May I seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and live a long and prosperous life.

When the two palms met, a massive energy storm was created, engulfing both of them.

Li Heng was unharmed, standing calmly in place with a slightly disappointed expression.

Looking at the Western Heretic Monk's side, the Buddha statue had long since disappeared, and a large amount of blood was spilling from the corner of his mouth, indicating that he had suffered internal injuries.

Seeing that his internal energy was very similar to the Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Classic) that he himself cultivated, Li Heng asked, "Are you from the Tathagata Sect?"

The Western Heretic Monk frowned, looking somewhat nervous: "How did you know I'm from the Tathagata Sect?"

Li Heng chuckled and offered no further explanation.

"One move done, farewell!" Li Heng vanished instantly, leaving the Western Heretic Monk standing there completely bewildered.

Once a Buddhist disciple of the Tathagata School, now a dissolute monk from the Western Regions, he stands bewildered in the wind.

Subsequently, Li Heng quickly caught up with the Southern Fool Swordsman and the Northern Wrathful Taoist.

Using only 30% of his internal energy, he defeated both of them in a single move.

However, among the four, the Southern Swordsman performed the best, at least he was not as disheveled as the other three, and his injuries were the least severe.

Of the four, Li Heng also had a slight liking for the Southern Swordsman.

A few days later, rumors circulated in the martial arts world that a certain Grandmaster had witnessed a mysterious man in black intercepting four Grandmasters after the martial arts competition at Wangchen Peak and defeating them one by one with a single move.

After this news spread, many grandmaster martial artists were shocked, especially those who participated in the Wangchen Peak Martial Arts Tournament, who found it unbelievable.

In their minds, these four titled Grandmasters were among the strongest Grandmasters of their time, yet even such figures were defeated in a single move by the mysterious man in black.

This struck them as incredible, and they unanimously believed that the news was a hoax designed to attract attention.

Of course, some people agree and praise the mysterious man in black, saying he has some resemblance to the Night Emperor of yesteryear!

……

After sparring with the four titled Grandmasters, Li Heng returned to the Poison Dragon Pool and began his seclusion.

Time flies like an arrow, and eight years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Poison Dragon Pool cave, Li Heng opened his eyes again.

Now, he has once again cultivated back to the peak of the Grandmaster level. So far, he has dissipated his cultivation and started cultivating again four times.

After retraining himself four times, his foundation and internal strength have been raised to an extremely exaggerated level.

This time, Li Heng is about 40% stronger than he was eight years ago.

"This time, my cultivation speed has actually increased a lot. I should be able to return to the peak of the Grandmaster realm in about four years. This is a good thing!" Li Heng exclaimed.

"It's time to go out and gather some news from the outside world!"

Li Heng got up and left the Poison Dragon Pool cave. He changed his clothes and then quickly headed to Yun City.

The largest teahouse in Yuncheng.

Li Heng sat down quietly in the corner and ordered a pot of tea, a plate of beef jerky, and a plate of peanuts.

An hour later, Li Heng left again. This time, he learned another bombshell: Emperor Jingwu was seriously ill and seemed to be dying. Currently, the Crown Prince of Emperor Jingwu was acting as regent and handling state affairs.

Emperor Jingwu announced to the public that he had one unfulfilled wish in his life, which was to meet the First-Class Town King, the legendary Grandmaster, and the Night Emperor.

After hearing the news, Li Heng weighed the matter carefully and decided that he should go see Emperor Jingwu so that he could have no more regrets.

After all, although Li Heng had helped Emperor Jingwu a lot, Emperor Jingwu did not let him down in the end. He gave him great honors, erected a monument and built a shrine for him, conferred upon him the title of First-Class Town King, ranked him first in the Lingyun Pavilion, and after his death, he was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple to enjoy incense offerings for ten thousand generations.

"Fine, I'll go see them then. Old friends are gradually passing away, and it will be difficult to see them again in the future!" Li Heng sighed.

......

In the autumn of the twenty-first year of Chengping.

Li Heng entered the capital again, and this was also his last time entering the capital of Chu.

The Royal Palace of Chu, Guixin Hall.

Emperor Jingwu lay on his dragon bed, covered with a thick blanket, but his face was very dark, his lips were pale, and his skin was dry.

His eyes were fixed on the beams and pillars of the main hall, lost in thought.

At this moment, a eunuch knelt down and reported, "Your Majesty, it's time for dinner. You didn't eat much for lunch, so you should eat something to nourish your body. Tonight, the Imperial Kitchen has prepared your favorite roast goose and braised pork knuckle."

Emperor Jingwu waved his hand weakly and said, "Has the will been written? Send a detachment of Imperial Guards to protect the Crown Prince. Also, summon the Grand General and the Imperial Preceptor to the palace. Go now!"

An hour later, General Ye Zhou and Imperial Advisor Li Hui entered the Guixin Hall. Both knelt and kowtowed, saying:

"Your subject Ye Zhou greets Your Majesty."

"Your subject Li Hui greets Your Majesty."

"My dear ministers, you may rise." Emperor Jingwu waved his hand, signaling the two to stand up.

"Someone, please bring a seat."

After the two sat down, Emperor Jingwu revealed his true intentions.

"My two beloved ministers, as you know, my days are numbered. But the Chu Kingdom must not be thrown into chaos. After my death, you must support the Crown Prince to ascend the throne smoothly and stabilize the court. If anyone plots rebellion or tries to take advantage of the chaos, you may directly mobilize 100,000 imperial guards outside the city to exterminate them."

"Your Majesty, you are in the prime of your life, how can you utter such ominous words!"

"I know my health. I appoint you as regents and hope that you will do your best to assist the Crown Prince, remind him often, prevent him from going astray, teach him to govern with benevolence, treat the people well, be frugal and diligent in his duties, not to indulge in pleasure, and not to repeat the mistakes of the late emperor."

This land was hard-won, and we were on the verge of collapse several times. It was only through the efforts of my beloved ministers and the King of Zhen that I was able to drive out the barbarians, recover our lost territories, and completely exterminate them to avenge the late emperor.

Back then, during the Battle of Yuncheng, the King of Zhen first distinguished himself, and I, in my youth, was full of ambition and confidence. Thinking back, forty or fifty years have passed since then. It's a pity that those days can never be returned to; I deeply miss them!

"Alas, let's not dwell on these past events. Let's get down to business. My two beloved ministers, are you both confident enough to shoulder this heavy responsibility, to protect the land of our Great Chu, and to remain steadfast even in the face of death?"

"I would gladly die for the Crown Prince! I will serve him wholeheartedly, devoting myself to his duties until my dying breath!" General Ye Zhou knelt on one knee and bowed.

"Your humble servant will also do his utmost to assist the Crown Prince. If I utter even the slightest lie, may I incur the wrath of both gods and men!" Imperial Advisor Li Hui also left his seat and knelt on one knee.

"Very good. With two of my beloved ministers, I have no regrets even if I die. It is a pity that I was unable to meet the King of Zhen, which is the greatest regret of my life." Emperor Jingwu sighed.

"Alas, Your Majesty, I also wish to share your burdens, but unfortunately, the King of Zhen is elusive and no one has ever seen him. We have no way of finding him."

"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty has already spread the news throughout the land, and the King of Zhen must already know. If he wants to see you, he will surely appear in the next few days; if he does not want to see you, then there is nothing that can be done."

Just then, a powerful voice suddenly rang out.

"Third Prince, how have you been?"

The Third Prince?

Who is so bold as to address His Majesty as "Third Prince"? That title dates back forty or fifty years.

Emperor Jingwu was clearly taken aback, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he felt a sense of familiarity.

The three of them quickly looked toward the source of the sound.

In the left corner of the main hall stood a tall and imposing figure.

The man was dressed in black and masked.