Chapter 81

"Even so, you are still going to die."

A sword slashed through the sky, a terrifying force that cut through space, emitting a sound like tearing silk, carrying boundless killing intent, and slashing towards Long Chen.

"Void-breaking Slash"

That slash pressed down on Long Chen, his clothes fluttering continuously. In front of that slash, it seemed that nothing could block it.

That was definitely the strongest slash Ying Hou had ever unleashed. Long Chen knew that it should also be a ground-level combat technique, but it was even more terrifying than the combat techniques he had used before, locking him down with an overwhelming aura.

Facing death, Long Chen’s mind was calm. At this moment, it was as if he had grasped the trajectory of the universe's operation, the derivation of all laws and principles, and even the surroundings were clearly reflected in his mind.

It was as if he had detached from his own perspective, viewing everything around him from an observer's angle.

What Long Chen didn’t know was that the Fengfu Star beneath his feet had completely stopped, as if waiting for some enlightenment. Unfortunately, Long Chen didn’t notice.

Spiritual energy surged into the spirals, the twelve spirals expanding violently, like a rope, flowing along Long Chen’s meridians into the broadsword in his hand.

"Heaven-Opening"

A strange pattern appeared on the broadsword, as if it had come to life, emitting a light hum, and slashing out in a profound arc, like a dragon emerging from the sea, with overwhelming momentum. This was also Long Chen’s strongest move.

"Boom"

The explosion was deafening, the shockwave surging like an ocean, and the two figures were thrown back, blood splattering everywhere.

Long Chen’s long sword was knocked out of his hand, rolling a hundred feet away before stopping against a rock.

"Ah"

A mouthful of blood spewed out, Long Chen felt his entire body about to fall apart, his breath rapidly weakening.

Dozens of wounds on his body were bleeding profusely, and what frustrated Long Chen the most was that his meridians were all ruptured, almost to the point of bursting.

This was still because Long Chen, with the experience of using Heaven-Opening before, used all his meridians to withstand the backlash.

However, because the power he used this time was even greater, he was just a little short of becoming a complete cripple.

A small part of the meridians could be reshaped, as there was a pattern to follow. If all his meridians were shattered, even with the memory of a Pill Emperor, Long Chen would have no way to recover.

At this moment, he couldn’t use a single thread of spiritual energy, not even a bit, as his meridians couldn’t withstand any impact.

Ying Hou’s condition wasn’t much better. The long sword in his hand shattered, and the broken fragments injured both of them.

If it were just external injuries, Ying Hou could suppress them with his powerful cultivation, but he had used his strongest move, which led to the inability to suppress the poison, allowing a trace of it to enter his heart meridian.

Now his heart was showing signs of withering, which frightened Ying Hou so much that he urgently used all his spiritual energy to defend against the poison.

Long Chen took a deep breath, slowly stood up, picked up the broadsword stuck in the mud, and slowly walked towards Ying Hou.

He saw a dark shadow appear on Ying Hou’s forehead, a sign of the poison attacking his heart, which meant that Ying Hou, like him, couldn’t use spiritual energy.

Now the advantage had shifted to his side, and he had to rely on his powerful physical strength to kill Ying Hou.

Long Chen wanted to rush forward and cut Ying Hou in half, but his body was exhausted, with dozens of wounds bleeding profusely, caused by the broken sword fragments. If not for his strong physical body, he would have been riddled with holes. Waves of fatigue washed over him, making him feel like he could faint at any moment.

But he absolutely couldn’t fall. Although he was at the end of his strength, his eyes remained calm, devoid of any emotion, as he slowly approached Ying Hou.

"Ying Zhao, next, the one who will die is you."

Long Chen slowly walked up to Ying Hou and swung his sword.

Seeing that Long Chen could still attack, Ying Hou was shocked and quickly rolled to the side, the broadsword grazing his cheek, and he could feel the cold aura of the sword.

"Damn, he still has such strong power."

Ying Hou’s face changed, and after dodging Long Chen’s attack, he felt fear from this Qi Gathering Realm youth, especially from Long Chen’s calm, water-like eyes.

It was as if Long Chen was a well, appearing shallow on the surface, but no one knew how deep it truly was.

Ying Hou could sense the unwavering killing intent in Long Chen’s heart. Now, he was at an absolute disadvantage, unable to use spiritual energy, and not a match for Long Chen physically.

"Today, you have a lucky escape."

Ying Hou coldly snorted and turned to flee.

"Want to run? Leave your life behind."

Long Chen shouted and pursued him.

However, the broadsword in Long Chen’s hand was too heavy, and he gradually fell behind, losing sight of Ying Hou in a moment.

Seeing Ying Hou’s figure disappear, the anger on Long Chen’s face faded, and a sense of relief appeared. Suddenly, he felt dizzy, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

...

Ying Hou, seeing that Long Chen couldn’t catch up, couldn’t help but feel lucky. Long Chen’s physical body was too strong, but all his offensive power was in that broadsword.

Now, the broadsword was a burden, preventing him from catching up, which made him feel relieved. However, he didn’t know that Long Chen was at the end of his strength, using his last bit of energy to bluff and scare him away.

Ying Hou really fell for it. After a mad dash, his heart suddenly raced, and he realized his spiritual energy was weakening, and he couldn’t suppress the poison anymore.

He hastily took out a few pills and swallowed them. The Snow Toad Pills’ effects were waning, but the poison released by Long Chen had only slightly diminished.

If he didn’t resolve it in time, he would still die. At this moment, Ying Hou no longer cared about Long Chen; his own life was more important.

After a day of running over five hundred miles, he finally left the forest and saw a camp. Seeing the camp, Ying Hou finally felt relieved.

When the patrolling soldiers saw the blood-covered, nearly dead Ying Hou, they were shocked. Was this really the same powerful figure who was like a god in their daily lives?

Ying Hou grabbed a soldier who seemed to have some rank and urgently said, "Order the ten thousand troops to search the entire forest. If they encounter Long Chen, kill him on sight. Take me... back to the capital..."

After giving these orders, Ying Hou couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted. The soldiers, only now reacting, quickly carried Ying Hou inside and reported to their superiors.

...

Back to the third day after Long Chen killed Xia Changfeng, the Fourth Prince looked at the secret letter in his hand and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Long Chen, you have not disappointed me."

He gently put down the letter, picked up a cup of fragrant tea, and took a sip. Suddenly, the door opened, and a man in white walked in.

Seeing the man in white, the Fourth Prince smiled slightly. "Chu Xia has prepared the tea and has been waiting for you for a long time. However, you came a bit late, so I had to taste it first. I hope you don’t mind."

The man in white, whose eyes were originally cold and filled with killing intent, was momentarily stunned by the Fourth Prince’s words.

"Do you know who I am?" the man in white asked coldly.

"I know a little."

"Do you know why I’m here?"

"To kill me," the Fourth Prince said calmly, the two words that would normally make one’s heart race, sounding extremely calm from his mouth.

"Knowing I’m here to kill you, you’re still so calm?" the man in white’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Because I know you can’t kill me."

"Haha, even if the entire empire were to join forces, they couldn’t stop me from killing you," the man in white laughed coldly.

"It’s not a matter of whether you can stop me or not. I don’t need to stop you because I know you won’t kill me," the Fourth Prince said very confidently.

"Oh? I’d like to hear why."

"First, I don’t think Xia Changfeng was your best partner. His stupidity proved that, so he’s dead."

"Go on."

"Second, you have a better partner who can serve you more effectively, making your work easier."

"Are you talking about yourself?" the man in white asked.

"Yes."

"Reason?"

"The reason is that I have a comprehensive understanding of your plan. I know how to help you achieve your goal without spilling blood," the Fourth Prince said firmly.

Seeing the man in white not responding, the Fourth Prince continued, "You’ve been laying the groundwork for this for over twenty years, starting from when my mother married the Phoenix Singing Emperor. You’ve always been cautious, not wanting to cause too much commotion.

"Using my mother and me, you successfully restrained the entire Phoenix Singing Empire. The emperor is already dead, and the empress dowager is under my mother’s control.

"Everyone who knows this secret, except for Long Tianxiao, is on our side. So now, the only person you need to worry about is Long Tianxiao.

"Long Tianxiao has never submitted to me. He seems to have sensed something and has been wary, refusing to return to the capital.

"So now, Long Tianxiao is the biggest obstacle in your plan, isn’t that right?"

The man in white frowned and said, "What you’re saying is all nonsense, it’s meaningless."

The Fourth Prince smiled slightly and said, "If I can solve the problem of Long Tianxiao, would you still think what I’m saying is nonsense?"

"Is that true?" the man in white’s eyes fixed on the Fourth Prince.

"I never do anything without being sure. Chu Xia was born in Phoenix Singing, and I’ve always been used as a pawn. I’m tired of this life in the shadows, so I want to cooperate with you. I’ll help you deal with Long Tianxiao, and you’ll help me ascend the throne." The Fourth Prince’s breathing became heavy, clearly very nervous.

Although he was a prince, he was born with a mission. As a spy, he was like a ghost, always in the shadows.

He had been suppressed for too long and needed to break free, especially when he saw the fool Xia Changfeng bullying him and acting superior. At that moment, he decided to get rid of this scoundrel and become the man in white’s partner.

The man in white looked at the Fourth Prince and said, word by word, "What’s your leverage?"

The Fourth Prince, seeing that the man in white didn’t refuse, was overjoyed. A confident smile appeared on his face, and he handed something to the man in white.

The man in white looked at it and was startled.