"Deceiving Heaven to cross the sea? What a joke, there's no need for an official like me to stoop to such measures." Yang Tinghe scoffed and looked around at the civilian and military officials and voiced loudly, "I have been studying since young, later became a scholar, and then served as an official in the Imperial Academy. For decades, I have hardly ever left Tiandu on my own. How could someone have impersonated me?"
His speech was firm and righteous, reminding many officials of Yang Tinghe's years of public service, a record that was indeed beyond reproach.
Pei Xuanjing shook his head and said, "Impersonate? I never said anything about impersonation." Upon hearing this, many people looked at Pei Xuanjing with unfriendly eyes.
Pei Xuanjing continued, "Why the need for a replacement? The Grand Scholar, Yang Tinghe, is the Blood Demon Sect Master, and the Blood Demon Sect Master is Grand Scholar Yang Tinghe. They are the same person. There's no question of replacement. "
Yang Tinghe tried to say something else, but Pei Xuanjing cut him off, his voice cold:
"Moreover, do you think I came here today to argue with you?"
The aura around him gradually rose, creating a suppressing atmosphere in the square. Everyone was shaken by Pei Xuanjing's terrifying aura.
Pei Xuanjing said, "You can deceive everyone else, but can you deceive Xue Wuheng, the Sky Demon Sect Master, who is also from the Demonic Cult?"
Sky Demon Sect Master Xue Wuheng!
On hearing that name, Yang Tinghe's profound eyes finally showed a trickle of movement.
"Could he have betrayed me?" A thought flashed through Yang Tinghe's mind.
But soon, he dismissed this suspicion.
Although they both came from the Demonic Cult and had conflicts, they had shared interests in certain matters. It was impossible for him to betray himself.
Like in the chaos of Tiandu in the past, without his secret assistance, he wouldn't have been able to escape Tiandu so easily.
All these thoughts occurred in the blink of an eye.
Regardless, the moment Yang Tinghe made his judgment, Pei Xuanjing suddenly attacked without warning.
Boom!
In the shocked and incredulous eyes of everyone, Pei Xuanjing brazenly attacked, without any hesitation.
His True Qi was unleashed, the hot Blood Qi boiling. He held his hand in a palm shape, and purple lightning condensed in his hands. A gigantic palm print, out of nowhere, struck towards Yang Tinghe.
Boom!
Confronted with Pei Xuanjing's sudden lightning strike and sensing the turbulent energy around him, Yang Tinghe, who had come back to his senses, reacted instinctively. His profound True Qi exploded, preparing to fight back.
However, just as his True Qi exploded, the intimidating palm print, which had seemed like it would obliterate everything, instantly vanished without a trace. It was as if it had never appeared at all.
But the countless eyes focusing on him made Yang Tinghe's face gradually darken.
He understood that he had been crossed; the other party actually did not have much confidence to confirm his identity, at least not without solid evidence.
The mention of Xue Wuheng's name was just to probe him, to disrupt his thoughts, and to catch him off guard for a moment.
Moreover, Pei Xuanjing's palm looked powerful, but in fact, it held no real power. Ultimately, it was just a way to test his strength.
If Yang Tinghe had been alert all along, he naturally would have easily seen through it. But there was no way; the name of Xue Wuheng had too great an impact on him.
Feeling the full force of Pei Xuanjing's thunderous moves, he had no time to judge and responded instinctively.
And because of this, he completely revealed his strength.
Yang Tinghe's face darkened, his eyes exuding an almost tangible intent to kill, as if he wanted to shred Pei Xuanjing into a thousand pieces.
"Quick, protect the Empress Dowager!" Someone shouted, and numerous Forbidden Army guards closed in towards the Empress Dowager.
"Your Excellency, Mr. Gu, let's retreat for now!"
Wang Boan silently stepped in front of Wang Qiong and urged him and Gu Ji to retreat.
"Be careful!" Lin Qingyi, the Commanding Officer of the Brocade Guards, also commanded his men to slowly surround Yang Tinghe.
Everyone looked with horror at Yang Tinghe, who was exuding such intense murderous intent and terrifying aura, their faces turning pale.
They couldn't believe that this Prime Minister, usually so mild-mannered, was actually the Blood Demon of the Demonic Cult, who instilled fear in the hearts of children.
"Pei! Xuan! Jing!"
Yang Tinghe ignored the Forbidden Army guards and Brocade Guards closing in, his gaze fixed on Pei Xuanjing as he roared in a low voice.
Damn it!
He was just one step away!
For this plan, he had been hiding in the Great Ming Court for decades, consuming incalculable energy and effort, even abandoning the Blood Demon Sect.
The plan he had painstakingly devised over decades was one step away from success. But then, Pei Xuanjing showed up and ruined everything.
How could he not be angry, not hate him!
He had already decided, today, he must kill Pei Xuanjing. He would drain all of his blood and use it to boost his own strength, only then could he relieve his resentment.
At this moment, Yang Tinghe no longer suppressed anything, releasing his entire power without reservation, letting his True Qi and Blood Qi permeate the atmosphere.
"Strike now!" He shouted angrily.
At the same time he sprang into action, several other top fighters also revealed their strength and attacked. These were all his subordinates.
A few of them took out Thousand-Li Fire from their chests and set it off without hesitation.
Even in broad daylight, the Thousand-Li Fire soared into the sky and exploded. It could be seen almost all over Tiandu.
"Kill!"
The Brocade Guards and Imperial guards charged toward these men immediately.
The various faction leaders who had been observing from the side had their expressions changing fast, each of them calculating rapidly in their head whether they should intervene and what benefits they could gain from it.
"This is your doing! I hadn't intended to kill so many people, but you forced me." Yang Tinghe's gaze was ice cold. He muttered to Pei Xuanjing, "Remember, today, these people have died because of you!"
He took a step forward, his surroundings shimmering with violent energy, his aura menacing and tyrannical.
BOOM!
The endless blood mist around him rose and dispersed. The terrifying aura shocked the entire square causing everyone to retreat in fear.
Many officials who couldn't dodge in time, were touched by the blood mist. Their skin began to fester, as if it was corroded by something.
This was a blood mist unique to the Blood Demon Sect, anyone who was touched and couldn't expel the blood mist, would definitely be infected and turned into blood water.
Yang Tinghe waved his arms, and the rolling waves of energy rushed away. Then he suddenly slapped a palm, causing an endless blood mist towards Pei Xuanjing..
"Disperse!"
He saw the blood mist pouring down like a broken river dam, the water raging and rushing towards him.
Pei Xuanjing, seeing this, kept his calm, uttered a light command, and then the Innate Thunder Gang Qi around his body surged freely. Countless purple-green bolts of lightning fell, smashing the mist apart.
Next, he gathered his five fingers into a palm, collecting the purple-green electric arcs, striking towards the opponent.
Thunder was supremely rigid and unyielding, it broke evil and subdued the demons.
His Shenxiao Thunder Palm technique was already powerful enough. Now, against this Demonic Cult's Blood Demon Qi, it was even more potent than before.
Booming sounds echoed.
Despite it being a clear day, as Pei Xuanjing made his move, the celestial pattern over his head started to change, almost as if wind and thunder were gathering, as thundering booms resounded in the sky, giving the impression of impending thunderbolts.
Rip! Bang!
Yang Tinghe's official robe was instantly torn into countless pieces and fluttered in the sky, revealing a blood-colored robe underneath.
Facing this towering palm strike from Pei Xuanjing, Yang showed no fear. He flicked his fingers lightly, performing a series of hand seals, and in a blink of an eye, a blood-colored seal condensed on his chest.
The Blood Seal of the Blood Demon Sect was not only powerful, but also extremely vicious.
Those affixed with such blood seals would have their blood Qi boiling rapidly, burning uncontrollably, until, in the end, the victim's blood Qi is exhausted, resulting in death.
Boom!
An intense explosion, like a startling thunderclap, echoed throughout the square.
A myriad of low-level civil and military officials scattered in a hurry, fearing that they'd be caught in the fierce exchange and lose their precious lives.
Even though this was merely the initial probing exchange between the two, the power they displayed immensely shook the hearts of countless spectators.
Their figures swiveled and clashed instantaneously. Fists and palms, legs and fingers, all sorts of hand -to-hand techniques were deployed, causing strong gusts of wind and continuous energy explosions.
Due to their fierce exchange, apart from them, there was no one left on the square. The marble floor paved with white jade stones was also damaged from the aftershocks. The floor collapsed and stones flew about.
Each of their movements demonstrated immense destructive power and explosive force, shocking everyone.
Over so many years, Pei Xuanjing's fame was earned through his own effort, punch by punch, sword strike by sword strike. Thus, no one could question his strength.
But to their surprise, Yang Tinghe – or the Blood Demon, who had not set foot in the martial arts world for decades and hadn't made a move from within the court for a long time – also possessed such a terrifying strength.
One must realize, during these decades, Yang did not, like other martial artists, seclude himself for closed-door training. Instead, most of the time he focused on politics, which was why he was highly regarded by the emperor.
Despite this, the strength displayed by the Blood Demon today was still so terrifying that it left everyone astounded.
Could it be possible that the Blood Demon had such terrifying strength decades ago?
Or was he extraordinarily gifted, allowing his martial arts to progress rather than regress during the past few decades while he was also handling political affairs?
Regardless, the Blood Demon today left many people astonished.
"For him to spend decades concealing himself within the court, he must be plotting something earth-shattering," someone guessed, his eyes sparkling.
After all, if the Blood Demon's martial strength had diminished, his concealment within the court could be explained as avoiding retaliation from his enemies.
However, the Blood Demon, who now displayed shocking strength and whose martial arts skills were rare in the world, did not seem to be hiding from any enemies.
The ability to make such a powerful Blood Demon spend decades doing something undoubtedly made everyone extremely curious. What Secrets are hidden within?
They speculated whether Pei Xuanjing appeared here today to trouble Blood Demon Yang Tinghe because of this secret.
Otherwise, according to their information, Pei Xuanjing and the Blood Demon had no grudges, so why would he suddenly trouble him?
They were eager to know the true purpose of the Blood Demon and whether they could obtain anything from it.
Thinking of this, some friendly forces began to secretly plot, scheming whether they could grab a share of the spoils from this situation.
Meanwhile, outside the Imperial City, a Thousand-Li Fire exploded in the sky, seemingly responding to the signal just released by Yang Tinghe and others.
Many people's faces changed, understanding that the others outside the Imperial City had just made their move.
Lin Qingyi immediately took a step forward, preparing to order the Brocade Guards to suppress the rebellion with him.
He knew that although the present imperial city seemed dangerous, it was actually the safest place.
Not to mention Pei Xuanjing, a peerless powerhouse handling Yang Tinghe, there were also those from major forces who were eager to take action at any moment on the side.
In addition, Master Qingxu, the head of the True Martial Sect, was seated. With such a person who was ranked at the top of the martial arts council, no major problems would arise in the Imperial City.
In contrast, most of the officials were currently inside the Imperial City. While there were many forbidden army soldiers guarding outside, no one could command them.
He said to Commanding Officer Jiang Bin, "Sir, with people from the Two Factories protecting the Empress Dowager, I'd like to ask for permission to lead a team to suppress the rebellion."
He had initially thought that Jiang Bin would agree with his action. However, surprisingly, after hearing his request, a hint of impatience emerged in Jiang Bin's eyes. He said in a low voice, "Let's wait and see."
"Sir ," Lin Qingyi was puzzled and wanted to ask for permission again. "Shut up," Jiang Bin scolded, his eyes filled with anger. He said, "Are you going to disobey my orders?" A chill filled Lin Qingyi's heart. He respectfully said, "I wouldn't dare."
Although he was dissatisfied, he had no choice but to step back obediently and order his men to guard the surroundings.
Jiang Bin was looking at the two people fighting in the square, with deep eyes and a calm demeanor. No one knew what he was thinking.
Lin Qingyi stood at a distance, looked around, and noticed something strange. Xu Tai and Li Cong, who were fellow commanding officers, had disappeared at some point. At present, of the three commanding officers of the Brocade Guards, only he was commanding the troops within the Imperial
City.
This made Lin Qingyi feel somewhat suspicious.
Meanwhile, outside the Imperial City, Bai Xiaosheng and Pei Xuanjing quickly gathered their forces' experts and headed towards East City after they had separated.
Originally, according to the rules, King Xing, as a member of the royal family, could also attend this Great Morning Meeting.
However, because he was a potential successor to the throne, King Xing was temporarily placed here and did not enter the Imperial City before the final result was out.
The reason was simple. The court debates were decided by officials, and none wished to openly oppose a potential new monarch.
Therefore, neither King Xing nor the grandson of the Anshan King entered the Imperial City.
When Bai Xiaosheng, leading his men, was less than two li away from the temporary residence of King Xing, violent waves of battle Qi emerged, changing his facial expression slightly..
Rumble…
Pei Xuanjing's robe fluttered, and the air around him surged with every punch and palm strike he launched. His power was like a dragon elephant rolling its cumbersome body, infinite and unpredictable.
The rampant force headed towards Yang Tinghe like an avalanche, as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting, difficult to resist.
All he felt was like a small boat swaying amidst a tempest, facing the raging waves with no chance of resistance.
The momentum on Yang Tinghe's body erupt once more, and his fists surged with infinite, blood-colored power.
Boom!
The violent explosion echoed over the square, and layers of air waves swept in all directions.
Pei Xuanjing smiled faintly and whispered, "Is that all?"
In the midst of his speech, he struck again.
His words carried an intimidating horror, enough to deafen ears.
He raised his slender, fair palm, and a purple-blue stream of lightning emerged, gathering in his palm, a fearsome force emanating from it.
Then, he struck another palm.
A purple-blue thunder dragon roared toward them, bringing a chilling breath in its wake.
Boom!
The moment Pei Xuanjing's palm reached out, Yang Tinghe felt a chill run through him. His body trembled as he felt the terrifying breath contained within that palm, incomparable to anything else as if it could shatter heaven and earth.
In a trance, he seemed to see himself being swallowed by a dragon of thunder.
"Impossible!" He immediately suppressed this thought and erupted into action once more.
Swinging his arms, the blood mist around him converged quickly into a blood-red dragon in front of him.
Roar!
A dragon roar shook the heavens, and the blood-red dragon let out a ground-shaking roar, dancing toward the thunder dragon.
The purple and blue thunder dragon and the blood-red giant dragon entwined with each other, the colors of blood red and purple-blue intertwining as if the two dragons were wrestling.
Thud!
Yang Tinghe was hit by Pei Xuanjing's palm on his shoulder, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and was blown away by the raging force, retreating over ten yards.
The immense force made his legs sink into the ground up to his knees, leaving two deep furrows.
Hiss!
Everyone was stunned by the sight before them. They never expected that Yang Tinghe would display such formidable strength, yet he was still easily injured by Pei Xuanjing.
The Slayer Taoist, so terrifying!
Many people sighed in their hearts, feeling shocked by the strength displayed by Pei Xuanjing.
A horrifying thought gradually arose in their minds, if nothing went wrong, for the next two hundred years until Pei Xuanjings passing, he would become like an insurmountable barrier in the martial arts world.
In the future, his sword intent would shine like the sun, overwhelming the world for two hundred years.
It was fortunate but also unfortunate to be born in the same era as such a powerful being.
It was fortunate because they could see how powerful the extreme of martial arts could be. The unfortunate part was that their brilliance would always be overshadowed by him.
"This is another Master Sanfeng! " Taoist Xuanming lamented in his heart.
After yesterday's dialogue with Pei Xuanjing, the moment he learned that Pei Xuanjing had condensed his Divine Soul from the Path of Refining Spirit, he had fully understood.
The Pei Xuanjing before him was going to be another Master Sanfeng from six hundred years ago. He had reached the peak of the Mortal Realm in martial arts and missed only an opportunity to truly step into the Spirit Realm.
What a pity!
After the Chongyang Ancestor, their Quanzhen Dao had never produced another extraordinary person who could suppress the world.
"If the Heaven and Earth weren't about to revive, I would fear that I would never catch up with him in my lifetime," Wu Fa, the Taoist, felt while looking at the unparalleled Pei Xuanjing.
Compared to the talent shown by Pei Xuanjing, even a confident person like himself couldn't help feeling inferior.
Thinking back to when he and Bai Xiaosheng first started paying attention to Pei Xuanjing, who was then just a newly promoted third-grade Martial Artist. In just over a decade, he had grown so much that even he had to look up to him.
But Wu Fa, the Taoist, was no ordinary man, he had no jealousy towards Pei Xuanjing's strength, but was filled with motivation.
The Heaven and Earth were about to revive, at that time, he too could advance in his cultivation journey. Even if Pei Xuanjing was a step ahead of him, he was still confident that he could tread his path of cultivation.
Pei Xuanjing was unaware that the strength he showed had caused turbulent waves in the hearts of everyone around him and they couldn't contain themselves. His attention was still on Blood Demon Yang Tinghe in the distance.
After the successful blow that injured his opponent, Pei Xuanjing did not choose to press the attack, but stopped and watched him quietly.
One hand lightly resting on the hilt of his sword, the other resting behind his back, his robe fluttering, and his cold eyes calmly watching the Blood Demon Yang Tinghe.
No sorrow, no joy, his expression remained calm, as if defeating Yang Tinghe did not give him any sense of accomplishment or joy.
"Pei Xuanjing!"
Yang Tinghe shook slightly as he pulled his legs out of the ground. His eyes were filled with unrestrained anger as he growled coldly.
The hoarse voice, accompanied by a palpable killing intent, seemed to lower the temperature around him dramatically.
"It seems you're pretty resentful?" Pei Xuanjing spoke calmly, he shook his head slightly and sighed,
"But if you only have this much strength, you seem to be slightly inferior to the Seven Kills Sword Master who died under my hand not long ago."
Although the current strength displayed by the former made the others surprised, to Pei Xuanjing, this was nothing.
It was even less than the Seven Kills Sword Master who had cast the Seven Kills Sword, not to mention compared to the stronger Fengdu Ghost Emperor.
He held the hilt of the Seven Kills Sword at his waist and said, "If you have any trump cards, just show them all to avoid regret."
"You!" Yang Tinghe glared infuriatedly about to say something, but he saw the Seven Kills Sword at his opponent's waist and couldn't help but feel slightly wary.
The Blood Demon Sect was ranked higher than the Seven Kills Sword Sect in the Demonic Cult, and he considered himself superior to the Seven Kills Sword Master.
However, he also knew how terrifying the extreme power of the Seven Kills Sword Master could be. The latter's final sword move was something he couldn't handle easily, and he would have to pay a great price.
But Pei Xuanjing was able to kill the Seven Kills Sword Master easily and then kill the even stronger Fengdu Ghost Emperor, which was how terrifying.
Moreover, he knew that after killing these two, Xue Wuheng had also met with him.
Knowing Xue Wuheng very well, he knew that with his character, if he had the chance at that moment, he would definitely have unhesitatingly attacked him.
But the end result was that Xue Wuheng didn't act, nor did he retrieve the Seven Kills Sword and left easily, which undoubtedly proved that even Xue Wuheng didn't have confidence to take him down at that time..