Chapter 1: Remnants of the Sword Furnace
The beast's head, larger than a horse-drawn carriage, has been severed at the neck, yet its crimson eyes still flicker with a frenzied killing intent, and its overwhelming ferocity is even more astonishing than raging waves.
In the center of the blazing furnace, a middle-aged man named Zhao Zhan unexpectedly held a small crimson sword in his hand.
The black-clad officials, scattered around the outer courtyard and wielding unsheathed iron swords, simultaneously turned pale with shock. The four black-clad swordsmen positioned behind the several black umbrellas immediately let out a fierce shout in unison, drawing their swords to block in front of them
The woman in the white dress smiled, revealing two faint dimples on her cheeks, "What you said is indeed correct, sir"
Lord Han, where is the Night Commander?
The middle-aged man's gaze had already detached from his own body, resting upon the woman in the white dress. He smiled slightly at her and said, "At this age, he has already taken a half step into the fourth realm; he should be considered a rare talent in your dynasty."
This sword is just over 2 feet long, yet the blazing true fire emanating from the blade and the tip forms a fireball that extends several meters long
A soft sound of surprise was heard
The middle-aged man slightly raised his eyebrows, and with that subtle gesture, the contours of his face seemed to suddenly come alive, exuding an indescribable charm.
That makes sense
The woman in the white dress did not discuss the order of speaking at all; she directly asked, "The disciples of the Sword Furnace practice the art of the death-seeking sword, valuing their own lives so little. Yet during these three years of lurking, you have neither assassinated the practitioners of our dynasty, nor secretly formed factions, nor attempted to steal our dynasty's cultivation texts. What exactly do you intend to do?"
A middle-aged man, dressed in coarse black clothing and rolling up his sleeves, is having his dinner under the eaves of the courtyard in the rain.
The dense energy formed an impenetrable wall, with few burning fragments piercing through. The rolling heat and burning sparks were forced to vent towards the sky above. From a distance, it appeared as if a gigantic furnace had suddenly risen between heaven and earth.
These swordsmen all exude the same aura as the five umbrella-wielding officials. In such wind and rain, the raindrops that fall around them seem to fearfully scatter as if they possess life. Each person is surrounded by a transparent sphere of energy, resembling an independent world.
Several door panels leaning against the entrance of the sesame oil shop first shattered into countless small pieces, followed by the violent collapse of half the shop. Roof tiles crashed down in a cacophony, raising a large cloud of dust.
Oh?
a soft sound of "chih"
From the tumultuous river surface, there approached a remarkably graceful woman, exuding an air of scholarly elegance and possessing an enchanting figure.
The gust of air surging from the crack in the black canopy has not yet dissipated, passing through a vegetable garden, demolishing two fences, crossing a wide street, and rushing towards a sesame oil shop on the opposite side of the street
His dinner was also quite ordinary and simple, consisting only of a bowl of coarse rice, a plate of greens, and a plate of tofu. However, this middle-aged man ate with great relish, savoring each bite and chewing it dozens of times before slowly swallowing it down
The person holding a black umbrella walks as if on level ground across the turbulent surface of the river, heading towards a dilapidated alley by the bank of this great river
A black-clad swordsman, who had been struck and spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsed onto the bluestone pavement in front of the shop. Hearing the scream of the middle-aged woman, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up, leaning on his crescent-shaped long sword. With a fierce shout, the chilling killing intent made the middle-aged woman tremble all over, and her scream abruptly ceased
"I do not have much of an open mind, so I will not answer questions like yours without any benefit." The woman in the white dress looked at him with a calm expression and said in an unarguable tone, "One question per person, then."
The sound of water dripping, mingled with the crunching of food.
A loud explosion sounded
"Five years ago, I had already reached the seventh realm's upper tier. Five years spent on breaking the mirror should be sufficient, right? So, is it really possible that I have reached the eighth realm?" A trace of deep disappointment and sorrow appeared in the middle-aged man's brow, but in the next moment, it all vanished, transforming entirely into a sharp sword intent
The prow of this ironclad giant ship is, astonishingly, the true head of aao dragon
After looking at Changling for a long time, it truly becomes quite dull, just like the swords and character of you Qin people—straightforward and direct, rigid and unyielding, stable and balanced. Even the walls of the streets are either gray or black, lacking any aesthetic appeal. However, today, witnessing the elegance of the Night Division's leader has truly opened my eyes, which seems quite incompatible with this Changling.
With a resounding clang, the four long swords of various colors simultaneously bent into a semicircular shape. The four black-clad swordsmen felt a tremor beneath their feet, each attempting to brace themselves. However, in the next instant, all four swordsmen spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing like birds with broken wings as they were propelled backward.
The woman in the white dress said with a slight sneer: "What does a woman need in terms of character? Having a figure is enough."
Which damned rainy day is it that one drives so recklessly, and at such speed! It has ruined my shop
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "A person like Ye Sishou, regardless of what he does or says, truly does not need to care too much about the opinions of others"
In a humble alley, there is an ordinary square courtyard that gradually becomes the center of these black umbrellas, which begin to exude a chilling atmosphere
On the round, shield-like black umbrella, as it spins rapidly, it does not scatter countless raindrops, but rather emits numerous streams of energy
At the moment when five officials holding black umbrellas from www.hetushu.com made their move, dozens of sword masters, each wielding various long swords, surged into this narrow alley like phantoms
In the autumn of the eleventh year of the reign of Emperor Wu of the Qin Dynasty, a rare torrential rain swept across the entire Changling. The leaden clouds, accompanied by terrifying thunder, made the capital of the Qin Dynasty seem as if it had fallen into a demonic realm
Zhao Zhan, the seventh disciple of the Sword Furnace, has come to experience the Autumn Water Sword of the Night Master!
After the officer's boots, there is a snow-white long skirt, flowing hair cascading freely, thin lips, and eyebrows that are faint like distant mountains in the rain
They had previously been quite clear about what the Sword Furnace of Zhao State truly was, but today they finally realized that their estimation of the Sword Furnace was still too low
The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback; he had never expected the woman in the white dress to say such a thing
"What do you mean?" The handsome young official's face suddenly turned as white as snow, his heavy garments soaked with cold sweat, and a sense of foreboding rose abruptly in his heart
Time is actually very short, so short that even the nearby residents only thought it was thunder and did not realize what it was. Suddenly, an unusual cracking sound erupted from the black canopy surrounding the small courtyard
Please
The Night Commander has already left? The three officials simultaneously shuddered, unable to help but turn their heads to look towards the city.
All the officials and soldiers standing at the edge of the port turned pale with shock
He did not return the greeting, merely offering a faint smile, yet his gaze swept past the woman and was absorbed into the overlapping alleys in the distance, shrouded in autumn rain
At that moment, the black-clad swordsman, whose face was marked by sorrow, was taken aback to see a young boy, no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, emerge from the half-collapsed sesame oil shop, carrying an oil bottle. Despite his dust-covered youthful face, there was not a trace of fear to be found.
A snow-white official boot extended from beneath a black umbrella, standing out remarkably against the dark hues.
Meanwhile, above a river south of Changling City, a black umbrella suddenly appeared
After savoring the last morsel of rice, the middle-aged man reached for a wooden ladle hanging from the eaves, scooped a ladleful of clear water from the nearby water tank, drank it in one gulp, and then contentedly let out a satisfied belch
Before the giant ship docked, three officials leaped directly across dozens of meters of river surface, like three heavy hammers landing on the deck of the ship.
As this raindrop began to accelerate, it reached a terrifying speed, naturally elongating into a slender little sword during the process of acceleration
At this moment, the smile on the middle-aged man's face faded. The few tiny wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were smoothed by a strange fluorescence, and his skin began to emit a jade-like luster. A rolling heat caused the raindrops drifting down from the sky to transform into white vapor, and a strong aura of slaughter began to fill this small courtyard
The middle-aged man took a deep breath, and it seemed that the world in his eyes was reduced to the woman in the white dress across from him
The woman in the white dress immediately showed some displeasure, and she coldly laughed, saying: "It has been so many years already, yet you still refuse to give up, still wanting to see if that person left anything behind?"
The interior of the black umbrella was smeared with plasma, and the head of the handsome young official had detached from his neck, falling to the ground along with the fluttering black umbrella. His pair of eyes remained wide open, still unable to believe that this was real.
His rhetorical question was very brief, and it did not even mention the name of "that person". However, these two words seemed like a taboo. The five officials under the black umbrellas outside the courtyard had shown no emotional fluctuations in the face of the bloody scene where a sword had previously beheaded someone. At this moment, upon hearing this phrase, the black umbrellas in their hands trembled slightly, and countless droplets of water splashed from the umbrella surface like willow catkins.
All the withered and growing mugwort on the small courtyard wall and the roof ridge were sharply cut into several sections, drifting outward.
The woman in the white dress looked at the increasingly charming middle-aged man, and suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy for him. She said softly, "His Majesty reached the seventh realm of excellence five years ago, and has not taken action since. I wonder if this answer satisfies you"
A cold and stern shout suddenly echoed from a black umbrella stationed in the distance
In his line of sight, a graceful woman in a white dress was emerging from the gap in the black umbrella.
After the person disembarked, the six officials made no unnecessary movements and uttered no sounds; they simply dispersed silently and followed behind.
Amidst the tumultuous waves, a massive ironclad ship suddenly approached
Such a scene can only indicate that they, like those five officials with black umbrellas, are rare practitioners in the world, possessing unimaginable means
What left these three officials even more astonished was that the giant ship was riddled with terrifying gaps and debris, appearing to have endured countless fierce battles. As they scanned their surroundings, they could only see a ghostly figure of an old man, clad in a raincoat, standing at the corner of the ship's railing, with no sign of the person they had been anxiously waiting for.
A black umbrella could not withstand the wind and was blown away nearly one hundred meters to the side
He merely wore a curious expression, his eyes bright as he gazed at the swordsman in black, then his gaze shifted beyond the swordsman's body, landing on the two destroyed fences behind him
When his voice sounded, the woman in the white dress remained silent, seemingly unresponsive. However, the five officials in black outside the courtyard let out a low murmur, their figures suddenly dispersing to the five corners of the courtyard, while the black umbrellas in their hands began to spin violently
The handsome young official in black had hands that were barely perceptibly trembling. His previous actions seemed to have consumed a great deal of his courage. At this moment, upon hearing the middle-aged man say that his breath was much weaker than that of the several umbrella holders behind him, a flicker of anger ignited in his eyes, yet his breathing involuntarily became even more rapid.
The woman in the white dress turned her head to look at him, offering a slight smile, giving the impression that she harbored no ill feelings towards the handsome young man. However, a raindrop that fell beside her suddenly froze in midair
At the moment he let out a loud burp, the black umbrella at the front came to a stop right at the entrance of his small courtyard
The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and then looked up: "Alright"
The middle-aged man looked at her and sighed softly: "Even if the secret vaults of your cultivation places are powerful, can they compare to the treasures left behind by that person?"
A flash of lightning stretched across the sky at this moment, illuminating the dark ironclad ship in a brilliant white.
Boom
He should merely admire you, wanting to leave a lasting impression. The middle-aged man looked meaningfully at the woman in the white dress, asking, "Isn't it a bit of a pity?"
She stepped out from under the black umbrella, allowing the autumn rain to drench her dark hair. With light steps, she walked into the courtyard of the middle-aged man, then bowed gracefully to him and softly said: "Ye Celeng has met Mr. Zhao Qi"
The middle-aged man said nothing, merely gazing with interest into the depths of her eyes, waiting for her next response
Give him a grand burial
The woman in the white dress was completely soaked, and she seemed utterly exhausted. When several black umbrellas gathered around her to shield her from the falling raindrops above, she merely whispered these three words
The Bureau of Celestial Monitoring handles cases
Although the majors differ, practitioners in the world are categorized into nine realms based on their strength and level, with each realm further divided into three grades. Your Majesty, the Emperor, at which realm does he currently stand?" The woman in the white dress, who initially appeared to be of a transcendent status, did not receive a return salute when she bowed to him. However, at this moment, he earnestly performed a deep bow and solemnly inquired.
A piercing scream erupted from the collapsed half of the shop, as a middle-aged woman wielding a ladle rushed out in a fit of rage, poised to strike. However, the moment she caught sight of the scene before her, the ladle slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, producing an even more shrill scream.
Six officials, dressed in black and holding identical black umbrellas, stood quietly by the shore, their heights varying and their faces obscured by the umbrellas, waiting for this person
Boldly! The remnants of the Sword Furnace, Zhao Zhan! The Night Minister has personally arrived, yet you still refuse to surrender, and dare to utter such heart-piercing words!
The woman in the white dress, whom he referred to as the Night Lord, had already vanished, leaving only thousands of fine and intricate strands of rain, like countless small swords, converging towards him
What a great spirit
The middle-aged man's slightly furrowed brow relaxed, and he looked relieved: "No wonder your aura is much weaker compared to others... It turns out you are not one of the six offerings of the Heavenly Monitoring Division. That being said, you must be an official of the Divine Capital Monitoring Office"
His entire body began to glow, like a peerless sword that had been hidden in its sheath for many years, suddenly unsheathing!
At the Weihe Port outside the city, countless officials and soldiers dressed in black official uniforms stood densely together, unyielding to the howling wind and torrential rain, their bodies fixed to the ground like iron nails, utterly motionless
The middle-aged man clapped his hands in cheer, "To think that even the divine overseer who was monitoring your actions was directly killed with a single sword strike. The Night Commander indeed possesses great spirit; however, to kill one of your own rare cultivators simply because of a disagreement seems to reflect a lack of magnanimity on the part of the Night Commander"
It is evident that the intention was to allow the middle-aged man and the woman in the white dress to see his face clearly. The speaker, holding the umbrella, raised the canopy, revealing an exceptionally handsome young man, with red lips and white teeth, skin as smooth as jade, and eyes that sparkled like cold lightning
The entire Changling is shrouded in heavy rain and twilight, with only the faint silhouettes of the tall corner towers occasionally visible.
The three officials bowed in unison, suppressing their shock as they inquired.
"There is no need for excessive courtesy; Night Commander has already gone to the hiding place of the remnants of the Sword Furnace." The elderly man, resembling an old servant, slightly bowed in return. However, amidst the torrential rain, his face was obscured, yet his gaze was exceptionally profound and cold, emanating a formidable aura that instilled fear in the hearts of others
The man was dressed in tattered black clothing, with unkempt hair casually tied up with a piece of straw rope. The soles of his cloth shoes were nearly worn through, and his fingernails were filthy. His appearance was ordinary, and he looked no different from the common porters nearby
His words were as light and clear as clouds, akin to casual remarks made during leisurely conversations after a satisfying meal. However, as soon as these few sentences were uttered, the expressions of everyone under the black umbrellas outside the courtyard suddenly turned cold
The entire courtyard seemed to swell outward as if made of paper, instantly exploding into countless burning fragments
The woman in the white dress had her eyelashes fluttering slightly, her lips slightly parted. However, at that moment, she sensed something, her brows furrowing slightly, yet she remained silent.
The muffled groans echoed continuously beneath the umbrella, as these burning fragments contained astonishing power, causing the soles of the shoes of the five officials holding the umbrella to produce a piercing friction against the damp stone pavement
... ...
I have been in Changling for three years, and this is the first time I have seen the Night Minister
However, at this moment, listening to the continuous rumbling in the courtyard and watching the water droplets splashing from the puddles around due to the vibrations of the ground, they, unable to perceive the general situation of the confrontation inside, felt their faces growing increasingly pale, and the cold sweat in their palms accumulating more and more