Blind Ghostwriter: Starts with the full level of Nine Yang Magic Skill

Chapter 257 The Battle of the Imperial City Begins (8.6k)

After leaving the imperial city,
A gust of cold wind blew in his face, bringing Zhuo Qingfeng back to his senses. He took a deep breath and said, "What do we do now? Should we continue investigating?"

Xiao Ziyin said in a deep voice, "We definitely need to investigate. We'll intervene as the diplomatic missions of our two countries. After all, our main goal is to find out Ye Nantian's whereabouts. It would be best if we could find some relevant clues. Otherwise, if the people from the Jiang Kingdom's court insist that Ye Nantian has already returned to the Ten Thousand Mountains, then we'll be helpless. If he has indeed returned, then there's nothing we can do. But if he's still hiding in the Jiang Kingdom, then we've missed our chance."

Zhuo Qingfeng nodded and said, "Your Highness is right. Then let's continue the investigation." As he spoke, he looked at Gu Mo, cupped his hands, and said, "Brother Gu, you should go back to the Court of State Ceremonial to rest. If you stay with us now, this case can't be investigated!"

Xiao Ziyin chuckled and said, "Yes, it's both convenient and inconvenient to have Hero Gu with us. However, there shouldn't be anyone in the Jiang Kingdom's court who would dare to openly comply but secretly disobey."

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

He himself had no interest in going along to investigate the case, and besides, he had just killed Mu Linyun, so if he went to the Censorate to investigate the case, it would indeed cause some unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, he has recently been taking time to figure out how to improve his sword control technique and make it more refined.

Therefore, Gu Mo went to the Honglu Temple alone.

Watching Gu Mo's departing figure, Zhuo Qingfeng clicked his tongue in admiration, "Brother Gu is truly awe-inspiring, isn't he, Brother Ye..."

Zhuo Qingfeng turned his head to look at Ye Jinglan and found that Ye Jinglan was lost in thought, so he patted Ye Jinglan and asked, "Hey, Brother Ye, what are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought."

"Ah, nothing!"

Ye Jinglan waved his hand and said, "Where should we start our investigation?"

Xiao Ziyin said, "Let's split into two groups. Chu Dong and I will go to the Censorate, while Lord Zhuo and Lord Ye will each go to the Ministry of War to investigate. What do you say?"

The group immediately decided to split into teams.

Then, Gu Chudong and Xiao Ziyin led several members of the Chu Kingdom delegation to the Censorate, while Zhuo Qingfeng and Ye Jinglan led a group of members of the Qian Kingdom delegation to the Ministry of War.

Just as they were leaving,
Ye Jinglan suddenly turned around and glanced at the capital city of Jiang Kingdom. No one noticed that a blood-red pattern appeared on his wrist, and flames flickered faintly in his eyes.

"The aura of one of our own!"

……

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

Exhausted, Emperor Jiang entered the underground palace.
Gu Mo left, but he left behind a mess.

The Left Censor-in-Chief, a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court, was publicly beaten and killed in the palace, and the court was even threatened. If this matter is not handled properly, once it gets out, the entire Jiang Kingdom will become a laughing stock.

He's only temporarily putting the matter on hold; how to handle it will depend on the specific outcome of later discussions.

"You just saw it, didn't you?" Emperor Jiang said, sitting by the blood pool. "No wonder they came back so quickly. That Gu Mo actually has such a skill in flying on a sword? Has the martial arts world reached such a level now?"

Ye Nantian emerged from the blood pool and said, "Don't ask me, I've never seen this technique before. In terms of movement and lightness skills, the techniques of Qi cultivators are the strongest, but so far, the fastest I've ever seen is the Wind Killing Technique from the Seven Killings Ode of the Heavenly Abyss Returning to Silence by the head manager of the Seven Absolutes Pavilion. Its speed is no slower than Gu Mo's sword control technique, but it requires rest after flying thirty or forty miles. But according to Xiao Ziyin and the others, Gu Mo flew on his sword and covered all eleven cities of Jianbei County in one or two hours, which is equivalent to him flying hundreds or even thousands of miles at once. Such a technique, let alone you who have lived in the palace for so long and never seen it, I have never even heard of it!"

Jiang Huang chuckled and said, "You're in big trouble. Being targeted by someone like this, it's no use hiding in the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

Ye Nantian said, "Your Majesty, there's no need to scare me. Gu Mo's sword-flying skills are indeed extraordinary, but the name 'Ten Thousand Mountains' isn't given lightly. With thousands of mountains and rivers, no one can find him if he hides inside."

Jiang Huang waved his hand and said, "To be honest, can you handle Gu Mo?"

Ye Nantian asked in surprise, "Your Majesty wants to kill Gu Mo? Because he just embarrassed you in court?"

"That's just one reason," Emperor Jiang said. "Once Gu Mo's sword flight technique is revealed, I'm afraid no emperor in the world will be able to sit still. Who isn't afraid that one day a Gu Mo will suddenly fall from the sky into the palace?"

Previously, it was said that Gu Mo was the best in the world, comparable to a freely operating iron cavalry, but at best, his deterrent power was only about the same as my grandfather's back then. At least with the guards of each palace, they wouldn't be unable to detect his arrival. But now Gu Mo can fly on a sword. If he descends from the sky, by the time the guards notice, he's already entered the city. No guard in the world can stop him; they can only serve as a warning. Now, even that's ineffective. So, which emperor can tolerate the existence of someone who can take his life at any moment?

Ye Nantian said, "That makes sense, but it's best not to be the first to stick your neck out. There are more than a dozen countries in the world, and the three major powers are Qian, Chu, and Qin. The ones who should be most worried are the emperors of those three countries."

"Your Majesty, dealing with Gu Mo is far too risky. Before, with the help of the imperial army, my immortality, and Jiang Ruoxu's immortal body, I had a 60-70% chance of killing Gu Mo. Now, I have less than a 20% chance; I can only guarantee defeat. Killing him is far too difficult."

Jiang Huang took a deep breath and said, "Can you defeat him?"

Ye Nantian said, "That's definitely not a problem. I have an immortal body, and I can wear Gu Mo down with sheer exhaustion. Plus, with my immortal body's powerful attack, Gu Mo will surely be defeated. Moreover, there's the imperial army. Defeating Gu Mo is a piece of cake. However, Your Majesty, you need to think carefully about whether it's worth it?"

The State of Chu is now eyeing the State of Jiang with covetous intent. This time, Princess Xiao Ziyin entered the State of Jiang under the pretext of arresting me. Her purpose is simple: she wants to understand the political situation in the State of Jiang and find a reason for Chu to send troops.

Even if the Jiang Kingdom manages to evade this time, they can't hide forever; a battle is inevitable sooner or later. My Immortal Body and I, as their greatest secret weapon, could catch the Chu Kingdom off guard and turn the tide of battle if used on the battlefield.

"But if we use this now just to kill Gu Mo, the Chu Kingdom will definitely be on alert. Then, when the great war begins, it's hard to say whether my immortal body and I will still be able to play such a good role."

Emperor Jiang slowly said, "I understand the reasoning. I didn't really want to reveal my hand at this time. It's just that Gu Mo caught me off guard today. He only gave me one day. I can find someone to take the blame, but in such a rush, there will inevitably be some oversights, and I'm worried that they will be discovered."

Ye Nantian sighed and said, "Your Majesty, your arrangements today were indeed somewhat inappropriate, going too far. I know you wanted to stall for time with unreasonable arguments, but that Mu Linyun you arranged is acting like he's out of his mind. He could have just said a few words to confuse the issue and shift the blame, but he had to go and scold Gu Mo. Isn't that just asking for trouble?"

Gu Mo is the strongest in the world. He possesses power that transcends laws and rules. All rules are merely a matter of whether he is willing to abide by them. If you anger him and he refuses to follow the rules, things will turn out like this today.

Emperor Jiang said in a deep voice, "I never expected that he would dare to kill a minister in the palace!"

Ye Nantian curled his lips and said, "It is said that the Empress Dowager of Qian Kingdom was killed by him. However, Emperor Qian claimed that she was killed by rebels in order to save face for the royal family. With Gu Mo's cultivation and strength, and without the ties of family or clan, such a person is far more divine than human. Don't gamble on whether he dares to do it, just see if he is willing to do it."

Jiang Huang said with some annoyance, "If I had known it would turn out this way, I wouldn't have made those arrangements. The key question is, what do we do now? What if we can't hide it from them tomorrow?"

Ye Nantian said in a deep voice, "Let's make sure we're fully prepared. All the troops are fully armored. If Gu Mo and the others really notice something tomorrow, we should fight with all our might to kill him. If we can't kill him, at least we can defeat him. Although it will expose our trump card in advance, it will also create a certain deterrent effect, so it's not all bad!"

Emperor Jiang nodded and said, "That's the only way. Oh, right, Ye Nantian, go see Gu Mo for me tomorrow. I'm a little afraid that something unexpected might happen tomorrow. It would be really not worth it if Gu Mo suddenly went crazy and cut me down with his sword!"

Ye Nantian nodded slightly, his palm gently resting on the ground. Countless bloodworms swarmed towards a corner where a wrinkled human skin lay on a shelf. As the bloodworms entered the skin, it gradually filled in, quickly transforming into a person—exactly identical to Emperor Jiang.

Emperor Jiang walked up to the "Human Skin Emperor Jiang" and gently stroked it, saying, "This is truly lifelike. If even the skin of my substitute can be made to look exactly like me, then if it were my own skin, wouldn't even my bedmate be unable to tell the difference? Ye Nantian, tell me, if you kill me, wouldn't you be able to directly replace me?"

Jiang Huang turned to look at Ye Nantian with a smile.

Ye Nantian said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty is joking. If I really did that, what if your grandfather suddenly decided to come back and take a look one day? Wouldn't he hunt me down until I had nowhere to run?"

"Hmph," Emperor Jiang chuckled and said, "I'm leaving. I'll leave tomorrow's affairs to you."

Watching Emperor Jiang leave, Ye Nantian glanced at the stand-in Emperor Jiang and said coldly, "Do you really think that a Jiang Ruoxu whose life or death is unknown can fool me? You even dare to think of using the Imprisoning Heaven Formation to control me?"
Once I fully master the immortal body left behind by Jiang Ruoxu, with my immortal body and domineering immortal physique, what do I have to fear even if Jiang Ruoxu's spirit is truly still alive? Jiang Emperor, humph!

……

Jiang State, Honglu Temple.

Gu Mo spent a whole day and night tinkering with his flying sword in the courtyard. Meanwhile, Gu Chudong, Ye Jinglan, and the others went to investigate the case and did not return. They only sent someone back in the evening to inform him.

The two groups returned almost simultaneously by noon the next day.

Xiao Ziyin and Gu Chudong returned first. They had just entered Gu Mo's courtyard and exchanged a few words when they heard footsteps outside. It was Ye Jinglan and Zhuo Qingfeng who had returned.

"Your Highness, do you have any leads at the Censorate?" Zhuo Qingfeng asked.

"Yes, and no," Xiao Ziyin said. "When we investigated the inspection team sent by the Censorate to inspect Jianbei County some time ago, we found out that the entire team had accepted bribes. The inspector in charge was already under the control of the Imperial City Guard by Emperor Jiang."

So, I said we have clues, but also not really. A single inspector can't possibly command the entire team. However, time is too short right now, and we can't find any more leads. We have to see what Emperor Jiang has to say!

Zhuo Qingfeng nodded slightly and said, "It's similar on our side. In Jianbei County, some military personnel noticed the unusual troop movements and reported it to the Ministry of War for questioning. However, the Right Vice Minister of War suppressed or intercepted them, so it can be basically confirmed that the Right Vice Minister colluded with the Moon Worship Cult. Emperor Jiang's side acted quite quickly and took the people into custody immediately!"

Gu Mo said, "Therefore, the case of the massacre in Jianbei County has been basically confirmed. It was found that there were people in the Censorate and the Ministry of War who colluded with the Moon Worship Cult to bring about this incident."

Xiao Ziyin nodded and said, "It has to be said that there is a reason why the national strength of Jiang Kingdom is declining day by day."

Zhuo Qingfeng chuckled and said, "So, Your Highness, what's the point of your country having such an ally? Isn't it just a burden? Your Majesty is a man of great talent and ambition, why not just take over the territory of Jiang Kingdom directly?"

Xiao Ziyin glanced at Zhuo Qingfeng and said, "Lord Zhuo, could it be that your words reveal the national policy of Qian Kingdom? To join forces when strong and annex and seize when weak? Such a lack of morality, your country is truly blessed with outstanding people and resources!"

Zhuo Qingfeng chuckled and said, "I merely thought that your country intended to support another false Jiang after seeing that your country had supported a pseudo Jin in the northern border of Jin."

Xiao Ziyin said, "The Northern Jin royal family is the original Jin royal family, so how can it be called a pseudo-Jin? Moreover, my Chu state only returned power to the Sima royal family. When have we ever supported any other royal family? Lord Zhuo, as a high-ranking official of the Qian state and a member of the Six Doors, how can you always say things without any evidence? Does your country handle cases by fabricating facts out of thin air?"

"Brother Zhuo, Your Highness, let's talk about the matter at hand!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Gu Mo immediately stepped in to smooth things over. He knew that Zhuo Qingfeng had always suspected that Xiao Ziyin's purpose in coming to Jiang Kingdom was not simply to capture Ye Nantian, so he would occasionally try to probe her with questions. Xiao Ziyin naturally understood Zhuo Qingfeng's thoughts, so no matter what Zhuo Qingfeng was probing, she acted as if he had guessed her thoughts.

Gu Mo stepped in to smooth things over.
Zhuo Qingfeng and Xiao Ziyin naturally gave him face, and both of them stopped arguing.

Xiao Ziyin said, "Master Gu, Emperor Jiang will definitely send someone to invite us into the capital soon. He will also give us an explanation and hand over the people involved in the Jianbei County massacre. But please don't express your opinion for now."

Gu Mo asked, "Why?"

Xiao Ziyin said, "Our main purpose is not to seek justice for the people of Jianbei County, but to find Ye Nantian. I speculate that they might say that Ye Nantian returned to the Ten Thousand Mountains after the massacre of Jianbei County. But I personally think that's unlikely. At the very least, Ye Nantian must have other things to do. Otherwise, I really can't understand why those ministers of Jiang Kingdom would join forces with Ye Nantian to do such a thing?"

This matter is far too serious. From Emperor Jiang's perspective, he definitely wants to suppress it as soon as possible and won't investigate it further. But we must investigate thoroughly to have any chance of finding any clues related to Ye Nantian.

"Okay," Gu Mo replied.

As expected, not long after, Emperor Jiang sent someone to invite Gu Mo and the others to the palace.

Immediately,

Gu Mo and his entourage then boarded a carriage and entered the palace.

During their journey, Ye Jinglan suddenly slipped into Gu Mo's carriage and whispered, "Brother Gu, Ye Nantian is very likely in the capital."

Gu Mo was slightly taken aback and asked in surprise, "Brother Ye, have you discovered something?"

Ye Jinglan hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Brother Gu, actually, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but I've been struggling with it. Reason tells me I can't tell you, but loyalty tells me I must. I'm really afraid that one day, for no apparent reason, you and I will become enemies."

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "Brother Ye, please speak freely."

Ye Jinglan slowly raised his hand, and a faint flame emanated from it. He said in a deep voice, "Brother Gu, does this seem familiar?"

Gu Mo looked at the ball of flame and slowly said, "The power of the Qilin."

“That’s right,” Ye Jinglan said, putting away the flames. “Back in Qingzhou, my junior brother and I were used as vessels by Lu Canyang to nurture the essence of the Qilin for over twenty years. You know about this, Brother Gu. Later, when we were being bled out, we were saved by you, Brother Gu. Otherwise, my junior brother and I would have died at Lu Canyang’s hands.”

Gu Mo nodded slightly without speaking, signaling Ye Jinglan to continue.

Then, Ye Jinglan said, "Actually, after you killed Lu Canyang, that drop of Qilin essence blood didn't disappear. Instead, it returned to my body as a complete drop. Now, all the blood in my body has been assimilated by the Qilin essence blood. The purity of the Qilin blood in my body is much higher than that of Lu Canyang back then." "Then, congratulations," Gu Mo said, "No wonder you told me you would never let me die in Ghost City. So that was your trump card!"

Ye Jinglan sighed and said, "But, in reality, this drop of blood was not under my control. Someone helped me, and I can't say who that person is. It was a deal between us. He was my test subject, and in return, he bestowed upon me the power of the Qilin."

But he has more than one test subject: Lu Canyang is one, I am one, and Ye Nantian is another. Now that Ye Nantian is no longer under his control, he wants to kill Ye Nantian and then use another type of Qilin blood from Ye Nantian's body on me to help me advance further.

Throughout this journey, I've felt uneasy, as if I were using you. Brother Gu, you treated me with sincerity, yet I used you behind your back. I truly betray your initial vow to "follow righteousness's path and stop where righteousness dictates!"

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "Brother Ye, you didn't use me. I was originally here to kill Ye Nantian, and Ye Nantian just happened to have something you needed. There's no causal relationship between these events. It's not that you wanted Ye Nantian's things and then tricked me into killing someone for you. You don't need to feel any pressure."

Ye Jinglan said, "I always felt I wasn't being honest with you. Also, there's something else. If one day you find out I'm your enemy, Brother Gu, don't hesitate, just kill me. Because at that time, it means I've definitely failed to fuse with the Qilin blood, and I've become a beast. I won't be myself anymore. If you encounter this, please, please don't be soft-hearted, and don't even think about saving me. At that time, I'll definitely be beyond saving. You've experienced the demonic power of the Qilin!"

Gu Mo asked, "Is it really necessary to fuse with Qilin blood? If you were forced to do it, you can tell me, and I can fight for you and maybe settle things."

“No, no, no,” Ye Jinglan said, “It was a mutually agreeable transaction from the beginning. He needed test subjects, and I wanted to pursue the ultimate power. There was never any coercion. If one day I really want freedom, I will openly challenge him. If I win, I will gain my freedom; if I lose, I should die.”

Gu Mo didn't say anything more. Everyone has their own pursuits, regardless of right or wrong, it's just a matter of personal choice, and that deserves respect.

Ye Jinglan said, "Ye Nantian has a drop of Qilin blood on him, but it's not as pure as mine. Qilin blood is a very strange thing. It's just a drop of blood, but it seems to have a life of its own, with a hierarchy and order. My Qilin blood is purer, so my level is higher. I can sense him from a distance, but he can't, unless I'm right in front of him."

Yesterday, while I was in the capital, I vaguely sensed their presence. Therefore, Brother Gu, the one truly cooperating with the Moon Worship Cult is probably not a few officials of the Jiang Kingdom's court, but Emperor Jiang himself!

Gu Mo's pupils contracted slightly, and he said, "If it is Emperor Jiang, then it makes even more sense. So, the fact that the court did not notice the massacre in Jianbei County for several months and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people can be explained perfectly."

Ye Jinglan said in a deep voice, "So, after thinking it over, the main reason I chose to be honest with you, Brother Gu, is that if you are willing to give up chasing Ye Nantian, everything will be fine, and we can return to Qian Kingdom as soon as possible."

However, if you don't give up the pursuit of Ye Nantian, then you must be prepared to become enemies with Emperor Jiang. I worry that you might find yourself in a dangerous situation due to lack of preparation. Although Jiang Kingdom isn't a major power, it still has a strong national foundation. Even with unparalleled martial arts skills, there's no guarantee that an unexpected event won't occur if someone is caught off guard.

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "Then let's not alert them today. Let the delegations from both countries return home tomorrow. Once everyone has left, I will come back to investigate Ye Nantian."

Ye Jinglan said, "Okay!"

……

Outside the main hall of the royal palace in the Kingdom of Jiang.

At this moment, all the civil and military officials gathered together, but none of them entered the main hall; instead, they all stood at the entrance. In the square in front of the hall, a row of people were kneeling—all officials of the court, the highest being the Vice Minister of War, a third-rank official, and the lowest a seventh-rank official, totaling more than thirty people.

"The Princess of Chu has arrived!"

"Hero Gu of Qian Kingdom has arrived!"

"..."

With a few announcements of the ceremony, all the officials of the Jiang Kingdom looked towards the palace gate outside the square.

At this moment, Xiao Ziyin and Gu Mo, along with their respective delegations from both countries, appeared.

"Emperor Jiang" sat in his chair, leisurely sipping a cup of tea, his gaze sweeping over Gu Mo and his group. However, when his eyes fell on Ye Jinglan, his pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of horror flashed across his face.

However, the look of shock flashed by in an instant, and he did not show any abnormality on the surface.

At the same time,

In the underground palace of the Imperial Study in the inner palace of the imperial city, Ye Nantian, who was sitting cross-legged in the blood pool, suddenly stood up, then quickly walked out of the underground palace and came to the Imperial Study.

At that moment, Emperor Jiang was reviewing memorials in the imperial study when he heard the sound of the underground palace's secret door opening. He looked up in surprise and asked, "Why did you come out?"

Ye Nantian said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I've been exposed!"

Jiang Huang was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "You've been staying in this underground palace without showing yourself, so how did you get exposed?"

Ye Nantian said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, do you remember when I said I needed a powerful backer to help me defend against a formidable enemy?"

Jiang Huang nodded.

Ye Nantian said, "That person possesses something special that can be added to the human body, but those things have a hierarchical order and a special attraction between them."

"And just now I discovered that Ye Jinglan, who's next to Gu Mo, possesses something identical to mine, and it's clearly at a higher level. Since even I can sense his presence, it means he can definitely sense me too."

Jiang Huang said, "But the person you met with him was a stand-in, wasn't it?"

Ye Nantian said, "Although it's a substitute, the power of those Gu worms is still mine. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to sense the aura within Ye Jinglan's body. Gu Mo's mental barrier is killing wanted criminals. He won't give up on the wanted criminals he's targeting. He will definitely come to kill me, so this battle is inevitable!"

Emperor Jiang said in a deep voice, "Then let's fight. I've been wanting to kill him for a while now. Since it's unavoidable, let's strike first. And his sister is there too, which is also his greatest weakness!"

Ye Nantian nodded and said, "If you don't intend to offend him to death, then you absolutely cannot touch his sister. But since we're going to fight to the death anyway, his sister is his fatal weakness. With her as a restraint, the chances of killing him in this imperial city will be 50%, because although he can escape, he can't take his sister with him, and he might not necessarily run away directly!"

"Then kill!"

……

The main hall of the imperial palace, on the square.

The Minister of Justice of Jiang State was listing the crimes of the officials who colluded with the Moon Worship Cult to massacre the people of Jianbei City.

Upon hearing the charges, the numerous civil and military officials all wore different expressions, as they were unsure whether these charges were genuine or if the emperor had been forced to find a group of people to take the blame.

After all, according to normal procedures, a conviction shouldn't be reached so quickly; at the very least, someone should be sent to Jianbei County to verify the facts before a conviction is made.

However, almost everyone present was also there yesterday and had witnessed the Left Censor-in-Chief's death, so no one raised any objections about the lack of proper procedure.

The scene was quiet, and everyone listened attentively as the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review read out the charges.

Gu Mo sat in a chair, holding a cup of tea, and looked at Emperor Jiang with great interest.

"Brother, why are you staring at Emperor Jiang?" Gu Chudong asked.

Gu Mo said, "I feel like Emperor Jiang is acting a bit strange today, but I can't quite put my finger on it." As he spoke, Gu Mo leaned closer to Ye Jinglan and asked, "Brother Ye, don't you think Emperor Jiang is acting strangely?"

A faint flame appeared in Ye Jinglan's pupils as he stared intently at Jiang Huang and whispered, "Something is definitely wrong. I sensed the aura of a Qilin on him... very weak. It's not Ye Nantian, but... it's definitely not Jiang Huang either!"

Gu Mo thought for a moment and said, "Didn't Ye Nantian cultivate the Undying Gu? Could it be that the Jiang Emperor in front of us now is a puppet controlled by Ye Nantian using the Undying Gu? That's why you can sense the aura of the Qilin."

Ye Jinglan was slightly taken aback, then suddenly exclaimed, "This is troublesome, Brother Gu!"

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Ye Jinglan said, "At this close range, he should be able to sense the Qilin aura on me, which means... Ye Nantian should already know that I know he is in the imperial city, so..."

"Om-"

Just then, a muffled sound like thunder rumbled through the void, and the light in the world suddenly froze. The next moment, as if a volcano had been punctured beneath the imperial city, solidified black battle energy shot into the sky, weaving an impenetrable net of killing intent between the palace eaves.

Before the battle aura had dissipated, the earth suddenly emitted a muffled rumble, and the archways in the palace walls shattered. Countless black-armored cavalry surged out like a black torrent, their iron hooves crushing the white marble floor tiles, and the sound of their armor clashing was like the turning of the gears of death.

"what happened?"

"Why is a battle formation being activated?"

"That's the Vermilion Bird Battle Formation of the Imperial City Guard!"

"His Majesty……"

This scene stunned all the officials at the entrance of the main hall. No one knew what had happened, and a commotion immediately broke out.

At the same time,

On the towering city walls, a cold metallic glint suddenly flashed from between the eaves and roof tiles—rows of powerful black iron crossbows stood like a forest, the soft clicks of the crossbows merging into a teeth-grinding hum.

The soldiers' eyes were devoid of warmth, their crossbow bolts pointed directly at the center of the imperial city, forming a pincer movement with the ground cavalry to strangle them from above and below.

The once majestic and imposing palace has now been transformed into an impenetrable cage by crossbows and murderous intent. Even the air itself is stagnant under the pressure of this sudden military onslaught, as if it will be crushed into dust by thousands of crossbow bolts and iron hooves in the next second.

"His Majesty……"

"Your Majesty... what's wrong?"

For a time, many officials questioned Emperor Jiang, while those convicted officials kneeling on the ground awaiting death were filled with surprise and joy.

Emperor Jiang slowly rose to his feet and declared in a loud voice: "Although the Jiang Kingdom is weak, its ruler has integrity. I can be killed, I can die in battle, but I will never live on my knees! Gu Mo of the Qian Kingdom, a mere commoner and a mere warrior, dared to kill my trusted minister right before my eyes, and now he even dares to try to force me to harm my ministers. How can I tolerate this humiliation?"

These words stirred the hearts of the court officials, who were both excited and surprised. They never expected that Emperor Jiang, who had always been fond of pleasure, would have such courage!
Emperor Jiang pointed at Gu Mo and said in a deep voice, "Gu Mo, I was just playing along with you. Today, it's either you or me who dies!"

Gu Mo slowly put down the cup and said, "Well said. If you were really Emperor Jiang, I would have to think more highly of you today. Unfortunately, you are not!"

Gu Mo pointed a finger, and an invisible sword aura surged forth.

"Protect Your Majesty!"

Immediately, a military officer stood in front of "Emperor Jiang" and was instantly pierced through the head by Gu Mo's sword energy. However, before the sword energy dissipated, it pierced into "Emperor Jiang's" forehead and then frantically strangled him, causing "Emperor Jiang" to explode instantly.

The dense swarms of blood-red Gu worms splattered everywhere, startling the civil and military officials. The emperor was an imposter! The series of unexpected events left them all bewildered.

And at this moment,
On the city wall, Emperor Jiang, dressed in a dragon robe, appeared and said loudly, "Gu Mo, I am right here. If you have the guts, come and kill me!"

Gu Mo asked curiously, "With so many civil and military officials here, aren't you afraid they'll die here?"

"To die for one's country is a worthy death!" Emperor Jiang declared loudly.

"Alright, you're something else!"

As soon as Gu Mo finished speaking, he vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he was already on the city wall, holding the Taixu Sword and the Yuanhong Sword in his left and right hands respectively. He unleashed the Hundred Steps Flying Sword and the Horizontal Sweep in Eight Directions, attacking Emperor Jiang simultaneously.

But at this moment,
Gu Mo's sword energy was intercepted. Strange cages made of true energy appeared in the void, instantly binding Gu Mo within them. The powerful force restrained Gu Mo's sword energy.

With a loud "boom",
The true energy cage exploded, and amidst the flying dust, a black-robed man wearing a skull mask appeared—Ye Nantian, the number one demon in the world!
(End of this chapter)