"Was this really just a Grandmaster?"
Prince Qing began to doubt. Gu Yuanqing was nowhere nearby, so he could not be certain that this was truly Yuanqing's doing. But such a method simply defied belief.
As a prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, Prince Qing had once stood at the Peak Profound Martial Ninth Layer himself. Grandmasters were hardly unfamiliar to him. Their methods were mysterious and unfathomable, yet he had never seen anything like this.
A Grandmaster's every movement carried the empowerment of heaven and earth. They could kill from dozens of zhang away and control external objects with true qi, but they could never control something from so far away with such agility, as though holding it in their own hand. Only... the power within this sword seemed somewhat lacking.
Although only a single step separated the Profound Martial Ninth Layer from the Grandmaster realm, that step was the difference between clouds above and mud below. Xiahou Ming should not have been handling it so easily!
Xiahou Ming steadied himself after his initial shock and fury. The flying sword was incredibly fast, its Swordsmanship exquisite, but its power was far weaker than when it first arrived. Although it had left countless wounds on him, he had done everything he could to protect his vital points. These wounds would not affect him much.
At that thought, his profound martial phenomenon manifested around him once more. A crimson dragon coiled around him protectively, and the incoming flying sword suddenly seemed to plunge into a mire, utterly unable to pierce his protective true qi.
He cast a resentful glance at Prince Qing and the others, then turned and fled.
This flying sword technique was far too frightening. Xiahou Ming did not know whether its wielder was too far away, making the Swordsmanship so weak. If he did not escape now, he feared he would lose his chance.
Prince Qing gave chase with his sword in hand, but both he and Qin Hu were wounded, and their cultivation fell short of Xiahou Ming's. After only a few strides, the distance between them began widening.
Watching from afar, Gu Yuanqing murmured, "With Sword Control alone, only the first strike, which trades distance for speed, can almost rival an all-out blow from someone at the Profound Martial Ninth Layer. The power of the subsequent attacks is still too weak."
As Xiahou Ming picked up speed and was about to escape the bounds of North Spring Mountain, Gu Yuanqing willed it. The crimson dragon coiled around Xiahou Ming abruptly vanished. All the true qi he had projected outward was forced back into his body, and even the flow of energy within him faltered.
Xiahou Ming's expression changed drastically, terror filling his eyes as he tumbled to the ground. The moment he lifted his head, a cold light flashed. The Flying Sword pierced his right eye and emerged from the back of his skull.
By the time Prince Qing arrived, the Kunwu Sword had become a streak of Sword Light once more and flown away. He stopped where he stood and turned to watch it disappear over the rear mountain.
"Your Highness!"
Qin Hu caught up as well. Seeing the lifeless man in black on the ground, he followed Prince Qing's gaze back toward the mountain.
"Was that the work of that Young Master... Gu?"
"Yes. A man at the Peak Profound Martial Ninth Layer, slain in a mere instant. A Grandmaster's... methods truly inspire envy." Prince Qing withdrew his gaze and stared blankly at the corpse on the ground.
A Grandmaster? Was he really only a Grandmaster? His earlier flicker of doubt had long since been cast aside. A twenty-year-old becoming a Grandmaster was already hard enough to imagine. Rather than believe he stood above that realm, it made more sense to suspect that someone behind him was unwilling to reveal themselves and had acted in Gu Yuanqing's name.
Or...
Prince Qing abruptly turned toward North Spring Mountain. There was something else within this mountain, something that might have made Gu Yuanqing what he was.
"Your Highness, what is it?" the steward asked in confusion.
Prince Qing drew a deep breath and said gravely, "Have someone take this corpse back. We're going down the mountain."
Watching the Kunwu Sword fly back, Gu Yuanqing reached out, and the sword settled into his hand.
It was spotless now. On its return flight, Gu Yuanqing had already removed the blood with Object Control. But several notches had appeared along its edge, and even its tip showed signs of dulling.
"Though the Kunwu Sword is sturdy, it has no empowerment from true qi or primal qi during Sword Control. Clashing head-on with powerful opponents can easily damage the Flying Sword."
The battle had been brief, but Gu Yuanqing had gained quite a lot from it. At the very least, he now had a direct understanding of the extent of his Sword Control abilities.
"Here on North Spring Mountain, I'm invincible below the Grandmaster realm. As for whether I can defeat a Grandmaster, I'll have to try before I know."
Gu Yuanqing lightly ran a finger over the notches in the Kunwu Sword.
"This was my first fine sword. What a pity."
He glanced toward the Front Mountain again. Seeing that Prince Qing had already descended, he paid it no further attention.
On North Spring Mountain, he could still lend the prince a hand. Down below, he was merely a cultivator at the True Martial Eighth Layer whose strength rivaled the Profound Martial Ninth Layer.
This night was destined to be anything but quiet. That ringing sword cry had awakened everyone on North Spring Mountain.
They all knew that the Crimson Dragon Cult had its sights on this place. How could they fail to realize that something had happened? The mountain's experts hurried down with blades in hand.
Before long, more wounded people were brought back up the mountain. Others wailed aloud, their sect elders having fallen to murderous hands.
But none of this had anything to do with Gu Yuanqing anymore. He lay down in bed and drifted peacefully to sleep. Even in his dreams, however, he remained vaguely engaged in Mountain Observation. If anything significant happened on the mountain, it would wake him.
This was a habit formed through years of Mountain Observation. By now, it was slowly becoming as natural to him as breathing.
The next morning, after Gu Yuanqing had gathered qi of heavenly gang and earthly sha and eaten breakfast, Prince Qing brought Li Changyan to the rear mountain.
The weather was pleasant that day, with bright sunshine and no wind among the mountains.
A tea table stood one zhang from the cliff's edge. Gu Yuanqing and Prince Qing sat at opposite ends, while Li Changyan stood behind Prince Qing.
"Thank you for coming to our rescue last night, Young Master Gu." Prince Qing cupped his hands in salute.
Li Changyan looked at Gu Yuanqing with a complicated expression. He was among the few who knew that Gu Yuanqing had slain someone at the Peak Profound Martial Ninth Layer the previous night.
"Having given Your Highness my word, I would naturally not go back on it. But I wouldn't dare claim to have saved you. Even if I hadn't acted, nothing would have happened to Your Highness." As he spoke, Gu Yuanqing glanced at a jade pendant hanging from Prince Qing's waist.
Prince Qing froze briefly, then smiled. "Truly, every generation brings forth new talents. To think even this failed to escape your notice. I killed rather too many people in my younger years, and His Majesty was uneasy about my leaving the capital alone. Before I departed, he lent me this jade pendant as a precaution. Still, this secret artifact does not share the same lineage as the cultivation method I practice, so using it would exact a greater price."
Li Changyan looked toward his grandfather's waist. Only now did even he learn that his grandfather truly carried a second Grandmaster Secret Artifact.
"As the War God of your generation, Your Highness naturally had every contingency covered before offering yourself as bait. My contribution merely added flowers to the brocade." Gu Yuanqing smiled faintly, then asked, "How did the battle below the mountain go last night?"
"Besides Xiahou Ming, the Crimson Dragon Cult Protector who attempted to assassinate me, the Crimson Dragon Cult sent six others. All were high-level True Martial cultivators, and one was also at the Profound Martial Ninth Layer.
"Among the six great sects, one elder at the True Martial Seventh Layer was brutally murdered, three high-level True Martial Cultivators were gravely wounded, and seven young True Martial Cultivators were killed.
"As for the Imperial Court, the Demon Suppression Division lost three Profound Tier Garrison Commanders, while two Earth Tier Garrison Commanders were gravely wounded. And the Imperial Guard Army..."
Prince Qing paused briefly before continuing in a heavy voice. "Chen Chuanshan, Deputy Commander of Divine Eagle Guard, fell in battle. Two lieutenants were killed, along with sixty-seven ordinary officers and soldiers!"
Gu Yuanqing's expression shifted slightly. "How were the casualties so heavy? Even General Chen..."
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