“Why? Because of the swords in our hands and our strength.” Fujimoto Takahiro, carried away by pride, raised the nearby Heike’s hand and shouted.
Yang Hao narrowed his eyes and continued to persuade: “The Merchant Association is supposed to only do business. How can they have such powerful subordinates? They seem to be Great Swordsmen, no, their strength exceeds that of Great Swordsmen.”
“This…” Fujimoto Fumihiko, startled, realized he had become too careless. Originally, Heike was supposed to remain hidden, but now he had dragged him into the spotlight. However, given the circumstances, Fujimoto could only forge ahead stubbornly. “They are swordsmen we’ve hired with money. We merchants may lack many things, but not wealth. With money, we can hire private armed forces. This is perfectly normal.”
“That’s indeed very normal.” Yang Hao said slowly, suddenly intensifying his tone and raising his voice, “But is it also normal for you to involve the Ten Sword Sect’s people in the internal affairs of the merchants?”
This statement exploded like thunder, causing a uproar across the entire plaza. The nobles aside, the merchants under the Association began to show doubt on their faces and started murmuring amongst themselves.
T藤’s face darkened. He had originally assumed that no one knew about his hiring individuals from the Ten Sword Sect, yet Yang Hao seemed fully prepared. T藤 retorted sharply in defense, “Who said he’s from the Ten Sword Sect? They’re merely privately hired armed personnel, completely unrelated to the Ten Sword Sect.”
The people present today from Heike and the Divine Pardon Sword Group had all undergone meticulous cosmetic transformations using advanced technology, so much so that even their own disciples couldn’t recognize them, which gave Fujimoto Hirofumi great confidence. Yang Hao simply couldn’t catch him red-handed.
However, Yang Hao continued to intensify his voice and launched a fierce attack: “Fifteen years ago, the merchants boycotted in 78 star systems, and the Senate sent the Ten Sword Sect to suppress them, resulting in 200,000 merchant deaths. Nine years ago, the merchants occupied 200 star systems in the near outer regions earlier than the Senate, but the Senate dispatched the Ten Sword Sect to seize them, causing over a million merchant casualties. Five years ago, the last merchant movement erupted in the Milky Way, and a million merchants were driven out overnight, with countless deaths and injuries.” Yang Hao recounted the deep-seated grudges between the merchants and the Ten Sword Sect like listing items from memory. “Can you really have forgotten such a blood-soaked enmity?”
The crowd below fell silent, their eyes showing strange expressions.
Fujimoto Hirofumi secretly cursed in his heart. He had worked hard to incite the Association members, and if Yang Hao truly exposed him, it would be disastrous. He quickly stepped forward:
“Young Yang, don’t change the subject. Who told you there are people from the Ten Sword Sect here?”
“I did.” Yang Hao’s eyes flashed with sharp light as he pointed at Heike casually.
“This person, the expert invited by Chairman Teng Bowen, is from the Ten Sword Sect. Teng Bowen himself is also a spy embedded by the Ten Sword Sect within the merchants.”
A commotion erupted among the merchants, and the situation became increasingly chaotic. The Heike藤博文 they had hired had always claimed to be private armed forces serving the merchants. If he was indeed from the Ten Sword Sect, it would be the gravest taboo for the Association chairman to invite enemies to provide assistance.
“Nonsense! Complete nonsense!!!” Fujimoto Hirofumi was so angry that he jumped up and down. “Everyone, don’t listen to this bastard’s nonsense. He’s trying to sow discord among us. How could there possibly be people from the Ten Sword Sect in the Nicoll District Merchant Association!!”
“Really not?” Yang Hao’s voice was sharp.
“Of course not!” Fujimoto Hiroshi firmly believed Yang Hao had no evidence. “I’ll stake my life on it, absolutely not.”
“Good! I’ll prove it to you.” As Yang Hao’s chilling gaze fell on Heike, Heike felt an extremely bad omen. Without thinking further, he leapt into the sky.
With a flash of cold light, one of Heike’s swordsmen was split in half by the invisible Shadow Moon.
Shadow Moon followed Heike like a shadow. Heike blocked several times with his cross sword but never drew it.
A strange smile appeared on Yang Hao’s face. Suddenly, a devastating sword light erupted from his body. The sharp sword qi even forced Xie Fengting beside him to retreat a few steps.
A sword light shaking heaven and earth cut through the air like a mighty sword advancing with a rumble, shooting toward Heike in the sky.
Heike let out a strange cry and was forced to draw his golden cross sword. He muttered incantations, and a holy light filled the sword, making the golden cross sword as bright as the sun.
“Thousand Mile Slaughter!!” Yang Hao’s sword technique arrogantly surged forward. Heike used all his strength to block, and when the two divine swords collided, the sky was filled with dazzling light, as if fragments were falling.
Heike spat out a mouthful of blood and fell back to the ground, his face pale and defeated.
“Divine Pardon Sword!!!” A noble’s son who recognized it exclaimed in shock.
“It’s the Divine Pardon Sword,” several people who had participated in the Ten Sword Sect recruitment echoed.
“Heavens, it’s the leader of the Divine Pardon Sword Group,” the merchants suddenly realized.原来this seemingly ordinary middle-aged swordsman was actually a renowned figure in the Ten Sword Sect. “It’s Heike from the Divine Pardon Sword Group. The Divine Pardon Sword is unmistakable; only the leader has the qualification to wear it.”
“Do you have anything to say!!” Yang Hao forced out the Divine Pardon Sword and then exerted overwhelming pressure on Teng Bowen.
Fujimoto Hiroshi’s face turned pale. Before he could utter a word, a wave of accusations and curses erupted from the merchants standing beside him.
Fujimoto Hirofumi heard the growing angry shouts around him. He knew that today’s affair could not end well, so he gritted his teeth fiercely and decisively said, “Yang Hao, even if I did hire people from the Ten Sword Sect to assist, so what? Aren’t you also a spy sent by the Outer Domain Anti-Empire Alliance? You have seized our business on Earth, intending to attack the Merchant Headquarters and seize our property. Today, the Ten Sword Sect and we merchants stand united against you, the demon from the outer domain.”
“Demon?” Yang Hao sneered coldly. He pointed at Teng Bowen from afar. “You have now been expelled from the Merchant Headquarters and are no longer a merchant. Prepare to go home and collect your corpse.”
“What qualifications do you have?” Fujimoto Hiroshi replied with a sinister laugh. “What qualifications do you have to expel me? I am a high-ranking merchant official. Except for the Nine Elders, no one has the authority to expel me.”
“There are Ten Elders.” Yang Hao said calmly.
“So what if there are Ten Elders?” Teng Bowen clenched his teeth. “Unless the Ten Elders themselves come here today, no one can lay a hand on me!”
Although Fujimoto Hirofumi was domineering, his words made sense. Officials at his level could hardly be confronted unless the Elders arrived in person. The 200,000 merchants wouldn’t believe one-sided stories either.
Yang Hao stretched out his hand to the side, and someone quickly handed him a large box. When the box opened, a strange purple light emanated from inside, as if it were concealing some treasure.
“You’re very lucky. Today just happens to be the arrival of the Merchant Headquarters’ Elders.” As Yang Hao spoke, several people dressed in the Merchant Headquarters uniform came forward from the side, taking out a purple robe from the box and respectfully placing it on Yang Hao.
There was a mysterious light on the robe, a light that others couldn’t possibly fabricate. In this world, only one kind of person could wear such a robe—only ten people. They were the Ten Elders of the Merchant Headquarters.
“The Elder’s Robe!” Fujimoto Hiroshi’s eyes widened, his legs trembling like a sieve.
“The Elder’s Robe!!” The 200,000 merchants shouted in unison. With so many eyes watching, there was no way they could be mistaken. Whoever wore the Elder’s Robe naturally became one of the highest decision-makers of the Merchant Headquarters, the king of all merchants in the world.
“I am the newest and tenth secret Elder of the Merchant Headquarters.” Yang Hao smiled as he revealed his robe in all directions. “You are all my children.” Although Yang Hao was so young that he referred to those middle-aged merchants as his children, none of them objected; instead, they considered it an extraordinary honor. In an instant, nearly 200,000 people knelt in the central square. These 200,000 individuals were all merchants from the Nicoll District brought by Teng Bo Wen. Throughout their entire lives, they had never been this close to an Elder of the Merchant Headquarters before, always worshipping them like deities. Upon seeing one today, of course, they had to kneel first and offer their praise.
Fujihiro’s face turned pale. When he saw Yang Hao wearing that robe, he knew his end had come. Although he had imagined countless possible outcomes before, he had never even slightly anticipated that Yang Hao would become one of the Ten Elders.
That was the throne among the merchants.
“As a high-ranking merchant official, you dared to collude with the Ten Sword Sect and incited your subordinates to sabotage commercial rules.” Yang Hao confronted Teng Bowen directly. “Do you even realize the severity of your crimes?”
Fujimoto Fumihiro was drenched in cold sweat. He trembled as he knelt on the ground, unable to utter a single word.
Yang Hao lifted his chin, and naturally, people from the Merchant Headquarters came to take Teng Bowen away. What awaited him would be the harshest judgment from the Merchant Court.
Then Yang Hao’s gaze shifted to Heike.
Heike had sustained a not-light internal injury from his previous clash with Yang Hao. Today, Heike had brought a large group of people, following a plan devised by the heads of the Ten Sword Sect families. Their purpose was to kill Yang Hao in front of the most valuable noble offspring in the Empire, thereby restoring the glory of the Ten Sword Sect and ensuring no one would fear joining in the future.
But how could he have anticipated that Yang Hao, with just a few words, would subdue the merchants completely, and even become one of the Ten Elders of the Merchant Headquarters.
This was a level equivalent to the Elders. Heike developed an extreme fear of Yang Hao.
However, Heike was still the highest commander of the swordsmen from the Ten Sword Sect here. If he didn’t complete his mission, there would be terrifying punishment waiting for him upon his return.
Faced with these two options, Heike could only grit his teeth and make a secret signal.
Full-scale attack!!
This was the final contingency plan for today. If Yang Hao didn’t back down and admit defeat, and if the merchants couldn’t handle Yang Hao, then this would be the only option. Thousands of swordsmen from the Ten Sword Sect represented the elite of the ten sword schools on Earth, all gathered here today. Heike believed that as long as all swordsmen acted together, it wouldn’t be a problem to eliminate Yang Hao’s Dan Ding Sword School.
But he still wasn’t fast enough.
His determination was simply too slow.
Before his swordsmen could act, Yang Hao’s disciples had already formed dozens of sword arrays, their flying swords whistling through the air, creating an impressive spectacle.
People from the Dan Ding Sword School had already occupied favorable positions, effectively blocking the hidden forces of the Ten Sword Sect. Although they were still outnumbered, their advantageous position prevented Heike’s people from making any moves.
Yang Hao waved his hand again, and from all four sides of the central square, banners began to descend. These banners were lowered from small airships in the sky, each one extremely large, with each banner spanning over a hundred square meters. On each banner was embroidered various sword designs, but all shared one common feature: a golden balance symbol.
With each banner that descended, the merchants in the square erupted into enthusiastic cheers, while Heike’s face grew paler and Xie Fengting sighed softly.
A total of forty banners fell one after another, and the merchants were already celebrating like it was a grand festival, each one moved to tears. The swordsmen of the Ten Sword Sect, however, looked as if they had lost all hope.
Everyone recognized those banners—they belonged to the swordsmen armed groups under the Merchant Headquarters. A total of forty top-tier swordsmen groups had appeared around the square.
The conflict between the merchants and the Ten Sword Sect had never ceased in recent decades. Whenever the merchants showed any excessive behavior, the Senate would send the Ten Sword Sect to suppress them, leading to deep-seated resentment between the two sides.
Regardless of the age of the merchants, none had ever seen such a glorious moment for their side. Today was truly a day of comprehensive deterrence by the merchants against the Ten Sword Sect.
The strength of forty swordsmen groups could barely be matched even by the Ten Sword Sect at its peak. Let alone the current state of the Ten Sword Sect, which had been weakened to only half its former strength.
Heike sadly realized that after so many years of secret development, the merchants had actually amassed a military force no less formidable than that of the Ten Sword Sect. The balance of power had shifted, and the two sides were no longer on the same level.
If this continued, could the Senate’s rule over the Empire remain as stable as before?
Heike’s mind was filled with terrifying thoughts, which collided with Yang Hao’s terrifying gaze, making him feel unsteady on his feet.
Amidst the merchants’ disdainful curses and the noble youths’ gaze, the thousands of swordsmen from the Ten Sword Sect slunk away in disgrace.
Under such overwhelming pressure, it was already fortunate for Heike to be able to withdraw his forces. Fortunately, Yang Hao also lacked full confidence for an all-out war, otherwise the Divine Pardon Sword would have been left behind today.
Two hundred thousand merchants were filled with excitement. They had never felt so proud before. Today was truly a great day for the merchants, a day when great power returned and great authority was restored.
Two hundred thousand merchants lavished praise on Yang Hao, practically elevating him to the status of a god.
They all wished to add a little more glory to Yang Hao’s side.
However, Yang Hao’s work for today was not yet complete. Amid the deafening waves of praise, he slowly floated into the high sky and announced to the millions of noble youths below with a clear and holy voice.
Starting today, the Dan Ding Sect would be divided into inner and outer halls. Anyone could join the outer hall without paying a registration fee, but they must purchase Dan Ding Sect’s pills at the original price.
Only nobles could join the inner hall, which required a large registration fee. However, all subsequent pills would be provided free of charge, and the leader of the Dan Ding Sect, Yang Hao, would personally guide them in building their foundation and lead them into the Dan Ding Sect.
This announcement immediately caused a stir among the million noble youths. Originally, today’s events were unrelated to them; these people had come merely to watch the spectacle. But Yang Hao’s words now directly affected their personal interests.
Previously, these nobles would have scoffed at the Dan Ding Sword School, as the Ten Sword Sect was the mainstream martial art of the Empire. How could Yang Hao’s unorthodox methods attract true high-ranking nobles?
But the situation was different now. Today, the Ten Sword Sect had suffered a major defeat, the Merchant Headquarters had displayed its strength, and Yang Hao had emerged as a new-generation expert who continuously overcame the Ten Sword Sect. Everyone had clearly witnessed how Yang Hao, single-handedly, had forced the leader of the Divine Pardon Sword Group into serious injury, evidently demonstrating his superior martial cultivation.
However, even with this, the noble youths still hesitated. The Senate’s foundation over the past few hundred years was not easily shaken; the mainstream status of the Ten Sword Sect had been deeply ingrained in people’s minds.
A noble’s words represented the sentiments of the majority: “Why should we join the Dan Ding Sword School? Is the Dan Ding Sword School more authentic than the Ten Sword Sect? Moreover, the Ten Sword Sect has already started to expand. As long as we are willing, everyone can join the Ten Sword Sect, and we will have a better future!”
Yang Hao just sneered coldly and pulled out five swords from behind his back, holding them high in his hands.
The Sword of Immortality!
The Sword of Gravity!
The Sword of Treasures!
The Sword of Judgment!
The Sword of Beast Heart!
As soon as these five swords were revealed, the square fell silent, the noise completely gone.
Yang Hao’s voice was as solid and forceful as steel: “Half of the Ten Sword Sect’s treasure swords are in my hands. Can they still be considered the authentic martial arts of the Empire?”
The nobles were stunned and secretly nodded. Although propaganda had always claimed that the Ten Sword Sect was very powerful, the fact that half of the sects had lost their treasure swords meant that Yang Hao’s strength was obviously superior.
Yang Hao continued to press his advantage: “If you join the Ten Sword Sect, can you enter their core? Will they be willing to teach you the real martial arts? By joining the Dan Ding Sword School, I will personally guide you in building your foundation and teach you swordsmanship. Isn’t this a better future?”
Yang Hao looked around with pride, and the nobles fell silent. Among these people, many genuinely aspired to learn supreme sword techniques and become top generals of the Empire. They were precisely the kind of individuals Yang Hao aimed to attract.
“More importantly,” Yang Hao decided to play his trump card. He raised both hands high, and a light blue aura spurted from above his head. This was Yang Hao’s formidable spiritual power. As the spiritual energy shot into the air, it quickly elicited a response.
Several ear-piercing roars came from the clouds.
“Dragon!!”
“It’s a flying dragon!!!”
The nobles cried out in alarm. Most of those who had seen the flying dragons at the arena that day were already dead. Now, seeing a flying dragon with their own eyes was no easy feat.
Four Wind-riding Dragons roared and arrived, circling the square once before, following Yang Hao’s guidance, diving onto the rooftops of several commercial buildings on a road and spitting out several blasts of dragon breath.
Those commercial buildings immediately collapsed.
Those who recognized them knew that those buildings belonged to the Ten Sword Sect.
Yang Hao solemnly announced: “The four flying dragons will become the four guardians of the Dan Ding Sect. Any expert who joins the inner hall of the Dan Ding Sword School will have the opportunity to become a true Dragon Rider!!”
These words were like a thunderclap, leaving millions of people on the square speechless.
Dragon Rider!!! Not like the suicidal knights of the Sword of Beast Heart.
A true Dragon Rider!!! That was a great existence capable of riding dragons. By joining the Dan Ding Sect, one could have the opportunity to become the most incredible warrior in the history of the Empire, commanding flying dragons in aerial combat, what an immense power that would be.
The four flying dragons proudly nodded in the air and then soared into the clouds, disappearing from sight.
But the unforgettable scene of just a moment ago and Yang Hao’s heart-stirring words had completely shattered all the doubts of the noble youths.
What was there to hesitate about joining the Dan Ding Sect!!
This was a turning point in the history of the Empire. In the annals, it was named “Plaza Day.”
On this day, the long-dormant Merchant Headquarters finally displayed its strength. Their forty sword groups had already completely overwhelmed the Ten Sword Sect in terms of momentum.
Also on this day, the secret tenth headquarters council member appeared. He turned out to be the recent Empire’s rising star, Yang Hao.
Similarly on this day, the Dan Ding Sword School ended its passive situation and turned into an aggressor. Under Yang Hao’s leadership, the Dan Ding Sword School, with an overbearing momentum, suppressed the Ten Sword Sect so thoroughly that they couldn’t even lift their heads.
What history failed to record was the few minutes before the day ended, the meaningful conversation between Yang Hao and Xie Fengting.
Xie Fengting complained to Yang Hao with some resentment: “With your reckless actions, the headquarters’ carefully cultivated forces have all been exposed. The council members have always been hiding their light, precisely to avoid drawing attention, and kept your identity as a council member secret.”
Yang Hao smiled cunningly: “The council members wanted to hide my identity and then use me to fight against the Ten Sword Sect. Even if I lost, it wouldn’t be the Merchant Headquarters’ problem. They wanted to use me as a gun while hiding the hand that held the gun. Where in the world could such a good thing exist?”
Xie Fengting sighed deeply: “With this, the Merchant Headquarters has been dragged into the war by you. The days ahead probably won’t be so peaceful anymore.”
“Your good days should have ended long ago,” Yang Hao scoffed. “Just obediently follow me into battle. I don’t want to be just a hidden gun. If we are to fight, we will fight together.”
Xie Fengting was somewhat dazed. He looked at Yang Hao, who was standing in the wind, smiling as he watched the extraordinary sight of millions rushing to sign up.
Honestly, Xie Fengting didn’t know whether this situation was what the Nine Council Members wanted or not.
But no matter what, the once calm waters of the Empire had been thoroughly stirred up.
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