimmed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi mustered strength to point at the assassin with his limbs broken: “The survivor…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Yaoguang nodded silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tucked away her already loaded crossbow. Had Li Guanyi lost, the Xingguan School’s signature Star-Piercing bolts would have fired instantly. Her voice calm, she held the boy’s hand, a gentle force suppressing his raging meridians:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Within the secret realm, there are arrays that draw in primordial Qi and stellar power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am here. You may rest assured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi closed his eyes and fainted from exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Yaoguang, hooded, rose and tried to drag Li Guanyi up to carry him back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his wounds, she decided to carry him on her back—but then his feet would scrape the ground, leaving traces. Traces could be hidden, but he’d wake in pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Yaoguang calmly measured her height against his, realizing that if she carried him on her back, not only his feet but even his calves would drag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She ultimately gave up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She bent slightly, one hand cradling his knees, the other supporting his neck, lifting him up and hastening back into the secret realm. Li Guanyi’s body was sturdy; as she carried him, her body leaned forward, her pale, unearthly face flushed from exertion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression remained calm, unreadable. She bent over, braced her knees, and gasped for breath several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she paused, thought, and turned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She picked up the wooden stick used to skewer buns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hooked it under the assassin’s clothing, dragged him into the stream, and pulled him back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assassin’s skull thudded against the pebbles—clang, clang, clang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Xiang Yaoguang sprinted out and, using Xingguan School methods, concealed all traces and residual energy from the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, silence returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Less than a cup of tea later, Xue Daoyong and Yue Qianfeng arrived in a frenzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their faces were ashen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground was littered with corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy’s dead warhorse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bloodstained ink blade, plunged upright into the earth—and the broken Su Ni bow.\u003C\u002Fp>",2492,"2026-06-20T19:20:33.127Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4a07d69304838af2e7c62f4d173cb4fdb0e6ee8f15cb8195950ccc094b4520ec","the-peace-decree-chapter-57","the-peace-decree-chapter-55",593,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-peace-decree-cover.jpg"]