Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  On Dong Mountain. 

  In order to ensure the integrated ruthlessness of this strike, Sigu Jian had to pour all of his spirit into it. If he wanted to deal with the Flowing Cloud Ye Liuyun sent in his direction, he had to scatter his sword. If he didn’t do so, he could only attack an enemy that had to be saved. However, he could only diverge a sliver of spirit. The only person of the five people present that could be killed with a sliver of his spirit was the Qing Emperor, who had nothing but grandeur. 

  It had to be said that from the beginning of Sigu Jian’s strike, he had suppressed Ye Liuyun in manner and wisdom. At this moment, he gave Ye Liuyun a difficult problem and a surprise. 

  What surprised and angered Sigu Jian, and had made him uneasy and helpless, was that Ye Liuyun didn’t acknowledge the empty sword in Sigu Jian’s illusory grasp. That ball of Flowing Cloud continued to surge toward his face. 

  After the empty sword in his illusory grasp gave a weak splutter, it pierced through the wet stone pavements on the mountaintop and landed in the air. 

  That smudge of bright yellow, the dim eyes on the dragon robes, disappeared abruptly and strangely in front of the empty sword. ……

  On top of Dong Mountain, there were four Great Grandmasters and one monarch. Everything appeared very slow. In reality, it all happened within a second. Within this second, Sigu Jian had used the sword in his hand to tease Ye Liuyun’s cloud. He used his empty sword to stab toward the Qing Emperor. 

  On the other side of this second, another even more astonishing story was happening. 

  This story happened at the beginning of the second. 

  When Sigu Jian’s sword flew to within inches of the Emperor’s back, the Emperor had already sighed darkly. He then let go of Eunuch Hong’s old hand, which he had been holding this entire time as if not wishing to prevent this old man from getting the most enjoyment he could out of the last battle of his life. 

  At the same time, Northern Qi Imperial Advisor Ku He placed his hand with unflagging effort against old Eunuch Hong’s chest. This touch and press caused his thumb and index finger to spread apart slightly. Like a cool breeze brushing against a mountain, it was extremely soft and natural. Compared to the storm and lightning around them, it was completely different. After the breeze passed by, chaos sprung up from nowhere in the mountain. 

  Eunuch Hong calmly watched Ku He’s face. His hands were like a pair of dragon whips, twisting and changing. They climbed onto Ku He’s right arm but did not stop his touch. 

  With a splutter, Eunuch Hong’s chest completely split open. As Ku He knew the way of heaven, his touch contained the power of heaven and earth. His breastbone was like a piece of delicate tofu, neatly crushed and collapsed down. 

  Fresh blood sprayed out quickly from Eunuch Hong’s organs. With the collapse of his breastbone, the crazy spraying of his blood and leaking of his zhenqi, his life force flowed away quickly. There was still a faint smile and mockery in his old eyes, as well as a killing intent. 

  A sense of emptiness like an abyss came from the palm of his hand. Imperial Advisor Ku He’s pupils quickly constricted. 

  The oldest Great Grandmaster present, the uncle of Northern Qi’s first Emperor, once an astonishing Ascetic Monk of the Wei Kingdom, had gone through countless events. He had visited temples to pray for guidance and discussed martial arts with the world. His temperament was steady and natural. No one was comparable to him. However, with the four Great Grandmasters meeting at Dong Mountain, he had to newly evaluate his gains and losses and take his victory and defeats back into his hands. 

  The Tyrannical zhenqi that emanated earlier from the eunuch, who had hidden for a number of years in Qing Kingdom, had mixed up the dry wind around them. At the same time, the realm he secretly demonstrated was, without question, that of a proper Grandmaster. Thus, Imperial Advisor did not hold back. This second touch already contained the deep and unfathomable ultimate Tianyi Dao zhenqi that flowed through his body. 

  In a battle between Great Grandmasters, an astonishing change could happen at any moment or anywhere. When Ku He’s touch was imprinted onto Eunuch Hong’s chest, he didn’t show a glimmer of joy. 

  His first touch had already been forcefully bounced back by the Tyrannical zhenqi in Eunuch Hong’s body. Although this technique of circulation was overly dominating and could not last for long, Ku He believed that Eunuch Hong must have had a way to deal with his second touch. 

  Eunuch Hong did not block this touch, and his chest split open. The Tyrannical aura on the old eunuch’s body immediately disappeared without a trace to somewhere unknown. 

  Perhaps Ku He wouldn’t even be surprised if Eunuch Hong’s chest suddenly turned into a metal board or sprouted a second head. 

  It was this sight that Ku He found unbelievable. Where had the powerfully defensive Tyrannical zhenqi gone? The Great Grandmasters were still people and not gods. Even given his and Sigu Jian’s miraculous cultivation, it was still impossible to completely dissipate in an aura that had already reached the peak of humankind. 

  Just like a sphere filled with energy, how could it completely discharge in an instant? 

  Any transfer of power needed time. The shorter the time, the more terrifying the vibration during this process. 

  Regardless of whether it was Ku He, Sigu Jian, or Ye Liuyun, if they completely discharged the vital energies in their bodies in such a short time like Eunuch Hong, in the next moment, they would be unable to avoid the consequence of dying through bodily dissipation. 

  How? How could Eunuch Hong achieve this? Why did do this? 

  Ku He’s pupils constricted. A drop of rain stopped half an inch from his eyes and refracted the faint black light. 

  Unconsciously, he felt an unfamiliar sense of danger, the sense that death had arrived. In his long and slow journey through life, the last time Imperial Advisor Ku He sank into such a state of mind had been in the fifth year of the Qing calendar when he had reunited with that blind man. The danger he sensed presently was more so than before. 

  When these thoughts brushed through Ku He’s mind like a sky full of raindrops, his right hand had already shattered Hong Siyang’s breastbone. Like a hot knife through butter, he broke through that thin and old body, extending his hand through his back. The heart that had been shattered into five pieces shot out an arrow of blood in a terrifying way under the quiet curtain of rain. 

  Hong Siyang was already dead. No one could survive after their heart was shattered. His body bent forward. Unlike Sigu Jian’s god-like and dominating look when he ascended the mountain, he was like a pitiful dwarf hanging off of Ku He’s right hand. 

  Hong Siyang was not yet dead. Although his heart was shattered and breath was gone, the meridians in his body maintained the state they were in a moment before his death. All of his vital energy was struggling desperately to be released from the ends of his meridians into the surrounding nature. Although there was a deathly stillness like a black hole, he relied on some mysterious order with his body as a bridge for his meridians. Emptily it emanated, absorbed, and dimmed, including the arm in his body. 

  Imperial Advisor Ku He put all of his power into this touch. The copious zhenqi in his body seeped out of every pore in his body and from every inch of skin. Following Hong Ziyang, it moved against the tide and endlessly drained out with the price of his life as the secret technique. 

  Ku He’s eyes lit up, it was not understanding but a response. The drop of rain that was less than an inch from his eye continued to hover. He understood now that he had fallen into a trap. Dong Mountain itself was a setup. 

  Hong Siyang was not a Great Grandmaster. The Tyrannical qi he had emitted earlier on the summit had been borrowed. His realm had also been borrowed. Because it wasn’t his, that was why he was able to dissipate it without regard to his bodily spirit and at a level that mankind shouldn’t have. That was why he had appeared particularly ruthless. 

  Hong Siyang had long known he would die. 

  Someone wanted to use his death to absorb some of his zhenqi. However, his final touch, which depended on the mountain and water, had already sent out his vital energy. Gaps had already appeared in the protection around his body. 

  That person wanted to use this gap. 

  That person was the one who had raised their cultivation to a remarkable realm and demonstrated it through Hong Siyang. ……

  Sensing too late the change between the sword-obsessed idiot and Flowing Cloud, Imperial Advisor Ku He’s eyes became a little brighter, like the autumn moon, and appeared without any foreshadowing in the pond of clear water. 

  His favorite female disciple, Haitang, had the cleanest and most beautiful pair of eyes in the world. If they were compared to Ku He’s eyes right now, it would be like comparing the light of a firefly to the moon. 

  Ku He had the most sensitive response to the environment around him in the world. He was someone with the gentlest yet strongest personality. One could sense something of this during his journey between temples many years ago. 

  When he realized Eunuch Hong was a trap, his reaction happened. The situation changed quickly. If he didn’t act, there was no one else. 

  Perhaps it was only one-hundredths of a moment that he was slightly faster than the person who set this up had expected, but it was the difference between life and death. 

  Ku He’s eyes were as bright as the moon and as clean as an isolated star. He took a deep breath, which seemed about to suck in all the air on the mountaintop. The old man’s chest suddenly expanded upward. It appeared to grow two inches. 

  Following this breath, ultimate Tianyi Dao zhenqi in his body began to flow near his right arm. Following the natural breathing between heaven and earth, gently it left the draw of the aura emanating from Hong Siyang’s body. It began to use the quickest speed to return to its own meridians. Such a quick turnaround could only be demonstrated so naturally by Tianyi Dao’s calm techniques. 

  There was no difference between time and stillness. It was too late to do any movement controlled by muscles. However, the zhenqi that flowed through the body like mercury or light could faintly break through the control of time and complete their task. 

  The zhenqi flowed back. Eunuch Hong’s weak body dissolved into a blood fog, but it did not dissipate. 

  No one noticed that a finger had risen naturally on Ku He’s left hand, which hung by his side, and drawn a half circle in the air. It was a hand gesture that had never before appeared in this land. Following this gesture, the sky full of converged rain drops paused once more. The light aura mixed in with the wind and rain atop Dong Mountain. It sunk into gaps between the walls of the ancient temples and poured into his body at a remarkable speed. 

  The aura summoned by this strange hand gesture was weak but at a critical juncture. A stick of firewood and a drop of water were al precious existences in a battle between Grandmasters. 

  What exactly was this hand gesture that could absorb zhenqi from the empty air and between the temple’s eaves? 

  Magic practiced by the wizards far away across the ocean, yet it appeared in Imperial Advisor Ku He’s hands. 

  Ku He had finally used the biggest trick up his sleeve. He used a trick that was usually of no help. At this moment, it could help him quickly recover his vital energy. 

  He had not even used this magical weapon when he fought with Wu Zhu. At this moment, he demonstrated it without hesitation. 

  \r \r \r 

  In the split instant Eunuch Hong died and in the moment before the ball of blood fog had time to dissipate, a hand as white as jade reached out from the fog of blood. 

  This scene appeared unusually demonic. A jade-like pale and steady hand reached out from the bloody ball of fog. It was like a god hand had reached out from the afterlife and wanted to seek out life-forces in this world. 

  In the instant he sensed this hand, the light in Ku He’s eyes grew brighter. His first reaction was normal. This hand should belong to Ye Liuyun. But, Ye Liuyun’s hand could be so steady and mysterious. 

  Ku He was not afraid because the Tianyi Dao zhenqi in his body had already recovered. The faint vital energy from heaven and earth he had summoned through magical means had seeped into his meridians through the 36,000 pores. The zhenqi in his body had been filled to the top. He had already reached the extreme that humankind could tolerate. 

  If the other person wanted to use Eunuch Hong’s death to create a gap in his power, Ku He’s quick reaction and the magic hand gesture, which no one expected, should have perfectly filled in this gap. 

  Perhaps it was slightly overly perfect. 

  That pure white hand suddenly hid the light on its skin. It appeared even more terrifying as it remained absolutely unmoving in such a high-speed realm. With unbelievable steadiness and power, the hand passed with incredible speed through the fog of blood and dropped down. 

  In the process of passing through, the hand relaxed its four fingers, but its index finger perked up. The gentle but steadfast fingertip pricked through the drop of rain an inch in front of Ku He’s eyes and gently landed between his brows. It seemed like it would leave a bright red mark between his brows. 

  That drop of water shattered on impact and formed into a hollow right of water, there were beautiful ripples around the edges that were slowly expanding. 

  No red mark appeared between Ku He’s brows. On the contrary, it had become even brighter. The light in his eyes that Ku He was subduing was being sent to the space between his brows. 

  Ku He combined the ultimate Tianyi Dao zhenqi that he had exquisitely cultivated over dozens of years and the vital energy summoned through magic to converge between his brows, forcefully carrying the burden of this beautiful finger. 

  The slightly raised and steady index finger did not crash into the pure zhenqi that converged between his brows. It used a slow a gentle method to pour in. There was no ruthlessness, no killing method, and no natural aura. There were only the proper rules of humankind. 

  The way of the Emperor! 

  The tip of the finger lowered again and shot out with a whoosh, directly into Ku He’s chest. Although it was only movement from a finger, it made one faintly feel as if there were dragon and tigers walking. The one finger seemed to carry the respect of tens of thousands of generations of Emperors. 

  Ku He had already drawn back his right hand and stuck out his thumb with a solemn expression. Remarkably, it went forward to meet the index finger and gave out a muffled splutter. The index finger came down again and pierced right into Ku He’s abdomen. 

  Ku He lowered his eyes. His hemp clothing swayed slightly. Flattening his fingers into a palm, his right palm trickled down like a narrow stream following the topography of the mountain. It naturally drooped down and blocked the finger in front of his abdomen. 

  All this happened naturally and inevitably. 

  Ku He’s body began to tremble violently. A spot of red appeared in the center of his palms like a heated brand, spluttering. 

  The steady hand only used three fingers. These three fingers were not to kill, destroy, or resist. Rather, it was to show respect, properly and without any intention of ambush. The manner of being an Emperor was contained within these three fingers. The way of the Emperor was demonstrated with nothing remaining. 

  Lightning once again rang out in the sky. 

  Ku He’s body was like a kite with a broken string. Decrepitly and weakly, he drifted into the distance, toward the large tree beside the stone path on Dong Mountain. He sat cross-legged and sighed. 

  Ku He knew he had been wrong from the very beginning. His most fatal mistake had happened before the three fingers. After he sensed Hong Siyang’s trap, his reaction had been too quick and the magic too abundant. He had raised his cultivation to an overly perfect realm. 

  At that moment, Imperial Advisor Ku He was like a large tree that had reached through the clouds, stretching to mankind’s highest places. He was like a lake of autumn water, a majestic power. 

  That person had only used three fingers to pour about half of the zhenqi in his body into Ku He’s body. 

  Having endured the way of the Emperor by pouring Tyrannical qi into him in such a short time, it was as if another giant tree had been placed on top of the large tree that reached through the clouds. It was like the heavens had suddenly toppled over half a lake’s worth of water into the already full lake. 

  Water overflowed as the banks of the lake failed. 

  The tree branches also broke with a crack. 

  When compared to a mortal, a Great Grandmaster’s state of mind and power were close to a god. Ku He was known as the person closest to being a god in this world. Great Grandmasters still had their own weaknesses. 

  Their weakness was their own fleshy bodies. There was always a limit to the meridians inside the body and how much a body could endure. 

  Ku He was forced through the limits by the zhenqi poured into him by the three fingers. The meridians inside his body and his physical body had been irreparably damaged. 

  Sitting cross-legged below the tree and feeling the skin on his body expanding, Imperial Advisor Ku He still had an important question in his heart. How could that person, the master of that, spit out so much zhenqi in such a short time. This was a speed that one’s meridian could not endure. 

  However, everything should already be over. ……

  When Hong Siyang dissolved into a fog of blood, the empty sword Sigu Jian held in his left hand had just stabbed forward and struck empty air. Ye Liuyun had no choice but to react to his attack, but he didn’t move. 

  That ball of Flowing Cloud had already enveloped Sigu Jian’s face. 

  Sigu Jian trembled with rage and gave a ruthless roar. Lowering his head, his right wrist twisted. The sword pressed toward Ye Liuyun’s abdomen. 

  The illusory sword in his left hand struck empty air. He immediately lowered his head. A glimmer of weakness finally appeared in the ruthless and integrated sword power. He had no choice but to dodge because he knew that the situation had changed. He had to survive. 

  Sigu Jian survived, but the flesh and blood on half of his face had been shattered by Ye Liuyun’s Sanzhou slap. 

  Ye Liuyun also survived. He coldly lowered his head and clenched his left hand, tightly holding onto that sword. He only allowed the sword to enter an inch into his abdomen. 

  Things had not ended. 

  Ye Liuyun’s Sanshou attack had not ended. Confidently and easily, it chopped down and landed with a crash on Sigu Jian’s shoulder. The five fingers were like a dragon’s claw as they stretched out viciously from the clouds and sank their tips into flesh and bone. 

  It was as if Sigu Jian could not feel pain. He pulled back his left hand and, with a slapping sound, struck it on his own wrist. 

  The sword sank another inch into Ye Liuyun’s abdomen. Then, the tip of the sword glowed with light and was shattered into pieces by the powerful force of the sword, blooming into a beautiful flower. 

  This was a terrifying sword. Although it had run into many unexpected problems along the way, in the end, it still successfully heavily injured Ye Liuyun through the ruthlessness it had from the beginning. 

  At this time, that ball of blood fog dissipated. 

  A bright yellow figure appeared from behind that fog of blood. It was like it contained the countless people’s blood each Emperor had spilled to build their foundation that lasted through generations. 

  The bright yellow figure appeared in front of Ye Liuyun and Sigu Jian and punched out with a fist. 

  There weren’t any frills or tricks. It was a simple and clear punch. 

  There was no one in the world who was able to strike out with such a simple and clear punch, properly and openly, making it so that it was impossible for people to dodge or want to dodge. 

  First, there was a tearing sound. The body received a powerful zhenqi attack. Sigu Jian’s right arm, which was held in place by Ye Liuyun’s dragon claws, was torn apart. 

  Immediately following this was a muffled sound like that of the ancient temple’s copper bells. A complicated emotion flashed through Sigu Jian’s eyes. Looking at the bright yellow figure in front, his entire body was sent flying out. 

  Wearing that expression, Sigu Jian flew out with his broken arm and crashed directly into the wooden door of Qing Temple on Dong Mountain. The powerful force broke countless structures within the temple. Like a large rock, he shattered everything that came into contact with his body. In the end, he crashed into the large bell inside a little ancestral hall deep within the ancient temple, making a buzzing sound. 

  Right across from the ancient temple, below the large tree by the stone path, Ku He watched this sight with a perplexed expression. Sitting cross-legged, it was as if he was drawn by the sound of the clock. Something in his body suddenly exploded. He abruptly expanded and then immediately shrunk. Blood seeped out of his eyes and ears. 

  The large tree behind Ku He’s body fell with a boom and shattered into powder. All the stone within a 15-meter radius had been pressed and twisted into three-dimensional shapes by the zhenqi that exploded out of his body. Sinisterly or sorrowfully, they raised their pointy corners to welcome the rain that the heavens finally bestowed. 

  Most of the structures inside the old temple had turned into useless walls. The myths that had been painted with colorful pain had become powdered things of the past. The moss-covered pond was missing a large piece. The rainwater collected inside and flowed out, mixing into the mud. A few white cranes were scared by the sound and shrunk timidly behind the pond. A yellow cloth landed on the ground, covering Sigu Jian’s body, which lay on the ground at the end of the miserable channel. One could only hear his very weak voice coming from under the yellow cloth as he mournfully cursed at something. His weak voice was soon completely covered by the sound of the bell above him. 

  The buzzing of the clock rang out through the entire summit of Dong Mountain. 

  Hurricanes by the seaside came quickly and also left quickly, just like the changes in the world and Emperors’ joy and rage. Earlier, there was still a downpour and wild winds. Now, the wind had reduced and the rain had stopped. Suddenly, an opening appeared between the dark clouds in the sky, revealing the gentle porcelain blue behind the clouds. 

  A glimmer of sunlight shone through clearly and landed on the figure in bright yellow clothing standing beside the Dong Mountain precipice, lighting up his face clearly. 

  The Qing Emperor’s face was pale white as he stood where he was. All four of his limbs were trembling. Half of the Tyrannical zhenqi in his body had been poured into Ku He’s body. The last punch had squeezed out his last drop of energy. He was completely exhausted. 

  Under the faint sunlight, the most powerful monarch in the world had his dragon robe soaked by the rain. His hair was disheveled and lay weakly across his forehead. The calmness in his eyes contained countless inexplicable emotions. 

  He had never been so pathetic looking in his life. He had never been so powerful in his life.

  Chapter 569: Entering The Sea Like A Waterfall, The Sun Rising Like A Mountain

  Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  By the sea, on Dong Mountain, the umpteenth hurricane of the seventh year of the Qing calendar came to an end quietly and without fanfare. In the near future, this hurricane would bring much needed and difficult to attain rainwater to the wide expanse of Qing Kingdom, which was already showing signs of a small drought. Furthermore, it had been very gentle and not caused any major disasters. 

  At this time, after the hurricane passed over the ancient temples and old eaves on the mountaintop, the walls were ruined. Shattered tiles lined the ground. Mud flew wildly. The sight was too tragic to bear. The rain scoured the mountain and then flowed down it, creating pure white waterfalls on the jade-like precipices. 

  There was occasionally a streak of blood red in the waterfalls, while the mountaintop gradually became cleaner. No whiff of the stench of blood remained. Was this scene created by the might of heaven or from the Grandmasters’ astonishing battle? 

  In reality, it was the might of heaven. The dome above Dong Mountain was slowly revealing its true appearance. The thick, black clouds were blown by powerful winds and moved at a speed observable to the naked eye as they headed west inland. A patch of bright and clear sunlight descended onto the mountaintop and onto the bodies of the most powerful warriors standing by the precipice. 

  He was the most powerful person in the world, bar none. 

  No one called him by his name because he was the Emperor of Qing Kingdom, the most powerful country in the world. He was once a general who had led three expeditions to the North and forcefully shattered the Wei Kingdom, a general that completely changed the shape of territories. He was skilled in using monarchical schemes. He was the best at silently enduring, and he was the toughest conspirator. 

  These three identities were enough to title him as the most powerful in the world. Yet, at the very end of the Dong Mountain attack, it exposed his last identity. 

  The most mysterious of the four Great Grandmasters. The strange creature that was rumored to tirelessly guard the Qing Palace. The Great Grandmaster that had forced Sigu Jian to retreat through Tyrannical power when he had entered Jingdou alone and, thus, indirectly proved his existence. 

  It was the Emperor of Qing Kingdom. 

  This was the Emperor’s final trump card. Fan Xian had once wondered on what basis was the Emperor’s powerful self-confidence and naturally flowing presence built on? Many people had guessed at the Emperor’s trump card. In the last moment, Fan Xian had guessed the Ye family. He would never have guessed that the words “Grandmaster” would be written on the back of this trump card. ……

  Hong Siyang was only a cover. He was a flagpole the Royal Palace had extended from the back. Fluttering gently in the wind at night, it drew the gazes of all the wise men. Without question, the old eunuch was indeed a powerful warrior of this world. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to kill the Hu assassin with one strike in the Hanging Temple. However, it was difficult for a not-whole person to reach the peak of the heavenly way. 

  For the sake of killing Ku He and Sigu Jian in one go, the Qing Emperor and Eunuch Hong had worked hard and been careful about this huge setup. They had played their roles for a full 20 years. 

  At this time, Eunuch Hong had already gloriously completed his mission of 20 years and dissolved into a fog of blood, rinsed by the storm and cleansed by the breeze. He entered the East Sea through the white waterfall and the moist air of the woods, and soothed the earth. His life force, flesh, and blood had melded with the beautiful water and lands of Qing Kingdom, impossible to separate again. 

  Watching the middle-aged man in the bright-yellow dragon robe, the people who had, fortunately, survived all sank into an endless and boundless shock. Everyone’s throat seemed to be squeezed by an invisible hand, unable to make a single sound. 

  Without question, the truth that was revealed today on the summit of Dong Mountain was the most astonishing and earth-shattering news since the sudden death of the mistress of the Ye family 20 years ago. 

  The buzzing of the clock in the rubble of the ancient temple gradually grew weaker and eventually fell silent. 

  Beside the large tree, which had shattered into countless wooden shards, the Northern Qi Imperial Advisor Ku He, in his torn hemp clothing, calmly watched the Qing Emperor standing beside the precipice with a clear light shining through his eyes. The ruthless Tyrannical zhenqi in his body finally calmed as the clock fell silent. He knew that his internal organs and 13 meridians had already been turned into a formless mass by this wave of zhenqi. 

  Not even a temple could save him. 

  Understanding the reality, he immediately accepted it. The dignity and state of mind of a Great Grandmaster made Imperial Advisor Ku He’s expression calm. He looked at the Qing Emperor and gently sighed. His eyes had already seen through everything clearly. Everyone had failed. They were defeated by the opponent’s 20 years of endurance and pretense. 

  This was a terrifying yet respectful opponent. To be able to endure silently for so long and not have a single person catch wind of it, Ku He felt that this was even more admirable than the shocking truth of the Qing Emperor being a Great Grandmaster. 

  Ku He involuntarily thought of the many conversations he had with the empress dowager and Emperor before he left Shangjing. At that time, that grandson of his had received some inauspicious signs. However, Ku He still came because he and Sigu Jian had made abundant preparations. 

  These two Great Grandmasters had not expected for the Emperor to attack. 

  “Clever calculations and intrigues bring nothing but one’s own doom……” Ku He sighed gently. The smile that acknowledged his fate rose to his face. He involuntarily and quietly said the words that Fan Xian had recorded in a book. When it came to tenacity and silent endurance, no one of the tens of thousands of people in this world could compare to the Qing Emperor. Imperial Advisor Ku He felt no regret losing to such an opponent, even though he felt a sliver of worry for his homeland. ……

  Just as the Emperor was going to attack, Wu Zhu grasped the metal drill tightly in his and immediately released it. He did this three times until he finally let go of the metal drill and placed his hands behind his back. The black cloth on his face fluttered in the wind and rain as they blew across his face. During the battle, everyone on the summit knelt on the ground and used the trembling of their bodies to express their fear and respect. Only he stood woodenly, watching it all with cold eyes. 

  Ku He sat by the tree. Sigu Jian sounded the bell. Wu Zhu turned his head slightly. The corner of his lips twitched slightly and involuntarily on his usually emotionless face. 

  The truth of the Emperor being a Great Grandmaster would bring great shock to the entire world. Wu Zhu still only tilted his head slightly and calmly watched the Emperor through the layer of black cloth as if he was looking at a strange object. He did not look at him like the sun in the sky. 

  In this instant, Wu Zhu seemed to remember something but then forgot it immediately. With great rareness, his brows furrowed. He remembered something Chen Pingping had once said. After the assassination at the Hanging temple, Chen Pingping had smiled and said that he was going to have Wu Zhu watch a show, but it hadn’t happened in the end. 

  What show? A show where the Emperor turned into a Great Grandmaster? It looked like old cripple closets to the Emperor still managed to guess the secret that no one else in the world knew. But, why did he want Wu Zhu to watch this show? 

  Wu Zhu began to think. He had many things he wanted to ask the Emperor, but he didn’t know where to start. With a multitude of loose ends, he couldn’t pull out that one thread. Furthermore, Dong Mountain right now was not truly quiet. Although Ku He and Sigu Jian had received heavy injuries, they were not dead. Given the Emperor’s personality, since he had shown his last trump card, he would not overlook anything. 

  Wu Zhu cut off his thoughts and quietly took a step forward. 

  His one step made everyone present feel a glimmer of fear and terror. Although no one knew who this black-clothed mysterious figure was, the attitude of the Great Grandmasters earlier already demonstrated that he was an ace at the level of a Grandmaster. Under the present situation, if he exploded into action, then all four Great Grandmasters, including the Emperor, would probably fall into the bloody puddles. 

  Wu Zhu did not attack. He only looked at the Emperor calmly. 

  The true movement came from deep inside the ancient temple. In extreme ruins, the piece of yellow cloth that covered Sigu Jian suddenly moved as if someone was trying to stand up under it. 

  With one arm broken and his body struck by a powerful punch, could Sigu Jian stand up again? Was a Great Grandmaster’s body truly behind the bounds of a mortal person? 

  The Emperor’s eyes narrowed as he looked in that direction. Everyone followed the Emperor’s gaze. Ku He was not an exception. However, this Imperial Advisor only smiled tartly. 

  Someone tore the yellow cloth away with force. A blood-covered young man crawled out from underneath. As he coughed, he tore the yellow cloth into strips. His face was weighed down with an unswerving persistence. Although the cloth was full of blood, he didn’t show a glimmer of panic. He coughed endlessly, but he didn’t stop the movement of his hands. 

  All these eyes on Dong Mountain watched him, particularly the powerful figure who far surpassed the mortal realm. It was as if he couldn’t feel it at all. He only continued his actions with his head down. He wasn’t Sigu Jian. He was Sigu Jian’s last disciple, Thirteenth Wang. 

  Once Thirteenth Wang had decided on something, he went and did it. He never cared about what others thought or how they would obstruct him. Although he was a disciple of the Sword Hut, he listened to Fan Xian’s orders. He resisted the rebel soldiers at the mountain gate. Ye Liuyun had sent him flying out dozens of meters with one strike, yet he still bravely climbed to the summit. 

  He had been getting ready to finish his task when he saw his teacher get his right arm broken and struck to the ground. 

  Thus, he had stood up, torn apart the yellow cloth, and had placed his heavily injured teacher with a broken arm onto his back, securing him tightly with the strips of cloth. With a snap, his right hand chopped through a thin beam lying on the ground. He gripped it in his hand. Walking to the door of the ancient temple, he faced everyone on the summit. 

  Sigu Jian lay on his disciple’s body. There was already a miserable hole in this chest that was bloody and dripping. It landed on Thirteenth Wang’s body and then immediately fell to the ground. 

  There was a ruthless smile on his face, but the smile was very pleased. He was on the back of his favorite disciple. 

  The blood-covered Thirteenth Wang carried his blood-covered teacher on his back. The yellow strips of cloth were immediately dyed a bright red. He held the slender wooden beam in his hands. There was not a glimmer of fear on his face. He only stared ruthlessly through the yellow-robed middle-aged man. 

  His meaning was clear. He was going to carry Sigu Jian off the mountain, who was going to stop him? ……

  In the mouths of later storytellers, the earth-shattering and future-affecting killing scenario on Dong Mountain was filled with many crafty changes ad killings. Those involved in this matter were all the most respected people in the world. The telling of the story was particularly exciting and stimulating. Each time, it would take more than three days and nights to finish it. 

  What was said during these three days and three nights was basically the events of a single second. Within this second, the Qing Emperor abruptly attacked. Ye Liuyun was heavily injured. Ku He and Sigu Jian were sentenced to death. 

  All of the storytellers forgot a relatively small player: Thirteenth Wang. It was because they didn’t know the truth of the ending on Dong Mountain and, at that time, Thirteenth Wang was an unremarkable person when compared to the Great Grandmasters. 

  Although the Qing Emperor had burned through a great deal of his essence and vital energy, given his Great Grandmaster realm, it would be the work of a moment if he wanted to kill Thirteenth Wang. 

  Thirteenth Wang, this small fry, was still not fearful. He stared viciously into the Qing Emperor’s eyes as he gripped the slender beam tightly in his hands. It was as if in the next moment, he was going to give the Emperor a beating with the wooden stick he had casually picked up. 

  Ye Liuyun, with a large wound in his abdomen, was sitting cross-legged not far from the Qing Emperor’s side circulating his power to heal himself. Looking at this scene, he couldn’t help a small smile of admiration from appearing at the corner of his lips. He sighed, “What an incredible young man.” 

  \r \r \r 

  Sitting cross-legged below the remains of the tree, Ku He’s bitter smile also gradually became bright. Perhaps he was also thinking of his true final disciple, the one whose temperament was equal to nature, Haitang Duoduo. With a slight smile and an admiring sigh, he said, “Each generation there are talented people born. The change in natural law describes this.” 

  The Qing Emperor watched this unfamiliar young man calmly. A moment later, he smiled slightly. Then, he gently moved one step to the side, making way for Thirteenth Wang carrying Sigu Jian on his back. With his dignity as an Emperor and position as a Grandmaster, he actually made way for Thirteenth Wang. 

  On his dying breath, Sigu Jian opened his eyes with difficulty and glanced at the Emperor. A few bloody bubbles seeped out of his mouth. His wild violence could still be heard in his weak voice, “What do you think of my disciple?” 

  “Teacher, don’t speak anymore.” 

  Thirteenth Wang spoke coaxingly to his teacher like he was a child. After the Qing Emperor unexpectedly made way for him, he didn’t choose to immediately go down the mountain. Instead, in front of everyone’s astonished gaze, he walked up to the Qing Emperor and lowered his body to pick up something. He picked it up so naturally it was as if the Qing Emperor, with his ten thousand fathoms of radiance today, didn’t even exist. 

  What he picked up were Sigu Jian’s broken right arm and the normal sword. 

  With Sigu Jian on his back, the broken arm and sword in one hand, and the slender beam in the place of his usual green banner in his other hand, Thirteenth Wang disappeared on Dong Mountain’s stone path. 

  A moment later, there came the faint sound of Sigu Jian’s wild singing and crying, as well as a maniacal and sorrowful laugh. It echoed in the mountain and didn’t fade for a long time. ……

  The Emperor could kill Thirteenth Wang, but he didn’t. This was not because he cherished talent. He knew of the connection between this young man and An Zhi. Sigu Jian’s cried and laughed because he knew this. In his last moments, the Grandmaster still wanted to see whether or not the Emperor would make a mistake. 

  The Emperor didn’t make a mistake. There was no need for him to destroy Dongyi’s future early and cause himself to be distanced from Qing Kingdom’s future. Although Thirteenth Wang’s persistence moved him slightly, he still did not think much about this young man. 

  He still had his old, wild confidence. After today, there would be no one who didn’t respect this kind of confidence. 

  The Emperor knew that Sigu Jian was dead for sure. He knew what kind of damage the full powered punch from the way of the Emperor would do. Even if Sigu Jian could extend his life slightly, what did a bed-ridden, heavily injured Great Grandmaster with one arm count for? 

  Of course, this was still not enough to explain why he would make way given his personality. When it came to his enemies, he always took the best opportunity to get rid of them completely. Fan Xian was not the real reason for his action. 

  The true reason the Emperor didn’t attack was because Wu Zhu had taken a step forward. ……

  Sigu Jian was gone. Ku He was also gone. The Northern Qi’s Imperial Advisor had floated away to his own homeland, painfully awaiting the torture of his last few days. Four Great Grandmasters in the world. After this, two were gone. Finally, an earth-shattering change had happened to the difference in power between the three sides. The greatest obstacle to Qing Kingdom uniting the world no longer existed. 

  It was not until Ku He had also left the summit of Dong Mountain did Wu Zhu slowly take back his step—his silent threat. 

  The only person who dared to threaten the Qing Emperor and the world was Wu Zhu. 

  The Qing Emperor looked at him calmly and said, “Lao Wu, I need an explanation from you.” 

  In front of Wu Zhu, the Emperor referred to him as “Lao Wu” and did not refer to himself by his royal pronoun. 

  Wu Zhu slowly lowered his head and said, a moment later, “I don’t like it.” 

  This blind Grandmaster had been recovering on the summit of Dong Mountain for over a year. It seemed that he had remembered some things. He was talking more and more, and his expressions were becoming more and more varied. He was becoming like a normal person and beginning to have emotions that a normal person should have, such as likes and dislikes. 

  The expression of his emotions were rather extreme and did not match the indifferent present on his face. He disliked what he disliked. He cared nothing for the toils to unite the world. He cared nothing for the fact he had spent 20 years to create an astonishingly large setup. If he didn’t like it, it shouldn’t be done. 

  “The young master told me to protect your safety.” Wu Zhu raised his head and looked at the Emperor through the black cloth. “You are safe right now.” 

  It had been a few days since he referred to Fan Xian as young master. 

  The Qing Emperor’s expression was calm. There was not a trace of anger. He knew that when Lao Wu and Ye Qingmei had been in Dongyi, they had a past friendship with Sigu Jian. As for Ku He, he also knew that the young lady of the Fan family was still under his tutelage. 

  However, those two Great Grandmasters were useless and about to die. The Emperor was not worried about anything. He looked calmly at Wu Zhu and said, “Lao Wu, come back to the capital with me.” 

  Wu Zhu lowered his head and thought for a while. A moment later, he raised his head and said, “I have remembered some things, but I didn’t remember that the person was you.” 

  That person was the man who had once practiced the two scrolls of Unnamed Martial Secrets. When Fan Xian was small, Wu Zhu had once told him of this, but he didn’t remember who had once practiced it. It was only today that he remembered it was the Emperor of Qing Kingdom. 

  The black cloth on Wu Zhu’s face appeared particularly stiff. “Goodbye.” 

  This was said to the cross-legged and healing Ye Liuyun. After saying this, he held the metal drill at his side and calmly walked toward the stone steps to begin his descent down the mountain. He didn’t say a single extra word to the Emperor. He didn’t make a sign of farewell to the ancient temple he had lived in for more than a year before once again disappearing on the stone steps. ……

  Everyone had left. Only the Emperor stood at the summit. Ku He and Sigu Jian were certain to die. His plan of many years had been realized. His great ambition of uniting the world could begin. However, there was not much joy on the Emperor’s face. He only stood there quietly, welcoming the sun in the sky and the slightly damp sea wind. He appeared somewhat isolated and lonely. 

  It was lonely to be at the top. Presently, it would be difficult to find someone in the world who could stand on equal footing with him. Regardless of who they were, they would feel some strange emotions at this moment. 

  This kind of emotion did not last for long. 

  Many people had survived on the mountaintop. Most of the officials who had come along for the worship had survived, as well as most of the Qing Temple priests. Although the Grandmasters battle was unspeakably profound, they had controlled it within a perfect boundary with unusual force, except for the final punch that shattered the temple. 

  It was only now that the people on the mountaintop shook off their shock. Even though their eyesight was not powerful enough to see what had happened in that instant, they at least knew one thing. The Emperor had won. Furthermore, the victory had been absolute. No matter the conspiracy, no one could stand against the Emperor’s might. The Qing Kingdom’s future would, without doubt, be like the red sun in the sky above the summit, never sinking. 

  Their faces were covered with tears and a wild joy. They knelt on the ground and saluted the Emperor. 

  Amidst the cheering, the Emperor stayed calm. His expression did not change at all. To Eunuch Yao standing right beside him, he said in a quiet voice, “Inform the foot of the mountain. Begin the attack.” 

  “Inform the Director and begin moving.” 

  “Yes.” 

  “Send a secret edict toward Yanjing and have Mei Zhili temporarily handle the political affairs. The Western camp is pressing toward the Song boundary, so have the general secretly take the earlier edict to the Northern Expedition Camp in Cangzhou to take over the Northern Expedition Army.” 

  “Yes.” 

  “Tell Xue Qing to choose a few capable officials and go to Luozhou…… Tell him, I will wait for him in He Yongzhi’s manor.” 

  “Yes.” 

  The Emperor did not let the victory go to his head. He coolly gave order after order. The news for Chen Pingping had to get there the earliest. He had to control the Northern Expedition Army. As for Dongshan Road…… 

  Eunuch Hao acknowledged everything with his head down while his heart felt chilled. It was impossible that Dongshan Road did not know of such a wicked thing as surrounding Dong Mountain. Governor He had probably long since joined the Eldest Princess’s side. 

  It looked like the first Governor to die by violence since the inception of Qing Kingdom would be He Yongzhi. The Emperor would probably purge the entirety of Dongshan Road. No wonder the Emperor wanted Xue Qing to send capable officials all the way from Jiangnan. 

  After laying out all of this with great steadiness and reason, the Qing Emperor finally let out a slow breath and smiled self-mockingly as he shook his head. He approached Ye Liuyun and respectfully bowed, “You’ve worked hard, Uncle Liuyun.” 

  Without waiting for Ye Liuyun to return the bow, he had already straightened his body. He gazed in a daze at the ground that had been washed clean. Hong Siyang had died there, yet there was not a single trace left behind. For a higher purpose, countless people would voluntarily or otherwise sacrifice their own lives. 

  Eunuch Hong was worthy of the Qing Emperor’s bow. 

  The scene was a sorry sight. There were many things the internal court had to prepare. Eunuch Yao led the still soft-legged officials into a side room still standing and moved out some things. He then began to write and stamp. The Emperor’s royal seal had already been taken by Sir Fan junior, but the Emperor still had his personal seal. Since they were secret edicts, the personal seal was even more effective. 

  After the initial wash down from the storm, Dong Mountain welcomed a clear day. A few white pigeons cooed and flew away from the mountaintop. They made a few circles in the cerulean sky and then flew away in all directions. The news they carried was not that of the receding floods or orders for peace. They were delivering the will of a powerful monarch. 

  The flat summit of Dong Mountain had been quiet until now. Abruptly, there came a giant boom. It didn’t shake up any sand and rocks. It shook up some water and flowers. In the center of the summit, the ground sank down nine meters as if a god had struck there with a hammer. 

  The true effect of the Great Grandmasters battle only revealed its scary and terrifying nature now. The exchange of powers and vital energy formed through pressure had seeped into the heaven and earth and clashed head-on with nature, changing the shape of the earth. 

  The Emperor did not look at the massive crater. He only raised his head and looked at the white pigeons dancing in the sky as they flew further and further. His face was calm and incomparably confident.