Chapter 76: The Imperial Path of Xuanyuan, Tales of Years Gone By

“The mighty Lord of the Divine Palace—so this is all you’re capable of? I truly wonder what it is that the Sovereign fears about your Divine Palace,” a voice rang out from the void, brimming with confidence and strength. With its arrival, the previously vanished figure of Haruka Ambei slowly appeared once more.

Tōjō was momentarily taken aback at these words. He turned toward Haruka Ambei, his voice devoid of any emotion. “I didn’t expect your illusions to have reached such a level. Even the Lord of Ryō is probably inferior to you.”

On the ground, Xiao Yu watched as the two seemed to be praising each other, his anger surging. This was Yanxia, his domain, and yet these two had never once regarded him. It was the first time Xiao Yu had ever been treated with such disregard.

“Damn it! Do the two of you not even notice my existence?” Feeling utterly slighted, Xiao Yu’s fury boiled over, his words crude. In the next instant, his figure flashed, rising into midair to confront Haruka Ambei and Tōjō.

“I don’t care what identities you two hold. Right now, you’re standing in Yanxia, my territory. Both of you want to take that woman away, but I’ll say it right here and now: it’s impossible!”

He shouted at the pair. Down below, Taishui and his companions looked on in shock. They had followed Xiao Yu for years, yet had never seen him lose composure in such a way, nor heard him utter such language.

Hearing Xiao Yu’s words, Haruka Ambei and Tōjō turned to face him, their eyes locked onto his. At that moment, Taishui and the others leaped into the air, standing at Xiao Yu’s side, their expressions dark as they faced the two adversaries.

Though this battle was beyond their ability to participate, they would not stand idly by. Their king was here, after all.

As the confrontation was about to erupt, a surging, scorching power suddenly swept in from the distant horizon. With its arrival, everyone present felt as though they were enveloped in blazing flames, the heat nearly unbearable.

This abrupt change immediately drew everyone’s attention. As Haruka Ambei and Tōjō looked toward the source of the power, a streak of crimson light flashed by, unleashing a fierce, destructive force upon them.

The two exchanged glances, each seeing the gravity reflected in the other’s eyes. As the power approached, Haruka Ambei and Tōjō put aside their previous quarrel and simultaneously unleashed powerful strikes, joining forces to resist the mysterious energy.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion resounded. The collision of three distinct powers shook Wolong Mountain twice in succession. The destructive currents unleashed from their merger spread outward, ravaging everything atop Wolong Mountain.

Haruka Ambei and Tōjō, caught in the blast’s aftermath, were forced back two steps, steadying themselves before gazing at the heavens in shock.

At the edge of the sky, a shadowy figure stood silently. Though they could not discern his features, they could sense the aura emanating from him. What drew their attention most was that the force which had attacked them had been unleashed not by the man himself, but by the weapon in his hand.

Still stunned, they watched as the blurred figure took a single step forward—and in the next instant, he appeared directly before them.

“Distance, distance is but a breath away!” Seeing the newcomer’s supreme movement technique, Haruka Ambei and Tōjō could not help but cry out.

“Gentlemen, you have come to Yanxia. Should you not have greeted us first?” The newcomer waved his blazing longsword, his face calm as he addressed Haruka Ambei and Tōjō.

Upon seeing the fiery sword in the man’s hand, Tōjō’s composure faltered. He remembered this sword well—for the previous Lord of the Divine Palace had died at the hands of its owner.

“The Xuanyuan Sword! You are Xuanyuan Huangdao of the Xuanyuan Clan!” Tōjō exclaimed, naming the newcomer in his shock.

“Oh, so you know me.” Xuanyuan Huangdao was surprised to hear the man from Sakura Country call his name so directly, and he scrutinized Tōjō closely.

After a moment, Xuanyuan Huangdao seemed to recall something, and, with some astonishment, said, “I did not expect the child who once followed Master Hattori to have grown so powerful, and to become Lord of the Divine Palace. Truly unexpected.”

At these words, Tōjō’s body trembled. The shock this man had dealt him all those years ago was so profound that, even after so many years, he could never forget what had occurred.

It had happened ten years prior, when Tōjō was merely a disciple of the Divine Palace. That day, as usual, he was cultivating within the palace, when the sounds of battle drew his attention.

Leaving his training chamber, Tōjō witnessed a scene he would never forget. In the void, twelve divine officials were fighting together against a single opponent, while their adversary stood alone.

Elsewhere in the void, the then Lord of the Divine Palace—known as the foremost martial artist of Sakura Country, Hattori Aoshima—was locked in an intense duel with a man wielding a crimson longsword.

Their side consisted of only two men, yet they had forced the entirety of Ise Divine Palace’s strength into action—not only the twelve divine officials, but also Hattori Aoshima, one of the five great Lords.

Yet the battle did not last long. Several agonized cries rang out from the divine officials. The twelve who had joined forces against one man were reduced to six, as the others plummeted from the void.

Three breaths later, the remaining six officials also screamed in pain and fell from the heights. That scene was forever etched into Tōjō’s memory.

Twelve divine officials, united, were all slain by their opponent. In the distance, Hattori Aoshima fared little better; within a hundred exchanges, he was pierced through by the stranger’s sword and fell from the sky.

As Tōjō reeled in disbelief, a voice filled with domineering arrogance rang out across every corner of Sakura Country.

“I am Xuanyuan, guardian of Yanxia! I have come only to inform you that mighty Yanxia is to be honored by all. It is not for you to invade!”

“Whoever violates Yanxia, no matter how far, shall be destroyed! Let all martial artists remember!”

With those words, the two mysterious warriors from Yanxia vanished from the sky, leaving only their echo lingering.

To this day, Tōjō remembers that event vividly. He even recalls clearly that it was the year when the eight great nations joined forces to attack Yanxia.

It was also the year that Yanxia’s martial artists resisted the combined might of the eight nations, becoming a country that struck terror into all their hearts.