Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

South County was located in the south of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

With high mountains and clear waters, this geographically great location was the hometown of many talented people.

The Tangs were the largest aristocratic family in South County. Not only did they have the whole county under their control, but also they were endowed with great wealth.

South County was richly blessed with resources. And the Tangs, as the largest power in South County, were probably richer than the country.

Heading the Tangs and also acting as the mayor of South County was Tang Xiansheng.

However, compared to the rebellious armies from other places, South County was kind of lazy.

Tang Xiansheng’s revolt was more like a symbolic gesture. His army was not as aggressive as the army of West County or North County. Nor had his army pose any threats to the capital city.

South County was like an out-of-tune gentleman who tended to stay aloof from other counties and take a wait-and-see attitude regarding the situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

As a result, South County did not seem to play any role in this chaotic competition of power.

******

South County.

Tang Manor, Nanjiang City.

A strong scent of blood dispersed in the air like a drop of ink in clear water. The smell lingered in the entire manor.

The servants were terrified. The maids were screaming.

The peace in the quiet, harmonious Tang Manor was totally broken at this moment.

The Second Young Master of the Tangs was dead…

He was lying in a pool of blood. With the strong stench, blood continued flowing like water. The blood was reflected in everyone’s eyes.

Tang Yimo was sitting on the ground. His eyes were filled with fear. He looked at his hands stained with blood, his body trembling involuntarily.

He just killed someone.

The Second Young Master of the Tangs, a first-class martial arts practitioner, was killed by him.

The Second Young Master of the Tangs was called Tang Baichen. He was a talented scholar on the surface. However, despite his beautiful name and his identity, he was actually an evil young master in Nanjiang City, who had committed many crimes. There was no evil deed that he would refuse to involve himself in.

He was an extremely immoral man. When he took fancy to some woman, he would take her into his bed by all means necessary.

Many families were broken because of Tang Baichen.

Other than that, Tang Baichen also enjoyed bullying Tang Yimo a lot.

Tang Yimo tried to fight back. However, although he was a martial arts practitioner, he was only a second class. How could he defeat Tang Baichen?

Every time, his face was beaten black and blue. And also, every time, he was left on the verge of death.

If Tang Yimo were not Tang Xiansheng’s love child, Tang Baichen would have killed him.

For Tang Baichen, Tang Yimo was only a trivial bug. He immensely detested Tang Yimo.

And this time, Tang Baichen cast his eyes on Tang Yimo’s younger sister.

Tang Yimo caught Tang Baichen harassing his biological sister. This time, Tang Yimo did not turn a blind eye. Instead, he confronted Tang Baichen.

After killing Tang Baichen’s followers, he even had a desperate fight against Tang Baichen himself. Opening up one more meridian at the life-or-death moment, he punched Tang Baichen hard in the chest and made the latter’s heart explode.

Tang Yimo broke into a sinister smile.

The Immortal did not lie to him. The cultivation technique imparted by the Immortal did give him the strength to protect his family.

Tears were streaming down Tang Yimo’s cheeks.

This might be the last time he could provide protection to his younger sister and mother.

After killing Tang Baichen, he could in no way escape from the Tangs. Tang Baichen’s mother, the Second Lady of the Tangs, would not let go of him.

As expected…

When the news of Tang Baichen’s death had been spread…

The Tang Manor’s guards all swarmed into the manor.

The Second Lady, in luxurious clothing, came in utter shock. Her face was extremely pale.

“Guards! Catch this son of a b**ch. I’ll cut off his flesh piece by piece to avenge Chen’er!”

Tears streamed down the Second Lady’s cheeks. She was bawling.

Tang Baichen was her son. He was the reason she had a foothold in Tang Manor. However, he was killed this way!

Killed by this son of a b**ch!

The guards all acted. Qi and blood of martial arts Grandmasters blasted.

Tang Yimo staggered to his feet with a resolute look.

“Catch that son of a b**ch and his humble mother and sister!” The Second Lady kept screaming.

Tang Yimo’s pupils contracted. A low beast-like growl came from him.

The once densely packed soldiers rushed to get out.

“Why would a person want to be stronger? It’s to protect the people he wants to protect, isn’t it? Hopefully, you will never forget why you started and remain true to your original aspiration.”

Tang Yimo still remembered the Immortal’s remark clearly.

His eyes suddenly turned red.

A bloody mist seeped out of his skin. He opened up the first meridian once again…

A strong power surged into his limbs and his bones. He felt his body was going to explode.

Eight Meridians Escaping Demonic Technique—that was the Immortal encounter Tang Yimo had gotten.

A demonic technique imparted by the Immortal. By sacrificing himself to the demon, he could protect whoever he wanted to protect!

Protecting was closely linked to killing.

Tang Manor was completely in chaos.

The strong stench of blood lingered throughout the whole manor.

When Tang Xiansheng had come back…

He smelled an ultimately pungent stench of blood… The smell wafted up his nostril.

He walked into Tang Manor and saw dead bodies everywhere…

At the center of the corpses…

A figure drenched in blood was kneeling on the ground.

Blood was dripping off his hair onto the ground, one drop after another.

Tang Xiansheng was astonished.

Tang Yimo, the love child he had never paid any attention to, killed hundreds of elite soldiers and martial arts Grandmasters of Tang Manor…

Tang Xiansheng gazed at the corpses on the ground. His eyes looked shrewd.

Immortal encounter!

Cultivator!

These three words came into his mind. Rumors about cultivators were spreading like wildfire in the current Great Zhou.

Young Master Lu from Beiluo, Overlord from Western Liang, the Immortal Palace of the Hidden Dragon Ridge…

The appearance of cultivators was changing the world.

Tang Xiansheng had worried about how to win some cultivators over.

However, to his surprise…

There was a cultivator in Tang Manor as well.

And this cultivator was his biological son.

Wading through the massive pool of blood, Tang Xiansheng came up to Tang Yimo, who was covered with blood and panting heavily.

Looking at Tang Yimo, fuzzy-headed at the moment, Tang Xiansheng squinted. That shrewd light in his eyes disappeared.

It was replaced with infinite tenderness and affection.

“My son, you’ve been through too much.”

Tang Xiansheng extended his shaking hands to touch Tang Yimo’s face that was covered with blood.

******

Beiluo City.

The emperor’s six horses went into the city. Lu Changkong received him with some elite soldiers.

This was Yuwen Xiu’s first visit to Beiluo City. He had heard a lot about Beiluo lately, but he had never been here.

“Welcome, Your Majesty.”

Lu Changkong knelt down on one knee.

Yuwen Xiu hurried to tell Lu Chuankong to stand up. “Minister Lu, there is no need to stand on ceremony. We came to Beiluo City to solve a puzzle…”

“We heard that Minister Lu’s son Lu Ping’an had got an Immortal encounter and resolved Beiluo City’s crisis. We came to Beiluo in person today despite the wind and the rain just for one thing—a stratagem to break the current situation. This trip is also the Imperial Advisor’s idea,” Yuwen Xiu said.

His young face looked expectant.

The young emperor had been under too much pressure lately.

Yuwen Xiu comprehended what the Imperial Advisor had been implying and came to Beiluo in person. He was like grasping at a straw.

Lu Changkong let out a sign. Cupping his hands, he said, “Your Majesty…”

“Fan’er is in seclusion at the moment. He won’t see anybody…”

Yuwen Xiu was dumbstruck. Then he said anxiously, “We came here in person in good faith…”

“How dare you! His Majesty came here in person. As a subject of His Majesty, how dare he refuse to see His Majesty?” a martial arts Grandmaster next to Yuwen Xiu said in anger, with his eyes widely open.

The old eunuch was slightly astonished. He swung his fly-whisk to hit that martial arts Grandmaster. He ordered the latter in a stern voice, “Shut up.”

And that martial arts Grandmaster shut up reluctantly right away.

“City Master Lu, His Majesty came in person. That explained how sincere His Majesty is. City Master, could you go to Lake Island to tell your son that His Majesty is expecting him outside of the island?” the old eunuch said.

He knew what a mysterious and weird person that Young Master Lu, who lived on Lake Island, was.

Yuwen Xiu threw the old eunuch a surprised look.

This old eunuch was one of the subordinates he could rely on. As a Seventh Resonance Grandmaster, he was an extremely strong martial arts practitioner. He was neither too humble nor too arrogant even before Jiang Li. However, he was being extremely humble at the moment…

Lu Changkong helplessly shook his head. “Eunuch, I went to Lake Island as soon as I got the news that His Majesty was coming in person. My son is really in seclusion.”

“Fan’er has had problems with his legs since he was small. He is kind of disagreeable because of the disease. He said he was in seclusion. If we insist on disturbing him, I’m afraid something not so pleasant will happen,” Lu Changkong said sincerely.

He was telling the truth.

He knew his son well.

Yuwen Xiu was pacing with his hands behind the back.

A few minutes later, he looked up at Lu Changkong.

“Minister Lu, we will wait in Beiluo until Lu Ping’an’s seclusion ends,” Yuwen Xiu said, gnashing his teeth.

When this decision had been made…

The old eunuch was not too surprised, but those martial arts Grandmasters and generals who had escorted Yuwen Xiu here were greatly shocked.

The capital city was in chaos at the moment. There were a lot of memorials submitted by officials that the emperor needed to handle. However, the emperor would stay in Beiluo City to wait for Young Master Lu, a man who liked to bluff and pretend to be mysterious.

It was not difficult to imagine how the court and the commonalty would be shocked when this news was spread.

“Your Majesty, please rethink about it!”

“We shouldn’t linger in Beiluo. If the North County’s rebel army comes and laid siege while Your Majesty is in Beiluo, then that will be a disaster for the Great Zhou!” a military general said to Yuwen Xiu, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing to the latter.

This military general had opposed Yuwen Xiu’s trip to Beiluo in the first place.

However, Yuwen Xiu insisted on making this trip. As his subordinate, the military general certainly had to obey.

“It must be Kong Xiu’s trick to incite His Majesty to come to Beiluo!” The military general shouted in a loud voice, almost crying.

With a sullen face, the old eunuch did not speak.

Yuwen Xiu’s face was more somber.

At the sight of this scene, Lu Changkong looked emotionless, but he was sighing to himself secretly.

This trick of Mo Beike’s did push the Great Zhou Dynasty into a tight corner and set the officials in the capital city against the Imperial Advisor and Jiang Li.

“It’s our decision. Stop trying to persuade us!”

“We have decided to wait until Lu Ping’an’s seclusion ends.”

Waving his sleeves, Yuwen Xiu got onto the wagon. His voice came from there.

He had a secret that he had been keeping to himself. Just like Lu Ping’an, he had also got an Immortal encounter.

Therefore, he would rather trust Lu Ping’an this time and wait for him.

Lu Changkong bowed. He led Yuwen Xiu to the lakeside of Beiluo Lake, but they did not get onto any boat to sail across the lake.

The moon rose after the sun had set.

A day and a night passed very soon.

The air at the lakeside became even duller.

The news that the emperor was expecting Young Master Lu at the lakeside spread to the capital city. It started a great disturbance in the imperial city.

The spies deployed by Mo Beike also started to spread rumors.

“The emperor went to Beiluo because he was confused by Kong Xiu’s trick. With the emperor out of the capital city, the country will fall apart very soon!”

“The young emperor has been confused by Beiluo Lu Ping’an’s witchcraft. The wizard is sabotaging the country!”

Rumors kept rising. The whole capital city was in a total mess.

Officials were bawling. Memorials kept coming.

Some officials who regarded themselves as the noble and unsullied came to Beiluo on wagons during the night.

Lu Changkong did not try to keep them away. He let all of them enter the city.

By Beiluo Lake…

Those officials were kneeling before the emperor’s wagon, crying bitterly, trying to alert the emperor to the wizard’s trick.

They tried to persuade him to go back to the capital city and call Jiang Li back to punish him.

In the wagon…

The emperor was very quiet.

When the first light of the day shone from the horizon and spilled on the glistening surface of Beiluo Lake.

Lake Island.

On the second floor of White Jade City’s pavilion…

In the wheelchair, the figure in white clothes, with his hair blowing in the wind, slowly opened his eyes.