Killing the Imperial Preceptor
The people in the hall exchanged glances, Shi Wenguang frowned and asked, "What's he doing here?"
"Uh! Imperial Preceptor, this is a forbidden area..." Before Shi Youtian could finish speaking, he heard another person's cold "snort," followed by Shi Youtian's pleading voice. "Imperial Preceptor, Imperial Preceptor..."
Shi Wenguang looked at Yue Qianchou and saw the latter nod, so he called out, "Youtian, let him in."
At the same time, Yue Qianchou said to Guan Yu, "Yun Chang, please excuse yourself." After saying that, he sent him back to Utopia. The Shi family father and son, who were watching the door, did not notice Guan Yu's sudden disappearance.
Shi Youtian, filled with trepidation, accompanied an elderly man carrying a sword into the hall. The latter, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, walked right past them to the very top of the hall before turning around to examine them. Yue Qianchou, dressed as a servant, did not attract his attention. His gaze lingered on Shi Xiaotian for a moment, and he said with slight surprise, "General Shi, this must be the Third Young Master!"
He could clearly see through Shi Xiaotian's cultivation level, but he couldn't see through Yue Qianchou's.
"Exactly!" Shi Wenguang's attitude was equally unceremonious. With Yue Qianchou present, he felt somewhat more confident. Although he didn't know exactly how powerful Yue Qianchou was, he could sense from the words of the Rogue Cultivators he knew that Yue Qianchou must be a figure in the Cultivation World, and his abilities were probably not bad. Little did he know, Yue Qianchou's cultivation was only at the mid-stage of Core Formation, far inferior to the Imperial Preceptor's Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivation.
"Youtian, you go out first." Shi Wenguang seemed to sense that the Imperial Preceptor's visit was ill-intentioned, so he first dismissed the civil official's son, who was of little help.
The Imperial Preceptor stroked his beard as he looked at Shi Xiaotian and said, "I never expected that the Third Young Master of the General's Mansion would have the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. It is truly a surprise to this old man. May I ask which sect he studied under?" He had to find out, as he had come with a mission today, and it wouldn't be good if he offended some powerful sect.
"My son is merely a rogue Rogue Cultivator, without any sect or affiliation." Shi Wenguang naturally wouldn't reveal that his son was from the Qingguang Sect; even if he did, it would be pointless now, as the Qingguang Sect had been wiped out, and it would be shameful to mention it, especially since his son had escaped back. Instead, he clasped his hands in a fist and asked, "Imperial Preceptor, what brings you here so late at night?"
Upon hearing that he was merely a Rogue Cultivator, the Imperial Preceptor's attitude became somewhat arrogant again. He stared at Shi Wenguang expressionlessly and said, "His Majesty has a message for me to pass on to you. His Majesty said that someone is impeaching General Ke for abusing his power. I originally did not want to pay attention to it, but these impeachments have been constant these past few days and are showing signs of escalating, which has greatly troubled me. On second thought, for the sake of the peace of the court and the General's reputation, it might not be a bad thing for the General to relinquish his military power. Therefore, I sent the Imperial Preceptor to persuade him. General, please do not disappoint me."
"General Shi, I have conveyed His Majesty's decree. I wonder what your opinion is? His Majesty is still waiting for me to report back!" The Imperial Preceptor stared at Shi Wenguang coldly.
Shi Wenguang glanced at Yue Qianchou and sneered, "I don't know what mistake I've made that His Majesty wants to strip me of my military power! What if I refuse to hand it over?"
The Imperial Preceptor chuckled and said, "His Majesty also sent a message saying that the general has been fighting for many years and has made great contributions. It would be best for him to return from the border to rest as soon as possible. If the general really wants to go against my good intentions, the Imperial Preceptor can handle it accordingly."
Shi Wenguang's eyes widened, a murderous aura rising within him, and he said in a deep voice, "How does the Imperial Preceptor intend to handle this matter?"
The Imperial Preceptor said with a sinister smile, "General Shi, since you've already asked for my life, Imperial Preceptor 'll tell you frankly: either you take the initiative to resign before His Majesty at tomorrow's morning court, or I will execute you now, you traitor who has defied the Imperial Preceptor decree. You choose one of the two paths. General Shi, you must know Imperial Preceptor methods, so don't harbor any illusions."
"Hehe! That's hilarious. It's true what they say, when the cat's away, the mice will play. When did Fu Xian Island produce such an arrogant character? He's even more arrogant than Feng Xiangtian." Yue Qianchou had lost his bowed and timid servant demeanor and was now chuckling incessantly with his hands behind his back.
Yue Qianchou spoke, Shi Wenguang, who had been calm on the surface but whose heart had been hanging in suspense, breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to him, saying, "Sir, what do you think I should say to the Imperial Preceptor?"
The Imperial Preceptor stared at the servant before him in utter shock. This man actually knew about Fu Xian Island and its leader Feng Xiangtian? Yue Qianchou glared at him coldly, forcing a smile as he said, "What kind of bullshit Imperial Preceptor is this? Give me a damn answer!"
"Who exactly are you?" The Imperial Preceptor's tone became slightly flustered. He had initially thought the other party was an ordinary person, but now he realized that he couldn't see through the other party's cultivation level.
He was originally a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator from Fu Xian Island. Having lost all hope of progress in his cultivation, he came to the mortal Imperial Preceptor. While the Imperial Preceptor might seem glamorous to mortals, it was actually a place the disciples of Fu Xian Island were reluctant to come to. What cultivator would want to be like a watchdog, protecting a mortal, even if that person was the emperor? Anyone with a modicum of cultivation could easily enjoy whatever they wanted in the mortal world.
Those with too low a cultivation level couldn't come, while those with high cultivation levels disdained to come. Therefore, each generation's Imperial Preceptor from Fu Xian Island would choose a middling Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator. Frankly speaking, if it were truly people from the Cultivation World trying to cause trouble, how could a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator possibly stop them? In short, as long as Fu Xian Island didn't fall, the dynasty it supported wouldn't collapse either. Sending cultivators to protect the emperor was their duty, but someone like this, acting like the emperor's lackey, was truly a disgrace to Fu Xian Island.
"Hmph!" Yue Qianchou snorted coldly, his hands behind his back, and said arrogantly, "Yue Qianchou!"
"Ah! You're Yue Qianchou?" The Imperial Preceptor exclaimed, his face turning deathly pale. This person before him was actually Yue Qianchou, the one who had caused such Cultivation World! He hadn't expected to run into him. He didn't know whose cultivation was higher, but a person's reputation preceded them; someone who could even kill the Qingguang Sect Master was no ordinary figure. The long sword on his back was already in his hand, wary of Yue Qianchou, and he hurriedly retreated towards the door.
Shi Wenguang showed a hint of surprise. Although he had heard of Yue Qianchou's deeds, he didn't have a concrete understanding of them. He never expected that Yue Qianchou could frighten the current Imperial Preceptor so much just by stating his name. Shi Xiaotian was filled with envy. It turned out that his boss had become so successful after leaving him all these years!
Yue Qianchou pressed closer step by step, sneering, "Now that you know my name, do you think I'll let you leave?"
With a whoosh, a bright red and dazzling flame suddenly erupted from his body, instantly scorching and smoking the surrounding wooden furniture, threatening to burst into flames at any moment. Shi Wenguang, standing behind him, was instantly swayed by the intense heat, unable to breathe. Shi Xiaotian immediately released his vital energy to protect his father and retreat, but it was clear he couldn't hold out for long either.
Yue Qianchou himself hadn't expected the fire to be so powerful. He immediately suppressed the outward spread of the fire's temperature; otherwise, not only would the house have burned down, but even the Pillar Great General would have been roasted alive.
He was completely engulfed in flames, yet he still managed a cold laugh amidst the fire, sending chills down the spines of the onlookers. What kind of Method Formula was this? The Imperial Preceptor was dumbfounded. When he finally came to his senses and tried to run away, he saw a flash of red light on each side, and the gate was sealed off by a sea of fire. He looked around and saw the same on the left, right, and roof. There was no fire on the ground, but he couldn't burrow underground.
Forced to this point, there was no other option but to fight back; fear was futile. His flying sword flashed, transforming into a cold beam that shot towards Yue Qianchou. Yue Qianchou coldly snorted and pointed a finger, unleashing a pillar of fire to meet the flying sword. However, the Imperial Preceptor's cultivation was considerably higher than Yue Qianchou's, and the flying sword immediately forced Yue Qianchou's fire pillar back. But the key issue was that the latter's fire was too intense; when the flying sword was still a meter away from Yue Qianchou, it had already turned into molten metal flowing onto the ground.
Yue Qianchou immediately swung his palm to meet the Imperial Preceptor's attack, clenching it into a fist. The surrounding wall of fire engulfed the Imperial Preceptor with a deafening roar. "Ah..." Even his scream was cut short as the figure inside vanished into nothingness. When Yue Qianchou opened his fist again, the flames were quickly absorbed into his palm, and a cloud of ashes belonging to the Imperial Preceptor drifted and scattered to the ground.
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