Great Li Martial God

But words of warning were useless. Everyone present had been suppressed by the floating wisp of aura, completely unable to move.

The only person in the scene who could act at all was Linghu Yue, shielded as he was by the Celestial River Blade Intent.

But Linghu Yue had no intention of heeding the elders and hall masters. His one desire right now was to slash through the aura above him. He was not willing to believe a word of Shangguan Qingqing’s warnings.

With a resonant hum, under Linghu Yue’s intense drive, the brilliant blade shadow hovering above his head began to shudder and shake with increasing force.

At last, with tremendous effort, it slowly turned its tip upward, pointing toward the wisp of aura infused with martial will above.

Martial aura without someone controlling it was an inert thing. Its primary function was a universal suppression of will, an equal deterrent against all.

Making everyone who felt that wisp of martial will unable to raise a hand against the one holding the Tianjin Guards token, that was the purpose Li Musheng had left this wisp of aura for.

If someone, after witnessing that martial will, still dared act against Shangguan Qingqing, it would be a direct slight against Li Musheng, who stood as the world’s greatest. No matter how little he preferred to involve himself in other people’s business afterward, he would act.

Of course, after truly facing that wisp of martial aura and experiencing the kind of trembling terror that came from the soul itself, there would be very few people with the courage to still raise a hand.

At that moment, Linghu Yue happened to be one of them.But the only reason he had that courage was the Celestial River Blade Intent’s protection, which temporarily dulled his true sense of how terrifying that wisp of aura was.

Without the Celestial River Blade Intent, Linghu Yue would not have had even the chance to try.

However, right at the moment when Linghu Yue locked the Celestial River Blade Intent onto that wisp of martial aura above and was about to strike with full force, the wisp of aura suddenly reacted passively.

In an instant, the martial will that had enveloped the entire Celestial River Blade Sect scattered and dispersed.

And the wisp of martial aura, as though drawn by a magnet, dropped straight down toward the Celestial River Blade Intent above Linghu Yue’s head.

In the next moment, the blade shadow hovering in the air was not merely trembling and swaying anymore.

Under Linghu Yue’s gaze of utter shock, the brilliant blade shadow formed from the Celestial River Blade Intent seemed to come under some force it could not withstand, and it began to dissolve.

It dissolved with alarming speed. In almost the blink of an eye, the blade shadow had become blurred and indistinct.

At the same time, Linghu Yue could clearly sense that his command over the Celestial River Blade Intent was weakening rapidly, until at last it was gone entirely.

”This...”

Linghu Yue’s mind reeled with extreme shock. He realized that he had not simply lost his grip on the Celestial River Blade Intent. The Celestial River Blade Intent itself was gone.

It seemed that the moment that wisp of aura fell, the supreme blade intent of the Celestial River Blade Sect, passed down through nearly a thousand years, had been directly suppressed and extinguished.

And in the next instant, before Linghu Yue could react, the wisp of aura that had just extinguished the Celestial River Blade Intent drifted down and settled above his head.

Then what had happened before played out again. Linghu Yue’s mind went instantly blank, and he crashed back down to his knees, his eyes empty, as though he had been reduced to a body that could only breathe.

At that moment, with the martial will that had enveloped the Celestial River Blade Sect now dispersed, both the elders and hall masters and Shangguan Qingqing found they could move freely again.

Even so, though they could act, none of them moved from where they stood.

Not because they chose not to, but because they were genuinely too stunned.

They had watched with their own eyes as that wisp of aura had, with absolute ease, suppressed and extinguished the Celestial River Blade Intent.

”So it really is the world’s greatest.”

The injured Celestial River Blade Sect leader stood in place and murmured the words involuntarily.

He had thought before that when Shangguan Qingqing described Li Musheng in such extraordinary terms, she was simply blinded by affection and exaggerating wildly.

But now he understood. What Shangguan Qingqing had said about that Eighth Prince was not exaggeration. It was a plain statement of fact.

And it was very likely that even Shangguan Qingqing herself did not fully understand just how terrifying the martial cultivation of the one she called His Highness truly was.

With nothing more than a single lingering wisp of martial aura, the entire Celestial River Blade Sect had been suppressed. And what was even more staggering was that this one wisp of aura had extinguished the Celestial River Blade Intent, the sect’s legacy of nearly a thousand years.

A display of power this terrifying, even the three Martial Gods of the martial world might not be capable of it.

”Unforgivable!”

At that, one elder suddenly cried out in fury, and immediately sprang into motion toward Linghu Yue. But when he reached within three chi of the man, he stopped abruptly and did not dare go any closer to the wisp of aura still floating above Linghu Yue.

Then that elder’s eyes locked onto Linghu Yue kneeling on the ground with a look that could have killed.

The Celestial River Blade Intent was the supreme treasure of the Celestial River Blade Sect, the very foundation on which the sect’s thousand-year lineage rested. And yet because of this rotten disciple of the sect, it had been destroyed just like that.

How could anyone not be furious? How could anyone not be devastated?

At that point the Celestial River Blade Sect leader also finally came back to himself, and immediately reached out with his senses to try and feel for any trace of the Celestial River Blade Intent.

But there was nothing. Clearly there was truly nothing left.

”A sinner. The greatest sinner of the Celestial River Blade Sect!”

The Celestial River Blade Sect leader was overcome with grief and rage, and the agitation triggered his injuries, making him cough up a great mouthful of blood.

He had been too consumed with his astonishment at the wisp of aura’s power a moment ago. But now that he came back to himself, he saw the full picture.

Yes, the Eighth Prince was extraordinary. But the one who had been harmed today was the Celestial River Blade Sect. Using the Celestial River Blade Intent to probe the limits of someone that powerful was a cost the Celestial River Blade Sect simply could not afford.

At the same time, Shangguan Qingqing’s figure flashed and she moved quickly to Linghu Yue’s side, blade in hand.

She paid no attention to the disappearance of the Celestial River Blade Intent, and instead looked down at the cracked Tianjin Guards token lying on the ground.

That token was something Li Musheng had given her. She had not needed to use it at all. She could have kept it with her forever.

And yet because of Linghu Yue’s actions it had been damaged, and at that moment she was just as furious at Linghu Yue as anyone else, wishing she could just drive her blade through him right now.

”Qingqing, do not act rashly. Even though that wisp of aura came from your token, it does not distinguish friend from foe. Do not go near it!”

The elder who had arrived first quickly pulled Shangguan Qingqing back, as the Sect Leader and the other elders and hall masters also arrived.

The Celestial River Blade Sect leader studied the wisp of aura above for a moment, then looked at it with an unusual expression, ”Fortunately this wisp of aura carries no killing intent. It only suppresses. Otherwise every one of us here, and the entire Celestial River Blade Sect, would likely not have come through this unscathed.”

At those words, one of the hall masters furrowed his brow and asked, ”Then what should we do now? Should we try to clear this wisp of aura?”

The Celestial River Blade Sect leader quickly waved a hand, ”Do not. If we act we may end up being struck back like Linghu Yue. Besides, this wisp of aura is powerful but without a root. When enough time has passed it will disperse on its own.”

As he said this, he glanced at Linghu Yue kneeling on the ground, a flash of killing intent crossing his eyes, ”Leave someone here to watch this place. Once the aura has dispersed, deal with this one for the crime of betraying the sect.”

Previously he had restrained himself from moving against Linghu Yue, partly out of the fact that Linghu Yue was a sect disciple and partly because the man had comprehended the Celestial River Blade Stele. Even the conditions the man had put forward, however unreasonable, had not quite pushed the Sect Leader over the line.

But now Linghu Yue had moved against Shangguan Qingqing and caused the Celestial River Blade Intent to be extinguished. The weight of his crimes was severe, and this time he had crossed a line that could no longer be overlooked.

At those words, the several elders and hall masters all agreed at once, ”Let this one live a few days more for now. These days, the sect’s disciples can come here and have a look. Let it be a warning, something for everyone to take to heart.”

The Celestial River Blade Sect leader gave a nod, then looked toward Shangguan Qingqing beside him, his expression shifting slightly.

He let out a quiet sigh, ”Qingqing, we misunderstood what you said earlier. Please do not take it to heart.”

He then considered for a moment, and seemed to arrive at some kind of resolution, ”The Celestial River Blade Sect repays kindness with kindness and grievances with grievances. Since we were able to survive because of the Eighth Prince’s intervention, I will on this day make a promise on behalf of the entire sect. We formally request to join the Great Li Tianjin Guards.”

”Please pass the message to His Highness on our behalf. I hope the Eighth Prince will not find our small sect beneath him.”

At those words, Shangguan Qingqing shook her head gently, ”Sect Leader, you speak too gravely.”

She had believed the truth would come out sooner or later, but had not expected it to be this soon.

That said, a thought struck her, and she asked, ”Sect Leader, you have always avoided involvement in the affairs of the court and the martial world. Why have you now chosen to join the Tianjin Guards?”

As she asked, she added quickly, ”The truth is, His Highness never intended for the Celestial River Blade Sect to join the Tianjin Guards. What I said earlier was said out of urgent necessity. Please do not feel in any way pressured because of it.”

After all, Li Musheng was the world’s greatest. If the Celestial River Blade Sect leader had truly misunderstood Li Musheng’s intentions and believed the man wanted the sect to join the Tianjin Guards, he would certainly not dare refuse given the combination of grace and power being shown. And Li Musheng, in Shangguan Qingqing’s eyes, did not seem like someone who craved that kind of authority.

In her view, His Highness seemed not particularly invested in anything at all, and was someone who was genuinely down to earth, never using his power to pressure others. He was a true great hero of the martial world.

At those words, the Celestial River Blade Sect leader shook his head, ”Do not worry. This decision of mine was not made on impulse, nor under any pressure.”

He swept a look over the several elders and hall masters nearby, explaining his reasoning to them as well, ”Actually, I had already been seriously thinking about this before all of this happened, and it was only after witnessing the Eighth Prince’s true strength that I finally made up my mind.”

”Think about it. With a prince of such overwhelming martial cultivation in the Great Li court, given Emperor Yuanwu’s ambitions, what happens next in the Great Li martial world is not hard to predict.”

”And if the Celestial River Blade Sect wants to survive in the current tide of events, it must plan ahead and find something to lean on.”

At those words, the elders and hall masters who had initially been puzzled by the Sect Leader’s decision now understood, and every one of them nodded with a look of enlightened realization, appreciating the depth of his thinking.

Shangguan Qingqing, however, glanced at the Sect Leader and almost wanted to say that perhaps he was overthinking it, that even Emperor Yuanwu’s orders might not be enough to make the world’s greatest, His Highness, do anything he did not feel like doing.

But then again, some things were hard to predict. What if His Highness had a sudden impulse and decided to bring the martial world under one banner?

And if the Celestial River Blade Sect had already joined the Tianjin Guards, would that not give them a significantly higher standing in the martial world going forward?

”Well, all right. If the opportunity comes up, I will mention this to His Highness. Whether His Highness agrees, though, I cannot promise.”

Shangguan Qingqing left room in what she said. Though she also wanted to see the sect prosper, it all depended on His Highness’s inclination.

At those words, the Celestial River Blade Sect leader gave a meaningful nod, ”I trust that with Qingqing to speak on our behalf, this matter will work itself out.”

He had quietly asked Qin Hao about the situation before, and understood that Qingqing and the Eighth Prince had a relationship of no ordinary nature, and that they had parted with evident reluctance.

And the fact that the man had gone to the trouble of leaving a safeguard inside the token to protect Shangguan Qingqing was itself proof that the connection between them was something quite special.

With a bond like that in play, the Celestial River Blade Sect leader felt the outcome of this was all but certain, with no room for doubt.

”What on earth has been going on here?”

Right at that moment, Bai Zihua finally arrived, having taken somewhat longer than the rest.

He had caught a few words of the conversation from a distance, but had not pieced together what had happened from beginning to end.

The Celestial River Blade Sect leader saw him coming and seemed to remember something. He said urgently, ”I will explain everything here in a moment. Come with me to the back mountain first. Let us see whether any trace of the Celestial River Blade Intent remains in the stele.”

With that, the Sect Leader called for Bai Zihua to follow and headed toward the back mountain.

Bai Zihua looked at Linghu Yue kneeling on the ground and at the wisp of aura that was still unsettling his composure, and furrowed his brow.

At that point, several of the elders and hall masters standing nearby looked at Bai Zihua with expressions that were rather admiring, saying, ”Old Bai, you certainly raised a fine disciple.”

At those words, Bai Zihua’s brow furrowed even deeper.

He clearly had no idea what they meant. He gave Shangguan Qingqing a suspicious glance, but she was staring at the Tianjin Guards token still surrounded by the wisp of aura, her expression troubled.

Bai Zihua scratched his head in confusion, but did not linger, and hurried to follow the injured Sect Leader.

Before long, they stood before the Celestial River Blade Stele.

After hearing the Sect Leader recount the whole story, Bai Zihua stood frozen in stunned silence for a long time without a word.

And the Celestial River Blade Sect leader, his arms around the Celestial River Blade Stele, wore an expression of undisguised anguish.

Every trace of the Celestial River Blade Intent had been suppressed and dispersed by that wisp of martial will. He could not detect so much as the faintest remnant.

At that, the Celestial River Blade Sect leader let out a long and heavy sigh, then turned suddenly to look at Bai Zihua with a gravely earnest expression, ”Old Bai, you have to treat Qingqing well. She is going to be the future of the Celestial River Blade Sect.”

...

At the same time, Li Musheng and his group had already left Lan Province and, after several more days of travel, were drawing closer and closer to their return to the imperial capital, Shangyang City.

And with the passage of time, the news of Li Musheng leading the Tianjin Guards to destroy Falling God Peak in a single night had spread through the entire Great Li martial world at extraordinary speed.