Xia Ruize's expression changed dramatically. He wrenched his sword outward with all his might, but how could Long Xuantian let him keep pulling it free? His armored hand immediately clamped around the blade of the Sword of Benevolence, and then his golden sword plunged unhindered into Xia Ruize's abdomen!
"Ugh!" A mouthful of bright-red blood sprayed from Xia Ruize's lips, splattering across Long Xuantian's face. Instead of angering him, it turned his wild laughter into a dark, triumphant smile. The cruelty of that smile made every warrior present roar furiously, shouting that they should rush over and attack him together!
"Everyone, stay where you are! Watch carefully!" Ren Zhi roared, stopping everyone who had been about to charge forward. I stood where I was, watching Xia Ruize take a sword through the abdomen, yet the fury I should have felt toward Long Xuantian for striking a former comrade had vanished. At that moment, I realized I no longer knew whether I should help him.
The human heart was scarcely an inch wide, yet a sword had to penetrate ten parts beneath it. The sword Xia Ruize had thrust at me earlier had been no less sharp and vicious, catching me completely off guard. And what of his promise that, after peace returned, he would become a peaceful prince? Did those words still count?
With the Investiture Sect led by Ren Zhi thrown into the mix, what would they do, and what would Xia Ruize do? I feared no one could stop this war chariot. With the Nine Provinces War acting as a catalyst, would there still be a peaceful Central Continent? The answer might well be no!
Long Xuantian's civil and military officials had each begun fighting for themselves and no longer stood behind him. Yet compared with our elite