Chapter 1 The Glimpse

Yan Xiake was slightly startled, lowering his body and scanning with his peripheral vision.

In the distance, figures surged, and squads of guards were already running over, moving at great speed, obviously the elite of the elite.

*Swish, swish*

Many guards knelt in the courtyard.

A man walked out of the side room, clearing his throat:

"Does His Majesty have any orders?"

Yan Xiake didn't dare to look directly. This man's aura was restrained like that of a common man, but in reality, he was already a minor Zhenren (Daoist). If it weren't for the cyan smoke from the incense, he would have been discovered by now.

Even so, if he looked carelessly, he would certainly be discovered.

At this moment, the Daoist's face held a hint of almost imperceptible impatience.

In fact, if it hadn't been for the instructions of Tianyi Zhenren, how could he, with his cultivation, stay here to protect a mortal with a physical body?

Even an emperor was just a mortal.

"Daoist Changqian has also been alarmed? I feel a sense of trepidation in my heart, but I don't know why..."

Inside the palace, the old emperor, draped in a single robe, coughed lightly:

"Daoist, please divine it for me."

Although he was called the old emperor.

In reality, this old man, who was over one hundred and fifty years old, had strong bones and fair skin. His head of black hair had no trace of white. If it weren't for the large patches of pockmarks on his face, he would have been quite handsome.

"Oh?"

Daoist Changqian's eyes flickered, and he became somewhat cautious.

This old emperor couldn't die yet, at least, not now, otherwise, the consequences would be too serious.

He chanted and moved his fingers, seemingly quite earnestly.

But after a moment, he shook his head:

"Your Majesty is likely feeling anxious because the date for blood exchange is approaching. There is no danger around. Although Shifu (Master) suffered some damage to his vital energy during the demon subjugation, there are few who can escape his detection."

"Is that so? But I always feel uneasy in my heart..."

The old emperor muttered to himself.

He was always a little paranoid. Living for one hundred and fifty years didn't mean he wasn't afraid of death. On the contrary, the longer he lived, the more he longed for the world.

Daoist Changqian bowed, but sneered inwardly.

Mortals were always mortals. Even if they possessed the world and were revered by all, their minds couldn't escape the confines of mortality.

His past brilliance and martial prowess had gradually disappeared under the infusion of countless people's blood and essence. He was paranoid all day long, afraid of assassins and vengeful spirits.

He even dared not stay overnight in the palaces of other consorts.

'Not just this one Daoist, there are three other cultivators at the Benming (Natal Soul) realm nearby... The Tianyi (Heaven's Will) Sect's defenses are so tight...'

Yan Xiake's heart was heavy.

How strong was a Yuanshen (Primordial Spirit) Zhenren? Qingdu City was likely within his perception. If a strike failed, and he was blocked by these Daoists, Tianyi Zhenren could strike from afar in the next moment.

But he had always been bold, and all he was thinking about now was how to kill this old beast, without a trace of fear.

"Old City God, please lend me a hand and rid the world of this scourge!"

Yan Xiake gritted his teeth and directly burned the third incense stick.

*Buzz*

All three incense sticks burned to ashes.

A roar that shook the heavens and the earth was heard, and the entire Qingdu City was awakened.

A vast surge of energy spread out, creating gusts of wind that swept through Qingdu City.

The celestial phenomena changed dramatically!

In an instant, streaks of lightning crisscrossed across the sky, outlining a majestic and ancient face of anger:

"By my decree, all City Gods in the world, jointly punish the Tianyi Sect's rebels! Destroy three thousand Daos (paths), break a hundred Guans (temples)! Those who dare obstruct will face endless death!"

*Rumble!*

The earth shook, the heavens trembled, and countless thunderbolts exploded!

Endless power of incense exploded and spread out, spreading along the invisible power of incense and vows towards one city after another.

"How dare you!!"

From the main altar of the Tianyi Sect, a roar was heard, and then a giant palm reached into the sky, pinching out a pale white sword finger, pointing towards the majestic face outlined by the streaks of lightning:

"Qin Wuyi, you're courting death!!"

"Hahaha!"

Qin Wuyi's laughter shook the sky:

"I should have followed Fujun (Lord) long ago. If you can grant my wish today, then you can be considered a man!"

In an instant, two invincible figures began to fight fiercely in the sky again.

Their divine power was vast, and countless people trembled.

In the Thirty-Three Layered Relic Pagoda, Ruyi Monk's eyelids twitched, and a string of prayer beads in his palm stopped moving. His ivory-smooth hand trembled slightly, as if eager to move:

"Tianyi, Qin Wuyi..."

He didn't attack, because Qin Wuyi had no chance of winning.

The City God's Benming (Natal Soul) was the City God's Mansion, which was as important as the Yuanshen's (Primordial Spirit) reliance. Even though Qin Wuyi was comparable to the Yuanshen level, his strength was greatly reduced when his Benming was sealed by the power of humanity's dragon qi (energy), making it difficult for him to match Tianyi Zhenren, even on his thousand-year fiefdom in Qingdu City.

"That Qin Wuyi..."

Daoist Changqian was slightly startled and couldn't help but look up.

Now!

A decisive look appeared in Yan Xiake's eyes.

He didn't even look at what was happening in the sky. He had been gathering momentum, waiting for the right moment.

At the instant Daoist Changqian was distracted, he leaped up, and his long sword came out, its cold light shining brightly.

With a single sword strike, he forgot everything else.

He ignored the thunder in the sky, the exclamations of the guards outside the palace, and even the strike from Daoist Changqian, who had regained his senses.

Like a meteor piercing the sun, he stabbed straight at the old emperor in the palace, whose face was filled with astonishment and pockmarks:

"Die!!"

The light of the sword enveloped the area, and the houses and palaces within dozens of zhang (丈, approx. 3.3 meters) were instantly pierced through. Yan Xiake and his sword became one, and in the blink of an eye, he had crossed one hundred and fifty zhang, and the sword light had already entered the palace.

But at the moment the sword light touched the emperor, a bronze mirror suddenly rose in front of him. As it shone brightly, it illuminated the entire palace.

It was actually a magic artifact!

The sword light collided with the divine light countless times.

Although it was only an instant, it was enough for an initiated cultivator.

Almost at the same time, Daoist Changqian's hateful strike arrived:

"Die, you must die!"

Yan Xiake's hair stood on end, and he completely ignored Daoist Changqian's hateful strike. The long sword in his palm suddenly vibrated, emitting streaks of divine light. Suddenly, he shattered the bronze mirror.

He threw the broken sword in his palm!

"Ah!"

The old emperor let out a earth-shattering scream. The long sword pierced him, and he was lifted more than ten zhang into the air, slamming heavily against the wall at the end of the palace.

*Bang!*

In the next instant, the sword light shattered, the palace shook, and then turned into dust. Yan Xiake rolled dozens of zhang in the dust, smashing through walls, and fell to his knees with a thud, spitting out large mouthfuls of blood.

"I have failed the City God's expectations. Yan is unworthy of death..."

Yan Xiake smiled miserably and fell to the ground.

Although his sword had pinned the old emperor to the wall, it had not been a complete success.

At the last moment, the sword had deviated by an inch.

An inch was the distance between life and death.

*Whoosh!*

Daoist Changqian landed in front of Yan Xiake in a flash. His spotless boots stepped heavily on Yan Xiake's head from above:

"A mere sword cultivator who nourishes his sword dares to be presumptuous in front of this Zhenren. Talking about assassinating the king is truly ridiculous and overestimating yourself!"

*Bang!*

With a muffled sound, Yan Xiake's head shattered, and a mixture of red and white flowed out.

He was already dead.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Daoist Changqian crushed Yan Xiake and turned to look.

Amidst the dust, a group of guards helplessly rescued the old emperor from the wall.

The old emperor was covered in dust, and his pockmarked face had turned green. He was almost dead.

"Hoo!"

Daoist Changqian breathed a sigh of relief. Although he sensed that the old emperor wasn't in mortal danger,

if something went wrong,

Tianyi Zhenren would probably tear him apart and eat him.

"Hoo, hoo~"

The old emperor sat down, still shaken. It took him a long time to catch his breath before shouting in a hoarse voice:

"Men! Men! Cut that rebellious traitor into pieces and feed him to the dogs, feed him to the dogs!!!"

In over a hundred years, many people had tried to assassinate him.

But this was the closest he had ever come to death!

How could he not be terrified and furious?

........

The battle above Qingdu City affected thousands of miles, shaking many states and provinces, and many cultivators.

But Liang Province, located in the border area, was not greatly affected.

The only one who vaguely sensed it was An Qisheng.

In the mountains, the qi field flowed with the earth's energy, and countless spiritual materials had already been gathered and unified.

If someone could observe from a microscopic level, they would see that within the already condensed spiritual materials, in the most subtle place, there were violent vibrations.

The vibrations were so intense, reaching hundreds of millions of times per second.

Not to mention anything else, the frequency of these vibrations alone could not be achieved even if all the blacksmiths in the world hammered together.

After a long time, the surrounding qi field slowly calmed down, and the high temperature generated by the violent vibrations gradually dissipated.

Revealing a treasured sword that had been forged.

*Buzz~*

With a long and sustained hum, a treasured sword descended from the void and slowly landed in An Qisheng's palm.

The sword was three feet long, its surface as bright as water and almost transparent. Faintly visible within were lines like human meridians, spreading throughout the entire blade.

Inside, there seemed to be many runes flowing and moving.

*Clang~*

An Qisheng lightly flicked the long sword, his eyes filled with a misty light, as if he saw something. He shook his head slightly:

"What a pity."

He had not expected Yan Xiake to act so decisively, going straight for the assassination of the king.

Unfortunately, he was a step short.

That sword was not that Yan Xiake had missed, but the influence of the power of humanity's dragon qi (energy), the Great Qing's national fortune.

Yan Xiake was, after all, a citizen of the Great Qing, and had even been an official. Subordinates assassinating superiors went against the dragon qi, resulting in the final failure.

Otherwise, with his well-honed swordsmanship, how could he miss at such close range?

It could only be said that it was fate.

Yan Xiake's fortune was already outstanding in the world, but it was still far inferior to the fate of a nation.

He looked up.

The surrounding City Gods had already dispersed. He had seen the order of the Capital City God in Yan Xiake's dream. These City Gods could directly receive orders from the City God's Mansion.

At this moment, they had already gone to destroy the Tianyi Sect's branch temples.

"Woof~"

A slightly panicked bark sounded.

A yellow dog, a circle larger than a lion, jumped out of the mountains, its mouth tightly holding a struggling and wriggling white bone man-demon, and landed in front of An Qisheng.

An Qisheng turned his palm over and put away the long sword, communicating with his mind:

"Yan Xiake, wake up quickly!"