Edict of Peace 136
Chapter 136: The Overlord’s Ultimate Move, Killing Si Qing!
The sound of hooves grew increasingly urgent. Apart from this, there was no other sound, only the unsettling echo of the hooves spreading outwards.
Po Jun trusted Zu Wenyuan.
But the icy killing intent, like needles in his back, was also undeniably clear.
Si Tu Deqing, wearing a dark gold mask, found his enemy and acted without hesitation. He intended to kill the defenseless old man before going to the Xue family to take Li Guanyi’s life.
He had tolerated the boy many times.
He could tolerate no more.
There was no time to waste here.
But just as he was about to strike, he instantly sensed a surge of killing aura.
Si Tu Deqing, who was almost upon the carriage, instantly narrowed his eyes.
“Hmm???”
“This is!!!”
It was an almost instinctive reaction.
He immediately leaped back, soaring into the air, reversing his Xuanbing-grade weapon, looking at the rapidly approaching carriage with suspicion. He sensed three people inside: a driver, Zu Wenyuan, and another…
Hmm? Why so familiar, yet so alien?!
Who is it?
No, that’s not anyone I recognize!
Si Tu Deqing’s eyes sharpened. In the dreamlike vision, Li Guanyi and the Overlord had fought countless times, repeatedly returning to their starting positions, only to see the White Tiger lowering its gaze, the Overlord, clad only in lower-body armor, roaring.
‘Why have you betrayed me!’
Li Guanyi, exasperated, cursed:
‘I betrayed your maternal uncle!’
Or, while dying from being cleaved by the Overlord’s halberd, he would grit his teeth, give a middle finger, and shout:
“I’m your father.”
Then Li Guanyi would raise his weapon and fight the Overlord again.
The passage of time in his consciousness differed from his external perception.
Slowly, Li Guanyi immersed himself in the battle, a knot of anger in his heart, determined to defeat this Overlord. Even the lights that appeared beside him were gradually useless; he was immersed in the slaughter, seemingly fueled by the lingering hatred of the Overlord.
He gradually became hazy, gradually forgetting himself.
He didn’t know whether he was the one wielding the halberd, clad in a red dragon; or the Overlord, standing amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, consumed by resentment until the very end, his halberd the only truth.
Li Guanyi’s thoughts gradually stagnated.
Who am I?
He closed his eyes; the bronze lamp beside him flickered.
The divine weapon, the Meng Hu Xiao Tian halberd (Tiger’s Roar Heaven-Shaking Halberd), let out a violent roar, beginning to intertwine with Li Guanyi’s own aura.
Upon the divine weapon, within the killing aura, mixed with Li Guanyi’s battle intent, was a third residual imprint of consciousness – faint, almost imperceptible, yet undeniably real.
Only by forgetting oneself can one achieve this.
Li Guanyi’s consciousness was like water diffusing into a sponge; he slowly forgot his identity, forgot time, forgot his origins, leaving only the pure instincts of a martial artist, only the repeated slaughter, the repeated battles, the lingering sensitivity to killing intent.
Meanwhile, Si Tu Deqing had completed his seventeenth feint.
He launched his eighteenth feint.
In Li Guanyi’s consciousness, he seemed to see a hidden arrow flying from afar on the battlefield where he fought the Overlord. His weapon instinctively rose, deflecting the arrow.
In the real world.
Li Guanyi instinctively moved the halberd in his hand; the Meng Hu Xiao Tian halberd rose slightly.
The icy blade, with its tiger-mouth-like maw, pointed almost directly at Si Tu Deqing from within the carriage.
The fully activated divine weapon’s killing aura erupted.
Like the low growl of a White Tiger.
!!!!
Si Tu Deqing’s pupils contracted; he instantly retreated into the void, landing on a fallen leaf, carried by the wind as the carriage moved forward. His Xuanbing was reversed in his hand; behind his dark gold mask, his eyes were fixed on the carriage, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his breathing heavy.
Something’s wrong…
This killing aura, this killing intent.
Something is very wrong.
Si Tu Deqing was a truly top-tier assassin. Every assassin manipulated their aura with skill; sensing the enemy’s aura and concealing one’s own were fundamental skills.
Si Tu Deqing felt a sense of oppression whenever he tried to attack the carriage.
As if a powerful presence silently watched him from above the carriage.
When Si Tu Deqing drew his sword, his powerful divine senses instinctively predicted scenes of himself being pierced, cut, and hacked to death – incredibly vivid images.
Martial artists of his level had instincts like gods.
Si Tu Deqing instinctively kept his distance, but his rational judgment told him that only Zu Wenyuan was in the carriage, so he stopped. He repeated this process over a dozen times, never truly approaching within three feet of the carriage to launch a fatal attack.
What on earth is going on?!
Si Tu Deqing’s eyes narrowed. He wanted to retreat.
But he was reluctant. Hesitating, as the carriage continued to move forward, he stepped into the void, reached for a short sword at his waist, and with a flick of his wrist, shattered the sword, transforming its energy into a sword beam that slashed down.
Boom!!!
Half of the carriage was cleaved in two!
The luxurious wooden carriage, moving at high speed, was flung away and smashed against a huge rock, instantly reduced to splinters. Si Tu Deqing saw the people inside the carriage – the white-haired old man, the bronze lamp he was protecting.
And the kneeling youth.
Si Tu Deqing’s eyes froze; the killing aura in his eyes surged.
“It’s you?!”
“Li Guanyi, you tricked me?!”
He looked at Li Guanyi, his killing intent rising. The moment he moved to strike again, he felt a killing aura lock onto him. His gaze shifted from Li Guanyi, from Zu Wenyuan, and fixed on the bronze lamp.
The bronze lamp flickered.
Si Tu Deqing tried to approach and attack again.
The lamp flickered, and that killing intent locked onto him once more.
Si Tu Deqing saw Zu Wenyuan protecting the lamp, so he naturally concluded –
That killing intent, the feeling that he would be killed if he attacked.
It was because of this carefully guarded bronze lamp.
It was a logical deduction, especially as the old man protected the lamp even more tightly. Si Tu Deqing sneered, instantly turning into a blur. Zu Wenyuan moved his wrist; the lamp that kept Li Guanyi conscious was thrown into the air.
But Si Tu Deqing was faster.
He moved like a illusion, striking the lamp with a single sword. This demonstrated his exceptional speed, wrist control, and accuracy in swordsmanship.
His martial arts were no illusion.
The bronze material was evidently extremely durable. In Si Tu Deqing’s judgment, the lamp was at least a treasure-grade artifact – though not a weapon, it had unique magical abilities.
So he struck with considerable force.
The treasure artifact shattered; the lamp’s flame flickered, becoming a final thread of fire between the old man and Si Tu Deqing.
Li Guanyi opened his eyes.
His eyes were ink-black, his pupils dilated, the whites reduced.
Si Tu Deqing’s body tensed.
A terrifying killing aura erupted. He instantly retreated, then instinctively vanished into the void, like a drop of water merging into the air, leaving not a ripple. Li Guanyi opened his eyes; he was hazy, jolted back to reality, but a trace of his consciousness remained muddled.
Was he the challenger, or the Overlord…
The next moment, a killing intent rushed towards him.
It made the choice for him.
Si Tu Deqing attacked him. Li Guanyi, acting instinctively like the Overlord, grasped his weapon and rose.
His sleeves billowed, like a fierce wind from eight hundred years past. The killing aura on the divine weapon began to dissipate, naturally affecting the surroundings – what people saw with their eyes, what their brains and spirits sensed.
The killing aura distorted their perception; Zu Wenyuan and Po Jun felt a sense of distortion. Li Guanyi looked up and saw ripples in the air, unmistakable hallmarks of the world’s tenth-ranked assassin, invisible to the naked eye.
Even Yue Qianfeng and Xue Daoyong hadn’t noticed him in Guan Yi City, and neither could Li Guanyi. But a green aura surged, and Li Guanyi saw the great owl Law Physique spreading its wings.
He gripped the halberd; the halberd trembled violently.
The tiger’s maw tore through the air, its sound like a tiger’s roar. He raised his weapon, sweeping it from bottom to top – a move that consumed tremendous energy, facing an enemy terrifyingly powerful, a martial artist whose realm rivaled Yue Qianfeng and Xue Daoyong: Si Tu Deqing.
This Overlord’s ultimate move, like a vortex, drew in power.
Li Guanyi’s Five Elements cultivation body circulated.
All his Law Physiques’ power surged into the White Tiger.
On the bronze tripod, the move imprinted by the Qilin (Chinese Unicorn), a technique on par with Yue Qianfeng and Xue Daoyong’s power, lit up, then shattered, transforming into surging flames. The halberd’s hum suddenly ceased, leaving only the steady flow of its energy.
The Overlord’s Ultimate Move, first strike.
As this strike landed, Si Tu Deqing’s vision blurred, distorted images appeared – he saw ancient battlefields, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a youth standing amidst them, weapon in hand, a crimson Qilin stepping forward.
Qilin?!
Si Tu Deqing’s pupils violently contracted; he instinctively shouted:
“Who are you!!!”
He unleashed his terrifying True Qi (energy), shattering the image.
The Meng Hu Xiao Tian halberd had already struck. He gritted his teeth, watching the youth attack, raising his Xuanbing to block. Li Guanyi was only at the Second Stage; even wielding a divine weapon, he could barely utilize its full power.
He could definitely block it!
But the moment their weapons collided, Si Tu Deqing’s expression froze.
This power was at his level.
Whether it could only be used once or not.
But at this moment, this was the full might of a martial artist at his level. His outward Qi was torn apart; his Qi armor turned to dust. The divine weapon blazed with fierce light. Si Tu Deqing’s Xuanbing, the weapon he’d used before pledging allegiance to his current master, was silent, fissures appearing.
It shattered, flying apart.
In the first breath, the Xuanbing was swept away.
In the second breath, the halberd struck Si Tu Deqing’s lower abdomen. The Wu Long Chan Shen (Five Dragons Entwining Body) armor shone brightly, but it was useless, shattering completely. Si Tu Deqing spat out blood, his eyes wide with disbelief.
What kind of move is this?!
Unconstrained, arrogant!
The composure and domineering force of a decisive strike.
He couldn’t…block it!
Si Tu Deqing’s face was ashen; he roared, “Great Owl!!!”
With a tremor in the void and a shrill bird cry, a gigantic owl appeared in the void, ready to carry Si Tu Deqing away. Suddenly, a roar erupted.
The White Tiger pounced, instantly latching onto the Great Owl Law Physique.
The other four Law Physiques appeared, tearing the Great Owl into five pieces.
Opening their mouths, they devoured the Great Owl Law Physique.
The White Tiger roared wildly.
The halberd slashed through the air. Si Tu Deqing felt intense pain; his Law Physique was broken, his energy shattered.
The next moment, the divine weapon met no resistance; Si Tu Deqing was cut in two at the waist!
His dark gold mask flew away, landing in the youth’s hand. After releasing his killing intent and aura, Li Guanyi regained clarity. He suddenly realized that the trial had been the Overlord’s lingering resentment and hatred, and only slaughter could release that resentment and hatred.
If it hadn’t been Si Tu Deqing, he might have gone on a killing spree.
Li Guanyi breathed a sigh of relief.
The White Tiger Law Physique roared proudly; the hum of the Meng Hu Xiao Tian halberd subsided.
His Qingtong Ding Cultivation Technique was complete, fueled by the Overlord’s residual killing aura and the White Tiger.
This Overlord’s Ultimate Move hadn’t used the Qingtong Ding Cultivation Technique.
It was something Li Guanyi had learned through his own battles.
And now, the energy still remained.
Without hesitation, Li Guanyi overturned the bronze tripod. The energy cascaded down, falling upon the Law Physique. With the White Tiger’s earth-shattering roar, behind Li Guanyi, the White Tiger Law Physique’s surrounding clouds and wind vibrated; its eyes shone with a pure golden light.
It stepped forward with the youth.
Li Guanyi held his halberd against the ground. The White Tiger was behind him, both moving forward together, their aura becoming increasingly concentrated and profound – the youth holding his halberd, the White Tiger walking slowly, clouds and wind gathering, golden eyes indifferent.
It was the original, unique White Tiger of the Overlord!
Divine, indifferent, majestic.
“Who are you? Who are you really?”
Si Tu Deqing’s eyes widened; he spat blood, severed but not dead, only resentment remaining as he watched the youth take his water skin, passing over the dark gold mask and slowly placing it on his face, revealing only his eyes.
!!!!
Si Tu Deqing’s mind went blank, then suddenly understood.
It’s you!
The child of Tai Ping Gong.
Ten years, you came here for revenge?
Si Tu Deqing couldn’t speak.
Li Guanyi raised his halberd and thrust it down, piercing Si Tu Deqing’s throat.
The blade plunged deep into the ground, blood welling up.
Si Tu Deqing struggled, finally collapsing to the ground, his eyes fixed on Li Guanyi.
Until death, they never closed.
The seven stars of the White Tiger constellation shone brightly in the sky. At the same time, outside the Taihe Hall in Zhongzhou, numerous Confucian scholars were blocked by the imperial guards. Repeated arguments failed to gain them entry. Just as they gave up, resentful and angry, preparing to leave, someone suddenly laughed.
“A mere sixty years away, and the academy is still so stubborn!”
“You are all fools, you might as well die.”
A white-haired old man strode forward.
Someone recognized him, exclaiming, “Si Wei?! What are you doing here?”
“Master Si Wei, the Emperor has ordered that no one…”
The imperial guard commander stepped forward, holding a golden token, his tone cold and hard, but before he could finish, a tremendous force struck his face. His body was sent flying; half his body was numb. The old man seized the token, crushing it into dust with a single squeeze, coldly saying,
“I am Si Wei. Anyone who blocks my path, dies!”
“Get out!”
A powerful aura unfolded; the hundred or so imperial guards blocking his way were sent tumbling, crashing against the walls.
The Confucian scholars tried to stop him but were also thrown aside.
Si Wei strode forward, never looking back. A gale swept up, throwing the imperial guards aside. He pushed aside the eunuch blocking his path and kicked open the door to the Taihe Hall, seeing the sealed Chixiao Sword. As Si Wei entered, the White Tiger constellation blazed brightly in the heavens outside.
The original White Tiger Law Physique and the divine weapon appeared.
The Chixiao Sword’s roar instantly erupted.
The previously noisy Taihe Hall.
Fell into absolute silence; every eye turned to the source of the sword’s cry.
After a long time, someone murmured, their voice faint, yet like thunder in their hearts.
“Chixiao Sword!”
“Awakened?”
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