Chapter 713 - The Finale (3)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ling Chi and company chorused in response, pulling out their swords!
Following the arrival of their monarch, Ling Tian, the warriors of the Ling Family were all energized, showing off a sharper killing intent!
At this point, the warriors of the Yu Family also gathered. Their numbers were packed densely around the area, showing off an obvious advantage numerically. However, even a thousand lambs could not stop a hungry wolf! Ling Chi, together with the other 45 brothers were drenched in blood from top to toe, but every one of them still had sharp penetrating gazes, the killing intent seemingly not having faded at all. The top killers in the world, all 45 of them, actually managed to pressure the Yu Family members into not daring to move despite their numbers!
20 of them had their swords raised from the inside, while another 25 of them had their swords pointed out! At this moment, the atmosphere seemed to have solidified, as though the heavens had suddenly frozen! Everyone present subconsciously held their breath, afraid that their own exhale might trigger some sort of calamity!
If one were to describe the Yu Family experts in the surroundings as the first layer, then Ling Chi and the rest would be considered as the second layer. Meanwhile, Yu ManLou, Ling Tian, Li Xue, Ling Jian and the other brothers that pointed their swords inside would be considered the third layer, so to speak!
Li Xue's beautiful face was devoid of emotion, while Ling Jian stood poised with his hand on his sword, akin to an immovable mountain as he stared ferociously. Ling Tian stood there with a slight smile on his face, appearing the exact opposite as he displayed a peaceful and tranquil vibe. Yu ManLou's brows were furrowed with hidden killing intent, unable to control the frustration in his heart.
The moment Ling Tian appeared, Yu ManLou seemed to have felt an extreme pressure locking him down. As such, he did not dare to break out of the encirclement to rush towards the palace hall. This was because, the moment he left the ground, the person pressuring him would immediately give him a hole in his body. Even if his current martial skill was enough to kill everyone present here, it would not prevent his death!
In this point, Yu ManLou believed it without a doubt! This was because even if the person in the dark was Ling Jian, proclaimed King of Assassins for this generation, the number one assassin, Yu ManLou still had complete confidence to escape this place with only minor injuries. There was a secret passage In the palace hall that only he knew about. As long as he could reach the passage, Yu ManLou was sure that he could escape and rise again!
However, the person hiding in the dark was the Martial Head, Heavenly Justice! The number one expert in the world! Yu ManLou was deeply aware that only two people in this world could produce this pressure to lock him down. One was Ling Tian, the other Justice! Right now, Ling Tian was in front of him, thus the hidden person locking him down went without saying!
Unless Yu ManLou had the intention to perish together with Justice, he would definitely die if he tried to escape now!
Previously, Yu ManLou would not hesitate to do so! Before this final battle, the people on Yu ManLou's to-kill list numbered three, and it was these three that had shaken everything that stood for the Yu Family's foundations: Ling Tian numbered first, Justice second, and the King of assassins Ling Jian numbered third! Towards these three, Yu ManLou's hate for them surpassed all others!
As such, Yu ManLou disregarded his status to attack Ling Jian previously! As such, if Justice were to lock Yu ManLou down before this battle happened, Yu ManLou would not hesitate to sacrifice his own life, to fight for the chance to drag this undefeatable enemy down into the yellow springs with him. This would not be a waste of his life!
However, even though Justice appeared now, Yu Manlou had already changed his idea. While he still maintained a sense of dread towards Justice, his fear for him had long ago permeated deep into his heart. Even when he was merely a youth seeing the green-robed Ye QingChen deliver the corpse of the Yu Family's top expert Yu ChaoChen back to the family, he already knew that Justice was someone he could not defeat no matter how heaven-defying his talent was. It was that moment that drove Yu ManLou to cultivate that calamitous demon technique of his, walking down the path of no return. However, even now when he had cultivated the demonic technique to great success, he still had the same fear when faced with Justice, someone he was unable to surpass his entire life!
The actual reason why he changed his mind was that another person was now added to his to-kill list! Furthermore, that person even topped the charts, to the point that Yu ManLou wished he could personally grind his bones to dust, killing him a thousand times over.
XiMen Sa! Also known as Ling Thirty!
Yu ManLou slowly evolved from the slight suspicion he had towards XiMen Sa, to the unwavering trust and heavy reliance on him, to the point that he passed the reins of command for the combined army troops over to him! Among the leading members of the Yu Family, including Yu ManTang and Yu ManTian, nobody else had such an honor! Even more so given XiMen Sa's age, that Yu ManLou even considered secretly making him his successor.
But now the truth was exposed that XiMen Sa was Ling Thirty. He was actually the dog belonging to his greatest foe Ling Tian!
This was as good as stabbing a knife deeply into Yu ManLou's heart! The humiliation of being cheated on! The fury of being betrayed! The hate of 1.6 million troops seemed to gather in Yu ManLou's heart, almost causing him to explode in anger!
This person must be killed at all costs!
1.6 million troops! All of them were reduced to ashes because of one XiMen Sa! This was the same force that he was prepared to use to conquer the world! Because of one person, he had nothing left! The Yu Family, with its millennium-long foundations, had been ruined in his hands! As for this undercover spy XiMen Sa, he started scheming ever since he was in Western Han, to the point that one could deem Yu ManLou's hegemonic work ruined through XiMen Sa's hands!
How could Yu ManLou not hate him?
He would rather not kill Justice, not kill Ling Tian, but he had to send that XiMen Sa into the depths of hell, under his own palms! This asura who had the blood of 1.6 million troops of the Yu Family on his hands!
Yu ManLou ground his teeth so loudly they produced clacking sounds, as he breathed heavily. At this point, any semblance of his previous stability was long gone!
Ling Tian had already arrived, together with the 45 assassins of the First Pavilion as well as Justice who was hidden and waiting for a chance. Such a great strength was not something the current dregs of the Yu Family could handle! While the latter outnumbered the former, Yu ManLou was aware that today's battle would only end in his defeat!
The key point was to how many people he could pull down with him!
Yu ManLou did not move, Ling Tian similarly remained still. Right now, the aura of Yu ManLou was accumulating to the point he was about to burst, and Ling Tian could clearly see a line of black surfacing on the forehead of Yu ManLou - a sign that he had started revolving his demonic technique. At this point, whoever went up first would have to endure the crazed final retaliation of Yu ManLou! Originally, given the disadvantage they had in numbers, Ling Tian's people were supposed to be widely spaced out; however, due to him personally appearing, his men had all gone to surround and protect him, causing them to be agglomerated together. If a huge battle broke out now, then a large portion of his brothers would lose their lives because of Yu ManLou's demonic techniques. This was something Ling Tian did not wish to see!
Could it be that his arrival here would actually result in a large number of his brothers dying?
Due to the changes happening within the city, a large portion of the Yu Family's forces was gathered there, in contrast causing the city guards to be sparse at the walls. In addition, the arrival of Ling Tian meant that the morale of the Divine Prefecture Empire rose sky-high. The three generals did not hesitate to send down the order to crazily attack the city, causing the number of flaws on the city walls to become ever so prominent. Countless soldiers of the Divine Prefecture Empire constantly swarmed in, resulting in the city protection general to finally lose his fighting spirit and turn around to escape. With a loud 'hong!' the South gate of Bright Jade City was blasted open, the sound of hoofbeats sounding like a torrential downpour as the troops of the Divine Prefecture Empire rushed into Bright Jade City akin to a tornado!
At this point, Bright Jade City had been breached!
Bright Jade City that had belonged to the Yu Family for more than a millennium could be considered as the fading flowers of yesterday!
A loud and sturdy voice hollered out, "All soldiers are to listen to the command: Kill those who resist, those who surrender shall not be killed! No harming of civilians, no rape nor pillaging, and no unauthorized barging into private residences! Those who offend, execution without mercy!"
The three armies rumbled like thunder as they chorused in agreement.
However, the entry of the Divine Prefecture Empire soldiers into the city seemed to not have any effect on the happenings in the imperial palace.
The tension continued! So did the danger!
Only the sound of robes fluttering could be heard as Yu ManTian and Yu ManTang flew down to stand beside Yu ManLou.
"Ling Tian!" Yu ManTian was covered in blood, his expression a little ferocious as he growled, "You've finally come, finally reached your destination at last! You've also forced my brother to a dead end. You should be satisfied now, right?!"
"Third Master Yu," Ling Tian sighed in response. "For Third Master to appear here with such an attitude, why is that so?"
"Bullsh*t!" Yu ManTian spat, "This old man naturally wants to live and die with my brother! While he might have done wrong, practicing a demonic technique, but he has never performed any of the 10 evils! Even if he has angered the world, he is still my, Old Thirdie's, eldest brother! Siblings from the same mother, linked by flesh and blood! The Yu Family is united, living and dying together!"
Yu ManTang stared at Ling Tian with a complicated look, before replying in a calm tone, "That's right! The three brothers of the Yu Family, will advance and retreat at the same time, living and dying together!"
Yu ManLou's body trembled, looking at his two brothers who were shielding in front of him. A myriad of emotions rushed through his heart. After a long time, he turned his head to look at Ling Tian, the killing intent shining within.
The surrounding soldiers from the Divine Prefecture Empire grew more numerous, unintentionally forming the fourth layer of encirclement!
"Ling Jian, take your brothers to assist those in the outer layers. Scatter all of them first, without mercy! If there are any who resist, kill!" Ling Tian's eyes were trained on Yu ManLou at this moment, as he passed down the order to Ling Jian beside him.
Like this, his brothers would not suffer such huge casualties!
"Young noble!" Ling Jian's body shook. Others might not be able to understand his intentions, but having grown up with Ling Tian since he was young, how could Ling Jian not under the true underlying meaning behind his command?!
"Go, quickly!" Ling Tian's tone was severe! In front of so many people, Ling Jian did not dare, and could not openly disobey the orders of Ling Tian, while he would rather be the one to block the life-threatening blow of Yu ManLou.
"Kill! Quickly kill all of them!" Ling Jian's shout pierced the air, as his eyes turned red. The moment his body shifted back, he immediately went into Sword and Body as One! Only by solving this problem as quickly as possible could he then rejoin the young noble by his side to do battle! Ling Jian's sword techniques, speed and might reached their highest he had ever witnessed at this moment!
Similarly understanding the urgency behind Ling Jian's command, none of the other Ling brothers dared to dally. With loud shouts, they pulled out all the stops, and the 40 odd of them activated the same move as Ling Jian!
Man and Sword as One!
With 45 of them simultaneously activating the highest accomplishment of Man and Sword as one, doing their best to kill all the enemies. The brilliant sword glows lit up the night sky at this moment, brightening the area to the point it looked like daytime in front of the Yu Family Imperial Palace, penetrating everyone's eyes!
Ray after ray of sword glows flashed, followed by spouts of blood spewing towards the sky. The elders of the Yu Family could no longer sit still, and for those who could also reach the same level, they too executed Man and Sword as One, retaliating. In the entire field, beams of sword lights clashed like the booms of thunder, as though the thunder god was having a drunken fit.
In this world, the skill of Man and Sword as One was supposed to be the stuff of legends. However, at this moment, that skill seemed like a worthless trash ability, akin to the common white cabbages one could find in a market!
The only difference was that the 'white cabbages' contained a destructive force which could wipe away all that stood in its way!
Ling Chi and others had long developed some sort of rapport, whereby sword glows released by them that seemed random were actually all aimed towards a particular person, sealing off his escape routes and killing him in a blow. The 45 of them weaving around, as though constructing a huge sword web akin to a seamless heavenly net. This was not all, the most amazing part was the fact that they never once let anyone slip through. There were times where they did not even need to look, this was a true miraculous skill, a divine ability!
Countless rays of sword energy flew across the area, causing deep grooves to appear on the hallway paved with bluestones. Dust flew around uncontrollably, along with blood from those slashed! The scene looked like a group of demons killing in the foggy mist, the sounds piercing to the ear, but every shadow seemed to hide within the countless rays of sword lights, appearing blurry and indistinct.
Intense spiritual and sword energy flew unchecked, causing even the guards that stood over tens of feet away to have their robes whipped around from the gales. However, the group in the center of this maelstrom, Ling Tian, Yu ManLou and the others remained unmoving, their eyes still trained on the other party. Even their robes were affected, remaining still without any movements!
The silence reigned like a volcano on the verge of eruption!
They could only wait for the rain of war to descend!
Among the intense battle, no one noticed an extremely fat and rotund figure perform a miraculous movement technique that looked impossible from his size, to infiltrate Bright Jade City, hiding in one of the shadows within the palace…..
Following a chain of miserable screams, at last, an incomparably brilliant sword glow, carrying with it a radiance that could rob one's eyesight, shot towards the Yu Family head, Yu ManLou!
Ling Jian!
Carrying the momentum of a peerlessly strong sword strike!
This First Pavilion Master whose name had struck all under the heavens, had finally turned his sword onto Yu ManLou whose entire figure was now wreathed in demonic power!
He displayed his strongest, fiercest strike, akin to the swing of a grim reaper's scythe!
This sword shot out like lightning, booming like thunder! At this point, Ling Jian's eyes were already bloodshot! He would not allow the battle between Yu ManLou and his young noble to take place!
Yu ManTian pulled out his sword, soaring towards the sky to shield Yu ManLou, intending to accept Ling Jian's tyrannical sword strike. However, Ling Jian did not show any change in expression, neither did he change the posture of his sword, the killing intent continuing to billow!
At this moment, any good feelings Ling Jian had towards Yu ManTian, as well as their bonds of friendship, were all rendered void! Whoever dares to obstruct my young noble from his business has to die! Ling Jian's psyche had now entered a half-crazed state, with only the stimuli from the spray of fresh blood able to affect him. This had allowed the number one assassin to completely pull out his most bloodthirsty and ferocious character!
Seeing that matters had taken a turn for the worse, Yu ManTang immediately drew his sword as well to assist; sounds of explosion constantly sounded, and Ling Jian's head of black hair floated amid the sword glows as he howled. In a sudden show of strength, he forcefully broke through the blockage of the two XianTian realm experts, and his sword strike shot unimpeded towards Yu ManLou!
Yu ManTang and Yu ManTian both suffered from numerous lacerations, and no longer had the strength to stay up in the air. To think that the joint alliance of both brothers could not withstand a single sword strike from Ling Jian! This went to show how much potential Ling Jian had burst forth, faced with the stimulus that was the safety of Ling Tian!
This sword, not to mention the Yu brothers, even if it was Justice or Ling Tian standing in front, they would still need to exhaust much of their strength to resolve this strike!
However, Yu ManTian and ManTang were no doubt experts of the Golden Jade rank in the Yu Family. While they failed to hold Ling Jian back, they managed to resolve most of the power behind Ling Jian's strike. While the sword glow in Ling Jian's sword strike remained as resplendent as ever, the power behind the strike was already akin to an arrow at the end of its flight!
Yu ManLou barked out in mocking laughter as his sword flew out like a bolt of lightning to meet with Ling Jian. At the same time, his body blurred, and he appeared behind Ling Jian like a specter. It was not known when his sword disappeared, but now his palms had become completely black, carrying with them a strong aura of death. His left headed towards Ling Tian, the right towards Ling Thirty!
At the same instant Yu ManLou's body blurred, Ling Tian and Li Xue also moved. Side by side, two black iron swords drew a phantom of a lotus, and the lotus formed from sword lights seemed to simultaneously bloom, shooting out countless sword lights towards Yu ManLou.
Ling Thirty on the other hand unrestrainedly laughed, as his sword appeared in his hand. The next moment, a brilliant light flashed, as he executed the skill of Man and Sword as One! Like a dart, he shot straight towards Yu ManLou, intending to perishing together!
While Yu ManLou's heart was filled with fury, how could Ling Thirty feel good as well? While both of their sides were at war, with both serving different purposes, but human lives were not akin to grass and wood, how could they not have their own feelings?
Ling Thirty was disguised as XiMen Sa, infiltrating the Yu Family's camp and destroying it from the inside. How glorious an accomplishment was that?! The merit was even more compared to what Ling Jian had done for the Ling Family! However, Ling Thirty's conscience had long ago been tormented to the point he was neither alive nor dead!
How many men were there in the camp, how many hot-blooded and good people! No matter enemies or allies, both sides were the same. Being the marshal of the Yu Family's troops, he was well-liked among officers and men alike, to the point that when he planned the defeat of the army and escaped after that, there were even many generals and soldiers who chose to block the attacks aimed at him and die miserable deaths, just so to allow Ling Thirty to safely escape!
The men in the army camps, the trust and hopes given by all of them, had all been passed to their young marshal XiMen Sa. All the generals hoped that their troops would be victorious, and the soldiers hoped that they would be able to showcase themselves in this war, to be spotted and groomed by the upper management. Before the war even started, there were even mothers and wives, passing their children over to XiMen Sa, hoping that their children would come in safely!
But XiMen Sa had another identity, and that was Ling Thirty!
Ling Thirty's job was to take their trust as a big juicy piece of meat, and bestow it with both hands onto their enemies, for them to be butchered! Every time he looked at the various generals of the Yu Family, in various dying conditions, their eyes full of despair yet continuously shouting, "Quickly escape, Marshal!", he would feel extremely agonized in his heart! The torment was such that even after his objective was achieved, he was still plagued by nightmares constantly, having an urge to commit suicide to atone for his sins!
1.6 million troops! How many mothers were still waiting for their children back home?! How many wives were still pining by the door for the husband that would never return? How many of the children back home would never get to meet their father even once?!
How many of them were pillars of their families?! All of them were hot-blooded men! It was just that… they had followed the wrong person.
If it was merely such, then Ling Thirty would not feel such guilt in his heart. However, during the final battle with the Divine Prefecture Empire troops, he could not avoid seeing the numerous deaths and injuries, seeing the troops he led fall off their horses, only to be greeted by chopping blades. Their screams of misery were akin to the screams of the devils within his heart, wrenching his organs! He possessed a body of high-leveled martial skills, but he had to keep them hidden!
Ling Thirty had sacrificed all he had for the rise of the Divine Prefecture Empire and even accomplished the highest level of merits for the empire. However, his heart was already weary and full of wounds. Even if he was a top assassin, with a heart of ice and veins of steel, he still could not avoid carrying such a heavy burden!
Maybe death would be the best release and medicine for him!
A determined expression surfaced on Ling Thirty's face, as he locked his sword at Yu ManLou, rushing forth!
"Thirty!" Ling Tian hollered.
"Thirty!" Ling Jian screamed as well.
With their eyesight, how could they not see that Ling Thirty's sword had no route of return for himself? Both of them were conflicted in their hearts, to think that Ling Thirty had no will to live at all?!
Yu ManLou shot up into the air, resembling a crazed devil ascending from the depths of hell as he maniacally laughed. Suddenly his figure twirled like a pinwheel, slamming his foot onto the waist of Ling Thirty, using the momentum to further propel himself into the air as he yelled, "Justice! Join the party as well! Just hiding there in a corner, is it very glorious? What number one? How about we determine who is the real number one today?!"
In the same period, Li Xue who was back on the ground waved her slender hands, causing three black colored metallic balls to fly out from her hand. They formed a triangular shape as they flew towards Yu ManLou. While their speed was not fast, the balls were angled in such a position where no matter how he twisted, he would still come into contact with at least one of them. Yu ManLou knew that something fishy was up, but he merely laughed as he swept his sleeve to push them away. Unfortunately, just as they neared him, and right before he activated his inner energy to drive them away, they swung inwards like boomerangs returning to their owner, and knocked fiercely against each other!
"Hong!" A huge explosion sounded, with black smoke rolling from the point. Yu ManLou screamed, plummeting down like a huge boulder.
Justice had just drawn his sword, prepared to charge out to meet Yu ManLou's challenge. But upon seeing him falling from grace, he could not help but let out a breath of relief.
Ling Thirty spat out a mouthful of fresh blood as he swayed and dropped down. In midair, Ling Tian intercepted him, using his sword to stab deeply into Ling Thirty's waist. With a twirl, he tore out a huge piece of flesh from him. A gaping bloody maw appeared on Ling Thirty's abdomen, with fresh blood spewing out. This stab was so serious that even his organs could be seen!
However, Ling Tian did not have any other alternative. If he did not slice off the infected area, most likely, Ling Thirty's outcome would be to turn into a puddle of black water!
Those with sharp eyesight could see that the huge piece of flesh Ling Tian had carved out was a burnished copper color as it tumbled through midair, but it had already turned pale grey by the time it landed. Merely seconds later, the flesh turned ink blank, finally dissolving into a black colored miasma…
Justice flew out at this time, and with a wave of his sleeve, a gale blew out, dispersing the miasma. As it faded, everyone could see that the land was completely blackened! Such corrosive venom was it, that even the stones and rocks were not spared!
At the side, the other two Yu brothers who were lying on the ground full of sword wounds also witnessed this strange evil technique, and could not help but stare dumbfounded! While they long knew that the cultivation practiced by their elder brother was a demonic technique, they did not expect such a venomous outcome to unfold!
Ling Tian beckoned with his right hand, supporting Ling Thirty as he put his hands on his meridians. His face then lit up, and he immediately took action, hitting his acupoints to cease his blood flow.
Ling Thirty's face was bloodless as he stared at Ling Tian, as though wanting to say something. His lips moved, yet no sound came out. Finally, his head sagged as he lost consciousness, however, the mental trauma still existed on his face. Two slow streams of tears flowed down from his face.
Ling Tian's heart lurched! Only now did he understand the reason behind Ling Thirty seeking death! He commanded Ling Feng to take Ling Thirty away, commanding him to take good care of the latter. Ling Feng had his eyes full of tears as he received Ling Thirty.
From the origin of the explosion, the smoke suddenly scattered and blew apart as Yu ManLou rushed forth with his sword in hand. His garments were tattered, covered in soot, with countless wounds leaking blood. To think that three grenades exploding near him were unable to kill him outright!
Yu ManLou's speed resembled lightning as he spun in midair. His sword let out countless silvery lights, and his other palm released inky waves. At this moment, he seemed to have covered the entire sky, as he pressed down towards Ling Tian!
Ling Tian and the others were not aware, but after practicing the demonic technique, Yu ManLou's skin had toughened beyond smelted iron! While the killing power behind the three grenades was not small at all, they were far from able to send him to the Underworld!
This strike of his could only be taken head-on!
With Ling Tian's current strength, he definitely could overpower Yu ManLou. He only needed a full-out attack to judge Yu ManLou once and for all! However, to do so would be to come into contact with Yu ManLou's palm or sword! No matter which one it was, he would then be afflicted with the death curse!
While Yu ManLou might die, Ling Tian would also be unable to survive!
Even with Ling Tian's current accomplishments, for him to avoid this blow was a little tricky but possible. But beside him was Li Xue, Ling Jian, and Ling Chi! These three were unwilling to retreat! They wanted to rush up! But rushing up only meant death! Ling Tian could see the resolve in their eyes! Especially for Li Xue, the warmth in her eyes was like the sea…
The reason why Ling Jian suggested to attack the city was also because of the exact same matter!
This was also the same reason why Li Xue insisted on following Ling Tian over this time!
Li Xue took one last glance at Ling Tian, the deep feelings and warmth in her eyes apparent. 'Tian'ge, I destroyed one of your lifetimes, so I shall return it to you this lifetime! For you, I have no regrets!'
Ling Tian howled furiously to the sky. The Heaven Splitter took in his entire body's inner strength, turning into a milky white color similar to that of white jade. With a swing of his sword, it was as though a silver river of stars descended from the nine heavens, constructing a glittering sword wall in front of him!
Yu ManLou only laughed boisterously, continuing his rush without hiding or avoiding!
An expression of panic appeared in Justice's face for the first time in his life. He swung his sword as well, flying over like a shooting star, piercing straight at Yu ManLou! In the darkness, a large figure also revealed itself, rushing forward. The speed at which the fat figure moved was so quick that the air produced popping sounds due to the pressure!
Fresh blood sprayed as Yu ManLou used his enhanced body and muscles to break through Ling Tian's sword wall. His two palms radiating black miasma, he sinisterly smiled as he slapped down towards Ling Tian!
Ling Tian gritted his teeth, choosing to gather his force onto his palms to meet him face on!
He had already decided, the moment he received the blow, to immediately chop off both his hands. If that still could not stop the venom, then he could only blame it on his bad luck, and go back into the afterlife!
"Young noble, take care!" Ling Jian and Ling Chi hollered at this time, as though bidding their final farewells to Ling Tian. With a flash of their figure, both of them obstructed Ling Tian, rushing towards Yu ManLou!
Ling Tian jolted, grabbing each person with one hand and throwing them to the side. However, doing so exposed his chest; Yu ManLou's blackened palms were now aimed there, less than a meter away!
A slim body suddenly moved between the two combatants, akin to flowing clouds and shifting winds with just a twist of the waist!
Li Xue!
Li Xue's face was full of determination, her jade hands gathering all the energy in her body before thrusting out to meet Yu ManLou. At this point, she was not looking at Yu ManLou. She was fully aware that her palms would connect with Yu ManLou! Given the intensity of the battle and their speed, he had no time to shift away!
As such, Li Xue was not looking at him, but rather used all her strength to turn back, staring into Ling Tian's eyes, memorizing his facial features. It was as though she was trying to carve his features deep into her own heart, her soul!
Yu ManLou cackled, "Ling Tian, I might not be able to kill you today, but I still can make you live in misery for the rest of your life!"
"Pu!" Justice's sword, fuelled by his anger, unerringly crushed Yu ManLou's internal energy protection on the surface of his body, stabbing deep into his heart!
However, his actions were already unable to divert his palms. The two palms emitting black miasma were just about to come into contact with Li Xue's hands!
"Xue'er!" Ling Tian screamed his lungs out, his eyes bloodshot as a wrenching pain pierced his heart! His eyesight suddenly blurred!
From the past to the present, could it be that I'm destined to never be together with you?
Heart-wrenching pain!
During this life and death moment, a figure that was quick to the extreme suddenly flew out, inserting into the core of the battle. With a mighty 'peng' sound, Yu ManLou's palms contacted on the front of his chest, breaking all his ribs! As for Li Xue, because she was looking back to Ling Tian, she could not withdraw her hands on time and smashed towards his back! The sturdy back caved in with her blow…
The intruder let out a dull snort, turning over to look at Ling Tian and Ling Jian, before showing a joyful smile. That swollen face looked familiar! As everyone stood stunned, the person limply fell to the ground.
The newcomer was none other than the Ling brother who had not received any task this time, Ling Fifty!
Everyone was away that Ling Fifty had the worst fighting skills among all the youths surnamed Ling, to the point that he was still unable to execute the Man and Sword as One. As such, when Ling Jian gathered all the youths for the final battle, he was not included. However, no one knew that his movement techniques had reached the highest state among all the youths, comparable to that of Ling Jian himself! With his round figure, to achieve such a level of movement technique, what sort of price had he paid?!
His self-created movement technique was named aptly as: "White steed flits past a crack, it's lonely at the top"!
It was precisely the term "white steed flits past a crack", that he was able to do what was deemed impossible, which was to slot himself in between Yu ManLou and Li Xue at the last moment!
Or maybe, this was the true meaning of 'it's lonely at the top'…..
"Fifty! Brother!" Ling Tian's face lost color as he shouted out.
"Fifty! My brother!" Ling Jian let out a mournful howl. The pain at the loss of a brother caused him to vomit blood, but he suddenly burst out into laughter, "What a good Fifty! Indeed a brother of mine! Us 56 brothers will forever be proud of your achievements!" He wildly laughed, yet the tears flowed down unbidden from his face.
Yu ManLou had received a life-threatening injury from Justice and had forcibly used the last dredges of his strength to power his final blow, his face full of wicked glee. He was looking forward to the heartbreak he would see on Ling Tian's face, but with this sudden change, his face displayed endless shock!
"How could it turn out this way? Why is it this way!!" Yu ManLou turned violent, struggling as he howled out in anger, "Ling Tian, I want you to be buried with me…" But before he could finish, his orifices burst out with fresh blood, including the hole front and back made by Justice. He fell powerlessly to the ground, landing on top of Fifty's corpse! He could only mumble, "Count yourself lucky, your luck is good….." His life force was slowly waning but his eyes remained open, full of hatred and unwillingness!
In just moments, both Yu ManLou and Fifty's corpses turned into a puddle of black water, slowly seeping into the ground. The cloud of black miasma produced persisted even with the rays of sunlight shining onto it, as though it was Ling Fifty showing his reluctance to leave this world, the reluctance to part with his brothers, and was leaving his final thoughts. Even though it was lonely at the top, one would still wish for the warmth of others…
Ling Tian's nose soured, and the tears dripped down slowly…
Li Xue turned around, throwing herself into Ling Tian's bosom, bawling her eyes out.
Ling Jian and company all had tears flowing down their faces, raising their swords as a hero's tribute. The 56 of them had been companions since they were kids, suffering through the same arduous childhoods with their only reliance being each other, to this point where they were all experts. None of them had died along the journey! To think that at this final juncture, their youngest brother would be taken away from them!
The 1.6 million troops of the Yu Family were routed, Bright Jade City was broken into, and Yu ManLou died under the encirclement of Ling Tian, Justice, Li Xue, and company!
The Heavenly Star Continent was now the piece of heaven belonging to the Divine Prefecture Empire! All below heavens, there is nothing which was not the Emperor's territory; from coast to coast there was nothing that did not belong to the Emperor!
Ling Tian carefully consoled the other two Yu brothers, sending them over to Sky Bearing to reunite with Yu BingYan. They had been wounded by Ling Jian's sword, but their lives were in no danger. Besides, the two of them were Golden Jade experts and easily recovered from their flesh wounds. It was just that they felt a sense of loss at Yu ManLou's death. Regarding this, Ling Tian had nothing to say and believed that only time could heal their wounds.
With the Heavenly Star Continent united under one flag, Ling Tian sent out an imperial edict. A new cabinet was to be set up, and all under him were exempted from taxes for three years, allowing the civilians to recuperate.
The imperial order from Ling Tian allowed Ling Jian and the rest to recover to their former states. This was followed by a round of meritorious rewards, bestowing titles and positions to them. Those who were unwilling to accept could still remain under Ling Jian to work for him.
Ling Thirty's abdomen had been carved out by Ling Tian, and while he was not in danger, he had lost too much vitality. Even with the precious medicines concocted by Ling Tian, he was unable to fully recover, and could no longer perform any strenuous activities. Ling Tian allowed Ling Thirty to go under Ling Jian's flag, becoming an army strategist.
In the five years Ling Tian was emperor, Ling Chi brought the army to travel across the ocean, meeting up with Ling One, Shui ManKong, and the rest to occupy the Heavenly Wind Continent. Shui ManKong announced the disbandment of the Shui aristocratic family, opting to merge with the Divine Prefecture Empire. As a result, Ling Chi became the second Duke of the Divine Prefecture Empire!
In the same year, Ling Jian and Marshal Xiao FengYang led a campaign to the Heavenly Sun Continent, trampling everything beneath their feet. In the end, the entire three continents of the world all fell under the rule of the Divine Prefecture Empire!
And now!
Ling Tian could rightfully be considered the monarch of the world!
On the day Ling Tian united the world under one flag, his martial arts also reached the peak level. As he sat in his palace, the Martial Order Medallion owner Justice floated in, passing all the restrictions on the palace, challenging Ling Tian!
Ling Tian easily agreed and left barehanded.
A week later, Ling Tian returned without any injuries, but Justice vanished from the world! The previous Martial Order Medallion owner was now only a legend, a tale passed down in the martial world!
The Beyond Heavens Sect also disbanded shortly after.
On one of the days when Ling Tian and the other brothers gathered for drinks, Ling Jian, whose martial arts had reached the standard of Justice the year he challenged Ling Tian, suddenly asked, "The pinnacle of martial arts, just what exactly is it?"
Ling Tian laughed out as he explained, "Ever since I took part in the battle with Justice, I came to the conclusion that be it in any world, it should all be the same. Because it is the act of stepping into the martial way through martial arts, there would no doubt be some figment of imagination involved. However, so long as there is a visualization of a peak in your heart, then anything can be the pinnacle, There's no need to delve so deeply into it, one has their own attachments, so why bother to chase after the peak?
Ling Jian could not make heads or tails of this and was even more unable to understand what he meant by 'in any world'. But upon pressing the question, Ling Tian merely smiled and replied that this could not be revealed. Only be truly treasuring what one has in front of them, can a person truly deem themselves as having reached the pinnacle!
One only needs to truly treasure what they have in front of them, and they can deem themselves as having reached the pinnacle!
Ling Jian and company were also curious about what happened during the final battle with Justice, but Ling Tian just refused to answer. When asked where Justice passed on, Ling Tian merely laughed out as he said something mysterious and befuddling, "With the heavenly gifts of that darned b*st*rd, he is probably already in University, right? I really wish to see what sort of attitude that lass would have in the University, ai, the pretty girls in my hometown were all good cabbages, what a pity." [It's a slang where they say something occurs so often or is so common that it appears to be like cabbages, commonly grown and seen everywhere.]
Everyone's head was wrapped in fog at this time, feeling their heads about to split from thinking. What nonsense was their emperor spouting now? Who was 'that lass'? And what was this thing called 'University'? Why did he even lump pretty ladies with cabbages? Why was it a pity??
Countless questions were asked! But the more Ling Tian spoke, the more muddled everyone became!
Only Li Xue who sat beside Ling Tian let out tinkling laughter, trembling all over. The rest stared, not knowing what she was laughing about.
The Emperor Ling Tian who was mightily drunk at this time spoke out, "With the establishment of this Divine Prefecture Empire, I thereupon announce my children as the descendants of the Yellow and Flame Emperors. From now on, all descendants shall be named as 'YanHuang'! Without exception nor change! The combined empire consisting of the three continents will also be changed to be named as the YanHuang Great Continent!" [YanHuang refers to the Flame and Yellow Emperor, and is used to describe the current Han Chinese population.]
A decade later, Ling Tian passed on the throne to his eldest son, the son of Ling Chen, Ling MengYang. He brought a few of his confidants, and together with Ling Jian and his wife, vanished off the face of this earth. The only thing that was left of him was an everlasting history, named 'The Legend of Ling Tian'! This was passed down generation after generation, through the seasons and years alike, without a single change!
*****************
In a different time-space not known to everyone in his current life, Ling Jian had lost all his bearings of a peak expert, and also no longer had his aura of a cold-faced assassin. He was busy chasing after the backside of Ling Tian who was dressed in a suit, constantly questioning.
"Young noble, what is that thing? It's completely covered in metal, so how could it run so quickly?…"
"Young noble, the houses here are all built so high, if one doesn't have the movement techniques of our level, how do they even go up? Could it be that everyone here is an expert?"
Young noble, that woman there really does not know what shame is, to reveal her legs so daringly in the street…"
"Young noble, this is wine? Why does it have the smell of horse piss, along with disgusting bubbles at the top? Why is Young noble even drinking it with such gusto?!…"
"Young noble…..?"
"Young noble……?"
"…??????????….."
And right behind them.
"Sister Xue, this place is really weird…"
"Sister Xue, look at this…"
'Sister Xue, what is cosmetics…?"
"Sister Xue…????????"
Finally, Ling Jian spotted his target. That person had both arms around a beauty, with another still following behind him, looking as though his springtime had arrived. One look and you could tell that he was a complete profligate that had too much time and money on his hands.
Viciously spitting, Ling Jian commented, "Such a hateful guy, one look and I know he isn't anything good. If we were back in our place, I would have long ago chopped him into several pieces!"
As though the person had supernatural senses, he lifted his hand, staring with eyes that were sharp and penetrating. Upon seeing Ling Tian and his group, he stopped in shock before shouting out loudly, "Oh my m*ther f**king g**dness! It's actually you two?!"
Ling Jian also came to a halt. "Heavenly…"
The man in question immediately cut him with a cough. "This lowly person is known as Song TianLi, cough cough." As he spoke, he came closer and whispered. "The Legend of Ling Tian has already started selling in this place, so don't call me by my original name…"
Upon looking at the bevy of ladies behind Ling Tian, which included Ling Jian's wife, Song TianLi's jaw dropped. "WTF! You brought so many over?! Did you ferry all of them on a bus?!"
An extra-long Cadillac sped over to the roadside beside them at this instant, followed by a middle-aged man rushing out from the car as he exclaimed, "Great Master Song, I beg your honorable self to save my son! I'm willing to pay any amount! I just have this one son, so please!"
Another eye-catching sedan drove over, with a younger man leaping out from the car to shout, "Great Master Song, your divinations are truly too accurate, I beg you to give me some pointers once more! Please! Money is not a problem!"
Yet another car…
So it turned out that this guy was living as a cheat here!
"Old buddy, it seems like you're doing quite well here, eh? Well, all of us here have come specially to eat and mooch off you. Why, are you unhappy about it?!" Ling Tian spoke such offensive words using a genteel tone.
Song TianLi's expression went pale, a helpless look plastered upon his face.
Those famed people of XX world were all surprised that this Great Master Song who had few friends would have such an uncouth, vulgar friend…
(End of Series)
Translator Note: This chapter was a real pain to translate, but I'm glad I finished it. The ending was surprisingly refreshing, which I particularly enjoyed. This has been a good two years, and I'm thankful to all of you readers who stayed with us through thick and thin, supporting us till this final chapter here! David and I will be moving over to help with <The Legendary Mechanic> for our next series, give it a try if you have not read it yet!
Best Wishes (and maybe hugs and kisses to whoever wants them),
Chuchutrain *mic drop*