A thin line of tangerine red stretched across the horizon, clouds dyed in layers, while the great river surged endlessly, witnessing countless joys and sorrows, separations and reunions through eons.
Meng Qi slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep and unfathomable. The mountains and rivers before him remained the same, yet under his gaze, they no longer appeared as pure as before. He could now perceive tiny, fleeting gaps and layers of countless “illusory” scenes overlapping with reality.
“Void Seal…” Meng Qi murmured, the supernatural gleam in his eyes fading as his vision returned to normal. The landscape resumed its ordinary appearance.
He stood up, sheathing his divine blade, and approached the battered corpse of the current head of the Benevolent Sage Emperor Hall, whose body had been shattered by the final shockwave. He picked up the relatively intact head.
The head no longer had its face-covering cloth, its forehead shattered, the brain and blood long splattered away, leaving only faint traces of red and white. His features were plain, his eyes wide open, frozen in an expression of torment and ecstatic release.
Meng Qi straightened his back, holding the head, and steadily “walked” toward the capital city, ascending higher with each step.
…
Inside the palace complex, in the rear hall of the Council of State Affairs, where the emperor rested.
Prince Qin Zhao Jingshi sat behind a desk, with Cui Qingyu, head of the Cui family, and Minister Cui Yan on his left, and Zhang Bailin, head of the Zhang family, and Deputy Chancellor Zhang Bailing on his right. Standing beside him was Simashi, the former chief investigator of the Six Gates.
“The Luo Sect, the Su Nu Dao, and Northern Zhou spies conspired together, killing the late emperor, imprisoning Chancellor Sima, and attempting to overthrow the Jin Dynasty. Fortunately, several of you saw through their schemes, rescued Chancellor Sima, and thwarted their plot,” Zhao Jingshi said flatly. “Now, the matter is settled. Once the twenty-seven-day mourning period is complete, the Grand Prince will ascend the throne.”
At this moment, Zhao Heng was not yet qualified to participate in the highest-level discussions between the Zhao clan in the capital and the top aristocratic families.
Cui Yan and the others looked somber and bowed respectfully: “Your Highness flatters us; we are undeserving of such praise.”
Suddenly, Cui Qingyu remembered something: “Where is Chief Investigator Su?”
This young man had powerful figures and top factions behind him. His movements must be closely monitored!
Zhao Jingshi’s expression shifted slightly. After a moment’s silence, he sighed: “Chief Investigator Su is young and impetuous; perhaps he went to pursue the Luo Sect, the Su Nu Dao, and the Northern Zhou spies…”
His tone was uncertain, hinting at a suspicion he tried to avoid, lest it bring disaster upon himself.
Chasing the Luo Sect, the Su Nu Dao, and the Northern Zhou spies alone? Wasn’t he afraid of encountering some mishap? Cui Qingyu, Zhang Bailin, and the others were first taken aback, then realized—this must be an unspoken understanding between Prince Qin and the Luo Sect, a tacit agreement to ignore threats beyond their own interests. Let them do as they please, regardless of success or failure.
Given Su Meng’s current strength, his martial prowess, and his deadly blade, the Luo Sect and the Su Nu Dao would not underestimate him. They would surely plan meticulously, ensuring success—perhaps deploying divine weapons, at least two half-step Dharma Body experts, or even a Dharma King himself. Su Meng would likely face grave danger. Alas, his connections were too extensive; if he perished, it could trigger a massive upheaval.
As these thoughts swirled, Zhao Jingshi lightly tapped the table: “Gentlemen, it’s time to prepare for the court assembly.”
Before his words faded, he suddenly sensed something through the imperial palace’s secret techniques, his gaze shifting forward, piercing through layers of space to the palace gate.
“Mad Blade” Su Meng? Soon, Cui Qingyu and the others also felt something.
He actually returned alive!
Had the Luo Sect and the Su Nu Dao truly had no plot or ambush?
At that moment, Meng Qi, using the Shrinking Earth Technique, had already reached the entrance of the Council of State Affairs, walking step by step toward the rear hall.
He wore plain blue robes, unstained by blood, his hair tied in a headscarf, his left hand hanging naturally, his right hand holding a blood-soaked head. Each step seemed to land on the hearts of those present.
Zhao Jingshi’s heartbeat quickened involuntarily as Meng Qi entered the rear hall, his mind instinctively tensing.
He’s back!
Meng Qi stopped between the astonished Cui Qingyu and Zhang Bailin, then with a thud, threw the head onto the table in front of Zhao Jingshi. The wide-open eyes stared directly at Zhao Jingshi, the expression of torment and release sending chills down their spines.
“Chief Investigator Su, what is this?” Zhao Jingshi, having experienced great rises and falls, had already calmed his mind and asked gravely.
Meng Qi brushed his right hand with his left, as if wiping away blood, and calmly replied: “The current head of the Benevolent Sage Emperor Hall.”
“The current head of the Benevolent Sage Emperor Hall?” Cui Yan and Zhang Bailing blurted out, doubting their ears.
The top ten on the Earth List? The head of the Benevolent Sage Emperor Hall, who had never failed in decades? The Purple-ranked assassin wielding divine weapons and operating in the shadows?
Cui Qingyu, Zhang Bailin, Simashi, and Zhao Jingshi were equally shocked, though only slightly flustered. The latter instinctively straightened up: “Truly the head of the Benevolent Sage Emperor Hall?”
This was a mysterious, terrifying, and extremely dangerous Grandmaster, like a venomous snake always lurking in the shadows to the eyes of ordinary people—never moving unless to kill, never failing. Who among them wasn’t afraid of him? Who would dare provoke him?
And now he was reduced to just a head, silently staring at them.
He was killed by “Mad Blade” Su Meng?
A slight tremble, like an electric current, ran up Zhao Jingshi’s spine, stirring a hint of fear.
Meng Qi let his hands hang naturally, speaking in a casual tone, as if discussing the weather: “I went to investigate a case and fell into an ambush, encountering the current Joyful Bodhisattva, the Fengdian Divine Envoy with a Dharma King token, the Great Luo demoness hiding in the shadows, and the Benevolent Sage Emperor Hall head, who struck at the most opportune moment.”
He didn’t describe the battle details or the outcome, but the result was clear before them—Mad Blade had returned, the head of the Benevolent Sage Emperor Hall lay here, and the others were either driven off or left in pieces.
Gasps of disbelief escaped Cui Yan and the others. Such an array could barely take down a Dharma Body expert, yet they couldn’t even harm Mad Blade, who turned the tables and killed one of them?
How powerful had he become? What miraculous treasures did he possess?
Shocked, surprised, guessing, confused—emotions surged in the hall, plunging it into eerie silence.
Meng Qi paid no heed to their reactions but fixed his gaze on Zhao Jingshi’s eyes, watching them nearly contract into pinpricks, and smiled slightly: “Since Chief Investigator Sima has returned, I no longer need to serve temporarily. Please, Prince Qin, settle my wages for this period, as well as the reward for killing the head of the Benevolent Sage Emperor Hall.”
Zhao Jingshi was genuinely frightened but managed a smile: “What reward would Chief Investigator Su like?”
“Gehenna Ginseng, Millennium Ice Core…” Meng Qi, seemingly prepared, rattled off a long list.
The following is the translation into English:
These were the materials required to craft divine weapons using the Ice Eye Crystal Core and the Netherworld Ghost Gate, costing thirty thousand merit points from the Lord of the Six Paths Reincarnation.
Of course, Meng Qi doubled the price, adding costs for the Seven Killings Tablet and emotional distress.
Zhao Jingshi’s expression turned slightly blank, but after glancing at the head’s eyes and considering the saying “pay to avoid disaster,” he reluctantly said: “Many of these aren’t available…”
“Just substitute with items of equivalent value,” Meng Qi was very accommodating, showing no insistence.
Silence, still silence. After a while, Zhao Jingshi ordered Simashi to retrieve items from the Zhao family’s treasure vault.
During the wait, Meng Qi remained silent, standing quietly.
Half an hour later, Simashi returned, handing Meng Qi a spatial ring. Meng Qi briefly checked, found it roughly sufficient, and accepted it without complaint.
Zhao Jingshi felt a pang of pain, but considering the potential consequences and his inability to stop Mad Blade, he could only endure it. Even for the royal family, with generations of accumulated wealth, this bag of treasures represented a significant portion. This act was akin to cutting off an arm!
After securing the ring, Meng Qi turned and walked toward the door, pausing just before stepping out to casually throw a parting remark:
“Three strikes and you’re out.”
“If it happens again, even if you hide within the capital’s grand formation, protected by countless experts, I will still take your life as easily as reaching into a pocket.”
His words echoed as his figure vanished.
Zhao Jingshi’s face turned pale, his lips trembling, but he ultimately said nothing.
Backed by his recent breakthrough and the slaying of the Benevolent Sage Emperor Hall head, “Mad Blade” Su Meng’s words were not a warning or a threat—they were a declaration, a promise of an inevitable outcome!
He always accomplished what others deemed impossible!
“…even if you hide within the capital’s grand formation, protected by countless experts, I will still take your life as easily as reaching into a pocket.”
…
After leaving the palace, Meng Qi returned to the Su residence, met with Su Li, and warned him that the current imbalance among factions would inevitably lead to many conflicts before a new equilibrium forms. The capital was one of the vortexes; if possible, the entire family should leave as soon as possible.
But when Su Li asked where they should go, Meng Qi didn’t know how to answer. The great calamity had arrived; though the world was vast, was there truly a paradise untouched by turmoil?
…
Boarding a boat to leave the capital, Meng Qi admired the scenery along both banks, adjusting his mood.
As night fell, the bright moon hung high, its reflection shimmering on the rippling water, creating an unusually serene and tranquil scene, with only the occasional boat passing by.
When two large ships passed each other, a refined female voice suddenly reached Meng Qi’s ears:
“Do you want to know the origins of the Eternal Mother?”
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