With just one move, Fairy Hongfu, who had still been wearing a look of arrogance moments ago, was knocked to the ground.
The martial skill she cultivated was completely suppressed by the Imperial Heaven-Reaching Skill, weakening her strength by at least twenty percent as well.
The disciples of the Rainbow Sword Sect were stunned by the scene. They clutched their swords, yet couldn't help edging backward.
What could they do? Even their Sect Master, the strongest among them, couldn't win. What chance did the rest of them have?
Fairy Hongfu clutched her chest, hastily wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Please, wait! I was wrong about what happened yesterday. I apologize!"
Knowing she was no match for him, Fairy Hongfu readily chose to yield.
Ye Kang didn't waste words. He slowly lowered his blade.
"Fairy Hongfu, I'm not an unreasonable man. But you not only withheld information, you also deceived the Ninth Princess. I have reason to suspect you colluded with the Rebel Faction."
"That's absolutely not true!" Fairy Hongfu's face paled as she flatly denied it.
It wasn't entirely unfair to accuse her of colluding with the Rebel Faction. After all, Mister Plainclothes really had visited her. If she hadn't reached some sort of agreement with him, she wouldn't have betrayed the Ninth Princess.
But she would never admit it. She had to distance herself from Mister Plainclothes as much as possible.
Ye Kang continued, "So you're saying you willingly betrayed the Ninth Princess? If that's the case, why ally with her in the first place? It was clearly a trap! Since you don't want to talk, I'll have to take you to Death Prison for questioning."
"Death Prison?! No... This was all Mister Plainclothes's scheme! He threatened us, and we had no choice but to do it!"
"I doubt it was just threats. I bet you took plenty of benefits, too." Ye Kang gave a cold laugh.
At his words, Fairy Hongfu's eyes immediately darted about. "Yes, yes! The day before yesterday, for some reason, we found a hundred thousand Silver Notes at the Mountain Gate. Lord Ye, please take them and investigate!"
She sensibly offered him ten large-denomination Silver Notes. Only then did Ye Kang's tone soften.
"Very good. But you did wrong, so you'll still have to be punished. Kneel beneath the city tower in Mengzhou for three days and let the Ninth Princess decide what to do with you."
Ye Kang spoke unhurriedly, but everyone else's expression changed.
Making the Sect Master of a major sect kneel beneath the state city for three days was far too humiliating!
If word got out, the Rainbow Sword Sect would lose every last shred of face.
But Ye Kang's tone brooked no refusal, and a murderous glint flickered in his eyes.
Fairy Hongfu had no doubt that if she refused, this man would kill her on the spot.
She nodded helplessly. "As you command, Lord Ye..."
"Very good. I still have another sect to visit, so I won't see you off."
Ye Kang turned and left. Jin Baobei hurried after him, leaving behind a crowd of Rainbow Sword Sect disciples seething with humiliation.
Soon, with Jin Baobei leading the way, Ye Kang reached the other sects.
At Dragon Subduing Gate, one strike broke through the gate and wounded the Sect Master. They offered a hundred thousand silver taels and were sentenced to kneel beneath the city tower.
At White Crane Monastery, the Temple Master knew he was no match and offered gold of his own accord.
At the Heavenly Sea Gang, two Innate Masters joined forces to fight back. Ye Kang killed one, grievously wounded the other, and casually wiped out half the gang's disciples.
At Lesser Yang Mountain, the entire mountain fled. Ye Kang caught them and sent them to kneel beneath the city tower.
In just two short days, the ten major sects of Mengzhou had been wiped out or left in ruins.
The people of Mengzhou City were astonished to see five martial artists, each covered in wounds, kneeling one after another at the busy City Gate.
These masters, who usually existed only in legends of the Martial World, now had not a shred of arrogance left. Only humiliation and regret remained.
Damn it, if only they'd helped yesterday. Now they'd lost all face in the Martial World.
Up on the city tower, the Ninth Princess watched this extraordinary sight with Old Wu by her side.
Even Old Wu was somewhat stunned.
"This Ye Kang really is bold. What he's done is a taboo for the entire Martial World."
Princess Jinxi's lips curled into a delighted smile.
"Excellent! The imperial court needs capable people with this kind of decisive spirit to keep these lawless martial artists in line. If they all followed the Golden Saber Sect and colluded with the Rebel Faction, the imperial court would never be able to keep them under control."
Princess Jinxi was genuinely happy. For the past six months, she had been scheming back and forth with these martial artists. At last, she had achieved her original ambition and thoroughly subdued the chaotic Martial World of Mengzhou.
Most of the credit went to Ye Kang, but the result was good.
As a Princess, she wouldn't quibble over that.
"Old Wu, that fellow Ye Kang must be nurtured properly. When we return, make sure you tell Father Emperor and have him reward Ye Kang generously."
"You're right, Highness. But His Majesty is busy. We'd better not let Lord Ye meet him too soon."
"Why not?"
"After all, that boy has practiced the Imperial Heaven-Reaching Skill. He's the first person since this dynasty was founded who's dared to practice it. I'm afraid that if His Majesty sees him, he'll slap him dead..."
Three days later, Ye Kang's name had spread throughout Mengzhou.
Nearly every martial artist knew that Lord Ye of the Imperial City Department was terrifyingly strong, undefeated across Mengzhou, and had forced several Innate Masters to kneel in the state city for three days and nights.
Originally, in Mengzhou, the government's word carried far less weight than that of the ten major sects. Many people knew of the sects but not the imperial court.
But after this campaign, the government's authority had been restored. Nearly every sect, large and small, announced that it was closing its gates and withdrawing from the world, daring not to show its face again.
The mission to subdue the Martial World of Mengzhou was finally complete.
That day, Ye Kang was having lunch with Jin Baobei at the inn when the System Sound rang out. Five thousand Comprehension points were credited to him at once.
Adding the two thousand Comprehension points he'd gained from killing a bunch of experts at the Heavenly Sea Gang, Ye Kang's total finally broke twenty thousand.
His heart leapt with joy. He immediately said, "I'm going back to my room to practice. Your work is done. You can return to God of Wealth Inn whenever you like."
Jin Baobei was taken aback. Her expression soon turned bitter.
Big brother, fine, you subdued five major sects—but you just had to drag me along. You can walk away without a care, but how could I possibly go back now?
Back in his room, Ye Kang opened the panel with a delighted look.
"System, put all my Comprehension into the Hundred Flowers Sword Finger!"
[Beep]
[You spent 20000 Comprehension and comprehended the Hundred Flowers Sword Finger to Great Perfection]
In an instant, countless insights surged into his mind.
Ye Kang closed his eyes slightly. Before him appeared hundreds of graceful women, all beautiful in different ways.
Some played the zither and flute, some wielded spears and cudgels; there were heroines riding through the desert, and tender beauties adorned with powder and rouge...
One after another, these women appeared, each sharing a world-shaking romance with him. Ye Kang passed through a hundred blossoms without a leaf clinging to him, and each beauty gave him a strand of Pink Sword Qi...
He slowly opened his eyes. The visions vanished.
The Hundred Flowers Sword Finger, Great Perfection!
"Good heavens. To practice this martial skill, you have to keep meeting different beauties. Each beauty gives you a strand of Sword Qi, and you need a hundred beauties to complete the hundred strands of Sword Qi. This is a martial skill for a complete playboy!"
Ye Kang shook his head. He really wanted to know what kind of person had left behind this martial skill.
How many beauties must someone have had to comprehend a martial skill like this?
Luckily, he had the System and could skip that step. Otherwise, who knew how much trouble it would cause?
With a thought, a full hundred strands of Hundred Flowers Sword Qi burst from Ye Kang's back, turning the entire room pink.
The terrifying sword intent made everyone at the inn feel a chill for no reason.
Ye Kang hurriedly drew it back.
Now that he used the Hundred Flowers Sword Finger, he no longer needed to form a sword-finger gesture. Wherever his thoughts went, the Sword Qi arrived in an instant.
"Though the process of practicing it was strange, its power is truly terrifying. With a hundred strands of Sword Qi unleashed at once, even Mister Plainclothes would probably be killed in an instant."
Ye Kang looked at the panel with satisfaction.
[Host: Ye Kang] [Martial Skills: Imperial Heaven-Reaching Skill (First Layer), Hundred Flowers Sword Finger (Great Perfection), Blazing Blade (Great Perfection), Wood Heart Sutra (Great Perfection), Flying Swallow Ascending Cloud (Beginner), White Tiger Slaughtering Blade (Great Perfection), Vajra Fury Intent (Great Perfection)] [Strength: Third-Rank Innate] [Remaining Comprehension: 120]
Sure enough, perfecting the Hundred Flowers Sword Finger had also pushed his strength officially into the Third-Rank Innate level.
Unfortunately, this heaven-defying martial skill could no longer be improved.
Ye Kang was feeling regretful when the System Sound rang again.
[Beep]
[Reminder: The Hundred Flowers Sword Finger is an upgrade-type martial skill. The host can acquire the Red-Powder Essence of women to increase the number of sword-qi strands and comprehend new martial skills: Thousand Flowers Sword Finger and Ten Thousand Flowers Sword Finger]
"Holy crap! It can work like that too?!"
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