A layer of divine light seemed to envelop Jiang He's face, making him appear somewhat ethereal at first glance. Once the light dissipated, his true appearance as the Sword God was revealed.

A fair and flawless face, with distinctly chiseled features that exuded a cold handsomeness. His dark, deep eyes sparkled with a captivating luster, and his hair, as black as jade, cascaded down, emitting a faint sheen.

A beautiful man, undeniably a beautiful man!

Chen Yuan had seen many handsome individuals, such as Zhang Xuan and Ye Chenbai, but they were only on par with Chen Yuan himself. Yet, even they, and even himself, fell slightly short of Jiang He's appearance.

Coupled with Ye Chenbai's description of Jiang He's legendary life, it was a quintessential protagonist template...

Gu Chun, who had previously believed that he could easily defeat Chen Yuan even if the latter resorted to some tricks, instantly froze upon seeing Jiang He.

Clearly, he was extremely wary of him.

This was perfectly normal. Facing a legendary figure, a strongman ranked seventeenth on the Wind and Cloud List, anyone would be cautious.

This was the terrifying disparity brought about by power and influence.

The Wind and Cloud List consisted of one hundred and eight individuals. Every single one of them was a top expert of the era. It seemed like a lot, but if the scope was broadened to include the thirteen states of the Great Jin Dynasty, plus Japan...

Distributed among them, each state would only have a handful of them.

Take the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, for example. Although it was a top force in Qingzhou, only Sect Master Xiao Yun Sheng was strong enough to be on the Wind and Cloud List. As for Gu Chun himself,

He was still a bit short of being ranked on the Wind and Cloud List.

"Envoy Jiang."

Even the arrogant Gu Chun dared not put on much of a show in front of Jiang He. He lacked the nonchalant and all-knowing demeanor he had displayed when facing Chen Yuan.

He never expected that the renowned Sword God would actually stand up for a mere Transcendent Realm Inspector.

What was he trying to do?

Target the Azure Cloud Sword Sect?

Jiang He glanced at Gu Chun, ignoring him completely. He frowned slightly as he looked at the dark clouds covering several miles in the void. He gently raised his right arm,

Extended a sword finger, and instantly, a wisp of sword energy as fine as catkins rose from his palm. Then, the sword energy moved in the wind, and surging yuan qi began to gather.

He uttered a single word: "Open!"

Immediately, the sword energy soared, shooting straight into the sky. The terrifying sword energy instantly grew to a hundred zhang in size, cleaving through the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky with a single strike, and bright light once again shone upon the earth.

A single sword to open the heavens!

Gu Chun gritted his teeth, his face ashen, glaring at Jiang He.

Although he hadn't said a word to him, the meaning was very clear. He had arrived with dark clouds, covering the sky and the earth, and the other party had opened the sky with a single sword.

What did it signify?

Chen Yuan, he was protecting him!

Taking a deep breath, Chen Yuan looked at Jiang He, who could change the color of the sky and earth with a mere gesture, and couldn't help but sigh. He was showing off his skills to the extreme!

He was fully displaying the demeanor of a master.

This was a true Sword Immortal figure.

Powerful!

This was the most important thought Chen Yuan had. As expected, the essence of this world was that the strong were respected. In the face of absolute power, everything else was futile.

Gu Chun could remain calm and even playful in front of Chen Yuan, but as soon as Jiang He appeared, the situation immediately reversed. Gu Chun didn't even dare to fart.

"What is the meaning of this, Envoy Jiang..." Gu Chun took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, trying to appear calm.

But it always had a somewhat discordant feeling because the transformation of his attitude was too dramatic. If it were anyone else here, Gu Chun would never act like this.

Even if he was seriously injured, he would still fight.

But....

The person in front of him was Jiang He!

He was a pure ruthless person who had fought his way up from weakness. His personality was decisive, and he dared to exterminate all the Jianghu forces in a prefecture with a single move, without caring about the impact.

Anyone who dared to jump out and block him had fallen under his sword.

Once, a top sect in a neighboring state had a feud with Jiang He, and they showed each other their killing intent. On that day, Jiang He went to the other party's mountain gate with his sword alone.

He wiped out most of the disciples, and several Core Realm grandmasters fell.

If it hadn't been for an Ascendant Realm ancestor awakening at the end, that top sect would have been removed from Jianghu history. But even with the appearance of an Ascendant Realm ancestor,

Jiang He still retreated unscathed...

As for that sect, most of its foundation was damaged, and the trend of decline could not be reversed.

This was the power of the Sword God Jiang He. Looking around Qingzhou, no one below the Ascendant Realm dared to say they could beat him. It was because of him that the Qingzhou Sky Survey Division was stable.

Although it was not outstanding, there had been no large-scale rebel army in recent years.

What about other states?

The situation in several major states was now very bad, with people frequently rising up to rebel.

Jiang He put his hands behind his back, without a sword, but the intent of his sword was contained within him. He was like a sharp sword soaring into the sky. He said lightly:

"Just now you said who gave Chen Yuan the courage to be so arrogant. Now I'm telling you, I gave it to him. Do you have any objections?"

His speech was not fast, very even, and could even be described as soft, but it contained an extreme degree of confidence and arrogance.

Chen Yuan lowered his eyelids, bowed to Jiang He, and said:

"Subordinate Chen Yuan, greetings, Sir!"

Jiang He gave a faint 'hmm' and stared straight at Gu Chun in front of him, the situation reversed, just like how he had treated Chen Yuan just now.

Gu Chun clenched his fists under his sleeves and said coldly:

"Envoy Jiang, don't push people too far. This son Chen Yuan is ruthless. Not only did he kill my beloved son, but he also burned his body. This is a great humiliation for my Gu family."

Jiang He's indifferent, cold, and sharp face turned slightly towards Chen Yuan's direction and said approvingly, "Well done." Then, he stared at Gu Chun and said:

"What if I bully you?"

"You..." Hearing Jiang He's words of disregarding him, Gu Chun was instantly furious, and a flash of killing intent flashed in his eyes and said:

"It is said that Envoy Jiang is fair in his work. Is he so arrogant and ignores my Gu family? Is it possible that no one in my Azure Cloud Sword Sect cares?"

Jiang He: "Are you using the Azure Cloud Sword Sect to pressure me?"

"I am not pressuring Envoy Jiang. It's just that if this revenge is not avenged, I will not rest in peace. The Azure Cloud Sword Sect and Envoy Jiang have always lived in peace, so why offend me for a mere Transcendent Martial Artist?"

"Although Chen Yuan is an imperial official, he is only an Inspector. If Envoy Jiang is willing to stand by, Gu will definitely remember it in his heart and will definitely repay it in the future.

Envoy Jiang is known as the Sword God, and his swordsmanship is divine. My Azure Cloud Sword Sect has been passed down for hundreds of years, and there are countless secret sword techniques in the sect, as well as a wordless sword tablet, which contains supreme swordsmanship.

Gu can ask the old ancestor to let Brother Jiang have a look."

Chen Yuan, who was on the side, couldn't help but curl up a barely noticeable smile at the corner of his mouth as he listened to Gu Chun's skilled words of persuasion. If it were someone else,

Maybe he would be tempted.

But Jiang He...

He definitely wouldn't agree.

In addition to the forces and interests involved between them, Chen Yuan also carried a test from the Dao God Palace. That Ascension Fruit was definitely very useful.

And how could he lose the big picture for the small picture with the talent and methods he was showing now?

Chen Yuan was right in thinking so. Jiang He quickly responded, looking at Gu Chun and said coldly:

"Even if Azure Cloud Zi came in person, this envoy would only have a bit of fear. What kind of thing are you, Gu Chun, to dare to bark here!"

"The Azure Cloud Sword Sect's wordless sword tablet, if this envoy wants to use it, I will take it myself. Why do I need you to do favors?"

Gu Chun's face remained unchanged:

"Then, Envoy Jiang means that Gu is not allowed to touch Chen Yuan?"

Jiang He glanced at Gu Chun, sneered, and shifted his gaze to the northeast and said:

"Since Sect Master Xiao has already arrived, why hide aside and watch the show now?"

As soon as Jiang He finished speaking, Chen Yuan and Gu Chun were both shocked and turned to look in the direction Jiang He was looking at. So... there was someone hiding in the dark, and it was the Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, Xiao Yunsheng!

Chen Yuan couldn't help but sigh that the other party's killing intent towards him was really strong. One Core Realm expert was not enough, and there was another person hiding in the dark.

If Jiang He had not arrived, even if he had the Core Talisman to protect him, he would never have been able to escape with his life.

A hearty laughter came from the void, and a dazzling blue light flashed, revealing the true face of Xiao Yunsheng, the Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect who had been named by Jiang He.

Wearing a dark black robe, carrying his hands, with thick eyebrows, a square face, and a faint smile, from a distance, he had a strange temperament.

Similar to Jiang He, he was vaguely in harmony with the world.

"Xiao has only just arrived. Envoy Jiang is really amazing. Even with spiritual objects to hide his aura, he still can't escape Envoy Jiang's detection.

It seems that Envoy Jiang is not only skilled in swordsmanship, but the outside rumors are also biased."

Xiao Yunsheng had a cordial smile on his face. Seeing Jiang He, he did not seem to have any hostility, but rather a feeling of being an old acquaintance.

"Sect Master."

Gu Chun cupped his hands, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. If it was just him alone, he was indeed afraid of Jiang He, but if he added Xiao Yunsheng, who was also on the Wind and Cloud List,

They may not have a chance of winning.

Yes, the Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, Xiao Yunsheng, was also a figure on the Wind and Cloud List, ranking forty-sixth.

"Elder Gu, with the body of a Core Realm, intercepting a Transcendent Martial Artist will only make people laugh. They will also say that no one in my Azure Cloud Sword Sect cares. Don't do it again next time."

Xiao Yunsheng corrected him with a straight face.

"What the Sect Master said is true, but Gu is so eager to love his son that he has to do so." Gu Chun heard what Xiao Yunsheng meant and wanted to remove him from the crime.

But this was still bowing his head to Jiang He, so he unhappily retorted.

He didn't believe that if he insisted on Chen Yuan's life, would Xiao Yunsheng, as the Sect Master, be able to stand by and do nothing?

If it spread, his Sect Master would really not be able to convince people.

Xiao Yunsheng looked at him, a look of displeasure flashed in his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he quickly concealed it, took a step forward, approached a few people and said:

"Envoy Jiang, this is all a misunderstanding. Elder Gu's actions have damaged the rules of Jianghu, but after all, he is also eager to love his son. I hope Envoy Jiang will forgive him."