The Name of the Meteor Shakes Three Dynasties

The news of Zhen Xu's death exploded like a thunderclap across the Three Prefectures of the Eastern Region. Within a mere three days, it had spread throughout the entire Chu Dynasty, subsequently traveling along the merchant routes and paths frequented by cultivators at the borders to reach the Ming Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, becoming the most discussed topic within the three great dynasties. No one knew the true identity of this Heavenly Net assassin codenamed "Meteor," only that he was young and possessed profound cultivation. Even more shocking was that he wielded two powerful weapons and struck with the speed of a falling star. It was widely rumored that he had slain the Xiantian Late Stage Zhen Xu with a single sword strike, and that even the two Xiantian Early Stage guards under his command had not been spared—the deed was clean, swift, and left no trace.

Within the Chu Dynasty, everyone from court officials and aristocratic cultivators to martial arts sects and commoners in the marketplace was discussing the name "Meteor." Some said he was a top-tier assassin hidden by Heavenly Net, lying in wait for years just to make a name for himself in one strike; others claimed he was a disciple of some reclusive sect who had happened upon the situation while descending the mountain for training and killed Zhen Xu on a whim; still others suggested he was a death soldier secretly cultivated by Qin De, using the name of Heavenly Net to eliminate Zhen Xu and clear obstacles for the Qin Family's rebellion. Rumors flew, yet no one could clarify Meteor's true identity. Only the saying "When Meteor strikes, he never misses" spread ever wider across the three dynasties, becoming a source of awe in the hearts of countless cultivators and a nightmare for countless evildoers.

In the imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty, inside the imperial study, the Ming Emperor held a secret report and looked at the strategist beside him with a grave expression: "Zhen Xu of the Chu Dynasty was killed by the Heavenly Net assassin Meteor? Who exactly is this Meteor to possess such strength and wield weapons of such immense power?" The strategist bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, according to the intelligence, this Meteor is a Gold-Rank Assassin of Heavenly Net whose cultivation has reached the Xiantian Late Stage. The two weapons in his hands are both legendary spirit artifacts containing pure fire-attribute spiritual energy; it was precisely by the power of these spirit artifacts that he slew Zhen Xu. Now that the name of Meteor has spread across the three dynasties, many factions are inquiring about him, and even the Han Dynasty has sent people to ask about this matter." The Ming Emperor nodded slightly, a flicker of wariness flashing in his eyes: "If such a top-tier assassin could be used by our Ming Dynasty, it would surely greatly increase our strength. Issue an order to closely monitor Meteor's movements and attempt to make contact; if he can be recruited, spare no cost."

Inside the mansion of the Han Dynasty, the Han Emperor was discussing matters with his generals. When the topic of Meteor came up, he could not help but sigh with emotion: "Xiang Guang of the Chu Dynasty painstakingly arranged for Zhen Xu to investigate the Three Prefectures of the Eastern Region, hoping to keep Qin De in check, yet he never expected him to be killed by a Heavenly Net assassin. This Meteor is truly a remarkable person, and it is even rarer that he has two powerful weapons at his side." A general standing nearby bowed and said: "Your Majesty, this Meteor is powerful and his movements are mysterious. If he leans toward Qin De, the Qin Family's strength will surely become even more formidable in the future, which may not be a good thing for our Han Dynasty. It would be better if we also sent people to investigate. If he cannot be recruited, we should secretly keep an eye on him so that he does not become a hidden threat to our dynasty." The Han Emperor nodded in agreement: "My subject, your words are very true. I leave this matter to you; be cautious and do not alert the enemy."

Among the three dynasties, the most intense reaction came from the imperial palace of the Chu Dynasty. The Chu Emperor Xiang Guang sat upon the dragon throne, crushing the secret report in his hand into dust. His face was ashen, and a biting rage radiated from his body. The civil and military officials in the great hall all stood with their heads bowed, not daring to draw a breath. "Trash! All of you are trash!" Xiang Guang slammed his hand against the dragon throne, the sound causing the pillars of the hall to tremble slightly. "Zhen Xu was my trusted aide, holding a weapon as sharp as the Blood Soul Claw, with two Xiantian Early Stage guards at his side, yet he was killed by a Heavenly Net assassin! And he died so miserably that you couldn't even uncover the identity of the opponent. You have completely disgraced me!"

The hall fell into a deathly silence; no one dared to step forward to offer counsel. After a long while, the Prime Minister carefully bowed and said: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Although Lord Zhen Xu is dead, this matter may not necessarily be a bad thing. That Meteor killing Zhen Xu might not have been aimed at our Great Chu; perhaps it was just a routine assassination by Heavenly Net, or perhaps Zhen Xu offended some other faction, thus inviting his own demise."

"A routine assassination?" Xiang Guang sneered, his eyes filled with malice. "Zhen Xu was the core person I sent to the Three Prefectures of the Eastern Region to investigate Qin De's movements. With him dead, Qin De no longer has many constraints, and he will surely act even more unscrupulously. Moreover, the timing of Meteor's strike is so coincidental, using the identity of a Heavenly Net assassin as a cover. If this wasn't secretly arranged by Qin De, how could it be such a coincidence?" In his heart, he had already concluded that Meteor must be one of Qin De's men, and that Qin De had used the name of Heavenly Net to eliminate Zhen Xu to clear the obstacles on his path to rebellion and accumulate strength in peace.

The Minister of War standing to the side quickly added: "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Qin De is ambitious and has always been eyeing our Great Chu with hostility. Now that Zhen Xu is dead, the intelligence network in the Three Prefectures of the Eastern Region has completely collapsed, and we can no longer control Qin De's movements. In my opinion, we should immediately mobilize our troops and strike at the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion ahead of time, catching Qin De before he is fully prepared and crushing him in one fell swoop!"

"No!" Xiang Guang waved his hand, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. "Qin De has many cultivators under his command, and he has the assistance of high-level cultivators like Yun Ce and Feng Yuzi. We have not yet grasped his true strength, so if we rashly send troops, we may not gain any advantage. Furthermore, Zhen Xu is dead, and we have no concrete evidence to prove that this was done by Qin De. If we send troops rashly, we will only end up without a righteous cause, and we might even invite the covetous eyes of the Ming and Han dynasties."

Having said this, Xiang Guang's gaze became grave, and he said slowly: "The only way now is to ask our ancestor to come out of seclusion. Our ancestor Xiang Yang was already at the Golden Core Late Stage a thousand years ago and possesses profound cultivation. With him taking action, neither Qin De nor that mysterious Meteor will be anything to fear. It is just that the ancestor has been in seclusion for many years, attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. If we rashly disturb him, I fear it will affect his cultivation, and the loss will outweigh the gain."

The civil and military officials in the hall were all silent. They all knew the strength of the ancestor Xiang Yang and understood the importance of seclusion to a cultivator. If they disturbed the ancestor and succeeded in eliminating Qin De, it would naturally be a good thing; but if the ancestor's cultivation was hindered, the Chu Dynasty would lose its greatest backing and would be forced into a passive position when facing threats from Qin De or other dynasties in the future. Xiang Guang sat on the dragon throne, his brows locked in a frown, weighing the situation repeatedly in his heart—on one side was the growing threat of Qin De, and on the other was the importance of the ancestor's seclusion. He was caught in a dilemma and ultimately could not make up his mind, only saying in a deep voice: "We shall discuss this matter later. Issue an order to send new trusted aides to the Three Prefectures of the Eastern Region to rebuild the intelligence network and closely monitor Qin De's movements. At the same time, spare no effort to investigate Meteor's true identity; you must find out his relationship with Qin De!"

At the same time, inside the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion, Qin De was sitting in the main hall, holding the detailed intelligence sent by his subordinates. His face was first filled with joy, but then his brows gradually knitted together, and his eyes held a bit more contemplation and doubt. "Good! A truly good Meteor! To kill Zhen Xu in one strike, along with his two guards, has helped us solve a major threat!" Qin De first slapped the table in praise, his tone full of excitement, but as soon as he finished speaking, he tapped his fingertips on the table and said slowly, "It is just that the description of this Meteor reminds this Prince of someone."

Qin Feng and Qin Zheng stood to the side, their faces also full of joy. Hearing Qin De's words, they were both stunned. Qin Feng quickly asked: "Father, who are you talking about? This Meteor's movements are mysterious, his strength is formidable, and he has two powerful weapons. Looking at all the cultivators in the world, there are very few young experts with such a background."

Qin Zheng also nodded in agreement: "That's right, Father. Most of the Gold-Rank Assassins of Heavenly Net only have one weapon at the peak of mortal grade, and their cultivation is mostly at the Xiantian Early or Middle Stage. Yet it is rumored that this Meteor not only has two spirit artifacts, but his cultivation has also reached the Xiantian Late Stage; it is truly too rare. Moreover, he struck to help us eliminate Zhen Xu, which may not be a coincidence. Perhaps he really is intentionally helping our Qin Family."

Qin De slowly raised his head, his gaze looking toward the direction of Cloud Mist Villa, a complex expression flashing in his eyes as he said slowly: "Do you remember the set of High-Grade Spirit Artifacts that Master Yun Ce forged for Yu'er before he went down the mountain for training?" Qin Feng and Qin Zheng were both startled upon hearing this, and then they suddenly realized. Qin Feng quickly said: "Father, you mean... that the rumor is true, and the two spirit artifacts in Meteor's hands are the long sword and short sword that Master Yun Ce forged for Little Yu?"

"Exactly." Qin De nodded slightly, his tone becoming more certain. "The weapons that Master Yun Ce forged for Yu'er using Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron are both crimson red and contain pure fire-attribute spiritual energy, exactly the same as the weapons of Meteor described in the intelligence. And according to Lian Yan, before Yu'er went down the mountain, his cultivation had already reached the Xiantian Late Stage, and Master Yun Ce had taught him a set of exquisite assassination and combat techniques. His strength is sufficient to kill Zhen Xu and his guards. More importantly, as far as I know, Yu'er is meticulous and does things cleanly and efficiently, which is also very similar to the style of Meteor's strikes."

Upon hearing this, Qin Zheng also felt a trace of doubt in his heart, but he was still somewhat uncertain: "Father, but Little Yu is your son. If he was the one who struck, why would he use the identity of the Heavenly Net assassin Meteor? Heavenly Net is our Qin Family's force, and he went down the mountain for training to temper his character; he shouldn't expose himself so easily."

"This is exactly what puzzles this Prince." Qin De's brows were locked in a frown as he said slowly, "Yu'er has a steady temperament and acts with discretion. If he wanted to help the Qin Family, he might not choose to strike under the identity of a Heavenly Net assassin. But all the signs are too coincidental—the same Xiantian Late Stage cultivation, the same crimson red weapons, the same clean and efficient striking style, and this perfectly timed strike. If he is not Yu'er, this Prince truly finds it hard to believe." Suddenly, a sharp light flashed in Qin De's eyes. "Perhaps Yu'er really doesn't know that Heavenly Net is a force of our Qin Family."

Thinking of this, a trace of expectation and urgency flashed in Qin De's eyes as he said slowly: "Issue an order for the people of Heavenly Net to closely monitor Meteor's movements. You must find a way to contact him and say that this Prince wants to see him and has important matters to discuss. Whatever his requirements are, as long as our Qin Family can satisfy them, we can agree!" He paused, then added, "If you see him, carefully observe his figure, his aura, and the weapons in his hands. You must confirm whether he is Yu'er."

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng quickly bowed and replied: "Yes, Father! This son will go and arrange it! If Meteor really is the Third Brother, that would be truly great! With such strength, and being able to act in the Chu Dynasty under the identity of a Heavenly Net assassin, he will surely be able to make great contributions to the Qin Family's conquest of Chu in the future!"

Qin Zheng also nodded and said: "Father, rest assured, this son will instruct the people of Heavenly Net to act with caution and not alert Meteor. If he really is the Third Brother, we must avoid making things difficult for him."

Qin De nodded slightly, his gaze once again looking toward the direction of Cloud Mist Villa, and he thought to himself: "Yu'er, if it really is you, then you have truly grown so much during these years of training. No matter what, this Prince must see you and confirm your identity."

At this moment, Qin Yu was hiding in a mountain forest on the outskirts of the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion. He did not immediately return to Cloud Mist Villa, nor did he expose his identity, but instead intended to observe for a period of time to see the reactions of Xiang Guang and Qin De. When he learned through the channels of Heavenly Net that the name "Meteor" had spread throughout the three great dynasties and that Xiang Guang was furious, he felt a sense of pride in his heart.

He knew that the spirit artifacts in his hands were too special, having been forged specifically for him by his master Yun Ce. In the entire world, one would likely not find a second set of identical crimson red High-Grade Spirit Artifacts. Qin De was meticulous and knew of his cultivation and his training down the mountain, so it was reasonable for him to guess that he was Meteor. It was just that his current identity was special; he did not want to expose the fact that he was the son of Qin De, nor did he want Qin De to know that he was Meteor—once exposed, he would no longer be able to train in the Chu Dynasty under the identity of Meteor, nor would he be able to secretly collect intelligence and clear obstacles for the Qin Family.

Qin Yu sat on a giant rock in the mountain forest, playing with the Heaven-Reaching Chart he had accidentally obtained, secretly calculating in his heart: "Father must have noticed the anomaly of the spirit artifacts, which is why he suspects me. If I don't go to see him, it will inevitably make him even more suspicious, and he might even send people to search for me everywhere, which would instead expose my identity; but if I go and my identity is exposed, the previous training will have lost its meaning. It seems I can only delay for a period of time and then find a way to maneuver, so that I do not disappoint Father while also continuing to hide my identity for training."