'This is the power of a Tier Three Life. My Fist Power has reached at least eight tons, and my speed is 90 m/s. Ordinary firearms can no longer harm me!'
On the highest floor of the Sea View Tower.
Wang Xiao sat cross-legged on the terrace, carefully sensing the state of his body.
Now, with his every move, his Inner Qi naturally became one with Heaven and Earth.
It was as if the entire world was revolving around him.
The moment he exerted himself, his power would instantly reach its peak, enough to shatter a mountaintop.
This was a standard only a Tier Three Life could achieve!
Moreover, he wasn't the weakest of the Tier Three Life forms.
With his current strength and Martial Arts, Wang Xiao would be considered powerful even among Tier Three Life forms.
Seventeen years of arduous training had finally led to a complete transformation!
'The Martial God Realm must be the limit in this world. I can already feel that there is no further path to advance!'
Wang Xiao let out a soft breath.
In an instant.
The sky-filling sword light immediately retracted into his body.
Just then.
Li Tiange, dressed in white robes purer than snow, slowly walked into the pavilion.
"Congratulations, Younger Brother Wang, on stepping into the unprecedented Martial God Realm. This is truly a joyous occasion."
Li Tiange looked at Wang Xiao, his expression complex.
He had become a Martial Saint at forty-five and had thought his own talent was unparalleled.
Second only to Wu Shengtiang, who had reached the Martial Saint Realm at thirty!
But he never expected that a new generation of talent would emerge from the Jianghu, producing someone even more monstrously gifted than Wu Shengtiang.
This person had, by his own power, forged a completely unprecedented path in Martial Arts!
It was truly a groundbreaking achievement.
Li Tiange couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of talent was required to accomplish such a feat.
It was comparable to the divine beings who had first pioneered Martial Arts!
Wang Xiao rose to his feet, cupped his fists, and said, "I must thank Master Li for your guidance over this past year or so."
In his exchanges with Li Tiange over the past year, he had indeed learned a great deal.
Although Li Tiange was much younger than Master Zhang and Zen Master Hui Zhen, his strength was subtly superior.
His imaginative, unrestrained ideas and his understanding of Martial Arts had also benefited Wang Xiao immensely.
Furthermore.
Sea View Tower's location was superb, offering views of the rising sun, the setting moon, and the ebb and flow of the tides.
This allowed Wang Xiao to perceive Heaven and Earth more clearly, greatly shortening the time it took him to condense the prototype of his Martial Arts.
Li Tiange spoke up. "Your three-year pact with Wu Shengtiang is almost up. If you head to the Forbidden City now, you might be in time for a good show."
"What do you mean?" Wang Xiao's eyes flickered.
For the past year or so, he had been focused on quietly polishing the prototype of his Martial Arts.
He had rarely even asked about the Sword Sect's affairs, only telling Li Tiange to notify him if the sect was in danger.
Therefore, he knew very little about what was happening in the outside world.
Li Tiange said:
"Over the past year, the entire world has undergone an earth-shattering transformation."
"The Taiping Army was originally an unremarkable force among the various rebel armies. But after several years of rest and recuperation, they have suddenly risen to prominence. They have wiped out and absorbed all other Rebel Armies while conquering cities and territories."
"As of now, the lands of the Great Xuan's Two Capitals and Thirteen Provinces have almost entirely fallen into the hands of the Taiping Army. Only the Capital City, defended by Wu Shengtiang, remains!"
"According to news from the front, the Taiping Army is now marching on Shanhai Pass. They intend to take the Capital City and bring the Great Xuan Dynasty to a complete end."
"However, this will likely be an extremely difficult battle. With Wu Shengtiang defending Shanhai Pass, it's a case of one man holding the pass against ten thousand. If the Taiping Army wants to break through, they will undoubtedly suffer catastrophic casualties."
"If you go now, you should be able to make it in time for the final, decisive battle."
Li Tiange's Sea View Tower was located in the North Sea region. Although he didn't participate in the struggles for supremacy, he observed the world's situation with crystal clarity.
"Has the day finally come?"
A sharp light gleamed in Wang Xiao's eyes.
He had long known that not even Wu Shengtiang could stop the inexorable tide of change.
The fall of Great Xuan was only a matter of Time.
However.
He hadn't expected this day to come so quickly.
And that it would ultimately fall at the hands of a beggar.
It seemed that saving Zhang Yuanzhu back then had not been in vain.
Li Tiange said, "Speaking of which, the Taiping Army has sent quite a few spies over the past year to inquire about your situation, Younger Brother Wang, but I've sent them all away."
"It seems they're waiting for you to make a move, too."
Before Wang Xiao broke through to the Martial Saint Realm, Wu Shengtiang was a figure in a league of his own.
Even Martial Saints like Master Zhang, Zen Master Hui Zhen, and Li Tiange were a significant cut below Wu Shengtiang.
This was a man who could truly fight ten thousand enemies alone!
If the Taiping Army were to launch a frontal assault, Wu Shengtiang, using the natural fortress of Shanhai Pass, could absolutely inflict devastating casualties upon them.
He might even force them into a full retreat.
"The greatest man of all time, the last shred of the Great Xuan Dynasty's Destiny"—such titles were not just for show.
Therefore, the Taiping Army, and indeed the entire world, was waiting for Wang Xiao to make his move.
Everyone knew that in the world today, if anyone had a chance to defeat Wu Shengtiang, it was this young Martial Saint!
Wang Xiao's voice was calm. "Since I have made a three-year pact with him, I will naturally go to fulfill it. I only hope that he, too, has made some breakthroughs in these three years. Otherwise, it would be far too boring."
Between a Martial God and a Martial Saint, there was a difference of an entire Life Tier.
Even if Wu Shengtiang was considered invincible in the Martial Saint Realm, trying to fight a Martial God was like an egg striking a stone.
Li Tiange asked, "Younger Brother Wang, when do you plan to depart? I have already prepared a fine steed for you."
"Immediately!"
...
「The Capital City, before Shanhai Pass.」
The setting sun was the color of blood, and banners snapped in the wind.
An army was camped one li outside Shanhai Pass, a forest of blades and spears beneath a heavy, murderous atmosphere.
WHOOSH—
The cold wind howled.
It whipped at the Sun and Moon Banner, held high by powerful warriors, causing it to sway relentlessly.
At this moment.
Deep within the military camp.
Zhang Yuanzhu sat at the head seat, flanked by the strategists and generals who had campaigned alongside him for all these years.
One of the strategists, holding a feather fan and dressed in a scholar's robe, spoke:
"It is now the dead of winter. Although our army's provisions are sufficient for the time being, if the siege drags on, morale will inevitably waver. This would be detrimental to our grand strategy. Marshal, you must make preparations soon."
Hearing this, the other generals also began to offer their own suggestions and strategies.
"That Martial Saint Wang from the Sword Sect, his three-year pact with Wu Shengtiang is today, isn't it? I wonder if he'll show up."
"This Martial Saint Wang has been visiting all the major Martial Saints for the past few years. He's at Sea View Tower now, but we've sent many spies and none can get any information."
"We can't just wait for him forever! An army of five hundred thousand, with all the men and horses to feed every day... every day we delay is a detriment to the war effort."
"The way I see it, no matter how strong Wu Shengtiang is, can he really stop an army of half a million? Let's just charge in! I'm willing to lead the vanguard!"
"Shanhai Pass is easy to defend and hard to attack. A forced assault, even if we did manage to breach the pass, would result in extremely heavy losses. We need to think this through more carefully."
"That's right. This battle will decide the fate of the world; there can be no mistakes. As they say, the best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; attacking their morale is best, attacking their cities is worst. If we could persuade the defending generals to surrender and coordinate an attack from both inside and out, our chances of victory would be much greater."
"Impossible. The Great Xuan generals defending Shanhai Pass are all Wu Shengtiang's trusted confidants. They will never be persuaded to surrender. This battle is destined to be a frontal assault."
"If that's the case, when Wu Shengtiang leads the Overlord Army in a charge, I fear our army will suffer devastating casualties."
The atmosphere fell silent once more.
In the end.
Their fear in attacking Shanhai Pass was, simply, Wu Shengtiang.
Now, with no news from the young Martial Saint, they were left in a passive position.
Listening to the discussion among his strategists and generals, Zhang Yuanzhu sighed internally.
Originally.
The Taiping Army would not have recklessly chosen to attack Shanhai Pass in the winter.
Unfortunately, his master, Ming Xu, had taken a palm strike from a Grandmaster two years ago to save him.
This year, the injury had grown much worse, and he might not survive the winter.
In order to let Ming Xu see the fall of Great Xuan and the dawn of a new era before he passed away...
...Zhang Yuanzhu had gone against all advice and chosen this moment to march!
After a moment of thought.
He spoke: "Relay my orders to the entire army! Tomorrow, we breach the pass, kill Wu Shengtiang, capture the Xuan Emperor, and destroy Great Xuan!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
"Report!"
A messenger ran in, breathless and in a frantic hurry.
"Speak," Zhang Yuanzhu said coolly.
Only then did the messenger say, "There is a young man outside who calls himself Wang Xiao of the Sword Sect. He says he has come to help the Marshal sever the dynasty's last thread of Destiny!"