The Divine Hero's death was at hand.
The moment Sun Yin suddenly struck, saving Lu Ye from beneath Xu San's sword, he understood how this would end.
Or perhaps even earlier. The Divine Firmament War had ended too swiftly; the process of the Six Directions had already begun, yet he had not had time to take that final step... When Zhan Shou surrendered to Tang Wenxue and Beigong Ke from the battlements of Grand City, he had lowered his head to look at the still-unfinished Penal Code and already foreseen this day.
With foreign threats eliminated and the Divine Firmament settled, the Central Empire, now free to turn its hand, would not let even the slightest doubt pass.
All the states under heaven regarded Equality State as rebellion, but only the empire most certain to achieve the Six Directions would take this upon itself as a responsibility. The world watched Jing bleed dry, while Jing swept away all dust and ascended the stage.
So when he crossed his sword and cut through the tiger's maw, was it for the chivalry in his heart, to soothe Zhao Zi, or to claw his own way out of death?
By today, even he could no longer say.
There were far too many things he could no longer explain!
Many years ago, he had been able to explain them. Everything he did, everything he thought, could be laid bare beneath the sun. He had understood everything with perfect clarity—back when he had still been Sun Meng.
"Heroic Resolve" Sun Meng, Gu Shiyi's closest friend, a gallant hero spoken of alongside him.
Only Sun Meng in this world could strike a sword of chivalry no weaker than Gu Shiyi's.
And only Sun Meng could cultivate that blade, [Upright Gentleman Under Heaven]!
But of that former