"Third Prince!"

"Zheng Hong?"

The newcomer wore fine robes, a long saber hanging at his waist. With his hands clasped behind his back, he strode forward like a traveler who had just chanced upon this mountain path.

It was none other than the Third Prince, Zheng Hong!

Dugu Wuwang’s brow furrowed slightly.

"You came alone?"

"Rest assured." Zheng Hong glanced back, his voice calm.

"No one else should be coming for a while."

"Watch out!"

SWISH!

A low whistle tore through the air. Without a word, Dugu Wuwang had flicked a finger in a sneak attack. Although Ye Liuyun had shouted a warning, he was clearly too late.

FLASH!

A cold glint of light flashed and vanished.

Zheng Hong now held his saber, and the incoming pebble was sliced in two.

"What an excellent Saber Technique!" Ye Liuyun’s eyes lit up. At the same time, he shot a contemptuous look at Dugu Wuwang.

"Despicable!"

’To think that one of the top experts in the world, a man who could even vie for the title of number one under heaven, would launch a sneak attack on an unsuspecting person.’

As for Zheng Hong knowing a Saber Technique, that wasn’t particularly strange. After all, the Imperial Court housed a vast collection of Martial Arts. However, practicing Martial Arts required complete and utter dedication. It was difficult for a Prince or Imperial Grandson to devote all their energy to it, making it rare for them to become true experts.

But throughout the dynasties, there were always exceptions.

Zheng Hong was clearly one of them!

"Foolish!" Dugu Wuwang shook his head.

"Did you really think he’s some kind of good person?"

"That saber..."

He stared intently at the long saber in Zheng Hong’s hand, the skin on his cheeks twitching. As if remembering something, he gritted his teeth and spoke.

"Yuanding?"

"Correct!" Zheng Hong nodded.

"Your Excellency has a keen eye."

"That day, I made a wager with Master Yuanding. First, we played a game of Go. The master is truly a national champion; despite my best efforts, I could only manage a draw. Second, we debated the scriptures; I was thoroughly outclassed. Third, we competed in martial arts... Master Yuanding, in the end, had grown old."

?

Ye Liuyun’s pupils constricted. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"You were the one who killed Master Yuanding?"

"Who else?" Zheng Hong turned to the side, a smile on his face.

"If I hadn’t acted, from where would Young Hero Ye have obtained that Relic? You didn’t truly believe that Jinlun Temple had a second Saint Monk who mastered both Buddhist and Martial Dual Cultivation, did you?"

What?

Ye Liuyun was utterly thunderstruck.

"That Relic... it belonged to Master Yuanding?"

"That’s right." Zheng Hong nodded.

"The master was truly worthy of being called a Saint Monk. Knowing he could not escape his fate, he secretly left behind the Relic to be passed on to someone with a karmic connection. He hoped a prodigy would emerge from the younger generation of the Martial World to stand against the Demon Dao. Alas, Young Hero Ye, you have failed to live up to his trust!"

"You killed Master Yuanding..." Ye Liuyun’s expression twisted.

"It wasn’t Dugu Wuwang?"

"Nonsense!" Dugu Wuwang snorted coldly.

"Of course it wasn’t me."

"I own up to my actions. Since I kept my promise and retired from the Martial World back then, I would not have killed Yuanding just to make a comeback."

"Someone informed me that Yuanding was dead and that our wager from that year was void. Only then did I return to the Martial World. It seems that someone was you, Your Excellency."

Zheng Hong smiled but said nothing.

In truth, Dugu Wuwang had said he didn’t kill Yuanding, but who in the Martial World would have believed him?

Perhaps some had their doubts, but it was a fact that the Red Blood Sect had massacred people from the Martial World. Good and evil have always been irreconcilable, so no one would voice such doubts and ask for trouble.

"Why?"

Ye Liuyun’s body trembled.

"Why would you do this?"

"If Master Yuanding hadn’t died, the Red Blood Sect would never have returned to the Martial World, and my grandfather... wouldn’t have died!"

"Because he wants the world to fall into chaos," Dugu Wuwang said coldly.

"The current Emperor is not fond of this eccentric Third Prince. If nothing unexpected happened, the one to inherit the throne would have been the Crown Prince. Even placing the Crown Prince under house arrest was, in fact, a form of protection for him."

"Of course he wouldn’t be resigned to that!"

"But it doesn’t matter. I also enjoy seeing the world in chaos. The more chaotic, the better. The more chaotic, the more interesting."

Ye Liuyun was no fool. On the contrary, he had a sharp and perceptive mind; otherwise, he could not have comprehended an Unparalleled Sword Technique in such a short time. He had simply been blinded by hatred. Now that he was jolted to his senses, the various clues all pointed to the right answer.

"So..."

he murmured.

"You used me to deal with Dugu Wuwang, and then, when we were both grievously injured, you planned to eliminate two great enemies at once?"

"But why kill me?"

The killing intent that filled the area enveloped both of them.

Killing Dugu Wuwang was understandable, but in theory, Ye Liuyun posed no threat to the Third Prince, Zheng Hong.

"It’s simple," Dugu Wuwang sneered.

"You don’t think the Red Blood Sect alone could kill so many people from the Martial World in just one year, do you?"

Ye Liuyun snapped his head up, his eyes filled with horror.

"Correct." Zheng Hong nodded.

"Heroes use martial arts to defy the law. So-called masters of the Martial World ignore the law of the land under the banner of chivalry and justice, acting as they please."

"They all deserve to die!"

"From now on, the only Martial Arts that will be allowed to circulate among the common people will be the Blood Strengthening and Blood Coagulation realms. There will be no more Gui Cang Grandmasters. Only then can there be peace in the world."

He paced forward, speaking slowly.

"Jinlun Temple, Ba Dao Manor, the Ye Family, the Fu Family..."

"These Martial World Sects and Noble Families are all cancerous tumors on the Zheng Kingdom. They must be plucked out one by one, with none left behind!"

Now, Jinlun Temple had been slaughtered, Ba Dao Manor was destroyed, and the Fu Family served the Court. The only top-tier powers left in the Martial World were the Red Blood Sect and the Ye Family.

Today was the perfect chance to take care of them all at once!

Besides, the truth about the massacre of Martial World members could be hidden for a time, but not forever. Ye Liuyun would find out sooner or later, so it was only natural that Zheng Hong would want to silence him permanently.

"What a cunning mind!"

"What ruthless methods!"

Dugu Wuwang praised loudly, then spoke in a cold voice.

"A pity. I don’t believe you could have killed Yuanding. If you truly had such strength, why would you be so afraid of me?"

"One cannot speak of ice to a summer insect." Facing Dugu Wuwang’s doubt, Zheng Hong shook his head lightly.

"The Saber Technique I practice emphasizes intent over strength. If I can cultivate the world’s number one Mental Realm, I will naturally be invincible."

"Bullshit!" Dugu Wuwang roared angrily.

"There’s no such saber... in all the world."

?

Midway through his sentence, his eyes twitched.

"That Demon Saber... the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Cross Method!"

"Oh?" Zheng Hong raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on his face.

"You actually know of it?"

"Indeed."

He nodded and continued.

"It is precisely the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Cross Method. The very same Demon Saber that was narrowly defeated by the fists of the Unparalleled Grandmaster, Fu Xuan."

"The Fu Family pledged allegiance to the Court and naturally brought his legacy with them. A pity, though..."

"The saber was destroyed!"

The saber was destroyed, but the Heart Method and the techniques remain.

"Is that so?" Dugu Wuwang took a deep breath and slowly stood up straight.

"Then I’d like to see for myself if the legendary Demon Saber is truly as powerful as they say!"

"No rush." Zheng Hong, conversely, was in no hurry to make a move. He continued speaking.

"I began practicing Martial Arts at three, reached Foundation Establishment at five, and Blood Coagulation at ten. At seventeen, with the help of the Blood-Stealing Curse, I achieved the Gui Cang realm."

’Blood-Stealing Curse?’

Dugu Wuwang’s cheek twitched.

"Afterward, I learned the Demon Saber, entered the Breaking Limit realm, was enfeoffed as a Prince, and killed Yuanding!"

Zheng Hong slowly raised the long saber in his hand, his voice drifting.

"The world often says, ’Martial World matters are settled in the Martial World.’ Little do they know, the Dharma Body of the Demon Saber can only advance by leaps and bounds when one is in the Imperial Court."

The Demon Saber nurtures Sword Intent.

The higher and more noble one’s status, the stronger the Sword Intent.

Zheng Hong is a Prince of the Zheng Kingdom, his status incomparably noble. Once he was made the King of Qi, with a chance at the supreme throne, his power had already reached a level comparable to Yuanding’s.

"Last night, the Crown Prince, resentful of his confinement, colluded with the Imperial Guard to launch a night assault on the Imperial Palace. He was cut down by General Nie."

"My father, the Emperor, was already ill. The shock caused him to faint on the spot, and he has unfortunately passed away."

"I!"

"Shall ascend the imperial throne!"

He raised his long saber high. A mysterious aura gathered around him as an invisible Sword Qi rampaged through the area, growing stronger and stronger.

"Today!"

"Ye Liuyun was defeated by Dugu Wuwang, the Sect Leader of the Red Blood Sect. Left with no choice, I drew my saber and slew the Sect Leader of the Red Blood Sect on Ping Mountain."

"In the Imperial Court!"

"I will be the Emperor, the solitary and supreme ruler, above all others."

"In the Martial World!"

"I will be number one under heaven, with no one to rival me."

"Only by holding the supreme position in both the Imperial Court and the Martial World can I forge this one, invincible saber strike."

The Cross and Vertical Saber!

A flash of saber light appeared.

Dugu Wuwang’s eyes went vacant. The sorrows of his childhood, the resolve of his adulthood, the heroic passion of his prime...

Family, friends, subordinates, children... they all flashed before his eyes, only to turn to nothingness in the end.

PFFT!

His body trembled lightly, despair on his face.

"What... a Saber Technique!"

Zheng Hong sheathed his saber and looked to where Ye Liuyun had been, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"He escaped?"

’With your help, I have already cultivated an invincible Saber Technique. Even if the Unparalleled Grandmaster, Fu Xuan, were reborn, what would I have to fear?’