The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

"Disciple Wu Minghuang greets Holy Master."

My voice is hoarse and dry.

Chen Xiang put down the bamboo slips, looked at me quietly for a long time, and then slowly said, "You're injured."

It's not a question, it's a statement.

"Hmm." I lowered my head. "Iron Wall Pass cannot be defended. I'm afraid the Heavenly Wind Dynasty will also..."

I paused, raised my head, looked into his eyes which were as deep as the starry sky, and said, word by word, "This disciple has come not to seek help."

"The teachings of the Holy Master state that one must walk one's own path and shed one's own blood; your disciple has done his utmost."

"I have come only to say goodbye."

My voice was choked with emotion, but I held it in and said, "Thank you, Holy Teacher, for saving my life, for imparting your knowledge, and for your guidance."

"If it weren't for the Holy Master, I would have long been a withered skeleton in the deep palace, or a wronged soul in the struggle for imperial power."

"Having come this far, having seen a wider world, and having fought for what I desire, I have no regrets."

I bowed deeply once more: "However, I fear I will no longer be able to come and brew tea for the Holy Master at this time of year. Holy Master, please take care."

Having said that, I stood up, turned around, and prepared to leave.

The steps were heavy, yet resolute.

I have decided on the final path.

Returning to Iron Wall Pass, when the pass was breached, he used the essence of the Heavenly Phoenix Body as a guide to forcefully break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

If I can trigger a heavenly tribulation, I may be able to severely injure or even perish together with the enemy chieftain, thus securing a last glimmer of hope for the Tianfeng Dynasty and for the soldiers and people who follow me.

This is my final responsibility as emperor.

Just as I was about to step out of this bamboo forest, I heard Chen Xiang's voice from behind me.

It remained calm, yet seemed to carry a subtle, almost imperceptible sense of helplessness.

"stop."

I paused, but did not turn around.

"Are you planning to go back and die like this?" His voice came.

I clenched my fist, my nails digging into my palm again: "I have no other choice but to do this."

A very soft sigh came from behind.

Then came the sound of footsteps.

I turned around abruptly.

Chen Xiang was already standing at the door of the thatched hut.

The moonlight shone on him, and his blue robe fluttered slightly.

He walked down the steps one by one, came to my side, looked in the direction I had come from, looked at the Iron Wall Pass a thousand miles away, and looked at the battlefield where shouts of killing shook the heavens and the air was thick with the smell of blood.

"I've taught you for five years, and all you've learned is how to hold a knife, but you haven't learned when to let me see if your hand holding the knife is steady."

He turned his head to look at me, his eyes no longer completely calm and still, but with a hint of something more...

The subtle reproach of an elder towards a willful junior, along with an indescribable depth.

"That's enough."

He uttered two words softly.

Then, to my astonishment, bewilderment, and disbelief, he stepped forward.

This step is neither towards a thatched hut nor towards a peach tree.

Instead, they headed down the mountain road.

He headed towards that bustling, blood-soaked battlefield where he had lived in seclusion for decades and had never ventured there before!

The figure in the blue robe appeared tall and resolute in the moonlight.

He is finally about to step out of this mountain.

For my sake?

I stood frozen, watching his retreating figure, my throat feeling as if something was blocking it, unable to utter a sound. Only scalding tears finally welled up uncontrollably, streaming down my blood-stained and weathered cheeks.

The Holy Master...he...

Chen Xiang did not turn around; his faint voice drifted on the wind:

"Keep up."

"Let me show you what it means to..."

"The real killing."

The era of Kendo has lasted 180 years.

Early Spring at Tiebi Pass

When I followed the Holy Teacher Chen back to Tiebi Pass, it was just before dawn, the darkest hour before daybreak.

Beneath the walls, the flames of war had not yet died down, thick smoke billowed, and the stench of blood filled the air.

The sword cultivators of the Lingyun Sword Sect stood on flying swords, hovering in mid-air, their sword light raining down, reaping the lives of the remaining defenders on the city walls.

The strongmen of the Golden Saber Sect wielded giant blades the size of door panels, pounding against the already crumbling city gate.

The disciples of the Xuan Yin Sect lurked in the shadows, releasing poisonous mist and curses that caused the defenders to fall in agony.

Inside the pass, the defending troops numbered less than 10,000, and most of them were wounded with numb eyes, mechanically waving their weapons in a final act of resistance.

The old general, leaning on his broken sword, stood at the forefront, a deep, bone-revealing wound on his chest still bleeding, yet he continued to roar and command.

The defeat is set.

The cheers and snarls of the enemy could be clearly heard.

My heart was bleeding. I clenched my fists and prepared to rush forward for a final battle.

However, the Holy Master gently raised his hand and placed it on my shoulder.

A gentle yet overwhelming force surged forth, instantly calming the restless true essence and churning blood within my body, rendering me unable to move an inch.

He walked forward with a leisurely pace, as if strolling in a garden.

The blue robe fluttered slightly in the morning breeze and smoke, standing out starkly from this bloody, hellish battlefield.

He walked to the center of the battlefield, where corpses were piled up and blood flowed like rivers, and stopped.

Then, he raised his right hand.

Her fingers were long and slender, fair and white, as if untouched by the world.

Facing the enemy army surging like a tidal wave, facing the fierce sword light flying everywhere, facing the howling poisonous fog and curses...

Press down gently.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no dazzling brilliance.

Only an invisible force, as vast as the sky and as heavy as the earth, spread out from him with a roar!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The rain of swords seemed to crash into an invisible barrier, breaking and shattering with a clang, turning into countless iron filings that fell down in a flurry!

The charging Golden Saber Sect warriors were as if they had sunk into the deepest quagmire.

Their movements froze and twisted instantly, the giant blades in their hands too heavy to lift. They stood frozen in place, their faces still contorted with ferocity, their eyes filled with horror and bewilderment!

The drifting poisonous fog and the invisible curse, upon touching that "power," evaporated and vanished silently, like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, leaving not a trace!

The entire battlefield, tens of thousands of enemy troops, along with the sword-wielding cultivators in the air, were all "frozen" in place by this invisible force!

Can't move!

Only pairs of eyes stared in utter horror at the center of the battlefield, at the young figure in a flowing blue robe, who seemed to be merely brushing away dust with a casual wave.

All was silent. Only the sound of the wind and the crackling of the burning torches could be heard.

This sudden and dramatic change left everyone stunned.

Both the desperate defenders and the confident enemy fell into a deathly silence.

"who?!!"

A fierce roar, filled with shock and anger, rose from the enemy's central camp!

Three figures, each carrying a powerful aura, instantly appeared above the battlefield.

It was none other than the highest elder of the Lingyun Sword Sect who was in charge this time, the "Yunlan Zhenren" who was in the late stage of the Golden Core stage, the elder of the Xuanyin Sect, the "Yingu Laogui", and the deputy sect master of the Golden Saber Sect, the "Badao" Li Kuang!

Master Yunlan, his beard and hair bristling, his eyes sharp as swords, stared intently at Prime Minister Chen below, his voice filled with suppressed anger and astonishment: "Who are you?"

"Why are you interfering in the affairs of our three sects and the Heavenly Wind Dynasty?"

"Could it be that you are unaware of the cultivation world's covenant, which states that outsiders are not allowed to interfere in the affairs of immortal sects?"

"Which immortal sect do you belong to? State your name!"

Although he was shocked and angry, he dared not make any rash moves.