Qiao Country, within the Yang Manor.

A flagpole stood tall within the manor grounds. From its pinnacle hung the naked, lifeless form of a woman – none other than Qiao Country’s protector and renowned powerhouse, the Hundred Flowers Lady, Min Youning. Once a vision of a thousand charms and a hundred allurements, she was now naught but a decaying husk of putrid flesh, an ancient, ghastly specter. For a lifetime, she had chased beauty and sought fragrance; perhaps only in this final moment could she truly confront the cruel reality of her own decline.

Beneath the towering flagpole lay the Yang clan, a gruesome tableau of stacked corpses and spilled blood. A middle-aged man, robed in dragon attire, trembled as he carefully draped his own garments over the naked corpse, offering her some meager covering.

A voice, filled with bitter fury, roared through the imperial city: “If Yang Chongzu is not slain, this King vows he shall not sit upon the throne!”

From the gates of the Yang Manor, squadrons of cavalry thundered past, kicking up clouds of dust and smoke!

Silent was the Battle of River Valley, silent the overthrow of Dan Country. Yet, in the normally unassuming realm of Qiao Country, on this singular day, the entire army was mobilized, patrols were dispatched across the four borders, and the whole world was scoured for the killer, Yang Chongzu!

Hah, hah…

Yang Chongzu relaxed his body for a brief moment, exhaling softly. His left hand clutched a Yuan Stone, meticulously and steadily replenishing his Dao Yuan. With his right index finger, he instinctively pushed a stray strand of hair from his forehead. He had assumed Yang Chongzu’s identity, and with it, some of his habits.

Exterminating the Min clan, then the Yang clan, slaying Min Youning, breaking through the official siege, and even activating numerous long-held dark schemes that plunged Qiao Country into widespread chaos! After repeated bloody battles and feigned assaults on the Qiao Country imperial palace to sow disarray amongst the troops, he had finally fought his way out of the capital. To achieve all this while maintaining Yang Chongzu’s body in such flawless condition, avoiding all injury, was utterly impossible. Indeed, he was gravely wounded.

Yet, the pain of his flesh only sharpened his mind, making him more composed. A potent hatred had been ignited. From this moment forth, there was only one objective – to transform the territory of Qiao Country into a grand cage for a nationwide chase and kill. It was perilous, yet the danger was accompanied by a thrilling exhilaration! Moreover, that hate could sow wicked seeds, allowing him to control the intensity of life-and-death tribulations at crucial junctures, creating opportunities for escape at any given moment.

“Ah, caught you.”

A voice suddenly echoed in his ears, a voice that in every sense could be described as beautiful. It appeared so abruptly, yet possessed a strange quality that made one willing to accept its presence. The voice then continued, “Might I ask, are you Zhang Linchuan?”

Yang Chongzu whirled around. As he turned, his blade was already in motion. He struck before seeing the person, aiming to kill first. A flash of snowy-white light, like a silver dragon emerging from water, soared through the air. It was so clear, so obvious, severing all hesitation.

It was the sleeve knife, breaking through the veil of life and death!

And then he saw…

A woman of flawless appearance and temperament! She gazed at him with a captivating smile, her features so exquisite they could be called a “measure” of beauty! Her five fingers were equally perfect, slender and well-proportioned. One by one, they descended, precisely pinching the thin, cicada-wing-like sleeve knife. Momentum, intent, power, and spiritual awareness clashed fiercely in that small space, creating a violent surge of air that only boomed open a hundred *zhang* away.

If one had seen this woman’s face, they would never forget it. It was none other than Great Chu’s foremost beauty, Ye Lan’er!

Of course, Yang Chongzu possessed information about this individual. In studying the Chu Country, it was impossible not to research Great Chu’s most beautiful woman. But why was it Ye Lan’er? Why had he been discovered? Why here? In that instant, countless questions flooded his mind. A sudden, strong sense of foreboding arose.

And in the next moment, that premonition became reality. He felt his body and soul, connected through the sleeve knife, become imprisoned by the vast power belonging to Ye Lan’er. He felt a hand, he knew not when it had arrived, nor when it had pressed against his back. At this moment, it suddenly pierced through his back, seizing his heart!

His entire body’s muscles tensed violently. With a sense of shock, he lowered his head, noticing the hand that had pierced through his heart wore a black leather glove. He twisted his head back, thus seeing someone he knew all too well—

Though a light veil concealed her face, revealing only her eyes, how could he forget those soul-hooking, soul-capturing depths? An old friend, an old colleague!

For a moment, Yang Chongzu’s expression was strange, and he couldn’t help but burst into laughter:

“Hahaha haha, opportunity sought far and wide found at hand! My Holy Maiden, you were actually hiding in Three Points Fragrance Building! Hahaha—”

His laughter abruptly ceased. Because his heart had already been crushed into fragments. The Five Mansions, which had subtly stirred, finally quieted, collapsing one by one. Why was he laughing? What more did he wish to say?

It was no longer important.

Mei Yue, her face covered by a light veil, reached out and took the thin sleeve knife. She half-crouched down, one hand grasping Yang Chongzu’s hair, and with a casual swipe, severed his head from his body. The fresh blood that should have spurted forth was held back by some invisible force.

She stood up, offering the severed head forward. “You wished to discuss cooperation with him. Taking this head with you, isn’t that better?”

A smile played on the corner of Ye Lan’er’s lips as she accepted the head, appraising it as if it were a gift. In a melodious voice, she said, “Then does this count as your favor, or mine?”

“Count it as yours,” Mei Yue replied. She removed her now-soiled glove, tossing it onto the headless corpse, and turned to leave alone. Ye Lan’er gazed after her with a slight confusion in her eyes. That captivating back was clearly still within sight, yet it seemed already impossibly far away.

Then, smiling, she took a single step and vanished from sight.

Approximately half a quarter of an hour later, a fierce-looking man, accompanied by a thunderous boom, crashed down from the distant sky. Completely disregarding the cavalry galloping across the Qiao Country borders, he landed here with arrogant disregard. As the churning soldier’s evil dissipated, one could see a massive knife scar on his face. He half-crouched, probing the headless corpse on the ground. From the dissipating traces of power, he confirmed that this was indeed his target for this trip.

“Yang Chongzu is dead,” he muttered to himself. “How will I prove this to Xiao Shu?”

As for who had killed him, he couldn’t care less. After a moment’s thought, he stood up again and waved at several Qiao Country cultivators cautiously approaching: “Hey! You! Come here and identify this person!”

One, two, three.

Black-helmeted, black-armored cavalry, each clutching a long spear, surged into view from the gates. Soon, a vast, black tide appeared, rumbling, rumbling! They rolled across the land and sky, like a cage of dark clouds pressed down upon the human world!

Black clouds pressed upon the city, like the face of doomsday.

Woo woo woo!!!

The sound of horns calling soldiers to battle also conveyed a sense of desolation. Grass and trees trembled and fell, the world was covered in frost. No one believed they could endure this war.

But… why? The westward expansion had ended! The severed territory of Gao Country had already yielded! The five-nation allied army had dispersed, each licking its wounds. Why had the Jing Country elite cavalry suddenly invaded?

Gao Country’s lord, Li Ji, was a man of some responsibility. At this moment, he personally stood upon the city wall, his voice ringing out: “Great war has just ceased, peace is hard-won. A cease-fire agreement has just been signed. Does Jing Country intend to tear it up now?! Where is the faith of a great nation? How can it be upheld? How can a magnificent overlord nation act so wantonly, and where in the world will anyone submit!?”

Within that cavalry formation, dark as ink clouds, a single rider emerged. He reined in his horse and gazed remotely at Li Ji, saying only: “This general has come with no intention of attacking your small country. I am here to act on behalf of Heaven, to slay demons and eradicate evil! Hand over the demon Li Bangyou, and your state and people shall be spared!”

Li Ji was utterly astonished. He had never expected that the Crown Prince Li Bangyou, currently imprisoned in the celestial prison, would be the target of the Jing Country elite cavalry. Though he was greatly angered by Li Bangyou’s forced killing of Yu Jingshou, and had even contemplated killing him, he was still his own Crown Prince, and after all, possessed extraordinary talent and aptitude. Furthermore, numerous ministers had pleaded for Li Bangyou, explaining his actions in a way that garnered some public sympathy. Li Ji had considered first stripping him of his title and imprisoning him for a time to temper his disposition and carefully observe his future conduct… What interest could the people of Jing Country possibly have in a child not yet nine years old?

Both shocked, angered, and perplexed, Li Ji rebuked loudly: “Li Bangyou is my Gao Country’s Crown Prince! It is not for you to declare who he is! Lone respects the heavenly might of a great nation. How can Heaven’s envoy act without the proper ceremony of a great nation!? Does the Jing Heavenly Emperor know of this matter or not? Lone will send a national letter to inquire!”

To the Gao Country lord’s words, the elite cavalry general offered no comment. He merely tilted his head slightly, asking the person behind him, “How does Her Ladyship say?”

Behind him, a fully armored guard on horseback responded in a low voice: “My young master says, he absolutely must ensure that this Li Bangyou dies in a way that leaves no chance of resurrection.”

“Understood,” the general nodded impassively. His gaze returned to the city wall, and simultaneously, he drew the brush from his scabbard! The cavalry behind him all drew their blades in unison. A thousand voices, ten thousand voices, became one in that instant, shaking a hundred *li*, splitting the clouds open!

The elite cavalry general raised his blade high, his eyes fixed on Li Ji, his voice echoing across the four wilds with fierce intent: “This general has come with an army today, not to discuss with you! Either hand over Li Bangyou today, or this Gao Country will change its surname!”

The world’s winds and clouds changed rapidly, not only in Wei, Dan, and Qiao, and Gao, but even beyond the neighboring states.

Yu Liangfu, known for his straightforwardness at White Deer Academy, suddenly turned violent, angrily killing his senior brother, the cultivation seed Li Yuwu. This matter spread like wildfire. Especially shocking was that even under the personal pursuit and kill of Li Yuwu’s God Arrival Realm father and the Dean of White Deer Academy, Yu Liangfu still managed to escape, astonishing countless eyes.

However, in the eyes of many, these events, though strange, presented no significant challenges to Yu Liangfu. The heavenly barrier between a God Arrival Realm cultivator and an outer-building cultivator indeed existed, but for him, whose original body had once ascended to True God, some ordinary God Arrival cultivators held no particular threat. The power and methods that an ordinary God Arrival cultivator could employ were easily exhausted in his mind. Clashing head-on was impossible, but avoiding and fleeing were well within his grasp.

Being pursued simultaneously by two God Arrival powerhouses certainly brought danger, but with the many backup maneuvers he had prepared at White Deer Academy, he did not lose his composure. The true life-or-death crisis arrived after Green Cliff Academy intervened – the speed and intensity of their subordinate academies’ reaction to this matter far exceeded his predictions. He vaguely sensed that things were spiraling out of control, but due to having severed the link with his main body, he temporarily couldn’t pinpoint the source of the problem. Although Green Cliff Academy only dispatched one God Arrival Realm cultivator, their origin from a great sect was extraordinary. Many secret transmission methods relentlessly pursued him, making his situation unbearable. He possessed a vision far surpassing his opponent’s, but he was limited by the lack of resources, constantly exhausted from running.

After surviving several life-or-death crises, taking a dangerous gamble, he finally managed to shake off that scholar. Although he sacrificed an arm, he narrowly escaped death… But it was precisely such difficulty that qualified it as a true life-and-death tribulation. He believed that once this tribulation passed, the feedback sent to his original body would provide assistance. After his original body grew stronger, it would have the power to support other sub-bodies… This mutual benefit would make it possible to simultaneously overcome several impossible six tribulations, even achieving success, just like the divine scheme he had orchestrated!

Casually tearing off a strip of cloth, Yu Liangfu simply wrapped his left arm wound a few times, then leaned his head against the cabin wall, closing his eyes slightly, adjusting his breath and nourishing his spirit. Who would have thought that he, whether blending in with a merchant team or disguised as a beggar, had already fled all the way to the Long River and was now hidden in the bottom of the most dilapidated and ancient cargo ship? This cargo ship was so broken it was on the verge of falling apart, creaking on the river surface, transporting only valueless goods. He had stuffed in over ten ring money just to be hidden in the bottom cabin. The smell here was terrible, a mixture of various strange odors, enough to suffocate a horse. Although his original body’s temperament was somewhat crude, and after assuming this identity, he wasn’t as calculating as his original self, such an environment was not one he could normally endure. But to survive, even if he couldn’t bear it, he had to… The Academy often said that phrase, what was it? Enduring hardship within hardship, then one can truly be above others!

“Cough!”

In Yu Liangfu’s ear, he suddenly heard a light cough, as if reminding him. This was immediately followed by a complaint, tinged with doubt: “What a broken place you’ve chosen, so smelly? Didn’t they say the Martial Saint Teacher Zhang Linchuan was a particular person?”

Only then did he notice a terrifying aura appear beside him! His fists clenched suddenly! But the muscles and bones within his fists dissolved in an instant. He stared wide-eyed as both his left and right hands became soft and limp, hanging down like noodles. He tried to lift his knee to strike, but with a single glance from a pair of eyes emitting green light, his kneecap also dissolved by some unknown power. This scene was too terrifying, this power too evil and bizarre. Even with his original body’s vision, he couldn’t discern what kind of power this was!

By this point, with his outer-building realm cultivation, his normally sensitive but now confused perception finally registered that more than one person had entered the bottom cabin. One, two. And one after another, people continued to squeeze in! What kind of lucky place was this?!

“I say, Boss, we’ve come so many people just to kill this guy?” Yu Liangfu heard someone ask. This was also the question he wanted to ask. The person whose eyes emitted green light, whose power was strange, and who was called ‘Boss’, covered his nose and replied, “Just in case, you know. Heard this guy is pretty tough. Besides… such a profitable business, why not do it?”

“No one gave us an order, though,” the first person said.

The Boss replied, “Bounty! Do you understand what bounty means? A public bounty, anyone can claim it. The capable ones take it!”

“This is a bounty from Qi Country,” another person squeezed into the ship cabin, his voice muffled. “Boss, you’re listed on that too.”

A cold female voice replaced the Boss: “Chu Country can also receive it!”

There was also a very impatient, very violent voice: “To my mind, for just this broken ship, this broken guy, just slice it all from top to bottom with one knife, wouldn’t that be simpler? Still need to squeeze in and waste all this effort!”

“Cough,” the Boss replied this time. “First, we have professional ethics. If we slice him all into slag with one knife, how do we prove we completed the bounty? Second, Bian Cheng Wang feels assassins should have an assassin’s pride, not like you all who just kill people without taking money.”

“How long is his hand, to manage so much?” the violent voice said. “You’re the Boss!”

“I don’t care,” the Boss said indifferently. “In principle, I’m willing to respect everyone’s hobbies, no matter how special. If you have any dissatisfaction with Bian Cheng Wang, I’ll arrange a time later for you to chat with him yourself. To be honest, I also find him quite troublesome; it’s best if you can cure his problem.”

Yu Liangfu silently listened to these dialogues, his brain desperately analyzing the information, seeking a possible opening. He felt perhaps he could talk… He opened his mouth with difficulty: “I have a very large sum of wealth, if you all—”

A flash of knife light cut off his words, severing his neck.

In the end, he only heard this exchange—

“Almost forgot he wasn’t dead yet… Right, what did he just say?”

“Didn’t hear clearly. Take the head and let’s go quickly. Can’t stand it, this broken place is too smelly!”