Immortal of the Nine Realms

The street fell into a voiceless silence.

The smiles of the martial artists of Qingsong stiffened and disbelief appeared in their eyes. Never in their wildest dreams would they have thought that Fang Chen would make a move on a citizen of their empire.

You Longchang and his subordinates were also stunned by this turn of events. The empress’s guards were no different.

The citizens of Grand Xia covered their mouths, their eyes widening in fright.

Over the years, the martial artists of Qingsong had acted like tyrants. They did whatever they wished in the capital city without any repercussions. Everyone wanted nothing more than to tear them into a thousand pieces. But that was impossible.

Killing Qingsong citizens would lead to fierce retaliation from their ruling, a consequence that Grand Xia couldn’t bear.

Yet, despite that, Fang Chen slayed a tyrant in front of them, right here!

The citizens of Grand Xia were first bewildered, then shock took over when it finally sank in what had happened, and finally, ecstasy filled their hearts! The rush they experienced when they saw a martial artist of Qingsong fall before their very eyes was just too damn good!

“How dare you, Fang Chen?!” a martial artist from Qingsong roared with rage.

Fang Chen approached the rest slowly, sword in hand. The citizens of Grand Xia opened up a path for him one after the other.

Chop!

Another head fell.

Those martial artists from Qingsong were merely at the Condensing Qi Stage. They were as powerless as a flock of chickens in front of Fang Chen.

“You have quite the nerve! Aren’t you afraid that our Qingsong Empire will annihilate your Grand Xia? Don’t you fear for your lineage?!” one of them hissed.

“I do not wish to see a single martial artist from Qingsong in the capital City from this day forward,” Fang Chen said with indifference.

Hearing his words, countless figures in the crowd found themselves giving a nigh-imperceptible nod.

Suddenly, their imagination raced, and they started glancing all around. Whenever their eyes found a martial artist from Qingsong, they would imagine them being beheaded.

This fantasy caused the eyes of the Grand Xia’s citizens to turn bloodshot and their chests to heave. They twisted their necks left and right, searching and searching.

“General, what should we do?” one of You Longchang’s subordinate asked.

“What should we do...?” You Longchang was at a loss.

“Now that Divine General Fang’s cultivation has recovered, there’s no need for us to be afraid of them any longer, do we! How can we allow them to run rampant in the capital city? Let’s cooperate with Divine General Fang and exterminate them one by one,” A subordinate whispered in a low voice.

“But...” You Longchang gritted his teeth.

This was a matter of great importance, and he didn’t dare make any decisions without permission from the higher-ups. The emperor had to first issue an imperial decree for them to purge the capital city from the martial artists of Qingsong.

“General, my little brother was beaten to death on the streets by them,” another added faintly.

“Fuck this! I’ve had enough!” You Longchang roared. “Soldiers of the West Tiger Battalion, listen up!”

“Yes!” a thunderous roar echoed through the skies.

“Divine General Fang has given the order! Today, we’ll kill every single martial artist from the Qingsong Empire! None will leave the capital alive!” You Longchang’s eyes flashed with ferocity, a bloodthirsty coldness within them. The terrifying murderous intent that was long since buried deep finally rolled off of him.

At this moment, the general who fought valiantly on the battlefield seemed to have returned!

“Yes, General You!”

With his command, You Longchang led his subordinates and charged right behind Fang Chen. They didn’t charge aimlessly, but in a specific direction. That direction led toward a place where most martial artists from Qingsong graduated from, a martial arts academy established by the Qingsong Empire.

The citizens of Grand Xia followed right behind. They certainly didn’t possess any weapons, but they were fueled by their pent-up anger, which filled them with courage unlike any before. They marched forward, inexhaustible vigor driving their steps.

The palace maid stared blankly at the empress. “Empress, he...”

The empress was lost in thought briefly. Then, she turned to the head of her guards and ordered, ”Bring some of your men and follow Chen’er. If he wants to kill the martial artists of Qingsong, don’t hesitate to help him.”

“Yes!”

The head of the Guards of Honors nodded in excitement and, after leaving a few guards to protect the empress, led the rest of his men and made his way toward Fang Chen.

“The heavens will change after today....” The empress muttered to herself.

“Empress, a certain someone from the palace might use this against you.” The palace maid said, her face filled with worry.

Considering that Fang Chen was the empress’s nephew, his sudden act of slaughtering martial artists from Qingsong would undoubtedly affect the empress.

This was especially so when Consort Hua was considered. She wouldn’t miss an opportunity that presented itself on a silver platter.

“Hmmm. Some people might have forgotten that before entering the Imperial Palace, I was a member of the Fang Family.” The empress chuckled lightly, and a flash of lightning flickered in her eyes. The jade ring she had been toying with instantly disintegrated into a pile of powder, forming a little heap on the carriage’s floor.

*

Qingsong Superior Academy.

The academy’s building covered a huge area. It was originally a government office for Grand Xia, but after their disastrous defeat five years ago, it was seized by Qingsong and converted into a martial arts academy.

They chose to use the word “superior” in order to emphasize that their status was above that of Grand Xia.

The place was exceptionally lively.

Most of the martial artists from Qingsong who resided in Grand Xia were alumni of this academy.

“Hehe. You think Goddess Xiao will come over to our academy?”

“Of course, our master is a veteran from the Wolf Army and had followed Marshall Xiao Lang to Three World Mountain where Fang Chen was defeated.”

“I heard that Goddess Xiao has unparalleled beauty. Fang Chen really lucked out.”

“Don’t say that. If Fang Chen becomes a citizen of our Qingsong Empire, wouldn’t that mean that there would be no hope for Grand Xia anymore? When that happens, it’s only a matter of time before our Qingsong wipes them off the map. Hahaha!”

In front of the academy, a group of Qingsong martial artists stood, chatting. They broke out into laughter occasionally.

Beside the martial artists stood a number of servants who were trembling with fear. After all, they trod on a thin line. The slightest mistake on their end would cause them to lose their life. That’s because these servants were citizens of Grand Xia who had been forced to serve the martial artists of Qingsong.

All of a sudden, one of the martial artists was alarmed.

“Why is it so noisy outside?” he asked.

Peering outside the gate, his expression changed.

“What’s the matter?” one of them asked.

“People, there’s lots of people...”

That martial artist from Qingsong muttered to himself, “They seem to be... heading toward us?”

Lots of people?

The group gathered at the entrance quickly. They were stunned by the sudden appearance of the massive troop.

The troop was made up of ordinary citizens of Grand Xia, but there were also many soldiers clad in their uniforms. There were even some who recognized Fang Chen, who was leading them.

“Isn’t that Fang Chen?”

“Something is off! I’ll go inform the master!” One of them left in a hurry.

By the time he ran, Fang Chen had already arrived at the entrance of the Qingsong Superior Academy.

He glanced at the sign and said coolly, ”General You, destroy it.”

“Yes!” You Longchang leaped into the air and shattered the sign with a single punch.

“How dare you!”

The martial artists from Qingsong who were gathered near the entrance felt a burst of rage surging through their hearts, and their eyes turned red with fury.

“Kill them,” Fang Chen said.

“Divine General Fang, are you sure?” You Longchang hesitated. By the time they made their way over there, he had found it within himself to calm down and assess the situation carefully.

“I won’t say it again.” Fang Chen’s brow furrowed slightly.

Realizing that it was too late to back down now, he gnashed his teeth and, without turning his head, yelled, “Kill!”

Taking the lead, he led his troops and charged into the Qingsong Superior Academy.

The initial shock left the martial artists from Qingsong momentarily dazed. And within seconds, they were swallowed by the sea of people who followed behind You Longchang.

They were stabbed and slashed repeatedly. The brutality of the scene illustrated the profound hatred the citizens of Grand Xia carried.

You Longchang led the way and cleared the path as Fang Chen sauntered behind him. The commoners followed closely behind, their faces flushed with excitement. But their eyes also carried fear.

Eventually, the martial artists from Qingsong started to react, and they gathered together in order to launch a counterattack.

A figure abruptly rushed to the scene and, upon witnessing the unfolding spectacle, bellowed in anger, “Cease your hand at once!”

The person who arrived was Xiao Tianci, the Academy Master.

He certainly carried the Xiao surname; however, he didn’t carry their blood. He was instead granted the family name of “Xiao” after following Marshall Xiao Lang into battle from a young age.