“The Tianwang Fleet is one of the four major family armies. From its commander down to every officer, they are all descendants of the Wang family,” Long Yun stared at Yang Hao. “Based on previous intelligence, the fleet’s configuration consists of two battleships and five destroyers, plus two hundred smaller offensive warships. While its combat strength isn’t at the top level of the Empire, it’s unmatched in several nearby star clusters.”
This time Yang Hao finally grasped the severity of the situation. Stammering, he barely managed to say, “You mean the fleet chasing us is actually the Wang family’s Tianwang Fleet?”
“Exactly. This is the Wang family’s strongest unit, the ace up their sleeve that makes them valued within the Empire. Now that they’ve deployed it to pursue you, you can imagine how seriously the Wangs are taking you,” Long Yun sighed, looking at Yang Hao with an expression that clearly said, “You’re a thorn in their eye, the Wang family’s mortal enemy.”
Yang Hao popped a Fire Rong Pill into his mouth, swallowing it in one gulp. Even the extreme spiciness couldn’t snap him back to his senses.
Long Yun wasn’t done scaring him yet: “The Tianwang Fleet’s greatest strength isn’t its large fleet, but the people inside.”
“People?” Yang Hao opened his mouth, and a burst of true fire shot out, startling him into quickly closing it again.
The others, however, were unfazed. Ever since Yang Hao developed the habit of taking pills, he occasionally spewed fire. Sometimes Long Yun even roasted chicken wings, letting the kids from the Hao Sword Team have a barbecue feast.
But today, Long Yun had no mood for that: “The core of the Tianwang Fleet is a King Sword Master Corps. This martial arts group is a first-class sword master corps in the Empire. Their strength is definitely something you’d never want to face.”
“A first-class sword master corps?” Yang Hao was still trying to process it. “Didn’t we defeat Wang Tao’s swordsman group before?”
“Imperial martial arts groups are divided into second-class, first-class, and supreme. Wang Tao’s was only a second-class swordsman group. Although it was quite formidable on Remon Star, compared to the King Sword Master Corps chasing us now, it’s like the difference between a child and an adult.”
“If even Wang Tao was a small fry, then everyone in the King Sword Master Corps must be monsters?”
“Not just monsters, but something even scarier than monsters,” Long Yun’s tone turned icy. “In the Empire, those below the eighth level of combat power are called swordsmen or martial artists. Only those who reach or exceed the eighth level can be called sword masters or martial masters. Though it’s just one word’s difference, the actual combat power is worlds apart.”
“Wow, so by that logic, I must be almost at the sword master level already,” Yang Hao shamelessly bragged.
But Hun Yuanzi immediately exposed him: “Almost means you haven’t reached it. You only exceed the eighth level when you use Heart Sword. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until after reaching the Hehe state.”
Long Yun nodded and delivered the final verdict: “In the Royal Swordsmen Corps, only Wang Tao reached the sword master level. But in the King Sword Master Corps, every single member is a sword master. Their leader might even have surpassed the fifteenth level of combat power. They’re practically terrifying killing machines.”
Yang Hao’s mouth dropped open. His mind spun for quite a while before he finally caught on: “You’re saying that Wang Tao, whom I worked so hard to defeat, would only be a lowly underling in the King Sword Master Corps?”
“Exactly,” said Long Yun.
Thud! Yang Hao collapsed to the ground. His skin turned a vivid red, and flames erupted from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
He had completely fainted.
About an hour later…
“Yang Hao! Yang Hao!!” Long Yun’s anxious voice sounded as if it came from far away.
Yang Hao struggled to open his eyes, only to find himself as if inside an ice cellar. Snow and ice surrounded him everywhere. Dressed lightly, he was shivering from the cold: “Good heavens, where am I?”
“You finally woke up. These guys almost froze me to death,” Hun Yuanzi’s voice trembled. He hadn’t actually frozen to death purely because of the warmth inside Yang Hao’s body. “This is practically murder. I suspect they want to kill you and claim the reward themselves.”
Unlike Hun Yuanzi, Yang Hao wasn’t so suspicious, but he was puzzled about how he had mysteriously ended up in the coldest ice storage room of the spaceship. Yang Hao had specially built this ice storage room, filled with numerous medicinal herbs brought from Remon Star, to allow for long-term production of pills.
“How did I end up here?” Yang Hao saw Long Yun and X13 standing in front of him wearing thick down jackets. “And X13, why are you wearing a down jacket? You’re a robot. Are you afraid of the cold?”
“I hate the cold, hate ice. In fact, I hate everything,” X13 had nothing nice to say. “I wear whatever I like. Who needs a reason?”
Long Yun widened his eyes, carefully observing Yang Hao to confirm he was fine before pulling him up from a big block of ice: “Earlier, when I mentioned the King Sword Master Corps, you were so scared you fainted. Then your whole body started spewing fire, so we brought you to the ice storage room.”
“Scared to death?” Yang Hao’s brain was frozen stiff, unable to think clearly. He patted his gallbladder area: “Seems fine, not broken.”
“Anyway, the moment I mentioned the King Sword Master Corps, you fainted,” Long Yun looked sarcastic. “Isn’t that being scared to death?”
“Damn it!” Yang Hao muttered under his breath. He knew in his heart it wasn’t fear of the pursuers that made him faint. It was definitely something wrong with his body. “What’s going on?” Yang Hao had no choice but to ask Hun Yuanzi.
Hun Yuanzi seemed frozen stiff too, reluctantly answering: “What else could it be? It’s backlash from the true fire. Your true fire is overflowing, and when your inner energy can’t suppress it temporarily, it backlashes.”
“How could this happen?”
“You’re asking me?” Hun Yuanzi grumbled. “I’ve warned you many times. Fire Rong Pills aren’t for casual consumption. You chew them like peanuts every day. Isn’t that asking for trouble?”
“The Celestial Fleet is one of the Four Great Family Armies, and from its commander down to the subordinate officers, all are members of the Wang Family,” Long Yun said, staring intently at Yang Hao. “Based on previous intel, this fleet is configured with two battleships, five destroyers, and two hundred smaller attack vessels. While its combat strength isn’t the empire’s top tier, within the nearby star clusters, it reigns supreme.”
Only now did Yang Hao grasp the severity of the situation. His jaw dropped, and his words came out in a stammer. “You mean to say… the fleet tailing us is the Wang Family’s Celestial Fleet?”
“Exactly. This is the Wang Family’s most formidable force, their trump card in the empire’s power struggles. The fact that they’ve deployed it to hunt you down speaks volumes about how seriously they take you,” Long Yun sighed, looking at Yang Hao with a gaze that said, *You’re as good as dead.* “You’re a thorn in their side—the Wang Family’s sworn enemy.”
Yang Hao grabbed a handful of Fire Rong Pills and shoved them into his mouth, swallowing them whole with a gulp. Even the overwhelming spiciness couldn’t snap him out of his daze.
But Long Yun wasn’t done scaring him. “The true terror of the Celestial Fleet isn’t just its massive fleet—it’s the people inside.”
“People?” Yang Hao opened his mouth, only for a burst of true fire to shoot out, startling him into clamping his lips shut.
The others around him barely batted an eye. Ever since Yang Hao had developed this pill-popping habit, he’d been belching fire every now and then. Sometimes, Long Yun even used it to roast chicken wings, turning it into a makeshift BBQ for the kids of the Hao Sword Group to enjoy.
But today, Long Yun wasn’t in the mood. “The backbone of the Celestial Fleet is the Royal Swordmaster Corps. This combat unit is classified as a first-tier Swordmaster Corps in the empire. Their strength is something you *really* don’t want to face.”
“A first-tier Swordmaster Corps?” Yang Hao frowned, still processing. “But didn’t we take down Wang Tao’s Swordsman Corps?”
“Imperial combat units are divided into three tiers: second-tier, first-tier, and super-tier. Wang Tao’s was just a second-tier Swordsman Corps. While it was formidable by Thunderstar’s standards, compared to the Royal Swordmaster Corps chasing us, it’s like the difference between a child and an adult.”
“If even Wang Tao was small fry, does that mean everyone in the Royal Swordmaster Corps is a monster?”
“Not monsters—but far worse,” Long Yun’s voice was icy enough to kill. “In the empire, those who haven’t reached the eighth level of combat power are called Swordsmen or Combatants. Only those who reach or surpass the eighth level can be called Swordmasters or Combat Masters. Though it’s just a single character difference in name, the gap in actual combat power is astronomical.”
“Wow, so that means I’m almost at the Swordmaster level, huh?” Yang Hao shamelessly boasted.
Hunyuanzi immediately called him out. “Almost doesn’t count. You only surpass the eighth level when you unleash the Heart Sword. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until you reach the Harmony Realm.”
Long Yun nodded, delivering the final verdict. “In the Royal Swordsman Corps, Wang Tao was the only one who reached Swordmaster level. But in the Royal Swordmaster Corps, *every single member* is a Swordmaster. Their captain might even have broken through the fifteenth level of combat power—a downright terrifying killing machine.”
Yang Hao’s jaw dropped. It took him a long moment to process. “You’re telling me… the Wang Tao I barely managed to defeat would just be a small fry in the Royal Swordmaster Corps?”
“Bingo,” Long Yun said.
*Thud!* Yang Hao collapsed to the floor. His skin turned a vivid red, and jets of flame erupted from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
He was completely, utterly out cold.
About an hour later…
“Yang Hao! Yang Hao!!” Long Yun’s frantic voice sounded like it was coming from the edge of the world.
Yang Hao struggled to open his eyes, only to find himself in what felt like an ice cellar. The surroundings were blanketed in white frost, and he, clad in thin clothing, was shivering violently. “What the hell? Where am I?”
“You’re finally awake. These guys nearly froze me to death,” Hunyuanzi’s voice trembled. The only reason he hadn’t actually frozen was the residual warmth in Yang Hao’s body. “This is practically ghost murder. I suspect they wanted to kill you and claim the bounty themselves.”
Yang Hao wasn’t as paranoid as Hunyuanzi, but he was still baffled. How had he ended up in the ship’s coldest freezer? This freezer had been specially built by Yang Hao to store the vast quantities of medicinal herbs brought from Thunderstar, ensuring a steady supply of elixirs.
“Why am I here?” Yang Hao asked, noticing Long Yun and X13 standing before him, both bundled in thick down jackets. “And X13, why are *you* wearing a down jacket? You’re a robot—do you even feel cold?”
“I hate the cold. I hate ice. Honestly, I hate everything,” X13 grumbled. “I wear what I want. No explanations needed.”
Long Yun scrutinized Yang Hao, making sure he was alright, then hauled him up from the massive block of ice. “Right after I mentioned the Royal Swordmaster Corps, you freaked out and passed out. Then your whole body started spewing fire, so we had to dump you in the freezer.”
“Freaked out?” Yang Hao’s brain was still frozen, struggling to process. He touched his gallbladder area. “Seems intact.”
“Whatever. The moment I brought up the Royal Swordmaster Corps, you fainted,” Long Yun smirked mockingly. “Isn’t that the definition of freaking out?”
“Damn it!” Yang Hao cursed under his breath. He knew full well he hadn’t passed out from fear—his body had malfunctioned. “What happened?” he asked Hunyuanzi.
Hunyuanzi, seemingly half-frozen himself, replied grudgingly, “What else? True fire backlash. Your body’s overloaded with true fire, and when your qi can’t suppress it, it rebels.”
“How did this happen?”
“You’re asking *me*?” Hunyuanzi grumbled. “I’ve warned you countless times—Fire Rong Pills aren’t candy. You’ve been munching them like peanuts. Of course it’s gonna kill you.”
“But I’ve eaten them before,” Yang Hao argued. “Why no issues then?”
“Back then, you had women. Absorbing yin energy balanced out the true fire,” Hunyuanzi reminded him. “But now? Think about how long it’s been since you’ve touched a woman.”
He didn’t need to think. Ever since Shi Ming’ai’s incident, Yang Hao hadn’t so much as held a woman’s hand. Even when Empress Ming had hinted at another intimate encounter before their departure, Yang Hao had been too emotionally numb to respond.
“So what now?” Yang Hao rubbed his stomach. Certain meridians still throbbed with sharp pain—proof that the true fire backlash wasn’t resolved, only just beginning.
“Back then, you had plenty of women. You could eliminate the true fire inside you by absorbing yin energy,” Hun Yuanzi reminded him. “But now, think about how long it’s been since you’ve touched a woman.”
He didn’t even need to think. Since Shi Ming’ai’s incident, Yang Hao hadn’t even touched a woman’s hand. Although just before departure, Empress Ming had been willing to give herself to him again, Yang Hao, filled with melancholy, had shown no reaction at all.
“What should I do now?” Yang Hao patted his stomach. Some areas of his meridians still hurt, clearly indicating the true fire backlash hadn’t been resolved—it had only just begun.
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