Header Background Image

    Edict of Peace 126

    Read Advanced Chapters on Patreon: patreon.com/fantasystories797

    Chapter 126: The Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon Appear!

    The moment the Imperial Guards appeared, the fear in the eyes of the Ghost Market guards, who had previously shown murderous intent upon seeing Li Guanyi draw his sword, was palpable. The three words, “Imperial Guard,” represented powerful families and formidable opponents.

    Suddenly, laughter echoed.

    “Everyone, stop, stop! Sheathe your swords.”

    “Impressive display of authority, officer.”

    A man, appearing to be in his thirties, clad in a scholar’s robe, approached with a smile. Pushing aside the guards with drawn weapons, he bowed from several paces away, saying, “My apologies, my apologies. Was our tribute insufficient?”

    “It was improper, most improper.”

    He produced a large pouch and handed it to Li Guanyi, lowering his voice. He expertly kicked a nearby corpse, saying, “This blind fool provoked the officer; his death is deserved. Accept this gold as recompense for sullying your eyes today.”

    “I know you are kind; you can take all these people.”

    “Come now, quickly unchain these people!” He shouted, smiling at Li Guanyi. Li Guanyi’s sword hung in mid-air. He looked at the man, who continued, “I understand the rules. Today, you take these people; I give you the gold.”

    “Just don’t come back again. It would sully your eyes.”

    The man said, “Otherwise, at the foot of the capital, how dare we provoke the Imperial Guard? It’s just that you are a scion of a powerful family, having saved so many people, your reputation as a righteous hero is enough. If you keep pursuing this…”

    A gentle smile graced his face, causing Li Guanyi to feel a wave of nausea.

    “You haven’t been to the far countryside; you don’t know the life of the people there. If you persist, today you save one, tomorrow I will ‘buy’ two more. You kill one of mine, I slaughter a whole household. This world, bustling and teeming, is just a banquet, and the common people are the dishes.”

    “An inexhaustible supply.”

    “Come, we’ll provide you with a pair of chopsticks.”

    “If you don’t want to eat, you can leave.”

    “But don’t overdo it. Otherwise, for every person you save, a household will suffer. Isn’t that so? This is the world; there’s nothing we can do…”

    The young man holding the sword said, “Guess why I mentioned the Imperial Guard?”

    The man was startled. The seemingly money-obsessed youth slapped the gold away. The next moment, his sword fell, accompanied by the youth’s angry roar:

    “Threatening the Emperor’s Imperial Army, disrespecting His Majesty!!”

    “How dare you?!”

    !!!

    The man was shocked and furious.

    “You!!!”

    He had never seen someone so disregardful of the ‘rules.’ He had cultivated his eyes to the point of incredible sharpness; Li Guanyi’s sword strike was fast, but he could see it. He extended his right hand, two fingers aiming to pinch the blade. He did indeed pinch it.

    But he didn’t hold it.

    The power behind the sword was not something a second-level martial artist should possess – immense and majestic, like a mountain collapsing, a surging tide. In an instant, half his hand was severed.

    The youth kicked him in the chest.

    The man fell, shouting, “Killing me won’t change anything! This is how the world is!”

    Li Guanyi’s sword fell.

    It pierced his throat, spraying bright red blood. The youth softly said:

    “Then I will kill one for every one I see!”

    “One by one.”

    “I will not show leniency.”

    He raised his sword, looking ahead. Li Guanyi knew that only by making a big scene could he ensure his own safety and resolve this matter.

    Si Ming dashed off, as instructed by Li Guanyi, to find Ye Buyi and Zhou Liuyings’ elders. Looking back, he saw a White Tiger raising its head and a Red Dragon coiling behind the youth. The spirit of the dragon and tiger was as imposing as ever, even more domineering and magnificent than before.

    Such powerful Law Physiques, even in their nascent form, are connected to their master. Cowardly, timid individuals cannot gain the attention of the celestial killing god, the White Tiger; the Azure Dragon may lie dormant, but the Red Dragon is different.

    But why the Red Dragon?

    Those around them erupted in anger. Someone yelled “Kill!” and they all lunged at Li Guanyi. Lord Nightless leaned against the window, watching the youth. The surrounding people were not high-level; most were at the first level, but the leaders were second-level martial artists.

    Without armor, they could have been easily overwhelmed, but his expression immediately turned serious. He saw the youth standing still, snatching a blade, and slashing with both sword and blade like a frenzied killing god, creating a bloody massacre.

    With one slash, blood gushed forth, and Li Guanyi stepped onto the area.

    His Qi suddenly dispersed.

    The White Tiger in the west (Jiangnan), the Vermilion Bird in the south, the Black Tortoise in the north, the Four Symbols rotated, with the Qilin in the center.

    The Four Images Sealing Spirit Array activated. It was a simple application, but those attacking suddenly found their movements disrupted. Their movements shifted slightly, causing them to collide. The youth then swiftly swung his blade, felling them to the ground.

    Blood flowed, a pungent smell filling the air.

    Li Guanyi suddenly realized that the Four Images Sealing Spirit Array had a terrifying effect against numerous opponents whose spiritual energy was weaker than his. The supposedly greatest array in the world, at least publicly, finally revealed its fangs.

    Lord Nightless watched the youth’s slaughter. Soon, more than a dozen people lay on the ground, bleeding and groaning. The others became fearful; those who were fearless were few and far between. Even elite armies would be terrified and their morale shattered at the sight of such a monster.

    Li Guanyi picked up a sword and a blade.

    The emperor’s gift, the blade, remained sharp.

    But the blade he had snatched was dull and unusable.

    He discarded it and looked around. Someone offered him a blade; it was a young boy. The boy spoke in the language of the Tiele people. This place was not just home to people from the Central Plains, but also Tujue, Tiele, and Jiangnan.

    Li Guanyi thanked him sincerely in Tiele.

    The boy was stunned, his eyes wide. He quickly ran back to his original spot, and Li Guanyi heard him stammering to the nearby children, saying that members of their tribe had arrived. He believed his brothers would not abandon them, so they too should believe.

    Someone would surely come, hoping they too would live well.

    Li Guanyi lowered his gaze.

    He gripped a blade anew, half his body stained with blood. He looked at the people in front of him and said, “Come.”

    The youth, wielding his weapon in both hands, stepped forward.

    A vast, desolate scene.

    The air seemed to reverberate with the roars of dragons and tigers.

    The Ghost Market guards retreated, fear etched on their faces.

    Lord Nightless watched from upstairs, his hand pausing mid-pour. These were merely black markets affiliated with the Netherworld Ghost Market; the Netherworld Ghost Market wouldn’t engage in human trafficking. They would take in orphans, but even in their eyes, human life shouldn’t be so easily sold.

    The Netherworld Ghost Market had always remained aloof from the surrounding black markets, neither interfering with them nor being interfered with. Lord Nightless turned to see people approaching.

    “Ha, let’s see who’s causing trouble!”

    “Causing trouble in my territory? Tired of living?!”

    A burly man, leading over twenty people, charged forward. He opened his robe, eyes wide, his twenty followers in armor, holding crossbows. A glint appeared in Li Guanyi’s eyes – as expected. He had seen the sale of warhorses and assumed there would be armor and crossbows.

    They planned to leave Li Guanyi here.

    Selling armor, people, crossbows, and warhorses had become commonplace in this chaotic era. Perhaps the emperor knew, but as long as it wasn’t exposed, everything was fine.

    But…

    The youth looked to the distance.

    ‘Buyi, Liuyings, hurry up.’

    The burly man glared at Li Guanyi, cursing,

    “What peasant, you mongrel!”

    “Born of a mother but without a father, eh? Dare you make trouble here?!” Enraged, he waved his hand, and the armored martial artists raised their crossbows – not the hand crossbows Li Guanyi could smash with a punch, but large crossbows capable of piercing through iron armor.

    The burly man charged forward, his aura magnificent and domineering, thick Qi accumulating and dispersing around him, forming armor. This was a third-level martial artist, and Li Guanyi’s pupils constricted slightly.

    In this chaotic world, this was the level of a general, yet he guarded the Ghost Market.

    The burly man charged towards the children and the elderly; he was a ruthless martial artist. Li Guanyi dodged; he would slaughter anyone who tried to save these young people. Li Guanyi couldn’t retreat; he slashed with his sword. The man dodged, his fists covered in internal energy, forming fist armor.

    The internal energy fist armor was terrifying, like a lion’s head.

    The translucent internal energy left clear trails in the air.

    Li Guanyi exhaled, clenched his fist, and struck out violently.

    The burly man’s fist and Li Guanyi’s collided. Their clothes tightened instantly, everyone staring intently at the clash. Then, they saw blood on Li Guanyi’s fist, dripping onto the ground, causing the crowd to cheer.

    “Good, good!”

    “Dare to cause trouble here!”

    “Old Man Cui, kill him, kill him!”

    The crowd cheered, and Li Guanyi heard the quiet laughter of the hooded dignitaries, seemingly saying, a scion of the Xue family?

    So reckless, for some peasants…

    So foolish.

    But the burly man felt something was amiss. His fist felt like it had struck a mountain, shattering rocks, but his palm was also aching. Li Guanyi lowered his gaze; the fire in his heart burned brighter.

    The Ghost Market guards surrounded him, the hooded guests in the distance.

    They were also officials and people of this world; they were unfazed by what had happened, but Li Guanyi’s actions surprised them. The gossip and stares caused a sense of suffocation to rise in Li Guanyi’s heart.

    From Qian Zheng’s ordeal and his sister, to the farmers selling their daughter at night to buy vegetables,

    to the eunuch in the imperial palace who trafficked people.

    The events he witnessed merged, then exploded within him like fire.

    The youth stepped forward, launching a punch. The burly man’s face changed; he also punched. Their fists collided; Li Guanyi’s sleeve fluttered. Blood flowed from his fist, but the burly man’s face also showed displeasure.

    He had been weakening his Red Dragon energy to deal with the imperial physicians.

    Now, during this intense clash, the Red Dragon’s roar couldn’t be suppressed, the jade liquid of the Bronze Tripod flowing down with the roar. Yu Qianfeng had said that his Red Dragon energy came from the divine skill, “Red Dragon Subdues Kyushu,” and it had been activated in response.

    Li Guanyi activated the Six Void Four Harmony Divine Skill.

    The opposing internal energy blasted toward him, enveloped by his internal energy, then smashed out with the Jade Bone Crushing Jade Fist. One punch, two punches, three punches; the cheers around them gradually weakened. Even the ‘guests’ were silent; only the sound of clashing fists filled the air.

    Li Guanyi and the martial artist exchanged over a hundred blows!

    The final blow slammed out.

    The lion-head internal energy fist armor shattered. The youth’s fist hit the third-level martial artist’s fist, and the burly man’s knuckles twisted and broke. His face turned pale with fear. Li Guanyi stepped forward, his body crouching low.

    His fist became a spear, his body a weapon. The supreme skill of Chen Kingdom’s ancestors manifested.

    Crush Mountain!!!

    A thunderous punch, a wave of Qi exploded. This punch shattered the martial artist’s Qi armor. Amidst the sounds of shattering, Old Man Cui was flung away like a ragdoll, crashing into the wall. In the ensuing silence, Old Man Cui was still alive.

    He opened his clothes, revealing a fist mark on his soft armor. His face pale, he shouted:

    “Fire the arrows, fire the arrows!!!”

    Li Guanyi raised his sword. As crossbow bolts and arrows rained down, an angry voice shouted:

    “Li Guanyi, receive this!!!”

    The sound of horses was like the roar of dragons.

    Young Imperial Guards charged. The guards were pierced, tossed, and thrown by spears used with the momentum of the horses. Ye Buyi held a war halberd. He threw it suddenly; behind him were other young men.

    Ten of them. All of them.

    They charged amidst the neighing of horses. Ye Buyi even led a spirited horse.

    Li Guanyi raised his hand and grasped the war halberd.

    Blood flowed; his right hand held high.

    He had only ever considered when they would arrive.

    He had never doubted that these youths, who had been enemies just a month ago, would not come.

    Crossbow bolts and arrows flew. Li Guanyi thrust his halberd; the Qi was like a tidal wave. His halberd swept, deflecting the arrows and bolts, each swept up in small whirlpools. The Red Dragon’s Qi had completely merged into Li Guanyi’s body.

    He used the tidal wave to mimic the Vast Ocean Energy.

    Arrows hung in mid-air. The youth wielded the halberd; the crimson light at its tip was like the Red Dragon’s roar. The flames of torches and lamps were drawn in by the tidal Qi. Li Guanyi was like a dancing Red Dragon. Finally, he swept his halberd, and all the arrows and bolts fell to the ground.

    Ye Buyi, dressed in ordinary clothes, holding a war halberd and his waist token, declared:

    “Imperial Guard, Ye Buyi!”

    “Imperial Guard, Zhou Liuyings!”

    “Imperial Guard…”

    The blood-soaked youth held his halberd horizontally. Behind him, the young Imperial Guards with their weapons, holding reins, swept their icy gazes over the surroundings. Then they charged, the horses back and forth, displaying battlefield skills. Ten people, Imperial Guards, dispersed two hundred guards.

    They gathered together—eleven officers, eleven future generals.

    Lord Nightless remained silent for a long time before exclaiming, “Si Ming’s speed is incredible. And this child…”

    “Interesting.”

    “The younger generation of Chen has the demeanor of heroes.”

    “Before the Great Ritual, this black market is unlikely to remain open.”

    Li Guanyi gasped for breath. Footsteps approached; hundreds of people in the capital’s army armor arrived, heading straight for Li Guanyi and the others, saying: “Who dares? Using weapons and horses to injure people; seize them!”

    “Disarm them all and take them to prison to await punishment!!!”

    He intended to close the case. The next moment, a piercing sound rang out.

    A spear pierced through the warlord’s armor, pinning him to the wall—cold and killing. Then came the sound of armor clashing. Palace Zhenyong, a commanding officer of the Imperial Bodyguard, rode his horse, saying:

    “Capital City Patrol, responsible for beacons, roads, and supplies. All guards of the Imperial Palace and the outer palaces are under the command of the Imperial Guard.”

    “I want to see…”

    Li Guanyi and the ten youths saw the officer of the Imperial Bodyguard on his black horse. Behind him were ten Imperial Guards. The officer’s gaze was icy; he grinned. “Who dares to touch my Imperial Guard’s men!”

    One hundred Imperial Guards stepped forward.

    Qiu Shiyong, beside Li Guanyi, said softly, “I went to find my uncle.”

    Palace Zhenyong said, “Competent.”

    He looked at the blood-soaked Li Guanyi, wanting to reprimand him, but seeing his bloody state, he thought of his own youthful days running away from home to join the army, remaining silent. “We will take over here. Don’t worry, this black market has just given us reason enough to wipe it out.”

    “I need to vent my morning anger somewhere.”

    “But you initiated the conflict. How many did you kill?”

    Li Guanyi said, “Thirty-seven.”

    “How many were incapacitated?”

    “Over one hundred.”

    Palace Zhenyong said, “Good.”

    He commanded, “Seize them!”

    The Imperial Guards subdued the youth. They whispered, “We have to take you back; it’s family business. Otherwise, the city guard will cause trouble; the general is protecting you.”

    Li Guanyi nodded, “Mm.”

    The children ran out, along with an old man. A child cried out:

    “Big brother.”

    “Thank you for saving me!”

    Li Guanyi’s arms were bound; his back was straight. He turned, looking at the children.

    The youth’s chains were visible; he gave a bright smile.

    Then he was turned and led forward. He saw Si Ming, and softly said, “Old Master, thank you; you said this couldn’t be resolved?”

    A clear wind danced in the corners of the youth’s eyes; he blinked.

    He was bound, yet he said lightly:

    “Look, isn’t it resolved?”

    “The Imperial Guard will uproot the whole thing! Before the Great Ritual, this place will be plowed over.”

    “I guarantee they won’t have another chance to harm others.”

    Si Ming was speechless.

    Li Guanyi said, “I once met someone who said that if everyone contributed light and warmth, the darkness of this world would dissipate. I didn’t understand before, but now I do.”

    The elder looked at the black market, at the panic on the faces of the hooded figures who were stopped, at the black market being sealed off by the Imperial Guard. This place wouldn’t exist anymore; at least not for the next two years.

    The youth smiled, saying, “Feel my chest.”

    “See if my heart is still warm.”

    “It’s still burning hot, like fire.”

    In Si Ming’s eyes, the Red Dragon circled him, different from before. Li Guanyi’s heart had changed; the Red Dragon was also warm, carrying the light that the Red Emperor had possessed when he had risen, raising his three-foot sword to sweep the world and illuminate the night.

    Si Ming suddenly felt something.

    He abruptly raised his head. In the sky, the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon,

    the Kingly Star,

    lit up.

    (End of Chapter)

    Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period. But if you submit an email address and toggle the bell icon, you will be sent replies until you cancel.
    Note