Chapter 197: Terrible News! I Am Protected by the Dragon Vein!
From the moment Guo Bujing appeared, Cao Zhengchun's instincts told him—he had no chance of winning.
So, he wavered—should he surrender?
The moment Chu Yang truly struck, the shadow of death fell over Cao Zhengchun.
All hesitation vanished. He dropped to his knees and admitted defeat without resistance.
What level of martial cultivation could cause a grandmaster to die without even a chance to fight back?
Cao Zhengchun didn't know.
But he did understand one thing—even a supreme grandmaster like Divine Marquis Zhuge couldn't achieve that.
If he were fighting Zhuge, perhaps he would lose, perhaps he would die—but never like this, crushed like an ant.
But before Chu Yang, he was that ant.
With just a finger, the man shattered his Vajra Body Protection.
The innate qi he had cultivated as a virgin for decades was as thin as paper.
At the instant Chu Yang's sword-finger was about to strike, Cao Zhengchun felt the enormous gulf between them.
And he understood one thing—
There was no chance for the Emperor to turn things around...
"Eunuch Cao, I underestimated you. You really know when to bend and when to stand tall."
Chu Yang patted Cao Zhengchun's head with a teasing smile.
"Your servant was blind and failed to recognize true greatness. I beg Your Highness for forgiveness."
Cao Zhengchun bowed to the ground, playing the obedient servant in hopes that Chu Yang might spare his life.
Chu Yang had yet to speak, but Yu Huatian exploded in rage.
"Cao Zhengchun, you backstabbing old dog! You shame the Eastern Depot with your treachery! I refuse to associate with a traitor like you!"
Yu Huatian's fury was palpable, his cloak billowing wildly in the wind.
He never would've dreamed that the rival who'd fought him for half a lifetime would kneel so easily.
Now he was the laughingstock!
At this point, more than killing Chu Yang, Yu Huatian wanted to kill Cao Zhengchun!
But he would never get the chance.
Since Cao Zhengchun had already surrendered, Chu Yang's next target was obvious.
Same technique as before.
A sword formed from his finger.
Yu Huatian tensed like he was facing death, pouring all his true essence into his sword.
With all his might—he struck!
Chu Yang's fingertip landed precisely on the fractured tip of the sword. The surrounding sword aura condensed into a single point, like a brilliant star, shimmering at the end of his finger.
Yu Huatian's face filled with disbelief.
What kind of sword technique is this?
He had trained in the sword his whole life and never slacked off. He considered himself the equal of Ximen Chuixue or Ye Gucheng. Maybe they had more talent, but in hard work, no one could compare.
Training through the coldest winters and hottest summers—he hadn't let go of his sword since he was a child.
But all that effort, all that pride—became a joke in the face of Chu Yang's strike.
And in that moment, he understood why Cao Zhengchun had surrendered so readily.
The gap between him and Chu Yang was like heaven and earth.
The Virtuous Prince wasn't just a grandmaster—
He had surpassed the grandmaster realm!
Crash!
Yu Huatian's treasured sword shattered. That dazzling starlight loomed closer and closer in his vision.
He knew his end had come, so he simply closed his eyes and waited.
To die under such a sword technique—for a swordsman—was a kind of honor.
Chu Yang had no intention of showing mercy, but a sudden dragon's roar made him pause.
North of the training ground, above the Imperial Study, a colossal golden dragon circled in the sky like a mountain, howling in pain, as though foretelling disaster.
The red-robed eunuchs who had been preparing to besiege Chu Yang all froze, then broke formation and sprinted madly toward the Imperial Study.
Cao Zhengchun didn't know what had happened, but from the red-robed eunuchs' reactions and the direction they ran, a terrible thought struck him—
The Emperor!
Li Chengliang and the Imperial Guards were also stunned by the sight of the golden dragon above. The life-and-death battle between the two sides came to an inexplicable halt.
For some reason, everyone felt deeply uneasy as they heard the dragon's cries.
It was as if something vital to their very souls was slipping away.
Chu Yang sighed, ignoring Cao Zhengchun's pleas for mercy and Yu Huatian's desire for death, stepping calmly out of the formation.
No one dared stop him this time.
"Your Highness, where are you going?"
"To see my royal brother."
"Your Highness, could you spare His Majesty?"
"Lord Guo—he's already dead."
Guo Bujing stared at Chu Yang, his expression grim. "How can that be…"
Chu Yang shook his head. "Come, Lord Guo. Perhaps there's still time to see him off."
Elsewhere in the palace, Lu Xiaofeng also saw the dragon's phantom and felt a storm of emotions. He had guessed what it meant.
He could have stopped it—but he chose not to.
Now, guilt flooded his heart.
Inside the Imperial Study.
"The commotion's too big—what do we do now?"
The Heir of Prince Pingnan, dressed in dragon robes, stared in panic at the golden dragon soaring into the heavens.
"Don't panic! You're the Emperor now—act like it!"
Ye Gucheng's sharp rebuke snapped the heir back to his senses.
"People will be here soon. Get ready and act convincing!"
Chief Eunuch Wang hurriedly reminded them.
Just as he finished speaking, more than a dozen red-robed eunuchs burst through the doors. Some knelt beside the heir, others charged at Ye Gucheng and Chief Eunuch Wang.
Wang knew who they were and quickly shouted, "We're here to protect His Majesty! The assassin has been dealt with—the Emperor is safe!"
The heir echoed, "Yes, these two were protecting me!"
The red-robed eunuchs halted and knelt before the heir.
"Forgive us, Your Majesty, for arriving too late to save you!"
The chorus of "Your Majesty" made the heir beam with pride.
Ye Gucheng breathed a sigh of relief. They had nearly ended up fighting the eunuchs.
These red-robed eunuchs weren't grandmasters, but all of them knew secret techniques and were fearless to the point of madness. Even grandmasters would hesitate to cross them.
Wang pointed at a mutilated corpse on the ground. "Here's the assassin's body. Please dispose of it."
The eunuchs looked to the heir, who nodded. "Do as Lord Wang says."
They stepped forward to drag the body away—to feed it to the dogs.
Suddenly, a streak of sword aura shot through the window, piercing two eunuchs in the knees. The room echoed with their screams.
"Stop right there!"
Guo Bujing appeared at the door and barked an order.
"What's the meaning of this, Lord Guo?" the heir asked coldly, trying to imitate the Emperor's tone.
"I suggest you don't speak to me in that voice."
For the first time, killing intent flared in Guo Bujing's eyes.
The heir paled and instinctively looked to Ye Gucheng and Chief Eunuch Wang.
Wang snapped, "Guo Bujing, are you rebelling?"
Guo didn't answer—he stepped aside as Chu Yang entered the room.
Chu Yang ignored everyone and walked silently to the corpse.
A faint smile crept across his face.
"Royal brother… how could you be dead?"
In the past, had Chu Yang called this corpse his "royal brother," people like Cao Zhengchun would've assumed the Prince was raving again.
But today was different.
Chu Yang's authority had changed everything.
And now, as people looked at the disfigured corpse… a strange familiarity began to stir in them.
But—
Wasn't the Emperor standing right there?
If this was the Emperor's body, then who was the man in front of them?
The Imperial Study fell deathly silent.
Only Guo Bujing glared murderously at Ye Gucheng and the others.
Chief Eunuch Wang broke into a cold sweat. Forcing a smile, he said, "Your Highness, His Majesty is right here. Why are you spouting nonsense about some corpse?"
"We know you and His Majesty don't see eye to eye, but this is too much."
Chu Yang didn't respond. He just looked at the corpse, a hint of regret in his eyes.
"You loved playing people like pawns. But in the end, you were outplayed. Next life—try being an honest man."
"But then again… the Zhu family never left anything good behind. The mighty Son of Heaven, and you couldn't even keep yourself alive. Royal brother, you really are disappointing."
"Your head should've been taken by me."
To the others, Chu Yang's words seemed deranged—but none dared interrupt.
Wang panicked. He shouted to the eunuchs, "Didn't you hear his treasonous words? Kill the traitor now!"
The heir, still pretending to be the Emperor, also sensed things were going south. "Kill him—execute the rebel!"
The red-robed eunuchs obeyed instantly, their bodies erupting in black flames as they charged Chu Yang.
They'd seen what he could do—and from the outset, they went all-in, trading life for death.
To them, their lives belonged to the Emperor. It didn't matter how they were spent.
"Watch out, Your Highness!"
Guo Bujing was about to act—but then saw Chu Yang, back to him, calmly raise his hand.
Chu Yang stared coldly at the charging eunuchs, drew a finger through the air, and spoke one chilling word:
"Slash."
The next instant, all of them were struck by Sukuna's Cleave.
Heads flew. Blood soaked the floor.
The Imperial Study became a slaughterhouse.
Everyone in the room felt a chill shoot up their spines.
Overwhelming power.
Ye Gucheng's eyes widened in disbelief.
What kind of martial technique is this?
Sword energy?
Blade arts?
He was one of the few true masters of the martial world, yet even he had never seen anything like it.
If Ye Gucheng was this shocked, the others were even worse.
Cao Zhengchun dropped to his knees once more, terrified beyond measure.
And this time, Yu Huatian knelt beside him willingly.
Their kneeling triggered a chain reaction.
One after another, people bowed.
Not that Chu Yang cared whether they knelt or not.
His gaze swept across the impersonator, then settled on Ye Gucheng.
"You should've died on the Forbidden City's peak."
"Ye Gucheng."
Chu Yang's eyes held regret—as if mourning a fallen friend.
"…Maybe."
At this point, Ye Gucheng knew—no explanation would matter. He was only puzzled as to how Chu Yang could so easily tell the corpse was the real Emperor.
Weren't they supposed to be bitter enemies?
The eunuchs' deaths had rattled Chief Eunuch Wang. Only after a long pause did he scream for help.
"Guards! Save His Majesty! Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian—you useless cowards, why are you standing there? Restrain the traitor!"
"Hold him until the Imperial Guards arrive!"
No one moved.
Wang howled like a madman.
"Cowards!"
Ye Gucheng had had enough—he turned and cleanly sliced off Wang's head.
Thud thud thud.
The head rolled to the heir's feet.
He turned deathly pale.
He staggered back several steps to put distance between himself and Ye Gucheng, pointing a trembling finger at him. "Are you insane?!"
Ye Gucheng shot him a scornful glance.
Teaming up with these two useless fools—what else could that be but madness? He had once thought the prince of Pingnan possessed some measure of talent, but now it was clear he was nothing but a hollow shell.
In the end, only the Prince of Pingnan had the resolve—willing to risk not just his own life, but everyone else's as well, to pave the way for his son.
"Your Highness, the tide has turned. It's over."
"Ye Gucheng! How dare you call me 'Your Highness' in front of them?!"
"You idiot. I'm giving you a chance because I pity you. Even if you were the real emperor, today you'd still die by the hands of the Virtuous King. So what does it matter if it's true or not?"
"I carry the Zhu bloodline! Once I kill the emperor and seize the Imperial Seal, I will be the new emperor!"
The Prince of Pingnan burst into manic laughter. "What right does he have to lay a hand on me?!"
"I have the Dragon Vein to shield—"
A flash of sword light exploded forth. The silver gleam surged like a dragon, tearing apart the golden aura of the Dragon Vein he relied on and severing his head in a single stroke.
The head hit the ground.
In his eyes remained the same look of bitter resentment as the emperor who had died before him.
"So noisy."
Chu Yang cast him a glance of pity, then drew the Imperial Seal from the corpse's arms with a mere gesture.
Amid the shocked stares of the onlookers, he sneered and crushed it to dust in his hand.
"Useless trinket."
In the imperial study, golden light surged. The aura of the manifest Dragon Vein coiled above their heads. Greed flickered in the eyes of Cao Zhengchun and the others.
The Dragon Vein was tied to the nation's fate—just a single breath of it could drastically enhance one's power. That was how those red-robed eunuchs had been cultivated. After death, their stored dragon aura would naturally return to the world.
Chu Yang opened his palm. He didn't need to do anything else—the dragon aura willingly gathered into his hand, coalescing into a ball of golden light. There was no need for the Imperial Seal at all.
To hell with your national fortune and Dragon Vein. If you won't obey, then vanish completely.
Unlike emperors before who dealt with the Dragon Vein with courtesy and reverence, Chu Yang exuded undisguised murderous intent from beginning to end.
The Dragon Vein had a spirit—and it could feel that intent.
"Cao Zhengchun, tend to my royal brother's remains."
"This old servant obeys."
"Eunuch Cao, I'm not the emperor yet."
"Your Majesty, the nation cannot go a day without a ruler."
Chu Yang shook his head and chuckled. This old dog really knew how to flatter. Even he had to admit—it felt kind of nice.
"Your Highness, allow me to take care of His Majesty's body instead," said Guo Bujing.
Unlike Cao Zhengchun, Guo Bujing hadn't changed how he addressed Chu Yang.
In his eyes, unless Chu Yang officially ascended the throne, he was still the Virtuous King.
"Then I leave it to you, Lord Guo."
Chu Yang took one final look at the emperor's corpse before walking out of the imperial study. Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian followed close behind.
"Your Highness, may I ask how you intend to deal with me?" Ye Gucheng asked.
"I already told you. You're meant to die atop the Forbidden City."
Ye Gucheng returned to the place of the final duel, fulfilling his promise to face Ximen Chuixue one last time.
All the prior chaos no longer mattered.
Now, all eyes were fixed on the duel alone.
Chu Yang bore witness to Ye Gucheng's defeat and death—and to the peerless Heavenward Sword Strike.
The next day,
News of the emperor's death swept across the realm.