With a gentle wave of his sleeve, a soft power surged out from the man like a tide, instantly pushing the surrounding crowd and the fully-armed Martial Artists hundreds of meters away.
The sight shocked everyone present, all of them marveling at the terrifying power of a King-level expert.
"Killing you would only take an instant. Why make such a fuss?"
Chu He withdrew his gaze and continued to stare down at the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand.
When not in use, the sword appeared completely unremarkable. Its sharp edge was restrained, as if it were just an old sword casually displayed at a roadside stall.
But Chu He could clearly sense the majestic power and the might of the Human Emperor contained within it.
That incomparably domineering aura seemed ready to burst from the sword at any moment and shake the heavens and the earth.
"Then let's see you try."
The gentle-faced man spoke again.
Chu He smiled faintly, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Well said. We should indeed see. Using the lives of you four King-level experts to test my sword… I suppose that's barely worthy."
With that, Chu He gently swung the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand.
A wisp of Sword Qi drifted out, ethereal and silent, yet incomparably sharp.
The Sword Qi was like a thin thread in the wind, like a light mist in the rain.
It appeared gentle, but in reality, it contained the power to destroy heaven and earth.
Sunlight poured down from the sky, spilling across the land now shrouded in Sword Qi.
The sunlight and Sword Qi intertwined, forming dazzling patterns of light and shadow that cast a mysterious veil over the land.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment. The crowd felt their hearts pound, their breathing growing ragged.
They held their breath in rapt attention, awaiting what would happen next.
But to everyone's surprise, the four King-level Martial Artists remained standing where they were, completely motionless.
Their faces were blank, as if they were completely unconcerned about the impending attack.
The entire scene was bizarrely strange, as if time itself had been frozen in place.
Chu He nodded in satisfaction, a faint smile in his eyes. "The test is complete. It's too noisy here."
Before the words had even faded, and before Ye Lingyun could react, the two of them dissipated into the air like smoke, leaving only a gentle breeze to stir in their place.
Watching Chu He and Ye Lingyun vanish into thin air, the surrounding crowd erupted into discussion. They stared wide-eyed, trying to catch any trace of them in the air, but it was all in vain.
"What's going on? Chu He is already gone, so why are those four still standing there in a daze?" someone asked, confused.
"They must be scared of Chu He," someone guessed.
"Scared? I don't think so. He may be a King-level expert, but so are they," someone else retorted.
"I think Chu He ran away. Maybe he paid those four off," another person suggested.
However, the scene that followed shattered their speculation.
Several Martial Artists stepped out from the crowd, their eyes filled with shock and awe.
When they stood before the Turtle Shell City Lord and the other three King-level experts,
they were shocked to discover that all four had long since lost any sign of life.
The four men's bodies still stood tall, but the light had vanished from their eyes, as if their souls had been ripped away.
Even more shockingly, there wasn't a single wound on their bodies.
This meant that Chu He's seemingly casual swing of his sword had, in fact, been a fatal attack.
The attack was so exquisitely subtle and impossible to trace that it had passed directly through their physical bodies to extinguish their lives.
The Martial Artists present felt a chill run down their spines. An indescribable fear surged within their hearts.
They felt a profound sense of relief that they hadn't gotten involved in the fight.
Otherwise, they feared they too would have been caught by that formless Sword Qi, their life force extinguished by that single strike.
Only now did they truly understand just how terrifying Chu He was.
He was not just the National Guardian War God, but an unfathomably powerful expert.
His strength had already surpassed their imagination!
...
「Great Jing Empire.」
The dazzling lights of Television Station Channel One illuminated the entire studio as if it were daytime.
At that moment, Queen Ji Shengyue sat before the live broadcast equipment. Her expression was solemn, her eyes flashing with a sharp light,
as if she could pierce through the screen and into the heart of every viewer.
"My respected citizens."
Ji Shengyue's voice, tinged with sorrow and resolve, spread to thousands of households through the microphone. "Just moments ago, I received some heartbreaking news.
Chu He—a man in whom we once placed great hope, but who ultimately fell to depravity and deceived countless people of our Great Jing Empire—has committed a monstrous crime in Turtle Shell City.
He not only murdered several innocent citizens, but he also brutally killed the City Lord of Turtle Shell City, along with three other King-level experts.
This is a grave trampling of our Great Jing Empire's order and a blatant defiance of our laws."
Ji Shengyue's tone grew harsher, her voice echoing through the studio as if to convey her fury to every viewer. "Therefore, I now formally announce the signing of Queen's Edict Number Three, initiating a nationwide manhunt for Chu He.
Dead or alive, he will not be spared!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the studio.
The viewers were struck speechless by the sudden news. They had perhaps never imagined that Chu He, once hailed as the National Guardian War God, would ever come to this.
...
Meanwhile, in a palace of the Great Xia Empire, a young woman in a pure white, feathered dress sat at a desk, handling the Empire's official business.
Her face was exquisitely beautiful, and her eyes shone with wisdom.
This was the Queen of the Great Xia Empire, Lu Yinxing.
Just then, a man hurried in, his face alight with excitement.
He walked to Lu Yinxing's desk and placed a document on it. "Her Majesty the Queen, I have two important pieces of news to report.
First, the Great Jing Empire has suddenly issued their Edict Number Three, announcing a nationwide hunt for Chu He, dead or alive.
This means Chu He has made a complete break with the Great Jing Empire. Their relationship is now as irreconcilable as fire and water.
You must understand, Chu He once made immense sacrifices for the Great Jing Empire. It could be said that he single-handedly built them into what they are today.
For the Great Jing Empire to treat him like this now… they're destroying their own greatest asset!"
As soon as the man finished speaking, a flash of surprise crossed Lu Yinxing's eyes.
She looked up and began to flip through the document the man had given her.
"And the other piece of news?" Lu Yinxing's voice held a hint of anticipation.
"We've mobilized all our national resources and have finally investigated Chu He's origins."
The man said excitedly, "Chu He is indeed from our Great Xia Empire! His parents are alive and well. Although they don't have an easy life, we have confirmed their relationship.
Furthermore, through Liu Yuzhu, our agent embedded in the Great Jing Empire, we obtained Chu He's DNA profile. We've run a match and confirmed that Chu He is that couple's biological son!"
Hearing this news, a joyful smile spread across Lu Yinxing's face.
She stood up. "This is wonderful news!
Chu He will be the pride of Great Xia. We cannot simply stand by and do nothing.
Immediately dispatch people to the Great Jing Empire. Formulate a plan to contact Chu He and bring him back to Great Xia safely!"