The Last Sentinel

thump—

dong dong——

Thump thump—thump! Thump…

No one has ever imagined that a person's heartbeat could be as loud and thunderous as a thunderclap.

There were no amplification devices, only the golden-white sea of ​​fortune that enveloped more than a thousand planets in the eighteen star regions of the Imperial City, rumbling like spring thunder, adding a touch of vitality and vibrancy to the gray and gloomy desolate universe.

At the foot of a tavern in Jinling City, a disheveled wanderer stood still, gently shaking the wine gourd in his hand. Golden ripples of fortune surged like ocean waves above his head, spreading in all directions.

Beneath a golden sea of ​​clouds, an endless, dark blue waterfall cascades down from the sky. High-tech industrial zones and aristocratic residential areas are built on floating meteorites, which are connected by the waterfall. Ancient-style buildings stretch from the sky to the ground, and a high bridge spans the Biluo River. Mechanical patrolmen can be faintly seen patrolling overhead. People of the Ming Dynasty, dressed in ancient costumes, lie prostrate on both sides of the bridge, pointing to the sky and chanting incessantly.

"Mom, what's that?"

A little child pointed to the top of his head and muttered something.

The parents had never seen such a scene before, and they were so shocked that they couldn't utter a single word.

However, this down-on-his-luck wanderer recited a line: "Unimaginably powerful blood and qi, breaking through the shackles of the body, condensing into fortune, fortune surging through the eighteen realms, reaching the deepest hell in a single thought!"

The child looked at the martial arts expert with curiosity, "Is he powerful?"

The wandering swordsman chuckled, "The last one this powerful was Zhang Sanfeng, and Zhang Zhenren's most triumphant period was the sixty years of subduing demons! In today's time, that's roughly six hundred years of killing! For six hundred years, Zhang Zhenren swept through the land, using killing to stop killing, killing until no one in the world dared to claim supremacy, killing until no celestial being dared to call himself a genius. Thus, he was hailed as the martial arts legend of that era, the only martial arts legend!"

"Five thousand years ago, the two sides were separated by a natural chasm, and the source was broken. Since then, the Ming Dynasty has begun to decline. Martial arts myths have become legends, and even the chosen ones have disappeared. There are only geniuses who appear once every hundred years and geniuses who appear once every ten thousand years."

"Although the empire, which is in a period of transition, still has the fighting power and strength, its decline is obvious to everyone. If this situation continues, the empire will inevitably be the first to collapse."

"The empire has poured all its resources into building the Jade Palace in the heavens, hoping to create a new source of the Heavenly Dao, but there has been no hope for a long time."

"With a new warp storm looming, the Empire is in dire need of talent, and a martial arts legend has arrived."

"Tsk tsk!"

"This time, there is another huge variable on the River of Reverse Entropy."

"Meng Xinghun, the number one genius of the Chaotic Star Sea, and the Undying Law God Mu, now there is another martial arts legend. This world is getting more and more interesting."

The child looked at the ranger and asked, "Uncle, what is the River of Reverse Entropy?"

"This!" the young hero chuckled, "is an interesting place. The River of Reverse Entropy only opens during subspace storms, when geniuses from all races compete on its banks for opportunities and treasures..."

Just then, a bright flash of light appeared behind them.

The child and dozens of ordinary people listening around him trembled in unison, their bodies suddenly shattering into countless stardust particles.

The down-on-his-luck wandering swordsman couldn't help but say, "Sigh, don't you Eastern Depot agents ever give a warning before killing someone?"

In the deep night wind, several Imperial Guards from the Eastern Depot appeared around the wandering knight, surrounding him completely.

A Jinyiwei leader wearing a ghost mask stepped forward, his voice hoarse and deep, "There are some things that shouldn't be said, and some people that shouldn't be heard. Even we Jinyiwei dare not know too much about things like the Reverse Entropy River. Yet, Master Ding told this secret to ordinary people in the marketplace. Rather than saying we killed them, it would be more accurate to say that you, Master Ding, killed them."

The wandering swordsman spread his hands. "You all have too many people and too much to say, so whatever you say is right. I'm not arguing with you anymore. Farewell!"

The masked imperial guard raised his hand to block the wandering swordsman's path. "Your martial arts are excellent. My master has something he would like to ask Master Ding for help with."

The wandering swordsman glanced sideways at the vengeful ghost of the Imperial Guard. "Your master? Yu Huatian? Eunuch Yu is a rising star in the court now, and it's said he has a chance to enter the Imperial Household Department next. Why would he come looking for a down-on-his-luck江湖人 (jianghu ren, a person from the martial arts world) like me?"

After speaking, the wandering swordsman prepared to leave.

The Imperial Guard raised his hand and took out a box. "This is the deposit. Whether it goes through or not, it's yours."

Ding Xiu paused for a moment, then took the box and muttered to himself, "Interesting. They're even giving away tickets to the Yellow Springs Exam. It seems Eunuch Yu is quite sincere! Tell me, what is it?"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's motto was, "Arrest a person, and their life or death is irrelevant."

Ding Xiudao, "Name."

The Imperial Guard said, "Zhou Yunyi."

Upon hearing this, Ding Xiu shoved the tickets from the box back into the Jinyiwei's arms. "Are you crazy?! Everyone in the underworld knows that Zhou Yunyi was kidnapped by Meng Xinghun. Meng Xinghun broke into Baiyujing at night and stole the twelve volumes of the Heavenly Book, causing quite a stir. Now you want me to go find Meng Xinghun?"

"That's Meng Xinghun! Do you know who Meng Xinghun is? Legend has it that in his previous life he was a King-level expert in the Dao of Cause and Effect, but unfortunately perished and was reincarnated here, where he is known as the Child of Cause and Effect! He was born with seven senses and six knowledges, and his third eye can see his opponent's past and present lives, know their low points and weakest moments, and can accurately kill the enemy when they are most vulnerable!"

"Meng Xinghun's cunning is boundless; anyone with a higher cultivation level than him will flee! No one in the path of cause and effect can rival him!"

"And those who are at the same level as him can't beat him."

"He got stuck on just this one bug!"

"He's become the most troublesome bastard in this desolate universe!"

The Imperial Guard looked at Ding Xiu calmly and said, "Name your price."

Ding Xiu leaned against the railing of the Magpie Bridge, looking down at the surging Netherworld Azure Sky below, and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "This has little to do with money. The main problem is that I can't beat Meng Xinghun! That guy is too overpowered. He's cultivated the Dao of Cause and Effect to its extreme. He was able to kill his current enemy with a single knife ten years ago! And this guy is an old fox; he won't make a move unless he's absolutely certain of victory..."

The Imperial Guard said, "The Martial Arts Legend will face off against Meng Xinghun head-on. What you need to do is to ambush Zhou Yunyi from behind. Whether Zhou Yunyi is dead or alive, as long as you can bring him back, the mission will be complete."

Upon hearing this, Ding Xiu asked in surprise, "You mean this newly emerged martial arts legend is going to have a one-on-one duel with Meng Xinghun?"

The Imperial Guard leaned close to Ding Xiu's ear and said, "You're always one to join in the fun, aren't you? It would be a shame to miss this spectacle of two top geniuses."

Ding Xiu asked, "What's the background of this new martial arts legend? Is he really capable of defeating Meng Xinghun, the Daoist Master of Karma?"

The Imperial Guard said, "I can't say much about his specific origins, but I can tell you one thing. Some time ago, before he became a martial arts legend, he had already fought against the Zerg necromancer Mu. He relied on his physical cultivation to forcefully break through Mu's Corpse Throne and repel Mu."

"Hiss—" Ding Xiu gasped. "Are all the younger generation in the martial arts world this fierce these days? According to you, he, the current martial arts legend, might actually be able to go toe-to-toe with Meng Xinghun, the Daoist of Karma!"

The Imperial Guard said, "Name your price!"

Ding Xiudao said, "Normally speaking, this price is roughly equivalent to a standard warehouse of high-concentration element crystallization energy! However, considering that the opponent is Meng Xinghun, that old schemer, even with the help of a martial arts legend, the chances of winning aren't very high. This price!"

The Imperial Guard stared at Ding Xiu's five fingers, gritting his teeth, and said, "This is going too far! Five warehouses of highly concentrated elemental crystal energy—do you think the Eastern Depot is a charity?"

Ding Xiudao said, "This is already a friendly price, given my years of cooperation with the Eastern Depot. If it were Zhao Jingzhong's Western Depot, it would be at least ten warehouses!"

The Imperial Guard said, "Three warehouses, that's no more."

"Deal!" Ding Xiu clapped his hands lazily. "To be honest, if it weren't for the exciting spectacle of two geniuses battling it out, I really wouldn't have taken this job. It's been such a hassle every day!"

The Imperial Guard looked at Ding Xiu and said, "I recently heard that there's a red dog, codenamed Red King, who's been robbing people all over the Empire. He's already taken down several of our locations. If you have any intelligence on Red King, report it over quickly and we'll exchange it for money."

"Okay!" Ding Xiu waved his hand and said, "Stop following me! I have things to do! You're always like a little shadow, I don't owe you Eastern Depot a single penny, yet you're always causing me trouble!"

The Imperial Guards watched Ding Xiu gradually disappear into the distance, while several of their followers whispered among themselves.

"Brother, that bastard needs to be taught a lesson!"

"Does Ding Xiu think he can act with impunity just because he's a top expert on the Killing Star Ranking? We have to teach him a lesson!"

The leader said coldly, "The Killing Star Ranking is nothing to worry about. What's most frightening about Ding Xiu is that he crossed the River of Reverse Entropy! Although he didn't succeed, he still underwent the baptism of entropy. In a sense, he has already stepped out of the Three Realms and is no longer within the Five Elements. Neither the Eight Characters nor the Six Lines can predict him!"

"Leave now, stop following Ding Xiu."

"It's not worth provoking this person."

The Imperial Guards all replied, "Yes, sir!"