I became a Sword Emperor in the Martial Arts World

Chapter 245 Captain, don't shoot, it's me!

Brother A Niu fell silent. He thought once again of his deceased mother, wife, and children, and his daughter, whose whereabouts were unknown.

He toiled day and night, bearing heavy taxes, yet he couldn't even fulfill his humble wish of protecting his family.

The Great Qi Dynasty exploited ordinary people like him to the bone, yet when the imperial court faced financial difficulties, it only chose to make the people suffer even more.

Why should the common people suffer?

Why don't we see those bloated and fat nobles of Daqi suffering?

They are the true beneficiaries of the Great Qi Kingdom!

They received the most benefits from Daqi, so why shouldn't they have to pay anything in return?

Anger burned within Ah Niu, reigniting his fighting spirit: "We will not rest until we have captured Tianjing!"

The thunderous roar successfully boosted the morale of the entire army.

The rebel soldiers shouted loudly, eager to vent their anger and hatred. They wanted to make the powerful and wealthy of Daqi understand that even cattle and horses have tempers!

After all, the rebel army was formed by countless people like Brother A Niu, who were destined to be humble as dust from the moment they were born.

Because the powerful and wealthy cannot hear the cries and pleas of cattle and horses, they can only hear the clang of swords. Only death can make them lower their proud heads.

Of course, cutting it down is the same.

A few days later, the news that came back once again proved that Ye Qingzhou's judgment of the situation was correct.

Whether it's a princess marriage or a promise of a kingship, it's all just a delaying tactic by the Great Qi.

The emperor of the Great Qi Dynasty was merely trying to buy time to mobilize troops from the border to the capital to defend the emperor, so that he could rally the eighteen feudal lords to quell the rebellion.

That's why he needed to temporarily appease Brother Niu in order to slow down the rebel army's offensive.

If it weren't for Ye Qingzhou's reminder, Brother A Niu, who was all martial prowess but no ambition, would probably have already fallen into the trap and ended up in defeat and death.

Then the rebel army launched a fierce attack for more than half a month, filling the trenches with countless corpses and blood, and finally broke through the magnificent city wall that blocked their way.

Those rough, calloused hands, still covered in mud and worn, once used to wield hoes, were now united to overthrow the seemingly impregnable throne of the Great Qi.

The anger of the ox and the horse is enough to overturn the chessboard.

"kill!"

"For our suffering parents!"

"For our wives and children who died tragically!"

"For the injustices we suffered!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

The enraged bulls and horses brandished crude weapons, their eyes bloodshot with hatred.

The powerful and wealthy of Daqi have humiliated and oppressed them in the past; today they will repay them tenfold or a hundredfold!

Revenge is a must!

Settle your grievances!

Through Brother A Niu's perspective, Ye Qingzhou witnessed firsthand how the torrent of the times swept everything away, and how the old barriers were utterly vulnerable in the face of the surging tide.

The rebel army was in high spirits and their fighting spirit was like a raging fire. Wherever they went, the government troops of the Great Qi collapsed at the first contact and suffered a complete defeat because they lacked the will to fight to the death.

In contrast, most of the rebel soldiers had crawled out of piles of corpses and held the belief of living even in the face of death, because they had nothing left to lose.

The city gates were breached, and the capital of the Great Qi Dynasty fell.

In the days that followed, long swords were stained with blood, the streets were littered with the bones of nobles, and the imperial treasury was burned to ashes.

In the capital city of Tianjing, rivers of blood flowed amidst the waves of rebellion, and the bones of countless imperial relatives and nobles littered the once bustling streets.

It turns out that, amidst the public's anger, those who once seemed so invincible were actually so fragile, their lives shattering at the slightest touch.

No matter how powerful or wealthy you are, you will still die once your head is chopped off.

The founding heroes of the Great Qi Kingdom were also heroes who fought and won the country with real swords and spears.

Unfortunately, the descendants of heroes are not necessarily heroes, and the descendants of great men are not necessarily great men. The powerful and wealthy of the Great Qi Dynasty have long forgotten the glory and beliefs of their ancestors, and spend their days in a drunken stupor.

So they were defeated, defeated by the peasants they once looked down upon, their lives and their clans wiped out, becoming a laughingstock to the world.

Ye Qingzhou saw the power of belief and fighting spirit in this, and pondered: "The ultimate meaning of life and death, to understand life and death, it seems that I must start with my will..."

With unwavering faith and fighting spirit, the rebel army swept away the remnants of the old era with overwhelming force. In particular, Brother A Niu, the "Number One Master in the World" trained by Ye Qingzhou, was an invincible general on the battlefield.

With just one sword, he could sweep away thousands of troops like a whirlwind, pacify the eighteen warlords, and kill many famous generals of the Great Qi under his sword, until the four borders submitted and the world bowed down.

In the autumn of the twelfth year of Zhengping, Da Qi fell and Da Wei rose.

Ah Niu officially ascended the throne in Tianjing, becoming Emperor Gaozu of the Great Wei Dynasty.

That night, the beautiful and docile princess of the former dynasty was sent to Brother A Niu's palace like a trophy.

Just as he conquered the world, Brother Niu conquered the once unattainable goddess in his bed.

Riding high on the spring breeze, I swiftly traversed the entire capital city in a single day.

Several months after establishing his rule over the world, the daughter who had been sold into slavery to a wealthy merchant's family was dressed in fine clothes and arrived in Tianjing in a lavishly decorated carriage, where a touching father-daughter reunion took place.

Having become an emperor, Ah Niu's life was already complete, so he lost his reason to strive and stopped diligently practicing swordsmanship, since martial arts training has always been about enduring hardship.

Now, as the emperor, he no longer needs to suffer for survival.

"Master Ye, I already possess the wealth of the four seas and rule the world. Why can't I lay down my sword?"

"After fighting half my life, can't I at least enjoy myself?"

Despite Ye Qingzhou's advice and encouragement, Brother Aniu, who was over fifty, no longer listened to him, because he felt that he had already grasped the will of Heaven and become its master.

He is no longer the refugee who had nothing but his life on the mass grave.

He now has the power to choose.

He has forgotten his original intention.

His fighting spirit was extinguished.

Ye Qingzhou saw all of this, so he fell silent and never spoke again.

In the blink of an eye, more than a decade has passed.

Brother A Niu, who once fought bravely on the battlefield, is now old and frail.

He could no longer hold a sword, and he was so old that he could barely hold chopsticks. Even breathing had become very difficult.

His bright eyes became cloudy, and his jet-black hair turned gray.

Brother Niu waved away his attendants and asked a question he hadn't asked in over a decade: "Master Ye, are you still there?"

"I've always been here."

"..."

Brother A Niu was so excited that his lips trembled and his eyes were filled with tears. If it weren't for Ye Qingzhou's guidance, he would never have been able to conquer the world and ascend the throne.

Perhaps, like most refugees in chaotic times, they will die in some unknown corner, their bodies devoured by wild dogs, and eventually turn to dust.

Life's encounters are often so unpredictable.

Once upon a time, Brother A Niu changed his predetermined fate with the help of Ye Qingzhou's teachings, rising from a penniless refugee to become the founding emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty.

Now, Brother A Niu once again longs for Ye Qingzhou's help so that he can escape the threat of death.

Only in this way could he achieve immortality, rule the territory of the Great Wei for eternity, and enjoy immense power and wealth.

"Master Ye, can martial arts lead to immortality?"

"able."

Upon hearing this, Brother Niu was overjoyed: "Please, Master Ye, impart to me the supreme martial arts!"

"It's too late."

"Too late?"

Ah Niu's expression turned angry and ferocious as he questioned Ye Qingzhou, "Why didn't Master Ye mention this matter back then?"

Ye Qingzhou asked coldly, "Does it make a difference whether I tell you or not?"

"Master Ye! This is a crime of deceiving the emperor! If you had truthfully told me that martial arts could lead to immortality, would I have neglected my cultivation, and now I am old and frail, on the verge of death?"

"Immortality is the result of martial arts cultivation reaching a certain level. If you aim for immortality, you will most likely never reach that level in your entire life."

"You're lying! I don't believe you!"

Brother A Niu shouted angrily, unable to accept such an answer no matter what.

If martial arts cannot lead to immortality, that's fine, but the path to immortality is right in front of us, so why can't we take it?

Is this fair?

He himself was the true Son of Heaven, the founding emperor, the great Wei dynasty's founding emperor!

However, to Ye Qingzhou, Brother A Niu's power and status were no more noble than a weed by the roadside.

Therefore, his answer remained cold and ruthless: "Martial arts are about defying fate, not about becoming a corpse-guarding ghost. Back then, you had nothing, yet you were still full of fighting spirit, which is why you learned unparalleled sword skills."

"It's a pity that the ambitious and aspiring you died the moment you ascended the throne. The rest of your life was nothing more than a corpse rotting away."

Ye Qingzhou's words were like a sharp knife, piercing deep into Brother A Niu's heart, causing him to convulse in pain.

"Master Ye, save me!"

"Master Ye, save me!"

"Master Ye..."

Brother A Niu died, dying amidst a sea of ​​regret.

Ye Qingzhou simply watched all of this unfold silently. In this world, he was nothing more than a wandering soul, unable to do anything but speak and observe.

Ah Niu chose his own fate, so when death came, he should have no complaints.

In the spring of the eighteenth year of Tianwu, Emperor Gaozu of Wei passed away, and the whole country mourned. Thus, a legendary era came to an end.

"The ultimate meaning of life and death..."

Having reviewed Brother A Niu's entire life, Ye Qingzhou had a sudden realization: "Survival is the deepest and most fundamental instinct of all living beings. But if one merely lives, what difference is there between a person and a walking corpse? The difference lies in belief and fighting spirit."

As long as our beliefs remain unbroken and our fighting spirit never wanes, our souls will live on forever!

With this realization, Ye Qingzhou fell into deep thought once again: "What do I seek?"

Gradually, Ye Qingzhou began to search for fragments of the past in her memories.

Initially, he picked up a stick in the orphanage simply to protect himself.

After that, he began to learn swordsmanship and gradually became obsessed with it, neglecting to eat and sleep.

Because this was the only thing he could grasp in his lonely and desolate life, and the only way he could gain a sense of accomplishment.

"My initial motivation for learning martial arts..."

Ye Qingzhou finally recalled the joy he felt when he learned his first sword move, even though that move now seemed crude and full of flaws to him.

But he will never forget that joy and emotion.

Clang~

The sound of a sword's cry rang in his ears, and Ye Qingzhou's soul suddenly contracted into a single point, then slowly expanded into a burning flame, within which was a flawless sword heart.

"As long as this fire is extinguished, my heart will never die."

Ye Qingzhou finally succeeded in understanding the ultimate meaning of life and death: "Between life and death lies great terror, therefore only by remaining steadfast in one's will and never forgetting one's original intention can one achieve one's goal."

With a flick of his sword, Ye Qingzhou cleaved the sky, detached himself from his surroundings, and reappeared before Chi You.

"You have indeed comprehended the divine power of the inextinguishable heart fire and obtained the true essence of the immortal primordial technique."

When Chi You looked at Ye Qingzhou, an approving expression appeared on his face: "Remember this original intention, remember this feeling, this is proof that you are alive."

"Many thanks to the War Emperor for his guidance and instruction; I will never forget your kindness."

Ye Qingzhou sincerely thanked Chi You.

"Being able to attain enlightenment is your own ability."

Chi You waved his hand, then released the seal on the divine kingdom: "Now, it's time for you to leave."

After bidding farewell to Chi You, Ye Qingzhou's consciousness was finally able to leave the spirit world and return to his body.

On the blood-soaked battlefield, the five war statues had returned to their starting positions, while Ye Qingzhou's "corpse" opened its eyes and struggled to sit up from the ground.

With a thought, Ye Qingzhou's chest wound healed automatically, and after slashing himself with his sword, his condition was fully restored.

After examining his body and mind, Ye Qingzhou couldn't help but sigh, "The Supreme Emperor's Immortal Body only made my physical body immortal, but now that I've refined the Unextinguished Heart Flame, even my soul can be immortal."

The greatest gain from this trip to Jiuli Cave Heaven was the preservation of the inner fire, followed by the burning heart fire.

Of course, the soul of the Void Sun Rat is also quite valuable, as it is an important material that can be used to forge divine weapons, and its value is immeasurable.

…………

At the entrance to the Hundred Battles Emperor's Cave, Ye Qingzhou stepped out, only to be immediately met with a barrage of attacks.

Fortunately, he immediately unleashed his Five-Colored Divine Light, which transformed into a barrier that blocked most of the attack damage. He then used the Heaven and Earth Furnace to absorb and transform the remaining energy, thus avoiding death at the hands of his own people.

"It's one of our own! Don't shoot!"

Ye Qingzhou shouted loudly.

Gu Minghui recognized Ye Qingzhou at a glance, quickly stopped the others, and then stepped forward to ask with concern, "Are you alright?"

"I almost got into trouble."

Ye Qingzhou made a sarcastic remark, then asked, "What are you doing?"

Gu Minghui immediately explained, "When we left the Hundred Battles Emperor's Cave, we discovered you were missing, so we tried to see if we could open a breach."

"By the way, what exactly happened just now? Why did you suddenly disappear?"

"I triggered the assessment mechanism for the inheritance of the War Emperor."

Ye Qingzhou gave a half-joking explanation, saying that he had obtained the profound secrets of the "Undying Yuan Gong" from Chi You and learned the supernatural power of an inextinguishable inner fire. He said it was best to keep this as a trump card.

With this supernatural power, he could feign death with his body, escape into the spirit world with his mind, and then return reborn once he was safe.

As long as the corpse wasn't dismembered and sealed away separately, Ye Qingzhou theoretically had an infinite number of lives, which was incredibly powerful.

All I can say is that it lives up to the legacy of the War Emperor; it's ridiculously strong.

In comparison, Niu Taijie's mastery of the Tiger-Slaying Golden Saber was nothing more than a superficial understanding.

Gu Minghui raised his eyes and scrutinized Ye Qingzhou for a long while before chuckling and teasing, "With your current strength, even a Grandmaster of the Earthly Fiend Realm at the fourth level of the Ascension Realm might not be your match, right?"

"The innate principles of divination are indeed extraordinary."

Ye Qingzhou neither admitted nor denied it, but he was quite shocked by Gu Minghui's deductive abilities and was very curious about what else the other party had figured out.

Gu Minghui wasn't a blabbermouth, so he naturally wouldn't go around revealing Ye Qingzhou's trump cards. However, he couldn't help but sigh and say, "The National High School Martial Arts League is in a few days. Are you trying to blew up the fishpond?"

With Ye Qingzhou's strength, he would have a chance to win a championship in a master-level competition. Participating in a high school-level martial arts league is simply bullying.

Let alone the contestants, I doubt even many of the teachers leading the teams could withstand a single sword strike from Ye Qingzhou.

Ye Qingzhou wasn't particularly interested in this level of competition, but he still said, "My cultivation has recently increased dramatically, so I plan to take some time to reflect and relax. I'll treat it as a vacation and go on a trip to clear my head."

The potential of the second-level overclocking mode and burst mode has been fully explored, and their compatibility with the Heaven and Earth Furnace is not very high.

Therefore, Ye Qingzhou has already begun developing the third level, preparing to further explore the potential of his own Heaven and Earth Furnace, and to properly consolidate his cultivation and realm.

…………

Ye Qingzhou's return to Linjiang No.1 Middle School brought the classroom of Class 7 to life once again.

"Oh, so you have time to come back to class now?"

Huang Liwen winked at Ye Qingzhou from the side, his eyes gleaming, and the corners of his mouth turned up, making it harder to suppress than an AK.

Ye Qingzhou activated his Heavenly Eye and scrutinized Huang Liwen for a moment, quite surprised: "Huh, your mountain and forest techniques have actually reached a transcendent level?"

Hehe~

Huang Liwen smiled smugly: "Because I have two capable wives."

After saying that, she proudly showed off to Ye Qingzhou, flaunting their affection in front of him.

Since returning from Kunlun Cave Heaven, Huang Liwen has fully mastered the supernatural powers recorded on the Dou and Xing seals. Relying on spiritual resonance and the Qi Manifestation of Myriad Laws, his cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, to the point that Yao Yexin and Yan Xiyue have both invested more in him.

The two women not only gifted Huang Liwen with all sorts of rare and precious items, but also personally guided his cultivation. The three of them gradually became inseparable, making others envious.

Ye Qingzhou looked at Yao Yexin and Yan Xiyue. These two were the Holy Maiden and the Demoness of the Hehuan Sect. They were cunning and treacherous. Brother Wen was probably no match for them. He would be the one being played by them.

"Brother Wen, please take good care of your health in the future."

"What do you mean?"

Huang Liwen was so angry that he gritted his teeth. Ye Qingzhou from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television made a veiled remark, implying something.