Chapter 128: Number One Under Heaven of This Era
When Li Qingqiu walked out of the forest, someone on the city wall soon spotted his figure.
“Someone’s there!”
“Draw your bows!”
As a soldier exclaimed in alarm, the leading commander immediately raised his hand and ordered.
Hundreds of archers standing on the city wall drew their bows toward Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu’s expression did not change.
Lin Chuan, who was perched on his shoulder, let out a sly laugh and then burrowed into the ground, vanishing from sight.
Nangong E drifted out from within his body, hovering behind him.
Her long, elegant hair extended and danced like a swarm of serpents.
Her charming face instantly twisted into one of hideous ferocity.
Seeing that Li Qingqiu did not stop, the commander at the southern city gate frowned and gave a direct order: “Shoot him dead!”
Even if they were unsure whether the intruder was truly Li Qingqiu, anyone who dared to come to Zhenyang Imperial City at such a time could not be ordinary.
If he were a son of nobility, he would never have come alone.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hundreds of archers loosed their arrows, the shafts raining down like a storm.
The martial artists watching from within the forest were all terrified.
None of them expected the general atop the city wall to act so decisively.
Those who had earlier advocated forcing their way through broke into a cold sweat.
Li Qingqiu’s expression remained calm.
As the rain of arrows fell, his figure flickered rapidly, dodging all along the way as he advanced swiftly toward the gate.
This sight caused uproar among the soldiers on the wall.
The Forbidden Martial Guards leapt down one after another, treading with light steps as they charged toward Li Qingqiu.
Facing the guards attacking from all directions, Li Qingqiu did not evade.
With a wave of his right hand, streaks of sword energy shot from his sleeve, transforming into sword shadows that pierced through the bodies of the Forbidden Martial Guards like bolts of lightning.
Each one was nailed to the wall, causing it to quake as blood splattered and blossomed against the stones.
The martial artists in the forest stared wide-eyed, as if seeing ghosts.
The soldiers on the wall were equally horrified.
They knew full well how strong the Forbidden Martial Guards were.
To say one could fight a hundred of them might even underestimate their strength—yet so many of them could not withstand even a single move from this man.
Li Qingqiu reached the gate, unleashing a terrifying aura that shattered the city gate from afar, blasting dozens of soldiers behind it into the air, their screams echoing.
The sound was immense.
Far away, in the square, Xuan Gong, the Forbidden Martial Guards, and the Demonic Soldiers all turned to look.
Emperor Zhao Zhi, who had been chatting with Grandmaster Jiang about the Elixir of Immortality, also heard the noise.
He turned sharply, his brows furrowing as anger darkened his face.
“So Li Qingqiu truly dares to come? I shall see whether he possesses the Daoist Baishu’s skill!”
Zhao Zhi sneered coldly, his tone dripping with killing intent.
The ministers on the platform exchanged nervous glances.
They could not hear the distant sounds and did not know what was happening at the southern gate.
Suddenly—
Wooo—
A horn blared from the direction of the southern gate, loud and far-reaching, plunging the entire Zhenyang Imperial City into tension and fear.
Windows of countless houses flew open.
Commoners, merchants, and officials peered out anxiously, their faces filled with worry—they feared the Coalition Army of the Seven Provinces had returned.
Meanwhile—
Dust filled the air inside the southern gate.
Li Qingqiu stepped forward slowly.
Before him stretched a broad street leading straight to the city’s center—over six zhang wide, with a clear view all the way to the grand outline of the imperial palace.
Soldiers rushed from both sides, forming a blockade ahead of him.
Behind them, Forbidden Martial Guards leapt onto the rooftops lining the long street.
Clad in black and wearing ghostly masks, they looked like specters haunting the mortal world.
At a glance, one could not tell how many there were.
At the far end of the long street, rows of black-armored soldiers carrying shields marched forward, killing intent surging skyward.
Behind Li Qingqiu, the soldiers atop the wall once again drew their bows, taking aim at him.
At that moment, Li Qingqiu was surrounded on all sides.
From afar, the sound of galloping hooves drew closer, yet his expression remained utterly calm as he faced thousands alone.
He had made this much commotion intentionally—to alarm the Emperor, to shake the city itself.
With Lin Chuan watching, he had no fear of the Emperor fleeing.
He would charge in openly, breaking the courage and hearts of all who stood in his way.
He would slaughter every last shred of hope from the nobles within this city.
He would make Zhao Zhi die in utter despair.
For twenty to thirty years, Zhao Zhi and his Demonic Cult had ravaged the world, leaving countless homes destroyed.
Even Li Qingqiu’s own abandonment by his parents had a thread of fate tied to Zhao Zhi.
Killing him easily would not be enough—not for Li Qingqiu, and not for the people of the world.
Li Qingqiu grasped the Tianhong Sword at his waist and slowly drew it.
The sword gleamed brilliantly.
Once unsheathed, he lowered it to his side, the tip pointed downward like a curved moon, its lingering light hanging in the air.
A Forbidden Martial Guard stepped across a rooftop, tiles shattering beneath his feet.
Swift as lightning, he sprinted to the edge and leapt into the air, drawing his blade to strike at Li Qingqiu.
As he rose, the others moved as well.
The soldiers below began forming ranks.
Li Qingqiu moved too—stepping forward and vanishing like a violent gust of wind.
He rushed into the army formation, sending hundreds of soldiers flying.
When he reappeared, countless Forbidden Martial Guards surged toward him from every direction, like fish crossing a river, intent on drowning him.
A great battle erupted in an instant!
Li Qingqiu swung his sword, sword energy whirling as it shredded the guards around him.
He continued walking forward, the sword’s edge wreathed in gleaming light.
With every swing, several soldiers and guards were slain, blood spraying to dye the long street red.
Boom!
A thunderous crash rang out as a Forbidden Martial Guard lunged toward him, his right foot wreathed in flame, descending like a meteor.
Li Qingqiu tilted slightly to the side, easily avoiding the strike, and thrust his sword into the man’s chest, pinning him to the ground.
Stones shattered.
The mask on the man’s face cracked apart, revealing an expression of fear and disbelief as blood poured from his mouth.
Li Qingqiu did not even glance at him as he stepped past.
Enemies swarmed in from all sides, yet Li Qingqiu’s movements were fluid and graceful.
Each time he sidestepped an attack, his sword would flash in response.
As he advanced, bodies fell one after another behind him.
The sight shook every soldier’s heart.
Especially those atop the wall—they could see most clearly.
The archers’ hands trembled, cold sweat dripping down their faces.
Li Qingqiu had used no spells, only swordsmanship and movement techniques.
Even deep within the enemy’s ranks, he displayed the might of one man against ten thousand.
Climbing the long steps ahead, he drew nearer to the black-armored soldiers with shields—the Demonic Soldiers Li Sifeng had once spoken of.
Zhao Zhi’s ultimate trump card—the Divine Martial Soldiers!
Clad in thick black armor, their faces mostly concealed by helmets, their eyes locked onto Li Qingqiu’s figure, cold and filled with murderous intent.
None of them showed fear before his overwhelming might.
...
A Forbidden Martial Guard used lightness skill to leap swiftly from a rooftop to the square.
In a few steps, he arrived beneath the high platform, cupped his fists, and shouted loudly:
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Li Qingqiu has broken through the southern gate and is advancing along Changle Street! Hundreds have already perished!”
An uproar followed.
The ministers on the platform were stunned by Li Qingqiu’s ferocity.
The thirty-six prisoners kneeling below slowly raised their heads.
On the other side of the platform, more prisoners were being escorted into the square by imperial guards.
Some were soldiers of the Coalition Army of the Seven Provinces, others were martial artists from the Jianghu.
Hearing the report, they all grew agitated.
“Someone’s here to rescue us?”
“Li Qingqiu—why does that name sound familiar…”
“Li Qingqiu is the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, Number One Under Heaven of this era! Even the Sword God couldn’t defeat him! He’s come—we truly have hope!”
“Number One Under Heaven? Is he truly that powerful?”
“Did Li Qingqiu come alone, or is the entire Clear Sky Sect attacking with him?”
The prisoners whispered excitedly.
Even as the guards lashed them, they could not contain their fervor—some even burst into laughter and cursed Zhao Zhi aloud.
On the platform—
Zhao Zhi’s face darkened till it nearly dripped water.
He spoke in a low, cold voice, “Xuan Gong! Bring him down for me!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Xuan Gong replied and swiftly departed.
The Clear Sky Daoist knelt on the ground, his senses gradually returning.
Having been imprisoned in the deepest cell for thirty years, he was unaccustomed to sunlight.
He could not open his eyes fully.
Only after kneeling for some time did his sight and hearing begin to recover.
He heard the words “Clear Sky Sect.”
He did not know who Li Qingqiu was, nor whether another sect by the same name still existed in this world.
A minister approached Zhao Zhi and whispered, “Your Majesty, should you retreat for safety?”
At that, Zhao Zhi cast him a cold glance that made the man tremble and quickly withdraw.
“Number One Under Heaven? Ridiculous! I am the Number One Under Heaven!”
Zhao Zhi roared in fury, turning to Grandmaster Jiang.
“Heaven Master, I want more Inner Cores!”
Grandmaster Jiang frowned, sighed softly, and said, “So be it.”
He drew a white jade vial from his sleeve and tossed it to Zhao Zhi.
Then, he turned toward the massive black flag burning under fierce flames, his gaze complex and unreadable.
...
On both sides of Changle Street, more and more Forbidden Martial Guards leapt onto the rooftops, their eyes fixed on the lone figure below—fear and unease filling their faces.
Before their eyes, Li Qingqiu slashed his sword down, cleaving through the heavy armor of a Divine Martial Soldier.
The soldier’s so-called indestructible body lost its head in a single stroke.
Black blood gushed out, staining the ground with dark blossoms.
The Divine Martial Soldiers, whom even the Forbidden Martial Guards feared, could not withstand a single blow from Li Qingqiu.
Before him, whether Divine Martial Soldiers or Forbidden Martial Guards—they were no different from ordinary soldiers.
None could harm him.
None could survive his sword.
On the crowded long street, Li Qingqiu’s blue robe stood out vividly.
His steps never halted; his presence alone eclipsed the might of the entire Divine Martial Army.
Even as more Divine Martial Soldiers arrived from behind, fear filled the hearts of the guards, an oppressive dread spreading through every one of them.
If even the Forbidden Martial Guards were so terrified, how could ordinary soldiers hope to stand?
A general in golden armor stood atop a high building, long spear in hand, watching Li Qingqiu’s figure with sheer horror written across his face.
He was Lin Xiao, Commander of the Imperial Forbidden Army of Zhenyang Imperial City.
Once a Martial Champion, his martial skill had long entered the realm of mastery.
He had roamed the martial world in his youth, but he had never witnessed anyone this powerful.
Li Qingqiu’s movements were not strange—merely swift and precise.
Yet every seemingly light sword strike carried devastating power, unstoppable and absolute.
Even Lin Xiao, once famed for bravery and valor, felt fear rise within him.
He dared not go down to block Li Qingqiu.