"He died"

    Ye Liangchen's light sketch, fell into Liu Wuxin ear as a thunderclap, and the ground that she had prostrated three times, her brain was dizzier, but she still staggered to the front of Chen Mo, and put her hands together. He gently tried his breath.

    It's over.

    Heartbeat

    It's gone.

    Pulse

    It's over.

    Dead

    Chen Mo is dead.

    Liu WuXin picked up the corpse on the ground, her face full of blood pressed against his, and cried loudly. The sound of her crying echoed in the sky and earth, as if it became the most heart-wrenching music in the world.

    The splendid sky and earth, colorful people, at this moment in Liu Wuxin's world, has turned into a dim gray. The young man who saved her from the water fire at the beginning was the last color in the dim world, the last beam of light in her world.

    But now, he is dead.

    In this moment, the heart of the young girl is also dead.

    Liu Wuxin suddenly twisted her head, with tears in her eyes, staring at the Ye Liangchen in front of her, eyes determined, "I Liu Wuxin life with you Ye Liangchen until death."

    Ye Liangchen was startled, looking at the girl whose face was covered in blood and who looked completely desolate. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt an unfamiliar trace of fear.

    "I believe that you will become a ruler in the future, with the strength to compete with me, but I will not let you have a future... If you don't cut the grass roots, the wind will blow and it will grow again."

    A trace of ferocity flashed through Ye Liangchen's eyes. A man with a determination to avenge, no matter how insignificant, he will not let go. Otherwise, he would not have wiped out the entire family when he took action against Chen Jin.

    Ye Liangchen tightly grasped the hilt of the sword, having already made up his mind to cut off the roots.

    "Young man, show mercy where possible."

    Long Ling hesitated for a moment. The death of Chen Mo, he was powerless, but at least to give him the chance to live.

    The crowd of onlookers around had just witnessed the girl's despair, and now that they saw her being killed, they couldn't help but feel compassion. They all opened their mouths to dissuade it.

    "Show mercy where possible, Your Excellency. Let those who have wronged you be killed. Don't pursue them to the end."

    "Spare her life and accumulate virtue for yourself."

    "By killing so many people, you will have to face retribution."

    ...

    The voices of entreaty came one after another. Ye Liangchen's eyebrow twitched, and then he slashed his sword, and in a moment, there were more than ten people dead on the spot.

    The next moment, Long Ling fell silent, as did the crowd. The eyes of those who were originally eager to verbally abuse and condemn became clearer.

    "Fool."

    Ye Liangchen's eyes scanned the crowd in disdain, murmuring quietly from his lips, his gaze like looking at ants, and his words more not giving the crowd a bit of face. In contrast, the people only dare to be angry but can't speak.

    Ye Liangchen raised his sword again, pointing remotely at Liu Wuxin, who was holding Chen Mo tightly in her arms, looking as if she were ready to face death with no fear.

    "She's a beautiful woman, but unfortunately, she's heart is taken by another person."

    Ye Liangchen said indifferently and then swept his sword, the sword energy shot up to the sky, and the clouds gathering in the air were instantly scattered. This single stroke directly pierced into the sky, as if it had penetrated the cloudy peaks.

    Ye Liangchen, as a second-grade martial artist, is a formidable opponent in the nine states, and he has also refined his swordsmanship to the peak. Even facing a first-grade master, he still has the strength for a fight; when it comes to killing a young girl who has just entered the ninth grade, he only needs to use one-tenth of his strength to kill her a hundred times.

    Now, this sword stroke has already reached seven-tenths, and it is aimed at reducing these two people to bone and ashes.

    "This, this, such terrifying sword qi"

    "This is the realm of what kind of powerful figure have never seen, such terrifying moves, perhaps even the imperial tiger wouldn't be a match for it."

    "That's naturally so. Li Xiao, the senior minister, also spoke on behalf of the Master before, but now, he has been scared to keep silent. It is likely that the strength of that person has reached the third level, or even stronger."

    ...

    Li Xiao gazed at the floating sword qi in the sky, sighed softly, "Such strength, I probably can only look up to it in my lifetime... Not to mention if he wants to kill the person the emperor wants to protect, but even if he wanted to kill the emperor himself, I couldn't stop him."

    "The strength of this person, I'm afraid that even the whole Tianlong Empire combined, is no match for him, unless the founding Emperor revives."

    Long Ling's elderly eyes looked at the sword qi in the sky, took a deep breath, and felt a suffocating sensation; he then turned his gaze to Liu Wuxin who was tightly holding Chen Mo's body, helplessly saying, "All things are fate, not controlled by humans."

    Everyone felt that against such a powerful person, Liu Wuxin was sure to die, and even she herself had made preparations for war. But at this moment, she felt no fear.

    To die with him, it's not a waste of life.

    However, just as the sword qi was about to fall, a voice like a deep bell echoed through the space.

    "Stop"

    As the voice fell, the sword qi that had suddenly attacked Liu Wuxin suddenly stopped as if it were a puppet on a string. It could not advance any further, and then a 'dispersion' appeared. That sword qi, which had caused despair to the crowd, dissipated into thin air in an instant.

    "What is this..."

    Ye Liangchen raised his eyebrows and looked up suddenly, only to see an old man in gray robes with a mountain goat beard stepping on air, with his hands behind his back, looking like an immortal.

    "This, this..."

    Li Xiao looked up sharply, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Martial Arts Command, his eyes were like those of an eagle. In a flash, he recognized the person, and his eyes were filled with shock, "President of the Imperial Academy, Xu Changqing."

    "Xu Changqing? How did that old guy..."

    Long Ling's old eyes flashed with surprise. Xu Changqing was a famous figure in the early emperor's time, and at the same time, he was also just a scholar who couldn't even tie a chicken. In this era of martial arts prosperity, it was impossible for him to attract his attention. But now, he saw that old man stepping on air.

    A scholar could have such magical abilities?

    Not only Long Ling, but even the crowd surrounding him were all surprised.

    "Old Master Xu, who has devoted his life to the state and then to the study, worked hard for decades only to be a scholar. How could he have such magical powers?"

    "Heard that Old Master Xu had an inferior spiritual pulse in his early years and turned to literature because he couldn't practice the path of cultivation. Can a scholar also ride on clouds and mist?"

    "No, it's not that he can't enter the path of cultivation. He just can't enter the martial path. You forgot what the Founder of the Way said? There are thousands of paths to cultivation, and Old Master Xu entered the path of cultivation through literature."

    ...

    Ye Liangchen looked up at the old man in the sky, involuntarily frowning. He had heard of Xu Changqing before; he was a highly esteemed scholar and a scholarly gentleman with no strength. However, the old man in front of him was extremely unlike the Xu Changqing he had in his mind.

    "Are you Xu Changqing?"

    Ye Liangchen asked.

    Xu Changqing nodded slightly.

    "What brings you here?"

    "Save people"

    The simple two words already made it clear what his intention was.

    "As a scholar without even the ability to tie a chicken, do you think you can stop me from killing?"

    Ye Liangchen's eyebrows were tightly knitted together, and his eyes flashed with a cold glint. Although Xu Changqing's magical powers had just shown him a shock, it was no exaggeration to say that in Tianlong Empire, even if one looked across the entire nine states of the mainland, no one could stop him from killing.

    "Am I too late?"

    Xu Changqing didn't respond, instead turning his gaze to Chen Mo and said: "Master Xu was able to enter the path of cultivation all thanks to the guidance of the Founder of the Way. He can be considered my teacher in entering the path. I never expected that he had been killed before I could return the favor. As I can't protect my teacher, at least I must ensure his family is safe."

    "With you alone?"

    Ye Liangchen tightly grasped the hilt of his long sword, raising it, and an endless amount of sword qi rose from the ground, transforming into tens of thousands of swords suspended under the sky, like a celestial galaxy inverted.

    Xu Changqing gently touched his white beard, without urgency or haste, and muttered with a faint tone, "Why not put down your sword?"

    Pitter-patter

    Ye Liangchen's right hand trembled continuously, and the tightly clenched fingers slowly unclenched, the sword in his hand dropping to the ground at that moment. The countless blades under the sky also vanished instantly.

    "How did..."

    "I am fully aware of your profound strength beyond measure, but if you are determined to kill that young girl, please step over my body first."

    "You old scoundrel, do you really think I can't kill you?"

    Ye Liangchen's left hand flicked his index fingers, calling his sword flying up from the ground. Xu Changqing raised his eyebrows slightly, holding his voice low and stern, "Why don't you kneel down?"

    Boom

    Ye Liangchen's knees gave way, and he actually knelt down.

    "You, seeking death"

    Ye Liangchen gritted his teeth and burst out all his spiritual force, displaying a fierce determination to continue fighting until one of them was dead. Xu Changqing, on the other hand, stood firmly as a mountain. However, cracks were beginning to form under his feet. His body started to sway slightly, and blood oozed from the corners of his mouth.

    On the surface, the two men were just glaring at each other, but in secret, they were already subtly testing each other's strength. Ye Liangchen was young and promising, with a high talent and great potential. Having fought his way out of a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses, his strength was not to be underestimated.

    Xu Changqing, though a scholar, had spent decades reading books and became a second-class cultivator overnight. However, the integrity he had cultivated over those years was not something Ye Liangchen could easily destroy. Moreover, the latter had already made up his mind to die.

    "I have sought the Dao for sixty years, forming my integrity and accumulating my righteous qi. My attainment of the second realm overnight is truly hard-earned. However, if you are determined to take the life of that young girl, I will shatter my integrity and disperse my righteous qi. I will expend all my cultivation and die on the spot, but I will ensure that you leave this life with only half a life."

    Xu Changqing's nostrils were bleeding, his eyes were reddened, and five of his orifices had begun to bleed. With two more, he would be in grave danger of death. Yet, despite this, he showed no fear. His gaze was resolute, and he faced death as if it were a natural course of things.

    The competition in terms of strength was temporarily evenly matched, and even though Ye Liangchen might have the upper hand, the latter's willingness to die made it difficult for Ye Liangchen to choose a decisive blow. Despite this, if he did manage to kill Xu Changqing, it would come at a heavy cost.

    Killing a person at the cost of half a life is not worth it.

    Ye Liangchen looked around and saw that everyone present was a follower of Chen Mo. Although they had long been subdued by his terrifying strength and dared not act lightly, if he were seriously injured, these people would undoubtedly rise to fight back. By then, his death would be inevitable.

    Ye Liangchen took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and painfully spoke out, "Old gentleman, I will give you face and not kill her."