From the fake emperor to the concubine

"How about it? The Soul-Devouring Sword is quite powerful, isn't it?" Li Tiancheng said smugly. "This sword is coated with 'Soul-Devouring Poison.' Once you're cut by it, your spiritual power will be slowly eroded, eventually leading to the destruction of your soul."

Wang Tianhai gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed the toxins in his body.

But he knew this couldn't go on. The Soul-Devouring Poison would slowly take effect, and the longer it went on, the more dangerous his situation would become.

"It seems I have no choice but to finish this quickly," he thought to himself.

He took a deep breath, and the spiritual energy within his body began to circulate wildly. An even more powerful aura erupted from him, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

"Heavenly River Palm!"

Wang Tianhai shouted and slapped out with both palms at the same time.

Countless palm shadows surged from his hands, like a raging river, pouring towards Li Tiancheng. Each palm shadow contained immense pressure, giving one a feeling of being unable to resist.

Li Tiancheng's expression changed drastically, and he quickly raised his sword to parry.

Dangdang Dangdang!
The sword and palm clashed, producing a series of metallic clanging sounds.

Li Tiancheng was so shaken that he staggered backward, his tiger's mouth cracked open, and blood dripped down the hilt of his sword.

"Such immense power!" he thought in horror. "This old bastard actually had a backup plan!"

Wang Tianhai gave him no chance to catch his breath and charged forward again.

This time, his attacks were even more ferocious. Each palm strike was carried with a killing intent, aimed at Li Tiancheng's vital points.

Li Tiancheng was struggling to cope and gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

"Damn it!" he thought angrily.

He, the dignified city lord of Qingyun City, wielding considerable military power and influence, was actually forced to this point by a good-for-nothing who had been exiled for twenty years. How could he possibly tolerate this?

"Three of you, why aren't you helping me?" he shouted.

Hearing the shouts, the three gray-robed elders tried to break free to help, but they were held back by Chen Feng and the others and couldn't get away.

“Lord City Lord, your subordinates cannot leave!” one of the retainers shouted.

Li Tiancheng's face turned ashen.

He glanced at the situation on the battlefield and realized that the situation was very unfavorable to him.

Although Wang Tianhai's side had fewer men, they were all elites with strong combat capabilities. On the other hand, although their side had more men, most of them were ordinary guards, no match for the enemy's elite troops.

Worse still, it seemed that his former subordinates in the city had also begun to move. He faintly heard shouts of battle coming from outside the city lord's mansion; clearly, someone was attacking the mansion's gates.

"I must deal with Wang Tianhai as soon as possible," Li Tiancheng thought to himself, "otherwise, once the main force of the city guards returns to reinforce, those old subordinates will rush in, and then I'll be completely finished."

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, took out a pill from his pocket, and swallowed it in one gulp.

The pill entered his stomach and immediately transformed into a scalding hot current, circulating throughout his body. His aura began to soar, and in the blink of an eye, he broke through from the peak of the Integration Realm to the early stage of the Great Ascension Realm.

"The Violent Yuan Pill?" Wang Tianhai's expression changed. "You actually took something like that?"

The Violent Essence Pill is a forbidden drug. Taking it can dramatically increase one's cultivation level in a short period, but at the cost of damaging lifespan and foundation. Taking it even once will reduce one's lifespan by at least ten years, and will severely impact future cultivation.

"I'm willing to pay any price to kill you," Li Tiancheng sneered.

After his strength reached the early stage of the Mahayana Realm, he was on the same starting line as Wang Tianhai. Coupled with the Soul-Devouring Sword in his hand and his rich combat experience, he immediately reversed the disadvantage.

The two clashed again, and this time, Li Tiancheng was no longer at a disadvantage.

His swordsmanship grew increasingly fierce, each strike carrying the corrosive power of the Soul-Devouring Poison, making Wang Tianhai hesitant to take it head-on. Meanwhile, the Soul-Devouring Poison within Wang Tianhai's body began to take effect, slowing his movements and disrupting the smooth flow of his spiritual energy.

After a hundred moves, Wang Tianhai finally revealed a weakness.

A fierce glint flashed in Li Tiancheng's eyes, and the long sword in his hand transformed into a streak of black light, stabbing towards Wang Tianhai's chest.

That sword strike was so fast and ruthless that Wang Tianhai had no time to dodge.

Just as the longsword was about to pierce Wang Tianhai's chest, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and firmly grasped the blade.

"What?" Li Tiancheng exclaimed in surprise.

He saw a person dressed in black robes appear beside them at some point; it was "Dark Night," who had been standing by and watching.

Zheng Yi gripped the Soul-Devouring Sword, his face expressionless.

The Soul-Devouring Poison on the sword seeped into his palm, but he seemed to feel nothing, not even flinching.

"You—" Li Tiancheng tried to pull back his longsword, but Zheng Yi's hand was like an iron clamp, making him unable to move an inch.

“Lord City Lord,” Zheng Yi said calmly, “the game is over.”

He raised his other hand and slapped Li Tiancheng in the chest.

That palm strike seemed effortless, but it contained terrifying power.

Li Tiancheng tried to dodge, but Zheng Yi grabbed his weapon, making it impossible for him to break free.

boom!
That palm strike landed squarely on Li Tiancheng's chest.

Li Tiancheng's sternum shattered instantly, and he flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing through several walls before finally landing in a pile of ruins, spitting out blood.

"Lord of the City!" The three gray-robed retainers were shocked.

They wanted to go to the rescue, but Chen Feng and the others held them back, preventing them from getting away.

Zheng Yi ignored them and walked to where Li Tiancheng had landed, looking down at the once arrogant city lord.

Li Tiancheng lay amidst the ruins, covered in blood and barely breathing. His chest was caved in, and fragments of bone had pierced his internal organs; he was clearly not going to survive.

"Who exactly are you?" he asked with difficulty, his eyes filled with resentment and fear.

"Who I am is unimportant," Zheng Yi said calmly. "What's important is that your position as city lord should be returned to Wang Tianhai."

"No, impossible." Li Tiancheng struggled to stand up, but he couldn't muster any strength. "This position of city lord belongs to me, and no one can take it away from me."

His voice grew weaker and weaker, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

Finally, his hand fell limply to his side, and he was silent forever.

Li Tiancheng, the city lord of Qingyun City, died at the hands of Zheng Yi.

The battle continues in the square.

But with Li Tiancheng dead, the morale of the city lord's men immediately plummeted.

"The city lord is dead!"

"The city lord has been killed!"

Terrified screams rang out from all directions, and the guards began to scatter and flee.

The three gray-robed retainers turned pale, knowing that all was lost.

"Surrender," Wang Tianhai said in a deep voice as he approached. "Li Tiancheng is dead; there's no point in you continuing to resist. If you lay down your weapons, this city lord can spare your lives."

The three priests exchanged glances and ultimately laid down their weapons.

“We surrender.” The head retainer said with a wry smile, “Master Wang, we are only employed by the City Lord’s Mansion and have no personal grudge against you. Please, Master Wang, show mercy.” “As long as you behave yourselves in the future, this City Lord will not make things difficult for you,” Wang Tianhai said.

He turned to look at Zheng Yi, his eyes filled with gratitude.

“Mr. Dark Night, thank you for your help,” he said solemnly. “Without you, I would probably be dead by Li Tiancheng’s sword tonight.”

"You're too kind, Mr. Wang," Zheng Yi said. "I was just doing my duty."

His gaze fell on Wang Tianhai's arm. "Master Wang's arm injury needs to be treated as soon as possible. The Soul-Devouring Poison is no good; the longer it's left untreated, the harder it is to cure."

Wang Tianhai nodded. "Rest assured, sir, I have my own way."

He took out a pill from his pocket and swallowed it. The pill seemed to be specifically designed to counteract the Soul-Devouring Poison. After taking it, the black aura on his arm quickly dissipated, and his complexion improved significantly.

“Let’s go,” Wang Tianhai said. “We’ll go to the city lord’s mansion gate and clean up the mess.”

Zheng Yi nodded and followed Wang Tianhai toward the city lord's mansion gate.

At the city lord's mansion gate, the battle was nearing its end.

Wang Tianhai's former subordinates and the city's resident civilians who had joined the fight had breached the gates of the city lord's mansion and were battling the remaining guards. When they saw Wang Tianhai and Zheng Yi approaching, they burst into cheers.

"Master Wang!"

"Master Wang is back!"

"The city lord is dead, and Lord Wang has returned!"

Seeing this, the guards knew that all was lost and surrendered.

Wang Tianhai stood in front of the city lord's mansion, looking at the cheering crowd, his eyes slightly moist.

Twenty years.

A full twenty years.

He's finally back.

"Fellow villagers," he proclaimed, "Li Tiancheng is dead. I, Wang Tianhai, am once again the lord of Qingyun City. From this day forward, I will govern diligently and care for the people, ensuring you all live a good life."

"Long live!"

"Long live Lord Wang!"

Cheers resounded through the sky, and the entire Qingyun City was in an uproar.

Zheng Yi stood aside, quietly watching all of this.

His mission is complete. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for Wang Tianhai to fulfill his promise.

Twenty million spirit stones, not a single one less.

After daybreak, Qingyun City completely changed hands.

The former members of the city guard defected at a crucial moment, helping Wang Tianhai seize control of the city guard. The remaining city guards, seeing which way the wind was blowing, all pledged their loyalty to the new city lord.

The people of the city were overjoyed and lined the streets to welcome Wang Tianhai's return. They spontaneously hung colorful flags and set off firecrackers to celebrate the downfall of the tyrant Li Tiancheng.

Wang Tianhai met with everyone in the main hall of the city lord's mansion and began to handle the aftermath.

Zheng Yi didn't participate in these matters; instead, he rested in a guest room in the city lord's mansion. He hadn't slept for several days and needed a good rest.

In the evening, Wang Tianhai personally came to the guest room to pay his respects to Zheng Yi.

“Mr. Dark Night,” he said, “thank you for your great kindness. I will never forget your kindness in my entire life.”

“Mr. Wang, there’s no need for you to be so polite,” Zheng Yi said. “Speaking of which, we still have a score to settle.”

"Rest assured, sir, I keep my word." Wang Tianhai took out a storage bag from his robes and handed it to Zheng Yi. "Here are twenty million spirit stones. Please take a look."

Zheng Yi took the storage bag and probed it with his divine sense, discovering that there were indeed 20 million spirit stones inside, not a single one missing.

"Master Wang is indeed a straightforward man." He carefully put away the storage bag. "Then our transaction is complete."

“Sir, I have another request,” Wang Tianhai said.

"What's up?"

"I would like to request that you stay and serve as an honorific in the City Lord's Mansion," Wang Tianhai said sincerely. "With your strength, you are unparalleled in Qingyun City. If you are willing to stay, I will certainly give you an important position and ensure that you do not suffer any losses."

Zheng Yi shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Master Wang. But I'm used to being free and don't like being constrained. Besides, I have other things to do and can't stay in Qingyun City for long."

Wang Tianhai was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't insist.

“Very well,” he said. “If you ever need anything in the future, sir, please don’t hesitate to come to me. I will do my best to help.”

“Okay, I’ve got it.” Zheng Yi nodded.

He stood up, ready to leave.

“Oh, right, Master Wang,” he suddenly remembered something, “I have a friend named Su Wanqing, who has a grudge against the Han family. The Han family has been hunting her down. I heard that the City Lord's Mansion has connections with the Han family. I wonder if Master Wang knows anything about this?”

"The Han family?" Wang Tianhai frowned and pondered for a moment. "I don't know much about the Han family. But I do know that Li Tiancheng does have deep ties with them. He often meets secretly with members of the Han family, seemingly to discuss something."

"Does Master Wang know the specifics of this matter?"

“I don’t know about that,” Wang Tianhai shook his head. “However, there should be some relevant documents and records in Li Tiancheng’s study. If you are interested, you can take a look.”

“Okay, thank you, Master Wang,” Zheng Yi said.

He took his leave from the guest room and headed towards Li Tiancheng's study.

The study was located deep within the city lord's mansion and was where Li Tiancheng handled official business. Now that Li Tiancheng is dead, the study has been taken over by Wang Tianhai's men, but the contents have not yet been tidied up.

Zheng Yi went into the study and began searching.

The study contained many documents and ledgers, mostly related to city affairs. Zheng Yi searched for a long time before finally finding a stack of secret letters in a hidden compartment.

Those secret letters were correspondence between Li Tiancheng and the Han family, recording many hidden matters.

Zheng Yi carefully read the secret letters, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

The letter mentioned that the Han family had been searching for something called the "Heavenly Fire Token." It was said to be an ancient relic containing immense power, and whoever obtained it could command all fire-type cultivators in the world.

Su Wanqing's father appears to be the guardian of the Heavenly Fire Token.

The Han family wiped out the Su family in order to seize the Heavenly Fire Token. However, after the Su family was destroyed, the Heavenly Fire Token disappeared without a trace, and the Han family has been searching for its whereabouts ever since.

"No wonder the Han family has been relentlessly pursuing Su Wanqing," Zheng Yi thought to himself. "It's all because of the Heavenly Fire Token. They must think Su Wanqing knows its whereabouts, which is why they're so determined to get her."

He carefully put away the secret letters and left the study.

This information is very important and must be told to Su Wanqing.

After leaving the city lord's mansion, Zheng Yi did not linger in Qingyun City and returned directly to Tianyuan City.

When he returned to the mansion, everyone was waiting for him.

"Master, you're back!" Zheng Bowen was the first to greet him. "Did you complete the mission?" (End of Chapter)