Everyone's gaze fell upon the sword before Tiangang Taoist. Under the sunlight, the blade of the Taihang Sword reflected a cold gleam. Jiang Yu, Venerable Yanshe, and the Twelve Heavenly Lodestar Assassins all felt a chill run through their hearts.
"The Taihang Sword? Dragon Arising Temple... Changsheng Taoist Priest!"
Upon hearing Tiangang Taoist's words, Jiang Yu's expression turned exceedingly grim.
Zong Tianwu had also seen the ten famous swords and recognized the Taihang Sword. After a moment of silence, he suddenly burst into laughter. "It seems we are not at the end of the road after all!"
Jiang Yu stared blankly at the Taihang Sword, rooted to the spot.
Ever since coming of age, he had rarely visited Jiang Changsheng. Their relationship had gradually drifted apart. Though he occasionally heard of Changsheng Taoist Priest's legendary feats, he felt they no longer belonged to the same world. He also did not wish to have too much contact with Changsheng Taoist Priest, lest he drag him into the whirlpool of political struggle.
He had never expected Changsheng Taoist Priest to intervene in this certain-death situation.
"Brother Changsheng..."
Once Jiang Yu relaxed, his legs went weak. He dropped to one knee, murmuring to himself as both hands tightly gripped the hilt of his saber.
Jiang Yu shouted furiously, "Changsheng Taoist Priest, why are you meddling in my affairs?"
Tiangang Taoist, Venerable Yanshe, and the others looked around, searching for Jiang Changsheng's figure, but they could not find him anywhere.
Just then, a fierce wind descended from the sky, shaking the forest for hundreds of yards around. Everyone looked up to see a figure dropping from above, rapidly descending until the tips of his feet landed upon the hilt of the Taihang Sword.
Tiangang Taoist did not evade. Only his left hand, which had been placed behind his waist, trembled slightly.
He looked up and met Jiang Changsheng's gaze.
Jiang Changsheng stood atop the Taihang Sword, looking down at Tiangang Taoist. His azure Daoist robe fluttered in the wind. He was like an immortal, lofty and remote, gazing down upon All Living Beings.
Tiangang Taoist could not see through Jiang Changsheng, but Jiang Changsheng's entrance alone made him feel as though he faced a formidable enemy.
Standing behind Tiangang Taoist, Jiang Yu shouted angrily, "Changsheng Taoist Priest, Dragon Arising Temple was personally designated by the late emperor, and you are my child's master. Are you going to defy me?"
He was panicking. According to his plan, he had intended to absorb Zong Tianwu first before dealing with Jiang Changsheng. Now that Jiang Changsheng had appeared ahead of time, his entire plan had been thrown into disarray.
Damn it!
This place was still a hundred miles from the capital. Jiang Yu had set up this killing trap early precisely because he feared Jiang Changsheng would discover it. Yet the thing he had worried about most, the thing he had considered least likely to happen, had still happened.
As expected!
Dragon Arising Temple harbored rebellious intentions!
Jiang Changsheng ignored Jiang Yu and stared at Tiangang Taoist with an indifferent gaze. "Over the years, Prince Qin sent me quite a few palace pastries. I have no choice but to repay this favor."
Pastries?
Jiang Yu and the others found it absurd. How could that possibly be true?
Jiang Yu said in a low voice, "Tiangang Taoist, are you confident you can take him down?"
Tiangang Taoist remained expressionless. After a moment of silence, he said, "No."
Those two words made Jiang Yu's heart sink to the bottom.
Venerable Yanshe said coldly, "Changsheng Taoist Priest, do you know what force you are interfering with? It is not merely the imperial authority of Great Jing. I advise you to hurry back to your Daoist temple, chant your scriptures, and eat your vegetarian meals properly!"
Jiang Changsheng raised his left hand, startling everyone into vigilance.
Whoosh—
A sword flew out from the depths of the forest. It was Gui Liu's sword. The blade sped forward at astonishing speed, and before Venerable Yanshe could react, it pierced through his shoulder, driving him back several steps.
Venerable Yanshe's eyes bulged in terror, his liver and gall nearly splitting apart. Fortunately, it had not struck a vital point.
"It was you!"
An assassin cried out in alarm, "On the day Hong Lie rebelled, you were the one who rescued the Crown Prince!"
As soon as those words were spoken, Jiang Yu's expression changed drastically.
He had suspected it before, but Jiang Changsheng had no reason to save the Crown Prince. Moreover, the personality displayed by that mysterious person had been completely unlike Jiang Changsheng's. But given the current situation...
Jiang Changsheng said, "Come at me together. Today, aside from the emperor, all of you must die. Only by joining forces will you have a sliver of hope."
If they came together, perhaps the survival reward would be greater!
The reason Jiang Changsheng had not instantly killed Tiangang Taoist upon appearing was for the sake of the survival reward.
As for why he had not acted when Jiang Yu and the other were in danger, it was because Zong Tianwu had been capable of handling things. Unfortunately, Zong Tianwu had been careless and was poisoned by a deadly toxin.
There was no emotion in his voice, yet everyone could sense the breath of death.
Tiangang Taoist raised his eyes again. His pupils turned golden, and his aura immediately sharpened. A terrifying gale rose beneath his feet, coiling around him like a tornado.
"Tian Shan Ji Que died by your hand. If I die today, may I be buried in Hero's Graveyard?" Tiangang Taoist stared fixedly at Jiang Changsheng and asked in a deep voice.
He had roamed the martial world for nearly a century, and his intuition was extraordinarily keen. He knew that he would likely perish in today's battle.
Jiang Changsheng said, "The foremost among Grandmasters deserves to enter Hero's Graveyard."
He held no contempt for Tiangang Taoist. Everyone had their own position and pursuit. The five Grandmasters' desire to restore Chu was their choice.
A faint smile appeared on Tiangang Taoist's face before he thrust out his right palm.
With one palm strike, heaven and earth changed color!
Golden light erupted, illuminating heaven and earth. An incomparably terrifying palm wind exploded forth. Venerable Yanshe, Zong Tianwu, and the Twelve Heavenly Lodestar Assassins were so shocked that they scattered to evade it. The dreadful palm wind tore open the earth, uprooted the forest, and swept dust into the sky, as though the apocalypse had arrived.
Yet Jiang Changsheng, who faced Tiangang Taoist directly, remained as unmoving as a mountain. Only his robes billowed wildly. His invisible spiritual power blocked the palm wind, tearing it apart into dozens of long dragons.
Tiangang Taoist's eyes widened, his forehead drenched in sweat.
He knew Jiang Changsheng was powerful, but he had never imagined that even after unleashing his ultimate technique, he would be unable to shake him in the slightest.
Jiang Yu was nearly scared to death as well. He had witnessed Tiangang Taoist's strength firsthand. When the Thirteen Heavenly Lodestar Assassins had joined forces, Tiangang Taoist had subdued them in less than five breaths. He was the foremost of the five Grandmasters, a true Martial Arts Grandmaster. Yet such an expert could not inflict even the slightest harm upon Changsheng Taoist Priest.
Jiang Changsheng raised his left hand and extended his index finger, pointing it diagonally at Tiangang Taoist's forehead from less than a meter away.
In an instant, Tiangang Taoist abruptly leaped away, distancing himself from Jiang Changsheng.
That left only Jiang Yu standing before Jiang Changsheng, directly facing Jiang Changsheng's index finger. The terrifying killing intent made his entire body turn ice-cold, and he could not move at all.
Thud!
Jiang Yu actually fell to his knees before Jiang Changsheng. His face was deathly pale and devoid of color, his eyes filled with terror and despair.
Jiang Changsheng withdrew his hand. "Why is Your Majesty kneeling? I said I would not kill you. I will only kill the others. They cannot escape, nor can they beg for mercy."
Jiang Yu trembled all over and lowered his noble head, his hands clenched tightly within his sleeves.
Tiangang Taoist tore away his mask of calm composure and shouted angrily, "Everyone, attack together! None of us can escape. We can only fight to the death!"
The Twelve Heavenly Lodestar Assassins and Venerable Yanshe were not fools. Jiang Changsheng's movement technique could absolutely catch up to them. If they fled, they would be facing him one on one.
They roared as they charged toward Jiang Changsheng. Tiangang Taoist did the same. Fourteen experts attacked Jiang Changsheng from different directions, and even the weakest among them was in the Heaven-reaching Realm.
Jiang Changsheng landed lightly, then pulled the Taihang Sword from the ground. His movements seemed slow, but that was only in comparison to himself. To everyone else, he seemed to have teleported to the ground before raising his sword.
"Do not disappoint me."
Jiang Changsheng's voice rang clearly in their ears. He swung his sword, its tip slanting toward the sky. In that instant, Sword Qi erupted like a mountain flood bursting through its banks, sweeping across heaven and earth in every direction with unstoppable force!
Jiang Yu and Zong Tianwu saw only that Jiang Changsheng had suddenly unleashed endless Sword Qi. Zong Tianwu immediately moved before Jiang Yu to shield him, only to discover in astonishment that the Sword Qi did not touch them.
Deafening roars came from every direction. The forest toppled, the mountains collapsed, and the ground was carved open by shocking fissures left by Sword Qi.
Three breaths later, the Sword Qi dissipated!
Within two miles, there was nothing but desolation. Every tree had been severed. Countless flowers, grass, and wood chips still danced through the air while dust billowed upward. Viewed from high above, it was like an enormous circle rising amid the mountains.
Tiangang Taoist, Venerable Yanshe, and the Twelve Heavenly Lodestar Assassins stood frozen in place, still maintaining their attacking stances. Blood began seeping from their bodies. All of them spat blood at once, then fell, without even letting out a single cry of agony.
All dead!
Jiang Yu and Zong Tianwu trembled from head to toe at the sight, unable to believe it.
Zong Tianwu, the former Martial Arts Supreme, felt as though his understanding of the world had shattered. How could such an expert exist in this world?
Jiang Changsheng sheathed his sword after lightly blowing away the grass fragments clinging to its blade.
He walked up to Jiang Yu and helped him to his feet.
Jiang Yu's entire body was stiff, his face covered in cold sweat. He was terrified beyond measure and did not even dare meet Jiang Changsheng's eyes. There was not the slightest trace of imperial bearing left in him.
Jiang Changsheng patted his dragon robe and smiled. "Today, Your Majesty came out for leisure, and all was calm and peaceful. It is time to return."
Not killing Jiang Yu was also for Jiang Ziyu's sake. If the emperor died, Great Jing would surely fall into chaos. Even if Jiang Ziyu were summoned back and supported as emperor, the various provinces would inevitably seize the chance to rebel. With Gu Han, the Jin Dynasty, and other surrounding dynasties ready to invade at any moment, Great Jing would be finished. Even if Jiang Changsheng personally acted and beheaded them one by one, reclaiming the realm and consolidating imperial authority would still take time. There were simply too many variables.
This realm was truly far too vast!
Now, Jiang Changsheng no longer regarded the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower as a threat. Even if Jiang Yu leaked the news and frantically called for reinforcements, he would merely be helping Jiang Changsheng prepare survival rewards.
Jiang Yu raised his head and forced out a smile. "The Daoist Priest is right. I... I should return to the palace..."
He turned and left, walking very slowly, afraid that Jiang Changsheng would change his mind. Looking around, the terrifying devastation in every direction made him shudder.
Only after walking for a long time did he dare circulate his True Qi and ride away on a dragon.
Jiang Changsheng looked toward Jiang Yu in the distance and said, "The Empress Dowager's tomb is at Dragon Arising Temple. You may come pay your respects."
He leaped into the air, rode his sword through the wind, and vanished beyond the horizon.
Zong Tianwu was utterly captivated by his bearing. He sighed with emotion, "Riding a sword through the wind... he truly transcends the mortal world."
Jiang Yu's expression was incomparably complicated. Even now, he had yet to recover from the shock.
Inside the Imperial Study.
Jiang Yu sat in his chair with disheveled hair and vacant eyes. The desk before him was piled with memorials scattered haphazardly about.
"What? The mysterious expert who took the Crown Prince away that day was Changsheng Taoist Priest? Even Tiangang Taoist and the Venerable died..."
Disaster Buddha's expression was exceedingly grim. He and Calamity Buddha were brothers, and he still wished to avenge his brother. Yet his enemy was so powerful that he felt immense pressure.
Jiang Yu did not answer him and remained in a daze.
Disaster Buddha took a deep breath. "Your Majesty, I will immediately go to the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower to request reinforcements!"
He turned to leave.
"Stop!"
Jiang Yu called out to him. Disaster Buddha halted and looked back at him in surprise.
"Do not go... do not go..."
Jiang Yu said, trembling all over, his voice filled with fear.
He understood clearly that if the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower came to help, it would be fine if they won. But if they lost, the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower could flee while he could not. He would surely die.
He did not dare gamble.
Jiang Changsheng was too strong. Jiang Yu seriously suspected that no one in the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower could deal with Jiang Changsheng at all.
He thought of Jiang Changsheng undergoing Thunder Tribulation, raising spirit serpents, and how the late emperor had endured for several more years after befriending him. Suddenly, he wondered whether Jiang Changsheng might be an immortal or god reincarnated.
Disaster Buddha stared at Jiang Yu in disbelief. "Your Majesty, are you simply going to endure this? After today's battle, he will surely look down upon imperial authority. As the Son of Heaven, are you willing to remain beneath him forever?"
"This is no longer something Your Majesty can decide. Dragon Arising Temple must be destroyed. This realm belongs to the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower!"
After throwing down those words, Disaster Buddha left in fury.
Jiang Yu wanted to speak but stopped himself. In the end, he did not rise. Today's battle still echoed through his mind.
Thank you to Purple Soul Lamp for the 1,500 Qidian Coin reward, and thank you all for your votes. The voting suddenly exploded~
Sob, sob. To answer some readers' comments, I was not deliberately cutting off the chapter. I simply wrote up to that point. This chapter was not cut off, right? QAQ
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