I, a spoiled young master, conquered the Crown Princess right from the start!

Behind Tianjian Mountain, in an ancient cave dwelling shrouded in layers of restrictions.

The Heavenly Sword Mountain Patriarch led Chu Qingge through a deep and long passageway, finally arriving at the center of a spacious stone chamber.

Inside the stone chamber, there were no superfluous furnishings, only an ancient stone platform, upon which a sword was quietly stuck.

It was an ancient sword with an unremarkable material, its blade devoid of any ornate decorations, even the tip appearing somewhat dull and lifeless, as if it had endured endless years, washing away all its former glory.

However, the moment Chu Qingge's gaze fell upon that sword, the sword intent within her body began to tremble uncontrollably, and a sense of closeness and longing from the depths of her bloodline arose spontaneously.

She could sense that this seemingly ordinary ancient sword contained a terrifying power capable of destroying the world. That power was like a sleeping dragon; once awakened, it could make the world lose its color and the sun and moon lose their light.

"Grandmaster, what is this sword?" Chu Qingge's voice trembled slightly.

The gaze of the Heavenly Sword Mountain Ancestor also fell upon that ancient sword, his cloudy eyes filled with awe and reminiscence.

"This sword is called the 'Heavenly Sword'."

"It is the true sword of inheritance for my Heavenly Sword lineage."

"The Heavenly Sword lineage?" Chu Qingge's face showed a look of doubt.

The old patriarch of Tianjian Mountain sighed and slowly revealed a shocking secret that had been hidden for hundreds of years.

"Girl, do you know why my Heavenly Sword Mountain is named Heavenly Sword Mountain?"

"Because, a long, long time ago, our sect wasn't called Heavenly Sword Mountain, but rather, Heavenly Sword Sect!"

"Tianjian Sect?"

"That's right." A deep-seated hatred and resentment flashed in the eyes of the Heavenly Sword Mountain Ancestor. "The Heavenly Sword Sect was once the most prestigious sword sect in the Central Continent, with countless powerful figures and numerous sword immortals, its fame resounding throughout the world! It's just a pity..."

His voice became somber.

"Unfortunately, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled. My Heavenly Sword Sect, because it touched upon the interests of certain forbidden beings, suffered a devastating annihilation overnight! Countless fellow disciples perished, the sect was reduced to scorched earth, and its lineage was severed..."

"In the end, only a small number of surviving disciples, under the desperate protection of several patriarchs, managed to escape with this Heavenly Sword. They traveled thousands of miles and eventually settled in this barren northern wilderness, hiding their identities and establishing the Heavenly Sword Mountain we know today."

After hearing this secret, Chu Qingge was completely stunned. She never imagined that her sect had such a tragic yet glorious past.

"Qingge." The old patriarch of Tianjian Mountain turned his head and looked at her intently. "You possess an innate sword body and a sword talent unparalleled throughout the ages. You have the legendary appearance of a sword immortal! Originally, I planned to tell you all this after your cultivation had advanced further, at least to the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, so that you could come here and receive the inheritance of the Heavenly Sword."

"But today's events have made me realize that time waits for no one! My Heavenly Sword Mountain, though seemingly glorious, is actually walking on thin ice. In this dog-eat-dog world, we could repeat the same mistakes and be completely destroyed at any moment!"

"Therefore, you must become stronger as soon as possible! Strong enough to protect the last remaining incense offerings of our Heavenly Sword Mountain!"

He pointed at the celestial sword, his voice becoming extremely solemn.

"However, not everyone can obtain this Heavenly Sword inheritance."

"In the past, your master, the previous sect leaders, and I all tried, but we all failed in the end."

"The Heavenly Sword possesses a spirit; it only chooses the master it acknowledges." The Heavenly Sword Mountain Ancestor turned to look at Chu Qingge and said in a deep voice, "I hope you will not disappoint our expectations."

Chu Qingge took a deep breath, and an unprecedented flame of determination ignited in her clear, cold phoenix eyes.

As she gazed at the ancient celestial sword, the image of Chu Feng, who looked down upon the world, involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

A gentle breeze...

I will definitely become strong enough! Strong enough to wipe out all your enemies!

Without further hesitation, she took a step forward, walking steadily toward the stone platform.

Meanwhile, the battle at Tianjian Mountain had already stirred up a huge wave of excitement in the outside world.

The seven top sects, including Taiyi Sect and Qingyun Sect, joined forces to besiege Tianjian Mountain, but were completely wiped out. Even the patriarchs who had been hidden in their respective sects for hundreds of years all perished!

This news was like a magnitude 12 earthquake, instantly triggering an upheaval throughout the entire Great Qian Dynasty, and even several surrounding dynasties.

Countless forces were shaken, and countless powerful figures were horrified.

Everyone wanted to know what had happened at Tianjian Mountain. Was Tianjian Mountain hiding some incredible trump card, or had some mysterious, peerless expert made a move?

Immediately, opinions were divided, and all sorts of speculations flew around.

Among the ten major sects of the Great Qian Dynasty, the remaining two sects, Tianxing Sect and Xuanming Sect, displayed astonishing tacit understanding and decisiveness the moment they received the news.

Without hesitation, they launched a campaign to wipe out and annex the remaining forces of the seven major sects, swiftly and ruthlessly dividing up the vast resources and territories left behind by those sects.

The entire martial arts world of the Great Qian Dynasty was plunged into an unprecedented upheaval and reshuffling.

However, one wave has not settled, and one wave has risen again.

Just as everyone's attention was still focused on the destruction of the seven major sects, another, even more explosive piece of news came from Jiangnan and swept across the entire Daqian at an alarming speed.

Fang Wenshan, the greatest Confucian scholar of the Great Qian Dynasty, a literary giant with countless students, and Lu Chen, the fifth prince of the current dynasty, were publicly killed by Chu Feng, the heir of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, in Suzhou and Hangzhou in Jiangnan!

The news caused an uproar throughout the country!

If the destruction of the seven major sects only caused a stir in the martial arts world, then this event truly shook the foundations of the Great Qian Dynasty!

The world was shaken!

In particular, the countless literati and scholars of the Great Qian Dynasty were in an uproar when they learned that their spiritual leader, Fang Wenshan, had died tragically at the hands of a playboy.

They were filled with righteous indignation, and countless proclamations condemning Chu Feng and the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion spread like snowflakes throughout every corner of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Chu Feng, the traitor to the nation! He disregarded the law, brutally murdered a prince, and plotted against a great Confucian scholar! His crimes are unforgivable!"

"The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, with its powerful army, is arrogant and domineering; its intentions are despicable! The entire family should be executed as a warning to others!"

"We scholars should jointly submit a petition, writing in blood to demand that Chu Feng be killed! We will not rest until he is dead!"

A storm of public opinion, stirred up by intellectuals, swept fiercely toward the capital, the imperial palace, and the Prince of Zhenbei's residence with unprecedented force.

The capital city, the imperial palace, the imperial study.

"Bang!"

Lu Tianqian slammed his fist hard on the dragon table. His heroic face was twisted and deformed with extreme anger, his eyes were bloodshot and his veins were bulging.

"Chu! Feng!"

He spat out those two words through gritted teeth, his overwhelming killing intent almost lifting the roof off the entire imperial study.

again!

Another son died at his hands!

That damned little beast, how dare he?! How dare he be so lawless?!

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Below the main hall, civil and military officials knelt in a dense, dark mass.

The ministers, led by Duke Shen, were all in tears as they stepped forward and jointly submitted a memorial.

"Your Majesty! This scoundrel Chu Feng is utterly disrespectful to the Emperor, cruel and inhumane! First he killed the Third Prince, now he harms the Fifth Prince, and he even publicly tortured and killed the pillar of our Great Qian literary world, the venerable Master Fang! Such acts are outrageous and intolerable to Heaven!"

"Your Majesty, we humbly request that you immediately issue an edict to apprehend this traitor and bring him to justice, so as to comfort the spirit of Elder Fang in heaven and uphold the laws of our Great Qian Dynasty!"

"Please issue the decree, Your Majesty!"

The courtiers were outraged, their voices echoing throughout the golden palace.

Lu Tianqian's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on the head of the officials who had remained silent all along.

"Prime Minister, what do you think?"

Prime Minister Su Wenyuan slowly stepped forward, bowed, and said in a steady voice, "Your Majesty, the actions of the Crown Prince of Chu have indeed violated the laws of the land and provoked public anger. In order to silence public opinion, quell the anger of scholars, and stabilize the court, the best course of action right now is to take down the Crown Prince of Chu."

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashed in Lu Tianqian's eyes, but he feigned hesitation on his face.

"Alas, what the Prime Minister says is true. But I... only recently bestowed upon the Prince of Zhenbei the title of 'Pillar of the Nation,' and now I am about to arrest his own grandson. Is this... not somewhat inappropriate?"

He had barely finished speaking.

A cold, authoritative snort came from outside the main hall without warning.

"Hmph, what's wrong with it? The mere Zhenbei Prince's Mansion can't cause any trouble!"

The moment the words fell, four figures dressed in ancient dragon robes, with white hair and beards, yet exuding an aura as deep as the sea, appeared in the center of the hall like ghosts.