On Dong Mountain.

To ensure the perfect blend of harmony and ferocity in this sword strike, Si Gu Jian had poured all his spirit and energy into it. To counter Ye Liuyun's "Flowing Clouds," he would have to retract his sword. If he didn't, he could only attack where the enemy must defend. However, he could only spare a sliver of his attention, and among the five present, the only one who could be killed with that sliver was the Emperor of Qing, who possessed only imposing presence.

It must be said that from the moment Si Gu Jian drew his sword, he had consistently suppressed Ye Liuyun in terms of overall aura and strategy. Now, he presented Ye Liuyun with a dilemma, a surprise.

…

…

However, what astonished, angered, unsettled, and bewildered Si Gu Jian was… Ye Liuyun did not acknowledge Si Gu Jian's empty-handed stance. That cloud of "Flowing Clouds" continued to envelop his face.

And the empty sword he was feigning to hold, after emitting a faint "chih" sound, pierced the damp mountaintop stone slab and landed in empty space.

That touch of imperial yellow, those dim eyes on the dragon robe, vanished abruptly and strangely before the tip of the empty sword.

…

…

Atop Dong Mountain, the four Grandmasters, the reigning Emperor—everything seemed to unfold over a long period, but in reality, it happened within a single second. On one side of this second, Si Gu Jian used his sword to toy with Ye Liuyun's clouds, and with an empty sword, he aimed at Emperor Qing. On the other side of this second, an even more breathtaking story unfolded.

This story began at the opening of that second.

When Si Gu Jian's sword was a foot away from Emperor Qing's back, the Emperor sighed faintly, releasing his aged hand that had been holding Hong Gonggong's. He seemed unwilling to let the old man be unable to enjoy himself in the last battle of his life.

At that moment, the hand of Ku He, the national preceptor of Northern Qi, tirelessly caressed Hong Old Eunuch's chest. This caress and press, with the thumb and forefinger slightly separated, was like a gentle breeze over a mountain ridge, extremely gentle and natural, entirely out of sync with the surrounding storm and lightning. Yet, as the wind passed, the mountain ridge was thrown into inexplicable chaos.

Hong Old Eunuch quietly gazed at Ku He's face. His hands, like a pair of dragon whips, twisted and deformed, climbing onto Ku He's right arm, but they did not stop his caress.

With a muffled "poof," Hong Old Eunuch's chest… shattered completely. In Ku He's all-encompassing Dao, with the natural freshness that contained the power of heaven and earth, his chest bones were like delicate tofu, collapsing and caving in!

Fresh blood gushed rapidly from Hong Old Eunuch's mouth, nose, and five orifices. The power of life, along with the collapse of his chest bones, the wild spurting of blood, and the surging of true energy, rapidly drained away. Yet, in those aged eyes, there was a hint of a faint smile and mockery… and killing intent.

…

…

The feeling of emptiness, like an abyss, surged through his palm, and Grandmaster Ku He's pupils contracted sharply!

This Grandmaster, the oldest present, the uncle of the founding Emperor of Northern Qi, the exceptionally talented ascetic of the former Great Wei dynasty, had experienced countless events in his life. He had sought the Dao at the Divine Temple, debated martial arts across the land, and his state of mind was so calm and natural that no one could compare. But today, at the Dong Mountain gathering of the four Grandmasters, he had to reclaim his sense of gain and loss, and draw his desire for victory back into his hands.

This old eunuch, who had been hidden in Qing for many years, emanated an overbearing true energy that was like the wind sweeping across the wilderness. The realm it subtly revealed was undoubtedly that of a true Grandmaster. Therefore, Grandmaster Ku He did not hold back, dared not hold back. This second caress, relying on the mountain and water, already contained the supreme Heavenly Dao true energy within him, as deep as an unfathomable pool.

In battles between Grandmasters, some astonishing changes could occur at any moment. Therefore, when Ku He's caress landed on Hong Old Eunuch's chest, he felt no joy.

Because the first caress had been forcefully bounced back by Hong Old Eunuch's overbearing true energy. Although this method of circulating energy was too domineering and could not last, Ku He believed that Hong Old Eunuch would have a way to deal with his second caress.

But Hong Old Eunuch did not block this caress. His chest shattered. The domineering aura on this old eunuch disappeared without a trace in an instant, vanished without a trace!

Even if Hong Old Eunuch's chest had suddenly turned into an iron plate or grown a second head, Ku He would not have been surprised.

But this scene, in particular, made Ku He feel incredible. Where had that overwhelming, unstoppable domineering true energy gone? Grandmasters were, after all, human and not gods. Even with the marvelous cultivation of him and Si Gu Jian, it was impossible to suddenly dissipate all the aura that had been elevated to the peak of human capability in such a short time.

It was like a ball filled with energy. How could it be completely drained in an instant?

Any transfer of energy always required time, and the shorter the time, the more terrifying the degree of shock during this process.

Whether it was Ku He, Si Gu Jian, or Ye Liuyun, if they were to release all the true energy in their bodies in such a short time, like Hong Old Eunuch, they would inevitably face the fate of disintegration and death in the next moment.

Why? Why could Hong Old Eunuch do this? Why did he dare to do this?

Ku He's pupils contracted. A raindrop hovered half an inch in front of his eyes, reflecting a faint, dark light.

He subconsciously detected a trace of a dangerous scent that was already somewhat unfamiliar, the scent of being in a dead end. In the long journey of his life, the last time Grandmaster Ku He had fallen into such a state of mind was during his reunion with that blind man in the fifth year of the Qingli era. However, the danger he sensed at that time was not as great as it was now!

As these thoughts swept through Grandmaster Ku He's mind like raindrops, his gentle right hand had already shattered Hong Si Yang's chest bones, breaking through that thin, old body like a hot knife through butter, and stretched out from his back. The heart, shattered into five pieces, squirted out blood arrows in a way that made the heart palpitate, under the curtain of raindrops that seemed to be frozen.

Hong Si Yang was dead. No one could survive after their heart was crushed. His body was hunched over, no longer possessing the overbearing demeanor of a celestial being when Si Gu Jian climbed the mountain, but rather like a pitiful dwarf, covered in blood, hanging on Ku He's right hand.

Hong Si Yang was not yet dead. Although his heart had been shattered and his life had ended, his meridians still maintained the state they were in at the moment before his death. All his true energy was desperately released into the world, dissipating from the ends of his meridians into the surrounding nature. It was like a black hole, desolate yet relying on some magical law, using his corpse and meridians as a bridge, emitting, absorbing, and dimming, without a shred of energy.

Including the arm inside his body.

Ku He's caress was delivered with all his might. The abundant true energy in his body permeated out from every pore, every inch of skin, and with Hong Si Yang's suicidal, life-sacrificing secret art, it was constantly leaking outwards!

…

…

Ku He's pupils lit up, not with enlightenment, but with sensing. The raindrop that was less than an inch in front of his eyes was still suspended in the air. He understood that he had fallen into a trap. This Dong Mountain itself was a setup.

Hong Si Yang was not a Grandmaster. The domineering aura he had released earlier on the mountain was borrowed, and his realm was also borrowed. Precisely because it was not his own, he could release it with such disregard for his body and soul, making it seem particularly tyrannical, unlike anything a human should possess.

Hong Si Yang had long harbored the determination to die.

Someone wanted to use his death to absorb a small amount of his true energy, and his last caress, relying on the mountain and water, had already transmitted his true energy outwards. A gap had appeared in the protection of his body and life force.

That person wanted to exploit this gap.

That person was the one who had manifested his incredibly mysterious realm through Hong Si Yang.

…

…

Before he could perceive the changes near Sword Idiot and Flowing Clouds, Grandmaster Ku He's eyes became even brighter, like an autumn moon that appeared without warning in a pool of emerald water.

His most beloved female disciple, Haitang, possessed the cleanest and brightest pair of eyes in the world, but compared to Ku He's eyes at this moment, they were like fireflies compared to the moon.

Ku He was the person in the world most sensitive to his surroundings, the person with the gentlest but also the strongest heart. This could be discerned from his journey to the Divine Temple many years ago.

When he discovered that Hong Old Eunuch was a trap, his reaction followed immediately, and his speed of adapting to the situation was unmatched in the world.

Perhaps it was only a hundredth of a finger-snap. His reaction should be slightly faster than what the plotter had imagined, but this could very well be the critical difference in time.

Ku He's eyes were as bright as the moon and as pure as a solitary star. He took a deep breath, and in that breath, he seemed to want to inhale all the air on the summit of Dong Mountain! The old man's chest suddenly rose high, as if he had grown taller by two inches!

With this breath, the supreme Heavenly Dao true energy in his body also began to breathe from his right arm, following the natural inhale and exhale of heaven and earth. It easily broke free from the pull of the scattered aura on Hong Si Yang's corpse and began to return to his meridians at the fastest speed. Only the pure and tranquil methods of the Heavenly Dao could be executed so naturally.

Time was no different from stillness. Any movement controlled by muscles was too late to execute, but the true energy, flowing in the human body like mercury and light, could vaguely break through the limitations of time and complete its task.

As the returning true energy vibrated, Hong Old Eunuch's thin body transformed into a cloud of blood mist, but it did not immediately dissipate.

No one noticed that Grandmaster Ku He's left hand, hanging by his side, naturally bent a finger and drew a semicircle in the air, making a gesture that had never appeared on this continent before. As this gesture was released, the condensed raindrops in the air paused again, and the faint aura on the summit of Dong Mountain, mixed in the wind and rain, soaked in the ruins of the ancient temple, poured into his body at an incredible speed!

These auras, summoned by that strange gesture, were very faint, but in such a critical moment, a piece of firewood, a drop of water, were both precious resources for the battle between Grandmasters.

What exactly was this gesture? It could actually draw true energy from the empty air of the temple eaves?

Magic, the magic practiced by the mages on the distant side of the sea!

But it appeared in Grandmaster Ku He's hands!

…

…

On the rain-soaked Dong Mountain, Ku He, the national preceptor of Northern Qi, finally used his greatest trump card, a means that was usually of little help, but at this moment, could help him accelerate the recovery of his true energy.

He had not used this trump card even when he fought against Wu Zhu, but now he unhesitatingly unleashed it.

Because at the moment of Hong Old Eunuch's death, in the instant before that cloud of blood mist had a chance to dissipate, a hand, a hand as white as jade, reached out from the blood mist!

This scene appeared exceptionally eerie. A stable, jade-like hand reached out from the bloody mist, like a divine hand stretching out from the depths of the netherworld to plunder all living beings in the human world!

Sensing this hand, the light in Ku He's eyes became even brighter. His first reaction was very normal: this hand should be Ye Liuyun's. Only Ye Liuyun's hand could be so stable, so magical.

However, Ku He was not afraid, because the Heavenly Dao true energy in his body had already returned to his body, and the faint essence of heaven and earth, summoned by the magical technique, had also seeped into his meridians from his thirty-six thousand pores. The true energy in his body had become so abundant that it had reached the extreme limit that a human could withstand.

If the opponent wanted to use Hong Old Eunuch's death to create a gap in his momentum, then Ku He's incredibly fast reaction and the magical hand gesture that no one had expected had perfectly compensated for this gap.

Even… too perfectly.

…

…

That white hand suddenly concealed the light on its skin, making it appear even more terrifying. It was unwavering even in such a high-speed realm. With unbelievable stability and strength, it passed through the blood mist with incredible speed and pointed down.

During the process of moving, the hand released four fingers, but the index finger curled up slightly. The soft yet firm fingertip shattered the raindrop that was an inch in front of Grandmaster Ku He's eyes with a "pop," and then gently landed between his eyebrows.

As if to place a dot of crimson red on his forehead.

The raindrop was shattered by the finger, transforming into a hollow water circle, with beautiful ripples radiating outwards, expanding slowly.

However, a red dot did not appear on Ku He's forehead. On the contrary, it became even brighter, as if all the light from Ku He's dimming eyes had been sent to his forehead.

Grandmaster Ku He used the supreme Heavenly Dao true energy and the essence of heaven and earth summoned by magic, condensed between his eyebrows, to forcefully withstand this beautiful finger!

That slightly curled, stable index finger did not forcefully resist the pure true energy condensed between his eyebrows. Instead, it poured into it in a slow and gentle way, without any ferocity, without any intention to kill, without any natural aura. It only contained the most upright rules of the human world.

The Kingly Way!

The fingertip moved down again, swiftly stabbing out with a "swoosh," directly piercing Ku He's "膻中 (Shanzhong)" acupoint in his chest. Although it was only a movement of a finger, it vaguely made people feel like a dragon walking and a tiger pacing. A single finger possessed the dignity of an Emperor for ten thousand generations!

Ku He had already retracted his right hand, and with a solemn expression, he extended his thumb, perfectly meeting that index finger, making a muffled "poof" sound.

The index finger moved down again, directly stabbing Ku He's middle abdomen.

Ku He lowered his eyes, his hemp robe fluttering slightly, and his flat finger became a palm. His right palm, like a gentle stream flowing with the terrain, naturally lowered, blocking that finger in front of his abdomen.

All of this was done so naturally.

However, Ku He's body began to tremble violently. A red mark appeared on the palm of his right hand, like a red-hot branding iron, sizzling.

That stable hand only released three fingers. These three fingers were not for killing, not for destroying, not for resisting, but for… giving, upright and without any intention of sneaking an attack. The Emperor's state of mind and demeanor were fully displayed in these three fingers, revealing the aura of the Kingly Way.

Another flash of lightning sounded in the sky.

Ku He's body was like a kite with a broken string, collapsing weakly into the distance, towards the tree beside the Dong Mountain stone path. He sat cross-legged and sighed.

Ku He knew that he was wrong, wrong from the very beginning. And the most fatal mistake occurred before the three fingers – after realizing that Hong Si Yang was the key to the setup, his reaction was too fast, and his response was too thorough, elevating his realm too perfectly.

At that moment, Grandmaster Ku He was like a towering tree that stretched to the highest point in the human world, like a lake of autumn water that had become a vast expanse.

And that person only released three fingers, pouring about half of the true energy in his body into Ku He's body.

Using the momentum of the Kingly Way, he poured in domineering energy. And Ku He, who endured all of this in such a short time, was like that towering tree, with another giant tree being pressed upon it, like the heavens suddenly pouring half a lake of autumn water again into that full lake.

When the water is full, it overflows, and the lake embankment collapses.

The trunk also broke in half with a "crack."

Compared to ordinary people, the state of mind and power of Grandmasters was already close to godlike. Ku He was even known as the person closest to God in the world. However, Grandmasters ultimately had their own weaknesses.

Their weakness was their physical body. The meridians in their body ultimately had their limits, and the body's ability to bear burdens ultimately had its limits.

The true energy that Ku He was infused with by those three fingers forcefully broke through the limits, and his meridians and body suffered irreparable damage.

Sitting cross-legged under the tree, feeling the swelling sensation coming from his skin, Grandmaster Ku He still had a great doubt in his heart – that person, the owner of that hand, why could he spew out so much true energy in such a short time? This was a speed that human meridians could not withstand at all.

However, everything… should be over.

…

…

When Hong Si Yang transformed into a cloud of blood mist, Si Gu Jian's empty sword, held in his left hand, was stabbing out diagonally, but it stabbed into empty air. He attacked Ye Liuyun's point of necessary defense, but Ye Liuyun did not defend at all.

That cloud of "Flowing Clouds" had covered Si Gu Jian's face.

Si Gu Jian trembled in anger, screaming shrilly. He lowered his head, twisted his right wrist, and pressed his sword towards Ye Liuyun's abdomen.

His left-hand feint missed. He lowered his head, and the ferocious yet harmonious sword momentum finally revealed a trace of weakness. However, he had to avoid it, because he knew that things had changed and that he had to survive.

Si Gu Jian survived. Half of his face was shattered by Ye Liuyun's casual palm strike.

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

Things were not over.

Ye Liuyun's casual palm strike did not stop. He struck down elegantly and freely, hitting Si Gu Jian's shoulder with a "poof." His five fingers, like dragon claws, suddenly emerged from the clouds, and his fingertips dug deep into the flesh and bone!

However, Si Gu Jian seemed to feel no pain at all. He retracted his left hand and struck his wrist with a "啪(pa)" sound.

The longsword entered another inch into Ye Liuyun's abdomen… Then, the tip of the sword shone brightly. It was shattered into pieces by the powerful sword momentum, blooming into a beautiful flower!

This was a terrifying sword. Although it encountered many unexpected problems along the way, it still successfully seriously injured Ye Liuyun in the end, relying on the ferocious intent it had possessed from the beginning.

At this time, the cloud of blood mist dissipated.

A figure in imperial yellow emerged from behind the cloud of blood mist, seemingly implying that every Emperor must use the blood of countless people to pave the foundation for his unparalleled achievements.

The figure in imperial yellow appeared between Ye Liuyun and Si Gu Jian and punched out.

Without any fancy moves, without any techniques, it was just a simple, clear punch.

But no one in the world could deliver such a simple and clear punch, upright and righteous, making it impossible to avoid, even… unwilling to avoid!

First, a hissing sound rang out. His body was impacted by powerful true energy, and Si Gu Jian's right arm, which was grasped by Ye Liuyun's dragon claws, broke!

Then, a muffled sound like a bronze bell in an ancient temple rang out. A complex expression flashed in Si Gu Jian's eyes as he looked at the imperial yellow figure in front of him. His entire body was struck horizontally!

With that expression, Si Gu Jian flew away with his broken arm, directly crashing through the wooden doors of the Qing Temple on Dong Mountain. The powerful momentum shattered countless buildings in the ancient temple, like a large grindstone, crushing everything his body touched. Finally, he crashed into the big bell in the small ancestral hall at the deepest part of the ancient temple, making a buzzing sound.

On the opposite side of the ancient temple, under the tree beside the stone path, Ku He, wearing a hemp robe, watched this scene with a bewildered expression. He sat cross-legged, as if he had been led by the sound of the bell. Something suddenly exploded in his body. His entire body suddenly swelled for a moment, then shrunk. Blood seeped out of his eyes and ears.

The large tree behind Ku He collapsed with a roar, shattering into powder. All the bluestones within a five-foot radius around him were squeezed into twisted three-dimensional surfaces by the true energy that had violently leaked from his body. The distorted or tragic sharp corners greeted the final raindrops descending from the sky.

Most of the buildings in the old Qing Temple had become ruined walls. The ancient myths painted in oil paint had become powdery memories. A large gap appeared in the moss-covered pool, and the rainwater it held flowed out, mixing with earth and stone, becoming turbid and unbearable. Several white cranes, frightened by the commotion, cowered behind the pool. A piece of yellow cloth was knocked to the ground, covering the end of the tragic passage, Si Gu Jian's body lying on the ground. One could only hear Si Gu Jian's extremely weak voice under the yellow cloth, screaming something miserably, but his voice was already extremely weak, completely drowned out by the sound of the bell above his head.

The buzzing sound of the bell reverberated throughout the summit of Dong Mountain.

The hurricane by the sea came quickly and left quickly, just like the impermanence of this world, the joys and sorrows of Emperors. It was still raining heavily and the wind was howling, but suddenly the wind subsided and the rain stopped. A gap suddenly opened in the dark clouds in the sky, revealing the porcelain-blue, gentle sky behind the clouds. A ray of light shone down clearly and transparently, falling on the imperial yellow figure on the Dong Mountain cliff, illuminating his face clearly.

Emperor Qing stood in place with a pale face and trembling limbs. Half of the domineering true energy in his body had been poured into Ku He's body, and the last punch of the Kingly Way had squeezed out his last bit of energy. He was now exhausted to the extreme.

The light of the sky was indifferent. This most powerful monarch in the world, his dragon robe soaked with rainwater, his hair disheveled, draped weakly over his forehead. The peace in his eyes contained countless unknown emotions.

In his entire life, he had never been so disheveled.

In his entire life, he had never been so powerful.

…

…

(I hope everyone is satisfied. I need everyone's monthly tickets to encourage me. I tried my best and am satisfied myself. Today's chapter will be later because I wanted to do my best. This is just like winning the archery championship earlier. Just do your best, and you will naturally win. Thank you, I'm very tired.)